Solo Leveling: Ragnarok – 271



Episode 271

The collaboration between Yoo Jin-ho and Harma Khan brought about greater synergy than expected.

[Hmm. It’s virtual reality…. Stimulating the human brain with this object?]

“okay. “It is a device that allows you to experience a new world using brain waves.”

[Hmm.]

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

[Hmm.]

Jinho Yoo looked at him and asked.

“Why do you look like that?”

[…Did you originally say that this game capsule was used without the magic stone until the cataclysm?]

“okay. It was after the cataclysm that magic stones appeared on Earth. Until then it was a device developed purely through human scientific power. To put it simply the basic principles are easy to understand…”

Jinho Yoo who directly participated in the development as the representative answered Harmacan’s various questions without hesitation.

But the more Harmakan listened the more strange his thoughts became.

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

“What on earth did you want to say earlier?”

[This virtual reality you created… Hmm.]

After disassembling an entire capsule and checking the entire structure inside.

Harmakan suddenly closed his mouth and was deep in thought.

Then I quickly came to a conclusion.

[no. I guess I will go in and check this myself and give a clear answer.]

“You want to go into virtual reality yourself? “Are you a shadow soldier?”

Yoo Jin-ho responded with joy at the unexpected words.

“That’s impossible. This game capsule is a device that uses human brain waves. “But you are already dead souls and don’t even have a separate body so how can that be possible?”

[It will probably work. If what I thought is correct.]

“…hmm?”

Yoo Jin-ho couldn’t help but make a strange expression at Harmacan’s confident words.

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The relationship between the soul and brain waves.

This was still an unsolved problem in the scientific community.

In the first place isn’t the soul itself a difficult field to prove scientifically?

However there were many scientists who argued that they would eventually be able to prove it someday.

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

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

Likewise there were many scientists who argued that although it is impossible now the soul and the afterlife will also be scientifically proven in the future.

In fact Yoo Jin-ho himself was skeptical after hearing that the Demon Race was a race that used evil spirits to use magic and asked for Harmakan’s cooperation.

However Harma Khan was cooperating with him much more actively than Jinho Yu expected.

[Can I lie down with this on my head?]

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

Yoo Jin-ho responded with a shocked expression.

“okay. After putting it on your head you can apply muscle settings throughout your body…”

[There is no need for that.]

Harmakan didn’t even lie down in the game capsule but sat down and tried to put the helmet on his head.

But the size was small.

Apparently the helmet is sized for humans so it does not fit Harmakan’s head.

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

[No there is no need for that. If I had to use it in the first place there would be no brain waves.]

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

And then I immediately pressed the power button.

Beep beep.

Ugh-

Then the game capsule started working.

Originally from now on the brain wave helmet would start measuring the brain waves of the user lying in the capsule and synchronize them with virtual reality.

And when the loading is finished their minds connect to the virtual reality provided by Beautiful World…

[Connect.]

Shoo!

“…?!”

Jinho Yoo opened his eyes wide.

Suddenly Harmacan’s huge body was sucked into the helmet right before my eyes!

“Mo monitor!”

Yoo Jin-ho who was surprised hurriedly turned on the monitor that allowed him to view the virtual reality containing Harmakan.

Faaah!

Then surprisingly there was…

[Hmm. As expected I was right.]

Shadow demons blazing black vapor.

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Harmakan which had been sucked into the capsule was standing in the pure white virtual reality as it was!

Flash! Flash!

Inside the monitor a magic circle was spread out between Harmacan’s hands.

Harmakan who had been manipulating the magic circle raised his head.

And really surprisingly…

[hey. Are you watching?]

…?!

Harmacan looked straight into the eyes of Jinho Yoo who was watching from outside the monitor and spoke to him.

Creepy.

Jinho Yoo’s entire body stood on end.

“How?!”

It’s absurd.

Even if you’re a demon you’re looking out of the monitor while connected to virtual reality!

However Harmacan actually responded with an expression that said it was no big deal.

[So I told you. Instance dungeons are my specialty.]

“what? “What does that mean…”

Yoo Jin-ho’s expression began to harden at Harmacan’s words.

Inside the monitor Harmakan looked around at the virtual reality surrounding him and eventually nodded and said definitively.

[I’m sure. This is not like virtual reality. [It’s an instance dungeon that uses a dimensional gap.]

…?!

“what?! What does that mean! That’s not virtual reality? “We made…”

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

Ignoring Jinho Yoo’s reaction Harmakan looked straight into his eyes inside the monitor and asked straight what he was curious about.

[So let me ask. Is it true that you really created this game capsule?]

“It’s all natural. Our development team is putting in all their effort….”

[No you are wrong. I’ll ask again. Think about it. Did you really design this system? Have you really never had anyone help you during the development phase?]

“Who helped you? “We are the first in the world and there is no way we could have received outside help…”

Naturally a rebuttal came out of his mouth.

Beautiful World was in name and reality the world’s first virtual reality game.

Who could have helped from the outside to design that system?

“Of course our researchers worked together….”

However Yu Jin-ho’s voice was gradually losing confidence.

At the same time Jinho Yoo was desperately tracing his memories from the time of development.

It was a time when the Earth was still peaceful.

It was long before the cataclysm that turned the entire world upside down occurred.

There was a time when Yoo Jin-ho’s company Ajin Soft was an ordinary game company that only released computer games…

Jinho Yoo was recalling the faces of the researchers who developed the virtual reality game with him at the time.

