Above Your Head

Vol 2. Chapter 14: Great Nations and Small Countries (2)

"..." I'll have to quickly dig up my brain, and erase that damn guy's memory or something.

"Hmm, so are the rumors true?"

"Rumors?"

"That's right. The rumor that your mother was an amazing individual, and that you awakened her blood. When I saw you going with Kyung-eun, I thought that it might have been the case, but... I can't believe we're really meeting here," Jae-seok groaned, dumbfounded. Then…

Boooom! From far away, a familiar set of footsteps reverberated.

"Kuuughh!"

"Ughhh!!"

"Oh my God... This... What is this profound neigong?"

I could hear groans and screams coming from in front of me. However, none of that shock was impacting me. Was it due to the distance?

Jae-seok, who was an ordinary person, also did not receive any shock. Nonetheless, apart from that, his expression was grave. "As expected, Zhou Hongyi... He's doing it according to his style."

"Zhou Hongyi?"

"Sword Saint Zhou Hongyi. There are only seven Master-class warriors in the Great Nation."

"What do you mean Sword Saint?"

Although I shook my head at the very wuxia-like title, Jae-seok was being serious. He added, "But we call him by another nickname."

"Another nickname? What is it?"

"The one that destroys rules. Rule Breaker." Jae-seok looked at Heungnyemun Gate with worried eyes. To be exact, he was concerned about the situation at the Geunjeongmun Gate, as well as the situation at the Geunjeongjeon Hall that was beyond the Heungnyemun Gate.

Genie, who was watching the situation quietly, conveyed information to me, Zhou Hongyi, born in the middle class of Beijing, entered the parallel world at the age of 10 as a martial arts ability user. He's a legendary figure who rose to the position of Chief District Prosecutor at the age of 28. The position of Chief District Prosecutor is an equivalent rank to that of China's Department Chief, and the same position as Korea's Minister. He has been in that position for nearly 30 years now.

'He started from scratch and he's a minister at 28 years old?' I widened my eyes, because it was almost an impossible task to achieve in modern society. No matter what great achievement was made, that kind of authority and position would not be given to a young man. However, it was different here. In this place, power represented everything.

Many people talk about him. He is said to be one of the top five excellent talents throughout the whole of China. As Chief District Prosecutor, he visited many countries, and also produced 'results' befitting that.

'Results.'

As I dwelled on the meaningful term, Jae-seok sighed. "Ahhh... He was reduced to this as soon as the Great Wizard passed away. Every time the Great Wizard-nim looked at the people, and said they were foolish brutes like it was a habitual speech, he would be pissed off. However, seeing that the situation turned out this way, is this perhaps the insight befitting a Great Wizard?"

Booooom!!! Footsteps could be heard from a distance again. Then, the people made a fuss at the heavy vibration that was transmitted from the ground.

"Ughh! That crazy bastard! Even if he came from the Continent, what kind of violence is he displaying in the royal presence of His Majesty the Emperor?!"

"O' king..."

"Things have turned out funny. I wonder if the Patriarch can overcome this difficulty."

I could see people whispering amongst themselves. It was generally a gloomy atmosphere, but not all of them were like that. Some were excited, as if looking forward to it, while others had eyes that shone with the light of opportunity. At those figures...

'What a mess,' I thought to myself. It truly was a total mess.

Perhaps sensing my astonishment at the scene, Jae-seok, who was looking around at the others and possibly perceiving them to be tragic, said, "Dae-ha, which do you think is the strongest country in the world?"

"Hmm? Isn't it the United States?" I replied. It was common sense, and that was an obvious answer. Wasn't the United States a powerful country, with the status of a key currency country that printed dollars, as well as a country that possessed overwhelming capital, diplomatic power, and military force?

However, surprisingly, Jae-seok had a different opinion. "It's China."

"...Really?"

"Moreover, they weren't just at the level of strong... Even if the United States and the whole of Europe join forces, China would still be more superior."

