By Zephyria Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes.
He was standing in the middle of the familiar Hanover Soup Restaurant hall. The warmth he had felt in his hand had vanished like a mirage. Eui-jae fiddled with his empty hand for no reason. Even though he had come to a place like home, he felt strangely empty.
He wanted to be with them a little longer. Even if it was just for 10 minutes, even just 5 minutes. It was a feeling of regret he hadn’t felt in a long time.
What should he call this regret?
“……”
Thump…. The ground shook. It seemed like debris had fallen nearby. The autographs hanging on the wall trembled and then fell. It was Jung-bin’s autograph that had fallen. Eui-jae blinked. Now was not the time to thirst for nameless emotions. Eui-jae dusted off Jung-bin’s autograph and placed it on the table.
He strode towards the counter. J’s mask was placed under the POS machine, and a yellow sticky note was attached to it. The contents, written in neat cursive, read:
Since you will definitely return to the Hanover Soup Restaurant, I’ll leave it here. You don’t have to thank me. ―Very Small Miracle Mingi Seo
Does this guy see the future or something? Anyway, he was grateful. Eui-jae put on the mask and skillfully opened the drawer under the cash register. There were neatly arranged ledgers, a dusty bouncy ball that Ha-eun must have put in, a few crayons, and,
“……”
A watch.
Eui-jae carefully picked up the watch. Clatter…. Unlike the image in his memory, the silver watch was a mess. The watch glass was cracked and broken, it was old and looked like it would crumble at any moment, and it was rusty in places. The minute and second hands were not moving either.
‘I’m sure it was fine when I gave it to him as payment.’
Moreover, looking at it again, the watch design was unique. There were three circles inside the watch, two of which were covered with something white and could not be seen. It was as if oil paint had been thickly applied. The last one was a small watch inside the watch, and
Tick.
It was moving. Only that.
‘This is the third and final chance.’
As if to support ‘Hong Ye-seong’s’ words. Eui-jae stared at the slowly moving second hand. The only moving watch hand was pointing at 10 o’clock. Soon a pure white window appeared.
[■■■ Wristwatch (■)
The Artisan, who lives in seclusion in ■■■, specially modified it to increase the number of uses.
Nevertheless, the flow of time and ■■ could not be avoided.
It can no longer be used.
This is the last chance.
Modifier: ■■■]
‘Why is the item description so ominous?’
Besides, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu while reading the description. The expression ‘The Artisan who lives in seclusion.’ He had definitely seen it somewhere….
“Ah!”
Eui-jae put down the watch and took out the Basilisk Fang. The Basilisk Fang had remained silent ever since it exercised its right to remain silent to the question. When he grabbed the sword and shook it wildly, an information window appeared.
[Basilisk Fang (S)
A sword forged from the Basilisk Fang by The Artisan who lives in seclusion in ■■■. Those who are not qualified are not even allowed to hold the sword.
Creator: ■■■]
The ‘Artisan’ who lives in seclusion. The Basilisk Fang, which called Hong Ye-seong his father, and the Basilisk Fang’s blade had an engravement left by Hong Ye-seong. However, the Hong Ye-seong he knew said he had never made the Basilisk Fang.
‘I thought he was talking nonsense after kidnapping someone….’
Hong Ye-seong was innocent. The Basilisk Fang and this watch seemed to be the work of the ‘Hong Ye-seong’ he had encountered in the Memorial Dungeon. Eui-jae clicked his tongue.
Hong Ye-seong was a bit dim-witted compared to the suspicious and dubious ‘Hong Ye-seong,’ but he wasn’t a bad guy. At least his desires and inner thoughts were as clear, transparent, and simple as the bottom of a first-class lake, weren’t they?
‘Should I treat him better next time I see him….’
Eui-jae grabbed the watch with the hand that had been holding the Basilisk Fang.
At that moment,
[Condition met.]
[Entering ■■■■ ■■.]
His vision turned black. Eui-jae gritted his teeth.
‘What is it this time, damn it!’
“This alone isn’t perfect….”
