Chapter 207

I arrived in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, following the Saemangeum Embankment, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest embankment in the world.

We parked in front of a strangely shaped building, reminiscent of the sinking Titanic’s bow.

While Professor Cheon went to the Saemangeum Development Agency for a moment, I enjoyed the view of the horizon separating the tidal flats and sea water from inside the car, which was blasting with air conditioning.

Initiated 60 years ago for the purpose of creating eco-friendly farmland, the Saemangeum reclamation project has faced difficulties in modern times as the importance of the primary industry declined.

The reclaimed land seemed to be in a state like a fallen straw, but coincidentally, it was discovered that a mana field existed, which was akin to catching a rat while taking a backward step.

While the term “mana field” may be more appropriate, it can’t be helped since the term has already become fixed.

Unlike oil, mana doesn’t remain static but flows continuously.

It differed from the world in my past life filled with mana.

Here, there was a massive mana trunk that pierced through the Pacific Ocean, and only mana power plants could be constructed from its scattered branches and secondary scaffold branches.

Although it’s not an official term, for convenience’s sake, we refer to them as primary and secondary branches.

In other places sprawling like capillaries, the mana pressure was too low to be usable, which also explained why using magic was difficult without the ‘storage’ process to communicate with the power plants.

“There’s no direct boat to Durido; you need to go to Biando and personally ask the locals there.”

Professor Cheon started the car.

“Who did you meet?”

“Oh, the head of the development agency is someone I know, so I asked if there was a boat route.”

Professor Cheon, suspiciously well-connected, sipped his cheap instant coffee as we departed for the harbor again.

The sweet scent… It must be delicious.

* * *

“What the heck? What are we supposed to do?”

“Take them to Durido!”

“What Durido? Why go there?”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Our grandpa has really poor hearing.”

“No, it’s alright. We’re grateful for your help.”

We were able to head back to the sea with the help of an elderly couple who ran a fish farm in Biando.

The salty smell of the sea mixed with the oily scent of the small boat engine.

Perhaps due to the exceptionally clear weather, the harbor and tidal flats didn’t seem too far apart, and the opposite harbor was visible.

“People used to live in Durido, right?”

“Huh?”

“Did people live there too?”

Despite my attempts to shout loudly enough to be heard over the sea breeze, it seemed like they still couldn’t hear me well.

“Who lived there? No one lives there!”

“Oh, okay…”

“I wonder if Grandpa Bong Gon has come back.”

With no yield, I returned to the deck and stood next to Professor Cheon, grabbing the railing.

He pointed with his finger to a spot on the land we had just left.

“Over there is the Gunsan Mana Power Plant. It’s the first one built on a primary branch in our country.”

It was a desolate site, with only drilling equipment constructed so far.

Many buildings still needed to be erected, such as a central storage house and a base station.

“Indeed, our country has terrible luck. Even neighboring Japan has five scaffolds.”

There’s no oil, and mineral resources are scarce.

Moreover, that frequently referred to mana field has only been discovered in the secondary branches, so before the Gunsan Power Plant was completed, it had no choice but to build in places like Ulsan and Gangneung, almost biting the bullet.

“Oh, there’s also one on Bukhansan.”

“If the Gunsan Mana Power Plant is completed, will mana usage decrease in Korea?”

“Hmm. I’m not sure about that.”

“Well, of course, they won’t lower the prices.”

Once they raise the prices, they never go back down.

In the end, it will just fill someone’s bonus with the money.

While chatting with Professor Cheon, we unexpectedly arrived at the Durido pier.

There were certainly traces of people, but the ominous silence was different from Biando, giving a real sense that it was a deserted island.

“There’s another boat here?”

“Seems so. It looks like people do indeed live here.”

Though it was designated as an uninhabited island in the administrative network, there were signs of human presence.

First, the people we needed to find were at least three: Baek Arin, her six-year-older adopted brother Baek Min Woo, and the ‘scary grandfather’ mentioned by Arin.

“I wonder if we can just leave like this…”

“Yes, it’s fine. Thank you.”

“Those strange people! Why would they come all the way to such a harsh place to look for a deserted island?”

Despite grumbling, thanks to the old man’s help, we could reach the island in just one day.

The white bubbles formed on the path the small boat had taken sparkled as they caught the evening glow.

“Let’s find them quickly before the sun sets.”

“Okay. Let’s follow the path for now.”

The island appeared quite small at a glance.

In reality, it was half the size of Korea University, so walking at a slow pace wouldn’t take more than an hour to circle the island.

We walked along the path that extended from the pier.

The gentle slope abruptly ended, and afterward, it was just grassy fields.

Upon carefully examining the wildly grown weeds, I noticed some bent spots here and there.

They were traces of someone having stepped through.

