Episode 208 Choice and Giving Up
[The quest for the causality gap caused by the use of the ‘Ring of the Eye’ has been completed.]
[The past history has been slightly readjusted due to the aftermath of Jaejong.]
[Additionally, we discovered the ‘place’ where the fifth fragment is located.]
[【???】 The fifth location of the fragment is… … .]
[… … .]
[… … .]
[… The area near the Gehenna Gate of the Demonic Realm.]
[The fairy tale rate and the three ‘levels’ have increased significantly.]
[In addition, the proficiency of ‘Protection of Tea Power’ has also increased.]
[※A new ability of Cha-Ryuk has been unlocked.]
* * *
The moment my eyes opened, the status window notified me of new news before I could even come to my senses.
“Damn, head… Give me some time to cool down.”
I covered my throbbing forehead and nervously turned off the status window. A low groan escaped me as the headache persisted for several minutes.
Thanks to my mental toughness, I am usually immune to such shocks. However, this phenomenon caused me to panic. My head was completely tangled with too much information.
“I’m so tired I can’t even sleep properly for four days… … .”
A harsh curse rolled around in my mouth. My body was already exhausted. How dare they thrust a scene from history into me like that.
Even just looking at it makes my head tingle. No, rather than seeing it, I experienced it. I went into the body of the 1st Corps Commander Lycan and actually fought him. Maybe it’s because of the feeling I got from that time, but the feeling in my fingertips is still tingly.
I stared at my palm with blank eyes. Even now, if I were to cast an electric spell, it felt like an electric current would fly out. That much, the sense of unity with 1st Corps Commander Lycan was unpleasantly clear.
“As if we were ‘one body’ from the beginning… … .”
I quickly went to the bathroom and rinsed my face with cold water. Then I looked up and stared into the mirror.
I, with black hair and eyes, am reflected in the image of Kanggeomma. Black features that I thought were unique to this world.
When I asked Weapon about it, he said that he had never seen black eyes or black hair before. That’s why he was scared when he first saw it. In short, he felt something similar to cosmic horror. To that extent, this black appearance was a feature that set it apart from this world.
“Well, since their characteristics are so uniquely different, I firmly believed that they were cousins.”
The only black saint in this world, Yu Se-in. She is also an extraordinary person. She is deeply connected to the status window, and she revealed herself as a window for communicating with ‘foreign news’.
I guess in this world, those with ‘black physical characteristics’ are those associated with that foreign god. At first, I thought it was a hasty guess. However, the quest just now added credibility to this guess.
I swept the damp mirror. I quietly chewed on the name of the person whose face looked vaguely similar to this one.
“Balor Joaquin.”
My first teacher was the hero of the poem. The reason I have a headache is probably because of the shock of this fact. As his disciple, I have never experienced such a twist. And that is not all.
The power that the Master displayed while burning his left arm was clearly the ‘protection of the swordsman.’
Aren’t I the current owner of that protection? With overwhelming speed and swordsmanship that can even cut through magic. There is no room for doubt. The protection of the swordsman was certain.
The dizziness that was coming back started to prickle my head.
“Damn, how the hell did things go wrong.”
The previous manifestation of my protection, he came to the Earth where I live using the ‘Ring of the Demon Eye’. After that, I, your disciple, fell into this world.
It seems too suspicious to be coincidence, but it’s also strange to say it was inevitable.
When we first met, didn’t the Master try to kick me out? If he had come looking for me, he would have welcomed me with open arms. Instead of treating me so coldly and unkindly, he would have welcomed me with open arms.
And above all, the gap between meeting the Master and coming here is so long.
Even during those twenty years, I wasn’t with him, but wandered here and there. ‘Miracle of Protection M’ also started by chance.
You made a grand plan that lasted 20 years? If all of this was planned, then that gentleman is a god. However, the teacher I remember was definitely not a meticulous person.
I know this well, having worked with that man for five years. A gentleman who couldn’t even choose the menu for dinner that day, could have come up with this idea? That’s ridiculous. That gentleman was a total idiot except for using a knife and teaching.
