Universal Vision

No country can exist alone in modern times.

Every country is intricately connected in various aspects including politics, economy, and society.

Electronic equipment needs Korean semiconductors, China as the world’s factory produces most manufactured goods, and many would starve if America stopped exporting food.

The interdependence between surviving countries has only deepened since monsters appeared.

If a problem occurs in Japan, its ripples affect the entire world.

After checking internet articles, Yuseong immediately boarded a plane bound for Japan.

“Contractors go away! Contractors go away!”

“Japan can solve Japan’s problems! Koreans go back to Korea!”

“Go back! Go back! Go back!”

And what greeted Yuseong upon arriving in Japan was a massive crowd of protesters.

Though he knew conflicts between Contractors and civilians had worsened, Yuseong couldn’t help but be taken aback, having never expected such a reaction even toward a hero called humanity’s hope.

Thud!

An egg even came flying.

Though he shot out magic power to burst it before it could come close, it hardly improved his mood.

Extricating himself from the tangle of protesters and police, Yuseong managed to reach where the other heroes were waiting by boarding a prepared vehicle.

“Why are you so late!”

“I told you I was going on a quest.”

“I didn’t know it would take a month!”

Yuseong briefly scanned the conference room while ignoring Kang Changseok who was charging at him like he would eat him alive.

As expected, everyone except Changwei and Carlos was gathered.

“Where are Changwei and Carlos?”

“…As always, they can’t be contacted. Just consider them absent.”

“Hmm.”

Yuseong’s eyebrows twisted.

He couldn’t help but feel displeased when some rushed over without even resting after finishing their quests while others didn’t even show their faces.

‘I should just write those two off.’

Following the undead incident, this Japanese situation made twice.

Once could be coincidence, but twice was inevitability.

Changwei and Carlos.

These two clearly had no interest in Earth’s defense.

‘Have they given up thinking it will fall anyway, or do they have some other thoughts?’

Lost in thought, Yuseong came to his senses seeing a hand suddenly thrust before him.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Of course I had to come. The news looked serious – are you alright?”

“…Haha, I’m managing somehow. More importantly, you’re older than me so please speak comfortably.”

Unlike his words that he was fine, Ryuhei’s complexion was pale and his voice lacked strength.

Though called a hero, he was still just a high school student.

Having been betrayed by Ten Swords whom he trusted enough to lend items to, and seeing people who had praised him as a hero suddenly turn to criticism, his mental state could hardly be stable.

“Now that everyone who’s coming is here, let’s start the meeting. Share any ideas you have about how to properly resolve this civil war.”

“Wait, before that I’d like an explanation of what exactly happened.”

“What do you mean explanation? Didn’t you check the internet on your way here?”

“I did. But it’s so all over the place I can’t tell what’s what. No, to be precise, I can’t understand it.”

Various problems had been occurring in Japan for the past month.

At first, people thought things would improve soon and didn’t take the problems seriously.

However, the situation only worsened as time passed.

At some point, Contractors and civilians began viewing each other as enemies.

Public safety deteriorated to the point people couldn’t walk alone during the day.

Social infrastructure like roads, tunnels, bridges, and power facilities collapsed from monster waves.

Ten Swords fiercely denounced Ryuhei.

All these things piled up until finally, three days ago, civil war broke out in Japan.

‘All this happened in just one month?’

This was the part Yuseong couldn’t accept.

Japan was one of the safest and most stable countries in the world along with Korea.

For such a country to end up like this in just a month purely from internal factors without any external factors like Europe was impossible.

“Don’t ask me. I don’t understand it either.”

“But you must have found out something. Could monsters be involved?”

“That’s a bit unclear. Someone clearly intervened in the series of events like providing funds to protesters, forcibly causing monster waves, and approaching Ten Swords and people around them, but we couldn’t find any traces of monsters.”

No matter how intelligent they were, beings from other worlds would inevitably leave traces somewhere due to cultural and common sense differences, just like Lucifer did in the past.

However, in this incident, they could only find traces thoroughly related to humans.

The funds delivered to protesters were meticulously laundered and secretly transferred, the Contractors who caused the monster wave incidents just hunted on commission, and the people who approached Ten Swords testified they just did what they were told for money.

Despite investigating through CCTV, phone records, internet records, satellite imaging, and even supernatural abilities, they couldn’t find a single trace related to monsters.

“Wait, that sounds extremely dangerous. Shouldn’t finding this someone take priority over resolving the civil war?”

If by low chance all this happened coincidentally, the situation wouldn’t be that serious.

It would end once resolved somehow.

But if someone was behind it, that was a different story.

Whether an overly ambitious human or a monster perfectly adapted to Earth, the fact they staged this once meant they could do it again anytime.

