Chapter 385

“Isn’t that beautiful? I picked it up during my last visit to the art museum.”
At her fingertip was a massive portrait—four times the size of a human torso.

Taesan sighed.
“Why is someone like you the strongest human?”

Lee Taeyeon grinned.
“In times like this, obsession is important. You should get a hobby too, like me. Back in the old world, I thought art was meaningless. But now, I find it all rather fascinating. This portrait I brought—”
“Let’s save the art talk for later.”
Taesan cut her off.
“What do you want?”

She pretended to be calm, but her mouth was dry. The words she’d spoken had just popped into her head. She had no plan.
To hide her flustered state, she continued speaking.
“That kid from Hard Mode. I heard you’ve been training him?”
“No one else was going to.”
“A Hard Mode player being trained by someone in Easy Mode… It always sounds weird no matter how many times I hear it.”

She looked at Taesan and spoke.
“Status window.”

Lee Taeyeon’s status window appeared.
[Lee Taeyeon]
[Level: 258]
[HP: 45,810 / 45,810]
[Mana: 7,020 / 7,020]
[Strength: 10,152]
[Intelligence: 9,899]
[Agility: 13,254]
[Attack Power +5,421]
[Defense +8,456]
[Target is currently frightened.]

To anyone else, those stats would be jaw-dropping. Her lightest strike could rival a Hard Mode player’s full power.
But Taesan just looked unimpressed.

“What is this, showing off?”
“Just confirming something. Taesan, show me your status too.”
“Yeah, yeah. Easy Mode discrimination is real.”
Taesan grumbled as he opened his status window.

[Kang Taesan]
[Level: 50]
[HP: 1,021 / 1,021]
[Mana: 820 / 820]
[Strength: 105]
[Intelligence: 10—]
[Agility: 98]
[Attack Power +49]
[Defense +58]
[Target is in optimal condition.]

Lee Taeyeon nodded.
“Yep. Still pathetically weak.”
Taesan’s face twisted.
“You picking a fight?”
“I said it’s just a check. Actually, you’re doing pretty well. Most Easy Mode players have way worse stats than you. Even your mana pool would rank among the higher-end Normal players.”

Taesan was extremely weak—but at the same time, overwhelmingly strong. It was all thanks to the skills he possessed.

After a short conversation, Lee Taeyeon raised her fist.
“Hold still a second.”
[Lee Taeyeon used Addition. Adds half of base attack power.]
[Lee Taeyeon used Plus. Doubles current attack power.]
[Lee Taeyeon used Guaranteed Strike. The next attack will not miss.]
[Lee Taeyeon attacks.]

An attack strong enough to kill Taesan ten times over barreled toward him.

[Kang Taesan’s First Absolute Attack Nullification activates.]
[Damage dealt to Kang Taesan: 0]

Only a brief system message appeared. Taesan hadn’t even taken a defensive stance.

“What was that?”
“…Nothing. Never mind.”
Lee Taeyeon forced a bitter smile.

Her skill [Guaranteed Strike]—one of her top five—was utterly useless against Taesan.

[Absolute Attack Nullification.] [Absolute Judgement.] [Multiplication.] [Multi-stack Attack.] [Replication.] [Simple Time Stop.] …All absurd skills.

Even having just one of them would make someone a top-tier player.
Taesan had over 200. That was how he survived despite his laughable stats, overwhelming everyone else.

“You said you got all those skills from exploring the tower?”
“It’s not a tower—it’s a labyrinth. Why would something you go down into be called a tower?”
“Everyone else calls it a tower. Only a handful, like you, say labyrinth. Anyway, answer the question.”
“Yeah. You can get skills regardless of difficulty.”

Lee Taeyeon lowered her head and repeated his words to herself.

“We should’ve done the same. We should’ve focused on mastering the tower instead of just trying to clear it…”

They hadn’t.
They’d been terrified, obsessed with escaping the labyrinth as quickly as possible. In doing so, they missed out on almost every opportunity to grow stronger.

She realized this too late.
‘No…’

Even if she hadn’t rushed, even if she’d tried to explore more—
Could she have done it?
She couldn’t. She hadn’t been that kind of person.
Even now, she was too scared to try clearing the labyrinth again.

“Who knows.”
Taesan’s tone suggested he felt the same way.
“It’s all in the past now.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
Lee Taeyeon denied his words. Taesan gave her a puzzled look, but she changed the subject.

“Anyway, you’re amazing. If you’d played Solo Mode from the start, maybe we could’ve actually won.”

