Chapter 299.

…I can’t remember when, but I started seeing memories of the past when I closed my eyes .

My mom, who would smile brightly with me in her embrace, the garden we used to stroll around in, and the sight of her covered in blood, dead . The rain that fell during the funeral, my older brother who held my hand as he tried to hold back his tears, and my young self who made a pledge in front of her grave…

That was when I decided to become a Hero .

I entered the Agent Military Academy for that goal . But one day, Heroes I didn’t know came to visit me . I could still remember the black uniform they were wearing . It was the uniform worn to mourn the loss of a comrade . They told me that Oppa was in a ‘hopeless comatose state’ .

Shock and sorrow overwhelmed me, but I still didn’t give up .

The enemies were still alive, out there, roaming about . I believed Oppa would recover, that if I worked hard to become a Hero, he would wake up and hold me in his arms .

With determination and hope, I entered ‘Cube’ .

That was when I first met him . He was rather strange . He brought up Oppa during our first meeting and picked a fight with me . He called me a hopeless archer and told me to change to a sword .

I hated him to death . I wanted to beat him to a pulp if possible .

But time passed and before I realized, I came to not dislike him . In fact, I found myself constantly staring at him . I wanted him to be by my side .

…I still didn’t know why .

Kim Hajin, a man of mysteries, the bastard who killed Oppa without an explanation . Though I now knew his actions were justified, though I knew he chose to remain silent and to bear the pain in my place, if someone asked me if I ‘hated’ him, well…

Yes, I probably hate him to death .

But at the same time, I might love him to death .

“… . ”

I glanced back as I continued to run . Kim Hajin was running a bit slower than me . He didn’t run away, and by the looks of it, he didn’t plan on running away either .

So I breathed a sigh of relief . I had many questions to ask him, but just as he said, the situation wasn’t quite right .

We continued to run . Eventually, we arrived at Orden’s throne room . A terrifying mixture of energy undulated from Orden and the Heroes inside . We halted our steps nearby .

“…Can you continue?”

Kim Hajin asked me . His voice was softer than usual . Then, a question suddenly emerged in my mind . How did Kim Hajin sound like normally?

“Of course, don’t you run away . ”

Kim Hajin made a grim smile at my reply . His sorrowful smile stung my heart a bit .

“I can’t run away . You put a card on me . ”

“…Oh, yeah . ”

8-star card, [Infinite Communication] . I suspected that Extra7 had some sort of a relationship with Kim Hajin, but it turned out they were one and the same . In other words, it was Kim Hajin who saved me in the Tower of Wish .

…That stung my heart again .

“Hey, you—”

Just as I was about to say something…

—Uwoaaaah…!

A large lump of flesh suddenly shot out of the throne room door . The lump of flesh, which was likely to be a human, rolled like a bowling ball and crashed into a support pillar .

“…Who’s that?”

As I furrowed my brows, I noticed Kim Hajin flinch .

“Isn’t that him? The crazy bastard who calls himself Cheok Jungyeong?”

“…Uh, yeah, it is . ”

“You know him too?”

“Um, I’ve seen him a few times in the Tower… . ”

It was then . Kim Hajin’s calm demeanor suddenly changed . Just like a man who saw a scene of horror, his face distorted .

“Hey, Jin Sahyuk!” He yelled Jin Sahyuk’s name .

Jin Sahyuk frowned and retorted, “What now?”

“Can you make a bunker with Reality Manipulation?”

“…Bunker?”

“Yeah, something that can withstand a nuclear bomb… . ”

I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I happened to have something like that .

“Bunker? I think I have one . ”

I took out a card . It was the 8-star card I obtained along with [Infinite Communication] .

===

[Miracle Bunker] [8-star] Effective Good

—Constructs ‘Miracle Bunker’ in the designated area for 48 hours .

—This bunker can ignore one, huge impact .

○Forceful Summon – You can forcefully summon up to 30 allies who are in danger .

○Advantageous Time Flow – 10 seconds inside the bunker is equivalent to 1 second outside .

===

“But what do you need a bunker for so suddenly?”

“…!”

Kim Hajin’s eyes widened, and he quickly snatched the card out of my hand .

He activated it immediately, then said with a smile, “I saw the future with my unique skill . ”

**

[Throne Room]

Steel Spirit Heynckes, Immortal Chae Joochul, Spirit Speech Master Aileen, Wolf of Valhalla Yoo Sihyuk, Blitzkrieg Yoo Jinwoong, Divine Archer Jin Seyeon, Sword Saint Kim Suho, Weapon Master Kim Youngjin… .

Many Heroes were gathered in the throne room of the Monster King . They all shared a common goal – to kill Orden .

“…Monster King Orden . ”

Before the final battle began, Heynckes called the king’s name . Orden granted him permission to speak by remaining silent .

“Why do you seek to conquer humans?”

That was Heynckes’s first question .

Orden replied lightly, “Because they cannot coexist with me . ”

“…And why would that be?” That was Heynckes’s second question .

