Chapter 402
Chapter 402
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 402
Chapter Title: Racial War (41)
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The Eternal Train lurched forward toward the next station with a heavy rumble.
The scenery of "Earth Station" receding rapidly outside the window was bathed in a golden afterglow, as if proclaiming the domain of a being who had just forged a new legend.
The atmosphere inside the train had shifted dramatically—heavy, tense, and thick with unspoken weight.
Representatives and warriors from countless races were aboard, yet their gazes inevitably drifted to one place: the compartment section occupied by the humans.
The fact that all tickets from "Earth Station" had been monopolized by humans—more precisely, by a single human named Park Chan-woo.
This was unprecedented in the history of the Eternal Train's operation.
Tickets from each station were essential for proceeding to the next and symbolized a race's power and influence.
For one race—humans, no less, who had been dismissed as weaklings until now—to claim them all foreshadowed a tectonic shift in the power dynamics aboard the train.
And at the center of this uproar...
The space assigned to humanity's survivors in one of the train cars.
More than relief at their survival, the air there was thick with suffocating tension and awe.
Because by the window, instead of gazing at the outside scenery, sat Park Chan-woo—the being who had just displayed mythical might—quietly.
Standing silently beside him was Ataraxia, who took human form but was no human.
"......"
"......"
No one could easily open their mouth.
The only sounds were occasional dry swallows or subdued breaths.
The absolute being who had saved them from the brink of annihilation.
The entity who had upended the entire board with incomprehensible power.
The mere fact that he occupied the same space as them, close enough to touch, was an immense pressure in itself.
Lee Hyuk-soo sat rigidly across from him diagonally, practically on the verge of kneeling.
His eyes brimmed with utter devotion and reverence, without a shred of doubt.
Even his breathing was cautious.
Every time Park Chan-woo turned his head slightly or made the tiniest movement, he flinched, trying to gauge his intent.
'You've returned. That's enough.'
Lee Hyuk-soo smiled faintly.
No other words were needed.
To him, Park Chan-woo was a living god.
'Park Chan-woo... Is that really you?'
Adora leaned against the corner of the compartment, arms crossed, alternating glances between Park Chan-woo and Lee Hyuk-soo.
A flurry of emotions passed through her red eyes.
Park Chan-woo's transcendent power was undeniably alluring.
The extraordinary nature he'd shown since the Tower of Pride had finally blossomed in full.
Yet at the same time, she felt a strange distance—and even a touch of pity—from this being who had become so detached from other humans.
She yearned for such absolute power, but her lingering desire to once stand side by side with him as a comrade left her conflicted.
She couldn't decide whether to speak to Park Chan-woo or simply observe his intentions in silence.
'Park Chan-woo... That's Lee Hyuk-soo's master, the divine being tied so deeply to Adora?'
Han Shin leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
But every nerve in his body was focused on Park Chan-woo.
An suffocating pressure.
It wasn't just raw strength.
It stemmed from a fundamental difference in their very existence.
He was face-to-face with the pinnacle of the strength he had pursued his whole life.
'Damn it.'
He swallowed a curse inwardly.
Incomprehensible power. Godlike authority.
Even witnessing it all firsthand, a dark emotion stirred in a corner of his heart.
Jealousy.
And absurdly, a spark of rivalry.
Of course, rationally, he knew it was impossible.
Just moments ago, he had teetered on death's door.
If not for Demon God Belial's power regenerating him down to the cellular level, he would have died.
Yet this being had reversed even Lee Hyuk-soo's death and set everything right.
A gulf as vast as heaven and earth.
No—even greater.
But Han Shin's instincts, his unyielding pride, refused to fully accept that chasm; it still hungered for something more.
"So..."
The first to speak was Reaper Johnson.
His voice, which might have seemed reckless, carefully pierced the taut tension filling the compartment.
All the survivors' eyes snapped to him, then to Park Chan-woo in the next instant.
"You're... Park Chan-woo? Lee Hyuk-soo's master?"
Reaper Johnson's direct question made the air in the compartment sink even heavier.
Several warriors unconsciously swallowed, watching Park Chan-woo's reaction.
'How dare that insolent fool speak so boldly to the Prophet!'
Lee Hyuk-soo looked ready to lunge at Johnson and reprimand his rudeness, but before Park Chan-woo's presence, he couldn't move, his lips trembling.
Adora's eyes widened slightly in surprise, then shifted to an intrigued expression as she watched Park Chan-woo.
Someone had to break the stifling silence, and it coming from an unexpected source was amusing.
How would Park Chan-woo respond?
Was he the Park Chan-woo she remembered, the one everyone knew—or had he been reborn as something else through the rift? This answer would decide it.
As all eyes focused, Park Chan-woo slowly withdrew his gaze from the window and turned to Reaper Johnson.
