Chapter 82

“Elona is also dead. She tried to stop me and make up for what the administrator did, but… well, eventually…” Jarim chuckled awkwardly.

The ‘The Slaughterer of the Battlefield’ increased destructive power against creatures made of ore.

And Elona was one such creature, born and raised in Baskar.

Unfortunately, her compatibility was too poor to successfully stop the deranged Seong Jarim. She ended up with severe injuries, and a monster from the Labyrinth delivered the final blow to her immobile body.

“In the end, it was Baskar’s administrator who destroyed the planet.” Jarim, avoiding eye contact, widened her eyes. “I don’t know what grudge it had against me, but it should have communicated. Trying to kill me, someone who was trying to save its own planet? That’s just insane.”

The slaughter of the planet’s inhabitants and the death of its contractee were all ultimately caused by the administrator. It was the one who drove Seong Jarim to madness.

Seong Jarim had no reason to feel guilty for killing Elona, who was being manipulated.

“Elona wouldn’t have held any resentment toward you. She was probably just sad and sorry that her own contractor turned you into this.”

“Yeah…”

“I believe so. I am also a contractee, and I would feel the same way if I were in her shoes.”

It wasn’t a mere empty consolation. Jarim began to weep at the matter-of-fact statement. Seora sighed and embraced her, gently patting her back. “It won’t look good if a senior of a hundred years cries, so please don’t cry.”

“You saying that only makes me want to cry even more. I’m not old…”

She still found it unjust. Seora chuckled softly.

“All the ‘dead Elona’ titles have vanished, leaving only one: The Last of the Ruined Planet. Now, there truly is nothing left of that place. Perhaps it was meant to be this way from the very beginning.”

From the moment the administrator unleashed its fury upon the innocent, the planet embarked on a path of destruction. Therefore, Seong Jarim bore no guilt.

“You should let go of it as well. It’s a place that no longer exists in this world, and you won’t encounter it again.”

Now that it had transformed into an uninhabited wasteland, the gate would no longer open. The hundred-year relationship with Baskar came to an end with this.

“You did a remarkable job,” Seora conveyed the words she longed to hear when she slayed the monster in the Cheorwon Dungeon to Jarim, just as the administrator had told her.

Well done. Excellent job. It’s alright.

It’s a simple phrase, yet the one everyone yearns for the most.

Hnggg. Seong Jarim let out a long, drawn-out cry that seemed out of place for her age. It seemed Seora’s role as a nanny would never cease.

Seora sighed and comforted her throughout the night.

***

With a loud noise, the entire space shook.

The man who had been sitting quietly in his chair looked up. Someone outside was pounding on this place with force. However, no matter how hard they tried, the person knew very well that the door would not open. In the end, this was just a venting of frustration.

〖”Are you anxious? Well, things have changed a lot, after all.”〗

He had only changed one tiny thing, but everything had transformed. Now even he couldn’t stop it since that variable had made a choice.

The man’s gaze turned toward the system window, which was filled with numerous floating displays on one side of the wall. Two figures appeared side by side on the screen.

Kang Sejun, the sole regressor of Earth.

And Seong Jarim, the returnee.

Even without listening, it was obvious what the two would talk about. However, as always, he observed without interfering. Because of that, he was prepared to face whatever might happen.

〖“I hope Seora isn’t having a hard time.”〗

The image of both figures disappeared, changing into Seora, who furiously pounded on the keyboard with a bored expression. His brows immediately relaxed.

〖“Even if you resent me, I have nothing to say.”〗

If she were to come looking for him, he would gladly become a guiding beacon, illuminating the path ahead. Even if that beacon may not be what Seora desires, he would do his best until the end.

***

After Seora’s mission concluded and she began living alone, Seong Jarim stopped attending the association. It marked the beginning of a monotonous daily life. There were no dungeons requiring her assistance, she knew no one apart from Seora, and she had no one to spar with.

Much like when she was alone in the vast expanse after all life in Baskar perished, she sat expressionless in the living room.

Seora, who discovered this upon returning from work with chicken, suggested that she start taking walks.

And her advice proved invaluable. Once Seong Jarim began venturing alone, she realized that this place differed from Baskar. Unlike the devastated planet, there were people here and numerous things to eat and see.

Running along the track in Han River Park, adjacent to her apartment, was especially enjoyable. From dawn to morning, afternoon to night, the scenery she witnessed varied with the time of day. Sometimes, she would halt her run, stand there in awe, and allow the sight to seep into her eyes for hours on end.

Ah, this truly isn’t Baskar. My hometown remains beautiful, unlike the place that couldn’t endure for a mere hundred years and met its demise.

She believed she had already grasped this while living with Seora, but she was mistaken. It was only when she was alone that she truly felt the reality of her escape from Baskar.

Seated on a bench in Han River Park until late into the night, Seong Jarim offered a faint smile. Her mind, weary from the passage of time, was gradually healing.

However, unlike her, the man would require a bit more time to find his path to recovery.

“Good evening, Kang Sejun.” Seong Jarim smiled at the man approaching her, Kang Sejun.

“You shouldn’t have sensed my presence since it was concealed by magic, and yet you did.”

“After enduring a harsh environment for so long, my senses become attuned even to magic.”

“A harsh environment?”

“There’s such a thing. But how did you know I’m here? You must be an L-class stalker, just like Seora claimed.”

