825
[A New Star (3)]
She was engulfed by the distortion.
The woman flailed her arms and legs trying to escape from the distortion.
No, I'm being sucked in more and more...
But the more she struggled, the more her body couldn't break free from the distortion.
As if she had fallen into an antlion's pit, the distortion was trying to pull in the struggling woman.
"...!!"
Eventually, she could no longer withstand the power of the distortion.
Her heart pounded violently.
It felt like her mana circuits would explode.
It felt like her body was being disassembled, her soul torn apart and remade.
The feeling of her 'self' disappearing from the world and returning repeatedly made her feel nauseous.
Finally, unable to bear the pain, she lost consciousness.
☆
"Ah..."
She regained consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, she was lying on a cold floor.
"Ugh, my head..."
Her head felt like it was splitting.
She wondered why she had been lying on the floor.
Did I drink too much?
No, I didn't drink.
Then what happened before I collapsed?
She struggled to recall her last memory.
Then she realized.
"Horns...?"
Something was protruding from her head.
Something hard had grown long.
The tip was pointed.
As she traced its shape with her fingers, she discovered horns had grown on her head.
Why, why is this on my head?
What? What on earth? What is this!!
She was flustered.
Half in a state of panic, she soon decided to check for herself.
She rummaged through her handbag and took out her smartphone, turning the camera lens towards herself.
It was to check if horns were really showing on the screen.
But what caught her eye first wasn't the horns, but her eyes.
"Ah, what's this... Are my eyes bloodshot from working too much lately? Why are my eyes so red? Just like an Ain... Maybe I should go to the hospital, haha... What's with these fangs?"
She wished someone would tell her the answer.
Her eyes had turned red.
Fangs had grown where there were none before.
Long horns had sprouted on her head.
Even her hair had turned purple.
"Something... something's wrong. This can't be happening... Kyaa!"
She didn't want to accept reality.
She avoided it.
And to relieve her anxious feelings, she pounded the floor with her fists.
Cracks appeared on the floor.
"..."
Why is the floor so weak?
She blinked her eyes.
She gently punched.
The cracks widened.
This time she punched hard.
Crack!
Not only did the floor crack and cave in, but the impact was transmitted to nearby buildings.
Cracks appeared on the exterior walls of buildings.
"Ahahaha..."
Only then did she have to acknowledge reality.
She had survived being engulfed by the distortion, and in return, had become a monster.
It wasn't well known to the world what kind of being a human becomes if they survive being engulfed by a distortion.
Because such beings had not been officially observed.
At most, there were cases like the Tempest Clan Lord who returned to being human after experiencing mana overload by luck.
Her eyes were red too.
Anyway, the woman accepted reality and cried loudly.
How am I supposed to live now?
How can I go to work and live like this?
If only I had at least become an Ain.
Seeing that she didn't have a tail, she was unmistakably a monster.
A monster close to human form.
So she probably retained some sense of self.
If she went out on the streets with this body, she would likely be subjugated by players.
The woman who had turned into a monster overnight resented the world terribly.
Why was this world so cold to her?
It was then.
She sensed a presence.
"Are you alright?"
"...!!"
Someone spoke to her from behind.
She instinctively shrank back.
This is bad, I've been discovered.
She panicked.
She had to run away quickly.
But the woman who spoke from behind seemed to notice her unease and added in a kind tone.
"I'm not a scary person, so it's okay. You don't need to be so afraid."
As if she knew everything.
The woman approached.
Only then could she look up at the woman who had come in front of her.
She was a pretty person.
The clothes she wore were distinctive.
And very antique.
She was a person with a sense of fashion.
Such a woman worried about her and examined her body with her nail-art decorated hands.
"The color of the star suddenly changed, and I felt a distortion nearby... So this is what happened."
The woman muttered.
Then she asked for permission.
"Many beings will be coming here sensing the distortion. I'll put up a barrier that repels beings."
"What? Ah, yes, yes..."
Could she be a player?
The woman skillfully cast magic to create an invisible barrier.
She blinked at the woman and nodded in a daze.
In doing so, she didn't notice the subtle nuance.
That the woman had said 'beings'.
Then, the woman made a 'hmm' sound.
"So you've become a Ma. That's why I can't read this person's star completely anymore. It's obscured by the distortion's energy... But it seems there's still room for improvement."
The woman speaking incomprehensibly.
The woman soon seemed to make up her mind and spoke in a bright tone.
"As you just confirmed, you're now in a state beyond human."
"Then, have I become a monster?"
"You're not in a monster state. Hmm, in mana studies, people who have become like this are called Ma. You've now become a Ma with a probability even lower than winning the lottery."
"Then is it okay? Can I just go home like this..."
