My Alter Ego's Path to Greatness

(I am using Gemini 2.0 since Chapter 270, testing it out)

I leisurely sipped my coffee and checked the online reactions.

"Yeah, I kind of expected it, but this is beyond chaotic."

The recent large-scale hospital terror incident caused by a villain was something I was directly involved in.

So, I was planning to keep a close eye on how things unfolded…

'It hasn't even been that long yet.'

Judging by the level of commotion right now, it looked like things were going to escalate into something bigger than expected.

I was looking over the public opinion with a serious expression when…

"Hmm? You're awake. That was faster than I thought."

My sensitive senses picked up a rustling sound from the quiet room across the hall.

Getting up from my seat, I immediately opened the door and entered, tossing a casual greeting to Kang Tae-san, who was just starting to sit up, his face still showing signs of sleep.

"You're awake."

Since things had turned out this way, I intentionally made sure he got plenty of sleep for more efficient recovery, but being as naturally sturdy as he is, it didn't last that long, it seemed.

"Uh… what? I was asleep? More importantly, where is this…?"

He looked up at me with a blank expression, then blinked, glancing around as if trying to figure out why he was here.

It was understandable, as this was the house I lived in before moving.

I didn't particularly need the money, so I left it as a base in Seoul, and thankfully, it was proving useful right now.

"Wait a minute, now that I think about it…"

However, Kang Tae-san's reaction didn't last long.

He frowned, muttering as if something had just occurred to him, and suddenly stopped talking.

Then, his eyes widened, and he jumped up from where he was lying.

"Hold on! What? What about that explosion? No, more importantly, what about my grandma?!"

"Over here."

At his reaction, I subtly moved aside and pointed to one side of the room.

On the bedding there, his grandmother was sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by all the noise.

"Hoo—."

Kang Tae-san hurriedly went to her side and carefully checked her condition, letting out a sigh of relief.

Of course, he wasn't a doctor, but seeing his grandmother's complexion even better than right before her discharge and her breathing calm, the anxiety that had been rising in him melted away.

After regaining his composure, our conversation with Kang Tae-san continued after we quietly left the room.

"Come to think of it, are you alright…? I think you shielded us right before that explosion…"

"I'm fine. I work out every day, so you know I'm tough. You should exercise too. Don't just stay cooped up in the office."

"What, you punk? Hey, my department spends more days out of the office than in it! Plus, I'm the youngest, so I have to do all sorts of errands! Do you even know the hardships of a low-ranking public servant?"

After exchanging a few playful jabs like old friends, the topic of conversation returned to the main point.

"But seriously, what happened? I feel too refreshed after waking up from being caught in an accident, like I had a good night's sleep."

"Well, they're calling it a terror attack, I think. Check the news for details. It's all over the place right now."

"...Ha! A terror attack, huh? I guess it was too quiet for too long. There's no way those terrorists would just stay hidden forever. To get caught in a terror attack during my vacation and then have work hell waiting for me when I get back…"

The youngest member of the Paranormal Management Bureau's Criminal Investigation Department grabbed his head in frustration, a look of headache on his face.

He reached for his smartphone to check the situation, but then despaired as he realized it had been fried by the EMP. He then turned on the TV in the living room and tuned into the news.

Around 1 PM today, a terror attack targeting patients occurred at a large hospital in Heuksang-dong, Seoul. The perpetrator first aimed to disable all electronic devices in the vicinity…

News that had already been broadcast several times was playing again on TV.

The fact that a terror attack happened wasn't really headline-worthy news in itself.

In this world, such incidents were a regular occurrence that happened every so often, and that perception hadn't changed even now, with the decreased crime rate thanks to the Hahoe Mask.

However, there was a special reason why this particular terror attack was receiving so much attention.

There were several noteworthy reasons that differentiated it from others.

Suddenly, a bright light enveloped me and burst into flames! Wow, I've never seen anything like it in my life!

It was truly an unforgettable spectacle. I was casually looking out the window when suddenly one side lit up, and when I turned my head, there was this light blazing like fire…

The footage being shown vividly captured the situation at the time.

Although the electronic devices near the hospital were all destroyed by the villain's EMP, videos taken from outside the affected area remained intact.

"...What's that? We were in the middle of that?"

"Yeah."

Kang Tae-san, who had been quietly watching the TV, muttered in a daze.

Of course, his reaction was understandable.

Seeing it from a third-person perspective like this, it was undeniably an amazing spectacle, even to himself.

Whoosh—

A dazzling radiance, like gold and silver mixed together.

A cone-shaped tornado of light, wider at the top, swirling fiercely and dynamically flickering like flames, as if burning everything away—.

It was a breathtaking scene that seemed overwhelming just to watch.

And the news footage didn't stop there, with more data continuing to pour in.

Videos taken by those who were just outside the range of the EMP, excitedly filming the area inside, interviews with Guardians who had just arrived on the scene after hearing the news, and…

Hospital Inpatient: I really thought I was going to die. No joke, I even coughed up blood from the impact that came from below, and I thought, 'This is it.' But then, in that moment…

Hospital Lobby Visitor: I was knocked into a wall and passed out when the terror attack first happened. I think my eardrums were damaged because I couldn't hear anything even after I came to, but then suddenly…

Hospital Security Guard: …In that moment when I thought I was going to die, that person appeared.

Vivid testimonies from those who were at the scene.

Their claims were all largely the same.

When that brilliant divine power, like fire, burned through their bodies, their bodies, which had been on the verge of death, began to recover rapidly.

Their depleted stamina surged back, serious injuries were healed, and the illnesses that were gnawing at their bodies lost their power.

Moreover, it wasn't just one or two people who experienced this phenomenon.

It was a level of miracle that no known clergyman had ever achieved.

