Etranger

“Shall we start?”

“Yeah, let’s finish this!”

They started accelerating. San’s energy revolved around the pit of his stomach before flowing into his arms and then into Biyeon. Her energy was also flowing into him.

Like the yin and yang symbol, their energies slowly started swirling in each other’s bodies. 

The large swirls of energy soon broke into smaller swirls, spreading out to every corner of their body. 

When the swirling energy reached their eyes, it stimulated their optic nerve. With their eyes half open, they could see the other’s image magnify. The energy then seeped into their ears, instantly enhancing their sense of sound to the point that they could hear the movements of distant insects.

The energy also heightened their sense of smell. They could easily discern and break down the complex combination of smells in the air into their individual parts.

They felt no pain, as this was the fully engaged 2nd Stage of Acceleration.

The transfer and swirling of energy became faster. San and Biyeon’s energy started clashing into each other. Small explosion started occurring where the energies met. In other parts of their bodies, the swirls wrapped around each other so tightly that they weren’t able to continue swirling. 

Biyeon frowned. Her heartbeat started beating irregularly before stopping completely. Her lips started turning purple.

San quickly shot his energy towards her heart. As if running through a brick wall, he forced his energy into her heart. He finally succeeded in breaking down the barrier and restarting her heartbeat.

Their heart, lungs, liver, stomach, kidneys, and intestines, brain, blood, body fluids… all the autonomic nervous system organs delicately integrated with their will. They began to control and develop these functions.

Her expression relaxed. She made a slight smile. They felt their energies unwrap smoothly and start to circulate evenly within their bodies. It was as if they were caressing each other…

Their two energies became one. With each circulation of this joint energy, a rush of power started exploding out from their bodies.

Furthermore…

Everything suddenly stopped. It was as if the world had fallen silent. A moment later, violent explosions started to occur. It was like the beginning of time, the origin of the Big Bang. They felt a sense of becoming one.

This is how everything changes. 

Their eyesight was magnified with a white light… 

Their hearing was able to discern the most cacophonic ensemble…

Their sense of taste not only heightened but also developed to differentiate different levels…

Their sense of touch could now be applied to the cellular level…

As their individual senses quickly transformed and combined together, they felt an orgasmic pleasure.

This unified energy freely wandered throughout their bodies for a long time. Eventually, the energy stabilized and quietly sank in.

The stable energy split into extra-fine fibers that seeped into the whole body like a new circulation system. Across the spectrum, new sensations were being created.

As if they had been struck by a sudden storm, the bamboo trees shook violently in the dawn morning. The light exploding from the two bodies faded. The violent storm stopped as well.

As the dawn light started rushing in, they could see their entire surroundings. The two slowly opened their eyes. The first thing they saw was the morning dew that dangled from their eyebrows and the iridescent colors from light passing through the water droplets.

“Wow.”

“It’s like we were in a dream… a dream we could fully control…”

“Can you see the light like me?”

“It’s like I’m wearing infrared goggles. I see a greater spectrum of light, even infrared and UV.”

“And your hearing?”

“It’s like ultrasound.”

“Do you feel the tingling of your skin?”

“It’s as if we can release electricity from our bodies.”

“Like electric eels, right?”

“I’m speechless. To do what took nature billions of years to evolve in animals… we evolved based on our own will…”

“Do you think this 3rd Stage of Acceleration is the end?”

“Probably not. We still don’t understand the nature of Nil and Null’s ability to remote control and communicate over a distance. There’s probably a level beyond this.”

“I guess there’s more we’ll need to figure out.”

“Our operation success rate will probably increase as we progress.”

They looked at each other with bright smiles. They overcame an important hurdle. From the state of ‘Escape’ they entered into a phase of ‘Awakening’.

San and Biyeon walked out of the forest. Everything looked new. They saw the sun’s dawn rays illuminating their surroundings. The sun’s rays spread out like knives cutting into the earth.

They finally reached their goal. However, they didn’t yet comprehend how dangerous and extraordinary their achievements were.

San and Biyeon peered into one of the mysterious secrets that the creator of the universe had given to humans…

***

“Hey! Dipshit-”

San called aloud. The Hawk was sitting atop a tree. It turned its head towards San.

The Hawk smiled. Its large, black eyes looked like the starry sky, looking mysteriously beautiful with a hint of sadness. It always seemed like it had more to say then it was letting on.

In truth, the Hawk, as a being that was controlled, ruled over all the birds and bees in this space.

Its kind lived over a thousand years and possessed intelligence. The species was made by the ‘Creator’. In fact, none of the mighty people who have passed through this space avoided dying at least once to a Hawk.

However, there are always exceptions in the world, and among those exceptions, was the existence of a natural enemy for all beings. Unfortunately for the Hawk, the person who called out to it just now was its natural enemy.

Based on the time they spent, it could be said that they all believed each other to be as close as friends. No other human beings had ever treated it with such a clear conscience and lack of respect.

