There had been many cases of ti reversal.
“If you think about it, all regression stories are about ti reversal.”
The act of going back to the past.
If going against the flow of ti itself was considered ti reversal, then all regression stories were about ti reversal.
But the Phoenix’s feather was a bit different.
If I had to make a comparison.
It was like sothing out of 22nd-century over-technology, like a dual-gun girl.
Or a technique used by the leader of the Ignite group roaming the gorge.
However, while similar, it was also different from those.
They returned to a past “point in ti,” but the Phoenix’s feather only rewound the body.
If a dead body was moved and the Phoenix’s feather was used within 10 seconds, the body reversed ti from the position it was moved to.
This 10-second ti window was shorter than you might think.
Whether assassinated or killed in battle, if a person died and even a little chill set in, 10 seconds passed quickly.
‘And no one knows at which point those 10 seconds start.’
Only Phoenix, the hero who disappeared into the distant universe, knew the truth.
Only the owner of this ability knew at what mont the countdown began.
I didn’t know.
I couldn’t use this technique.
I knew the effects, the process, and the resulting consequences.
But if soone asked “how,” I wouldn’t be able to explain it in words or demonstrate it through ability.
If I had learned or possessed this ability, I would’ve used it long ago.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t reverse ti.
I might have the ability to create material, but I couldn’t create a “ti-reversal device.”
The problem might lie in the magic power, but it was likely that my subconscious deed it “impossible.”
With the current technology, with the present magic engineering, with today’s abilities and my knowledge, it was impossible.
“Common sense” declared it impossible.
And it was the sa for others.
‘If there had been soone who truly, desperately wanted to reverse ti, this story would have started with a teor falling as a prologue to a regression.’
Returning to the past to escape the end of the world, the protagonist killed the one who brought the teor to the world.
It would be a very fitting beginning for a regression story, and such a person might exist, but there was no information about such an entity in the Secret Society’s network.
Therefore.
Ti flowed fairly for everyone.
How it was utilized depended on each individual, and the Chief favored those who spent this ti aningfully.
So do I.
“Ah, everyone. There’s still a long way to go before we arrive at the hotel…”
“What? Are we the only ones stuck at the airport? Do you think this makes any sense?”
“So, the students made it to their accommodations? Fine, they got there first. But this isn’t right!”
“Now, now, calm down…”
“Calm down?! You expect us to calm down right now?!”
The staff who flew with raised their voices at the association agent who had gathered us all in one place.
“How does it make any sense that we have to stay at the airport overnight?!”
“We apologize. As soon as all identifications are verified…”
“Why are you dragging this out, verifying one person at a ti? Even the immigration checks to enter the US would be faster than this!”
It was understandable that complaints were surfacing.
Thinking about the typical fast-paced Korean mindset, we should have already boarded a limousine headed for Seogwipo by now.
But the reason we were stuck at the airport, being questioned one by one, was because of sothing that hit our plane earlier.
“Are you sure there was a suspicious person on board?! Couldn’t it have been a mistake?!”
“No. The pilot and co-pilot confird it. It was definitely a person.”
…Because sothing hit the plane, and they suspected it was a person trying to infiltrate Jeju Island secretly.
“And isn’t Tangerine Empress using the Tangerine Radar? She should’ve figured it all out by now!”
“There are more people at the airport than tangerines. They could be disguised as staff, wearing makeup, or blending in, so please cooperate.”
“Damn it! Things were chaotic even before we got to Jeju Island, and now it’s a ss even after we’re here!”
The staff were furious, but all they could do was kick the floor in frustration.
‘What can we do? If the governnt tells us to do it, we just follow.’
All the Sejong Academy staff here, including Librarian Do Ji-hwan (Grade 7), were civil servants.
Sejong Academy might try to present itself as an independent international organization, but it was still undeniably a Korean educational institution.
“Hero Ji Cheon-hyang has requested cooperation. Please wait until the investigation is complete. Even if it takes until dawn, we will ensure you reach Seogwipo.”
“Tsk….”
Finally, the staff cald down slightly after hearing that the person, who could be considered Jeju’s king, had personally lowered their head to make a request.
In a way, it was natural to get upset like this, and in another way, it might seem unreasonable for civil servants to get this angry over governnt matters, but it was better than letting things spiral into bigger problems later.
“Hey, Librarian Do. Doesn’t this seem a bit odd?”
“What seems odd to you?”
A male staff mber, not a library employee but a regular visitor to borrow books, approached cautiously.
“The headcount is still the sa, right? If soone did blend in, that person must….”
“If you think optimistically, they’re sleeping sowhere, or maybe they’ve sunk deep into the South Sea. Sothing like that, right?”
“Ugh…. Didn’t they say there was no trace of anything falling from the plane?”
