Chapter 43
Magic Prodigy (4)
“Ugh, so uncomfortable,” Yoon Na-rae grimaced while shaking her sweat-soaked clothes.
“Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable…”
Yoon Na-rae continued to grumble.
The rest of the group focused silently on moving their feet forward.
“Uncomfortable…”
“I get it, so shut up!”
Finally, Kang Hyeon exploded and unleashed a stream of curses.
“Hmph…”
Still, Yoon Na-rae was determined to have the last word, pouting her lips.
“It’s hot, so hot…!”
Even though summer was nearing its end, walking on asphalt under the scorching midday sun still required considerable patience.
“When will we arrive?”
“This evening.”
Kang Hyeon answered Yoon Na-rae’s question with an indifferent expression.
“What time this evening?”
“Sigh, I’m so uncomfortable. So uncomfortable…”
As Yoon Na-rae was speaking, she turned her head upon sensing the murderous intent beside her.
She saw Kang Hyeon glaring at her with a frightening expression.
“Whee-whee-whee-“
Yoon Na-rae quietly whistled.
“If you say ‘uncomfortable’ or ask when we’ll arrive one more time, I’ll tear your mouth apart. Got it?”
“You’re so mean…”
“I said, got it?”
“Tch… I got it.”
Yoon Na-rae’s lips protruded like a duck’s bill.
“Sigh, my skin is going to burn. An idol’s life depends on their skin…”
Kang Hyeon glared at Yoon Na-rae while grinding his molars.
Yoon Na-rae shrugged with an innocent expression as if she knew nothing.
“I didn’t say anything about being uncomfortable or ask when we’d arrive, did I?”
“Idol and skin talk are forbidden too.”
“Tch…”
And so silence returned to the group once again. The sound of each other’s footsteps. The distant sound of cicadas provided some small comfort on the tedious journey.
“There’s someone ahead.”
Just then, Shin Seong-ah narrowed her eyes while looking at something.
“Someone’s there?”
“Yes. It looks like someone wearing white clothes.”
When Kang Hyeon focused on where Shin Seong-ah pointed, he could faintly see something too.
“What is it? Are they lying down?”
“It seems they have collapsed.”
Kang Hyeon and the group quickened their pace.
Before long, they were able to reach the unidentified person.
“What? Why are you…”
Kang Hyeon’s eyes widened upon seeing the collapsed person.
“Do you know who this is?”
Shin Seong-ah and the others appeared completely unfamiliar.
That was inevitable.
Kang Hyeon was the only one who had seen this person on Earth.
“Ugh…”
That’s when it happened.
Perhaps hearing the group’s voices,
The person lying on the road slowly opened their eyes with a groan.
Then smiled at Kang Hyeon.
“Haha. Kang Hyeon. Long time no see.”
“Why are you here?”
“Well, about that… Hahaha!”
Shin Seong-ah, who had been listening to their conversation, asked Kang Hyeon again.
“Kang Hyeon. Who is this person?”
“The Administrator.”
Everyone’s attention focused on Kang Hyeon’s answer.
“What…? What do you mean…”
“Though his appearance has changed a bit, I’m certain. It’s the Administrator.”
The Administrator struggled to get up.
Then bowed his head and greeted the group.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Re-Dehera, the former Administrator of Earth and Harken. Please feel free to call me Dehera.”
The Administrator wore a fresh smile that seemed completely inappropriate for the current situation.
***
Ippotranslation
***
The group, who suddenly met the administrator, decided to take a brief rest under the shade of a large tree.
“Ahh! The water tastes good!”
Dehera exclaimed after drinking the water offered by the group.
“I really almost died right after becoming human, you know? So this is what thirst feels like.”
Kang Hyeon and the group looked at Dehera with peculiar eyes.
“Um… This is a bit burdensome.”
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you here? And in human form at that.”
During the time as an administrator, Dehera’s appearance emitted a strange sense of incongruity different from humans.
With a height of almost 2m, and an androgynous appearance and voice that made it impossible to determine whether male or female.
Even reproductive organs that could distinguish between male and female did not exist.
This was information Kang Hyeon knew from having various conversations with Dehera for over 3 years when he was a transcendent.
