# Chapter 469: Side Story 142
What happened before Nerian came to the Artia Royal Palace.
In other words, in a certain dimension where she had been.
The sudden bankruptcy of her company.
Employees scattering in all directions.
Pursuers closing in on her with every passing moment.
She was completely cornered.
Now there was only one option left.
Fleeing across dimensions.
In truth, even this was difficult.
Breaking through the Dimension Travel Prevention Field required an enormous amount of energy.
But there was no other way.
In the end, she used every means at her disposal to break through the field.
In the process, she was attacked by enemies and her left power arm parts were torn off completely.
Mana Overflow and Qi Deviation.
Both came at the same time.
Because Nerian was a Magic Swordsman.
She succeeded in escaping, but becoming a cripple was unavoidable.
Or she would die.
That was how it was.
There was no paradise in the place she fled to.
Not here, not there.
Then Nerian had a strange dream.
Someone pressed a piece of paper into her hand and whispered.
To accept this.
That if she accepted and agreed, everything would be fine.
What did she have to lose in this situation?
So she accepted it.
The moment she consciously decided to accept, she heard a mechanical sound.
A status window, something about moving into the White Tower, and so on.
After that, a sweet liquid entered her mouth, and her dantian and heart, which had been in excruciating pain, became calm.
Finally, Nerian opened her eyes.
An unfamiliar landscape entered her vision.
‘Hmm?’
Where is this?
Her last memory was beneath the World Tree in the Artia Royal Palace.
‘Did I survive?’
And with her mana and internal energy in a very stable state at that.
Although the damage to her left arm parts remained, it seemed she had avoided becoming a cripple.
It was not a dream.
As if she could not even tell that much.
‘There is no way my descendants treated me.’
There was no way there would be someone capable of curing Mana Overflow in the kingdom.
At that moment!
“Oh my, you’re awake, sunbae-nim!”
“…”
Who is this?
Sunbae-nim, they say.
“Wh-where is this?”
“Nerian sunbae-nim, don’t worry. This is a safe place.”
“…I see.”
But why do they keep calling me sunbae-nim?
“I’m also a Dimensional Traveler. My name is Bong Ju-hyeok. Hahaha.”
“Ah!”
“I had business at the Artia Royal Palace, and Queen Serena asked me to bring you here.”
She could guess what had happened.
This person was her savior.
How could she just lie there?
Nerian forced herself to sit up and spoke.
“Thank you so much. I will definitely repay you for saving my life.”
“Ah, don’t get up, please lie down. Make yourself comfortable.”
There were many other people around besides him.
She could clearly feel the aura they exuded.
Each and every one of them was powerful.
None of them were below her level.
“These are my companions. We’re family who eat from the same pot.”
All of them were his companions?
Were they guild or clan members?
From the atmosphere, it seemed Bong Ju-hyeok was the head of the organization.
Nerian quietly observed Ju-hyeok.
An unremarkable appearance with a kind impression.
‘He’s too ordinary…. Hm?’
In that moment, Nerian realized.
Dimensional Traveler Bong Ju-hyeok.
Something enormous hidden behind that ordinariness.
‘Ah….’
And she was overwhelmed.
Her heart involuntarily shrank back.
With a trembling voice,
“C-could you perhaps be a god?”
“Not at all. I’m human.”
“…”
“Really! Why does everyone keep calling me a god when they see me?
I’m just a 26-year-old young man who hasn’t even gotten married yet.
How unfair.”
“It can’t be helped. Your Divine Status keeps showing unconsciously.”
“Isn’t there a way to prevent it from showing?”
“Why wouldn’t there be? Just hide it. I’ll teach you how to conceal your presence.”
“That sounds great, please teach me quickly.”
“Yes sir! For Summoner Bong-nim, it won’t even take 10 minutes to learn.”
That aside.
When did this guy get released?
He was hanging there just a moment ago.
“I released myself. How could I stay hanging when Summoner Bong-nim arrived? Hehehe.”
Right.
Good job.
Anyway.
“Nerian-nim.”
“Yes?”
“May I ask how you ended up in this situation?”
“Ah, th-that is.”
