Book 2: Chapter 390
From a grand perspective, disasters could be called purges, and Absolutes were sometimes tasked with completely destroying a universe’s civilization. It was like squeezing out rotten blood.
If their science was highly developed or if the average strength of each individual exceeded a certain level, it would greatly reduce the lifespan of the universe. This was not a theory based purely on speculation. In fact, countless universes had been destroyed by intellectual beings who had gotten a glimpse into the realm of God. In other words, it was an argument that had already been proven.
And it was a fact that anyone who became an Absolute was aware of.
The disaster on the continent that he’d just witnessed.
As a result of it, the universe’s civilization declined and its population was greatly reduced. In other words, the development of the civilization suffered a major setback.
In the short term, it might seem unfortunate, but the lifespan of the planet and the universe would be much longer.
In the end, it was always the development of intellectuals that led to the destruction of universes.
Therefore, God offered Lukas two paths.
One was to accept death while maintaining the contemplative attitude of an Absolute. This meant that Lukas would be able to receive the eternal rest he longed for.
However, that eternal rest would mean the inevitable death of all of the beings Lukas knew and a complete abandonment of all the responsibilities he had as a human.
If he considered himself a human, it was a path that he should never choose.
That was the reason for the laughter that suddenly burst out of him. Lukas couldn’t stand his own existence so much that he thought it was funny.
He didn’t want to forget he was human.
That oath, which had once been closer to a belief, had gradually transformed into a clingy, dark obsession. He was no different from a monster who considered himself a human.
That was why Lukas had no choice but to choose the other path. He had no choice but to struggle.
The implications of that choice would be great.
It would be different from before. He would have to refuse even if he was given the chance to die.
Therefore, in the future, he could no longer lament his plight or curse his fate. He could not display such an unsightly scene.
Because it was a path that he himself chose.
It was going to be grim, gruesome, and arduous, but he would not be able to regret it because it would be the result of his own choice.
Struggling desperately?
Right. Fine. Since he wanted it so badly, he would show him. Just how wild a wriggling worm could be. It didn’t matter if it was an extremely limited struggle. The destiny and beauty of mortality were as fleeting as a burning candle.
Lukas looked ahead with clear, focused eyes.
And, as if his gaze was a signal, a whitish figure appeared in the space again.
[You will walk down a path that you have never walked before.]
One of God’s characteristics was to end a conversation with words that seemed to be grasping clouds.
Without asking what he meant, Lukas just waited for his next words.
[Lukas Trowman, do not regret the external force of Absolutes. You became a Lord at an unprecedented rate, but you should have realised it at that time. That it’s impossible to go beyond that limit.]
As God said, when he reached the Lord stage, he had vaguely sensed that he had reached his limit.
[Even if countless aeons pass, it would have been impossible for you to close the gap with the Rulers. That would be your last stop.]
“I heard that if I won the Great Game, I would become a Ruler. Was that a lie?”
[It’s not a lie. But what is the meaning of just having a new title on your business card? What you need is not the title, but the power and authority to stand beside them.]
“…right. That’s why I was frustrated.”
Unreasonable existences.
That was the only appropriate expression to describe Rulers.
They were born that way. Their births in themselves were nothing short of miracles.
In the end, when he looked up at them, he felt the same kind of intensity as the Demigods he’d encountered in the past.
[…moreover, by becoming a Ruler that way, you would achieve nothing.]
God murmured in a strange voice before continuing.
[You will find clues in the Imaginary World.]
“Clues?”
[Become one of the Twelve Imaginary Lords. Afterward, if you go to the throne, you will know how to act.]
Lukas felt like God was smiling.
[Lukas Trowman. I didn’t…]
“What?”
For a moment, God’s voice became muffled and he wasn’t able to hear what he said. He wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not, but God didn’t repeat the words he’d spoken.
[Everything must be difficult for you right now. So I will give it to you. The power to struggle most desperately.]
Just as Lukas was about to say something, his figure disappeared without a sound.
[This is my atonement, Lukas Trowman.]
The words he’d spoken to him before.
Suddenly, the whitish figure began to flicker as though it would disappear at any moment.
[I knew which path you would choose. Nevertheless, I deceived you by presenting it as though I was giving you a choice. I apologise for that.]
There was no answer, but God’s murmurs didn’t stop.
[It will be painful. And there will be many times when you want to give up. However, that is what makes it meaningful. Lukas, everything you’ve experienced until now will become the central element that makes you who you are.]
God muttered bitterly.
[Please overcome it. As always…]
Swoosh.
With a sound similar to air leaking out of a balloon, the figure’s form collapsed and disappeared.
* * *
Throb-
A throbbing headache made him realise that he’d returned to his body. Lukas could feel the sensation of touch from every part of his body.
“…”
Instinctively, he began to check for his wounds. Just before his death, he was cut up by Yang In-hyun.
But it was strange. There were no wounds. And he couldn’t feel any blood.
