Above Your Head

Vol 2. Chapter 15: Great Nations and Small Countries (3)

Is there a problem, Captain-nim?

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

...That's… Genie's voice turned serious immediately, It's dangerous. As the control persona of a battleship belonging to the Leonhardt Empire, she knew most of the process that happened when I destroyed Howard's Duchy. It wasn't even a secret, since I had done it all in public.

'Even after the brutal massacre, I could still reach the top position,' I lightly commented. It was an unimaginable thing to do on Earth, where the majority of the country advocated democracy. However, in the Great Universe Era, there was a more tolerant side for individual power and ability. Even though they had a more advanced civilization as compared to Earth, they were aware of the need for barbaric violence due to the strong transcendents and disasters, as well as the contact with the Gods.

Then, Ares, a Future Weapon that stood at the peak of the barbaric civilization, replied with a compelling voice, Wow, is this star going to be crushed too?

I frowned as he responded in such a nonchalant manner. '...Why are you saying it like that?'

What can't I? How many planets do you think I have blown up? And how many civilizations do you think I have destroyed?

'What did you say? Hey.'

I'm not making fun of you. As he reacted sharply, Ares, who was floating in front of me, slightly shook his head. Then, he continued saying in an uncharacteristically heavy voice, I'm just saying... You don't have to feel too pressured. It's natural that you have to try your best to control yourself, but you won't be able to do anything if you are afraid of your own power. If you don't balance it out properly, you will lose yourself and everything you care about here. And remember, Kwan Dae-ha. Ares continued while making eye contact with me, You're an existence that is worth more than a few hundred of these planets.

Along with his words, a woman with a voluptuous figure that was wrapped with a thin cloth, revealed herself. It was Genie, the control persona of Albatross. It's not pleasing in general, but... I agree with him to a certain extent. Because you're a great Emperor, Captain-nim.

'...' I stared at the two control personas for a moment. It might have been a sentiment that did not fit them, as they weren't even a living creature, but... I could feel their heart in their expressions and speech. Their unconditional goodwill and faith towards me tugged at my heartstrings.

-Kabooom!!

However, the ground shook along with a roar at that moment. It sounded like something heavy had fallen inside Heungnyemun Gate.

"Wh-What the? What's going on?"

"Can't we go inside?"

"I'm not sure about Heungnyemun Gate, but Geunjeongmun Gate is under control, so that might be possible. Did those bastards from the Continent do something?"

As the ground shook without warning, the surrounding area started to become noisy. I decided to ignore it, clearly disinterested in the problem. I concentrated on my own problem instead. 'It's troubling because I'm so hot-tempered anyway. It wasn't like this in the past.' That's right. It wasn't like this in the past. I am not bragging, but I had a strong steel-like mentality that even I myself acknowledged. What kind of normal high school student would be able to survive through being kidnapped and tortured by extraterrestrial monsters? However, the current me would lose my reason even if I became slightly angry, and then try to force open the door inside me. Moreover, I couldn't help but worry as I knew that 'opened door = massacre'.

'Lee Family... Regardless of the fact that they're the producer-type, shouldn't they start with memorizing the Buddhist scriptures first?'

Do you need to strengthen your mental power?

'Yes.'

As I nodded, Genie was lost in deep thought. Thin clothes reminiscent of a desert dancer fluttered as if the wind was blowing. As one would expect, the Divine Art is famous for being able to strengthen mental power...

'That won't do.' Even now, the Divine Spirit was a problem, so I don't know what would happen if I started a direct connection.

Taoism and Buddhism are martial arts though.

'They said I wasn't talented in neigong, didn't they?' I asked. Of course, even if I wasn't proficient in martial arts, studying it was possible. I could immediately go into the temple and look at the wall, while memorizing the Vajra Sutra[1] However, was it possible to train my mind to the realm of transcendence by studying in a field that wasn't related to superpowers?

I could feel Genie agonizing for a while, due to the series of rejections. Then, after a while, she said, ...Then, it would be better to train the Summoning Art.

'Summoning Art?' I asked doubtfully.

Including the Spirit Summoning Art, originally, training to summon existences of outer dimensions is effective in strengthening concentration and mental power. Moreover, though you passed on it just now, the producer-type is able to pull themselves together. It's not a bad choice. I heard that there are cases where producer-type ability users that reached the apex are able to maintain the Calm State of Mind for months.

'Ultimately, I think I'll have to try all kinds of methods to get a feel for it.' I was pondering while standing among a noisy and boisterous crowd. I was dumbfounded by the fact that I became a Gigas pilot when I went to the universe, and then I had to become a superpower user on Earth. However, I did not want to commit a massacre again, so there was no helping it. Nonetheless, I had no choice but to stop agonizing over it. That was because the back of my hand was starting to get hot.

Mission Generated!

"Mmmm." I froze. However, I was not surprised. That was because I expected it to gradually happen. 'Mission System.' As I muttered in my mind, a new window appeared to my right.

-Welcome to the Mission System.

