Chapter 710: Scenario (1)
A little bit of embarrassment had gotten into my head, but it didn’t take long before shame disappeared.
It was a heavy truth and a sad story.
I thought the change in attitude was a bit extreme, but who would dare throw stones at me?
When I recalled how the masked savior would have spent the days in the first round, a great solemnity settled in my head.
‘That’s what it was.’
I thought that the question, ‘Would it have been necessary to ruin the continent like this?’ could also be explained by that story to some extent. It must’ve been painful, but wasn’t it an unavoidable choice since it was the only way to start the second timeline?
Wasn’t it possible that the deaths of some humans would come as heavy news to the gods above? I had to make them also judge that our continent was hopeless.
It wasn’t only humans who were selfish and took advantage of the situation. The gods also found the most rational way to solve the problem.
That wasn’t all. Sometimes the deities would go through a meeting about whether the event was worth their while and if the profits were significant enough for their time.
Irreparable damage had to be dealt on the continent so that ordinary methods wouldn’t be enough to spontaneously revive it.
The first timeline’s me might have judged that that was the condition for regression.
As one could see, the masked hero did a great job. He left an irreparable wound on the continent, and he must’ve been really heartbroken.
‘I thought it was weird.’
In my common sense, that level of psychopathy didn’t exist, which made me more surprised when I heard from Kim Hyunsung about his evil deeds. I kept wondering whether he really did that much, but I currently felt like the puzzle had been solved.
‘What? He caused an infectious disease… Gosh… He used humans as plague bombs? Wow… There’s no one crazy enough in the world to do such a crazy thing for pleasure.’
It wasn’t for pleasure.
The masked hero, Lee Kiyoung of the first timeline, designed everything. Of course, he wouldn’t have planned out the whole process, but I thought he helped me draw the big picture. For example…
“Kim Hyunsung’s bag.”
The heroic-grade item Kim Hyunsung discovered in the tutorial, Ramus Tucker’s Introduction to Alchemy.
‘This is also weird.’
There was a possibility that he really discovered it in the tutorial dungeon. Or perhaps that was an item that Kim Hyunsung had taken right before his return. Still, why did he dare bring an alchemist-exclusive object despite having lots of other possessions?
Considering that the last thing that remained on the sunset continent was Kim Hyunsung and me, perhaps I intended for him to take the bag.
What method was used was hidden under the veil, but considering the continent’s state at the time, it was convincing.
The system was utterly broken.
No life was left, and the items shared the same fate. If Kim Hyunsung had a mythic-class item, he would’ve brought it instead of the bag to his return.
‘The only equipment he could bring to the second timeline was that.’
Why?
It was the item left behind by the masked savior. The 1st Kiyoung, who committed too great a sin in the first round, wouldn’t have liked it if I had chosen to become a black wizard.
It was a class that had committed many unsolicited sins. There was no way he would want to choose that class once again. With the Mind’s Eyes, he would’ve expected that I would follow Kim Hyunsung unconditionally, and I met his predictions.
As a result, 2nd Kiyoung chose to be an alchemist. Everything would’ve been according to his calculations. In addition to that, many things must’ve been a part of his plans. The thought gave me goosebumps.
The masked hero was supporting and guiding me even after his ego was gone.
The memories of the first round that I kept seeing were solid evidence. I now judged 1st Kiyoung and 2nd Kiyoung to be the same person.
Of course, there might’ve been circumstances that couldn’t be helped, but one thing was certain: he had handed me the baton.
He decided that I would be able to do the job well afterward. It wasn’t an easy decision for people like us. Even though I was him, giving me complete faith must’ve been hard. I didn’t know what kind of thinking he left me the job with.
“That desire. I received it well.”
Rather, I had no choice but to take that desire. I couldn’t ignore his sincerity in wanting to save the continent.
I thought I knew what to do, and I thought I could predict which scenario to use. Both the 1st and 2nd timelines had the same purpose.
‘Our Hyunsung’s growth.’
That was the issue. Perhaps the story where Kim Hyunsung stabbed Lee Kiyoung was also related.
It wasn’t like a cartoon-like awakening where one gained new eyes after killing their most precious friend, but there could be a significant change inside Kim Hyunsung.
Wasn’t it common sense that changes in the hero brought inner growth?
Currently, Kim Hyunsung could never defeat the outer gods. He was struggling with Thronus alone right at that moment, so how could he reach more than that?
Kim Hyunsung needed new strength.
‘He’s not there yet. He needs to grow more. More. He has to become stronger.’
How?
I knew Kiyoung of the first round had already made a scenario for that exact situation. Wasn’t it too obvious who I should use?
“The alcoholic pigeon.”
Lee Kiyoung, in the first round, was telling me to use him. Another arrangement he laid was Thronus.
‘That pigeon can’t kill me.’
It was true that he told him my name first and threw him at me to use.
It was no different than someone giving me one more queen to play with in chess. My past self even kindly informed me through the first round in case I might not notice. That pigeon…
He was a prerequisite for evolving the 4-star Kim Hyunsung to the 5-star Kim Hyunsung.
