Chapter 454. Infiltration
"You say the side effects are only second priority—why?"
"The mont you undergo the procedure, the pain is so intense that you imdiately regret it..."
"Pain?"
"Most advanced countries have outlawed attempts at artificial awakening, so there must have been a reason for that."
"True, even if a war breaks out in our society, torture is still prohibited under criminal law."
"Soone who knows that..."
"Does forcing a mutation require extrely inhumane asures to be taken?"
If only the conversation had gone this smoothly from the start.
Left ankle. Right ankle. And the right shoulder—all shattered, the hoowner finally started giving up the information obediently. Of course, even though one alien observed the person's attitude, it still couldn't discern sincerity, so it ended up subtly casting a spell anyway.
"By the way, just so you know, don't even think about trying to deceive ."
"I'm not. I only lied earlier because I was terrified. I won't do it again even if it kills ."
Even the embellishnt with incantations proved useless. The Earthling, whose shoulder blade had been shattered, tenderly touched the injured area and obediently divulged the information.
"P, please, just spare . I'll tell you everything I know—everything!"
To this Japanese resident, the sudden appearance of a superpowered intruder was no different from encountering a god.
"Okay."
"Ugh..."
"Then from here on, I'll trust you and ask my questions. First—have you shown any signs of health problems recently, while outside?"
"That... is probably true. These days, I often cough up phlegm mixed with blood, and my nerves hurt every single day."
"What exactly do you an by your nerves hurting?"
"According to the testimony of an artificially awakened person arrested in another country, it feels sothing like gout..."
For reference, this question was sothing the Archmage asked because he wondered how this awakened individual ended up being suspected as a forger in the first place. He wanted to trace the origin of the rumors. But from the man's answer, Kim Goryeo ended up learning an unexpected piece of information.
"So that's why there was actually an article—because it got out that an S-rank was really seriously ill."
It beca imdiately clear that anyone who recklessly wears magical power that doesn't suit their body cannot remain healthy.
"If the people of South Korea find out, this would be problematic information. There are already rumors that the fourth S-rank is an artificial awakener, and if this news spreads, who knows what unnecessary chaos might erupt..."
It was just at that mont that the man with golden hair was feeling concerned.
"Ah! But it's okay. It hurts a bit, but it's not enough to kill ."
The Japanese permanent resident spoke up.
"The person who perford the procedure said it might hurt for a while, but it wouldn't kill ."
"What?"
"So I figured... as long as I can endure the pain, maybe trying a bit of enhancent isn't such a bad idea...?"
This was a statent the Archmage simply could not let slide.
"Oh my goodness."
"Uh-huh."
"You believed that?"
"Yes?"
"This is an awakening thod that has never once been attempted in all of history. So of course no one can possibly know whether the side effects will kill you or not."
The human esophagus is not an organ that's supposed to bleed. Yet even though the side effects have already begun, can trusting the practitioner's words really be considered normal?
"What kind of spirit of challenge did you have in attempting such a suspicious enhancent procedure in the first place?"
The mage, who had altered his face, now expressed his doubts with almost pure sincerity.
"Yes. That."
"The thing is... it was a life that was as good as dead anyway..."
But the answer that followed was sothing the alien creature could never have imagined.
"I already told you earlier that I t the broker at the hospital."
"Right."
"I lost my right hand around last year due to a dungeon break accident. I couldn't get any treatnt because of personal reasons, and I ended up getting sepsis."
"_ _"
"They said it was caused by a bacterial infection."
The kidneys. For reference, the organ damaged as a complication of sepsis is especially less responsive to dungeon potion effects.
In other words, even in the era of dungeon shocks, this was not a condition one would commonly encounter.
"But looking back now, aside from the pain during the procedure, those 'people' were really peculiar."
"What?"
"They saw dragging my dying body in for one last gamble, and then—out of nowhere—they actually gave proper, expensive anesthetics..."
"Ah."
"They didn't drain all the blood from the unconscious young man like an illegal blood dealer."