‘If by any chance that gentleman planned everything… that’s questionable in its own way.’
Could it be that this is the person that 1st Corps Commander Lycan was looking for?
At that moment.
“Ugh.”
A sharp pain that makes your head spin like a spinning wheel. It is similar to the pain that occurs when you activate the ‘Protection of the Sword God’ without the ‘Protection of Painlessness’. As if telling you not to hear any more about this matter.
Artificial forces block the flow of thought like a dam.
“Fuck, really.”
I spat out a curse and rubbed my face again. Then I dragged my tired body and sat down on the windowsill, unsteady.
Outside, it was still noisy and tumultuous. It was the afterglow of the succession ceremony. Thanks to that, the Joaquin Academy had an unexpectedly festive atmosphere.
“I, the person involved, am in a mess, but people’s faces look so relaxed.”
Even though I was grumbling like this, a real smile came to my mind. It was because I suddenly remembered what my teacher had said.
‘You, go to school, you must.’
The words my teacher said to me whenever he had the chance. I could tell without even asking that they were heartfelt words.
I belong to your great legacy now. And his legacy was now filled with many people and devastation.
Perhaps the school life that the gentleman told me about was similar to mine.
As I was looking out the window, frost formed on the window. The night air seemed very chilly.
“It’s getting colder now.”
From now on, I will be busy with construction as Chilseong. In addition, I have to visit Gehenna Gate to find the fifth fragment. So until then, there was only one thing I had to do for the time being: get enough rest.
I jumped down from the windowsill and threw myself onto the bed, hoping to catch up on the sleep I had lost.
* * *
A walking path within the Academy grounds. A place where there was no sound, unlike the bustling city center. Someone was walking along this winding path filled with silence.
“Whew- It’s a bit difficult when there are a lot of people.”
Abel wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead. Still, the cool night breeze cooled the sweat. After that, she looked around to gauge her current location.
“Here.”
Permanent streetlights and benches installed intermittently. This was where I first met Kang Geum-ma.
It seems that he had continued to walk while avoiding people and ended up in this deserted place. Abel let out a moment of laughter.
I was just walking aimlessly, but the place I came to was the place where I first saw Kanggeomma. When I think about what day it was today, it was quite an odd coincidence.
… or maybe it was not a coincidence, but an unconscious wind that led my steps here.
Abel shook his head. His face was burning hot. He calmed his heart that was pounding without any warning and sat down on the bench. This place was suspiciously deserted. Even if he came, it would only be him or Kanggeomma.
‘Just in case.’
Abel sat down on the corner of the bench instead of in the middle. He took a breather in that position. After being hit by people for several hours since the afternoon, his mental strength was no joke.
She is the type of person who doesn’t get tired even if she swings her sword all day long. However, when she gets caught up in a crowd, her stamina drains away like a lie.
Still, breathing in the fresh night air seemed to recharge his exhausted mind and body. Only then did Abel unpack and organize the bundle of thoughts he had been holding in.
“Geumma, he’s become the new Chilseong Hero.”
Half a day has passed, but it still doesn’t feel real. At the beginning of the first semester, the shock of seeing that the kid who seemed so innocent was the top student in his class was fleeting. Soon, he became a supernova in the hero world as a cadet.
In the beginning, I tried to narrow the gap with Kanggeomma. However, at some point, I began to acknowledge and accept his abilities. It was around that time that I felt a great debt and gratitude to him.
Abel’s father Orion rescues Nibelung, and at the same time subdues the S-class demon beast Draugr.
This fact was also announced today through the mouth of Grandfather Geumje. The reporters were frantically typing on their keyboards at the unexpected food. They used their own techniques to preach the achievements of Ganggeomma.
『Heavenly Sword, Ganggeomma. Is he truly a god?』
In less than half a day, the Internet was filled with stories about ‘Ganggeomma’. Among them, the most common story was about tinnitus.
Heavenly Sword.
The sword that came down from heaven, the sword that cuts the heavens, the sword that embraces the heavens. It is a nickname that can be interpreted in many ways.
