Chapter 220
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: A Forged God
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With a sickening thud, Lee Hyun-wook's body shattered into pieces.
"..."
In that instant, the world fell silent.
"..."
No one could make a sound... not even Lee Hyun-wook's companions: Kim Se-hee, Park Jun-mo, Seo Eun-ha, Woo Seong-mun, and Emilia Müller. They didn't react, not because they were in shock, but because they simply couldn't believe what they had just seen.
The sight of a hero who had never known defeat, who had seemed so absolute, being reduced to a bloody pulp and vanishing... felt utterly unreal.
"Hmph... Now, this is our answer to your defiance."
As she spoke, the Administrator—the woman known to humans as Nicole—regenerated her severed lower body and levitated the fragments of Lee Hyun-wook's corpse into the air.
"—No!"
"You damn bitch!"
Park Jun-mo, Kim Se-hee, and the others belatedly lunged forward in fury, but the surrounding Players held them back.
Watching them with amusement, Nicole used the power of the 'System' to stir the mana within his body, causing blood to gush from the pieces of flesh.
Unseen by the Players, a delicate red net began to move, meticulously gathering the blue mana particles entangled in Lee Hyun-wook's nervous system.
But then...
"Huh? What's happening?"
She tilted her head, her expression one of utter confusion.
The 'data' that should have been in Lee Hyun-wook's corpse, the data she needed to hastily collect, was disappearing in real-time.
A single question began to consume her thoughts, and her face turned deathly pale.
Where on earth was it all going?
***
*I... died.*
Lee Hyun-wook instinctively knew he was dead.
*No, my physical body was disintegrated.*
In other words, he had met a biological death.
But Lee Hyun-wook was no longer merely a biological being. He had fully comprehended the super-substance known as 'mana' and had begun to fragment his consciousness, storing it within the mana itself.
This made another form of existence possible, beyond biological survival... He could exist as fragmented pieces within the vast expanse of mana.
In real-time, he understood how to weave mana into his nervous system with greater sharpness and precision.
Consequently, like an advanced computer, his intuition began to analyze all phenomena at incredible speeds, learning how to manipulate all matter.
Furthermore, he could now sense unseen realms, such as the walls between dimensions and the energy beyond them...
He defined this moment as such.
*...Transcendence.*
Yes, he was now experiencing transcendence in its truest sense.
However, his current situation was far from ideal.
*...At this rate, my consciousness will evaporate in a few seconds.*
His senses were fading rapidly.
*This thing called mana, for now, can only maintain its function when connected to the nervous system of an intelligent being.*
To put it another way, the 'data' of mana could only be processed if it resided in the 'storage medium' of a nervous system.
But with his physical body destroyed, his nervous system was also rapidly perishing.
*...I need a body.*
In the future, with more time, it might be possible to redefine a creature's physical structure and build a virtual nervous system, but he had not yet reached that level of ability.
*I need a nervous system, a storage device to transfer this data into. And it has to be a nervous system identical to my own.*
Because this 'data', which was close to that of a god, was configured specifically for Lee Hyun-wook's nervous system.
In short, it required perfect compatibility.
In a fleeting moment, he moved his consciousness into the rift between dimensions.
Just a few seconds ago, he hadn't known where it was or how to access it, but his unshackled will could now swiftly comprehend and control everything.
Lee Hyun-wook's consciousness sank into a viscous darkness.
*This is... the same darkness I saw just before I regressed.*
Soon, just like then, a light appeared in the distance.
He flew toward it and pushed his head into the light.
The next moment—
"..."
He slowly exhaled and sat up.
He raised his hands to inspect them, then looked down at his body. The physique that should have been shattered was perfectly intact.
And this place... it was quite familiar.
*Tick— tock—*
It was the barracks... where he had served his military duty.
Just then, the door opened, and someone came in.
A man, a private with a buzz cut, dressed in a black combat uniform.
He approached hesitantly and spoke to Lee Hyun-wook.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, are you awake? It's time for evening formation."
Lee Hyun-wook slowly got up from his bed.
And looked at Park Jun-mo.
"Park Jun-mo..."
"Private Park Jun-mo— Yes, sir!"
Lee Hyun-wook looked at him and let out a small laugh. He never thought he'd see this kid's clumsy self again.
"Uh... is something wrong, sir?"
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"No, nothing. I'll be out soon, so you go on ahead."
"Yes, sir."
In the empty barracks, he took a moment to breathe, then opened his locker and looked at the mirror inside.
Once again, he saw his own youthful face.
*Is this the third time I'm seeing this face?*
This was Earth in another dimension, another one of the Administrators' laboratory flasks.
He slowly changed into his black combat uniform, briefly lost in old memories.
In his first life, at this very moment, he had lived powerlessly, doing nothing.
In his second life, at this very moment, he had swallowed the paperclip and dreamed of a new future.
And now, his third life...
He exhaled and reached out into the air. But this time, it wasn't metal he sensed.
He tore open the rift between dimensions, forcing it apart.
A black shimmer appeared in mid-air.
*Gwo-o-o-o—*
It was a dimensional passage, a Black Gate.
Lee Hyun-wook slowly walked into it.
And when he stepped out on the other side—
*Whoooosh—*
The ruined cityscape of Seoul spread out before him.
