NOVEL WEB Chapter 194
The Wolf didn’t hesitate. He headed straight for Dan Se-hyuk’s grave.
As usual, the crypt was there. Using invisibility, the Wolf stood before the remains of Dan Se-hyuk, but the system remained silent, as if it had no interest in talking to him right now. No, it felt more like it had no business doing so.
“……”
Understanding what that meant, the Wolf sighed deeply. Yeah. It wasn’t that this crypt was crucial for meeting the system…
‘This is where the concessions stop. Remember that from now on, there won’t be any more.’
The words left by the Master of All Things were like a warning. In other words, it meant that it wasn’t about not doing something, but rather that he couldn’t do it. So, he simply had to find another who knew about this issue. He would just move to a place where the system could potentially reveal itself.
***
【So you’ve come looking?】
“There was no response.”
The Wolf looked around. The world was still filled with dark shadows—and even the Seer still obscured her true form. The woman, whose features resembled stars, smiled with a face that had no eyes, nose, or mouth.
【Is that so?】
Her hand reached out to pet him, but he felt no repulsion. After all, he had received help from her before. And again this time, this place was beyond the reach of the Master of All Things. There was no better spot he knew of than here.
She was the only transcendent being who showed any kindness, aside from the Black Marang.
This marked the first time he had had a conversation with a system—after talking to Dan Se-hyuk, the Wolf had asked the Queen a particular question.
‘So please tell me about you guys.’
Even after defeating the calamities known as Plague and Disease, they still felt distant and abstract entities. Even after coming this far, the possibility of winning against such beings felt utterly bleak. These transcendent beings were never mentioned in the original work.
And the Queen had smiled and responded. She asked if he could handle it.
To which the Wolf had calmly replied that he had to do so.
And the answer he received was:
‘Fugitive.’
The Queen said that with a tone of self-mockery.
Those who had lost their world due to the apocalypse. No, they were the ones who were worshipped as gods by those very beings. They were beings called gods in another world that differed from the parallel world where Dan Se-hyuk existed—like Earth, but still unlike it.
‘…So that was it.’
So, the Queen must have said that with an air of self-mockery. There was no other way around it.
‘So, are you gods?’
‘There are no such beings. Only truth exists.’
He could understand a little bit of the riddle he asked long ago. It wasn’t just this world that faced extinction or apocalypse. He had fled here from a world that had met its end. And thus, she, who was called a god, had said there were no gods. He could only conclude that.
He could not be a god. He had no right to be one.
Someone might blame her for that, but that wasn’t his place.
Even though she was a bit different from Dan Se-hyuk and the beings called Destiny, she too was one of the lost.
And that was surely… the realization of a vague truth, the Wolf lamented.
“Now, come with me.”
You wanted this, and now I’m here. At least here, the Master of All Things couldn’t reach us.
[……]
***
A space that was eerily similar to where the Queen had been. A sigh escaped. He had called for her, and here she was, seated and waiting.
In that spot was the system’s self, Dan Se-hyuk.
Still glowing like before. Standing in the very center of the entities known as Destiny that filled the space.
[I apologize]
I gazed at him as he immediately began with an apology.
[I still can’t fully trust her. And I still can’t tell you everything. But…]
With his admission that he was hiding something, the Wolf couldn’t help but snicker.
“For something called the last hope, this doesn’t feel very hopeful.”
It certainly didn’t feel that way. Dan Se-hyuk replied as if to make excuses.
[One day, someday, there will come a time when I can tell you everything…]
Implying that now wasn’t that time. He glanced around for a moment. The indescribable entities—the lost beings known as Destiny. Those who merely existed without even a self.
But still, he had questions regarding the truth she spoke of. Was she merely referring to some abstract providence or did a being called ‘Truth’ actually exist?
Amid the flood of questions, the Wolf quietly organized his thoughts.
The lost beings. Those transcendent beings who knew of that existence. The Queen, the Black Marang, and…
“…the Master of All Things.”
[That’s correct]
I fell silent at the system’s affirmation.
What that meant was crystal clear.
The Master of All Things hadn’t just existed in this world. The her from the original work, where Dan Se-hyuk was, and the her from this world were the same person.
Not just identical in parallel worlds, but she remembered the events that took place in those worlds. That meant she knew the events of the original work in a way different from him.
I was at a loss for words.
Even if I anticipated this to be a vague truth, it was a whole different thing for that anticipation to turn into certainty.
After a brief silence, I managed to speak up.
“Not even just once, huh.”
[……]
Previously, Dan Se-hyuk said this world was the last. That he was the last hope. That he was betting on it.
Yeah. The last one.
A world like a mirror. Even with minor discrepancies, it was the last world that had not met its end in the same fundamental manner. What that meant was that besides this world and the parallel world of the original work, there were likely many more parallel worlds.
As the fate of those who had already perished was ‘the lost of worlds.’
Upon reaching this deduction, the system spat out the truth as if affirming my thoughts.
[She existed in all of those worlds.]
At that, I let out a laugh that felt familiar by now.
It meant that while I had read about one of those parallel worlds as a novel, she had lived and experienced countless parallel worlds firsthand.
Surely she must know innumerable things I did not.
There must have been reasons behind her contradictory actions that I couldn’t comprehend. She may have had her own justifiable reasons and logic for acting. She could have been acting for the greater good. Perhaps there were reasons why she had to do so…
――So what?
