Chapter 228: Hatred (1)

I... looked around.

「Home run! Home run!」

「It’s a home run! Ah, the ball flies over the fence!」

On the second-floor terrace of Guild Yoo Soo-Ha, the building located in the most expensive region of Babylon, a Korean baseball game was being broadcast on the television in the guild office. The sportscasters’ voices resembled cicadas chirping in the summer as their conversation felt more like background noise than actual commentary.

Yoo Soo-Ha was sitting on the sofa, scratching his head right where he just shot himself. “

Ah

, the game is super boring today. Guys, I’m going out for a drink.”

With a yawn, he got up from the sofa. “I feel like drinking alone, so don’t follow me. I’m also gonna stay there overnight, so don’t call me either. If you do, I’m not going to pick up. ”

“Don’t drink too much, Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha, unless you want me to ransack all of Babylon to find you again,” Ja Su-Jeong said as she was typing on her laptop. The early summer wind from Babylon Plaza swayed her hair.

“Alright.”

Yoo Soo-Ha didn’t even spare us a glance. He just waved a hand as he walked down the stairs.

I clenched my teeth for a moment before I said, “Manager Ja Su-Jeong.”

“Yes, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja.”

“Viscountess Amethyst.”

“Yes, Advisor.”

“Tower Master.”

“Yes, Death King.”

“Is this a scenario you are showing me?”

“That’s right.”

The plaza beyond the terrace was crowded with people. This scenario was showcasing a different variation of my life, built on the assumption that Amethyst, posing as Ja Su-Jeong, lived in this world.

I glared at her. “The world I created is much more peaceful than this! It's a mess! Anastasha is still lonely, and the Inquisitor—I mean, Bambolina—is still the same! He’s just living on without knowing that he’s broken!”

But....

“I mended the relationships between the guild leaders!”

In my world, the Sword Star abandoned his arrogance and prejudice, and the Black Witch came to think of the Paladin as a friend again. The Paladin also put aside her disbelief that originated from the past purges, while the Inquisitor acknowledged his shortcomings and bowed to me. They now talked to each other and acknowledged what the others were capable of.

“Nothing has changed in this world! The guild leaders are still bound to their thrones. The Tower is still a mess and helpless when the outside world sways them. This is...”

The wind was blowing, making the wind chimes on the terrage window cling. Amethyst looked up, her purple eyes looking straight into mine. “But you killed Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha. You couldn’t change him.”

“Well...”

“Was it because Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha was an irredeemably evil person?”

The baseball game broadcast in the background became louder.

“Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha was the villain of villains and the psychopath of psychopaths, so you had no choice but to kill him. Since you had no choice in the first place, it wasn’t your fault, nor did it make you incompetent. But look, Mr. Gong-Ja.”

The early summer wind stopped caressing the chime, as if time had paused.

“In this world, Yoo Soo-Ha is working for others.”

Because Amethyst and I died, the Fire Emperor had voluntarily chosen to regress. At the cost of killing himself, he got twenty-four hours back. And now he disappeared, supposedly “going out for a drink.”

Amethyst impassively looked in the distant plaza. “Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha is trying to eliminate all the culprits—the guy who set off the first bomb, the traitor who infiltrated the Pantheon, the assassin who stabbed the Black Dragon Master in the back and, above all, the Saintess who attacked him. He’s more evil, less active, and less responsible than you. He doesn’t have the will to change the world and has influenced the world less than you have. He’s much worse than you.”

I spotted his black ponytail swaying as he made his way through a crowd.

“But he is now taking action for the sake of someone else.

That

is who he could have become.”

Ah.

“When you killed Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha—if I use your term, when you

hunted

him—he wasn’t the same person as the Fire Emperor who killed you. He was just Yoo Soo-Ha, a young Class F Hunter who might have become the Fire Emperor. Perhaps he could have become the Fire Emperor of this world.”

I closed my eyes tightly and clenched my jaw.

“I also gave him a chance.”

To not kill him, I...

“I did a play. I didn’t kill him out of nowhere. I gave him a chance. A chance to show that he could feel compassion for the wounded. Maybe he would have asked for something in return. If he would have demanded payment for help and not tried to harm the injured person...”

“You sound like a god toying with humans by proposing such a difficult test,” Amethyst said calmly.

“What do you mean difficult? If only he had helped me and not tried to kill me—”

“Is that really a special deed?” Amethyst looked at me. “In the absence of witnesses, someone strapped for cash killed an injured person and took away their property. Is that really something that only someone unforgivably and irredeemably evil can do?”

