Chapter 22 : Things that sank beyond (2)

The warm sunlight tickled my face.

It was only natural that I woke up earlier than my scheduled wake-up time. I had to get out of bed to escape the sunlight clinging to my face. As I sat up, the cot creaked and groaned under my hand, and the somewhat chilly air wrapped around me.

It wasn’t a pleasant awakening. Especially since the defense operation starts today.

It was spring, the flowery month of May, but perhaps because we were by the sea, the early morning was quite cold. I didn’t want to catch a cold, so I swung my arms around.

I opened the storage space, took out the pure white robe I’d acquired from the mages, and tightened the silver belt engraved with hieroglyphs. It was a bit loose, but it seemed like it would allow me to move.

After putting on the robe, I came out of the tent and breathed in the morning air.

However, I couldn’t help but frown at the smell of the sea. The huge wall might exude an aura capable of stopping monsters, but it didn’t seem to block the fishy morning sea smell. What’s more, unpleasantly, the lingering scent was mixed with a faint but distinct odor of the polluted, distorted deep sea.

Is it a sign that *it’s* appearing? The smell made me nauseous.

Suppressing my discomfort, I looked up at the top of the wall and saw several dispatched soldiers standing guard. They were the grateful people in charge of security here while everyone was asleep.

I gave a small wave to those looking this way and then looked around again. Unlike yesterday, the inside of the wall was quiet. The boisterous ability users had all gone into their tents to rest, and there was no trace of the workers and engineers who had operated heavy equipment to build the wall; it was as if they had all withdrawn.

After looking around, I started some simple stretches. Perhaps because it was my first time sleeping on a hard bed, my body was overly tense and stiff. I should have just floated in the air to sleep.

While stretching my stiff arms and legs, I suddenly turned my head to the side. It was because I felt a gaze that had been fixed on me.

“…I don’t know who you are, but how long are you going to stare?”
“Oh my, I seem to have been rude. I’m sorry. It’s just…it’s fascinating to see a young kid in a place like this.”

My irritated remark was met with a somewhat playful apology. As she spoke, the woman who emerged from the shadows between the tents was a celebrity I, despite my naiveté, knew well.

A tall woman in a navy blue robe embroidered with gold, ruby-like red eyes, and light golden hair. The blue staff in her hand pulsed with a ferocious mana that seemed ready to leap out at the world.

Elena, the S-rank Guardian of the US branch.

A mage known for using ‘Creation’s Secret Art,’ which interferes with life and objects to prevent all forms of regeneration. There were many differing opinions about Elena’s abilities, but it was undeniable that she was one of humanity’s hopes. Two Impurities had been defeated so far, and she had played a key role in both cases.

Of course, I knew that the famous Elena would be participating in this battlefield as a key player, and I wasn’t uninterested in her as an S-rank… but I never dreamed I’d run into her like this.

I gave her a small bow. It was my way of showing respect.

“Mage Elena. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh my. You recognized me right away. I was going to surprise you later if you hadn’t.”

She smiled brightly. She seemed to have a playful personality. Her hair shone beautifully in the sunlight.

I rolled my eyes and examined her closely. I thought S-ranks would be different, but she didn’t seem particularly special compared to others. If I had to pick something, it would be that her mana capacity was hundreds of times greater than others.

Existing in multiple phases simultaneously, possessing incomprehensible power beyond human understanding… such high-level powers didn’t seem to exist. Well, that makes sense. If she had any of those, she wouldn’t be human, but a different concept altogether.

I was the same. Only after sealing the Outer God’s power, fragmenting and scattering all my abilities, and lowering all levels of perception to a human consciousness, did I finally become something resembling a human.

As I was observing Elena, I made eye contact with her; she had crossed her arms at some point. Only then did I realize I had been staring at her.

“My, my, you seem quite interested in me. Want to come with me, little one?”
“Ah, no, it’s just…it’s my first time seeing an S-rank… I apologize.”

It was a mistake due to having quite a lot of information to process with a human brain. I quickly apologized. She didn’t seem to mind and asked,

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I kept staring at you stretching too. Come to think of it, seeing you assigned here, you must be a student… Are you in high school? Or could you be… a Regressor?”

She was so curious. Elena’s inquisitive gaze was hard to bear. The thought that things might get annoying briefly crossed my mind, but I shook my head.

This was an opportunity. I might gain something from talking to her.

“I am a Regressor. I’m nineteen. How about you?”
“Huh, a Regressor? I knew it, somehow. I’m twenty-three. I’m an Awakened.”

Elena’s gaze changed slightly as I mentioned being a Regressor. A look as if she was trying to see right through me. It was different from the playful look she had earlier.

“Which world did you come from? Secradon? Murim? Or… somewhere else?”

Elena smiled, looking at me. My heart pounded with a strange sense of pressure. She was creating this atmosphere. I clutched the hem of my robe.

“…You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”

Actually, I had no intention of telling her. I didn’t even plan to give her a made-up name. It was because I didn’t know what might happen to her if I did. It wasn’t anything like going crazy or having her mind affected upon hearing it. Rather, it was due to the particularity of that world’s name. The name of that world was the same as *something* that exists beyond a specific horizon of the universe, something that floats.

It was less of an Outer God and more of a law. I didn’t know if its laws, which transcended even the common sense of Outer Gods, applied here, but since I was clearly aware of it, naming it was a gamble. Even pronouns referring to it were a risk.

Of course, the Association arbitrarily named that world when I kept my mouth shut… That way, there wouldn’t be any significant issues. But the problem here is that even if I mention the name they gave to that world, it becomes a ‘pronoun.’

What an unreasonable and terrible mechanism! Of course, there wouldn’t be any problem if I was careful. I didn’t even know if it applied here in the first place.

Anyway, I was being careful. I was.

“Hmm… is that so? There’s someone who’s very interested in Regressors, so I asked. I’ll have to introduce you to Gramps later. It might be sudden, but can I get your number?”

I blinked. A sudden exchange of numbers. My younger sibling told me not to give my number to strangers… Since she’s a public figure, it’s an exception. Anyway, it must be.

“Here. Can I contact you if I have any questions?”
“Ahaha! Of course! Judging by your clothes, you seem to be a mage like me, so it would be great to share information sometime.”

Elena burst into hearty laughter. She seemed cheerful. However, I wondered if there would be any information she could use. In the end, wouldn’t I be the one benefiting unilaterally…?

As if she was about to leave, Elena glanced at the golden watch on her wrist. The watch indicated seven o’clock, wake-up time.

“…I came out for a walk because I was feeling a bit stifled, but I should go back and get ready. It was short, but it was nice meeting you.”
“I look forward to seeing you in action.”

I saw her off with words of encouragement. Turning around, her hurried steps revealed a slightly anxious air.

Even she, famous for her usual bright and cheerful demeanor, seemed to find today’s events quite burdensome.

It was understandable. This was the fourth subjugation attempt, I heard. Yet, virtually everything rested on her small shoulders.

“Sigh…”

I let out a small sigh and checked the schedule on my smartphone. Four hours. Until Phantasma, which was reconstructed in three days after being destroyed, began its retaliation on land.