Chapter 616: Bye! (4)

Cale had his eyes closed but felt as if something was prickling his face.

It made him want to open his eyes.

'I think we are moving past the shelter gate.'

Where this movable bed was right now and where it was headed...

He wanted to open his eyes and see what was going on.

But he could not do that.

"...My goodness."

"Looking like this-"

It was because he could hear people gasping and being unable to finish their sentences all around him.

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

Cale felt that this was oddly familiar, and that gave him quite the ominous feeling.

"Sob."

"Mmph."

But once he heard someone weeping...

'What is going on?'

Cale couldn't help but open his eyes.

And then he saw it.

He saw the gazes in the eyes of the people looking at him.

There were all sorts of emotions in their gazes as they looked toward Cale who was covered in blood and in extreme pain.

Most of their eyes were shaking or tearing up.

'...Ah.'

Cale felt as if he was experiencing something he had faced many times in the Roan Kingdom, in the Western continent, in that other world.

The way he was laying on the bed right now and only had his eyes open reminded him of when he had woken up with the World Tree's wreath in the Ten Finger Mountains' Elf Village.

His spine felt very cold for some reason.

Cale started to frown after hearing the Super Rock say that in a calm voice.

"Are you okay?"

Kim Min Ah became concerned and asked Cale a question, which made him quickly stop frowning and slightly smile in order to show that he was okay.

It was a gentle smile in his opinion, but Raon would have said it reminded him of a crushed apple pie and probably told him to smile as he does when he scams people instead.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm all better now."

"...Ha... Really... you......"

Kim Min Ah let out a deep sigh before turning away.

'What's up with her?'

Cale looked toward Kim Min Ah in confusion when Bae Puh Rum started to speak over Kim Min Ah's shoulder.

"Keep your eyes closed if it's hard to keep them open! There's no need to keep them open if it is difficult to do so."

"...I said I was okay. Plus, I need to keep my eyes open to be able to understand what has happened."

"Raaaaah!"

It was rare to see Bae Puh Rum get angry like this as he shouted before turning away as well.

'What's wrong with both of them?'

This world's Kim Rok Soo thought it was weird as well.

The Super Rock nonchalantly responded to both of them.

He was speaking as if it was nothing.

-.......

"......"

Cale just closed his eyes.

As for this movable bed...

'Well, it'll end up somewhere.'

He just decided not to think about anything right now.

However...

"None of you are hurt, right?"

He said that as he closed his eyes.

There was a moment of silence before he heard Park Jin Tae and Lee Soo Hyuk's voices.

"...Fuck."

"Hey, Rok Soo. We're not hurt."

Cale ignored Park Jin Tae's swearing and smiled with satisfaction at what Lee Soo Hyuk had said.

Just like this...

Everybody could safely get through this day if they continued just like this.

Whether it was an unranked monster or the sealed god...

They should be able to take care of all of them.

Cale quickly started to organize his thoughts now that most of the pain was gone and his mind felt refreshed.

His allies just quietly looked down at him.

Among them, Choi Jung Soo...

The man who was pushing against the pillar at the foot of the bed unlike Choi Han who was up at the head looked away from Cale and observed the area around him.

Nobody had died.

As for the unranked monster, it had lost its eyes and poisonous fangs before it had escaped with numerous injuries on its body.

He had no idea as to what would happen from here on, but this situation should have been enough for some cheering or joy in the shelter.

But even the people who had been happy quickly lost their smiles after seeing Commander Kim Rok Soo's condition.

Choi Jung Soo could understand how they were feeling.

'They can't smile after seeing him looking so terrible.'

Kim Rok Soo must have been telling the truth about being in less pain as his body wasn't shaking as much and he was no longer coughing up blood.

Choi Jung Soo was relieved at that. He was relieved that it seemed as if Cale would not die, but...

"...My goodness."

Choi Jung Soo quickly realized that Cale's condition that made him feel relief was still an extremely critical condition based on the astonished gasps of the people around him.

Peek.

He peeked toward Choi Han for a moment.

Choi Han was extremely calm right now such that it seemed as if the person who had taken away the yellow-headed monster's eyes and poisonous fangs was a different person.

Although he looked calm, Choi Jung Soo could see that Choi Han's eyes were full of fire.

Choi Jung Soo presumed that those were fires of anger.

But there was something he did not know.

Choi Han's eyes were alertly observing the nearby area after having checked on Cale.

Choi Han was extremely alert right now, more than anybody else.

He still had to fulfill the orders he had received.

Choi Jung Soo just clenched the pillar of the bed tighter.