“If it’s difficult to talk about….”
“No. I’ll tell you.”
“Oh! Actually, I have something to tell you as well. It’s related to you, Nerian-nim.”
Nerian tilted her head.
Related to her?
What could it be?
She would find out soon enough.
“I’ll have to start from the Continental Great War a thousand years ago. Many people and elves lost their lives. My younger brother was also missing. It was a tragic reality. In the midst of that…”
The story began.
It was a very long one.
* * *
Nerian, who felt the emptiness of life from the devastation of war.
How could she not, when the people around her were dying one by one?
Her younger brother was also missing.
The demon army that intervened in the Continental War had taken her brother as a prisoner.
His soul had probably been consumed.
Or he had become a slave to demons.
Then, by chance, she gained the ability to travel between dimensions.
This was an opportunity.
To escape from the tiresome Skaldion.
The war was also reaching its final stages.
The victory of the elves was assured.
The Demon King’s armies had also withdrawn.
And so began her dimensional journey.
She traveled through countless worlds.
Fantasy realms and Gangho, magical engineering, parallel Earths, primitive Earths where civilization had not yet begun, and so on.
She faced countless crises.
Once, while traveling through Gangho, she got into a dispute with someone called Doma, the Blade Demon, and lost her left arm fighting him.
Nerian suddenly became one-armed.
But her dimensional travels did not stop.
For hundreds of years.
She would live somewhere for a while, then go to a new world, then leave again.
Then she arrived at a certain dimension.
Nerian decided to settle there.
Though it was essentially a forced settlement.
But it was fine.
Because it was a world where elves existed.
Anyway, where did Nerian arrive?
“It was Cyberpunk Earth.”
“…Oh.”
Nerian described it in detail.
A place where martial arts, magic, and science coexisted, like Earth 561.
Moreover, those three had combined to achieve dazzling advancements in future civilization.
It was also a multi-racial society.
Humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin, even demons.
Also, green skins like orcs, goblins, trolls, and ogres lived there with intelligence.
Because elves existed, Nerian had decided to settle down.
“I struggled a lot at first.”
“Of course. You wouldn’t have had any foundation.”
“That’s not it. I was wanted as a criminal.”
Huh?
A criminal?
What bad thing did she do?
“Dimensional Travelers are top-priority wanted targets there.”
What the.
Words she never imagined.
“No matter what?”
“Yes.”
“They already knew about the existence of Dimensional Travelers in that world?”
“Yes. They knew.”
Well, thinking about it, it was not that strange.
The Kalzenia Dimension was the same.
“But how do they determine if someone is a Dimensional Traveler?”
They all look like ordinary people on the outside.
“There’s a system that detects a Dimensional Traveler’s dimensional gate. The moment it opens, specialized response forces are immediately deployed. Then they arrest the traveler who opened the gate.”
If caught?
“Execution.”
“…”
Scary.
“Actually, the moment I was being tracked, I tried to go to another dimension. By opening a dimensional gate.”
That makes sense.
How could they catch a Dimensional Traveler?
If things go wrong, just open a gate and escape.
“But I failed.”
“…Why?”
“A field had been deployed. A Dimension Travel Prevention Field.”
Things were getting more and more interesting.
“When that’s deployed, can you not open a gate at all?”
“Not at all. Think of it as spear and shield. If you’re strong, you can break through; if you’re weak, you get blocked.”
“I see.”
“At the time, my abilities were lacking.”
So she got caught?
“Fortunately, I escaped the pursuit. Then I hid in the slums. There I met new connections.”
Nerian’s eyes were becoming moist.
“They were elves from Cyberpunk Earth. They all had difficult circumstances, but they welcomed me warmly. So I decided to settle there.”
The story continued.
With the help of the elves, she created a new identity and established a foundation in the cyberpunk world.
She also started a company.
Because it was a world of extreme capitalism.
World Tree Trading Company.
The company grew and grew, and Nerian came to possess considerable power in that world.
She gained wealth, power, and fame together, and replaced her lost left arm with mechanical parts.
“Then I suddenly thought about it. How my homeland Skaldion had changed.”
That was natural.
