Chapter Text
Chapter 2: Different from intended (1)
Ding!
— Please take your seats, as the records are about to begin.
Everyone ignored the repeating message.
Boom—!
An explosion, with a lingering color of light gold at the end.
The light gold mana was directed towards the screen, however, just like the door, this ‘board’ didn’t budge.
Not even a scratch was visible.
“Whoever is behind this, come out now.”
Eruhaben said, anger clearly in his eyes as gold dust started to surround his body.
Now that Eruhaben has drunk the water from the jar that came from the Wind Island, his body is as healthy and energetic as it ever was again.
He was, literally, young again.
However, his power was not enough to even leave a slight dent in the area around them.
‘It’s safe to assume that this place has relations, or is directly connected to a God.’
‘Not even Rasheel could leave a scratch on this place. And they easily took Cale.’
“Where is the human?!”
Raon, who still remained invisible, didn’t even bother hiding his voice as he yelled.
To the others, they could suddenly hear the voice of an angry child as they saw black mana starting to gather together in a spot in the air.
“Cale-nim…”
Choi Han didn’t know what to do.
Cale just disappeared like that, so easily, even though so many strong allies were with them.
It was clear that the sealed god was really just a sealed god. If they were to fight a God that wasn’t sealed, it would be impossible to win- no, to even resist.
Choi Han’s head was down and his eyes were filled with fury.
Before anyone else could react to the sudden disappearance of Cale, an annoyingly familiar sound was heard again.
However, the message that came along with it was a bit different.
Ding!
— Please take your seats, as the records are about to begin.
— Force will be used on whoever is not following the given instructions.
“Ha! Now they’re saying they’ll resort to force? As if they didn’t do that already,” said Archie.
The atmosphere immediately started to worsen once again as they were reminded of how Cale ‘disappeared’.
Another sound was heard.
Ding!
— 5.
Ding!
— 4.
“Now it’s counting?!”
“It dares!”
Ding!
— 3.
“Wait, what should we do?”
Ding!
— 2.
“Do we sit or not? What is the force they’ll resort to??”
Asked Jack, who was next to Hannah, holding her hand.
He was clearly panicked, as the timer started to count to 1.
Ding!
— 1.
Ding!
— 0.
— The timer has ended. Force will be used on whoever is not following the given instructions.
And before anyone knew it, there was another flash of light in front of everyone’s eyes.
It seems that they have been teleported to the seats.
On the front row sat Alberu, Choi Han, Lord Sheritt, Raon, On, Hong, Ron, and Beacrox.
On the second row sat Rosalyn, Lock, Mary, Tasha, Hannah, Jack, and Eruhaben.
On the third row sat Clopeh, Cage, Taylor, Litana, Witira, Paseton, and Archie.
And finally, on the fourth and last row, sat Dodori, Mila, and Rasheel.
“Huh? I can’t move!”
It seems that the ‘force’ that the words on the ‘board’ were talking about was literally being forced to sit down without being able to get back up.
“Ha… this is ridiculous…” said Rasheel, who clearly has given up on trying to move.
‘Clearly a God’s work, I can’t use mana anymore. Something is restricting it from gathering together.’
‘How annoying.’
The others also started to struggle in their own ways, before resulting in giving up, as they realized that even the esteemed dragons couldn’t get out.
Ding!
— The records will begin.
“So, are we just forced to watch these ‘records’? Will young master Cale be brought back to us if we do so?” questioned Taylor.
Taylor has long realized that he was the weakest in the room, as there were many around him who were talented in magic, incredibly physically strong, or are beast people, which was why he decided to stay quiet and stick with Cage.
Before anyone answered Taylor, the ‘records’ started to play on their own, which startled everyone.
Chapter 699: Different from intended (1)
‘Text…?’
“Chapter? And Chapter 699 of all chapters?” a baffled Dodori said.
‘Just how many chapters were there in total if it already passed halfway through 600?’ Dodori continued his thoughts to himself.
‘Why is text being played at a cinema..? And.. chapters? Is it a novel?’
Choi Han immediately started to feel uneasy. It was weird that something this powerful brought them to read a text but even weirder that it brought them to read the text in this specific setting.
Alberu, who was sitting next to Choi Han, glanced at him before furrowing his eyebrows.
‘As I thought.’
Alberu has long noticed that this large room was from Earth, the world that Choi Han and Cale, or Kim Sok Soo, were from.
However, seeing as the ‘board’ in front of them was so big, he thought that they’d at least be watching something.
‘But text? And specifically, text from a novel?’
It didn’t make sense.
Lines started to appear below the title of this ‘chapter’, disrupting all the thoughts in the room.
The white steps were creating a path to the sky.
It was wide enough for four to five people to walk up side by side.
“We will proceed with the first dispatch.”
Suddenly hearing Alberu’s voice throughout the room made almost everyone jump.
“What the?”
“Okay, now what is this? These records are pieces of text that can now play voices?”
“When was His Highness’ voice recorded, especially with no one noticing?”
Alberu, hearing his own voice, was slightly embarrassed, but pushed the feeling aside. He also felt that this line was a bit familiar.
‘Steps creating a path to the sky? Wasn’t that for the Sealed God’s temple?’
Everybody turned toward Alberu after hearing his voice. He turned toward the steps and took a step.
“The members should walk up the steps now.”
The path to the temple.
‘So I was right. It really is the path to the temple.’
“Huh?”
“Wait, are these records showing the past? If the temple it’s talking about is the one that was just destroyed by young master Cale, that path in the sky is already gone now, no?” questioned Litana.
“It seems so,” replied Alberu. “And it also seems to be the time when the first dispatch was about to enter the temple.”
A few people got chills down their spine.
