Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior Chapter 284

284

The bottom of the bottomless pit (3)

A hut on a snowy mountain beyond the image of a swirling snowstorm.

The moment I first fell here many years ago was still a vivid memory.

That night, after a fierce battle with the Apostles of Retrograde, Dallen confronted their Great Apostle in front of the altar hidden in the coal mine.

The moment when a person who was half one with the devil was torn apart with a single blow and his body, exhausted and lost in time, was recovered.

“I almost died because I couldn’t handle my muscles growing.”

“…….”

“Helphangs won’t do that either. “After developing so much muscle strength, did you go crazy because you couldn’t add a single piece of muscle fiber to your body?”

An image of a man smiling with his hands in his belt. Dallen shook his head with a shocked look in his eyes.

He is the god of war, the great ancestor of the High Orcs, and at the same time the legendary hero who saved humanity from evil gods thousands of years ago.

If Lucia even heard that frivolous laugh, wouldn’t her face turn white?

“If you claim to be omniscient and omnipotent but can’t even crack a joke, what kind of contradiction is that? In the first place, God is not an infinitely distant bystander. “If that were the case, why would we create the world?”

“You’re being very picky about one word.”

“Is it really okay to lose to a creature in an argument? “Go and practice more.”

Rotten. You still haven’t said a word.

Anyway, the day he almost died after absorbing the strength character was also the day Dallen first became aware of his small area.

The scene of the realm is a scenery that is infinitely similar to the snowy mountain where he woke up on this continent.

It was so similar that even though it was only a moment, I could have mistaken it for a return.

Fortunately, even at that time, his sensory abilities were enough to feel a sense of foreignness.

The sense of consciousness walking through the realm and the sense of the body remaining in reality are felt at the same time, and a strange sense of heterogeneity arises from the gap.

In other words, the scene of the realm was so close to reality that even the most sensitive senses were momentarily confused.

‘…If you think about it, it’s not like it’s not reality at all.’

A place in time and space that is completely different from the continent where normal physical laws and magical energy flow apply.

Going one step further, a space of completely different rules and order that breaks even those laws head on.

A place where all possibilities have their own rate of existence and can get infinitely closer to reality according to the will of the owner of the possibilities.

The snowy mountains and sky in front of me were also a landscape born from that infinite possibility.

‘…a fantasy world.’

The more I thought about it, the more fascinating it became.

I knew that the labyrinth was a passage connecting the continent and the fantasy world, and that its depths were actually within the boundaries of the fantasy world.

However, I never thought that the last 7th floor, where the Wish Stone is located, would really be the realm of the fantasy world itself…

“You must be mistaken.”

A voice that digs into one after another of guesses and thoughts. The man said.

“This is not the 7th floor of the labyrinth. “It’s a scene containing your thoughts.”

“what? Then why am I…”

“Why are you here? Isn’t that because you obtained the wishing stone?”

Now that I think about it, before I opened my eyes here, I had an experience as if I had touched the bottom of an abyss.

I remember going forward with all the strength I had left and falling down on something shiny.

Was that really a wish stone? In that case, the 7th floor of the labyrinth was the ground they were stepping on at that time.

“right. The 7th floor of the labyrinth is the bottom of the abyss. Also, the wish stone is also the 7th floor of the labyrinth. The floor of a bottomless place. A treasure placed there. “It’s not a place that anyone can reach, and it’s not something that you can get your hands on if you want.”

The man had a big smile on his face. It was a big smile filled with pure joy.

“And wishes are contained in the deepest part of a person. That’s why we are in a realm beyond your imagination.”

“…So are we going on a treasure hunt here? “A wish is hidden here?”

“What nonsense? “You know your wishes.”

Then why on earth did you come here? Dallen really didn’t know anymore.

The man who was good at reading other people’s minds smiled a little wider. He took his hands out of his belt and slowly walked to the side.

Then, the background that had been hidden by the large mountain was revealed.

A log cabin probably built by an unknown hunter and a shabby back door facing the backyard.

“To make a choice.”

select?

Before I could even tilt my head, the back door of the cabin burst open.

The sight seen through the narrow door was a piece of memory that I had seen with the naked eye for the first time in many years.

***

Buzz, buzz…

Mechanical devices, including the cooler, cried quietly.

Inside the transparent plastic cover on one side of the pitch black case, the graphics card and CPU emitted primary color light like a neon sign.

A desktop computer that was updated to a newer model two years ago. A height-adjustable desk with a computer and monitor on it.

A soft chair, often brought in from PC rooms, was placed in front of the desk, and next to the shiny keyboard, french fries fresh from the air fryer along with a cold beer were steaming up.

“…….”

Forgetting what to say, I slowly walk into the cabin. I stood in front of the desk and pressed the height adjustment button.

A desk rises with a whining sound. The feel of a mechanical keyboard clicking at your fingertips.

The water droplets that formed on the beer can were so delicious, and the scent of salt and seasoning coming from the French fries was so sweet that it was almost tempting.

Only then did Dallan realize the meaning of the word choice. And the fact that I’ve heard that word a few times at some point.

‘The reason I came today is to tell you that your choice is not far off.’

That was a story that the man I met in my dream left in passing at the last moment after the battle with the blood spirit.

‘You will have to choose. Just like the warrior who was your predecessor did a long time ago.’

These were the words that Daelin mentioned during the fight the last time he appeared on this continent while reducing his own strength.

‘Is it life on Earth? Or is it life on this continent?’

