Chapter 1508. Extinction (18)

Chapter 1508. Extinction (18)

Crouched like a cripple in a corner somewhere, I saw the figure of a doll staring at the wall with lifeless eyes.

“...”

“...”

‘Ryu Han?’

My eyes weren’t deceiving me. The figure I was seeing was Ryu Han. After being defeated by the Holy Sword Hero and accepting Jin Cheong’s death, he had taken the path of a broken man and was supposed to die somewhere alone, yet I ran into him in the most unexpected place.

‘No, saying it’s unexpected isn’t quite right either.’

At this point in time, people from the surrounding regions were all gathering in Castle Rock, so it wasn’t strange that someone from the Republic like him would be here.

Rather than coming here by his own will, he was probably pushed along by the crowd or rescued by someone and brought here. Honestly, it made more sense to say that he drifted here. That made more sense than the fact that Big Boy’s friends had somehow ended up here out of coincidence.

In truth, the important thing wasn’t why he had come here.

What mattered was that he was here, in Castle Rock, right now.

‘Still alive, huh? You’re tougher than I expected.’

“...”

We were in a tense tug-of-war that could tilt in an instant with even the smallest variable. In the bluntest terms, even stumbling over a small pebble could flip the tides of the battle. I would’ve been grateful even if some incompetent fool had shown up as a variable, but instead of just a variable, a heavyweight had appeared, so the corners of my mouth rose into a smile.

The reason Sung Ji-Hoon managed to defeat him was that he had mental issues, not because of skill issues. I was not joking when I said that if they were to fight a thousand times, Ryu Han would dismantle Sung Ji-Hoon for nine hundred ninety-nine rounds.

I had no intention of belittling that single victory, which was born from coincidence upon coincidence and miracle upon miracle, but if someone were to ask me to bet my entire life savings on one of them, I would raise my hand in support of Ryu Han.

‘This guy really is one of a kind.’

His flaw was that he had communication and mental issues, but aside from that, he had no real weaknesses. Considering that what we needed most in the current situation was actual combat power, I felt like I suddenly found a pillow when I was really sleepy.

“You can wait here,” Alex instructed.

“Ah... okay,” I said.

“The troops that left on the expedition to the Republic should be turning back by now. They’ll arrive within three hours at the latest, so please wait a little,” he informed me.

“Okay, but what exactly is happening right now? Is it an attack? I-is Castle Rock under attack?” I asked.

“

Heuuuk

... Mom... Mooom...”

The problem, however, was...

‘This bastard is in a terrible state.’

He was clearly not in his right mind. His condition was completely different from that of the other refugees waiting here with us. Unlike the others who were demanding explanations, begging to be saved, or calling out to God, he simply stared blankly at the wall.

It felt as if he was only breathing because he couldn’t die at all. I expected his condition to degrade after hearing about First Life Commander Jin's death. I knew his mind would shatter, but I had never imagined that he would become

this

broken.

It was like looking at a hollow shell. Of course, he had always been somewhat like a shell to begin with, but now, he looked so out of it that it was hard to even remember what he used to be like.

His lifeless eyes looked even more dead than before, and his groomed hair now covered his entire body. At first, I thought some damned ghost was sitting there. Dirt had caked all over him, and the clothes he wore were practically rags.

Even from a distance, the stench coming from him remained offensive. Of course, in a situation like this, who would have the leisure to wash themselves properly? However, he looked like he had completely given up on even the most basic personal hygiene.

‘He’s completely broken.’

Compared to him, Kim Hyun-Sung collapsing during the Doom Ki-Young days almost seemed cute.

‘Can he even be recycled?’

Perhaps he had gone beyond the point of being recyclable and became nothing more than ordinary trash. Trying to recycle him could only end up dragging me down instead. If I had a little more time, I would have carried out the Ryu Han recycling plan, but the pigeons were still pushing deeper into Castle Rock, so I reconsidered doing it.

‘Ah, damn it. Even if it fails, I still have to commit and push forward.’

There were risks, but the potential gain was far too great. This was particularly true when considering that I was planning to lead troops straight into the pigeons’ nest. In addition, he was a hero who didn't really influence the history of the first life, even though he was incredibly powerful.