“Anyone—”

“Anyone could have passed your test?”

I didn’t reply.

“Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha’s death was forgotten. It didn’t even make the news. After all, low-class Hunters disappearing is pretty common. You know what that means, right? You were also a low-class Hunter yourself. How many people would actually be able to pass your test, Mr. Gong-Ja?”

The air carried by the wind of early summer was humid. It felt as if I was breathing someone else’s air, the oxygen in my lungs just a residue from what the summer had already swept away. A good portion of this oxygen was purple.

“Yes, Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha didn’t help you. When you collapsed in the hunting ground, he didn’t save you and instead tried to harm you. But what about Miss Preta? The Demon King of Autumn Rain tried to kill you too. You died at her sword dozens, hundreds of times. The blood rain she poured out destroyed a continent. Yet you allowed her one more chance in life.

“What about Lady Goldencup? The Constellation Murderer? The Inquisitor? The Black Dragon Master? The Sword Star? Is there a single one of them who isn’t a murderer? Is there anyone who has killed fewer people than the young Yoo Soo-Ha? You changed all these people, Death King, except for Yoo Soo-Ha.”

But... he...

“Because, Death King, you have no choice but to remain in the dark forever.”

That son of a bitch...

“When the Demon King killed you, you got a glimpse of her past. The doppelganger became a saintess, who was later accused of being a witch. The witch ended up becoming the Demon King. You’ve seen how it all happened, and realized why she had become evil.

“After the Constellation Murderer killed you, you also saw Mr. Kim Yul’s past. You’ve watched the sunset on the rooftop and what happened after it fell onto the school yard. You also saw the cell phone with the broken screen and the forgotten text messages.”

Not very long ago, the Ranked 1 Hunter had been my hero. I had witnessed the very Hunter killing the Saintess in some dark alley, and that Hunter had killed me too.

“You heard the stories of Mr. Sword Star and Miss Black Dragon Master. You learned why your killers and the people around you became who they are. That’s why you can’t abandon them. Only Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha’s past remains in the dark to you.”

Son of a bitch.

“You’ll never be able to watch Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha’s trauma.”

He didn’t have to kill me.

“And you didn’t try to see it either.”

Why? He could have explained it. He could have told me his side of the story.

“You didn’t want to know.”

He was my hero, so why did that son of a bitch...

“Mr. Gong-Ja.”

How could he...

When I shut my eyes, the world around me darkened. Amethyst’s voice was quiet.

“You felt betrayed by Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha. That’s why you hate him.”

Silence. The Korean baseball broadcast, the wind, and the wind chime hanging by the window were now quiet. Time passed as the sunset seeped through the crowds in the plaza. Just like every person in this city, the sunset also had no nationality.

I shook my head several times and muttered, “No. He would have become a monster no matter what.”

I kept on rambling as if I had a fever.

“No matter where he was born, how he grew up, or what he experienced, that bastard would have become a monster. He had to be killed. Not for my sake. This is not a matter of my feelings. It’s not because I can’t accept it. For the Tower and the world, I can’t allow him to exist, so I...”

You.

“I had to...”

You were my hero.

“You were weak,” Amethyst said with a quiet voice. “You were weak at the time.”

My heart thumped.

“It would have been different if I were there.”

My heart thumped even harder.

“You couldn’t possibly forgive Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha or tolerate what he had done. Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha had a past and reasons of his own, but you didn’t have the ability to find out and could not afford to try. You were simply weak at the time. You were angry because you were weak, right?”

I didn’t deny that.

“You felt a sense of inferiority and betrayal toward Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha. Your own murder made you angry. How you couldn’t change anything left you feeling helpless. Despite how much you admired and respected him, you never caught his eye in any way. Feeling absolutely worthless made you think you could be abandoned at any time. You have to mean something to others...”

Yes.

“... so you don’t become helpless. You’re different from Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha. You

have

to be different. The people you save, your subordinates, and your colleagues are by no means evil people like Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha. They shouldn’t be.”

No.

“That is why you saved the children from the burning mansion.”

No.

“Contrary to Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha’s choice to kill Mr. Sword Star, you decided not to kill him. Instead of abandoning people, you chose to save them. You accepted Mr. Inquisitor as a subordinate and Miss Black Dragon Master as a friend.”

I—

“Mr. Kim Yul’s pain, your orphanage director’s regrets, your devotion to Lady Heavenly Demon, your love for the Duke of Ivansia—everything you’ve done since your return was so dictated by your desire to not be abandoned or become weak. You did it to prove that you and everyone else are different from Mr. Yoo Soo—”

“No!”

