Volume 18 Chapter 3
By Wing - 8:53 AM
Wings
They went past the deserts, rivers, and meadows of the south.
In order to cross the border of Africa to other countries, you had to pay an entry fee to pass which was quite expensive. At the border of the desert there were two rivers flowing of which animals came by to drink water. There were all sorts of creatures from the animal kingdom such as antelopes, zebras, cheetahs, jackals, buffalos, monkeys, and deer. The sky was filled with flocks of various colored feathered birds. Jong Bom Ah said to Lee Hyun.
“This is pretty amazing. It’s like a small zoo.”
Animals in the dry wilderness!
Lee Hyun nodded.
“It’s just as you say.”
Sparrows sitting on a telephone pole could not even begin to compare to the animal spirit he felt from the animals such as the pink flamingo. The jeep was safe from animal attacks since it was made of reinforced steel, but they still had to be careful of the vehicle being turned upside down.
Lee Hyun drove down a rough road with Jong Bom Ah. They could not get tired of looking at the animals.. Most of the animals in Korea were trapped in cages, but here there were herbivores grazing everywhere. There were giraffes that were looking around with its long neck for nearby dangerous wild beasts. Hungry lions looking for prey were wandering about. Crocodiles were swimming in the river.
At night they would sleep inside the cars.
Kuuueng! Kuuueng! Kueng! Kueng! Kueng!
Kihaaaaah!
It was shaking because of the wild animals running about crying noisily. Nights in Africa were dangerous.
They went to deliver medicine to African villages in the Prairie. They went to larger cities to deliver the supplies to other places. Lee Hyun would probably be pleased with what he was doing but there was something that was on his mind. The land was very beautiful, as were the animals, but he noticed the true painful nature was how deeply rooted poverty was in the people. Africa was the world’s largest ghetto and no one knew how many children were starving in a place like this.
A pair of shoes bought in Korea would be enough to save the lives of 10 children in Africa.
‘I, however, did not suffer anything. I have to reflect on this. From now on I need to put more effort and work even harder.’
Rather than complaining about his past, his real motivation was for the future.
Life, nature, fate, and dreams.
From seeing life in Africa, he took time to give it some thought.
The world was not fair.
While some people were laughing while watching TV, there were numerous people out there sick, hungry, and dying. Elementary school, middle school, high school, college.
They did not receive an education and could not dream of doing anything as adults.
Travel!
At first he did not want to go anywhere, but now he did not regret going.
It had been four days since they had been in Africa.
At the end of the day, they would finally reach the city of their destination.
Lee Hyun took off his face mask that was covered in sand. There was dust in his hair and all over his entire body.
“Sahyung, where is this?”
“This is the heart of Africa.”
“This is the heart of Africa.”
In the heart of Africa there were many large buildings and shops. There were many tourists so there was a stable economy and the city dealt in multinational trade.
“We’re done delivering all the medicine so the rest of the day is free time.”
“I’m going to take a bath.”
Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah went to a hotel to clean themselves with a bath.
Then they toured the African city.
There were black people entering and hanging around the alley of the slums.
Travelers from all over the world could be seen here in Africa.
The city had very good security but people were careful not to come too close to Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah. From the way they looked and dressed, they looked like a group of desert bandits.
The next day they took a plane.
They went north of Africa into Europe. So they had to cross the ocean.
“Where are we going now?”
Lee Hyun asked Jong Bom Ah who was carrying a parachute backpack.
“We’re going here.”
“Yes?”
“Every real man should try skydiving once right?”
“Yes?”
“Every real man should try skydiving once right?”
Lee Hyun looked out the window of the plane.
The houses in Europe looked like small dots and the road was drawn as if it were a blur.
“I’ve never skydived before.”
“You’ll get the hang of it.”
“You’ll get the hang of it.”
They recieved a small briefing from a French instructor on how to jump.
Fortunately the man had also learned the sword from the dojo so he was able to explain it quickly in Korean.
“Open!”
The hangar door of the airplane opened, causing their whole bodies to shake from the wind blowing on them.
Jong Bom Ah yelled.
“I’ll be going first!”