Moreover, there weren't many choices available in the current situation, anyway.

BOOM!

‘See? This is the worst.’

“

Kyaaaaah!

”

“F-fuck!”

Drip. Drip.

“

Ah

, damn it! That scared the hell out of me!” Kennen screamed.

“Damn it! What are you screaming for, Kennen? E-everyone... it’s fine here. Everyone, until Castle Rock falls, there won’t be any problems, so please don’t worry,” Alex reassured them.

“

Ah

, s-sorry, Alex. H-he’s right, everyone. This place is safe,” Kennen said.

‘Your voices are shaking. There’s zero conviction in what you’re saying.’

“D-don’t be afraid! It’s... it’s fine!”

“

Waaaaah

... Mom...”

“Please... Altanus...”

“D-damn it. What’s going on up there? Are we all going to die without even fighting?”

“

Waaaaaaaah... heuuuuung...

”

“I told you you’re being too loud! You idiot, Kennen!!” Alex scolded him.

“

Ah...

s-sorry... e-everyone, we can survive this!” Kennen shouted.

‘These idiots are making things worse.’

From Alex and the other two’s perspective, it probably felt less nerve-racking to be out on the battlefield fighting. They had already gone through countless wars, and at least out there, they could see with their own eyes how the situation was unfolding.

‘There’s no light down here. No visibility ...’

The screams of allied soldiers echoing from above were probably getting to them as well. In truth, the battlefield wasn’t looking grim. Since Castle Rock’s main forces were all gone, the sudden arrival of Dominions and Seraphim made it strange that the defenders weren’t being pushed back.

Castle Rock was still holding out so far due to the fog being maintained by Cheon Kwan-Wi, the barrier Mikael had set up, and the cowardly Seraphim, who was openly terrified of the fog.

First Life Ki-Young was probably dying to tear Seraphim apart right now. He was moving timidly, constantly worried that Yu Ran’s arrow would suddenly fly out from within the fog.

‘He’s trolling out in the open.’

Other than that, there were no real advantages. Castle Rock’s troops were still receiving quests and fighting back against the enemy, but they lacked the strength to achieve anything as visible as what was happening in the Republic or Everia.

If everyone focused solely on defending Castle Rock, they'd hold out somehow, but abandoning the other regions at this point would be the height of stupidity. Which meant...

‘That bastard needs to be recycled.’

“...”

“...”

I tore open the letter Jin Cheong had left.

‘Not much in here.’

There were a few pieces of useful information, along with some notes about future plans and the overall situation, but most of it was just criticism and insults aimed at me. The only thing immediately useful was his location and the communication channel.

‘He turned it back on again.’

Naturally, I opened one side of the Telescope and directed it toward Lindel. In the process, I caught sight of a surprisingly stylish scene. Apparently, he had not only bought a small clan house but also decorated it to suit his tastes.

Belier was curled up tightly with tears welling in her eyes, while Sun Hee-Young stood nearby staring at her coldly.

‘

Ah...

’

Lee Chang-Ryeol and Alps were chasing after Kim Hyun-Sung together, and Ha Yeon-Soo was said to be heading this way, so it looked like Sun Hee-Young had taken it upon herself to keep Belier under close watch and give her intensive training.

A few local informants were visible as well, and naturally, I could see Commander Jin deeper inside the room.

‘Looks like that bastard’s pissed.’

"Commander! Commander! Commander!"

— Why are you contacting me right now? I clearly told you to get in touch right after you finish reading the letter.

"You... were waiting... for my call?"

— ...

"..."

— You crazy bastard.

"Me? I had my reasons. Ha... seriously... why are you so obsessed with getting in touch? Weren’t you the one who cut off the communication channel first and blocked it? So why now? Sending a letter whining that you can’t reach me and clinging to my leg... I'm feeling really uneasy."

— That's some nonsense that is not even worth answering.

"And where did the hand mirror go? It’s not broken, is it? If it were Chang-Ryeol's, that'd be one thing... Wait, it’s broken, isn’t it? Did you throw it at the wall or something?"