No, that wasn’t it. I glared at Amethyst. She wouldn’t dare... She wouldn’t dare to describe it like that.

“Why?” The master of the Tower spread her arms, her sleeves fluttering like butterfly wings.

I...

“Yoo Soo-Ha... doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”

I was weak. I had also been weak before. There had been days when I thought I shouldn’t become a psychopath. No matter how successful I became, I shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the children burning in the mansion. I told myself repeatedly that I shouldn’t become like Yoo Soo-Ha.

“I have already overcome Yoo Soo-Ha.”

But not anymore.

“Yoo Soo-Ha is like a speck of dust in my life, so now I can look down on him and laugh!”

I had met the Guardian, Teacher, Raviel, and the orphanage director. They were beautiful people, and I chose to stay by their side.

“I decide who means something to me! I choose who will be the reason I live on.”

The people close to me were the only reason I tried to become stronger. This had nothing to do with Yoo Soo-Ha. A sense of betrayal or anxiety caused by others was no longer my drive. I wasn’t going to let that be the case. I was stronger than yesterday.

Amethyst looked at me. “Are you saying that Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha is no longer your reason to keep going?”

“Yes,” I replied with confidence. “I don’t even think about that bastard anymore. He can go fuck himself.”

“But you still hate him.”

“Fuck.”

“He still means so much to you, Mr. Gong-Ja. To the extent that you can never forgive him. No, you feel like you should

never

forgive him. That’s why you’re treating Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha as the most heinous psychopath in the universe.”

I gritted my teeth. “Fine. Thank you so much for proving that Yoo Soo-Ha is a bastard who can change. Now I’ll prove to you that that bastard means nothing to me.”

That son of a bitch.

“Viscountess Amethyst, you’re showing off that you changed Yoo Soo-Ha and that only you can change him.”

“Yes.”

“I won’t be able to change the fact that I’ll forever hate Yoo Soo-Ha. That’s how weak I am, and I’m weaker than you. You’re the only one who can fix all the misfortunes in this universe. That’s what you want me to admit, right?”

“Yes.”

I stood up. “Like I said, he can go fuck himself. I won't even waste my hatred and contempt for someone like Yoo Soo-Ha anymore.”

I looked down at Amethyst. The sun was setting just behind her head.

“He doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”

I wasn’t going to let him affect me anymore. I was sick of even hating that bastard!

“I’ve become stronger.”

I took out the Skill Card of the first Skill I received. It was my starting point.

I Want To Be Like You

Class: S+

Effect: Will automatically activate after an enemy kills you. You will be able to copy and turn one of their Skills into yours. The Skill you copy will be chosen at random, but you can’t copy your enemies’ Skills more than once.

※ However, you will die!

I glared at the Master of All Life. “I will change Yoo Soo-Ha. Preta destroyed the continent, but I changed her. Mr. Sword Star, the Black Dragon Master, the Inquisitor... They all changed. Yoo Soo-Ha... Do you think I won’t be able to change that motherfucker?

Me

?”

“Yes.”

My throat stung as if I had swallowed a ball of fire. “I don’t need your what-if scenario. I changed Preta, Mr. Carlenbery, Anatasha, Bambolina, and Raviel. I’ll make them the happiest they’ve ever been. There is no need for your what-ifs. The reality where I’m with them is the best possibility for them. You can’t make Teacher and Raviel as happy as I can.”

I didn’t need her salvation. There was no reason to make up for our weaknesses with her. Because we were no longer weak, we didn’t need her golden cards.

“And you. You won’t be able to change that bastard Yoo Soo-Ha like I can,” I told her. “Yes, the Yoo Soo-Ha of this world is just a guy who drinks soju to pass the time, but I won’t accept him even if you ask me to. The son of a bitch I’ll change will be much better and happier than yours because I’m stronger and more capable than you.”

Amethyst laughed. “Can you prove that? Anyone can say they will build heaven.”

“I always keep my word.”

“I see. You’re right. Then, are you challenging me, Mr. Gong-Ja?”

“It’s a duel.”

The goddess hummed. “I always welcome a duel. Those who duel are warriors. Only a warrior can carry their life on their shoulders. I love all humans, praise every drop of blood as beautiful, and take pleasure in defeating anyone who challenges me. I’m strong.”

“I’m strong too.”

Amethyst seemed to be having fun. “I’m the strongest person in all of heaven. I melted the heart of the Sun Queen, who had incarcerated herself for over sixty years. I consoled the Unconditioned Duchess, who had been rotting away for over a thousand years. I thawed the dragon emperor’s frozen time, which had been in that state for seven thousand years. This is just my prologue.”