I’d be lying if I said I’ve never thought about it.

The goal of obtaining the Wish Stone itself initially began with a desire to return to Earth.

There was a time when I wrestled with this topic all night long. However, at some point, it was also a question I completely forgot about.

There are a lot of problems that need to be solved right in front of you, but there is nothing more foolish than worrying about a choice that has not yet been made.

And the answer was the same this time too.

“I will hold off on making a choice.”

There were many times when I missed important present moments while struggling between right and wrong.

In the first place, thinking about a better path is a privilege given only to those who are qualified to stand at the crossroads.

It was the same now as well.

In the first place, if one of the options disappears, does the meaning of choice even exist?

At the very least, if one wanted to worry about between two worlds, the priority was to protect both as places where people could live safely.

“…hold.”

The man chuckled and shook his head. He continued, scratching the back of his head.

“You are right. For those who are not yet at a crossroads, worrying about choices is often an unnecessary waste and extravagance. “But.”

“…But?”

“It’s also true that once you reach a crossroads, you don’t have much time to choose. Life is guided by time, so it is not a journey where you can stop or rest along the way.”

You’re starting to sound like a spellcaster again. Dallen frowned.

“To put it simply, you mean we have to make a choice right away?”

“It’s similar. But there is still some room. “Let’s talk again later.”

What is the difference between now and later? While Dallen tilted his head awkwardly, the man began to walk slowly somewhere.

“Follow me.”

The man said. And for a moment, Dallon couldn’t believe his eyes.

The man’s strides and walking speed were both short and slow. It doesn’t seem to be much different from the neighborhood guys hiking when I was young.

However, the new model climbed up the mountainside in a hurry.

The large mass quickly grew to the size of the palm of one’s hand, and was now approaching the size of a small dot.

This fucking method. Dallen muttered and ran.

His physical abilities were easily able to catch up with the man. Dallen said as he continued running next to the man.

“I don’t know how much time I have left, but I need the strength to fight right now.”

“You mean strength?”

“I didn’t say you could clear the game if you got the Wish Stone. “Aren’t you saying it gives you the ability to win against evil spirits and the great hell?”

The man didn’t answer. I just walked silently.

The speed at which his body moved forward increased with each passing moment. Dallen felt slightly out of breath.

Hwiiii…!!

The faster I moved forward, the harder the snowstorm hit my face. The cold wind pushed snow into my mouth.

Then, at one point, the man stopped standing tall. Dallen followed suit and stopped, creating a deep furrow under his feet.

It was the top of the mountain.

***

Coo coo coo coo…!

A pillar of pure white light obscures my vision.

A shimmer of light hitting the tip of the highest snowy mountain among hundreds of mountain peaks, reminiscent of the light that filled the screen at the start of the game.

Obviously, the straight path of light should not be accompanied by noise, but the waterfall of brilliance pouring down before my eyes was making an ear-piercing roar.

Dallen unconsciously searched his memory. This was the place where the man I had met in my dream had told me that my choice was imminent.

“Do you know what this pillar of light is?”

The silent man opened his mouth. Dallen shook his head.

It was a light that began to appear when he reached the 6th rank.

A waterfall of light pouring down from beyond that distant sky.

From experience, I knew that the power of the realm operates around this light. It was just there.

I didn’t know why it worked that way or where it led.

“This snowy mountain is connected to the well of Yeokcheon. It is the passage through which the well sent the hero, and also the road connected to the well. Except for you, all heroes are souls and bodies sent by the well of Yeokcheon. Through this passage.”

The souls and bodies of heroes created by the well.

That was the answer to a question I had for a long time.

However, it was also an incomplete, half-answer.

It was still a question of where the cause and effect led to the birth of a hero who had possibilities for both sides.

“…Then I created those characters? Or is it just their lives reflected on my monitor?”

“It’s a simple question. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? “Which do you think it is?”

“…It’s probably one of the two.”

“okay. It definitely started out as one of two things. But does it matter to you whether you eat chicken or eggs?”

well. I’m not sure. Dallen shrugged. The man smiled softly and continued his story.

“It’s not important. Whether to the poultry farm owner or to you. This means that the beginning is not important in a cycle that has already begun. What is important is the fact that the chicken and the egg are connected in an inescapable link. “Just like you and the well in Yeokcheon.”

Charrrrrrr…

Pure white waves rippled and split from the man’s fingertips.

It really looks like you stuck your hand into a waterfall.

The pieces of light scattered and slowly sank downward, finally disappearing as if melting into the pure white snow field.

The man continued his story softly in front of a figure that looked like the embers burning in a bonfire had been turned upside down.

“The well of Yeokcheon made every effort to overcome the apocalypse. He created hundreds of spirits and bodies and tried to help them in any way possible. But despite numerous attempts, the apocalypse still could not be prevented.”

“…….”

“That’s when I realized the well. “He is also a being subject to fate, and it is natural that he cannot change that fate with the hero he has created.”

Pasut.

A soft wind blew from somewhere.

The air current that surged against the waterfall of light carefully pushed away the dark clouds and thunderstorms in the sky.

The source of the waterfall of light was beyond.

This was the garden I walked through in a dream a long time ago, when I met the tsarina of an inn in Northern Ekhlahim.

“…….”

The tree with its base cut off, looking upside down as if reflected in a mirror, and the well in front of it.

Just as the man said, a pillar of light was extending from the well.

He said, looking up at the same scene.

“Just as it did thousands of years ago, an outside presence was eventually needed. That is why you came to this world.”