Chapter 385 |
Flashback
Splat!
In that moment, a head of jet-black hair scattered across the ground.
Beneath the damp, tangled locks, crimson blood began to spread.
"Hah... Hah..."
The man's breathing was intermittent, as if it could stop at any moment. With every exhale, droplets of blood flew from his lips.
Finally, his pale lips barely parted.
"Soohyun-ah... You remember what I told you before, right...? That you shouldn't... save me..."
"Hyung...?"
"Hyu—"
Before the young man could say anything, the trembling in the body he held ceased.
The yellow electric currents rising from the body slowly faded.
His wavering eyes lost their light in an instant.
Thud.
Finally, his head and hand fell limply to the ground at the same time.
And in that moment.
Kunnnnnnnnnoooooooh!
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
A cry of rage and sorrow erupted, shaking the very air.
- -Everything was over.
It felt as if something that had filled my head just moments ago had vanished in an instant.
I let out a sigh for no reason and looked up at the sky.
The sun had only just reached its zenith. I wished for a cool rain to fall, but the midday sky was far too clear and bright. As I walked on, staring blankly at the sky, several messages suddenly appeared in the air.
『User Kim Soohyun has defeated 'Nergal, the Demon Spy'.』
『Nergal, the Demon Spy, is part of a plan that the Demon Lord Beelzebub has meticulously crafted over a long time. Had Simon Grimer returned as he was, the continent of the Hall Plain would have likely been plunged into uncontrollable chaos.』
『However, by killing the prospective Awakener who received the 'Demon's Seed', User Kim Soohyun has made a significant contribution to thwarting the demons' plan.』
『In light of this, User Kim Soohyun is awarded 500,000 Gold Points (GP)!』
"..."
'500,000 points...'
I stared at the messages, feeling a little dazed, then closed my eyes for a moment.
500,000 Gold Points.
For killing just one measly demon, it was a pretty generous reward. This meant my prediction had been correct. While Belphegor had been an accidental summon, Nergal was clearly part of a deliberate plan. They must have taken that into account and given me a high reward.
Honestly, I didn't feel much of anything. There was a time when I'd handled an amount of GP I couldn't even count. Perhaps that was why, despite it being a considerable sum, 500,000 GP didn't feel all that significant.
Before long, I had left the forest behind. As I walked forward, I began to sense the bustling presence of people.
I opened my eyes and simultaneously dismissed the messages lingering in the air. Through the space where the words had been, I could see the battlefield I had just passed through in the distance.
No. Perhaps it was hard to call it a battlefield anymore.
There were clearly many people moving about. But the fierce intensity I had felt when I passed through earlier was gone.
And so, I kept walking. I walked and walked and walked, until I entered the area where people were gathered. And then I walked right past them.
The sun, high in the clear sky, cast down a brilliant light, brightly illuminating the fields. The weather was a stark mismatch for the scenery of corpses and flowing blood scattered across the ground.
Suddenly, I felt the back of my neck grow warm from the strong sunlight. By the time I realized it, I was walking through the middle of the field.
As I passed by the people, some from my surroundings began to flow into my ears.
"Su-yeon-ah! Su-yeon-ah! Answer me! Su-yeon-ah!"
"Someone help us! Priests, please come over here!"
People desperately searching for someone, begging for help.
"Thank god we're alive... We're so lucky... We survived!"
"Sob... sob..."
People relieved and joyful in their survival.
"Hyung! Hyung! You can't close your eyes! Open your eyes! Huh? Hyung...? Brotheeeer!"
People screaming in despair before a dying User.
"Let go! Let me go! I'm gonna kill those bastards!"
"Calm down! I said, calm down! They're prisoners who surrendered! It's all over now!"
"Who the hell decided they're prisoners? The war isn't over yet! You fucking bastards!"
People exploding with rage after confirming a death.
"Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim! It's not true, right? You're lying, right? Dammit! Hyung-nim!"
And people grieving after confirming the death of an acquaintance...
"Huh?"
A voice that flowed into my ears felt quite familiar, and I stopped walking without realizing it. I slowly turned my head and saw a spot where dozens of people were gathered. On most of their chests was the emblem of the Goryeo Clan.
"Dammit! We promised we'd survive together until the end! Ah, no. This isn't the time. Hey, you priests over there! What are you doing? Hurry up and cast a healing spell!"
