"Not a single person attacked us. Did Seok-Hyeon C actually keep his word? ...Unlike a certain someone."
"You aren't talking about me, are you? I'm a good person who only speaks the truth!"
Yu-Han made a gesture of exaggerated shock.
"That right there is already a lie!"
"Then should I say I'm a person who only lies? But that would be a paradox."
'I really want to kill him.'
However, they had arrived safely at the EV Terminal.
If she could just cross this and reach the Cheongwa Tower, she might never have to see this annoying face again.
But Alice's dream hit a snag right at the entrance.
Groups of armed soldiers wearing unfamiliar combat gear were stationed all over the terminal.
"Yu-Han. Who are they?"
"Combatants from K&R."
K&R.
A corporate conglomerate that emerged in the American continent in the late 21st century.
At the time, corporations with immense wealth and power began buying ruling rights from governments drowning in debt.
The era of traditional superpowers faded, and the age of corporate rule began.
Although Korea still maintained a relatively primitive state system amidst all this.
"Did they hire mercenaries because of the terror attacks? Well, it shouldn't be a problem for good, law-abiding civilians like us."
"Stop with that 'good citizen' crap. It gives me a headache."
As they passed through a makeshift checkpoint, a K&R guard blocked their way.
And an inspection robot beside them asked a question.
[Please present your identification.]
The two handed over their IDs.
However, an ominous beep sounded.
[Grade 4 National Contributers are not permitted to enter New Seoul. Please turn back.]
"What? But we passed through just fine last ti..."
The K&R guards aimed their assault rifles without a word.
The two had no choice but to back off quietly.
Now that they looked, there was a sign that read: 'No Entry for Pets and Grade 4 National Contributers.'
"Contributers? What is that?"
"Alice. You're an AI robot, why don't you search it yourself?"
Grumbling, Alice accessed the internet directly with her brain - or, with her processor.
It was a function she had recently figured out on her own.
"Hmm... 'All citizens are assigned a National Contributer Grade from birth. Upon birth, general citizens are usually assigned Grade 3, but criminals, those with suspicious identities, low-credit individuals, and N.O.B.I. are assigned Grade 4...' What the hell is a 'N.O.B.I.'?"
"You really know nothing. They are artificial humans manufactured by the state."
"Artificial... humans? I've never heard of such a thing."
"You asked how the country maintains itself when people kill each other like this. Actually, there's a method: factories produce N.O.B.I. to replace the dead."
"That's... inhumane...!"
"Inhumane? It's the opposite. It's a very human idea."
Yu-Han smirked as if he found something funny.
"Thanks to someone, we wasted our time from early morning... Wait, isn't that guy?"
Yu-Han called out to a K&R combatant passing by.
He looked Korean as well.
"Yu-Han? Long time no see!"
"Let me introduce you. This is Jeong Gu-Han. A friend from hell."
Alice wondered if she should be happy to hear an introduction that wasn't 'old grudge'.
"Hello. I am Alice."
"Yu-Han, another foreigner? A Westerner this time?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean?"
"This guy, last time he lived with a foreign cat beastkin woman."
At Jeong Gu-Han's words, Alice glanced at Yu-Han with a lukewarm and subtle gaze.
Yu-Han protested desperately.
"Why are you saying things that cause misunderstandings?! That was for a mission, just for a few days..."
"I know, I know. But I just wondered if really nothing happened between a man and a woman living together for days."
"Absolutely nothing happened!"
Flustered by Jeong Gu-Han's teasing, Yu-Han recalled why he had spoken to him.
"Hey. Cut the crap. The EV is blocked, is there any way to go up? Like a friend chance?"
"Should we talk to the Young-gam? That person also joined K&R."
Young-gam is a Korean honorific used to address elderly men. It is used for someone old, despite containing the word 'Young.' Ironical.
"He's still alive?! Wait, that crazy unhingedYoung-gam is in K&R?!"
