Chapter 206

After breaking the mental shackles left by the Cult Leader’s Authority, it felt as though the world looked different than before.

All of Taewoon’s senses became sharper, and fragments of blurred memories found their place, adding vast amounts of information to his mind.

The weight of failure pressed down on his shoulders, but simultaneously, the reality that this was his last chance forged Taewoon’s soul as solid as steel.

‘…Shall I go?’

Taewoon did not hesitate. His footsteps headed once again toward Duham, the sphere of influence of the Ark.

As he emerged from the forest and crossed the desolate plains, Taewoon’s appearance was the same as before, but the grade of the existence contained within him had completely changed.

When the city’s Fortress Walls came into view, Taewoon felt dozens of wary gazes firing toward him from a great distance.

‘…….’

People he had seen last time, and a few he didn’t remember.

Despite the distance, he could clearly identify exactly who the owners of those gazes were, one by one.

It meant that Taewoon’s senses had reached an unprecedented level.

“…Stop right there.”

As soon as he passed through the main gate, familiar faces blocked his path. They were the Branch Leader and his subordinates who had knelt before Taewoon’s power last time. Their faces were a mixture of considerable bewilderment and hostility.

“To show your face so soon after breaking your promise—do you truly hold the Ark in such contempt?”

The man’s voice was low and threatening, but Taewoon remained unfazed.

Soon, Taewoon lowered his hood, revealing his bare face, and spoke with a calm demeanor.

“The situation has changed. The problem I was dealing with has been resolved, so the Constructor will no longer refuse my visit.”

Taewoon’s voice was composed, but the weight contained within it was incomparable to before.

The man who met Taewoon’s eyes unconsciously swallowed hard. This was because the Taewoon before him had transformed into a completely different being compared to how he had appeared just a few days ago.

A difference in grade that now made it difficult to even imagine opposing him.

The moment the man instinctively tried to step back, a quiet and deep voice resonated above everyone’s heads.

[Do not stop him; open the way. I shall respond to him personally.]

It was the voice of the Constructor, Kenneth, coming from the spire. The Branch Leaders hesitated for a moment, but they accepted the command and opened the path for Taewoon.

Taewoon passed through them in silence and once again followed the guidance of light toward the highest point of the spire.

The scenery of the attic, filled with old books and blueprints, remained the same. However, this time, Kenneth’s voice contained a vivid surprise that hadn’t been there before.

[…Astonishing. Truly astonishing.]

The voice echoed through the entire space, as if scrutinizing every inch of Taewoon’s existence.

[You were right. At this level… even the heinous Authority of the Cult Leader would no longer be able to bind you. Just what have you been up to over these past few days?]

“I found a way and recovered all my memories. I believe you are well aware of why I have returned.”

Taewoon got straight to the point. There was no time for beating around the bush.

“I need to see Yerin. We don’t have much time, so we need to discuss the End of Dawn together.”

[I suppose so…]

Kenneth fell silent for a moment. It seemed as though tens of thousands of calculations were running through his mind. However, in the end, perhaps feeling that such calculations were meaningless against the current Taewoon, he simply nodded with a sigh of resignation.

[…Very well. She has also been waiting for you for a long time, so I shall send word immediately.]

When he finally faced Yerin after the long wait, her appearance wasn’t much different from the one in Taewoon’s memories, but the aura emanating from her had grown to a degree that was incomparable to the 2nd Cycle.

Yerin’s Aura had become profoundly deep and solid; it felt as though any amateur would not even be able to present their business before her. He even felt that she might not be easily pushed back even if she faced the Nameless Head of the past.

The two sat facing each other in a quiet garden inside the Ark. After confirming each other’s presence in silence for a while, it was Yerin who broke the stillness.

“It’s been a long time. Honestly, I thought it would take a bit longer…”

“I agree.”

Yerin’s voice was mixed with faint relief and joy.

Since she had been carrying out work within the Ark Faction alone without even being able to check Taewoon’s status, the pressure must have been considerable, though she didn’t say it.

“Actually, if things hadn’t worked out, I was even thinking of giving up on everyone and challenging the Conclusion of the Theater. Either way, the situation has improved significantly.”

Taewoon briefly explained the events he experienced in the 3rd Cycle and the process of completing the Mask.

The story of how he hunted numerous Calamities, ended the shackles of The Red Man through his own will, and finally completed the ‘Hunter’s Mask,’ using its power to recover all his memories.

When Taewoon finished his story, Yerin took a small coin out from her clothes and showed it to him.

The Nameless Coin. It was now emitting a faint golden light, in the process of transforming into something completely different from before.

“It’s strange. I had a similar experience.”

