Translator: Pai_

Before getting into the main story, Ridel first suggested they leave this place.

It was because the fact that he had been waiting for Turan here in the first place was all part of Monarch’s scheme.

“Based on your past behavior patterns, he figured you’d definitely come to look around here. So he told me to set up a barrier nearby and wait. If I detected your location, I was to report it to him.”

In short, it meant that Monarch had already been playing above Turan’s head.

Realizing this unpleasant truth left a bitter taste in his mouth, but in any case, thanks to Ridel, who was supposed to be the observer, betraying Monarch, things had turned out not so badly.

‘No, even that I can’t be sure of yet……’

Though he had already confirmed through the Eye of Truth that there was no lie in those words, Turan still did not fully trust Ridel.

Because he knew that this ability was not some flawless, perfect power.

It was a bit extreme, but there was a possibility that Monarch had tampered with Ridel’s brain as he pleased, made him believe he had 'surrendered', only to suddenly have him snap out of it at a certain moment.

In any case, as Ridel said, there was no benefit in staying here any longer, so Turan, along with the restrained Ridel, rode on Bije and moved westward along the Old Empire Roads.

Watching the flying speed, Ridel spoke with a dumbfounded expression.

“Wow, this bird…… just how much magic power have you fed her?”

Even to a god who had lived for thousands of years, Bije’s flight ability seemed astonishing.

Of course, there were few mythical magical beasts with magic power equivalent to top-class nobles, and Bije was clearly a step above them.

“I fed her as much as needed. Anyway, explain more in detail what you were about to say a moment ago. What is the truth?”

At the pressing question, Ridel let out a low groan.

It seemed he had intentionally changed the subject earlier because bringing up this matter right away felt burdensome.

But Turan had no intention of waiting a thousand years for Ridel to speak of it in his own time.

Even now, somewhere nearby, the wizards of Zahar and Parsha might be fighting.

If it was information that could help them, he had to find out as soon as possible.

“I don’t know where to start, but I heard that some of our souls have been taken captive by you? By any chance, how much do you know about Earth?”

To Ridel’s question, Turan straightforwardly shared what he knew.

After all, it wasn’t exactly a secret that someone who had captured the half-elves of Varaha and Ruvan and the two gods of Carmine would know something about the existence of Earth.

After exchanging a few questions and answers, Ridel nodded.

“Alright, it’s a bit lacking, but enough for conversation. First off, my name is Golden Jjajang…… no, call me Kim Woong. My job is a hacker.”

“Hacker?”

“A person who handles computer programs. So it’s a profession that’s half technician, half scholar.”

He shook his head, saying this wasn’t very important so let’s move on.

“Anyway, ever since I came into this world, I’ve spent quite a long time trying to analyze the nature of this place. As a result, I concluded that this world is inside a game, and that we have either been kidnapped with only our brains extracted, or immersed in virtual reality while preserved in formalin, or maybe we’re some kind of complete brain replicas.”

A statement completely opposite to what he had said earlier.

It was probably a preface meant to reveal that his previous assumptions were wrong, so Turan did not question it and signaled with a nod for him to continue.

“There was no shortage of evidence, of course. First of all, the fact that game-like abilities were being realized in reality was absurd, right? There are a lot of novels like this, but most of them don’t explain ‘why it happened’. Like, omnipotent gods just randomly granting it as a prank or something, that’s just too ridiculous, isn’t it?”

Moreover, he added that several aspects of this world’s laws follow those of the game era, that the world’s structure is also similar to the fields from that time, that they can use past in-game skills through a keyword called 'soul magic', and finally, as if someone had designed it that way, the creativity of all humans seemed virtually castrated, these points all fueled that hypothesis.

“Besides, AI technology had been developing remarkably recently, so I figured maybe some unheard-of level of virtual reality technology was developed somewhere, and we were placed in it as testers, running simulations for thousands of years. Of course, that theory was just as unrealistic, but at least it had some minimal logic behind it.”

“So you were able to accept everything you’ve done without hesitation because of that? Because you thought we were fake humans?”

Perhaps because his face and voice were emotionally restrained, Turan’s words were clearly accusatory in tone, but they didn’t feel like an accusation.

In response, Ridel, Kim Woong, also calmly nodded in affirmation.

“Yeah. Just like in ‘No Russian’, gamers who massacre civilians don’t all have broken personalities. They can do things like that because they believe those characters are just game models, mere puppets without any real substance. That’s why they can fire bullets into the backs of crawling people.” (TL Note: "No Russian" is the fourth mission of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.)

“What made you change your mind?”

It was finally time to get to the heart of the matter.

Kim Woong inhaled sharply again, then exhaled before opening his mouth.

“You probably know that Badal came to us before and suggested returning, right? Naturally, we told him to stop spouting nonsense and get lost, but he said he’d show us proof. For that, he told us to create a magic artifact, something with a function like a camera that could record video.”

