Chapter 287: Oppressive Fate Play
Sung-Woon opened his eyes. "Aldin."
"There's nothing more to explain."
"As I said before, I can't quit the game."
Aldin sighed deeply.
"Damn it." Aldin said, "Don't make things difficult, Nebula."
"Even if I believe your promise, what happens to Avartin if I leave?"
Aldin replied, "Us old gods will return."
"And then?"
"We will rebuild the same system as before."
"Are you saying you'll replace the Pantheon?"
Aldin exclaimed, "We are the true owners! You all are fake. We just needed you to deal with the trivial evil gods and Dragons. You are nothing."
Aldin continued to speak the truth, "I found you among the infinite possible worlds! And I trained you, under the guise of a game! You are just dogs I've trained. Nothing more. The hunt is over, leave now."
Sung-Woon answered, "I will stay here."
Aldin said bitterly, "Please, leave."
"I will remain."
"You don't know me, but I know you. I chose you. I liked your play."
Sung-Woon said, "I won't move."
Aldin realized Sung-Woon's mind was firmly made up. Aldin wavered several times.
'Maybe I could persuade him.'
But the next moment, lifting their head to meet Sung-Woon's eyes, Aldin knew Sung-Woon wouldn’t budge.
"Choosing you was my mistake."
"It might be, but maybe not."
Aldin shook their head.
Aldin declared,
[The game is over.]
***
But the civilization of Avartin did not end.
The oppression of the old gods, the sad fate of the evil gods, and the play of the new gods did not end. Even if someone declared it to be over, everything continued.
***
A vast pit, the center of the original Rasdasil Ruins looked like nothing more than that. But now, the nature of this pit began to change. What seemed like an abyss of endless darkness started to emit a bright light. It looked more like a crucible than a pit now. The spreading light, simmering as if boiling, started to take on a physical form.
Below, at the very center of the Rasdasil Ruins where reality and the world of mental imagery met, was the gateway to another world, the Demon World. And there, a conversation was taking place.
"Has it come to that?" It was a deep and heavy voice.
Aldin lowered their head and bowed down. While doing so, Aldin thought it was a strange occurrence. The new gods lacked manners.
'Why is that?'
If there was a difference in Divinity level or in sacred status, one shouldn’t provoke a superior. The higher the sacred status, the greater the difference in power.
Aldin had seen a god of higher divinity torture and kill a lesser god over a trivial pretext. Aldin couldn't shake off that memory for a long time, and it still stuck in their mind like a thorn, possibly forever.
Following the etiquette of the old gods, Aldin answered, "It has come to that, Father."
The one called Father, the leader of the old gods, Bifnen Dial Robane, said within the shadow, "It's alright, Aldin. It doesn’t need to be perfect."
The other old gods behind Bifnen murmured.
"It might even have turned out for the better."
"Yes. Look at the splendor of their Empire. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Building something new from all the destruction is not an easy task."
"They did well."
"If only they hadn't rebelled."
"Isn't it understandable? Building such things makes it hard for anyone to give everything up."
"But to think they would consider the crown they wear rightfully theirs."
"They are beings ignorant of magic. Born with inherent inferiority."
Bifnen said, "The next task will be crucial."
"Yes."
"We must obtain it without causing too much damage."
"It will be so."
Aldin thought this was a relief. Bifnen and the old gods seemed to be in a good mood. They had awoken from a long slumber and were just beginning to observe the state of civilization, which looked quite appealing to them.
'They must think they've acquired a new toy.'
Once everything was back in their hands, Aldin knew that they would have to engage in another lonely struggle. Aldin would have to rescue the pitiful beings from the clutches of the old gods who shamelessly wielded their power. Forever.
Bifnen said, "How's the work?"
"The Fall is ready."
From within the shadows, Bifnen smiled. "Well done, my daughter."
Aldin resented that address. Then she thought of someone.
'Nebula...can you survive?'
***
On the second moon, Loom, Dide stood on the uppermost surface.
'Everything is over.'
The feared Lizardmen had disappeared, and so had the masked opponent.
Dide had [surrendered]. They weren't alone. They called out to Sha-Cha and Jeolyo, who were hiding. The surrender of the three evil gods marked the end of the game. In the process, the opponent demanded nothing. They were told they could leave with everything they had.
Loom was activated and completely exited the zone covered by the game's system. That was enough. By surrendering and becoming completely excluded from the game, the three evil gods escaped the game. Even when the system was summoned repeatedly, no translucent window appeared before them. It had been convenient, but the freedom from these constraints was also a relief.
Loom was heavily damaged, but not beyond repair.
'Now, it's time to leave.'
Of course, the system remained.
Dide looked at Avartin through the eyes of Loom. Sad fates still lingered there.
'Masked one, you are too foolish.'
He could have destroyed the core and taken Loom. Of course, it was uncertain whether the half-destroyed Loom would function properly, but at least it could have pressured the old gods. Dide would have surely done so.
