Chapter 174 – The Last Test

Gi-Gyu heard a system announcement before he could even open his eyes.

[The story you’re about to see is the one you are most curious about.]

Confused, Gi-Gyu shouted, “Are you actually talking to me right now? Sure sounds like it.”

The system’s voice sounded odd. Normally, the system sounded emotionless, detached even; now, it sounded emotive, kind even. Or was Gi-Gyu just mistaken?

The system abruptly replied,

[Yes, you’re correct. We are in a place that’s not under the Tower's control. I can talk directly to you only here.]

Ba dum!

Gi-Gyu felt his heart jump.

‘So it was true! The system is a living being, and it is talking to me right now.’

The system, in its voice gentle, continued,

[You will briefly lose your connection to your Egos. It is a temporary disconnection due to the misaligned time axes, so please do not worry.]

“You…!” Afraid he might lose the system’s attention, Gi-Gyu yelled, “Who are you?!”

Every single player in the world was curious about the system. They were all familiar with its mechanical tone and capabilities. Everything involving the players was quantified and their next steps were advised by the Tower. The Tower also decided their jobs and gave them opportunities to become stronger. Simply put, the Tower—and the system in turn—decided a player’s worth.

The system replied,

[You will… find the answer to that question soon.]

Gi-Gyu became quiet. The system appeared to be telling him it would give him the answer.

[Please open your eyes. I will become your guide.]

Listening to the system’s voice, Gi-Gyu slowly opened his eyes.

***

Gi-Gyu found himself in a castle from the Middle Ages. He was standing in what looked like a secret hallway, illuminated by only a few candles. He slowly looked around.

[This is the hallway where the world’s history is stored.]

Gi-Gyu continued to study his surroundings as the system continued.

[The time you can stay here is limited, and you are only allowed to see certain things. Starting now, I will show you what you have been wishing to see.]

Gi-Gyu nodded. Meanwhile, he tried to connect with his Egos to see how credible was the system’s statement.

“Lou? El?”

He didn’t receive any answers.

The system paused a little before commenting,

[Didn’t I tell you that your connection to your Egos will be temporarily disabled? Currently, you do not exist in the same time axis as your Egos.]

Gi-Gyu nodded. He just wanted to check on the system’s claim. Not being able to call upon his Egos was alarming but at last…

‘

I still feel strong.’?

Gi-Gyu thought in relief. He could tell his sync to El, Lou, and the other Egos had broken. Yet to his surprise, he could still feel power surging inside.

‘

I wonder if it’s because I obtained Lou and El’s data.’?

Gi-Gyu came up with his own conclusion. Without his unique ability to sync, he was a level 1 player with nearly zero strength, basically a non-player. The elixir improved his physique, but he was still the weakest player without his Egos not too long ago.

However, things were different now. Despite his broken sync, he was filled with strength. The only thing he could think of to explain this phenomenon was that he had obtained El and Lou’s data.

‘

I don’t know if I should feel happy that my weakness is gone or…’?

Gi-Gyu contemplated. In a way, he couldn’t help feeling sad because it appeared that he might no longer need his precious Egos.

[There is no time.]

When the system urged him, Gi-Gyu replied, “All right.”

[Please follow the path slowly.]

Gi-Gyu obeyed the system and began walking. He couldn’t have seen anything in such a dark place if it weren't for the few candles. Surprisingly, as he ventured deeper into the unknown, he didn’t feel afraid.

[Please stop.]

Gi-Gyu paused.

[Do you see the third candle?]

Gi-Gyu turned to look at the wall. So far, he had passed two candles, and a third one was in front of him.

“Yup,” he replied blankly.

[Please touch the candle with your hand.]

Gi-Gyu didn’t ask any questions as he touched the candle flame.

***

Gi-Gyu saw several beings having a meeting in a joint. Dozens of them were discussing intently. Some were even red as they yelled. Unfortunately, Gi-Gyu couldn’t hear any sounds.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

‘

Are they not human?’?

Gi-Gyu realized this as he studied them. They all looked human, but not all of them were human. Gi-Gyu guessed that about ten were human, while the others were something else.

[They are the rulers of this world.]

‘

The rulers of this world?’?

Gi-Gyu asked, wanting further explanation.

[The first thing God created was hell. He then made the angels’ home. After that, he created many more worlds.]

The system continued,

[In each of the worlds God created, there existed rulers that governed their respective worlds. They were the first creatures God created.]

‘

The rulers…’?

[These rulers, who had received a tiny part of God’s power, ascended to power in their respective worlds. They…]

The system sounded calm as it added.

[Acted like God himself in their world.]

Gi-Gyu watched the scene again. ‘

These creatures screaming at each other… They really are the rulers?’

[At first, the different worlds were completely separated from each other. Therefore, the rulers were not required to interact with each other. But after that fateful day, many things changed.]

‘

That day?’

[It was the day Chaos reared its ugly head. The day when the seal in hell became faint. That day, every world in every dimension became aware of Chaos’s existence.]

Gi-Gyu realized that something significant must have happened that day. The system continued,

[Chaos was suppressed and imprisoned by God again. It was placed in the Underground prison; however, the brief period it was active resulted in a huge shift. The perfect harmony that separated the worlds was cracked. And pathways between the very many worlds materialized through the axis of time.]

Gi-Gyu listened to the system attentively.

[With the formation of these pathways, the rulers of the different worlds began to communicate with each other. Sharing different cultures, powers, and goals allowed all dimensions to grow much faster.]

Gi-Gyu could follow the system’s explanation fairly well. A similar thing had happened in human history. When different cultures shared their knowledge, they tended to grow faster.

