The Count's Youngest Son is a Player - Chapter 321

Chapter 322

“Hmm. Where is this…?”

The place he arrived at, enveloped in light.

It was just an ordinary-looking house.

The only unusual thing was that it was an apartment-type structure that could only be seen on Earth, not in Connect’s house.

“…Could it be that I’ve come to Earth?”

Raul reached out to the rice cooker in front of him just in case.

But it was just an illusion.

It was an object visualized as a hologram.

Of course, not all the objects were fake.

The refrigerator, gas range, and fan were all real and working objects.

‘It looks like a shell, but it uses magic circles to operate?’

The objects themselves all looked luxurious.

Perhaps it was because they were not mass-produced in a factory, but handcrafted by artisans one by one.

“How is it? Does it look a lot like the real thing?”

And a silhouette of a small black-haired boy appeared before Raul’s eyes.

“Who are you…?”

“Let me introduce myself. I am Jay, the artificial intelligence in charge of managing Connect.”

Jay’s translucent figure seemed to be projected by illusion magic.

“Jay?”

Raul tilted his head, and then suddenly asked as if he had remembered something.

“By any chance, aren’t you the only AI manager? I’m sure the manager who answered the system call was D.”

Long ago.

System Administrator D, who was summoned by Label after first connecting to Earth.

He remembered the unfriendly manager who only gave macro-like answers and robbed him of coins.

“Oh my. I apologize for what happened then. My younger brother was a bit naughty. And to answer your question, yes and no. There is only one AI, but it operates by separating into multiple personas for efficient system management.”

Raul chuckled.

It was a shame that he had lost some coins, but thanks to that, he was able to establish First Company on Earth.

“By the way, why did you bring me here? It doesn’t seem particularly special.”

If the Earth-style home appliances and furniture were special, then they were special, but he wondered what that had to do with the Core Room.

“The reason you were brought here is because of a request from our father, Lee Chang-hyeok, the creator of the Connect system. Of course, it is also to hand over complete control of the system to you.”

“Lee Chang-hyeok? Was he from Korea?”

“Oh, you know him well. My father asked me to bring you to the Core Room if an adjuster with two master keys was born. This way…”

Jay guided Raul through the living room door.

“This is my father’s study. We don’t know what’s inside.”

Click.

The door opened, and Raul slowly stepped into the room.

‘Oh my.’

Traces of the owner’s heart were left all over the study.

Models of Earth objects that could not be found here were on display, and game cartridges that seemed to have been made by hand were scattered about in disarray.

On the blackboard on one side of the room, along with a jumble of programming languages, was written in bold letters, ‘You must go back.’

For some reason, his heart felt heavy.

On the desk in front of the study.

A single book made of rough paper was placed.

‘Is it a diary…?’

Raul opened the book and delved into its contents.

-2002. The whole country was caught up in the excitement of the World Cup, but I didn’t have the luxury of enjoying soccer. This was because I was about to release a game that had been in development for several years.

-This project had to be a success. If not for anything else, for the sake of my three-year-old son, Jaehyun.

-How could this happen! In the early morning as I was returning home from work. Suddenly, the road beneath me gave way, and I fell somewhere with my car. When I came to, what I saw before me was a golden dragon larger than a mountain. I fainted again, thinking it was a funny dream.

-It took me half a month to accept reality. Another world! Why on earth did this happen to me?

-Ihadtogobackno matter what.Now,no one would be there to take care of my three-year-oldson,Jaehyun.Themotherof my child had passedawaygivingbirthto him,andI,anorphan,hadno relativesI couldcall family.I had hired a babysitter, but would she reallytake care of Jaehyunin my absence?

-IlearnedmagicfromtheDragonLordandlearnedabouttheworldofConnectfromthesethreewisemen.ThroughanovicebelongingtotheOrder,I studied the power of Godand divine magic.

-Ireceivedarevelation from God.Inmydream,thefuture of ConnectandEarthunfoldedbefore my eyesasifitwere reality.Resentingtheauthor,God,who had draggedme here,Ihadtomake adecision.IfI leftEarthunguardedandthegateopened,Earthwouldbe destroyedin an instant.Andso would that child….

-Igot alongwellwith Boresta(theDragonLord).Acceptinghis proposal,Ibegancreatinga“ConnectSystem”thatcouldopenthe passagewaytoEarth.He toldme that there could be variablesinthe processof connectingthe dimensions,suchastime distortionorphase transition,but I didn’tcare. Ihadto return to Earth.

Raul’sheartfelt heavy.

Thediaryentriesafterthatwerea jumble of despair,expectation,resentment,andhope.

Andapologiesfor the child he had left alone on Earth made up a considerable portion of the content.

