Chapter 242: Butterfly Effect (2)

I got ready quickly and headed straight to the teleportation terminal inside the Academy. There, standing behind Media, were a secretary and a male assistant. I’d seen the secretary a couple of times before, but the man was completely unfamiliar to me.

“We bow before you, Heavenly Sword.”

Both greeted me with a flawless bow, and I nodded slightly in return. I’d gotten used to this kind of protocol.

“Sorry for calling you out so early, Geom-Ma…”

Media kept sighing deeply.

“What’s the purpose of going to Antarctica?”

I shook my head and asked. The destination had shocked me so much, I hadn’t even thought to ask the reason.

“Ah, well…”

Media hesitated and mumbled, not daring to speak easily. At that moment, the secretary on her left stepped in.

“With your permission, may I explain?”

I frowned, uncomfortable.

“No need to talk like that. That kind of over-the-top formality just makes things awkward for the listener.”

“That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

The secretary firmly shook her head, showing determination. The man beside her subtly poked her in the ribs, but she remained unfazed and continued.

“We are honored to stand before you, hero of the Joaquin tragedy, the youngest among the Seven Stars, hope of humanity, Heavenly Sword. This minimum of respect is the least you deserve. If at any point you feel I’ve disrespected you, I will take my life without hesita—”

“The point.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary straightened up, clasped her hands behind her back, and fixed her gaze at a 45-degree angle forward, like reporting to a superior in the military.

“As the Director has informed you, we’re heading to the southernmost point of Earth—Antarctica. And the purpose of this sudden trip is to meet with the president of the Hero Association and father of the Academy’s Director, Victor Poi—”

“I’ll explain it. I was the one who called him, and clearly, the one causing all the trouble today is either me or, more accurately, my dad.”

Media ran a hand through her hair and signaled the secretary to step down.

“N-no, Director, I just wanted to inform the Heavenly Sword…”

“I’m already tired enough. So please, don’t make me repeat myself, okay? I’m asking you.”

Media’s voice blended kindness with a warning. Reluctantly, the secretary bit her lip.

“Understood.”

A thin line of blood appeared between her teeth. Media didn’t notice. Only the male assistant looked at her nervously. It seemed she outranked him.

‘Seriously, this world is so convenient. Going to Antarctica like it’s a walk around the block.’

On Earth, where dimensional teleportation doesn’t exist, traveling to Antarctica costs a fortune. I remember one of my first mentor’s dreams was to “fish in the Antarctic sea.” The minimum cost was about 30 to 40 million won. And here we were, going for free.

‘Saved money.’

If that guy found out, he’d drop dead from envy.

“As the secretary said, my dad, Victor Poison, is currently living in Antarctica. So we’re going to see him. I begged him to come to the Academy, but the moment he steps out, he gets homesick and refuses to go anywhere. And he wouldn’t stop shouting about wanting to see you, Geom-Ma.”

I was stunned for a moment. In just a few sentences, there were already two shocking things.

That the president of the Association lived in Antarctica, and that he wanted to see me. Which was supposed to surprise me more?

While I pondered that, Media mumbled in a low voice.

“He really made me think he had dementia. But oh well, what can we do? It’s been decades since Victor Poison showed himself in public. And for him to want to meet someone is even rarer. Clearly, this isn’t ordinary.”

“I see.”

Every time someone from the Poison lineage appears, something strange happens. What kind of family is this? Media’s exhausted voice even made me feel a little sorry for her.

“But since calling you over the weekend would’ve been rude, I waited until Monday morning. Oh, and I almost forgot. Before entering the warp—do you want to take these first?”

Media offered me two pills. A red one in her right hand and a blue one in her left. For a moment, that old sci-fi movie scene from The Matrix came to mind.

“We’re going to Antarctica, remember? If you go with just a coat, you’ll freeze instantly.”

“Makes sense.”

Media pinched the pills between her thumb and index finger, forming a circle.

“That’s why I prepared everything! This red pill has a thermal effect. It traps body heat inside. Simply put—even in a polar climate, if you take this pill, you won’t freeze.”

She said it enthusiastically.

“And if you go to a hot region, it also keeps your temperature stable.”

Internal organs can’t be trained like muscles. That’s why humans drop like flies when they get sick.

Even superhumans who fight demons aren’t an exception.

Gehenna, the Demon Realm, is a hostile, arid environment. The weather shifts without warning, and the air is saturated with mana—a toxic agent. Everything there is designed to harm humans.

The only way to survive and build immunity is to adapt. The same goes for mana.

However, developing resistance to both is impossible. Human physiology directly opposes the nature of mana.

But humanity didn’t sit still. On Earth, at least, humans are at the top of the food chain.

The brightest minds sought a solution.

If they could control even one of the two…

In that dilemma, researchers chose to focus on environment and disease. They combined their expertise and gave it their all.

For the heroes fighting demons, they fought their own war in laboratories for years. And the result was this gleaming capsule, with a shimmering red-blue hue.

‘It’s not just heroes who fight.’

Everyone has their own battle. We all carry the burden of the human-demon war.

‘And yet, nobles crush and oppress others just for being born superhuman. All to protect their privilege.’

The only difference between a hero and an ordinary person is whether they have a Blessing. But that one difference creates a massive divide in status and treatment.

‘Miserable pigs who don’t appreciate the work of citizens.’

Thinking that, I wondered if human arrogance is what spurred the recent demon surge.

‘We should be uniting more than ever…’

I gave a bitter smile and looked back at Media.

“This blue pill prevents all kinds of disease. Though most viruses can’t survive the extreme cold in Antarctica, some extremely resistant ones remain. If someone catches one, they’d be sick for days. And if it’s a strong, contagious virus—it could start a global pandemic.”

