Chapter 408: Expanding Kang So-hyun Universe (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 408: Expanding Kang So-hyun Universe (4)
Around the time Kang So-hyun led Licht toward the dungeon, a certain woman tilted her head at a sudden, unexpected development.
“Huh? What’s this? One of the seeds I planted has been destroyed…?”
The Infinite Witch.
She was an undying Old Monster who had reached S-rank not through sheer combat power, but through the sheer tenacity of her numerous ‘spare lives’ and her vast knowledge of sorcery.
Of course, her outward appearance was that of a young, beautiful woman, thanks to her constant body-hopping.
To be honest, the loss of one spare body among many wasn’t a particularly significant event for her. Nevertheless, she attempted to backtrace the culprit.
She was curious about what had happened, and if the perpetrator had done this knowing they were interfering with her, she felt she needed to deliver a fitting punishment.
The soul fragment and mana she had left in the spare were gone, but the location hadn’t changed, so she assumed it would be a simple task. However, her attempt ended in failure.
Not only was the mana perfectly shielded, but something akin to a barrier had been erected around the area to prevent her from ever interfering again.
“…Now I’m annoyed.”
The fact that such follow-up measures were taken meant there was a high probability the opponent had acted while being fully aware of her existence.
Yet, alongside her irritation, she felt a sense of admiration. It had been a very long time since she had seen a concealment so perfect that even her skills couldn’t pierce it.
“If I get the chance, I’d like to see who’s behind this…”
While she lamented the loss of a new body she had intended to use soon, she couldn’t help but feel intrigued by the meddler who had obstructed her.
* * *
After raiding a few dungeons that seemed clearable relatively quickly based on the information from the Con Artist Thief, the man looked at me with an expression that went beyond disbelief and bordered on revulsion.
“…I know I’m not really in a position to ask this, but who—or what—are you, really?”
“I’m just a cadet attending Leilan Academy?”
“Do you honestly expect me to… No, right. I agreed not to be curious or question things. Understood.”
Well, honestly, I did just solo five dungeons in a row, so I suppose it’s only natural for him to look at me like I’m a freak.
By the fourth one, the bastard was actually looking at the dungeon bosses with pity.
“Anyway, good work. I managed to snag some decent artifacts thanks to you.”
“…No, it was nothing. I was just a bit surprised earlier. Compared to what I received, this kind of information doesn’t even begin to pay you back.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d say that. That’s why I’m going to give you some homework.”
Oh, the word ‘homework’ must have been a joy to hear, because the Con Artist Thief’s face, which had been maintaining a forced smile, soured in an instant.
Well, I might feel a little bad, but I just don’t like it when this guy is in a good mood. I’d rather he be a bit miserable.
“Here, I’ve marked the things I need on the map you gave me. Find some time to collect them all by yourself.”
“…Wow. You’ve checked only the places I can miraculously clear on my own, but isn’t this a bit much? Are you really not going to give me any time for a touching reunion with my sister?”
“…Do you think I’m a psychopath? I didn’t tell you to go right this second.”
“Ah, my apologies. The trauma just flared up for a moment. Right? You wouldn’t make me go immediately, would you?”
“Right. Go catch up with your sister, and just have it done leisurely by next month.”
“…One of the places marked here?”
“No. All of them.”
“…Then how on earth am I supposed to finish all of them by next month? There are nearly twenty locations!”
“Why? You can spend about a week catching up with your sister, and then if you just don’t sleep for twenty days and focus on clearing them, you should be able to finish, right?”
“Are you telling me to die?”
“Aww, come on. You can do it.”
Of course, I didn’t actually intend to force him, but the thing is, he really can do it.
His personal record is sixteen dungeons in twenty days, so twenty in a month seems perfectly feasible, doesn’t it?
“Anyway, you worked hard today, so get some rest and go see your sister!”
“Wait, you’re not actually serious about making me do that, are you?!”
“Hey, who was the one who swore an oath of loyalty to do anything? You did. You.”
The guy tried to argue, but since it reminded me of the old days, I decided to tease him just a little more.
I’ll just mess with him a bit longer and then tell him to take his time.
