The Moment I Burst Its Heart
The instant I crushed its heart, the bastard's body crumbled to ash and scattered. The soot was carried far away by a sudden gust of wind.
You have successfully saved the world from the Beast of Destruction!
You have brilliantly completed <Advent Day – Second>!
You have completed all quests in the Reverse Dungeon! The final reward will be given after returning to reality.
Possession will be released shortly!
“……”
System messages signaling that everything was over floated silently in the air.
With the Destruction King's annihilation, the gate devouring the sky vanished at the same time. The blood-red sky cleared to a brilliant blue, revealing white clouds.
The constellation War Incarnate praises your feats to the skies!
War Incarnate asks if you feel a bit relieved now.
“Relieved?”
I glanced at the spot where the Destruction King had collapsed just moments ago. Shifting my gaze, I surveyed the devastated, half-destroyed city and looked up at the clear sky. Inhaling deeply the sweet breeze tickling my nose, I said,
“Of course I am.”
War Incarnate, who was prepared to preach the futility of revenge, is slightly taken aback!
What nonsense. The futility of revenge?
“It feels like half a lifetime of pent-up resentment just drained right out. Best. Ever.”
The sage time after revenge? Sure, it's not entirely absent. But this emptiness? It came because I offed the Destruction King way too easily—far simpler than I'd imagined.
Earlier, while madly hacking at it with Storm Slash, a hollow void had filled my chest. For a split second then, I wondered if I was truly feeling that 'futility of revenge'...
Nah. The bastard was just too weak. Left a bad taste, that's all.
And besides.
Now I can finally stretch out and sleep easy.
No more tossing and turning at night imagining killing the Destruction King. No more cold sweats whenever that prick showed up in my dreams—and it wasn't just once or twice.
The thrill of knowing I'd greet clear, refreshed mornings from now on hit me right then.
“H-honey?”
Dad emerged, squeezing through a mountain of collapsed buildings. He stared blankly at the miraculously restored world and asked,
“Wh-what happened?”
“What do you think happened?”
I gave a concise answer, stripped to the bare facts.
“We saved the world.”
Flashing the beaming grin that had made Dad fall for Mom—the one that sealed the deal.
“……”
Dad fell silent at my words. Hard to believe the crisis had ended so abruptly, right? But the Destruction King was dead, the sky gate gone. The demonic presences blanketing the earth? Vanished like a lie.
That's the truth. And reality.
And Dad wasn't the type to doubt or stay wary of that truth—he wasn't that stuffy.
“'We'? Feels more like you did it all alone.”
“You hit it with Light and Shadow Strike right on time—that's how I finished it off. At least half the credit's yours.”
“…Lady Sung says so herself; I hardly know where to put myself.”
Dad joked with exaggerated gestures. I chuckled at the joke, and so did the joker himself.
A soft breeze whispered between us and passed by.
After it did—
Dad was suddenly right in front of my nose. His gaze locked warmly onto mine... Huh?
“Honey.”
“Y-yeah?”
In an instant, Dad's face closed in fast.
Whoa, hold up. Even if he's my loving dad, this is too much!
I kicked him square in the gut.
War Incarnate laments: Is there such unfilial impiety in the world?!
No such thing as a 'good' unfilial act in the world, sure—but unavoidable ones exist.
Dad looked like he couldn't recover from the shock. Whether it was physical or mental, I didn't even want to imagine.
Right after saving the world from doom.
As we bickered like something out of a trashy romance drama—
“He's over there!”
“Ahh...!”
“Player Hwang Hyun-min is down! He must've gotten hurt in the fight...!”
“What are the healers doing? Hurry and give first aid...!”
Murmurs rapidly filled the surroundings. I looked toward the voices.
Not far off, people from the shelter were gathering in a group, heading our way.
Makes sense—they'd been watching the outside situation on the shelter monitors, more or less...
“I-I'm fine, everyone... ”
Dad waved off the players rushing for first aid, his face anything but fine.
A brief silence fell.
With so many people around, it was eerily quiet.
Then—
“Wooooaaahhh—!”
Cheers erupted.
Dad and I stared around in bewilderment. Some hugged strangers and screamed, others collapsed in tears, still others trembled with quivering lips, just clapping...
