Junhyuk could tell it was a shell made out of dragon scales, but it looked more like a monster than a machine. It looked like an A-ranked monster.
Then, the thing raised its hand.
“It’s very nice to finally see you.”
The voice was familiar, and he asked, “Zaira?”
Zaira gave him a light bow, and Junhyuk turned to Elise.
“Zaira is inside it?”
She smiled and answered, “Correct. However, there are limitations to when I can summon it. If there’s too much running in the background, I can’t seem to connect to it.”
Looking around, he asked, “Does that mean Zaira’s AI is what’s summoned?”
Touching her chin, Elise answered, “On Earth, I only have Zaira working for me. Zaira is a program that handles everything in the lab and beyond. However, in the Dimensional Battlefield, maintaining connection won’t be a problem.”
“What about the cooldown and summoning times?”
“I’m not sure since I’ve never been to the Dimensional Battlefield, but on Earth, the summoning time is twenty seconds.”
Junhyuk watched as Zaira disappeared.
“What about the cooldown?”
“One minute.”
Zaira’s summoning time was longer than Jeffrey’s A-rank summon, but the cooldown was also longer. Usually, if the cooldown was long, that meant it was a high-ranking power.
“What are Zaira’s powers?”
“Well, it hasn’t fought yet, but I think it can fight two A-ranked monsters at the same time. All of its weapons are coated in monster decomposition liquid.”
“What about physical strength?”
“It should be equal to an A-ranked monster.”
Junhyuk could imagine what Zaira was capable of. It could battle A-ranked monsters and roast them. However, the summon only lasted a short while.
Junhyuk was curious.
“Can Zaira acquire new equipment?”
“I haven’t checked that far because I don’t have any equipment right now.”
“If it can wear equipment, twenty seconds will be plenty.”
Zaira was powerful now, so if that was possible, it would be even stronger. With Zaira, Elise might even be able to deal with powerful heroes. If the enemy hero was weak, Elise could summon Zaira and destroy them.
Considering the heroes he had met during team selections, Zaira could wipe them all out alone.
Junhyuk continued calmly, “Basic equipment is easy to make, so let’s make a piece and have it try.”
“Sure.”
“How did you activate your new power?”
Elise showed him her hand. There was a magic circle engraved on it. Junhyuk saw it, but he did not know what it meant.
She said calmly, “Spatial Bags use magic that allow items to be placed in them. I thought I could use that magic and take Zaira with me to the Dimensional Battlefield, but it didn’t work. My power activated once I started trying to figure out what had gone wrong.”
Junhyuk stared at her. Her new power was something he’d never imagine, and she had activated two new powers before she’d even stepped on the Dimensional Battlefield.
Junhyuk went over the differences between novices and an experts with Elise, and she started making the strongest equipment she could before heading into the battlefield.
Junhyuk had had equipment when he was an expert, and her equipment would be superior to his at that time, so he thought she would do fine. Her biggest problem was her attack.
Elise didn’t know how to fight, and Junhyuk wished there was a weapon she could use. That’s when he told her about Tuelus, the legend. Tuelus carried two orbs around him, and he thought she could make something like those. She asked him a few detailed questions about it.
Her new project would be to create weapons that would work both on Earth and on the Dimensional Battlefield. Her eyes beamed with excitement.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“I’ll be in India for a while.”
“Is your target New Delhi?”
“Yes.”
“You are busy.”
Junhyuk shrugged and replied, “Right.”
On Earth, only Junhyuk could enter dimensional tears. It might be possible for Sarang as well, but Junhyuk wasn’t sure. He thought that since he could do it alone, he should do it alone.
“Bring me monsters I can use.”
Junhyuk smiled at her and pulled out one of the tear cores.
“Don’t act bored yet. I’ve brought you something.”
Elise knew it was something amazing.
“What is that?!”
“That’s the nucleus of the monster area, a dimensional tear core.”
Elise took it and smiled.
“I won’t be bored with this. It was worth putting this on,” she said, showing him the ring.
