Chapter 123
Chapter 123
The End of Salvation (Fin)
****
Whooosh—
A gust of wind blew strongly, shaking my body.
A week had passed since the trial began.
I had tried all sorts of methods.
I took sleeping pills to force myself to sleep, slapped my cheeks until they swelled, re-read the entire setting book, and even ran like a madman to find a loophole in the trial.
But I was still in the trial.
Time was of the essence, but the way to break the trial was still a mystery.
Therefore…
Whooosh—
I stood on the railing of the Seonghwa Bridge, facing the strong wind.
With the Hidden Piece Academy setting book in my hand.
The memories were gradually fading.
The sense of desperation was gradually shallowing.
The gap between reality and the ideal was closing, and if this continued, there was a high possibility that I would succumb to the trial.
I could never allow that. I absolutely should not.
I could not afford to falter when the glorious mission of the destruction of Illusion and the salvation of this other world lay right before my eyes.
I climbed onto the railing.
I couldn’t tell if it had all been the memories of someone on a mission or the delusions of a madman — or if, at this very moment, I’d simply awoken from that delusion for a brief while.
A world without Han Tae-jin no longer held any meaning.
The story was not over yet.
To end the story, I would definitely return.
There is no such thing as an unbreakable trial in the world.
Whooosh—
Another gust of wind blew, pushing my back.
I didn't resist and threw myself off.
I closed my eyes and relaxed my body.
My body plummeted rapidly.
A moment later, I collided with the surface of the water with a strong impact, and I opened my eyes with the feeling that the world was turning upside down.
And, I could see Ercia sitting demurely.
“As expected, you have awakened.”
“Ah….”
As expected.
To break the trial and return as Han Tae-jin, was what I needed to do to empty all of my past?
It felt as if something had been deeply cut away, but there was no lingering regret or attachment.
I was happy just to be able to see Renia, who was still lying with her eyes closed.
However, since I had only passed the final gateway for the decisive battle, relief was greater than joy.
I looked around at Renia, Na-yeon, and Hye-seo with a dazed expression and asked Ercia.
“How much… has passed?”
“About an hour has passed.”
“An hour?”
“Time inside the trial is meaningless.”
“…I see.”
I leaned my back against the cold wall of the tower.
And I looked at the party members in turn without a word, then asked again.
“But Ercia.”
“Yes, Brother.”
“Were there any rounds where you failed to pass the trial in the 52 rounds?”
“We failed in the 15th, 23rd, 32nd, 42nd, 45th, and 51st rounds.”
“….”
So there were quite a few rounds where this Trial Tower wasn’t conquered.
Well, having experienced it firsthand, it made sense—this was a trial that swallowed you like a swamp unless you had extraordinary mental strength.
And that meant.
“So this round isn’t guaranteed to succeed either.”
“Is that what you think?”
“No. We’ll definitely pass.”
Since we don’t know what trials each of us will face, it’s baseless confidence—but I chose to treat it as a reasoned faith.
Everyone would wake up.
Because they were all strong people.
“By the way, that guy God R'hell seems quite merciful, doesn't he?”
“Why do you say that?”
“He could easily wipe us out if he attacked now.”
Well, I don't know if it’s a childish setting like the national rule of children’s cartoons [No attacking during transformation], but anyway, I’m grateful for the current silence.
Come to think of it, it would be beyond cheap and a balance collapse to set up a trial that you absolutely fall into and then attack in between.
“He is testing us. To see if we are worthy of being his equal.”
“…So it’s the noble hobby of the final boss.”
“The longer one sits on the throne, the itchier their bottom gets. He will probably be quite pleased with our visit.”
“I hope the welcome isn't too grand.”
“I will pray that it falls short of your expectations, Brother.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
A silence that came after the short exchange of conversation.
The awkwardness that silence brought was certainly hard to bear.
Especially in a situation where you don't know when it will end.
I was looking for a suitable topic of conversation until the party woke up, and then I opened my mouth.
“Come to think of it, I haven't said thank you.”
“Eh?”
Ercia, who had been praying with her eyes closed and her hands together, opened her eyes.
“Thank you.”
“…For what…?”
“Thank you for your devotion to this world. Ercia.”
“Ah… I’m just doing what I have to do.”
“There’s no such thing. If you want to do it, you do it, and if you don't want to do it, you don't.”
“Hohoho. Now that I hear it, that’s true. Then I will humbly accept your thanks.”
Ercia bowed her head.
I leaned my head against the wall and looked up at the high ceiling.
It’s not even 2 a.m., but I feel strangely sentimental.
“Is it because the end is near? It feels… strange.”
It hadn’t even been half a year since I came to this world.
It was a long time if you thought it was long, and a short time if you thought it was short, but because there were so many things that happened, it felt long.
“Do you think this is the end?”
“Well… it is for me.”