There was also something very peculiar and special about these humans that impressed the Hawk. Although their expressions were rough, the previous humans it oversaw had never treated it like this before. It was something that it appreciated…

“Start,” stated Biyeon with clear, open eyes.

San and Biyeon sat in front of the Hawk with their notepads open.

This work had been going on for nearly a year. The two were learning the language and information about this space from the Hawk. It was not part of the original experiment plan.

However, it was one of the most important times of the day for San and Biyeon. It was because they knew the importance of gathering information. They came from a world where information collection and gathering was one of the most important aspects of life.

They knew how important it was to have at least a bit of information than being in a completely unknown state. Recently, almost their entire morning hours were devoted to this information gathering activity.

Today, this precious morning routine meeting would be the last. San and Biyeon were chatting with each other while enjoying a warm drink.

“That’s what I’m saying. There are other races of people who look just like us. There could even be emperors and nobles.”

“Based on the level of civilization we can observe, it’s likely that the background of this world combines influences from the Greek-Roman era to the Warring Period in Asia.”

“It’s a world with transcendent beings, gods, and dragons. So, it’s probably a god-like person who’s conducting this experiment? Wow. This really sounds like some off the wall fantasy novel storyline…

“It looks like a god is raising its own army. Especially since there’s so much emphasis on physical force…”

“The creators of this crazy world are probably Koreans. If there truly is a god, then its original nationality must be Korean. Damn, what the hell is up with our countrymen…”

“Actually, I agree. The standard characters and vocalizations of this world’s language are surprisingly identical to the system of Hangul and Korean. Although the words are different, the grammar, syntax, and usage are very similar. There are too many things that are similar to be a coincidence. Nectar is also the name of a beverage that Greek and Roman mythological gods drink… Anyway, it must be connected to our world in some way.”

“Maybe the gods here previously went on an information gathering expedition to our world.”

“It's something I want to check out. We must survive until the end.”

The Hawk was silently listening to their conversation. Its face darkened.

***

A year had passed. The faces of those who conducted the experiment were full of satisfaction. The results were much more successful than they expected.

The test subjects were much stronger and smarter than what they initially expected. Soon, the experiment would move on to its next phase.

After this stage of individual development was over, they would proceed to the stage of group manipulation.

Of course… there were still these idiot laggards. They still chose to be in an ‘equal’ relationship state. The other pairs had already solidified their individual class structures.

The fastest test subject subjugated its partner within three days while even the slowest one didn’t take over a month. There were no exceptions until now.

In every pairing, either one completely dominates the other, or they come to a cooperative relationship with a set power dynamic. However, these idiots were the only pair that deviated from that ‘normalcy’.

“What are you both going to do now? A new phase of the experiment will begin in the next month. There’s a lot to prepare during this month, so it’ll be a sweet vacation for everyone. Clothes will also be distributed. In the meantime, do well. I gave all the hints I could give…”

The Master smiled and closed the session.

“This was unexpected. A vacation for a month? [What do you think this means?]”

While lying down, San turned to his side and asked her with his phone in his hand. Next to him, Biyeon was also lying down and looking at her cell phone.

“The message is kind and specific. It says, ‘good job’. [Maybe it’s the preparation period before moving on to the next phase of the experiment?]” she responds bluntly with pursed lips.

“What do they mean ‘good job’? Fuck them. If they return me home, I’ll agree that they did a good job. [I guess they’re preparing to move us from this place?]”

“Would you mind your language? It's amazing that you’re married. How did you make a kid? [I think we need to advance our operation schedule.]”

“My performance in bed is probably excellent? Hey, just ask my wife later when you meet her. [But it’ll probably take us more than 2 months, right?]”

She turned to his side.

“Yes! I’ll definitely meet her and give her an award for living with such a buffoon. If I die like this… You know that a virgin woman’s ghost [1] is scary, right? [There’s no other option. We must execute our plan within a month.]”

“Hmm, I heard virgin women ghosts are pretty scary. In particular, depending on the original woman… Ugh, I hate to even imagine. [You’ll be very busy for a while.]”

San suddenly trembled. It felt like a little cold wind swept through his back. He raised his eyes and looked at her.

She was blatantly staring at him. Suddenly, the familiar pretense of saying gibberish outwardly while sincerely communicating non-verbally united into one. It felt like she was grabbing him by the collar.

“Well, well… Captain Kang is such a great person. [Am I still pretty?]”

"What? [Huh? Why are you talking differently?]”

“Will you promise me?”

"What? [What the hell are you saying?]”

“We’ll survive, and then… [You’re truly someone I can trust.]”

“Huh?”

“Please conduct my ancestral ceremonies when I’m gone. [Until we are free…]”

“…”

“Meet a good girl in this world and live well. [Please take care of me. Honestly.]”

“What the hell… Shall I make you a virgin woman ghost right now? [Hey… what’s with the awkwardness. I need you to take care of me as well.]”

1. A woman who is killed as a virgin is said to remain in the world and release her pent up frustrations and mistreatment to the living. Popular Korean tale.