Orden replied after a brief silence, “Can you humans live in a world ruled under monkeys? Can you give up your living space to them and watch them blabber in conceit?”

Orden couldn’t clearly define the feelings he had towards humanity . But he knew that ‘coexistence’ was nothing but an illusion . Orden couldn’t stand the world ruled by humans, and the humans undoubtedly saw him as a threat .

“…So there’s no room for negotiation . ”

This time, a somewhat childish voice rang out . It belonged to the commander of the Special Task Force, Aileen .

She walked up and stood at the center of the throne room .

“Indeed . ” Orden nodded . “Humanoid monsters and humans cannot coexist . That was how we were created . ”

Orden gave a resolute conclusion . In response, the Heroes raised their weapons and pointed them at Orden .

Orden looked down at them from his throne and fell in thought .

Such was the nature of humans . They were extremely individualistic, yet when they came together under a common goal, they could have such a powerful will .

This was undoubtedly the biggest and most critical difference between humanoid monsters and humans .

“…I understand now . ”

“Understand what?”

The Monster King looked down at the humans with a sharper look . He felt something boiling inside his heart . It could be rage, sorrow, resignation, or excitement . No matter the case, Orden gathered up the emotion squirming around in his heart and spat it out .

“My name is Orden—!”

His roar shook the earth and rang out across the sky .

“I am— the king of monsters—!”

The wave of magic power burst out from the king’s body .

Guooooo…!

The resonance of magic power destroyed the earth and caused the sky to change color .

Kim Suho swung his sword at the ‘chaos’ that was forming . But at that moment, a gust of wind struck his strike down .

“…!”

“Kururu… . ”

Orden’s most loyal servant, a humanoid monster resembling a praying mantis, Kurukuru, appeared . Kurukuru shot towards Kim Suho and swung his front leg .

“Kururu!”

With an inestimable speed, hundreds of scythes slashed down in less than a second . Kurukuru gave his all to hinder Kim Suho .

“Who are you—! Screw off—!”

Aileen’s Spirit Speech pushed Kurukuru away, but it was too late .

“…Tsk . ”

Orden’s magic power of chaos flickered, and Kim Suho had no choice but to watch the explosion of the Monster King’s ominous magic power .

Chwaaaaa—

The overwhelming light from the exploding magic power swallowed the world .

**

“… . ”

Kim Suho slowly opened his eyes . A white ceiling filled his eyes . He couldn’t tell where he was, but two familiar faces soon popped up .

It was Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin .

“You’re awake?”

“There you go again with your cool-act . ”

Kim Hajin and Chae Nayun spoke .

“Huh…?”

Kim Suho shot up like a spring .

“W-What are you guys doing here!?”

“We can discuss that later . How’s your body?”

“B-Body? I think it’s okay… . ”

Kim Suho snapped out of his state of shock and looked around his surroundings . In a bunker-like space, several Heroes were lying unconscious .

“What happened?”

Chae Nayun answered Kim Suho’s question, “We saved everyone before Orden’s magic power went off, but it looks like just being exposed to it caused mental damage . Everyone else is still unconscious . ”

Kim Hajin then went on to explain that they were in a bunker created by an 8-star card . Most of the important personnel were summoned here, where the flow of time would help them recover quicker, and the rest were sent to Genkelope’s Vessel .

“…What’s happening outside?”

Kim Suho asked with a dumbfounded face .

“It hasn’t even been 5 minutes yet, so don’t worry . The operation is still underway . ”

Heynckes, Chae Joochul, Aileen, Yoo Sihyuk, Yoo Jinwoong, and Jin Seyeon .

The above six had survived the explosion and were in the middle of fighting Orden .

“Then I should also—”

“Before that . ”

Kim Hajin handed Kim Suho a recovery and strength potion .

“Ah, thanks . ”

Kim Suho drank the potion without hesitation . Hot liquid coursed through his body . Kim Suho closed his eyes and felt strength returning to his body .

“Haa… . ”

“How do you feel?”

“…Good . ” Kim Suho furrowed his brows as he spoke, “But where did you come from?”

“Me?”

“Yes you, Kim Hajin . ”

“Uh… well, let’s say I was in the middle of training . ”

Kim Hajin grinned and placed his hand on Kim Suho’s shoulder .

“We can talk about that later . I awakened another Gift while I was training . ”

“…Gift? Again?”

“Yep, and this one will be useful when you fight Orden . ”

“Me? How would your Gift help me?”

“Here . ”

Kim Hajin displayed a holographic window using his smartwatch .

===

[Constraints and Amplifications] [high-rank]

—Constraints

*Apply temporary ‘constraints’ to the user’s body .

—Amplifications

*Temporarily increase the target’s strength in proportion to the applied ‘constraints’ .

—Profitable Exchange

*Increase ‘Amplification’ performance by 77% .

—Side-Effect Alleviation

*The side-effects of this Gift, including the cooldown period, are slightly improved .

===

“I jotted down the effect of my Gift . ”

Kim Suho stared at the window in a daze . Strengthened with ‘luck’, Constraints and Amplifications was a buff-type Gift that was high-risk, high-return .

