Chapter 1490. Backstage (11) [Illustration]

“

Huh... huh?

”

As Kim Hyun-Sung scattered away into sand, I reached out toward him. However, there was no way someone scattering into sand could be caught in my hand. Kim Hyun-Sung slipped far too easily through my fingers.

“

Uh... uhh... uh.

”

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

I tried to grab a handful of him, but the sand slipped through my hand. I could see something falling to the ground in small drops, but even those scattered into the air.

“N-no... no!”

I was so flustered that it was hard to understand what I was even saying. I had considered many different possibilities, but I never once imagined I would face something like this.

From Kim Hyun-Sung turning into sand and scattering away to the Regressor Instruction Manual coming to an end, not a single part of this was something I had anticipated.

The fact that I even wondered if what I was seeing was an illusion or if it was a nightmare said enough.

It felt even less real than when I first entered the tutorial.

“

Uh...

don’t... d-don’t! Don’t!”

“...”

“

Uh... uh!

”

I flailed around, but nothing remained of him. Kim Hyun-Sung's clothes and his equipment, everything disappeared completely as if he had never existed in the first place. Even though I had seen a similar sight once before, I couldn’t regain my composure, and it was probably because of the tangled thoughts in my mind.

‘What did I say?’

“

Uh...

”

‘What did I say?’

“...”

‘Before Kim Hyun-Sung disappeared... what did I... what did I say to that idiot...’

“

Ah... ah... ngh...

”

I was so agitated that I couldn't remember it, but I felt like I stabbed him. I remembered carving him up over and over with my words. It wasn't just a figure of speech. Since it was Kim Hyun-Sung rather than someone else, my verbal abuse had to have felt like being stabbed with a knife. He had to have felt like his mind was breaking apart; he had to have felt hopeless.

Just the fact that the only person he had left was directing hatred at him would make everything come crashing down for him. His face at the end and the words he poured out were starting to become clear to me.

I could finally remember Kim Hyun-Sung's expressions at the time.

“

Uh... hng... ugh...

”

“...”

“I-it was a lie, Hyun-Sung...” I muttered.

“...”

“I told you it was a lie... you idiot... It was all a lie...

huh?

... Uh... it was all made up...” I said.

I churned the sandy remains as if I were swimming through it, but I couldn't see anything.

“

Ah

, damn it... damn it! I was just talking shit! Kim Hyun-Sung! Get up... get up!” I shouted.

“...”

“

Ah... ah

! Right... right! I-I forgive your sins! Rise! Rise! Regressor of Altanus!” I shouted.

“...”

“I forgive your sins, so rise, Regressor of Altanus!” I repeated.

“...”

“

Uh... ahh! Ah!

I forgive your sins, so rise, Regressor of Altanus! If you do, I’ll give you the future! Rise! Rise! Altanus!

Cough! Cough!

Regressor! If you do, I'll give you the future! Rise! Rise!

Hng... ugh...

” I said.

“...”

“Rise! Rise! Regressor of Altanus!!! Please... please rise!! Please!!! If you do, I’ll give you the future! Rise!!! Please! Please!! Please!!!” I begged.

“...”

“W-why is it not working! Why!!! Damn it! Fuck! Rise! Kim Hyun-Sung! Rise!!! Damn it!!! Why is it not working?! Get up! You son of a bitch! It was all a lie! Just get up already!!!

"Damn it! Get up!!! If you get up... I’ll let you do everything your way! Please... just stop this and get up! You bastard!!! You stupid and useless piece of shit!!! Get up! Get up!! Fuck!! Get up!!! Get up...

ah...”

I screamed.

“...”

“

Haa... haa... haa... haa... haa... haa...

”

“...”

“If you just get up.... this time... this time for sure...” I muttered.

“...”

“

Ha... ah... ha... ugh...

I’ll... talk to you... seriously... please...”

“...”

“I... was wrong...

hngh

... It was all my fault... so... damn it... get up... get up!!! Stop messing around and get up!!!” I shouted.

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

‘What... am I... doing right now?’

The tears falling onto the back of my hand and into the sand cooled me down. I hadn’t checked my reflection in a mirror, but I could tell that I looked absolutely pathetic. The sight of myself crying endlessly was a spectacle, and I was pouring out tears to a degree similar to when I had lost that pig.

I could barely see straight. I had become so emotional that I couldn't think about anything at all. Of course, I hurriedly wiped my eyes clean over and over again. I had to calm down, or I wouldn't be able to resolve anything.

With that in mind, I suppressed the emotions that were about to explode.

“Damn it...

hoo... haa... hoo...

”

The priority was to figure out what kind of situation Kim Hyun-Sung and I were in.

“Damn it... seriously...

heuk...

