"My name is Gaia."
KangWoo's eyes widened.
Gaia…
The leader of the Guardians and someone who he thought was related to the system that was sealing his Ten Thousand Demon Core.
'I can't believe I’ve met her with such timing.'
He’d guessed that he would eventually meet her if he stayed with ShiHoon…
But he’d never imagined that it would be so soon.
'I never imagined she would move.'
She was the leader of Guardians, so he thought he would meet her after he got a bit closer to the Guardians.
'Is Kim ShiHoon that important?'
If KangWoo was right about his observations, Kim ShiHoon's talent couldn't be compared to Alec's.
That meant that, even among Guardians, Kim ShiHoon could be that special.
'Or…'
His eyes sunk.
'They're that desperate.'
The Gaia system was getting weaker, and they didn't know when the situation with the Demon Cult would worsen.
They weren't in a situation where they could stay still.
'But…'
KangWoo looked at the woman sitting in a wheelchair.
Unlike her title of ‘Leader of Guardians’, he couldn't feel any strength coming from her.
'Maybe she isn't related to the system?'
Maybe it was just the name that was similar.
That was the worst possible outcome from all of the options he could think of.
'The name ‘Gaia’ isn't very common.'
He had to hear her explanation first before jumping to conclusions.
He listened to what she said.
"So you're the person Guardian Kim ShiHoon spoke of."
Gaia turned her head to KangWoo. Her eyes were still closed.
Gaia's expression hardened for a moment, but then it relaxed.
"Nice to meet you. I heard about you from Grace. You're Guardian Kim ShiHoon's non-blood-related brother, right?"
'She can't recognize it?'
There was no need to think deeply about why her expression had hardened for a moment.
The Guardians subconsciously felt a bit of repulsion toward beings that came from a fissure.
'But that feeling isn't that strong.'
Kim ShiHoon and Alec also felt repulsion, but they didn't act based on it.
That meant that the feeling of repulsion itself wasn't that clear.
He was worried that Gaia would be able to figure him out immediately, but that didn't seem to be the case.
'I'm glad.'
If she discovered that he was the 'Fissure's Nucleus,' things would've become troublesome.
KangWoo nodded.
"Yes. I'm ShiHoon's non-blood-related brother."
"Woah. A non-blood-related brother in this period of time… That's a type of relationship that's hard to see nowadays."
"Hyeongnim is someone more important than family to me. I respect and admire him more than my blood-related brother," Kim ShiHoon said in a firm voice.
In reality, his blood-related brother wasn't someone worthy of respect, but hate, so he wasn't exaggerating.
'You're embarrassing me.'
Why was he saying that in such an intense voice? It almost sounded like a love confession.
Gaia turned her head to Kim ShiHoon.
"Fufu. Guardian Kim ShiHoon, you're really an intense person."
"Yes? It isn't that much…"
Kim ShiHoon shook his head while making a shocked expression.
Gaia smiled.
"I know. I know how clean and beautiful your soul is… and what is it that you're trying to obtain by burning your soul."
"…"
Kim ShiHoon remained silent at her words.
Gaia slowly extended her hand toward him. Her hands lost direction and wandered around. Grace took a step forward.
"Gaia, that way."
"Ah. Thank you, Grace."
Gaia followed Grace's indication and extended her hand toward Kim ShiHoon.
'It seems like she really can't see anything.'
Well, there was no point in having her eyes closed all the time for no reason.
Gaia touched Kim ShiHoon.
"I know what conflict you're going through… your hardships and anguish, but I'm on your side. I want to be by your side and support you."
"Ms. Gaia…"
Kim ShiHoon's eyes widened. His body trembled as if he'd been lightning-struck.
Gaia laughed.
"Even if it's a body as hideous and ruined as this one, I want to help you. Is that too much to ask?"
"H-hideous? That's not true!" Kim ShiHoon quickly shouted.
KangWoo laughed while looking at them both.
'How moronic.'
Anyway, he'd obtained some information.
'A ruined body…'
KangWoo looked at Gaia, who was sitting in a wheelchair. He could somewhat understand what she meant.
'She's hurt.'
He could know that after taking a closer look. She didn't seem to have a physical defect she’d been born with.
She’d probably suffered a huge injury and could not move unless she was in a wheelchair.
Even though he didn't know, she probably couldn't see due to a similar reason.
'It seems like it isn't just the name that's similar.'
After seeing she was hurt, he naturally thought of the Gaia System.
—The world's protection system that was getting weaker. It was understandable that she was hurt like that if she was somehow related to it.
"But more than that… Let's talk about the main issue."
KangWoo lightly pulled Kim ShiHoon back.
There was something he had to check.
"If you want to accept ShiHoon as a Guardian, please give us details about what the Guardians do," He said in a dry tone.
