Beyond the Eternity

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And so, the search for their missing, mysterious leader began.

The main force of <Night Management> dispersed across the ruins of Seoul, with the sole objective:

To find Kim Jakga.

Normal methods of tracking were impossible due to the fact that person left no clues of his whereabouts and eliminated all his traces as well.

It felt less like a simple search and more like an investigation into a ghostly disappearance.

And so, they turned to a different approach.

The Star Contract.

Walkers who formed contracts with Constellations gained access to their skills and blessings, becoming vessels, the Reincarnation Bodies of their celestial patrons.

In essence, Avatars served as extensions or secondary bodies of their Constellations, allowing them to descend into the Lower World while their true forms remained beyond reach. More importantly, a Constellation could always sense the presence of its Avatars.

But the reverse was also true.

If a Constellation could locate its Avatars, then its Avatars could also trace their Constellation, whether through proximity or their established connection.

The same principle should have applied to Kim Jakga.

Yet, Kim Jakga wasn't a Constellation.

And still, he had somehow turned Yoo Rin, Yoo Jinsung, and Kuro Miyuki into his Avatars.

For that reason, they immediately sprang into action.

While the group searched for Kim Jakga with a direct approach, Angelica took an indirect route by visiting the High Priestess in her tent.

Using Avatars to track him might have worked, but there was no guarantee. Consulting a diviner seemed like the more faster approach.

Of course, this meant she was essentially informing one of the Tarot Kings that their ruler had gone missing, but Angelica didn't care in the slightest.

After explaining the situation and providing the necessary materials, Moon Jiyeon, the High Priestess, prepared for Divination.

She invoked an unknown ritual, calling upon the spirits for guidance.

"..."

For the next few moments, there was only silence.

This was what you call 'complete silence'.

It felt like waiting for someone to pick up the phone on the other end of a foreign call. There was no sound, just a waiting pause. The High Priestess' eyes faintly glowed, like wisps of white smoke.

Angelica, unfamiliar with the strange phenomenon, could only sit silently, unsure of what to make of it.

... She didn't have to wait long.

Moon Jiyeon awakened from her Half-Cognition state, her pupils returning to their normal shade, then frowned with displeasure.

"This is strange. This has never happened before."

Angelica's expression seemed to silently ask, Why is that the first thing you're saying? But instead of voicing the question, she chose to ask:

"What do you mean? Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure how to explain this. But first, I would like to ask, have you heard of Spirit Dowsing?"

"Spirit Dowsing?"

"It's a form of Divination. At its core, Divination is the art of gathering data from available sources. For example, if you're looking for a missing person, you do it by collecting data from the environment or any residue they may have left behind. Do you know that something like the 'Spiritual Plane' exists?"

"Um, do you mean something like the Spirit World? Sorry, I'm not very familiar with the topic."

"No, that's okay."

Moon Jiyeon shook her head and wore a faint smile. She took pleasure in explaining her hobbies to others.

"Well, you're right to an extent. But I wouldn't call the Spiritual Plane a 'world' since it's more of a 'dimension.'"

Hearing this, Angelica's eyes seemed to say Explain, please, and Moon Jiyeon continued.

"Actually, it's quite simple. I'll use something like this to explain it. Think of the entire World (宇宙), as a bubble. If you look from the bottom, you can never see beyond the outer layer. Even if you travel to the moon using a spaceship, you're technically not reaching the outside. You're still residing within the bubble."

"That's a strange way to put it. But I think I understand."

"I believe you must have seen many articles online from researchers who say they haven't seen anything outside this world. In fact, I don't think anyone has seen 'outside' this world."

Moon Jiyeon then placed a blank piece of paper on the table and drew a circle on it.

No, it was more like a sphere than a simple circle.

"Above the sky, there's a 'black sky,' or, rather, a 'black cloud'. Since it exists above, it must also exist below. A bubble is spherical, and Earth is oblate, so the Earth exists within this bubble, along with the solar system."

"The further you move from Earth, the more expansive the black cloud becomes, pushing you closer to nothingness. Beyond that is endless space, so you won't reach anything."

"In other words, the space in this world isn't uniform, but distorted. If you fly straight up, you'll eventually change direction, circle around the world, and come out from below. That's the spherical nature and dimensionality of the world."

"This is what we call the Material Plane (物理界). It is a dimension that wraps around the world and governs it with physical laws, trapping us inside the bubble."

Then she smoothly added,

"The Spiritual Plane (灵界) is similar, but its size far exceeds that of the physical plane and is not bound by the same physical laws."

"The concept of flying straight up and coming back around doesn't apply in the Spiritual Plane. Those laws simply don't exist there."

"You can think of it as a container that houses countless 'bubbles.'"

Moon Jiyeon then wrote the words "Spirit Realm" at the top of the paper, as though titling the diagram.

She drew several smaller circles, representing individual bubbles, and then added a large circle that encircled them all, which signified the vastness of the spiritual plane.

"Within the Spiritual Plane, there are countless entities known as 'Spirits.' I'm sure you've heard of the term, but they're vastly different kinds of beings."

"Furthermore, the Physical Plane exists within the Spiritual Plane, but the Spiritual Plane doesn't exist within the Physical Plane. They overlap, but we can't interact with the Spiritual Plane using our physical bodies."

"It's the same reason why humans can't see ghosts or cursed spirits, but can be influenced by them. That happens because they reside in a boundary called the Half-Spiritual World, which exists at the intersection of the Physical and Spiritual Plane. You can call it a 'boundary' between the two spaces."

