“Isn’t that pretty? I got it from the art gallery this time.”
At the tip of her finger was a massive portrait.
A portrait four times the size of a human torso.
Taesan sighed.
“Why is it that a woman like you is the strongest human?”
Lee Tae-yeon smiled brightly.
“In situations like this, obsession with something is important. Why don’t you pick up a hobby like me? I used to think art was meaningless in the previous world, but now I see there’s a charm to it. Just look at this portrait I brought...”
“Let’s save that for later.”
Taesan interrupted her.
“What’s the matter?”
She was trying to appear calm, but her mouth was parched with anxiety.
What had just come to mind were mere words she had blurted out without any concrete thoughts or plans.
To conceal her fluster, she continued speaking.
“The little brat from hard mode. I heard you trained him?”
“There’s no one else to do it but me.”
“Right, a hard player training an easy player. It’s a strange story, no matter how you look at it.”
Lee Tae-yeon looked at Taesan before speaking.
“Status window.”
Lee Tae-yeon’s status window appeared.
---
**[Lee Tae-yeon]**
**[Level: 258]**
**[Health: 45,810/45,810]**
**[Mana: 7,020/7,020]**
**[Strength: 10,152]**
**[Intelligence: 9,899]**
**[Agility: 13,254]**
**[Attack Power + 5,421]**
**[Defense Power + 8,456]**
**[Target is in a state of fear.]**
---
To anyone else, those stats would be astonishing. Her light attacks would rival the full power of a hard mode player.
Seeing such a status window, Taesan had a sullen expression.
“Are you bragging?”
“It’s just a simple confirmation. Taesan, show me your status window too.”
“That is bragging. How can an easy player live with such shame?”
Taesan grumbled and opened his status window.
---
**[Kang Taesan]**
**[Level: 57]**
**[Health: 1,021/1,021]**
**[Mana: 820/820]**
**[Strength: 105]**
**[Intelligence: 100]**
**[Agility: 98]**
**[Attack Power + 49]**
**[Defense Power + 58]**
**[Target is in optimal condition.]**
---
Lee Tae-yeon nodded.
“You really are weak.”
Taesan frowned.
“Are you challenging me?”
“It’s just a simple confirmation, okay? Still, that’s pretty decent. Most easy players have stats far worse than yours. In terms of mana, you’re among the upper echelon even among normal players.”
While Taesan was very weak, at the same time, he was strong. It was all due to the skills he possessed.
After a brief conversation, Lee Tae-yeon looked at Taesan and raised her fist.
“Hold on a moment.”
[Lee Tae-yeon activated Addition. Half of the base attack power is added.]
[Lee Tae-yeon activated Plus. Current attack power is doubled.]
[Lee Tae-yeon activated Guaranteed Hit. This attack will definitely hit.]
[Lee Tae-yeon’s attack.]
The damage dealt could easily kill Taesan ten times over.
[The first attack of Kang Taesan’s Absolute Nullification has been activated.]
[0 damage to Kang Taesan.]
But only a brief system window appeared. Taesan didn’t even take a defensive stance.
“What are you doing?”
“...Just nothing.”
Lee Tae-yeon smiled wryly.
The ultimate accuracy skill, Guaranteed Hit.
It was one of her top five skills, yet it was utterly useless against Taesan.
“Absolute Nullification, absolute judgment, multiplication, multi-overlapping attack, copying, simplified time stop... They’re all absurd skills.”
Skills that could make anyone a top-tier player if they only had one.
Taesan had over two hundred of such skills. That was how he had survived thus far, overwhelming everyone despite his poor stats.
“You said you obtained those skills while playing the tower, right?”
“It’s not a tower; it’s a labyrinth. Why would a place for going down be called a tower?”
“Most people, except you, call it that. What does it matter? Just answer me.”
“Right. You can obtain skills regardless of difficulty.”
Lee Tae-yeon lowered her head and pondered.
“We should have properly understood the tower like you did. We should have focused on becoming stronger to the limit instead of just being obsessed with clearing it...”
They hadn’t been able to do that.
Out of fear, they had become obsessed with clearing the labyrinth quickly and escaping, missing out on most of the elements that could help them grow stronger. Lee Tae-yeon belatedly realized this simple fact.
‘No.’
Even if she hadn’t been obsessed with clearing it and had aimed for other means, would it have been possible?
It was impossible. She could not become that kind of person. She was still too scared to attempt clearing the labyrinth again.
“Who knows?”
Taesan’s attitude was indifferent, as if he thought the same way.
“It’s all in the past anyway.”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
Lee Tae-yeon refuted Taesan’s words. Taesan looked at her with a puzzled expression, but she changed the subject instead of answering.
“Anyway, you’re amazing. If you had played in Alron mode, we might have been able to win.”