For me, the possessor of the novel, the decisive battle with God R'hell meant the end.
Of course, it didn't mean a return to the real world.
If a return were possible, there would have been a setup where a messenger arrives, or a goal or reward is given—just like in other novels.
It was simply the end that marked a new beginning.
“The end… it sounds nice. The end.”
Ercia also seemed to be immersed in some kind of sentiment.
For Ercia, who had endured eons of time for the ‘end’ since the beginning of her mission, the single word ‘end’ must have a great resonance.
“You’ve really been through a lot.”
“Hoho, are you sure of victory?”
“Rather than being sure of victory… I’m saying goodbye in case of failure.”
“Yes?”
“If we fail, the 54th round of regression will begin, and then I’ll lose my memory. I wanted to say goodbye before that.”
“Ah….”
Ercia let out a groan and smiled sadly.
I silently offered her a handshake.
After looking at my hand for a moment, Ercia finally took it with both of hers.
“Thank you. Brother.”
And then…
“Eummm….”
Starting with Renia waking up, Na-yeon and Hye-seo also began to wake up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
1 hour, and the 53rd round.
Ercia had said with a quite excited voice that it was the round where everyone passed the trial in the shortest time of all the rounds.
It seemed that the time it took to pass this trial had an effect on the final result, but I didn't ask specifically.
It was because of what Ercia said like a habit, [Knowing the future is not a good thing].
And then…
“Hwaaah! I really thought I failed…!!”
Maybe it was because she had gone through such harsh trials, Renia kept crying, leaving no chance to fetch water.
As a side note, when Na-yeon heard that Renia and I had escaped the trial in the same way—[death]—she complained and sulkily said, ‘You’re a match made in heaven.’
Na-yeon’s escape method was [farewell], same as Ercia’s, and Hye-seo’s was [struggle].
We decided to discuss the details later.
As long as everyone had broken through the trial, it was now time to break through the final enemy, God R'hell.
Engraving a determined will into every cell, we, who had finished a short maintenance time, began to climb the stairs towards the top floor of the tower.
We encountered a monster that seemed to be raised by God R'hell in the middle floor, but it was no match for us, who had become even closer through the trial.
“Hahat! I got the last hit this time!”
“No you didn’t. I did.”
“Renia was faster by about 0.6 seconds.”
Renia and Na-yeon, who had recovered quickly, brought vitality even in the tense time as usual, and Hye-seo, who seemed to have been shaken for a moment but had returned to being a cool-headed investigator, moderately restrained that vitality.
How long had it been since we had climbed to the top floor?
Ercia, who was following from the rear, hesitated and called us.
“Um… Brother, Sisters?”
“Yeah?”
“What?”
Everyone stopped walking and responded to Ercia’s call.
“Now, once we climb these stairs, we will enter the great hall where the head of Illusion is.”
“Hoo, is that it…!”
“So these tiresome stairs are finally over.”
At Ercia’s words, the party members expressed their respective feelings.
I also looked at the huge iron door at the end of the stairs with a tense expression.
“The decisive battle will begin immediately. Before that… there’s something I want to say.”
Ercia rarely took the initiative to speak in front of everyone.
She only spoke concisely about the answers to questions, or about things that we absolutely had to know, and because we knew that, everyone listened to her words.
“I thought about it carefully after hearing Brother Tae-jin’s words.”
Huh?
Suddenly?
“What did I say…?”
“This is something only we knew. That if we didn't win against God R'hell, everyone will lose their memories and regress to a certain moment.”
“What…?”
I looked at Ercia with surprised eyes.
I had heard it before.
That she had revealed her identity several times in the 52 rounds, but it was limited to the person in charge of the mission, and she had never mentioned ‘regression’.
That’s why I was surprised.
“W-wait. Regression?”
“So, if we can’t defeat God R'hell, we’ll go back with our memories lost?”
Na-yeon and Hye-seo asked back, surprised each for their own reasons.
Renia already knew.
Because she had heard it because of the incident with Choi Do-han.
Come to think of it, only Na-yeon and Hye-seo didn't know that fact.
“Yes. We go back in time. With the power of the planet salvation organization, Eternity.”
“…W-why are you telling us that all of a sudden?”
At Na-yeon’s question, Ercia looked at me.
“Brother Tae-jin said it. That it was just a goodbye in case of failure.”
“I… did say that, didn’t I?”
“Looking back, I realize… I don't think I thought of you, Brother and Sisters, as comrades.”
“Why?”
“Because I tried to bear all the responsibility for our failure alone. I thought that if everyone lost their memories, I could simply start over by myself. That since losing one’s memories is such a sorrowful thing, I should be the only one to remember.”
Ercia murmured like a sinner confessing to a priest.
At that sight, no one could blame her.
Because we could tell without her saying how heavy the weight she had carried was.