No matter how much she did not want to return, it was still her homeland, was it not?
Of course she would be curious.
“The problem was the dimensional gate. To go to my homeland, I had to open a dimensional gate.”
Because she could be detected.
“From then on, I researched ways to avoid the dimensional gate detection system. As far as possible from the city, underground rather than on the surface, with a shielding barrier as well, and then I opened the dimensional gate.”
And so she arrived at the Skaldion dimension.
Nerian’s homeland.
“It had changed a lot. Especially that elves and humans were living together in a coexisting society.”
Was she shocked?
“Why would I be? Cyberpunk Earth was also a multi-racial coexisting society.”
Right.
Racial purity was meaningless.
“While wandering around the changed world, I heard shocking news. That a new race of demons had been born in the Demon Realm.”
She was talking about Dark Elves.
“Yes, Dark Elves. Demons created when elves who were dragged to the Demon Realm were corrupted by demonic energy.”
What was her choice?
“Hoping that going to the Demon Realm might give me news of my brother, after hundreds of failures, I opened a dimensional gate to the Demon Realm.”
From here, it was a story Ju-hyeok also knew.
“I invaded the Dark Elf Kingdom. But….”
“Your brother was the Demon King, right? Kadian Artia.”
“…What? H-how did you?”
“He countered that it wasn’t corruption but evolution.”
“Ah.”
An expression of shock appeared on Nerian’s face.
“But right now, that person isn’t even a Demon King.”
“What?”
“He became a god. A Demon God.”
“…”
At last, Nerian’s mouth fell wide open.
“Let me explain.”
Ju-hyeok took over the story.
Nerian became increasingly absorbed in the unbelievable facts.
“That’s how it happened.”
“…”
“Just because he’s a Demon God doesn’t mean you need to be afraid. There are good Demon Gods too.”
“…”
What on earth is this person?
He says he’s not a god but he creates gods?
“It couldn’t be helped. The Divine Status chose Kadian, so please don’t blame me.”
Nerian snapped back to her senses.
“N-no, not at all. How could I blame you? That was also Kadian’s choice.”
Right?
I just played the role of supervisor.
And Nerian’s story resumed.
The events that occurred after meeting Kadian and returning to Cyberpunk Earth.
“Nothing happened after I returned to Cyberpunk Earth. I went back to my daily life. But that was a huge mistake.”
Hmm.
“I didn’t know that the dimensional gate detection system could detect gates even underground, even with a shielding barrier.”
“One day, my company was suddenly declared bankrupt, and specialized combat response forces came crashing in.”
Oh dear.
“I was outnumbered. I barely escaped. I broke through the Dimension Travel Prevention Field at the cost of Mana Overflow….”
“And you escaped to the Artia Royal Palace.”
“Yes.”
And Queen Serena discovering her and Ju-hyeok treating her was the end of the story.
Tsk tsk.
A pitiful life.
She wanted to leave her homeland and settle in another dimension to live happily, but even there she was treated as a criminal and became a fugitive.
“So what do you plan to do now?”
“I have to go back.”
“To Cyberpunk Earth?”
“Yes. That place is my home now. All my friends are there.”
Should I help?
First, the most pressing question.
“But why are you treated as a criminal just for being a Dimensional Traveler?”
“I don’t really know. They say Dimensional Travelers caused major incidents in the past…. There seems to be more to it, but I couldn’t find out.”
Hmm.
Honestly, it was certainly suspicious in many ways.
‘I should go talk to Team Leader Eina.’
Let’s go tattle.
“Nerian-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“Rest well here. I’ll go somewhere briefly.”
“…A-alright.”
* * *
Ju-hyeok went to the Dimensional Management Bureau.
When he told Team Leader Eina about Nerian Artia’s situation again.
“A world that treats Dimensional Travelers as criminals?”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
“…Any other reason?”
“I heard there was none.”
“These crazy bastards!”
Team Leader Eina flew into a rage.
If she had actually committed a crime, that would be one thing.
A crime solely for being a Dimensional Traveler?
This was absolutely unacceptable.
“I’m furious.”
“Me too.”
“I can’t contain it.”
“Don’t contain it.”