True.
If Taesan had cleared Alron mode instead of easy mode.
He could have defeated the apostles.
It would have been entirely possible for him.
Taesan waved his hand dismissively.
“Can we stop talking about that? Get to the point. Didn’t you go scout?”
“Right.”
Lee Tae-yeon said with a serious face.
“The next wave is starting soon.”
Taesan frowned.
“How many monsters?”
“Two S-ranks. Several A-ranks. Hundreds of B-ranks. And an apostle.”
Lee Tae-yeon said calmly. Taesan nodded.
“It’s over.”
The S-ranks were monsters that even Lee Tae-yeon could barely handle. And there were two of them.
Moreover, with several A-ranks, there were only a little over twenty hard players capable of facing A-ranks.
And then, there was the apostle.
Something beyond S-rank, an alien entity.
Defeat was virtually certain.
“But we have to at least put up a fight. Taesan, you deal with the two S-ranks.”
“What?”
Taesan chuckled lightly.
“You’re telling me to die?”
“There’s no one else to deal with the S-ranks. I’m too busy with the apostle to worry about them. You know that.”
“Come on, give me a break.”
Taesan complained but didn’t refuse. He turned his body.
“Are you going to notify everyone?”
“At the very least, we should prepare them mentally. Should I let them die without knowing anything?”
“Maybe that would be happier for them.”
“I don’t think so.”
Taesan stepped outside. Lee Tae-yeon, left alone, muttered.
“Taesan, you’re strong. You could lead us to victory.”
She wore a bittersweet smile.
“But I’m a coward.”
In her hand was a dark, rough stone.
---
* * *
In the end, she couldn’t say it.
Even while meeting Taesan, she failed to come to a conclusion.
“Hahaha. Hahaha...”
She burst into a deep laugh, filled with despair and self-loathing.
“...I need to prepare.”
After a while of staring blankly, she stood up.
She bid farewell to the people and traveled far from the city to the vicinity of the rift.
The apostle was far stronger than she was. Just the aftermath of the battle would lead to the deaths of all those around her. She had no choice but to fight alone.
The power emanating from the rift was growing denser.
Within a few minutes, she knew monsters would descend.
[You have activated a Thousand Possibilities.]
Escaping reality, she activated the skill once again. But similarly, the answer did not emerge.
“What am I trying to do?”
She blurted out.
She didn’t even know herself.
She was still delaying her choice.
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Lee Tae-yeon stared blankly at the rift.
If Taesan used the Ouroboros Stone to return to before entering the labyrinth, he would choose Alron mode. And he would descend into the labyrinth, risking his life to grow stronger.
If that happened, he could defeat the apostle alone.
But the consumable item, the Stone, could not be passed on to anyone. Consumable items could only be transferred if the holder died while still possessing it.
In that instant, a chill ran down her spine.
If she died, Taesan would be able to obtain the Stone.
“Why...?”
How could she have not recalled such a simple fact?
She found it easy to understand the reason.
She had consciously erased it from her mind.
In the end, giving the Stone to Taesan meant that she would meet her end. Afraid of death, she had blocked that possibility.
But now she recalled that truth.
“...”
[You have activated a Thousand Possibilities.]
This time, the skill did not simulate her battle with the apostle.
It was determining whether Taesan
could obtain the Ouroboros Stone after her death.
“Ah.”
The activation of the skill ended. There was no need to fill it a thousand times.
The answer was possible.
As long as a few conditions were met, it would be possible to transfer the Stone to Taesan.
“I...”
Kuwuuung!
Her thoughts could not continue. The power of the rift exploded. Countless monsters began to descend upon the earth.
“Ah, ah.”
And among them, the writhing entity—the apostle.
It was clearly staring at Lee Tae-yeon.
Wriggle.
The apostle approached Lee Tae-yeon. She erased all thoughts from her mind, turning every organ in her body into a state to defeat the enemy.
The other monsters headed straight for the city.
Only the apostle and Lee Tae-yeon remained.
As Lee Tae-yeon tensed her entire body, the form of the apostle changed.
The entity expanded, beginning to engulf the world.
She planted her feet firmly, pulling out all her cards, and charged at the apostle.
---
* * *
Boom!
She gave it her all.
Pressing the apostle with everything she had.
As a result, the apostle slowly began to yield to her.
Despite having the upper hand in the battle, Lee Tae-yeon’s expression was far from bright. Having already seen the possibilities, she knew this was a meaningless process.
Wriggle.
In an instant, the apostle’s form twisted.
The apostle transformed into a human shape, draped in robes.
It wielded a massive scythe.
The human-shaped apostle moved its scythe.
Lee Tae-yeon sensed it. If she remained still, she would die.
But if she tried to move normally to avoid it, that too would lead to the same outcome.
