Chapter 190
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chorong's Farewell
“Truly impressive! To bring me yet another of the three promised glories!”
The shady trader gazed at the white bead with flushed cheeks.
Last time, it had felt like a spider-human hybrid, a so-called spider beastkin. Now, it was almost indistinguishable from a human.
“But there are impurities mixed in.”
The differences from an ordinary human? Slightly sharper fangs, vertical slit pupils, and somewhat elongated ears.
“Faint traces of another god’s power are blended in. It seems some other deity gathered the scattered power of the ancient beast and fused it like this. The problem is, it was only a fragment to begin with, and now with these impurities, only a portion of the original power will activate—and even that won’t function properly.”
It still had three pairs of arms, so calling it human was a stretch.
Once again, the shady trader coveted the item but simultaneously recoiled from it.
“I’m tempted, but since a god intervened, it feels deeply ominous. Like stolen goods. I’m afraid touching it might invite divine retribution.”
“You can’t handle divine retribution either?”
“They can’t touch me directly, but they could sabotage my business.”
After much deliberation, the shady trader ultimately passed on the white bead.
“Gods are tenacious. Once they fixate on something, they rarely let go. Best not to get involved from the start.”
Unfortunately, no sale.
I had no intention of holding onto it myself either.
“It’s like a nuclear bomb that could go off any moment. Better to dispose of it as soon as possible.”
『You’re worried the Chorong incident might repeat.』
“This time, Chorong endured it. If another animal got this power, humanity might go extinct on the spot.”
It couldn’t be disposed of carelessly.
The “animal” in question was far too broad a category. Discarding or storing it recklessly might flip the switch on humanity’s doom at any time.
『Why not entrust it to the Foundation?』
“Didn’t you say the researchers are starting to return? That makes them trustworthy, but the involvement of a god still worries me. What if we send it somewhere completely unconnected to Earth—and ensure the entity sending it is beyond even a god’s reach?”
Right then, the doorbell rang.
“Long time no see, Mr. Lee Seung-hoon.”
This cycle’s Baal had come to visit my house.
“The Chairman said he enjoyed the show immensely. I don’t know what that means exactly, but he was delighted that the great Creator’s power was thwarted by a mere human.”
He had visited to relay a message from Lucifer, unaffected by regression.
“The Chairman is in high spirits. I’ve never seen him this pleased.”
“Mr. Baal.”
Hmm.
Deals with devils should be avoided if at all possible.
“Could you pass a message to the Chairman for me?”
＊＊＊
Choi Seung-hwan (28), living in Bucheon, hammered at his keyboard with hesitation.
He’d been assigned a major project requiring intense focus, but no matter how he tried to steel himself, he couldn’t concentrate.
“Seung-hwan, what’s wrong? Something up?”
“Oh, Section Chief.”
His exasperated boss finally asked, and Choi Seung-hwan gave a wry smile.
“My dog... I think she’s about to cross the rainbow bridge.”
“Why? Is she sick?”
“It’s old age.”
Choi Seung-hwan thought of his pet, Chorong.
The toy poodle, originally a stray of unknown age, was now in a state where she could pass at any moment.
“Didn’t you say she perked up after coughing the other day?”
Other employees joined the conversation.
“Yeah, but suddenly she’s gotten worse again.”
“I raised a mutt from the countryside once. You know country strays are healthy and long-lived, right? Purebreds are all artificially bred, so they’re prone to genetic diseases and don’t live long.”
Talk of pets bloomed like flowers in the office.
“Pets are great, but saying goodbye is so hard. When my parrot passed, it wrecked me.”
“I can’t handle the responsibility. It’s a whole life depending on you.”
“Animals just need clear hierarchy. Everything else is easy.”
“Oh, right! Seung-hwan, have you seen this?”
A coworker,同期 with Choi Seung-hwan, held out his smartphone.
“Doesn’t this look like Chorong?”
They were close enough that he’d visited Choi’s home and met Chorong. He showed a video of a toy poodle.
[Title: Pommy, Are You Human or What?]
The toy poodle in the video understood its owner’s commands flawlessly and obeyed.