Thanks to him, I’ve gathered plenty of gifts for the kids. I’ll just tell him to have it done within two months.
Even I have to admit, my schedule is incredibly merciful and generous.
Normally, a team would struggle to clear one dungeon a week, but our Con Artist Thief isn’t normal, so he’ll be fine.
Surely.
* * *
While Kang So-hyun was away for a moment, someone called together the group, who were all excited about sightseeing.
“I know you’re all excited to go sightseeing, so I’m sorry for calling you like this.”
Leilan Claudia.
She was the Chairperson of Leilan Academy, who had received help from everyone during the recent incident.
“I should start by thanking you all properly, but since we don’t know when Cadet Kang So-hyun will return, I’ll postpone the formal greetings. There is something I must tell you while he isn’t here.”
The group, who had initially looked curious, turned serious in an instant.
Usually, when someone brought up So-hyun while he wasn’t around, it wasn’t for a positive reason. In a sense, what Leilan was about to say fell into a similar category.
“…First of all, you all know that I have gained a special power, though it’s not as great as Cadet Kang So-hyun’s, right?”
“Yes, you said it was the power of the World Tree, right? Hah, well, at least no one will be brave enough to mess with the Academy now.”
“…Actually, when I was struggling to properly absorb this power, I received help from the Masked Man.”
The Masked Man.
There had been four masked villains who appeared before them that day, but no one misunderstood which one she was referring to.
She meant the one who had momentarily taken over Kang So-hyun’s body, displayed overwhelming skill, and then vanished without a trace.
“And in that moment, when the Masked Man’s power entered my body, I saw his past thanks to the power of the World Tree. And I have identified his true identity.”
It was a shocking revelation.
Uncovering the identity of the Masked Man, who had been shrouded in mystery until now, was a significant achievement.
However, a question naturally arose.
If it was just about the Masked Man, why did she have to say it while So-hyun was away?
Those with sharp intuition felt a strange sense of unease as they waited for the Chairperson to continue. What came out of her mouth next was truly staggering.
“The Masked Man’s identity is… another Cadet Kang So-hyun, who has returned to the past from the future.”
“…What?”
“…Chairperson, what kind of nonsense is that?”
It sounded like a very bad joke, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a hint of humor on her face—only conviction and sadness.
“I didn’t see the entire past, but I’m almost certain. The sense of loss, emptiness, and regret he felt was conveyed to me perfectly.”
She explained what she had seen and felt when the divine power connected them.
She spoke of him kneeling after seeing Cadet Lilac die at the hands of the Demon King.
Of him clashing and parting ways with Cadet Lee Yu-na.
Of him colliding time and again with an Association that was far more corrupt and powerful than it is now.
She spoke of his regret over failing to protect anyone, of his realization that everything he had done was meaningless, and finally, of him weeping in despair after the world was destroyed by some great evil.
“…It seems that in the future he came from, we all died, sooner or later. The reason Cadet Kang So-hyun was able to intervene and save us was likely because he received information from the Masked Man.”
“Wait, that’s a bit strange, isn’t it? Then why is he acting like a villain instead of a hero? If that’s true, he should be cooperating with us…”
“It’s probably because of the Association.”
“Ah, I guess that makes sense. This country is strangely sensible, but that can actually be a constraint if a superhuman wants to act freely.”
“No, Unnie. It’s still strange.”
Park A-ram seemed somewhat convinced, but this time Cathy raised an objection.
“The Association is gone now. So why is he still acting like a villain?”
“Among all the things he’s done as a villain, has he ever caused significant harm to anyone?”
“…Oh?”
“On the contrary, most of the time he appeared, he ended up helping.”
“…That’s true. His methods are strangely rough, but we’ve never actually suffered any damage.”
“Exactly. And while I’m not entirely sure about this part, I suspect that in the original future, he might have hesitated a lot due to his personality.”
What did that mean?
“Cadet Kang So-hyun seems rough, but he’s actually the type to stick to his principles. Because of that, he might have lost many things by hesitating. What if he decided not to repeat the same mistake after coming back to the past?”
Leilan, who had deduced something strangely close to the truth from an odd angle, began to flesh out her theory.
