Breathing Life into Real Dolls - Chapter 65: Haneul Nuclear Power Plant

1.

After several minutes of high-speed flight, we arrived at Haneul Nuclear Power Plant.

Given its vast area and the series of domed reactors aligned in a row, it was easy to spot from the air.

“Master, look over there! There are amazing buildings!”

“Those are reactor buildings. Thanks to them producing electricity, we can lead comfortable lives.”

“Wow…!”

Serena looked down, her eyes shining brightly.

She always had a positive reaction to things she saw for the first time.

In contrast, Ciel was more composed.

Whooosh- Whooosh- Whooosh-

Ciel gradually decreased her wing speed and gently landed on the ground.

“You did well, Ciel. Are you tired?”

“Not at all. I’m perfectly fine.”

Ciel responded while gently patting the protruded section of her lower abdomen.

That was where her fuel tank, which had been filled up early in the morning, was located.

To fill that up, I had to release a lot, but if it was already running out, the fuel efficiency wasn’t great.

Just then, I heard shouts from a distance.

“Hey there-! Who are you?!”

They were the guards at the entrance of the reactor.

Upon seeing us land directly inside from the sky, they left their post at the entrance and rushed toward us.

I smiled and waved at them, signaling that we meant no harm.

Following my example, Serena waved at them with a bright, cheerful expression.

“Yahoo-!”

As the approaching guards got closer, they seemed stunned upon seeing the faces of Serena and Ciel.

Understandable.

It would be difficult to find beauties of this caliber even on an internet search.

Still, it was pretty rude to gawk at someone else’s woman like that.

I stepped forward and clapped my hands.

Clap-!

“Uh, what?”

“Ah, um…”

As if snapped out of a trance, the guards blinked and turned their heads towards me.

I promptly stated my business.

“My name is Kim Doha. Where is Director Seon Jong-yun of the Haneul Nuclear Power Plant?”

“Kim Doha…?”

One of them seemed to recognize my face just then, furrowing his brows and looking at me. Suddenly, he shouted.

“Oh! Ki, Kim Doha! Rank 1!”

“……”

A moment of silence.

He then sheepishly said,

“Ah, I apologize. Um, I’ve watched many of your video guides on exploiting the glitches. Yes…”

“…I see. Where’s Director Seon Jong-yun?”

“Ah! I’ll guide you to him!”

“Thank you.”

We followed the leading guard as he walked ahead of us.

2.

Inside the administrative building of the Haneul Nuclear Power Plant, a middle-aged man with numerous strands of half-white hair and horn-rimmed glasses greeted us.

“Nice to meet you. I am Seon Jong-yun, the director of this place.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Doha. Behind me are my colleagues, Serena and Ciel.”

“I see. Nice to meet both of you as well.”

“Yes, hello!”

“……”

Serena greeted him energetically, while Ciel just nodded slightly.

The gazes of the people passing by seemed focused on the massive wings attached to Ciel’s back. However, in this changed world, it was easily brushed off as some kind of special ability.

We entered an empty office, where we were served green tea in tea bags and took seats on a sofa.

Sitting opposite us, Director Seon Jong-yun, despite his middle age, spoke with a childlike and innocent smile.

“I’m really fortunate that Mr. Kim Doha decided to come. In fact, ever since I wrote that post in the community, I secretly hoped that Doha, being Rank 1, would come to help.”

“Oh, really? But there was no hint of that in the post.”

“Yes, there wasn’t. I thought mentioning it directly might put pressure on you.”

“Haha. It’s not that I didn’t feel the pressure. Thank you for considering.”

“Not at all. Actually, if you hadn’t shown up by tomorrow, I was considering posting another request for you to come.”

“Ah……”

I see.

It was not that it would have been a bad thing, but it might have been a bit overwhelming. There were already numerous comments in the section asking for me, but if the author gave the exact location…

Seeing my ambiguous reaction, he spoke with a somewhat regretful expression.

“Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said that?”

“… No, it’s about the power supply to the entire country being at risk. We can’t be choosy about the methods now.”

“I believe so as well.”

Including Director Seon Jong-yun, those who remained here to operate the power plant were the heroes of South Korea.

The fact that such a person considered the pressure I might have felt, even amidst a rift appearing inside the power plant, was truly an act of gratitude.

Indeed, it was fortunate that he didn’t mention my name.

What was good was good.

I then proceeded to ask something I was curious about.

“By any chance, are there any other ability users who arrived before me?”

“Well, there are, but…”

Director Seon Jong-yun hesitated for a moment and then posed a different question.

“Do you think, Mr. Doha, that E or F-grade ability users are necessary to seal a B-grade rift? Or do you think a smaller elite team would be better?”

This was not a question that required much contemplation.

“A smaller elite team is better.”

Even if they were E or F grades, depending on the ability and situation, they could still be of help.

However, if those people had never worked together before, the story would be entirely different.