‘Masked one, you are too...'
Dide belatedly looked down upon the Empire.
Their own children were not there, but they saw the children of their old friends enduring a somewhat burdensome life, yet not completely marginalized. Even those who could have been the final enemies were no exceptions.
'...Fair.'
Beside Dide, the two other evil gods approached and stood.
The fluidic monster, Jeolyo, and Sha-Cha, a figure wearing a white mask, stood side by side next to Dide, looking at Avartin.
-My old friends.
Sha-Cha said.
Dide replied,
-Why do you call?
They didn't really want to answer. It was the last chance to abandon everything and flee to the barren yet survivable outer space.
Sha-Cha stared intensely at Avartin.
Then Sha-Cha said,
-I have a request.
Dide decided to listen and then make a decision; it was hard to refuse a request from an old friend.
***
Sung-Woon opened his eyes under his mask. It felt as if someone had called his name, but that wasn't the case. He knew where he was.
'The Baustan Sanctuary on the southern continent.'
Unlike the temples in each city, sanctuaries were located in places where miraculous events occurred or were directly related to apostles or gods. Hence, they were places where the power of the Pantheon could easily reach.
These sanctuaries were also designated by Sung-Woon as escape routes for the gods. Some player or apostle skills were related to specific locations, so strategically using these sanctuaries or deciding where to establish a sanctuary was a key element in playing The Lost World.
'Of course, this place is rather insignificant.'
Sung-Woon rose from the deepest part of the sanctuary, a damp spot covered in moss. The Baustan Sanctuary was related to some hero from the Union Kingdom, but Sung-Woon didn't know the details. He was familiar with famous heroes, but there were too many in the Union Kingdom.
'So now there are many neglected sanctuaries.'
Sung-Woon had been lying on said hero's tomb. The tomb was already emptied by grave robbers. Sung-Woon dusted off his clothes and took a deep breath. Fresh air, which could be described as having a hint of green, filled and then left his lungs. The sanctuary, a space built with angular stones, was so small that one could get out within ten steps.
Sung-Woon walked out of the sanctuary. The sun was just rising outside. There were few signs of civilization around. The architecture of the sanctuary itself was small, but the surrounding area was densely packed with small stone walls arranged like a pretty garden.
Whether it was maintained by the Empire or by a local lord from the Union Kingdom was unknown, but the attention to detail was admirable. Colorful flowers native to the southwestern part of the continent were carefully cultivated.
Sung-Woon lightly tapped the flowers with his fingers. Behind him lay rugged mountains, and below, a deep valley was visible.
Sung-Woon knew the general direction. Following the path to the valley for a few kilometers, a small village appeared. Baustan Sanctuary was the only tourist attraction in the area, so it wasn't very popular, but it had gained some fame thanks to an Orc who posted travel photos on Sky Net. However, even that fad had passed, and now Sung-Woon was alone in this place.
'It's beautiful here.'
However, Baustan Sanctuary was famous for reasons other than tourism. That was why Sung-Woon had chosen this place. As he walked, feeling the texture of the stone walls, he suddenly noticed a sharp pain in his palm.
'Was it a thorn?'
Red blood flowed from Sung-Woon's hand. He had lost his divinity. This was the Fall.
***
"...So what you just said is just a prediction, right? It's not certain that it will happen."
It was Lunda who asked this.
A few days before the moon-facing plan, in the first conference room of the pantheon, Sung-Woon stood on the podium, and all the players were present. It was an emergency meeting.
Sung-Woon shook his head. "No, it will definitely happen. We win, but not in the way we want. The old gods return. Our Pantheon is dismantled. The Fall occurs, and we all lose our divinity. The old gods rule the empire we built. The mistakes of the past, repeated."
The Fall. Losing divinity and becoming ordinary beings was something that would have normally been frightening to hear for the players...
But hearing that statement, Lim Chun-Sik laughed.
Lunda turned to look at him. "Are you crazy? Why are you laughing?"
"Oh, no. It's just funny, isn't it? I knew Nebula would get his comeuppance eventually. Even the best player can't always win."
"Wake up! We're on the same side!"
Solongos then said, as if making excuses, "Hyung-nim laughs because he trusts our oldest hyung-nim."
"What's there to trust?"
"He must have a plan, that's why he brought it up, right?"
When Solongos turned to look at him, Sung-Woon shrugged.
"Well, there are...many ways."
Then someone whistled. Wisdom's head spun.
"This seems to be the most challenging task we've faced, Nebula."
"Seems so."
Wisdom said, "If the Fall happens, we'll fall to this land, become powerless, and unable to use our Divinity. We'll become beings that have flesh and breathe air. We won't be able to open the system window, and that's not all. The old gods from the Demon World will return, and they'll have the same power as us now. Do you think we can defeat the old gods in such a powerless state?"
Sung-Woon slowly nodded. "The preparations are already complete."
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