Her ring shone, and Lee Tae-yeon’s body moved back.
The very space she occupied was sliced away.
“...Hah.”
The only reason she had avoided that recent attack was sheer luck. Even if she were to try to dodge again, she couldn’t guarantee success.
That was the true power of the apostle.
The scythe swung again. Dozens of spaces were simultaneously sliced away. Lee Tae-yeon gasped and leaped.
She resisted desperately.
Attempting to claim victory against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy. That was undoubtedly a great challenge.
But even so, it could not turn the impossible into the possible.
“Ahhhh!”
The scythe swung. Lee Tae-yeon’s body was severed. In that moment, her body transcended space.
Kwajik.
At that instant, the ring shattered. Lee Tae-yeon clenched her fist, her face pale as a ghost.
Almost all her equipment had been depleted. The precious items she had cherished had all been used in the previous wave.
Even if victory seemed impossible, she fought desperately.
And the apostle mocked her by transforming its shape. It became a woman wielding a bow, drawing the string.
An arrow pierced the air. Lee Tae-yeon raised her shield.
Kwajik.
“Guh.”
As the shield shattered, Lee Tae-yeon tumbled to the ground. She tried to rise with her trembling legs, but her body wouldn’t respond.
She couldn’t win.
She had to run away.
With shaking arms, she opened her inventory.
[You have activated Designated Move.]
Lee Tae-yeon’s body was summoned to the center of the ruined city.
“Sorry. I couldn’t win. If the apostle comes, everyone should run away...”
She opened her mouth to warn, but her words could not continue.
There was no one there. Only destroyed buildings and scattered corpses remained.
In an instant, as she surveyed her surroundings, Lee Tae-yeon realized.
Everyone had died.
She was the only one left.
“...That can’t be.”
Lee Tae-yeon raised her gaze.
From afar, she sensed one remaining life and the powerful monster lurking invisibly.
It was Taesan. She recognized it.
But Taesan’s condition was not good either. Even if he somehow defeated the monster he was facing, he would surely be in a state of near death.
“Hahaha...”
A sorrowful laugh escaped her.
The only survivors on Earth were herself and Taesan.
Humanity had perished.
“Who are you...?”
Deep, thick emotions flowed from within her. The surge of emotions shattered and trampled the objects around her.
She clenched her fists.
She wanted revenge.
She wanted to sink her teeth into their neck and seize their ankles. She wanted to ruin the enemy’s plans.
But she was insufficient. She lacked the strength and willpower for that.
“...”
Lee Tae-yeon raised her gaze.
Over there, a battle was still raging.
Kang Taesan.
Against two low-tier S-ranks, he was still alive. In fact, he had even managed to bring one down. He was performing an impossible feat.
It was beyond her.
But Taesan was different.
[You have activated a Thousand Possibilities.]
Could he find the Ouroboros Stone after her death?
The first attempt.
Success.
The answer came on the very first try out of a thousand.
Then, all that remained was her determination.
“...I’m sorry. Taesan. I’m making you take on the burden.”
She murmured quietly. The dreadful energy arrived before her.
As the apostle attacked, she swung her sword.
Until the very end, Lee Tae-yeon did not give up.
Rolling on the ground, choking on dust, she fought for victory.
But before long, she crumbled.
“Ahhh!”
She was slammed into the earth. Blood gushed from her mouth.
There was no means of survival left. She had used all the skills and items she possessed.
The apostle slowly approached her.
In her panic, she fumbled for the Stone.
The apostle transformed into a figure resembling a grim reaper, holding a scythe, and smiled wickedly.
When that scythe swung, she would die.
Fear enveloped her.
She didn’t want to die.
She wanted to survive.
And the way to do that was in her hand.
If she used the Stone, she could live. She could escape right now. She could abandon everyone and find her own peace.
Her survival instincts, the very drive that had allowed her to clear the labyrinth, urged her to use the Stone.
“Shut up...”
But she endured. Crying silently, trembling all over, she suppressed her instincts.
The scythe drew a line in the air.
She closed her eyes.
[You take @#!!!!# damage.]
[You have died.]
And so she died.
.
.
.
[An orb that holds something has activated.]
[......The power is manifesting. In return, the interference domain of ...... is reduced.]
And her consciousness surged up.
---
* * *
“Eh?”
Lee Tae-yeon opened her eyes in surprise.
She was in a black space.
Dense and cool, yet simultaneously a gentle sensation enveloped Lee Tae-yeon.
It felt like being cradled in a mother’s embrace.
“Uh, huh?”
She looked at her limbs. She could feel her entire body.
“...Why?”
Kwajik.
She heard something shatter. She hastily looked at her hands.
There lay a broken orb, devoid of light.
“This is...”