Wasn’t there a saying that an incompetent ally can be more dangerous than an enemy?

Rather than having to unnecessarily protect more allies, it was a thousand times better to enter as a small elite team from the start.

In response to my answer, Director Seon Jong-yun nodded and said,

“Actually, we conducted a brief survey for the ability users who arrived before you.”

He handed me a survey paper.

“Oh…”

I was impressed.

Director Seon Jong-yun was a person who was thoroughly prepared.

The survey, written with the intention of classifying countless incoming ability users and forming them into a team, asked about the type of abilities, grade, overall ability level, contribution ranking, and the like.

“Of course, I can’t force anyone, so there are some who chose not to disclose their information, but most of them seemed to be E or F-grade ability users. I don’t think they’ve come on their own strength to seal a B-grade rift, so maybe…”

Interrupting his trailing off, I completed the thought for him.

“They probably thought of tagging along when I go in, hoping to share in the contribution points. After all, in the comments section, I’ve already committed that I would be going.”

“Yes, that’s what I think as well.”

“Hmm…”

After a moment of consideration, the answer was clear.

“Taking all those people into the rift would only complicate things. We should proceed without them.”

“I thought so, too. I will explain the situation to them properly.”

Director Seon Jong-yun spoke with a smile.

It sounded like he would handle the task of leaving out the extras.

“Thank you. If any ability user refuses to listen to you, please inform me.”

If there was a stubborn one, I would have to deal with them directly.

However, upon hearing my words, Director Seon Jong-yun waved his hand in dismissal with a smile.

“No need. Among our staff, there’s a D-grade ability user.”

“Oh? That’s good to know.”

“I’ll introduce you to them later since they’ll be joining us in sealing the rift.”

“That sounds good.”

The conversation seemed to be wrapping up.

We both stood up from the sofa and exchanged handshakes.

While shaking hands, Director Seon Jong-yun suddenly remembered something and said,

“Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing. When do you plan to seal the rift?”

“Hmm…”

“You arrived earlier than expected, so if we wait for everyone from all over the country to gather, it might take a while. Given how remote this place is, those who have already arrived are just the locals.”

It had been just a day since Director Seon Jong-yun posted on the community forum.

The Haneul Nuclear Power Plant was located in Uljin County, Gyeongsangbuk-do.

In terms of distance from major cities, no matter where one started, it was quite a journey.

Considering others couldn’t fly like I could and taking into account that the roads had become parking lots due to the stalled vehicles, it would take several days for them even if they left immediately.

So, the question was, was there a need to wait for them?

The rift discovered here was initially B-grade, and if an attempt to seal it failed, the entire nation would face a massive penalty as the power would be cut off.

Considering these points, it was expected that many rankers would have already set off for this location.

Even if we were to seal the rift without waiting for them, it wouldn’t be a problem.

With Serena and Ciel’s power, it shouldn’t be too risky.

However… If I was not planning to seal all the rifts across the nation alone, wouldn’t it be better to give other rankers a chance to gain experience in advance?

Alright. The decision was made.

“Even if we exclude the E-grade and F-grade mediocrities, it might be good to wait for those who are skilled. There are 6 days left until the rift becomes unstable… Let’s wait for another 3 days. After that, we’ll form a party with those who gather and seal the rift.”

Director Seon Jong-yun nodded.

“That sounds reasonable. I’ll guide you to accommodations where you can stay for those 3 days. It was originally designed to accommodate hundreds of people, but since most have left, there are plenty of empty rooms.”

We followed him towards the accommodations.

3.

“Wow…! Master! This place is really nice!”

“Seems so.”

Serena exclaimed as she entered the accommodation.

I responded nonchalantly, but I caught Director Seon Jong-yun’s eyebrow twitching when he heard her address me as ‘Master’.

“The room is much more spacious than the one in D-Mart if you just overlook the small bed!”

“Ah, there are plenty of extra beds. I’ll add one more for you.”

Upon hearing Director Seon Jong-yun’s kind offer, Serena looked back at him and said with a bright face,

“No need! I prefer the smaller bed! It means I can snuggle up with my Master when we sleep…!”

“……”

“……”

“That’s right.”

In the midst of the chilling silence, only Ciel responded to her sister’s comment.

Director Seon Jong-yun, momentarily taken aback, soon awkwardly chuckled and said,

“Ahaha. You all seem to have a very close relationship. Well then, I’ll leave you be…”

He quickly disappeared.

“…Did I say something wrong, Master?”

Sensing the strange atmosphere, Serena asked me.

I smiled and replied,

“No, Serena. You did well.”

“Really? Hehe. I’m glad.”

I had long since decided to wear a poker face no matter what.

A man who had two girlfriends and made both call him ‘Master’.

A man who confidently claims that as his preference.

That was me, the Rank 1, Kim Doha.

Hmm…

…

…I was slightly apprehensive about the glances from the other rankers I’d meet in the future.