Solo Leveling: Ragnarok - Chapter 271

Chapter 271

The collaboration between Yoo Jin-ho and Harmakan brought about a greater synergy than expected.

[Hmm. Virtual reality… … This thing stimulates the human brain?]

“Yes. It’s a device that allows you to experience a new world using brain waves.”

[Hmm.]

Harmakan, who started to open the virtual reality capsule in earnest, made a strange expression.

[Hmm.]

Eugene Ho looked at him and asked. 1

“Why do you have that look on your face?”

[… … Originally, this game capsule thing was said to have worked without a magic stone until the cataclysm?]

“Yes. The magic stones appeared on Earth after the Great Cataclysm. Before that, they were devices developed purely through human science. To put the basic principle in simple terms… … .”

Eugene Yoo, who directly participated in the development as a representative, answered Harmakan’s various questions with out hesitation.

But the more he listened, the stranger his thoughts became.

[Is this really… made by humans without magic power?]

“What on earth have you been trying to say since a while ago?”

[This virtual reality you created… … hmm.]

After disassembling one capsule and checking the structure inside.

Harmakan suddenly became silent and lost in thought.

Then I quickly came to a conclusion.

[No. I will go and check this myself and give you a definite answer.]

“You want to enter the virtual reality yourself? You, a shadow soldier?”

Eugene Ho responded with delight at the unexpected words. 1

“That’s impossible. This game capsule is a device that uses human brain waves. But you are already dead souls without even a separate body, so how could that be possible?”

[It will probably work. If what I’m thinking is correct.]

“…hmm?”

Eugene Ho couldn’t help but make a strange expression at Harmakan’s confident words.

The relationship between the soul and brain waves.

This is still an unsolved problem in the scientific community.

In the first place, wasn’t the soul itself a field that was difficult to prove scientifically?

However, many scientists insisted that this too would eventually be proven someday.

There was a time when even thunder falling from the sky was considered a punishment from God.

And as time passed, human science eventually discovered that it was not a divine punishment.

Likewise, there have been many scientists who have argued that although it is impossible now, the soul and the afterlife wil

l be scientifically proven in the future.

In fact, Yoo Jin-ho himself was half-believing and half-doubting when he heard that the Maryeong tribe was a race that used sorcery using evil spirits, and so he asked Harmakan for cooperation.

However, Harmakan was cooperating with him much more actively than Eugene had expected.

[Can I just put this on my head and lie down?]

Harmakan opened the lid of the game capsule and picked up the brainwave helmet inside.

Eugene Ho responded with a trembling expression.

“Yeah. After putting that on your head, you can set the muscle settings for various parts of your body… … .”

[There is no need for that.]

Harmakan did not even lie down in the game capsule, but sat down roughly and tried to put the helmet on his head.

But the size was small.

Apparently, the helmet is sized for humans and doesn’t fit Harmakan’s head.

“Should I ask the production department to make a helmet tailored to you?”

[No, there’s no need to do that. Even if I try to use it in the first place, there won’t be any brain waves.]

Harmakan simply stuck his hand into the brainwave helmet instead of his head.

And then I immediately pressed the power button.

Beep.

Woohoo-

Then the game capsule started working.

Normally, from now on, the brainwave helmet will start measuring the brainwaves of the user lying in the capsule and start synchronizing with the virtual reality.

And once the loading is complete, their minds connect to the virtual reality provided by Beautiful World… … .

[Connecting.]

Swish!

“… … ?!”

Eugene Ho opened his eyes wide.

Suddenly, Harmakan’s gigantic body was sucked into the helmet right before my eyes!

“Mom, monitor!”

A startled Eugene Ho hurriedly turned on the monitor that allowed him to view the virtual reality Harmakan was in.

Pfft!

Then, surprisingly, there was… … .

[Hmm. I guess my guess was right.]

A shadowy demon tribe that emits black steam.

Harmakan, who had been sucked into the capsule, was standing there in the pure white virtual reality!

Flash! Flash!

Inside the monitor, a magic circle was spread out on Harmakan’s two hands.