‘Doesn’t this mean… if the records continue from here on, the contents of the test would be revealed?’ Rosalyn and a few other people thought of the same thing.
“If we assume that the records would play in order, whatever happened in the sealed god’s test would be revealed to us right now.” Alberu continued.
The next set of text started to play, causing everyone’s eyes to face forward once again.
Alberu Crossman took the first step toward it. The small number of people on this team started to climb after him.
Cale quietly observed him from the side.
“Oh? Is this record from Cale-nim's perspective?” Clopeh wondered out loud.
Cage, who was next to him, replied, “it seems so.”
‘Hmm… the title of the record was a chapter… isn’t it as if someone wrote a novel about Cale-nim?’
“As expected…”
Clopeh clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. To the others, especially to Cage that was next to him, he seemed crazy.
“Isn’t this a great team?”
Cale turned his head to see Rosalyn observing the people climbing the stairs as well.
“Young master Cale.”
“Yes, Miss Rosalyn?”
“They all volunteered, so don’t think too much about it.”
Rosalyn, this time, was embarrassed after hearing her own voice around the room.
Naturally, it didn’t feel as weird when hearing someone else’s voice as Cale’s voice was heard too, but hearing your own certainly isn’t a nice feeling.
Alberu, knowing that the team was made with Cale’s absence, slightly smiled.
Pat.
She patted Cale’s shoulder and moved forward.
Rosalyn was one of the people climbing the steps as well.
Cale raised his head and looked at the top of the temple. A blue orb was shining brightly.
Sadness.
The temple would first show the people who enter illusions based on sadness.
Cale was looking at the people who were climbing the steps, despite knowing that was the case. Litana walked up next to him with a stiff expression on her face.
“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I won’t. Time for me to go as well.”
A few sighs and groans were heard.
“Ha.. and in the end, he pushed himself way too hard…”
“I swear! If the human is covered in blood like that again, I will destroy the world- no, I will destroy everything!” yelled Raon, who was no longer invisible after receiving a nod of approval from Alberu and Choi Han.
“Nyaaa! I agree!”
“Nyaa!”
On and Hong had the same feelings.
The last person to put a foot on the steps… Was Cale Henituse. Nobody else climbed the steps behind him.
“Huh? Why are the perspectives changing?”
“It was in Cale's perspective… but now changed to a third-person perspective… interesting…”
‘Does this mean that other people’s perspectives and thoughts will also be shown?’
Alberu, Rosalyn, Litana, and Witira who thought of this suddenly felt chills down their spine.
The chief executives nearby the steps… And the numerous eyes focusing on this area were watching the people climbing the steps.
The people on the steps did not look back. They only looked forward. They only focused on the temple.
Of course, Cale was an exception. He quickened his pace.
“Young master Cale, why are you in such a rush?”
“I need to speak with his highness about something.”
Cale walked past Rosalyn, who was in front of him.
Rosalyn.
She had volunteered to be a part of this first dispatch team. The reason was simple.
‘I am the human who is most skilled in magic. That means that I am also skilled in dealing with any unexpected situations. Furthermore, I have not walked an easy path.’
“Ah!”
‘I was right! Ah, this is embarrassing…’
“The thoughts are also voiced.” Eruhaben pointed out.
Mila nodded as she noticed the weirdness of that as well.
‘How exactly can inner thoughts be voiced out?’
Her will must be firm after throwing away her position as the crown princess of the Breck Kingdom to walk down her own path.
Some people, such as Litana and the three beast people from the Whale Tribe, who didn’t know that Rosalyn used to be the crown princess of a Kingdom gasped.
‘Ah, I see…’
‘No wonder she had that sort of aura with her. She is incredibly strong with her magic, but a slight feeling of high status, or superiority, was also felt around her whenever she was serious.’
They nodded their heads in understanding.
The representative from the Breck Kingdom had originally objected to her involvement, however, he had to shut up after a single comment from Rosalyn.
‘Don’t you know my personality?’
Rosalyn was someone who liked challenges, but she was not rash. In fact, she was extremely rational and collected as someone who researches magic.
That was the reason she joined the first dispatch team.
“Oh! My close friend! Kahahaha! At least your face looks decent today!”
He ran into Toonka once he walked past Rosalyn.
“Wow. Hearing his loud voice was already annoying, but hearing it this loudly really can cause a headache.”
Clopeh said, who clearly did not like Toonka.
Some ignored him, and some just shook their heads.
‘And, how dare he call Cale-nim his close friend?’ Clopeh added with his thoughts.
He was the only representative from the other kingdoms who forced his way onto the team despite all others trying to deter him. The Whipper Kingdom’s executives at the bottom of the steps were unable to hide their anxiety.
Toonka nonchalantly commented to Cale as he walked past.
“Do you think that I won’t be able to do this either?”
“How would I know?”
He heard a brusque voice back. In some aspects, they really looked like close friends. Cale felt that way as well, and turned around.
Clopeh, surprised that Cale thought that way, huffed.
Toonka looked into Cale’s emotionless gaze that was directed at him. Cale said something else at that moment.
“You would know about yourself.”
Smirk.
The corners of Toonka’s lips curled up before he started laughing out loud.
“Kahahaha! That’s right, that’s right! As expected, you know.”
Not many comments were made at this scene, as something like this was already seen a few times from them.
However, there were thoughts about Cale’s reply toward Toonka.
‘He’s right.’
Everybody who goes into this temple will see illusions that will push at their mind and their emotions. It was going to be difficult and dangerous because they need to get past their respective illusions on their own.
Toonka knew why everybody had been against him going with this team.
Because he is dumb.
Because he is emotional.
He may be put in danger or mess up the test because of those reasons.
However, Toonka believed that he needed to step up for those same reasons.
He wouldn’t think hard about things because he is dumb.
He was honest because he was emotional.
