Chapter 269: Chapter 269

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 269

“He should be in Texas right now.”

The traitors were in Texas.

Jeong-hoon was given only 120 hours.

Within that time, he planned to exact his revenge, prevent further destruction, and claim new power.

“The First Cataclysm. I obtained an unknown power there.”

Rewards were granted for stopping each Cataclysm.

One of those rewards was the enigmatic, unknown power.

If he could obtain a similar level of reward and return, it would play a significant role in overturning fate.

The traitorous group, including James Marcus, was reportedly preventing a Cataclysm occurring in Texas.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In other words, there wasn’t just one Cataclysm.

“If I clear a Cataclysm-level dungeon, I might not obtain unknown power, but I could still gain something comparable.”

The reason he used the pocket watch immediately wasn’t just for revenge or investigating the unknown power. Ultimately, it was to achieve his goal of twisting the fate imposed on him.

[Your fate will not change. Accept the destiny given to you.]

Hearing such nonsense—how could he not feel enraged?

As New World began to materialize, progress had to be made step by step from the bottom, making explosive growth realistically difficult.

Despite acquiring many opportunities, he still couldn’t stand against beings like Demon King-Level Transcendents.

This made rapid growth even more critical, which is why he chose to directly prevent Cataclysms and seize immense power.

Having already stopped the First Cataclysm directly, there was no reason the subsequent ones would be impossible to stop.

“I need to grow as much as I can in these 120 hours.”

Only 120 hours were given.

Even if he couldn’t fully uncover the secrets of the unknown power, Jeong-hoon was determined to use this time to grow, not just to avenge himself.

Only then would using the pocket watch hold any meaning.

“To face the Architect as an equal, that’s what I need.”

Both revenge and the game—he would end them with his own hands.

With that resolve, Jeong-hoon immediately set off for Texas.

***

At that time.

Inside a building in Texas, James Marcus and his group were waiting.

Their expressions were grim.

“James! What are we going to do now?”

Sophia, the Dark Mage and Debuff Master, asked.

“What?”

“No, how can you just sit there after seeing what’s happening outside?”

Outside the window, a massive portal shimmered ominously.

If they failed to enter the portal and prevent the Cataclysm, all of Los Angeles would be wiped off the map.

Yet none of them, including James Marcus, dared to step into that portal.

It wasn’t surprising—it was a dungeon at level 2,000.

This meant a being of an entirely different magnitude was lurking within.

“That’s right, James. If we keep avoiding this, the Earth will be completely destroyed.”

“I never thought this would happen right after killing that guy…”

Jeong-hoon.

The Korean Man They Killed Half a Year Ago.

Once a comrade who had fought by their side, Jeong-hoon was determined to end the game.

But when they learned that their power would disappear, they betrayed him in an effort to stop him.

The betrayal was driven by the desperate need to protect that power.

Yet protecting it had come at a grave cost—Cataclysm now loomed over them.

In just half a year, countless cities had been erased.

In the United States alone, 13 states had already been annihilated.

While 30 or so states, including Texas, still remained, in just 20 hours, Texas would vanish too.

The people clung to hope, wishing desperately for the strongest party to conquer the dungeon.

But that so-called strongest party did nothing more than linger around the dungeon’s perimeter.

“If we go in now, we’ll all die,” James Marcus stated firmly.

“Why do you think that?” Sophia, the Dark Mage and Debuff Master, countered. “Look at our levels. Level 2,000 is high, yes, but it’s not impossible.”

Their levels were nearly at 1,000—a daunting gap, but Sophia believed that if they combined their strength, stopping the Cataclysm was not entirely out of reach.

James, however, shook his head. “It’s impossible.”

“Ha… So, what? Are you saying we should just sit back and watch Texas get wiped out?”

“If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve agreed with Hoon and ended the game…”

Silence fell over the group.

When Jeong-hoon had insisted the game could be ended, the Earth was still relatively intact.

While the dungeons had caused devastation, it was damage that could still be repaired.

At the time, they were revered as “gods” by the survivors.

