The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 180

"I'm really here."

Raven looked down at her own body, which was floating in the air as if in outer space, with a sense of wonder.

Raven stood there for a moment, then shook her head vigorously to pour cold water on her drowsy mind, and then looked around.

At that, a space that looked as vast as the universe but had a completely opposite white color came into Raven's eyes.

"Strange."

Looking at it, Raven muttered in a low voice with a puzzled expression.

The place Raven was in now was a world that had materialized Lee Shin's mental state as an image.

That's why it usually showed the appearance of the place one thought of as most comfortable or the place one had been in the most unconsciously, but nothing could be seen here.

On top of that, that wasn't the only strange thing.

Normally, Lee Shin, who had been with Raven, should have also entered this place with the power of the jewel and be lying unconscious nearby.

But no matter how much she looked around, Lee Shin's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Even though Raven, who had created this dream world by breaking the jewel, should have the authority and power to achieve what she wanted.

"A defective product, how annoying. I don't know what's going on."

Raven, who had been grumbling for a while, thought for a moment and then tilted her head.

"Or is it a side effect of using the jewel strangely?"

The jewel was an item she had chosen from among the things the temple had shown her, telling her to choose one when she took on this mission.

It was an item called the [Jewel of Memory], an artifact said to have been made by a mage who boasted of outstanding skills of LV.7, that is, the 7th circle, and it was an amazing item that allowed the user to look at and adjust the memories of the target who had inhaled the smoke as they wished, whether it was one person or several.

The only flaws were that there was a limit to the number of uses and that the usage was limited.

Raven spaced out for a moment, then flapped her wings and moved to another place.

First, she was going to find Lee Shin.

Even if she met Lee Shin, the artifact might not work properly, but she had no regrets about using the jewel.

Because just as Lee Shin had been curious about Raven, Raven had also become a little curious about Lee Shin.

Flap-

'If this hadn't happened, would I have used the jewel to carry out the mission as ordered by the family and the temple?'

Taak-

"Probably not."

Raven answered the question that had suddenly popped into her head in a low voice and flapped her wings more strongly.

In the first place, the jewel was an artifact she had chosen in the hope that her family, who did not look kindly on her, would not interfere with her, by instilling in them the thought that she was enthusiastic about the mission.

Raven looked around, searching for Lee Shin, and at the same time, thought about him.

Although he didn't match any of the ten characteristics the temple had told her about, he was a singularity with a strength comparable to them.

The things he said, the things he did, and the thoughts he had were all strange and amazing, so she was curious.

She wanted to meet Lee Shin as soon as possible and talk to him, but no matter how much she wandered around, she couldn't find him.

"Is he in a deeper place by any chance?"

Thinking that might be the case, Raven tried to create a door that led not to the current surface consciousness, but to a deeper realm of memory.

"…The door isn't being made?"

But as the door was not made as she had thought, Raven was flustered for a moment.

The fact that the door wasn't being made meant that someone was blocking the door so that it couldn't be opened.

Raven, whose thoughts had reached that point, came up with an answer to why the strange things that had happened so far had occurred, and looked up with a stiff expression.

"It seems you've been found out, doesn't it?"

"It seems so. But as I kept watching, it seems he's cooperative with this side, as you said."

As Raven looked up, the pure white space disappeared as if a cloud were being lifted, and behind it, Lee Shin and a red dragon wrapped in a faint golden light, Irehgue, appeared.

"Found you."

***

"I kept calling, but why did you only come out now?"

At Raven's somewhat grumbling words, Lee Shin came down from Irehgue's back and said.

"Why would I trust an opponent who suddenly dragged me into a place like this and show myself obediently? Of course I hid and watched how you would come out."

"…I have no particular hostility towards you."

"I know, that's why I came down. And…"

Lee Shin said that and simply waved his hand at the empty air as if splashing water.

Woong-

At that, the white color that had been surrounding all sides disappeared as if a curtain that had been wrapping the room was being lifted, as if it were dissolving in water.

And the space that had been all white had at some point changed to Lee Shin's living room.

"And I also judged that I could definitely suppress you even if you tried to do something."

"…Amazing."

Raven was impressed as she watched what Lee Shin had shown.

The place the two were in now was a world within the mind.

In other words, the statement 'you can make anything possible with will and mental strength', which only passed as a simple passion theory in reality, was the truth here.

But even so, she had never seen a person with enough mental strength to do something like this so nonchalantly like Lee Shin.

"Don't tell me…"

Raven was astonished as she watched Lee Shin handle the space freely as if he were dominating it, and at the same time, she realized why a situation that had deviated from her expectations had been created even though she had activated the artifact.

"Were you… rejecting the power of the artifact with your mental strength?"

"Huh? Ah, yes. Since I was born, I've been carrying something a little annoying, so I'm confident that I won't lose in terms of mental strength."

"You're the only one in the world who would describe that impulse as just annoying."

At Lee Shin's words, Irehgue, who had at some point reduced his size again, got on top of his head and grumbled.

But Raven just stared at Lee Shin blankly, without even noticing Irehgue's change.

