* * *
Seti didn’t take much ti to eat. It only took her three minutes to mix instant rice into the ran broth and empty the pot.
It felt more like she was eating efficiently, not ravenously. If there had been a bottle of soju next to her, she could have easily passed off as a ten-year veteran janitor.
Anyway, after finishing her al, Seti cleared her throat before speaking.
“Ahem, I’m sure both of us have plenty of questions for each other. So, where should we start?”
“…How many days have I been like this?”
“Five days. And I’ve been waiting since the day before yesterday.”
“Five days?”
Dung Beetle furrowed his brows without realizing it. Five days? It didn’t feel like he had spent more than 5 minutes in the Cot's dream.
“There are often such items among Arcane Relics. They test the user's mind and body or force them into a trance-like state... Those items shouldn’t be used carelessly.”
“…”
“More importantly, how did you manage to get that Arcane Relic? It’s an extrely precious item.”
Precious item.
Dung Beetle tried to recall Freya Cahn’s face when she gave him the dagger. Did she hand it over knowing that this would happen?
She doesn’t seem like the type to think that far.
Moreover, the advice she gave him while handing over the dagger wasn’t a lie either.
Wasn’t her goal for him to form a bond through the Cot Sword, as the Cot in the dream had said?
…Well, everything beca futile because of Mignium.
After settling his thoughts, Dung Beetle answered Seti’s question.
“I happened to co into contact with Freya Cahn.”
“...Freya Cahn? Are you talking about... the Holy Sword?”
“Yes, that Holy Sword.”
Seti's delicate eyebrows arched as she contemplated sothing. She tapped her lips while staring at the dagger before nodding.
“...Well, soone of her caliber wouldn’t simply hand over an Arcane Relic to anyone now, would they?
She didn’t ask him about the circumstances that led to the eting with the Holy Sword or why such a person had given him an Arcane Relic.
She simply dusted herself off, stood up, and examined Dung Beetle’s body.
“It doesn’t look like you have any visible problems. How is your physical condition?”
“Not bad.”
Dung Beetle clenched and unclenched his hands, checking the inside of his body. Everything, from his muscles to his mana, felt the sa as before he entered the Cot's dream.
“Honestly, it feels almost like a lie to say that five days have passed.”
“Is that to that point? What kind of powerful magic was in that relic…”
Seti narrowed her eyes.
“What did you gain from the Arcane Relic? Enlightennt? Martial arts?”
“Swordsmanship.”
“...Swordsmanship? What about the Surging Wave technique? If you spread yourself too thin while learning martial arts, it could beco difficult later.”
Instead of replying, Dung Beetle picked up the chopstick Seti had left on the floor.
His breath softened, and mana settled quietly.
With a mind free of ripples and a calm heart, Dung Beetle first recalled the Surging Wave technique.
The waves of the mind, the waves of mana, and himself.
Starting from his shoulders, mana surged forth and flowed through the hands.
The next thing he recalled was the swordsmanship shown by Freya Cahn.
The Cot Sword. Borrowing its form, he tightened his grip on the chopstick.
- As the light overflows, it does not discriminate between left and right.
The true intention of the sword, as revealed by the Cot, was still beyond his understanding, as it was too abstract to be considered enlightennt in swordsmanship.
However, even without understanding its true intention, it was possible to push the waves through the empty space.
If I focus my mind on my fist, it becos the Surging Wave Fist. Then, what will happen if I focus my mind on a sword…?
The wave struck. He raised his right hand, and mana flowed into the chopstick.
The hand he was raising gradually felt heavy as the mana surrounding the chopstick began emitting a powerful force.
The mont his shoulder and the chopstick aligned, he swung it. Waves followed, and mana sliced through the air.
Just once.
The chopstick drew a trajectory in place of the sword.
Whooo—
A strange resonance echoed in the place where the chopstick had just passed. Dust in the bunker retreated in alarm, and the air was sliced through.
Crack! Crack!
And the next mont, the concrete wall of the bunker, over ten steps away, cracked.
“Huh…?”
Seti stared blankly, her mouth agape as she alternated her gaze between the cracked concrete wall and Dung Beetle.
“What is this…”
“It seems like realizing the true intention isn’t the end. It even shows these limits when applying it to swordsmanship.”
“...You applied it to swordsmanship, not the sword itself?”
“It will be difficult to use this more than once in an actual fight. It looks like I need to practice diligently.”
As Dung Beetle muttered to himself, Seti covered her face with her palm—before taking a deep breath and sighing twice.
“...Do you know that I really feel like hitting you every ti sothing like this happens, right?”
Dung Beetle shrugged instead of replying.
Seti glared at Dung Beetle sharply, then pouted before speaking again.
“Alright. There's no point in acting like this. It will only make feel even more frustrated.”
She collected the trash and dishes, turned around with a swift motion, and opened the bunker door.
“Let’s get out of here for now. I’ll explain the plan when we see Mr. Jang Man.”
Dung Beetle watched Seti’s back as she left the bunker without hesitation and then chuckled softly.
“What are you doing? Hurry up!”
He tucked the chopstick and the dagger into his pocket and followed Seti, who was ahead of him.
* * *
Around the ti when the goddess of dawn had just begun raising her head…
Seti, who was leading the way as they left the back alley, spoke.
“You rember the main points of the plan, right?”
Dung Beetle recalled the conversation they had a few days ago—Create a false identity, beco famous, then gather the governnt officials and deal with them all at once…
Although it seed complex, it was actually the simplest plan in practical terms.
“After leaving Incheon, the first thing I did was start preparing your false identity. At first, I attempted to manipulate your resident registration to make it look like you were a completely different person. However… Dung Beetle-ssi, it turns out that you are already listed as deceased?”