Originally, their goal had been to end the game early, but somewhere along the way, they had succumbed to the intoxication of power and lost sight of that goal.

“And so what? Do you think regretting it will bring Hoon back to life?”

James broke the silence with a bitter expression.

Jeong-hoon was dead.

They had burned his corpse and scattered his ashes into the sea.

“It’s funny hearing that from you, though, considering you’re the one who killed him,” Lee Hwa-Rang said with a sneer.

While they had collectively driven Jeong-hoon to the edge, it was James Marcus who had delivered the final blow.

“I’m well aware, so you don’t need to remind me,” James replied coldly.

“Really? Then you haven’t forgotten that you were the first to claim our powers would disappear if we ended the game?”

“No, I haven’t.”

James Marcus had been the one to first raise the idea that ending the game would mean losing their powers.

He had approached each member individually, persuading them to oppose ending the game.

Initially, most of them had wanted to bring the game to a close.

But James managed to sway the one he had spent the most time with—Louis Verdan.

Louis, who possessed mind-control skills, then used those abilities to bring the rest of the group under their influence.

Once Jeong-hoon was killed, Louis Verdan's mind control began to wane. As its effects gradually dissipated, the group started to realize the gravity of their wrongdoing.

However, their newfound clarity came too late—Jeong-hoon, who had fought to end the game, was already gone.

“...Hwarang, watch your words,” Louis Verdan warned.

“Oh? And do you think you’re in any position to say that?”

At Amelie Reina’s biting remark, all eyes turned to Louis.

Feeling the weight of their stares, Louis let out a frustrated sigh.

“There were reasons for everything,” he muttered.

“Reasons? Reasons we would find acceptable?” asked Paul Raymond, the group’s leader, his expression grim.

Louis nodded. “Yes. If you want details, ask James.”

With that, every gaze shifted to James Marcus.

“...Louis, I told you to keep that to yourself,” James grumbled, exhaling deeply.

“And how long did you plan to keep it hidden? We all betrayed Jeong-hoon. Do you want us to live with this guilt forever?”

“That’s…” James faltered, unable to respond.

Bang!

The heavy doors swung open, and a young man in his early twenties strode in.

“Found you.”

“...!”

Every pair of eyes widened in shock.

Standing before them was Jeong-hoon, who should have been dead.

What’s more, he looked much younger than when they last saw him.

***

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding,” Jeong-hoon muttered, his gaze dripping with disdain as he scanned the room.

Outside, the portal that unleashed the penalty of Destruction shimmered ominously.

The only way to stop the apocalypse was to close the dungeon tied to it.

Yet these bastards were just sitting here, watching it all unfold.

“Hey,” Jeong-hoon called out, his voice laced with venom as he fixed his eyes on James Marcus. “Miss me?”

Look closely. This isn’t just power—it’s authority. The kind that places the world beneath my feet.

James Marcus had spewed such nonsense as he tried to snuff out Jeong-hoon’s life.

Jeong-hoon took a step forward, utilizing the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Step to close the distance in an instant.

Though the group had reached a celestial level of mastery and could perceive his movements, they found themselves paralyzed, unable to react.

Their shock at seeing Jeong-hoon alive—and younger—froze them in place.

“...”

James Marcus, now seized by the collar, remained silent, his face pale.

“I’ll give you a chance to run that mouth of yours,” Jeong-hoon sneered. “Do you still think the game shouldn’t be ended?”

“...How did you find us?” James croaked.

Jeong-hoon’s grip tightened.

"Did I tell you to ask questions?"

“Urgh…”

James Marcus groaned, struggling to breathe under Jeong-hoon’s tightening grip.

“You lot are next, so sit tight,” Jeong-hoon growled, his voice brimming with killing intent. He glared back at James, fury blazing in his eyes.

Yet, to Jeong-hoon’s surprise, the corner of James’s lips began to curl into a faint smile.

“As expected… Sending you was the right choice.”

“What?”

“You succeeded in returning… didn’t you?”

