Chapter 168

“One month? Or will it be two months?” (Yu Sae-Jung)

It’s the night before . Sae-Jung was asking me, while fidgeting within my arms . But I could not be sure how long it might take, so I was unable to answer her with anything concrete .

“Then, maybe three months?” (Yu Sae-Jung)

Sae-Jung’s voice was getting progressively smaller .

“… . . Maybe . ” (Sae-Jin)

“… . Four months?” (Yu Sae-Jung)

She was whispering now . I did my best to form a believable smile, and lightly kissed her forehead .

“I will come back as soon as I can . Hell, I might even show up tomorrow, as if nothing has happened at all . ” (Sae-Jin)

“Liar . ” (Yu Sae-Jung)

“No, really . ” (Sae-Jin)

There was always the possibility, since the future was not set in stone . I spoke to her with a light grin, and Sae-Jung returned a bit more relaxed smile of her own .

“In that case, I should just select the venue and send out invitations in the meantime, right?” (Yu Sae-Jung)

“… . . Ng . Be ready and wait for me . ” (Sae-Jin)

I answered her like so, and hugged her tightly . Her petite body felt unusually pitiful and small today, for some reason . I even almost broke out in tears, but somehow, held back .

But not too long after, a soft sobbing stabbed into my ears . Sae-Jung was crying .

*SFX for patting of the back*

Unfortunately, the only thing I could do was to gently pat her back .

Right now, I wish the night would flow just a bit slower than normal .

*

(TL: Still told from MC’s perspective . )

During the early dawn, when the sun hadn’t broken the navy blue darkness just yet – I Spiritualised my diary and carried it to the location of the underground portal .

It had been only one day, yet the sight before me perfectly fitted the description “hell on earth” to a T .

Strange, monstrous beings that resembled snakes, dogs, etc, and then, there was that unidentifiable creature wriggling about within the black mucous substance… and Bathory was here, battling all by herself .

“Lots of mini portals opened up all over the planet now . ” (Bathory)

She took a glance at my direction and told me while burning away the tide of Monsters .

“Half of those mini portals will act as doorways to another world, while the rest, well, they will become the gates of hell with Monsters pouring out . ” (Bathory)

She spoke in a roundabout way to let me know that the time was finally up .

I walked towards the portal without saying anything .

The thing I had to do was exceedingly simple .

I just needed to wade through the portal, seemingly choked full with countless Monsters forcing their way out from the distant, unspeakably deep bottom .

It sounded rather simple, but it required an unimaginable amount of bravery, so I briefly wondered whether I should pour myself a stiff drink or not .

“Hey, you listening?” (Bathory)

I slightly turned my head to look at her .

“Yeah . ” (Sae-Jin)

“You really going to act according to that plan of yours? Even if you succeed, the end of the world won’t change – the portal might close, but that won’t take care of the remaining Monsters in this world, you know? And in case you fail, that’s even worse than a dog’s death, too . ” (Bathory)

“… . No need for useless talk, but let me ask you one thing . Bathory, you and your underlings aren’t planning to jump into the portal, right?” (Sae-Jin)

Inside this portal, there was a ‘door’ that allowed one to go to the past, or to another world, a new dimension .

“… . . ”

Bathory bit her lower lip as if she had thought about this matter over and over again . And the answer coming from that deep deliberation was a wonderful one, the kind I really liked hearing .

“I’m remaining here . ” (Bathory)

“Very good . ” (Sae-Jin)

As if she didn’t care for my grin, her eyes narrowed to a slit while she spoke .

“…It’s not because you persuaded me, okay? Well, my homeworld ravaged by these motherf*ckers isn’t my old homeworld anymore, anyway . ” (Bathory)

“It’s the correct decision . ” (Sae-Jin)

Now that Bathory agreed to help, there was nothing to stop me here . There was no need for a grand ceremony, either . Oh, and no point in hesitating, too .

I transformed into the Lycan Form, and carefully observed the other side of the portal .

The portal was spitting out things as if it was erupting out like a volcano . These things kind of resembled bits of human flesh, but also wriggled around like an individual organism .

That grotesque sight was truly disgusting, but at the same time, fear inducing .

But I needed to be brave .

In order to live, this was something I just had to do .

“Well, I’m off . ” (Sae-Jin)

I didn’t need a countdown .

The ticking of a clock would only erode my resolve, anyway .

With a simple leap, I jumped down into the portal .

“What the?! H, hey!! Wait a sec… . ” (Bathory)

I heard Bathory’s surprised voice behind me .

But soon enough, all sounds disappeared, and I sank deeper and deeper into the gap of nothingness .

*

(TL: Still from MC’s… well, you get the idea . )

The sticky, unwelcome sensation of the mucous membrane only hung around in the beginning; as time passed, I could feel nothing at all . It was as if the sensation of touch had been robbed from me .

I tried to look around .

