It didn't get older.
It was always young.
-Estelle.
It became beautiful by the day, and the ends of its fingers always smelled like apples. On its feet, there was a grape scent. People were always enchanted by its scent every time it walked by them. Its hair was a gold color, and when it fluttered in the wind, the villagers could feel autumn.
-Estelle, Saintess of the Frontier.
From some time, people began to say this,
-Miss Saintess.
A young girl came holding a baby. She said that she had come from far away after hearing rumors.
-Please. It's a sick child. Please bless this poor thing…
-Do you know the rules?
-Yes, yes. I do…!
Estelle nodded her head.
-Leave the child here. You can come tomorrow at dawn.
The young girl bowed her head and left.
There was a small child where the mom left, wrapped in an old but soft blanket. The young girl had gathered the softest things she had to cover the baby. An old blanket, stained with milk…Estelle momentarily dug her nose inside it.
How pleasant.
Humans would do anything for love.
-Kyu?
The baby reached out its hand to touch Estelle's hair.
Estelle smiled. Life was beautiful even though it was wrapped up in rags. Estelle considered this to be happiness.
-It's okay.
Estelle's shadow squirmed.
-You won't be hurt anymore.
-Kya…
The shadow opened its mouth.
-Poor thing.
Estelle quietly swallowed the newborn baby.
The death of the child was calm. It didn't even resist. It just helplessly settled down. When the newborn baby's skin and bone melted, its memories entered Estelle. They were memories from the baby's skin and bone. The pain of being born, feeling of its finger,the smile of its mom…
-Yeah.
Short memories from a short life. After examining it's blink of a life, Estelle waved towards her shadow. The shadow boiled.
-Let it live a little longer.
At that moment, the shadow shrunk to a baby's form. The black shadow turned into a skin color. It squirmed around, smiling like an innocent beast.
-Kya!
Estelle smiled.
-Poor thing.
As soon as it dawned, the mother came. Had she spent the night waiting? She looked pitiful. Estelle, who had been waiting in the doorframe, handed the baby in the blanket to its mother.
-It'll be healthy now.
-Ah…
-It won't even catch minor illnesses. Please continue to love it as you did so far.
The mother's face crumpled.
-Thank you…
Rumors started to spread across the continent.
-Miss Saintess…
The small rumors scratched at the small land.
-Thank you, Miss Saintess…
The small rural countries were upheaved first.
-Estelle.
After that, it was the larger countries.
-Saintess Estelle.
The continent was large. There were plenty of unhappy humans everywhere. People who were rotting from diseases, people who were crippled from birth, people who couldn't see.
-The saintess of savior!
They all gathered towards Estelle. Every time they did, Estelle's shadow became larger.
-Our savior!
As Estelle's shadow became darker, the power of humans lessened. A king couldn't rule a village that they had thrown away.
-The hope for all the ill!
Estelle.
The kings realized that this was the name of the new disease.
And they knew what they had to do to make the disease disappear.
-Burn her!
Fire.
-Burn the nest of the witch!
Estelle screamed.
The fire was burning a person.
No.
That wasn't it.
-Don't show mercy. They're all cursed monsters! Don't miss a single one!
Humans were burning humans.
2.
-Things that don't see humans as humans.
It groaned. It sounded like a scream. The groans combined to become a shadow, and the screams became a sword.
-Be swallowed by your evil!
The Devil King swung his sword.
The sword was trembling like it was groaning.
"Kim Gong-ja!"
The Witch shouted.
"I'm okay!"
I was confronting the Devil King. Whoosh! It seemed like the Devil King's sword would burst with a red light any moment.
'Right?'
I focused my Aura on my feet.
'Or is it left?'
It was a fifty fifty chance.
The Devil King's sword screamed.
A sword that was more red than blood and hotter than fire approached me.
[You have died.]
[You are regressing to 24 hours ago.]
'It's the left.'
I would die.
When I died, I would return to 24 hours ago.
[You have 6 days, 23 hours, 53 minutes, and 27 seconds left to use Hundred Ghosts Summon.]
'[Returner's Clockwork Watch (EX)]' said that the user's memory and skills were kept the same.
[You have died.]
[You have 5 days, 23 hours, 51 minutes, and 42 seconds left to use Hundred Ghosts Summon.]
The Sword Emperor Bae Hu-ryeong was able to share my memories because my skills were maintained even when I died.
My powers, my memories, everything.
Of course, the cool time was included in this.
[You have died.]
A day passed.
[You have 4 days, 23 hours, 49 minutes, and 33 seconds left to use Hundred Ghosts Summons.]
I subjugated the 11th floor.
No one died.
I climbed to the 12th floor to fight with the Devil King. The Witch of Black Dragon helped me.
The angry Devil King summoned his Hundred Ghosts. I ran towards the Devil King and died.
[You have died.]
[You have 3 days, 23 horus, 47 minutes, and 15 seconds until you can use the Hundred Ghosts Summons.
I died.
[You have died.]
[You have 2 days, 23 hours, 45 minutes, and 28 seconds…]
I died.
[You have died.]
[You have 1 day, 23 hours, 43 minutes, and 13 seconds…]
A day passed.
[You have died.]
[You have 23 hours, 41 minutes, and 53 seconds…]
And.
That day came again.
[You can use Hundred Ghosts Summons again.]
It was time to repeat.
We could fight a final battle of sorts.
"–Kim Gong-ja!"
The Witch shouted.
I nodded my head.
"I'm okay."
In this life, I ran to the right without even looking at the redness.
