Chapter 99
The woman restraining the dark No Death looked very familiar.
The dark No Death smirked, then shouted toward No Death, who stood at the destination point.
“Congratulations. You made it.”
“Elina? I-is that really you, Elina!? Elina! Elina!!”
No Death called out to Elina with all his might.
Unable to stand the sight of Elina not turning around, No Death glanced at the magma.
Then, just as he had when he first challenged the trial, he plunged into the burning magma without a moment’s hesitation.
“What a truly awful woman.”
Watching the scene, the dark No Death let out a sigh and shook his head. Elina bit her lip.
“I know. So stop tormenting my man now.”
“You’re the one who’s been tormenting him. Let him go. Clinging to him because you miss him is nothing but your greed, and it’s torturing that man.”
“I know. That’s why I came out like this.”
It was then.
No Death’s voice rang out from beyond the countless proofs of death.
“Elina!!”
Sizzle.
No Death could be seen shouting Elina’s name even as he swallowed the scorching magma.
“Pathetic. Hasn’t this been enough?”
It seemed he had endured so many hells that even the heat of the magma meant nothing to him.
“He’s a man who spent his entire life in hell. He didn’t hesitate for even a second before jumping into this pit of fire.”
“I know. I’ve watched everything by his side.”
“He’s the one who came here saying there was something he wanted to do. Isn’t this the first time?”
“It’s the first.”
“You cruel woman. You’ve given that man a hell worse than anything those Al-Quds bastards ever did.”
“I suppose I did. All I ever wanted was to stay with him forever, but I realized it too late.”
“You’re just a mistake created by Elina, not the real thing. You’re only a mass of data kept alive by a curse called [System’s Blessing]. For the sake of the real Elina, let him go now so she can rest. Give him a proper name, not a cursed one like Revenant.”
“This time, I realized it too. That No Death truly wants to die…”
Having already made up her mind, Elina gave a firm nod, turned, and flew toward No Death.
Then, just as before, she grabbed No Death by the scruff of the neck and arrived at the destination.
“Elina!!”
No Death immediately pulled Elina into his arms.
After holding her for a long moment, No Death suddenly remembered that his body was still half-burned.
“Wait a second.”
“Hm?”
Then he naturally grabbed his own neck with both hands and twisted.
Crack!
“…..”
Resurrection after death.
Only after returning to normal did No Death try to embrace Elina again.
“It’s been a long time, and it would be a little weird to see me looking like that.”
“Wait a second.”
But Elina pushed No Death away as he came closer and wiped the tears flowing down her face.
Seeing No Death so casually endure the agony of a snapped neck just to look better for her struck Elina’s heart like a heavy blow.
“Why?”
Just what kind of hell had he been living through all this time?
At the beginning, she had watched No Death try countless times to die.
The contrast between the No Death who had suffered so deeply with every death and the No Death standing before her now was too stark.
A No Death who no longer seemed to feel the pain of death at all.
Just as the dark No Death had said, it really was time to let him go now.
“You don’t have to suffer anymore.”
She wiped away the tears that kept flowing from No Death’s eyes and forced herself to smile.
“What are you talking about? I’ve met you like this, so none of it is hard. I’m happy. It feels like a dream has come true.”
“I’m sorry. I won’t… hold onto you anymore.”
“No, what are you saying? Absolutely not.”
“It was my greed. Because of my greed… you lived in hell for so long. I did it because I wanted to see you. It’s my fault. Everything you suffered through was my fault.”
The screams of Elina that he heard every time he closed his eyes, and the memories of that day that played on their own.
For No Death, who had been unable to die for decades, all of it had turned life itself into a living hell.
“Through this place, I was finally able to understand the you I never knew. I’m sorry I realized it so late.”
Through the trial of Taebudong, Elina had seen all of it as well.
She had felt his inner emotions and personally experienced the deep pain No Death had endured, pain she had never known about before.
And she realized it.
