五月天激情片

[Do you have something worth submitting?]

The General Assembly asked.

Rachel lowered her hand and took a deep breath before replying.

“Yes.”

All sorts of murmuring filled the meeting room when she confidently nodded.

The hostile guilds sneered at her, but also became visibly shaken at the tiniest possibility that she actually had something as someone who ranked first at Cube. After all, only the best gathered there.

“I have it saved as a file.”

[Please send it to me.]

The General Assembly replied.

Rachel forwarded the file that Xtra sent.

“It’s the answer prepared by the mercenary, Xtra.”

She didn’t want to steal his achievement. She couldn’t fool anyone in the first place when she didn’t even understand it herself.

“Mercenary?”

Everyone in the room became doubtful. Even Fermin seemed slightly surprised by Rachel’s words. Fermin acknowledged Xtra as a skilled mercenary, but did it make sense that he could also help them in theory?

“Hey, aren’t you relying too much on that mercenary?”

Chiffon grumbled in disgust, but Rachel didn’t react to his accusation. Rather, she knew he stated the blatant truth.

Rachel felt embarrassed for always being on the receiving end, but swallowed her pride and accepted the help because of England’s dire situation.

[Understood.]

[I will now check the theory proposed by Xtra.]

The General Assembly became silent and everyone held their breath. The silence felt nerve-wracking as everyone waited for the result, which would obviously be the wrong answer. However, the sliver of doubt that a mere mercenary could be correct made the entire situation even tenser.

Essence of the Straits had spent two days and nights working on the problem, but failed to make any progress. They felt like they would make some progress with a little more, so they couldn’t afford to lose here.

The General Assembly finally responded with something that betrayed everyone’s expectations.

[It is perfect.]

[I did not expect to see such a perfect answer during the interim investigation.]

“What?!”

“What the hell?”

“Hey! What? No way, hey General Assembly!”

Some guilds screamed while others remained silent. A few seemed relieved rather than surprised. Truth be told, only ten guilds had attempted to solve the problem. The English Royal Court had been expected to finish last, but actually solved the unsolvable question.

[Was this solved alone by Xtra without anyone’s help?]

Rachel nodded.

[Then, all the contribution points shall be attributed to Xtra. In addition, the English Royal Court shall have the first right to choose and work on the second problem.]

[Also, the same right may be given to Switzerland’s Reislaufer guild if the English Royal Court wishes.]

The General Assembly basically gave them the right to call first dibs on the next problem.

Some of the others, especially Chiffon, protested after realizing how big of an advantage the English Royal Court just received. However, they zipped their mouths when Rachel asked a question.

“Then, is it also possible to switch the turns for other guilds?”

[Of course.]

[In return, you may not provide any benefits to your allied guild, Reislaufer.]

“…”

The French and Chinese guilds immediately avoided Rachel’s gaze. She motioned with her mouth at them, Do you have anything you want to say? They finally looked at her with a smile this time.

The Chinese Empire’s representative, Ryu Wei, spoke first.

“Well, I just want to say… Vice Leader Chiffon incited us first. We, the Chinese Empire guild, have always respected the English Royal Court.”

“W-What did you say?! You said that they were a sight for sore eyes first!”

“When did I say that?! Do you have proof? Ha?! You spread all sorts of rumors about Vice Leader Rachel when I told you that I was a fan of hers!”

“What? You’re a disgrace of a hero…”

The General Assembly interrupted the two bickering guilds.

[This concludes today’s meeting.]

[The English Royal Court’s accommodation has been upgraded for completing the first problem.]

[Also, Xtra’s answer will be published as a thesis all over the world through the internet. Of course, all rights shall belong to Xtra.]

[Now, all of the guilds besides the English Royal Court will receive the second problem after 144 hours.]

[I hope you enjoy your free time until then.]

***

Rachel obtained the first right to access the second problem, but didn’t earn a single contribution point because Xtra received all the credit. Unfortunately, the English Royal Court would remain at 19th place unless Xtra joined the general assembly.

“What kind of monster is he to solve this problem so easily?” Fermin muttered in surprise.

Xtra’s answer had been a perfect thesis with no errors.

Rachel nodded in agreement while reading the thesis. “I’m curious too.”

She wore round spectacles called the [Glasses of Calculation and Reasoning], which she obtained, no, extorted from Chiffon and Ryu Wei.

The spectacles automatically calculated anything she came across while reading and even provided supporting texts to make certain parts easier to understand.

“Do you think he had outside help? Xtra rode on a helicopter of some sort, right? Oh, I think that helicopter thing is part of Xtra’s gift.”