Jong Bom Ah jumped out of the hangar door fabulously and began falling towards the ground. Running as hard as he could, Lee Hyun jumped out of the airplane’s hangar.
At that moment.
He was in the middle of the blue sky.
He could feel the wind flowing past his body as he descended to the ground.
It was like when he descended from the City of the Sky, Lavias!
With his entire body in free fall, he felt like he had the freedom to go anywhere.
A five star hotel in Paris, France.
Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah were staying in a penthouse. After they checked in with the bellhop, the hotel staff gave them strange looks. They were being misunderstood since there were a lot gay people in Korea in comparison to Europe.
“Let’s drink!”
The hotel they had in France was equipped with a wine room.
Jong Bom Ah threw his backpack aside and took out a hand-knife and stabbed it into the high quality wine. He was not interested in using a corkscrew. Then he poured the cool wine into a cup and drank it.
“Ah, so refreshing! Is there any whiskey or soju here?”
As a typical Korean man, he enjoyed drinking his soju.
“There’s nothing like drinking soju!”
“Yea. It’s good to be honest! Aren’t there some middle school and high school students that drink wine? Soju is the best.”
They could not understand the taste and smell of wine.
It was just bitter!
For Jong Bom Ah, he could not enjoy drinking wine since it was distasteful.
“I don’t understand why its so expensive. Its the worst kind of drink.”
They had insulted all the wine lovers of the world!
Soju on the other hand was good with food like pork and together with friends, as well as creating a more sociable atmosphere.
“A bottle of soju is good in any country.”
Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah went to the terrace that was overlooking the Eiffel Tower as they briefly drank two cups of alcohol. Both of the men enjoyed their alcohol even more because it wasn’t costing them anything. Outside of the window was the Seine River and the historical buildings of Paris.
In Europe there was a saying that Paris had the most beautiful streets. In the hotel lobby there were statues and bright, colorful paintings in every corridor. Even the alcohol from the ice chest had a exotic feeling to it. Jong Bom Ah spun the bottle of liquor around as he said.
“Instead of feeling cooped up and watching TV, why do we take a night trip and walk around France.”
“All right.”
“Get a parachute.”
“Yes.”
“Get a parachute.”
“Yes.”
The was a movie that was playing on the TV that was popular in Europe and the United States. The five star hotel also had Chinese and Japanese broadcasting, but the variety of entertainment did not have the many professional Korean broadcasts. Lee Hyun took his camcorder along with his parachute. Everything will be recorded by the camcorder!
“Huhuhu.”
Jong Bom Ah did a nasty laugh in from of the camera as he walked over to the terrace.
“You were promised that you would get to stay at a five star hotel. Come on, let’s go.”
They did not need elevators. Jong Bom Ah dramatically jumped over the terrace. It looked as if he wanted to commit suicide. The only other thing was the night sky of Paris.
“So these kind of experiences are a part of traveling.”
Lee Hyun quickly followed him. He climbed over the railing and jumped to the ground. He expanded the parachute immediately and he descended slowing to the ground in the night sky of Paris. The hotel they were staying in was very tall so he could view a little bit of Paris’s scenery. However, he was gradually getting closer to the ground! Because Jong Bom Ah was more experience with using a parachute, he had arrived at the ground first. People were looking at them since they had suddenly fell out of the air. Then a French beauty approached them. She asked in her native language.
“Tu es d’ou (Where are you from)?”
Jong Bom Ah did not know French. Of course he didn’t know English either.
He made a glance towards Lee Hyun, who was the same.
“…”
They were now stuck with a frozen expression.
In order to enter a university, GED required to have basic proficiency in English.
They were Korean and didn’t learn any foreign languages so they could not understand the French woman. Lee Hyun decided to ignore her.
“Sahyung, let’s go eat hot dogs.”
He came to help Jong Bom Ah out of the situation.
“Sure. How about over there?”
They ignored the French beauty and instead went to a hot dog stand.
Clap clap clap!
Nearby passerby began to clap at them.
They wanted to congratulate them for having parachuted down.
They went around like ordinary tourists for the rest of the day.
They went the the Palace of Versailles, Luxembourg Gardens, Place de la Concorde, and the Bastille Opera House. Using the attractions as backgrounds, Jong Bom Ah struck a pose and revealed the muscles on his forearm.
