Episode 196

Taesan closed his eyes, organizing the situation.

First, this wasn’t an illusion. The texture of the potato he was chewing.

The rough touch of the table against his rear.

The wind brushing his cheek.

And the ominous aura emanating from beyond the sky.

All of this couldn’t possibly be false.

This was reality, not an illusion or a lie.

But the question was, what kind of reality was it?

Taesan looked at Junggeun. Under Taesan’s intense gaze, Junggeun slightly shrank back, halting his meal.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just.”

Taesan’s casual response made Junggeun’s expression turn bizarre once again.

From that reaction, Taesan could tell. This wasn’t merely a replay of his memories. Junggeun’s reaction was entirely different from before.

This world was truly implemented. The world before its destruction.

Of course, it wasn’t actually that time. Taesan considered each possible explanation.

‘…Some kind of implementation?’

Interfering with time itself.

Summoning that era and temporarily implementing all of it. Then, it made sense.

‘Is this what divine power can do?’

Twisting time itself to summon it.

He knew their power was nearly infinite, but this extent was astonishing.

However, it seemed not an easy task even for the gods.

There was a mention of Aphrodia’s territory greatly shrinking when he implemented the sliver of time of a previous life.

Until now, no gods had shown such a capability. It meant even they had to accept significant losses to make it possible.

Taesan watched Junggeun awkwardly pick up a potato.

Kim Junggeun had a carefree personality.

And he wanted to save people.

But as time passed, witnessing too many deaths, he became exhausted. His face was etched with fatigue.

‘I didn’t expect to see this face again.’

Taesan smiled slightly.

“Nice to see you.”

“……Brother.”

Junggeun reluctantly put down the potato.

“Did you eat something wrong?”

“I’m fine.”

“No. It seems like you did eat something wrong. You didn’t eat a monster corpse, did you?”

“Shut up, man.”

Taesan brushed off Junggeun, who was leaning in worriedly.

Seeing Junggeun’s aged face after a long time was certainly happy and enjoyable, but Taesan thought coldly,

‘This isn’t real.’

They had already died at that time. The Earth was destroyed just like that.

This was just a temporary implementation, the twisting of time by the power of a god. Merely a sculpture.

Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

The ghost had been silent for a while now.

Taesan thought again as he ate another potato.

The reason the gods twisted time to call him here was only one.

Humanity had lost. They were annihilated by the monsters, and Taesan also couldn’t overcome the apostle.

They were destroyed, and that was his despair.

So, this time, try to win against that despair.

It was a trial with such meaning.

Taesan gripped his hand.

“Hmm… it seems weird for sure.”

Junggeun looked at Taesan with a wary gaze. Taesan waved his hands.

“Anyway, it’s about time.”

Kuwoong!

Then, a commotion was heard from afar. The commotion didn’t subside but grew louder.

“Uh… Brother. Looks like a Hard Mode player has arrived?”

“Yes.”

Taesan immediately got up and left the tent.

Junggeun, who had been watching him blankly, followed belatedly.

“Brother. You always complain before leaving, but today you’re quiet? Maybe you really ate something wrong…”

“Do you want to get hit?”

Taesan raised his fist. Junggeun flinched and ducked.

“No, it’s just weird.”

“It’s just a mental change.”

At the place where the commotion was happening, a man was shouting.

“Don’t joke! How is this Earth! This is a hidden camera, right! Don’t play around!”

“Young man. This is indeed Earth. The world has changed a lot while you were in the labyrinth…”

“Don’t joke!”

The man swung his fist roughly. The middle-aged man soothing him groaned and stepped back.

“Taesan. You’re here!”

The man, pressing his forehead as if plagued by a headache, was delighted to see Taesan.

“I was about to bring you over, but you came first! What’s the occasion?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Something’s changed about you, Brother.”

“Do you really want to get hit?”

Junggeun scampered away.

Taesan chuckled and passed by them, approaching the fuming man.

“Young man. What’s your name?”

“…Lee Changchun.”

“Right. Lee Changchun.”

Thinking about it again, the man was pitiful. They had won against the monsters during the last return. They had closed the rift in the sky.

Believing that all they had to do was rebuild Earth, they diligently tackled the labyrinth, only to be greeted by an Earth on the brink of destruction.

“Sorry, but this is indeed an Earth on the brink of destruction. It means the situation has changed. If you can’t accept it, well, you’ll have to get beaten and accept it.”

“…Who are you?”

“Kang Taesan.”

“Kang Taesan?”

“The Easy Mode player who always talked big?”

Taesan nodded. Changchun sneered at Taesan.

“Laughable! An Easy Mode player dares to take on a Hard Mode player?”

“It was like that until now, but things are a bit different now.”

He’s no longer an Easy Mode player.

Taesan rolled his foot. In an instant, his body disappeared.

At a speed that couldn’t even be followed by his eyes, Lee Changchun’s pupils widened.

But he was a Hard Mode player through and through. A person who had trained, risking his life. He moved his sword by instinct.

Kaang!