Forms varied, but the emotion dominating them was one:
“……”
I saw people alive, vividly savoring that emotion.
And suddenly, a thought struck me.
What if this world was just a fake, meticulously recreated simulation...?
It'd feel empty.
Maybe I'd feel that 'futility of revenge' War Incarnate mentioned.
Just dismiss it as unrelated to my reality—nothing changes in my world anyway, right? Pessimism like that.
Sure, my reality outside the Reverse Dungeon didn't change.
But—
- There is past, present, and future there.
- That means...
- I swear on my discerning eye for truth: It's 'real'.
I saved another world's reality. A proper one with past, present, and future.
Imagining my future on a world line where Mom and Dad didn't sacrifice themselves...
Hm. Not half bad.
[Returning to reality in 10 seconds.]
[10, 9, 8...]
Time to say goodbye. Regrettable, but I was heading back where I belonged.
The sensation of my consciousness slowly drifting from the body arrived.
The constellation War Incarnate bids you farewell with reddened eyes!
War Incarnate sincerely thanks you for saving his agent!
The old man's got tears in him after all. But hey, familiarity breeds affection—even after our short, rocky time together, I felt bittersweet too.
[5, 4, 3...]
Finally.
I pulled Dad, still looking glum, into a tight hug.
Come to think of it, I hadn't passed this on yet.
“I love you.”
At the sudden love confession—and polite speech—Dad stiffened in surprise.
But this time, I didn't care.
For this final moment, I'd hide nothing.
“You're the man I respect most in the world, Dad.”
“Wha—suddenly wh—”
Before Dad could finish his bewildered protest, my vision shook.
Just like when I entered, an immense wave of light engulfed me on the way out. Floating in midair, I tumbled along with it, falling and falling.
But then—
You have perfectly recreated the most noble moment of the Holy Heroes!
As additional reward, we will show you the circumstances at the time of the Holy Heroes' passing!
Oh yeah, there was this too.
Veterans said that while returning to reality after completing the quests, the system shows footage of the constellation's most noble moment. Boosting affinity with the constellation dramatically.
Wait, hold on.
Replaying my mom's most noble moment...?
System, you bastard—digging up trauma without asking?
A wave of revulsion hit me as the footage unfolded before my eyes.
***
“No chance of winning.”
“Agreed.”
Atop ruins evoking the world's end, they each uttered a word.
No chance of winning. Sung Hyun-sook's line summed up the situation perfectly.
Their states were wretched. Bodies covered in wounds too gruesome to behold. A normal person would've lost consciousness from shock or blood loss long ago.
<Is that all your struggling gets you?>
In a world shrouded by doom, at its center, the culprit behind the catastrophe sneered.
Gravely wounded Sung Hyun-sook and Hwang Hyun-min strained to glare at the Destruction King hovering loftily in the sky.
Grit.
Sung Hyun-sook bit her lip.
“That damned bitch...”
How many hours—or days—since the battle began? They'd thrown everything at the Destruction King.
Not without results. It was as wounded as they were.
But in a fight for the world's fate, 'results' meant nothing without killing it.
The tide was overwhelmingly against them. The only ones who could stop it could barely move.
“About Jae-min...”
Hwang Hyun-min, gathering his thoughts, spoke.
“Like you said, did we spoil him too much?”
“...Why bring that up now?”
“No...”
With a faint smile, Hwang Hyun-min gazed at the crimson sky.
“I wonder if he can make it on his own without us.”
“……”
“Should've raised him tougher, your way.”
Sung Hyun-sook easily grasped the meaning behind his words, laced with regret and longing.
She asked,
“What's the plan?”
“Open the Abyss.”
The constellation Savior Archmage startles at your words!
“No other way.”
Messages poured from the shocked constellation.
Makes sense—his prized game character declaring self-destruction.
Sung Hyun-sook replied with eerie calm, even to herself.
“Can't kill it? Then trap it in the abyss instead?”
“We'll get trapped too.”
“Need someone inside to close the door, right?”
“Two doors. I close one, you the other.”
“Fuck. Your constellation sponsored some bullshit skill. Could've been closable from outside.”
The constellation Savior Archmage sheds tears, regretting his past choices!
Hwang Hyun-min smiled wryly.
“Sponsored for times like this. Crying now won't help.”
