Surviving Among the Letters

“Hello?”

“Ah, so you’re the 12-year-old kid Messier mentioned. Come on in.”

Following Dongbaek inside, I saw a spacious living room.

The front wall was made entirely of glass, offering a stunning view of the ocean.

“…Do you live here?”

“Hmm? Technically, this is my house. But most of the time, I’m at the headquarters of the environmental conservation organization. Except for when the team gathers here, the place is mostly unused.”

As I looked around the living room, I sat down on a sofa.

Dongbaek sat right next to me.

“What’s your name?”

“Blanco Atreia.”

Hearing my answer, Dongbaek gave a stunned look toward Director Messier.

“Is she your daughter? I had a feeling…”

“What do you mean, ‘a feeling,’ old man?”

“I couldn’t figure out why you’d recommend a 12-year-old kid for the Star Cluster. Turns out it’s because she’s your daughter? Honestly, you and Alec keep pushing for early education these days, it seems.”

“Old man, sorry, but you’ve got it backward.”

“Backward?”

“I recommended her first, and then adopted her as my daughter.”

The moment he heard that, Dongbaek turned to me with a question.

“Is that true?”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re not some secret child being denied your life, are you? If you are, I’ll help you out.”

“No… It’s true. The director’s right.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

At that, Dongbaek sighed deeply and shifted his posture.

“So, there’s no need to go easy on her, huh, Messier?”

“…Go easy on me for what?”

“Like Luca, you know. You can’t hold her to such strict standards while grooming her as a successor.”

“I’m pretty sure Luca wasn’t even ten years old when he came in.”

“Ah, right. Sorry, kiddo. I’ve been around so long I’ve lost my sense of age.”

“…”

The villa fell silent for a moment.

How long must one live to lose their sense of age?

This is a good time to use the privilege of being a child.

Since Dongbaek’s a man, he probably wouldn’t be too sensitive about his age.

“Dongbaek, sir.”

“Hmm? What is it, Blanco?”

“Pardon me, but… how old are you?”

“…”

“Pfft!”

“Don’t laugh, Messier. The kid isn’t asking to make fun of me; she’s genuinely curious. Let’s see… My age is pretty easy to calculate.”

You need to calculate it?

“I was born in 1900. That makes me 115 years old this year.”

A 19th-century man?

Goodness…

There’s over a 100-year age gap between us.

“Well… I’d love to chat with you more, but let’s save it for dinner. You’re not officially part of the Star Cluster yet, are you?”

“No.”

When our conversation ended, Luca clapped her hands and turned to Dongbaek.

“Oh, by the way, Dongbaek! My grandpa wanted me to tell you something.”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

“He said he won’t be coming today.”

“Hmm? Why not? Was it hard to free up his schedule?”

“He said it’s tough to take a flight. Something about his joints aching.”

He didn’t mention anything about aching joints, though.

“He said flying might be his farewell to this world or something.”

That wasn’t mentioned either.

“Ah, geez. Tsk tsk. Chunsoo, who’s around his age, is still actively working. Youngsters these days…”

Hearing a young man grumble about “youngsters” is oddly unsettling.

He looks like he’s in his 20s, yet his speech is that of an old man.

Clack!

Amidst our conversation, the sound of the front door opening echoed.

“Oh, someone’s here. Messier! Go check it out.”

“Why do I always have to do it, old man?”

“Because you’re the only one calling me ‘old man,’ that’s why. So disrespectful.”

“Fine…”

Director Messier went to the door and returned with an elderly man.

“Blanco, meet Chunsoo Kim, the head of the Korean Ability Users Association.”

The elderly man had white hair and a thick beard.

Didn’t Dongbaek say earlier that he was around the same age as Alec?

Unlike Alec, who used a wheelchair, Chunsoo had a robust build.

When our eyes met, Chunsoo approached me.

“Kid.”

He looked down at me sitting on the sofa, almost as if to intimidate me.

“Do you use magic?”

“…No.”

“Do you plan on using magic in the future?”

“…Of course not. I’m a psychic.”

“Good. Dongbaek, I approve of this child.”

All this fuss over magic?

That’s all he wanted to ask?

“Ah, fine.”

“Well then, I’ll be off.”

Chunsoo left a strong impression as he retreated into a room.

“Now, just one more person to arrive, right? Oh, excluding Alec. Any word on when Cielo’s coming?”

“No, Dongbaek. No word yet.”

“Then give him a call.”

Under Dongbaek’s direction, Luca began dialing.

After a while, the call connected.

[Hello? Sister?]

“Hey, Cielo. When will you—”

[Sorry, I’m at a gate right now. Gotta go.]

“Right… that’s that.”

The next swordmaster was apparently fighting in a gate.

Given that he couldn’t even take a proper call, it must be a high-level gate.

Beep!

At some point, Dongbaek had picked up a remote and turned on a projector.

The white wall in front of us lit up with a computer screen.

“Messier?”

“What is it, old man?”

“Check if there’s any gate activity in the U.S.”

“Sure, sure…”

The director grabbed a mouse and keyboard from the corner and began typing.

When he searched for “gate alert,” a list of gate information popped up.

“Is this it? An A-rank gate in the Midwest, Colorado. It shouldn’t take long, right?”

“Zoom in on the location.”