The Japanese civil war was just a mere warning.

“Right now calming the civil war is more important. We’ll find the mastermind later, so for now…”

“Why does it have to be later?”

Yuseong turned his gaze to Bruce.

Bruce, who had been deep in meditation with eyes closed, opened his eyes feeling the gaze directed at him.

“Do you have some business with me?”

“Mr. Bruce, you have a skill that can foresee the future, right? Couldn’t we just find out who the mastermind is and where they are by foreseeing the future?”

A simple but definite method.

However, Bruce shook his head repeatedly.

“Impossible.”

“Why is that?”

“Foresight skills have limitations. They can’t be used carelessly.”

“I know that.”

It was obvious just looking at the undead incident in Europe.

Even when such a shocking event occurred where most European countries were destroyed, Bruce didn’t give any warnings about it.

There were also cases showing how limited the number of foresight uses was, like monster invasions, Lucifer’s appearance, and verifying ability awakening potion’s safety.

From these two facts, one could deduce that Bruce’s foresight skill either had limited uses or required paying massive costs to use.

“If you know, why ask?”

“Because I think finding the mastermind of this incident is that important. I saw countless protesters on the way here from the airport. Most were protesting against Contractors. Even simple internal division would be dangerous enough, but Contractors and civilians fighting? This is only happening in Japan for now, but what do you think will happen if this phenomenon spreads worldwide?”

“…”

Yuseong and Bruce silently stared at each other.

After an eon-like silence passed, Bruce’s lips opened.

“I dislike people who are all talk with no ability.”

“Shall we check if I’m all talk?”

“I’ve already checked. Your skills seem sufficient.”

Shock spread among those in the conference room.

Only two users had received Bruce’s acknowledgment – Kasim and Changwei who were classified as Three Strong like him.

When even Isaac, Olga, and Tanaka belonging to Three Intermediates hadn’t received Bruce’s acknowledgment, Yuseong receiving it meant only one thing.

‘At least Three Intermediates level. He might even rival Three Strong.’

An unbelievable growth rate for a user who had just entered their second year.

Isaac, who had bad relations with Yuseong, had violently trembling eyes while Kang Changseok pinched his cheek.

Though hard to believe, they couldn’t disbelieve words from none other than MartialGod Bruce.

“I’ll use my foresight skill now. However, the future I can see now is limited to at most a month ahead. There’s no guarantee we can find the mastermind, so don’t expect too much.”

A strange pattern resembling a Buddhist mandala appeared in Bruce’s eyes.

Simultaneously, Yuseong’s eyes were dyed a brilliant golden color.

Though it was obvious to anyone that he was trying to discover the skill’s secrets, Bruce said nothing.

He thought it wasn’t a skill that could be understood just by looking.

Woong.

As the patterns intertwined and tangled, Bruce’s eyes began looking not at the present but the future.

And Yuseong’s eyes pierced through Bruce’s eyes that were seeing the future.

‘Karma?!’

He almost cried out involuntarily.

The energy forming the patterns was undoubtedly karma.

Though his mind became complicated wondering how Bruce could manipulate karma, he decided to focus on understanding the foresight skill’s principles for now.

After about a minute passed like that, Bruce’s eyes returned to normal.

“Failed. Even a month later, the mastermind’s identity remains unknown. Though it may not be much consolation, I did learn a few things. This situation is far more serious than expected.”

“Don’t tell me the civil war won’t be resolved even a month later?”

Kang Changseok looked at Bruce with surprised eyes.

Unless it was a special case like the undead incident.

Since it was just internal division occurring in one country, he had thought eight users stepping forward could end the Japanese civil war in a few days.

But if it took over a month, that was different.

If users were absent from their posts for that long, there would be problems defending other countries.

“This is driving me crazy. Eight users came but we can’t increase our forces beyond this, and if a short-term operation won’t work, should we just go for a long-term one? Like users taking turns handling it…”

“Calm down. First I’ll tell you the future I saw, so make new plans based on that.”

Bruce began speaking about future events in a composed voice.

Ten Swords’ persistent evasion, restrictions on activities due to civilian casualties, nuclear power plant explosion crisis, greater chaos from Ten Swords escaping after being caught just when everything was wrapping up.

Everyone listened intently to Bruce’s words.

However, Yuseong had his eyes closed and was trying to replicate the Karma Operation he had just seen.

‘Deeper, even deeper…’

Where karma accumulates is not the body but the soul.

It was extremely difficult for the living to perceive their own souls unlike the dead, but Yuseong’s wisdom stat that had reached beyond special into bizarre levels made it possible.

Woong.

Under his closed eyelids, the same pattern that had appeared in Bruce’s eyes emerged.

[You have acquired the Universal Vision(S) skill.]