He thought that he might not receive as much emotional damage in such a test.
He was also one of the few people here with a lot of battle experience.
Battles were not simple fights. Wars were not just about fighting.
There were whirlwinds of emotions, especially with misfortunes. Toonka was someone who had persisted past those whirlwinds.
“Would I not know you?”
Cale said that sentence before continuing to walk. Toonka laughed even louder behind him, but Cale did not turn around.
‘Yes, exactly.’
Alberu sighed. Cale’s thought process was what Alberu had thought of when he was deciding whether to have Toonka join or not.
‘Well, he is my dongsaeng.’
Instead, he was walking past someone else at a brisk pace.
“Young master Cale-nim.”
He heard Clopeh Sekka’s voice behind him, but he pretended not to hear as he urgently moved past.
“Ah.”
“Pfft.”
This clearly shows Cale’s irritation towards Clopeh.
A few giggles and held laughter were heard, however Clopeh didn’t seem to care.
Instead, it seemed like he wasn’t listening at all, but instead, admiring the fact that Cale willingly ignored him even when he did hear his voice.
This confirmed Cage’s thoughts of Clopeh as a ‘crazy madman’.
‘Why are we bringing this bastard along?’
That was the first question he had had after looking at the list of members.
‘Clopeh Sekka. Isn’t this guy wrong for this kind of thing?’
No.
Will the fact that he is crazy be a variable that helps him?
‘I still don’t think this is right.’
Choi Han nodded along as if understanding Cale’s conflicted thoughts as he read the text.
Alberu just shook his head in response.
Cale tilted his head in confusion but managed to not turn around. That was why he had not seen it.
He had not seen the sparkle in Clopeh Sekka’s eyes.
“…I will record it all and spread it throughout the world.”
‘Ah.. so he had this idea from the very beginning. Well, the video communication devices and the video recording devices were all very useful in the end.’ Alberu thought, nodding his head to himself.
“As the human said, he really is crazy!” Raon exclaimed.
“I know right?”
“Nyaa!”
On and Hong, especially On, who has seen the obvious annoyance in Cale’s expressions toward Clopeh Sekka before, strongly agreed with Raon’s claim.
‘Ah.’
‘Now that I think about it…’
“Clopeh Sekka. Where and how exactly did you get all those devices? Aren’t they extremely expensive, especially as some of them could be connected on their own through magic stones?” Alberu asked, with a slight tint of curiosity in his voice.
Clopeh, who nonchalantly responded with his body, but passionately with his voice, “Your Highness, of course, it was expensive. But how could I miss the chance of recording the amazing legend of the great Cale-nim? Especially the chance to spread it to the entire world?”
He continued, “I’d say that all the money was worth it! All the amazing feats that Cale-nim has achieved… oh how I wish I was able to record everything in the test as well…”
And then he continued on muttering to himself, with a few people next to him hearing him say ‘Cale-nim’ this and ‘Cale-nim’ that…
Toonka, who managed to hear him, closed his mouth and shook his head side to side.
“Even the gods cannot defeat crazy bastards.”
Cale, who had no idea what was going on behind him, met with approximately ten people as he walked past.
A few sighs could be heard.
‘Haaa.. this cute but dense dongsaeng…’
“Young master-nim.”
“Hello, Saint-nim.”
There were healers and mages with grim looks on their faces walking with Saint Jack at the center. They were not going to enter the temple. They would wait outside the temple entrance for any dangerous situations.
“Long time no see.”
Sword master Hannah was with them as their guard. Cale greeted Hannah with his eyes before approaching two people who were walking a bit farther ahead.
“Will you be okay?”
“Isn’t this something like… ah what do you call it… irony?” Jack cautiously asked.
This did seem like a slight foreshadowing of Cale’s… decision… at the end of the sealed god’s test.
“Haa..”
‘This really is ironic, and I bet that it was not only Hannah but many others who told him to be careful.’
‘This whole time, he had the plan of stabbing himself too, just to defeat the White Star.’
These thoughts were not only thought by Crown Prince Alberu, but many others as well, including Ron and Beacrox who were glaring silently at the screen.
The two people slightly turned after hearing Cale’s question. The first to speak was Mary, who was wearing a black robe.
He couldn’t see her face, but Cale had heard that she was the first to volunteer to go.
“Yes, sir. I will be fine.”
Her voice was GPS-like but full of certainty.
‘Hmm?’
“Huh? GPS? What’s that?” Archie blurted out.
– Oh! Choi Han! Is that something from the human’s and your world?
Roan naturally figured it out as he already knew their secret, but the rest, other than Alberu, didn't.
Choi Han's eyes started to shake slightly.
He realized that because Cale’s thoughts were also recorded, his identity as Kim Rok Soo would most likely be exposed.
‘What should we do then? And would I also be exposed…?’
Choi Han immediately cut off his train of thought.
‘No. Unlike me, Cale-nim transmigrated into this world through someone else. That is a different situation from me. Similar, but different.’
Alberu, who long thought of this already, decided to do nothing about it until a situation where he needs to step in comes up. There is really not much he can do since he has no power to stop the records from showing everyone in the room Cale’s secrets.
However, this doesn’t mean he isn’t worried. He is worried about his allies’ reactions, especially Ron and Beacrox’s.
‘Hoo..’
Alberu internally sighed as he started to feel a headache coming in.
“GPS…” Ron pondered out loud, which unfortunately made Choi Han’s nervousness become even more obvious than it already is.
And of course, Ron noticed.
“Hmm? Choi Han?”
“A-ah, yes?”
“Mm.. do you know what this ‘GPS’ is? It seems that our young master-nim knows.”
“Ah.. u-um..”
Choi Han lightly patted Alberu’s side with the back of his hand. It was as if he was asking for help.