I couldn’t tell what the scenario would’ve been before the change, but it wasn’t wrong to use Thronus altogether.
It hurt, watching Kim Hyunsung being damaged heavily.
“Fuck, stop hitting our Hyunsung, demon bastard.”
What if he accidentally put a wound on the hero of the continent’s precious body?
Booooooooooooooom!!
-Damn…
-Didn’t I tell you? You are weak.
-It can’t be.
-…
-It can’t be! I can’t be weak. I… I got stronger.
-…
-I’m stronger! For what I must protect, I chose to be stronger and so got this power. I have to be stronger. More. I have to be stronger. More. More. More. That way, I can protect it.
-Protect what?
-You don’t need to know, Thronus. The only thing that matters is that I shouldn’t be like this anymore. I must always stand. Right. I should be able to support him. I can’t… I can’t be a burden anymore. Right. I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.
‘Our Hyunsung isn’t being himself.’
At that point, I could see the result without having to look at it. The one who was supposed to be colder lost the coldness. He was under pressure and obsessed.
I couldn’t tell what made him that way, but I already believed that Kim Hyunsung couldn’t cross the wall called Thronus.
‘Should I go out?’
Should I give him a new stimulus? Would he realize a new power if he was driven to the corner a bit more?
I thought that maybe it was the perfect timing for Kim Hyunsung to stab me, but it was entirely different. There was no similarity to the scenery I saw. It wasn’t the time to raise Hyunsung’s tension once more.
‘It seems that Jihye has more time too…’
Gradually, I could feel the battlefield stabilizing. I was a little nervous about leaving the control room for a moment, but it didn’t mean much because I could look down the battlefield with the telescope and give directions through quests anyway.
Some humans in the isolated areas might be confused, but Kim Hyunsung was more important than them.
‘I should go with this.’
Kim Hyunsung could climb the stairs one more time. He could get a bit stronger.
He wasn’t even that far away, so if I flew, I could fully reach him. When I left, I heard a crowd shout and an explosion.
“Honorary Cardinal! It’s dangerous here. You should go back to the control…”
“How about the defense line?”
“The demons in angelic masks continue to flock. There is no problem in holding them, but…”
‘It can be dangerous if this goes on for too long, right? I already know.’
“I have a place to visit for a moment. Keep the battlefield as still as possible.”
“…”
There was no answer due to the shock of Field Commander 1 while looking at me and my enormous wings.
Kim Hyunsung, seen through a telescope, was still at a disadvantage. He wielded his sword as if he was struggling, but Thronus took off Kim Hyunsung’s pressure too easily.
‘Can I reach him in time?’
As the wings of light moved, my body tinkered forward.
-Sh*t… Sh*t!!
-That’s disgraceful.
-Damn!
-…
-Die! Die!
-…
-I can’t lose. Never.
It hurt to see Kim Hyunsung acting so helpless.
‘Is he in that much disadvantage? Does this make sense?’
Wouldn’t he have been able to fight a little more properly if he hadn’t accepted Lucifer’s power?
I felt like I knew what Thronus was talking about.
‘He’s relying on that power.’
He didn’t believe in himself.
Kim Hyunsung relied more on the power he received than on his own, and I didn’t know how it happened. He didn’t seem confident enough to think he should’ve entered the mental clinic earlier. The regressor was muttering alone that he had to win, that he couldn’t lose, but he was saying those for himself.
‘If only Hyunsung had half of Heera’s personality…’
However, that couldn’t be blamed on Kim Hyunsung. There was no choice but to admit that Teacher Kiyoung was also wrong.
I thought it was enough if he just got stronger, never realizing that was bound to happen once that was how things went.
Considering the growth process of Kim Hyunsung in the second timeline, it was likely that his confidence would soon disappear. Not only did he seem unmotivated from the start, but he seemed to have lost what he had to fight for.
Although he agreed with me in the sunset, I was a bit hesitant to instill a reason for Kim Hyunsung to fight.
On one side of Kim Hyunsung’s mind, he might be hoping for Lee Kiyoung to remain intact rather than watching the sunset together.
The hero’s appearance, who was unable to believe in himself due to his continued failures, was shabbier than I thought.
Like Jung Hayan, when things weren’t going well, Kim Hyunsung kept tears in his eyes and spewed out black magic as he pleased.
He kept claiming he couldn’t be beaten and couldn’t be held back, but was that really the case?
-With this… with this power…
When I saw his posture, he looked like he was trying to use a sunset-colored skill, but although I could see the blade gradually reddening…
The hero’s sunset-colored sword didn’t answer his call.
-Why…
Thronus also swung his sword. Blood began to spatter from Kim Hyunsung’s chest as his blade seemed to rain a cluster of stars from the night sky.
-…
Kim Hyunsung was down, and Thronus swung his sword again. No, he tried to swing until he heard my voice.
“Let this man go.”
I arrived on time. I exaggeratedly extended my arms and wings, blocking the gap between Kim Hyunsung and Thronus. It felt like my body was shining thanks to the wings shaped by the light.
“…”
“…”
“Kill me and let him go.”
It was a sacrificial line based on my judgment that the alcoholic pigeon could never kill me.