-Itâs a Homerun! Ahh, the ball went over the fence!
On the second floor terrace of a building in the heart of Babylon, the sound of a Korean baseball broadcast quietly flowed. Like the cries of crickets in the summer, the voices of the commentators were more like a distant sound in the background than a conversation between people.
Yoo Soo-ha was sitting on a sofa.
He was scratching his head back and forth.
The part Yoo Soo-ha was scratching was where his head had been pierced a moment ago.
âBaseball is boring as hell.â
âGuys. Iâm going out to grab a drink.â
Yawning, Yoo Soo-ha got up from the sofa.
âI donât feel like drinking with anyone, so donât follow me. I might stay out overnight, so donât call me. Iâll fuck you up if you call, just remember that.â
âDonât drink too much, Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
Beside me, Ja Soo-jung tapped away at her laptop keyboard.
The early summer winds blowing across Babylon Square swept through Ja Soo-jungâs hair.
âUnless Mr. Yoo Soo-ha wants this one to make a pilgrimage to Babylon in order to find you again.â
Yoo Soo-ha didnât even give us a glance.
Instead, he just turned his back and waved his hand.
Soon, Yoo Soo-ha disappeared down the stairs.
I couldnât help but inquire.
âManager Ja Soo-jung.â
âYes. Mr. Kim Gong-ja.â
âViscount Ja Soo-jung.â
Three names and three understandings were exchanged.
âIs this a possibility that youâre showing me?â
Passersby crowded the square below the terrace.
It was [the future], 11 years before my worldâs present.
Or, my present was 11 years ago, [the past].
It was a world built under the assumption [If Ja Soo-jung existed].
ââŠthan this world.â
âThe world I created is far more peaceful than this world!â
âWhat the heck is this?! Itâs a complete mess! The Black Dragon Master, Anastasia, is still alone and lonely! The Heretic Questioner⊠Bambolina hasnât changed either! Heâs still in a broken state without even realizing heâs broken!â
â[I] fixed the Guild Leadersâ relationship!â
The Sword Saint had cast aside his arrogance and prejudice.
The Black Dragon Master considered the Crusader her friend again.
The Crusader had put off the distrust from the past purge.
The Heretic Questioner had acknowledged his shortcomings and lowered his head to me.
They could now talk to each other, they acknowledged each other.
âNothing has changed in this world! The Guild Leaders are still locked into their seats of power, and the Tower is still a mess. Theyâre just being swayed by the outside worldâŠâ
Ja Soo-jung shook her head.
Her purple eyes met mine directly.
âYou killed Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
âYou didnât change Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
The wind chimes tied by the terrace window rang out.
âWas it because Mr. Yoo Soo-ha was such a wicked man that he couldnât be converted?â
The sound of the baseball game broadcast was carried by the wind.
âMr. Yoo Soo-ha is a villain among villains and a psychopath among psychopaths, so I had no choice but to kill him. It wasnât my fault or my incompetence that forced me to kill him.â
âBut look, Mr. Kim Gong-ja.â
The early summer wind blew against the wind chimes and set the background.
âIn this world, Mr. Yoo Soo-ha works with other people.â
When Ja Soo-jung died and I died, he carried out a [regression].
In exchange for killing himself, he returned 24 hours.
And just now, with the excuse of [going for a drink], he disappeared.
âThe person responsible for the bombing. The traitor who infiltrated the Ten Thousand Temple. The assassins who stabbed the Black Dragon Master in the back, and above all the Saintess that attacked him. Mr. Yoo Soo-ha is currently moving to eliminate them.â
Ja Soo-jung turned to look at the square with an expressionless face.
âMore evil than you, less positive than you, less responsible than you, less willing to change the world than you, and with less of an impact on the world than you. Heâs a much worse person than Mr. Kim Gong-ja.â
In the middle of the space crowded with passersby.
A certain Hunterâs black hair fluttered.
âAnd yet, he still became a person who would move for someone else.â
âMr. Yoo Soo-ha, could have become such a person.â
âWhen you killed Yoo Soo-ha. Or to use Mr. Kim Gong-jaâs terminology, when you [hunted] Yoo Soo-ha. That Yoo Soo-ha wasnât the same as the Flame Emperor who killed Mr. Kim Gong-ja. He was nothing more than a young F Rank Hunter who might have become the Flame Emperor. In a way, he might have even become the Flame Emperor in this world.â
The sound of my teeth grinding could be heard.
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âI, gave him a chance too.â
I didnât want to kill that guy.
âI put on an act. I didnât just kill him suddenly, I gave him a chance. I wondered if heâd feel pity for an injured person, and if he would offer to help instead of trying to hurt the injured personâŠâ
âSuch a [hard] test, like a god playing with a human.â
The Tower Master spoke calmly.
