By a small, eerie, abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, where nothing ever happened, something unusual was unfolding.
A ripple in space was expanding, sending out a surge of mana. The ripple grew larger and larger until, suddenly, space split apart to create a rift. And the moment a dim alleyway could be seen on the surface of the rift—
Se-Hoon leaped through it, landing in front of the warehouse.
Having crossed the makeshift gate, Se-Hoon immediately surveyed the area and quickly confirmed that there was no immediate danger.
Then, turning around, he gestured toward the rift.
“You can come over now.”
Seeing his signal, Luize, who was standing on the other side, made a tense expression. Then, mustering up some courage, she squeezed her eyes shut and threw herself forward.
Unlike Se-Hoon’s graceful leap, Luize practically flung herself through the gate. And while she had successfully teleported, it didn’t come without issues.
Unbearable nausea hit her. Her mind felt like it had been scrambled, and she felt as though any movement she made would result in her stomach's contents being unceremoniously exposed in front of Se-Hoon.
“What’s wrong? Can you not move?”
“Tsk, I told you to get used to this...”
Se-Hoon sighed, suspecting that Luize had solely focused on short-distance teleportation, which was more useful in battle.
She’ll be stuck here for at least ten minutes by the looks of it...
If they were inside Babel, they could afford to wait for the nausea to pass, but they didn’t have that luxury out here. Staring at her, Se-Hoon made a swift decision and flicked his finger, landing a sharp flick on Luize’s forehead.
Startled, Luize glared at him with fiery eyes. “You... you jerk... Wait, what?”
Just as she was about to curse at him, she noticed something strange. As soon as the sharp pain jolted through her, the queasiness that had overwhelmed her vanished and her body felt normal again.
“You only feel nausea because your mind can’t fully process the space you passed through. Next time, either dull your senses or train them to handle it properly.”
“Looks like you’re fine now; let’s head in.”
Calm, Se-Hoon walked toward the warehouse, followed by Luize, who was still rubbing her forehead in confusion.
The rusted door groaned as it slid open.
Entering, Se-Hoon looked around the dimly lit interior. The place was old and run-down, with cracked floors and dilapidated shelves. The place was solely illuminated by the sunlight shining through a broken window, but even that was dim.
Watching Se-Hoon continue to survey the room, Luize wore a puzzled expression.
Is this really the right place?
She had followed Se-Hoon, expecting to uncover crucial information about Dawn, but there wasn’t a single clue in sight. Were the gate coordinates wrong?
Just as she was starting to worry, Se-Hoon called out to her and pointed to something.
Following his finger, Luize saw a shattered window that looked like someone had thrown a rock through it. But when she examined it more closely, she found something about the shards of glass on the ground that caught her attention.
Looking closer, her gaze landed on a piece of glass still attached to the frame, where sunlight filtered through. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the shape the light made and cast Incantation Magic.
Her incantation spread through the entire warehouse, adjusting the incoming light. In an instant, the interior dimmed as if the time had shifted to the early dawn hours.
Then, the moment the rays of dawn filled the room, they heard a sound.
And a figure made of light appeared in the center of the warehouse.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
A woman, or rather, something resembling a mannequin, bowed her head politely.
Luize’s face twisted with disbelief.
“God, these people are such freaks...”
The broken glass reflected sunlight onto scratches on the floor to form a magic array. On top of that, the light had to mimic the mana Dawn used—which was derived from the Seeker’s power—perfectly.
Judging by the complexity of the activation process, no ordinary person would have been able to discover the secret.
“This is how they have managed to stay hidden, even from the Perfect Ones. Other groups probably use similar methods.”
Luize shuddered in disgust.
“That’s just creepy.... Is that some kind of clone?”
The figure made of light nodded, having heard what Luize muttered to herself.
“Yes. I am a remnant of Step's memory. I was left here to deliver the information you requested.”
Luize gazed at the woman made of light, astonished. Leaving behind such a vivid clone with just a trace of mana was simply unbelievable.
Could I replicate this with my incantations?
While she mused over the possibility, Se-Hoon addressed the clone, cutting straight to the point.
