novelraw Chapter 13 : Chapter 13
Chapter 13 : Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Two People (3)
It was a scene that looked precarious at a glance.
The edge of a high-rise building.
Its dizzying height was enough to inspire a gruesome fear all on its own.
However, the person dangling precariously had a good expression.
“……What’s so enjoyable?”
Lee Chulwoon asked.
His expression was a face hardened as if indifferent.
It was a face that would endure any sacrifice if necessary, so it was even more brutal than hostility.
Nevertheless, Han Chulwoon found it hard to hold back the slight laugh that was emerging.
“Just because.”
“……Just because?”
“Because I like the fact that someone can hold me like this.”
***
Lee Chulwoon thought.
Originally, a regressor’s strongest weapon was the memory of the future, so the sooner he could eliminate variables that could change that future, the better.
It was a good idea, but why was the opponent, who seemed about to fall, so confident.
That was questionable.
‘Is he not afraid of death?’
That too was a characteristic of a regressor.
And if, this person also possessed the power of regression, the story changed.
“…….”
He could not kill him.
The core of death regression was reviving in the past with the ‘memory of when one died’.
‘There are a few things that bother me about killing him like this.’
The first hypothesis.
There was a possibility of regressing based on the one who died first.
What would happen then?
The one in danger would be this side.
‘The opponent will revive with his memories, and I will start the next life knowing nothing.’
The second possibility.
Perhaps, that person might return to a past where he himself did not exist.
‘In that case, what happens to me? Do I disappear forever? I cannot know.’
It was dangerous all the same.
And the third possibility.
What if we really are the same person, and we were just separated for some reason?
‘Perhaps, in the next life, our two egos or memories might get mixed.’
This also was not a desirable conclusion.
It would be one thing if there was no problem in killing the opponent because he was a fake, but he resembled himself so frighteningly that he couldn't just dismiss it as such.
Not just his face, but his inside as well.
‘Tch.’
Like this, there was much he didn't know about the detailed effects of the past regression ability.
No, even if he tried to find out, there was no way to know.
Because it was an ability that only activated upon death, it was impossible to observe what process occurred between death and revival.
‘But I can’t let him live either.’
The opponent was a skilled person who had astonishingly struck a Magic Bullet with his ‘bare hands’.
Furthermore, he had survived even after he [Lee Chulwoon] had fired that, which was dangerous with just one shot, a total of 4 times.
He had even taken one hit, and despite that, he was holding on like this.
Above all, he seemed to know even his own unpleasant past.
Thinking about it made him even more pissed off.
‘No. This bastard, in front of Yuha, how dare he?’
For a moment, his face felt like it was flushing, but he steeled his heart again.
Now was the time to be calm.
‘Is there only one best move?’
To die first.
And thus, for him to be the one to regress.
‘Kang Yuha.’
Leaving her behind, for some reason, he didn’t want to die.
Even as his mind was breaking down from the repeated regressions, she was the person who breathed a sense of reality into him.
She revived his desire and will for life.
‘I said I would protect you…….’
Around then.
Han Chulwoon, reading the mood, spoke.
“It’s a good time. Right? Yuha is pretty.”
“……Do you want to die?”
Lee Chulwoon shook him violently, as if he would throw him down at any moment.
At that, his clothes tore a little.
Deudeudeuk-
A sight where it seemed he would fall even if he didn't let go.
Even though it was a grown man hanging from a handful of cloth.
“Will that work as a threat?”
“…….”
Han Chulwoon was calmly teaching him one by one.
“I told you to shut up. From now on, I’m the one asking questions.”
“If you want to intimidate, you have to instill fear first.”
Even though he tried to set the mood with strong words, the initiative in the conversation had already tilted to the other side.
It was inevitable that the more cautious side would hesitate more.
“Or, are you worried about something like, am I the regressor?”
“…….”
“Don’t worry. My Constellation doesn’t answer.”
That was decisive.
Mentioning regression was unusual, but if he even knew that the power came from a Constellation…….
‘This is hard to see as simply Cain’s machination.’