Although it hadn’t been perfectly sublimated into an Artifact like Taewoon’s, it seemed that as the coin neared completion, Yerin’s various abilities had grown exponentially.

The power of the Mystery Roulette Yerin possessed had now moved beyond the realm of simple luck and established itself as an unpredictable and powerful variable.

“Perhaps… this might be one of the tasks of the Mythic-grade Theater.”

Yerin continued softly, looking down at the coin.

“Not simply clearing the Theater, but achieving one’s own myth through the given Special Prizes and completing it as an Artifact. These Special Prizes will likely be one of the final rewards of this Theater.”

“I think so too.”

Taewoon agreed with Yerin’s hypothesis. The Hunter’s Mask had brought Taewoon immense power and abilities, and it held a special meaning accordingly.

It was a token containing all of Taewoon’s actions in this Theater and one of the keys that would open the path forward.

Having confirmed each other’s growth, the two finally began to discuss the future.

“As you know, the situation isn’t easy. The End of Dawn is approaching every moment, and there are more than a few things that need to be resolved.”

The most immediate task to handle was clear.

It was to completely eliminate the Cult Leader and the Apocalypse Society from this journey.

The failure of the 2nd Cycle was entirely due to the Cult Leader’s secret machinations. As long as his Authority existed, Taewoon’s party could be held back at any time, hindering their progress toward the Conclusion of the Theater.

“A complete end is the most correct way to face the End of Dawn… that was the ideology the Apocalypse Society emphasized the most.”

Taewoon murmured, tracing the information in his memory. They were not trying to stop the end of the world, but rather trying to accept that end in the most peaceful and orderly form.

To that end, they were attempting to form a contract with one of the most powerful beings to arrive at the End of Dawn, borrowing its power to force their own rest.

“They probably weren’t like that from the start. After all… the world has reached this state.”

“…….”

To be honest, Taewoon thought that the Cult Leader’s ideology might not be entirely without merit.

The revival of the ‘Dawn Sun God’ dreamed of by the Dawn Assembly, and the ‘escape’ pursued by the Ark, were both massive gambles with unknown outcomes.

Considering the true form of the End of Dawn that Taewoon had witnessed in the 1st Cycle—the sight of the sky shattering and all sorts of predators revealing themselves… a peaceful end might actually feel like a merciful sanctuary.

Because in this world, there were plenty of endings more terrible than death.

‘But…’

Taewoon soon shook his head.

No matter how noble an ideology may seem, the moment it is forced upon everyone, it becomes violence. Furthermore, their ideology that a forced rest must be granted to all humans was clearly wrong.

Therefore, Taewoon could not agree with the Apocalypse Society’s answer and had absolutely no intention of joining their cause.

“For now… I still believe the Ark is the best alternative.”

Yerin spoke cautiously, as if reading Taewoon’s anguish.

“Of course, it’s not a perfect answer. But with my help, Mr. Kenneth has supplemented the Ark to be much more perfect. I feel a definite possibility at the end of it.”

“…….”

Taewoon also agreed with those words to some extent. Wasn’t that why he had risked everything to actively cooperate with the Ark Faction in the 2nd Cycle?

But now it was the final 3rd Cycle; there were no more chances.

He had to choose the single option upon which he could truly stake his entire destiny.

“…….”

The ideology of the Ark was attractive. But perhaps even that was not the true answer.

Taewoon had personally witnessed the world helplessly collapsing at the end of the 1st Cycle.

Although the Ark’s completion hadn’t been timed correctly back then, even if the Ark had been completed and they had successfully escaped, could they have faced a different conclusion?

‘Honestly… I can’t be sure.’

The fundamental reason the world walked the path of destruction was that it allowed the intrusion of such beings and lost the power to protect itself.

Even if they abandoned this world and left for an unknown space, where was the guarantee that there wouldn’t be another Calamity there?

In an unfamiliar world, the Ark would be fully exposed to external threats, and at that time, no one would be able to protect the Ark.

‘Of course, Kenneth probably prepared numerous secret plans…’

Having faced the End of Dawn directly, Taewoon knew. No matter how outstanding Kenneth’s wisdom and technology were, they might be meaningless before those transcendental beings who descended by tearing through the sky.

Lost in deep thought, Taewoon could not easily reach an answer. Abandonment and escape, and an uncertain hope.

None of the paths seemed perfect. Everything felt like a dead end.

But at that very moment, like a bolt of lightning flashing through his mind, a single word pierced Taewoon’s consciousness.

‘Dawn’s… morning…’

The name used to refer to this Theater he was challenging.

A word referring to the faint sunlight that arrives at the dawn when morning approaches.

As he recalled that, Taewoon’s eyes began to flicker like a candle burning quietly in the darkness.