A world without you there (1)

"Help… help me."

Cale stopped, looked to the side and saw a young woman lying down in the corner. The poisoning was progressing on the surface of her skin, but the toxic condition wasn't severe due to the mask she was wearing—however, the mask looked like it was out of oxygen. Her jacket was half removed and a bit of her skirt was torn.

Now that he thought about it, he had a useless item in his pocket. Wasn't now the time to use it?

He put Ellain Monkey's Lungs into her mouth, neutralizing the poison in her body. However, it couldn't remove the poison she had already inhaled. Moreover, Cale could now simply use Sound of the Wind the make the poison stay away from them.

He looked up and stared at the sky.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' facepalms and blames herself for her lack of insight.]

Xin Jian knew that Cale could use Sound of the Wind to protect himself and had offered him Ellain Monkey's Lungs in case he wanted to save someone else, but she had forgotten the issue of getting rid of the poison.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' sponsors you Ellain Forest Essence.]

Cale received the unknown item and fed it to the woman who had fallen unconscious.

He frowned.

Did he have to carry her now?

As always, the crimson-haired man used Ancient Powers to solve his problems and lifted the woman with Sound of the Wind.

In his sight, he noticed an underground entrance and headed toward it.

However, it was closed.

The next one as well, and the next one as well.

Finally, he went to Exit 5 and opened it by force.

…By his Ancient Powers' force, of course.

While 'carrying' Jung Heewon in his arms (or nearly one millimeter above), Cale entered a tunnel.

[You have entered the safety zone.]

On the side, he saw people running away from the entrance and knocked them all out by 'lightly' hitting the back of their heads with rocks with the help of his Ancient Powers.

Then, he lowered his head, contemplating how he should deal with the woman.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that nobody should have heard your arrival.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' tells you to put down the woman here because it'll be safer.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' sponsors you another object.]

[Some constellations marvel at the wealth of 'Believer in Mysteries'.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that the woman will be fine by the time she wakes up.]

Cale picked up the item.

It was a cloak with an added effect of stealth.

It was a bit of a waste to give to a stranger, but well…

He put it on her with the pipes carried by the men earlier, in case the men woke up and she needed to defend herself.

The Oldest Dream, who saw at least one member of his old team survive, approved this friend of Xin Jian.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' adds that the woman's name is 'Jung Heewon'.]

She had learnt some things by observing the other timelines with the Oldest Dream.

Cale asked the constellations who were able to watch other channels to know the situation of other places:

"Is Yoo Jonghyuk in this station?"

There was a sign above. It was written 'Geumho Station'.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' replies that incarnation 'Yoo Jonghyuk' has already moved to the next station.]

"Okay."

Cale let Jung Heewon behind and continued down the tunnel, ignoring the station the now-unconscious men had come from.

Instead of going to Geumho Starion, he headed straight to Chungmuro Station, sometimes using Fire of Destruction to kill the ground rats attacking him.

At one point, he saw traces of destruction on the walls. They seemed to have been enlarged by a huge force.

[A new sub scenario has arrived!]

[Sub Scenario – Welcome Prison]

Category: Sub

Difficulty: D~F

Clear Conditions: Escape from Welcome Prison within the time limit.

Time Limit: 1 hour

Compensation: 300 coins

Failure: ???

+

[Sub scenario – Welcome Prison has begun!]

Then, because the specters had reappeared, Cale went through the scenario that Zhou Mingrui had been through a few days ago.

A haze overcame him, the fog that instantly occupied the tunnel blocking his sight. When he looked around, he could only see a distorted scenery, as if he was on drugs.

[Welcome Prison].

It was a space that led to madness by touching a person's trauma.

However, Cale's trauma wasn't 'something that could happen', nor a simple 'memory' of a traumatic event, but a clear 'record'.

That's why he felt clearly the wind brushing his face, like that day.

[The constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' wonders what your trauma is.]

He indeed had one particularly traumatic memory in his records.

Cale was absentmindedly sitting on a chair, as if he had always belonged there and the past 10 years hadn't existed.

"Human! Can I brush your hair?"

With a stoic face, Cale nodded. But in reality, his heart sank. He already knew what would happen next.

The baby dragon smiled brightly and began to brush his hair, the kittens scurrying at his side because they wanted to do the same.

In front of Cale, the dazzling crown prince was eating breakfast. No, he was the emperor now.

The smell of apple pies spread throughout the room while Ron poured him a bitter lemon tea that Cale tried to ignore. Next to him, Beacrox changed his white gloves and put the cutlery on the table.

