* * *
Victor was a kind-hearted guy, even though he didn't show any expression of kindness or warmth on his face.
"That's right, he even healed and treated me without asking for anything in return."
Lyrium, already familiar with Victor's personality, just smiled wryly as he scratched the back of his head.
He was roaming around the bustling city of Mario, since he had already gotten everything he wanted from the Black Market.
The skill he wanted, the weapon he wanted, he had already gotten everything.
Since he had everything he needed, he left the Black Market two hours ago.
Lyrium took out his phone from his left pocket and turned on the display, revealing the time in the top right corner, 12:24 P.M.
"Let's head to the Great Peak then..."
Lyrium smirked as he made his way toward the metro train station.
He was heading to Asia to obtain the remaining sword art.
Upon arriving at the metro station, he stood in front of the train doors, which had yet to open.
[Traveler, please line up and board the train respectfully to avoid any commotion. This trip is from Mario Town in Russia to Chungcheon in Korea.]
[I repeat, this trip is from Mario Town in Russia to the countryside of Korea, Chungcheon. Please board the train.]
The robot-like female voice echoed those words as the train doors began to open slowly, causing the crowd to rumble and surge toward the entrance.
'What the hell…'
Lyrium narrowed his eyes as he watched the crowd surge forward.
'It hasn't even been a full minute since that announcement told everyone to board respectfully without causing a commotion, and look at this mess.'
He sighed inwardly, shaking his head in disbelief as the people around him jostled and pushed, each one desperate to get a seat before the others.
"Seriously?"
He muttered under his breath, voice laced with sarcasm.
"'Please enter the train respectfully', they said. 'Avoid any commotion', they said. And here we are, less than sixty seconds later, practically starting a stampede like it's the end of the world. Might as well have said, 'Fight to the death for a window seat.'"
Lyrium took a small step back, letting the chaotic wave of passengers rush in first.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and smirked.
"Yeah... real respectful."
The society in this novel was unlike anything from the world Lyrium once knew.
Everyone was an Awakened, individuals blessed with mana and elemental powers, so fear held no place in daily life.
Power wasn't something rare or reserved for the elite; it was common, expected.
With such overwhelming strength spread across the population, traditional systems like police, governments, or even laws had long since crumbled.
There were no authorities to enforce order, no officials to mediate disputes.
And yet, chaos didn't completely reign.
The one rule that kept society from falling into total anarchy was simple but absolute: no one was allowed to kill.
This singular law wasn't enforced by any worldly institution, but by the powerful and mysterious Deviants Academy, a governing force that loomed over the Awakened world like a silent judge.
Lyrium took a calm step forward, letting the crowd rush past him and flood into the train first.
He had no interest in getting caught up in the senseless scramble for seats.
The noon breeze brushed past him, warm and lazy, as he finally stepped through the door.
The metallic hum of the train's interior greeted him.
Without a word, he made his way to the back and sat down on one of the few empty seats, leaning against the window and letting the chaotic noise of the city fade behind him.
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.
.
Even though the train was incredibly fast, it still took six hours to travel from Mario, Russia to Chungcheon, Korea.
The metro train wasn't just fast, it could fly.
It hovered above the ground, cutting through the skies with a sleek hum, defying gravity with ease.
It was humanity's greatest creation in transportation, the pinnacle of technological achievement.
And yet, it still fell short of reaching the speed of sound, let alone the unimaginable speed of light.
As the train neared its destination, it descended smoothly, landing on the elevated platform of Chungcheon Station.
A mechanical hiss echoed through the cabin as the exit doors began to open slowly, releasing a soft chime.
Immediately, the crowd erupted into motion.
Once again, passengers surged forward in a flurry of movement, pushing and bumping into one another in their hurry to be the first out.
The same people who had rushed to board now scrambled to leave as if every second of delay was an offense to their pride.
From the very back seat of the train, Lyrium sat quietly, unfazed by the chaos.
He watched the commotion with mild amusement, stretching his arms lazily and letting out a long yawn.
When the last of the crowd had spilled out and silence returned to the cabin, he stood up.
Calmly, peacefully, he made his way toward the exit, no rushing, no pushing.
He was the last one to leave the train, just the way he liked it.
"Haa… I'm so fucking sleepy right now,"
Lyrium muttered, rubbing his eyes as he dragged his feet across the platform, his tone laced with exhaustion and zero enthusiasm.
Lyrium, still yawning and stretching, spoke with a groggy tone as he stared at the sun dipping below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the sky.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
"Shit, it's half past six… it's already too late,"
He muttered, scratching the back of his head in frustration.
"I'll just deal with the sword art tomorrow. It's not like anyone even knows where it is anyway."
With that, he slid his phone back into his pocket and started walking, letting the quiet hum of the evening guide his steps.
He stepped out into the small city within the Chungcheon district.
The buildings around him were modest in size, most of them built in a distinctive triangular shape with slanted rooftops, giving the town a rustic yet organized feel. Colorful signboards hung above doors and windows, each painted with neatly written Korean characters that glowed faintly under the evening light.
"Namgwool Hotel?"
Lyrium read aloud, his eyes landing on a sign just across the street.
He wasn't surprised he could understand it.
Korean was his second native language, after all.
And even if it hadn't been, the world had evolved, mana communication made it possible to understand any language with just a bit of mana flow and mental focus.
Barriers like dialect and translation no longer existed for those who were Awakened.
Still, a part of him appreciated being able to read it naturally.
It made things feel a little more… familiar.
At least there were hotels in a small town like this.
Lucky for him, he could stay in one of them without needing to search further.