"Instead, they tested the awakening thod on your body."
Perhaps from kneeling for so long, or because three of his limbs were broken, the Asian man suddenly shifted his posture.
"Even so, that was a great stroke of luck for ."
"Is it really sothing to praise that much?"
"Of course. It was worth it, running past the guards while biting my tongue."
If he just spoke calmly, the intruder really wouldn't attack... The absurd appearance of the obsessive fan had created extre tension, but by this point, it finally eased. The Japanese resident was beginning to experience a sense of peace.
"The practitioners back in my hotown welcod warmly after my awakening, and they even fixed my hand, which had been mauled by a gate beast, free of charge!"
"Surgery?"
"No, not surgery. They just gave so dungeon-made dicine."
A statent that really shows the privileged position of an S-rank, no matter where they go.
"If it's a potion that regenerates lost body parts, even a commoner could afford it in a lifeti."
However, still... the basic principles of a capitalist society exist. When one side's gain is this large, there are inevitably a lot of uneasy points.
"Co to think of it, they probably didn't charge the treatnt fee to a poor person who couldn't even properly use it in a hospital..."
The alien, who had overland so else's appearance onto his skin, felt into a brief mont of thought.
"Even though they succeeded in creating an S-rank, instead of demanding anything, the other party just handed over a potion worth tens of billions of won?"
From what's been revealed so far, this is almost like the good deeds of an international humanitarian aid organization. If not... it could just be that a certain class monopolizing the world's wealth casually threw money around.
"For now, I should at least note their appearance and what they were wearing."
A man with bright apricot-colored skin soon nodded. The alien, while using Kim Goryeo's body, felt a slight discomfort in pretending to not be Kim Goryeo.
"You're asking to give the personal information of the people who awakened ?"
So from around this ti, he started achieving his goals straight away without hesitating over this or that.
"... The hair color was like that. As for the outfit, strangely enough, there was nothing unusual about it, just like soone who had been doing household chores."
"Hmm."
"But you know... You're really looking for that group because you genuinely want to gain more power, right?"
"Hmm?"
"You're not saying this because you're a worker sent by a communist state to learn technology..."
"_ _"
"Oh dear! Oh dear! I spoke out of turn. There's only one thing I want to convey: they aren't as bad or crazy as the rumors make them out to be!"
"_ _"
"They're benefactors who, even though the test subject beca S-rank, didn't demand anything in return, and on the contrary, even arranged passage for to return to Japan! Aah!"
The interrogator suddenly panicked. For reference, Kim Goryeo hadn't threatened them. It was just that, with a slightly hard-to-control mammal body overlaid with illusion magic, he had unknowingly frozen a few seconds—that was all.
"I completely forgot to move my eyelids."
But fortunately, that creepy freeze didn't last long.
"They even made arrangents so you could co back to Japan?"
"The one disguised as a different race consciously changed their expression and soon naturally conveyed their critique."
"From a Western person's perspective, it might be confusing. I'm not Japanese, you know."
The primitive mage answered.
"I'm a low-skilled worker who briefly entered the country in an era when the concept of 'dungeon shock' didn't exist—that is, during the period when this nation was struggling with rapid aging."
These were the kinds of stories you couldn't read about in newspapers.
"For your information, I didn't handle much money. I was quickly caught for not having the proper visa."
"So, you were a criminal."
"Still, thanks to that, my face never beca known in Japan. After being repatriated to my ho country, I faced the law and was sentenced to long-term hard labor."
"So that's when the Dungeon Shock happened."
"Yes. But the situation didn't exactly improve, since my hotown has a tradition of using prisoners when investigating non-human territories..."
The figure sitting on the floor carefully chooses their words.
"Even up until I was about to lose my hand, I still couldn't forget the illusion."
Illusion. The term, closely related to the study of magical theory, naturally drew the attention of even the alien.
"Even if it wasn't Tokyo specifically, I just wanted to go anywhere that was far from my hotown."
