103
103 ― No Choice but to Take
The sky clears. The God of War's divine artifact still exists here in the 3rd floor. However, as he withdrew, the barrier he had spread also began to lift.
The world distorted as the desert sand was sucked into some location and disappeared. Not only the sand, but the rampaging monsters were also sucked into it.
They weren't normally living monsters to begin with. They had already been absorbed by the Erosion and appeared through the Erosion, so as the barrier collapsed, they returned to their original location.
Many of the God of Light's monsters were caught up in that torrent, but there was no one to protect them.
The God of Light cleanly abandoned the monsters swept away by the torrent and retreated with only the intact monsters. They were nothing more than consumables after all.
"It's collapsing! Everyone take cover!"
"Run!"
The sight of Hunters evacuating in confusion was visible. Different races like Dwarves and Orcs, as well as the Elves that Jin-woo's party had been heading toward, were all taking shelter.
The barrier that had covered the entire 3rd floor was collapsing. No one knew which place would be safe, but they each ran toward places they thought were safe.
"Master!"
"April?"
April had evacuated the Elves first and was waiting for Jin-woo. Her muscular body, which seemed to fear nothing, was trembling slightly.
She was waiting for him in a dangerous place where the ground beneath their feet might collapse at any moment. That sight left quite an impression on him.
It wasn't just her. Poldere and the Wyvern Golong had also remained, ready to take off at any moment.
"Hurry up and get on, you bastards!"
Poldere shouted in a rough voice. Jin-woo and Rona climbed onto Golong's back along with April.
For a moment, Golong swayed. He thought it was because they were too heavy, but it seemed more like his wounds were hurting.
"Golong, hang in there! Just hang in there a little more!"
Poldere somehow comforted Golong. Golong, knowing this was an important moment, kicked off the ground with all his might despite his injured body and took flight.
The sky was mixed with two colors, like water and ink swirled together.
One was the original sky of the 3rd floor, and the other was the sky of the desert barrier that the God of War had spread.
Even though both were clearly blue skies, they were visibly entangled without mixing with each other.
"Whew... Is everyone safe?"
"Thank you, Poldere. I didn't know you would show such loyalty."
"I have to repay the debt for saving Golong. Golong was also being stubborn, saying he had to save his life's benefactor."
At Jin-woo's greeting, Poldere smiled and stroked Golong's neck. Golong also answered vigorously while trying his best to hide his exhausted appearance.
Even while flying with four people on his injured body, he didn't want to show weakness.
"Jin-woo, look over there."
Mahiri's voice was heard. She, or more precisely Kalesian, who was carrying her, wasn't riding on Golong but flying beside them.
"Where?"
"Down there."
When he looked down at the ground after hearing that, the surface wasn't much different from the sky. The original 3rd floor's land and the desert sand were intertwined.
Still, the sand was disappearing quickly. There were several places where black energy was rapidly rising, and it was being sucked into those places and vanishing without a trace.
Probably returning to its original location, to the God of War's divine territory in the Spirit Realm.
'...Was it called Rondar?'
The God of War's original name.
He didn't know if that name was still being used, but that was the memory Jin-woo recalled.
Jin-woo touched his chest and asked the glass orb inside.
'Have you ever heard the name Rondar?'
[ ...It's quite a famous name in the Spirit Realm. A plunderer. One who picks fights indiscriminately with a savage nature, stealing everything from opponents and roaring in victory. ]
The part about picking fights indiscriminately matched the memory Jin-woo recalled. But was his nature savage?
Rather, the Rondar in his memory was polite. Despite introducing himself as coming to plunder, far from plundering, he even used his craftsmanship to make various things for them.
Of course, he couldn't rely only on memories. They were memories from an ancient past life of unknown age.
Just looking at what that guy had done in the 3rd floor, wasn't it an act that the word ‘savage’ wasn't enough to describe?
'Speaking of names...'
Something he had been missing suddenly came to mind.
The one he was talking to through the glass orb. The God of Moonlit Forest. The sacred tree is revered as Mother World Tree by the Elves.
'Come to think of it, what's your name?'
He realized he hadn't heard her name.
It was amazing. Not a small amount of time had passed since they began conversing, and they had shared quite a lot of interaction, even showing animations and such.
But why had he never once thought to ask her name?
[ The God of Moonlit Forest turns her head away. ]
But no answer came. An awkward silence settled as if it had suddenly been cut off.
Had he asked something he shouldn't have? Just when he was thinking that, a thin voice was heard.
[ ...Please remember me too. ]
It was a small voice like crawling. But it was clearly audible.
...It seemed she was disappointed that he only remembered Rondar but couldn't remember her name.
Was she saying that if he continued to recall past life memories, there would be memories about the World Tree among them?
Jin-woo turned his head to look at the barrier being lifted. One world, the desert world that Rondar had spread, now left not a single trace.
"Jin-woo. It's Pandemonium."
Rona, sitting behind him, pointed ahead and whispered. There, though quite collapsed, the familiar sight of the city was visible.
***
Pandemonium has completely collapsed.
It had been a chaotic city with various architectural styles mixed together without unity, but now it had gained unity instead. This building, that building - all had been smashed to pieces and become ruins.
