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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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Upon learning that my mother could be in danger, I took out the doll from the subspace without delay.
The doll that was known to the world as the Artist.
And I put the same mask as usual on it.
Yeon Mi-rae, who saw that, also took out an artifact that hid her face from her subspace.
“…Why you too?”
My doll wore a mask because it had no official identity, but Yeon Mi-rae had no need for that.
She could just naturally join the other Awakeners who had come to provide support after seeing the message.
So why had she taken out an artifact as well?
“Because today, I intend to act not as Sword Blossom Yeon Mi-rae, but as the Artist’s disciple.”
“……”
It probably didn’t matter.
Her artifact was also a reward obtained from clearing a rather large dungeon, just like the mask my doll used.
It meant that it would be difficult for most people to see through the artifact’s effect and recognize her.
“Leave your smartphone in the room. It might get tracked.”
The Association were the kind of people who had shamelessly sent information collection-type Awakeners to where Yeon Mi-rae was processing the byproducts she had brought in an attempt to steal her information.
No matter how many executives were being replaced due to the fallout from that, it wasn’t hard to believe that such reckless people would do something like track a smartphone.
They might have even tried to do something like wiretapping it before.
Although I had prepared some countermeasures for that, since there were many ways to obtain information in this world, I couldn’t be completely at ease.
“Yes.”
As if she knew my thoughts, Yeon Mi-rae placed her smartphone on the desk where my computer was.
And then she took out a hoodie from her subspace and put it on.
“…That hoodie is….”
“It’s the same design as the one the doll is wearing. Doesn’t this make us look more like the Artist and his companion?”
She said that while looking at the clothes the doll I had taken out was wearing.
It seemed like she had been making various preparations with the intention of pushing the narrative of being the Artist’s companion if something like this ever happened.
Yeon Mi-rae, who had finished changing, went outside through the window with my doll.
Although our house was on a rather high floor, it was no problem for Yeon Mi-rae and my doll.
Not only were the two of them skilled enough to not get hurt from falling from this height, but even if that weren’t the case, my doll could use Walking on Air.
Thinking that, I, who had sent the two off, thought.
‘Did something like this happen before my regression…?’
No matter how young I was at that time, if it was an incident where my mother was directly involved in, there was no way I wouldn’t remember it.
This meant that there was a possibility that this was an incident that hadn’t occurred before my regression.
‘No, could it be an incident that did occur before my regression?’
Come to think of it, up until now, my mother had, if possible, stopped by the supermarket on her way home from work, or if she didn’t have time for that, she had used delivery.
If mother had also stopped by the supermarket today on her way home from work as usual, or had used delivery, she might not have been caught up in this incident.
But why on earth had my mother suddenly gone to the supermarket?
‘…It’s because of Yeon Mi-rae.’
Because one more person was eating dinner at our house, the number of times she had to go to the supermarket had increased.
If it were just that, she could have used delivery, but my mother wanted to see the ingredients with her own eyes if possible before buying them.
And perhaps because Yeon Mi-rae was at our house, she had been able to go to the supermarket with peace of mind while leaving me, her son, behind.
Thanks to that, my mother had gone to the supermarket alone and had been caught up in the incident.
“Hah….”
I had thought my mother would be safer with Yeon Mi-rae moving in next door, but ironically, my mother was caught up in an incident because of Yeon Mi-rae’s existence….
Of course, this wasn’t anyone’s fault.
It was just bad luck.
‘I did think that someday, the actions I take would become a butterfly effect and pressure me, but….’
Still, to think that it would come back to bite me like this, at this time.
I reflected inwardly as I focused my consciousness on the doll.
“…There are a lot of people here.”
As if she knew that I had started to focus my consciousness on the doll, Yeon Mi-rae said that to me.
“Yes. There are.”
Due to the hostage situation that had occurred at the large supermarket, the police and Awakeners who had been nearby were surrounding the area.
Though they weren’t satisfied with just surrounding the area.
‘…In the sky, a helicopter is circling the area, and underground, they are slowly blocking the escape routes.’
On the surface, it wasn’t a bad encirclement.
But it wasn’t perfect.
What if there was someone among the hostage takers who used a psionic power like Teleportation?
What if the combat power of the hostage takers was greater than the Awakeners surrounding the large supermarket?
What if the hostage takers tried to break through the encirclement using the hostages’ lives as a shield?
This encirclement was bound to be broken if the hostage takers tried anything drastic.
‘In other words, this encirclement is, in the end, just for show. It’s an encirclement that doesn’t really have much meaning.’
An encirclement that was as good as a performance to inform the citizens that the criminals wouldn’t be able to come out, so they could rest assured.
At the same time, it was an encirclement that put psychological pressure on the criminals inside.
The effect of the encirclement was just that.
‘Let’s see… Where are the snipers?’
Snipers who used weapons like guns, bows, or magic to snipe targets from a distance…
They must be around here somewhere.
‘Ah, there they are.’
A sniper who had taken up a position on the rooftop of a nearby building came into my sight.
They were probably thinking of sniping the criminals if the opportunity arose.
…Even if it meant giving up on the hostages’ lives.
Of course, they won’t do that right now.
Experts would try to secure the hostages’ safety first by negotiating with the hostage takers.
Because thery must have a reason for taking hostages.
And this, conversely….
‘It also means that there’s that much time left.’
Thinking that, I said to Yeon Mi-rae, who was next to my doll.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes. But… how are you going to do things this time? Will you be making a grand entrance like you did in Yeouido? Or are you thinking of secretly entering and assassinating the criminals?”
