1053 Episode 66. The Wolf That Swallowed a God (1)

The first time Yoo Joonghyuk witnessed someone's death was when he was fifteen years old.

Under relentless, indiscriminate kicks, blood streamed continuously from the foreigner's nose and mouth.

The one who said that was President Park, who ran an illegal gaming workshop. Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't quite remember why President Park had beaten the man. What Yoo Joonghyuk remembered was the scene after President Park left after kicking him for a long time.

At the foreigner's call, Yoo Joonghyuk walked closer as if possessed. The man reached out and grabbed Yoo Joonghyuk's ankle.

Yoo Joonghyuk didn't know what the foreigner's name was. He only knew that he was someone working alongside him, scraping by on the game money earned in the illegal workshop. In the first place, there were many such people in President Park's workshop.

The foreigner kept muttering something. Since he knew basic Korean, if he had something to say to Yoo Joonghyuk, he would have used Korean. But the man only repeated words in his native language.

Yoo Joonghyuk listened silently to the man's words. Even though he couldn't understand what it meant, he listened. For an hour, for two hours, he listened. Until the man's breathing finally ceased and President Park's voice calling for Yoo Joonghyuk could be heard from inside the workshop. Young Yoo Joonghyuk remained there, listening to his words. In the end, he never learned what the man had said while clutching his ankle.

The man's corpse was carried away somewhere the next day. Looking at the empty seat where the man used to work, Yoo Joonghyuk recalled the words he had muttered.

Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly wondered if his words had been a prayer toward God.

Hearing Yoo Joonghyuk's words, President Park laughed at him mockingly:

Just as President Park said, Yoo Joonghyuk was lucky. The unlucky part was that President Park was also lucky. Realizing Yoo Joonghyuk's talent, President Park leaped into the esports industry with the money earned through the workshop. Thus, President Park became Coach Park.

Just as Coach Park said, Yoo Joonghyuk possessed talent. Strangely, he quickly saw the rules of every game he touched. Yoo Joonghyuk built up proficiency at an abnormally rapid pace, overwhelming other pro gamers. His talent soon converted into money.

Yoo Joonghyuk won matches and earned money. He became able to feed his younger sister. They acquired a small house to live in together. While cooking meals for Yu Mia when she threw food tantrums, Yoo Joonghyuk held an expectation that perhaps God really might exist in this world.

President Park was right. There was no God in this world. Instead, blinding stars taking the place of God were there.

Yoo Joonghyuk performed scenarios. His life soon flowed into regressions. 1st regression, 2nd, 5th, 10th. Yoo Joonghyuk adapted quickly, but this game wasn't a form where one could win simply by adapting.

It felt as though he had become the foreigner beaten up by President Park. Fighting against absurd levels of violence and unreasonableness, Yoo Joonghyuk finally reached beneath the night sky of the 41st regression.

"As expected, there really is no God."

Looking up at the sky of the <Star Stream>, darker than ever before, Yoo Joonghyuk slowly composed his breathing. As he stood up, nursing his body that felt on the verge of breaking, Anna Croft spoke up as if waiting:

"What do you mean by there being no God?"

Without answering, Yoo Joonghyuk recalled the battle that had transpired until recently. Inside the ruined fortress—the inner castle of the 'Altar of Storms', the corpses of Outer Gods lay stretched out. There were as many as two corpses of Interstellar Devourers.

Gazing at the messages floating before his eyes for a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk spoke:

"What happened to the mission? Was everyone rescued?"

"Ren-ssi is moving. She says it's almost in the final stage."

"What is the condition of the rescue targets?"

"They all seem lacking in vigor, but they are said to be in good condition."

The core targets of this rescue operation were four in total. Lee Jihye, Shin Yoosung, Lee Hyunsung, and Lee Seolhwa. They had become prisoners of the enemy during the previous siege battle, and Yoo Joonghyuk had currently infiltrated to rescue them.

"What do you mean by lacking in vigor? Were they starved?"

"I'm not sure. However, it's said they looked like people whose energy had been drained by something."

Drained of energy? Thinking for a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk replied:

"I've prepared Sacred Fruit at headquarters, so have them consume it as soon as they return."

"I'll instruct them as such. By the way... you've really grown strong, Supreme King."

Anna Croft muttered in an awestruck voice, looking down at the fallen corpses of the Outer Gods.

"Infiltrating the fortress alone and wiping out the core warlords was not enough, but to even defeat the commander, an 'Interstellar Devourer'..."

On top of that, having dealt with a total of two 'Interstellar Devourers', including another summoned as reinforcements. In a sense, it was equivalent to defeating two 'Myth-grade constellations' simultaneously.

"Now, no star in that sky will be able to look down on you."

"Presumably. Since there are hardly any stars left in the sky now."

At Yoo Joonghyuk's words, Anna Croft opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Were you someone who knew how to make such jokes?"

"I merely stated a fact."

Frowning quietly, Yoo Joonghyuk wiped clean the 'Dark Heavenly Moon Spear' stained with the Outer Gods' Fables. Watching him, Anna Croft spoke:

"This time, we might truly be able to see the world's conclusion."

"Did you see something with [Foresight]?"

"It's just my opinion."

About to mutter 'nonsense', Yoo Joonghyuk snapped his head up and looked at Anna Croft. If anyone else had said that, it would have been nonsense. But the one who spoke just now was the 'Prophet'. An Incarnation who overtrusted her [Foresight] more than anyone and never rashly asserted any future.

"I have such a premonition."