The Wolf bared his teeth.
No matter the reason, it didn’t matter. What was most certain was that the actions she had taken were unforgivable.
She had turned Baek So-yul into a witch. She had ruined families including the Butterfly of Covenant and Anela. She established an organization of heretics and committed unimaginable acts. Despite having the power to prevent calamities, she had merely stood by and watched.
The reasons could be inferred. I had come to understand how she could have done that. But even if there were reasons that justified her actions, there would be no compromise.
That wouldn’t do.
I had decided to stand firm. To act only on what I saw and believed. To do what I thought was right. If that was wrong, I would just correct it. Not only for the Master of All Things but for everything that stood in my way.
――Even if it means tearing them apart and devouring them.
***
As the Wolf’s will spread, Dan Se-hyuk, the system, found himself momentarily speechless.
There were questions, but no doubts. There was fear, but he did not retreat.
Even if faced with trials that lead to despair, he would still advance. The one who had once been so weak, who was merely a spark, had changed so much now, where that small spark had spread and ignited into a fire called hope.
It almost felt like a distant dream when he had faced despair and crumbled.
The shadow of ruin had considerably lessened.
But still, the end was approaching.
Those who had prevented destruction did exist, yet no one could stop the end. Just as it had been in their worlds.
Though it may not seem the same, the last remaining world wished not to perish, and the lost beings known as the system sincerely hoped the end would not come.
That mere spark of hope, which had once been trivial, now felt astonishing in its grandeur.
The unwavering gaze of the Black Marang.
Upon seeing her red eyes, the system acknowledged it. No, it had to. Ultimately, it was he who would prevent destruction and the end.
However, there was still a long way to go.
A distance that felt unfathomably far, obscuring their reach.
He should have known that better than anyone.
He was complacent.
He would not fall, nor would he stop. Even without saying it, he would surely unearth the truths hidden beneath.
Somewhere along the line, the lost beings awoke, drawn by that flame like a holy fire.
[……]
A long time ago, the boundaries between himself and others had blurred, leaving them devoid of self. The endless expanse of time and whispers surrounded Dan Se-hyuk deeply exhaling.
Yeah, then I might as well…
[…Understood]
What awaited him was likely greater despair and frustration. It might be trials that could not be compared to anything he had faced before.
But he would not bend.
He had been this way until now, and he would surely continue.
Then, the only thing ‘we’ could do was help him move forward next.
***
【It seems the story has come to an end】
When he returned, the Queen was waiting in a similar space. The Wolf nodded.
He had acquired what he desired.
He had obtained a clue regarding evolution. No, if he wanted, he could evolve immediately.
Furthermore, he had even grasped part of the truth about the end.
He briefly closed his eyes to collect his thoughts.
“Thank you. Thanks to you…”
It struck him once again just how much he had received from the Queen. The Queen covered her mouth, laughing.
[―――] – Evolution Possible
Yeah. He could evolve at any moment.
However, this evolution would be different from the last one. It would be a path formed not merely from pure Destiny, but one mixed with his own.
[Destiny 55.38%] [Self-Control 50]
The balance was maintained. And the system spoke.
The path ahead would be one he carves for himself.
No one could interfere with that.
Not even the Queen who had shown him the paths of the Shadow and the Blasphemer. Nor even the system itself, which had been guiding the way.
But before that, he had to finish what could only be done right now.
[Void― Level Rise 1/3]
To fully handle the emptiness he briefly reached, not through reason, but through instinct.
***
Thanking the Queen, the Wolf headed straight back to the dawn.
When he returned to the room where Hong Yu-ri had left the Fairy, she was scratching her head, scribbling something furiously. Picking up one of the papers lying around, the Wolf silently read it.
It contained the things she needed to do moving forward. Things like identification and pictures… I mean, it made sense considering her race had changed and she had grown horns and wings.
As he sifted through the pile of papers, the Wolf paused to cock his head.
“…House?”
“Yeah.”
Without turning around, Hong Yu-ri replied in an exhausted voice.
“It’s annoying, every time you’re asking about it.”
“You’re going to need to get used to it eventually.”
“Why should I?”
“…Didn’t you live here?”
“I’m too lazy to go to work.”
That seemed like a perfectly valid reason for her, and the Wolf resumed reading through the paperwork.
Over 100 pyeong. Soundproofing. In a remote area…
He shook his head. While those requirements seemed a bit excessive for the capital area, as a top-tier Hunter, he would surely have more than enough money. The price he received just for handing over the horn of the Volcano Ceratops must be astronomical.
“Kyu!”
The Fairy welcomed him back, getting up and rubbing against him as though asking where he had been. He patted its head. After all, whether or not he found a house, that was her problem to figure out.
“I think I need to go somewhere for a bit.”
At that, Hong Yu-ri paused her scribbling, looking back at him as if encouraging him to go on.
“It won’t take long. So…”
“Yeah, got it.”
With her refreshing reply, the Wolf blinked and nodded. He thought she might hold him back given their promise, but she didn’t even bat an eye.
Feeling a bit embarrassed for being so self-conscious, the Wolf realized that it was just a misunderstanding.
“What?”
As if it were a matter of course, Hong Yu-ri began packing her things.
“Aren’t you going?”
Her gaze seemed to question why he found it strange, and the Wolf stared at her in a daze.