— That’s because you...

"Wait, do you think I avoided contacting you because I wanted to do so? I told you I had an actual reason! I kept getting swept around behind the stage and even got separated from Hyun-Sung, damn it.

"And now all the pigeons have come down on Castle Rock, and it’s chaos! Dominions and Seraphim flew over here and are making a complete mess of things, and you think I’ve got the luxury to calmly open a letter and make contact?"

— Dominions and Seraphim are at Castle Rock?

"Yeah. I got into an argument with that bastard, First Life Ki-Young, and he just sent them here. So I’m gathering the Republic forces at Mesla Castle and pushing the Everia front forward to open up the road to Lindel."

— You idiot.

"What? Why?"

— You let your emotions take over and ruin things again. Listening to you, I’m reminded that the you from the first life and the you from the second life are exactly the same kind of fool. Did it never occur to you to judge the situation a little more rationally? At the very least, if the main forces stationed at Castle Rock had still been holding their positions, the situation would’ve been somewhat better.

"How did you know the main forces were away on an expedition?"

— Unless First Ki-Young is a complete moron, he wouldn’t have summoned Dominions from the Everia front and Seraphim from the Republic to Castle Rock while the main forces are there.

‘Sharp, aren’t you?’

"..."

— ...

— So you are saying that the forces currently in Lindel should be dispatched to help the allied forces of the other races?

"Ah, yes. That would be appreciated. It will probably take an hour or two before Cheon Kwan-Wi and the others arrive here... but it would be best if they could withdraw before that."

— Unfortunately, this front is currently facing Cherubim and Thronus. Moving the troops won't be a problem, but it will be difficult to produce the dramatic effect you’re hoping for. If you want to live, I recommend leaving Castle Rock right now. Your informant there should at least be able to secure a single escape route.

"..."

— I’m telling you to accept the loss, you fool.

"..."

— ...

"Anyway, speaking of that."

— ...

"I actually ended up running into Ryu Han here by chance."

— ...

"But right now, he’s basically like a corpse. I’ve been causing a huge fuss trying to get him to get back up for a while now, but he won’t get up... No matter what I do, he won't even blink; he just keeps staring at the wall. The death of First Life Commander Jin must have been really hard on him mentally. He ended up becoming a complete wreck."

— So... what does that have to do with me?

"What do you mean by 'what does it have to do with you'?! I figured it’d be nice if you could help! I’ve got to head to the pigeon nest anyway, so I could use the manpower, and it could break this situation open, too! We could also land a big hit on that bastard, First Life Ki-Young...

"Ah, of course, I’m not asking you to help directly. I’m not telling you to connect to the communication channel and say something to him or anything like that, so you can relax."

— ...

"I can handle things here myself... but in the tutorial... when you were dragging people around... you must’ve said some kind of nonsense to boost morale, right?"

— ...

"..."

— I’ll end the call now.

"No, don’t hang up! Don’t hang up! You’re just feeling sentimental and pissed off right now because you’ve been stuck in the first life all this time, aren’t you! There’s a shortcut, so why would you go the long way around?

"Do you want to stay stuck here for several more years? We still have projects to finish once we get back home, and there’s support we’re supposed to receive, too. How long are we supposed to keep rotting here and wasting time? There’s really not much left, so we should wrap things up quickly."

— ...

"I won’t ask for details. Just tell me anything you remember saying, even just a few words. I’ll handle the rest myself, and until this operation ends, I’ll actually listen to you."

— ...

"Come on, I’m frustrated too."

‘Will he tell me?’

This bastard is probably agreeing with me on the inside.

‘Will he tell me?’

He had already spent far too much time in the first life. Of course, the timeline of the second life was unlikely to change, but even if it did not change, I was sure he was feeling stressed at the realization that he had been rotting in this place for years now.

He definitely knew that

this

was a shortcut. After a long time, I heard Commander Jin’s cautious voice.

— Follow me.

"What? Follow you where?"

— I’ll show you a new scenery.

"..."

— I... remember... saying... that...

‘You actually said that out loud?’