She then continued,

"Divination is the way we communicate with the Spiritual Plane. Or, more accurately, with the entities that reside there."

"There are different forms of Divination such as Tarot Divination conducted using Tarot cards and one's spirituality. Then the Spirit Dowsing and Dreaming Method which involves Astral Projection. And then, we have the Third-Party Method, See-Through Mirror and many others I won't bother mentioning. But they're all methods of gathering data and communicating with the Spirits."

"The method I just used was Spirit Dowsing, which involves Astral Projection through entering a Half-Cognition state."

"I asked you to gather Kim Jakga's personal belongings so I could use them as a 'reference point' to communicate. There are several steps involved, but I won't get into the details for now."

Finally, Angelica asked. "You communicated with these spirits, right? I have a basic understanding about everything, but were you able to find out where Kim Jakga has gone?"

Moon Jiyeon's expression darkened.

"About that, I wasn't able to find anything."

"What? Why?"

"No... That's not quite right. I meant I wasn't able to get any answers from the spirits. Normally, they give vague hints or responses. On rare occasions, I even get direct answers. But this time... I received nothing. It was blankness. No response at all."

"Do you know the reason?"

"I wish I did. I truly do. But as I said, spirits are vastly different beings. Most are dormant, while some are mischievous, even perverse. Sometimes, they offer fake hints or inappropriate responses, like 'panties,' for example."

Moon Jiyeon sighed, recalling her previous, more frustrating experiences. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire

Her skills were limited to Divination and Item Crafting, making her more of a spiritual fighter than a magical one.

Even with her lack of combat prowess, it was no surprise that she had managed to survive the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Story.

The abilities of «High Priestess» would undoubtedly draw the attention of a certain organization, one that loathed demons and upheld the holy scriptures.

Angelica, who had come seeking information on Kim Jakga's disappearance, couldn't hide her disappointment.

It wasn't Moon Jiyeon's abilities that disappointed her, but the fact that Kim Jakga simply couldn't be found.

Does this mean the spirits had no clue where he had gone?

No, that didn't make sense.

With countless spirits in the world, how could not even one of them know his whereabouts?

At the moment, only two possibilities came to mind:

One, Kim Jakga possessed a skill that made him completely untraceable.

Two, the spirits were deliberately withholding information, refusing to reveal even a hint of his location.

She wasn't sure which was true. Maybe he really did have a skill that erased his presence, making him impossible to trace. But, logically, the second option seemed more convincing, despite how irrational it was.

Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing what kind of abilities Kim Jakga possessed. And her Star Patron offered no guidance, as if it didn't care at all.

An arrogant king tends not to be bothered by the worries of those beneath him, especially when they have no direct connection to him.

In other words, she was completely on her own in this matter.

... Damn it. Kim Jakga, where the hell are you?

Angelica bit her lip, hard enough to nearly draw blood.

She was worried. He was someone who shouldered burdens alone, and always kept crucial information to himself.

What if he had discovered something and decided to handle it alone?

Moreover, he was confident in his own abilities. He wouldn't see the need to tell them and would simply vanish to deal with it himself.

The others in their group had similar tendencies, but Kim Jakga took it to an extreme.

What if he had walked into a trap?

What if he had been captured by an unknown enemy?

What if he was locked in a desperate fight against some unfathomable monstrosity?

All these possibilities only weighed down Angelica's mind and spirit.

And if she ever found out the truth, if he had disappeared for some utterly reckless reason, she would strangle him for making them all worry needlessly.

Pushing aside her spiraling thoughts, Angelica exhaled slowly, steeling both her heart and body.

She turned back to Moon Jiyeon and asked, "So… there's really nothing we can do?"

"Sadly, no. However, I do believe he's perfectly fine, wherever he may be."

"I thought your Divination didn't work?"

"True, it didn't. That much is painfully clear. But what you're seeing here is the Intuition of a Diviner."

"Your Intuition says he's alright?"

Moon Jiyeon nodded.

"That's correct. The spirits may not give me all the answers, but I have other ways to make up for it. It's the only reason I've made it this far."

"... So you're saying he will come back."

"Of course. Individuals like Kim Jakga don't perish easily. A random death in some back alley or obscure place just doesn't suit someone like him. So, there's no need to worry. He'll probably return in a few hours or so."

"... I see," Angelica murmured hesitantly.

She wasn't fully convinced by the idea of relying on Intuition alone, but the thought of Kim Jakga being safe brought a small sense of relief.

With that, her chaotic mind, filled with depressing thoughts, began to ease.

It was as if she heard the words that needed to be heared.

Angelica spoke with sincerity and gratitude.

"Thank you."

"No worries. I'm just doing what I can to help. Kim Jakga-ssi and I have a... unique relationship."

"You mean a business relationship?"

"Yes, exactly. You catch on so quickly. How could I possibly let my business partner perish?"

"I see. But you really need to work on your wording. The way you phrased that could easily cause misunderstandings."

Moon Jiyeon tilted her head, genuinely perplexed. "What's wrong with it?"

"Ha. Never mind."

Angelica rose from her seat, thanked the High Priestess for her hospitality, and made her way toward the exit.

Just before stepping out of the tent, she paused, glanced back, and asked,

"By the way, is your Divination still free?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, just curious. When are you planning to start charging?"

"If I do, will you pay?"

"Ah, no, of course not."

She chuckled, and Moon Jiyeon smiled as well. Somewhere along the way, they had come to understand each other.

And with that, Angelica finally stepped out of the tent.