And quite recently too.

Turning my head, I exchanged glances with Professor Cheon.

[Shall we go?]

He shrugged his shoulders.

[Do as you like.]

Feeling like a thief, I boldly stepped forward.

The soft ground sinking with each step made me fear I might stumble.

“…!”

“Are you okay? Be careful.”

“I think I tripped on something.”

Was it just a coincidence that I almost fell forward on what felt like a solid stem?

Using Professor Cheon’s support, I stood back up and shifted my gaze to the end of the stem.

“It’s a watermelon, isn’t it?”

“It is indeed.”

We both exclaimed simultaneously.

A watermelon, looking pretty appetizing, was open before us.

“Wow! This is the first time I’ve seen one being grown in reality.”

I felt quite happy to see a fruit after a long time.

In my past life, I had missed watermelon punch since there were no fruits like that.

I crouched down, knocked on the watermelon, and rolled it back and forth playfully.

Curious, I rummaged through the grassy field to find more watermelons.

“…?”

Unfortunately, the shadow I thought was another watermelon was not edible.

It was a human head, specifically a young boy and girl, quietly lying on the ground and holding their breath.

The monsters, with faces smeared in blood, suddenly screamed at me with their mouths wide open.

“AAAH!”

“KYAAAA!”

“I was startled!”

* * *

“What are you screaming for, startled by something?”

I punched the girl on the head.

I was more surprised than they were!

It was only natural that they were not monsters or vampires but perfectly normal humans, and the red substance on their mouths was watermelon juice, not blood.

Although the caloric content of watermelon was only one-third that of blood, Arin hastily started devouring the watermelon.

“Ugh… I thought you were a grandpa… Hihih… Min Woo, look, wasn’t I right? I’m not lying, Na-me said they would really come… Hmmm…”

“Make up your mind whether to cry, eat, or talk. You’re going to choke.”

Ms. Baek Arin was tasting the watermelon soaked in her tears.

I asked Professor Cheon to cut the watermelon into manageable pieces and shared slices with the starving siblings.

I had a mountain of questions I wanted to ask, but filling their bellies took priority.

“Your hair has grown long. Have you never cut it?”

Arin nodded her head up and down.

“Meanwhile, Baek Min Woo, who was quietly stuffing watermelon pieces into his mouth, also had hair that nearly reached his shoulders.”

“Why are you so skinny? Have you not been able to eat? How long have you been on this island?”

“Well, that… I can’t remember well…”

“8 months and 13 days.”

Min Woo said, crunching on the black seeds of the watermelon.

In his empty gaze, there were emotions so complex they were nearly impossible to guess.

He threw the empty watermelon rind away angrily.

“Ha… I should have just said no…”

“Why are you saying that, big brother? You told me not to give up!”

“Then, of course, we can’t give up! What on earth have we been suffering through all this time? Ouch!”

Min Woo grimaced and touched his calf.

The visible red lines were accompanied by a disturbing bruise right in the middle.

“Wait, Arin, show me your legs too.”

“Ah!”

I had hoped otherwise, but she too had the same cane marks.

“Who did this to you? Was it the grandfather you mentioned?”

“…”

“Tell me quickly.”

“Um… But we got hit because we were bad…!”

“Ha… Arin, no matter how much you did wrong, that doesn’t justify being hit.”

I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

So that adopted person is also on this island now?

“Uncle Ho-chan? Yeah, he’s probably preparing dinner at home.”

“Is that person’s name Ho-chan?”

“Yeah. Baek Ho-chan.”

“Got it…”

I suppressed my grinding teeth for a moment and tended to Arin’s calf.

As it was getting dark, I took out my wand and illuminated it.

[2nd Circle Spell: Tissue Regeneration]

“Ugh…! It’s cold!”

“Cold? That can’t be right?”

“Oh, it’s fine now.”

“What are you, joking with me?”

“I’m not joking…”

Seeing Arin’s pale appearance, my heart ached.

Now it appeared that only children with the surname ‘Baek’ had been adopted.

I didn’t understand what schemes were unfolding on this desolate island, but it seemed I needed to meet that person.

“If I had known Arin would suffer this much, I should have stopped her back then… I’m sorry.”

“No, no! Just seeing Na-me is enough! Hehe! I’m really happy to see Na-me again after a long time…”

With that, Arin, who had tightly pursed her lips, bowed her head.

Tears began to flow down her cheeks, which were red from embarrassment.

“It’s no good; it’s getting late, so let’s hurry—”

At that moment, a thunderous shout echoed from below the path.

“You rotten little thieves! Go back immediately and face your punishment!”

I locked eyes with the frail old man whose thunderous voice could shake the sky.

“Wait, what… what? A thief! Catch that watermelon thief!”