It was something no human being should ever have to endure.
“No, as long as I can see you, that’s all that matters.”
“It’s time for me to go now.”
To do something this cruel to the person she loved…
It felt as though her heart were being torn apart.
[Ting.]
[You have passed the trial.]
[The upgrade will now begin.]
[The Hidden Class ‘Revenant’ is attempting to reclaim its original name.]
At Elina’s farewell-like words, No Death quickly grabbed her hand.
“What are you talking about? Where are you going? No way!”
“It’s been so hard for you, hasn’t it? I was sorry…”
“No… Absolutely not…”
Even though he denied it, the way they looked at each other told them both that the past had been anything but easy.
“I thought [System’s Blessing], the one I had, was a real blessing…”
As Elina personally spoke the words [System’s Blessing], a System window appeared in the air.
[==========]
[[SS-Grade] System’s Blessing]
[- You possess a body blessed by the System.]
[- All beings you love will also receive a blessing. (All Stats +15%)]
[(Passive Skill) Bestowal]
[- Upon your death, [System’s Blessing] will be bestowed in a different form upon the being you loved most at that moment.]
[(Bestowal Complete – Jang Bokdong)]
[- With the sole desire to protect you, he has refused death.]
[- The System grants the target [Death Immunity].]
[(Passive Skill) Resentment]
[- Upon your death, a System curse will be bestowed upon the being you resented most at that moment.]
[- You will remain in the form of data, attached to the target’s System, and will be able to interfere in all of the target’s affairs until the target dies.]
[- Suppresses the target’s growth by 30 percent.]
[- Decreases all Stats and defense by 10 percent.]
[(Bestowal Complete – Jang Bokdong)]
[==========]
“Remember? When you tried to reject the [System’s Blessing] I gave you, you couldn’t reject it back then either.”
“…..”
“I did that. I’m sorry… I placed both [Bestowal] and [Resentment] on you…”
At the word [Resentment], No Death looked at Elina in shock.
“You resented me… enough to curse me?”
“Don’t misunderstand. Absolutely not. I just… wanted to stay with you forever…”
Elina pointed to the description written under the passive skill [Resentment].
[Attached to the target’s System, and will be able to interfere in all of the target’s affairs until the target dies.]
“Ah…”
“I never resented you.”
No Death lowered his head.
Worried that No Death would be shattered by learning the truth, Elina reached her hand toward his face, then stopped.
She bit her lip.
Through the trial of Taebudong, she had learned.
That she was now someone who had to leave, and that she herself was not the real thing.
[Ting.]
[If you deactivate the passive skill [Resentment], all of your data remaining in the System will be erased.]
[Would you still like to deactivate the passive skill [Resentment]? [Yes / No]]
The word [data], written so plainly, gave courage to the hesitant Elina.
Just as she was about to press [Yes] without delay…
Thump!
No Death grabbed Elina’s wrist.
“I’m so glad.”
“Huh…?”
“I’m so glad you didn’t resent me. I’m really, truly glad….”
The sight of No Death smiling through his tears made Elina break down sobbing.
Her tears poured out like a broken dam and refused to stop.
“Are you an idiot? Are you really an idiot! You lived in hell for so long because of me, so why are you the one comforting me!”
Her emotions surged so violently that her breathing became ragged.
Without resisting, she let No Death pull her into a tight embrace while he said words that weren’t really true.
“I’m so relieved. All this time, I thought you hated me. For not being able to save you… for letting you go through that horrible ordeal… That’s why… every time I saw that scene, my heart hurt so much. I’m really… really glad.”
Seeing No Death’s face, which looked more relieved than ever before, the dark No Death, who had been watching the entire scene, let out a smirk.
“Looks like I’ll have to give you a hand.”
Unlike the mocking smirks he had shown before, the dark No Death wore a sincere smile and vanished from where he stood.
Then, as if he had teleported, he appeared beside Elina and, in her place, pressed the [Yes] button.
