Chapter 271

Yoo Jinho and Harmakan's collaboration brought about greater synergy than expected.

[Hmm, virtual reality… you're saying this thing stimulates the human brain?]

"That's right. It's a device that allows you to experience a new world using brainwaves."

[Hmm.] Harmakan, who began to examine the virtual reality capsule in earnest, had a strange expression.

[Hmmm.] Yoo Jinho looked at him and asked,

"Why that expression?"

[…This game capsule, you said it worked even before the Cataclysm without magic stones?]

"Yes. Magic stones appeared on Earth after the Cataclysm. Before that, it was a device developed purely with human technology. To explain the basic principle simply…"

Yoo Jinho, who directly participated in the development as CEO, answered Harmakan's questions without hesitation. But the more he listened, the stranger Harmakan felt.

[This really… was made by humans without magic power?]

"What are you trying to say?"

[This virtual reality you created… Hmm.]

After completely disassembling a capsule and checking its structure, Harmakan suddenly closed his mouth and fell into deep thought. And then he came to a conclusion.

[No. I'll have to go in and check myself to give you a definite answer.]

"You're going to enter virtual reality yourself? As a shadow soldier?" Yoo Jinho responded with surprise at the unexpected words,

"That's impossible. This game capsule is a device that uses human brainwaves. But you're already a dead soul without a separate body, how can that be possible?"

[It will probably work. If what I'm thinking is correct.]

"…Hmm?" Yoo Jinho couldn't help but assume a strange expression at Harmakan's confident words.

The relationship between the soul and brainwaves. It was still an unsolved mystery even in the scientific community. First of all, the soul itself was a field that was difficult to prove scientifically. But many scientists claimed that they would eventually be able to verify it one day. There was a time when people believed that thunder falling from the sky was a punishment from God. And as time passed, human science finally proved that it wasn't. Similarly, many scientists claimed that even though it was impossible now, in the future, they would be able to scientifically prove the soul and the afterlife. Yoo Jinho himself had asked Harmakan for cooperation with half doubt after hearing that the demonic spirits were a race that used evil spirits for magic. But Harmakan was cooperating with him much more actively than he expected.

[Do I just wear this on my head and lie down?] Harmakan opened the lid of the game capsule and picked up the brainwave helmet inside. Yoo Jinho replied with a hesitant expression,

"Yes. After wearing that on your head, you need to adjust the muscle setting values…"

[That's not necessary.]

Harmakan didn't lie down in the game capsule but roughly sat down and tried to put the helmet on his head. But it was too small. It seemed like the helmet was made for humans and didn't fit his head.

"Should I ask the production department to make a helmet that fits you?"

[No, that's not necessary. I don't have brainwaves to measure, in the first place] Harmakan simply put his hand into the brainwave helmet instead of his head. And he immediately pressed the power button.

Beep!

Whir—

The game capsule started up.

Originally, the brainwave helmet would start measuring the brainwaves of the user lying in the capsule and adjust the synchronization with the virtual reality. And when the loading was complete, their consciousness would connect to the virtual reality provided by Beautiful World…

[Connecting.]

Whoosh—!

"…?!" Yoo Jinho's eyes widened. Harmakan's giant body was suddenly sucked into the helmet!

"M-monitor!"

Yoo Jinho, startled, hurriedly turned on the monitor that showed the virtual reality Harmakan entered.

Flash!

And surprisingly, there…

[Hmm. As I thought.]

The shadow magic spirit with black steam blazing. Harmakan, who was sucked into the capsule, was standing there in the white virtual reality!

Flash! Flash!

Magic circles unfolded in his hands inside the monitor. Harmakan, manipulating those magic circles, raised his head. And incredibly…

[Hey. Can you see me?]

"…?!"

Harmakan was looking directly at Yoo Jinho, who was watching from outside the monitor, and spoke to him.

Shiver. Goosebumps erupted all over Yoo Jinho's body.

"H-how?!"

This was absurd. Even for a magic spirit, how could he look outside the monitor while connected to virtual reality?! But Harmakan replied with an unconcerned expression,

[That's why I said, instance dungeons are my specialty.]

"What? What do you…" Yoo Jinho's expression hardened at those words.

Harmakan looked around the virtual reality surrounding him inside the monitor, then finally nodded and said,

[I'm sure. This isn't virtual reality. It's an instance dungeon using the dimensional gap.]

"…?!"

"What?! It's not virtual reality? What we created…"

[I have no intention of arguing with a human about this. This is an instance dungeon.] Ignoring Yoo Jinho's reaction, Harmakan looked him straight in the eye from inside the monitor and asked bluntly what he was curious about,

[So I'll ask. Did you really create this game capsule?]

"O-of course. Our developers put in all their effort…"

[No, you're wrong. I'll ask again. Think back. Did you really design this system? Did no one really help you during the development phase?]

"Help? We were the first in the world, how could we have received outside help…"

Of course, he retorted first. Beautiful World was undoubtedly the world's first virtual reality game. Who could have helped them design that system?

"Of course, our researchers all worked together to…" But Yoo Jinho's voice gradually lost confidence. 

At the same time, he desperately tried to recall memories of the development phase. It was a time when the world was still peaceful. Long before the Cataclysm that turned it upside down. When Yoo Jinho's business, Ahjin Soft, was just an ordinary game company that only released computer games… He recalled the faces of the developers who worked with him on the virtual reality game back then one by one. Then he stopped.

