Novel Lived
Chapter 577
[Translator - Asura]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 577
Seong Jihan returned to Kim Jihun’s residence at the Sword Palace.
Upon arriving, he realized that he was standing in mid-air.
The room Kim Jihun had resided in was on the top floor of the high-rise residential complex known as the Sword Palace.
The building, which was intact just moments ago, had collapsed entirely.
And below Seong Jihan, who was floating in the air.
There were broken buildings everywhere, with flames rising from the debris.
And the bodies of people who had fallen tragically.
The center of Seoul, considered safe because of the Colonial Government,
Was utterly destroyed.
“It wasn’t an illusion.”
The invasion of the elf army that Urd had shown.
He had trusted Yoon Seah’s words, thinking it was an illusion.
But it wasn’t.
Seong Jihan looked blankly at the fallen people.
‘There are too few survivors…’
Men and women of all ages, lying dead.
Many were burnt black due to fires breaking out everywhere.
The invasion of the elf army.
It seemed like it hadn’t been even an hour since he had seen the video from Urd.
Had it been ravaged to this extent already?
‘…If only I had come.’
If Seong Jihan had returned immediately after watching Urd’s video.
There might have been some sacrifices, but things wouldn’t have been this catastrophic.
He bit his lip and sensed a faint presence below.
Whoosh!
He approached the ruined Sword Palace, lifting the wreckage of the broken building.
“Oh, Boss…”
Inside was Lee Hayeon, covered in blood.
Holding the fallen Lim Gayeong, Lee Hayeon looked at Seong Jihan.
“You’re a bit… late.”
She smiled weakly.
“What in the world happened?”
“A portal suddenly opened from the sky. The elf army invaded… They were frighteningly strong and ruthless. They decimated this place in an instant.”
Saying this, Lee Hayeon hugged Lim Gayeong’s body tightly.
“…Gayeong saved me once, but when the elves detected my presence, I was almost finished.”
“…”
“But then, suddenly, they seemed to suffer…”
“Did they turn into light and disappear?”
“Yes, that’s right. They transformed into pure white light…”
This too.
It was exactly like the video Urd had shown.
- So… should we leave some of the burden behind? If they all die, you’d be too free.
Having realized Seong Jihan hadn’t willingly abandoned humanity,
She absorbed the elves who were massacring humans, claiming to leave some as ‘burdens.’
If she hadn’t done that and bought more time,
Lee Hayeon probably wouldn’t be alive right now.
“Where is Seah?”
“Seah… after Yoon Sejin passed, she attacked the elves…”
“…Did Yoon Sejin die too?”
“Yes. His strength from his days as the Sword King didn’t manifest in his half-elf male body.”
After transforming into a male half-elf, his level as the Sword King was reset.
He likely couldn’t resist the elves.
“Sigh…”
Seong Jihan sighed and reached out to Lee Hayeon.
Ssssss…
Soon, her injured body began to return to its original state.
“Thank you, Boss…”
“Please wait here for a moment. I will go and find Seah.”
As Seong Jihan spoke, Lee Hayeon nodded weakly.
Crackle…!
A purple portal opened in mid-air.
“…Uncle.”
From it emerged Yoon Seah, with an emotionless face.
* * *
“Yoon Seah.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you… send me that message?”
“You mean the one saying it was fake?”
When Seong Jihan nodded,
“You almost captured Yggdrasil then.”
“…So you said it was an illusion?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to hinder you since I couldn’t help in your actions alone.”
In the heart of the devastated Gangnam.
In that land filled with corpses, Yoon Seah spoke calmly.
“So that’s why I said so. So that you wouldn’t worry about trivial matters.”
“A trivial matter, you say?”
Seong Jihan felt suffocated.
The problem wasn’t just that Yoon Seah sent a false message.
But rather,
‘Why is she so indifferent?’
Because of her false message, he missed the opportunity to return, leading to such a massacre of humanity.
It also led to the death of her father.
Yet, there was no visible sign of emotional turmoil from Yoon Seah.
“…What about sister?”
“My mom… seemed shocked after dad died. Dad died protecting mom. Wanting to get back at the elves, she ended up severely injured… so I hid her in the void.”
“Even sister? Bring her here quickly! I can heal her!”
“Okay.”
Ssssss…
As Yoon Seah opened the portal again,
Seong Jiah, with a gaping hole in her upper torso, appeared.
The void energy that penetrated the wound barely kept her alive.
An injury so fatal, it wouldn’t be surprising if she died at any moment.
“Mom… she could subdue the high elves, but the ancient elves was too much. Fortunately, when the elves turned into light, the ancient elves were sucked into their masks and vanished. Otherwise, mom would’ve died too.”
