119 – The Beginning of Salvation – 1
“Then please take care of yourself.”
“Yes. Mother.”
Taejin and his companions, each fully armed, were gathered at the entrance of Cheonrihyang Village.
Although the border between the entrance and exit was collapsed due to the Chimera air raid, it was the perfect place to say goodbye for a while.
Yura looks at her brother, Taejin, with wide eyes.
Although we were apart for a long time and were together for a short time, Yura felt deep regret because it was long and also because it was short.
Especially.
Because the current farewell may become an unpromising farewell.
After Taejin smiled at the corner of her mouth as she looked at Yura, she looked at Hanna standing next to her.
“Take care of Yura.”
Taejin shook Hanna’s hand.
A few days ago, Hanna visited Taejin.
And everyone told the truth.
I followed you because I was curious.
That’s why Lesha was captured.
She said that if she hadn’t been there, Choi Do-han wouldn’t have been able to lure Lesha by herself.
However, Taejin comforted him by saying that he was not the one who should receive the apology, and that anyone in the same situation would have made the same choice.
She wanted to apologize and when Lesha woke up, she told Lesha to do it.
After that, Hanna apologized to Lesha and she went to Taejin again and said she was sorry for doing something dangerous.
And last night.
The meeting that started under the leadership of Taejin ultimately ended with the team being divided into two teams.
We had to move secretly to Gaikan and prepare for the end.
《Here. These are Gaikan’s coordinates.》
Taejin handed Hannah her note.
She was what Hannah had asked for after hearing all the plans.
She seems to have found a way to help, she says.
That’s how Hanna, Yura, and Mihwa became a team and headed to Seoul, the capital.
Taejin, Lesha, Nayeon, Hyeseo, Ercia, and Drok, who were the original expedition members, became a team and headed to Gaikan.
The party split into two for their own missions and missions.
“Okay then. Don’t worry. “Take care of yourself.”
Hanna held Taejin’s hand.
“You too.”
“Yes.”
After shaking hands, Taejin looked at Yura again.
He’s a younger brother I didn’t even know existed, whom I met only a few weeks ago, but for some reason I feel affection for him.
If you look at it closely, he’s not even his younger brother, he’s closer to someone else, but now that fact didn’t matter.
Because she is Yura, who follows him as her real brother, her real sister.
ㅡBukbuk.
Taejin roughly strokes Yura’s hair.
Originally, it’s a prank that should have reacted harshly, but Yu didn’t say anything.
“….”
“You too, take care of yourself. And listen carefully to what your mother says.”
The risk was too great to take Yura with him.
The decisive battle that will take place in Gai Khan is a dangerous fight with her life at stake.
That’s why I recommended her mother and I to follow Hannah to Seoul, the capital city.
ㅡBukbuk.
Tae-jin, who had stroked her messy hair, withdrew his touch and bids her farewell to her mother.
“Then, I’ll go.”
“Okay. When I come back, this mom will cook a delicious home-cooked meal. Everyone is sure to come together. “Okay?”
“”Yes.””
Everyone bowed their heads in eager response to Mihwa’s words, and with that greeting, each team took a step in the direction they should go.
Is there any need for an unusual goodbye?
It’s enough for each person to do their best.
‘Huh.’
Taejin walked away from the back of the group and expressed his nervousness.
The final battle with God Rachel is finally upon us.
If the journey goes smoothly, we will arrive at the entrance to Kaikan in five days.
And, if you go to the coordinates left behind by Han Chang-ho and defeat God Rachel, you will complete your mission as a missionary chosen by Ersia.
As the final step began, the expressions of everyone in the group, including Taejin, were stiff.
At that time.
“Yu, Yura!”
An urgent call was heard from behind, and Taejin turned around with a friendly smile.
He kept his mouth shut and was he trying to say a fond farewell?
But.
ㅡ Tuk.
“Huh?”
What flew into Taejin when he turned around was not Yura, but the Mana Pocket.
“Take it and go.”
“This? Entire?”
“Do you remember when I explained the devices to you last time?”
How could I forget?
These were the first friendly scenes she had with her unfamiliar sister.
As Taejin nodded her head, Yura continued her words.
“Take everything with you because you might need it.”
“You need it too.”
“I think you need me more than you. “I just need to cling to my mom.”
These are devices and equipment that will definitely be helpful.
Yura’s skills were so great that she was able to create a neural connection device in just a week and share her dream world.
From daily life devices needed for the journey to auxiliary devices needed for battle.
I know that these are unrivaled devices, but because I know the hard work and sweat that went into developing these devices, Taejin is not willing to accept them.
But.
“Thank you. I will write well.”
Her hesitation did not last long.
Yura then smiled brightly.
Taejin put her mana pocket on her waist.
“We must win.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”
The greeting, which would have been dry if dry and heartbreaking if it had been affectionate, came to an end, and Taejin, who was looking at Yura’s back as she returned to her mother, smiled and turned to walk away.
And.
“Let’s go.”
The short journey for the final battle has begun.
#
‘Wow… ‘There is a canyon like this in Korea?’
A path between steep cliffs.
The high cliff road, where light comes only when the sun rises in the sky, remains in a hazy darkness even though three hours have passed since dawn.
I heard that there were places where the terrain changed after the introduction of Mana and Dungeons, but I can’t believe such a wonderful canyon was created in a basin country called Korea.
It was a great view, perfect for a sightseeing course, if not on the road to Kaikan, the sanctuary of the villains.