-Current Rating: Tutorial

-Rating: 27

-Person in charge: Yul

-Currently Accessible Domain: Shin-Yoong-Eung-Chae

-Missions in Progress: 0

As if it had been waiting, a familiar form of text came to mind. It was a list of text that had the same font and line spacing, as well as the same colour and transparency, as the titles I had always seen. 'I don't get it. My ability to see titles should have come from my biological father, though.' This connection point made me extremely flustered, as I thought it was a problem that had already been confirmed. In the first place, why was Dekarma, the Machine God that possessed the Status of a First-Tier God, who had the ability of acquiring information, related to the system of these backwater planets?

'Come to think of it, Earth was where my biological father died... In that meantime, he must have met my mother.' I was just neglecting it, and I still did not know the exact circumstances regarding my parents. Of course, I was forced to watch the emotions that my biological father experienced as he was banished to the Lower Realm through as many as 300-years worth of dreams. Joy, sorrow, harmony, animosity, hope and despair. However, it was not his memory on Earth, but the memory of his distant past that was tens of thousands of years, or perhaps even way before that. Since then, I had no idea what caused my biological father to become the Head of Legion, the archenemy of the Union, or what caused him to die. 'Most probably... I'll have to find out.' As I thought about that, I looked at the window that appeared.

Mission Generated!

The Spirit of the Korea Empire

The history of the Lee Family has been a time of oppression and submission. They were always swayed by disunity and external pressure, and despite being part of the Seven Great Households, they were not able to properly stand on their own two feet.

Since its foundation, the Lee Family served the Zhu Family as the Imperial household, it was also subjected to the invasion and domination of the Yangmyeong Family. Furthermore, they were a subsidiary of the Rockefeller Family. As they were under the influence of all those families, they had to walk on a tightrope for a long time.

Be that as it may, China who had the Zhu Family as well as the Supreme Magic Tower and the three Military Factions in its ranks, had now revealed their desire to dominate the Lee Family along with the death of the Great Wizard. Just like what the Yangmyeong Family did in the past.

The great upheaval of the era. And you, who were caught in the turbulent torrents! Will you be able to suppress the ambitions of Mainland China and preserve the spirit of Korea?

I have become a sinner of the nation and sinned 20 million people. Hence, I had not been able to forget this for even a single moment of my meager life, until the moment it was extinguished. Liberate and restore our independence - Emperor Yunghui's Will

Reward for Success – Korea Empire's Spirit Stage 5 (Semi-permanent Buff).

Penalty for Failure – Stigma of the Defeated Stage 3 (Semi-permanent Debuff).

Currently (15) participants on the mission

"This is...one." I could not help smiling and thoroughly read the details of the mission once again. The content was simple, but it was a mission that offered the core information on the situation that the Lee Family encountered.

Naturally, Kyung-eun's words came to mind, "Hahaha! You are surprised to hear that those condescending beings are weak, aren't you? But it's true. Think about it. Why do you think we call ourselves the Lee Family, and not the imperial family or royal family? In Korea…"

The surface world and the parallel world was separated, but it seems that it wasn't as if there was no effect at all. Perhaps the fact that Korea was colonized by the Empire of Japan was the result of a fight in the parallel world. If my memory serves me right, the Yangmyeong Family was without a doubt one of the five Great Regent Houses of Japan, the Konoe House.

I was lost in thought for a moment, and a new text appeared in front of my eyes.

Branch Outbreak!

The Central Great Plains

Undisclosed!

Undisclosed!

Unable to proceed as conditions are not met.

Condition - Nationality (China)

Currently (1217) participants on the mission

Chinese missions rarely revealed information due to nationality issues. The only thing that was revealed was the mission title and the number of participants! However, the number of participants was the problem.

"Look at the difference..." I gasped. 15 participants to 1217 participants. It was over 80 times the number. There were two pieces of information that could be inferred from there. First, the selectors of the parallel world thought that the outcome of this mission was obvious. Second, The Central Great Plains mission started earlier than the Spirit of the Korea Empire mission.

'Genie.'

Yes, Captain-nim.

'Can you look into the pattern that was engraved on the back of my hand?'

Genie replied as if she had expected it and prepared an answer beforehand. It's a kind of terminal.

'Terminal?'

Yes. A terminal connected to a powerful ultimate magic that operates while centering around some sort of great facility. It's astonishing that a system of this level could be created by a Great Wizard from such a backwater region, which couldn't even properly interact with other transcendents.

As I listened, I looked at the back of my hand. I couldn't see anything because it was inactive now, but it would show a hexagram that represented ability and current level at the moment I wanted it to.

'Did you say there were 470,000 selectors on Earth?' I asked. If so, did all 470,000 of them perhaps receive this sort of mission? However, the number of participants in the two missions were too small to judge it that way. Yul said my hexagram was a special item, so was that perhaps the reason?

I was wondering about it, then Genie who had been silent for a while spoke, Captain-nim, the Compléter from China had begun his speech.

'Is it still going on...I should at least know what's going on. Show me.' Genie controlled Udjat, the glasses I was wearing, and I could see Geunjeongjeon Hall. Then, I could finally see him. Some called him Emperor, some called him King, and some called him Patriarch. He was the leader of the rabble.

1. Vajra Sutra is a Mahayana (Buddhist) Sutra from the Prajnaparamita sutras or 'Perfection of Wisdom' genre.