I Entered an Academy in a Ruined Game

Chapter 321 : The End (3)

Looking back.

It was longer ago than Su-hyeon thought when he vaguely realized Yu-jin's feelings, and his own feelings for Yu-jin.

At first, he thought it couldn't happen.

Since Edge of Gate didn't have elements like relationship changes based on affection levels or romance routes.

From gamer Kim Seong-yun's perspective, he had never thought that Yu-jin could become Jeong Su-hyeon's romantic interest.

Not a heroine but a companion character.

Their relationship went only that far, and the understanding and affection developed over hundreds of playthroughs was closer to camaraderie or fellowship.

Of course, even as a gamer, Su-hyeon thought that the character Yu-jin, no, the person Yu-jin was pretty, kind, pitiful, cool, and someone he wanted to protect.

But it wasn't romantic feelings.

Therefore, he thought that Yu-jin wouldn't have any feelings for him either.

This remained the same even after falling into the world of Edge of Gate and living as Jeong Su-hyeon.

But when did it start?

Thinking about it, Yu-jin always stayed where his gaze fell, strived to catch up with him, was curious about many things, and wanted to do many things together.

...And Hwang Ji-su.

The rival who always burned with competitiveness toward him.

A powerful Awakened who surpassed Yu-jin in ability utilization and improvisation.

And a friend who, surprisingly tender-hearted, subtly needed looking after.

She was the same.

'I never thought Hwang Ji-su would have any feelings for me.'

Su-hyeon realized her feelings much later than Yu-jin's.

It wasn't just those two.

Kim A-yun, a promising talent who had always been suppressed and thus timidly withdrawn, whom he therefore wanted to help bloom her potential somehow.

Kwon Seung-yeon, always cheerful, thoughtful, and a reliable supporter.

Min Hae-na, a senior and advisor who pioneered the path ahead of him.

He never imagined that even those three would have any feelings for him...

'I have many sins. How did this happen?'

Yet even after vaguely noticing that their feelings toward him were not ordinary.

Su-hyeon had deliberately pretended not to know.

He thought it wasn't the right time.

Of course, that hadn't changed even now.

But why?

Having achieved transcendence, discussing the Secrets of the Stars, the cosmic providence and immutable causality visible to those who had ascended incredibly high, the natural order and paradoxes.

Even as he was losing his sense of self in a flood of memories too vast to handle.

Such trivial human emotions, human bonds in the form of promises, were holding his self together.

That was truly surprising even to Su-hyeon.

'Ah... I see.'

Only then could Su-hyeon finally realize something.

'The Secrets of the Stars, the cosmic providence... That's not what was important.'

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[Kuuuurgh!]

As Su-hyeon's will began to overwhelm Belphegor's, Belphegor asked with confusion, perplexity, and a hint of gladness.

[What's happening? I thought it was over.]

'Well. Isn't it obvious when you think about it?'

Su-hyeon's self answered.

[What do you mean?]

'Between someone who wants to die out of boredom and someone who desperately wants to live. Whose will is stronger?'

[Absurd.]

Belphegor dismissed it.

[You cannot surpass me with such a trivial motivation.]

[Did those who died by my hand die because they lacked a burning will to live?]

[The motivation for finding your self lies elsewhere. Isn't that right?]

'Yes.'

Su-hyeon readily admitted.

'One reason is that I made a promise.'

[Relationships?]

[I never thought that you, a transcendent, would still cling to such insignificant mortal shackles.]

'You wouldn't understand. You, who grew up from birth in hatred, fear, and pain, without family or lover.'

[Did you see?]

Belphegor wasn't surprised that Su-hyeon knew his past.

'Yes.'

While his self was becoming muddled with the overflow of memories.

Belphegor's memories had also flowed into Su-hyeon.

'Isn't it unfair if only you look? When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you. Just as you like to express it.'

[So? Are you going to pity me?]

'That's out of the question. Pity, you say.'

Su-hyeon firmly denied.

'You had many opportunities to stop. Having mitigating factors and being absolved are completely different matters.'

Su-hyeon's light began to erode Belphegor's darkness bit by bit.

[Sin.]

Despite now being pushed back in reverse, Belphegor remained remarkably calm.

'Yes. You've caused too much bloodshed.'

As the light grew stronger, the power of the words carried in Su-hyeon's voice grew stronger.

'Intoxicated by that fine name of transcendent. Intoxicated by that limitless power.'

'You killed countless humans and demons, tore apart families, and annihilated numerous dreams, missions, desperations, fulfillments, wills, fears, and longings.'

[Correct. I certainly did so.]

'That's something that shouldn't be done.'

[By what standard? As a transcendent?]

'As a human or demon. As a being with intelligence.'

[Hahahahaha!]

Belphegor burst into the loudest laughter yet.

[On what basis? Morality? Or ethics?]

[Do you still adhere to such vain and shallow rules of mortals!]

Belphegor shouted in anger.

[You should know, Jeong Su-hyeon! The universe is callous! Arid! Infinitely complex, and infinitely empty!]

[There is no god, ethics, or morality there! Only causality exists!]

'Yes. I know.'

[Knowing that, why!]

'That's precisely why humans living on this millet-sized planet, less significant than dust on a millet, created frameworks of ethics and morality to find their own meaning and rules, isn't it? The same must be true for you demons, who are called devils.'