Well, the tension sitting on her head was quite heavy to enjoy that superb view.
ㅡ Jerking around.
In front of us, who were silently staring at the front, the end of the gorge gradually began to appear.
A place where an incongruous group of brilliant lights is beating down.
“Over there is Gaikan.”
Hye-seo muttered sadly as she looked there.
It was definitely a place I would never have found without the coordinates.
The narrow cliff path was divided countless times, resembling a maze, and the world of nothingness, with only stones, dirt, and cliffs visible, was not Kaikan, but simply a desolate world of death.
There is no separate road to the underworld.
The road between the cliffs where only the sound of breathing echoes in the dreary darkness.
“The remaining distance is about 20km. Wouldn’t it be better to rest for a day before going to Kaikan?”
In my heart, I wanted to get off this gloomy cliff and attack Kaikan right away, but the closer I got to Kaikan, the more I felt like I shouldn’t.
The dark mana was thickening in the air.
The moment you enter Gaikan, you will have to wear a filter to prevent poisoning, and it was difficult to eat food because you had to avoid exposure as much as possible.
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In other words, a wise approach would be to store calories and get enough rest before moving.
“That would be nice.”
“I also agree. “It is essential to use a filter from the moment you enter Kaikan.”
Nayeon and Ersia expressed their agreement, and Lesha and Hyeseo began setting up the camp without any disagreement.
Drok was scouting the surroundings.
“Tsk tsk.”
It has been a while since we put our hands and feet together, and the construction of the camp progressed smoothly.
Light a bonfire with blue mana flame, prepare food, search for a place to put a sentry, and take out a tent from a mana pocket to make a shelter.
Now, the group gathers around the bonfire with dishes cooked by Lesha, who has become their exclusive chef(?).
Finally, Lesha sat down and the light meal began.
Small stories came and went, and after a mostly quiet meal, Nayeon, Hyeseo, and Lesha cleaned up the tableware and went out to scout the surroundings.
I called out to Ercia, who continued to eat in silence with her mouth tightly closed.
“Hey, Ercia.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve been curious about something for a while.”
Even after Ercia revealed her identity, she didn’t say anything other than what I asked.
Both things of the future and things of the past.
She only answered the questions I asked, but she seemed to have completely entrusted her fate to the person responsible for the 53rd mission.
It would also be in compliance with the law that says that ‘direct events’ should not be carried out in relation to the mission.
Ercia, who had just finished eating, answered, wiping her mouth with her pure white handkerchief.
“I’ll answer anything.”
“God, what kind of person is Rachel?”
“Hoho. “You were curious as expected.”
“Well, everyone is having a hard time because of that guy.”
“To defeat God Rachel, you must enter the tower in the center of Gaikan.”
It’s a tower, so it’s an obvious setting.
A cliché setting with the main boss waiting for us on the top floor of the tower.
But since I was the one who had to climb the tower, it was a story that was neither obvious nor cliché.
“The tower will give us trials on every floor. One person per floor. “Once everyone passes, you will finally be able to face God Rachel.”
“I see. “If it’s an ordeal, roughly what is it like?”
“I don’t know that either. Each episode was similar yet different. Would you say the general keyword is ‘despair’? That’s why I call it an ordeal.”
“They say one person from each floor must pass the ordeal… “Then wouldn’t it be better to tell your companions?”
Elsia smiled.
“Brother, I don’t mind letting you know if you want. However, you should also know that it is not an ordeal that you can overcome just because you know it.”
In fact, not knowing what kind of ordeal will come will only add to the confusion.
If you are not going to truly understand the inconvenient future, sometimes it would be better to face it yourself and realize it.
“It’s the Tower of Trials… “It’s a cliché, but it’s a fitting task to decorate the end.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“If you were going to be afraid, you wouldn’t have asked in the first place.”
Elsia looked at me with a satisfied smile.
As I stare at her with a sacred face like a goddess, I can’t help but avert my gaze.
I think Su-ah’s appearance is definitely easier to deal with.
“Anyway, what do you plan to do if this round also fails?”
“Hmm… I don’t know because I haven’t thought about it.”
“You are a surprisingly optimistic apostle.”
“Hoho. “If you go through 52 rounds of regression, you will become like me.”
“… “It sounds scary.”
Wow.
In novels, it is said that there is a recurrence whether it is the 52nd or the 99th, but to actually experience it would be a truly terrible thing.
That’s why Ercia deserves praise.
In her haste, she erased even the bud of that possibility and asked again.
“So what about God Rachel?”
“Ah. It is located on the top floor of the Tower of Trials, and when you reach that floor, Gaikan will be surrounded by thousands of monsters summoned by God Rachel. “I don’t know because I’ve never succeeded, but the road back probably won’t be smooth.”
… Okay.
She said that knowing the future is not a very pleasant thing.
I haven’t even stepped on the threshold of success yet, but it certainly makes sense that I’m losing motivation.
“….”
She closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes, looking up at the sun that had suddenly risen in the sky.
Ah.
Nunppong.
#
Meanwhile, Taejin is having a dark conversation with Ersia.
Lesha was with Nayeon.
“Hey, professor?”
“… Feel free to call me. Professor, what are you doing? But why?”
“Oh, I have something I want to tell you.”
Now that I know exactly what the responsibility of [Salvation] Is for Taejin and myself.
So she knew that the day of leaving was not far away.
Lesha was getting ready to leave.