Yes.
If Taesan had cleared Solo Mode instead of Easy Mode,
He could’ve defeated the Apostles.
He of all people could’ve done it.

Taesan waved his hand irritably.
“Let’s drop it. Just get to the point. Didn’t you go scouting?”
“Yeah.”
Lee Taeyeon’s face turned serious.
“The next wave’s coming soon.”

Taesan frowned.
“How many?”
“Two S-Class. Dozens of A-Class. Hundreds of B-Class. And… an Apostle.”

Lee Taeyeon spoke calmly. Taesan nodded.
“It’s over, then.”

S-Class monsters were ones even she struggled to handle. And now there were two.
Add to that dozens of A-Class. There weren’t even twenty Hard Mode players who could handle one A-Class.

And then the Apostle.
A being beyond even S-Class. Something wholly different.

In short, defeat was inevitable.

“But we should at least struggle. Taesan, you take the two S-Class.”
“…What?”
Taesan scoffed.
“You want me to die?”
“There’s no one else who can deal with them. I’m going to be too busy with the Apostle to spare any attention. You know that.”
“You’ve got some nerve.”

Taesan grumbled, but didn’t refuse. He turned.
“You going to tell them?”
“They should at least be mentally prepared. What, you want them to die clueless?”
“That might be the happier ending.”
“I don’t think so.”

Taesan stepped outside.
Left alone, Lee Taeyeon murmured to herself.
“Taesan, you’re strong. You might even be able to lead us to victory.”

She smiled bitterly.
“But I’m… just a coward.”

In her hand was a dark, jagged stone.

—

In the end, she couldn’t say it.
Even after meeting Taesan, she hadn’t reached a conclusion.

“Hahaha… hahahahaha…”
She let out a deep laugh, filled with despair and self-loathing.

“…I better get ready.”

After standing dazed for a while, she rose to her feet.
She said goodbye to the others and traveled far from the city, toward the edge of the rift.

The Apostle was far stronger than she was. Just the collateral damage from the battle would kill everyone nearby. She had to face it alone.

The energy emanating from the rift grew heavier.
It was clear that monsters would begin descending within minutes.

[You have activated Ten Thousand Possibilities.]

Once again, she activated the skill in an attempt to escape reality—but no answer came.

“What do I even want?”

She spoke aloud.
Even she didn’t know.
She was still hesitating to choose.

Lee Taeyeon stared quietly at the rift.

If Taesan returned to before he used the Ouroboros Keystone to enter the labyrinth, he would choose Solo Mode. He would descend the labyrinth with his life on the line and grow stronger.

If that happened, he could probably defeat the Apostle on his own.

But the keystone was a consumable item—it couldn’t be passed to someone else unless it was held at the moment of death.

A chill ran down her spine.
If she died, she could give the keystone to Taesan.

“…Why didn’t I think of something so simple until now?”

She quickly realized the reason.
Because she had subconsciously erased the possibility from her mind.

Giving the keystone to Taesan meant dying.
She had feared death so much, she had shut out the option completely.

But now, she had remembered it.

[You have activated Ten Thousand Possibilities.]

She used the skill again—
But this time, it wasn’t to simulate battle with the Apostle.
It judged whether it was possible for Taesan to obtain the keystone after her death.

“Ah…”

The skill concluded. She didn’t even need all ten thousand simulations.
It was possible.

As long as certain conditions were met, she could pass the keystone to Taesan.

“I…”

BOOOOM!

Her thoughts were cut off.
The rift erupted, and countless monsters began to descend to the surface.

“Ah… Aah…”

And among them—
A writhing, formless monster. The Apostle.

It was staring directly at Lee Taeyeon.

Wriggle.
The Apostle approached. Lee Taeyeon cleared her mind.
She shifted her entire body into a state optimized for slaying her enemy.

The other monsters all headed for the city.
Only Lee Taeyeon and the Apostle remained.

As she tensed her entire body, the Apostle changed form.
Its amorphous shape expanded, beginning to engulf the world.

She launched herself forward, unleashing every card she had, charging at the Apostle.

—

BOOOM!

She gave it her all.
She poured everything into the assault, pressing the Apostle back.

Even as she gained the upper hand, her expression remained grim.
She already knew from her skill—it was meaningless. This was all just part of the process.

Wriggle.
Suddenly, the Apostle’s form twisted.
It transformed into the figure of a cloaked human—
Holding a massive scythe.

In its humanoid form, the Apostle swung.

Lee Taeyeon instinctively understood:
If she stood still, she would die.
If she moved in any ordinary way, she’d still die.