'I couldn't do anything.'

All he could do was stand by Kim Rok Soo. He could not fight properly like the others.

That fact was weighing heavily on Choi Jung Soo's mind.

"Hey, Jung Soo."

He heard Lee Soo Hyuk's voice at that moment.

"Thank you for being by Rok Soo's side."

Choi Jung Soo made eye contact with Lee Soo Hyuk. After looking into his eyes, he could tell that Lee Soo Hyuk said that because he had realized what he was thinking.

Although Choi Jung Soo had not chatted much with Lee Soo Hyuk before this, he oddly felt that Lee Soo Hyuk's unexpected consoling was not foreign and he was thankful for it.

Lee Soo Hyuk smiled back after seeing the faint smile on Choi Jung Soo's face and slowly looked away.

All sorts of emotions seeped inside him through the chaotic silence inside the shelter.

The question that had been on his mind until not too long ago...

What would change because he kept fighting like this?

It had been a question that arose from the sorrows of fatigue.

But that question had disappeared after seeing his Commander's battle today.

No, he had forgotten about the question after seeing the people of this shelter fight with desperation today.

'I was full of desperation as well.'

Lee Soo Hyuk had just fought while forgetting about his questions and concerns. He recalled how he had gone up against that monster in order to survive and to save others.

He then made up his mind.

'Keep doing this.'

He would continue to fight, move forward, and run wild in this world that had become a mess because of these annoying monsters.

'Then I'm sure I'll grow stronger.'

He would keep moving forward while getting stronger.

The others would be by his side as well.

It would be just like how he and the numerous people filling up this shelter right now had fought today.

Lee Soo Hyuk could see Heo Sook Ja who had climbed down from the shelter walls and was walking over to them.

"Let's go to the meeting room."

She continued to speak with a stiff expression on her face.

"And let's move the Commander-nim to the treatment room-"

"I'm okay."

Cale opened his eyes and sat up.

"I need to go to the meeting room as well."

Kim Min Ah and Bae Puh Rum opened their mouths in shock, but Cale raised his hand to stop the others from speaking.

He then continued in a calm voice.

"The monster is not dead yet. The Commander can't be resting in such a situation."

Heo Sook Ja was thinking that Cale had quite an outrageous sense of responsibility.

"...I understand. Let's go to the meeting room."

However, she was also the leader of a shelter right now.

That was why she could presume the numerous emotions that were underneath that sense of responsibility.

"Please gather all of the squad leaders."

"Yes, sir."

Heo Sook Ja immediately started working on Cale's request.

Cale organized his thoughts as the bed moved toward the grand assembly hall.

The unexpected smack in the back from the sealed god...

The conversation with the God of Death...

The intense pain that should not come again...

The connection to his ancient powers...

Furthermore, the appearance of the original Kim Rok Soo of this body.

Cale's mind was quite the mess because of everything that had happened all at once.

'But things are getting resolved one by one now.'

He had found a way to smack the sealed god in the back.

His pain had decreased significantly.

The yellow head could no longer see and did not have its poisonous fangs anymore.

'All that is left is to finish things.'

Tick. Tock.

The hands of the clock were moving toward four in the morning.

The Dark Tiger.

Alberu Crossman would come once the day ended on the other side.

Cale was waiting for morning to arrive.

Tap.

Alberu elegantly placed a teacup on top of the table.

He tasted the tea in his mouth before starting to speak.

"Transforming dead mana..."

He recalled the conversation he had with Ron just now.

'I followed Chief Priest Gersey and saw him enter the Temple of the Demonic God.'

The Temple of the Demonic God was in the Section 2 temple district.

'I also saw the White Star's sculpture you mentioned before in there, your highness.'

It was the temple that revered the existence called Barrow.

That Barrow was presumed to be the White Star.

'There were eight large circular glass coffins with that sculpture at the center and the priests were continuously pouring some type of fluid into the coffins.'

Ron had searched the nearby area after seeing that.

'Priests were standing around the dead mana and doing something to it which transformed it into that other liquid.'

After his investigation...

'After that, I snuck up behind Chief Priest Gersey who was leaving, knocked him unconscious, and immediately ran away.'

'Did he leave alone?'

'No. He had a large number of priests with him. But I couldn't help it since that bastard looked as if he was about to summon something.'

'You somehow managed to openly abduct him.'

Ron had a benign smile on his face.

'It was quite difficult. It would have been easier to kill him.'

Alberu felt that his voice was vicious right now.

Ron had made the right decision.

Alberu raised his hand and started to speak.

"Pour."