Alberu sighed.
After a few seconds, Ron was about to ask again with his suspicions rising, before Alberu nodded his head.
Choi Han, looking at his signal, bit his lips.
‘It’s difficult to lie in this situation. Plus, I stayed silent enough for Ron to be suspicious long ago. I’ll just limit what I say.’
Alberu, who had just nodded his head, thought, ‘yes, it’s better this way. Plus, Choi Han acting…? I’d honestly rather tell the truth than have Ron be even more suspicious of not only him, but me…’
‘I’m sure Choi Han knows what to say. He is good at telling the truth after all, even if it’s not the entire truth.’
“Yes, I do know. Um, it came from my hometown”
“Ah, I see. And what is it exactly? It also seems to have a voice, according to the records.”
“It’s like a device that can help you navigate to different locations. And, the voice… um, it helps you navigate through a voice…”
“I see. And how does young master-nim know of this ‘GPS’ if it’s from your hometown?” Ron replied, emphasizing the word ‘your’.
Choi Han bit his lips once again.
“I.. I’m not sure.”
Ron, who could clearly tell that Choi Han wasn’t telling him everything, could also tell that he wasn’t lying either.
‘That bastard can’t lie for his life.’
Ron decided to drop the topic and nodded his head before looking back at the screen.
“Father.”
Ron, who didn’t look away from the screen after his son’s call, shook his head.
“I am a strong and cool person.”
Cale would have frowned instantly if Clopeh or Alberu had said something like this. But he could not do so for Mary.
‘Wow. Such thoughts coming from my dongsaeng sure hurt, heh.’
However, even with such thoughts, Alberu nodded in agreement with Cale's thoughts. Though he does not know the details of Mary’s past, just from hearing bits and pieces of it from his aunt Tasha, he knows that everything Mary has achieved so far was well deserved.
‘Ah, he thought of me again. I really must play a large role in the legend that Cale-nim sees…’
Cage, seeing that Clopeh’s eyes seemed hazy again, put her hand on her forehead.
It was because Mary was a strong person who had overcome numerous obstacles since she was young. She had a lot of pride for everything she had overcome and was just saying things as they were.
Mary slightly smiled under her hood. She was a bit embarrassed internally but was happy with the new family she has.
Maybe…
Cale believed that the two people in front of him might do better on this temple’s test than himself.
“Young master-nim.” Mary subconsciously said, though still with her GPS-like voice.
‘Hmm..’
After reading this line, Ron thought that something was weird.
‘Why would young master-nim even compare himself to Mary and whoever the other person he’s talking about?’
‘Although Cale has indeed had it hard for the last 2 years, it shouldn’t be something that affects him so much emotionally compared to Mary’s past.’
‘Unless.. He experienced a despair that I am not aware of..?’
Ron’s eyes sank.
“Choi Han, will you be okay too?”
‘So it was Choi Han. Doesn’t this prove my point even further..?’
“Cale-nim. You know my attribute.”
Choi Han’s aura’s attribute was despair. It was also hope.
The young boy who had spent countless time in the Forest of Darkness had despair in his sword, but he was able to get hope through that despair in the end.
“Wait, how long exactly have you been in the Forest of Darkness?” asked Rosalyn.
With how accurately this chapter has been describing the past, she assumed that the specific wording of this line was true as well. She realized that Choi Han might have stayed in the Forest of Darkness for a longer time than she thought.
Lock, who also knew Choi Han’s story a bit better than most others (excluding Cale, of course) has realized this too after Rosalyn’s question.
“Ah..”
‘I guess it’s okay to tell them this. Though it will raise suspicions for Ron, I don’t think there's enough to connect the dots yet.’
Choi Han quickly glanced at Alberu, and with a blink of approval in response, Choi Han answered:
“I’m actually a lot older than I look… I’ve been stuck in the Forest in Darkness for so long that I don’t even remember how long I’ve been in there.”
Everyone in the room, clearly knowing what the Forest of Darkness is like, couldn’t imagine what Choi Han felt. Being stuck there for so long that he doesn’t himself lose track of time… the word ‘countless’ is really accurate in this case.
Rosalyn, being the person who asked, smiled and said, “I’m sorry for asking. I’m glad you were able to find your way out eventually.”
“Yes, I’m glad.” Choi Han nodded while also smiling.
That was the reason his black aura was violent and black, but also shining and bright.
Choi Han’s shining black aura always reminded him of everything he’s been through. Both the times of despair, as well as the moments of joy with his new family.
‘Thank you, Cale-nim. Thank you so much…’ Choi Han thanked in his mind, the person who was the person who connected everyone together in his family.
“Cale Henituse. The better question is whether you will be okay.”
The person standing in the front… Alberu Crossman slightly turned his head and asked Cale.
“Haa.. we clearly know the answer to that question.”
Nodding and shaking heads responded to that comment by Alberu.
‘Please, please don’t let something like that happen again…’ Jack, Witira, Litana, and many others thought at the same time.
Cale walked next to Alberu and asked quietly instead of responding.
“Did you see the red light earlier, your highness?”
“Ah, yes. The red light from the orb. We still don’t know why it turned red, do we?” Paseton asked.
Witira, next to him, replied, “we might find out through this.
Choi Han, Alberu, Rosalyn, Mary, and the few others who already knew the reason, sighed.
The orb was currently bright blue in color, but it had been red for a moment at first.
“It seems odd, doesn’t it?”
Alberu looked stoic, but concerned.
“It sure does.”
Cale had the same expression on his face.
“…But it’s not like we can just not go in there.”
It was better to take a few people to take a look rather than having a hundred people or so go in.
“Even when looking back at it now, the decision we made seemed to be the only ideal option we had.” Jack commented.
