Chapter 48
Chapter 48
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: 19. The Deepest Part of the Abyss (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Star.
She was the lover with whom he had first—and last—envisioned a future.
It was the moment when the regressor's mind grew complicated.
Status messages popped up one after another.
The Apocalyptic Clock was hostile toward the malice reaching from beyond the horizon of providence. It was reacting as if having a seizure.
Its attitude was firm and unyielding.
No matter how far back he looked through past rounds, the Apocalyptic Clock had never reacted this intensely.
As Yoo Ji-tae read Morning Star's changes, he silently pulled up her profile and reviewed the information on Prototype X once more.
Other profiles had photos, but this one did not. Wondering why, he asked Ryunosuke, who was sitting dazedly across the office.
"This. Why is there no photo for subject number 42?"
"...Who knows. Looks like someone forgot to include it."
"Do you remember this woman's face?"
"Of course. She had a cute face. But she didn't show it for long. Unusual for an operator, she was clad in full-body armor."
Full-body armor?
Morning Star from the past had never worn such a thing.
The oddities didn't end there.
As if searching for something, the Apocalyptic Clock displaying [Searching...] brought up another status window.
This time, the target the Apocalyptic Clock pointed to was the Guardian's Sword hanging at Yoo Ji-tae's waist—the item Bom had handed him that dawn.
He drew the Guardian's Sword. Infused with the power of the Apocalyptic Clock, the blade was tightly filled with an invisible energy from the clock.
The regressor, pondering the situation for a moment, sheathed the sword again.
Then he said to Ryunosuke.
"Change my position from Wing Guard to Operator."
"...Not a difficult task, but why?"
Because Morning Star was the operator.
"Your family is in Tokyo, right?" After seizing Ryunosuke's weakness, Yoo Ji-tae left the office.
His clone followed behind him.
A mountain in a conflict zone untouched by human feet.
Yoo Ji-tae, wandering aimlessly, suddenly stopped somewhere.
The clone halted alongside him.
Yoo Ji-tae sat on a nearby tree stump.
Then he drew the Guardian's Sword and began sharpening its blade with his fingers infused with murderous intent.
Swish, swiiiish...
His index and middle fingers glided along the blade. No whetstone or abrasive, yet the sword began to sharpen keenly. The regressor stared at it with clouded eyes, slowly honing it for a long while with deliberate motions.
An entity beyond the horizon of providence.
The one dissatisfied with his regressions, sending malice.
He had no idea who or what 'it' was, or why. Nor could he yet gauge the scope of its power.
But now, he thought he knew what it intended.
Literally. It was malice.
It was leading him toward inconvenience, despair, or ruin.
As if to prove it, 'it' had annoyingly boosted Wei Lian's level and tediously turned Morning Star into Prototype X. It was telling him to kill, with his own hands once more, the old lover he had tortured to death long ago.
Swiiiish...
His sharpening hand gradually sped up.
The blade was already razor-sharp, but Yoo Ji-tae did not stop.
After the 2nd round ended.
In other words, after killing Morning Star and committing suicide. Yoo Ji-tae had never once sought her out. When they crossed paths by chance, he avoided her. In early rounds, out of guilt; in recent ones, no reason to narrow the distance. Perhaps that's why 'it' misunderstood.
'It' doesn't know me well.
That was Yoo Ji-tae's conclusion.
If it truly knew him, it wouldn't waste power so inefficiently on this scheme.
Probably picked up some half-baked info somewhere. Yet 'it' acted as if it knew him perfectly. Arrogantly.
The thought stirred irritation from the depths of his emotions.
At that moment, the clone broke his reverie.
"My lord. If there is a task, command me, no matter what it is."
The sole being that remembered fragments of his repeated history. "Archduke's Shadow (S)" had guessed what needed doing.
"If you wish, I shall oversee this event, and bury the outcome in my memory."
He shook his head without a word.
The next morning, early.
The 71-member raid party gathered.
As a hastily assembled group, members came from various affiliations and nationalities—strangers to one another. That's why Prototype X could slip in. Adding one more superhuman as operator amid that drew no serious suspicion. Ryunosuke's reputation as one of Japan's Twelve Divine Seats helped.
"...You really won't cause any separate issues, right?"
"Yeah."
"Handle your business quietly and leave. You make me uncomfortable."
Realizing his position, Ryunosuke didn't escalate.