“What nonsense… I simply used tracking magic because I needed something, without any ulterior motives.”

“In the end, you were chasing after me, weren’t you? You stalker!”

Kang Sejun’s face contorted with a grim expression. Seong Jarim chuckled. “If you don’t like that nickname, I can change it. Let’s see… Mr. Regressor, perhaps? You won’t have any objections to that one, will you?”

This time, his expression hardened at the unexpected words. Seora would have already drawn her gun, but the man simply stared at her. “Did you already know about me? There’s no way Yun Seora would have mentioned it.”

“So you understand her well. Seora isn’t the type to go around sharing other people’s stories.”

“That doesn’t mean you possess magical powers like Baek Huiwon, and since you haven’t formed a contract with any Entity, the only possibility left is your eyes.” Kang Sejun’s gaze scrutinized Seong Jarim’s unique golden eyes. “Can you see information about the Awakened?”

“That’s correct. I’ve known about you ever since our first encounter.”

For the first time, Kang Sejun appeared surprised. “And yet you never made it obvious to the point where I noticed. I didn’t realize you had acting skills like Yun Seora.”

“It’s not like that. No one can possess acting skills like hers. It wouldn’t be good to have two kids like Seora.”

Kang Sejun also nodded in agreement with Seong Jarim’s remark. She’s right. How fortunate it is that there’s only one Yun Seora.

“I wasn’t acting. I genuinely had no interest in you. You may be unique, but my circumstances are too extraordinary for your presence to surprise me. That’s why you’re seeking me out, isn’t it? Please have a seat. I believe we have a lot to discuss.” The bright, retriever-like expression vanished completely. The smile seemed to dissolve into the dark waters of the Han River, where the night had fallen. Her golden eyes burned fiercely, akin to encountering a tiger in a pitch-black forest.

“Seong Jarim, what on earth are you?”

It was no exaggeration to say that Kang Sejun had encountered all the powerful individuals in the world through his repeated regressions. Yet, none of them possessed the same aura as Seong Jarim. He didn’t feel that way toward Ali, the leader of Athena, who was secretly regarded as the world’s strongest, nor toward Julian of the United States.

Just like Yun Seora, who is this woman I have never encountered in my past?

“Perhaps I am the person closest to you in this world.”

“…Me?”

“I am a returnee. Someone who has finally returned home from a distant dimension in the universe called the dungeon.”

Kang Sejun widened his eyes at the fingers that counted the starry night sky. “A returnee…? Did you say returnee? From what dimension?”

“I suppose there was no one like me in your previous regressions. Well, it’s also my first time encountering a regressor.”

Seong Jarim briefly explained herself. A gate is a portal connecting planets in the universe, a dungeon is the territory within, and she had been trapped in a place called Baskar.

For exactly 108 years.

“The dungeon is connected to the universe? And what did you say? 108 years…?”

“I’ve heard that only five years have passed on Earth. Maybe that’s why I haven’t aged. If I don’t age in the future, there must be another reason.”

“Now I understand why Baek Huiwon said you were as unique as me.”

“I thought you came here knowing something, but it seems that’s not the case. Apparently, Baek Huiwon can’t keep a secret.”

“That’s her specialty.”

Despite the calm response, Kang Sejun’s eyes trembled.

108 years was longer than the lifespan he had experienced through his repeated regressions. He, who lived by dying repeatedly, and she, who survived without dying. Though vastly different, as Seong Jarim pointed out, the two of them were more similar than anyone else in the world.

“Are you the only one who knows that the dungeon is another planet in the universe?”

“Seora knows. She claims to hate getting involved in complicated matters and pretends not to know.”

“I’m not like Yun Seora. I have to make sure others are aware of this.”

“Who? The WDO? Do as you please. As long as my name doesn’t come up, I don’t mind.” However, Seong Jarim’s eyes lacked luster. “But knowing won’t change anything. Gates will continue to appear until this world is destroyed.”

“…What do you mean by that? Wouldn’t the strange phenomena disappear if the Labyrinth Dungeon is solved?”

“The Labyrinth? Ah, right. I hadn’t considered that. Baskar was destroyed because of the failure to close the Labyrinth.”

Despite her composed tone, the impact of this revelation struck Kang Sejun like a blow to the back of his head. “There was a Labyrinth in Baskar too…?”

“A Labyrinth Dungeon exists in every dimension where gates appear. That’s the rule. Systems, Awakened, gates, dungeons—they are shared across all dimensions.”

Kang Sejun, who had undergone five regressions without any knowledge of this fact, felt as if he had been struck in the head multiple times. “I can’t believe I didn’t know such a thing until now…”

“Unless you’ve actually lived in another dimension like me, it’s normal not to know. I learned everything there.”

“Do you know how to eliminate the gates completely?”

“I don’t know. All I know is Baskar, and as I mentioned, it was destroyed by the Labyrinth. Not a single life form remains there.”

“At least hope is not entirely lost.” Kang Sejun tightened his fists. I cannot give up if there is even a glimmer of hope. I will hold on to it with all my might.

“Do you think you can succeed? You’ve already failed five times. Will this time be any different?” Seong Jarim, who had witnessed the utter destruction of a planet, found him distasteful.

Their perspectives, shaped by his repeated life filled with hope and her devastating despair, were drastically different.