“Wow, incredible! A total genius, right?”
“But why so many hate comments?”
“It’s a couple’s YouTube channel. Turns out they adopted pets for videos, then abandoned them repeatedly. Over ten animals ditched like that.”
“What? What happened?”
“They blamed each other—‘I didn’t, it was you’—fought, got divorced, and now they’re being sued by the adopters. Ongoing.”
It did look similar.
But Choi Seung-hwan shook his head.
“She resembles her, but our Chorong’s a total ditz. Nowhere near this smart.”
＊＊＊
Panting for breath.
No matter how many times he gasped, his chest felt tight, like he wasn’t breathing at all.
‘Painful.’
The elderly dog Chorong, lying under the blanket and heaving, accurately assessed her condition.
‘Not much time left.’
A few hours at best.
If she let go of her will to live, she’d be gone in minutes.
‘If not for that, it wouldn’t hurt this much.’
Even after spitting out the white bead, Chorong still thought like a human.
She could speak human words if she wanted, but hadn’t, fearing it would shock her family.
‘A curse, huh.’
Great power comes with great side effects.
Even relinquishing the power didn’t erase them.
Feeling the human intelligence and ego like a curse, she struggled to breathe—when unfamiliar footsteps approached.
“Why didn’t you kill Lee Seung-hoon, the fixer?”
It was the man who had granted her power. His face remained unrecognizable.
She could see it, but it didn’t stick in her mind; she kept forgetting.
“By the lore, the ancient beast’s power was something Angra Mainyu himself collected and forged from scattered fragments. It should have ensnared you in rage and vengeance. Didn’t you want to kill that human?”
You’re human too, yet you orchestrate humanity’s end?
What a joke.
“Whatever. Even with human intelligence, a beast is still a beast. I expected too much. Anyway, with Lee Seung-hoon holding it now, the evil god’s retribution is inevitable. Mission accomplished.”
Chorong gained insight into her visitor.
Human intellect, animal instincts, and as a dog, reading his psyche through voice and scent.
“Next time, I’ll be more careful.”
Ah, I see.
For the first time, Chorong spoke.
“You and I... are the same.”
No, worse off than me.
“Of course... you’re human.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Humans... are walking... contradictions... You too.”
Chorong didn’t hate him.
“I pity... you.”
“......”
A brief silence.
Then the man sneered at Chorong.
“What does a dog know?”
Unsated, he spat mocking curses.
“Don’t you regret it? Not living longer? Truth is, if you’d just dealt with Lee Seung-hoon, I could’ve fixed the power’s side effects. I’ve got that much ability. But you couldn’t even keep the deal? And now you pity me? This is why beasts are...”
After a torrent of ridicule, the man vanished.
Left alone, Chorong panted raggedly.
Her owner’s parents, who had arrived unnoticed, gently stroked her.
“Sigh, Chorong, Chorong.”
“......”
Warm.
Like the touch when she was born.
No, even the hands of those who’d abandoned her felt the same.
‘Why are your hands so warm?’
Villain or saint.
Irresistibly alluring.
‘That’s why it infuriates me more.’
Does a villain’s voice not grate when it’s vile?
Shouldn’t a villain’s touch torment and hurt?
Is a villain’s embrace cold and stinging somehow better?
‘Well, you’re the same.’
Consciousness fading.
16 years of life unspooled like a panorama.
Freshly born, with siblings.
The warmth and comfort of the first human touch.
Sold to cruel humans, howling in darkness.
Even loving those humans.
Rummaging trash in alleys.
Kicked by a human, vomiting blood.
‘Is this the life-flashing-before-my-eyes?’
Meeting her current owner.
Everything after was pure joy.
‘Master......’
I want to stay together forever.
Should I not have given up that power?
But if I hadn’t, the master might have died.
‘Human intelligence isn’t all good.’
It makes emotions contradictory, wanting everything.
Before, in this dying moment, she’d just have wanted one last look at her master.
‘Want to see master.’
A memory surfaced in the montage.
[They say when people die, pets who went first come to greet them. I love that story. I hope it’s true.]
