“Please reconsider, Master.”
After finishing the conversation with Boudoin, I entered the private room to gather my thoughts.
As I was about to make a decision, Flang burst in, expressing her plea to .
“If it’s the ark, don’t worry. We need to spend so ti on maintenance and modifications here anyway… As long as we return before it’s done, it shouldn’t affect the schedule.”
“The problem is, we can’t guarantee you’ll co back!”
Flang raised her voice and shouted.
Her face looked like she was about to burst into tears at any mont.
That was how anxious she was about what would happen after I entered the world Boudoin had taught about.
“He also said it. Miss Ga-ram’s mind is heading to a world we don’t know, and he can’t predict what will happen if you go there with a living body.”
The afterlife.
A hidden world beyond the physical realm, said to be ford from the remnants left by the dead.
According to his explanation, a living person entering that place could risk falling into a ‘brain-dead’ state, just like Ga-ram.
A state where the body loses all will, causing all involuntary physiological functions, including breathing, to stop…
“I feel sorry for what happened to Miss Ga-ram too, but if it ans putting you in danger, Master—!”
“Ga-ram.”
But even so, I must save Ga-ram, even if it ant taking such a risk.
At this mont, when faced with Flang’s desperate cries, only that thought was swirling endlessly in my mind.
“Ga-ram was the first person to rely on after being brought into this world.”
It wasn’t just an impulsive decision.
There were thousands of people in the ark who were relying on right now.
I was well aware that my life was no longer just my own, so I knew better than to act impulsively and ruin everything.
During a ti when I was insignificant… Ga-ram was the only one I could lean on in the most dangerous place.
This decision was made after repeatedly reflecting on my position and maintaining a cool head.
I needed to gauge whether I could maintain my resolve not only through this situation but also in the future.
“…If I abandon a child like that, I’ll probably keep choosing to abandon others around in the future.”
If I abandoned Ga-ram, who else would I have to let go of next?
It could be Tashian or rilyn, or it could be Flang, who was currently worried about .
Objectively, letting go might be the right answer, but if that kept happening, there would be no one left around .
“I need that child.”
That was why I was going to save her.
Whether it was kindness, cooperation, friendship, or love…
I knew that this world was harsh enough that you had to maintain so kind of connection with others to survive.
“As much as I’ve supported that child, I hope she’ll support too.”
Soone I guided would guide in return and give answers.
By relying on and cooperating with each other, we could resist this cruel world.
“……”
“I’m sorry… For being such a selfish master.”
Flang couldn’t offer any response to such a firm resolution.
I gently patted her trembling shoulders for a mont, then left the room and headed to where Boudoin was waiting.
Click, clack. The sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Since physical armant wasn’t necessary, my body felt light, but still, each step felt heavy, reflecting the turmoil in my heart.
That weighty feeling in my steps eased slightly when I encountered a familiar face ahead.
“…rilyn.”
“Please take this before you go.”
rilyn handed a box wrapped in a bundle.
From the sll wafting from it, I imdiately recognized what was inside.
“Is it a lunchbox?”
“Mom—no, Tashian asked to give it to you. She said you should eat sothing, no matter what.”
Telling to eat first, even in such a serious situation…
It was just like her, but at the sa ti, it was unexpected.
“So neither of you is going to stop .”
Neither Tashian nor rilyn.
I thought they might oppose strongly out of concern for what might happen later.
“You’re going to go regardless of what we say, and besides…”
But that didn’t an they weren’t affected by letting go.
Despite their uneasy feelings, they were letting go because there was sothing that must be done, even if it ant taking risks.
“You might have to face even greater dangers after this, so I agree that you shouldn’t ss this up.”
Airi Haven.
My partner, who might soon be sacrificed to the God of Destruction, choosing to perish with the Demon King.
“…Please thank her for the lunchbox.”
Yes, I would decide which path to take regarding her after this situation was over.
“Before you leave, there’s sothing I’d like to ask.”
rilyn asked cautiously as I kept that in mind and moved forward.
“What does the girl you’re trying to save an to you, Hyo-sung?”
“A sister.”
That imdiate answer expressed everything I felt for her.
“She’s not related to by blood, but she’s as precious a family mber as you are, rilyn.”
“…Family, huh?”
But was there sothing wrong with that answer?
rilyn, who took in my words, soon rested her chin in her hand and muttered in a bitter tone.
“That child, too… their response is so different from what I expected…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Please co back safely~”
rilyn finally walked away with a nonchalant attitude.
Was it just my imagination, or did I feel a sense of regret from her retreating figure?
In any case, it was already decided that I’d save Ga-ram.
After finishing the lunchbox, I went to the abandoned church, where the priests focused on recovering Ga-ram welcod .
And on the opposite side of the altar stood Boudoin and his undead subordinates.
Judging by their priestly robes, it seed they had co to assist with the ‘ritual’ that was ntioned before.
“Your presence here ans you’ve prepared yourself, I assu?”
I silently nodded at Boudoin’s words as he stood at the front, and soon, he stepped aside, gesturing towards the empty altar.
The mont I lay down there, the ritual would begin, and my consciousness would head to the afterlife he ntioned.
“May I repeat the warning I gave you before?”
As I sat on the altar, Boudoin looked down at and spoke.
The blue light in his empty eyes seed to convey pity towards for the decision I had made.
It was only natural that he wasn’t at ease, right?
“…Do as you wish.”
As I avoided his gaze and lay down on the altar, he began to repeat the explanation he had given before.
“The world of the dead I ntioned before… It’s far from the concept of the underworld, heaven, or hell that people talk about.”
That was sowhat expected.
Undead born from lingering attachnts were just manifestations, so the afterlife was also just a mimicry of the original.
