Above Your Head

Vol 2. Chapter 8: Talent Identification (1)

"Waaaaah! Waaaaaaah!!" A baby, who was hit on the butt by a nurse, let out a loud cry.

"Haha! It's a healthy daughter!"

In reality, the sight of a crying baby with a wrinkled body was not so beautiful, unlike what was commonly seen on TV. The baby's skin was nowhere close to milky white, and was a lot closer to blister-red. It could even be considered a gross sight at first glance. However, the mother's eyes were full of gratitude and love as she looked at the baby. Her husband, who started sobbing as tears started to well up, might have felt even more gratitude and love than that. His emotions were definitely not any less than what the mother was feeling.

Nonetheless, at that moment where the joy and emotions of a birth were surging, there was a foreign existence mixed in. It was completely different from the scene that just unfolded.

"What the."

It was a man of unusual appearance. Possessing waist-length hair, he was dressed in a leather coat that did not match the season. Furthermore, his long hair was bright yellowish-green and wavy, as if a sight straight out of a shampoo commercial. It felt as if each strand of hair was swirling around with the wind.

"No... Why is the outcome like this? Is Zion's eye blind?" The man had an expression of disbelief. He took off his monocle and wiped it with a handkerchief. But even so, the outcome that he saw through the glasses remained unchanged. "What the hell is this? I can't judge her." The man stared at the baby in the nurse's arms. Strangely, even though he was acting like that, no one in the maternity department seemed to care.

"There's no empty spot left now... Ah, that's right. Fourth Shadow."

The space wavered at the man's low-pitch mumbling, and a being that looked exactly like him appeared. With a completely identical appearance, attire, as well as equipment, the newly-arrived man stood still for a while. He then let out a deep sigh soon after. "Seems like it's a long-term mission. It'll take 20 years at the very least, won't it?"

"Treat it as a vacation. This is a relatively peaceful world, too."

"This place is peaceful, you say?"

"It's relatively so. Besides, it's also Earth. You're familiar with it, so it'll be easy to blend in."

"What about my identity?"

"A friend."

"Hahhh." The newly-appeared man was a clone. He let out a sigh again. He had the same exact memory and ability as the main body, so he was fully aware of the main body's judgment. "Who's the target?"

"This hospital just happened to have a stillborn baby. It's also the child of a couple that lives in the same area as the Seed."

"Are you serious..." The clone had a limited power output, but he had the same exact power and level as the main body. Hence, he could notice the high and mighty Seed of the World that was deep inside the soul, and he was not looking at just the appearance of a newborn baby. It was inside her, but even so, it was a separate existence from her. Just as the earth and the seed cannot be identified as the same being, even though the seed was buried in the ground, the 'seed' was just asleep in her soul.

"...Still, for it to be a newborn baby," the clone grumbled softly and looked down at the newborn baby, who was in her mother's arms again. Now, he had to grow up alongside her. Perhaps he would have to spend the rest of his life with her. When the power of creation contained in the Seed finally awakened, he would then have to accomplish the purpose given to him.

"Take good care of her. I have to go and help Jenica."

"Did they say they would create a nurturing system that mimics an illusion? It seems like the entire Great Universe is in an uproar. They're making it, and getting it installed here and there."

"Originally, when someone hits the jackpot, people will come in a flurry to try and rip them off."

Then, five or six Magic Circle emerged around the clone. Each and every one of the Magic Circles, invoked without a trace, were ultimate magics that twisted the laws of the world.

In the first place, the "jackpot" that he referred to—that caused all of the Great Universe to be astonished—was his own existence. An all-powerful warrior that could be considered the strongest even among the Emperor-class existences, he was the great hero who prevented the destruction of the Great Universe. He was also an existence that stood side by side with the rulers of the Six Realms with just a human body; the Human God and the All Master; Milleon the Windless.

Even so, it was not as if there weren't anyone who downgraded him to an Emperor-class (an Intermediate-rank transcendent). However, it was just meaningless nonsense, seeing that the Untouchables (a High-rank transcendent) that died by his sword during the Great War exceeded tens of people. He was already a universal strong being who made a name for himself throughout the entire world.

Srrrrr- The essence of the clone melted, and permeated into the body of the stillborn child, who had died in another delivery room. The nurse, who was holding the baby with a pale face, screamed at the sight of the baby who coughed and gasped for breath. "Ahhhh, the baby just coughed!"

"What? Do you think that makes sense?"

"Doctor!!"

"Ahhh, that's, alright! This isn't the time to be distracted!!"

There was a commotion in the delivery room, which had the atmosphere of a family in mourning. It was then...

Kwareureukkk!!

"Ahhh, that scared me!! No, I mean, it's not even raining so why is there thunder?!"

"Doctor!!"

"I got it! I got it, alright!" Along with the scream, the doctor started to move again. At some point, in the midst of confusion, relief, shock, and joy, that was...the beginning of this whole incident.

***

"It's already been over 35 years." Il-han looked down at Dae-ha, who was attending school, from the rooftop of a high-rise building. He was glad to see his son browsing around here and there like an awkward teenager. This was because his son had not been to school for a long time.

"But...this is an unexpected situation though." Il-han grasped Dae-ha's soul energy and made a perplexed expression. It was because Dae-ha's soul energy was so insignificant. There was no trace of the complete and strong Divine Spirit that he possessed. Seeing that the connection remained intact, it seems Dae-ha left it in space. "I can't believe this is happening."