A man’s voice was heard from the pitch-black darkness.
“The power of the person who became the axis was so strong that some power remained… but that alone is not enough. It’s like a disposable battery with a little power left. It’s a miracle that this much is left, but if you turn back time with just this, you’ll fail without even trying.”
“……”
“T, then… is it unusable?”
The darkness gradually receded, and the surrounding scenery came into view. They were in a messy workshop. The first person he saw was Hong Ye-seong, wearing a magnifying glass and intently examining the watch in his hand. Hong Ye-seong, who had been groaning and hesitating, sighed deeply.
“…This, you said it was J’s thing? J turned back time with this? In the past?”
“Yes, according to my memory.”
The clear voice belonged to Yoon Ga-eul. Yoon Ga-eul, who had grown more than Cha Eui-jae remembered, muttered.
“I’d like you to tell us clearly. Can we turn back time with this? Like J did.”
“……”
“You know. We succeeded in chasing away Doomsday, but we suffered too much damage. This world will not be restored. Destruction will slowly approach.”
“Keueung….”
Hong Ye-seong glanced out the small window.
“Please, The Artisan. We need hope….”
Ga-eul muttered in a trembling voice. A heavy silence flowed. Soon. Hong Ye-seong, who sighed deeply again, scratched his disheveled hair.
“It’s probably possible. It’s possible, but someone will have to sacrifice… or maybe more people will have to sacrifice….”
“Sacrifice?”
“Filling the item’s insufficient power with human power… would be a more appropriate expression. Honestly, I don’t know if it’s possible. I don’t know what kind of side effects will occur, or how long we’ll have to endure. It’s completely unknown territory…. Do you still want to do it?”
“—One thing.”
A low, gloomy voice interjected. The owner of the voice was leaning against the corner of the workshop with his arms crossed. A pale complexion and a sharp, sensitive face. A long leather coat and a black longsword at his waist. Purple eyes shone brightly through his disheveled hair.
It was Lee Sa-young.
“If we succeed in turning back time with that….”
“……”
“Is it certain that he will live?”
It was a sentence without a subject, but everyone knew who he was talking about. Even Cha Eui-jae, who was watching as an observer. Yoon Ga-eul slowly but firmly nodded.
“Yes. Because J did it… that’s why we’re here now.”
“…Is that so?”
Lee Sa-young unfolded his arms.
“That’s enough.”
A black hand grabbed the watch without hesitation.
At that moment.
The surroundings were all colored in black and white, and everyone’s movements stopped. Perhaps because he had experienced it once, he was not as flustered as last time. As he waited calmly, a golden pattern appeared on Hong Ye-seong’s eyes. The rapidly rotating Emotional Eye reached Cha Eui-jae. An inexplicable sense of pity settled in the Emotional Eye, where the strands of wisdom were alive and moving. He muttered.
It seems like it’s your turn this time.
Eui-jae blinked. The Hanover Soup Restaurant’s POS machine and cash register greeted him. It seemed that his consciousness had been dragged away while he was standing.
‘It’s my turn this time?’
What on earth does that mean? Anyway, ‘Hong Ye-seong’ had a knack for only talking vaguely.
‘It’s a relief that there’s at least some gain….’
He fiddled with the watch and racked his brain. Let’s organize it. Originally, the watch was disposable, but Cha Eui-jae’s power, who became the first axis, was so strong that the item did not disappear even after turning back time. So Yoon Ga-eul and Lee Sa-young, who faced the second Doomsday, used the watch left by the dead J to turn back time.
Since they used an item that was originally disposable for the second time, even in an imperfect situation, side effects were bound to occur. Lee Sa-young endured all those variables alone, becoming a shackle….
‘Was it impossible with one person’s power?’
In the end, the Destroyed world affected the current world, and the erosion phenomenon occurred. Eui-jae messed up his hair in frustration. He didn’t feel comfortable. Cha Eui-jae was the one who knew the loneliness of being left alone better than anyone else, to the bone.
To have to wander through an empty world, enduring a loneliness that might never end.
