Chapter 191
[……Huh?]
For the first time, the statue that had worn a wicked grin faltered.
Hwang Dongsoo.
He was the High Priest the Outer Faith had painstakingly nurtured—an S-rank human corrupted through immense effort.
Corrupting a soul with S-rank power was a painstaking and arduous task.
At first, they built trust by assigning him seemingly innocent commissions.
Then, when his guard was down, they began feeding him stardust necklaces and Star Fragments to slowly immerse him in Itarim’s divinity.
Only after an extended, careful process were they able to mold him into a proper High Priest.
Hwang Dongsoo, High Priest of the Outer Faith—an S-rank powerhouse—had been born of great effort.
…So why?
Why was that painstakingly crafted High Priest being dragged out like that?!
[How…?!]
KUGUGUGUGU—!
The statue of Itarim erupted in fury, far surpassing its anger from Kim Cheol’s death, and began to rise from its throne.
But the answer to its question didn’t come from the old man dragging Hwang Dongsoo.
It came from Suho’s lips.
“…G-Grandpa?”
“Hm?”
At Suho’s voice, Seong Ilhwan’s formerly passive face lit up with a smile.
“Well now, if it isn’t my pup! What are you doing here?”
* * *
Seong Ilhwan.
The father of the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo—his recollection of his past life began with a “dream.”
—That dream again.
At first, he dismissed it as a random scene from a movie.
Just fragmented images, with childish action scenes of him fighting monsters.
By the time he got out of bed and sipped his morning coffee, the dream would be almost completely gone from his memory.
Wiped clean, as if erased by a rubber.
…Just like most dreams usually are.
But even if you keep erasing something, erase too much and some trace always remains.
—That dream again.
At some point, even by afternoon, Seong Ilhwan could no longer forget the images he saw in that dream.
Still, he paid it no mind.
It was just a dream, after all.
But—
There was one thing that wouldn’t leave his mind.
—Why is Jinwoo…
His son, Sung Jinwoo, always appeared in those dreams.
Especially on days when they had shared even the smallest conversation in reality—
He would always dream of that dream.
—Father, didn’t you want to see me?
At the end of each dream…
His son, Sung Jinwoo, would look at him with eyes full of sorrow.
And Ilhwan would always respond with the same words.
—I missed you. Always.
And he would reach out to caress his son’s face.
Tears would fall from Jinwoo’s eyes and soak Ilhwan’s hand.
So hot, those tears…
Even knowing it was a dream, it hurt unbearably.
This father who had done nothing for his child—
And yet Jinwoo…
—You grew up so well.
At that, Jinwoo’s face would twist with anger.
—Was it the Rulers? Are they the ones using you and throwing you away?
The Rulers.
He didn’t know exactly who they were, but Ilhwan shook his head.
—They merely gave me a choice. I chose to protect you. And that choice… was never a mistake.
As he said this, the hand that caressed his son’s face began to crumble into ash.
—I wanted to talk with you more.
I wanted to be with you just a bit longer.
In the end, Ilhwan had made his son erase his father from his heart twice.
Tears fell even from Ilhwan’s eyes—tears he had tried so hard to hold back.
—I’m sorry… I wasn’t a good father.
With those final words—
Shaaaa—
His body dissolved into gray ash.
Even as he scattered, Seong Ilhwan could see it.
The expression on his son’s face as he rushed to embrace his disintegrating father.
The seething rage in those eyes.
—UAAAAAAAH!
Mana quaked.
The sky, the air, the ground—all trembled.
—Do you hear me, Monarchs?! You will pay for this day with your lives!
The Shadow Monarch’s furious roar shook heaven and earth.
‘…The Shadow Monarch?’
That day,
Seong Ilhwan awoke in bed, clutching his forehead with a deep sigh.
‘Ha… What the hell…’
And so—
Ilhwan recalled the past life he had willfully forgotten in hopes of living a normal life with his son.
Looking back, it was perhaps inevitable.
His son, Sung Jinwoo, had already become far greater than the Rulers he once begged to erase his memories.
To someone who had spent every day beside that son, the return of memory was… destiny.
Never coincidence.
And as always—
Everything had meaning.
Not long after Ilhwan’s memories returned—
Sung Jinwoo vanished.
Just like long ago, when he disappeared to fight a lonely war on his own.
And then the Cataclysm occurred.
—So the world is reverting to what it once was…
Seeing the return of Gates and dungeon breaks, Ilhwan could only sigh bitterly.
But the sad truth was—there was nothing a now-old man could do.
Or rather, there was something he could do, if he truly wanted to.
Even in this aged body, mana had reawakened, just like before.
But as an old man now, he had absolutely no intention of repeating past mistakes.
The voice of his son—glaring at him in his dreams—was burned into his mind.
—Will you disappear again without saying a word, Father?
‘No. I won’t repeat that sin again.’
Ilhwan made his decision.
Once, long ago, the moment he awakened, he became a Hunter and leapt into dungeons without hesitation.
A noble mission to save the world with his own life, and the wealth and glory that followed.