“Yes. It wasn’t ideal to have random people be selected to go in, especially when they could come from anywhere, not just from Puzzle City.” Alberu responded.
‘Though, the conclusion of this decision ended up with Cale- Ha…’
‘Even so, I have a feeling he’ll find a way to kill the White Star without anyone seeing it. That’s just… Cale.’
“First day is within five minutes no matter what. We must all come out by that point. Do you understand?”
The original plan was to use the entire five minutes, but the direction had changed after seeing the red orb. Whether it is one minute, ten seconds, or even one second… They could give up at any point, but no later than five minutes.
“Well, that clearly didn’t go as planned.”
– Hmm, Crown Prince! You’re probably right! We’ll probably see what exactly happened for everyone who went into the temple when the orb turned red again!
Raon suddenly exclaimed in Alberu’s mind.
Alberu simply nodded in response, as he agreed as well.
“Of course I did, your highness.”
“You must keep that in mind. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. I will keep that in mind.”
Some really thought that the interaction between Alberu and Cale really was like a brotherly relationship. Some even subconsciously smiled at this simple, short conversation.
Alberu looked up at the air and resumed speaking after hearing Cale’s not serious at all response.
“Raon-nim.”
Cale’s shoulders flinched.
He heard Raon’s voice, although he couldn’t see him.
“I am watching everything.”
Cale had promised the children averaging nine-years-old prior to coming to the temple steps. He promised to give up after five minutes today.
“Raon, you cannot go inside.”
“I will not go in. However, I will be keeping an eye on my watch. I will wait for five minutes. I am going to destroy the temple from the outside if you don’t come out.”
– Eh?? Why did the human flinch?! Oh no, was my aura too strong for the human??
– Ahh, the human is too weak! He really needs my protection at all times!
Choi Han, who heard Raon’s ramblings in his head, chuckled, especially at the fact that he knew the real reason why Cale flinched, knowing his personality.
Ahn Roh Man told them that no attacks seemed to work on the temple.
“Huh?”
“Who?
“Ahn Roh Man…?”
“Wait, this line is from young master Cale’s perspective, right?” Tasha asked.
Everyone in the room was clearly confused at the sudden mention of someone new, especially of someone with an odd name.
‘Wait, this name… doesn’t it seem like…?’
Hannah, who thought of Choi Han, decided to drop the thought.
Alberu, who knew who Ahn Roh Man is, acted as confused as everyone else. However, he was worried about the person sitting right next to him.
Meanwhile, Ron’s curiosity greatly increased.
‘It seems like there’s another person I’m not aware of. Though it’s possible that it’s a person that the young master met later on, with Choi Han acting like this?’
Choi Han was stiff, to the point that it was obvious that there was something he was trying to hide.
‘Hm.’
‘Isn’t this… too bad?’
Choi Han didn’t even bother trying to look at Alberu, as he already knew that there was no way he could help him.
Thankfully, someone else spoke up, which broke the tension between Choi Han and Ron.
Tasha continued after observing everyone’s expressions (though not Choi Han’s that clearly since Alberu was sitting right next to him), “Although it is weird that no one here seems to know who this ‘Ahn Roh Man’ is, he himself seems to know about this temple and the fact that nothing can destroy it, at least at first.
She added on the ‘at first’ since the temple is now destroyed.
A Dragon had already thrown a giant boulder at the temple to confirm whether that was true. That boulder had instantly turned to dust and did not manage to even leave a scratch on the temple.
‘How vicious.’
However, he felt as if Raon would be able to destroy the temple.
– Oh. Was this what the human meant?
Choi Han chuckled once more at Raon’s comment, before patting his head.
“Okay. I will be back within five minutes.”
“Human, promise me!”
“I promise.”
Alberu looked at him suspiciously, but Cale was being serious.
“Oh, so he was being serious?”
‘It seems like his original plan was to not kill the White Star at the first dispatch.’ Alberu, Ron, Choi Han, noted.
“I will be out within five minutes.”
He meant it.
He really would be out within five minutes today.
He needed to confirm whether it really was not possible to re-enter the temple for 24 hours after going in once.
That would allow him to move on his own.
“Ho.”
‘So, his plan was thought out this much? Our young master-nim seems to really want to stab himself now. Hoho.’
Though Ron’s expression still had that benign look, his eyes looked extremely vicious. Luckily, Cale wasn’t here to see the look, nor did anyone else even notice.
He would come out within five minutes to confirm whether it was true, and then…
‘I won’t come tomorrow.’
Cale made up his mind, but still debated what he would say to the children averaging nine-years-old. However, he had no thoughts of changing the plan.
He could not let the children see him bleed.
“Nyaa. I’ve been thinking, what exactly did Cale do for him to bleed so much??” Hong asked.
Many tensed up at the child’s question. All of them knew that Alberu and the gold dragon Eruhaben covered up the children’s eyes to prevent them from seeing the terrible sight.
On, being the more mature child of the three, told Hong, “Ask later, nya. We might know if we continue reading.”
She still doesn’t know what exactly happened, but from the reactions of everyone in the room after Hong’s question, she had a slight idea of what happened.
She pushed the thought back though, as she didn’t want to think about it any further.
“We’re here.”
Cale stopped walking after seeing Alberu stop.
A holy temple made of white marble. The entrance was a white door that was firmly shut.
“I leave it to you.”
Alberu was left out of the first expedition.
It was because there was nobody better than Alberu to control and lead over numerous different situations that may arise. It was especially true because it was the first expedition.
Practically everyone agreed with this statement. Especially because of Alberu’s position both in status and in influence, he was really the best person to calm whatever storm may arise.
“Please don’t worry.”
Choi Han answered as the representative while Cale headed toward the temple door.
Choi Han, Mary, Rosalyn, Clopeh, and Toonka followed behind him. Rosalyn started to speak.