Since a mere low-level Watcher could not easily grasp a Constellation’s ability.
“But. Seeing you agonizing like this, it seems the Constellation is quiet for you too, huh?”
At those words from Han Chulwoon, Lee Chulwoon realized his mistake.
Just by agonizing over the regression situation without asking the Constellation, it was no different from revealing his own state.
‘Damn it!’
In a fight between regressors, he didn't know how important a weapon information related to regression would be.
To have it read so easily.
‘My mistake.’
The one who showed curiosity at this moment was Cain.
“Hoo. You received a Constellation’s choice before the ‘Time of Choice’? You are indeed extraordinary. Moreover, regression? Regression…… this is a point that greatly piques my interest.”
The one who answered him was Han Chulwoon.
“Right, so extraordinary. To think of engaging in romance even after doing such things. This bastard, his head is a flower garden.”
At that, sharp Magic Power, like an awl, formed at Lee Chulwoon’s fingertips.
A slight dizziness arose from the excessive use of Magic Power, but it was still bearable.
No, he had to bear it.
Because this very moment could be the most important turning point in this life.
“There are many ways to deal with you without killing you.”
He could cut off his arms and legs and lock him away, unable to even die.
“You talk too much. Why don’t you just do it?”
“…….”
However, the opponent’s attitude did not change.
***
Han Chulwoon wanted to praise the opponent.
This was because, beyond simply getting stronger by claiming a hidden piece first, he knew and used this world's ‘system’.
“It’s probably because of the Massacrer Title.”
It was a title that could only be obtained by killing 100 people.
Its effect was adding 7% more coin obtained through murder.
“Right, that’s good. Very methodical.”
However, it was not easy to obtain.
Because simply killing 100 people was not enough.
You absolutely must kill them ‘directly’, and you must do it ‘within one scenario’.
But there was an even bigger constraint than the simple act of murder, and that was the existence of the Watcher.
This was because for Watchers, the ‘Incarnation Candidate’ they managed was the most important.
Even if they said some sacrifice was unavoidable in the process of screening for good candidates, a situation where all candidates died must not happen.
Even sacrifice required moderation.
Thus, if an excessive massacre occurred, the Watcher would restrain the massacrer.
Therefore, killing 100 people directly within one scenario was something that couldn't happen under normal circumstances.
However, Watchers were not perfect beings either.
Let's hypothesize.
What if, before the Watcher could even stop him, he annihilated all the survivors in the area?
“Fake-Chulwoon. You gathered people in one place under the pretext of protection.”
And so, if only one candidate remained?
“Next, you massacred them all at once before the Watcher could even react. You chose the path of magic for that purpose, I see.”
The Watcher's position would change to one where they must support that single Incarnation Candidate with all their might.
The tables would be turned.
“This, what a truly smart son of a bitch. There’s no way two human trash like that exist in this world.”
A truly efficient, but truly cold-hearted method.
“I acknowledge it. You really are me.”
It was literally an act that only someone who was not normal would do.
***
Lee Chulwoon was in shock.
“That…… How?”
This strategy was one he had executed for the first time in this life.
But the opponent had grasped everything just by seeing the traces of the fight!
‘This is not a judgment possible with insight alone.’
It had to be seen as a judgment possible ‘because he already knew’.
And if it was a regressor who grasped his own strategy completely in one go…….
“You……. No way? No way!”
Now, he felt he knew who the opponent was.
“Are you me from the future!”
A person physically identical to himself, but more skilled.
It would be absurd for my present self and my future self to exist at the same time.
However, if one was a regressor who repeated an era countless times.
And so, if one was a regressor where both the future self and the past self were spending the exact same time.
It wouldn't be impossible for a future self to exist in the same timeline as the same me.
Especially, if it was that ‘Constellation of Regression’…….
“Isn’t your realization a little late?”
Han Chulwoon wore a mocking smile.
“T-this!”
Lee Chulwoon was aghast.
If so, he could understand why the Constellation's reaction was different from usual.
Because ‘some change’ must have occurred with the Constellation.