"But with your appearance changed like this, won't you attract a lot of attention? And from what I saw earlier, you don't seem to be able to handle your power properly."
"Ah..."
"Since you've changed to quite a noticeable appearance, the Mana Management Agency might try to research you. Until now, the existence of Ma has only been passed down in academia."
"You mean I'll become a test subject?"
"They probably won't do inhumane research, but you would be mobilized for various studies."
"..."
"Sadly, it will be difficult to live a normal life now."
The woman showed a sad expression.
Recognizing reality in the woman's gaze of concern for her, she became aware of her situation.
It would be difficult to live like a normal person with this appearance.
"Hmm, what should we do... Should I take her to Pandora Clan? No, if I take her there, we might have to reveal her identity to the world. This person is surely─"
─She could become a hidden card.
Meanwhile, the woman lost in thought came to a conclusion.
Only she had detected her existence so far.
If so, she would hide her existence thoroughly and use it as a move to catch enemies off guard.
The woman smiled brightly.
"Do you have any family?"
"What? No. I'm an orphan..."
"Then there's not many people who would worry if you suddenly disappeared, right?"
"...Yes."
"That's good then. It seems there's not much to manipulate. How about going on a trip around the country with me?"
"What?"
"I can partially conceal your power and appearance with my magic. Let's disguise you as a normal person as much as possible with that and go on a trip with me."
"If there's such magic, couldn't I just go to work as usual..."
"That won't do. You may not know, but there are 7 stars eyeing you intensely right now. My magic will conceal you to some extent, but if I'm not by your side, the magic will eventually lose its effect."
"..."
"So come with me from now on, and let's wait until the situation improves. From what I see, you seem to need to learn how to handle that power, and I think I can help with that. I also happen to need power to protect myself. How about it? It's not bad for either of us, right?"
"...I'll do that."
She pondered.
But she had no choice.
Also, she really liked the woman's impression.
An impression that seemed kind.
She decided to accept the woman's proposal, following her emotions.
The woman was satisfied.
"Good. My name is Song Yun-seo. Your name... Ah, you won't be able to use that name anymore. You'll be treated as dead for now."
"...Is that so? I had a feeling that would be the case since this happened."
"It's good that you're adapting to reality quickly. You'll have to discard the name you had before and use a new name..."
"..."
"How about Hermit?"
"Hermit?"
"In tarot cards, it's the Hermit, originally spelled H-e-r-m-i-t, but since it's a woman's name, I pronounced it Hermit."
"Why the name Hermit..."
"Because you'll have to live in seclusion from now on. Above all, you'll become an important variable in the future."
"A variable, is it?"
Hermit.
She repeated her name.
Eventually, she, Hermit, answered.
"Yes, I'll do that."
"Then let's seal your power with attributes and escape from here. They are extremely dangerous guys. We'll do a proper sealing after we escape from here and avoid pursuit."
The woman, Song Yun-seo, held out her hand.
Hermit took that hand.
☆
A massive distortion was detected in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province.
The news reached Armageddon as well.
The old man who was about to space-jump to Yongin City clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, to think it was observed in a place where I didn't set coordinates... It'll be late, but I'll have to move to a nearby area and then move directly from there."
"It can't be helped."
"Tch, there won't be anything to see by the time we get there then. The chaos will already be cleaned up by the time we arrive."
Mastema and Samael.
The two had quite different reactions, but Armageddon didn't mind.
Anyway, they moved to Suwon City next to Yongin City, and from there used magic to cross over to Yongin City.
Of course, by the time they arrived at the scene, the incident had already ended.
Between buildings.
Traces of players having been there could be found.
At the scene, there was only a caved-in floor and buildings with cracks on the exterior walls.
"Lord Armageddon."
"Yes, did you find out?"
"Yes, I infiltrated the clan participating in the investigation and am on my way back after hearing information."
Armageddon was carefully examining the floor when he received a report from Mastema who appeared from a suddenly split space.
"They say a 6th rank monster appeared in the middle of the night and caused havoc. Since the monster appeared in a remote area, it was subjugated before there were any casualties."
"The work of a monster, kkeul kkeul. So, what kind of monster was it?"
"I heard it was a Rabbit-type monster."
What a funny story.
Armageddon murmured softly.
It was quite a plausible story, but it couldn't escape his eyes.
The old man got up from the caved-in floor and looked up at the sky.
"Whoever it is, they've covered it up well. Would a mere 6th rank monster have come out of the distortion I felt? And if you examine the scene closely, you can see someone has tampered with magic..."
The traces on the caved-in floor were the work of a human, not a monster.
Rabbit-type monsters are beast-form.
But when reconstructing the scene as much as possible, a shape like a human fist could be seen in the caved-in floor.