“Go ahead, tell us what you know.”
“Of course. The conference is an event held irregularly with all Watchers. It serves two primary purposes.”
The clone spoke as naturally as a living person, even making direct eye contact with Se-Hoon.
“The first is to present our results. Each group’s research progress and development are assessed, and based on the results, priority for budget allocation is determined.”
“Budget? Where does this budget come from?”
“Watchers share a pool of resources. Anything needed can be requested from that pool.”
“Who manages this budget?”
“It was initially managed by Transcendence but is now under the management of Succession.”
It was completely new information that piqued Se-Hoon's interest.
This is the first I’ve heard of a shared budget.... When did it disappear?
Given that the Watchers were only discovered decades after the present timeline, it made sense that there were systems he wasn’t aware of.
So, this is another variable I’ll have to consider...
Satisfied with the unexpected again, he moved on to the next question.
“And what’s the second purpose?”
“The second is the coordination of projects. We adjust schedules to prevent overlaps in research and ensure that materials are secured without issue.”
“Materials can include weapons, supplies, monsters, and most notably... demons and heroes.”
At those words, the warehouse seemed to freeze. They both knew that the woman in front of them was just a clone, but the murderous intent in the air was unmistakable.
Se-Hoon carefully glanced at the source.
Luize was staring silently at the clone, her face expressionless, but her blue eyes were blazing with barely restrained rage.
Is this because of her recent interaction with the Blast Dog?
Though not as intense as Sung-Ha, Luize was clearly under the influence of the lingering persona of the Three Dogs.
Turning back to the clone, Se-Hoon pressed on with his questioning.
“Where will the conference be held?”
“It will take place at our branch in Manhattan, New York, under the guise of an Antiquarian Technology Advancement Committee meeting.”
“Hmm... I see. Is there anything else left that you were ordered to say?”
Prompted, the clone immediately responded as if it had been waiting for the question. “Yes. We would like you to briefly present the resurrection plan for Him at the conference.”
“Hm... what’s the reason for that?”
“The death of the Dream Demon and the fall of the Pleasure District have spurred the Demon Force to demand a closer cooperative relationship. To secure their support, we need solid results.”
Se-Hoon’s eyes gleamed.
So that’s the key issue for this conference.
Though Watchers and the Demon Force had collaborated a few times in the past, they weren’t as close-knit as when they eventually created the Six Harbingers of Destruction. However, due to Se-Hoon’s regression, they had gotten closer a lot faster.
Feeling the butterfly effect, Se-Hoon pondered for a moment before nodding.
“Got it. Am I attending the conference alone?”
“Left Arm from the Manhattan branch will accompany you.”
“Hm. Understood. Anything else?”
“No, that’s all. If you have any additional questions, I’d be happy to—”
Not waiting for the clone to finish, Se-Hoon glanced to the side and Luize immediately pulled out a thick book.
A crimson light burst forth from the book, illuminating the warehouse. Bathed in the light, the clone started trembling violently.
“Wha... is this absorption... this can’t...”
The moment the clone realized what was happening, it was no longer able to speak.
The book then reabsorbed the crimson light—the Seeker's mana—and snapped shut with a loud thud, followed by a stream of letters drifting out from the crack that formed words in the air.
“Data update in progress. Do not disturb.”
Luize stared at the book in awe.
“It actually works...”
“Well, they both rely on the Seeker’s mana. It’d be strange if it didn’t.”
The techniques used by the Regions, the executives of Dawn, were mostly derived from the power of Omniscience. And because Akasha was a technology created by sealing the Seeker’s Right Arm, it was able to absorb and learn from other technologies also derived from the Seeker’s mana.
“But there’s one thing I don’t quite get.”
“If you can just transfer information using the power of Omniscience, why don’t the Watchers use the same method too? Wouldn’t that be safer?”
“While I can obtain answers to specific questions using the power of Omniscience, they can’t. They have to listen to whatever the Seeker whispers, and if they’re unlucky, it could cause them to suffer dementia.”
“Wait, so they still can’t control the power of Omniscience properly?”
“Yep. And I’m guessing there are specific conditions for learning new knowledge through the power of Omniscience.”
