Above Your Head

I crossed Gwanghwamun Gate along with Min-kyung and entered Gwanghwamun Square. After maintaining her silence for a while with an awkward expression, Min-kyung finally spoke.

“Kyung-eun and Jae-seok have been engaged since before birth.”

“But the people from the Lee Family were looking down on Jae-seok, calling him a son of a merchant.”

“That’s something the old people would say if they were drunk with pride and lost touch with reality.”

I nodded at her words. In the modern world, money was a force to be reckoned with. Even if strength was valued above money in the Parallel World, chaebol families represented a humongous power with their vast financial power, which meant they needed to be allied with.

“In addition, Kyung-eun is a child of a concubine, so she was a good card to be played for a political marriage with a chaebol family. As a result, Kyung-eun and Jae-seok have been close ever since they were very young.”

It meant that the two people were valued similarly in their political worth. Min-kyung continued with a calmer expression.

“Their relationship started with a promise between the adults, but they retained a harmonious relationship nonetheless. Especially Kyung-eun… She had a lot of feelings for Jae-seok.”

“What?”

I had never expected it. Jae-seok would always hide like a cockroach whenever he saw Kyung-eun. Likewise, Kyung-eun always ignored Jae-seok and openly showed contempt for him. But Kyung-eun liked Jae-seok a lot?

“So what was the problem?”

”It was a matter of selection. Jae-seok was judged to have no talent whatsoever. In fact, there was no problem until there, but… Kyun-eun managed to light a blue candle.”

I thought back to the selection process at Min-kyung’s words, including The Light of Selection.

“Oh, I remember. The Shin-Ma-Qi-Yoong-Eung-Chae.”

“That is correct. Kyung-eun’s talent for spiritual power was judged to be blue. In addition… her talent for communion was yellow.”

I recalled the words Yul had spoken when I first met him.

“That is correct. These candles distinguish the amount of talent by color. Ah, of course, these colors right now don’t represent my talent by any means. In fact, you won’t be able to find anyone with a talent corresponding to navy, or above it, even if you search the entire world.”

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, purple. Apparently, no one in the world possessed a talent equal to or greater than navy, so what would it have meant to have a talent equivalent to blue?

“She had an exceptional talent.”

“It was beyond that. There are fewer than 100 people in the world with talents equaling blue. In addition, Kyung-eun had an aptitude for communion as well… which meant that she became the only person in the Lee Family who could carry on the legacy of the Adjudicators.”

As a result, the political marriage between the Lee Family and the Ilsung Group must have been broken off. It must have been inevitable, since the balance had tilted sharply to one side.

“Kyung-eun tried her hardest to resist. She fasted and even harmed herself… Even though she was young, she was so stubborn. Even the senior generation didn’t know what to do with her.”

“What about Jae-seok?”

“He… convinced Kyung-eun.”

“Oh, my.”

I clicked my tongue as the picture became clearer. Was it because Jae-seok came from a chaebol family? He seemed to have grasped the situation more realistically compared to Kyung-eun. But his words must have etched a scar on Kyung-eun’s heart.

‘But there was no way that Jae-seok was fine either.’

He was forced to persuade his childhood friend that they could not be together, even when she was resisting the decision bitterly. He had to swallow the bitter truth because he was lacking, because he didn’t have the talent… How miserable would he have been? How much resentment did he have towards the world?

“How about now?”

“Of course, even now, the elders of the Lee Family will complain. The family’s pride in the Adjudicators is unparalleled. However.”

A cold smile bloomed on Min-kyung’s expressionless face. It was a rare look for her – it appeared that she was pent-up as well.

“What would those… people dare to do now? Jae-seok was an ordinary man. While he achieved level 17, those maggots couldn’t even reach the level of a Compléter.”

“Hmm. Yeah.”

I nodded half-hearted. Well, they would take care of it anyways. It would not pose a huge problem in a situation where humanity was facing an unprecedented crisis.

