It was everyone's victory.
The moment this victory was finally achieved was silent.
Nobody could dare to open their mouths. They could only look at the yellow monster that had burnt to death.
The people who had been running across the shelter walls…
The people who had been swinging their swords and spears outside the shelter walls…
The people who had been preparing to cast more long-distance attacks…
Everybody was looking at the battlefield without making a sound.
The last few days flew through their minds as if they were watching a movie.
The memories weren't just a blur; their hearts were beating wildly the more they thought about everything that had happened.
And as their emotions were stirring up so much that they were about to shout…
One person quickly started to speak.
"Finally, the unranked monster has fallen and we…"
It was Lee Seung Won.
He remembered the Commander's orders to record everything and barely managed to speak.
Finally.
We.
"The humans have won."
The moment those words were recorded…
People could finally release everything they had pent up inside at this victory that could have been their first victory in a long while or their first victory at all in this post-apocalyptic world.
Woooooooooooooooo–
Waaaaaaaaah—!
Some were shouting with joy while others were crying.
They were all showing emotions in different ways.
"…The fog is disappearing."
"…It's the sun."
The fog started to disappear and the sun slowly became visible, as if it was congratulating them for their victory as well.
It was a cold November day but it was slowly getting warmer with the sun.
That warmth was letting them realize even more that this was real.
Lee Jin Joo started to speak.
Her Amplification ability echoed throughout the area around the Seomyeon shelter.
{We have won.}
The joyful news was spread everywhere.
{The unranked monster is dea-}
But she suddenly had to stop.
{Rok-!}
She quickly covered her mouth.
She barely managed to stop herself from shouting out the name as she even forgot that her voice was being amplified for a moment.
"Hyung!"
"Shit!"
Kim Min Joon and Lee Seung Won stood up in shock.
Park Jin Tae was holding onto the railing without being able to say anything.
They were all looking at the same spot.
They were looking at the person who was standing in front of the large yellow monster.
Kim Rok Soo.
He was slowly starting to fall.
Lee Jin Joo barely managed to open her mouth.
She needed to inform the people who were waiting for her to deliver the news.
{The unranked monster is dead.}
But she did not tell them about their commander who was starting to fall.
The cheering on the battlefield had disappeared.
Lee Jin Joo could see someone grabbing their commander who was about to fall.
"Rok Soo!"
Lee Soo Hyuk urgently called out to Cale who was weakly falling over. He then raised his head and looked at the person supporting Cale before starting to speak again.
"Han."
Choi Han was supporting Cale and quietly looking at his pale face as Cale closed his eyes.
He then raised his head.
Kim Min Ah, Bae Puh Rum, Jo Min Yeh, Jae Ha-Jung and some other people were running toward them.
Choi Han started to say something to Lee Soo Hyuk before they arrived.
"It looks like our time to head back to our world is coming up."
Lee Soo Hyuk's gaze sunk down.
He could see Kim Rok Soo who was extremely pale and looked like a mess as well as Choi Han who looked just as terrible.
These two punks had worked the hardest in this fight.
"Let's go somewhere quiet."
"Sure."
Choi Han tried to carry Cale.
"I will move him."
The Dark Tiger who walked up next to them offered his back.
Choi Han put Cale on Alberu's back and entered the shelter with Lee Soo Hyuk.
Alberu and Choi Han made eye contact.
The two of them could tell what was going on.
They knew that Cale was finally at the end of this test.
* * *
"I guess it's back to this place."
Cale slowly looked around the dark area.
Of course, he couldn't see anything through the darkness.
He then looked forward.
– I guess I underestimated you.
A set of red eyes appeared in front of him.
It was the sealed god.
– There are absolute laws in matters between gods and humans.
Cale quietly listened to the sealed god.
But he flinched after hearing this next part.
– Did you not hear about it from the God of Death, the Sun God or the God of War?
The sealed god snorted after seeing Cale flinch.
– Did you really think I wouldn't know about the gods roaming around you?
Cale started to speak.
"You can't change the contents or methods for a test you've already created. You're talking about that, right?"
Choi Han had delivered the message from the God of Death regarding that matter.