Such a Prophet was speaking her own hope—without any [Foresight]. Yoo Joonghyuk looked at Anna Croft silently. Then Anna Croft looked back at Yoo Joonghyuk as well. Neither said a word, but at that moment, both knew they were recalling the exact same name.

It was then that an explosion echoed.

"What happened?"

The fortress commander was dead, and the Outer Gods who had lost their leader had completely fled the fortress. There had been no intelligence about reinforcements coming from the Disaster side. Being quite a distance from other fortresses, there was no reason for a battle producing explosions to occur.

"Prophet."

Anna Croft's eyes were already glowing red. Her 'Great Demon's Eyes' had activated [Foresight]. But something was wrong. Her expression paled rapidly in real time, and blood-red Fables began streaming from her mouth.

"Anna Croft."

Yoo Joonghyuk supported the staggering Anna Croft. Anna Croft spoke in a trembling voice:

"How could this..."

At that moment, Yoo Joonghyuk recalled a memory from a very long time ago.

"Yoo Joonghyuk."

Once upon a time, the foreigner who had grabbed his ankle. Just like that man back then, the Prophet was clutching his wrist. Looking at Anna Croft's slowly moving lips, Yoo Joonghyuk thought about the foreigner who had prayed to God.

Even now, having endured through 41 regressions, Yoo Joonghyuk believed that man's words that day had been a 'prayer to God'. But only now, looking at Anna Croft's expression, did Yoo Joonghyuk realize. The words that foreigner had spoken to him that day were not a prayer. What he really wanted to say to him was—

"Run away."

"What?"

"You must not fight that thing. No matter if it's you, you cannot stand against a thing like that."

Like a person helplessly thrown before an utterly irresistible violence, Anna Croft continued as if screaming:

"Not you, nor any 'star' in this universe can face..."

She vomited red Fable just like that and passed out. It was strange. Even if she was a mere Incarnation, Anna Croft was a powerful Incarnation. Even if she had seen a future where Myth-grade constellations descended in swarms, she shouldn't have suffered enough shock to pass out merely from using [Foresight].

Only after checking the system message floating before his eyes did Yoo Joonghyuk realize what was about to happen. Though he didn't know the reason, a Great Disaster was attempting to descend here right now. Perhaps Anna Croft had seen the true identity of the 'Great Disaster' descending here in advance.

Thinking for a moment, Yoo Joonghyuk composed his breathing, calmly evaluated his full strength, and reached a conclusion.

Though the Prophet's warning weighed on his mind, if a 'Great Disaster' was truly descending, this was an unprecedented opportunity. Because hunting the Great Disaster was mandatory for a normal clear of this scenario.

The condition to fully reproduce the stage of 'Ragnarok'. Moving Anna Croft to a safe place, Yoo Joonghyuk used [Way of the Wind] to float above the fortress. He then declared to every being inside the fortress:

As his booming lion's roar echoed, busy movements were felt nearby. The 'Nameless Ones' hiding to preserve their lives. And Asuka Ren, who had rescued their companions, was seen carrying the collapsed Anna Croft away with the operational team.

- Yoo Joonghyuk, as for reinforcements...

To Asuka Ren's telepathic message echoing in his mind, Yoo Joonghyuk replied with a shake of his head:

"Unnecessary. It's an obstruction."

And in the next moment, the center of the pitch-black night sky began to swirl. Something was crossing over from beyond the vortex.

The Wolf That Swallowed a God. Yoo Joonghyuk knew the owner of that modifier.

"Fenrir."

One of the Great Disasters of 'Ragnarok'. Considering the scenario difficulty up to now, the status of the descending 'Fenrir' would likely exceed that of a Myth-grade constellation. Yet Yoo Joonghyuk did not back down. He thought that level was actually worth fighting.

'An opportunity to verify the results of my training.'

Ever since finishing his training in the time fault, Yoo Joonghyuk had not met a proper opponent. Though he had dealt with two Interstellar Devourers, that had not required his full power either.

It was then that fine hairs stood up on the back of his hand. Though he composed his breathing several times, strangely, the goosebumps that had risen refused to settle down again.

It was unbelievable. Only once before had his body felt this degree of intimidation. The man who had taught him stabbing. Only he possessed such a presence.

'It's not Fenrir.'

He could tell instinctively. Though descending under the guise of the Fable of the 'Wolf That Swallowed a God', what lay beyond that vortex was not Fenrir. His instincts were warning him. The entity descending right now was incomparably more dangerous than the likes of 'Fenrir'.

'Strike before full descent.'

Drawing the 'Dark Heavenly Moon Spear', Yoo Joonghyuk aimed at the sky. Immediately, the 5th stage of Transcendence activated.

Soul-Slaying Divine Spear (滅魂神槍). Absolute Technique (絕技). The technique that had once shattered Poseidon's waves. Soul-Slaying Meteor Halberd (滅魂流星戟). A bundle of qi resembling a meteor shower soared into the firmament from his spear point.

A terrifying spear strike feared even by Myth-grade constellations. No matter how powerful the entity descending, it was an attack bound to suffer damage right now.

As the meteor shower drawing a brilliant trajectory was finally sucked into the vortex—

A somewhat familiar Fable echoed.

Beyond that Fable, someone was standing.

Kugugugugu!

Along with a brilliant explosion, the surging bundles of qi were seen scattering away. Yoo Joonghyuk looked up at the sky with eyes filled with disbelief.

However, what surprised Yoo Joonghyuk was neither that the man wore the exact same coat as him, nor that he possessed the exact same face as him.

The extreme reachable by being born as a single existence. Martial power having reached the absolute end, unable to advance even a single step further. The wolf that had swallowed up all the stars in that sky was standing right there.