He couldn't let Kim ShiHoon join a group that had a goal he didn't know about.
To build a good relationship with them, he first had to know what their goal was.
"Yes. I'll explain things to you step by step."
KangWoo and Kim ShiHoon sat on the chair; Gaia kept talking.
"Have you heard of the Gaia System?"
"…"
* * *
There was silence. KangWoo's eyes shook.
'So she's going to talk about the main topic immediately.'
The worst-case scenario about only the name being similar didn't happen.
'I'm not sure what kind of relationship they have…'
There was clearly a connection between both.
"Ah."
Kim ShiHoon let out an exclamation after hearing ‘Gaia System’. He nodded.
"Yes. I've heard of it. When I Awakened as a Guardian, I got a message that said that I was chosen to protect the Gaia System."
"Yes. Everyone that Awakened as a Guardian received that message."
"Don't tell me… Ms. Gaia, you sent that message?" Kim ShiHoon asked while gulping.
The names ‘Gaia’ and ‘Gaia System’… He also thought the two were related.
'Well done, ShiHoon!'
KangWoo clenched his fist. Kim ShiHoon had asked what he wanted to know the most.
What was Gaia's relationship with the Gaia System?
"No."
Gaia shook her head.
"I didn't send it."
"Then…"
"First, I think that I need to give more details about what the Gaia System is."
Gaia kept talking while smiling.
"Do Mr. ShiHoon and KangWoo believe in foreign worlds?"
"Foreign worlds… You mean like those that appear in manhwa?"
"Yes. The demons that the Demon Cult is summoning are beings from another dimension."
"Ah."
"It isn't just Hell. Numerous dimensions are interconnected. The gates you are used to are passageways that connect dimensions."
"I see."
Kim ShiHoon nodded in confusion after hearing words of a scale that were hard to understand.
Gaia calmly kept talking.
"You can think of the Gaia System as an entity that protects Earth from invaders from other dimensions."
"Then, Ms. Gaia…"
"I'm the Gaia System's… Fufu, how should I describe it? Incarnation? Agent? Fragment?"
It seemed like Gaia herself couldn't exactly talk about what she was.
"Ah, in Japan, there's a job called ‘shrine maiden’. It's someone that serves the gods, right? In Korea, I believe they should be called a ‘shaman’. They aren't exactly the same but similar."
"Incarnation…"
"It isn't anything that grand. It might be able to influence the system a little bit, but it uses a lot of strength and has a lot of restrictions."
"…"
"Hmm. It might be a bit hard to understand. Ah, when the Demon Cult incident happened in Korea, I interfered with the system and sent a message to Mr. ShiHoon."
"Ah. Don't tell me that…"
Kim ShiHoon's eyes widened. He recalled a sudden quest window that had opened with a clear will behind it.
Gaia made a self-deprecating smile.
"That's the only thing I can do."
'I see.'
KangWoo's eyes shone. He could tell just what kind of relationship she had with the Gaia System.
'The Gaia System's incarnation…'
But that role and authority were incredibly low. From his point of view, it was a bit disappointing.
'If she had more Authority, she would’ve been able to lift the seal.'
The most disappointing thing was the seal of the Ten Thousand Demon Core. Just unsealing it would have changed everything.
'It seems like I won't be able to do that easily.'
He frowned. He didn't like the situation, but there was nothing he could do about it.
'It's okay.'
It wasn't that relying on the Gaia System was the only way to weaken the Ten Thousand Demon Core’s seal.
While leaving the disappointment behind, he looked at Gaia.
"Then, is the Guardian's role to replace the Gaia System's job and defeat the foreign entities?" Kim ShiHoon asked.
"Yes."
'As expected.'
KangWoo nodded. The job of the Guardian's was exactly as he’d thought.
"But we, the Guardians, have another goal as well."
'Huh?'
"What's that?"
"Oof."
Gaia took a deep breath.
"The main goal of the Guardians… is to kill the 'The Demon of Prophecy.'"
'What's that?'
"The Demon of Prophecy?"
"Yes. Five years ago… On the Cataclysmic Day… a message was revealed."
She clenched her fists and repeated the message from the Gaia System she'd received that day.
"In the near future, the 'Demon of Prophecy' will come to the surface."
'The Demon of Prophecy… Huh?'
"That demon will be the King of Hell."
'Huh, wait.'
Hell's King will destroy this world and make the Dark devour it."
'Don't tell me…'
"Gather the Guardians and kill the Demon of Prophecy and protect the world."
'Is the Demon of Prophecy me?'
Gaia said the last part of it while her body trembled.
"’The Demon of Prophecy is the owner of the Demonic Energy Sea and has 666 different Authorities, so gather the Guardians and face him.’ That was the order I received."
"…"
There was a heavy silence.
KangWoo covered his face with both his hands.
'It really is me.'
‘Fuck.’
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