Someone had concealed it.
Armageddon raised the corners of his mouth.
"It seems a quite skilled human interfered and concealed it. My, my. It's concealed so thoroughly in double and triple layers that even I have difficulty finding it."
Who on earth concealed it?
For what purpose did they conceal it?
Armageddon thought.
But there was little he could know from the few clues.
Moreover, the concealment magic was extremely intricate and complex.
Even if he traced this magic, by that time, the owner of the magic would likely have moved to another location.
"If I spent a long time, I could do it... But I can't waste precious time searching. It can't be helped. I'll have to give up for now."
"Could it be a human who knows of our existence?"
"No, probably not. If they knew of our existence, they would have entered my detection net long ago."
"The possibility of it being <Cardinal >..."
"Absolutely not. If it was that boy, he probably would have chosen to confront us rather than run away."
"So it's a being we don't know. I hope this incident doesn't become a variable."
"That won't happen. All preparations will be complete by next year. Although the Eternal Pharmaceutical research lab was destroyed, experiments researching the new human race are still ongoing."
"They may be half-human half-Ma, but that number should be enough. Research on souls is also progressing."
"That's right."
Armageddon chuckled.
He was concerned about the new human race that would be born here, but it wouldn't become a variable.
At most, it was just a small variable.
The old man's plans were being completed step by step despite experiencing failures.
So─
"─It won't be long before I become the god of this country."
The old man looked forward to when he and the new human race would appear to the world in a year.
He would spread fear to the people of the world, imprinting the terror of the new human race.
He would surely place the existence of the new human race above the existence of humans.
And thus, he would look down on them from the highest place in the food chain, becoming a truly omnipotent god.
Armageddon spoke, filled with joy.
On the other hand, he felt regretful.
"Tsk, it's a shame. If there was just one more, it would have been easier to carry out our work..."
"It can't be helped. Beings like us are difficult to create under normal circumstances. And we can't cause disasters like before to luckily obtain beings either."
"That's right. Even with Samael, causing large-scale distortions is quite a troublesome task. Oh my, I'm suddenly feeling regretful. Surely the child born from this distortion would have possessed strong power..."
"It's quite rare for a naturally occurring large-scale distortion to be cleanly resolved without causing much damage to the surroundings. Probably the being swallowed by the distortion perfectly absorbed the power."
"And then grasped their state and immediately left the scene... Or someone helped the being escape with concealment magic... Ah, what a shame."
"So, Lord Armageddon. How long are we going to stay here? Shall we return to Seoul? Places with few people are boring."
"Yes, let's do that."
If the new human race project hadn't been exposed to the world, there would have been no need to conduct research so cautiously like this.
Thanks to that, the possibility of a new human race being born within a year converged to 0%.
They would no longer be able to welcome new human races as comrades.
It couldn't be helped.
The old man who had lived a long life knew that rather than regretting and lamenting, he should adapt to reality and seek a better path.
Therefore─
"─We have no choice but to carry out our work with seven. If the plan is successful, the people of the world will come to revere us as seven gods."
I'm really looking forward to that time.
The old man hoped for the day when the people of the world would worship them.
☆
The news that a large-scale distortion was detected in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province was also delivered to the clans in Seoul.
The clans' reactions were lukewarm.
Although it was said to be a 3rd rank scale distortion, the monster that appeared from the distortion was only 6th rank.
Moreover, there were no casualties.
The incident was immediately resolved by Yongin City players who rushed to the scene.
"It's a strange incident. Maybe the Surveillance Bureau observed incorrectly."
Eun-ha also heard the news.
That was his only comment.
The Surveillance Bureau's observations weren't always perfectly accurate.
Moreover, Seon U Hwa-ryeong had died, and a new Surveillance Bureau Director had been appointed.
Perhaps they made a mistake due to unfamiliarity with the work.
So Eun-ha lost interest and focused on watching his child.
"Yuseong, daddy's here."
"Aww."
Eun-ha leaned over the cradle to greet Noh Yuseong.
Noh Yuseong smiled brightly.
Then he showed interest in Buldak flying around.
Noh Yuseong squirmed.
"Papa!"
"Yuseong wants to play with you. You should play with him since you've become Yuseong's older brother."
"Pupu..."
Eun-ha suddenly grabbed Buldak flying in the air.
Then he gave it to Noh Yuseong.
Buldak made disgruntled noises as it became Yuseong's toy.
"Perhaps because he's the Lord's child, he overflows with a sacred aura."
"...You can see that?"
"I can see it with my eyes."
"Ah, I see."
"Yuseong, noona's here."
"Aww!"
Just then, Iriya came to visit.
She entered Han Seo-hyeon's office and played with Yuseong.
