Ch-368. **Who Are You?**
—
Our eyes met.
A gaze so heavy with interest that it felt burdensome.
And yet, something was strange.
In that instant, I felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.
It was clearly my first time experiencing this scene, yet it felt as though I had encountered this sensation somewhere before.
Her eyes were smiling.
The corners of her lips were smiling.
Yet—
*…She isn’t smiling.*
Arin was not smiling.
If this was *acting*, then it was acting so perfect it sent chills down my spine.
She was flawlessly recreating the very concept of a “smile” that a human could express.
The curve of her lips, the clarity of her eyes, every single movement—there was not a shred of doubt to be found.
And yet, for some reason, I felt an overwhelming pressure.
*She’s dangerous.*
I was certain.
A beautiful smile that would inevitably captivate any man.
No one would feel threatened while looking at that smile.
But I was different.
Thanks to the hidden traits **[Eternal God]** and **[Eye of Truth]**, I could go beyond simple observation and coldly discern the truth of my opponent.
*She’s probing me.*
Arin was investigating me.
Behind that smile, she was subtly examining me—
trying to find out who I was, what kind of being I was.
But at the same time, I became curious as well.
Lee Arin.
The vice leader of the Hero Alliance who had appeared like a comet.
They said her ability was enough to threaten even Alliance Leader Park Tae-woo—
but I thought even that was an understatement.
*Someone who has crossed walls through countless experiences.*
The strong recognize the strong.
There was no need to cross blades to know.
Arin was releasing mana to assert her presence—
but only to a *moderate* degree.
She was deliberately restraining it.
The amount of mana leaking past her skin and the way her body perceived it were utterly mismatched.
Even a rough calculation told me that the mana coiled within her had already reached an inhuman level.
*In terms of raw mana capacity alone, she surpasses Gracia.*
Of course, having more mana didn’t mean she was stronger than Gracia.
It meant she was fully capable of contending with those called the pinnacle of humanity.
I finished my assessment.
Then I answered.
Why didn’t I come looking for her?
“Why are you hiding your mana?”
“……”
When I asked in return, Arin’s eyes instantly turned cold.
Ah.
That clearly wasn’t the answer she had wanted.
But I had no intention of playing along with her intentions.
That façade of a smile wasn’t her real face—
*this* was.
A woman colder than a midwinter blizzard.
To things she had no interest in, her gaze was worth less than that given to an insect.
There was no such thing as emotional disturbance caused by others.
This was exactly what I wanted.
Her true self.
Hudson had ranked Arin among the ten most dangerous individuals—
and placed her at the very top.
**[Arin (Extreme Threat – Exercise Significant Caution)]**
* A powerhouse who appeared suddenly during Issera’s invasion.
* A first-generation awakener who also operated in Pangaenia under the same name. Once gambled away her entire fortune in the golden city *Arcana*; records of loans remain at *Hudson Casino*. Estimated to have been a very low level at the time.
* Until then, aside from “Survival” in the Hall of Honor, her name never appeared. Timid, and afraid of blood.
* After Issera’s invasion, she rose rapidly to prominence, her position skyrocketing to vice leader of the Hero Alliance. Alliance Leader Park Tae-woo is presumed to highly value her abilities.
* Exceptionally talented at awakening the abilities of others, to the extent that she is called the “Grand Master.”
* Personality, disposition, and combat power all changed drastically. The causal link behind this transformation is unknown.
* Persistent investigation was attempted for accurate identification, but failed.
* She is Lee Arin, yet it is unclear whether what lies within is truly Arin.
* Extreme caution advised.
This was information Hudson had organized and delivered to me long ago.
Using Prince Oliver of Britain’s status and the Bloodspawn Clans, he had even established an “intelligence agency” on Earth.
Its primary purpose was to track the movements of awakeners.
Most importantly, to uncover the true identities of first-generation awakeners.
Preparing in advance by identifying their true selves in both Pangaenia and Earth.
*Arin is the most dangerous among them.*
That was Hudson’s conclusion.
Now that I was facing her directly, I understood.
…Who are you, really?
“……How did you know?”
Arin asked again, her voice filled with pure curiosity.
I answered casually.
“I traced the emitted mana and calculated it.”
“……Hah.”
She reacted as if it were absurd.
Following the strands of mana deliberately released, tracing them, then estimating the amount of mana sealed within—
that was impossible for a human.
No, even bringing a Dragon of Wisdom would struggle to process information on that scale.
Which meant only one thing:
My ability to read mana was peerless.
Proof that I possessed purer mana than anyone else.
Only those with pure mana could read the mana of others.
“Then there was no need for me to seek you out.”
Arin shook her head.
A man who, without seeking her, without her guidance, had naturally accumulated pure mana and grown explosively strong.
Pure mana wasn’t something you could simply stack by leveling up.
Impurities were inevitable.
Even cultivating mana through so-called “mental techniques” was the same.
The impurities might be fewer—but never zero.
…Just where did such a human come from?
On Earth, no one had ever left such a powerful impression on her.
The first had been Wilhelm—
and aside from him, Park Hyeonmyung was the only one.