I once heard that the inside of a portal resembled that of the wild, unclaimed nature, but all I saw was the jet-black darkness . Even the stars that blinked faintly in the distance got swallowed up by this all-conquering darkness .

Was I looking at the vast expanse of the outer space?

Wait, didn’t the space also form a part of the ‘nature’, too?

My mind got drowsy and my thoughts were blurring .

It was hard to tell whether I was still breathing, moving, or even if I was still alive or dead .

Suddenly, a turbid stream of something rushed past me quite violently, and it shot up and up .

Within this black stream, I witnessed the hidden creatures’ pulsing beats and felt their maddened eyes on me .

But thanks to them, I remembered the reason why I was here in the first place .

I had to go to where this stream came from, so I fixed my heading opposite to the direction of the flow .

And then, time flowed and flowed .

Was it a minute, or one hour? One day? Maybe a month, or even a whole year?

Trapped within this unexplainable ‘world’, I feared that my ego, the sense of self, would retard and scatter away, never to become whole again .

‘There… . ’

Not too long after, or perhaps an eternity later, a massive black ‘gap’ that looked like a blackhole revealed itself in the far distance .

That ‘blackhole’ quivered continuously and spat out monstrous creatures nonstop .

Instinctively, my eyes snapped open wide .

My fatigued and weakened body was revitalised by the pulse of life, and it felt like my head was burning up now .

As if they had sensed the change, the creatures spat out from the blackhole left the turbid stream and surrounded me, clinging onto me . Unexpectedly, it felt very cold, and painful, too .

So, I transformed into the Fenrir .

[The host has transformed into the legendary Fenrir! For the next (12) hours, the Wolf that kills gods, Fenrir…]

Suddenly, my eye level changed, and my sight cleared up completely .

A Monster busy clinging onto my waist seemed as small as a speck of dust .

Even the blackhole looked like a slightly big cotton candy to me .

So, I swallowed it whole, just like that .

The blackhole got crushed like a pulp and got sucked into my mouth .

[An existence that can not be handled by the host has been absorbed…]

If this was what I had to do, then well, without a fanfare, I’ve done it .

But then, too many of the Monsters had left towards Earth . If I was to help Bathory and kill them, I had to go back as soon as possible .

‘It hurts a bit, though…’

But my body didn’t want to move .

Was this a severe case of indigestion? Or was I dying for good?

Unable to budge an inch, I just floated within the dark emptiness while submerged in thoughts . One possibility I’ve been denying until now entered my head .

Perhaps, did the future me die and no longer exist?

It really did feel like that was the case . It really was a persuasive argument, and I stopped my endless voyage .

I wanted to disappear along with the cold yet burning sensation of the stars wrapping around my body, and every little thing wriggling so naughtily within me .

I began recalling old memories, one by one .

I remembered going home while holding mom’s hand when I was really young… but then, I couldn’t recall anything for the next 15 years after that .

Maybe that was par for the course, really . Before my Trait manifested, I lived a shadow-like life where I was neither alive nor dead, after all .

However, the memories of the past five years were so, so vivid and real .

I met Kim Yu-Rin, met Hazeline, met Yu Sae-Jung, met Kim Yu-Sohn, and met Joo Ji-Hyuk, and, and… . a brilliantly shining life interconnected by many encounters and friendships .

Only then, my purpose and resolve finally surfaced from the muddy, sleepy waters of my fading consciousness .

I couldn’t stop here . I promised Sae-Jung that I’d return, after all .

And besides – there was something else I still had to do . In order to succeed in pretty much anything, taking ‘care of the aftermaths’ was very important .

My mind spun faster than ever before .

The future version of me, whose whereabouts were unknown .

The existence called as the devourer of the dimensions, a being that not even Bathory could stand up against .

And finally, the time required for the divine creature of the legends, the Leviathan, to mature fully .

And I found my answer .

When I opened my eyes, I saw a dim point of light far, far away .

With all my might, I began doggie-pedalling towards that light .

“*SFX for retching*”

Suddenly, I felt nauseous . The portal to the past was over there, yet the gap between the worlds and its immense pressure was forcibly restraining me .

In order to endure, I gritted my teeth and transformed into the Leviathan Form .

[The Skill “Ultimate Resistance” has been activated . The host will resist the universe’s laws and its suppression for a short period of time . ]

The alert window said as much, yet it felt like my limbs were twisting apart at the seams and my entire being felt like melting from the terrifying heat .

But I did not give up .

I dashed towards that point of light nonstop .

And only after all my scales were burned away, when my eyes got seared into blindness and the world became nothing but darkness, only then…

I exited into the brilliant brightness of the sunlight .

***

(TL: Still told from MC’s viewpoint . )

I opened my eyes .

The first thing I saw was the bright sunlight and the densely packed verdant forest . I remained on my back for the next five minutes while trying to figure out what was going on, before standing up in a hurry .

Was I in a human’s appearance?

Yes, I was .

What about the alert windows?

