God’s Hammer (1)
The problem was… he needed the help of a specific person.
“Cheon Li Yu… Is this a coincidence? Or did she see the future again? How can she happen to be in LA at exactly this time?”
For the strategy Seon Yul had devised, two things were necessary.
Cheon Li Yu’s awakened ability… And ‘the thing’ that is located in LA.
And by sheer coincidence, both were in the same place.
It was too perfectly arranged to be called mere chance.
‘In the end, I have to choose.’
The moment he confirmed that Cheon Li Yu was currently in LA, preparation for the strategy was essentially complete.
Which left only one question.
Would he ask Cheon Li Yu for help and reveal part of his secret in the process?
Or would he abandon both the strategy and the enormous rewards, and simply flee Jeju Island as it was?
It was more difficult than expected.
The two options lie at complete opposites of the spectrum.
All or nothing.
Both choices were justifiable.
‘I don’t have much time to think.’
Roughly 15 hours remained before the Birth Event ended.
Factoring in preparation time, he couldn’t afford prolonged deliberation.
“Hu… This is hard. Really hard.”
Seon Yul let out a long sigh and shook his head.
Everything else was fine.
But revealing so much of his awakened ability to Cheon Li Yu… that was what troubled him most.
‘But giving up this strategy would be even more of a waste….’
He wavered back and forth.
Right then…
Another urgent email arrived from Cha Seong Hyeon.
It was even more desperate than before, promising to grant anything he wanted if he would clear the event.
It also briefly described the current situation in Jeju.
But after reading it, Seon Yul frowned.
“What? Woosung Group has also sent additional support to Baengnokdam?”
That was among the last things he wanted to see.
Which meant Jun Hyeok would likely come as well.
‘Ah… now choosing to run away just became a lot harder.’
That one piece of news tipped the scales completely.
“There’s no choice. Let’s just… clear it.”
Having reached his conclusion, he immediately sent a community mail to Cheon Li Yu without hesitation.
It wasn’t just a regular email.
He attached the large steel box he had used to come to Jeju before… and had kept because he thought he might need it again.
***
It was the day before the Grammy Awards, but Cheon Li Yu was still browsing the community before sleep.
Because of the new event in Jeju, the forums were in chaos.
‘Will it be okay…?’
She scanned the posts worriedly when, suddenly, a notification popped up.
New mail.
Startled, she checked it.
[This is AbsoluteSafetyFirst. I need Cheon Li Yu’s help.]
Though blunt, the message made her face brighten.
She opened it immediately.
The content was just as simple as the title.
He said he needed help and asked her to receive the attached item first.
Without hesitation, she accepted the attached steel box.
Clunk.
She received it and waited for the next message.
But none came.
Instead…
On the surface of the steel box, an entrance to the Absolute Space opened.
Tssssss
“Ah!”
She recognized it instantly.
‘No way.’
She knew AbsoluteSafetyFirst had the ability to open such portals.
But this was America… across the Pacific Ocean.
Yet her guess was right.
Through the open entrance, Seon Yul stepped out.
“Hello.”
He greeted her with a slightly awkward expression.
“H-hello!”
She responded in a slightly higher tone than usual.
“There’s not much time… so I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Okay.”
“I need your help. Like before… can you share your vision with me?”
“I can. I think I can even do it better than before.”
“That’s good to hear. Ah! I should’ve asked if you were willing to help first. I was too rushed.”
“It’s okay. Really.”
“Then you’ll help me?”
“Yes. I told you before that you could contact me anytime.”
She accepted readily.
“Thank you.”
“But…”
“Yes?”
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to… but could you tell me your name?”
“My name?”
Her sudden request surprised him.
“Why my name…?”
“You need to know someone’s name… to become friends, right?”
She answered shyly.
“F-friends?”
“Yes.”
She nodded brightly, smiling.
Her smile was dazzling.
“Th-that…”
He was flustered.
He had never considered becoming friends with Cheon Li Yu.
“…Seon Yul.”
“Ah! I finally know your name. Nice to meet you, Seon Yul.”
She extended her hand with another smile.
His face flushed red, but since he was wearing a safety helmet and a mask covering his entire face, it didn’t show.
After awkwardly shaking hands, he quickly regained composure.