“…The ancient elves weren’t absorbed, it seems.”
Since Urd was similar to an elf or a high elf but not to an ancient elf,
Did they perish being consumed by the void?
Seong Jihan quickly began to heal Seong Jiah’s body.
‘These injuries… they’re too severe. I’ll have to use the stat Eternity.’
Ssssss…
Seong Jihan urgently infused life energy into Seong Jiah.
[Stat ‘Eternity’ is consumed by 1.]
Expending the Eternity stat, Seong Jihan poured power into his sister.
Watching from the side, Yoon Seah spoke up.
“Uncle. You didn’t have to go that far… Isn’t it a waste? Like the energy of the World Tree. You could’ve just used the void to heal.”
“A waste?”
Was she out of her mind?
“You. Really… what’s wrong with you? That’s your mother, your mom. What’s so wasteful about using this life energy to save your mom?”
“Uh…”
At Seong Jihan’s words, Yoon Seah merely blinked.
“…Right. Why did I think like that?”
“…”
“Uncle. I… think I’m getting a bit weird.”
Yoon Seah murmured in a daze.
Ssssss…
Her body started to be engulfed in black.
And soon,
The cosmic form, which had previously been contained in just her upper body,
Began spreading to her arms and legs.
‘…The Cosmos form has expanded.’
Yoon Seah’s body, gradually transforming after becoming a candidate for the Arena’s owner.
They said it would take about 300 years for a complete transformation.
The cosmic form consumed all of Yoon Seah’s body, excluding her face.
“I saw dad die right in front of me, but I wasn’t as sad as I thought. No… I didn’t feel any emotions at all.”
“…”
“Even seeing the dead, that’s all there was. The same for mom…”
She watched Seong Jiah with an expressionless face.
Then turned her gaze to Seong Jihan.
“Except for you, uncle, everyone else seems inferior, forming no particular value.”
“Inferior…?”
“Yes… I think this is part of the growing pains I have to go through to become the owner of the Arena. Since I’m evolving from human to cosmos.”
Growing pains.
Referring to her condition in such terms.
Yoon Seah smiled broadly, looking at her limbs.
“See, my body… it evolved more completely, didn’t it?”
In this situation.
Smiling, looking at herself becoming Cosmos?
‘I really can’t let this be…’
Seong Jihan’s eyes sank deep.
Ssssss…
Blue and Red arose behind him.
Thunk!
“…What?”
A sword pierced Yoon Seah.
* * *
[Translator - Asura]
[Proofreader - Gun]
“U-Uncle… w-why?”
“I’ve respected your every choice until now, about becoming the owner of the Arena, operating in the void…”
“Y-Yeah. They were all my choices! I wanted to become the owner of the Arena. I endured hardships in the void to evolve into Cosmos! I wanted to be helpful to you…”
Yoon Seah, grasping the Blue and Red with both hands.
“S-So, stop joking and pull it out. Uncle…”
She pleaded with Seong Jihan with an imploring look.
“But now, I can’t stand by anymore. No longer can I respect your choice. Just this once, I will impose something on you.”
”…Impose what?“
“You will return to before you became the owner of the Arena.”
“What? N-No!!!”
Shocked by those words, Yoon Seah tried to pull out the sword.
Ssssss…
The blue light of Blue and Red shone even more intensely.
“Once you’re back. If you still want to become Cosmos so much, if you wish to ascend to be the owner of the Arena… then, I’ll let go.”
Hardly finished with those words.
Crack… crack!
Something broke inside Yoon Seah’s body.
Seong Jihan aimed for the void digestion.
“H-How could you do this to me, Uncle…?”
“No, this is my gift… my ability… the device for evolving into Cosmos…”
“Please. Uncle… okay. I’ll grieve. I’ll repent for causing the deaths of humans. So please don’t do this…”
Feeling the void digestion in her begin to shatter, Yoon Seah desperately pleaded with Seong Jihan.
But her words made Seong Jihan’s resolve even firmer.
“I’m sorry.”
Flash!
The void digestion exploded within Yoon Seah’s body.
As the vessel containing the void shattered,
Whoosh…!
The form of Cosmos crumbled from the fingertips and toes.
There, an immense void surged.
Stronger than Yoon Seah had originally possessed,
[As the vessel containing the void broke, the void within burst forth more violently… When the digestion is shattered, does the ability temporarily amplify?]
Showing interest, the Red Administrator observed keenly.
'The ability amplifies when the digestion shatters…?’
Indeed.
[Stat Void increases by 500.]
Even just collecting some of the void emanating from Yoon Seah raised the void stat by 500.
