‘How many days have I been locked here?’ There was no way Chi-Woo could tell the exact number; it was difficult to tell night from day underground. But Chi-Woo could make a general guess, as his caretaker brought him meals without fail. After eating the dinner that Noel handed him while bickering, Chi-Woo focused on today’s training like usual.
Not only was he bored with nothing to do, but he had also found something weird in his user information. After discussing it with Mimi, she came up with her own hypothesis. To confirm it, Chi-Woo worked harder in his training than usual. That was when he suddenly heard the door open. ‘What? I just ate dinner. Is it a late-night snack?’ Chi-Woo’s mouth watered at the thought. But it was his brother who came through the door.
‘Yes, it didn’t make sense for me to be locked here forever,’ Chi-Woo thought. He believed his brother would come to check on him at least once. Chi-Woo’s eyes sparkled involuntarily, but he immediately looked away and resumed doing his pushbacks with a nonchalant face.
“What are you doing instead of sleeping?” Chi-Hyun’s voice was low, and he looked especially tired today.
“Can’t you see I’m doing push-ups?” Chi-Woo replied snidely.
“Hey.”
“….”
“Choi Chi-Woo.” Chi-Hyun looked as his younger brother exercised with sweat trickling down and smiled bitterly. “What? Are you just going to ignore your brother from now on?”
“Don’t say ‘brother’.”
“What?”
“Don’t call yourself my brother, Mr. ‘You should think that you no longer have a sibling’.”
“Mister what?” It was as if Chi-Woo was talking to a stranger. Chi-Hyun crossed his arms. “Choi Chi-Woo.”
“Ugh, what do you want?”
“Stop what you’re doing and get up.”
“Why should I?”
“I have something to discuss with you.”
“Well, I don’t,” Chi-Woo said coldly, “Get going. Don’t bother me.”
“…When are you going to finish then?”
“None of your business.”
“Why are you doing push-ups in the first place?”
“I want to become stronger and get revenge. What about it?”
“Against whom? Me?” Chi-Hyun snorted and smirked. “You think you would be able to do that by just doing push-ups?”
Chi-Woo scowled at his brother’s mockery. He clicked his tongue and ignored his brother again, and Chi-Hyun let out a deep sigh.
“Are you really going to act like this?”
“Ha.” Chi-Woo snorted. “Isn’t that what I should say? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“When did I ever want that?”
“Ah…It doesn’t even matter. Let’s just stop talking. I’m sorry that I was ever born, and we should go our separate ways without caring for each other.”
By this point, Chi-Hyun finally realized why his brother was so upset and what his mistake was.
[You…shouldn’t have been born.]
Those words had probably made a deep impression on Chi-Woo and remained as a heavy lump in his chest.
“Hey, that’s…” Chi-Hyun paused. Truthfully, he had said those words in a fit of anger. He knew there were things one should never say, especially not to a family member. Chi-Hyun’s lips twitched, and he licked them before continuing, “By that…I didn’t….”
Chi-Hyun knew he had to apologize. He touched the corners of his mouth for a while and fake coughed.
“It’s not like nobody has ever said it before.”
“What?”
“Well. When I said you shouldn’t have been born, I didn’t mean it literally. You know, you said it yourself quite often when you were trying to become a shaman at one point. That’s what I meant by that.” When Chi-Hyun saw that his brother’s face was only creasing even more, he quickly added, “…If it’s something that I should apologize for, I would.”
Chi-Woo shook his head. “Ha…you really are my brother.”
“What do you mean?”
“You just spit out whatever you want without thinking and never admit your mistakes. You really should fix that way of talking. Please.”
“When did I…? No, what would you know?”
“I’m not the only one who thinks so. Mom said it too.”
Chi-Hyun closed his mouth. An awkward silence befell them, and after a moment, Chi-Hyun quietly opened his mouth again.
“■.”