It was also enough to stir up a heated debate. Some people started petty arguments like, “You’re arrogant,” “Who are you? A heavenly sword?”, “If sashimi is a heavenly sword, is Chinese food a space sword?”
Most people were crazy about that nickname. The reason was simple. It was cool. It was easy to say and resonated with everyone.
In addition, the fact that it can be interpreted in multiple ways means that it has good expandability. How should I put it? Should I say that just the nickname alone makes me anticipate his future actions?
‘It’s much better than Grandpa’s tinnitus.’
Even from the perspective of Abel, Siegfried’s granddaughter, it was a ‘heavenly sword’ rather than a ‘sword of the sword’.
Emperor of Swords? The nickname, which had a strong institutional feel, seemed slightly anachronistic.
On the other hand, Cheongeom… … . Honestly, I was thrilled when I first saw him. As a fellow swordsman, he was so cool that I was jealous. Regardless of that jealousy, there was no one who suited him better than Kanggeomma.
“If you keep your distance like this, what are the people chasing you supposed to do?”
A smile appeared on Abel’s lips, even as he whined softly. The jealous girl of the past was gone, and she was just feeling resentful that she had taken her grandfather’s place.
While Abel was feeling such pure joy, the sound of footsteps came closer.
She turned her head reflexively. Black eyes fell into her sight. Abel’s face flushed pink, like a puppy that sensed its owner’s presence. However, it didn’t take two seconds for the emotional color to completely fade away.
“Oh, you… … .”
Abel’s voice became dull. As if the tail that had been wagging was drying up, disappointment poured into his voice.
At this, the owner of the footsteps smiled with one corner of his mouth raised. It was Yoo Se-in.
“Isn’t it too obvious that you’re disappointed?”
Se-in’s one word hit the nail on the head. Abel’s eyes trembled slightly.
When she looked visibly embarrassed, Se-in narrowed his eyes. Then he spoke in a sly tone.
“I’m joking.”
“… … .”
Se-in naturally took the seat next to her. Then she spoke like a fortune teller.
“You should practice acting a bit, sir. If you act so obviously, you’ll be a perfect victim in this day and age. And since your face is so innocent, it’s even worse.”
Abel felt a strong sense of foreboding for a moment. It was like deja vu. It felt like he had experienced a similar situation before.
‘By the way, how did that guy know I was here?’
I had just passed it by when I was at the training ground before, but when I thought about it again, it was strange. Whenever I thought about Kanggeomma or something, Se-in would appear like a ghost. It was like he could see right through people.
As Abel’s doubts grew, Sein added, as if to cut her off from her thoughts.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Suddenly? What… … ?”
“Nothing much. I was just curious what you think of my cousin, Ganggeomma. Do you have any personal feelings or something?”
Abel bit his lower lip. Then he nodded and spoke softly.
“huh.”
Se-in is a distant relative of Kang Geum-ma. If he can’t be honest with her, who can he be honest with? Since it’s come to this, he should at least be honest with Se-in. Abel made a promise to himself.
“Hmm. It’s a bit surprising that you’re being more honest than I thought.”
Se-in looked at her with a weary gaze. The eyes of a mother-in-law observing her prospective daughter-in-law.
“… But if we go further from here, this world itself will become too dangerous.”
Abel instinctively gulped. Then, Sein smiled faintly and opened his mouth.
“Do you know what a balance game is?”
“So, you’re choosing one of the two options?”
“How about a game?”
“… … ?”
Again, all of a sudden like this? Abel’s face was filled with even more absurdity than before.
Abel was momentarily taken aback by the rambling suggestion, but he nodded obediently. Looking into those deep black eyes, his head moved on its own.
“Then let’s start right away.”
“Ah, uh uh.”
Abel agreed without thinking. Se-in threw out the topic without hesitation.
“If you and Kanggeomma are connected, this world will end. Then what will you do?”
Abel’s expression changed strangely. Sein continued without changing his expression at all.
“It continues, or you give up cleanly. Decide.”