“Now you… Anyone can see you’re clearly a woman?”
“That’s right. I’m no longer an administrator but a ‘human woman’ now.”
The Dehera in front of Kang Hyeon now was completely different.
Her height had reduced to about 170cm, and even through loose clothing, one could guess the enormous size of her breasts protruding prominently.
The administrator’s characteristic androgynous appearance and voice had transformed into that of an attractive woman with a mysterious charm.
“Hmm, where should I start…”
After briefly thinking while resting her chin, Dehera continued.
“Do you remember what I said? I told you I was going to be expelled from my administrator position.”
“I think so.”
Though not entirely certain, he vaguely remembered.
-I’ve already committed too many acts that violate causality.
-If I forcibly resurrect Kang Hyeon as a human in this situation, there’s a hundred percent chance my head will go chop!
-In other words, I’ll be expelled from my administrator position.
And Dehera had said that if she was expelled from her administrator position, she would be annihilated as her reason for existence would disappear.
“At that time, I really thought I would be annihilated. After all, the accidents I caused weren’t just one or two.”
“And then?”
“The higher-up up there said…”
Dehera suddenly put her hands on her waist and made a solemn expression.
“Re-Dehera. I will give you one last chance. Save the world together with the transcendent you created, in a human body.”
“So I said I understood. When they told me to choose a gender when becoming human, I immediately chose female. Aren’t you curious why?”
Dehera licked her lips while pushing up her breasts.
As she did so, a deep valley formed, emphasizing her voluptuous figure even more.
“Because Kang Hyeon is a man…”
Click!
As soon as the words fell, Shin Seong-ah aimed the gun barrel at Dehera’s head with incredible speed.
“Try pushing out that unnecessarily large fat one more time. Then I’ll make you breathe through your forehead.”
“I’ve already been through thick and thin with Kang Hyeon for over 3 years? This much can be considered aegyo.”
“Perhaps killing would be best…”
Kang Hyeon sighed as he watched Dehera and Shin Seong-ah bickering.
“Both of you, that’s enough.”
“But Kang Hyeon. This one is the administrator who is the root of all problems. No one knows what kind of evil heart might be residing in that monstrous thing.”
“Enough. Do I look like someone who would lose their mind over breasts and not be able to tell right from wrong?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“Don’t worry. Besides, Shin Seong-ah, you’re not small either? I don’t think you need to have any inferiority complex.”
“T-t-that…”
Seong-ah’s face turned bright red at Kang Hyeon’s words.
Turning around, Seong-ah lowered her head.
“I’ll briefly go to the bathroom.”
After saying that, Seong-ah quietly disappeared into the forest.
Watching her, Yoon Na-rae clicked her tongue.
“Tsk tsk. How can you be so clueless about a woman’s heart.”
“What are you talking about.”
In fact, Kang Hyeon had meant it as a compliment to Seong-ah, but it seemed to have backfired instead.
“That’s enough joking around.”
Kang Hyeon approached Dehera.
“What did you say earlier? Help the transcendent save the world?”
“Yes.”
“First of all, I’m no longer a transcendent, and I can’t become one either.”
“That’s right. Looking at your condition, it seems the side effects have already progressed.”
Dehera said, looking at Kang Hyeon’s white hair.
“You mean these gray hairs?”
“Yes. That’s like a device I put in to warn Kang Hyeon.”
“Device…”
“When that hair turns completely white, it’s over.”
“What do you mean by over? What is?”
At Kang Hyeon’s question, Dehera grinned.
“You know, right? Either go mad while remaining a transcendent, or just disappear. One of the two.”
It was something he already knew.
He had asked just in case, but indeed, his current condition was extremely dangerous.
“Right. Let’s stop here about transcendence. What’s this talk about saving the world?”
“Well, I should say this first. Actually, there is no way to save the world.”
“What nonsense is that?”
Kang Hyeon’s brows furrowed at the words that the world couldn’t be saved.
“The Lord of Chaos who covets Earth. Would the world be saved if we defeat him?”
Dehera wagged her index finger.
“No no, It won’t. How many dimensions and how many beings of chaos do you think exist in this world?”
“Get to the point.”
When Kang Hyeon spoke while clenching his fist, Dehera carefully backed away.