"User Jo Seong-ho! The Goryeo Lord is dead. We mourn his death. But for now, please calm..."
The moment I heard those words, I felt my mind clear slightly.
"The Goryeo Lord is dead?"
Did that mean he died just like in the 1st playthrough?
…I didn't know he died. Still, just as he had been well-regarded after his death before, he probably hadn't died in vain. That was just a feeling I had.
With a faint sigh, I walked past the wailing people.
As I continued, I felt the sounds filling the area gradually fade.
The next place I arrived at was where I had rescued the others.
The place where Ahn Sol had her Awakening and where we confirmed Shin Sang-yong's death.
No one was standing there. Only a few corpses and the traces of battle remained. It seemed Go Yeon-ju had followed my instructions well.
Among the scattered bloodstains that kept catching my eye, Shin Sang-yong's was undoubtedly mixed in. I stared at the spot a long while before starting to walk again.
Soon, the battlefield that had quieted for a moment became noisy again as I walked on.
Squelch, squelch. Squelch, squelch.
My steps were unbearably slow. So slow that it felt like a dream that I had been madly sprinting across this same battlefield just a short while ago. Was it because I was just wandering aimlessly, wherever my heart took me?
How long had I been crossing the field?
The moment a group of Users gathered in one place came into view, I stopped walking without realizing it.
The Users I saw were the members of the Mercenary Clan.
At first, I didn't know why my steps were so slow. But as soon as I saw my clan members, a thought flashed through my mind, and I instinctively found the answer.
A long time ago, back in the early days of the Mercenary Clan, I remember seeing a group of Users while returning from an expedition. They, too, were a group returning from an expedition, but unlike us, who were returning thrilled after a huge success, I remember they had an incredibly gloomy atmosphere. The reason was obvious. They had failed their expedition and likely lost comrades.
At the time, everyone had stopped their chatter and just stared at them intently. While I was curious what they were thinking, I made a promise to myself then. I swore I would never fail, so we would never have to see a sight like that. That I would never let such an atmosphere fall upon the Mercenary clan.
But in the end, I had failed.
Personally, I had achieved my goals through the war. But for the clan as a whole... I had put every member in danger, and above all, I had lost one of them.
Of course, I had initially excluded Shin Sang-yong from the lineup, and I only changed it because of his personal request. But that decision was also mine, and in the end, participating in the war was an inexcusable, wrongful choice.
'I should have just said I'd go alone.'
With that thought, I stopped and stared at my clan members.
Perhaps it was the effect of 'Miracle', but everyone except Shin Sang-yong seemed to be safe. While I felt a sense of relief at that, worry came first. Even without getting closer, I could sense the unspoken mood flowing from them.
I took a step, thinking I had to go, but my foot quickly became glued to the ground again. Just as I bit my lip, my feet refusing to move...
"Soohyun-ah!"
"?"
"Soohyun-ah! Soohyun-ah!"
A voice called out suddenly. I turned my head and saw a figure rushing toward me from one side. Recognizing the figure, I let out a soft groan.
My brother was running toward me.
"Soohyun-ah! You... I'th...?"
When my brother got close, he flinched slightly the moment our eyes met.
"You... Are you okay?"
"What do you mean, am I okay?" I asked back.
It was a strange question, but if I had to answer, I wasn't okay. As 'Rage' deactivated, a deep exhaustion washed over my body again. The moment I recognized it, my vision wavered.
"Uh..."
"Soohyun-ah!"
Thump!
The ground, which had been unintentionally getting closer, stopped midway. I faintly lifted my head and saw my brother. It seemed he had rushed over and caught me as I was falling.
"You, right now..."
My brother's lips parted. But after looking at my face, he immediately closed them again. What on earth was he trying to say?
It was then.
"Soohyun!"
"Mercenary Lord!"
My brother's voice must have been quite loud, because the clan members who had their backs to me began to turn around one by one. I closed my eyes for a moment, then forced myself to stand straight.
A strange sense of stubbornness welled up inside me. I was sick and tired of losing consciousness. And more than anything, I didn't want to show any weakness.
- - - -Surprisingly, my brother said nothing. He just supported me without a word, silently helping me walk.
Soon, the distance to the clan members began to close. I saw a few of them about to run toward me, but I immediately raised a hand to stop them. It was a signal to just stay put.