“Stupid bastard. You’re so slow to realize, I thought you’d dug out the walnut in your skull for a snack.”
It was certain.
Because the person before him was someone who had done something even he had never done, which was to save Kang Yuha and then return to the company.
“You…… You, you!”
Lee Chulwoon’s voice trembled.
How he should accept this situation, and how he should utilize it.
Too many thoughts bloomed, and overflowed.
The emotions that had hardened from regression and the karma of killing overflowed like a wave.
But he had to speak.
“You! Just how far have you gone?”
Because there was something he had to ask.
Just what would become of him, thrown into this endless hell.
“Just what number scenario have you reached?”
Whether there was salvation for him too…….
“How many regressions have you done?”
Just how many times must he repeat for it to end!
And……. whether it would not end no matter how many times he repeated.
“…….”
The end of the scenarios Lee Chulwoon predicted was the 144th one.
And he had already reached the 122nd scenario before.
The end was not far.
Now, just a little more…….
If he had more information, and just a little luck, he would be able to see the end of the scenarios.
Next, he just had to research a way to save more people.
And finally, he would be able to see the best result.
“Tell me! What happened in the future you saw!”
“…….”
“No, let’s join forces! If you and I join forces, we can end everything in this turn! We can produce the best result!”
Han Chulwoon’s expression distorted strangely as he heard those words.
“Maybe, we can even save everyone……”
“Save? What?”
It was close to expressionless, but within it was embedded a displeasure bordering on disgust.
“The people……. This world!”
“You’re going to save them? You?”
A gruesome blade was planted in his question.
A killing intent he hadn't shown before dripped from every word he spat out.
“……Why? Why that reaction……”
Lee Chulwoon was baffled by this hostility.
Why was he so enraged?
Did he not want to save the world?
“I wonder who you plan to save, using so many corpses as your foothold.”
“……That was unavoidable. I must have power to save more people! Seeing the end of the world and getting information is the priority! Afterwards, I will definitely……”
“Heo…… Fuck.”
A deep sigh burst from Han Chulwoon’s mouth.
“It’s all a fruitless endeavor.”
***
Han Chulwoon did not like the opponent’s choice of words.
Unavoidable?
Save everyone?
Who did he dare think he was to save anyone.
The life of a regressor, who could restart at any time, was just a process without a result.
If he had an infinite number of tomorrows to waste.
He could just roughly consume reality.
And yet he talks about saving?
‘Yes……. At one time, I thought that way too.’
At some point, you realize.
That it seems like you’ve lived fiercely, but in reality, you’ve never been serious even once.
That it’s all a delusion.
You just end up endlessly repeating, ‘I just have to do better next time.’
‘Someone who lives properly does it right from the start.’
A normal life is one that ends once you die.
Even so, how many people weren't sincere about their lives?
And yet a punk like him dares to say he's living diligently?
And for others, at that?
‘I knew this guy was me, but.’
Until just a moment ago, I was curious how many times this guy had regressed.
But now, his level was obvious.
‘Disgusting. Was I that kind of human?’
The number of times he’d died was, at most, a hundred.
Perhaps, even less than that.
‘To think he still believes he’s the world’s savior.’
Thinking that, a disgusting feeling crept up.
That guy’s entire life was no different from his own shameful memories.
From deluding himself that he was the protagonist who would overcome this tragedy, to realizing he was actually just the cause of the tragedy.
How many had he been forced to kill.
How many times had he been forced to die.
“Damn it……. It’s all just a fruitless endeavor.”
Until he learned that there were things he could only see after giving up that path…….
Again, how much had he been forced to wander.
Among the emotions diluted by that long life, displeasure surged up.
A musty, rotten smell, like that of a sewer, seemed to pierce his nose and rape his brain.
It was the smell of his own soul, rotted from the very roots.
“Why?”
Lee Chulwoon’s hand, aghast at Han Chulwoon’s reaction, trembled.
Following it, Han Chulwoon shook precariously, as if he would fall at any moment.
At that, Han Chulwoon spoke low, as if muttering.
“Just throw me. I don’t even want to waste my breath.”