Perhapsbecause he had grown up an orphanhimself,the guilt of having made his own child an orphan seemedto be weighingheavily on his heart.

Andthencame the latter half of the diary.

-Ihave finallycompletedthe prototype of the ConnectSystem.All that remains is to supply the enormousamount of energyneeded to operate the system,procure the materials to create an avatar,andconnectto Earth!

-Thedragonwasgreat.Borestamanagedtodeduce the coordinatesof Earthwith just the tracesleft on my body.Andhe securedthe energyto operate the systemwith the heartsof dead dragons.Thecorpsesofthe dragonswouldbecome the base material for producingavatars.

-Why! Why on earth!

Iresentedthe entire world.I had succeeded in connecting the dimensional passageway,but I couldn’tgo back.

Ihadknownfor some time that there was something wrong with my physical condition.A normalhumanbodywouldn’tbecome translucent.My body,havingalreadycrossedthe dimensional passagewayonce,wasasprecariousasacandle about to go out.

-Idecidedto find anotherway.I askedWhite,who was goingtoEarth,tolook after my child.However,I needed a device in case he couldn’tfindhim.

-Boresta’sendwasnear.Thankfully,he saidhe would use his last remainingstrengthforme.He transferreda fragmentof mysoulto thesecondMasterKey.Thanks to that,my last breathwouldbe taken,butwhat did Icare?

-Imade the MasterKey in the form of a game cartridge because it was my son Jaehyun’sfavorite thingathome.Hopingthatthe child mightrememberme evena little.

-With the power of the Lordandthe blessingofthe novice,I sentthe secondMasterKeyacrossdimensions.I could only hope that the power of fate would guide it to the child.

-If anyone is readingthisdiary,it meansyou have the secondMasterKeywith my wish in it.

I sincerelyhope that you have a connection with my son,Jaehyun.If you happen to meet the child,please tell him.

That his father neverabandonedhim.That I’m so sorry and that I love him….

Themoment I finishedreadingthe last entryof the diary.

Themagic circle engravedon the last page activated,and all the information about the son that Lee Chang-hyukrememberedflowed into Raul’smind.

Before he knewit,tearswerestreamingdownRaul’sface.

What did those tearsmean?

* * *

Click.

After a longwhile,Raulcame outof the study.

“Are you comingout,Master?”

JaybowedhisheadtoRaul,who was now recognizedas the true owner of the ConnectSystem.

“Guide me to the realcontrolroom.”

“Understood.”

As the front door opened,a completelydifferent landscape appeared.

An observationdeckoverlookinga hugargarage.

A spacious control room reminiscent of an airport control tower welcomed him.

And what appeared beyond the window was the body of a colossal gold dragon.

“That’s the remains of Lord Boresta.”

Even without Jay’s additional comment, he would have recognized it right away.

The various magic circles engraved on his remains and the tubes inserted into them were connected to strange machines installed in a wide plaza.

“They are turned off now, but those were the Avatar production facilities. When Earthlings access the game through the capsule, their souls would be transferred into the Avatars produced here and sent to various parts of the continent.”

‘So that’s it. This is the origin of what made us mistake Connect for a game.’

To create a real body, not a virtual one, and breathe a soul into it.

Raul could not even imagine how they created such a device.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the dragon’s remains, a huge structure resembling a temple was encasing something round.

‘That’s the giant magic circle that ended the ancient continental war!’

The miraculous object that had blown away Connect’s mana with divine power was slumbering here.

Raul, who had been looking out the window, took a step toward the central control panel.

“I’m sure you heard the explanation from your father, but now you have to make a choice. At this rate, the Connect system won’t last long.”

What the creator, Lee Chang-hyuk, left behind was not just memories of his son.

He had informed him of the true purpose of the Connect system and what could be done through it.

The Connect system was not a simple system that connected Connect and the players on Earth.

That was just the superficial function of the system.

In reality, it was a planetary management system capable of interfering with the dimensional barrier surrounding the planet Connect.

After the ancient continental war ended,

While the dark dragon, Marbleoness, was establishing an empire through humans,

Lord Boresta worked with the temple to clean up the remnants of the gates remaining in various parts of the continent.

Forbidden areas were created, and the gates of the魔族 were sealed.

After that, there had been a series of confrontations between the empire trying to break the seal and the guardians and descendants of the Lord trying to stop it.

However, the blown-away mana was bound to return gradually, and the Connect system was the last resort prepared for that.

Thus, a control system was born that mobilized the sealed areas scattered throughout the continent, the super-giant magic circle, the bodies of dragons, and even the power of God.

‘The fact that the gates were created mainly on the kingdom side, not on the empire’s land, was also intentional.’