The vessel was broken, yet how did it exceed and erupt beyond its contents?
“U… uncle… was too much… my evolution…”
Ssssss…
As the cosmos-turned body collapsed, reverting to a human form,
Yoon Seah, viewed in shock, slowly closed her eyes as if reluctant to keep looking.
[But why prevent evolution? Wouldn’t an ally like the arena’s future second-in-command who controls the void be immensely valuable?]
‘I don’t need such a use.’
Seong Jihan answered decisively.
As Yoon Seah, reverted from Cosmos, neared restoration, he withdrew the sword.
And.
‘Need to shatter that damned hat too.’
Poised to strike and obliterate the fedora, the symbol of the Arena’s owner.
Ssssss…
Void began to emerge from the hat, then its appearance faded.
[The Black Administrator says, given non-participation in Urd’s case, He will overlook this incident.]
[Instead, he states he will retrieve this object.]
With that, a message window floated in front of Seong Jihan.
It meant sparing Yoon Seah while retrieving the hat.
”…Take it. But don’t think of placing it again.“
As Seong Jihan’s words ended, the appearance of the fedora vanished.
Simultaneously, Yoon Seah wobbled.
With the hat gone, the cosmos transformation fully undone, her consciousness began to fade.
“Sigh… seriously, this girl.”
Seong Jiah, catching her as she nearly collapsed.
Having received one ‘Eternity’ from Seong Jihan.
With a rejuvenated appearance, she supported her daughter.
“Sister… are you alright?”
“Yes. The energy you gave me… is extraordinary. I feel healthier than ever.”
“Good. That’s a relief. Then please take care of Seah.”
“Jihan, what are you going to do?”
“I have to clean up this mess.”
”…Cleanup? This?"
The destroyed city and countless fallen bodies.
How was he going to clean this up?
While Seong Jiah looked at the city’s devastation with a gloomy gaze,
Seong Jihan spoke to Lee Hayeon.
“Hayeon, could you turn on BattleTube?”
“BattleTube… you mean?”
“Yes. I’d like to understand the extent of global damage, but my account has some issues.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll check right away.”
Even with the collapse of the communication network due to the destruction of the major city,
BattleTube was still operational.
Buzz…
Lee Hayeon turned on BattleTube, displaying various emergency videos and compiling information.
“It seems most of the major cities worldwide are destroyed like Gangnam… Smaller towns and rural areas have suffered less damage. The elf army summoning occurred in the capitals or major cities of each country…”
“If it’s centered around major cities… there are hardly any countries without damage.”
“Yes. Since the elf army was summoned simultaneously everywhere… except for small island countries, most have suffered significant damage.”
Was this what the major cities worldwide had come to?
Seong Jihan sighed quietly and asked Lee Hayeon.
“Hayeon, when did the portals open?”
“Oh… about an hour and a half ago.”
“That’s a relief, at least.”
An hour and a half.
Such a short time, yet there was a genocide of this magnitude.
As Seong Jihan calculated the time,
Seong Jiah, supporting Yoon Seah, asked.
“Jihan, what are you planning?”
“I intend to turn back time. Even if I was deceived by Seah, in the end, it was my fault for not coming.”
“Turning back… time…?”
Seong Jihan’s words made the two widen their eyes.
The Red Administrator spoke to him.
[Blue, are you planning to spin the golden wheel as you did before?]
“Yes.”
The divine power given by Ashoka, the golden wheel.
In truth, it was completely used during a fight with the Red Administrator in the past with the ‘Invitation to BattleNet.’
However.
‘With just an hour and a half… I might imitate it.’
With the stat, Blue, much more advanced than when battling the Red Administrator.
By imitating the golden wheel with all his strength,
Reversing time by an hour and a half seemed feasible.
But.
[It won’t be as easy as before. Unlike when there was no observer, now all administrators will be watching. Among them will be Urd, who deals with time, so… don’t expect it to be like when you once turned back time as a martial god. No matter how strong you’ve become, the chances of failure are very high.]
The Red Administrator expressed skepticism, pointing to the changed circumstances from before.
[Why not use the Hell's power to create a new existence instead? You could just match the numbers with beings similar to those who died. Considering the Black Administrator gave you leniency earlier, why not take this opportunity to challenge creation? I’ll earnestly assist you.]
Suggesting to open Hell and resurrect the dead,
The Red Administrator proposed creating new humans to fill the void.
However.
“I must revive the dead… What’s the point of substituting with fakes?”
Seong Jihan immediately refused the suggestion, and behind him,
Click. Click…
A golden wheel.
Began to rise.
[Translator - Asura]
[Proofreader - Gun]