‘If there’s a problem, Jae-seok will ask for help. He’s not one to abandon a practical solution because of pride.’

I sat down at the end of a bench, and Min-kyung sat on the other side, leaving some space between us. It was late summer, and the heat was starting to fade away. I looked around and saw people all over the place.

“It’s really bustling.”

The traffic lanes had been closed because of how busy it became. Gwanghwamun Square was packed with people, even though there weren’t any protests or special events. People were conversing while walking along the road, or sitting in benches and prepared seats, chatting in groups of two and threes. Even if they didn’t know each other, they sat down and talked freely. Some of them were properly dressed as well.

“Have you seen the news lately? I heard that there are only 30 members of parliament who showed up.”

“I think a little differently. I may be prejudiced, but I considered all parliament members to be trash. Considering that Justice’s judgement tended to be unfavorable to those in power… I’m rather surprised that there are still 30 people left.”

I could see middle and high school students as well.

“Did you hear? The Ministry of Gender Equality is gone! Puhahahaha!! This is just hilarious. Wow, I can’t believe it was sorted out in a day. It doesn’t make any sense in terms of following proper procedure, but with what’s happening in the world, I guess there’s no such thing as proper procedure.”

“Do you really think that’s the problem right now? Ministry of Gender Equality? Look at the Pentagon. The Pentagon.”

“All the non-profit organizations were destroyed as well. I heard the government is making new ones.”

“There were over 3,000 huge reveals on the news today. There were so many that it’s hard to even remember them.”

Obviously, the biggest issue was with the aftermath of the judgements of Justice, Truth, and Honor.

‘Oh, yeah. This happened. It’s been so long that I forgot.’

However, that wasn’t the only hot topic.

“I’ve memorized Iron Mask’s entire guide before I entered, but I don’t remember anything. I don’t even know how I died.”

“Iron Mask is a real hit. I mean, how is it even possible to clear level 10 with a level 3? How much time did he have to make that guide?”

“He’s not human. He’s a god, the god of guides.”

“It’s too late for me. I can’t beat it anymore… Since I can’t clear it even once now, I won’t be able to level-up any longer.”

“But how did the intermediate stage of level 10 get cleared completely? Is it due to the blessing of the three gods? No one around me received any of the blessings, so I have no way of knowing.”

Gwanghwamun Square was filled to the brim with activity. People were busily coming and going, talking, eating, drinking, listening to lectures, performing, and even training together. I suddenly became curious at the sight.

“It’s astonishing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Society is still functioning properly.”

Human-made systems were like delicate glass. With the lightest of blows, the crack could spread and the entire society could collapse.

We were literally facing the end of the world.

It would be normal for conspiracy theories to spread and protests to be rampant as state affairs collapsed and the entire social system was torn apart. But rather, society was maintaining and functioning at its normal state to the point where it was strange. Although the overall atmosphere seemed to be subsiding in the increasingly desperate situation, public transportation was still functional, restaurants were open, and office workers and civil servants were still going to work.

“It’s humanity’s desperate effort. As despair grows in size, we try our hardest to maintain our daily, routine lives.”

“It’s not enough.”

I didn’t think she was completely wrong. In fact, the sight in front of me was a testimony to her words. People were supporting and cheering for each other while trying to maintain their daily lives. It was a situation where people were becoming desperate as death approached everyone without discrimination.

But it was impossible for everyone to think along the same lines. There were bound to be people who were out of control. Rather, there were countless people who were deviant – those who spread ridiculous scare stories, those who trashed their brains and blindly devoted themselves to make-believe faith, those who suppressed others with their newly acquired powers and repaid good will with malignance.

“It’s all thanks to the arrangements of the Great Wizard.”

“It seems he’s made a lot of arrangements.”

“I know that you’re being sarcastic, but he did make countless arrangements. The Great Wizard made sufficient preparations for every case possible. Zombie viruses, the descent of space monsters, the advent of gates, uncontrollable plagues, the awakening of machines… I’m not aware of everything, but he prepared for almost everything that would happen in an apocalypse movie. Response manuals were prepared in all areas, including broadcasting, transportation, healthcare, and so on.”

