“stop!”
Seo Kang-rim grabbed Shin Soo-ah’s arm urgently.
I told her not to, but there was a cut on Shin Soo Ah’s neck and blood was leaking out.
If she had been even a second late, she would have stabbed herself in the neck without hesitation.
Shin Soo-ah looked at Seo Kang-rim, who was trying to stop her, with bewildered eyes.
“Why are you stopping me? Don’t you need my special ability? Ah, I’m just a piece of debris, so dying would be useless… … .”
“Please stop talking nonsense! Why do you want to die again, why on earth!”
Why is she always willing to risk her life for herself?
This is neither goodwill nor courtesy.
A neatly packaged, unconventional devotion bordering on madness.
Shin Soo-ah was still looking at him with unreadable eyes.
“If I absorb your fate, you will be destroyed. Even if this space is liberated, only you will die!”
At those words, Shin Soo-ah’s hands trembled.
I remembered the story the fragments told me when I first came here.
When Eternity dies and this space is liberated, our memories can be passed on to the present living body.
At one time, she desperately wanted to be free from this space.
If I could get out of here and live under the sunlight with the Bihomun gang.
If I could meet Seo Kang-rim again.
But that was a luxury for him.
It is right for me, who failed to protect the people, to rot here forever.
He wasn’t so shameless as to hope for salvation.
“I don’t care if I disappear. I died to help you… … .”
-puck!
Just before Shin Soo Ah took out her dagger and committed suicide, her body collapsed without resistance.
Seo Kang-rim struck the back of Shin Soo-ah’s neck, causing her to pass out.
He could have taken the dagger, but without it, he was ready to kill himself by biting off his tongue.
Baek Young, who was watching the scene, said.
“Are you trying to make a foolish decision, Seo Kang-rim? Shin Soo-ah is much wiser than you.”
There was a clear contempt in his gaze.
She said it again, hammering home the point.
“The fragment that will help you the most here is Shinsooah.”
“I told you, there is another way.”
Even though there was no such method, Seo Kang-rim was very confident.
Meanwhile, Seo Kang-rim picked up Shin Soo-ah and walked closer.
The group of people who had been waiting according to instructions appeared.
They looked shocked at the sight of the injured Seo Kang-rim and Shin Soo-ah.
Kang Do-hyeon said as he checked Shin Soo-ah’s condition as if he was tired.
“You are such ignorant people… … Seo Kang-rim, you too, come here. I will treat you.”
“I’m fine. First, treat Shin Soo-ah.”
Seo Kang-rim laid Shin Soo-ah down on the floor and picked up the dagger she had just taken out.
It was a dagger with a sharp edge.
He brought it to my arm.
-Phew!
The dagger dug into the lower part of his wrist.
Blood flowed from the stab wound, but he didn’t scream and just started carving something there.
Jang Tae-heon was shocked and tried to stop him.
“Brother Kang-rim, what the hell are you doing! Are you crazy?”
“It’s okay. I’m in my right mind.”
He said only those words to the surprised Jang Tae-heon and engraved the sentence into his flesh.
Slowly the sentences began to take shape.
‘When I said that I stole their abilities and accumulated karma, Yuharang asked if I could just give her his abilities.’
What if, as Yuharang said, it was possible to receive it with consent rather than stealing it?
Nameless created several abilities using ‘imprints’.
Seo Kang-rim also tried to use that ability to create new abilities, but there were limitations.
It was impossible to create an ability that would allow one to receive one’s destiny without accumulating karma.
If so, wouldn’t it be possible to just borrow it for a little while rather than receiving it?
Seo Kang-rim spent an entire day creating a new ability.
After many experiments, I was finally able to create the ability I wanted.
Before I knew it, a red sentence was tattooed on one of my arms.
[《Acquire the ability ‘Rent Fate’.》The following sentence is engraved.]
[You can engrave by consuming 16.08% of your divine power. Would you like to engrave?]
As I approved the engraving, I saw the sentence engraved on my body flashing red.
The sentence that had remained as a scar began to heal quickly and remained there like a tattoo.
A new ability appeared before his eyes.
═══════════════
[Name] Destiny Rental
[Rank] Divine Second Class
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[Description] Fate is borrowed on the condition that the other party accepts the contract. When the contract ends, the borrowed fate is returned. Instead of accumulating karma, you carry the memories of your previous life.
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Although one cannot steal fate and make it one’s own, one can borrow it without accumulating karma.
When Seo Kang-rim explained what power he had gained, the eyes of Bihomun’s group lit up with surprise.
Jang Tae-heon said urgently.
“Then take my fate, brother. I don’t need any terms and conditions, just take it.”
“I too, take my fate!”
At those words, Yuharang also joined in hastily.
It was an attitude that seemed like he would give everything without any reward.
Seo Kang-rim felt grateful to those two people, but he declined their offer.
“Then I will make it a condition to kill the unchanging Eternal.”
The two hesitated, but soon nodded.
Seo Kang-rim approached Jang Tae-heon first and activated his power.
[The ability ‘Rent Fate’ is activated!]
[Contract Terms: Extinction of ‘Unchanging Eternity’]
-Tsk tsk!
The moment the ability was activated, a piercing tinnitus and a pain that tore at my brain rushed in.
A strong memory was assaulting my vision.
[Are you Seo Kang-rim?]
[No. It’s a secret.]