Jae-seok's words immediately aroused astonishment and questions within me, because his statement was so far off from the common sense that I knew of. Of course, China was an incredibly powerful nation, but even so, was it even possible for China to have greater national power than the combined power of the United States and Europe?

Perhaps understanding my doubts, Jae-seok said, "It's because of the military factions. It's due to the Great Wizard's arrangements that was so great and outstanding that it disregarded the distribution of power in the human world."

Another Plane, the parallel side of the world, was governed by 15 forces— Three Great Magic Towers, Five Great Military Factions, and Seven Great Households. The strongest among the forces was the Magic Towers, but the Military Factions were situated right beneath them. The Seven Great Households were undoubtedly powerful forces, but strictly speaking, their position only served as a community leader of the region. They were just supporting organizations that provided assistance to the Three Great Magic Towers and Five Great Military Factions.

"Of course, the Seven Great Households built up their military strength and organized their group with all their might, but... Even if so, it's incomparable to the Magic Towers and Military Factions that the Great Wizard raised with all their heart and soul."

"Ahh." I nodded. That made sense. He was excessively competent and diligent, even considering the fact that the Great Wizard who lived in Earth-34 was a transcendent. No matter how hard a mortal struggled, they wouldn't be able to keep up with the prepared arrangements that the forces had.

Of course, there were also arrangements of the Great Wizard at the Lee Family. The Imoogi that was deep asleep in the Gyeonghoeru Pond was a given, but the Giant Soul Soldier that stood at the Gwanghwamun Square was a part of it too. It was definitely not a military strength that can be taken lightly, even from the perspective of the Leonhardt Empire, which was active in the Great Universe.

However… 'No matter how I look at it, it feels like it's only for emergency use.' That's right. From what I could tell, they were not a power that could be utilized by the Lee Family. But then again, if they could utilize it, then there would be no reason for the entire Lee Family to be swayed by just a single Sword Master. Besides that, it had to be known that those arrangements were scattered all over the country, and not just in the Lee Family.

Jae-seok said, "Three of the world's only Five Great Military Factions are located in China. In fact, China actually took control of the Supreme Magic Tower, one of the Three Great Magic Towers. Even though they are under the rule of the Great Wizard so far, and do not dare to bare their fangs..."

"Are you saying that the situation is different now?"

"That's right. To be honest, it's hard to believe, but... It has been known for decades that the lifespan of the Great Wizard's over."

At that moment, a heavy and gloomy voice cut off Jae-seok's words, "Aren't you saying too much to someone from the surface world?" Six men appeared through the crowd of people. One of them was a middle-aged man in his mid-30s dressed up in a neat suit. One of them was an old man wearing a Japanese-style full-body armor that could be seen in the Warring States Period, and there was a Japanese katana sheathed on his waist. Last but not least, there were four giants who appeared, baring their muscular bodies.

'They're not humans.' I looked over. The giants were three meters tall and easily earned anyone's attention, even in a crowd. They had gray skin, as well as a pale, stiffened face. However, they were obviously not living creatures. No, leaving that aside…

It's an Undead.

It seems that there are also necromancers in Earth-34. I try not to have any prejudice, but it's a displeasing sect.

While listening to the artificial intelligence's explanation, Jae-seok, whose face momentarily stiffened, bowed and forced a smile on his face. "Ahh, Hyun-seok hyung-nim is back."

"Because it's time. By the way... Are you the one in the rumor?" The man in the suit easily sized me up. It wasn't a pleasing gaze. It felt like a snake staring its prey.

"Rumor?"

"I'm talking about Teacher."

The man in the suit, hearing my question and Jae-seok's reply, as well as our conversation, said, "Masterman is famous in this side of the world too. It stood out so much that it would have died a long time ago, especially if it had not been able to sweet-talk the Primordial God."

"It would die, you say?"

"Of course he's going to die. He was too nosy that he brought it upon himself."