“…”

Rachel quickly looked around.

To be frank, she also suspected that Xtra received help in solving the problem. He didn’t have to go all the way to Korea for experts in theory because plenty existed in Pandemonium right next to Central Asia. These mad scientists obsessed over certain theories and ended up as djinns.

“Hmm…”

Rachel almost said something when she recalled Kim Hajin, who always crushed her when it came to theory. Her memory of Kim Hajin suddenly aligned with Xtra’s eyes when she saw him through the cracked gas mask. A very slim possibility existed. Things kept coincidentally falling into place one by one or perhaps by fate. The possibility would flare up like a spark before immediately dying.

“Wow, this thesis becomes even more convincing as you read it.”

Fermin exclaimed as she flicked through the pages. Tak!

Xtra proposed three core reasonings that sounded rock solid. First, he found the common factor between the three dungeons. Next, he found the condition that needed to be fulfilled for those common factors to align. Then, he even provided the direction required to apply it in real life.

“This… will be published through the internet, right? I think it might’ve caused a huge commotion by now.”

Rachel nodded before taking off her glasses.

Xtra’s answer had been remarkable, but they had to focus on the second problem now.

“Rather than that, I think it’s time for us to get moving.”

“Yes…”

Fermin nervously nodded. She had been hiding the fact that she sensed Lancaster earlier, but the problem wouldn’t be solved even if she told Rachel. She stole a glance at Rachel before carefully speaking.

“Vice Leader, so… about the alliance… what do you plan to do with it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes, well, I just think they probably want something from us.”

“They agreed to enter four days later than us.”

Rachel decided to maintain the alliance with Reislaufer for the second problem. However, she placed a condition for them to enter four days after the English Royal Court since they didn’t contribute anything to solving the first problem.

Fermin sighed in relief since everything would be fine if Reinslaufer entered after them.

“I wanted to get Xtra’s opinion, but… he’s not here so…”

“Yes, you’re right.”

The clock informed them that the countdown would soon end. Now, they had to enter the second test. Rachel and Fermin nervously looked at the clock before leaving their room.

“Welcome!”

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

The other guild members stood on standby. Some scouts from other guilds also watched them.

“Shall we?”

“Yes, but it seems we have some rats on our tail. Whatever, just let them have a look.”

The English Royal Court became the center of attention as they confidently walked through the corridor after passing the first test.

They walked quite far for nearly twenty minutes under the General Assembly’s guidance to reach the second test.

[Test Hall]

The test hall looked shabby with only a small door and a door plate on it. The guild members felt surprised by the hall’s shabbiness when the General Assembly spoke through their smartwatches.

— Congratulations. The English Royal Court has obtained the first rights to the second test. Please enter the test hall and choose the stage you wish.

The General Assembly’s mechanical voice sounded a bit eerie.

“Ah, that surprised me.”

“I thought it was a ghost, damn it.”

Rachel and the guild members entered the door.

A peculiar space appeared beyond. It looked pure white with no walls or boundaries in sight. The space extended left and right towards the horizon with only a row of large doors lined up without any walls.

— The second test is called the Chain of Memories. This place has a total of forty doors. You may choose which door to enter and must satisfy all the conditions in that stage to clear it.

— 75% of the stages have been removed as a reward for completing the first test.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thirty of the forty doors suddenly disappeared. It seemed the remaining ten doors fell into the top 25%.

“Everyone, which door should we choose?” Rachel asked her fellow members.

“Of course, we’ll follow whichever one Vice Leader chooses,” her guild members replied.

Rachel pondered while reading the door plates on the ten doors.

[Forgotten Memory], [Fragment of Life], [Hidden Desires]… One door plate stood out among the rest.

[Hometown of Dreams]

Rachel felt this specific door calling out to her. She approached as if in a trance.

“Hometown of Dreams?” Fermin asked, and Rachel nodded.

— You have chosen the [Hometown of Dreams].

— Please enter through the door one by one.

The door to the Hometown of Dreams opened.

Rachel glanced back at her guild members and proceeded. A strange sense of hostility crawled over her skin with every step towards the door. She felt a chill down her spine as she neared it. Her pupils dilated when a bright light from the door enveloped her. It felt as if the light gently caressed her and squeezed her to death at the same time.

Rachel tightly closed her eyes and opened them a few seconds later.

“…”

A completely different world appeared and she stood on a street bustling with people.

She couldn’t tell where exactly. Shops lined up to her left and right with street peddlers selling food to passersby.