Her ring shone, and her body was displaced backward—
The very space she had occupied was sliced away.

“…Hah.”

She had survived purely by chance.
There was no guarantee she could avoid the next one.

That was the Apostle’s true power.

The scythe swung again. Dozens of spaces were cleaved at once.
Lee Taeyeon flung herself to the side in a panic.

She resisted with everything she had.
She refused to yield to this overwhelming enemy, struggling to achieve victory. It was a noble stand.

But even so—
She couldn’t make the impossible, possible.

“KYAAAH!”

The scythe came down. Lee Taeyeon’s body was sliced.
But in that instant, her body crossed through space.

CRACK!

At the same time, her ring shattered.
Pale and trembling, she clenched her fist.

Most of her equipment was destroyed.
The precious items she had saved were all spent in the previous wave.

There was no hope of victory. But she fought on.

And the Apostle mocked her—changing its form into a woman holding a bow.

It drew the string.
The arrow tore through the air. Lee Taeyeon raised her shield.

CRASH!
“Guh!”

The shield shattered and she was thrown to the ground.
Her legs trembled as she tried to stand, but her body wouldn’t respond.

She couldn’t win.
She had to run.

With shaky hands, she opened her inventory.

[You have activated Designated Teleportation.]

Her broken body was transferred to the center of the ruined city.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t win. The Apostle will be here soon, so everyone should evacu—”

She tried to speak—
But her words didn’t continue.

There was no one there.
Only broken buildings and scattered corpses.

As she quickly scanned her surroundings, she realized—
Everyone was dead.

She was the only survivor.

“…Not quite.”

She raised her head.
Far away, somewhere unseen—
She felt one more faint life, and a mighty monster.

Taesan. She knew.

But his condition wasn’t good either.
Even if he somehow defeated the monster he was facing, he’d be on the verge of death.

“…Hah…”

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

She and Taesan were all that remained of Earth.

Humanity…
Was extinct.

“What even are you people…”
A deep, heavy emotion surged within her.
The force that resonated with her feelings shattered and crushed the objects around her.
She clenched her fist.

She wanted revenge.
She wanted to sink her teeth into their throats, grab their ankles, ruin all their plans.

But she was lacking. She didn’t have the power. She didn’t have the will.

Lee Taeyeon raised her gaze.
Far ahead, the battle was still raging.

Kang Taesan.

Even while facing two single-digit S-Class monsters, he still wasn’t dead.
He had even managed to take one down.
He was achieving the impossible.

She couldn’t. But Taesan could.

[You have activated Ten Thousand Possibilities.]

Can Taesan find the keystone she holds after her death?
First attempt—
Success.

She got her answer on the first try.

All that remained now was her resolve.

“…I’m sorry, Taesan. For passing this on to you.”

She whispered quietly.
A vile presence reached her.
She swung her sword at the Apostle’s incoming attack.

Lee Taeyeon never gave up.
She rolled in the dirt, inhaled dust, and fought for victory.

But eventually, she collapsed.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Her body slammed into the ground. Blood spewed from her mouth.
She had no more means of survival.
All of her skills and items had been spent.

The Apostle slowly approached.
Trembling, she pulled out the keystone.

The Apostle, now resembling a grim reaper holding a scythe, grinned as it raised its weapon.
Once it swung, she would die.

Fear overtook her.
She didn’t want to die.
She wanted to live.

And in her hand was a way to live.
If she used the keystone, she could escape. She could flee right now.
She could abandon everything and take comfort in safety.

Her survival instinct—the same one that got her this far in the labyrinth—urged her to use it.

“Shut up…”

But she held on.
Tears welled up, her whole body trembled, but she resisted that instinct.

The scythe carved a deadly arc.
She closed her eyes.

[You received @#!!!!# damage.]
[You have died.]

She died.

[A mysterious orb holding something has activated.]
[Power of …… activated. As a cost, the interference zone of …… has diminished.]

And then, her consciousness resurfaced.

“Huh?”

Lee Taeyeon opened her eyes in shock.
She was surrounded by a dark space.
Cold and heavy, yet warm and gentle at the same time—like being held in a mother’s cradle.

“H-Huh…?”

She looked down at her limbs. She could feel her entire body.

“…Why?”

Crack.

She heard something shatter. She quickly looked at her hand.

There, a colorless orb had cracked.

“This is…”

Tracing her memory, she realized what it was.
It was the orb given to her by that mysterious voice before she entered the labyrinth.