They worked just fine .

“Whew… . ”

A sigh of relief escaped from my lips automatically .

After getting a hold of myself, I found some leeway to check out the surrounding area .

“…… . . ”

But I became speechless soon enough .

There were no skyscrapers . There were no asphalt roads . There were no modern buildings either .

What greeted me was a whole bunch of traditional houses with tiled and thatched roofs, a fortress and watchtowers, many horse-drawn carts and carriages, and finally, the smell of cow manure serving as fertiliser .

Yep, the sight before my eyes were straight out of the Joseon era . (TL: a Korean dynasty established in 1392 . Lasted until 1910 . )

“… . So, that’s why nothing was written on the diary about this part, huh . ”

I muttered to myself .

It was impossible to figure out what the year was . Well, I thought that I might need 500 to 600 years if the Leviathan needed to reach the maturity, so, let’s say this was 550 years back in the past .

And, if I was to sleep for half a year, then that meant I had to spend at least 1000 days wide awake .

“Hmm… . ”

For some reason, “hmm” continued to leak out of my lips .

Okay, I should think this over thoroughly .

500 years should be more than enough for the Leviathan Form to reach adulthood . A fully-grown Leviathan should be able to fight against the devourer of the dimensions, or so referred to as by Bathory herself .

I already resolved myself to the possibility of a lengthy wait . Well, I was going to wait far longer than I expected, though .

I raised my head and stared into the far off distance .

A blue ocean was gently undulating over yonder like silk under the clear sunlight .

That must have been the East Sea . Meaning, my bedroom was right over there .

“… . Oh well . Naught but to wait, I guess . ”

I would wait .

If I endure, endure, and endure a bit more, then it’d be the correct time sooner rather than later .

****

(TL:… . Still told from the MC’s point of view . )

When the Leviathan went to sleep, it’d be for three months straight . And when it woke up, well, it had to stay awake for a week . Most of the time while I was in slumber, I remained at the bottom of the ocean, but when I was awake, I walked around Joseon to see what was what .

And so, I got to witness with my own two eyes, the historical moment when the creation of Hunmumjeong-eum took place; the wretchedness and horrors of the Japanese invasion between 1592 and 1598; the humiliation of the Manchu War of 1636 . (TL: Hunmumjeong-eum is the original Korean alphabet system invented under the rule of King Sejong . )

I lost count how many times I clenched my fist while watching the foreign invaders rape and pillage the land; when witnessing the common folk suffer through horrible unfairness completely unimaginable in a modern society .

But I never once tried to do something that might change the history .

Things I could influence were limited to a few events, after all .

And so, time continued to flow by while I waited .

I remained awake for only three weeks a year, but still, the remaining days were just too many .

It became progressively harder to maintain my sanity .

Sometimes, I missed everyone terribly .

Sometimes, my urges became a problem .

Sometimes, a rage that couldn’t be kept down tried to drown me .

Every passing day was a torture, and I gradually grew to fear the sun setting and the moon rising over each passing day .

That was why, I sometimes went to a village of human beings .

Rather happily enough, I could converse just fine with people, although there were some differences in pronunciation and the meaning of certain words .

“Barmaid, get me a bowl of rice and soup, please . ”

I got a hankering for food with grain, so I sought out a traditional roadside tavern . A big dude with 188 centimetre tall height was ordering with a loud voice, so perhaps inevitably, all attention got focused to my direction . While I waited for my food in somewhat of a daze, a man who had been watching me with strange eyes initiated a conversation .

“You have a good physique there, young man . ”

“Haha . Thank you . ” (Sae-Jin)

“Are you perchance a military man?”

“No, just a commoner . ” (Sae-Jin)

“Hmm… . ”

The man stroked his lengthy beard and nodded his head .

Then, my food arrived .

I couldn’t help but stare at the small bowl and a pathetically small amount of grub inside, and then, chuckled softly .

“I see that the current state of affairs for us common folk aren’t so good right now . ” (Sae-Jin)

“But of course . We haven’t had rain for quite some time now, as if the gods have become annoyed with us . ”

“No rain has fallen?” (Sae-Jin)

“Indeed . This drought is lasting longer than previous years, too… It’s quite a worrisome matter, really . ”

The man looked really worried as he sighed out .

I smirked slightly while looking at him .

“Rain… rain, you say . Well, you might have rain later on today . ” (Sae-Jin)

“… . . What do you mean?”

The man tilted his head slightly, but soon, a sneer formed on his lips and he asked me again .

“Are you perchance a shaman?”

“Well, close enough . ” (Sae-Jin)

“Huhuhuh . ”

The man laughed . But it wasn’t just him now – everyone here in the tavern was laughing along as well .

“What a funny person he is . ”

“He looks fine on the outside, yet…”

They were sneering out comments one after the other .

“Haha . Well, we shall see later on . ” (Sae-Jin)

I simply carried a thick smile on my face .

Fin .