The Seeker had claimed the power of Omniscience could help one learn by providing answers to any question about the world, but there were, in fact, plenty of things it did not know. Most assumed it was because the power had been disrupted when the Seeker died, but Se-Hoon had always found something off about that.
It still had knowledge of those like Puppeteer, who only appeared after the Seeker’s death. It also could understand the situation almost immediately when the Dream Demon died.
Such a thing wouldn’t have been possible if the power of Omniscience couldn’t be refreshed. Thus Se-Hoon formed a hypothesis: there were conditions required to add new information to the database, and the members of Dawn were unconsciously meeting those conditions.
“...This is rather complicated.”
“Well, it is the power of a Perfect One, after all.”
Hearing that, Luize nodded in acceptance, though she still seemed confused.
“With such power, how did they even die?”
Hearing her mutter full of disbelief, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.
It definitely is strange, looking back at it.
He knew better than anyone that Perfect Ones weren’t invincible, as he had seen them die in his previous life, but that was only when the Harbingers of Destruction were around.
The identity of the person who killed the Seeker was still shrouded in mystery.
They said the Seeker’s last known location was the Abyss of Demons.... In that case, the most likely culprit would be the Elder Lord.
The Elder Lord—the first demon and the leader of the Ten Evils—was said to rule over the Abyss of Demons. But beyond that, nothing concrete had ever been revealed. After all, the Harbingers of Destruction had pushed humanity so far back in Se-Hoon's previous life that they never even reached that place.
Looks is going to be another major variable I need to account for later.
If they continued to defeat the Ten Evils and destroy the Harbinger Shards, something was bound to happen in the Abyss of Demons. That was something that Se-Hoon, even as a regressor, couldn’t predict, so he couldn’t afford to lower his guard.
I hope I get something out of this conference...
Organizing his thoughts, Se-Hoon soon noticed that Akasha had reactivated, and not long later, new words floated into the air.
“Update complete. Feel free to ask anything. Though the answer will likely be a brilliant stroke of idiocy...”
“Oh, it’s done. You got any questions?” Luize asked.
Musing over what to ask, Se-Hoon decided to go with something that had been on his mind.
“What do the Regions plan to do with me after the conference?”
Luize was shocked. Wasn’t Se-Hoon supposed to be regarded as a reincarnation of the Seeker to Dawn? Why would the Regions see him as a threat?
Confused, she even thought that Se-Hoon had misphrased the question, but the answer that appeared in the air was even more unexpected.
“They plan to subdue you before you return to Babel, possibly after gaining support from the Ten Evils at the conference. If the opportunity doesn’t arise there, they’ll wait for another chance.”
The response, newly updated from Step’s memory, left Luize stunned.
“They acted like they were willing to serve you hand and foot, though.... Was that all a lie?” Luize fumed.
Was Dawn only pretending to follow Se-Hoon in order to steal the power of the Seeker?
Se-Hoon shook his head.
“That’s not it. If anything, it’s because they revere the Seeker that they’re trying to kidnap me.”
“...That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Even though I successfully eliminated the Dream Demon this time, who knows what’ll happen next time? Moreover, they might somehow get caught or killed by the Perfect Ones one day.”
“They see me as the key to the Seeker’s resurrection, and they can’t leave that key out in the open during such chaotic times. That’s why they’re planning to kidnap me during the conference, before I get involved in more dangerous situations.”
“What if you refuse to go along with them?”
“They won’t care about my opinion. It’s not like the Seeker will tell them to stop, so they’ll go through with it.”
“Wait, so you think the Seeker would actually understand if they kidnapped you for research?”
Turning to the floating words in disbelief, Luize watched as another sentence formed in the air.
“As long as it doesn’t turn you into a mindless fool, what’s the harm?”
“...Wow. This Seeker person is even crazier than I thought.”
Luize shuddered, realizing she had almost ended up with powers similar to those maniacs.
Then, becoming more serious, she turned to Se-Hoon.
“So, what are you going to do?”
And in response, Se-Hoon grinned widely.
“What else? I’ll make sure to put them in their place.”