“Huh? What? Your constellation's crying? A Hall of Fame guy with a heart that soft...”
“Yours too, isn't he?”
“No idea what you're on about. My constellation's watching stoically with admiration...”
The constellation War Incarnate sobs, covering his face with both hands!
“...Look at this guy ditching his image at the end.”
But neither Savior Archmage nor War Incarnate blocked their agent's resolve.
Sealing a proxy's mana circuits temporarily? Trivial with constellation authority.
They didn't.
They knew. This noble sacrifice would lead their spirits to the Honor Hall. The cosmic order would elevate them to their ranks.
Then, Sung Hyun-sook let out a hollow laugh.
“I'm going crazy with guilt.”
“Jae-min?”
“Yeah. What parents are this selfish?”
Hard to argue, so Hwang Hyun-min stayed silent.
“Guess what I'm thinking right now?”
“What?”
“Jae-min kept nagging for a game console. Should've just bought him a nice one.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. Now.”
“Look on the bright side. You raised him strict, so he'll manage alone.”
“Hope so...”
Moisture crept into her flat tone.
“Driving me nuts. All I can think of are the things I couldn't do for him.”
“……”
Hwang Hyun-min didn't reply. Instead, he forced his fragile legs to stand.
Breaking the silence, he said,
“As sorry as we are to our kid, let's do our duty as parents to the end.”
A torrent of brilliant mana surged from Hwang Hyun-min. He poured his life's energy.
“Couldn't buy the console, but let's protect his future.”
Abyss (Ex)
Forbidden spell! Once opened, the reverse world cannot be closed by anyone without sacrificing your life!
Rumble—
A spine-chilling roar shook heaven and earth.
Sensing the ominous flow, the Destruction King whipped around in shock toward the source.
There, a massive dark-iron gate tore through space, rapidly widening its maw.
<What is...?!>
Gazing into the darkness beyond, the Destruction King was speechless.
An infinite abyss beyond measure rippled there. Even it, leader of countless stars' dooms, quailed at the horrific malice and despair writhing within.
The successfully opened Abyss gate.
Seeing the flustered Destruction King, Sung Hyun-sook and Hwang Hyun-min grinned triumphantly.
Thud.
Sung Hyun-sook stabbed her remaining Sword of Salvation into the ground and struggled to stand. The other broken blade lay at her feet.
Crack.
Hwang Hyun-min's right arm rotted rapidly as the price of the forbidden spell. He ignored it—his left was fine.
Exchanging glances, they shared a light kiss.
Then walked toward the abyss and the Destruction King.
As they did, they said in unison,
“「For our son's future.」”
***
[Playback ended.]
As the system text faded, my hands were on the floor.
Headache from crossing worlds. Steadying myself, I looked around—the museum. Back at last. My original reality.
But more than that...
The footage the system just showed. The scenes burned vividly in my mind.
“……”
I knew the gist. Mom and Dad sealed the Destruction King with Abyss.
But entering and closing the door? That was on them too.
So they left no remains. Just an empty tombstone in some National Cemetery plot.
That's all I knew.
Drone cameras relaying the fight pulled back for safety as it intensified. After that, only sporadic, uncertain reports.
- I'll make your favorite toast when I get back.
That was Mom's last words to me.
...Until now.
- For our son's future.
“……”
I'd wondered. What did Mom and Dad talk about facing their final battle?
Now I knew.
My parents thought of my future until the very end, sacrificing their lives to save my world.
The Holy Heroes' great conviction is inherited to you along the threads of time!
Affinity with your constellation rises!
Due to the affinity increase, a large amount of God Coins is granted to your constellation!
The future awaiting me is the legacy Mom and Dad left.
Realizing it only now? What a truly unfilial son I am.
Sung Hyun-sook asks if you made it back safe.
Amid the flurry of system messages, a delightfully familiar text curved my lips into a smile.
So much happened, so much seen—plenty to say, but...
What came out was a simple,
“I'm home.”
The constellation Sung Hyun-sook complains she thought she'd die waiting!
No 'good job' for her son back from the grind...?
As I snorted and shrugged—
Settling rewards on the list!
Additional rewards for completing Reverse Dungeon quests!
View reward details?
Seeing the follow-up messages, I knew instinctively.
Holy water, hold your horses.
The goal was right in front of me.