At that moment, someone spoke to the three of them.
"Who are you calling crazy and unhinged? You useless brat, Yu-Han."
However, for a title like 'Young-gam', the voice was thin.
No, it wasn't even a man.
Standing there was a tall woman with long, straight red hair.
"Yu-Han, is this person the Young-gam...? She looks like a woman no matter how I see it?"
"I have... no idea... Who are you?"
Yu-Han looked unusually pale.
The woman sighed deeply.
"What, did you forget my mana just because I look like this? Did you even forget the name 'Yi Gyu-Chan'?"
Yu-Han looked as if his eyes were about to pop out.
***
Recalling those times, Yu-Han and Jeong Gu-Han said in unison.
""He was a truly terrifying fossil...""
"It was terrible for me too, teaching incompetent weaklings like you."
Hearing their reminiscence, Alice was certain that Yi Gyu-Chan was one of the contributors to Yu-Han's twisted personality.
"But Young-gam, what kind of change of heart is this? Becoming transgender?"
"You rotten bastard... do you think I became like this because I wanted to?"
"Then, who did you lose to?"
At Yu-Han's words, Yi Gyu-Chan fell silent.
Eventually, Jeong Gu-Han answered instead.
"Can't you tell by seeing the Young-gam working here? The opponent was 'Killian', the head of K&R."
"That guy was that strong...?"
When Yu-Han spoke, Yi Gyu-Chan said with a serious look.
"He was stronger than anyone I saw during the civil war. No, perhaps he has already transcended the human level..."
However, Yu-Han wasn't listening seriously at all.
"Wow~ So even the battle-maniac Young-gam suffered 'Feminization' at Killian's hands? To imagine the Young-gam turned into a woman, pinned down and panting as a woman..."
At that moment, Yu-Han suddenly sensed something and pulled out a carbon-coated sword.
But even though he blocked, the blade was cleanly snapped in two.
"Don't get cocky, Yu-Han. Even in this body, I am stronger than you."
"Damn it..."
Alice felt fear toward Yi Gyu-Chan, who overwhelmed Yu-Han.
Yi Gyu-Chan asked casually, as if it were nothing.
"By the way, why did you guys come?"
"Young-gam, they say Grade 4s can't take the EV. Can't you do something with your influence?"
"If they say don't take it, then don't take it and get lost! Besides, I don't want to give you anything for free."
"Heh, I didn't expect much anyway. Let's go, Alice."
At that moment, Yi Gyu-Chan saw Alice and stopped her.
"Wait, you robot."
"Yes?"
"You're a bit interesting. If you satisfy my curiosity, I might let you pass."
"Curiosity?"
"Fight me and win."
"I'll just go."
As Alice tried to keep walking, Yi Gyu-Chan was flustered.
"Hey, why are you giving up so easily?"
"Young-gam, she can't even use magic, how is she supposed to beat you?"
Yi Gyu-Chan sighed, then suddenly used magic to carve the floor, creating a small circular area.
"I'll give you a handicap. I won't step out of this circle. And... I won't use weapons, magic, or my right arm."
"This is crazy. Let's just go, Alice."
"No, that might be doable."
Unfortunately, Alice's competitive spirit seemed to have been triggered again.
Yu-Han groaned inwardly at Alice's unexpected behavior.
***
And so, Alice and Yi Gyu-Chan faced each other.
The time limit given to Alice was 10 minutes.
The condition was too simple: just push Yi Gyu-Chan out of the circle within 10 minutes.
"Did you say your model name is Alice? I'll finish this quickly."
"Finish quickly? Ha! The time limit is 10 minutes... There's no way you can finish it faster than that!"
Alice turned on Combat AI Mode and rushed at Yi Gyu-Chan.
An AI combat robot vs. a human with one arm sealed, unable to leave a circle.
To anyone watching, the outcome seemed obvious.
However...
"Slow."
"...!"