The Tower master tilted her head. “I built the Tower so I can embrace and let all the weak and evil—the unfortunate, unhappy, mass-killers, cannibals—live again. My heart will beat infinitely, and my life will go on eternally. I can comfort all the victims of the universe. Even you felt like you breathed properly for the first time when you set foot in my Tower, so how dare you challenge me to a duel? ”

I said, “Then try to make Raviel happier than I can.”

Just like how her life proved her strength, so did mine.

“Try to make Teacher smile brighter than I can.”

The people who were with me proved who I was.

“Try it.”

Amethyst laughed boisterously. It was entirely possible that the whole street heard her. “Good. Very good.”

Her purple eyes lit up, and her purple scent blended with the early summer air. It had the strong scent of a rotten, poisonous flower.

“So, how are you gonna do that? By what means?” she asked. The flower came closer, and the fragrance became much more intense. “How in the world are you going to change Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha more than I did?

Hmm

? Do you have a means to do that? A plan, at least?”

The purple flower caressed my cheeks. “I have

All Life

. I staked my gifts and life to get this ability. I even went ahead and improved it, giving it the ultimate form. Do you have the same means as I do, Mr. Gong-Ja?”

The courtesan of the capital whispered in my ear with the same sweet voice that had captivated countless nobles, royals, and even dragon emperors.

“You already killed Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha.

Ah

, would you like to go back in time before killing him? You’ve already done it more than four thousand times, so a few hundred days isn’t that impossible. Though the relationships with the Black Dragon Master, the Sword Star, the Heavenly Demon, the Constellation Murderer, and many other people will all be lost.

“In order to change Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha, you have to give up on others. Mr. Yoo Soo-ha means nothing to you, right? He’s so meaningless that you’d much rather look forward to a new possibility than the past hundreds of days.”

Fuck.

I could feel my blood boil. Instead of suppressing my anger, I spat it out. “Reward.”

Amethyst tilted her head. “What do you mean, reward?”

“Give me a reward. You still owe me.”

I didn’t take out the card for nothing. I turned the back of the card over where the Skill description was written.

It will automatically activate after an enemy kills you. You will be able to copy and turn one of their Skills into yours.

“It’s the rule you made.”

She was the one who had built the Tower.

“This is the means I have rightfully earned.”

It was the dagger that I kept in the Tower.

“Because of this, I demand a reward from you.”

Amethyst smiled. “You want to take away my Skill and become stronger than me?”

“Yes.”

“Are you planning on taking away

All Life

? What a pity. That’s a Skill that requires a combination of several Skills to be of some use. If you have

the

Gold Dragon’s Gaze

and

Icewater Dragon’s Breath

, you’ll pull off the magic I do, but...

Uh-oh.

” Amethyst hummed. “Mr. Gong-Ja, you can take away only one Skill, right?”

Her smile became wider.

“Forget about becoming stronger than me. Can you really change Mr. Yoo Soo-Ha even if you copy one of my Skills? You need a lot of elements to become overpowered like me, Mr. Gong-Ja.”

“Are you chickening out?”

I couldn’t let the goddess be the only one to have fun.

“

Ha

?”

“Nevermind. You’re chickening out. If so, you can go ahead and admit that you lost. I had to see your whole life as the Skill penalty, but I don’t receive my reward? The Tower management system is truly messed up.”

Amethyst was still smiling. “Cute. Very cute. How can I ignore your adorable taunting?”

She moved her fingers in the air, as if she was playing an invisible instrument.

“Okay, Death King. Take whatever you can.”

[It has been determined that your death has met the requirement.]

[Duplicating the Master of All Life’s Skills at random.]

Amethyst snapped her fingers. “Take away a piece of my life and prove what you just said, Death King, Advisor, Mr. Kim Gong-Ja.”

Swooosh.

Golden cards lined up in the air.

[Creating Skill Cards!]

The sunset had already left, and the night arrived on the terrace. In the dark night sky, the Tower master’s golden Skill Cards sparkled like multiple North Stars.

The Shackle of Madness

The Three Evils of the Royal Road.

Dice’s Loved One.

Royal Teacher.

Protector of Demi-Humans.

Gold Dragon's Gaze

Earthbone Dragon's Skull

Icewater Dragon's Breath.

All Life

Each and every one of those stars shone, connecting with one another and becoming a star sign named the Master of All Life. That was the life of the Tower master and of the Tower itself.

I stretched out my hand toward the stars in the night sky, and then I grabbed the golden light.