“I’m going to request the Dimension Removal Team to eliminate that world.”
“…Please contain it.”
Elimination is going too far.
“Investigator Bong Ju-hyeok-nim.”
“Yes!”
“Could you do me one favor?”
Hmm.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.
A feeling that more work was coming.
I just finished a mission.
“The honor of Dimensional Investigators has fallen. This is also an insult to our Bureau.”
Dimensional Investigators were also Dimensional Travelers.
Investigators could also become criminals.
Of course, only in Cyberpunk Earth.
“I want to eliminate the dimension…. But we should at least know the truth, shouldn’t we?”
Ju-hyeok was also curious.
Why dimensional travel was a crime.
Not illegal time regression travel, but normal horizontal travel.
“I officially request Dimensional Investigator Bong Ju-hyeok-nim. Please investigate.”
“…Hmm.”
“I’ll give you one free coupon for the Dimensional Auction House.”
“I don’t really have anything to buy….”
This was a dilemma.
Whether to accept or not.
“To the Three Hermit Immortals of the Celestial Realm….”
“I can’t reach them.”
“Shall I contact them for you?”
“No. I want a proven investigator. That person is you, Ju-hyeok-nim.”
“I’m not confident. I’m good at smashing things though.”
“Smashing things is also a method of investigation. Something will come out if you keep smashing.”
Haa.
“The Bureau will spare no support.”
Support, huh.
In that case?
“Could you possibly get me another Supreme Dimension Stone like the one I received before?”
“Yes! I’ll try to get one. 2, no, 3 even.”
Ah, whatever.
“Yes, I’ll give it a try.”
Eina grabbed Ju-hyeok’s hand.
“Show them exactly what a Dimensional Investigator is. I believe in you, Investigator Bong Ju-hyeok-nim.”
Alright.
But don’t complain if the investigation fails.
I’ll definitely do a good job of smashing things instead.
By the way, your hands are very soft.
And warm too.
* * *
-Spot!
Ju-hyeok returned to the White Tower.
“Summoner Bong-nim! How did it go?”
“Tell all the Summoned Beings to gather.”
“Yes sir!”
-Rumble.
The Summoned Beings gathered.
“It looks like we have another mission.”
“What kind of mission?”
“Restoring the honor of Dimensional Travelers.”
“Sabonggaeng?”
You caught on.
That’s right.
Ju-hyeok nodded his head.
Sabonggaeng, following Ibonggaeng, Gangbonggaeng, Deubonggaeng, and Mabonggaeng.
“It’s Sabonggaeng!!! Shout it out!!!”
The Summoned Beings cheered.
“Sabonggaeng!”
“It’s Sabonggaeng!”
“So it’s Sabonggaeng.”
“Sabonggaeng!!!”
“I’ve been waiting for Sabonggaeng.”
“Sabonggaeng is the best.”
To properly wreak havoc, preparation came first.
Nerian had not yet recovered either.
Time passed quickly.
The Summoned Beings working hard for Sabonggaeng.
And so all preparations were complete.
How to get to Cyberpunk Earth?
Ju-hyeok spoke while looking at Nerian.
“Nerian sunbae-nim.”
“…Yes.”
“Please open a dimensional gate to Cyberpunk Earth.”
“W-we might get caught.”
“It’s fine. We’re going there to get caught.”
After a moment of hesitation.
Nerian drew a large circle in the air with both arms.
-Bzzzzt!
At the same time, a dimensional gate formed.
“I’ll go first. Follow me.”
-Swoosh!
Ju-hyeok crossed through the dimensional gate.
Nerian followed.
-Swoosh!
And so Ju-hyeok and Nerian arrived at Cyberpunk Earth.
-Ding!
[Dimensional Investigator Bong Ju-hyeok-nim is currently on a mission.]
[The Dimensional Investigator’s unique system has been successfully applied to Cyberpunk Earth.]
[Language ability for Cyberpunk Earth is granted to the Dimensional Investigator.]
[This is a special mission. Show them the dignity of a Dimensional Investigator.]
Yes.
Starting Sabonggaeng now.
I’m going to go completely all out.
Don’t complain later.