‘What kind of nonsense is that….’
Moreover, there was still something bothering him. If ‘that’ Lee Sa-young disappeared and the Destroyed world began to have a full-fledged impact, then why, where did he disappear to?
At that time, the voices of people chatting flowed in through the crack in the door. Eui-jae instinctively lowered his body under the counter. A tired voice said.
“Let’s go around this side and go to another area. Check if there are any people who haven’t evacuated yet, clear the falling objects, and wipe out the Addicts if you see them. When you’re done, contact Team Leader Jung.”
“Yes. But Vice Guild Leader, is the Guild Master still in that state?”
“I guess so. I left a message telling him to contact me when he wakes up… but he still hasn’t contacted me, so.”
“It’s not like he’s ignoring us as usual, is it?”
“The situation is serious, Sa-young wouldn’t ignore us even in this situation.”
It was Bae Won-woo and Kang Ji-soo, regulars at the Hanover Soup Restaurant. Eui-jae held his breath and listened to their conversation. Something was strange. Didn’t Lee Sa-young wake up earlier? He didn’t seem to be feeling well, but did he fall asleep again in the meantime? Eui-jae turned his phone to silent and called Sa-young.
He doesn’t answer.
In the meantime, the topic changed. Kang Ji-soo grumbled.
“Did you see the message from the Bureau of Rift Management? They say the Addicts are acting up even more since the whale appeared. The amount of debris falling has also increased, and the speed is incomparably faster. Shouldn’t we catch the whale first instead of doing this?”
“Do you think Jung-bin hasn’t thought of that? But it’s hard to catch because it’s flying in the sky. If we catch it wrong, all the buildings will be destroyed, and there are no high-ranking Awakened with flying abilities. They’re probably racking their brains too. Ugh.”
“What if we throw something like a spear?”
“A spear isn’t an easy weapon. Unless it’s someone like J―… Wait.”
Bae Won-woo’s voice was low. A sharp momentum poured out. The two were staring at the Hanover Soup Restaurant. Damn it, were they caught? But Eui-jae soon changed his mind.
‘No…. We have to catch the whale anyway.’
Isn’t that why he left Lee Sa-young’s side? He felt like he wouldn’t be able to rest easy until he dealt with it quickly and went back to check on Sa-young’s condition with his own eyes. Strangely, he had been feeling uneasy ever since the warmth in his hand disappeared.
‘I hope it’s just a needless worry….’
Cha Eui-jae’s ominous premonitions were usually accurate, so he couldn’t calm down even more. Eui-jae jumped up. He was wearing a mask, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
‘If worse comes to worst, I’ll call Min-gi Seo, what.’
It was the moment when Eui-jae shouted Master Key Min-gi Seo in his heart and threw open the sliding door.
Squeak?
The Addict, who was confronting the two members of the Wave Guild in front of the door, turned his head 180 degrees to look at Cha Eui-jae, and
Bang—!
Cha Eui-jae instinctively kicked the Addict. The belated regret was a bonus. Cha Eui-jae’s body moved faster than his head in most situations.
‘Oh well.’
Kke-ek! The Addict made a strange noise and flew away, crashing into the wall.
Soon, the movement of the twitching body stopped. The threateningly protruding thorns also subsided. Bae Won-woo and Kang Ji-soo were looking at Eui-jae with blank faces. Bae Won-woo’s mouth was silently repeating wh, wh, wh…, but he decided to ignore it.
‘I don’t know either. Let’s get rid of it quickly.’
Cha Eui-jae pointed to the sky with his index finger. The two’s gazes followed the tip of his finger.
Boo-ooo…. The whale, which had settled at the tip of his finger, roared for a long time. A modulated voice without pitch said.
“I’m going to catch that first. Will you cooperate?”
Bae Won-woo swallowed hard.
“W, what kind of cooperation?”
Cha Eui-jae, J, gestured with his chin towards the tall building. The place where he had been staying until just now, the place where Lee Sa-young was.
“Please lend me the Wave Guild building’s rooftop.”