“Ready. One, two three!”
Click!
“Now you go and do it.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Now let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Now let’s go.”
A typical photo shoot trip!
They would ask some French people or other travelers to take one of two pictures with them. They would then be busy eating hot dogs in the elegant streets of Paris.
“The hot dogs are good in Paris.”
“It’s very delicious. How about we eat some pork chops in the evening?”
“Yea, pork chops sound good too.”
After a hearty meal in the evening, they went to Germany. The dojo had went ahead and rented them motorcycles.
“Let’s see the capabilities of the German produced Autobahn motorcycles.”
Autobahn motorcycles!
“There’s a highway rest area around here right? Eating noodles and baked potatoes sound good.”
Then they went to the Netherlands to ride high speed motor boats and then they went diving into the sea. They explored the ocean floor and saw some fish. Then the went across the United Kingdoms to watch soccer games. There were many Koreans travelers and students that they heard from time to time. On the Croyde Beach in the United Kingdom as strong wind blew from the storm.
“This is good weather.”
“This weather is a good thing?”
“This weather is a good thing?”
There were dark clouds in the sky and it looked like it could rain any minute. It was the kind of weather where you would not be surprise if lightning struck suddenly.
“According to the Master, I need to take you surfing.”
Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah changed into swimming clothing. On the beach there were a lot of people watching the waves. Every time the storm hit, the waves would suddenly increase in size. The storm that was blowing was apparently a strong one that came once every ten years. Large and high waves were going to the the beach accordingly.
“Have you never surfed before?”
“Yea.”
“Yea.”
“It should be comfortable even if its your first time. Think of it like taking a dip and you should be able to do it like other people.”
There were few people trying to ride the waves. Jong Bom Ah and Lee Hyun tried to memorize their behavior and actions into their mind as they walked carefully. Walking down the beach were two Asians holding a surfboard. Usually one would wear a surfing suit to reduce the amount of water resistance. However they left their upper body completely exposed. The only thing they needed was their muscular upper body that they had developed earnestly. It was quite eye catching for the British people to see an Asian like Jong Bom Ah.
“Go first.”
Jong Bom Ah spread out his surfboad onto the sea and tried to surf. However the waves that kept hitting made him unable to. The sight of Lee Hyun following in gave the crowd greater courage. Swimming was one of the Republic of Korea’s favorite past times. Everyone knew how to do some basic form of swimming! He spread out his board and began to move his body, arms, and legs furiously.
“To think I would be doing this in the United Kingdoms!”
Severe wind and light rainfall began to create waves against his body. Waves that were a few meters high would catch him and his board every time causing him to be submerged into the salty sea. In fact, it was hard to move from the water pressure of the ocean waves. As soon as he got a hold of the board, another wave would strike him.
This repeated twelve times as the meter high waves kept at him brutally.
This repeated twelve times as the meter high waves kept at him brutally.
“Damn.”
Lee Hyun was upset.
“It’s like the time I had a bath in the neighborhood reservoir on that stormy night!”
As a kid there was not many games that he could play without spending money. As a child, he would spend his time trying to catch frogs and crayfish from a ditch and as he got older he would find try to find better things to eat.
The nearby reservoir!
It was a notorious place because roughly 3 to 5 people drowned there a year. In the pouring rain that day, Lee Hyun went and tried to fish with his bare hands in the reservoir so there was no way he would give in to the UK’s sea.
“In the Republic of Korea more than 100 thousand people are swimming all over the country! British waters are not big deal.”
He went forth to challenge it once more!
Lee Hyun tried again and again.
The waves kept getting bigger but it never returned him back to shore.
“How dare the waves do this…I am Jong Bom Ah!”
Jong Bom Ah’s eyes burned with his willpower as he stumbled.
At first he was trying to enjoy the waves but now it was a challenge. His upper body muscles were wet from the water and greasy from sweat. He used his power to grab the surfboard and jumped. He repeated his to try and get into the waves. Through his failures, Lee Hyun realized the concept of it.
‘So it has to do with being balanced despite the confusion.’