On an entirely different level from before.
*Who are you?*
She wanted to know.
About the man called Park Hyeonmyung.
About his true nature.
For the first time since arriving on Earth, Arin’s eyes filled with genuine interest and curiosity toward another person.
—
—
Arin concealed Park Hyeonmyung’s appearance as much as possible.
Park Tae-woo agreed with her judgment.
The Black Dome expedition was an event where the world’s top leaders would gather.
If Park Hyeonmyung’s presence became known, an enormous uproar would follow.
A global scramble to claim him could erupt.
At present, Park Hyeonmyung was Earth’s hottest topic.
Yet there had been no proper “verification.”
Which made them even more cautious.
More than anything—
“Park Hyeonmyung, huh……”
Alliance Leader Park Tae-woo stared out the office window.
In his hand was a single sheet of paper.
On it was written everything he had been able to uncover about Park Hyeonmyung, mobilizing all the power at his disposal.
And yet—
there was only one character written.
—**None**
…Nothing.
Every trace of information about Park Hyeonmyung had been erased.
Someone had acted first.
But was that even possible?
Anyone who had lived on Earth was bound to leave information behind.
Especially in South Korea.
And yet, even as the head of the Hero Alliance, representing Korea, he had failed to uncover even a single detail.
Instinctively, Park Tae-woo realized—
*There is an unknown, massive force behind him.*
Behind Park Hyeonmyung stood a colossal entity that dwarfed nations and alliances alike.
That was the decisive reason he couldn’t easily reveal or touch him.
He had allowed Park Hyeonmyung to join the Black Dome expedition at Arin’s insistence, but—
“I don’t know if this was the right call……”
His head throbbed.
How long had he searched for Park Hyeonmyung?
And yet when Park Hyeonmyung finally appeared, he was nothing but a mystery.
Who was he, really?
…Was he truly a second-generation awakener?
…No—was he even Park Hyeonmyung at all?
“Huu……”
Park Tae-woo let out a deep, troubled sigh.
—
—
The long flight ended.
The moment I stepped off the plane—
—My apologies for being late. Allow me to greet you once more. I am *Blackened Alkar*, a faithful servant of the gods.
A shadow joined us.
Blackened Alkar.
Ranked third among the Bloodspawn Clans, he was the strongest among them aside from Issera and Lucaria.
Since he had accompanied me once before, it was genuinely good to see him.
Still, it was strange.
With Issera’s rampage, all Bloodspawn Clans should have been mobilized.
As if answering my question, Alkar spoke.
—Do not worry about Issera. He has stabilized to some extent. We cannot say when he may rampage again, but until then, I will serve you.
I see.
It seemed things had calmed enough for Alkar to come find me.
I recalled when Lucaria had rampaged in the Tower of the War God.
If Wilhelm hadn’t intervened personally, it would have been a catastrophe.
At least Issera was being protected without major damage under the guard of the Blade Dragon God Hana and the Bloodspawn Clan.
I turned my gaze toward the black sphere in the distance.
—That is the place. The Spirit Kings are rampaging inside. I can also sense the presence of beings called *Abyss Kings*.
That was unexpected.
He could sense that?
I already knew Alkar’s danger-detection ability was exceptional—but this was beyond even that.
He knew something even I didn’t.
And I could tell—Alkar had grown stronger than before.
Perhaps the overall level of the Bloodspawn Clan had risen significantly.
“Korean heroes! Welcome to the United States!”
Click! Click!
Amid a storm of camera flashes, a man stepped forward.
Choi Kang-nam muttered upon seeing him.
“…Darkstar?”
The one who had led the Seven Heroes Council after the Master’s death.
But after countless corruption scandals were exposed—and after the King of Valan revealed the truth of the Grand Expedition in Pangaenia—they had collapsed.
It was said they were barely clinging to life.
*They’re all here.*
It wasn’t just Darkstar.
Lucifer and many figures from the Heroes Council were present in force.
Even Gracia, who had left the Heroes Council—
and Union, the Golden Scale Mage, stood alongside him.
*So they’ve united to eliminate a threat to humanity.*
They must have judged the Black Dome phenomenon as a global crisis and banded together.
Or perhaps there had been a special request from the United States.
Either way, it was obvious they intended to use this as a stepping stone to rise again.
“Arin! I’ve heard so much about you. The rising star of the Hero Alliance, they say!”
Darkstar grasped Arin’s hand and shook it.
And not only her—
he began shaking hands with every member of the Korean delegation.
“Oh! Choi Kang-nam. The strongest rookie! A pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lord Darkstar.”
Choi Kang-nam replied, visibly moved that his name had been recognized.
As if he’d never imagined it would happen.
But it was all a *show*.
Darkstar was desperately performing to maintain his standing.
Finally, Darkstar and I—standing at the very back—faced each other.
“And you are…… you’re not on the list. May I have your name?”
Darkstar tilted his head.
I wasn’t on the roster he’d received.
Seeing that, Choi Kang-nam sneered.
“Haha, someone Darkstar doesn’t even need to know.”
And upon seeing that—
Blackened Alkar spoke.
—Shall I kill him?