That day, Mary, Choi Han, Rosalyn and others were also with them.

Lock was talking to the wolf children, Eruhaben discussed with Alberu, his Ancient Powers were still talking inside his head…

"It's noisy…" He murmured.

However, as he observed the scene, he couldn't help but make a slight smile.

They had already defeated the White Star; Cale would be able to enjoy his slacker life now.

Alberu raised his glass.

"To peace."

The others clinked their glasses and also cheered.

It was at that moment…

Boom!

Nobody reacted to that sound, taking the matter lightly, but the next sound was far nearer than they could have ever imagined.

BOOM!

Clang!

Someone had dropped their fork, but they could not afford to pay attention to it.

"Ugh…"

His heart pierced, Eruhaben stared at the hole in his chest in disbelief.

They had been attacked.

BOOM!

They finally reacted and hid, evading the incoming beam. They looked around, searching for their assaillant, but the latter was nowhere to be seen.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Cale held the children in his arms as he analyzed the situation, cursing the gods for not letting him have a moment of peace.

Some more attacks arrived, but fortunately they didn't kill anyone this time.

Bang!

The ceiling fell on them, forcing them to go out into the open as Raon used magic to support the roof.

Then, an unknown man stepped forward.

At that moment, Cale instinctively knew…

It was a hunter.

Choi Han immediately unsheathed his sword and charged at him but was easily parried by the other man.

A fierce battle ensued as the others supported him with magic attacks, but the man still overwhelmed them in strength.

So Cale stepped forward, using his Ancient Powers to barely match the hunter's strength with the price of coughing up a lot of blood.

Had he accepted to completely absorb his Ancient Powers back then, would the result have been different? However, it didn't change the fact that he would have needed to sacrifice something.

Cale didn't like sacrifices.

…But the problem is, like how Cale hadn't been alone, there had never been only one hunter.

If one more person as strong as the man he was currently fighting arrived and attacked his group, then another one, and another one… If an entire group of hunters affronted them when they were already worn out by facing one of them, wasn't the result already obvious?

Cale didn't like obvious results either.

"No!"

He heard something yell behind him.

Unexpectedly, Choi Han was the first one to fall.

"Live, Cale-nim."

He died with a smile on his face, maybe thinking that it was a fitting end for him.

Next, it was Rosalyn.

The red-haired magician made a sad smile as she fell. She had lived for magic, and now died while using magic.

"Young Master-nim…"

After that, it was Mary.

Out of strength, the necromancer with a mechanical voice crawled to Raon and tried her hardest to touch the dragon's or the kittens' paws.

However, her trembling fingers stopped moving one centimeter away from them; she had been unable to reach them.

Then, it was Lock's turn…

While fighting, Cale witnessed everything. He could feel that the hunter in front of him hadn't even used his full strength.

"Cough, cough!"

As he continuously coughed blood, the coughing worsening as he tried harder to at least defeat the man in front of him…

Cale raised his head to the sky.

Rumble! Rumble!

Countless thunderbolts dyed the horizon in a fiery rose-gold color, but it wasn't enough.

…He couldn't help thinking that it should've been him instead.

What did they even do wrong? Couldn't he be the only one to die?

Why did this have to happen?

However, he was afraid of pain, so he stayed alive for that reason.

Cale desperately continued to fight. His face remained stoic but his despair could be felt in each of his movements.

His friends…

"Human…"

His family…

"Don't die, or else… I will destroy the world…"

Raon had blood on the corner of his mouth as he stared at him with hollow eyes, his gaze gradually becoming lifeless.

Cale shakily exhaled, his eyes trembling as he helplessly saw the great and mighty dragon falling in slow motion next to the kittens' dead bodies.

What did they do so wrong?

What did he do that was so wrong…?

He was too weak, so he couldn't save them.

Everyone was dead.

Cale was now alone on the battlefield. Except for the hunters, of course.

…And he would be the last one to die in his group.

He closed his eyes tightly and used Instant, making full use of the 5 seconds to kill as many hunters as possible.

No, he had already overused his Ancient Powers so he didn't even have 5 seconds.

Cale's plate was broken.

The crimson-haired man also fell to the ground and used all his remaining strength to look up at the face of the hunter walking up to him.

There were still a lot of hunters left.

Through his blurry vision, before closing his eyes, Cale saw the hunter grin in front of a sea of fire.

'You motherf*cking God of Death…'

To the god who had brought him to this world and made him become Cale Henituse, Cale made a wish.

'Let me rest.'

Unexpectedly, he even begged the god he had used to curse.

'Please.'