“Everything in this world will eventually crumble, leaving only remnants behind… They can’t be perceived by the eye or interfere with the material world, but in so form or another, a record of everything that existed remains.”
What had happened, had already happened, and unlike the future, the past could never change…
The words Airi always emphasized in her prophecies were now helping understand this concept.
In short, every path a living being walks leaves traces, and those traces remain in the world in an unseen form, even after death.
“Those remnants tend to gather more easily the more similar their nature is, leading to a phenonon where they can be reconstructed into what once existed. The dead who resurrect with lingering attachnts, like myself, awaken their self-consciousness through this principle.”
The stronger the attachnt, the more it draws similar remnants to it, allowing the individual to endlessly recall the past or awaken their personality.
This was the basic concept that ford the undead in this world, and to be more precise… a reconstruction closer to the essence of life was the concept of the soul, like the other personality I possessed.
“And such phenona can go beyond individuals and manifest as entire worlds.”
A replication phenonon ford by the gathering of such remnants, manifesting as an environnt rather than just individuals.
That was what we called the ‘hidden world,’ a place that couldn’t be seen with the eyes but certainly existed and could only be accessed by transcending the concept of matter.
“Coincidentally, I, too, have never set foot in that world.”
As Boudoin ntioned the hidden world, a feeling of unease gradually crept into his voice.
“No, to be precise, I’ve been there before awakening my self-consciousness, but once my consciousness was implented, all mories of that place disappeared. Do you know what that ans?”
“…Does that an that going there will shatter my mind?”
“Yes, crossing into the hidden world is akin to shattering the self and then reassembling it.”
No matter how similar it was to the original, once sothing was broken, even if you reassembled it, it was essentially a separate entity.
For that reason, Boudoin said he could only open the path to the afterlife but couldn’t set foot there himself.
If he, who had already been restored from remnants, entered the hidden world, his existence would surely vanish imdiately.
“For the living, as long as the bond with your body is maintained, your mind won’t completely shatter, but that won’t last long. Over ti, the bond will weaken, and your mind will crumble rapidly, eventually leaving only your mind trapped in the hidden world forever.”
As a result, the body would beco empty, like Ga-ram’s current state, and would remain that way forever.
What that ant might be a fate even more miserable than death.
While the body would decay, the mind separated from it might wander the hidden world and suffer eternally.
“Even so, are you going to that place?”
Yes, Ga-ram…
If I were too late, Ga-ram might end up like that.
“…You’re going to open the path to where Ga-ram is, right?”
“Yes, since the connection still exists, opening the path will bring you close to where her mind has been drawn.”
“Then I just need to find her and bring her back before it’s too late.”
I’d already co this far; what more was there to contemplate?
I just needed to focus on one thing.
I would enter the hidden world, find Ga-ram, and bring her back before the connection between her body and mind would be severed.
If I succeeded in that, everything would end safely.
“…Close your eyes.”
Boudoin, turning his back on as I firmly steeled my resolve, soon began signaling to the undead priests around us.
The preparations were already complete. The final determination was made, and all that was left was to boldly embark on the path to the hidden world.
“From the very beginning, the path will be fraught with obstacles. So keep this one fact firmly in mind.”
As soon as the path opened, a strange sensation overwheld , making my mind reel, and his whisper began to faintly echo through the torrent of power.
“Never lose yourself. The mont you do, you’ll never be able to return.”
Never lose myself.
As the ritual began, just as the warning said, my head started to throb as if it were being torn apart, and everything turned white.
Was this what it felt like to have your soul ripped out of your body?
“…I am.”
Even as I felt the pain closing in, I gritted my teeth and muttered the words that ca to my now-blank mind.
“I am… Woo Hyo-sung.”
My ability that would never be forgotten.
Hoping that it would help endure this process.
And finally, I grasped a sense of calm.
“Haah!”
As I regained consciousness and exhaled deeply, my hand instinctively clutched my head.
Calm down, Woo Hyo-sung.
Steady your breath and assess the situation.
I am Woo Hyo-sung, and according to my mory, this place is called the afterlife. My goal is to find Ga-ram, who was drawn here, and return to the original world… Alright, perfect.
“…Did it work?”
It was like my brain was being torn out of my body, but did Ga-ram feel the sa when she was dragged here?
If that was true, Ga-ram might be in a terrible state right now.
My eyes, filled with anxiety, began scanning the surroundings.
It was necessary to check the surroundings when you were in an unfamiliar place. Judging by the surroundings, it seed like the inside of a tent, with bags and armor scattered around.
It looked like a rcenary’s tent… Even though it was the afterlife, the environnt didn’t seem much different from the original world.
Does that an I can act as if I’m still in reality?
“…A mirror?”
In that unfamiliar environnt, I soon found a full-length mirror tucked away in a corner.
I wondered why there was a full-length mirror in a tent, but I decided to check it out anyway.
To truly confirm whether I had entered this place properly, I needed to check if my appearance was normal.
Yes, that was why I checked the mirror first…
“…Huh?”
But the reflection wasn’t ; it was soone else.
Feeling puzzled, I stared more closely and realized that the face was very familiar.
Because it was my face. It’s not , but it’s my face… Wait, that’s strange.
“Wh-what is this?”
But no matter how many tis I looked, the result was the sa.
The person in front of was definitely , but it was also soone I couldn’t consider myself to be.
Because I’m Woo Hyo-sung, and Woo Hyo-sung is a man.
There’s no way my hair, as a man, could be this long, my fra this slender… And there’s no way my chest could be like this.
“Wh-why is this…?”
Why are the things that should be here missing, and why are there things that shouldn’t be…?
I didn’t know the exact reason, but at least one thing was certain.
“Why did I beco Pheloi?!”
The person in the mirror was another .
It was modeled after ‘Tacchia Pheloi’ in her living form, not Woo Hyo-sung.
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