“That’s… amazing.”

Actually, it was quite ridiculous and baffling. Even a transcendent would not be able to prepare to such great lengths unless they devoted their entire being to it. To have prepared to this degree… Wasn’t he basically the king of preparations?

“Naturally, the Great Wizard’s arrangements did not solve everything. People are required to carry out the arrangements properly. In that sense, Korea could be considered one of the best in the world. We are practically maintaining the social system without any difficulties.”

It was a remark filled with pride, and it was absolutely true. The North Korean government had already collapsed, and the country had fallen into anarchy, while China was split into numerous regions. Most countries in the world were declaring martial law and suppressing individual freedom. Even among the developed countries, only a few were still maintaining their public transport and cultural businesses. It was quite evident how well Korea was adapting to the End Project.

“It’s thanks to the three gods as well.”

“I admit it.”

If one performed an evil deed, it was tattooed onto their skin. If they lied, their noses became longer. If they did something disgraceful, their seats became uncomfortable.

The three gods were transcendents, and they were beyond human understanding. The power of the three gods aided in steering humanity in the right direction in the face of the crossroads of destruction. Any actions that damaged or destroyed the social system were classified as evil, and it was still impossible to avoid the eyes of the three gods in any way.

Therefore, some considered the three gods as the saviors of humanity in the face of apocalypse. In fact, civilization was being protected due to their existence.

Naturally, not everyone agreed.

- Miracles are not evidence of God. Demons can cause miracles too.

An old man was standing in place with a sign and a bible under his arm. It was a type of one-man protest. I wasn’t sure who the sigh was meant for, what message it was supposed to deliver, or why he was acting in such a way, but he appeared determined to resist in the face of irresistible change.

“Look at that man over there.”

“It’s something natural. It’s rather astonishing that I can’t see any pastors of the large churches. They usually crowd out every time something big happens.”

“How could the pastors of mega churches come to Gwanghwamun? They won’t even be able to step out of their rooms.”

“I guess.”

The old man flinched at the cold responses of the crowd, but he silently endured and continued holding up the sign. I observed him for a moment before speaking.

“By the way, I don’t think you came to me for a meaningless chat. What’s the matter?”

Min-kyung nodded and answered my question.

“Do you know about the Guards?”

“I’ve heard of them.”

It was the name of one of the adjudicating organizations created by the Great Wizard. They were a group that enforced the will of the Great Wizard in keeping the surface world and the parallel world separate.

“They are guardians of the rules. Every single one is fit to be called the strongest of mankind, but they are prohibited from using their powers for themselves.”

She gave a brief explanation about the guards. The guards were enforcers of the law. They were also the reason why the powerhouses of the parallel world only held little influence in the surface world.

“Fit to be called the strongest of mankind. So exactly how strong are they?”

Min-kyung pondered over the question for a while, then gave an answer.

“I don’t know exactly, but… I confronted one while escaping from the tower. One of them fought on equal grounds with Yeong-min.”

‘Does that mean that they’re level 15? Come to think of it, the Imoogis in Gyeonghoeru Pond were level 15… No way.’

A sudden thought struck my head, and I asked Min-kyung.

“Are they clearing the stage as well?”

Every time I entered the stage, there were always thousands of rankers above me, despite the fact I was able to knock down the enemies with a single blow. I had always pondered who they were. It seemed absurd that they were able to rank above me before they had any time to adjust to the system of the stage. It appeared that the mysterious beings actually belonged to the guards.

“Naturally. The guards cannot fulfil their personal desires and are suppressed by all sorts of restrictions, but they are still human.”

“How many of them?”

“I don’t know exactly. It’s a very clandestine organization…”

Min-kyung answered after a moment.

“Maybe around 5,000 to 10,000 people?”

“…..!”

I realized.

‘I knew something was weird!’

To think such a group existed!