Chapter 193 – Return [Come Back Home]

A man was swinging his sword like a madman.

From the sight of the man recklessly thrusting at the enemy using a two-handed sword technique, relying solely on what looked like sturdy armor, Siguk could realize one thing.

That person is going to die soon.

Sure enough, not long after, a long arrow flew and embedded itself deep into the man’s side.

The man’s swordplay became erratic, and he gradually lost strength.

Finally, an axe flew and lodged in the man’s neck, and soon after, the man collapsed on the spot.

“That man is the first Regressor.”

At the words of the darkness, Siguk flinched.

“The first?”

The scene changed.

This time, a man who looked like an ancient Roman soldier, defending himself as solidly as a fortress with a sturdy shield and armor, was blocking the torrent of venom from the massive Primordial Dragon, Tiamat, pouring down upon him.

“That man is the second Regressor.”

And as the darkness’s words ended, the man ultimately failed to withstand Tiamat’s venom and melted away.

The scene changed again.

This time, a woman wearing a red cloak was facing Ululu Tumbebe.

From the woman’s hands, all sorts of powerful high-level magic continuously poured forth.

However, her attacks were repeatedly blocked by the wall of corpses Ululu Tumbebe had piled up.

“That woman is the third Regressor.”

And so, the scenes kept changing.

Druid, Necromancer, Healer, Melee Dealer, Ranged Dealer, Tanker, Ranger, and so on.

Countless types of A-Rank Superhumans fought against Tiamat or Ululu Tumbebe.

But they all lost.

With the death of the ninety-eighth Regressor—the one who had been showing a spectacular duel between Necromancer and Necromancer alongside Ululu Tumbebe with countless Undead—the scene changes ceased.

“The ninety-eight Regressors who stood before you all failed.”

The darkness looked at Siguk.

At some point, the darkness’s face had become that of an ordinary gentleman.

But it was so ordinary that Siguk couldn’t perceive the features specifically.

“They were kind and conscientious beings, unlike you.”

At the darkness’s sudden character assessment, Siguk’s expression instantly contorted.

“That’s why they failed.”

The scene changed again.

May 3, 2017, early morning.

Clover VVIP Room.

There, the young, freshly regressed Siguk was killing Kim Yanggi.

“Kim Yanggi was a considerably dangerous figure. In the past ninety-eight worlds, he always became a subordinate of Ululu Tumbebe or Fenrir, playing a role in hastening the world’s destruction.”

“…….”

“The Regressors, all ninety-eight of them, knew that fact. But they were all bound by justification, or lacked courage, or couldn’t bring themselves to kill a person, and so they left Kim Yanggi alone.”

“…….”

“But you, immediately after regressing, mercilessly killed Kim Yanggi. Of course, you only did so because you intended to absorb and exploit his organization, but you accomplished in one stroke what none of the ninety-eight could do.”

The scene shifted again.

A scene of Siguk using the Dark Legion to kill the bastard in the fight against Tiamat came into view.

“There were many others besides you who possessed the March of the Dark Legion Skill. But they all refused to use that Skill, saying they couldn’t tarnish the honor of their comrades, and ultimately died by Tiamat’s hand.”

“…….”

“But you, this time too, mercilessly used it the moment you had the chance.”

The scene changed again.

A scene of Siguk killing Hunters belonging to the expedition team to absorb them into his Familiar in order to fight Ululu Tumbebe came into view.

“Unlike others who were busy looking after the safety of the injured and couldn’t properly fight Ululu Tumbebe, you had no qualms about killing comrades to strengthen your Familiar in order to kill Ululu Tumbebe.”

Again, all of that disappeared, and the bound specters of Ululu Tumbebe and Fenrir came into view.

“All ninety-eight Regressors other than you possessed power similar to yours. But they were not as despicable as you, nor did they know how to use any and all means to achieve their goals.”

“…….”

“This is the truth I will show you.”

For a while, Siguk silently gazed only at the two specters.

Suddenly, Siguk chuckled.

“I’ve heard that good deeds are rewarded, but this is the first I’ve heard of a bastard receiving special treatment like this.”

Siguk looked at the darkness.

The darkness’s face had once again become that unrecognizable something.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“I will give you a choice.”

“A choice?”

The darkness extended its right hand.

“After absorbing all the memories and abilities of those two specters, return to the 100th world, kill Fenrir, and prevent the world’s destruction. And restore the other ninety-nine already destroyed worlds.”

The darkness extended its left hand.

“End the story here and meet your death.”

It was so absurd that Siguk laughed again.

“Practically, isn’t this just a forced choice?”

The darkness did not answer.

“Either way, it seems like I’m getting the short end of the stick?”

“You are a sinner.”

“……?”

“You made a child an orphan, and killed countless people.”

“…….”

“This is the same deed you committed in the past ninety-nine worlds.”

“…….”

“Did you think you could receive such special treatment without paying for your sins?”

Siguk couldn’t say anything.

“Ninety-ninth Regressor. This is the atonement you must offer.”

Siguk tightly closed his mouth.

He gazed at the darkness for a while.

Then, the darkness’s face gradually transformed into a human shape, taking on a concrete form to a perceivable level.

The darkness transformed variously, from the face of the housewife he had first killed, who had looked down on him, to the faces of countless Hunters he had recently killed, including Liu Yaofang.

The commonality of all of them was that they were people Siguk had directly killed.

“Without atonement, there is no salvation. This is the law of the world.”

Siguk was silent for a while.

And at the end of that silence, Siguk finally made a decision.

“Don’t say you gave me a choice when there was no room for choice from the beginning.”

Siguk grasped the darkness’s right hand.

At that moment, Siguk’s vision was covered by endless darkness.