In the middle of that, he briefly explained what a camera was, then went on to reveal something truly shocking.

“Then a few months later, he came back and showed us what had been recorded... and what was in it was Earth. Not an imagined version, real Earth. Since we were the ones who made it, forging it was out of the question. It’s not like any of them could use skills from the Enchanter job either.”

According to Kim Woong, the Badal in the video wasn’t in his original Earthling body but in the elderly form he currently had, strolling through Central Park in the United States.

As if to prove his powers were still intact even in this world, he brought down a few buildings nearby with lightning, then soared high into the sky to film skyscrapers densely packed for several kilometers. He even grabbed a few people nearby and had short conversations with them.

It was a scene no one could easily believe to be a fabricated set. Anyone who saw it would have no choice but to accept that Badal had actually been to Earth.

“And crucially, he even brought back a few items from Earth. Highly advanced electronics that we wouldn’t even dream of producing here. Unfortunately, none of them worked properly, but when we took them apart, they were filled with things like semiconductors that we couldn’t hope to replicate with our technology.”

According to the explanation, due to something like the world’s laws, objects from Earth had trouble functioning in this world.

Because this world had adopted some of the laws from the game world, they were disconnected from the scientific principles of Earth.

On the other hand, why magic artifacts created in this world could work on Earth remained unclear.

“So, you’re saying those guys already figured out a way to return to that world?”

“That’s right. I don’t know exactly what method they used, but that part is certain... Anyway, thanks to that, we realized that we, these bodies, aren’t just clusters of code. We’re real. Just like the other humans living in this world.”

There was a deep self-loathing in Kim Woong’s face as he spat out the words.

In truth, Turan didn’t quite understand why he was so obsessed with the distinction between real and fake humans, but to Kim Woong, that fact seemed to hold immense significance.

However, if that story was true, there was something that didn’t quite make sense.

“But if they can return to that world… then what’s all of this for?”

Turan guessed that they were siphoning power from remnants of the gods, like the library, in order to supplement the energy needed for their return.

Even the key extracted from the library served the role of opening the door to the world’s boundary.

But if Badal could already travel to Earth as he pleased, then wouldn’t it be simpler for them to just invade Earth on their own as previously suggested?

That way, they wouldn’t have to clash with Turan’s side at all.

“They said that to move a large number of people, they needed more energy. This time, the one who took the whole pyramid to use it was him. From what I heard, he said a few more extractions of that scale would suffice.”

Turan nodded at Kim Woong’s words, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

More than anything, it was hard to reconcile their obsession with Meisa’s physical body with this explanation.

At the very least, if what he said was true, it clearly explained why the Zahar Gods had fallen so completely under Monarch’s sway.

A magic artifact that proves one has traveled to Earth, what more convincing proof could there be?

“Do you happen to know where his true body is?”

“No. Probably only Badal knows, or maybe not even him. He’s the type who trusts no one. Even on our side, he just left a puppet human behind and occasionally issues orders through him.”

“Just as I thought.”

Turan hadn’t really expected to track him down so easily, but it was still disappointing.

Still, for one of the Zahar Gods to defect, and even reveal the secret of how the enemy had united, was an extraordinary gain.

Thanks to that, Turan could now finally reveal even the last few secrets he had kept hidden, just in case, from those who followed him.

“Then I suppose I need to decide what to do with you.”

“I came here trusting only in your mercy. From what I hear, you’re reliable when it comes to your own.”

Kim Woong’s words weren’t wrong.

Except for the fact that Turan still didn’t fully consider him as one of his own.

After a brief moment of thought, Turan organized his thoughts and spoke.

“As you’d expect, I can’t let you formally join our faction. Who knows what that guy might have done to your body.”

If he were treated equally with Turan’s other companions and allowed to roam freely, what if he suddenly transformed into a monster?

Transforming in the middle of Kalamaf would be a disaster, and even more so if it happened in the middle of a war against another force.

“Hmm…”

Kim Woong seemed somewhat disheartened but didn’t argue.

After all, his fate now rested entirely in Turan’s hands, and what was said was reasonable to a certain extent.

“Just to be sure, does Zahar have any part of your body? Something they could use to track you?”

“They do, but I can block that much. As long as there’s a barrier.”

So once a proper hiding place was secured, there would be no need to worry about it being tracked.

Turan thought for a moment, then presented two options.

“Then there are two options. You can keep your body and hide in a relatively safe place, or abandon your body and enter the Soul Prison.”

“I’ll go with the first one.”

Though he felt guilt, it seemed he didn’t want to abandon the body he already had.

And of course, if he chose the second option, even after everything ended, he’d either have to live as a spirit for the rest of his life or revive by devouring others’ souls and bodies as he had before.

After a brief pause, Turan nodded.

“Alright. I’ll introduce you to a decent hiding place. I’ll even provide some people to serve you.”