[Deactivating the passive skill [Resentment].]
[In 1 minute, all of the target’s data will be erased.]
“What are you doing!”
Startled, No Death grabbed the dark No Death by the collar.
The dark No Death raised both hands and said,
“She’s just data. The real soul is long gone. So save those words for when you meet the real Elina.”
At those words, rage filled No Death, and he swung his fist.
The punch landed squarely on the dark No Death’s face, making him stagger.
No Death stared at Elina and shook his head.
“Don’t give me that bullshit! That can’t be true.”
The dark No Death shook his head clear and spoke.
“Ah~ Of course, her heart itself turned into data right before she died. So everything this Elina is saying now is probably exactly what the real Elina was thinking.”
“Shut up. I don’t want to finish the trial. I’ll just stay here like this.”
“The Elina here isn’t the Elina you’re thinking of. She’s only the result of Elina’s final ‘choice,’ thrown out by a greedy wish that things could have been different.”
“Don’t try to trick me. I don’t need any of that. As long as I can see Elina, that’s all that matters. I’m not leaving.”
“Then wouldn’t the real Elina you loved be heartbroken?”
Flinch.
The real… Elina?
It was then.
As the passive skill was deactivated, Elina’s crying figure glitched for a brief moment like static.
“No Death…”
The sensation of her touch, the sight of her tears.
It had all felt real.
But what he had just seen felt like reality forcing itself on him in a way he didn’t want to accept.
“You felt it too. This is a fake created by Elina’s greed.”
Zzzt-zzzzzt.
As she gradually disappeared, the glitches became more frequent.
“No Death, I love you…”
Clenching his fists, No Death bit his lip and looked at the dark No Death.
“Then where is the real Elina?”
“Where do you think?”
The dark No Death scoffed and pointed upward.
“Even I don’t know for sure unless I die. But isn’t she probably waiting for you somewhere up there?”
“……”
“Get a grip. Everyone dies. It’s just a matter of dying sooner or later. Unlike you.”
Zzzt-zzzzzt.
The data version of Elina began to slowly disappear from her feet upward.
The dark No Death tapped the shoulder of the glitched, frozen Elina and said,
“Still, if she called it a mistake at the very end, then the real Elina somewhere out there must be full of regret.”
No Death, who had quietly watched Elina disappear, asked,
“How can I see the real Elina?”
The dark No Death, looking at Elina’s data, which had already vanished by more than half, answered,
“You have to go to the same place as the real Elina.”
“Then…”
“Let yourself die. Experience a human death, not a Revenant’s death. Who knows? Maybe the real Elina is waiting for you there, holding her breath.”
He slowly reached out and caressed the data version of Elina, of whom only the face remained.
Drip.
A single tear rolled down her cheek and wet No Death’s finger.
But even the vivid sensation of that teardrop vanished along with Elina’s fading eyes.
Squeeze.
No Death clenched his fist.
Then he glared at the dark No Death, who wore a satisfied smile, as if he found all of this deeply amusing.
“The trial is over. You’ve passed.”
“Then what do I have to do now?”
“Now that the passive skill [Resentment] is gone, you have to reclaim the true name of your class.”
“The true name…?”
“My name, to be exact. My name is…”
Only then did No Death realize what the dark No Death truly was.
The being who had created this entire trial.
The one Chang-kyung had said he needed to meet and overcome, the latent dragon within him.
“The Shadow-Eating Death God.”
[Ting.]
[The Hidden Class ‘Revenant’ has reclaimed its true name.]
[The name of the Hidden Class will now change.]
[‘Revenant’ -> ‘Shadow-Eating Death God’]
[Latent abilities are being activated.]
[All Skills will be upgraded.]
Fwoooosh!
The moment it reclaimed that name.
With a burst of light from somewhere, the final System message appeared.
[Congratulations. You have changed your class to ‘Shadow-Eating Death God’.]