Wing, Wing, Wing, Wing! The ringing noises were accompanied by vibrations. The space twisted and swirled before returning to normal. Chi-Woo stopped his training and got up in surprise. Looking around, the strange sensation surrounding this room seemed to have disappeared completely; he could go now.
“You should sleep in your house today.”
“Are you telling me to stay inside since it’s dangerous?”
“I’ve set up the basic defense, and I will be staying with you.”
“…”
“And when you get up, go around meeting people.”
“People?”
“There were some who worried about you,” Chi-Hyun continued, “It’s fine if you don’t meet all of them in person, but at least send them a message that an important matter came up, and you are planning to leave for a while.”
Chi-Woo opened his eyes a bit wider.
“Send me a message after you are finished and come to the place I tell you. We should register our names on each other’s devices first.”
Chi-Hyun stretched out his wrist, but Chi-Woo stayed still and looked disagreeable. “Why should I? Where are you going to drag me to this time?”
“You will know when you get there.”
“Even if I go, aren’t you going to just lock me up again?”
“…”
“I guess I should be grateful. Did you prepare an especially large prison considering that I’m your brother?”
“Choi Chi-Woo.” Chi-Hyun’s voice shot down instantly from Chi-Woo’s teasing. Chi-Woo flinched; his brother was squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He prepared for another fight when Chi-Hyun let out a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry.”
Chi-Woo gaped, doubting his own ears. What did his brother say?
“I was a little emotional at that time. In my fit of anger, I spoke and acted more harshly than I should. I’m sure you would think I went too far, and it’s understandable why you think everything is unfair.” Chi-Hyun continued in a low voice with his eyes closed, “I’m really sorry. I will apologize to you hundreds or thousands more times sincerely if you need that before you can forgive me.” After a short silence, Chi-Hyun opened his eyes again and, unlike before, said carefully in consideration of Chi-Woo’s feelings, “Still… I’m speaking from my perspective, of course, but no matter how positively I try to think about all this, I can’t say you did the right thing.” Chi-Hyun’s voice was gentle. “I can understand your view a bit, but…this problem is way too big for me to just let go, saying that you simply didn’t know, or that we should work hard together since you are here…”
Then Chi-Hyun said in a slightly pleading tone, “I’m sure you must be frustrated not knowing anything right now, or why I have to go this far, but I hope you would think about my perspective a little.”
Chi-Woo felt the negative emotions he had accumulated about his brother crack slightly. He remained defiant, but said in a slightly less strained tone, “It still doesn’t change the fact that you are forcing this onto me. If I say I won’t go, you are going to drag me away by force, right?”
“I hope you will follow me before that happens, but I won’t deny that,” Chi-Hyun said truthfully. “But I will promise you one thing.”
“Huh?”
“This isn’t a place meant to just imprison and protect you…” Chi-Hyun said and yawned. As Chi-Woo had noticed as soon as his brother entered, Chi-Hyun’s complexion didn’t look good. Chi-Woo didn’t know what he had been doing, but Chi-Hyun looked ready to collapse at any moment.
“Just come out for now. See it for yourself and hear me out. Then we’ll talk again.”
“…”
“If you are still unwilling after all that, I won’t force it on you anymore. Promise.”
Chi-Woo thought there must really be something if his brother was talking like this. And because of his brother’s attitude, Chi-Woo had a hard time saying anything else. He hesitated a bit, but eventually stretched out his left wrist, and a notification sounded, telling him the registration was completed. Chi-Woo put on his clothes and went out of the secret chamber with his brother. He was extremely happy to see the night view of the capital again.
“So,” Chi-Hyun said while walking, “Are you less angry at me now?”
“If you just told me nicely from the beginning, our fight wouldn’t have even gone this bad.”
Chi-Hyun laughed as Chi-Woo responded without backing down an inch. “Geez, when I get back, I’ll have to beg our parents to give me one more brother.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“So that you can have a sibling exactly like you. Then you’ll finally understand how I feel.”