Before finding the cause of his discomfort, Lukas decided to sit up first. The rough texture of the sand on his palms was a little familiar. Was he taken out of Flower Mountain? When his blurred vision cleared, he realised that was the case.
He was laying in the middle of a grey desert.
“Wow! You’re finally awake!”
Similarly, a slightly familiar voice came from beside him.
When he turned his head, he was greeted by the familiar face of a blue haired woman. With her head tilted to the side, she looked down at him while standing in a strange pose.
“Did you take care of me?”
“Yep!”
“Thank you. I’m in your debt again.”
“…?”
Pale, who tilted her head to the side at his words, scratched her head and smiled.
“Hehe! You’re welcome.”
Lukas looked at her with curious eyes.
He was almost certain that his body had died. Yang In-hyun’s sword had left no loopholes, and his killing intent towards Lukas was clear. Lukas, who had desired death, accepted his sword attack.
What he was saying was that Pale should have witnessed the ‘certain death of Lukas Trowman’.
In other words, from her perspective, his body should have been brought back from death, but she didn’t display any surprise, confusion, or fear.
…Then he noticed something strange.
“What about Lee Jong-hak?”
“Huh? Who?”
“Lee Jong-hak. The man who was locked in the prison. The one I rescued…”
“Umm~?”
Pale folded her arms with an unsure expression on her face. Seeing that made his heart drop slightly.
Did Yang In-hyun break his promise?
No. He shouldn’t have broken his promise. While he would not care about the survival of Lee Jong-hak, he would still do his best. Because he said it.
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what or who Jong Lee-hak is, but you were the only person here.”
…Something.
Was wrong.
He wasn’t sure what it was, but he felt like something was wrong with his and Pale’s conversation.
“Pale, what are you talking about…”
Suddenly, Pale’s eyes went wide. She looked at Lukas in surprise, but there was also a glint of sharpness in her eyes.
It was at that moment.
“Ah!”
Pale raised her guard and pointed behind Lukas.
“Uncle! Be careful!”
A huge shadow covered them. Of course, there was no such thing as clouds in this place.
When he lifted his head, he saw a monster’s jaws wide open above him.
“…!”
Lukas used Lava Blast almost instinctively. Boom, the Lava Blast devoured the body of the monster in an instant.
The monster’s body melted like wax. It writhed madly in terrible pain but soon stopped moving.
“Wow!”
Surprised, Pale clapped her hands excitedly, but he didn’t have time to pay attention to that right now.
There were two things that surprised Lukas.
First of all, his mana room, which he’d emptied in his fight against Yang In-hyun, was now filled. Did Pale feed him jerky while he was unconscious? He wasn’t sure. In any case, there were many possible reasons for this, so he set it aside for now.
The thing that bothered him the most was the monster, or, to be precise, the appearance of the monster.
Lukas looked at the melted body of the monster that was still twitching slightly.
…As expected, he hadn’t been wrong about it.
This monster was familiar.
The appearance was similar to that of an alligator, the body which stretched tens of metres long, and the huge jaws filled with rows of jagged teeth.
He was certain that it was the monster he’d encountered when he first came to this world.
‘Is it the same species?’
Of course, that was possible, but…
Lukas felt a sense of confusion that couldn’t be answered by just that.
Then, Pale, who had been looking on admiringly from afar, ran over and began to chatter excitedly.
“Awesome! How did you do that?”
“I used magic. My mana room is full now. Did you feed me jerky?”
“Huh? No. I don’t give food to others.”
Then, she asked before Lukas could speak again.
“By the way! How did you know my name?”
“Your name?”
“Yes!”
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean? You just said my name! But I never told you!”
“…Pale.”
“Yep.”
“What happened after I died?”
“After you died?”
“I lost the battle against Yang In-hyun and died. After that…”
Lukas began to explain the situation. But the more he spoke, the more strange Pale’s expression became, and toward the end, she looked at him as though he was a crazy person.
“Uh. I didn’t think I’d have to say this, but is your head okay?”
Pale reached out to touch his forehead with a troubled expression.
When Lukas avoided her hand, she pulled it back with a pout.
He looked at Pale with a complicated expression on his face, before opening his mouth.
“You and I, is this our first meeting?”
Pale nodded her head.
“Obviously!”
“…”
“Mmm. This is serious. I thought I’d found a candidate to be my friend, but it turned out to be a man with a serious head injury.”
Pale muttered to herself as she walked over to the body of the monster Lukas had killed. Then she poked it with her finger while asking, ‘can I eat this?’, but Lukas didn’t answer.
As he stood stiffly, Lukas replayed God’s words in his head
-Everything must be difficult for you right now. So I will give it to you. The power to struggle most desperately.
…The most desperate power to repeat. (TL: the fact that the author changed ‘struggle’ to ‘repeat’ here, was a bit confusing for me.)
The monster he saw when he first arrived, his fully recovered mana room, and Pale who said they hadn’t met before.
0
After putting all of these pieces together, only one conclusion could be reached.
‘…I returned.’
Lukas Trowman had returned to the past.
The point when he’d first entered the Imaginary World.