Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Happy After
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Until he reached the ending, Seok-hoon had made quite a few predictions.
This was due to the information he'd gathered beforehand.
Hellic 3 had three endings, each designed to be fully understood only by those who had played the previous games. They were meant to complete the series as a trilogy and solidify its world.
With that in mind, the first final boss Seok-hoon considered was the Warden from Hellic 1.
After all, in the post-credits scene of Hellic 2's hidden ending, hadn't a monstrous swordsman with bulging veins emerged from the Sea of Grudges to confront the Warden?
Both contextually and based on everything Seok-hoon had seen, the monster's identity could only be the protagonist of Hellic 3.
Therefore, the final boss stage would be the Sea of Grudges, and the boss, the Warden.
His theory, built on plausible clues, was spectacularly wrong.
“Huh…?”
The Warden wasn't there.
Instead, a scene that thoroughly bewildered him unfolded.
He found himself not in the Sea of Grudges, but in the middle of a dark stone chamber.
Kneeling there was a naked human figure, its body mottled with black and white spots.
A blade was embedded in its abdomen.
It clearly wasn't in good shape.
But that wasn't what surprised Seok-hoon.
‘The Golden Gate…’
Golden dust flowed from the blade piercing the boss's abdomen, coalescing behind it.
It was all too familiar.
Seok-hoon’s gaze wavered.
‘It’s that gate from Hellic 2.’
The exact same effect had appeared during the final boss fight in Hellic 2.
The only difference was that the gate was forming, not disappearing as it had back then.
Despite not being the best analyst, he racked his brain, trying to make sense of the scene.
A wounded boss monster, a golden gate slowly taking shape.
The clues were sparse.
But one thing was certain.
[03:00]
The timer at the top of the screen told him.
Just like in the previous game, the final chapter would be a survival-style battle.
And once the time was up, the protagonist would pass through that gate.
Creeaak!
The boss monster staggered to its feet.
It drew another blade from its hand.
A flag sprouted from its back.
Seok-hoon was startled.
It was because of the flag.
‘Joan of Arc’s banner!’
It was the same banner that had covered Joan of Arc's body at the beginning of Chapter 1.
Its appearance was so unique he recognized it instantly.
‘The final boss is Joan of Arc?’
He guessed, but once again, he was wrong.
The boss monster creaked as if it might collapse at any moment, and from its left hand, it produced the Sky Piercer.
‘…Lü Bu’s weapon from Chapter 5.’
That meant the sword in its right hand also belonged to a character he had seen before, or perhaps one he'd overlooked.
Only then did Seok-hoon understand the boss's identity.
‘So it’s a combination of all the war heroes from the game!’
Just like the playable character, a single body shared by four souls!
As the realization dawned, his heart began to pound.
Seok-hoon quickly applied his buff items.
And so the battle began.
[02:59]
The three-minute timer began its countdown.
***
The fight wasn't overwhelming.
In fact, the final boss, War History, felt somewhat lackluster—so much so that he felt the blind monarch from Chapter 5 had been a tougher fight.
Seok-hoon quickly figured out why.
‘This must be the easiest ending.’
In terms of presentation, it was a survival fight like the last game's final boss, but War History's attack patterns were simple, and there was plenty of time to deal with its mechanics.
In other words, it was forgiving enough for a first-time player to clear.
The reason for this, he surmised, was the sword embedded in War History's abdomen.
It seemed to be constantly losing health, and its movements were unnatural, as if restrained by some unseen force.
He couldn't understand the full context just yet, but he wasn't disappointed.
After all, he'd learn all about the lore and explanations for this ending once someone posted an analysis after all the endings were discovered.
Thud!
[00:00]
As the three minutes came to an end, the boss collapsed.
A reasonably easy difficulty.
He felt a twinge of disappointment, but it was fleeting.
‘Do I just go inside the Golden Gate?’
His disappointment was quickly overshadowed by a burgeoning curiosity.
Come to think of it, the previous game never revealed what lay beyond the Golden Gate.
As someone who had played the previous game, he hoped to finally see the process of reaching salvation.
It wasn't an unreasonable hope.
Hadn't it been said that Hellic 3 would resolve the series' lingering plot threads?
Seok-hoon guided his character to the Golden Gate.
[Press the Triangle Button.]