Harmakan, who had been manipulating the magic circle here and there, raised his head.

And surprisingly enough… … .

[Hey. Are you watching?]

… … ?!

Harmakan looked straight into the eyes of Eugene Ho, who was watching the scene from outside the monitor, and spoke to him.

Creepy.

Eugene Ho’s hairs stood on end all over his body.

“Huh, how?!”

It’s ridiculous.

Even if you’re a demon, you can’t look outside the monitor while connected to a virtual reality!

But Harmakan responded with an expression that said it was no big deal.

[That’s why I told you. Instance dungeons are my specialty.]

“What? What does that mean… … .”

At Harmakan’s words, Eugene Ho’s expression began to harden.

Inside the monitor, Harmakan looked around the virtual reality surrounding him, then nodded definitively and said.

[That’s right. This isn’t some kind of virtual reality. It’s an instance dungeon that utilizes a dimensional rift.]

… … ?!

“What?! What do you mean? That’s not a virtual reality? We created… … .”

[I have absolutely no intention of arguing with you, a human, over something like this. This is an instance dungeon.]

Ignoring Yoo Jin-ho’s reaction, Harmakan looked straight into his eyes through the monitor and asked him directly what he was curious about.

[So let me ask you. Are you sure you really made this thing called a game capsule?]

“Of course. Our developers put all their efforts into it… … .”

[No, you’re wrong. Let me ask you again. Think back. Are you sure you designed this system? Didn’t anyone really help you during the development phase?]

“Who helped us? We are the first in the world, so there is no way we could have received outside help… … .”

Naturally, a rebuttal came out of his mouth.

Beautiful World was truly the world’s first virtual reality game.

Who from outside could possibly help design that system?

“Of course, our research team all worked together to research… … .”

But I was gradually losing confidence in Eugene Ho’s voice.

At the same time, Eugene Ho was desperately searching for memories from the time of development.

It was a time when the Earth was still at peace.

Long before the cataclysm that turned the world upside down occurred.

Back when Eugene Ho’s company, Ajin Soft, was just an ordinary game company that released computer games… 1

Eugene Ho was recalling the faces of the researchers who had developed the virtual reality game with him at the time, one by one.

Then stand tall.

“…uh?”

For a moment, Yoo Jin-ho’s expression hardened.

A chill ran down my spine.

“What is this?”

Something is wrong.

Among the researchers that came to mind, there were some faces whose memories were particularly blurred.

It was as if the memory had been completely erased.

As if someone had forcibly scribbled graffiti over his memories!

There was a person among the research team whose facial features were not clearly remembered!

And not just one, but several!

“Huh? Huh huh?”

…no!

It wasn’t just the face that was strange!

Even the silhouettes of those wearing lab coats just like other researchers were far from those of ordinary humans.

That appearance is just like… … !

“The Demon Tribe?!”

[Yes, that is correct.]

Only then did Harmakan nod.

Eugene Ho finally succeeded in recalling the blank memories.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time Eugene had experienced this.

The shadow key that Suho had once given to him.

An experience where, with Suho’s help, I was able to recall memories of an era that no longer exists.

Thanks to that, Yoo Jin-ho succeeded in regaining the memories that were ‘intentionally erased by someone’ just through a simple conversation with Harmakan.

And that memory… … .

It contained such a shocking truth.

[In the first place, this ability is not something that a mere human can handle. It is a sorcery used by the spirit tribe that controls souls.]

“… … A soul?”

[Yes. Not brain waves, but soul.]

Harmakan nodded.

[This device is a magical device that extracts the soul from a living body for a short period of time. It was created as a magi

cal device that allows you to indirectly experience instance dungeons.]

… … ?!

Eugene Ho’s mouth opened in shock.

“Are you talking about astral projection?”

[That’s a good expression. But it’s a much safer way. The dimensional coordinates are firmly fixed inside this game capsule so that the soul can return to the body. So if I had to describe it, it would be more accurate to call it a ‘dream’ than an out-of- body experience.]