"..." Dumbfounded, I looked at him, who simply stuck his tongue out to lick his lips. No, I mean, what kind of crazy nonsense was the ahjusshi saying in front of the child of the person in question? However, my utter bewilderment was disregarded.

The man looked right back at me, and said, "Have you perhaps seen Hyun-jin?"

"Hyun-jin?"

As I expressed doubt at the unexpected question, he explained in a cold voice, "You should have met him at the cafeteria, though?"

"Ah, that bandage..." I muttered. Only then did I confirm his title.

Lee Family

Level 7

Necromancy Master, Lee Hyun-seok

'Ah, come to think of it, they found them, huh.' I only forgot about it because I did not think it was that important. However, it was a matter to consider, of course. The forces exerted some power, and went missing at not just some random place, but at Gyeongbokgung Palace, which could be said to be the heart of the Lee Family. Therefore, it was natural that there would be people looking for them. Moreover, they were last seen with me, so I would probably be the most likely suspect. This was even more of a possibility if they left a trail before they tailed me.

I had a gut feeling that this would definitely become a problem. Since the bandage bastard wouldn't have been born with a malicious heart, like a mutant, the fact that they openly threatened to cut my finger, chasing after me to attempt killing me immediately after their threats were ridiculed… These could only mean that these were tendencies of the group they belonged to.

However, at that moment, 'So what?' I just simply denied it, because I thought it didn't matter. "I'm not sure. That was the first and last time I saw him."

"Huh? What?" The man's face turned violent in an instant. It seemed that he was probably not pleased with the way I talked. However, at least he had a calmer temperament as compared to his younger brother, or perhaps it was just because there were many people around. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down before continuing, "But then again."

"..."

"I don't think an insect like you would dare do anything to my younger brother." The man laughed, ridiculing me.

Upon that sight, I got emotional and something surged forth from within me. '...You dare?' Then, as if it was natural, the image of a door was drawn in my mind. Booooom. Something knocked at the door.

"Heok?" I let out a groan, slightly frightened. Cold sweat formed on my forehead. 'Wh-What the. Just because of something like this?' It was literally a baffling situation. Just because 'I' heard a sentence, 'I' had an urge to erase them all. What on earth was with this terminal-like anger management disorder? I clenched my teeth and imagined the image of a chain bounding the door. 'No.' Now wasn't the time. No, even if it was later, it still wasn't the right time.

Boom booom! I calmed my mind. I took a breath and recalled the daily life when I used to pass my idle-time by watching the TV, or reading some books at home. Boom booom… Fortunately, the knock on the door was getting weaker. Then…

"Hohh." Perhaps pleased by me breaking out in cold sweat, the necromancer, Hyun-seok, grinned and put on a satisfied smile. "Bae Jae-seok."

"Yes, hyung-nim." Jae-seok bowed down to a single necromancer, which put his status as the grandson of the chaebol chairman of the highest class authority of the Republic of Korea—commonly referred to as Il-sung Republic—to shame. This scene proved that power came first above anything else in this place, the parallel world.

"Follow me."

"What? But..."

"No buts. This talk is about business, so follow me. It's something the old man Jin-man would be interested in too." Hyun-seok was calling the Chairman of Il-sung as if he was the ahjusshi next door, and Jae-seok, who was speechless upon hearing Hyun-seok's words.

I looked at the scene that unfolded before my eyes for a moment and nodded. "...Go on. You don't need to worry about me."

"Alright, sorry. See you at school." Jae-seok grabbed my hand once. He then walked past the crowd with the necromancers, and entered Heungnyemun Gate.

"It feels like I'm seeing a friend being dragged away by a troop of soldiers..." I muttered. It wasn't a pleasant sight, but there was another problem to think about. I thought, 'Hey, we've got a big problem.'

Is there a problem, Captain-nim?

Once Genie responded, as if she had been waiting, I sighed. 'I can't control my emotions.'