The big waves would push against the board and disrupt the balance even if you were successful. You had to try and reverse the flow to stay on.
‘So instead of trying to push to waves…it might be better to ride it?’
So he had to get it floating without upsetting the flow of the waves.
‘I can do it. Think of it as if I were riding the Wyverns…’
Lee Hyun’s survival senses.
Compared to the fast speed of the Wyverns in the valley, the waves were more normal. You need to get the hang of nature in order to succeed. He had to adapt. He remembered his flight on the back of the Wyverns. Fighting on top of the Wyvern’s backs. Lee Hyun began to climb on top of the waves with his surfboard and tried to get balanced. Then he stood on top of the wall like waves with his board.
“Kya hahahahahahahah!”
Lee Hyun laughed out loud.
Then he finally came to a stop.
“I am one who has conquered the storm!”
Lee Hyun began to yell out loudly and repeatedly. He was completely immersed in it. Jong Bom Ah was gifted with athleticism and well trained so he was already riding a wave. These guy were riding the waves in the storms of the UK! There was a British woman on the beach holding his camcorder and recording the scene. Before Lee Hyun was riding the waves he had given her to record it. After some time at night, they had a beach party with beer in a shop.
“European hot dogs are good.”
“Sausage is delicious too.”
“Sausage is delicious too.”
Lee Hyun and Jong Bom Ah began to drink beer heartily and went to sleep.
“Time to go to another part of Europe to go skiing.”
The two of them rode to the Alps in order to go skiing.
There was a ski resort that was officially opened but no one had gone because it was a reckless challenge! That was because the people that went could not find their way back to the hostel. Then they visited the Red Square.
“So this is the Red Square.”
“All sorts of people have been here.”
“All sorts of people have been here.”
They had a brief moment of appreciation for the historical sites. Then they took a transcontinental train to Moscow and then China. Then after a short visit in China, then planned to return to Korea by plane.
“I bought some eggs…where’s the kimbap?”
Boiled eggs were an indispensable necessity for train travel. They went into an open place to sleep. They looked on past the frozen tundra and the surrounding area. Lee Hyun looked out the window and was at a loss for words.
He had met all sorts of people from Africa to Central Asia. The hot sun, the sand, the wind, and the waters of the East. European culture and the historical buildings were great. The sculptures and paintings gave out lifelike feelings. To think he only lived in a small town and that such a big world existed was a huge shock to Lee Hyun.
‘This spacious land.’
The Republic of Korea could not compare to a country like Russia. The real estate prices near cities shot up from the economic boom.
‘To think that there would be a place like this on earth…!’
61 comments
He got to travel around at least 1/4 of the world for free.
ReplyDeleteAfrica, Europe and Asia... i think you need to retake your math..
DeleteWood is right, it was "at least"
Deletewell that might be more than 1/4 as long as you are not counting the ocean.
Deletewell more is still counted in at least. or am I wrong?
DeleteNo, correct.
DeleteYes, your. wrong
Deletewhatever.. The point is he got a free holiday T_T
Deleteyou're*
Deletehe also went to Russia. Which means he travelled across the entirety of afro- eurasia.
DeleteIf people truly believe he saw 1/4th of the world in 23 days, then yeah, think again, let alone more. He didn't even see 1/4th of the countries in Europe... Or 1/10th of Africa was mentioned. Ain't even going to start about Asia...
DeleteJust do the math, even if he visited 23 countries in 23 days, he only would have covered a little more than 1/10 of the world seeing they are 195 countries...
But yeah, guess if you go by continents, you can say he covered half of the world, but that's not how it works ffs, sorry to be rude but grow a brain tards.
Cartmanbro you are an idiot...
DeleteI want to know what a brain tard is? Is it an extremely smart conscious cancer, or is some thing else. please inform me!
DeleteBrain tard is someone calling themselves retard, so basically he's telling others that he himself is retard. LOL
DeleteOh the irony... He says "...grow a brain tards" which is correct but he just skipped the comma. So to be able to tell you "tards" I will type in a simpler way. He meant "Grow a brain, you retards." You wouldn't have proved his point in a more efficient way, good job. You should take his advice to heart and grow a brain, or at least try.