A younger sibling…a sibling. Chi-Hyun pondered about this and nodded. “I don’t mind, but…will you be alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll only have one younger sibling, but you’ll have one plus one—double the younger siblings.”
“Ah.” Chi-Hyun became silent.
* * *
The next day arrived. Chi-Woo got up from his bed and sent a message as Chi-Hyun had told him to do. Then he left home to meet the Ru siblings. Chi-Woo planned to play ignorant when they asked where he had been, but as soon as he stepped into their place, he was shocked to see Ru Amuh lying in bed with an arm bandaged. When Chi-Woo asked him who made him like this, Ru Amuh merely smiled and said he was all right. He wouldn’t tell anyone the culprit.
“I’m so mad! What the hell were you doing outside? Seriously?”
While listening to Ru Hiana’s complaints, Chi-Woo excused himself by saying that he’d be away for a while. After meeting his friends and acquaintances one by one and explaining his absence, Chi-Woo sent a message to his brother. He immediately got a reply, and Chi-Woo quickly packed up before leaving the city. Chi-Hyun was already there, waiting for him. The destination was not as far as he thought. Chi-Woo had been wondering where Chi-Hyun was taking him, but it was merely a nearby hill with a cave that seemed to have been created artificially.
“…What is this?” After such big talk, Chi-Woo was disappointed. Looking around the mountainous vegetation, he said in an exhausted voice, “You want me to become a nature-lover or something?”
Chi-Hyun didn’t say anything, but approached his grumbling brother suddenly and raised his hand.
“What? Why…uhhhhh?” Chi-Woo screamed in surprise when a barbell suddenly popped out of his brother’s hand.
Thud! It was not an illusion. The barbell made a heavy sound as it slammed onto the ground. And this was only the beginning. Chi-Hyun not only created various objects commonplace on Earth, but also knives and shields.
“How is it?” Chi-Hyun asked while lifting his chin towards Chi-Woo, who was busily watching Chi-Hyun work. Steam bun and Philip were also startled.
Chi-Woo asked, “W-What…what was that?”
“Image representation,” Chi-Hyun said clearly. “It’s my innate ability.”
–This…
Philip’s mouth was wide open. Then he recovered enough to murmur.
–I don’t know what it is…but it seems like an experience barrier?
Chi-Woo repeated, “An experience barrier?”
Chi-Hyun seemed pleasantly surprised. “I heard that you were there when Kabal built her godly territory. This is a bit different, but roughly the same idea.” Chi-Hyun’s ability allowed him to reproduce the experience he acquired through his own senses and express it as reality by imagining it in his mind.
Chi-Woo gulped and asked, “Then can you try making a gun?”
“Hmm…I can’t make the latest version, but an older version may be possible, like an archaic firearm.”
“Why can’t you make one of the latest models? Can’t you make a tank or something?”
“Of course not. There’s a limit to this ability.” Chi-Hyun shrugged. “First, in order to make something, I need to gain enough experience using it to accurately know its structure, and even if I manage to make something, I can’t take it outside. Also, I can’t make things that defy the common laws of the universe such as causality.”
“Oh…”
“If I can make anything, I would have infiltrated the enemy’s camp, created this barrier, and hit them with a couple of nuclear bombs.” Chi-Hyun’s voice dropped into a murmur, “Thousands of bombs would’ve probably annihilated the Sernitas, the Demon Empire, and everything else.”
“Then this planet will also be destroyed.”
“I guess so. Anyway.” Chi-Hyun cleared his throat and suddenly changed the subject. “Before I explain, let me see your user information first.”
Chi-Woo’s eyes widened at Chi-Hyun’s unexpected request. “Mine? Why?”
“Just open it. I need to first check it out.”
“No,” Chi-Woo firmly refused. “Mua Janya told me I shouldn’t disclose my user information to anyone else.”