“Where am I?” Rachel muttered as she looked at the clothing store, restaurants, and cosmetic shops. She looked behind her, but the door had disappeared and she couldn’t find her guild members anywhere.

A chill ran across her body.

“Hoo… Let’s get a grip.”

Rachel regained her composure and thought the test purposely made things problematic. Thankfully, everyone here spoke Korean.

A strange pillar caught her eye as she explored the foreign environment.

[Line 4 424]

[Myeongdong]

[Exit 8]

“Myeongdong?”

This was Myeongdong? No way. She knew Myeongdong quite well and this couldn’t be it.

Myeongdong served as the center where people sold all sorts of magical ingredients and artifacts. A billion won could be instantly spent on this street.

“What in the world is going on…” Rachel muttered while aimlessly walking and couldn’t grasp her surroundings. The people around kept stealing glances at her and some even asked why she dressed so strangely. Rachel ignored them and continued wandering.

Growl…

Her stomach growled and she grew hungry after walking for around thirty minutes. The smell from the nearby hotdog and squid stands enticed her.

Sizzle… Sizzle…

Rachel stared at the vendor grilling hotteok[1].

She rummaged through her pockets despite not having any money.

“I’m hungry…”

She had no idea what to do in this place. The General Assembly cruelly dropped her here without any guidelines. Well, the General Assembly did mention clear conditions they had to complete. This must be part of the test as well.

Rachel stood still and observed the passersby.

“What could it be?”

All of them walked with a rectangular device in their hands. She intently observed the device, but didn’t recognize it at first. They kept tapping the screen on it. Judging from what she saw, she deduced that…

It’s a smartphone!

Why did all these adults use smartphones? Only little kids who struggled with smartwatches used them.

Growl…

Her stomach growled again and she felt the pain from hunger this time.

“Ugh…”

Rachel groaned and sat on the ground. She noticed something strange too. She just ate two hours ago and shouldn’t have felt this hungry yet. Not only that, she couldn’t feel a trace of mana in the air.

She clearly sensed no mana when she closed her eyes and focused on breathing. She tried short breaths, long breaths, complicated breathing, and even normal breathing. However, she still couldn’t sense an ounce in the air. No, it might be more accurate to say no mana flowed inside her as well.

Only then did she realize the gravity of the situation. Having zero mana in the air could only mean…

Rachel, who came from the present, found herself in a disastrous situation.

***

Meanwhile, I hid in the bushes and observed the entrance to the general assembly hall. I already steeled my resolve to enter, but still felt nervous.

Many more resided behind those doors other than Rachel. I ran away from the novel’s main characters like Kim Suho, Yoo Yeonha, Chae Nayun, Yi Yeonghan, and Shin Jonghak.

Ring!

A message appeared on my smartwatch.

[The English Royal Court has started the second test.]

[You may also join the second test at any time as a member of the English Royal Court.]

[The members’ statuses will be displayed. The percentage beside their names will decrease the more severe their situation.]

[Rachel: 47%]

[Fermin: 49%]

[Marcus: 67%]

[Dale: 53%]

The message notified me of the second test.

“Ah… Damn it…”

I had no idea what kind of test, but Kim Hoseop said Lancaster had arrived here somewhere. That meant I couldn’t afford to leave Rachel alone.

I carefully approached the general assembly’s entrance. I looked around to make sure the coast was clear before carefully opening the door.

Creaaaak…

“Ah!”

However, a bright voice immediately greeted me when I stepped inside. I tried to run away, but a tiny finger pointed at me. I had been caught already.

“Hey, there he is!”

“Wait, just give me a minute… I’m not done tying your hair Aileen—”

A small woman skipped or flew towards me. She was in her mid-thirties and hadn’t finished tying her hair. It was none other than Aileen. Jin Seyeon stood behind her with a hairband.

I sighed since it would’ve been impossible to sneak in with these two as the gatekeepers.

Aileen merrily skipped until she stood in front of me.

“It’s you, right? Extra!”

“…”

I looked at Aileen and Jin Seyeon before nodding. Jin Seyeon’s eyes glimmered as if she found me interesting.

“Yes, I’m the extra.”

I willingly admitted, so they wouldn’t do anything to me.

Aileen brightly smiled.

“Then, why don’t you take off that gas mask first?”

She used her Spirit Speech and my hands automatically moved towards my gas mask.

Honestly, this surprised me. I didn’t expect her to use Spirit Speech as soon as we met. No, I should’ve expected it since…

I had designed Aileen.

1. Hotteok is a type of Korean pancake usually filled with sweet fillings. More info here: ☜