“So this medicine prevents all diseases?”

“Yes. If you take it beforehand, it blocks 99.99% of all illnesses.”

“The ones who made this are amazing. It’s basically a universal cure.”

Maybe thanks to Blessings, or because it’s 2034, the science in this world surpasses even Earth’s.

“Impressive, right? It’s still not widely distributed because it’s very expensive. But just creating something like this… those researchers deserve all the respect. Honestly, they’ll probably end up saving more lives than us heroes.”

Media smiled brightly and added,

“As expected, our Geom-Ma has a deep heart.”

“…Huh?”

“Most people are impressed by the medicine but don’t think about who made it. You, on the other hand, appreciated the researchers first. That’s why I can’t stop praising you every time I see you.”

I didn’t know what to say.

‘Embarrassing.’

That a simple comment made me feel like a baby was overwhelming.

I swallowed the two pills she gave me. As I felt them slide down my throat…

‘Oh.’

I touched my forearm. There was no visible change, but I could feel it. The power of advanced pharmacology spreading through my body.

Then the secretary, assistant, and Media also took their capsules. The man clenched and unclenched his fists with emotion.

And then shouted with excitement,

“Oh… oh. So this is the legendary divine elixir, Morpheus! Now I understand why it costs two billion won each!”

I blinked. Two billion?

“Excuse me. Did you just say the pill we took costs two billion?”

“Exactly, Heavenly Sword. Each capsule is worth two billion won. Since we took two each, we’ve just consumed forty billion in medicine. Hahaha! Thanks to you, Heavenly Sword, I’ve lived a luxury I never imagined. Eternal glory!”

I instinctively looked around—the secretary, the assistant, the director, and me. Four of us.

I let out a dry laugh.

Did I say I saved money? No. Quite the opposite.

Before the trip even started, we had already swallowed 160 billion won worth of medicine.

If my first mentor saw this, he’d fall to the floor laughing himself to death.

“Damn it.”

***

As soon as we stepped out, we had already arrived in Antarctica. Actually, saying we “stepped out” didn’t make sense—just stepping into the warp instantly brought us to the destination.

“So this is Antarctica.”

Everything was white.

That was my first impression. As if someone had painted the top half of a blank canvas in pale blue. Against the white horizon, jagged mountain ranges rose in irregular lines.

It was a dreamlike landscape, as if cut out with scissors. The surreal atmosphere was likely due to my stable body temperature.

‘It’s really not cold at all.’

Even though my breath turned into visible vapor, I didn’t feel any chill in my hands or feet. And of course, my fingers weren’t numb or red.

‘This medicine is incredible.’

Then I sensed a gaze and turned my head. In the distance, a group of black and white creatures waddled awkwardly. Penguins. They were rubbing their bellies against the ice and diving into the sea.

“Squawk?”

Some noticed us and looked over curiously. Their silly expressions were oddly endearing.

Just then, one of the penguins broke off from the group. It waddled toward us awkwardly, leaving alternating prints in the snow with its orange webbed feet.

Step, step, step, step.

I’d heard that penguins are curious and approach humans without fear.

…But this penguin…

“Isn’t it way too big?”

The male assistant said what we were all thinking. And he was right—it was massive. The secretary murmured in disbelief.

“An emperor penguin…?”

It didn’t seem like one.

Whatever its classification, this wasn’t a normal penguin. It was the size of a person.

But it didn’t appear to be a magical beast either. If it were, it wouldn’t be peacefully waddling around with the others.

“……”

Up to that point, the Director hadn’t said a word. She remained silent, but her face was clearly contorting.

The giant penguin stopped a few steps from us. The -76°C polar wind stirred the air between it and us.

Fwoooosh.

The mood felt like a tense standoff in a Western—except instead of tumbleweeds, there was a snowstorm.

Media furrowed her brow and exhaled irritably. She spoke in an annoyed tone.

“How about ending the joke already? How much more embarrassment do you plan to cause me in front of everyone?”

Slide.

At that moment, the penguin raised its flippers and reached behind its neck. It began twisting its head from side to side with some effort.

Its head and body began to separate. No one said a word as we witnessed the absurd scene unfold.

Pop!

With a clean sound, the penguin’s head popped off. From inside—like a Russian nesting doll—emerged a new head. The face of a handsome young man with green hair.

“Huff!”

He exhaled with relief and shook out his damp hair. The drops of sweat that flew off instantly froze and clinked against the ground.

The other penguins watching from afar erupted in a frenzy.

“Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!”

They flapped their wings as if shouting in indignation. They looked deeply betrayed.

The most dramatic was a female penguin, her round eyes brimming with tears, as though she’d just had her heart broken.

But he didn’t care. He unzipped the front of his belly. With one motion, the bird became a primate.

“Victor Poison, at your service. Marine biologist by trade—and, incidentally, president of the Hero Association.”

The penguin-man—yes, the president—tucked the penguin head under his right arm and saluted.

“Heavenly Sword, I’ve been eagerly awaiting you. I haven’t felt this excited in a century, ha ha ha!”

“……”

“Eagerly” didn’t even feel like an exaggeration.

“I’ve prepared a gift for you, Heavenly Sword! You came all the way to this remote place, after all. It’s a rare item—you’ll definitely love it.”

“Ah… right……”

The President of the Association beamed cheerfully.

“Alright! Let’s move somewhere quieter. Things are a little noisy here.”

Victor Poison led us forward with enthusiasm. We followed, feeling a little awkward. Behind us, the sobs of the betrayed female penguin echoed across the Antarctic.