Yi Gyu-Chan dodged Alice's punch and landed a kick on Alice's solar plexus.
Of course, being a robot, the solar plexus wasn't a vital point for her, but she flew far away and crashed into the waiting seats in the terminal lobby.
"If I smash you to pieces as you charge in, I can finish it faster than 10 minutes, can't I?"
"N-no way...!"
The analysis result from Alice's combat AI was shocking.
Simply put, he was just faster and stronger than Alice.
"No matter how well an AI robot calculates, there are physical limits... When an AI chess robot makes a perfect move, I can simply win by making two or three moves at once."
Alice continued to attempt close combat, but Yi Gyu-Chan parried attacks with one arm, slammed her away with his shoulder, tripped her, and even grabbed her kicking leg with one arm to throw her.
Alice was reminded of the fight between Kim Ga-Eun and Yi Rang she had seen before.
An overwhelming gap that made attacking look stupid...!
...Of course, that didn't mean Yi Rang was stupid, really.
'S-scary... That woman is trapped inside a circle, but...'
Even though she had no sense of pain, Alice's spirit was breaking as she was handled like a toy.
The fear was like having to stick her hand into a cage with a starving tiger inside...!
...Of course, that tiger was totally not Yi Rang.
"Alice."
Yu-Han, who was watching, spoke up.
"Yu-Han. This is absolutely impossible. I should give up..."
"Of course, it's absolutely impossible. Without magic."
"..."
It was an established theory that only beings with souls could use magic.
Then, did that mean her current self was a being without a soul?
Yu-Han smiled at Alice and said.
"So... use magic now."
"I don't know how to use magic...!"
"You wrapped yourself in my mana and killed enemies before. Then that's practically the same as using magic, isn't it? If you succeeded once, you can do it twice."
Yu-Han was spouting preposterous sophistry.
But that sophistry gave Alice a strange sense of relief.
'Right, that sensation when I fought wrapped in mana...!'
At that moment, Yi Gyu-Chan's eyebrow twitched.
What was rising from Alice, who closed her eyes and concentrated, was undoubtedly pure Mana energy...!
Jeong Gu-Han, who was watching, also looked flustered.
"Hey, Young-gam. A robot using magic..."
"Ha! This just got interesting—!!"
Alice, wrapped in mana, rushed at Yi Gyu-Chan with a different momentum than before...!
"..."
Yi Gyu-Chan also wrapped herself in mana, suppressed Alice with both arms, and slammed her into the ground.
She even stepped out of the circle.
Even while pinned down, Alice smiled in victory.
"My... victory, right?"
"No, it's mine. You stupid tin can bitch."
"?"
"Time limit 10 minutes. It passed a long time ago."
"Ah."
Alice realized through her internal clock that 12 minutes had already passed.
"Well... it was somewhat entertaining. If you're done, get lost."
Alice walked out of the terminal with Yu-Han, looking sullen.
Jeong Gu-Han was still surprised watching Alice leave.
"Indeed, to achieve this much in such a short time...!"
"HaHa! This will be very fun! If magic-wielding robots are mass-produced... how much more interesting will the battlefield become!!"
Yi Gyu-Chan stood there laughing heartily for a while.
Of course, cleaning up the messed-up terminal was the subordinates' job.
...like Yi Rang.
***
"I lost. Yu-Han."
"I didn't expect much in the first place. That Young-gam is..."
"The worst."
"I agree."
The two walked in silence for a while.
Yu-Han spoke as if he just remembered.
"Still, a soulless robot awakened magic. This is an unprecedented event!"
"I guess so?!"
Just as Alice was trying to cheer up, Yu-Han threw a wet blanket over her.
"Of course, the trigger for the awakening was shivering in fear of a woman with one arm trapped in a circle, which looks a bit pathetic."
"Bastard."
Sulking, Alice deliberately strode ahead of Yu-Han.
Yu-Han smiled as he watched her.
'As I thought... you did have a soul.'