Click!
He pressed the button without hesitation.
What appeared before him was a pure white corridor.
‘Ah, so this is what the inside looks like?’
With a soft gasp of wonder, Seok-hoon stepped inside.
Perhaps he would meet God here.
Or maybe it would be a scene where the protagonists, once merged into a single body, would separate and face one another.
Indulging in these fantasies, he walked forward for some time.
Once again, Seok-hoon's predictions were wrong.
—…Who are you?
Seok-hoon's hands froze on the controller.
A blonde girl was crouched silently in the middle of the corridor.
Seok-hoon's eyes flew wide.
—Did the butterfly bring you too?
‘Alice!’
The protagonist from the previous game, the girl who had found salvation through her mother's sacrifice.
She was right there.
‘Ah…!’
At that moment, Seok-hoon realized.
He finally understood what it meant by 'an ending that can't be fully understood without playing the previous game.'
‘This is…’
This ending showed Alice after she had entered the Golden Gate at the end of Hellic 2.
The series' story was continuous.
***
Seok-hoon felt a surge of emotion.
Although he had been playing using Alice's parts, seeing her in the flesh, so to speak, was a completely different experience.
Most notably, Alice now had a voice, something missing from the previous game.
It breathed life into her dazed, empty expression, stirring his heart.
The protagonists asked.
“Where is this place?”
To that, Alice replied.
“The path to happiness.”
“...Do we just go forward?”
“Yes.”
Immediately after, the protagonists spoke.
“Are you the one who manages this place?”
“Are you God?”
“Should we kill you?”
“Hey! What kind of way is that to talk to a child!”
Multiple mouths sprouted from their shared body as they began to bicker.
Seok-hoon let out a wry chuckle.
It was then.
“…Not God.”
Alice barely mustered the courage to answer.
To that, the Spartan among the protagonists said.
“Then you're a prisoner here, just like us. Why aren't you moving forward?”
His tone was suspicious.
Indeed, to someone who didn't know her story, Alice crouching motionlessly on the path to happiness would seem strange.
Alice's lips quivered for a moment.
“...It's not happy. Over there.”
Alice looked sadly toward the end of the corridor.
“I don't want to go.”
To those words, the paladin replied.
“Child, why do you seek to remain here? If that is the path to the Lord's embrace, you must hurry!”
He sounded characteristically dramatic.
He clearly didn't understand, but Seok-hoon did.
He knew that Alice's happiness wasn't defined by a place, but by the person who was with her.
The poignant feeling deepened.
It was then that the soldier stepped forward.
“...If you're afraid of being alone, let's go together.”
He held out a hand, and Alice stared at it.
“Together…?”
“Yes, together. When you're with someone, things that were scary alone become less so.”
The soldier was gentle.
It was a perfect reflection of his character, who had tried to remain rational throughout the game.
Seok-hoon cheered him on silently.
‘Yes! Take her with you, quickly!’
Perhaps his gentle demeanor opened her heart, for she soon cast aside her hesitation and took his hand.
“Is there… happiness?”
Alice asked as she slowly began to walk.
The barbarian replied.
“Girl, speak properly.”
“You're not one to talk about speaking properly.”
The soldier, after chiding the barbarian, turned back to Alice.
“What is the happiness you wish for?”
“...I want to see my mom.”
“Then she'll be at the end. If this is truly the path to happiness.”
“Then I'll go.”
Alice got to her feet.
Hand in hand, the two of them—no, the five of them—started toward the end of the corridor.
They chatted softly as they walked.
“If it's happiness, I hope there's a tavern at the end. I'd like to chug a cold beer.”
“Woman, needed.”
“Have you ever seen such a barbaric and lecherous fellow? What vulgar words on the path to the Lord's embrace!”
“Lord, my ass.”
“Bad words, no.”
As their steps continued, the voices gradually faded into whispers.
The monitor showed their backs as they walked away, holding hands.
Seok-hoon couldn't take his eyes off the scene.
But no moment is eternal.
Their silhouettes gradually faded until, at last, the screen was nothing but white.
Soon, a fade to black, and white text pulled Seok-hoon back to reality.
[GAME CLEAR]
[Ending ? happy after]
It seemed he had gotten the happy ending.
A wave of satisfaction and emotion washed over him.