âIt was hard for me too! If heâd just quietly healed me, if he hadnât tried to kill meâŠâ
âIs it really that [special]?â
The Tower Master looked at me.
âIs [In a situation where there are no witnesses, a person who is in a tight spot kills an injured person and takes their property] really something that could only be done by an [unforgiveable and unredeemable]?â
âIs it a test that anyone could pass?â
âMr. Yoo Soo-ha disappeared without any news. The [Disappearance of a low ranked Hunter] is a [common occurrence]. Mr. Kim Gong-ja knows what that means, donât you? Since you were a low ranked hunter, too?â
âWhat percentage of people would have been able to pass Mr. Kim Gong-jaâs test?â
The scent of early summer was potent.
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The air was sticky and the air was humid. The air didnât feel like the air someone would breathe in, instead, it felt like the breath that someone had breathed out. The oxygen entering my lungs was already heavy with the traces of summer.
And with it was also breath that was dyed purple.
âMr. Yoo Soo-ha didnât help you. He didnât save you at the hunting ground and even attempted to hurt you. He tried to kill you.â
âHowever, what about Ms. Preta?â
âWhat about the Devil King of Fall Rain? Ms. Preta tried to kill you. She actually killed you. You were slain dozens, hundreds of times by Ms. Pretaâs sword. The continent was once drenched in blood and destroyed by the Devil King of Fall Rain. And yet, Mr. Kim Gong-ja allowed the Devil King to live another life.â
âWhat about the Lady of Golden Silk? What about the Constellation Killer? What about the Heretic Questioner? What about the Black Dragon Master? What about the Sword Saint? There is not a single one among them that isnât a [murderer], and not a single one of them has killed less humans than Mr. Yoo Soo-ha?â
âThe Death King changed all of those people.â
âExcept for Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
âBecause, Death King. You are bound to never know.â
âWhen you were killed by the Devil King, you got a glimpse of the Devil Kingâs past. How the doppelganger had become the Saintess. How the Saintess became the Witch. How the Witch became the Devil Kind. You saw the reasons why she became evil.â
âWhen the Constellation Killer killed you, you got a glimpse of Kim Yulâs past. The rooftop in glow of the setting sun. The sunset on the playground. You saw the broken cell phone and the text message that would be forgotten.â
In the past, not very long ago.
I idolized the Number 1 ranked Hunter.
A Hunter I witnessed killing someone in an alley.
âYou heard about the Sword Saintâs story. You heard the Black Dragon Masterâs story. You knew about the people who killed you, and the people around you. You knew [why] they did it. Thatâs why you didnât abandon them.â
That Hunter then killed me.
âThe only one whose past is still unknown to you is Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
âYou will never be able to glimpse Mr. Yoo Soo-haâs trauma.â
You didnât have to kill me.
âAnd, you donât want to see it.â
You could have explained.
You could have told me what happened.
âYou donât want to know.â
Why the hell did you do that to me, you bastard?
How could you treat me like thatâŠ
âYou felt betrayed by Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
I closed my eyes and my vision went dark.
Ja Soo-jungâs voice drifted over quietly.
âThatâs why you hate Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
The broadcast of Korean baseball stopped.
The wind chimes by the window stopped moving.
The light of the setting sun shined on the crowded square.
The light of the setting sun had no nationality, and the people in the light had no nationality.
I shook my head. Several times.
âHe would have become a monster. He was already a monster anyway.â
My voice leaked out as if I had a fever.
âRegardless of where he was born, where he grew up, or what he experienced, he would have become a monster. I had no choice but to kill him. I had to kill him. I couldnât not kill him. It wasnât for me. It wasnât because of my mood. It wasnât because I couldnât tolerate him. It was for the Tower. For the world. I couldnât let that guy exist. I,â
âI⊠that bastardâŠâ
âAt that time, Mr. Gong-ja was weak.â
âIt would have been different if this one was there.â
âMr. Kim Gong-ja couldnât forgive Mr. Yoo Soo-ha at all. You couldnât tolerate him. Mr. Yoo Soo-ha must have a past and circumstances, but you were incapable of acknowledging it and you didnât want to know. Itâs simple. Mr. Kim Gong-ja was very weak back then.â
The Owner of the Tower spoke.
âYou were weak, did that make you angry?â
âYou felt inferior to and betrayed by Mr. Yoo Soo-ha. You were angry because of your own murder. Because of the feeling of helplessness that no one could change. Because of the anxiety that you would never be considered anything by others regardless of how you cherished and admired them. Because of that sense of absolute worthlessness.â
I didnât know when Iâd be abandoned.
