Episode 165
I walked in silence.
As I was walking through the ruins, I slowly stopped in my tracks.
First of all, I know that in order to clear this Abyss, I have to destroy the source of destruction.
But it was really strange.
I looked straight ahead.
In front of me was the head of a giant snake. No, should I say snake or dragon?
I think it would be better to say that it’s a strange hair that’s somewhere in the middle.
The pupils were bright yellow and unfocused.
Yes, that’s right.
It was out of focus. It had to be that way.
There was a sword embedded in the snake’s head.
It’s so deeply embedded that only the handle is visible.
Knock knock knock.
The blood that flowed from there was wetting the ground.
How should I interpret this?
He asked, scratching his chin.
“Did you do this?”
It wasn’t a soliloquy.
There was a man leaning back against the snake’s head with his arms crossed. I asked him. He had a mask on his face and was wearing shorts and a short sleeve that didn’t match the situation at all. The colors matched.
All black, even black slippers.
The mask was white, so what kind of person is it?
He answered.
“Yeah, I did.”
“why?”
“That way, the story will progress more easily.”
“I see. But who are you?”
The man answered in an emotionless voice.
“I am the [editor] in charge of advancing the history of the star ‘Varga’.”
“Oh, you’re that editor. Nice to meet you. By the way.”
He pointed to the already dead snake with his index finger.
“That’s mine.”
“You’ve probably heard it a lot.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There is no place for you here, that kind of thing.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
The man raised his hand. The great sword embedded in the snake’s head was pulled out and sucked into the man’s hand.
It’s a winning strategy.
The man was clearly the stronger one.
“But saying that is too insincere. Please answer me with a little more sincerity. You are not a player.”
“That’s right.”
“Not only are you not a player, but you are also a huge hindrance to the progression of the story of the star. However, the correction did not interfere with any of your actions. It did not stop you from using the moving stone, nor did it stop you from escaping from star #875. It did not stop you from killing the unique awakened ones who would play a big role in star #12 in the future. Why did you do that? Have you never thought about it?”
To be honest, it happened once or twice.
But I didn’t think deeply about it. I could roughly understand the system’s, well, the intention of the revision, when I entered the deep sea gate before.
“The correction understood you. Yes, you are a victim, as you said. The story that unfolds on Star #2403 is always about ‘progress’. It doesn’t matter what the Six Paths Sage does, or whether the ‘subordinate’ of the Six Paths Sage in the past brought the Seed of Fantasia and planted it. You were harmed in the process. I didn’t expect you to return after gaining power by crossing over to Titan, but your revenge was justified. In a broad sense, the influence of the Ascended reaches the entire star, so I understand that your revenge is directed at the Ascended. That’s why I left it alone.”
He took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. He tossed it aside as if he was asking for it.
“so?”
“All relationships start with conversation. If you don’t talk and act based on assumptions, eventually a big problem will arise.”
“So, so?”
“That’s why I came to talk. I came to give you some advice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What is your ultimate goal?”
“purpose?”
“There must be a reason why you moved from star #2403 to star #12. I want to hear exactly what that purpose is.”
hmm.
I thought while taking a breath of smoke.
What you want.
purpose.
As of now, there is only one.
“You’re cutting the throats of the ascended. Like you said, I’m the victim, right?”
“Okay. Go and follow me.”
I burst out laughing at those words.
There’s no way a conversation can go this smoothly.
It must necessarily be followed by a word, such as ‘but’.
“However, you will encounter the main story of the story of the stars that unfolds along the way. I do not ask for your cooperation. I would like you to try your best not to interfere.”
“I’ll just leave you alone as long as you don’t get in my way?”
“Yes.”
He spoke silently, smoking a cigarette.
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“It’s strange.”
“What’s strange?”
“Think about it. I was expecting carrots.”
“… … This isn’t a carrot?”
“Of course not. To put it simply, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be too bold. Those guys over there will clear it, so you just take what you need and go to another star right away. But if you listen closely, this is restricting my movements.”
“… … .”
“Freedom is something that cannot be bought with money, so how can restricting it be a carrot?”
“… … I thought you were stupid, but I guess you weren’t that stupid.”
I laughed. The masked man laughed too.
He said.
“Okay. Tell me what you want.”
“First of all.”
“… … It’s not just one.”