"It's a blue portal!"
"Let's go in! Let's get out of here quickly! Hurry!"
There was a blue portal near the city, and people flocked toward it.
Both Earth's Hunters and different races like Elves and Dwarves all flocked to the blue portal without distinction.
Everyone wanted to leave as quickly as possible because of their experience of being trapped once.
Jin-woo was resting for a moment, watching them from a slightly distant place.
―I'm going. I need to get out of here as quickly as possible.
Poldere rode Golong to look for another portal. Rather than struggle with Golong in such a crowded place, he thought he'd look for a quiet portal.
―Master. I'll also go back for now. I'm a wanderer without a home in that world, but... If fate allows, we'll meet again.
April also didn't stay in the 3rd floor. As the Moonlit Forest Temple collapsed, all the achievements and contributions she had built up over long years disappeared.
Still, she showed no sign of regret. Originally, her reason for collecting contributions was to find clues to advance her realm.
It seemed she had gained some enlightenment through the recent events. If so, she just needed to return to her original world and calmly organize that.
―I also got quite a lot of inspiration this time. The descent of a spirit... I saw rifts connected to the Spirit Realm too, so I gained a lot.
Kalesian's eyes lit up as he holed up in his underground workshop again. The city had completely collapsed, but his underground workshop hadn't collapsed.
His laboratory was just slightly messy but still intact.
"What will you do, Jin-woo?"
And Rona was still by Jin-woo's side.
"I have one thing left to do. Aren't you going back?"
"I don't have anything particularly urgent... Can't I stay a little longer?"
"Why wouldn't you be able to? It's your choice."
Whether she stayed or went back wasn't something for Jin-woo to interfere with.
After watching the crowd at the blue portal a bit more, Jin-woo left that spot. Where he headed was the underground workshop where Kalesian had holed up.
"You're here? Oh my, the Elf lady is with you too."
Mahiri welcomed them both as before. Kalesian's main consciousness was devoted to magical research, and a fragment of consciousness set aside separately was controlling Mahiri.
Rona didn't know Earth's language, so she just nodded in response, and Jin-woo asked to be guided to a room.
As the city collapsed, the apartment where Jin-woo had stayed before had also become ruins. Though he slept well anywhere, he could rest more comfortably if it was safe.
In the city, as far as Jin-woo knew, the safest place right now was this workshop of Kalesian's.
"How's it outside? Is it still bustling in front of the portal?"
"Yes. It seems almost everyone who was in the 3rd floor wants to leave. There aren't many people staying like us."
"It'll become quiet."
"The city was damaged too... I think the number of Hunters using the 3rd floor as their base will decrease in the future."
"Some temples are still left, right?"
Jin-woo nodded.
Though all of Pandemonium had collapsed, there were still places remaining. Several temples that hadn't had their divine artifacts stolen by the God of War remained.
Among them was the God of Light's Temple and the Ice Valley Temple.
"Since more than half the temples collapsed, their influence in the 3rd floor will grow even more. Most Hunters will probably use temples as their bases for activities."
"What happens when the remaining gods' influence grows? No, why are the rulers living in the Spirit Realm interested in Gates in the first place?"
It was a question he had been curious about before, but hadn't gotten an answer to.
Like the God of Sky invading Earth, were they trying to invade Gates and make them their own territory? Was the world inside Gates such an attractive world to them?
"Well. How would I know what the spirits living up there think? And they're not just any spirits but rulers who possess seeds of Erosion."
There could be any number of reasons. So many that it was hard to gauge which was the real reason.
The world inside Gates might be a world overflowing with some resource in their eyes. It might be part of activities for territorial expansion.
Or even without any particular benefit, it could be a pride battle between rulers.
Literally, no matter what reason you attached, it wouldn't be impossible.
"Or maybe they're looking for something. Since there are as many as thirteen rulers who placed divine artifacts, it wouldn't be strange if there were that many reasons."
They might be looking for something that doesn't exist in the Spirit Realm. That was also a plausible speculation.
That something might not necessarily be an object either.
"But aren't you going back, Jin-woo? You went through a lot, so you could go rest."
"I have one thing left to do."
When she asked what it was, Jin-woo answered appropriately and changed the subject.
That night. While Kalesian was still devoted to research, Rona and Mahiri were sleeping peacefully in a room.
Jin-woo alone left the underground workshop and went up to the surface.
Perhaps because quite some time had passed, no one remained around the blue portal anymore. Even looking around the entire city, there were only a few people left.
It was as if the entire city had died. In such an atmosphere, Jin-woo touched the ground surface.
His flame flickered. The strong flame, glowing blue, was drawn toward the ground as if attracted to something.
The next moment, his soul was in a completely different place. A waterfall of fire. In front of a massive furnace where lava flowed down.
There stood a child resembling a rock, holding a sword.
"Rondar."
At Jin-woo's call, the child smiled with a mysterious look in his eyes.
He had lifted the barrier and withdrawn, but his divine artifact still remained in the 3rd floor. It meant the connection wasn't completely severed yet.
To completely sever it, there was no choice but to take that sword.