Chapter 154

I closed my eyes.

I could no longer see Ian or Saint Ajadun.

I had escaped the dream.

It was as if a program had been executed in my head.

Incomprehensible code, intricately tangled, was shaking my mind.

And just like that, I was forcibly enlightened.

KWWAAAAAAANG!

I felt like I was at the scene of the Big Bang, where the universe was born.

In the midst of a completely dark world, a light exploded.

At the same time, a memory that felt ancient surfaced.

Was it when I first met Association President Yeo Ju-kyung alone?

The memory of seeing my Mental World back then.

In the endlessly stretching space of the universe, my potential stretched to its very ends.

A time when I couldn’t even fathom how far I could grow.

And today.

I reached the maximum height I could attain.

No, I was still doing so at this very moment.

Energy gathers. The gathered power is compressed. The compressed energy explodes.

BOOM!

Even stronger energy gathers. The gathered power is compressed, and explodes.

KWWAAAAAAANG-!

This process repeated itself countless times.

It was so overwhelming that all the Level Ups I had done, all the Experience Points I had gained until now, felt meaningless.

I stopped trying to open things like the Status Window.

This was beyond the realm of the Status Window.

In the process, I realized one thing.

Once this process was over, I would become a being that could no longer be called human.

A power that was truly close to omnipotence.

I think I understood why the System was called Lu, and why Chaos was called the Demon God.

And, I felt a sincere admiration for Ian.

Despite possessing such power, the guy had refused to become an equal to the System.

He had trusted me completely.

He believed that I could completely crush those two bastards.

I needed to repay that trust.

KWANG!

The entire universe exploded.

The speed at which my consciousness expanded was too fast to keep up with.

The me of this moment could do anything I set my mind to.

For example, something like this.

The dimension to which Earth belongs is a mix of the System’s and the Demon God’s energies.

Although it was skewed toward the System at a ratio of about 7:3, but still.

I would insert myself between them.

Like this.

Hwaak!

An energy that was neither Mana nor Demonic Energy wedged itself between them.

I could feel two energies resisting powerfully.

It would be a waste of breath to say who they were.

But the me of now had already become their equal. No matter how much they tried to resist, they couldn’t stop me.

This place, at least, was my Mainland.

No one could invade it.

HWAAAAAK!

They were gradually pushed back. It was inevitable.

The dimensions they managed were infinite, but I was focusing solely on one.

My power washed over them like a tidal wave.

I could hear them screaming in desperation.

Especially the System.

It was as if I could hear its outcry ringing in my ears.

-How could you do this! How!

-Do you have any idea how much I conceded!

I cleanly ignored the crap it was spouting.

As I said, it and I were now equals.

Which meant that for it to kill me, it would have to risk its own life.

“You should have trusted what was worth trusting. Why didn’t you kill me sooner? Don’t you know you have to cut down a weed as soon as it sprouts?”

It must be utterly unable to accept that a lowly servant had become its equal.

This, too, was part of Ian’s plan.

Ian could have come close enough to being a god with his unique magic, but he had deceived the System.

As a result, the bastard had no choice but to be pushed back so helplessly.

When their powers had dwindled to only 1% each.

That was the turning point.

When they stopped their desperate struggle. When they finally acknowledged me as their equal.

I calmly opened my eyes.

I could see things I couldn’t see before.

I realized that the brilliant power of the System and the giant eyeball of the Demon God were nothing more than condensed masses of power.

And one more thing.

That they, too, were beings who could feel pain and could die.

I was no longer afraid of them.

And so, Earth was now perfectly within my grasp.

Of course, I couldn’t end it here.

It was time to give back as much as I had received.

Peter looked up at the red sky.

A giant eyeball was floating there.

He was extremely quick-witted. So he knew.

Choi Gi-woong has succeeded. He’s finally become their equal.

A sense of euphoria washed over him as his mind raced.

‘This makes things much easier.’

The worst-case scenario was Choi Gi-woong failing to become their equal.

What would happen then?

He would just have to die cleanly. There would be no room for negotiation or anything else; for an accomplice who had laid waste to the Demon Realm, there would be no room for repentance.

But if this was the case.

“You seem to be in a bad mood.”

The red eyeball stared directly at Peter.

He could feel a signal, one that said it would kill him if he so much as acted up.

Naturally, Peter paid it no mind.

“I don’t mind dying at any time, but will that be all right with you?”

Ruiche, who was beside him, nudged him in the ribs.

“Wh-what are you saying? Shouldn’t we just get on our knees and beg for forgiveness? I think it noticed we took their side.”

“It’s at times like these that you have to be confident.”

“Huh?”

Peter turned his face to look at the sky again.

“Demon God. One thing is certain. If things continue like this, you will be the first to die.”

The giant eye blinked once.

It was a sign to keep talking.

“We know what we did. We betrayed you and killed all the subordinates left in the Demon Realm. Phew. You must have raised them with such care and affection, what are we to do about this.”

Ruiche glared at Peter. She spoke in the smallest voice she could manage.

“Are you trying to provoke him right now?”

“Ah, this is just my personality.”

Peter shrugged with a troubled look and continued.

“In any case, what I meant was that in a situation like this, I won’t bring up messy words like faith or trust.”