Therefore, Renia, Na-yeon, and Hye-seo all listened to Ercia’s words without a word.
“But after hearing Brother Tae-jin’s words, I was able to realize how ignorant and shameless that thought was.”
“Ercia….”
“Brother and Sisters are comrades who have shared life and death with me. It was because of my arrogance that I didn't even give such people a chance to say their last goodbyes. I was being a hypocrite, saying I would carry it all myself.”
Ercia bowed her head.
“I’m sorry for deceiving you until….”
But that confession did not reach its end.
Tap—
Na-yeon placed her hand on Ercia’s left shoulder.
“…Sister?”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. In fact, it’s good.”
Na-yeon, who had said that, looked around at us.
With a smile on her face.
“Y-yes…?”
“I mean, even if we fail… that means we won’t die, right?”
“That’s right! It is!?”
Renia clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
…Seriously? How do they twist the perspective that far?
“Well, if you ask me whether I would lose my life or my memory, I think I would choose the latter as well.”
Wait—Hye-seo? Not you too?!
“S-Sisters….”
Ercia looked at them with a moved expression.
It was a look I had never seen before.
She had said that the transcendent humans, the ‘apostles’, were beings whose emotions had become dull, but the expression she had now was a moved one that only a ‘human’ would make.
“I thought you were going to tell us some huge twist or surprise, I was scared.”
Na-yeon said playfully and patted her shoulder.
As if it were no big deal.
I couldn't tell what was inside her, but it was an endlessly heartwarming sight.
“Ah, no… but still—”
“It’s okay. Instead, if we happen to regress, come find me first. Ercia.”
“Yes?”
Na-yeon said as if threatening(?) and looked at me and Renia.
With a sly smile.
“Because then I’ll seduce Tae-jin before Renia does.”
“Ah! No! That’s not allowed! Ercia! You have to come to me first!”
Renia glared at Ercia and patted her right shoulder.
…Hey, Renia, won't you be in Drogfia at that time?
“Just tell me the location of Gaikan. I’ll sweep it all by myself.”
Hye-seo muttered as she glared at the entrance to the top floor with murderous eyes.
Her venomous gaze seemed to be already chewing up God R'hell.
…It seems God R'hell will have to be careful in the 54th round.
Ercia bowed her head again and expressed her gratitude.
“E-everyone… thank you for understanding.”
“Enough. Just promise me—you’ll come to me first.”
“Ah! Me first! Stamp and copy, twet twet twet.”
Ercia, whose hands were suddenly taken by Na-yeon and Renia and was showered with promises.
At the ridiculous sight of the apostle of the transcendent, cosmic being Eternity, a small laugh came out.
And it’s a little cheesy, but…
“Ercia.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll never lose anyway.”
I made a reckless, and B-grade sensibility-filled boast.
Ercia smiled brightly and nodded her head.
It was the brightest smile I had ever seen.
“Of course. I believe in you, Brother.”
“….”
Mmm, answering like that with a holy face and a reverent smile makes me feel like some kind of cult leader.
“Me too! I believe too!”
Renia raised her right hand and joked, and Na-yeon followed by raising her left hand.
“Me too. I believe in my disciple.”
And all eyes turned to Hye-seo.
I knew that Hye-seo disliked awkward things, but for this moment, it would be okay to be a little awkward.
Hye-seo looked around at us with a pathetic expression, then soon smiled.
“Yes, yes. I believe.”
She answered with a two-handed raise that was contrary to her annoyed expression.
It was an awkward posture as if she were being punished, but it was a posture that was sufficient to shake off the faint fear that remained.
At that, I spread my arms, looked up at the top floor where God R'hell would be, and reverently and playfully recited.
“Oh, Hallelujah.”
It was the last spell uttered before the final battle, a cry that would lead us to victory, and the iron mace of condemnation that would break the infinite regression that had been repeated for eons of time.
We, who had lifted that iron mace high, marched straight to the entrance of the top floor.
“Multi-Shot-!”
“Breaker Will-!”
“Nightmare Thought-!!”
“Nemesis Walker-!!”
“May the power of the Holy Spirit bless all the battlefields…! Holy Arena-!”
Protecting each other’s backs.
Believing in each other’s swords.
For each other’s memories.
And for everyone.
The final battle of the 53rd round began.
It was.
The last battle that would never be again.
And the end of the salvation that would shine brilliantly.
<w:pgmar w:bottom="1440" w:top="1440" w:left="1440" w:right="1440" w:header="720" w:footer="720"><w:pgnumtype w:start="1"><w:r w:rsiddel="00000000" w:rsidr="00000000" w:rsidrpr="00000000"><w:rpr><w:b w:val="1"><w:bcs w:val="1"><w:sz w:val="28"><w:szcs w:val="28"><w:rtl w:val="0"><w:t xml:space="preserve">—Finally (1)