Just as she began understanding the situation, a voice echoed.

[You’re awake, I see.]

She whipped her head around.

Before her stood something massive.

“Ah…”

She was instantly overwhelmed.
Stronger, denser, more exalted than any being she had ever encountered.

“…A god.”

[Yes, child. I’m the one who called you.]

The god chuckled.
A voice filled with genuine joy.

“You’re… a god.”

The one who had watched over her in the labyrinth—that voice belonged to a transcendent being.

She had somewhat expected it, and quickly composed herself.

[I was watching you through that orb. Right to your final moment.]

“Oh…”

She had truly died.
She vividly remembered death as it swallowed her whole.
A shiver ran down her spine, and she curled up.

The god left her be.

[Have you calmed down?]

“Y-Yes…”

She slowly raised her eyes.

“Did you… save me?”

[I didn’t save you. Your body still lies dead there. That world is already under the control of the Old Gods. Even we can’t interfere easily. But… with the right preparations, we can retrieve a soul even if the body is lost.]

“…Why?”

Lee Taeyeon asked the god.

Why did you save my soul?
Her voice was bitter.

“I’m nothing. I got lucky clearing that place, but in the end, I’m just a coward who passed the final choice onto someone else.”

In truth, the gods had all looked down on her.
They called her a coward, ignored her entirely.

The god laughed.

[That was to my benefit. Because of that, I got to claim a precious talent without any competition.]

“You… claimed me?”

[A flame that burns bright enough to set the world ablaze is certainly beautiful. To burn oneself for light is dazzling. But that doesn’t interest me.]

The god spoke with elation in their voice.

[Even the tiniest ember, struggling not to go out—tainted with mud, ignored by all, yet still burning to light the world… That kind of flame can pass on to another and become a fire that engulfs everything.]

With those words, space opened.

Lee Taeyeon’s eyes widened.
Beyond that space, she saw Taesan and the Apostle locked in battle.

He was fighting with everything he had.

[He will become a flame. A unique, radiant flame brighter than any.]

The god turned to Lee Taeyeon.

[But that’s only possible… because of your choice. Other gods may ignore you, but I won’t.]
[You are… truly captivating.]

The god’s voice brimmed with admiration and awe.

[You struggled more than anyone. Between yourself and others, torn in conflict, wanting to run away yet unable to. You helped others with passion. You tried to live alongside them. And in the end, you gave yourself up to save someone else. I know it all. You’ve done well, child.]

“…snf…”

A transcendent being beyond mortality was acknowledging her.
Someone who had always been looked down on, finally understood.

Lee Taeyeon quietly wept.

The god spoke gently.

[Child, would you become my Apostle?]
“…What?”

[Not just any Apostle. I want you by my side. A being like you is worthy of that place.]

An Apostle.
The seat beside a god.
Lee Taeyeon was so stunned she stopped crying. She hadn’t expected this in the slightest.

But then, the god continued, and she froze.

[If you become my Apostle… you may see him again. And you’ll be able to witness the outcome of your sacrifice.]

“…Witness it?”

[I am a god. I exist outside the flow of time. If you make a contract with me, you too will escape that flow—at least in part.]

“Does that mean… I would return to the past?”

For a moment, fear crossed Lee Taeyeon’s face.
To go through that labyrinth again?
Even though she had already died once, the thought filled her with dread.

The god’s voice remained gentle.

[It’s similar—but different. Because you will remember nothing. Your power will also be completely gone. After all, you never established your own domain.]

“Then what’s the point?”

[It’s different. Even if time rewinds, a contract with a god is not undone. With the right trigger… you could regain your memories.]

Lee Taeyeon fell silent. Her thoughts swirled.

She turned her gaze beyond the space.

Taesan was slammed into the ground by the Apostle.
As the Apostle approached him, Taesan activated [Simple Time Stop].

[You could rest peacefully now. You’ve earned that right. But if you still have regrets… you can witness the result of your sacrifice. The choice is yours.] (T/N: Is it Rigrit the God of Regret?)

Lee Taeyeon stared blankly at the god.

“…Who are you?”

The god smiled and answered.
Upon hearing the name, Lee Taeyeon bowed her head.

Time passed.

Taesan crawled toward Lee Taeyeon’s corpse and clutched the keystone.

At that moment, Lee Taeyeon opened her mouth.

The god smiled softly.
His power embraced her.

 

* * * * * * *

(T/N: Im back! Lol, kidding. I had a free time so I’m trying to do some TL work. Mind you, we are still not on the regular upload schedule!)