Within that darkness, Siguk became one with the specters of Ululu Tumbebe and Fenrir.

As if his entire body melted and regenerated once, as if his soul melted and regenerated, Siguk changed like that.

And at the end of that change, Siguk lost consciousness.

Monday, October 10, 2033.

Depressing news successively disturbed the minds and spirits of people on their way to work.

『Due to a Dungeon Break that occurred in L.A., California, approximately 40,000 people have died so far, among which the scale of Korean victims is…….』

『Amidst the appearance of an A-Rank Dungeon in Beijing, China, which is in chaos due to civil war, the Beijing government and Shanghai government have failed to reach an agreement on a temporary ceasefire for preparing Dungeon countermeasures……』

『As the French government enacted the Dungeon Security Relations Act to prevent a Dungeon security vacuum, physical clashes have occurred between protesting demonstrators and Hunters demanding improved treatment…….』

Among the various depressing news, the one that most constricted the citizens’ hearts was the gloomy news coming from within the country.

『Amidst widespread news in political circles that Prime Minister Nam Hanseok intends to declare a state of emergency due to recent intensifying protests showing signs of rioting, today’s joint temporary session of the National Assembly will discuss a vote of no confidence in the cabinet…….』

Those who at least had jobs to go to could busily work at their workplaces and shake off such gloomy feelings.

But those without even jobs had to tremble in anxiety as if the world was about to end at any moment.

And some extremists poured out onto the streets just like that and joined the protestors, who had now become rioters, in the midst of fighting.

“Nam Hanseok might even want this country itself to collapse.”

At Yeo Jeongyeon’s words, Lee Dongseok, who was watching the brawl in Gwanghwamun Square with her through the Superhuman Association Chairman’s office window, silently nodded.

“Perhaps we approached it wrong from the beginning. Judging Nam Hanseok as a rational actor itself might have been the starting point of all this trouble.”

This time too, Lee Dongseok nodded.

Yeo Jeongyeon looked at him.

“What should we do?”

“Hmm…….”

Lee Dongseok crossed his arms.

“Shouldn’t we remove Nam Hanseok and install a new Prime Minister?”

At Yeo Jeongyeon’s words, Lee Dongseok shook his head.

“Unless we can kill Nam Hanseok naturally, if we kill him in a way that looks obviously like murder to anyone, the situation will only get worse.”

“So, are we just going to let Nam Hanseok do as he pleases like that?”

“I never said to leave him be. It’s just that we need to find a way to make the situation land more softly.”

Feeling utterly stifled by Lee Dongseok’s overly cautious demeanor, Yeo Jeongyeon thought,

‘Are all Tankers like this?’

Thinking that Siguk’s straightforward, decisive work style felt especially missed today, Yeo Jeongyeon let out a sigh.

“For now, since Chairman Yong is keeping a tight watch on the Blue House, let’s wait a bit. If it really doesn’t work out, we can always resort to assassination as a last resort.”

At Lee Dongseok’s words, leaving room for possibility, Yeo Jeongyeon nodded.

Lee Dongseok gave a light bow to Yeo Jeongyeon and left the Chairman’s office.

For a while, Yeo Jeongyeon simply watched the situation outside the window.

Then, she turned her gaze toward the direction of the Blue House.

The blue roof tiles visible in the distance felt particularly desolate today.

“Phew…….”

In the elevator going down to the underground parking lot, Lee Dongseok let out a deep sigh and loosened his tie, stuffing it crumpled into his pocket.

‘Assassination, huh…….’

Lee Dongseok closed his eyes.

‘Lee Heon…… why did you entrust me with such a difficult position?’

Assassination, politics, espionage.

All of it was just difficult for Lee Dongseok.

He just wanted to live, supporting his family and finding small happiness as one of Korea’s few B-Rank Hunters.

Power or whatever, it wasn’t that important to him.

But Siguk gave him power. And that power now weighed heavily on him in Siguk’s absence.

Lee Dongseok ran a hand through his hair once.

And he could see the clump of hair caught between his fingers.

‘Ha…….’

Lee Dongseok sighed again.

Before he knew it, the elevator arrived at the underground parking lot, and he shook off the fallen hair onto the floor.

Jamwon-dong Marianne Penthouse.

Today too, Nayeon woke up early in the morning and lit incense before the portraits of Lee Jeonghoon and Yoo Seoyoung.

Even though the sorrow should have halved by now, Nayeon’s eyes still reddened whenever she saw their portraits.

After lighting the incense, she immediately prepared breakfast.

While eating rice mixed with the curry Hwang Jungi had made last night, she read through the JH Group cross-shareholding status report sent by JH Group Chairman Park Jeongmok.

‘I’m not a business major…….’

For her, who had spent most of her twenties in the lab looking only at Mana data, corporate law, shareholders, and investments were simply difficult matters.

‘But to protect Dad and Oppa’s company…….’

Since she recently heard from Park Jeongmok and JH Guild manager Park Seongjun that Kang Bonggil and Han Myeongho were trying to take over the company, she had no choice but to try her best within her capabilities.

After finishing her meal, she immediately started doing the dishes.

And as she was about to finish the dishes, a man’s voice struck her ears.

“Having trouble with something difficult?”

Instantly, Nayeon felt her entire body stiffen.

‘I must have misheard.’

Since it was Siguk’s voice, which she could never hear, Nayeon thought she was hearing things.

“It’s not an auditory hallucination.”

But at Siguk’s voice heard once more, Nayeon slowly turned her body around.

“Good morning, Nayeon.”

Siguk greeted Nayeon with a faint smile.

Seeing that, Nayeon silently, without even realizing it, began to shed tears.