The last scene Jang Tae-heon saw on the day he was murdered by Baek Young was playing in a flash.
The dead people, the blood-soaked landscape, and Baek Young’s face were all seen from Jang Tae-heon’s perspective.
I could feel Jang Tae-heon’s soul becoming angry.
He jumped in to kill Baek Yeong, but instead the sharp blade dug into Jang Tae-heon’s body.
-Crunch!
The pain of being torn to pieces came over Seo Kang-rim.
It seemed like everything Jang Tae-heon felt just before he died was imprinted on his soul.
It was literally murderous pain and fear.
“Ugh, gulp… … .”
There was a sharp ringing in my ears and my vision was bleached white.
Seo Kang-rim wasn’t even aware that his body was collapsing.
Jang Tae-heon was surprised and supported Seo Kang-rim, who was about to collapse.
“Brother, are you okay?”
I wanted to say it was okay, but I couldn’t find the voice.
I was just gasping for breath.
I’ve been through all kinds of pain before, but this was on a whole other level.
The reenactment of death was so venomous and cruel.
‘Is this what they meant when they said that instead of carrying karma, you carry memories?’
In the process of creating a supernatural ability, ‘imprinting’ suggested that if you carry memories instead of karma, you can reduce the consumption of divine power.
I approved it because it would reduce my divine power by almost 20% and I wouldn’t be able to accumulate karma.
But the pain was so intense that my soul still felt numb.
Yu Harang urgently supported Seo Kang-rim.
“Seo Kang-rim, are you okay? Is it okay for me to use this ability?”
“It’s okay… … . Please lend me your fate too.”
It wasn’t okay.
The fear of death still clenched my throat.
But I would die as many times as it would take to become stronger.
Had to die.
[The ability ‘Borrow Fate’ is activated!]
Seo Kang-rim borrowed the fate of Yoo Ha-rang and Kang Do-hyeon in turn.
Every time they were murdered, the shock came like a storm.
I forced myself to hold back the scream that was about to burst out.
Every time I breathed, it seemed like the smell of blood was wafting in.
I didn’t know that it was because I bit my tongue so hard that it bled to endure the pain.
I have experienced three deaths and borrowed the fates of three people.
Even though there were only three of them, his mind was completely blown.
“Interesting method.”
Baek Young, who had been silently watching the scene, said.
Until just a moment ago, he had been suspicious of Seo Kang-rim, but now his expression had brightened.
She too seemed ready to hand over her life.
“Now that I have accepted my fate and Shin Soo Ah’s fate, I can go back.”
“No. I won’t go right away.”
Baek Young looked puzzled at the question, but soon seemed to realize something.
Seo Kang-rim staggered up from his seat.
“Guide me… to the fragments.”
There were countless piles of decaying debris here.
If I could borrow their fate, I might be able to fight and win, even if it was fate.
Yu Harang said with a pale face.
“Are you planning to accept the fate of the fragments as well? You won’t be able to endure it… …!”
As Yu Harang said, it was a pain that ordinary people could not endure.
Seo Kang-rim also didn’t know how long he would be able to hold out.
How many more deaths can we bear?
How many more destinies can I embrace?
“… … Guide me.”
Even though all of these acts were no different from torture, Seo Kang-rim chose to move forward carrying the pain and resentment.
I didn’t know when this thorny path I was walking barefoot would end, but I had no intention of backing down.
His soul was already covered in scars and overflowing with blood, but he staggered toward the debris.
* * *
A crescent-shaped moon was illuminating the city.
It was still early in the night, so the forest of buildings was twinkling with lights, and the sound of cars rushing along the road was like waves.
In the middle of that city, a huge building stood tall like a lighthouse.
It was the headquarters of the Fate Protection Agency.
Night had fallen, but the lights in the building were still on.
The night shift was on standby in case any demons or awakened criminals showed up.
But in addition to the night shift, there were people working in the basement of the building.
The humming and vibrating sound of the giant machine echoed through the underground laboratory.
It was a secret laboratory that most people didn’t even know existed.
Last time, it was a new location created after the research lab that had been built under the hospital was destroyed.
Compared to existing research labs, the facilities were extremely cramped, but that didn’t matter.
Now there was only one egg left.
-Coolook, coolook… … .
An unknown egg was placed inside a solid glass tube.
The eggs, which had grown to a fairly large size, were equipped with various experimental devices.
Researchers were diligently recording the condition of the eggs.
Not caring about the corpses of the soldiers lying on the floor.
They were all disposable gods used to inject divine power.
Among them were ordinary messengers who were not experimental subjects born from unknown eggs.
Because they needed a vessel that was at least a little bit stronger, they made an excuse that they had died while on a mission in the Demon Realm and brought in talented messengers.
At that time, one of the researchers spoke cautiously to Seo Moon-yong.
“Team Leader Seomun, is this okay? You’ve dragged in not just test subjects, but also regular drivers… … .”
She was watching the scene through the window in the next room.
The face that usually had a gentle smile was now sharp as thorns.
“Then, would you like it to be a disposable bowl?”
“That, that is… … .”
“If not, then don’t worry about it. They were just insignificant people anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
It was a face that said it didn’t matter how many people died.
What mattered were not such insignificant lives.
As she stared at the egg with a hardened face, the clock on the wall showed 23:00.
“Team Leader Seomun, it’s midnight. It’s the expected hatching time.”