"I'm lucky it's not a damn motel,"
Lyrium muttered with a sigh of relief, heading toward the entrance of one of the hotels.
The exterior looked simple enough, but the moment he stepped through the door, his eyes widened slightly.
Inside was a vast, luxurious lobby, far too spacious for what the outer structure suggested.
Elegant chandeliers floated mid-air, the walls were lined with shimmering mana crystals, and the floor beneath his feet reflected the ceiling like polished glass.
'Tch… is fourth-dimensional space really this cheap now?'
He clicked his tongue, the thought echoing in his head.
He was beginning to doubt the pricing of fourth-dimensional expansion technology.
The devices used to bend space had once been considered high-tier, but now he saw them almost everywhere, from street shops to casual inns.
What was once a rare marvel was becoming just another standard feature in architecture.
His eyes wandered across the lobby, eventually meeting the gaze of several others already inside.
Most of them appeared to be Asian couples, some chatting quietly, others sitting near the ambient mana-lit fireplace.
Lyrium let out a quiet exhale and adjusted his cloak.
"Alright… let's check in, crash for the night, and find that sword art tomorrow."
As Lyrium enters the hotel walking towards the female manager, manh gazes shifted towards him since he was only the one who look different un the room.
Lyrium wasn't a native asian like then, he was a russian.
"May i help you sir?" Upon reaching near the female manager, he stood in front if her as she asked Lyrium.
"Yeah, can i rent a room for tonight only?"
"Ofcourse, can you please tell me your name so that we can continue proceeding"
Lyrium hesitated for a seconds but instantly guves in and continues
"Its Lyrium Blackwood"
Upon hearing his name, the manager lady have a problem pronouncing his name since she was a korean and his mame consists of letter that was hard for koreans to pronounce.
But Lyrium corrected her as she placed a hologram paler in front of him.
"That'll be 150,000 Uber and please sign here"
She placed the hologram paper in the table and beside it was a metal silver card. Probably to unlock the room lock.
Lyrium instantly sign the. paper and eventually paid the lady through his phone to her wristband and took the card sd be started walking towards the staircase.
"Sigh..." he let an inward sigh as he saw sll the people were now doing there own work, earlier when allt he people were staring at him, the atmosphere was awkward.
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Upon walking for 15 minutes, hee finally reach the 56th floor where his room was located.
Lyrium couldn't use the mana teleportation nor the elevator since it was out if service.
He was lucky and unlucky at the same time.
As he finally found his room on the hall of the 56th floor, he stood in front of the door as he extended his card and swap it on the mirror like plate that was jn front of the door lock.
'Ting!'
As the door unlocked, Lyiurm instantly open the door revealingthe vast and luxurious room.
"Seriously....Again?"
It was the 4th dimensional saove artifact again.
In the Path of the Elemental sage, 4the dimensional saoce Artifact was a rare and unique Artifact for expanding space according to what the user wants.
But upon finding the rare Artifact everywhere, Lyrium started ti doubt if the Artifact was really rare or not?
"Lets think about it tomorrow.....I want to sleep right now....." Lyrium murmured as he rub his eyes and rushed towards rhe king size bed and jumo in it
'Thud!'
* * *
"Haa..." Lyrium yawn as he open his eyes and sat on the bed stretching his hands.
He stood up and turn on the lights of the room reflecting a golden vibrant.
The room look like the one from the ancient Victorian era that were made for the qween or the king even though they were living in the 26th century according to him.
He instantly brush his teeth snd dashed towards the bedroom again to change his cloths. He have tk hurry since his rent was only for one night.
"I'll just eat something when i reach the place."
Right, he Hasn't eat anything since he left Black market.
Unfortunately for him, the elevator nor the mana teleportation wasn't there yet.
The elevator eas out of service snd for the mana teleportation....
"Insufficient Mana.....Fuck..!" He cursed as he saw the transparent sign board.
"Why do i have to use the fucking stairs again??!!"
A sign of defeat escaped Lyrium's mouth as he walks towards the stair case and stare at it.
"Will i die if i jumo from here?"
He really is in a hurry that he even want to jump from the 56th floor.
Poor Guy..
"Haa.....Lets just go.." He let out a sigh as he instantly rush towards the staircase.
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After 15 minutes, Lyiurm finally reach the main lobby where he met with many new faces again, except, the lady manager with small face, bleached silver hair snd long white eyelashes was still there.
Since she is the manager, ofcourse
Lyrium stoid in front of the manager as she spoke smiling warmly upon noticing Lyrium "I hope you enjoyed the nights sleep Sir Ririum.."
"Yess thank you and its Lyrium, not Ririum and heres the card" Lyrium handed the metal silver catlrd to the lady.
"I'll be going then"
The manager nodded respectfully as Lyrium turn his back and walks towards the exit eventually exiting the hotel revealing the lively small town of Chungcheon.
He checks the time on his phonewhich shows, 6:03 A.M. on the screen
"Lets get going then.....to jeju island"
His plan was to head to Chungcheon from Mario and directly go to Jeju Island from Chungcheon since there wasn't any metro station in Jeju island.
"If i remember correctly, i also can get a rare elements there" Lyrium place his finger on his chin as he walks on thhe street.
There wasn't any elements store in Black Market because the people haven't discovered that elements can also be sell and use like skills and Artifacts.
"For the current timeline, since the main story haven't started yet, no one will be able to discover the elements crystal, also, the main plot will not be much affected" Lyrium said making a thoughtfull look.
For the passersby, he was a madman talking to himself on the street.
"Well i don't care, lets get the sword art of the great Odachi....."
* * *
Thanks for reading.....!!!