Yoo Ji-tae, who knew Ryunosuke well, had anticipated his psychology. He was the type who understood power dynamics. He probably hoped Yoo Ji-tae would finish his business discreetly and vanish.
Soon, the raid party warped via station to the South Pacific.
An unnamed island. A 20m horizontal rift. The closed dungeon's entrance was pitch black. Stepping into that darkness led to a new world.
"Prepare for dungeon entry."
At Ryunosuke's command, the operators gathered. From now on, they would guide the seven combat squads.
Yoo Ji-tae headed to his assigned squad. Front Guards, Wing Guards, Healers, and Sharp Shooters were already there.
"Ah, you're the added operator? Nice to work with you."
He received greetings from a few.
And ahead of them.
One operator stood alone.
Thick plate armor from toe to crown. Yet she was quite short, and the magically tailored plate armor had feminine lines.
Yoo Ji-tae approached and stood beside her. Eyes from within the plate helmet met his and gave a slight nod.
"Operator, Morning Star."
At that instant.
— Ah, I-I'm Morning Star. I've been assigned as operator.
Ridiculously.
— Is it okay to call you Captain...?
Like a dream.
— Eek! B-blood!
Forgotten memories bloomed vividly.
"Nice to work with you."
"......"
As if memories were being injected. A flood of recollections surged madly.
"Why no reply?"
The voice was slightly different.
"Ah... No, you don't have to glare so scarily."
This was Morning Star's shell.
Even with fragments of memories from outside the timeline, she didn't recognize Yoo Ji-tae because the core was different.
"......Sorry."
Yoo Ji-tae pushed back the onrushing memories and nodded. Then he said nice to work with you. Only then did the tense Morning Star smile lightly. Laughter echoed from within the helmet.
"Entry!"
Soon, at Ryunosuke's order, the raid operation began.
Stepping through the rift, a world of sea and reefs awaited them.
This was the dungeon "Hetaiya's Sea."
The superhumans concentrated mana in their feet to walk on water. Impressive technique, but not difficult for those gathered.
"...Whew. A bit worrying."
Then Morning Star muttered toward Yoo Ji-tae.
"What is?"
"First time operating in a sea-like terrain. We're not swimming, but deep water scares me..."
Faint memories resurfaced again.
The timid Morning Star. Fearing blood. Afraid of heights. Tense near water. Whining over injuries. Moments flashed through his mind.
"If I fall in, don't leave me behind, okay? I'll sink 'cause I'm heavy."
Hahaha laughter rang from the helmet.
"......"
For a moment, irritation surged in Yoo Ji-tae's chest.
Beside him was not Morning Star. It was a demon's minion wearing her skin. Yet it mimicked her, following the original's memories.
The impulse to tear it apart struck like a blow. An intense urge. As if a hammer relentlessly pounded his head.
Still, the regressor suppressed the volcanic impulse. What he needed to kill wasn't Morning Star. Doing so would just play into the hands of the distant entity wishing him ruin.
'It' had probably crafted this change thinking of Yoo Ji-tae from the 2nd round.
But in that past round, the Yoo Ji-tae swayed by the world had died in the 2nd round.
He had killed him.
No such being remained in this timeline.
"Let's move out!"
Soon, under Morning Star's lead, the squad advanced.
Yoo Ji-tae, calming his emotions, followed her.
From his memory, Prototype X's combat demonstration followed one pattern.
1. Sneak into a large raid.
2. Pretend to be a raider and tackle the boss initially.
3. After combat ends and enemy forces are depleted, ambush the weakened allies.
4. Measure combat power that way.
5. Once all are dead, monopolize boss byproducts and collect superhuman corpses.
Here, step 3—"drawing out the demon's full power"—was key.
Like Oh Min-seong turning wolf-like during Gaeul's audition. That was "Molting."
To kill the 'enemy' deep within Morning Star, she needed to molt at step 3.
So he silently guided the squad with her. Killed monsters between reefs. Dodged those surging from ocean depths.
Before half a day passed, the combat squads assembled before the boss "Kraken."
"It's emerging! Everyone, battle stations—!"
Right after the main operator shouted.
From deep below the sea, a black shadow began to grow.
All raiders watched the colossal monster swelling in the depths.
Morning Star watched the raiders through her visor.
And Yoo Ji-tae watched Morning Star.
Their gazes crossed.
In the moment of imminent crisis.
Yoo Ji-tae drew the Guardian's Sword.