831 Episode 42 Destination (7)

People from the ruined world.

At my words, Karlton let out a light sigh and leaned against the wall, while Ryunard sat on a chair under the stone wall as if he was watching with interest.

They seemed to agree with my expression, sad, and somehow amused.

And on the other hand, they seemed to have transcended all those emotions.

Transcendents.

The <Star Stream> granted them that title because they had overcome all the limitations of mortals, including emotions.

However, in the worldview they belonged to— 《Tree of Imaginary》, they were called by different names.

Awakened.

Those who broke the limits of mortality and overcame the system. Those who live only in the time they set and understand the world with their own unique worldview.

A kind of god.

"It's been a long time since I've met someone who remembers the 《Tree of Imaginary》."

Do gods who have overcome emotions still have longing? As he spoke, a faint trace of emotion flashed through Chunghuh’s eyes.

"How do you know about that world?"

"It’s hard for me to explain in detail. I have some circumstances."

"I see. If you know our true identities, then there’s no need to explain ourselves."

The three of them exchanged glances, their expressions relaxed for once.

"Hey, I feel good! Ask me anything you want! I’ll answer everything!"

"What called you here?"

"Um, I don’t know that either."

"You said you’d answer anything."

"How can you answer something you don’t know?"

Chunghuh smiled and answered instead of Ryunard, who bluntly stuck out his lips.

"When all three of us woke up, we were here. It was as if someone had called us, just like you said."

Chunghuh’s voice sounded somewhat floating, as if it still wasn’t quite real.

"Did you create the Transcendent Alliance?"

"That's right."

"You mass-produced Transcendents?"

"Well, what can we do while we're stuck here? We have special restrictions, so we can't go outside the End Zone."

"How long have you been here?"

The three of them didn't say anything. That must mean it's been a long time.

"It was really boring at first. I took turns doing night watch with Karlton ajussi and Chunghuh-nim, fighting those strange gods, and becoming friends..."

"Then one day, people showed up."

"The first one to come was Yoo Hosung. Next was Kyrgios, and then Minyoung and Jungyeong came in."

They were probably the only ones who could so casually call the Invincible One and the Paradoxical Baekcheong, the First Sword of Goryeo, and the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.

Chunghuh let out a hollow laugh for a moment, maybe having a special bond with the Captains.

"I didn't know I'd be teaching stabbing here too."

As I listened to that story, something connected in my head.

Come to think of it, when Kyrgios first taught Kim Dokja, he also taught him 'stabbing'.

"It was a little less boring back then, wasn't it?"

"Yes. There's also the reward of seeing the talented people grow."

"The Captains in particular are really no ordinary people. Even Captain Kyrgios is already stronger than me, right? You, a rookie, don't know how great that is, but..."

Chunghuh whispered in a small voice, watching Ryunard talking nonsense.

"Ryunard is excited for the first time in a while."

"..."

"Understand. He's happy that you came."

"He's happy that I came?"

"You're special just by existing. You came all the way up to the 'End of the Fear Realm' on your own, you read all the prophecies as soon as you came, and you know about us. You're already a huge incident here."

An incident.

"Why? Do you think we are acting too much like the Constellations?"

"No."

"We have no choice but to live in the present. We need events. Events that occur in the Time Fault or events that occur here. Otherwise, we can't stand it."

"There are questions that come up every time we are silent. Maybe my desire is not over yet. 'Why, I, we exist here now?'"

"..."

"Those simple and old questions drive us crazy."

I thought that maybe it was natural for them to become 'managers of the Time Fault'.

"Have you found the answer to your question?"

"Maybe. But I'm afraid to tell you the answer now.

I felt like I vaguely knew what the 'answer' Chunghuh was thinking.

Instead of guessing the answer, I said this.

"I have similar questions."

"Oh, really?"

I was just writing, and was dragged in, and suddenly became a villain character and lived here.

It's incredible when I think about it, but what can I do? It actually happened. Even now, I often ask myself. Why was it me? Because I am one of Kim Dokja’s reincarnations?

Then why did I possess 'Cheon Inho'?

Maybe Chunghuh and I are a little similar.

Chunghuh vaguely understood that fact and said,

"You are the type who asks questions 'despite all that'. Isn’t that right?"

"If I had to be specific, it would be that type of person."

"At this point, I think it wasn’t a coincidence that you read the 'Prophecy of the End' all the way through."

"Oh, I apologize for that part."

"No. You don’t have to feel sorry for us or the other Transcendents for that. If there is a beginning to anything, there must be an end. All the Transcendents here understand that fact well through the Time Fault lines. If the 'End Zone' ends here, then this is also the same story. Rather, everyone is interested."

Listening to Chunghuh's words, I gradually came to understand why the Transcendents were so indifferent to the End.

They must have already experienced the destruction of worlds big and small through the Time Fault.

That's why they are no longer shaken or saddened by the destruction right before their eyes.

"Is there no way to avoid the End?"

"No. The 'End-level Fear' is not something that can be avoided. For example, when the 'End-level Fear' opened last time—"

"About half of the Transcendents were torn apart. The alliance almost collapsed once."

Karlton took out a book from his bosom and answered. He flipped through the pages of the book a few times and added briefly.

"Before that, when the 'End-level Fear' opened, a third of the entire Time Fault went wild."