“Everybody has their video recording devices and watches?”
“Yes.”
‘We don’t know why, but apparently everything other than teleportation and video communication were allowed. Your attacks will launch if you attack but they will not break the illusions.’
According to Ahn Roh Man, if, for example, a spell was cast to destroy the thing scaring you, the spell will launch and hit the target but it will not harm the temple at all nor affect the illusion.
“Oh? So we even get to hear this ‘Ahn Roh Man's voice.” Ron commented.
“So we knew what we could bring in the temple because of this person too… he seems to really know a lot of things about the temple… as if he’s experienced it before…?” Tasha pondered out loud.
Alberu who heard this, sighed internally, while Choi Han stiffened up once more.
The illusion could only be taken down with mental strength.
“I see.”
‘Well, seeing as the previous test that Cale took from the sealed god was a test of despair, it does make sense.’ a few people commented internally while nodding their heads.
Screeeech-
The temple door opened on its own once the six people stood in front of it.
It was dark inside the temple. There was no source of light and they could not make out any objects.
“I wasn’t sure since I was quite far away, but it really seemed like nothing was inside the temple after the door opened,” Litana commented.
Choi Han, who was the first person who entered the temple, nodded his head in confirmation.
“I will go in first.”
Choi Han was the first to step inside.
Choi Han suddenly got chills from the coincidence of his thoughts matching the text of the chapter.
‘That was pure coincidence, right..?’
The next lines appeared, which disrupted his weary thoughts.
“I’m going as well.”
Mary followed behind him, and the others started entering one by one.
Cale turned his head for a moment. He could see the Gold Dragon and the Grey Dragon flying around the temple as if to keep an eye on it.
They left the Dragons out for the second round.
“Human.”
Cale waved toward the general direction of Raon’s voice and walked into the darkness inside the temple.
“I will be back within five minutes.”
The temple door slowly started closing once he said that.
Screeeeeech- boom.
“We are now gonna read things that the majority of us are not aware of.” Alberu started.
“Yes, honestly, I am curious what exactly happens when the orb turns red,” Witira replied, earning a few nods.
“Well, we will only know if we continue reading,” Eruhaben joined in.
As if answering Eruhaben, the next lines appeared.
Once Cale heard the door close behind him…
Paaaat-
He saw a blue light attacking him in the darkness.
“Mm.”
Once the blue light disappeared…
“How normal.”
“Ho.”
‘That’s the first thing he says?’
‘That really is Cale-nim.’
Choi Han smiled, Alberu sighed. Ron let out a sigh of disbelief, and the rest… had similar reactions.
Cale was standing in the middle of a normal village.
He put his hand in his inner shirt pocket to look for something.
Click.
The pocket watch was working well.
‘Things that work without any external power sources worked fine in the temple as well.’
“It seems like Cale can recall things from the past really easily, according to the thought process written out in this ‘chapter’.”
Rosalyn noticed.
Alberu, Choi Han, Ron, and a few others recalled the time when Cale read almost 10,000 books all on his own in the Directory of the Mercenaries Guild.
‘Since he has that kind of ability, it wouldn’t make sense for him to easily remember whatever he hears as well, would it?’
Tick tock.
The seconds and minutes hands were moving properly.
However, Cale suddenly felt that something was off.
“Ha!”
He realized what this ‘sadness’ was trying to show him.
Cale headed toward a fountain nearby. He then lowered his head. He looked at the water inside the fountain.
He could not see anything.
He then looked down at his body. There was no shadow.
Cale’s gaze moved.
He looked up at the tall stone wall to the north of the village.
He observed the forest past it as well.
This was Harris Village.
Ron and Beacrox flinched.
They knew what happened in Harris Village, and how their young master changed ever since.
Although they think this way, they don't really know the truth.
Meanwhile, Choi Han would normally also have a negative response when connecting ‘sadness’ and ‘Harris Village’ together, however, since he also took this test, he knows what to expect. What he was more surprised about, is the fact that Cale entered at the same time and place as Choi Han.
In addition…
“Choi Han!”
“Little Han, you’re here?”
“Madam, I brought the medicinal herbs.”
This Choi Han was a bit more introverted and innocent than the Choi Han Cale knew. Choi Han seemed to be full of affection as he happily chatted with the village people. Choi Han walked into the village with some herbs in his hands.
Rosalyn and Lock gasped.
‘Is this..?’
‘Oh.. hyung…’
These were people who also knew what happened in Harris Village. How Choi Han’s newfound family after he finally escaped the Forest of Darkness was… yes. It wasn’t something nice to relive again.
To think that Cale would see this situation with his own eyes?
They couldn’t imagine it.
The others who did not know what happened in Harris Village, or did know but didn’t know how this tied to Choi Han, were curious about Choi Han’s life during this time, especially with how he looked.
“Choi Han, I heard the Chief is teaching you how to read?”
“Yes! It’s fun!”
“Sure, sure. I’m going to bake some bread later, so come get some.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Ah.”
Cale gasped.
However, nobody noticed him.
‘Hm?’
“Nobody noticed him? What does that mean?”
‘Wait.. so the way young master Cale would see Choi Han’s past is…’
Choi Han approached Cale.
Shhhhh.
Cale’s arm passed right through him.
‘Ah.’
These next lines confirmed Rosalyn’s thoughts.
“So… he’s a ghost?”
– Huh! Wonder what that would feel like. I’ve always gone invisible but never actually covered myself physically..
Raon muttered in Choi Han’s mind.
Cale understood his present situation.
“I’m a ghost.”
No.
“I’m a bystander.”
This was before Cale met Choi Han.
It was when nobody in Harris Village had died.