It was the very same place he had been standing just minutes ago... Turning his head, he saw Players nearby, one by one.
They were terrified, and a few of them looked shocked when they spotted him.
Among them was Park Jun-mo.
"Uh... huh..."
He had been crying, and now he stared blankly at Lee Hyun-wook.
Without a moment to acknowledge him, Lee Hyun-wook turned his head the other way.
There, he saw the woman, Nicole, rummaging through a bloody mass—likely the fragments of his own corpse—suspended in the air... She, too, was utterly horrified to see him.
"Wha? Wh-! Th-this... h-how..."
She stumbled backward, her face a mask of fear.
This scene, this phenomenon, was something she couldn't comprehend, even as an Administrator.
Lee Hyun-wook approached her and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the contents of the <Global Announcement> floating in the sky began to distort bizarrely once more.
- *&%^$$#@ will now terminate.
The red particles binding the mana in the area evaporated, and all control of the System was released.
In other words, the System had collapsed.
At the same time, like veils being lifted, the cosmic mirage in the sky receded, and circular alien spacecraft began to appear, one by one.
It was impossible to know how long they had been there, but a considerable number of them were encircling Earth's orbit. They were so massive that it looked as if multiple moons had appeared to surround the planet.
In just a few seconds, Lee Hyun-wook scanned the interiors of the spacecraft and determined that they were relay stations for operating the System, as well as bases where the Administrators resided.
"Uh, uh— uh—"
Nicole backed away as Lee Hyun-wook approached.
Walking toward her, Lee Hyun-wook slowly raised his left hand and reached for the sky.
*Rumble—*
The Administrator bases in Earth's orbit began to be pulled down toward the planet.
And...
*BOOM—! BOOM—!*
Before they even reached the atmosphere, they exploded and fell apart.
What this meant was simple.
It was the moment all the leashes that had been fastened around Earth and humanity were finally broken.
Lee Hyun-wook's left hand gestured toward the spacecraft that had crashed earlier. Inside was the true body of Nicole, the Administrator.
*Krrrrrrk—*
The surface of the craft tore apart like paper, and a blue figure flew out from within, stopping in mid-air before Lee Hyun-wook.
"Kuh!"
It had limbs like a human, but it was a blue-skinned alien with long, drooping ears and large eyes.
This was the true form of the alien race known as Administrators.
Lee Hyun-wook pulled it before him.
"Well now... it seems you have a lot of questions. I suppose I should be the one to answer them this time?"
Lee Hyun-wook quipped in a cold voice.
The tables had completely turned.
In response, Nicole, the Administrator, actually asked a question.
"You, you... what... how... Have you truly become a god now?"
"I wouldn't use such a childish name, but it seems the intended result of your experiment has been a success."
As he spoke, Lee Hyun-wook continued to crush the Administrator bases that were falling toward Earth, one by one.
The scene was utterly menacing, with explosions roaring—*boom, boom*—above his head and massive fragments of spacecraft raining down behind him.
Watching the spectacle, the Administrator wore a look of utter despair.
"This is impossible. Th-this can't be happening..."
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"No, this was bound to happen. Humans, you, all intelligent beings seem to believe they have something under control. Whether it's an experiment, a hazardous facility, or even nature itself..."
This was an experiment. A very dangerous one.
And that experiment has resulted in a major accident.
And the bigger the experiment, the bigger the accident.
Like an uncontrollable catastrophe, such as a nuclear power plant meltdown or a virus leak from a biochemical lab.
To put that accident another way...
"...Just as you said, a bug has occurred."
A bug. That was Lee Hyun-wook himself.
If this disaster was a game, Lee Hyun-wook was the bug.
If this disaster was an experiment, Lee Hyun-wook was the accident.
In other words, he was the variable.
Even now, Lee Hyun-wook continued to expand his mana embodiment, his senses reaching a point where he could control mana from hundreds of kilometers away.
With just a few thoughts, he completely destroyed all the facilities the Administrators had spread across the Earth.
*BOOM— BOOM—*
Explosions echoed throughout the world.
He then looked back at his dumbfounded companions.
They had always been amazed by Lee Hyun-wook's feats, but this was on an entirely different scale.
The presence emanating from him was overwhelming. To be precise, his nervous system could now access all mana, allowing him to stimulate the mana entwined within the Players' bodies and induce status effects, which felt like an immense pressure.
That was the true nature of the ambiguous phenomenon called 'presence'.
Lee Hyun-wook looked at each of them before speaking.
"...I think I'll have to be away for quite some time."
As he said this, he gathered all the mana in the area, and luminous objects began to appear above his head like mushrooms after a rain.
*Woong—woong—woong—woong—*
Like a blooming galaxy, the things adorning the sky were... none other than the greatsword, Mogeley. He had created them all with a single gesture.
Next, a massive black shimmer materialized in front of Lee Hyun-wook, and Nicole asked with a nervous expression.
"...Wh-where does that gate lead?"
It was a portal to another dimension, a Black Gate.
Lee Hyun-wook looked down at the restrained Administrator.
"From now on... upon your world..."
He raised his left hand and gestured, and the Mogeleys floating in the sky began to pour toward the portal like a waterfall.
"...I intend to make it rain steel."
And at the end of that procession, Lee Hyun-wook walked in.
And so, the forged god escaped the laboratory.