âSo you had to make yourself meaningful to others.â
âI am not powerless. I am different from Yoo Soo-ha. You had to be different. Neither the people you chased after nor your subordinates nor your comrades are as evil as Yoo Soo-ha. It couldnât be.â
âRescuing the children from the burning mansion.â
âUnlike Mr. Yoo Soo-ha, who chose to kill the Sword Saint, Mr. Gong-ja chose not to kill the Sword Saint. Instead of abandoning people, you chose to save them. You accepted the Heretic Questioner as a subordinate, and the Black Dragon Master as a friend.â
âMr. Kim Yulâs pain, Mr. Directorâs regret, no, the Heavenly Demonâs devotion, and Duke Ivansiaâs love. The things Mr. Kim Gong-ja did since your return was all because you didnât want to be abandoned. Because you didnât want to be weak again. To prove that you are different from Mr. Yoo Soo-ha, and that others are also different from Mr. Yoo Soo-haââ
Donât you dare say that.
The Tower Master spread her arms.
The hem of her clothes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly.
âYoo Soo-ha, that guy isnât the meaning of my life.â
I couldnât be a psychopath, and no matter how successful I was, I couldnât turn a blind eye to children burning in a mansion. There were definitely days when I told myself [I shouldnât be like Yoo Soo-ha].
âI have already gotten over Yoo Soo-ha.â
âYoo Soo-haâs impact on my life is so insignificant that I can easily look at him and laugh!â
âThose who have meaning,â
Those whom Iâve chosen to keep by my side.
âIs up to me to decide!â
âIâm the one who will decide the people who are my reason for living, only me.â
I am only strong for them.
Not because of Yoo Soo-ha.
I no longer live with an inferiority complex towards Yoo Soo-ha, fear being betrayed by others, or feel anxious because of others.
I wonât let them be my reasons for living anymore.
I am stronger than I was before.
Ja Soo-jung looked at me.
âAre you saying that Mr. Yoo Soo-ha is no longer your reason?â
âI donât even think of that bastard once in a day. Iâm over him.â
âBut, you still hate Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
âFuck.â
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âHe still has a lot of meaning in Mr. Kim Gong-jaâs life. Because you will never forgive him. No, itâs not just that youâll never forgive him. You continue to think of him as the most vicious psychopath in the world so that you never forgive him.â
âThank you for proving to me that even a bastard like Yoo Soo-ha can change.â
âNow Iâm going to prove that bastard doesnât mean anything to me.â
âViscount Ja Soo-jung.â
âAre you trying to show off in front of me that you changed Yoo Soo-ha and you are the only one who can change him?â
âI will hate Yoo Soo-ha forever, and that will never change, so that makes me weak. So you want me to admit that I am weaker than you and that you are the only one who can change all the misery in the world, right?â
âI wonât give contempt and hatred to that guy named Yoo Soo-ha anymore.â
With my back to the sunset, I looked down at Ja Soo-jung.
âThat guy, in my life, no longer has any meaning.â
I wouldnât let him have it.
I had gotten sick of hating that bastard!
âI have become stronger.â
The first skill Iâd gotten.
[I Want To Become Just Like You]
Effect: Activates automatically upon death. After being killed by an enemy, copy one of their skills and make it your own. Skills cannot be copied from targets who have killed you before. The copied skill is randomly selected.
âI⊠will change Yoo Soo-ha.â
I stared at the Lord of Manseng.
âI changed Preta, who destroyed a continent. I changed the old man Sword Saint, Black Dragon Master, and Heretic Questioner too. Yoo Soo-ha⊠do you think I canât change that disgraceful son of a dog?â
âI donât need your IF world.â
My voice was hot as if Iâd swallowed fire.
âPreta, old man Calenbury, Anastasia, Bambolina, Raviel. I changed them all. I made them the happiest. Thereâs no need for an IF scenario that assumes you existed. The reality with me in it is their best scenario.â
âYou canât make my Master as happy as I did.â
Your redemption was unneeded.
âYou canât make Raviel as happy as I do.â
There was no reason for you to tinker with our weaknesses.
Because I wasnât weak anymore.
We donât need your wealth.
âYou wonât be able to change that motherfucker, Yoo Soo-ha, like me.â
âYoo Soo-ha, who drinks soju in this world, wonât even share it with you. Iâm not going to just change that bastard, Iâm going to make him happier, better. Because Iâm more capable than you. Because Iâm strong. .â
âAhaha.â
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After hearing my declaration of war.
Ja Soo-jung laughed. She laughed for a while.
âCan you prove that? Anyone can build a heaven with words.â
âI can because Iâm a bastard who has never been much of a talker.â
âRight. I see. Then, can I take this as you challenging me, Mr. Gong-ja?â
âThis one always welcomes a duel.â
The God with the face of an 18 year old hummed happily.
âHe who duels is a warrior. Warriors are the only humans capable of bearing their own lives. This one loves all humans, admires the beauty of blood, and takes pleasure in defeating all challengers. This one is strong.â
âThis one is the strongest in existence.â
The expressionless girl was having fun.
