{ Odhalaf }
“Odhalaf.”
Aiden’s heavy voice rang out.
The silence that spreads indoors.
Yang Yang-gwang’s light voice, breaking his teeth soon came out.
“… What is it?”
Aiden paused for a moment, then spat out an explanation.
“Creatures… Adapt to the changing environment and evolve in order to survive or to become stronger. And these changes happen over a long period of time.”
At his gaze, Yuhan-wol nodded.
“But some creatures make rapid evolution in a short period of time. For example, when they are on the verge of extinction. In an extreme crisis situation in which the existence of a species is threatened, they can even change their own gender.”
I think I know what you mean.
“then… ”
“Odhalaf was created with that in mind. so that humans can evolve. Even in a short time.”
“Human… Have you created a drug that can evolve?”
“okay. Human beings are a species. I’m too weak Ever since we climbed into the apex of all species on Earth, the apex of predators. The more powerful weapons were developed, the more so. Now that we can kill any mighty creature on the planet with just the lift of a finger, humans are weaker than ever.”
As Aiden spoke, he raised his hand and flicked his index finger.
“Many of the problems facing humanity today… disease, aging, environmental pollution, natural disasters. Many of those things can be easily resolved when the human species itself becomes stronger.”
It was a word on a huge scale, referring to the past, present, and future of mankind.
Just as silence was about to settle down, Yang Gwang’s question cut through the atmosphere again.
“But why did you do that?”
Aiden, who was silent for a moment, opened his mouth.
“Then what should I aim for as a life scientist?”
“No, I don’t know what your major is. Do you have a lot of drugs to make differently? Even if it’s not that bad… ”
But without hearing all of them, Aiden quickly poured out the words in a firm tone.
“This is arguably the greatest invention in human history! No, it must be said to be one of the greatest revolutions in the history of the Earth.”
“Ah, yes… .”
Aiden raised his eyebrows in response to Yang Gwang’s sullen reaction.
“you. I guess you don’t really want to hear it? If you don’t want to hear more, is it okay if I just end this?”
“Hey, that’s a lot of fun, what do you mean by that?”
However, as if his sarcasm had already been broken, Aiden turned his gaze to Yuhan-wol.
“The problem is. Do you know what happened when we developed this amazing material?”
In response to his question, which was clearly directed at him, Yuhanwol had no choice but to open his mouth.
“Well.”
“It hasn’t changed.”
“what?”
“The test subject who was injected with the drug.”
“‘Odhalaf’… . Didn’t I say that it’s a drug that can evolve humans?”
“okay. It is a drug that has the power to change people in a short period of time. But if it hasn’t changed, then why?”
“… … ”
His words continued as if they were not asking for an answer.
“It’s not that difficult, but at the time, I didn’t know until I saw the results. Why didn’t evolution happen? ”
Aiden, who paused for a moment, said.
“The test subjects infused with Odhalaf did not feel the need to change.”
Did it instinctively feel that the story was getting to the heart of it?
Aiden’s words make Yuhan Wol’s head ring.
‘Necessity.’
“In today’s world, how many times do humans feel threatened with their lives? Even if there is, it is just a situation that is special to a particular area, a momentary event. So, even if there comes a moment when you feel a certain threat, if you get out of that situation, you will not feel the extreme threat to your life. There is no lasting threat. To the present humanity. on this planet.”
Yuhan-wol and Yang-gwang looked at each other at the explanation.
It was only now that the background of this Ubermensch project was roughly understood.
“So this idea came up. If only I could develop a super-reality game to convince my subjects to believe they were in real danger… that the drug might actually function. In a state where the perception that the situation you are facing is a game disappears. It was a solution that made sense and met all the conditions. Bruce also readily agreed with the project team’s plans. Even if it was a solution that would cost a lot of money. BH’s new business was decided in such a mess.”
Information related to Bruce Hendrick naturally popped into their minds.
BH’s past moves.
Yuhan Wol’s voice rang out.
“Then Bruce Hendrick bought game companies, and he made a lot of super-reality games for a long time… all?”
Aiden nodded.
“okay. All of this was to effectively apply the Odhalaf I created to humans. You can’t just put drugs to evolve and then really push him to a limb, can’t you?”
Yuhanwol looked at his face as he spoke with deep eyes.