Raven's eyes, as she looked at Lee Shin, who was talking to Irehgue, were complicated, with numerous thoughts swirling and mixing.

'Even if mental-type magic doesn't work on people with strong mental strength, to resist the power of an artifact made by a high-ranking mage of the 7th circle with just pure mental strength, without the help of any artifact or other mage.'

"Is that possible?"

At Raven's words, Lee Shin said, pointing at himself with his finger.

"It is. I'm already proving it in reality, aren't I?"

"…I see."

At Lee Shin's words, Raven forced herself to nod her head and then sat down on the chair in front of the one Lee Shin was sitting on, as if she were collapsing.

Lee Shin, satisfied that a stage for conversation had finally been created, looked at Raven, and Raven, feeling her curiosity about Lee Shin growing even more, looked at him.

"So, what's the reason you did such a troublesome thing? If it was just to talk, wouldn't it have been enough to do it there?"

"No, if I hadn't used this method, I wouldn't have been able to explain."

Raven said that and pointed to the part where her heart was with her finger.

"Because I have a restriction that prevents me from giving information to the people here."

"A restriction… then is this okay now?"

At Lee Shin's words, Raven nodded her head.

"It's okay because it's a way of sharing memories, not talking."

"Hmm, that restriction seems very flimsy."

Although Lee Shin said that, it was actually the opposite.

Even after breaking the artifact made by a 7th-circle mage to the point where it could never be used again and sacrificing it, the limit was to convey information by sharing memories, not by talking.

It was an incredibly strong restriction.

"Then I just have to receive your memories now?"

"Yes, but there's something you need to know before that."

"What is it?"

"Don't move your head suddenly."

As Lee Shin tilted his head, Irehgue tapped his head with his tail, expressing his dissatisfaction.

For reference, since both of them were in a spiritual body state now, the physical blow was transmitted, and his head hurt normally.

Raven looked at Irehgue for a moment and then asked.

"Who is that?"

"Huh? Ah, this is Irehgue… it's a little complicated to explain, but it's easier to just think of him as a guy who's cohabiting with me in my body."

Since it was too complicated to explain in detail, Lee Shin just explained it in a roundabout way as much as possible.

Thankfully, Raven also seemed to have roughly understood and nodded her head slightly.

"Anyway, what was it that I needed to know before that?"

"A precaution."

"A precaution?"

As Lee Shin repeated his words, Raven nodded her head as if that were it.

"Memories are similar to water. So if something flows to your side, that much also flows to my side."

"Hmm, so if I see 10 years of your memories, you also see 10 years of my memories?"

"No, if the difference in mental strength between the parties is severe, the amount that flows to the side with weaker mental strength decreases."

"Really? Then, is that all you have to say?"

"No, there's one more thing."

Raven said that and stared at Lee Shin.

"If you accept too many memories, your personalities can get mixed up."

"Personalities getting mixed up…"

At Raven's words, Lee Shin thought for a moment about what would happen.

'Does that mean another kid like Irehgue could be created? Or could I get confused about whether I'm Lee Shin or Raven, as is common in novels?'

Lee Shin thought about various things for a moment and then nodded his head.

Because for him, he couldn't miss this opportunity.

"Can you give me your memories right now?"

"Yes, it's possible right away."

"What's the range of memories you can give at once?"

"If you want, I can share my entire life from beginning to end."

"Really?"

Lee Shin said that and then smiled as if it would be fun, and Irehgue let out a small sigh as if he already knew what he was going to say.

"Then show me your entire life."

"…Really?"

"Yes, really."

The opportunity to accept and experience the memories of a completely different person might only come once in a lifetime.

'If so, I can't miss such a precious opportunity.'

-Yes, I thought you would answer like that.

Raven, as if she had noticed that Lee Shin was serious, just let out a small sigh instead of stopping him.

"I warned you."

Raven, who had said that, placed one hand on Lee Shin's forehead.

"One piece of advice, don't worry about the time inside. Because the flow of time in the mind is different from the flow of time in reality anyway."

Lee Shin nodded his head slightly at those words, quietly closed his eyes, and then accepted the memories Raven was giving him.

"Where is this again?"

As he accepted Raven's memories, Lee Shin was at some point moved to a dark space.

"I wonder. To me, it looks like a movie theater."

"Huh? Irehgue?"

"Yes, it's me."

As Lee Shin looked at the seat next to him, Irehgue, who had grown to the size of a large dog, was sitting in the seat next to him.

"Stay still. It seems to be a brief happening that occurred in the process of accepting that woman's memories."

At Irehgue's words, Lee Shin shrugged his shoulders roughly and sat down next to him.

Pyung-

At that, the screen of the huge movie theater in front of them lit up.

"Was this how memories were shown?"

"I wonder. Judging by the fact that there was no separate word, I think she probably doesn't know either."

The two said that and then quietly closed their mouths and focused on the video coming out in front of them.

The answer to the secret that not only the two of them, but everyone in the world, had so eagerly wanted an answer to, unfolded on the screen in front of Lee Shin and Irehgue.

"Oh…"

And the secret that people had so wanted to know was.

"Was it like this?"

Much more interesting than people had thought.

(End of Chapter)