Junhyuk laughed out loud.
—
Junhyuk had to head out quickly to get on the plane. Guardians had provided it to him, so he didn’t have to wait for it.
Junhyuk was in a car with Elise on his way to the airport to catch his private flight. She was escorting him there as Guardians’ CEO. They were in the most lavish limousine he’d seen, and he leaned against the seat.
Junhyuk thought it had been a while since they’d found themselves alone with each other. Since becoming a hero, Junhyuk had been very busy. On Earth, he had to wipe out monster areas, so he hadn’t had time to talk to her alone.
“It would be nice if we could dine alone, but we don’t have the time.”
Eunseo smiled. She fixed her glasses and said, “I have to join the novice team to be with you.”
“That’s too dangerous.”
People thought of him as a hero, but he had to risk his life. How many had been killed already?
What Eunseo was doing was greater than destroying tears. Guardians liaised with each country, developing weapons for the monster teams.
She had to be busy, and he was sorry he couldn’t spend time with her.
Eunseo continued, “I’m researching artifacts, but I haven’t found anything useful yet. I may have to rob museums.”
Junhyuk laughed out loud. It wasn’t such a bad idea. Artifacts had historical significance, but using them would help her survive the Dimensional Battlefield. On top of that, only heroes dropped items.
“How is your power?”
Junhyuk hadn’t had time to train her so far, and he felt bad for that.
Nodding, Eunseo said, “My damage went up.”
Junhyuk was curious about her counterattack power. It was a good thing that her damage had increased. If she got more equipment and her power evolved, she would be able to land massive hits.
“You have to become an expert at least. That way you can be safe.”
Eunseo understood what he was saying. Experts had an extra life in the Dimensional Battlefield. She did not want to experience death, but with an extra life, she would be safer.
“I’m working on it.”
She was busy working and training, and he could tell that she was working hard by looking at her.
“You’ll do fine.”
Eunseo stared at him.
“What’s it like being a hero?”
On the battlefield, heroes and novices were totally different, but when she looked at him, he didn’t look different to her. Compared to other heroes, he looked weak.
He said, “I don’t have a team yet. The real battles will begin once my team is set.”
“You’ll build a good team.”
Junhyuk had chosen two, so there were two more to go.
“I hope so.”
The limousine stopped on the tarmac. Junhyuk saw the private jet and became conscious of it, so he turned around to look at Eunseo. She got off the car and smiled at him.
“You’ll do fine.”
“Don’t worry.”
Junhyuk had already destroyed three tears. The world was focused on him, and he was doing his job. The experts and novices were getting better, and a time would come when he wouldn’t have to train them anymore, and they would all enter tears.
He walked up to her and said, “Look for Dakeda and Zenon.”
“Dakeda and Zenon?”
“Yes.” Junhyuk whispered in her ear, “They are champions who have yet to come forward.”
She stared at him. Management didn’t number champions, so one had known how many there were.
“You only have their names?”
Junhyuk nodded, but Eunseo’s eyes beamed anyway, and she said, “I’ll find them.”
“If I can recruit them, our strength will skyrocket.”
Eunseo had heard about Ling Ling. Two champions would equal the entire expert team. She would find them both, no matter what.
Every country’s delegates had gathered at Guardians. Even if she only had names, she would find them.
Junhyuk smiled at her.
“I’ll see you next time I have the chance.”
They were very busy, and it would take at least a year to destroy all of the tears.
Junhyuk waved at her and got on the plane. After he sat down, the plane started moving. Leaning back, he closed his eyes.
“It won’t be long.”
Junhyuk would go to the Dimensional Battlefield before he destroyed the New Delhi monster area, and he was looking forward to meeting new team members.
“How much will a private space cost from Bebe?”
It would be different from buying a Spatial Bag. Junhyuk would be buying a living space, so he thought the cost would be astronomical. However, he needed one.
As the plane flew among the clouds, he pulled out the core and held it tightly.