“Even if it’s faint, if soone fell from a flying plane, they must be an ability user. They could handle it easily.”
“That’s true. Ugh, this is driving crazy. I was planning to hit the mixed-gender open-air bath right after unpacking.”
“……?”
“Huh?”
“Did I hear that wrong?”
“Heh, what is this, the military? Did you not hear properly?”
“…….”
“Oh, it’s a joke, a joke. Just trying to lighten the mood.”
“If an ability user heard that, it would sound like sothing terribly demonic.”
“Is it that bad…? Well, never mind that. You didn’t hear wrong. You heard it right.”
The staff mber lowered his voice, and I slightly bowed my head.
“The place we’re going to stay, you see, is a complex where three hotels are connected on a single property. They’re different hotels, but they form a triangle.”
“Are you saying there’s a mixed-gender open-air bath at that accommodation?”
“To be precise, it’s in the hotel next to it. We ca here for educational purposes, but… we’re in Jeju Island, after all. We should enjoy what we can while we’re here.”
The staff mber wriggled his fingers with a sly smile.
“This is Jeju Island, after all.”
“Sorry, but I’m a married man.”
“Oh, that’s why I’m bringing it up.”
“……..”
For a mont, I almost said I had misheard him again.
“Your wife isn’t here on Jeju Island, is she?”
“So, are you suggesting I have an affair here on Jeju Island?”
“Oh, affair? Don’t use such a terrifying word.”
“If it’s not an affair, then what is it?”
“It’s romance.”
Was he insane?
I had heard of the phrase “rules for thee, not for ,” but I never thought soone would actually say it out loud.
“I’d appreciate it if you could help out, Librarian Do. You could be the distraction. With your face alone, you could probably stand up to a C-grade ability user, right?”
“So you’re telling to draw attention from the ladies and then disappear with the bomb?”
“Are you playing coy even though you know exactly what I an?”
“I’m avoiding it because I know. I can’t betray my wife.”
“What a sha. But if you change your mind, give a call.”
The staff mber tapped on his Taeguk Watch and left.
Even though we hadn’t exchanged contact information, there was no need; the ergency contact network for staff was always available. Not that I planned to contact him in the first place.
‘If it weren’t for that weird thing that hit the plane, I wouldn’t have to listen to this dirty talk.’
If it hadn’t been for the cause of this delay, I wouldn’t have to waste my ti with such unpleasant conversations.
‘At tis like this, it feels a bit inconvenient being an ordinary person.’
An ordinary staff mber must follow orders from above, which was quite botherso.
‘I want to get to the accommodation, unpack, and sneak off to the pension.’
The distance between Do Ji-hwan’s accommodation and Goblin’s was just a 10-minute sprint.
After transforming in the room, I could jump out of the hotel window, ride my bike at full speed, and reach the pension yard within 10 minutes.
Not just any pension, but a private property converted into a pension, far from the bustling areas, ensuring no one else would co and go.
I wanted to quickly tuck Do Ji-hwan into the accommodation and be free to—
“……?”
Suddenly, I felt soone watching from afar.
From within the crowd, through the gaps between people, soone was staring at . It was clearly a woman’s gaze.
‘What is it?’
It wasn’t my imagination.
If it were, my senses wouldn’t have picked up on it.
It wasn’t any other sense, but my instincts as a man that detected it.
It was a woman I knew.
Not just any woman, but soone I was very familiar with, yet noticeably different in one aspect.
After glancing at , she subtly left the area, exiting the airport.
“Ah, ah. Staff mbers, you will not be staying at the Seogwipo accommodations tonight. You will spend the night in Jeju City. Please refrain from personal activities once you check into your hotels….”
“…….”
I followed the association agent’s instructions and moved.
And while moving, I could still feel soone’s icy stare lingering.
Upon arriving at the temporary accommodation in Jeju City,
[Transform.]
I transford in the room, then imdiately slipped out through the window, heading toward the direction of that gaze.
[What are you doing here?]
There, overlooking the sea of Jeju, leaning slightly against a breakwater, was a silver-haired woman staring intently at .
“…I ca to et you.”
[No, let rephrase my question.]
I pointed at her silver-haired, noticeably frail-looking body.
[Are you Seol-hee’s doppelgänger?]
“Yes.”
The silver-haired woman smiled faintly.
“I made a doppelgänger and sent it flying out of the plane to et you.”
[Then where is your main body?]
“Seogwipo.”
[…….]
I see.
So, it was a doppelgänger.
Even from such a distance between Seogwipo and Jeju City, she could control a doppelgänger this precisely.
Baek Seol-hee, truly impressive.
[Then what should I call you? Baek Seol-hee?]
“Hmm….”
For a mont, the silver-haired [doppelgänger] of Baek Seol-hee wore a sullen expression.
“Call ‘Harang.’”
Thus, she introduced herself.
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