Chapter 434

Return to Earth.

This was already the seventh time. As soon as the system window appeared, the community naturally erupted in chaos. People from all over the world began talking to one another.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: This time, all players on Earth will probably be gathered.]

[Kim Hwiyeon [Hard]: That’s highly likely.]

[Daniel Darmont [Hard]: Hmm… I can’t really get a sense of what’s going to happen.]

During the sixth return, Europe, the U.S., and Asia had gathered in three separate groups. The next one would likely unite all players.

Anxiety and tension spread among the players. But the Asian players did not fear.

They were confident. Confident that they would win.

[Baek Sanghoon [Normal]: Taesan-nim is with us!]

[Gulshan Devayya [Normal]: With Taesan-nim, we can win! We won’t lose!]

They cried out Taesan’s name. They placed complete trust and belief in him.

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: …We’ve seen your power firsthand, but even then, you weren’t at full strength. Will we end up worshiping you like they do? I can’t say.]

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Whether you believe in me or not—that’s up to you.]

Taesan had never forced anyone to believe in him.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: But there’s nothing wrong with worshipping me. It might actually be a good thing for humanity.]

[Oliver Khan [Hard]: You mean it would be good to worship you?]

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Yeah.]

In a world nearly driven to ruin by the Old gods—

There, Taesan had become the master of that world, receiving the faith of all living beings.

It was fully possible on Earth too.

But faith couldn’t be forced. It had to be a genuine belief that rose from deep within their hearts. Taesan couldn’t control that.

He shifted the topic.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: How far has everyone descended?]

One by one, people began to reply. Korea’s Hard mode players were in the mid-70s. The U.S. had just reached the early 70s. Other countries were similar to the U.S.

Hard mode had reached exactly the level Taesan had expected.

The most important was Solo mode.

[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: Mid-50s.]

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: 64th Floor.]

[Kamal Hassan [Solo]: I’ve reached the upper 40s.]

Other Solo mode players, previously not very visible, began speaking up.

Overall, they had descended farther than Taesan expected. At this level, even other Solo mode players could be meaningful forces.

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: Something happen? You’ve progressed a lot faster than I thought.]

[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: We’ve been sharing a lot of information. And noona helped a lot.]

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: I did my own research on the labyrinth, but she knew even the finer details. What did you do to figure all that out?]

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: Just hard work. That’s all.]

Lee Taeyeon posted.

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: You were asking about the floor? I’m at the 69th.]

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: …That’s disgustingly fast.]

Amelia grumbled. She had thought no one but Taesan could rival her. But at some point, Lee Taeyeon caught up quickly—and now surpassed her.

Still, she didn’t feel resentment or jealousy. Her pride had already been shattered by Taesan. And she had grown close to Lee Taeyeon after frequent exchanges.

She was just curious.

[Amelia Aerin [Solo]: Something clearly changed in you, but you won’t tell me what it is.]

[Lee Taeyeon [Solo]: It’s just a difference in mindset. Nothing special.]

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: The deep floors, huh. You’ll be fine.]

At this point, she could likely get through the deep floors without Taesan’s help.

They continued chatting. Taesan shared some information on the floors they’d be facing, and how he had acquired certain skills.

[Kang Junhyuk [Solo]: …Even hearing it again, it sounds impossible. Can we really get them?]

[Kang Taesan [Solo]: If you try, you can probably get a few. Just don’t obsess over it.]

Lee Taeyeon had actually acquired [Guaranteed Strike] and [Addition]. It was definitely possible for them too.

After answering all their questions and explaining how to obtain the skills, Taesan closed the community window.

He, too, was preparing for the return.

He could immediately bring Beldenkia and Diana back to Earth.

Diana was a powerful being at the boundary. Beldenkia, though weakened, was still upper-leadership tier. Together, they would be of great help to many.

And then there was black magic.

Taesan now possessed a demon’s domain and could create his own black magic.

Could he bestow that black magic upon the Earth’s players?

The possibility was there, though he hadn’t tried yet, so he couldn’t say for sure. But if it worked, it would be a powerful asset.

‘Come to think of it…’

The labyrinth had been separated by the Old gods.

While Transcendent-level beings weren’t affected, NPCs were. Beldenkia and Diana would still be stuck in other players’ labyrinths, unable to fulfill their wishes.

‘I should ask Balbamaba.’

What happened to those separated NPCs? He’d check later.

Taesan now fully understood the Old gods’ goal. And they knew that he knew. They would no longer hide their desires. Their focus would shift entirely from Earth—to Taesan alone.

And Taesan would defeat them.

He returned once again to the 85th Floor. This time, the quest window appeared.

And the ghost was visibly flustered.

[Huh?]

[85th Floor Quest Start.]

[Defeat Sociét Gardentia.]

[Reward: Fierce Broken Sword.]

[Secret Reward: ???]

Sociét Gardentia.

She, the Guide of Sin, was the quest target for the floor.

“Balbamaba must’ve changed it.”

A normal 85th Floor was no longer enough to stop Taesan, so the labyrinth’s quest had been altered.

Which meant—Sociét was now considered a fitting challenge for him.

[…She was a princess of a kingdom.]

The ghost spoke softly.