When Il-han was left behind on Earth, the purpose that his main body gave him ended with the death of his wife. It was because his goal was only to get a clear grasp of Eun-jeong's soul, and there were no additional conditions attached. According to the rule that was originally set, the clone should have already been deactivated, and his memory would have been transferred to his main body. If there was a possibility of obtaining a new enlightenment that even the main body had not attained, he could choose to strive for it. However, was it possible after coming this far?

However, he didn't do that. He was still here as 'Il-han'. It was not just because of Eun-jeong's request. It was because of the unforeseen incident that took place in Earth-34 a year before Eun-jeong passed away. It was around the time he became a high school student. Who in the world could have guessed? Two of the highest-rank Divinity crashed down on such a remote planet.

"Eun-jeong, your foresight was wrong. You said Dae-ha would become an Untouchable and come back to Earth," Il-han called out the name of his dead wife and sighed deeply. However, it couldn't be helped. It was an amazing feat to be able to foresee such a high-ranking existence.

"The main body even contacted me in this situation too..." Il-han took out a bead from his arms. The white bead, which looked to be of an appropriate size, appeared to be a product mass-produced in a factory. On top of the appearance, not a sliver of energy could be felt from it too. If it wasn't an item that the main body sent at the expense of a considerable amount of trouble, he might have thought of throwing it away.

"Agh, The plan is really a mess..." he mumbled to himself on an empty rooftop. All the conditions had already fallen apart with the plan. The preparations that he was confident about all went to vain, and he faced a precarious situation.

But, unbeknownst to him, Il-han himself was somehow not very angry about it. "Well, it's still you." He looked down at his son who was entering the classroom. The story behind his son’s birth was so extraordinary that it was rare even in the Great Universe, but his son wanted and wished to be more ordinary and plain than anyone else. "Pfttt!" Suddenly bursting into laughter, Il-han covered his mouth and giggled. "No, even if so, how could he get rid of the Divine Spirit? Is he out of his mind? Hahaha!"

If a chaebol[1] wanted to donate all their assets to society, they would only do so right before their death. In fact, those with power would not even let go of their power even if they were about to die. Moreover, that 'only' applied to power and money.

Raw power, as well as the ambition and gratification that power could bring forth, was truly absolute. That little bit of soul power, the soul medicine that would not be able to expand even in 60 years, as well as the book that contained knowledge that others didn't know… He could not believe that Dae-ha would give up the power of God, when humans were beings that would have killed to obtain them.

"He's indeed my son." Il-han smiled and closed his eyes. It reminded him of the day when Dae-ha was born. How Dae-ha looked when he was holding on to him. How Dae-ha looked when he first took his baby steps. How Dae-ha looked when Dae-ha called him Father. How Dae-ha looked when he cried and fret around. Even how Dae-ha looked when he screamed all night in pain.

"...Then it can't be helped." Il-han opened his eyes again. "I have no choice, but to deal with the situation my way." Along with the low-pitched voice, he disappeared without a trace. The only thing that lingered where he stood was the gust of wind passing by.

***

"Our traitor is finally back! Was the water you gulped down in America sweet, especially when you left your friends behind?"

"What do you mean sweet? It was bland." I smiled in reply when I saw Jae-seok laughing and putting his arms around my shoulder. Perhaps because we have been separated for quite a long time, I was even glad to see his flippant demeanor.

"Heyyyy, by the way, it seems you've learned pretty good English? I wondered how good you would be, since it has just been half a year."

"English?"

As I wondered at the puzzling words, Genie explained to me, Udjat's automatic translation function is active. Currently, that fellow student spoke to you in English.

I whistled inwardly at the function that I had never even imagined before. But then again, the Albatross ship was also equipped with a Language Integration System that embraced the languages of almost all the species. The Magic Armament Udjat was the fusion product of magic and science that was hard to see even in the Leonhardt Empire. There wouldn't be anything strange if the Magic Armament Udjat possessed language-related functions.

However, it should be considered that the vocalization and mouthing of the words may differ.

'I'll be careful.' After the conversation with Genie, I looked at Jae-seok. There wasn't any need to continue talking in English, so I simply controlled my glasses, Udjat, and spoke in Korean, "Anyway, how have you been? Did your grades go up?"

"Ughh... My friend, I'm so disappointed at the question you ask after coming back in half a year!"

I spread salt back onto his wound, disregarding whether he was disappointed or not. "Are you still attending the academy?"

"Uwaaahhh! Ahhhh, damn it! Those damn academies are really damn disgusting! There are only 3 students and I can't even joke around! Moreover, they even compare results amongst the three students!" Although Jae-seok was exploding in anger, soon, he looked around and asked, "But why didn't your brother come? Is he going to continue attending school overseas since he's a high school senior anyways?"

I shrugged at Jae-seok's question. "I don't know either. I went to America and my brother went to Germany."

"No, what's wrong with your household, man? Why is your family scattered far and wide all of a sudden? It's not as if you all took a private loan, but your house is suddenly gone."

"I found that ridiculous too."

As I smiled bitterly because I had nothing else to say, Jae-seok scratched his head. "Well, I'm sure you have your own circumstances. Since we're talking about the great Teacher Kwan Il-han." Jae-seok, who was somewhat aware of how fraudulent my father was as we have been friends since young, roughly overlooked the situation.

However, that wasn't the case with me. 'Dad.' I recalled his appearance. I remembered his straight back standing in the kitchen while wearing an apron. That was my image of home. However, I was full of suspicions at the presence of my father, who was the center of attention of the image. 'What exactly are you, Dad?'

1. Chaebol is a large industrial conglomerate that is run and controlled by an owner or family in South Korea. A chaebol often consists of many diversified affiliates, controlled by an owner whose power over the group often exceeds legal authority.