His eyes were deep and serene, holding no discernible emotion.
Just Park Chan-woo's gaze alone made cold sweat trickle down Johnson's back, but he forced himself to stand firm, feigning composure.
And finally, Park Chan-woo's lips parted.
"I've kept you waiting a long time."
...In truth, he himself had agonized over what to say.
It felt awkward.
Like it had been far too long since they'd last met.
Maintaining the enlightenment of Yu Yeol-ban's and Mu Yeol-ban's realms had made time feel endlessly stretched.
Reaper Johnson twitched his brow, sensing the subtle shift in Park Chan-woo's gaze upon him.
'Kept us waiting? In this situation?'
He'd expected an answer to his question, but what came was a remark that felt oddly out of context.
Yet the strangely human nuance in those words left him confused.
Lee Hyuk-soo interpreted it as directed at him and bowed his head deeper in感动.
'As expected, the Prophet knew everything—that we were waiting for you...!'
One sentence didn't resolve the tension.
Park Chan-woo pondered again.
He needed a more deliberate response.
"I am indeed Park Chan-woo. As for my relationship with Lee Hyuk-soo..."
He chose his words carefully.
Feeling Lee Hyuk-soo's fervent gaze and the curious eyes of the other survivors, he sought the most fitting expression.
"...We can entrust our backs to each other."
It avoided the direct term "master" while affirming Lee Hyuk-soo's devotion and framing their bond as mutual—subtle and layered.
But the "trust" was absolute.
Reaper Johnson narrowed his eyes at the response.
Not everything was crystal clear, but at least Park Chan-woo didn't seem like an incomprehensible transcendent being.
And he clearly held Lee Hyuk-soo in special regard.
He wanted to ask more, but meeting Park Chan-woo's eyes sapped his courage.
Lee Hyuk-soo felt a shiver course through his entire body at Park Chan-woo's words.
'Entrust our backs...!'
A relationship where they could trust each other with their backs.
More thrilling than any title or position—an expression of absolute trust.
Park Chan-woo had acknowledged him not as a mere follower, but as a comrade in battle.
That alone steeled Lee Hyuk-soo to offer everything he had.
Park Chan-woo observed their varied reactions for a moment before speaking again.
"Enough personal talk for now."
All eyes refocused on him.
"As you can see, the situation has changed. And we've survived. That's the most important fact."
Park Chan-woo slowly scanned the compartment as he continued.
"But this isn't the end of the line. The Eternal Train will keep heading to the next stations, and the journey ahead will be far more perilous than before. Just our monopoly on 'Earth Station' tickets alone will make countless enemies target us."
Tension crept back onto the survivors' faces.
"I intend to lead you all. But let me be clear."
Park Chan-woo's golden eyes pierced each one in turn.
"My protection isn't unconditional. My resources aren't infinite."
His voice grew cold.
"On this train, and at every station we face ahead, you must prove your worth. Your right to survive—and your right to stand by my side and fight together."
A cruel declaration.
No sentimental comfort or cheap hope.
A stark message: only skill and results would guarantee their survival.
"What I need aren't mere survivors. I need 'warriors' who can find their role in any adversity, contribute, and secure victory together."
A heavy silence enveloped the compartment.
Park Chan-woo's words transcended mere demands, like a verdict demanding proof of their very existence, rippling deeply through everyone's hearts.
Then, Han Shin finally opened his tightly shut eyes.
His gaze no longer evaded; it bored straight into Park Chan-woo at the window.
Jealousy and vague rivalry had given way to desperate resolve and a faint glimmer of hope in posing an almost impossible question.
"...Do you truly intend to win this racial war?"
Han Shin's low voice carried weight that drowned out every other sound in the compartment.
It wasn't a simple question.
For humanity, who had nearly gone extinct against a single Ataraxia—what limits could they reach?
A fundamental query hurled at a being who had dared step into the realm of gods.
Park Chan-woo met Han Shin's gaze without flinching.
A brief stillness.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for his words.
Soon, Park Chan-woo spoke.
"Yes."
One word.
But the conviction within thundered like lightning.
An absolute affirmation brooking no doubt or retreat.
Han Shin's brow twitched.
He swallowed dryly, suppressing his voice to ask the next.
"...What rank are you aiming for?"
Instead of answering, Park Chan-woo rose slowly from his seat.
Every movement overwhelmed everyone in the compartment.
His silhouette against the darkness outside loomed like an ancient deity.
Faint golden divine afterglow shimmered around him.
Park Chan-woo looked over Han Shin, then every warrior in the compartment.
For an instant, it felt as if a voice imprinted directly on every soul there.
"Humanity will, in this racial war, undoubtedly..."
He emphasized each syllable.
And Park Chan-woo declared his unyielding final will.
"...win."
"......!!!"