Do you really believe in an afterlife?
You’re the fool, master—not me.
I pretended to be dumb all this time.
Afraid being too smart would get me abandoned again.
‘It’s really the end now.’
Darkness encroached.
Chorong’s consciousness sank into it.
‘But if there really is an afterlife.’
I’ll wait forever.
If I can see you there, I’ll watch over you.
Remember all your silly moments, tease you mercilessly when you arrive.
‘So master, take your time coming.’
Chorong closed her eyes as if falling peacefully asleep.
But a voice, inaudible to ears, reached her.
“......Ah!”
What’s that?
Master wouldn’t come at this hour?
“Chorong!”
Ah, did you skip work without permission?
Or take off early?
Or maybe half-day leave?
‘Still......’
Chorong’s consciousness resurfaced.
Forcing breath into halted lungs, she struggled to lift her eyelids. Her tear-streaked master’s face appeared.
‘Thanks for coming.’
She saw the hands cradling her.
Blurred, but scarred. Desperately, Chorong reached out and licked them.
‘That time.’
Sorry for biting.
I was so happy you were my master.
Forgive me for not staying longer.
‘Ah.’
Consciousness fading again.
But no fear this time.
‘Warm.’
This time, in her master’s arms.
Feeling his warmth.
Breathing his scent, she could sleep.
‘Goodbye, master.’
She who could have claimed immortality.
Who could have ruled Earth as queen of beasts.
The little dog returned to being an ordinary pet and closed her eyes in her master’s embrace.
“Chorong!”
Smiling happily.
＊＊＊
Over Bucheon’s sky.
The Scales of Good and Evil manifested.
Its gaze turned to Chorong, who had just ended her life, and Lee Seung-hoon resting at home.
『Both of you saved the world.』
But neither had accrued good karma.
『Incidents involving Transcendents do not accrue good karma.』
The Flower of Paradise Lost incident.
The Human-Faced incident—neither accrued good karma.
The reason: involvement of a Transcendent, as stated.
But which Transcendent? Neither the Scales nor the karma system could discern.
『Beasts do not accrue good karma.』
Chorong too.
Moreover, as a beast, she had no good or evil karma to begin with.
『However, this is a flawed rule born of armchair theory.』
『Even a beast, possessing human intelligence and ego, choosing to save the world of its own will—this too is good karma.』
Though 13 humans died intruding into the zoo during the process.
Mitigating factor: mental corruption. Greater weight given to overcoming it, relinquishing power, and saving many.
『Thus, your deeds are good karma. You deserve reward.』
The Scales of Good and Evil tipped.
『Reward received.』
Next, toward Lee Seung-hoon.
『Even if the world denies your good karma.』
The prior Andromeda Starlight incident—saving the world—unacknowledged as good karma.
Many other world-saving feats in Transcendent-involved cases went unrecorded solely due to that involvement.
『I know what they fear. Yet such cases demand exception—analysis of process and outcome. This is the blight of over-automation by bureaucratic fools!』
The Scales vanished.
『Even if they deny you, I acknowledge you. I will remember your good karma!』
＊＊＊
“Sniff!”
On his way home, Choi Seung-hwan rubbed his nose.
Was it the cooling weather bringing a cold, or thoughts of Chorong, whose makeup had finished last week? He couldn’t tell.
“Hm?”
Passing an alley, a rustling sound stopped him.
‘This is......’
The alley where he first met Chorong.
Peering in, he spotted a kitten buried in trash.
“Hello?”
He recalled cats abandon weak kittens.
Maybe the mother was out hunting—better not touch, just watch from afar.
‘An hour passed, no sign.’
Abandoned for real.
Left like this, the chill would surely kill it. Choi Seung-hwan carefully scooped up the kitten.
“Ah.”
The wriggling kitten bit his hand.
Exactly where Chorong had bitten, leaving the scar.
“......Want to come home with me?”
In that moment, an inexplicable pull tugged at him.
“Meow!”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Worried about the wind’s bite, he tucked the kitten gently against his chest.
It burrowed into his embrace.
“How do you even raise a cat?”
As if scenting a familiar aroma.