“The location?”

The map zoomed in, revealing more details of the gate’s coordinates.

“Ah, a mountain. Elevation 4,000 meters? Forget what I said earlier; this’ll take a while.”

High altitudes pose a significant risk, especially for ability users.

For American knights who rely on physical swordsmanship, the thin air of high-altitude regions is a major disadvantage.

“It’s 11 a.m. now… even just dealing with the gate will take about four hours. Factoring in travel time, he probably won’t arrive until late at night. What will you do, old man?”

“What else can we do? Wait.”

And so, we waited for the swordmaster to arrive.

We ate lunch, then dinner.

I was worried about how I’d pass the time without a phone, but Dongbaek let me use the computer, saving my sanity.

If not, I would’ve spent 12 hours staring into space.

In the meantime, I searched for things I was curious about.

Especially since I didn’t know much about Director Kim Chunsoo.
I was curious about the reason for his hostility toward magic as well.

However, the information I found on the wiki was entirely contradictory.

“Affiliated with the EU Mage Tower… a 7th-circle mage? A mage?”

Fortunately, everyone else was in their rooms, so there was no one around to respond to my mutterings.

But how could someone who’s a mage—especially a 7th-circle mage, the pinnacle of magic—hate magic so much?
It wasn’t just dislike; it was outright hostility.

Director Kim Chunsoo seemed to share a contradiction similar to mine.

Well, I suppose I’ll find out more when everyone gathers.

◆◇◆◇◆

When I checked the clock, it was already nearing midnight.

At the same time, I could feel fatigue gradually taking over my body.

“Yawn…”

I had cleared the keyboard and mouse aside and was lying on the sofa, gazing outside.

Since there were no lights around, countless stars shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating me.

Ding-dong!

No one else was in the living room, so I went to the front door and opened it.

Click!

Standing there was a very handsome boy with golden hair.

“…Hello?”

The sword at his waist told me he was none other than the Swordmaster, Cielo Candelario.

◆◇◆◇◆

“So, you’re Blanco? Judging by your surname, are you Dr. Messier’s daughter?”

“I was adopted.”

“Oh! Since when?”

“Since yesterday morning. The procedures aren’t even fully complete yet.”

Cielo and I began to chat as we moved into the living room.

Despite the age gap, we got along surprisingly well.

Although I’m 12 and he’s 19, compared to the other old folks…

And when I think about my real age in this world, it feels even closer.

“So… where are the others?”

“They were waiting for you, but they’ve all gone to their rooms. After that… I’m not sure. They’re probably asleep by now.”

Calling him “brother” felt odd, and attaching “sir” seemed awkward, so I ended up calling him oppa (older brother).

It felt strange, but there wasn’t much else I could do.

“By the way, oppa, where did you learn Korean?”

“Learn? Well…”

Cielo oppa raised his arm to show me a bracelet.

“A translation bracelet?”

“Yeah, something like that. I’ve picked up some Korean along the way, mostly basic vocabulary. Plus, most of the Star Cluster members speak Korean, so I’ve gotten better over time.”

“Your Korean is really good!”

“Haha, thanks. I may be a genius with a sword, but I’m no genius with languages. I’ve never been praised for anything academic before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve been swinging swords since I was a kid. When would I have had time to study?”

It seems that even a Swordmaster struggles to excel in both combat and academics.

Excelling in both fighting and studying must be a rare feat, even for the original academy characters.

Perhaps it’s the power of supernatural abilities?
It’s a force separate from effort, after all.

While I was chatting with Cielo oppa, someone approached us.

When we looked over simultaneously, we saw Luca unnie standing there.

“You’ve already become friends?”

“We’re around the same age.”

Luca unnie seemed surprised at how quickly we’d bonded.

“Then I’ll go wake the others.”

“Oh, noona, I can—”

“Cielo, you stay put. You must be tired after dealing with the gate.”

“No, no, I already rested on the plane.”

“Even so, take it easy. Blanco? Can you wake up Messier oppa for me?”

“Yes, Luca unnie.”

◆◇◆◇◆

At last, all the members had gathered in the living room.

[Ah, Dongbaek, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.]

Well, except for Alec, who joined us via video call.

Each of us had a glass of wine, except for Cielo oppa and me.

Since I was underage, and it seemed Cielo oppa wasn’t yet an adult either, we were given cola instead.

“Alright, it’s been two years since we’ve all met face-to-face. Let’s start with a toast,” Dongbaek announced, taking the lead.

A toast…

Holding up cola for a toast felt strange.

When I glanced down at my cola, Cielo oppa gave me a knowing look, sharing the sentiment.

“””Cheers!”””

“Alright. You all know why we’ve gathered here. Messier recommended a new recruit—a mere 12-year-old child, no less. And now, the time for evaluation has come. Do you already know the four rules of the Star Cluster?”

“Yes. Challenge the impossible, possess the ability to meet the challenge, be prepared to give up everything for the goal, and support each other.”

“Good. Then let me ask… What is your impossible goal?”

At last, Dongbaek asked me about my impossible goal.

I had taken the time to think about it and decided on one.

A goal that seemed impossible, even for someone in my position.

“My goal is…”

—To achieve dimensional travel.—

It was to find a way to return to reality with Remy.