Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
The Hand of Redefinition (2)
Ju-Heon merely shrugged.
Julian was hanging upside down.
The restored Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha tilted his head at the sight.
[...That's Julian, right?]
"Yeah. He's still alive."
[...He looks like he's been torn to pieces.]
"Mm. He got hit a little."
[...By who?]
"Me."
[...Captain... what the hell is wrong with you...?]
"I turned him back into human form so we could talk, but the little punk tried to run away. Besides, he's supposed to be my contract partner, secretary, chauffeur, and errand boy. Right now he's basically sweet-and-sour pork. So fix him."
[Fix him? With what? Can't you see I'm literally a cup of instant noodles right now? Besides, who goes around smashing relics without a Restorer? What kind of guts do you have?]
"Damn it, the brat suddenly started quoting Schopenhauer. Going on about, 'My life has no value,' and all that."
[...Even so, turning him into that is a bit much...]
Ju-Heon jerked his chin as if he had no choice.
"Hey, you insolent brat. Fix him."
At those words, Majesty Yu Jae-ha's lips twisted upward.
"So that's how you do things."
"Then how do you handle relics if you don't repair them?"
"I'm not some sucker who patches broken junk back together."
The previously quiet Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha immediately exploded.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha blinked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
[Who are you calling a sucker?!]
"I just smash them and make new ones."
Ju-Heon raised an eyebrow.
Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha looked utterly horrified.
"Enough. Just fix him."
[You really are a Majesty. Both of you are equally violent!]
Majesty Yu Jae-ha crossed his arms and scoffed.
"Repairing relics? That's such a cheap, commoner's way of thinking."
"Shut up."
"Shut up."
As if refusing to be lumped together, Ju-Heon and Majesty Yu Jae-ha shouted at the exact same time.
The two immediately glared at each other with mutual disgust.
But arguing wasn't the important thing right now.
If Julian wasn't repaired, none of them would be able to leave this city.
Because...
"So if something breaks, you throw it away and make a new one? Don't you hear abandoned relics crying? It's better to wear them out and repair them."
"What are you talking about? That's even more psychotic. It's more humane to dispose of them without leaving a trace."
[Analysis complete.]
[The relic 'Julian Miller' is currently administering all of the rules governing this 'City of Madness.']
[The criminal 'Seo Ju-Heon' cannot leave this city.]
[The laws must be lifted before departure is possible.]
Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha couldn't help but comment.
[...I think both of you seriously need to learn the term 'user negligence.']
The crow relayed the results of its analysis of Julian.
After checking the status window, Ju-HeOn frowned.
"...Figures. I was wondering why the Majesty of the City of Madness kept such a rigid lawbook at his side."
[Article 103] Anyone who has remained designated as an NPC for more than five years shall be isolated in a Special Zone.
[Article 201] Those isolated shall be transferred to 'the Nile.'
Julian wasn't just an ordinary relic.
Ju-Heon's eyes narrowed.
"So Dionysus must have struck some sort of deal with him to keep this city's system running."
"...The Nile?"
Whatever Julian had been doing wasn't really the issue.
The contents of those laws were.
When Julian had still been in the form of a lawbook, Ju-Heon had briefly opened him and found several highly suspicious clauses concerning this world.
[Article 74] Citizens who become too intoxicated to think rationally, or whose Madness Gauge exceeds the designated threshold, shall be forcibly designated as NPCs.
It couldn't literally be referring to the geographical river.
"The Nile" was clearly either a metaphorical location or a codename.
And the NPC designation itself was easy enough to understand.
It was the Majesty's method of neutralizing political opponents and turning them into obedient, inexpensive labor.
That much made sense.
But why isolate those workers afterward... and then send them somewhere else?
"...There's something going on."
That was why Ju-Heon had wanted to ask Julian what "the Nile" really was before binding him with a contract.
But the moment Julian regained consciousness, the bastard had bolted.
So Ju-Heon had slammed him into a wall.
Unfortunately...
He'd hit him a little too hard.
Ju-Heon reached over as though he were about to peel back the lid of Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha, who had just made a perfectly reasonable point.
Only after Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha screamed,
"I-I was joking! It was a joke!"
did Ju-Heon let him go.
"Enough. Fix him. If he's on the verge of death, I won't be able to form a relic contract with him."
"He's your companion too, isn't he?"
"Nope. In my world, he wasn't."
"...!"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha snorted.
Answering curtly, he let out a wicked chuckle.
"Why should I?"
"Don't you feel sorry for him?"
[Says the guy who beat him into that state.]
"I've got no intention of playing the fool. Besides, that isn't an ordinary relic. It's a relic created from a human being—an Unknown, in your terms. Do you really think it would be repaired the same way?"
"Then what does it need?"
At that question, Majesty Yu Jae-ha slowly curled his lips into a smile.
"Bring me a person. Dead is fine too, as long as the body's still intact. I don't want my eyes to rot."
"What?"
"Don't tell me... the Majesty who created him uses people during the restoration process too?"
"Probably."
"Any other method?"
"There might be one if you search long enough. But why waste the time and money looking for it?"