Thanks to that, the kingdoms suffered great damage at the beginning of the game, but it was an unavoidable choice.

The empire, which handled black magic, could control the gate monsters.

The empire’s demon soldiers were a prime example of that.

And in order for the players arriving from Earth to grow, the gates had to be concentrated on the kingdom side.

And now that all the scenarios were over.

Most of the Connect system’s energy was being used to block the gates targeting the planet Connect.

However, there was a limit to how much it could withstand all those attempts.

The Demon World Tower was the result.

The Connect system’s defensive wall was broken, and the suppressed energy mass-produced high-level gates.

And now, the Connect system was waiting for Raul’s choice.

“Haah.”

A Connect system message popped up in front of Raul, who let out a deep sigh.

– The invasion energy of the dimensional gate will soon exceed the energy of the Connect system.

– The stored energy is gradually being depleted, and eventually the system itself will stop operating.

– You, the Adjuster, must make a decision before the stored energy is depleted.

– Two methods are proposed.

– First.

Mobilize all energy to isolate the planet Connect from all dimensions.

In this case, no more gates will be created, and the planet Connect will be able to exist all by itself.

The amount of mana will remain the same, it will not be affected by external influences, and the residents of Connect may be able to enjoy peace.

– Second.

Accept the dimensional energy without going against the flow of nature.

In this case, the gate will be generated more actively than before.

Instead, use the accumulated energy and dimensional energy to form a buffer barrier outside the connected planet.

The barrier will be a protective shield that will restrict the power and activity of those who come through the dimensional gate.

However, be careful.

In this case, energy from other dimensions that have not been contacted before may also flow in.

-What is your choice, adjuster?

Raul closed his eyes and looked back on what had happened so far.

His life as Bae Do-hyun in his previous life.

His life as Raul in this life.

The numerous relationships he had met in those lives and those he had to protect in the future.

And even a certain fateful pull that had led him to this place.

Raul opened his eyes after finishing his thoughts.

There was a strong determination in his glowing golden eyes.

“My choice is…”

* * *

“A magic message has arrived from the US branch.”

The bustling situation room suddenly became quiet.

The man who had been looking at the world map marked with various symbols turned his head towards the communication officer.

His face was a little haggard, but his eyes were alive. He was Ilwoo.

“Report.”

“Yes. The Los Angeles liberation operation attempted at 00:00 on the 17th… It was a failure. During the operation, a new A-class gate appeared….”

Ilwoo squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Even that place….’

The situation room was filled with a gloomy atmosphere after receiving the bad news.

The world map attached to the front of the situation room was mostly occupied by the red color representing the monsters’ territory.

It had been three years since the connection with Connect was cut off.

Humanity was still struggling.

Although they had prepared for it, chaos was inevitable in a situation where most of the heads of state had evaporated.

Moreover, as the amount of mana increased, the existing human devices that used electricity gradually reached the end of their lifespan.

However, one consolation was that there was no shortage of food thanks to the faster growth of plants.

‘The decrease in population must have had an effect as well.’

And existing devices were being replaced by a new method called magic.

Although it was still in its early stages, a generator that utilized mana stones had been developed.

However, the speed at which gates appeared and eroded was faster than the speed at which humanity was adapting.

Now, it was difficult to call it human territory except for the shelters of the First Company and certain areas where the ‘gate generation prevention boundary stone’ they provided was installed.

They had tried to counterattack while overcoming such difficult times, but as you can see, they had failed one after another.

‘It’s dangerous at this rate. If something doesn’t happen, eventually….’

Ilwoo shook his head to get rid of the bad thoughts that were running through his head.

He was the representative of the Awakened organization Guardians and an idol to all Awakened.

He could never show himself disappointed or discouraged.

Clack, clack.

“Well, it’s too early to be disappointed! Based on the information we’ve gained this time, if we try again, we’ll definitely…. Huh?”

For some reason, Ilwoo, who had been trying to encourage people, stopped talking.

His eyes were shaking violently as he found someone who shouldn’t be here.

“Have you been well? You’re still having a hard time.”

“H, how did you get here…?”

The moment the other person’s smiling hand touched Ilwoo’s shoulder.

-It’s nice to see you again, player Kim Ilwoo.

-The Connect system has been updated. Would you like to connect?

-The end-

The first serialization started on May 22nd last year.

Somehow, I ended up finishing the work on the exact first anniversary.

I think I was able to safely reach the destination called the ending thanks to the support, encouragement, and advice of all of you readers.

There are many regrets, and there are still stories that I haven’t been able to tell you, but I would like to leave the remaining parts as your share.

I will take a short break and plan a better work and greet you again.

In the meantime, I would like to sincerely thank all the readers who have been with me, and I hope that only bright flowers will bloom in your future.

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