*

Several hours passed while Turan and Kim Woong were deep in conversation.

Bije, carrying the two of them, gradually reached the border between the Enril Desert and the Gray Zone.

The place where Haroon and Turan had first met and spoken not long ago was now, quite literally, a battlefield.

Across the bright wasteland, always lit like midday by numerous spheres of light to prevent concealment, gunshots and the explosions of various projectiles echoed continuously.

“There! Over there!”

“I got hit…”

“Damn it, Healer-nim! Over here!”

The wizards of Zahar, who had been helplessly defeated in the first battle, no longer fell so easily to firearms.

Thanks to the main house immediately sending detailed information on how guns worked and how to counter them.

Though the gods of Zahar could not produce guns themselves, they had enough ability to explain what kind of weapon it was and how to respond to it.

“I think we should retreat now. We’re out of bullets and low on magic power.”

“The retreat signal hasn’t been given yet!”

“But we can’t just hold out here until we die, can we? It’s not even our war, we’re just here to help someone else’s.”

“Shut up! This is the Family Head’s order!”

The protesting knight of Varaha bowed his head in submission at the sharp rebuke of the noble.

The battle in this wasteland, several kilometers away from the nearest city, had been ongoing for several hours already.

Even though nearly a hundred wizards had clashed in total, casualties amounted only to about twenty knights dead.

It was the result of both sides carving out trench networks like nets using earth-shaping magic and exchanging bullets, magic spells, arrows, and such from there.

“Damn it, they’re shooting at us too?”

“Looks like they’re using the weapons taken from our dead earlier.”

“They won’t be able to shoot much anyway, not enough bullets.”

“We can’t just let them keep what they looted. We need to do something…?”

The eyes of a Varaha noble, who had been peeking out to target the enemy, widened.

A Zahar noble aiming a bow had his head explode with a loud pop.

Before long, as the Zahar forces began fleeing from their trenches in panic, someone deactivated their concealment beneath a brightly glowing sphere of light.

Those who had aimed their guns in surprise lowered them cautiously upon realizing the person’s identity.

“Head of Parsha…”

“You all did well. Is anyone injured? I’ll heal everyone before returning to the city.”

At the sudden appearance of Turan, everyone bowed their heads low.

After healing all the wounded, Turan watched as they headed toward the border city of Apello, and only then did he rise back into the sky.

For some reason, Kim Woong, who was still chained and riding Bije, now wore a much darker expression than before.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you’re airsick.”

“It’s just… there are too many corpses. The smell of blood and waste is awful too.”

Turan was surprised that he felt guilt over the dead, and even more surprised at the sheer aversion he showed toward the smell of corpses caused by war.

When Turan asked if this reaction stemmed entirely from the distinction between ‘fake’ and ‘real’, Kim Woong shook his head.

“Not entirely. I’ve never really liked this kind of thing. I didn’t even watch war movies much.”

Turan knew that movies were, essentially, advanced forms of theater using higher technology.

He nodded and spoke softly.

“The last war between Aravion and Zahar was worse than this. They even massacred civilians to harvest souls separately.”

“Yeah… I played a part in that too.”

Considering that Turan himself was born as a result of those acts, it wasn’t easy to continue pressing Kim Woong harshly.

Just as it had been hard to lash out at Haroon in the past.

After visiting several fronts with the Zahar line and asserting his presence to create a lull in conflict, Turan flew northwest and arrived at Kalamaf.

“Is Kalamaf where I’ll be staying, by any chance?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

By the time they neared Kalamaf, Kim Woong had already been blindfolded, but he wasn’t stupid. Having entered the Gray Zone beforehand, it was easy enough for him to guess their destination.

However, Turan had no intention of keeping him here permanently.

Of course, Meisa had already left Kalamaf along with the army opposing Aravion’s side, but aside from that, Ashiz and several other Enchanters, as well as the civil officials managing the Gray Zone, still remained.

If all of them were to die, then regardless of whether House Parsha retained its military power, it would suffer a critical blow in its capacity to manage the cities under the Great Noble House.

“Don’t ask too many questions and just follow me. It won’t be a bad place.”

Thanks to having contacted Ashiz in advance, Turan and Kim Woong were able to move without encountering anyone after landing in the main garden of the Parsha estate.

Turan descended to the underground level of the mansion, used the pre-installed Jade Mirror to transfer to the Temple of the Sun, and spoke directly with Berit.

“Could you clear one spot in the underground prison? The best one.”

“How should he be treated?”

“In the most luxurious way possible. But if he tries to escape or causes any trouble, don’t try to resist him, just flee here immediately. Tell Armania to close the mirror at once.”

The Temple of the Sun, a building that disrupted the concealment abilities of Zahar.

In a place where Zahar nobles wouldn’t even dream of invading, providing a luxurious prisoner’s life was the best reward Turan could offer to a defector.

*****

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