“Yeah, no. Listen. First of all, I’m not really interested in clearing the Abyss. I just came here because I was curious. But if I go in and clear it or not, isn’t it my freedom? So don’t restrict me or anything. I’ll just do whatever I want.”
“… … Keep going.”
“Second, this is both a question and a requirement, do editors like you also use moving stones? Carrying around thousands of them?”
“……no.”
The man raised his wrist.
There was a rather large bracelet there, which the man pointed to with his other hand.
“The exact name is long. We usually call it [Dimensional Travel Bracelet]. With this bracelet, we can travel between stars without a teleportation stone and make history.”
“I see. That’s my second request. Just give me that bracelet.”
“… … .”
“It’s because I’m lazy to carry the moving seat around. And the third one.”
The man shook his head.
“Okay. That’s enough. This bracelet is valuable. Whether it’s the third or the fourth, whatever you ask for, everything is already equalized with this one bracelet.”
Without hesitation, the man took off the bracelet on his wrist and handed it to me.
“The conversation started and ended positively. Our demands and your demands are fully aligned. Is that okay?”
“Is this something of that level?”
“This is something you can’t get even with money. However, since you are not an [Editor], the stars you can go to are limited. In particular, you cannot travel to the Nine Heavens with this bracelet. And keep in mind. The cooldown is 10 days each time you use it.”
“10 days? That’s too long.”
“It’s short. And this is my personal suggestion, so I would really like you to respond.”
He asked, putting the bracelet he was given on his wrist.
“What is it?”
The man asks in a serious tone.
“Wouldn’t you like to become [an editor]?”
I flinched slightly.
“I’ve received offers from many places, but I never thought I’d get one here.”
“So what’s the answer?”
“No thoughts.”
“… … Okay. If you change your mind, come to #999 or #2405.”
The man put the greatsword into the subspace and started walking.
I asked, looking at his back.
“Your voice sounds a bit familiar. Do you know me?”
The man waved his hand without saying anything. This can be interpreted as meaning that he does not want to answer and that he does not want to get involved any further.
And so the man disappeared.
Then, a sweaty Han Jeong-ah approached me.
“… … You already killed him?”
hmm.
“That’s what happened.”
I suddenly became curious.
“Didn’t the clear message pop up?”
Han Jeong-ah smiles slightly.
“The Abyss cannot be cleared by simply killing people.”
“Then what should I do?”
“It’s annihilation. We have to kill them all. Even the baby snakes.”
“I see. Then go and kill him.”
“… …What does Jin Shihou do?”
“Me? I’m going to look through that body.”
“… … .”
“why?”
“No. I’ll go and clean up.”
Even though her clothes were torn in some places, Han Jeong-ah did not take off her mask.
I’m a little curious about what kind of face is inside there.
“But how long are you going to wear the mask?”
“… … Do you want to see it?”
I stood still for a moment at Han Jeong-ah’s strange words.
“If you’re curious about what it’s like inside, I’ll show you.”
“Show me.”
Han Jeong-ah slowly raised her right hand and grabbed the mask that was covering her face.
And just as I was about to take it off, I raised my hand and grabbed Han Jeong-ah’s arm.
“I’m telling you this just in case. If you have any scars or anything you don’t want others to see, you don’t have to show them. I’m not forcing you.”
I just thought it was nothing special.
But I had a strong feeling that this wasn’t something trivial.
It was because Han Jeong-ah’s hands were shaking violently as she tried to take off her mask, but she really didn’t want to force it.
In the end, Han Jeong-ah put her hand down.
“… … You said you came from star #2403?”
“That’s right.”
“You said I was wearing a mask there too. Did you see inside?”
“I haven’t seen him. I told you we weren’t that close. I guess he didn’t even reveal his name.”
“… … Then it would be better not to show you.”
“Is that so?”
He let go of Han Jeong-ah’s arm and stepped back for a moment. Han Jeong-ah continued speaking.
“We are cursed. Our ‘Han’ family.”
“What curse?”
“… … No. I spoke nonsense. I’ll go and finish tidying up.”
Leaving only questions, Han Jeong-ah went to kill the baby Imoogi, and exactly 10 minutes later.
The Abyss has been cleared.
Han Jeong-ah and I moved back to Earth-12.
I’m a little curious.
What exactly is the curse of the Han family?