The red light cut into empty air. Tens of skeletons were swept away. But there were 10 times that amount of goblins and orcs that burned up.
-You!
The Devil King's voice trembled with fury.
-How! Do you have the eyes of prophecy!
"It's similar."
-Stubborn.
Bae Hu-ryeong clicked his tongue.
-What a stubborn bastard.
Bae Hu-ryeong continued to tell me where to swing my sword and how to move my feet.
-But this is so cool. Hey Zombie! See if you can do a repeat summons next time. Stay inside somewhere for a week and summon monsters again.
I frowned.
'Please! Focus!'
-I think it'll cancel the previous summons and use the current one instead, you never know. 4 thousand can become 8000 and 8000 can become 80,000. Kya! Then you'll be upgraded from a Zombie to a Zombie King! Zombie King Kim Gong-ja! How cool is that!
'Geez, stop talking! I can't focus because…'
[You have died.]
[You have regressed to 24 hours ago.]
[Fucking…!]
-Why do you die so much? That's why you're such a pathetic zombie.
'I kicked it because of you! I have to repeat another week now!'
-That's because you're a weak-ass. It's not my fault. Anyways, it's not.
Bae Hu-ryeong snickered.
'I swear I'll kill you someday!'
-Oho. I'm already dead though. How are you gonna kill a ghost? Haha. Is our Zombie getting angry?
'You fu…'
-Use that anger to get the Devil King. I cleared through the 20th floor even though I didn't have a lit cheat skill. Oho, how pathetic, Kim Zombie.
'Shit!'
That was what we said, but we continued to fight the Devil King.
The skeletons continued to stop the Devil King's forces. The Sword Saint blocked the monsters coming to us. I died continuously throughout the week and predicted the Devil King's attack, and the Witch continued to play the Devil King using my prophecies.
"Black Dragon Master! It's right next!"
"Got it!"
The Witch spread black Aura. The mirrors reflected it. Everytime it was reflected on the mirror, the Aura was amplified by 2 times. In an instant, the tens of black attacks cut the Devil King's waist.
-Keaaahh!
The Devil King's scream ripped through the sky in the paused world.
"Hahaha! Missus, nice shot!"
I laughed. Laughing, I swung my sword.
"Who are you calling missus! I'm not married yet!"
"What were you doing to not get married at that age!"
"I'm still young!"
"Nah. You probably became younger with elixirs! I know it all."
"You…see me after we get the Devil King."
We crossed over different scenes.
Sometimes, the Witch was swept by the red light. Even the Sword Saint. 1 second. Another second. We gave our lives for the fight. Even a second being off guard was dangerous.
[You have died.]
But it didn't matter.
[You are regressing to 24 hours ago.]
My lethal move was stronger than the Devil King's lethal move.
-You…
12 times.
-You dare to….my hate…!
The Witch's Aura pierced the Devil King's body 12 times. Then, the Devil King's movements became slow. Black wastewater boiled where he was attacked.
'Huh?'
Was it just me?
For a moment, before the wastewater boiled…I thought I saw the color of skin. It really was just a moment. When I turned my head to check again, the Devil King's body was already covered in wastewater.
-Keuk!
The Devil King took back his sword.
Even though he didn't have a face, we could feel he was glaring at us.
[The Devil King of Fall Rain decides to retreat.]
What?
[The Devil King of Fall Rain is falling back to the 13th floor!]
That was ridiculous!
Anger completely filled me up to my head.
"Wait! What kind of boss runs away when it's almost caught!"
-Don't think that! I'm coming back again!
"Look at this bastard!"
I swung my sword. But the Devil King's body crumpled before that. Like there was a pipe somewhere that we couldn't see, the black wastewater was pulled in.
"Hey! You chocolate milkshake-like bastard!"
It wasn't just the Devil King. The monsters born from the shadow fell, vomiting bubbles. It was like the sound of water going down the toilet. The monsters disappeared under the ground.
"Wow."
The Witch, Sword Saint, thousands of skeletons, and I were left in the middle of the field.
"This is…"
It was when I was despairing because all my deaths were for nothing.
[The tower has acknowledged your choice.]
I could hear a voice in my head.
[Hidden quest made.]
[The 12th floor quest is being revised!]
"..Huh?"
Consecutively, at that.
[The 13th floor quest is being revised!]
[The 14th floor quest is being revised!]
[The 15th floor quest is being revised!]
[The 16th floor quest is being revised!]
[The 17th floor quest is being revised!]
[The 18th floor quest is being revised!]
[The 19th floor quest is being revised!]
I was speechless at this situation that I never experienced before.
Could quests be revised?
"······."
While I was gaping, letters popped up in front of me.
Letters for me.
+
[Warrior of the Paused World]
Difficulty: Unknown
Task goal: You have chosen. You won't allow a single victim.
Righteousness is not expecting something from those you saved. Dedication is not expecting acknowledgement from those you saved. Those who dedicate themselves to righteousness are called warriors.
Warrior!
The people of the empire won't know your righteousness. They won't realize your dedication. But righteousness is still righteousness, and dedication is still dedication.
In the paused world, will you still choose to be a warrior?
The Devil King has run away with injuries. He probably hasn't gone far. If you want, you can chase after the Devil King however much you want.
Only your choice is left.
+
It was a quest just for me.
"······."
A voice rang.
[Will you accept the quest?]
My heart thumped.
It was a question I didn't have to hesitate before deciding the answer.
"Yes."
The voice responded to me.
[The hidden quest is activating!]
[Quest name, Warrior of the Paused World.]
[May luck be with you.]
White light wrapped around me.