At those words, Jeong-hoon’s grip slackened. The shock of hearing the word "returning" escape James’s mouth was beyond anything he had anticipated.

“You…”

Cough! Cough! James heaved, his breathing ragged. “Thank you… and I’m sorry for putting you in that role…”

Jeong-hoon frowned, his thoughts racing.

“How did you know?”

“I’ll answer your earlier question,” James said, his voice hoarse. “I think this game must end.”

“Ha.”

Jeong-hoon’s mind swirled with confusion. Moments ago, he had been ready to annihilate everyone in the room and close the dungeon portal outside.

Now, James Marcus—someone he had marked as a traitor—was suddenly talking about ending the game.

“I won’t make excuses,” James said earnestly. “Even if you kill me, I won’t blame you.”

His gaze was sincere, devoid of any deceit, and it left Jeong-hoon momentarily speechless.

[Master… who are you, really?]

‘A regressor… That’s it. Now everything makes sense.’

Mukho and Anima’s murmurs echoed in Jeong-hoon’s mind, but he barely registered them. His thoughts were a chaotic mess.

“James Marcus,” Jeong-hoon said finally, his tone cold. “Spill everything you know. Now.”

[Activating Mind Control.]

Jeong-hoon tried using his mind control ability.

[Mind Control failed. Target’s resistance is too high.]

James Marcus’s immunity to the epic-tier mind control left Jeong-hoon grimacing.

“You’ve even gained mind control… Fine. I’ll tell you everything. But hold off on killing me for a bit.”

Jeong-hoon silently nodded, his eyes boring into James.

“What I’m about to say is hard to believe, but it’s the truth.”

***

Regression—the ability to live one’s life again.

James Marcus was a regressor.

The key to his regression? The First Cataclysm.

“If the First Cataclysm is stopped, one gains a power beyond comprehension.”

At first, James hadn’t realized this "power" was the ability to regress.

James initially dismissed the energy as merely similar in nature to magic but fundamentally different.

However, everything changed during the Second Cataclysm.

James Marcus perished in the dungeon’s overwhelming difficulty, marking the end of his life and the beginning of his first regression.

Strictly speaking, regression was a fusion of his consciousness into the past self of a parallel world.

After his first regression, James rapidly advanced, gathering allies once again to challenge the impending doom.

“Gah!”

But history repeated itself. Failing to prevent the Second Cataclysm, his party was wiped out once more.

Thanks to the power of regression gained during the first Cataclysm, James returned again. Determined, he scoured for fortuitous opportunities and continued to grow stronger.

“Argh!”

Yet, when the Second Cataclysm loomed again, James met his end for the third time.

And then the fourth, the fifth…

The cycle of death and regression repeated so many times that he lost count.

The relentless trials wore on his psyche, leaving him consumed by despair. At times, James contemplated abandoning everything and succumbing to death.

“If this fails again… it’ll be the end. I’ll accept death quietly.”

That was his resolve during his most recent attempt.

It was then that he met Jeong-hoon—a wild card amidst the endless cycles of familiar allies and outcomes.

Jeong-hoon was unlike anyone James had encountered.

Though unimpressive at first glance, Jeong-hoon possessed untapped potential that defied imagination—potential so vast it eclipsed that of all others combined.

Unfortunately, James’s other comrades failed to see Jeong-hoon’s latent abilities.

“James, why would you bring someone like him into the group?”

“Look at him. His level is low, and his rank is even lower. He’s just going to drag us down.”

“Please, for everyone’s sake, get rid of that martial artist.”

James knew their concerns, but he stood firm.

“Can’t you trust me just this once? Hoon will be an invaluable ally to us.”

His conviction was proven right.

Jeong-hoon’s growth was nothing short of extraordinary. He advanced at a breakneck pace, absorbing everything he witnessed in battles like a sponge.

The most astonishing aspect of Jeong-hoon was his eidetic memory. He never forgot anything, no matter how insignificant, recalling even the smallest details with perfection.

For James, this was a beacon of hope amidst his despair.

“If it’s Hoon… maybe he can create a future different from mine.”

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

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