It wasn't the kind of gut-wrenching emotion he'd felt in the previous game.
That wasn't to say it was worse; it offered a different kind of emotional resonance.
It was more like a gentle, lingering warmth spreading through his chest.
The faint smile on his lips was proof of it.
The feeling lingered.
Seok-hoon gladly soaked in the feeling for a moment before a new thought surfaced.
‘What about the other endings?’
It was a touching conclusion, but it left several questions unanswered.
Why was the final boss dying while creating the Golden Gate? What exactly was the Golden Gate in the world of Hellic? And which ending would lead to the monstrous figure from Hellic 2's post-credits scene?
With his curiosity piqued, there was only one way to find answers.
‘The next playthrough…!’
To find out for himself.
Seok-hoon was itching to start again.
Today was Saturday.
There were still about thirty hours left until the weekend ended.
That wasn't all.
‘I have vacation days!’
He'd saved two of them just for this occasion.
That meant another forty-eight hours secured.
Seok-hoon was about to start his next playthrough immediately.
It was at that moment.
[Sujin♥: You're sleeping in late, hehe. It's already three.]
A message from the grim reaper had arrived.
“Ah.”
It was a short gasp, nothing less than a death rattle.
Seok-hoon squeezed his eyes shut and immediately made the call.
“Hello?”
Her voice was sharp and cold as ice.
Facing the crisis of a lifetime, Seok-hoon displayed a wit that surprised even himself.
“Yeah, Sujin…”
Seok-hoon recalled the saddest moment of his life and spoke in a tearful voice.
“…Why do you sound like that? Did something happen?”
“No, *sniff*…”
Seok-hoon pressed the bridge of his nose, mustering his emotions.
And let it all out.
“…My great-aunt passed away. Suddenly, early this morning…”
She doted on me so much when I was a kid!
After he said that much, only sympathy remained in Sujin's voice.
Seok-hoon said.
“I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier…”
“No, it's okay! Take your time to grieve. Wait. Should I come…”
“…I'll call you later.”
*Click—*
Seok-hoon hung up and turned off his phone.
He immediately wiped his tears and picked up his controller.
October 29, 2014, was the launch day of Hellic 3, and the day Seok-hoon's great-aunt was born and died.
***
The launch of Hellic 3 was explosive.
There were so many things for players to latch onto.
『(Game)WaitingForHellic3: What place did I get in the launch event!!!
(Game)FlawlesslyClear: Short-legged girl, let's go! (feat. Alice)
(Game)CherryLipJaehee: I made a 10-foot Alice (with a few extra muscles)
(Game)BloodLordOfBangbae: Holy crap... that happy ending was insane...
(Game)zZoneHansu: Why are the side routes so hard? lol
(Game)AmIKuksi: Put together a Phantom Rider build! (Lü Bu, Genghis Khan main/Spear build)
(Chat)NewbieHere: That dancer chick...』
It all started with the launch day clear event, posted just before the servers opened.
Three hours after launch, the community forums were flooded with all sorts of bizarre character customizations. By the ten-hour mark, players were already starting to post build guides.
The forums were filled with nothing but posts about Hellic 3 all day long.
The response was overwhelmingly positive.
However, some information remained elusive.
It was information about the endings.
『(Game)BloodLordOfBangbae: Anyone collected all 3 endings?
I cleared the normal route, but this one doesn't connect to the previous game.
It did resolve the mystery of the Golden Gate, which was pretty cool.
I saw in reviews that there's an element that connects to the previous game, anyone seen it?
Ah, and which route connects to the Hellic 2 post-credits scene?』
Even the shortest route in Hellic 3 took well over fourteen hours to complete.
With less than a day having passed since release, it was far too early for anyone to have the answers.
Naturally, curiosity was mounting.
This was especially true given the information that each ending contained separate pieces of lore connecting to the previous game and the series as a whole.
Some called for everyone to pool their information.
But that's not how this community worked.
『
WaitingForHellic3: Ending was tasty lol』
It was a place rampant with trolling under the guise of preventing spoilers.
At this point, there was only one thing for players to do.
『(Chat)FlawlesslyClear: Just don't tell me. I'll beat it and see for myself lol』
A thirsty man digs his own well.
The fervor surrounding Hellic 3 began to burn even brighter.