As the distance shrank, the gloomy atmosphere thickened, and the faces of the eight clan members became clearly visible.
There were eight of them left. Four were sitting or lying on the ground, surrounding Shin Sang-yong, while the other four stood with grave expressions.
"Sob... sob... Hyung... It's my fault... Because of me... Sang-yong-hyung..."
Ahn Hyeon was taking it the hardest. Strangely, he had thrown all his equipment aside and was sobbing on the ground.
Next to him, Ahn Sol and Lee Yu-jeong were sitting listlessly, as if they had lost their minds. Both had tear tracks all over their cheeks, looking like they had already cried their hearts out.
Finally, I saw Vivian, sitting simply. She didn't turn around even when I arrived. She was just quietly looking at Shin Sang-yong.
"So, Soohyun?"
For some reason, I heard someone call my name as a question, but I ignored it and walked past. The moment I stepped inside to get a closer look at Shin Sang-yong...
Vivian finally turned to look at me. A single tear streamed from each of her eyes.
"Kim Soohyun."
"..."
"Shin Sang-yong is dead."
- - -I said nothing and looked down at Shin Sang-yong. Just as I had seen before, a calm, peaceful smile remained on his lips.
"He was my first disciple... I never dreamed we would part like this..."
"..."
"I... I hate this so much..."
Vivian's last words, spoken through sobs, pierced deep into my heart.
And I couldn't give any answer. What in the world was I supposed to say in this situation?
- - -A moment of silence passed.
It was then.
"I know a way to bring him back."
A quiet voice suddenly cut through the air. At those words, everyone snapped their heads up to look in one direction.
Where the clan members' gazes gathered, stood Kim Han-byeol.
"I know there's an item in the User Shop called a Wish. It costs an enormous amount of GP, but I heard it can even bring the dead back to life..."
"Kim Han-?!"
"What, what did you say?"
"Is that for real?"
As Ahn Hyeon and Lee Yu-jeong rushed toward her, Kim Han-byeol replied, "It's just something I heard, but it's probably true." I ground my teeth.
But Kim Han-byeol's answer wasn't enough, and Ahn Hyeon immediately rushed to me.
"Hyung! Hyung! Is it true? Is there really something called a Wish?"
"..."
I reflexively closed my eyes. A memory suddenly surfaced, tangling my thoughts, but I managed to answer.
"Let's stop for now."
"Hyung! If we gather enough GP, we can bring Sang-yong-hyung back? Huh?"
Even though I told him to stop, Ahn Hyeon clung to me desperately.
I steadied my trembling throat and opened my mouth.
"Hyeon-ah."
At the call of his name, Ahn Hyeon's pleading paused for a moment.
"Please... Please, let's stop... Let's... talk about that later."
"Hyung! Uh... Hyung...?"
I didn't answer further and turned my head away. But at that moment, Ahn Hyeon's eyes widened like saucers as he looked at me.
It wasn't just Ahn Hyeon. Starting from when I met my brother, the shocked and worried gazes of all the clan members were fixed on me.
And only then could I see myself, caked in blood. My entire body was stained red, not a single patch of skin visible.
I calmly took off my coat. But the coat wasn't in good shape either. I don't know when it happened, but the back was torn to shreds, in tatters like a rag. I used it to wipe my face hard. Once wasn't enough, so I wiped it two, three times. Only then did my vision feel a little clearer.
'Get a grip, Kim Soohyun.'
After composing myself for a moment, I finally spoke, my voice forced out.
"User Go Yeon-ju."
"Yes, yes!"
"Retrieve User Shin Sang-yong's body immediately. We will then begin to clean up the battlefield."
"Understood."
After that, I turned to my brother. He was still looking at me silently. Seeing him brought back that memory.
Shin Sang-yong? A Wish?
He could be saved.
But was saving him truly the right choice?
In the distant future. Perhaps...
No. It wasn't perhaps.
The reason I returned wasn't to live a comfortable life in the Hall Plain. It was to take my brother and Han So-yeong and, ultimately, to return 'safely' to Earth. That was the future I had envisioned and planned for, a future I was destined to meet.
However.
When that time comes, would I be able to think that saving Shin Sang-yong was the right choice?
I couldn't give a definite answer to that question.
Because...
Even if you revive a User who has died once, they can never return to Earth in the end.