‘I blocked it……’

That’s what he believed when Lee Changchun was sent flying just like that. People gasped and dodged out of the way.

Kuwoong!

Lee Changchun rolled away, colliding with the half-destroyed buildings.

People stared blankly at Taesan.

Taesan leisurely walked towards where Lee Changchun had flown.

Lee Changchun staggered to his feet and, seeing Taesan, cried out and swung his sword.

Taesan easily reached out, subdued him, and slammed him to the ground.

“Eek! Eek!”

Taesan spoke softly to the struggling Lee Changchun.

“It must suck. You’d want to deny it. You came here imagining a hopeful future, only to end up like this suddenly.”

Frustration and aimless anger filled Lee Changchun’s eyes.

Taesan released the hand that was subduing him.

“But this is what happened to us. What can we do about it? We have to try to survive, just like we’ve been doing all this time.”

“……Damn it.”

Tears flowed from his eyes.

People who arrived later cautiously consoled Lee Changchun.

Taesan turned away. Junggeun cautiously said,

“Brother. You’ve definitely changed.”

“More nonsense?”

“No, not that. Well, there’s also the physical aspect.”

Junggeun scratched his cheek. Taesan had subdued Lee Changchun with simple movements without using any skills.

Taesan was a player who used skills to gain an advantage. Considering Lee Changchun was a Hard Mode player that even Junggeun would have difficulty subduing, it was an impossible feat.

But what Junggeun was referring to was not that.

“It just seems you’ve become more humane. Until now, you’d always beat them half to death to make them listen, right? This is the first time you’ve just subdued and then released someone.”

“Ah.”

Realizing what Junggeun was trying to say, Taesan let out a laugh.

In his previous life, he was angry at everyone, though he did not show it.

Why were you all so weak?

Why couldn’t you even win against me, an Easy Mode Player?

Why do you avoid and not learn even when I taught you how to acquire skills?

Wasn’t that why we were destroyed?

Filled with only those emotions. Until just before his death, he harbored anger towards others.

It was the regret of choosing Easy Mode mixed with his emotions, making them sticky.

As a result, he always became irritable.

Even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t control himself. It felt like he would go mad if he didn’t vent those emotions somehow.

“Well, now my emotions have cooled off.”

“Really?”

Relief washed over Junggeun’s expression.

Seeing that, Taesan realized Junggeun had always been wary of him in their previous life. He had been too filled with anger to notice before.

‘This is new in its own way.’

It wasn’t bad. Indeed.

Then, once again, a commotion was heard from afar.

“Another Hard Mode player?”

“No, that’s Lee Taeyeon.”

Taesan looked towards the noise and said,

“Sorry, but hide for a bit. I’m not sure if you’ll be seen or not.”

“Me?”

“Not you. I was talking to someone invisible.”

Taesan entered the only intact house.

There, various ornaments and murals were visible. Decorated stylishly, the house was adorned, but in this ruined world, no one cared about decorations.

If there was someone, it was either a person with a strange mind.

Or someone wanting to hide something.

“Are you here?”

A woman sitting in a luxurious red leather chair grumbled. She proudly pointed with her fingers, her black hair long.

“Isn’t this pretty? I got it from the art museum this time.”

At the tip of her finger was a giant portrait.

The portrait, four times the size of a human body, was without a speck of dust or a scratch.

In a world overflowing with monsters, where tomorrow was uncertain, she cherished this portrait and returned here.

Taesan nodded.

“Not bad.”

Lee Taeyeon’s face clouded. She asked uncertainly,

“…Did something go wrong?”

“No, I just said it’s not bad.”

“Uh… Really?”

Lee Taeyeon buried herself in the chair with a squeamish face.

Taesan looked at her.

Not the clumsy, always screaming Lee Taeyeon, but her older self, matured over time.

She was comfortably buried in the chair.

But her face was filled with anxiety. Her eyes rolled around as if terrified by something.

In his previous life, he hadn’t noticed her reactions. Taesan was too pushed to his limits.

But now he could tell.

She was terrified.

She awkwardly changed the subject.

“You said you scolded a Hard Mode player?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s fascinating. An Easy Mode player. To a Hard Mode player…”

She sent a strange look and then said,

“Status window.”

High figures. Enough to bring an ordinary Hard Mode player to the brink of death with a single blow.

But the current Taesan knew that those figures weren’t so high.

‘She missed a lot, indeed.’

Now, Taesan’s level was 91, yet his health reached around 20,000. All his stats had reached at least 4000.

Considering what one gained deeper in,

Lee Taeyeon had missed everything and simply descended.

Yet, she possessed a strength similar to his previous life.

“Show me your status window, too.”

“No.”

Taesan refused.

Lee Taeyeon frowned, not expecting him to refuse.

“Why? It’s not like it wears out. Just show me.”

“Sorry, but I can’t.”

His stats now were not of Easy Mode. Revealing them would bring significant confusion.

Lee Taeyeon, quietly looking at Taesan, scowled.

“You’re strange. Show me your status window.”