'One of the absolute rules for the God of Death is to make a vow of death. Similarly, this sealed god can create tests per his absolute rule, but he cannot mess with the contents of that test.'
The sealed god could not mess with the content of the test.
The contents of a test naturally included the conditions for passing or failing the test.
That was the reason the sealed god, who couldn't do anything about Cale's test on this side, tried to move the White Star to shake Cale from the other side.
That attempt had failed thanks to Cale's friends.
– There is something I can't understand.
The sealed god truly sounded confused.
– Why are you rejecting an opportunity from a god?
Why are you rejecting a chance to gain power and get stronger?
Furthermore, Cale Henituse. You truly look like you need my power.
The sealed god had watched Cale throughout the test.
– Aren't you tired?
Cale, who had become the twenty-years-old Kim Rok Soo, could not even sleep properly.
– Wasn't it difficult?
He couldn't even eat three times a day and he had to live with the weight of numerous people's lives on his back.
– Wasn't it painful?
He had used the White Star to cause Cale Henituse pain.
That pain would have been something Cale had never felt before as it was pain directly at the soul.
Even he could not imagine the amount of pain that would have caused and he was a god.
But Cale persisted through it.
The sealed god was truly curious.
Why?
– It would have been so much easier if you just asked me to take care of it.
Why didn't you do it?
"Ha!"
Cale let out a laugh.
"It's my life not yours."
He shook his head from side to side.
"I'm only happy if I live doing what I want to do."
In addition.
"Who the hell are you to take control of my life? Who says that you are even qualified to do that?"
What saved him was not the bastard who gave him this test of despair but the people in his memories and the people by his side.
He had saved himself as well.
The God of Death had said the following.
He had said that Cale's fate and the laws of nature had changed.
– Qualifications?
The sealed god scoffed in disbelief.
– It's quite laughable that you are asking a god about qualifications.
Aren't you tired of living a life working so hard to achieve things?
Cale sighed in disbelief.
"Have you thought about why I've been tired recently? Huh?"
If the test was over couldn't this guy just tell him the results? Why the hell did he need to babble on like this?
'I'm a busy person who has a lot to do."
"Hey you."
Cale had an expression on his face that Alberu, no, Raon would have said was beyond disrespectful to the point of being closer to that of a delinquent.
"Damn, you're still a god. I was trying to speak respectfully to you, but you just had to ruin it. Hey moron, you were the one who forced me into this damn test and made me clean up after your mess."
Cale took large steps toward the red eyes.
He stood right in front of it and pointed right at the middle of the two eyes.
"You were the cause of it. Are you going to keep acting like an idiot?"
Cale was extremely annoyed.
'Working so hard?
Who the fuck does he think he is to say shit like that?'
This god truly was a motherfucker.
'And he wants to talk about it being difficult? It being tiring?'
He was right.
It was difficult and tiring.
But not every moment had been tiring and difficult.
It was tiring after achieving victory at the end of a fierce battle.
But peace also comes at that moment.
The peace could be short or long, however… That peace was one of the driving forces that pushes him forward.
There were times he had lost, was defeated, and lost things extremely important to him.
His memories were enough to remind him that the people and things of the past could not come back.
But those were not the only moments in his memories.
While recording everything did mean that sorrow, frustration, defeat, and despair remained on his mind, it also meant that he could etch the small joys, short durations of peace, and even the minuscule moments of happiness in his mind as well.
"Hey you."
– … How disrespectful. It truly makes me sad.
Cale didn't care about the sealed god's bullshit.
"Just tell me the results."
The red eyes furrowed toward Cale who was standing there with his arms cross and leaning on one foot.
– I don't really want to tell you.
"How petty."
– … You truly are a disrespectful bastard.
'This son of a bitch of a god.'
Cale started to frown and opened his mouth to give a piece of his mind to this god who was dilly-dallying.
But he ended up flinching.
Craaaaaaack-
The area he was in was starting to crack.
– Human, you have won.
Cale started to smile.
This was the expected results.
It was the results of everybody working hard.
– It is not because you defeated the unranked monster.
It is also not because the results were different than the past you remember.
'…What?'
Cale's eyebrows slightly rose up.