“‘Nobody in Harris Village had died’? …Did something happen in Harris Village in the past…?” Jack questioned, cautiously. He didn’t want to accidentally offend anyone, especially anyone associated with the Roan Kingdom, as there were many who were in this room right now.
Alberu decided to speak up for this topic, as not only as the representative of the Roan Kingdom, but also to let Choi Han feel at least a bit of a relief.
“Around two years ago, everyone in Harris Village was massacred by Arm.”
Gasps filled the room.
“Oh my…”
The people who already knew of this situation kept their heads low, while the people who knew how this was connected to Choi Han looked at him.
The person in question simply calmed himself by taking a few breaths. Fortunately, he seemed thankful towards Alberu.
However, the next few lines seemed to have hit some people in the back.
It was the time when Choi Han had made it out of the Forest of Darkness, started to understand human affection, and was slowly starting to become happy.
“Ah.”
“Choi Han…”
Before anyone could speak, Choi Han himself spoke first.
“It’s okay. I am… regretful… but I am also learning more from this incident as well. They are my… support.”
‘‘Choi Han…’’ Alberu subconsciously said his name.
Cale clearly understood the sadness this temple was trying to show him.
“It wants me to watch.”
The Birth of a Hero.
Watching the story progress as it was supposed to go.
“Hm? ‘The Birth of a Hero’?” This time, it was Taylor who wondered out loud.
“Oh! Isn’t this what that book was called in the Dragon Slayer Village?” Raon commented. Unfortunately, this was heard by everyone in the theater (probably because of Raon’s cute voice), thus, more confusion spread out.
Choi Han was slightly surprised to see a familiar name. However, it doesn’t seem like the book he knows according to Cale’s perspective of this ‘story’.
‘There’s another book of the same name..? And Cale-nim knows about this too?’
Alberu, who hasn’t even heard of ‘The Birth of a Hero’ that came from the Dragon Slayer village, was just as confused as everybody else in the room. In spite of that, they decided to continue reading to find out.
That would be sadness for the current Cale.
“…This is going to be a bit difficult.”
Cale started to think.
On and Hong wouldn’t appear in the Birth of a Hero. They would just be running away looking ragged.
“Excuse me?”
Ron and Beacrox furrowed their eyebrows.
The rest of the people were shocked that Cale would even comment about something like that.
Originally, Choi Han would be in pain because of what happened at Harris Village for a long time.
“Cale-nim…?”
Mary was highly likely to not appear.
“Wait, wait. What exactly is young master Cale saying?? On and Hong would be running away? Choi Han would still be in pain? Mary won’t even appear??” Tasha gasped in complete shock.
“What is this ‘Birth of a Hero’ for Cale to even talk about such things??” Tasha continued.
“It’s also as if it already happened…” Alberu quietly added on, while still in thought.
‘Cale… Cale… why do you know something like this? No, why would you know something like this? Apparently, no one knows this either… not even Raon-nim, nor Choi Han…’
The lines of text continued without giving them any time to think or process the sudden information given.
‘As for Raon-’
Cale scoffed.
“…It definitely will be difficult for me to just watch.”
“What… What about me?”
‘It would be difficult to watch? What did the human see…? It seems scary but.. I want to know! Why does the human feel this way?!’
Many others had the same thoughts as Raon. What exactly has Cale read in this story of ‘The Birth of a Hero’ for him to feel this way, and why exactly is there a book about something that seems to be an alternate version of themselves?
‘This is definitely related to the fact that there are different worlds… but an alternate world of us written in a book..?’
The dragons and Alberu quickly concluded, ‘either done by the work of a God, or there are world jumpers now.’
That was why Cale was just a bystander observing it all in this test.
“Is it because he’s a reader of this book? At least looking at it from his perspective…” Litana questioned.
A few nods of agreement were what responded to her back.
Cale released a sigh-like gasp at this completely unexpected illusion. He then recognized it.
‘It seems more realistic the longer I look.’
Everything he looked at was so similar to the real things. It didn’t even feel like a dream.
He couldn’t feel anything since he was only observing, but the others would probably be feeling things as well.
Tick!
Cale looked down at that moment.
“Mm. I should hurry up and get out.”
It had already been 4 minutes and 50 seconds since he came here.
‘I don’t know what the tests for the other emotions will be, but it is quite beneficial to know that this is the test for sadness.’
Tick. Tock.
There were only 3 seconds left until 5 minutes already. Cale recorded everything he could see as he opened his mouth to speak.
“I gi-”
At that moment…
Boom-.
The ground suddenly shook and he could feel his heart beating abnormally loudly. Cale tilted his head before opening his mouth again.
“I guess this foreshadows the very near future of when the orb turned red?” Hannah asked.
“Yes.” Alberu nodded.
“I give up.”
‘Hmm?’
“…I give up?”
‘Hmm?’
“…Sir, I give up?”
“Pfft-”
“Ha-haha..!”
This was something everyone knew, so everyone expected this. However, some couldn’t help but laugh at Cale’s sudden of speaking formally when he realized he couldn’t leave the test.\
“Why is he suddenly switching?”
‘Oh dongsaeng… you can still be amusing in a situation like this…’
‘Hmm? Why… Why can’t I leave? Is this temple’s test different from the temple that appeared on Earth 3?’
“Earth 3?”
“Now there’s another name we don’t know, nya.”
“Yes, it seems like there are many things that the young master didn’t tell us.” Ron viciously added to the conversation between On and Hong while still containing his benign smile, which honestly made his expression even creepier than it already is.
If Cale were here, he’d wish he wasn’t here.
Cale frowned.
‘This isn’t good. What about the others?’
Cale’s face instantly stiffened while thinking about Choi Han, Mary, and the others.
Choi Han, Mary, Rosalyn, and many others subconsciously smiled, knowing that Cale immediately thought of them when this unexpected situation arose.