“He decided to do it alone rather than deal with such constraints.”
Up until now, it had been a deduction based on her observations and what she had seen, but from here on, her personal delusions began to mix in. Unfortunately, no one, including Leilan herself, noticed.
“Because of the guilt of failing to protect us, he couldn’t even ask for help. And since he couldn’t reveal his identity, he hid his face behind a mask.”
Yes, he must have decided to move forward while savoring his solitude, Leilan continued her speech with eyes full of even greater conviction.
“Every time he appeared, he talked about the standards of evil or correcting things through coercive means. I believe this is a critique of the current corrupt hero society and those who do nothing but engage in armchair theories. He’s saying that since the existing rules are rotten, he will create new ones.”
As Leilan’s eloquence was added to a delusion that was strangely not entirely wrong, the group began to accept this theory as an established truth.
“Perhaps the crises Cadet Kang So-hyun has faced were actually trials given by his future self, hoping that his past self would remain vigilant and gain greater strength.”
Everyone nodded, finding parts that seemed to fit.
“…Chairperson, then why didn’t So-hyun tell us that the Masked Man is his future self?”
“Cadet Han-hee, that’s a good question. It’s only my speculation, but I’ve thought about that as well.”
Even though she prefaced it as mere speculation, they were hanging on her every word.
“I suspect that Cadet Kang So-hyun himself might not even know that the Masked Man is his future self.”
“…What? Does that even make sense?”
“Why wouldn’t it? It’s more absurd to think that a masked villain is yourself from the future. In fact, none of us even considered such a possibility until I saw his identity for myself.”
For a moment, Baek Seol looked as if she were deep in thought, but she soon smiled and nodded as if it were nothing unusual.
“That’s certainly true.”
“Yes, it’s not impossible. Kang So-hyun would probably be the last person to think of that.”
“…Poor So-hyun. What are we going to do?”
“…Well, I might not be right about everything. This is a theory with a lot of speculation mixed in.”
She said so herself, but Leilan was already almost certain of her deduction.
The Kang So-hyun Universe, which had been expanding through a series of mutual misunderstandings, reached a massive turning point at this moment.
The Masked Villain…
No, the existence of another Kang So-hyun from the future had brought about a radical shift.
“…Perhaps he thoroughly distinguishes himself from Cadet Kang So-hyun.”
And that shift was racing toward its peak along with Chairperson Leilan’s delusions.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Even if he saves us in this era and saves the world, the fact that he already lost us doesn’t change. Perhaps he thinks he can’t be by our side like the current Cadet Kang So-hyun?”
At that moment, the group suddenly recalled the guilt he had shown in Hell.
What if the future Kang So-hyun had shown him glimpses of his failures? What if he had been manipulating him because of that?
Puzzle pieces that shouldn’t have fit began to click together in a bizarre way.
For something forced together, it looked so plausible that one might mistake it for the original shape—so elaborate and clean.
“If that’s the case, we have to tell him that’s not true.”
“Yes.”
“Of course.”
“We have to stop him from acting alone and show him that we’ve become strong now, too.”
“Exactly. Trying to do everything by himself is just like Kang So-hyun. Oh, I guess that’s because he is him?”
With determined eyes, the group accepted the new lore as fact.
And at this moment, when everyone was bracing themselves for the new setting, the timing was incredibly poor.
“Everyone, I’m back. Look what I brought…?”
Kang So-hyun returned.
“What’s going on? Why are you all gathered here?”
If he had arrived just a little earlier, he might have been able to stop the Kang So-hyun Universe from expanding further.
And.
“Ah, it’s nothing. Yeah, So-hyun. Shall we go sightseeing?”
“Y-Yeah. Let’s go, quickly! We’ve been waiting so long for you!”
If his eyes hadn’t been the eyes of a god, he might have just overlooked the group’s strangely suspicious behavior.
Unfortunately, his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils ultimately read the nearly completed Kang So-hyun Universe right out of their minds.
“Wait…? What…?”
Faced with that shocking content, Kang So-hyun fell into a state of utter confusion for the first time in a very long while.