Yuseong burst into laughter when he saw her playing peek-a-boo.
"This child will be loved by believers as a symbol of the Eunha Faith."
"Don't drag my child into this."
"Then can I also have se..."
"Stop. What are you doing in front of the child? Don't you see Seo-hyeon over there?"
Eun-ha covered Iriya's mouth.
Then he pointed to one side.
Han Seo-hyeon, who had been discharged, was slowly getting back to work.
Her gaze was directed at the two of them.
She was smiling meaningfully.
"Seo-hyeon unnie seems to allow it?"
"To me, it looks like she won't leave me alone? And why 'unnie'? You're older."
"I'm unnie because I married the Lord first. What does age matter?"
"Aww!"
"Ah, you're hungry. Wait a moment. I'll chase away this strange noona and get you milk."
"Ah, Lord! Can I feed him myself? Yuseong, noona will feed you milk. Come here. That's right."
"Aww!"
"Lord, please give me the bottle."
"...Can you do it properly?"
"Don't worry. When I was in the Mana Church, I fed babies with bottles many times."
That's right, that's right, good boy, so cute.
Iriya snatched the bottle Eun-ha had prepared and fed Yuseong.
Yuseong accepted the bottle obediently without showing any stranger anxiety.
"She takes care of the baby well though."
Iriya's skill in taking care of Noh Yuseong was quite good.
Eun-ha clicked his tongue as he watched Iriya pat Yuseong's back to burp him and put him to sleep.
And so a year passed.
Eun-ha turns 27.
The top 10 central comprehensive daily newspapers in Korea announced national indicators.
Year 22 of Seonryeok
Here are the rankings in a cleaner, table format:
<Public Disclosure Target Company Diagnosis Designation Status>
| Rank | Company Name | Representative |
|------|--------------|----------------|
| 01 | Sirius | Han Do-young |
| 02 | Galaxy | Choi Tae-bong |
| 03 | Luminous | Lee Jung-in |
| 04 | Alice | Jung Seok-hoon |
| 05 | Pine | Jang Seok-young|
| 06 | Hana | Yoo Do-jun |
| 07 | Samra Oman | Jung |
| 08 | YH | Choi Yun-hye |
| 09 | Donghae | Jung Bo-seok |
| 10 | KK | Kim Kang-ho |
<Player Comprehensive Grade Evaluation>
Clan Comprehensive Grade S
| Rank | Clan Name | Grade |
|------|-----------|-------|
| 01 | Genesis | S+ |
| 02 | Regulus | S+ |
| 03 | Pandora | S+ |
| 04 | Silla | S+ |
| 05 | Tempest | S |
| 06 | Myeongwang| S |
| 07 | Blaze | S- |
| 08 | Donghae | S- |
| 09 | Samra | S- |
<Player Comprehensive Grade Evaluation>
Pandora Clan (S+) Players
| Rank | Player Name | Grade |
|------|---------------------|-------|
| 01 | Noh Eun-ha | S+ |
| 02 | Noh Eun-ah | S+ |
| 03 | Jung Ha-yang | S+ |
| 04 | Mok Min-ho | S+ |
| 05 | Cha Eun-woo | S+ |
| 06 | Bruno | B+ |
| 07 | Ryu Yeon-hwa | S+ |
| 08 | Han Chang-jin | S+ |
| 09 | Byeok Hae-su | S+ |
| 10 | Choi Eun-hyuk | S+ |
| 11 | Hoshimiya Kaede | S+ |
| 12 | Kang Si-hyung | S- |
| 13 | Bae Su-bin | S+ |
| 14 | Bong Gu-rae | S |
| 15 | Yoo Nam-hoon | S- |
| 16 | Jin Seo-na | S+ |
| 17 | Kim Min-ji | A+ |
| 18 | Ariel | S- |
| 19 | Yeo U-bi | A+ |
| 20 | Iriya | S+ |
| 21 | Lee Cheon-seo | S- |
| 22 | Jo A-ra | S+ |
| 23 | Jin Pa-rang | S+ |
| ... | ... | ... |
| 28 | Kim Jin-gyu | A+ |
| 29 | Kim Mary | S- |
| ... | ... | ... |
| 33 | Meiling | S- |
| 34 | Meilin | S- |
| 35 | Seo Dam-bi | A+ |
| ... | ... | ... |
| 39 | Son Ga-yeon | S- |
| 40 | On Tae-hee | A |
| ... | ... | ... |
| 45 | Jang Tae-bin | A |
| 46 | Cheon Hae-won | A |
| ... | ... | ... |
| 55 | Hong Seul-gi | A- |
| ... | ... | ... |
| 61 | Woo Jun-sik | B+ |