Chapter 66

〈Chapter 66〉 Part 1, Chapter 4 (23)

When will I ever get another chance to visit the penthouse of a top-tier hotel like this?

I stood in front of the window with a clear view of the Han River, reveling in the breathtaking scenery.

At sunset. Thanks to the Architect’s reconstruction, the hotel was quickly restored. It was worth the trouble of going all the way to Gaeseong and extracting cores only from A-Rank monsters.

“Of course, it was worth it.”

The Seoul Restoration Operation. In the original story, it was attempted multiple times and ultimately failed every time.

And I witnessed the ugly truth behind that operation.

The massacre using Pine Tree Squad.

Gaeul went on a rampage, but thanks to Ji Hwa blocking her, it ended with over 200 casualties. However, if left unchecked, tens of thousands of people hiding underground in Dongjak would have perished.

In the original story, they probably all became lost souls or tragically turned into monsters out of resentment.

“They didn’t even think about saving the residents of Seoul.”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t predict it—it simply wasn’t part of the plan.

The current plan was to gather all the villains in one place while leaving the fate of Seoul’s residents up to them. If they fled to New Seoul, it would be even better.

Ordinary people who can’t use special abilities—what use are the refugees hiding underground? All we need to do is pick out the few talented ones and utilize them.

“But by now…”

Cheon Gaeul. Trying to act nice because of his changed demeanor led to this result.

The responsibility for the lives of tens of thousands weighs heavily on my shoulders.

It was already hard managing the refugees in Guro as members of the Blue Wind Sect, but the thought of handling tens of thousands more gives me a headache.

Should I quietly cause an earthquake and bury them all without anyone noticing?

“…I’m not Mo Taegyeong.”

I approached the bed and collapsed onto it. My body stretched out and was swallowed by the blanket.

“Ugh.”

This wasn’t what I wanted. I just wanted to establish myself as a shadowy figure in the background world, collect cores, and become a supporting character assisting the protagonist at the right moment in the original timeline.

But all those grand plans fell apart.

“I got carried away…”

Before I knew it, I was having too much fun and ended up here.

If only I could turn back time and return to the past. Actually, I feel like I’ve had this thought before.

“…Everything I’ve done has been so stupid.”

On the surface, things seem to have gone well.

Cheon Gaeul finally became an S-Rank special ability user.

The villains in Seoul either submitted to or sought protection from the Blue Wind Sect, whether willingly or unwillingly.

The Seoul Restoration Operation failed, dealing some damage to Korea’s association and Sun Icheol.

However, the repercussions and countermeasures were incredibly complex.

Preparing for the Nth iteration of the Seoul Restoration Operation. Dealing with cowardly Land Dogs in Gangseo who fled from heroes. Addressing the refugees hidden elsewhere in Seoul. Securing food and relief supplies for them. Managing the monsters flowing in from the outskirts. Handling hunters lurking around Seoul. Large monsters near the northern Han River and the snake at City Hall. The kidnapped heroes held hostage. Seol Hwagongju’s defeat. Movements of Light Blade following the operation’s failure. Spirits in Korea. Speculations about the abnormal number of fire-attribute monsters revealed by the Hellhound unit’s operations. Special units sent by Sun Icheol searching for Cubes. The Cube consumed during Cheon Gaeul’s resurrection and subsequent destruction.

“Aaaah!”

I thrashed around on the bed. Why must I be the one to sort through all these issues?

“I want to throw it all away…”

In the original story, I just needed to give my all within the given battlefield. Now, there are too many variables to consider. It’s getting harder for me to handle everything alone.

Bang bang bang!

“Huh?”

The door was being pounded on violently. I unlocked it with a burst of magic power.

Clack, clack.

Familiar footsteps echoed in my ears. As expected, the person who entered the room was Cheon Gaeul.

“Are you dressed?”

Gaeul was wearing a beautiful dress. It reminded me of a bride at a wedding ceremony—a pale blue gown reminiscent of the ‘Main Character’ theme from the Grand Masking Ball.

An opera scene celebrating the marriage of Christine and Raoul. Cheon Gaeul was the star of that wedding.

Gaeul stomped over to the head of the bed.

“Size.”

“What?”

“How does it fit you so perfectly?”

Gaeul’s face grew even paler. The magical pulse emanating from the core in her heart quickened.

If we consider magic power as blood, Gaeul was clearly very excited.

I pulled out the obvious answer from my mind.

“Well, it was custom-made specifically for Miss Gaeul.”

The original owner of this dress is Cheon Gaeul.

Just like how Phoenix’s ceremonial robes fit Phoenix perfectly.

Only slight adjustments were needed since Cheon Gaeul’s body was much younger than Masquerade’s. Gaeul’s face turned even paler.

“S-so, you actually measured and touched me directly?!”

“…Didn’t I already sense your magic power before? That’s when I checked everything.”

Affinity testing involves sending waves of magic throughout the entire body, naturally allowing me to measure physical dimensions.

“You’ve gained a little weight since then. From the top, it’s 84-”

Whish.

A massive gray pillar appeared before my eyes. The thing that sprouted from the dress silenced me.

“Shut up.”

“Yes.”

I obediently complied with the threat. Otherwise, those wiggly things might molest me.

“Hmph. Fine.”

Gaeul gently sat at the head of the bed. I also sat up on the bed.

“What are we going to do now? You’ve caused quite a spectacle.”

“That’s true. What should we do?”

Actually, I had one more plan but deliberately didn’t mention it. Gaeul covered her face with both hands.

“You’re really hopeless…”

Gaeul sighed. I had no excuse to offer.

Beeep.

My smartwatch alarm went off. It was a message from Ji Hwa.

‘Is the package ready?’

I opened the message. It contained official data released by the government.

“What is it? Hmm…”

Gaeul moved closer to check the screen beside me.