Beacrox silently emptied the container of water in his hand.

Splash-

"Ugh!"

The unconscious Chief Priest Gersey's body started to twitch and his eyelids started to shake.

Inside a room in the black castle...

At a spot that was far away from the others...

In this room where the windows were covered and the only source of light were the candles inside...

Alberu... Ron and Beacrox...

Only the three of them were here with the Chief Priest.

Alberu opened his mouth and started to speak in a stoic voice.

"I know you're conscious already, so is there a need to keep your eyes closed?"

Slash. Slash.

The sound of Beacrox grinding his knives echoed in the room as well.

Chief Priest Gersey's body flinched.

He heard Alberu's gentle voice at that moment.

"Everything you are imagining will become a reality if you don't open your eyes right now. What do you think?"

A gentle smile was on Alberu's face.

"Should I turn your imaginations into reality?"

Chief Priest Gersey opened his eyes at that moment.

"Mmph, mmph!"

He then flailed around as best as he could while being completely tied up and glared at Alberu.

"Hmm."

Alberu just quietly looked down at Gersey.

'I don't have any plans on torturing him, but...'

Unfortunately, he and Beacrox were just putting up an act right now.

This place was said to be Raon's castle.

Even if Raon was a Dragon, they couldn't do such terrible deeds inside the place of a child.

'But it looks like he's been fooled by our ruse.'

Alberu could read the fear in Gersey's eyes.

It seemed as if Beacrox grinding his knives had fooled him.

But there was something Alberu did not know.

Gersey was feeling even warier from Alberu's stoic gaze that made it feel as if Alberu was looking down as he observed him than from Beacrox grinding his knives.

Chief Priest Gersey's shoulders flinched after seeing Alberu get up from the couch and start to walk over to him.

Alberu came right up to Gersey and reached his hand out.

"Gersey. What is inside your head?"

Alberu's hand slowly raised Gersey's head.

Gersey saw it.

"Mmph, mmph!"

He saw one of the Endable Kingdom's Counts.

He saw the person who had left to invade the Black Castle in the Forest of Darkness with young master Naru.

He saw that the Dark Elf, Count Mock, was inside something that looked like a coffin with an extremely pale complexion.

Of course, they had just knocked him unconscious and put him there; that Dark Elf was completely fine and even had all of his injuries healed.

Sadly, Gersey did not know that.

All he could see was Count Mock lying there as if he was dead.

He heard Alberu's laugh-filled voice by his ears at that moment.

"It's best to tell us everything you know if you wish to live."

Gersey saw Ron standing by the coffin with Count Mock at that moment.

He could see the intentions in Ron's eyes.

'I'm going to kill you.'

He could see the murderous intentions in Ron's eyes.

Alberu removed his hand from Gersey's face once Gersey quieted down and stopped flailing.

He then looked toward Ron.

Ron made eye contact with Alberu with a benign expression as if he had never looked at Gersey with a vicious gaze.

"Free this man's mouth."

"Yes, your highness."

Ron removed the gag in Gersey's mouth and moved behind Alberu.

Alberu started to speak again.

"The sealed god."

Gersey did not show any reaction after hearing that.

Alberu continued to speak.

"The White Star, no... Cale Barrow. Why does that bastard follow the sealed god?"

Alberu recalled something Cale had written on his body.

< There is something I find weird. >

< If the White Star is someone who serves the sealed god, shouldn't he have put the sealed god's sculpture in the Temple of the Demonic God? >

< Why did that bastard put a sculpture of himself? >

The sculpture in the temple was a sculpture of the White Star that they called Barrow, his last name.

< It was as if he was the god. >

That last phrase had been etched deep inside Alberu's mind.

It was because of what Cale had written after that.

< This is someone who endlessly reincarnates after paying the terrible cost of killing all of his family members. That bastard is someone who cannot have anything that is precious to him because of a curse. >

The White Star had been cursed to lose anything he found precious.

He had not faltered because of that and continued to gather forces as he pushed forward toward his goal.

< But a bastard like that serving a god? >

< Do you think his intentions are true? >

'Absolutely not.'

Alberu was certain that the White Star's intentions were not true.

That was why he nonchalantly asked Gersey, who was just looking at him without much reaction.

"What does the White Star desire from the sealed god?"

It was as if he had thrown a rock into a lake.

Alberu's question made Gersey's pupils shake violently.

Cale had written more things on Alberu's back.

< The truth about the White Star and his relationship with the sealed god. Hyung-nim, please, you must figure out that part of the puzzle. >

< And once I return... >

< Let's have the final battle. >