Delete*3 years later*
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteСпасибо!
ReplyDeleteSay..., How can i travel like that for free???
ReplyDeleteBecome good at swordfighting, then go to Korea
DeleteYou must be the main character in a fictional story!
DeleteU got to sleep a lot and have plenty of imagination .
DeleteThis part is boring...
ReplyDeleteIt was an important chapter to see how old the author's mental age is, which is around 5-7. So, boring but necessary.
DeleteActually this was a good setup for him taking his job as an up-and-coming emperor more seriously.
Delete+1 for 1st reply
Deleteit was really interesting. thank you.
ReplyDeletethanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteis it a typo that said: there are more gay couples in korea then in europa.
ReplyDeleteno offence to anybody but i doubt 1 land can beat a continent`s in numbers
think its suppost to be reversed. (im asian in europe)
I Love the story, but this part was kinda hard to read for me... (I know it is fantasy and all, but this part plays in the real world, right ?)
ReplyDeleteMost of the animals mentioned when talking about northern africa don't exist there, then it goes on talking about prairie which specifically describes areas in north america and so on...
I propably should see it more relaxed, but it kinda screams in my face at times XD
It is kinda ironic, nowadays we have information of any kind readily available, yet we do know less about geography and the like than the last generation.
(at least it def is true in my country)
I am somewhat lucky since I travelled all over the world myself, so I learned that way,
But if i had grown up 'normally' it might have been similar for me...
It's kinda sad...
It's a fictional story, don't overthink it. If it was being true to life then they would have been hit by a truck of peace in either France or Germany, if not both.
Delete[The following is merely nitpicking. You are free to ignore this comment.]
ReplyDeleteI am not a French expert, but I believe that the phrase "Tu es d'ou?" is erroneous. This is due to the fact that when the French don't know someone the refer to them in the formal "vous" form. Further, "vous" is used when there are two or more people so "vous" should have been used. Also, when asking a question, the french either invert the subject and the verb or use "Est-ce que tu..." or other related forms of asking a question.Therefore, I believe that the correct phrasing should be "D'ou etes-vous?"
If I am incorrect I ask someone more knowledgeable in French to correct me please.
If we are talking about proper french then yes you would be right, but in this case the person was using slang. Now as for 'tu' and 'vous' it depends on the situation, if she was referring to both of them 'vous' would be the right pronoun. If she was only asking the question to one of them then you would use 'tu', but in this particular case 'vous' should have been used, because she approached both of them which means she was referring to both.
DeleteAnother thing, in french there is another use for 'vous' 2nd person plural. Vous is used to show politeness, whether there is one or more persons, if you want to be polite or don't know the person you would use 'vous'.
I hope this helps, also it's a pain in the ass to type on phone.
To be honest i was surprised by the pertinence of the french quote.Yes , most of the time we use the polite "vous" to talk to strangers and the more familiar "tu" to talk to friends OR young people. The MC is young therefore there is no problem with the quote.
DeleteOverall , the author described a world unknown to him and mistakes in geography or cultural areas are numerous. Amongs them hotdog in Paris , surfing in England , driving without license in Europe , going from France to England to surf and go back to France's Alps to ski then suddenly being in red square ( which is in moscow ) before taking the train to go to Moscow.
I knew it would be a mess when i first imagined the author depicting the world from his korean point of view but since it's a fantasy i'm ok with it.There is no need to take offense.
It's correct but you need to add the accent:
DeleteD'où êtes-vous/Vous êtes d'où?
or
D'où es-tu?/Tu es d'où?
https://lactualite.com/societe/tu-et-vous-expliques-aux-americains/
DeleteI'm french and I agree with both of you. Another thing again, we can used "tu" when an adult speak with a kid or an adolescent. The french lady can be older than Lee Hyun or she just want to "break the ice" quickly with him? In all cases, the language's wall here is thick between them...
ReplyDeleteBut Lee Hyun actually approached and helped the other guy cause he didn't understood a word... Doesn't that indicate that she only spoke the the geomchi at the beginning? And considering that she used slang: seems legit to me :) (though it's not that polite but who cares, right?)