The research results of the scientist in front of him, the material he created was the beginning of all events.
“Even Bruce generously offered his money. He showed generous support to the extent of making the project staff feel apologetic. Who could have done that? Everyone else said they wouldn’t have done that if they were rich. Even if he used an anti-human method, he would have avoided his legal responsibility and went in the direction of saving money the most. But he risked the future of the world’s number one company just to ensure the safety of the test subjects.”
enough to think so.
“Everyone respected him. You say you are a good person, you say that you are a good person. And I did my best to respond enthusiastically to Bruce’s full support. So the project went smoothly. How big of a ripple effect would a successful human evolution have? It was conducted in isolation and in top secret, but no one complained. Everyone just wanted the project to be a success. The advent of a new race.”
They are the ones who open the door and those who watch the beginning.
As if thirsty for a long talk, Aiden paused for a moment and took a sip of coffee.
his words again.
“But we never knew. What was Bruce thinking and supporting this project in that way?”
Then Yuhan Wol asked.
“… What did he want?”
“Well… Do you know the meaning of his name?”
“Well.”
“Bruce Hendrick. Bruce means ‘ruler’ in Celtic. Hendrick means ‘ruler’.”
I wondered why I said the meaning of the name in a strange way, and it seemed that there was an answer to the question.
“then?”
“I asked him what he wanted. Bruce wanted himself to become the ruler of the new race.”
A deep silence settled down for a moment.
Yuhanwol asked in a heavy tone.
“How did you find out about that?”
As Aiden explains, Bruce Hendrick has exhibited a very high level of moral conduct that has earned him a heartfelt admiration not only from people around the world, but also from all the project members of BH.
But how did this person know that he wanted to become the ruler of the new race?
Aiden nodded and answered as if it was a very reasonable question.
“At the beginning of the project, I thought it was just that. No, I felt it vaguely to some extent. Am I supposed to say that his behavior was disturbing without knowing it?”
“Then you mean that you felt it early on?”
“Well, I guess it was. because… Odhalaf, I knew the ramifications of what I had created. It should not be put into the hands of any single individual, and even less so in the hands of the evil one.”
Yuhan-wol nodded, and his words continued.
“From the time he brought me in, I was stuck on a contract. I own what I create. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t have joined BH, and I wouldn’t have been able to create something like this completely.”
“Then there really were no conditions in the contract?”
Yang’s question.
“For what I have created, one thing is that BH is the number one negotiating target. There were no other conditions other than that.
“Five… ”
“So I didn’t tell anyone how to make Odhalaf.”
“To anyone?”
In response to Yang Gwang’s question, Aiden nodded and said in a solemn tone.
“okay. There is only one person in this world who can create Odhalaf.”
Yuhan Wol looked at him.
This single word makes his presence incomparably heavy.
“Anyway, as time went on, the partnership with Bruce became indispensable. It’s not easy to find someone who understands and fully supports this project. Even if we meet, I don’t know if he’ll be a better person than Bruce. And if you do that, it must have been a matter of time for the secret to leak out. And then in the end… ”
Yuhanwol’s words broke the silence that had been laid for a while.
“I wouldn’t be here right now. In the worst case, he would have died, or he would have been tortured and destitute. If not, I would have been imprisoned for the rest of my life.”
“okay. I know you well. If I had listened to the US government, I would have been left behind for the rest of my life. Other countries must have kidnapped me, or at least tried to get rid of me. So, it was better to go ahead with the project with Bruce, who I had been with for a long time.”
Aiden, who took a sip of coffee, adjusted his posture once.
“So we decided to develop super-reality games, and as we proceeded with the project in earnest, additional personnel began to join us. As the size of the project has grown and the goal has become clearer, the number of personnel is increased. It is natural, but… For me, who was deeply wary of Odhalaf’s misuse, I didn’t like the situation. From my point of view, the fewer people I know, the better.”
“Then you can oppose it, right?”
Aiden answered Yang Gwang’s words.
“But, money is not everything. The longer the project period, the more money it costs. Besides, other project personnel have continued to live a life that is almost isolated from society, how can I just stick to my position there. So it was a bit of a stretch.”
The two nodded as if they understood.
“The new members didn’t take any noticeable action, and the project went smoothly. And finally the games are complete, and the equipment and drugs are all ready. It was time to start testing on humans again.”