[One day, for no reason, her planet incurred the hatred of a divine being, and the entire kingdom was cursed. Her father offered his life to spare the people, but it changed nothing. Not even a dog was left alive.]

Transcendents are capricious. Hamon had once tried to wipe out all demons in Vekeseta for no reason.

The same thing had likely happened in Sociét’s world.

[She survived thanks to the help of others—but no one accepted her. They even put a bounty on her head, trying to kill her. Barely escaping, she made it into the labyrinth. That’s where she met me.]

The ghost sighed.

[I pitied her. Felt a kinship with her. We were both royal survivors who had lost everything. I supported her, taught her, helped her… but—]

“She killed you.”

The one who first proposed killing the ghost among the Guides—was Sociét Gardentia.

The ghost fell silent.

Taesan moved forward.

He passed through the corridor. Opened the door. Stepped inside.

And there was Sociét.

She was dancing.

Wearing a white dress, she waltzed alone without a partner. Yet every step carried unmistakable grace.

Taesan watched in silence. Before long, the waltz ended.

Sociét smiled gently and reached toward the ghost. Like a princess selecting her partner at a ball, her expression was serene and elegant.

“Hello, my prince. Shall we dance?”

[The Ashen Woman, Sociét Gardentia, has appeared.]

*

*

[Sorry, but I’m in this state because of you. I can’t dance.]

“Really? That’s unfortunate.”

Sociét replied with genuine disappointment on her face.

‘She’s twisted.’

As one who possessed the Will of All Things, Taesan could see it clearly. Sociét’s emotions were so jumbled even he could barely read them.

Resentment.

Longing.

Regret.

And—

[I must’ve been blind. I never imagined you would betray me.]

“You’re not the only one. I didn’t think I’d do it either.”

[Why did you betray me?]

The ghost’s tone turned sharp.

[You weren’t like the other Guides. You were incredibly human.]

All the other leaders were warped.

But not Sociét. That’s why the ghost had grown close to her.

[I hate to admit it, but I think we had a good relationship.]

“You’re right.”

Sociét smiled wistfully.

“We were close. Very. But, Bardray.”

She pointed at the ghost.

“You didn’t know anything about me.”

[…]

“Bardray, you felt a connection to me, didn’t you? But I didn’t feel the same. If anything, I felt distant from you.”

[What?]

“You felt kinship with me because we were both ruined royalty. But besides that, we were completely different.”

Sociét bit her lip.

“You asked me to help you rebuild our fallen kingdoms. But I… I never wanted to save the kingdom.”

[…Why not?]

“Because I was a cursed child.”

She spoke calmly.

“From birth, I was abandoned by the kingdom. Born with an unforgivable power. I was erased from the records. My mother was executed. I only survived because they thought my power might help in the war.”

The ghost’s body trembled. Sociét wore a cruel smile.

“First time hearing it? Of course. I lied to you. I told you, like you, that I was loved by my kingdom. That even though I was cursed, everyone cherished me.”

[That was a lie?]

“When the god trampled the kingdom, it wasn’t my father who offered his life. He dragged me by the hair and threw me off a cliff, shouting he was offering me in exchange for their lives. I just polished that memory.”

She hummed softly.

“The kingdom perished. I survived. But nothing changed. No one accepted me. I ran and ran and ran—until I reached the labyrinth. That part, at least, was true.”

[…Why.]

After a pause, the ghost asked, unable to understand.

[Why did you lie to me?]

“It’s simple.”

She smiled.

“People don’t want to reveal their wounds to someone they like.”

The ghost shook even more violently.

Sociét looked as if she expected it.

“You really didn’t know? I figured. You were too obsessed with your goals back then.”

[You… liked me?]

“I love you.”

Sociét’s voice trembled like a girl confessing her first love.

“That hasn’t changed. You were the only one who embraced me, worried for me, depended on me, looked only at me.”

[Then why…]

The ghost managed to speak.

[Why did you kill me?]

“Because you weren’t looking at me.”

Her face turned expressionless.

“Your goal was to save your fallen world. To live with your beloved fiancée. Do you know how much it hurt to hear you talk about her while I played the part beside you?”

She gritted her teeth.

“There was no place for me in your life. After you cleared the labyrinth, I’d just be a girl you once felt kinship with. Eventually forgotten in your happiness.”

Her face twisted.

“Bardray. You are my everything.”

A girl hated by all, loved by none, had yearned for the first affection she ever received.

“I want to remain inside you. Not as a memory fragment—but as something that pierces through your very life. So how should I do that?”

“I know I’m twisted. I know this isn’t right.”

She smiled.

“But this is my love, Bardray.”

The ghost said nothing.

He simply closed his mouth and stood silently.

“Judging by your reaction, I think I succeeded. You won’t forget me now. But… it’s not enough.”

Sociét’s twisted smile deepened.

“I want you to be filled with nothing but me.”

Tadadak.

A black aura spread from her. It wasn’t magi, nor the energy of the Old gods.

It was something deeper. Denser. Entirely different.

Dressed in white, Sociét stood in darkness.

“I love you. More than anything in the world. That feeling is not a lie.”

Krrrrng!

And from the black aura, corpses rose.

Knights and mages appeared in droves.

Sociét spoke with unwavering tone.

“So I will fill your everything with me.”

The corpses moved as one.

(T/N: Ooohh, that took a sharp turn.)