“Ahem. Li Yu… is the BS (Blacksmith) Company headquarters far from here?”
“BS Company? Oh! Not far.”
“That’s a relief. Could you go there with me? I’ve never been to LA.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. We don’t have much time.”
“Okay.”
She quickly grabbed a coat and a cap and prepared to leave.
They headed to BS Company headquarters together.
As she said, it wasn’t far, about a 30-minute Uber ride.
Founded by Hephaestus, who awakened with blacksmith abilities, BS Group had grown into far more than an item shop for users.
It was now one of the most advanced magitech big-tech companies in the world.
Naturally, it made enormous profits… hence its towering building.
“Shall we go inside?”
Cheon Li Yu asked.
But Seon Yul shook his head.
“No. We don’t need to enter.”
Even after coming all the way there, he said they wouldn’t go in.
She tilted her head.
Instead, Seon Yul was staring at the massive sculpture in front of the building.
It was a recreation of the Greek statue of Atlas holding up the sky (Uranus).
The sculpture was enormous.
Especially the spherical globe Atlas carried…
A solid steel sphere.
It weighed 5,000 tons.
Its diameter was approximately 14 meters.
It was famous because Hephaestus had built a statue capable of supporting such an immense weight.
The sculpture itself demonstrated BS Group’s technological prowess.
Seon Yul looked up at it.
‘Bigger than I expected from the photos.’
He nodded slightly.
Then he raised his hand, pointed at the sculpture, and muttered something quietly.
Cheon Li Yu watched, completely puzzled, but trusted him enough to stay silent.
“It’s done. Let’s head to Jeju immediately.”
“J-Jeju?”
“That’s where I need your help.”
Now she understood why he had been so rushed.
He led her into a secluded alley and opened the Absolute Space entrance without hesitation.
She assumed they would pass through and immediately arrive in Jeju.
But…
Instead of Jeju, she arrived inside Absolute Space.
“Uh… Where are we?”
“I’ll explain later. Please wait for a moment.”
In the time Seon Yul had spent in LA, the event timer had dropped to 10 hours.
After finishing preparations and returning to Jeju, he immediately called Cha Seong Hyeon.
[AbsoluteSafetyFirst. Did you find a method?]
“Yes.”
[R-really?]
“Yes. I think there’s over a 90% chance of success.”
[Then please clear it quickly.]
“It won’t take long. But first, evacuate everyone near Baengnokdam.”
[We can do that immediately. Give us 30 minutes.]
“And what’s the current size of Jeju’s mana field?”
[It’s hemispherical with a 10km radius. Not a perfect hemisphere, but roughly that.]
As expected.
“And one more thing.”
He needed a massive quantity of intermediate-grade mana stones.
He had no intention of paying for them himself.
“I need 100kg of intermediate mana stones immediately.”
That equaled 10 billion won.
In truth, 80kg would be enough.
But he requested an extra margin.
[Right away?]
“Yes.”
[Understood.]
After that, external preparations were complete.
Internally, he focused.
He restructured Absolute Space’s battle zone…
Raised it to 15 meters and merged the three sections into one massive space.
He spent 5kg of intermediate mana stones to do so.
Then he opened the Universal Tool Shop.
He purchased the item he had just registered.
Cost: 31.7kg of mana stones.
Over 3.1 billion won.
It was…
The 5,000-ton steel globe Atlas had been carrying.
Boommmmm!
Though 5,000 tons, purchased via the shop, it ignored the weight limits.
That was why he expanded the battle zone.
He placed the gigantic sphere inside.
***
Back outside…
“All preparations are complete.”
“Are we starting?”
“After the Bureau confirms evacuation.”
Soon, confirmation arrived.
All users had withdrawn.
He asked Cheon Li Yu:
“Share your vision upward… as far as possible.”
She activated Divine Eye.
Fwoooosh!
Her vision soared upward…
Past 3km.
With intense concentration…
She succeeded.
Seon Yul saw a clear sky.
Baengnokdam far below.
‘Perfect.’
‘Let’s begin.’
Through Overrun…
He opened a 14-meter-diameter Absolute Space entrance in the sky.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He had prepared for hours for this.
If he had to name it…
He would call it…
God’s Hammer.
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