Seti gazed at Dung Beetle with a ‘did you know that?’ look. He nodded.
“So… I decided to create an entirely new identity for you.”
“A new identity?”
“We will create everything from scratch, from your family background to your level of education. And because of that, I have hired one of the most renowned experts in this field to handle it. They will ensure that it's done thoroughly, so that even the governnt won’t suspect anything. But…”
Seti let her words trail off for a mont as she stopped walking. She turned her head and gazed at the horizon, where clouds filled the sky beyond the market alley.
“That person said that they need to see Dung Beetle-ssi in person.”
“They’re coming to see in person?”
“They’ve already arrived. They’re currently waiting at Mr. Jang Man’s bar.”
Since she had been waiting for him at the bunker for two days, it ant that the Identity Fabrication specialist had also been waiting for him for two days.
“...They are definitely not an ordinary person.”
“Indeed, they are far from ordinary.”
Seti hesitated for a mont before continuing.
“Do you have a pseudonym in mind?”
“Pseudonym?”
“You can’t use the na Dung Beetle for your new identity, you know?”
“What’s wrong with my na?”
Seti looked at him with an incredulous expression.
“You’re not asking because you don’t know, right?”
“...I’m just kidding.”
“Please, don’t make jokes with that expression. I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not.”
She sighed deeply before she began walking again.
And although she was walking in a different direction from Jang Man’s bar, Dung Beetle didn’t bother pointing it out.
“Anyway, I’ve thought of a few pseudonyms. John, Bruce, Khepri… nas like those.”
“Khepri?”
“It’s the na of an Egyptian god with a beetle head.”
“...Huh?”
“But it’s better to use a Korean-style na if you want to beco famous in Korea, right? So Khepri is out. Nas like Kang Rang and Toe Hwan are too Chinese-like, so they’re out as well.”
Kang Rang and Toe Hwan.
Both were Chinese characters for Dung Beetle. Dung Beetle scratched his cheek, unable to explain the awkwardness he was feeling.
“Nas like Minsoo, Cheolsoo, and Junsik, which sound like nas of politicians, are out.”
“...”
“Nas that sound like celebrities, such as Siwoo, Yoojin, and Jinyoon, are out as well. And nas that might belong to conglorate families, like Dongpung, Dongkyung, and Songkyung, are...”
While Seti kept rambling on by herself for a while, the two of them had already left the alley and had arrived at the outskirts of the market, where the beach was now visible.
It was located in the opposite direction of the back alley where the bar was.
“...It seems like we’re on the wrong path.”
Only then did she realize she had taken the wrong path and blinked in surprise. The sea breeze brushed against her black hair.
An awkward silence fell between them.
The wind ceased only after Seti started speaking again.
“...Why didn’t you tell that we were going the wrong way?”
“I thought you brought here because you had sothing in mind.”
Seti shut her mouth and turned her gaze toward the sea.
The cloudy sky was slowly turning red, but the sun was still not visible.
“Um... Dung Beetle-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Do you believe in my plan?”
“Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”
As Dung Beetle frowned, Seti added hesitantly.
“Since we’re on the verge of executing the plan, I can’t help but start having such doubts. What if the plan fails? What if I lead you to the wrong place…?”
“Just like now?”
“...Yes, just like now.”
Seti nodded. The dawn sky reflecting in her blue eyes sparkled.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“...Pardon?”
“There’s no perfect plan. Not everything will succeed either.”
Dung Beetle turned his head to look in the sa direction as Seti. A warm breeze blew from beyond the clouds that had invaded the horizon.
“And above all, I am the one who made the choice. I’m the one who agreed to team up with you and approved the plan. If anything goes wrong, the responsibility lies entirely with .”
Although his serious voice and genuine words were intended to encourage her, Seti wore a subtle expression.
“Um... but legally, that’s not exactly true…”
“...”
“Each law has different standards for responsibility, but since Dung Beetle-ssi and I didn't actually sign a contract, the legal responsibility falls on... Argh!”
Smack, Dung Beetle unknowingly flicked Seti’s forehead. Seti rubbed her reddened forehead and pouted.
“...Was it really necessary to use mana to hit ?”
“Yup.”
Dung Beetle answered decisively. Seti couldn’t help but smile upon hearing that. She felt her restlessness gradually fade away.
“Shall we head back now?”
Seti turned to walk away, or rather, she tried to.
At that mont, Dung Beetle’s remark stopped her.
“Morning has co.”
When she turned around, she saw that the sun had indeed revealed itself from behind the clouds, just like he said.
Though the drifting clouds occasionally obscured the sunlight, they were unable to prevent the advent of morning.
The sunlight painted the sky, and the sea reflected its light. Even the slightly cool breeze felt warm against their cheeks.
“It doesn’t feel bad to welco the morning while gazing at the sea.”
Seti was unable to take her eyes off the view of the night fading beyond the horizon, and Dung Beetle felt the sa.
A warm silence stretched between them. After a while, Dung Beetle broke the silence.
“Seti.”
“Yes?”
“Do you also have a reason to reject the na Yeomyeong?”
“Yeomyeong?”
“Yes, Yeomyeong.”
Seti was about to say that there was already a famous person with the na Yeomyeong. And on top of that, he was quite a well-known Superhuman.
However, at that mont, one of the clouds blocking the sunlight moved aside and illuminated Dung Beetle.
From Seti’s vantage point, a little behind Dung Beetle, it looked as if radiant light was pouring from behind him.
Though it seed absurd to Seti herself… at that mont, Dung Beetle appeared almost divine, like a painting in a church.
Montarily captivated by the scene, Seti replied without realizing it.
“It suits you well. Yeo/genesisforsaken
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