“Neither.”
The former had the possibility of endangering the hostages’ lives, and the latter was a little tempting, but….
“I don’t want my mother to see the sight of a criminal’s body being dismembered.”
My mother had been repeatedly kidnapped before my regression and, as a result, had seen sights that an ordinary civilian would never see in their lifetime several times.
She must have had a hard time just seeing that, but she still worried about me first.
…I hoped that she wouldn’t have to experience such things in this life.
“You’re really devoted to your mother. But you didn’t answer my question. How are you planning to make an entrance this time?”
At Yeon Mi-rae’s question, I lightly jumped off the rooftop we were on.
Yeon Mi-rae also followed me and jumped, and so we landed on the road.
Seeing Yeon Mi-rae land on the asphalt road without any trouble, I signaled for her to follow me and spoke.
“On foot.”
And as I did so, I removed the veil that had been hiding our existence from everyone.
“…! Halt! Who goes there?!”
“Two unidentified individuals approaching!”
Naturally, the police, who were blocking the road saw us, were surprised and shouted that into their radios.
It was also natural for the surrounding attention to focus on us at their shouts.
“What are those guys…? I can’t properly recognize their faces….”
“They’re either using a power that blocks perception or have an artifact like that.”
The surrounding Awakeners didn’t recognize us.
It was natural, if you thought about it.
When my doll had revealed its face in Yeouido, it didn’t had my mask artifact, so it had revealed my future face.
But the doll was currently hiding its face with an artifact.
So it wasn’t strange that they couldn’t recognize it.
Therefore….
“What… what the…!”
“The swords… are flying…?”
I recreated something similar to what I had done at the Wyvern dungeon.
I took out the numerous swords that were in my subspace and floated them in the air.
It wasn’t Sword Control, but simply Void-Grasping Hand.
It was an ability similar to telekinesis, but the effect was certain.
“It’s not telekinesis… The psychic power meter isn’t picking up anything…!”
“Then what is it…? What on earth kind of ability is it…?”
The existing equipment, which couldn’t detect internal energy, naturally couldn’t detect anything unless I deliberately revealed my internal energy like aura.
If Awakeners saw me directly, they could feel the internal energy, but they couldn’t figure out exactly what kind of energy it was.
For that reason, all the present Awakeners thought of one person.
An existence who was definitely powerful, but whose exact abilities had not yet been identified, and for whom opinions were divided on whether they were an aura ability user or a psionicist.
“Ah… The Artist?”
“Don’t tell me, the savior of Yeouido? Why is that person here…?”
Unlike at that time, although I was completely hiding my face with a mask, the Awakeners realized that my doll that was covering its face was the Artist.
I walked while feeling their gazes.
Yeon Mi-rae followed behind me.
“……”
“……”
As I approached, the police and Awakeners who were blocking the road couldn’t say anything.
Because the martial power of the Artist, whose abilities were a mystery itself, was described as being boundlessly strong.
Perhaps they had thought of that as just a rumor.
However….
“……”
“……”
Now that they were in front of me, they couldn’t just dismiss it as just a rumor anymore.
It was natural.
Right now, even just Yeon Mi-rae, whose internal energy was still small and whose realm was still low, wasn’t too inferior in terms of combat power compared to those who were called the strongest in Korea currently.
Then what about me?
Physical ability, technique, amount of internal energy, and realm.
How would my doll, which was far ahead of Yeon Mi-rae in every aspect, feel to them?
‘It’s simple.’
At least in Korea, there was no existence stronger than my doll.
If you widened the scope to a global level, there might be one or two beings of a similar level, but in Korea, there was no such existence.
It wasn’t strange for them to be unable to breathe properly and for their bodies to stiffen when such an existence revealed its presence without hiding it.
Step….
Step….
My doll walked right past the stiffened police and Awakeners.
Yeon Mi-rae also walked by while following me.
And so, we were able to reach the front of the supermarket where the hostage situation was taking place without any interference.
“Well then….”
I focused my senses on the interior of the large supermarket.
If it were just to find the enemy, there would be no need for me to concentrate this much, but since there were also hostages inside the large supermarket right now, I had to clearly distinguish between the enemies to be subdued and the civillians.
“What should I do?”
As I was distinguishing the criminals and hostages in the large supermarket and drawing a map in my head, Yeon Mi-rae asked from the side.
I said to her.
“Nothing.”
There was no need for her to step up.
“Just watch what I do. It’s a realm you might reach someday too.”
I could do it like this now that I had surpassed my pre-regression realm… and even then, I could only do this with the help of word-command magic, so it would be a wall too high for the current her, but….
“You should aim high, shouldn’t you?”
Having completed the map in my head, I drew out my mind’s image.
I imagined taking out the sword in my own heart and cutting down the targets.
Of course, the result of imagining this didn’t end with just simple imagination.
“Mind Sword, Mind is Death.”
The next moment.
Without any warning…
Without any flow of energy…
“…!”
“Ugh?!”
“…Keok…!”
My imagination and my two word-command spells pierced through all the criminals who were in the large supermarket.
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T/N – Well now, that was easy. Really now, the MC has been steamrolling stuff so far. I know we’re still early into the novel, but damn, this is quite the slow burn.
Also, I find it funny how much of a mama’s boy the MC is turning out to be considering that the dude’s most likely in his 70s more or less (just a guess but it reads like he was at least in grandpa age) when he died and regressed. It’s not really a bad thing, just funny.
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