The old man, brandishing a cane, charged through the grass with frightening intensity.

He was wearing a traditional straw hat that would be hard to find even in Itaewon these days.

His long beard, reaching his chest, was unable to conceal a fierce expression engraved in deep wrinkles.

“You damned little brats! Do you want to go back to the punishment hall again?”

He swung his cane high, ready to swing it down at us.

“Stay right there—AAAH!”

Unfortunately, he suddenly fell to the ground.

It was that very vine that I had tripped over earlier.

“Grandpa! Grandpa!”

A young man approached, panting heavily.

His figure looked familiar.

Dressed in green sweatpants, even the top and bottom matched perfectly.

Though his current appearance was pitiful, it was indeed the wealthy man who frequently visited the orphanage in the past.

“Grandpa! What are you doing there—AAAH!”

With a slapstick comedy flair, he stumbled right next to where the old man fell, burying his face in the mud.

Autumn hadn’t even arrived yet, yet troubles galore continued.

* * *

We sat around a not overly abundant but reasonably equipped table for a meal, all fiddling with our chopsticks.

Professor Cheon had told us he would explore the island for a while and took a couple of bites before leaving the house.

It was hard to find protein, aside from mackerel.

It was all weeds, one next to the other, and not much different from each other.

This wasn’t some idol survival program, just differing slightly in appearance.

On the other hand, the kids seemed to be desperately hungry, busy putting rice in their mouths.

In a normal situation, that old man would be sitting at the head of the table, providing food etiquette lessons.

With that uncomfortable presence gone, it felt like a weight had been lifted.

Meanwhile, I thwarted Baek Ho-chan’s attempts to take any fish with his chopsticks.

“…?”

“Give it to the kids. Don’t you think it’s sad they don’t have food?”

“Got it. But you’re that kid, right? The one on the news…”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I see, I see… AAHHH! Okay, I’m done eating. You all eat a lot.”

Suddenly, Baek Ho-chan tugged at his hair and slammed his chopsticks down on the table.

The sound of an owl or night bird echoed through the shoji screens.

Even I, who was usually a picky eater, put my chopsticks down and asked him.

“Why did you bring the kids to this island? Uncle, you’re rich.”

“Who says that… I’m a beggar.”

“What beggar donates two capsules?”

“I wasn’t a beggar then! I was just about to become one…”

It seemed there was more to his story, but I had no desire to pry into it.

“My grandpa is a bit senile. As you can see, his mind wanders a bit… He collapsed suddenly two or three months ago and has been on the brink of survival.”

Baek Bong Gon, whom he claimed was his biological grandfather, was almost ninety years old.

Yet, he seemed healthy enough to run a considerable distance, making me doubt whether he was truly sick.

“He spent his whole life as a teacher in Durido. Most of the classes were held at the school in Biando.”

He was born in Durido and was the last resident to remain there until the end.

Ultimately, he couldn’t withstand the pressures of relocating and moved to Biando, but it was said that he insisted on living in Durido due to his deteriorating condition years later.

“But what does that have to do with Arin and Min Woo? Did you want to play a role-playing game?”

“That’s precisely it!”

“Huh?”

Both hands together, Baek Ho-chan clapped.

“Right now, Grandpa said he would only pass on his inheritance to those deemed worthy.”

BANG—!

“You’re serious about just that?!”

I stood up, slamming the table.

Did he not understand what had happened to Arin’s calf?

“…!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Please continue eating.”

“Mm…”

Baek Ho-chan scratched his head and continued his explanation.

“No, you need to let me finish. You’re misunderstanding something here.”

“What, that the household economy is deteriorating, so I need to attach myself to Grandpa and ensure I get a good will? If that’s how it is, you could just wait and file a claim later—why involve the kids!”

Had I truly misjudged his character this much?

At this point, I should leave the island—

“It’s not such a simple reason! Would I have been dragging these little kids into this ridiculous scenario for eight months if that were the case?”

“Then tell me.”

“Everyone agreed before the kids came!”

“So, can you explain?”

“Wow, seriously… Are you actually eight years old? You’re draining me…”

Baek Ho-chan took a sip of barley tea, gnashing his teeth before opening his mouth again.

“Without Grandpa’s help, you can’t inherit properly.”

“Don’t you know the law? Inheritance automatically commences upon the death of the decedent—”

“It’s not about money like that, or land or buildings!”

In his eyes was a look of sorrow that he couldn’t hide.

“It’s Bitcoin.”

“Huh?”

“Grandpa hasn’t told me the password to his digital wallet containing the Bitcoin.”

“Cryptocurrency? How much could it possibly be?”

“10,825. Based on today’s lunch price, about 249.8 billion won…”

So the grandfather lying there is a Bitcoin tycoon?

What a strange world we live in.