“The association judged that classifying the fire mage ability seen in Seoul using existing standards is impossible. Until new criteria are established, the subject will be classified as a hazard above A-Rank…”

“We’re doomed.”

Though it was Korea’s own classification, once designated by the association, it was practically spread worldwide. Fortunately, the monster-like appearance and poor video quality meant only the blue flames were visible, but that alone revealed all my characteristics.

Gaeul bit her lip.

“Isn’t this dangerous?”

“The legend of the strongest B-Rank monster ends like this…”

“Don’t joke around.”

“…Well, let’s consider it as something that was bound to come out eventually.”

I prepared for this when I heard about Seol Hwagongju. Despite trying my best to hide, unfortunately, the monster’s magical pattern seems to have been analyzed.

“Fine. Life doesn’t go according to plan anyway, right? Let’s blow things up even more spectacularly.”

“Just causing chaos and cleaning up later?”

It stung. Accepting it as fact hurt too much. Gaeul looked down on me with disdain.

“Can you handle this situation right now?”

“…Somehow?”

Pfft. Tentacles erupted from the back of Gaeul’s dress. I tried to pull back quickly, but the tentacles grabbed my wrist faster.

“This isn’t a game. There are two S-Ranks, plus Light Blade. In the worst case, the government might request overseas support. Are you still planning to solve things haphazardly like this?”

Gray light flickered in Gaeul’s eyes.

“You need to establish a long-term framework, don’t you? Even high school students make annual study plans before their college entrance exams. When I start filming dramas, I think ahead about how to act according to the overall synopsis. Let me guess your thoughts?”

Gaeul grabbed my cheeks. Our gazes met.

“Let’s just blow things up first and deal with the aftermath later. If something else happens then, we’ll focus on stopping it. Right?”

“…That’s correct. But hasn’t everything been fine until now?”

With my rebuttal, Gaeul pinched my cheeks and shook my head.

“You’re still… Let me ask you this. What will you do if the Round Table declares you a global criminal and sends forces to eliminate you? What if all twelve come after you at once?”

“…Prepare to die fighting and take them all down with me?”

Once I’ve awakened as a spirit, I can summon my true form and drag all twelve into the underworld like water spirits. The problem is that the consequences of such a battle could destroy Earth.

Gaeul sighed deeply, clearly exasperated.

“…Hmph. Listen carefully. What you need right now is…”

Gaeul pointed at herself with her finger.

“People to help you. Not soldiers blindly following your chaotic plans, but intelligent individuals who can exchange strategies with you at the same table.”

“Isn’t there Gaeul, Deokbae, and Ji Hwa? We also have Sky Castle.”

Gaeul shook her head.

“Not enough. Even now, it’s not enough, right?”

Gaeul gave a bitter smile.

“Even now, despite me saying all this, you’re not opening up to me about your worries. At most, you tell Deokbae bits and pieces while withholding the important parts.”

“Gaeul, that’s-”

Gaeul hugged me. A chill ran through the dress.

“You’ll likely never open up to me either. Will you keep suffering alone like this forever? So…”

Gaeul patted my back.

“One day, someone who can stand by your side will appear. Until then, I’ll be here for you.”

“Gaeul…”

“…It’s too late to go back to New Seoul, right? This is our destiny.”

Tentacles swayed over Gaeul’s dress.

“There will be times when killing people becomes necessary, and we’ll have to close our eyes to certain actions. Sometimes, I may have to kill with my own hands. Still, I’ll do it. Of course, it’ll be tough at first, but eventually, I’ll get used to it, like Deokbae and Ji Hwa-”

“To perform.”

Gaeul moved the tentacle to remove the mask from her head. The mask settled over Gaeul’s face.

“Since stepping out of your barrier, actor Cheon Gaeul has died. The entity standing here now is a ghost, a monster, who will guard you forever.”

“…Not the tentacles?”

Konk. Gaeul’s tentacle tapped my forehead.

“If you have the energy to joke around, start thinking immediately about what to do-”

“Gaeul.”

I embraced Cheon Gaeul. Her body trembled slightly.

“Why don’t we just run away together?”

Abandoning all responsibilities, giving up everything. Just wasting time, hiding somewhere uninhabited.

“Doing nothing, seeing nothing. Just quietly locking ourselves away in some mountain until the end comes.”

When I first regained consciousness, I even considered being trapped in magma forever.

How much time has passed since I first landed in Incheon until today? Despite numerous events, it hasn’t even been a month yet.

We have five years ahead. Five years until the day of destruction.

Can I endure it?

Will I still be myself until then?

“Maybe if I run away, someone else will save the world, right?”

The reflection in the window showed my face twisted as if I were about to cry.

Pock!

Gaeul’s tentacle struck my forehead.

“Snap out of it. Do you really think that’s an option?”

Gaeul hit my head again with the tentacle. It felt like being scolded.

“…Honestly, I was tempted, but we can’t do that, can we? Isn’t that right?”

Gaeul slightly stepped back and grabbed my cheek again.

“That’s not your true intention, is it?”

Caught. Gaeul read my deepest, hidden intentions.

“Bear with it, even if it’s tough. And if you get tired, talk to me. Anytime, like now…”

Gaeul pulled me into a hug.

Pat pat.

“I’ll be here for you.”

Like soothing a crying child, Gaeul patted me like that.

As the sun sank behind the mountains and darkness gradually descended.

Beeep.

The smartwatch alarm went off. It was Deokbae.

– The gift is wrapped. …What, are you two like that now? Sorry for interrupting your good time. They say war raises birth rates, tsk.

Deokbae cut off the call in apparent irritation. Gaeul and I gently separated.

“Shall we kill him?”

“Let’s.”

After straightening our clothes, Gaeul and I raced downstairs.