“… …Lucid dream.”

Eugene Ho muttered as if possessed.

‘Lucid Dream’

So-called lucid dreaming.

A phenomenon in which one dreams while being aware that one is dreaming.

In the end, what Harmakan is saying now is that this virtual reality game, which is Ajin Soft’s flagship work, was actually developed from the beginning for the purpose of calling out spirits and inducing lucid dreams.

That too with the help of an unidentified demon tribe!

“… …Why on earth?”

At this very moment.

What Eugene Ho was most curious about was the reason.

“Why were there demons mixed in among our research team? It was a long time before the cataclysm struck Earth.”

Those demons who were mixed in with the numerous researchers without anyone noticing!

Why on earth did they help their own company?

What on earth are you aiming for!

[Hmm. You don’t know why? I think I know somehow.]

As if oblivious to Eugene Ho’s shock, Harmakan, who was leisurely looking around the empty virtual reality beyond the monitor, slightly raised his lips.

He muttered as he recalled an old memory.

[Long ago, during the war with the rulers, the world we, the Demonic Clan, lived in was eventually destroyed. Most of the Demonic Clan members who lost the war died, or like me, were scattered and barely managed to survive.]

Swish.

Harmakan continued, holding up his hand, from which black steam was emanating.

[But now that I’ve finally died like this, I understand. For the spirit tribe that controls souls, death is a blessing. The moment you become a shadow soldier, you can study much better magic than when you were alive.]

As his emaciated hand clenched into a fist, a new incantation unfolded above it.

Harmakan’s gaze turned back to Yoo Jin-ho as he freely played with the magic circle with his fingertips.

[You still don’t get it? If there were demons secretly helping you with what you were doing, who would be behind it?]

Eugene Ho eventually realized the answer on his own.

It was a brief memory that passed through my mind.

-You’re making a virtual reality game these days?

-Yes, bro! It’s almost finished! We’re having a hard time with the final stage of space implementation, but if we can somehow solve that, it will be the birth of the world’s first virtual reality game!

“…older brother.”

The name that is spat out like a sigh, Sung Jin-woo.

Chomp!

A small drinking party.

In that memory, there was Yoo Jin-ho, who confidently revealed his ambitions while drinking cider in front of Seong Jin-woo.

-Wow! Isn’t it amazing just imagining it? When the game is finished, I’ll let you do it first!

-What? Me first? Isn’t that dangerous?

-It’s dangerous! Of course I’ll go in too!

-You too?

-Of course! A world first! The two of us will enter virtual reality together!

-… … .

At that time, Yoo Jin-ho shouted in high spirits at Sung Jin-woo, who was snickering at him and responding.

-So, just trust me and follow me! I’ll protect you!

-… … Well, that might be fun in its own way.

What was the expression on my brother’s face at the end of that short conversation?

Although he didn’t remember exactly, Yoo Jin-ho thought that perhaps what was in those eyes was ‘longing’.

-Okay. Try making it well. I’ll cheer you on.

Shadow Lord’s cheer.

Was that really just empty encouragement?

Since Yoo Jin-ho had regained memories that had now completely disappeared, he vaguely guessed about his memories of that day.

And then I finally became certain of one thing.

Maybe the desire to suddenly create a virtual reality game was also the result of his subconscious vaguely longing for a memory whose true identity he did not even know.

And maybe you too, brother… … .

* * *

Swish!

And that moment.

Suho was advancing north without stopping.

With his own army of shadows.

Defeat all enemies that appear before your eyes.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

… … .

There was a bumper crop of level-ups.

‘I made the right decision to go to North Korea.’

I feel so refreshed.

Coming to North Korea, I was able to hunt as I pleased without any hassles like hunter laws or problems between guilds.

This kind of endless battle is probably the first time since ‘that time’.

‘Level up dream.’

A dream that my father had created specifically to test me.

It was an incredibly difficult time, but looking back, it was also the moment when I felt truly alive and free from the boring routine.

“Another one.”

Kugu palace!

Already the ninth Elvenwood had collapsed before him.