Ju-Heon's expression hardened.
Yu Jae-ha merely shrugged as if it were nothing.
[These Majesties are completely insane!]
"That thing wasn't originally a relic. It's an Unknown made from a human being. To repair it, you need material of the same grade. And what do you think that would be? Material of the same grade. Obviously... another human."
Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha practically shrieked.
Ju-Heon glared at Majesty Yu Jae-ha before finally letting out a long sigh and closing his eyes.
"I won't do something like that."
Ju-Heon looked at him with obvious disgust.
Hearing Ju-Heon's firm refusal, Majesty Yu Jae-ha simply shrugged again.
Ju-Heon's eyes flashed.
"Then don't fix him."
Majesty Yu Jae-ha turned to leave.
But Ju-Heon grabbed his shoulder roughly.
Yu Jae-ha glanced back and smirked.
[Seo Ju-Heon has activated a Majesty ability.]
[Attempting to steal the target's ability.]
The air around them began to swirl violently.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha's eyes widened in surprise.
"...What are you trying to pull this time?"
Ju-Heon's gaze had turned ice-cold.
He had completely run out of patience.
"Wait. What the hell are you—"
"I know specialists like you are expensive, but quit acting so full of yourself. Don't fool yourself into thinking you're the only one who can use that precious Creation ability of yours."
"...What?"
[Attempting Mental Theft.]
[Analyzing the core principle of the 'Creation' ability...]
For an instant, Yu Jae-ha's mind wavered.
And then—
[Partial ability absorption complete.]
[Acquired: Restructure]
"Hm. That's disappointing. Looks like I only got the restoration part."
Back when I was the female Seo Ju-Heon, I could copy abilities one hundred percent...
"...You little bastard! You actually stole my ability?!"
Maybe it's because he's another version of me from a different world... Our dispositions are similar?
Majesty Yu Jae-ha violently shook Ju-Heon's hand off.
Ju-Heon simply stepped back with a grin.
"With this, I should be able to make relics too, right?"
What a shame.
But Yu Jae-ha himself remained frozen.
He looked genuinely shaken.
Then, a moment later—
A Level 1... stole an ability from me...?
[Warning: Complete ability duplication failed.]
[Acquired Ability: Can restructure and repair existing objects.]
This wasn't merely humiliating.
It was an affront to the dignity of a Majesty.
Still, after only a brief pause, Majesty Yu Jae-ha quickly regained his composure.
Ignoring Yu Jae-ha's mocking expression, Ju-Heon reached toward Julian's collapsed body.
[Attempting Recreation (Restoration)]
[Requirement: A body material of equivalent rank (Human Body)]
Yu Jae-ha folded his arms again, twisting his lips into another mocking smile.
System notifications shattered into fragments before disappearing into the air.
"So you've gained restoration, fine. But what about the material?"
[Failed.]
Majesty Yu Jae-ha snorted.
Seeing Ju-Heon's expression, he chuckled.
"I told you. To restore that thing, you need a human."
"See? No matter how much you talk, you can't rewrite a law established by a Majesty. If you want to save that relic, someone else has to die."
Ju-Heon crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling.
Then he slowly raised one hand.
"Each city is effectively a Majesty's body."
"...What? What are you talking about?"
"Really?"
"Then this should work."
A status window appeared before him.
Power began gathering around his fingertips.
[Attempting Recreation (Restoration)]
[Requirement: A body material of equivalent rank (Human Body)]
[The Hand of Redefinition activated.]
The existing rule was forcibly rewritten.
Then—
"You said I needed an equivalent body, didn't you?"
"...?"
[Attempting Recreation (Restoration)]
[Requirement: A body material of equivalent rank (Majesty City)]
A slow smile spread across Ju-Heon's face.
"Then I'll just tear apart a Majesty's city and use that as the material."
"A Majesty's city ought to be worth at least one human life, don't you think?"
[...I really don't think that suddenly makes it legal...]
Majesty Yu Jae-ha's eyes bulged.
Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha immediately shouted at him.
[Hey! Other-dimensional me! Stop him already! At this rate the Captain's going to get arrested!]
"...What?!"
Ju-Heon simply smiled.
"My definition is whatever I decide to rewrite."
"Wai—!"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha stared at Ju-Heon in utter disgust, as though agreeing that this was exactly what he'd expect from him.
Meanwhile, Ju-Heon dashed off, looking positively delighted.
"Just what I'd expect from someone with a thief's ability. You're acting like a petty burglar."
"Great! Now I can legally destroy city property! Hahahahahaha!"
[Yeah... just like a petty burg—]
"You should aim higher."
[...What?]
"City structures have ranks too. The highest-ranking ones are the cores that keep the city running. If you're going to steal something, that's what you should target—"
"Perfect. Then let's strip everything. From the scrap metal all the way to the core."
Cup Noodles Yu Jae-ha clutched at his nonexistent head.
[...At this point, the world's destruction needs a separate category labeled 'Majesties'...]
Just then—
[The Rulebook is requesting communication.]
[This is the Rulebook. Let's talk for a moment ♥]
Ju-Heon's hand stopped.
At a time like this?