[How ephemeral such rules are!]

'Yes. They may indeed be ephemeral. Perhaps meaningless and feeble.'

Su-hyeon's light began to surround and envelop Belphegor's darkness, creeping around it.

'But think about it. If ethics are rules created by mortals, their own promises and beliefs, what a fragile greatness is this?'

[What?]

'These new notions they created did not exist in this universe before.'

Su-hyeon's words continued.

'The notions created by mortals, by insignificant beings, have continued to combine and separate, creating the concept of civilization that didn't exist before. That is true creation made by beings smaller than dust in this vast, callous, and boundless universe.'

[...!]

'Thus, that incalculable causality has accumulated, and you and I are facing each other here now. Though we boast as transcendents, we too are merely insignificant beings who see a little further into the great truths of the universe than others.'

At that moment.

Crack!

A sound that shouldn't exist, as if something without physical form was cracking, was heard.

[I see. That is your answer.]

'Why?'

Su-hyeon asked.

'Why are you shaken? Why aren't you denying anymore?'

[You're quite annoying. You know it all, yet you ask.]

Crackle.

With a sound like glass cracking and breaking.

The darkness that formed Belphegor's self began to collapse, consumed by Su-hyeon's light.

[...I see. The answer you found has defeated me.]

Belphegor's voice was now precarious, as if about to disappear.

[Jeong Su-hyeon.]

'I'm listening.'

Watching the collapse of a transcendent reminiscent of a dying star, Su-hyeon answered.

[Come to think of it, perhaps I was envious.]

[Beings weaker and more ephemeral than me, binding themselves to each other in shackles called family, lovers, friends, crying and laughing among themselves. Perhaps I was envious of that sight.]

[Because it was something I could never have.]

'Envy easily turns into anger.'

[Yes. And anger easily becomes pleasure...]

'For you, who regained both freedom and revenge simultaneously.'

Su-hyeon's self said.

'Perhaps that was the only lighthouse for you.'

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As both light and darkness retreated.

Blue returned to the sky where the black clouds that had obscured the sun disappeared.

If one listened carefully, voices of demons and humans in confusion could be heard from far below, at the base of the Celestial Tower.

Belphegor, who had existed as a formless consciousness entity formed of endless darkness, had returned to the appearance of a pale, thin man.

"...Not bad."

The thin man smiled.

"It was a satisfying conversation, Jeong Su-hyeon."

"...That appearance."

Su-hyeon, who had also returned to his original form, looked down at the man and asked.

"Is that your original face?"

"Hmm?"

He created a reflection in the air without a mirror to see his own face.

"Haha. Yes. 'A very long time ago,' I looked like this."

Back when he was neither a transcendent nor anything else.

The face from the time when he was alone and noble in the lowest place as a slave, for which he had to suffer even more severe pain.

"But you're quite something too."

"What do you mean?"

"That you still cling to this form."

"It's my choice. Is there any reason I shouldn't?"

"That's true."

Belphegor's presence was gradually fading.

"You've won. You, who remained human without being consumed by transcendence, have defeated me who had fallen into the boredom that transcendence brings."

"Does it really matter?"

Su-hyeon replied.

"You don't have to assign meaning to everything."

"Perhaps. You might be right."

Belphegor raised his right hand and slowly watched as it scattered like sand from the fingertips.

"Jeong Su-hyeon. My understander. I am grateful that I could meet you who understood me only at the end, and yet denied me."

Belphegor's face showed neither the arrogance and boredom of a transcendent, nor the emptiness of an avenger, nor the anger and humiliation of a loser.

"Perhaps this is."

Su-hyeon said.

"Your original appearance. The appearance you would have had if you had grown up normally, without anger, revenge, pain, or wandering."

"Haha, what a meaningless assumption."

A small ripple crossed Belphegor's face.

"If that had been the case, this encounter between you and me across time, dimension, and universe could never have happened. I would have died long ago as a demon, and you too would have lived a fleeting moment as a human and faded away in the distant future."

Belphegor's lips moved briefly, then stopped.

"This won't do."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm finding it difficult to explain my emotions. Countless feelings I want to express to you overflow, yet nothing comes out of my mouth."

"Sometimes, not speaking is more eloquent than a hundred words."

"Ah, is that so."

There was a certain relief in Belphegor's smile.

"Now kill me. At this moment, I can die satisfied."

"Do you desire peace?"

"I wonder. If you're not satisfied, you can inflict all the torture you can, I don't mind."

Belphegor truly thought that would be fine too, but.

"I'm afraid that would be difficult."

Su-hyeon shook his head.

Because even at this moment, Belphegor's physical form was vainly scattering into the air.

"I see. That's a pity."

"But at the very least."

Su-hyeon said.

"I'll watch until the end as your existence disappears."

"What a luxurious death."

Belphegor's smile gradually faded.

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Belphegor died.

His existence, completely annihilated in death, disappeared from this world without a trace, both body and self.

"...It's over."

Realizing this fact, Su-hyeon suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion and fell to his knees.

That was...

In some ways, it looked like a gesture of respect for his adversary.

"It's over."

There were moments passing like a panorama.

Those memories and emotions were coloring Su-hyeon's heart in a shade difficult to describe.

It was truly a long, truly an intense battle.

"...Haha."

Su-hyeon laughed as he wept.