It was divine salvation bestowed upon those who were in despair, facing death.

"...No way. Divine power at that level hasn't been reported before… No, but there's evidence. And more importantly, my grandma and I experienced it firsthand… He's my benefactor, isn't he?"

Whether Kang Tae-san, who had knowledge on the subject due to his profession, was in confusion or not, the topic of the news naturally shifted to the 'White-Clad Paladin' who had caused the miracle.

A hero who had appeared in the nick of time, defeated the villain, and saved many dying people.

Who exactly was he?

What were the limits of his abilities?

Where had he gone now that he had suddenly disappeared?

Of course, the damage left by the terror attack was not small.

No matter how great the divine power was, it couldn't revive those who had already died.

However, preventing a disaster that could have caused even greater damage, and the enormous divine power scattered to save patients and others, was enough to deeply impress the citizens.

The news concluded with a person identified as being affiliated with the Pantheon's Korean branch praising their god, but the buzz didn't die down and continued online.

I subtly picked up my smartphone and checked the bustling online communities.

I smell it… I smell a huge deal returning to Earth! And to Korea!

Wow; so Earthlings can reach that level with divine power. I heard it's extremely difficult for them to grow.

Current clergyman here. If it's that level on Earth, you could consider them Pope-level in their original world. Truly admirable faith. I will strive to improve myself even more. In that vein, I would like to share the words of Tarakmin with you all…

The mainstream of the discussion was anticipation for the unidentified paladin who had appeared.

There were as many different kinds of gods as there were dimensions, and not all clergymen who used divine power had virtuous natures.

It wasn't uncommon for clergymen of evil gods to act as villains, so it was understandable that there was such excitement when someone with unfathomable divine power had appeared to save many people from a terror attack.

From the perspective of ordinary citizens who always had to live in fear, the more people with good intentions and strong power, the better.

In fact, wasn't the public safety situation quite stable right now thanks to a remarkable returnee like the Hahoe Mask?

Furthermore, the paladin didn't use ominous black magic like the Hahoe Mask, so people were even more enthusiastic.

If their divine power is at that level, wouldn't they be in the top 3 domestically in terms of mastery? Maybe they could even catch the black magician Hahoe Mask?

└Nah, no way. I admit they're amazing, but there are limits. Their output is too low, they'll run out of steam quickly.

└Are you blind? Did you even watch the video and you're talking about output?

└Did you grow up overseas? Hahoe Mask has achievements, what nonsense are you spouting; Comparing some newbie who just came back to the Hahoe Mask.

└Yeah, so what's your precious Hahoe Mask doing now? Probably already dead somewhere no one can find him lol.

└You don't live in Korea, do you? I knew something was off. You're just a troll.

└[Deleted comment.]

It even escalated into arguments between passionate fans of the Hahoe Mask and those who viewed him with suspicion.

'Seriously, they fight over anything.'

Of course, from my perspective, where both were me, it just seemed like a waste of energy.

I looked through the community again, roughly gauging public opinion, and stroked my chin.

Witness testimony used to create a composite sketch of the hospital paladin. Just the armor, though.

└Oh, that's so cool. Upvoted.

└Looking at it like this, it has a certain feel. But how did they suddenly appear and disappear wearing something like that? That must be some seriously expensive magic artifact.

Paladin-nim, please help. My mother is very ill. I will definitely compensate you…

This is a writer from MBS Broadcasting. If anyone has witnessed them elsewhere, please contact us…

Perhaps because of his spectacular debut, it felt strange to see his popularity skyrocket like this without even a proper picture of him.

And it wasn't just limited to public opinion.

Various organizations both domestically and internationally would probably have already begun their efforts to find Heinrich.

'Not that they'll be able to find me. I intentionally scorched the entire area with divine power as much as possible.'

No matter how many different types of abilities existed in the world, it would be impossible to read anything within such high-purity spiritual energy waves.

I used 「Blessing: Leap」 when going to the restroom and the scene, so it would be difficult to find any physical connections.

'Summoning Heinrich would have been the most certain way… But the situation wasn't serious enough to warrant that.'

The battle with the Revolutionary was only a little while ago.

Naturally, 「Summon Otherworldly Gate」 was used to send Hans back to Outerica across the boundary of the abyss, so if I had summoned him back then, there would have been a gap of several days.

'Especially with the Pope's funeral just ending and the final procedures being carried out.'

Besides, it was easy enough to summon him occasionally to create an alibi once things over there settled down to some extent, so it wasn't a big deal.

I closed the community website I was looking at and shrugged lightly.

"Ah…! Come to think of it, the team members in my department know my grandma was hospitalized there. They already know the reason for my leave today, too."

Just then, Kang Tae-san muttered blankly, staring at his dead smartphone.

It was as if he could clearly see what would happen if it were still working.

The youngest member who was at the scene on the day of the incident.

No matter how much he said he was unconscious from the start and knew nothing, he could clearly see a future where he would be grilled by his senior colleagues trying to find even the smallest clue.

"...Let's postpone getting a new phone until right before my vacation ends."

Of course, that was out of the question given the nature of his department.

With no other choice, he quickly got a new smartphone and was bombarded with the messages and calls he had expected, falling into a state of mental exhaustion.

Perhaps the only good thing was that his team members understood that he needed to take care of his grandmother, so his vacation wasn't cut short.

"Aaaargh—! Don't tell me this person is someone we have to find too? Please report your return, righteous Paladin-nim! Laws are meant to be followed…! If even you take the Hahoe Mask route…!"

Kang Tae-san shuddered, foreseeing an ominous future.

'Sorry.'

Leaving my friend behind, I finished my outing, which felt particularly long, and headed home.

Now that I've made my debut, I thought it might be good to use Heinrich occasionally in the future.