No answer came. Peter took that as an affirmation.

His was a life with no lingering regrets even if he died right now.

He had to say what he had to say.

“That’s why I’m telling you this. One thing is certain: if things stay as they are, you, Demon God, will be the first one to be attacked.”

The two absolute beings had become three.

A one-on-one could be kept in check, but a two-on-one was impossible.

If two of the three ganged up, the remaining one was bound to die.

Peter was pointing this out.

“Otherwise, you’d have to join hands with ‘Lu,’ but is that possible?”

To be frank, the best move was to join hands with the System, but…

That alone was impossible.

They had fought for eons. Solely to become one complete being.

To join hands with the System in this situation?

He couldn’t bring himself to nod readily.

“And you know very well that those two are relatively close, Demon God.”

Peter continued, feigning nonchalance.

“You have to admit it. In this situation, the one who persuades the Reincarnator first wins the game. Yes. A single human bastard has become a kingmaker.”

“So, make the first offer. Name the strongest possible conditions and make a contract. Not a contract built on trust, but a contract where the promise is guaranteed.”

Ruiche looked up at the sky. At some point, the giant red eyeball had become fixed and still.

It was as if it were listening intently to Peter’s words.

Looking to her side, she saw Peter had his eyes closed, listening.

What was it saying?

“After Lu dies, I don’t know what will happen. The two of you will have to duke it out. Of course, when that time comes, I’ll be on the Reincarnator’s side. Let’s just look at this present moment.”

“Persuasion. You must persuade Choi Gi-woong.”

“And there are few bastards who can do that persuasion as well as I can. If you understand, please stop pressuring me with your Demonic Energy and let me go.”

A moment of silence.

Peter opened his eyes and looked at Ruiche.

Peter grinned.

[Awakener Death Rate, Lowest Since Statistics Were First Compiled]

[The peace has lasted for a long time. Until when?]

[Since Choi Gi-woong’s return, 0 Demons have been discovered. Is this also the Choi Gi-woong effect?! Academia: It’s just a coincidence. Concerns over deification of Choi Gi-woong if too much meaning is attached.]

┕Choi Gi-woong is a god, though? This trash reporter is insane. What’s that professor’s name?

┕FR, if Choi Gi-woong isn’t a god, then who is?

┕The Great Gi-woong

┕The Great Gi-woong, saw him today and took a picture.jpg

┕Stop bothering him. These kids are so clingy. Just because he says it’s okay, it’s okay, they really think Choi Gi-woong is their friend.

┕Choi-my-friend?

You could tell just by looking at the comments.

Not a single trace of a gloomy atmosphere could be felt.

It was peaceful.

No one was panic-buying at the supermarket, and the stock market, which had plummeted, was hitting new highs day after day as if that had never happened.

That’s right.

Since the emergence of Awakeners and Dungeons, there had never been a more peaceful time.

“So why are you so busy?”

Head of department Han Seung-hoon asked with an uneasy face.

“I can’t even see the future anymore, so why am I so anxious?”

“Because you’re worried I might die?”

“What?”

Han Seung-hoon shot to his feet.

“Hey, you punk, are you going to die? Is that the kind of future you see?”

“No.”

I had taken the foresight Han Seung-hoon possessed.

Because I still had something to do with it.

“Why are you standing there looking so uneasy? I can’t even make a joke.”

“R-right? It’s a joke, right?”

“Even if I were to die, well, this place will be safe.”

I was currently managing the entire dimension.

If I was prepared to die, I could protect this one place at least.

And I’d have to visit Elsland soon, too.

“Jeez. If you’re going to leave a will, leave my name out of it. I can’t listen to that cringey stuff.”

Han Seung-hoon, having downed his soju shot, looked a bit more relaxed.

“But I don’t have a feel for it right now, so tell me.”

“About what?”

“Are you really now…”

Lowering his voice drastically, he asked again what he had asked several times before.

“The System?”

“Yes.”

“Then the System windows people see…”

“I made them.”

Now that the System’s energy had lost its power, getting rid of the Status Window might cause great confusion.

So I made a choice.

To become the System myself.

Han Seung-hoon downed another shot of soju.

“Wow, damn. It’s like… I feel like I’ve learned the secret of the world. This.”

“So use that feeling to go on vacation. You’ve worked hard enough.”

“I just can’t believe it, I can’t.”

“Well, if you don’t believe me, I can’t help it.”

“I already contacted that guy, Kim Yoon-joong.”

“What did he say?”

“He was bitching at me to hurry back to the Association.”

“So much for a vacation.”

We let out a small laugh, finished our remaining glasses, and got up from our seats.

It was after I sent Han Seung-hoon home.

I looked up at the dark sky.

Ian was right when he said the fight was just beginning.

However, my method is different from Ian’s.

If he broke through all difficulties with his immense talent, I plan to use my head a little.

I’ve laid enough bait. Potent and unavoidable bait, at that.

It was just in time.

Messages popped up in a stream.

[The System, ‘Lu,’ requests a conversation. Will you accept?]

[The Demon God, ‘Chaos,’ requests a conversation. Will you accept?]

As if they had planned it, the two of them spoke to me.

“Let’s hear just what kind of amazing offers you’ve brought.”