”

“...”

“

Hoo... hoo... hoo... hoo...

”

After barely managing to steady my breathing, I looked around once more and saw a familiar sight. I had already seen this before. This was a world where everything had collapsed. I saw it in Kim Hyun-Sung’s dream and just moments ago within the first life.

A ruined Lindel and an endless sunset. It looked like the world itself had stopped. I slowly pushed myself up and realized that even the faintest breeze was blowing by.

The continent, where all signs of life had completely vanished, felt so alien and grotesque that it sent chills down my spine. There wasn't even the tiniest sound. Not even the faint rustling of a bug crawling could be heard. The loudest thing in this place was my own breathing, which said more than enough.

I also had no idea if time was flowing properly here or if the laws governing this world were still functioning.

When I thought about the idea that Kim Hyun-Sung had to endure a long time alone in a place like this, a bitter taste spread in my mouth, but I had to shove such useless thoughts into the corner of my mind.

‘First... first of all...’

The priority was to find out why Kim Hyun-Sung disappeared.

‘The quest... Was the quest the problem?’

“Damn it...”

I had no idea if saying that I would give him the future was the issue, or if failing to forgive his sins was the problem, but I recalled that Kim Hyun-Sung had experienced something similar before.

Considering that bringing back Kim Hyun-Sung, who had turned to dust, wasn’t some exploit using a system error in the first place, it wasn't strange that I turned my attention toward it before anything else.

I had no idea if that error was already fixed or if something went wrong in the process of me pushing him so hard, but there were far too many suspicious possibilities.

“Whoo...”

Naturally, I hurriedly checked the quests connected to us, but...

[Due to a temporary error, the quest cannot be checked.]

[Due to a temporary error, the quest cannot be checked.]

[Due to a temporary error, the quest cannot be checked.]

‘Damn it.’

Something had gone wrong. I couldn’t tell if the error had occurred because of Kim Hyun-Sung's disappearance, or if he disappeared because of the error, but leaving only one possibility open wouldn’t be rational.

Perhaps both were true. It was true that Kim Hyun-Sung came to exist because of a system error, yet I still did not know exactly by what process he managed to exist.

For instance...

‘I’m not even certain whether Kim Hyun-Sung is immortal or not...’

I had never really checked that. Still, I once wondered whether he was unable to die unless I permitted it. More precisely, I once considered that Kim Hyun-Sung could not die until he received the future.

I had never given Kim Hyun-Sung the future. In the same sense, I had never permitted his death. Of course... I told him that I would give him the future, and it was also true that I hadn't forgiven his sins.

I knew that the words of a god carried weight, but it was difficult to accept that with a single statement, the thousands of quests that had been sustaining Kim Hyun-Sung’s existence were wiped away in an instant.

I was not simply throwing a childish tantrum. If the original error had truly been corrected, then there would have been nothing more to say, but the continent had clearly acknowledged both of us as its caretakers.

If the quest error had truly been the issue from the very beginning, then it wouldn't have acknowledged Kim Hyun-Sung as a caretaker. It wouldn't have stood by and allowed him to disappear due to a correction of that error.

It wouldn't have acknowledged him as a god of this continent. Kim Hyun-Sung definitely had something to do here for the sake of the continent. Otherwise, the continent wouldn't have invited him here in the first place.

The continent surely didn’t wish for Kim Hyun-Sung to vanish in such a meaningless way. Kim Hyun-Sung still had work to do for the continent of the second life, and together with me, he was meant to grant plausibility to the first life’s continent.

“In the end...”

“You...”

“...”

“MICHELE, YOU BASTARD!”

And then, darkness...

“...”

“Because of you!”

Thud!

“...”

Thud!!

“All of it You! Why the hell?!”

Thud! Thuuud! Thuuud!

“...”

“...”

“Why the hell did you appear in front of us?!

Heuk... haaah... eek!

”

“...”

“Just!”

Thud! Thuuud! Thuuuuuuud!

“...”

“

Haa... haa...

you bastard!!!”

Thud!! Thuuuuud!

“Die!!! Die!!! Die!!!”

Thud! Thuuuuuuud!

“Diiiiieeeee!”

Crack! Thuuuuud! Thuuuuud!

“

Heuk... ugh... heuk...

”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thud! Thuuud! Crack!

“Give him back! Bring him back to life!”

Thud! Thuuuuud!

“

Heuk...

”

Thuuuuud! Thud! Thud! Crack!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Give him back! You son of a bitch!”

Thud!

When light returned to my eyes once more...

“

Haa... haa... haa...

”

I saw a stone in my bloody hand, and...

“

Hoo... haa... haaah... haa...

”

I saw Michele sprawled out before me. He was dead with his head crushed to a pulp.