‘But this time, I’ll protect my family.’
Though Seong Ilhwan had reawakened his mana, he chose to stay by his wife’s side.
Protecting the world was now the duty of the young.
He chose instead to grow old peacefully beside the woman he loved, spending the rest of his days with her.
…Of course, he occasionally used fishing as an excuse to lightly clear out nearby dungeons around the house.
And that was when he discovered it—a Black Market had sprouted close to home.
At first, Ilhwan had intended only a light investigation.
But the moment he stepped inside…
The moment he laid eyes on Itarim’s statue…
[Such a delectable soul.]
‘……!’
A grotesque voice pierced into Ilhwan’s mind.
* * *
ZIIIIIING—!
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAM!
Seong Ilhwan dodged the searing blue beam from the statue’s eyes just in time and ran up to Suho.
“Grandpa! What are you doing here?!”
“Hmph, look who’s talking. What are you doing here, my pup?”
“I came here to save you, of course—!”
Suho’s eyes widened as he got a better look at his grandfather.
Countless Star Fragments were embedded all over Ilhwan’s body.
Unlike Kim Cheol and the other zealots, who only had one in their foreheads, Ilhwan had dozens!
“Grandpa, what the hell is—?!”
“Oh, this? Got caught off guard and almost got turned into some kind of project.”
“Inventory!”
Suho immediately opened his inventory and pulled out bottles of [Echo Forest Springwater].
Dodging a massive stomp from the statue aimed to crush them, he shoved a potion bottle into Ilhwan’s mouth.
“Drink this first!”
“Bwahp!”
Gulp, gulp!
Ilhwan chugged the detox potion instinctively.
And even in this frantic moment, he looked amused by the sudden reunion with his grandson.
“Not a great flavor. Is it supposed to be good for you?”
‘Is this really the time to be joking?!’
Suho clobbered a charging zealot, grabbed Ilhwan, and led him out of the statue’s attack range.
Then a furious voice exploded from the statue’s mouth.
[Wretched mortal! High Priest, arise!]
FLASH!
Blue light erupted from the fallen Hwang Dongsoo, lifting him into the air.
He too had dozens of Star Fragments embedded across his body—just like Ilhwan.
[How did you escape the Outer Stone’s influence?!]
“Mortal, huh?”
Ilhwan chuckled at the statue’s words.
“You don’t seem to understand what ‘wretched’ really means.”
He casually tapped the Star Fragments embedded in his body.
“Did you really think a bunch of pebbles like these could brainwash me?”
KWAAAH—!
The statue’s beam obliterated the floor where he stood.
“GRAGHHH!”
Hwang Dongsoo, now berserk, charged with blue energy exploding from his body, tearing down part of the sanctuary wall.
Ilhwan easily sidestepped the attack and spread his arms wide.
In response, all the Star Fragments in his body lit up, releasing streams of blue energy that wrapped around him.
Just like Hwang Dongsoo.
FLASH!
That blue energy coalesced in Ilhwan’s hands, forming twin blades of pure mana.
He swung them like twin daggers—
SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK SHRAK!
Slashing through the air with surgical precision, the blades tore into both the statue and Hwang Dongsoo.
[HOW DARE YOU! YOU DARE WIELD DIVINITY WITHOUT REVERENCE?!]
Furious, the statue fired another beam from its eyes.
At that moment—
“Grandpa!”
Suho smashed his fist into the statue’s leg.
THWACK—!
[……!]
The statue stumbled, causing the beam’s aim to shift away from Ilhwan.
“My, my. Look at you. You’ve grown up so much.”
Ilhwan grinned, proud beyond words.
“Just like your father, huh? Like father, like son.”
“Grandpa.”
Suho cut off his banter and locked eyes ahead, voice serious.
“Will you follow my lead?”
Ilhwan smiled even wider.
“As much as you want.”
And in that instant, his gaze toward the statue sharpened to match Suho’s.
Suho charged full speed toward the statue.
[INSOLENT—!]
ZIIIIIING—
A beam narrowly skimmed over Suho’s head.
“HAAAAHP!”
Instead of attacking the statue directly, Suho slammed his fist into the floor beneath its feet.
KWAANG!
[……!]
The foundation crumbled—knocking the statue off balance.
“NOW!”
Right on cue, Ilhwan appeared in front of the stumbling statue.
―――――――!
A burst of blue light exploded—
DING!
[‘Itarim’s Blessing: Temple of Carthenon Rules’ has been lifted.]
* * * * * *
Translator’s Note:
Hey everyone, just a quick heads-up — starting next week, chapter releases might be a bit inconsistent for a while. My wife and I just had our baby, and I’ll be prioritizing taking care of them during this time. Depending on how things go, I might still be able to post chapters here and there, but I can’t promise a regular schedule just yet.
I really appreciate your patience and support. I’ll do my best to keep updates coming when I can, and I’ll let you all know once things start settling down and we’re closer to getting back to a steady rhythm.
Thanks again for sticking with me and this story. It means a lot.