'That wasn't the contents of the test?
Then what did I do to win?
How did I complete the test?'
He heard the sealed god's voice at that moment.
– You did not oppose the despair that is to come.
At that final moment…
What had Cale said to the sealed god?
'This is just the beginning of the despair in this world.'
– You were anxious because you thought that trials and despair would head their way.
'This place will draw a different future than my past. I'm certain of it.'
– But you had faith that it would be better than it was now. No, you were certain of it.
The sealed god continued to speak.
– It was your heart that defeated me.
You have overcome this test.
Craaaaaaaaack, craaaaaack!
The darkness in the area started to crack even faster.
The end.
The true end of this test was headed his way.
"…It's over."
Cale calmly said out loud.
The red eyes quietly observed him for a moment before starting to speak again.
– Let me show you some good will.
'Good will?'
Cale started to frown.
It was his way of saying that he didn't need anything like that and that he didn't want it.
– There's no need to frown like that.
The sealed god's eyes curled up as if he was amused.
He then continued to speak in a gentle voice.
– It will still be November 8th when you open your eyes. You will still be in the twenty-years-old Kim Rok Soo's world.
Cale's shoulders slightly flinched.
'It'll still be Kim Rok Soo's world?
I'm not going back as Cale Henituse?'
– You will return to your original world at 0:00 am on November 9th.
That should give you enough time to say your goodbyes.
The red eyes noticed Cale's expression and continued to speak as if he understood what Cale was thinking.
– You're wondering why I am showing such good will?
Craaaaaaaaack, craaaaaack-
The area was quickly crumbling down. From within this darkness…
The red eyes were still shining bright and clear.
– Do not think that my test ended with this.
'What?'
Cale started to frown even more.
– I will always be watching you.
The red eyes curled up before a low laughter filled the area.
It was the type of laughter that gave Cale the chills.
The sealed god quietly whispered through the laughter.
– In the moment of despair that is to come…
It was as if he was talking about the future.
– The moment your mind is swayed or changed.
He sounded certain that this moment would happen.
– I will come and find you.
This chilling statement, no, forewarning, gave Cale chills all over his body.
Cale slowly raised his hand and brushed his face.
As the red eyes laughed at his action…
"Haaaaa."
Through the crumbling darkness… Cale let out a sigh.
He then commented with an extremely annoyed expression.
"Will you let me be a slacker?"
– …What?
He could hear the shock in the sealed god's voice but Cale continued to say what was on his mind.
"My dream, no, my goal is to be a slacker who can relax in peace and eat all I want."
It was truly a stellar dream and goal.
Oh right, he would also do just the slightest amount of farming in there.
Cale shared his wishes out loud.
"If I choose your power, will I be able to roll around on my bed all day and still be in my bedroom no matter how much I walk? Will I be able to eat three square meals a day, take a nap, wake up, eat some snacks and relax like that until I die?"
Silence filled the area for a moment.
Only the sound of the area crumbling continued to be heard.
It was at that moment.
"Pffft."
The sealed god scoffed.
– You are trying to confuse me with such nonsense.
How cute. It sure was interesting. Human, I will see you in the future.
Cale started to think.
'I really mean that.'
It was not nonsense.
He wanted to open his mouth and say that.
But he could not do that.
Clang-!
The darkness that had been slowly cracking made the noise of a window breaking as it shattered into pieces.
A bright light swept over Cale and he clenched his eyes shut.
He then slowly opened his eyes.
Both the darkness…
And the red eyes were no longer visible.
"…Rok Soo hyung."
He heard Choi Han's voice.
Blink, blink.
Cale's eyes slowly focused.
"Rok Soo."
He could also hear Lee Soo Hyuk's voice.
Cale's eyes slowly headed toward the wall of what seemed to be a bedroom.
He could see the clock.
The sealed god had said that he would give Cale some time to say his goodbyes.
Tick tock.
The room was so quiet that he could hear the ticking of the clock.
Cale focused on where the hands of the clock were pointed at right now.
November 8th, 11:50pm.
There were ten minutes left until November 9th.
"You motherfucking bastard."
The sealed god had given him soooooo much time… not.