"…Huh?" Yoo Jinho's expression suddenly stiffened. Chills ran down his spine.

"What is this?"

Something was wrong. Among the researchers that came to mind, there were faces whose memories were particularly blurry. It was as if they were completely erased. As if someone had forcibly scribbled over his memories! There was someone among the researchers whose features he couldn't clearly remember. And it wasn't just one, but several!

"Uh? Uhh?"

'…No!' It wasn't just their faces that were strange! Even the silhouettes of those wearing the same lab coats as the other researchers were far from ordinary humans. That appearance was like…!

"The demonic spirits?!"

[Yes. That's correct.] Harmakan nodded.

Yoo Jinho finally succeeded in recalling the blank memories. Actually, this wasn't his first time having this experience. The Shadow Key that Suho handed him before. The feeling of remembering the memories of a time that no longer existed with its help. Perhaps thanks to that, Yoo Jinho succeeded in retrieving the memories that 'someone intentionally erased' with just a brief conversation with Harmakan. And those memories… Contained a shocking truth.

[In the first place, this ability isn't something mere humans can handle. It's magic used by the demonic spirits, who deal with souls.]

"…Souls?"

[Yes. Souls, not brainwaves.] Harmakan nodded.

[This device was originally created as a magic circle to temporarily extract the soul from a living body. A magical device that indirectly allows you to experience an instance dungeon.]

"…?!" Yoo Jinho's jaw dropped in shock.

"Don't tell me… you're talking about an out-of-body experience?"

[That's a good expression. But this is a much safer method. Dimensional coordinates are firmly fixed within this game capsule so that the soul can return to the body. So, to be precise, it's more accurate to call it a 'dream' than an out-of-body experience.]

"…Lucid dream." Yoo Jinho muttered in a trance.

'Lucid Dream'

In other words, a conscious dream. A phenomenon where you dream while being aware that you are dreaming. In the end, what Harmakan was saying was that this virtual reality game, the masterpiece of Ahjin Soft, was actually developed from the beginning to summon souls and make them have lucid dreams. And that was done with the help of the unknown magical race!

"…Why?" At this moment, What Yoo Jinho was most curious about was the reason.

"Why were there members of the demonic spirit race among our researchers? It was long before the Cataclysm on Earth."

Those monsters who were mixed among the numerous researchers without anyone noticing! For what reason did they help his company? What was their motive?!

[Hmm. You don't know the reason…? I think I do.] Harmakan's lips curled up slightly as he leisurely walked around the empty virtual reality beyond the monitor, as if he didn't care about Yoo Jinho's shock. He recalled old memories and muttered,

[During the war against the Rulers long ago, our magic world was eventually destroyed. Most of our race, who lost the war, died, or barely survived by scattering like me.]

Rustle

Harmakan raised his hand, where black steam was blazing, and continued,

[But now that I'm finally dead, I understand. For the demonic spirits, who deal with souls, death is a blessing. The moment you become a shadow soldier, you can research magic of a much higher quality than in life.] As he clenched his bony hand into a fist, a new magic circle unfolded on top of it. Playing with it with his fingertips, Harmakan's gaze turned to Yoo Jinho again.

[Don't you understand yet? If there were demonic spirits who secretly helped you with your work, who would be behind them?] Yoo Jinho finally realized the answer himself.

It was a brief memory that flashed through his mind.

– You're making a virtual reality game these days?

– Yes, brother! It's almost complete! We're having some trouble with the final stage of space implementation, but if we can solve that, it will be the birth of the world's first virtual reality game!

"…Brother." The name that escaped his lips like a sigh, Sung Jinwoo.

Clink!

A small gathering over drinks. In that memory, there was Yoo Jinho, confidently expressing his ambition while drinking soda in front of Sung Jinwoo.

– Ha! Isn't it amazing just to imagine? When the game is complete, I'll let you try it first, brother!

– What? Me first? Isn't that dangerous?

– Dangerous? Of course. I'll go in with you!

– You too?

– Of course! The world's first! Just the two of us entering virtual reality together!

…

Yoo Jinho at that time shouted confidently towards Sung Jinwoo, who chuckled and replied,

– So just trust and follow me, brother! I'll protect you!

– …Well, that sounds fun.

What was the expression on his brother's face at the end of that short conversation? He couldn't remember exactly, but Yoo Jinho thought that what was contained in those eyes was probably 'longing.'

– Yes. Do your best. I'll be rooting for you.

The Shadow Monarch's support. Was it really just verbal? Yoo Jinho, who had now regained the memories of a time that no longer existed, vaguely speculated about that day's memory. And there was one thing he was finally sure of. Perhaps even the desire he suddenly felt to create a virtual reality game was the result of his unconscious mind vaguely longing for a memory he didn't even know. And perhaps even his brother…

* * *

And at that time,

Whoosh—!

Suho was relentlessly advancing north. With his Shadow Army.

Defeating all enemies that appeared before him.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[…]

It was a bountiful harvest of levels.

'It was a good decision to enter North Korea.' He felt truly refreshed.

Having come to North Korea, he could just hunt without worrying about troublesome things like the Hunter law or conflicts between guilds. This endless battle was probably his first since 'that time.'

'Level-up dream'

The dream that his father created to test him. It was terribly difficult back then, but looking back, it was also a time when he truly felt alive, breaking free from his boring daily life.

"Another one."

Rumble—!

The ninth Elvenwood crumbled before him.