After giving Kim Suho time to read through the Gift, Kim Hajin began his explanation .

“You know how people say ‘yea’ and ‘ya’ have different meanings in Korean? Think about the word ‘target’ here . ”

Kim Suho’s eyes fell on the sentence Kim Hajin pointed to .

「—Amplifications

*Temporarily increase the target’s strength in proportion to the applied ‘constraints’ . 」

“The constraints are placed on the ‘target’, which doesn’t have to be me necessarily . ”

Kim Suho quickly understood what Kim Hajin was implying .

“Amplifications… can be used on you . ”

Kim Hajin smiled .

“I’ll leave Orden to you . ”

**

…Sword Saint’s unique ability was something I couldn’t replicate, and I had already used [Time Reversal] as well . So, Kim Suho was the only option left .

I put myself under a week’s worth of constraints . With this, I wouldn’t be able to use myself for a week .

By constraining everything about me, I gave an explosive amplification to Kim Suho . The boost he gained was nothing short of shocking .

Golden magic power, the Authority of the Sword Saint, and Misteltein which now carried the power of wish .

With all these amplified, I was confident that Kim Suho wouldn’t lose to Orden .

—See you later . I’ll be sure to win .

Kim Suho left with those words . Chae Nayun also left with him .

—Wait for me to come back . You and I have a lot to talk about .

After sending Kim Suho and Chae Nayun off, I slowly felt my heart rate slow down . My eyes closed and my breathing became faint .

For a week, I would fall into a deep sleep .

“Pft . ”

I smirked .

If all goes to plan, everything should be over by the time I woke up . Kim Suho would have defeated Orden, and Chae Nayun could potentially learn more from her master, Heynckes .

Sleeping and having the main cast clean up the trouble? Finally, an extra-like story progression .

I did all I could, so I didn’t feel bad .

“…Hajin . ”

At that moment, a voice rang inside my ear .

My mind woke up from the familiar voice .

“…Boss?”

“Yes, it’s me . ”

I could hear her voice, but I had long lost my vision .

I raised my hand toward the direction of her voice .

A soft, cold sensation of skin touched me . It was probably Boss’s cheek .

“…It’s been a while . ”

“Yes . Where were you all this time? What happened with Bell?”

“Well, you know, I countered Bell . I fought him, won, and escaped . ”

“Really? Haha . ”

Boss laughed happily at my answer .

I also made a small smile .

“…But Boss . ”

“Hm?”

A soft sensation touched the back of my head .

I was probably in Boss’s arms . I wanted to enjoy this feeling a little longer, but it probably wouldn’t be long until I fell unconscious .

“Um… I’m too sleepy . ”

“I know, you look sleepy . ”

“Are Cheok Jungyeong and Jain okay?”

The bunker was too quiet . Since everyone should be asleep, asking about them shouldn’t arouse any suspicion .

“They’re both safe inside the bunker . Ah, well, Cheok Jungyeong left a little while ago, saying he wanted to fight Orden . ”

“Then… I’m going to sleep . ”

Soon, the rest of my senses began to disappear . I couldn’t move anymore, and my hearing slowly faded away .

“This time, I’ll be asleep for a little longer than usual . About a week . Think of it as a winter hibernation . ”

“…Yeah . ”

Boss’s warm hands stroked my hair .

“Then see you later Boss . ”

“…Yeah, see you later . ”

I relaxed and let myself go . My consciousness scattered away in Boss’s cold yet warm embrace .

But before my consciousness fully disappeared…

“…I wanted to see you . ”

Her final words flowed into my ears .

**

[Sky above Africa]

On the other hand, Bell came to Africa with his comrade . In truth, he wanted to stay inside his sanctuary until Orden’s death, but his comrade, ‘Yi Yeonjun’, persuaded him otherwise .

“Do you really need to watch in person?”

Yi Yeonjun didn’t bat an eye at Bell’s grumbling .

“Trust me . The Monster King’s corpse will have immense value to us . ”

Yi Yeonjun was only interested in one thing, Orden’s corpse . Bell didn’t know what he was planning on doing with it… but it was to be expected from the incarnation of avarice that even Baal would be surprised with .

“What are you going to do if you meet Byul?”

Yi Yeongjun lightly brushed off Bell’s worry .

“Then we’ll just meet . Why should I worry about that?”

“…Ehew, fine . ”

Bell gave up . He knew what kind of man Yi Yeonjun was . Whether an object or a person, he was the type who wasn’t satisfied until he obtained it . Greedy was a nice way to put it . In truth, it was more like a mental illness .

“Let’s go down, Bell . ”

“…Yeah . ”

The two men landed on African soil . Orden’s ‘magic power explosion’ had just swept through the land, leaving it clean without any impurities .

“So, Boss, what’s our plan?”

Bell used the title, ‘Boss’, for the first time in a while .

Yi Yeonjun seemed to like it too as he replied with a grin .

“Simple . We’ll wait until Orden dies and snatch his corpse . ”

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