Chapter 221

The moment the Transcendent-grade Ticket was torn from Taewoon’s grasp, a bizarre sensation washed over his entire body, as if all the light and sound in the world were converging into a single point.

It was fundamentally different from the unique sensation he had experienced while traversing time and space. It was an indescribable sense of dissonance, as if the very root of his existence had been dismantled and reassembled under an entirely different set of laws.

And at the center of that vortex, Taewoon did not forget to carve his will into the system.

‘The companion is… Saint Kyurihi.’

There was no right of refusal. This was an absolute right that the ticket user could exercise, and a coercive force granted by the Theater.

The figure of Kyurihi before his eyes distorted, swept away by a torrent of light.

Even he, who boasted absolute Divine Authority, seemed unable to resist this unknown power.

[This…]

Kyurihi’s exclamation, laced with bewilderment, brushed past his ears. Soon, the two beings, Taewoon and Kyurihi, were completely erased from the coordinates of reality and sucked into the unknown realm to which the ticket guided them.

How much time had passed? When Taewoon opened his eyes, the scenery was not the familiar sight he had always seen.

The Waiting Room illuminated by subtle lighting and luxurious furniture, the movie posters filling the walls, and the system messages that greeted him kindly—none of it existed.

“…….”

Taewoon looked around amidst the suffocating silence.

The place was, quite literally, nothingness. A vast black-and-white space where one could not discern the distinction between above and below, nor the directions of east, west, south, or north.

The entire space was pulsating minutely as if it were alive, and incomprehensible geometric lines and planes repeatedly appeared and disappeared in the void.

‘Is this… the Waiting Room of the Transcendent-grade Theater?’

No, it was ambiguous to even call it a Waiting Room. This was more like the chaos before the birth of the universe, or a space like a primordial egg where all possibilities lay dormant.

And Taewoon realized instinctively. The fundamental strangeness and alienation he had felt every time he tore a ticket to enter the Theater—the source of all those sensations was right here.

[Ho…]

Just then, a low, heavy exclamation of admiration sounded from behind Taewoon.

As Taewoon turned his head, Kyurihi was standing there, still clad in a pure white robe.

However, his usual arrogant and relaxed demeanor was nowhere to be found.

His golden eyes were scanning the surrounding space thoroughly as if in disbelief, and within them, deep vigilance and curiosity were intertwined.

[This space… what on earth is it?]

Saint Kyurihi, who prided himself on having mastered the laws of the world. For the first time, he was revealing his bewilderment before an unknown realm that lay beyond his perception.

[The laws of this place are completely different from those outside. No, in fact, even such a concept is meaningless…]

Kyurihi reached out to grab a line of light floating in the air. However, his hand passed through the line in vain.

Taewoon watched the scene silently before slowly opening his mouth to speak.

“This place is the source of my power, and the essence of my ability that you were so curious about.”

[…….]

“I call this the Theater of All Things.”

Taewoon hid nothing more. Since they had entered this place, either way, Taewoon and Kyurihi were destined to see things through to the end.

It meant that maintaining the secret was no longer meaningful.

Kyurihi remained silent for a moment. His gaze shifted back and forth between Taewoon and the surrounding space.

[The Theater of All Things… Indeed, that name does not sound empty.]

A strange smile played on Kyurihi’s lips.

[You have essentially revealed your deepest secret to me. Do you truly believe that was a wise choice?]

“It shouldn’t matter. You won’t be able to leave this place anyway. Even if I die, you will also meet your end here.”

A chilling Killing Intent dwelled in Taewoon’s eyes.

Despite Taewoon’s threat, Kyurihi laughed out loud as if he found it amusing.

Kyurihi looked around and spread his arms.

[I cannot deny that it is a truly mysterious ability. However, even if this is a space created by your Trait, is it not true that even you cannot fully control this place?]

Kyurihi’s observation was accurate. Taewoon himself was feeling a slight sense of confusion internally.

‘…What happened?’

He had clearly used the ticket. However, the system messages that should have appeared, the Theater’s selection screen, the Starting Point—none of it was manifesting.

There was no cheerful notification sound as usual, nor the familiar blue window. Only the endless black-and-white space greeted Taewoon.

‘Could it be… a system error?’

But the Theater of All Things had never shown such a flaw. If so, this was an intended situation.

Taewoon suddenly recalled the unlock condition for the Transcendent-grade Ticket he had checked in the shop in the past.

‘Only a viewer who has ascended the path of Transcendence… can purchase the ticket.’

That condition might not have simply meant the strength of one’s power.

The existing Theater system was a method of being assigned a set scenario and role and unfolding the story within it. But the stage of Transcendence was different.

What lay beyond the Transcendent-grade Theater was not something Taewoon could choose.

The Theater was throwing Taewoon and Kyurihi into a raw space and intending to watch what they would do.

[Hmm…]

While Taewoon was lost in deep thought, Kyurihi was analyzing the essence of the space with a calm gaze.

He persistently explored the laws of this world, snapping his fingers in the air or letting out minute amounts of Magical Power to observe the space’s reaction. Finally, he nodded as if he had reached some conclusion.

[Indeed… this was the source of the explosive evolution you achieved.]

Kyurihi said, looking at Taewoon. In his eyes dwelt the longing of a pure seeker, something that hadn’t been seen before.