"Oh, I remember that too. The Commander-in-Chief personally stepped in and stopped it."

"The reason it ended like that back then was because there was a 'deal'…"

Deal?

Chunghuh smiled bitterly as he received my gaze.

"There is no way to avoid the End, but it is not that there is no way to respond. There is a way to minimize the damage."

"What is that?"

"Dealing with the Recorders."

"Speaking of the Recorders..."

"Have you heard of them? About the 'Recorders of Fear'."

I paused.

Is this story finally coming up?

"In the 'lines' of this Time Fault, there is a place where the Recorders reside. However, not just anyone can meet them, and only those who possess a special 'interpretation' of Fear or are qualified can have a private conversation with them."

"Do they have the power to stop the End?"

"Even they cannot completely stop the End. However... "

Chunghuh seemed very cautious about what he said next.

"They can 'Rewrite' this world."

In an instant, goosebumps ran through my entire body.

I hurriedly asked back.

"Can I meet them too?"

"Unfortunately, it's impossible for you. If you had come in a few months earlier, it would have been different..."

"Master, there's a way."

Ryunard, who had been watching the conversation with a smirk, said.

"Newbie. If you first resolve the Natural Disaster level or higher level Fear that appeared in the Time Fault, you will have one chance to face them."

"Ryunard, Natural Disaster level is not a level of Fear that the current rookie can resolve."

"I know. But let's tell the truth."

Natural Disaster level Fear.

That was the level given to the 'Dream Eater' I encountered when I entered here.

"The current rookie will have a hard time. If he trains here for at least a hundred years, I don't know."

Karlton was right.

As of now, no matter what I do, there is no way to solve the 'Natural Disaster level Fear' on my own.

I guess there is no other way. If this is the case, I think it would be better to use a desperate measure to get their help—

"Chief Commander! There's something wrong with the Time Fault!"

A Transcendent that was inspecting the Fault from the edge came running out of breath.

"There's something wrong with the Fault that the Captain of the Third Division entered."

Then, a hologram screen appeared before my eyes. Upon closer inspection, it was the very same Time Fault that Cheok Junkyeong and the Tired Division had entered before.

They had gone in to hunt the 'Dragon Eater', a terrifying disaster.

But as far as I know, Cheok Junkyeong had already dealt with that Outer God...

—Kuaaaah!

A bloody wind blew through the screen, and I saw the heads of two members of the Tired Division flying away.

The swords that lightly sliced ​​off the heads of the Transcendents and were wandering through the air.

They were swords I knew.

"Excalibur?"

Among them, I saw Arthur's holy relic. However, the one holding that holy relic wasn't King Arthur.

"That guy."

Wings spread across the sky. A body with a skeletal appearance, decorated with molds from various cultures. The moment I saw the white shining crown of the guy, I realized who he was.

"The Funder of the Absolute Throne."

It seemed that he was already a famous Outer God here, so the Transcendents who had gathered in the Fault line hurriedly exchanged opinions.

"An Outer God of the level of a Natural Disaster. Among them, he is the top tier."

"Damn, I didn't see that guy for a while so I thought he disappeared—"

On the screen, Cheok Junkyeong was seen swinging his sword like a madman and fighting against the 'Founder of the Absolute Throne'.

—Kuhahahaha! It's fun! It's fun!

Just watching it made my whole body shiver. The first sword of Goryeo, who didn't back down even in front of Outer Gods, was swinging his sword fiercely and going berserk. It felt like the unbelievable clash was being transmitted all the way here.

"The Captain of the Third Division can't fight him alone."

But an Outer God is an Outer God.

Even Cheok Junkyeong was slowly getting more and more wounds on his incarnation body. If things continued like this, it was obvious how the match would end.

I asked Chunghuh.

"Who are the Captains who can go?"

"The Captain of the Zeroth Division hasn't come out of the Fault yet. The First Division has just been dispatched. There are no Captains available right now."

The faces of the Transcendents were dark.

In the end, it was Karlton, the deputy Captain of the Zeroth division, who stepped forward.

"Me and Ryunard will go in."

"No. You have to guard this place."

"But if we leave it like that, the Captain of the Third Division—"

"You don't even have 'appropriate clothes' for that worldview, do you?"

Appropriate clothes.

Suddenly, Cheok Junkyeong's explanation came to mind.

I think he said that the Time Fault is a kind of possession, and that you can't use your 'incarnation' inside the Fault except in special cases.

"Even if you go in, you can't stop him in your current state."

In the end, Chunghuh, who had been worrying, made a decision.

"We can't lose the Captain of the Third Division here. This time, I'll do it myself—"

"I'll do it."

In an instant, the eyes of the Transcendents were focused on one place.

"I have an incarnation that fits the 'Time Fault'."

It was me.

I don't know which Time Fault it is, but it seemed that Cheon Inho was still alive in that Time Fault.

Runyard shook his head and tried to dissuade me.

"Newbie, no matter what, I can't let you go. Even if there is a suitable incarnation, the level of Fear that you can enter and block is..."

"I can block it."

Even now, when I close my eyes, the scene comes to mind vividly.

The events of that day that I can't forget even if I die.

I felt the story inside me stir and opened my mouth.

"I killed that guy once."

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