[The problem was…]

Gi-Gyu became even more interested as he listened.

[The day Chaos opened its eyes, everyone felt a problem.]

‘

A problem?’

The system suddenly paused before stating.

[The end of the world.]

The system explained,

[Everyone realized that Chaos existed and that the world will end the day it fully materializes. On top of it, the rulers, who thought they were God, all learned that they were nothing more than just his creations. They were forced to realize that their fate and everything else depended on someone else.]

‘

...’

[The rulers, who reigned like God, suddenly became nervous. That is why…]

Gi-Gyu stared at the scene before him again. The meeting was becoming even more intense; some had their weapons out.

[This meeting was organized.]

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu could hear the voices of those in the meeting.

One of the beings in the meeting screamed, “Why are you against this?!”

***

“How could worthless creatures like us fight our father?! Are you saying that is what God truly wants?” a creature with long canines shouted to a man with pointy ears. Gi-Gyu guessed the man had to be an elf. He seemed like the head of the elves because he was wearing a crown.

Touching his crown, the elf replied, “We can’t defy our father. If the end of the world comes, all we can do is accept it. Don’t you think that is what our father wants?”

“Nonsense!” the creature with the long canines shouted. Gi-Gyu guessed that this had to be an orc. He didn’t look like a traditional orc, but there were some similarities. It appeared that this creature was also the head of its clan.

The orc continued, “So you’re saying that when the end of the world comes, we should all just die? And it won’t just be us in this room. It will be everyone. Our children and our relatives will all turn into dust. So you really believe we should accept such a fate obediently?”

The orc was clearly an aggressive creature, which was an orc's characteristic inside the Tower too.

Then, someone else asked, “Then what do you suggest?”

‘

What is that creature?’?

Gi-Gyu wondered. He didn’t recognize the species of this speaker. The speaker seemed strange because it was made entirely of tree bark. Also, the speaker’s eyes were just bright lights as if they could shoot laser beams. Everyone in the meeting was humanoid, but they all had unique features that differentiated them.

The last speaker of an unknown gender continued, “As you said, we are just his creations and nothing more. We gained a tiny piece of his power, but it is nothing compared to what he has. Do you all agree?”

It appeared that this speaker was an influential figure because everyone listened quietly. The speaker continued, “Even if we gather all of our strengths, what will that accomplish? Didn’t we all feel the truth that day?”

The creature made of tree bark made everyone silent.

“...”

“...”

It was easy to tell why they became quiet.

‘

They are fearful.’?

Gi-Gyu realized. He couldn’t tell why, but everyone was obviously trembling in fear.

The tree-bark creature continued, “It isn’t something we can battle easily. It’s…”

The speaker’s fingers shook as the creature added, “All we can do is live every day like it’s our last day while we prepare. Don’t you agree? Anyway, this is my answer.”

“I agree with you.” The elf nodded and continued, “There is nothing we can do to fight God. I can’t understand why anyone called for this meeting in the first place. It was to contrive a way to defy God, wasn’t it? How ridiculous. I would like an explanation.”

The elf turned toward a group nearby.

‘

Humans?’?

Gi-Gyu quickly realized that they were humans. Their aura and outer physique were the closest to being human in the room. It didn’t look like the group had a clear leader because no one had stepped forward.

The orc king clicked his tongue and muttered, “I can’t believe the organizers of this meeting are keeping quiet like this.”

Shaking his head, the creature covered in tree bark asked, “Didn’t you call for this meeting? Then you need to say something. If you called a meeting like this, you must have devised a plan. After all, just holding a meeting like this means we’re defying our father.”

Everyone except the humans seemed to agree that this meeting was a bad idea. The humans were being cornered when a figure wearing a strange helmet suddenly stepped forward and announced, “There is a solution.”

This creature’s face was hidden. He wore a long flowy outfit and carried a giant sickle on his back. He looked familiar to Gi-Gyu, but Gi-Gyu couldn’t explain why or how.

The elf and the creatures made of tree bark exclaimed,

“A solution?! Did you say you had a solution?”

“A solution…!”

But the orc king had a different reaction. He shouted, “How can we trust this bastard’s words? I’ve heard about you! The human king was apparently dethroned, and this bastard took over, didn’t he? I guess this is true.”

The orc was obviously hostile toward the creature wearing the helmet.

Then, a figure, who had remained quiet until now, said, “You need to watch yourself! This isn’t a private conversation! We are having an official meeting regarding the fate of every world! Please show respect!”

This speaker looked human but was a giant and wore an eye patch.

“Hmph. I guess you’re siding with the humans because you’re a similar species? How absurd.” When the orc king sniggered, the man with the eye patch motioned to battle.

But…

“Stop this!” The man in the helmet, who appeared to represent the humans, stepped in. He also seemed to have some influence because both the orc and the man with the eye patch calmed down.

The human representative announced, “I will talk about the solution now.”

‘

Who is he?’?

Gi-Gyu became curious. For some unknown reason, he felt like he knew this man.

The elf king suggested in a gentlemanly voice, “Before that, why don’t you take your helmet off? After all, this is a place of great importance. You must show respect.”

“All right. It hasn’t been long since I took this position, so I wasn’t aware of the proper etiquette,” The man in the helmet replied and took his helmet off. He announced, “I shall first introduce myself.”

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu found himself struggling to breathe. Everyone else in the meeting also became quiet as they stared. Gi-Gyu finally realized why the man in the helmet felt so familiar.

The system said to Gi-Gyu as if to confirm his thought.

[That’s right.]

‘

Father!’?

Unreadable emotions filled Gi-Gyu’s eyes as the man introduced himself.

“I am the new leader of the humans. My name is Kronos.”