[Countless dimensions and causalities are overlapped, and infinite possibilities can be materialized… It is literally a place like a cradle where all things are born and perish.]

Having accumulated power and knowledge over vast eons, the insight Kyurihi displayed was truly astounding.

[It is a transcendent power that a common human vessel could not even handle. Rather than possessing this, you have merely grown by picking up the crumbs leaking from the crevices of this immense power.]

It was a cruel but accurate point. Taewoon had only borrowed the Theater’s power in a very limited capacity; he had never truly reached its essence.

[However… if those shackles hadn’t existed, it would have been impossible to manifest a Trait of this level in the first place.]

Kyurihi’s voice became somewhat softer.

[You were not consumed by this uncontrollable power; instead, you used it to discipline yourself. You faced danger, broke through your shell, and finally earned the qualification to face the essence of this power. The fact that you stand here now is a result achieved by yourself, without anyone’s help. That much… as a Saint, I acknowledge and praise.]

“Ha, are you suddenly trying to bond with me?”

[Why be in such a rush?]

Praise from an enemy. But it was not empty words.

Kyurihi sincerely valued Taewoon’s achievement. As a seeker who also dreamed of Transcendence, he understood the hardship of the path Taewoon had walked better than anyone.

[But acknowledgment is acknowledgment, and reality is reality.]

Kyurihi’s gaze turned cold again.

[I know that neither you nor I can be free from the rules of this place. This space is trapping us and demanding something. So, what will you do now?]

Kyurihi asked Taewoon back. He judged that the key to breaking through this situation was held by Taewoon, who was, regardless, the owner of this space.

“……”

Taewoon bit his lip.

One of the original plans was mutual destruction. To engage in an endless struggle with Kyurihi here until all three opportunities provided by the Theater were exhausted, ending with both of them being buried in the Theater forever.

That was the most certain victory Taewoon could choose.

If there was no way to oppose Kyurihi, completely excluding him from the outside world was the only means.

But the situation unfolding before his eyes was too different from Taewoon’s expectations.

‘What on earth is the identity of this space?’

Three opportunities? Starting Point? None of those existed. Even Taewoon, who had gone through numerous experiences in the Theater, was facing a situation like this for the first time.

‘If I rashly start a fight… I might just die a dog’s death without resolving anything.’

Taewoon had to be cautious. Now was the time for reason, not emotion.

Kyurihi knew this as well. The reason he was attempting dialogue instead of attacking Taewoon was likely because he wanted to avoid a meaningless war of attrition in this unknown space.

“…Move, Kyurihi. It seems this isn’t our final battlefield.”

Taewoon withdrew Barata and stepped toward the other side of the black-and-white space.

He didn’t know where to go.

But at the same time, the instinct that had allowed him to overcome crises told him that staying still would yield no answers.

[A wise decision. Then, lead the way. I must see with my own eyes what lies at the end of this bizarre space.]

Thus began the strange journey of the two final adversaries who had staked the fate of South Korea.

With the spears and swords that had aimed for each other’s throats temporarily put away, the sight of Taewoon and Kyurihi walking side by side toward an unknown, mysterious world created a somewhat surreal impression.

‘Black and white… Yin and Yang?’

Hours passed where they continued to move their bodies without feeling the sensation of progressing along a path.

The space ignored physical distance.

It felt as if they had walked for days, yet when they looked back, the place they started seemed to be right behind them.

Conversely, there were moments of vertigo where it felt as if they had moved thousands of miles after taking just a single step.

The concept of time also grew faint.

There was no such thing as the sun rising or setting. Neither hunger nor fatigue was felt. Only their consciousness remained clearly awake amidst the endless intersection of black and white.

[Interesting. Time does not flow here.]

Kyurihi said calmly.

[Our bodies were fixed from the moment we entered this place. A state where one neither ages, tires, nor is consumed. Perhaps this place, too, is a facet of the eternity I have been searching for.]

It was as Kyurihi said. Taewoon also felt that sensation.

A world where everything was stopped. Only the consciousness and footsteps of the two people were breaking this silence.

‘Damn it, what kind of space is this?’

Taewoon felt anxious.

What had happened to the outside world? The battle at the Central Holy Sanctuary? Would Yerin, Seoyoon, and their comrades be safe?

Taewoon tried to find a way to break through this space, mobilizing the numerous laws of the Theater he had experienced, the knowledge of The Red Man, and all the intuition he possessed.

But the answer did not come easily. This space was not something that could be explained by logic or laws.

“…….”

How long had they walked like that?

Subjectively, it felt as if several months, or even years, had passed. Or perhaps it had been a mere instant.

Thinking that escaping this place might be one of the trials of the Transcendent-grade Theater, Taewoon repeated tens of thousands of possibilities in his head.

At the same time, Kyurihi, who had reached the same conclusion, slightly stopped his pace and began to speak to Taewoon.

[It seems there is no need for you and I to act together in this place. Perhaps the one who reaches a conclusion a step ahead will hold the key. Am I wrong?]

“…….”

Taewoon did not open his mouth, answering instead with silence. At that, Kyurihi laughed softly.

[You had best hurry, for I have no intention of yielding either.]

As soon as the words ended, Kyurihi’s figure blurred like a mirage.

Simultaneously, Taewoon’s consciousness also began to sink deeper in search of the answer.