He wasn’t wrong, but a blood vessel popped out in Chi-Hyun’s forehead. “I’m not just anyone.”
“You told me that I shouldn’t think of you as my brother anymore.”
“Oh, come on!” Chi-Hyun made an indescribable expression. “Sorry, I told you I’m sorry.” Chi-Hyun apologized as if he’d die of frustration. “We have a lot of work to do. Since we’ve come this far, let’s not fight unnecessarily, okay?”
Chi-Woo scratched his head as Chi-Hyun complained. “…Then show me yours.”
“What?”
“It’ll only be fair.”
Chi-Hyun sighed. He had been sighing much more since meeting his brother. “Fine…I got it.” He agreed with visible fatigue and continued, “I’ll show you mine later, so first reveal yours. You think I made this large space and brought you all the way here because I had all the free time in the world?”
Chi-Woo obediently opened his user information and shared it with Chi-Hyun. He wanted to ask, ‘What about yours?’ but worked hard to suppress it; his brother looked extremely serious while going through his user information. Even a student preparing to take the final examination would not look that serious. While he was slightly nervous, Chi-Woo was quite confident. His innate abilities alone amounted to double-digit; he was sure that even Chi-Hyun would be surprised.
“Hmm…” Chi-Hyun sighed after a while.
“How is it?” Chi-Woo impatiently urged Chi-Hyun to answer. “It’s amazing, right?”
Chi-Hyun nodded as Chi-Woo asked with pride. “…Yeah, it’s amazing.” But then Chi-Hyun added, “It’s amazingly messy.”
Chi-Woo’s expression stiffened. Messy? Was there something wrong with Chi-Hyun’s eyesight? Couldn’t he see his incredible list of abilities?” “Ha…” He wanted to refute, but at the same time, he didn’t think his brother would say such a thing for no reason.
Chi-Hyun continued, “This is crazy. I expected as much but…there’s more than one thing to correct. And balance is the key driver to your growth? Why that out of everything? What am I supposed to do with this? What the hell were you thinking…”
Chi-Woo became confused because it seemed there was a serious problem with his abilities. Chi-Hyun was also taken aback. Chi-Woo had way too many abilities. While he could admit they were all exceptional, Chi-Woo had lived like an ordinary person all his life, and all of his abilities were much too difficult and versatile for a newbie without any professional expertise to properly use.
Chi-Hyun thought of proper growth as constructing an urban city. To build a city, creating a big, towering landmark was far down the priority list. A city could only be called a city when there were other buildings besides the central landmark, and the foundation was more important than anything else in its construction. Only when the ground was firm could buildings be raised stably, and the size of the city was solely dependent on the size of the foundation.
In this perspective, Chi-Woo’s city was a complete mess. Having Golden Ratio as his foundation was not a bad idea, but it was merely a temporary measure. Before Chi-Woo could properly expand and hone his foundation, he’d already raised a bunch of buildings that were big enough to become central landmarks. The fact that he had effectively no basic ability and all the attention was concentrated on his innate abilities was clear proof of this. This alone was burdensome, but his special abilities were also adding pressure to his wonky foundation as well.
‘Why… No, I guess it couldn’t be helped.’ Chi-Hyun soon understood the situation. Chi-Woo must have invested so much more into his innate and special abilities because he wanted to grow fast in order to survive in this world. Fortunately, this figurative city was still in the early stages of construction. Further in, course correction would be impossible, but it wasn’t too late for Chi-Woo yet.
‘It’s not gonna be easy for me, either, but he’s going to have a hard time.’ Various facilities were necessary for a city to function, and the stronger the walls, the stronger the city. Only then could the grandeur and splendor of the central landmark shine through. There was one thing Chi-Woo needed to do right away.
“First.” Chi-Hyun relaxed his hand and turned his neck from side to side. Since he decided to help out his brother, he had no intentions to do a half-hearted job.
It was time for the legend to show his architectural skills.