Moreover, the following statent drew great interest from a marine creature's perspective. Earthlings like Jeong Haesong or Johan, embodints of patriotism, seed destined to be buried in national parks. But not everyone in this world dies in their hotown.
"I'm suited to filthy capitalism."
For reference, the one saying this was actually worried that the crazy fan in front of them might be a communist. They kept glancing around nervously, continuing the conversation with caution.
"In this world, how many people haven't dread of building themselves up from nothing?"
"That's right."
"I want to beco rich."
" too."
"I'm just going to use my newly gained power to make money. Along with that, I plan to live quietly, very quietly. So please, just let live."
Finally, the Earthling in front of him barely managed to move his broken right arm, as if in prayer. He waved his hands gently, begging for his life again.
"What do you an making money is your life's goal?"
Once they actually started talking, they realized their interests were similar, and in many ways, they felt a strong sense of kinship.
But there was sothing that made leaving this place imdiately a bit difficult.
According to the testimony of the one who handed over the [Greatsword of the Sun God], the Japanese resident before him had collided with a group that rejects Awakened Ones.
"But—"
"Yes? Y, yes. Please ask."
Kim Goryeo asked the frightened civilian a question.
"For soone who says they just want to make money, you were always taking friendly photos with the Awakened Managent Agency, weren't you?"
It was also a way of speaking carefully to protect the informant, Iori.
"Gasp!"
But the Awakener on this side imdiately jumped to the wrong conclusion upon hearing the question.
"That strange-speaking Westerner, he is really a special investigation officer from so powerful country!"
Kim Goryeo was simply recalling a news photo published overseas and completing his sentence. However, from a third party perspective, it could easily have sounded like a statent from a HUMINT operative working abroad.
"Do you dislike Awakened?"
So the Japanese resident struggled to answer the following question.
"What are you talking about? It's a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding?"
"I, I just said 'yes, yes, yes' to what the important people said because I didn't want to get kicked out of this country again."
"Really?"
"I'm just a weak migrant who spends his ti sucking up! I'm sorry. I won't go against the will of the great powers, so please—don't arrest !"
Since the secretly cast magic was still in effect, every word he spoke was automatically true.
"Then what was the reason for ignoring all the conversation attempts from the Japanese S-ranks?"
What followed was a brief thought.
"Overacting to look good in front of governnt agencies? Or is it just that the person has a terrible personality...?"
Though not a gene worthy of high praise, the Archmage tolerated him just barely.
"But anyway, this isn't soone who would persuade wizards and dream of wiping out an entire group. It would be overkill for an alien to handle. Anyway, thanks to so political misunderstanding in another country, the [Legendary] ended up in my hands."
And that was the end. Afterwards, just to be safe, he also asked detailed questions about the place where the procedure had been perford. Having safely gathered all the information, Kim Goryeo bid farewell with his fake face.
"That's all the questions I have. Thank you for your ti, and have a good rest of your afternoon."
"Crazy b*stard..."
Refraining from using the alien-style [brainwashing] was also an additional consideration for the Earthling's ntal health.
"By the way, our eting is a secret. It would cause trouble if you ntioned my existence anywhere, so just sign here, please."
Because he had co all the way into the house and showed the knight's oath at him. Of course, this probably isn't good for soone else's ntal health either.
***
Money. Magic.
Magic. Money.
Whenever one sets a goal, it's wise to consider whether these two are lacking. But for soone who now had both in abundance, the brief trip to Japan ended without incident.
Let's value human life.
I, in the anti, returned to Korea and fell into deep thought.
'Back in Switzerland, I let my emotions get the better of and used my power too easily. From now on, I need to integrate people in a way that won't leave any lasting aftereffects!'
The first thought that ca to mind was a sense of pride at successfully protecting the mammal. Next ca the main matter that needed to be resolved.
'By the way... judging by the complete lack of secrecy, it seems that the fifth S-rank didn't really have direct contact with...'
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