DeleteEst-ce que vous vous sentez bien mes chères lecteurs de cette fabuleuse nouvelle?
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure he needs visa for that kind of thing AND special permissions for helicopter + parachute. I am not sure that can be arranged without getting Weed actively involved in process at least few months before the trip.
ReplyDeleteI did tons of paperwork to go Netherlands for 5 months to study.
there is a ton of money coming from questionable sources. therefore, questionable methods are available.
DeleteI have 2 comments.
ReplyDelete1.I can't suffer the wine either.
2.For the love of GOD!Stop calling it soccer!It is called football!FOOTBALL.The american sport is called eggball or rugby!
Jesus christ this chapter has so many mistakes and cultural errors that it just hurts to read, i'm not talking about the translation, i'm talking about the pure ignorance that this author has on the world outside of korea. The animals in Africa, the city in Africa that doesn't even have a name, the parachuting out of nowhere, and once again, from a fucking 5 star hotel window, the fact that Europe is treated like a small country.... The author may know a lot about gaming and earning, but he is definitelly a full retard in what concerns the outside world.
ReplyDeleteChill out bro, maybe because his wide knowledge about gaming, he thinks real world is like GTA, a place where you can do crazy things everywhere and everytime. Lol
Deletedid internet existed when this chapter was made?
ReplyDeleteWell said :D
Delete"At the border of the desert there were two rivers flowing of which animals came by to drink water. There were all sorts of creatures from the animal kingdom such as antelopes, zebras, cheetahs, jackals, buffalos, monkeys, and deer." this part is wrong, cheetahs don't drink water.
ReplyDeleteSo many errors that could have been pointed out in this chapter and your one gripe is that cheetah's don't drink water (which is not true, they do, though they can go for long amounts of time without drinking water), learn basic biology before making stupid comments.
Deletethanks for the chapter
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletenow every one will think he is rich
ReplyDeleteI feel that some of the errors with the geography and the jumbled sentences are in part translation errors. As the case with seeing the red square then riding a train to Moscow. I highly doubt the author as well as the publisher would let the amount of mistakes I've seen get by. It's simply shitty (but free) translations.
ReplyDeleteFirst volume I read that was not on japtem. Not impressed as of yet.
I feel that some of the errors with the geography and the jumbled sentences are in part translation errors. As the case with seeing the red square then riding a train to Moscow. I highly doubt the author as well as the publisher would let the amount of mistakes I've seen get by. It's simply shitty (but free) translations.
ReplyDeleteFirst volume I read that was not on japtem. Not impressed as of yet.
I doubt it is legal to skydive over a city, let alone Paris. Don't they have designated drop zones in open land for that kinda stuff?
ReplyDeleteI have to confess I don't really understand why people get so angry about the fact the author doesn't know shit about anything put aside Korea. Imo it's in fact much funnier to see what the random korean guy thinks about this all, it's not like I want him to write a tourism guide for me, clichés and errors are pretty much the interesting part of this chap.
ReplyDeleteLol complaining about all that stuff here but not when they watch a james bond movie. Fiction people... fiction...
ReplyDeleteWhat did any of this have to do with the sword though?
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing! I only kinda got surfing as being relevant due to balance. If I'm pushing it perhaps Africa is to do with helping people and the parachuting is just plain fearlessness (which he already had anyway). Otherwise everything else was pointless and merely about having fun.
DeleteAlso since when is Lee Hyun such a trusting person that he would get a stranger to use his camcorder while he is surfing? He always believes everyone around him has a hidden agenda. Hell he even acts as if Seoyoon is a murderer since the author made him stupid and unable to tell the difference between virtual reality and reality.
Yeah, I never found any connection or purpose that allowed the duo to travel the world without without paying for it. The author should explain the rationale of seeing the world upfront instead of keeping his audience perplexed. I don't mind the geographic inconsistencies since we label this LN as fiction.
DeletePfffftt
ReplyDeleteTypical of eastern
Too exgratating
Even if you havent traveled somewhere atleast do research of the place you want to describe
To much over exagratating
Hate this chpter since the end of african onwards
Thanks for the chapter. Man I like these little moments for him. My boy got to travel the world quite a bit for frwe
ReplyDelete