While that was going on…
“Five minutes… It has been over five minutes!”
“What is that?”
“Your highness! The orb, the orb has turned red!”
Alberu subconsciously shouted.
“Fuck! Open the temple door!”
A few people slightly flinched as they weren’t used to hearing Alberu cursing.
However, the firmly shut temple door did not even budge.
Sigh.
‘This is to be expected, coming from the power of a god, whether or not it is sealed.’ Eruhaben thought.
* * *
Mary looked around. She was in her old house.
The Caro Kingdom’s Land of Death. The Dark Elves’ city underneath the desert. Her house within that city.
Mary mumbled to herself while looking at the calendar.
“It is before I met Young master Cale-nim and Raon-nim.”
‘What will my sadness be?’
She quietly mumbled as she stood up. She realized it while looking at the date.
“It won’t be that long.”
This was not an illusion from a long time ago. There was only a short period of time before she would see her other family again.
* * *
Rosalyn looked around before starting to speak.
“It’s the royal palace. Is it the past? Ah, I get it.”
She looked down at her desk as she continued to speak.
“This is when I was preparing to go to the Whipper Kingdom’s Magic Tower. Will I be headed to the Roan Kingdom soon?”
‘What is my sadness?’
An odd smile appeared on her face.
“I give up.”
Her smile became even thicker.
“…It is not working?”
There was a sparkle in her intelligent eyes.
“Something is weird.”
Rosalyn and Mary, who knew exactly what was going to happen after this, had slightly stiff expressions.
“It looks like the content of the test itself is finally beginning. Though it seems like most of it is written from Cale's perspective, seeing how Mary’s and Rosalyn’s were cut so quickly.” Eruhaben observed.
Jack, who was sitting next to him, nodded in agreement.
* * *
“Mm. This is my past where I was walking down a false path of a legend without knowing the truth path to a legend.”
Clopeh Sekka mumbled while observing himself in white armor.
“…The time I didn’t know the true path. I suppose that is sadness. However, I just need to go find the true hero.”
His eyes flashed with a weird sense of desire.
‘Of course he would think it was a false legend..’
Choi Han sighed.
Cage, who noticed that Clopeh had his eyes filled with a fiery and passionate gaze, decided to no longer look at him anymore.
Though, that may prove to be slightly difficult.
* * *
“Do I need to have another boring battle if I can’t give up?”
Toonka sighed as he calculated the number of days.
“Mm. It’ll be the time I was at the Roan Kingdom’s waters soon.”
Toonka was silent for a moment before he blurted something out.
“Should I just head for the Roan Kingdom? I might as well go and see my close friend’s face. Kahahahahah!”
“Wait a moment. If they all entered during a time where they were not supposed to meet Cale yet, won’t everyone else be confused?”
Archie took everyone’s silence as a yes.
‘Is everyone silent because of what Toonka said..?’
* * *
Choi Han, who was smiling brightly, quietly mumbled to himself while heading for the Chief’s house.
“…I didn’t expect to see it again. Will I overcome my sadness if I can save them this time?”
A small bit of sadness was visible in his eyes.
“Wait, huh?”
* * *
“…Huh?”
Cale’s eyes opened wide while watching Choi Han.
‘What did he say? Will I overcome my sadness if I can save them this time?’
“Wait- so...”
“Did everyone go into the same ‘sadness’ illusion?” Dodori asked.
“Uh- no, wait, I think we need to consider the fact that the orb turned red, which does not indicate sadness.” Rasheel replied with a slight hint of hesitance.
Dodori, however, didn’t seem to notice, and continued to ask, “so, the test changed? But why?”
Mila finally jumped in the conversation, “we could assume it has something to do with the sealed god, as it seems to have an unfortunate liking towards teacher.”
Dodori, realizing the connection, ‘ah’ed and nodded.
Rasheel let out a breath without realizing he held one in.
‘Such a vicious gaze… we weren’t even talking about anything bad..’
He subconsciously tried to grab Choi Han’s shoulder as he headed for the Chief’s house.
Shhhh.
However, his hand went right through Choi Han’s shoulder. Cale shouted without being able to hold back.
“I, isn’t that the real Choi Han?”
‘Holy shit! We were told that we would each see different illusions!’
“I assume this ‘Ahn Roh Man’ told him that. But ‘we’? Someone else was told as well?” Rosalyn inquired.
Choi Han, once again, stiffened up.
The Choi Han in front of Cale mumbled at that moment.
“I guess I have no choice since I can’t give up. I must overcome it.”
Choi Han had anticipated the contents of the test and shouted that he gave up before entering the village, however, he could not leave. That was why he had no choice but to walk into the village.
‘Aigoo.’
Cale brushed his face with both hands.
‘It is indeed an ‘aigoo’ situation. I would have a large headache if I were in that situation too.’ Alberu nodded his head at his own thoughts.
As everyone anticipated that the next lines would appear, an unexpected line emerged from the screen instead.
Chapter end.
“Eh?”
“Oh.”
There was a few seconds of silence, before someone broke it.
“So, that was the end?”
“Of the chapter, it seems.” Alberu added to Jack’s comment.
“So… we’ll get new chapters?” Witira questioned.
Before Alberu could respond once more, the screen seemed to reply on its own, with a ding.
Ding!
— There will be a 10 minute interval before the next record will be played.
— Repeat.
— There will be a 10 minute interval before the next record will be played.
“So, that confirms it. There will be more chapters.”
“Huh. I wonder how many in total? This chapter was.. what..?”
“699.”
“Yes, chapter 699. How many more would we have to read? And what exactly was the contents of this ‘record’ before chapter 699…?”
Someone, or in this case, something, unexpectedly responded.
Ding!
— You will find out when you finish reading all the records assigned.