Then it stands tall.

“…uh?”

For a moment Yoo Jin-ho’s expression became stiff.

Goosebumps ran down my spine.

“What is this?”

Something is wrong.

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

It was as if the entire memory had been erased.

It was as if someone had forcibly scribbled over his memories!

A person whose facial features I could not clearly remember was clearly present among the research team!

Not just one person but many people!

“Huh? “Uh huh?”

…no!

It wasn’t just the face that was strange!

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

It looks like…!

“Demon spirits?!”

[okay. This is the correct answer.]

Finally Harmacan nodded.

Yoo Jin-ho finally succeeded in recalling the blank memory.

In fact this was not the first time for Yoo Jin-ho to experience something like this.

The shadow key that Suho had previously placed in his hand.

With the help of Suho the experience of recollecting memories of a time that no longer existed.

Perhaps thanks to this Jin-ho Yoo succeeded in regaining the memories that ‘someone had intentionally erased’ with just a simple conversation with Harmacan.

And that memory…

It contained a very shocking truth.

[In the first place this ability is not something that only humans can handle. It is a spell used by demons who manipulate souls.]

“…Soul?”

[Yes. Not brain waves but the soul.]

Harmakan nodded.

[This device is a sorcerer that extracts the soul from the living body for a short time from the beginning. It was created as a magical device to indirectly experience the instance dungeon.]

…?!

Yu Jin-ho’s mouth opened in shock.

“Could it be… you mean leaving the body?”

[That’s a good expression. But it is a much safer method than that. This is because the dimensional coordinates are firmly fixed within this game capsule so that the soul can return to the body. So if I had to express it ‘dream’ would be more accurate than out of body.]

“…Lucid Dream.”

Yoo Jin-ho muttered as if possessed.

‘Lucid Dream’

So-called lucid dreaming.

The phenomenon of dreaming while aware that one is dreaming.

In the end what Harmakan is saying now is that this virtual reality game Ajin Soft’s representative work was actually developed from the beginning to summon the soul and enable lucid dreams.

And that too with the help of an unidentified demonic tribe!

“…Why on earth?”

Right now.

What Jinho Yoo was most curious about was the reason.

“Why were demons mixed among our research team? “That was long before the cataclysm came to Earth?”

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

Why on earth did they help his company?

What are you aiming for?

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

Harmacan who was leisurely looking around in an empty virtual reality beyond the monitor as if he had no idea about Yoo Jin-ho’s shock slightly raised his eyebrows.

He muttered recalling an old memory.

[During the war with the rulers a long time ago the world where our demon race lived was eventually destroyed. Most of our demons who lost the war either died or were scattered like me and barely survived.]

Slurp.

Harmakan continued speaking while holding up his hand which was glowing with black vapor.

[But now that I finally die like this I understand. For demons who control spirits death is a blessing. The moment you become a shadow soldier you will be able to research much higher quality magic than when you were alive.]

As his bony hand clenched into a fist a new magic circle unfolded above it.

Harmacan’s eyes turned to Yu Jin-ho again as he freely teased the magician with his fingertips.

[Still don’t understand? If there were demons who secretly helped you with what you were doing who would have been behind them?]

Jinho Yoo eventually realized the answer on his own.

It was a brief memory that passed through my mind.

-Are you making virtual reality games these days?

-Yes brother! It’s already close to completion! We are having some difficulties in the final stage of space implementation but if we can somehow solve it the world’s first virtual reality game will be born!

“…older brother.”

Seong Jin-woo the name that is uttered like a sigh.

Wow!

A small drinking party.

In that memory there was Yoo Jin-ho sipping cider in front of Seong Jin-woo and confidently revealing his aspirations.

-Hey! Isn’t it wonderful just to imagine it? When the game is completed I will let you play it first!

-what? From me? Isn’t that dangerous?

-It’s dangerous! Of course I will join you!

-You too?

-of course! A world first! Just the two of us will enter virtual reality side by side!

-….

Yoo Jin-ho at the time shouted triumphantly at Seong Jin-woo who was smiling and replying to him.

-So brother just trust me and follow me! I will protect you!

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

What was the expression your brother was making at the end of that short conversation?

Although he couldn’t remember exactly Jinho Yoo thought that perhaps what was contained in those eyes was ‘longing’.

-okay. Please try making it well. I’ll cheer you on.

The shadow lord’s cheers.

Was that really just lip service?

Since Yoo Jin-ho had regained memories that had now become nothing I vaguely guessed his memories of that day.

And there was one thing that I was finally certain of.

Perhaps his sudden desire to create a virtual reality game might also be the result of his unconscious yearning for memories he did not know existed.

And maybe your brother too….

* * *

Sigh!

And that time.

Suho was advancing north without hesitation.

With his own army of shadows.

Defeating all enemies that appear in front of you.

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

….

Leveling up was a bountiful harvest.

‘As expected I made a good decision to go to North Korea.’

I feel really refreshed inside.

Since coming to North Korea I have been able to hunt as I please without any hassles such as hunter laws or problems between other guilds.

This is probably the first time since ‘back then’ that an endless battle like this has occurred.

‘Dream of leveling up.’

A dream that his father created specifically to test him.

It was extremely difficult at the time but looking back it was also the moment when I felt truly alive and free from my boring daily life.

“Another tree.”

Kugoogung!

Already the ninth Elvenwood had collapsed in front of him.