As she briefly sifted through her memories, she quickly realized.
This orb was given to her by the mysterious voice before leaving the labyrinth.
Just as she was grasping the situation, the voice echoed.
[Are you coming to your senses?]
She quickly turned her head.
Before her stood something enormous.
“Ah.”
In that moment, she was overwhelmed.
It was a presence more powerful, thicker, and higher than anything she had ever seen.
“...Oh God.”
[Yes, child. I have called you.]
The deity chuckled. It was a voice filled with genuine delight.
“You were... a god.”
The true identity of the voice that had been watching her in the labyrinth was that of a transcendent being.
Having anticipated it to some degree, she quickly regained her composure.
[I was watching you through that orb. Until your very end.]
“Ugh.”
She had certainly died.
She clearly remembered the cold death that had consumed her.
As chills crept down her spine, she shrank back. The deity quietly allowed her to be.
[Have you calmed down?]
“Yes, yes...”
She slowly raised her gaze.
“Did you save me?”
[I did not save you. Your physical body is dead over there. That place is a world dominated by Goshin. Even for us, interference is difficult. But... if you prepare in advance, I can bring back a soul that has lost its body.]
“...Why?”
Lee Tae-yeon asked the deity.
Why did you save my soul? She spoke in a grim voice.
“I am nothing. I was lucky to clear this place, but in the end, I’m just a coward who pushed the choice onto others.”
In reality, the deities had despised Lee Tae-yeon. They ignored her, branding her a coward.
The deity laughed.
[Yes. For me, that’s a blessing. Thanks to you, I can obtain such a precious talent without any competition.]
“You... will obtain me?”
[A bright flame that seems ready to burn the world is undoubtedly beautiful. The sight of it burning brightly while consuming itself is enchanting. But I am not interested in such things.]
The deity spoke. The voice was full of exuberance, radiating ecstasy.
[Even if it’s a dying ember, it will struggle to grow larger to avoid extinguishing. Even if it gets sullied by mud and no one cares for it, it will burn itself
alone, illuminating the world. And that tiny ember... will connect to someone and become a flame that burns the world.]
With those words, a space opened up. Lee Tae-yeon’s eyes widened.
Beyond the space, she saw Taesan and the apostle.
Taesan was fighting desperately.
[He will become that flame. A unique flame that shines brighter than any other.]
The deity looked at Lee Tae-yeon.
[But it was your choice that made it possible. Other gods won’t care for you, but I am different.]
“...”
[You are a truly fascinating being.]
What lay behind those words was admiration and awe.
[You struggled more than anyone else. Between yourself and others. Unable to choose either, you wanted to run away. But you couldn’t. You desperately tried to help others and live together with them. And in the end, you chose to give up yourself for others. That agony and emotion—I know it all. You’ve done well, child.]
“...Ugh.”
A transcendent being, greater than anything, acknowledged her. It understood her, who had always been despised and suffered.
Lee Tae-yeon quietly sobbed.
The deity spoke gently.
[Child, will you become my apostle?]
“Yes?”
[Not just any ordinary apostle. I wish for you to stand by my side. A being like you is worthy of that.]
Apostle.
The seat next to the deity.
Lee Tae-yeon was taken aback by such an unexpected event. But she paused at the deity’s next words.
[If you become my apostle... you may see him again. And you will also be able to confirm the results of your sacrifice.]
“Confirm... what?”
[I am a god. I am a being that is not affected by the flow of time. If you contract with me, you will also somewhat escape that flow.]
“Does that mean... I could go back in time?”
For a moment, fear crossed Lee Tae-yeon’s face.
To have to clear that labyrinth again. She had already died, but even so, it was an experience she found revolting.
The deity spoke softly.
[It’s similar, but different. Because you will lose all your memories, and all your powers will vanish. You won’t have your own domain.]
“Then what does that even mean?”
[It’s different. Even if time goes back, the contract of the apostle will not be broken. If there is an opportunity... you may be able to regain your memories.]
“...”
Lee Tae-yeon fell silent. Her head was incredibly muddled.
She turned her gaze beyond the space.
Taesan, pushed back by the apostle, was slammed to the ground.
Seeing the apostle approaching him, Taesan activated the Simple Time Stop.
[You can obtain peace just like this. You are worthy of that. But if you have lingering feelings... you can confirm the results of your sacrifice. Everything is your choice.]
Lee Tae-yeon stared blankly at the deity.
“Who are you?”
The deity smiled and answered. After hearing the response, Lee Tae-yeon bowed her head.
Time passed.
Taesan, crawling toward Lee Tae-yeon’s corpse, grabbed the Stone.
And at the same time, Lee Tae-yeon opened her mouth.
The deity softly laughed. His power enveloped Lee Tae-yeon.