âThis one melted the heart of the Sun King, who had imprisoned himself for 60 years. This one devoted myself to the Apathetic Duke, who had been rotting for a thousand years. This one thawed the time of the Dragon Emperor, which had been frozen for 7,000 years. Not to mention, all of that was just the beginning.â
The Tower Master tilted her head to the side.
âThis one built the Tower. So that the unhappy, the unfortunate, the weak, the evil, the murderers, the slaughterers, the cannibals, all of the weak and evil, would be able to live again. This oneâs heart is infinite, and this oneâs life is infinite, so this one can soothe the wounds of all the children in the world who have been torn. How dare Mr. Kim Gong-ja ask this one for a duel when even you could only finally breathe after entering the Tower this one built?â
âTry to make Raviel happier than me.â
Since your life proves your strength.
My life also proved my strength.
âTry to make my Master smile brighter than I can.â
The people who stood with me proved me.
Her laughter grew in the glow of the setting sun.
Those purple eyes twinkled.
The early summer air mixed with the purple scent.
It had the scent of a poisonous flower.
âHow the hell do you plan to change Mr. Yoo Soo-ha more than this one? Huh? Do you have the means? Do you have a method?â
The scent of purple stroked my cheek.
âThis one has the manseng. This one, this oneâs talent, the risk of this oneâs life, and this oneâs manseng ability. I built it. I completed it. Do you have a meansâ a method, Mr. Kim Gong-ja?â
The Kingdomâs courtesan whispered in my ear.
With the voice that had bewitched countless nobles, royals, and even Dragons.
âYou already killed Mr. Yoo Soo-ha.â
âAh, do you intend to return to the past before you killed Yoo Soo-ha? You already went back 4,000 days. It wouldnât be impossible to go back a few hundred more times. However, Mr. Kim Gong-jaâs relationships with the Black Dragon Master, Sword Saint, Heavenly Demon, Constellation Killer, and many others would be lost, wouldnât they?
âYou would give up your other relationships to change Yoo Soo-ha. Right. It really must be that [the human called Yoo Soo-ha means nothing Mr. Kim Gong-ja]. Isnât that right? How meaningless must he be to still have more meaning than the last few hundred days?â
The heat had risen from my heart.
Unable to hold back the heat, I spat out.
Ja Soo-jung tilted her head to the side.
âDid you say reward?â
I hadnât pulled out the card for nothing.
âYou still have to give me something.â
The description of the card was written there.
Activates automatically upon death.
After being killed by an enemy, copy one of their skills and make it your own.
âThe rules you made.â
âThat means it was rightfully obtained.â
The dagger I kept from the Tower.
âBased on this, I demand to be rewarded.â
Ja Soo-jung smiled brightly.
âDo you intend to take a skill from this one and be stronger than this one?â
âBy chance, are you trying to take [Manseng]? Thatâs too bad. That skill is only meaningful when combined with different skills. If you had [Gold Dragonâs Eye] and [Ice River Dragonâs Breath] you could maybe play a little trick, but⊠how about this?â
âMr. Gong-ja can only take one more skill, right?â
Her happiness was growing.
âIf you take one of this oneâs skills, let alone becoming stronger, would you be able to change Yoo Soo-ha? To become a munchkin like this one, you would need a lot, a lot, a lot of preparation, Mr. Gong-ja.â
I couldnât let God alone feel pleasure.
âYou donât want to give it to me. Because youâre scared. If youâre worried, just go ahead and admit defeat. Because of the penalty from my skill, I had to watch your whole life. Can I only get a penalty and no reward? This is something worth knowing about the Towerâs management.â
âThatâs a cute provocation. Really.â
Ja Soo-jung smiled widely.
âAnd itâs a provocation I canât ignore.â
Her fingers danced in the air.
âFine. Death King. You can take anything.â
The Towerâs voice rang out.
[Skill condition satisfied.]
[The âLord of Mansengâsâ skills are being randomly copied!]
Ja Soo-jung snapped her fingers.
âTake a piece of the life this one walked and prove your words. Death King. Advisor. Mr. Kim Gong-ja.â
Gold cards lined up in the air.
[The skill cards are being created!]
After the sun set, night fell on the terrace.
The Tower Masterâs golds shined like north stars.
[Three Musics Kingâs Road]
[Kingâs Tutor]
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[Guardian of the Subrace]
[Earth Bone Dragonâs Skull]
[Ice Rive Dragonâs Breath]
The stars shined one after the other.
They were all connected to form the constellation known as the Tower Master.
This was the Tower Masterâs life, and the Tower itself.
I reached out for the stars in the night sky.
I held a golden light in my hand.
(TL: Whenever I think I understand, I just get more confused. Anyways, I think a cliffhanger is well worth it after this monster of a chapter.)