“Alright. Just don’t hit me. I’m really human now, so even a graze from Kang Hyeon’s fist could kill me.”
Dehera had been hit terribly many times by Kang Hyeon during those 3 years, but now that she had become human, that absolutely couldn’t happen.
As she was literally a pure human, even a slight touch would surely shatter her bones.
“Anyway, in the end, this world cannot be saved. Remember what I said before? That they don’t send new administrators to dimensions discovered by Chaos. Why do you think that is?”
“Because there’s no hope.”
Dehera continued speaking with a bright expression as if talking about someone else’s business.
“Usually, Lords of Chaos possess power at the level of transcendents. That means even administrators can’t touch them. But even if you somehow manage to defeat such a Lord of Chaos, eventually another lord will come. Because Lords of Chaos are countless and continue to be born anew.”
“Therefore, the most important thing is not to let Chaos discover the dimension in the first place. But it’s already too late for Earth.”
“Is there…”
Kang Hyeon asked with a hardened face.
“Is there no way?”
“There isn’t. Nothing except endless struggle. Keep fighting and fighting and fighting until you gain overwhelming power that can repel any being of chaos that comes. That’s the only way.”
“Haah…”
Kang Hyeon sighed while roughly running his hand through his hair.
It was a fact he didn’t want to know, but this was reality.
If so, he needed to accept it and do what he could.
“Well, don’t be too disheartened. There might be a way if you go higher than the worlds I know.”
“Higher than the worlds you know?”
“Yes. What I said was only within the scope of what I know. If you go to the world of beings that surpass my level, wouldn’t there be different solutions?”
That meant at least becoming a transcendent, or perhaps something even beyond that.
Even for someone as positive as Kang Hyeon, that seemed too unrealistic.
“Do such things even exist?”
“Of course. Though I’ve never actually seen them myself. Even with transcendents, Kang Hyeon was the first one I actually saw.”
The more they talked, the more gloomy the mood became.
“For now, we’ll set out again. There’s no need to be gloomy about such distant future talk.”
“That’s right.”
Dehera smiled and agreed with Kang Hyeon’s words.
“We’ll do our best within our limits. So we won’t have regrets…”
Kang Hyeon muttered with a stern face.
It was both a statement to his companions and a pledge to himself.
“Yes. That’s all there is to it.”
***
Ippotranslation
***
“You said we’re on our way to see Olien now, right?”
Dehera joined Kang Hyeon’s group.
Of course, there was still a possibility that she could lie or betray them.
Kang Hyeon determined that he needed more of Dehera’s knowledge.
‘I have to use whatever resources are available.’
And so the party grew from 4 to 5 members.
Now it was less than an hour to Pyongyang.
“Um, I have a question.”
Dehera said, looking at Kang Hyeon.
“Why are we going to where Olien is now?”
“To learn magic.”
Dehera marveled at Kang Hyeon’s answer.
“Ah! Magic. That’s a very good idea.”
“Is it?”
“Because it’s a way to slow down your side effects while increasing your power, Kang Hyeon.”
Dehera nodded and continued speaking.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but your body is no longer that of a human. It’s a new form of physical body completely composed of magical energy.”
“Usually, renowned heroes are born with bodies that can handle magical energy well. But you, Kang Hyeon, have a body far superior to theirs… You’ll surely be able to learn magic quickly.”
“Hooh.”
To be honest, he had vaguely thought things would work out somehow.
Having lots of magical energy meant strong magic.
He had simply thought about it and came to learn magic without much planning, but it seemed that had been a good choice.
“Great. I’ll quickly become a 9th Circle Archmage and blast away the Lord of Chaos and everything else.”
“What’s a 9th Circle Archmage?”
“That’s not a real thing, man.”
As they continued their casual conversation, Pyongyang began to appear in the distance.
“Wow… What is this…?”
Kang Hyeon’s jaw dropped at the magnificent view in the distance.
“Whew, This is impressive.”
The others were equally amazed, staring at Pyongyang with wide eyes.
“It’s like medieval castle walls.”
Shin Seong-ah was right.
Massive walls that must have been over 5m high. They surrounded all of Pyongyang, waiting for the party’s arrival.
