Chapter 265 – The Sealed Regressor’s Memory (1)

“Kill him as painfully as possible.”

His arm was torn off.

His legs were ripped apart and his body burst into flames.

Just before dying, Min Do-jun burned the faces of the 14 hunters including Shin Kyung-min into his eyes.

‘If I’m given a chance, I’ll definitely kill you bastards. I’ll kill you and all the sons of bitches around you in the most painful way possible.’

He memorized their faces so he wouldn’t forget this moment.

So he could continue his revenge even if he became a ghost.

But a ghost is just a ghost.

It cannot touch the living.

‘Damn bastards, kill them all……’

The pain disappeared and his eyes opened.

Min Do-jun was suddenly in a different place.

‘Where is this?’

It was a place filled with gray mist, making him feel like he was inside a cloud.

‘Am I… dead?’

Min Do-jun looked down at his body.

He tried moving his hands and feet but couldn’t feel any sensation.

‘Status window.’

He habitually tried to call up his status window, but nothing appeared.

‘My clothes are the same though……’

He couldn’t tell whether he was dead or had fallen into some other strange state.

‘Looking at the situation, it seems like I’m dead……’

He wasn’t certain.

He wished someone would come and tell him.

As if reading Min Do-jun’s thoughts.

[There you are, Mr. Min Do-jun.]

Just then, a person appeared.

It was a blonde-haired Westerner in a black suit.

[Hello. I am Eira, a guide of the underworld.]

“A guide of the underworld? That means……”

[Yes. This is the underworld where the dead gather. You are dead.]

“……”

He had suspected it, but when he was actually notified of his death, he felt a sense of futility.

[I’ll give you time to compose your emotions. This will be the last time you can reminisce about your life in the living world.]

At the guide’s voice echoing in his head, Min Do-jun raised his head.

“What do you mean by that?”

[I mean enjoy it to your heart’s content since these memories will be erased soon.]

“The memories… will be erased?”

[To be precise, it’s the annihilation of the soul.]

“Please explain in detail.”

Eira, who had been smiling, explained as if doing him a favor.

[All humans come to the underworld when they die. Then they enter the Spring of Oblivion where their memories are erased and they are annihilated. I’m in charge of guiding such souls to the Spring of Oblivion.]

Memories erased and annihilated.

Wasn’t that no different from dying?

“Is that the end? Just memories erased and annihilation?”

[That’s right.]

“Isn’t there something like heaven or hell?”

[Heaven? Hell? Those are just fantasies created by people. All souls are equal. They’re just erased and annihilated. Of course, there are exceptions like me……]

“Exceptions. Then were you originally human too, Guide?”

[Yes. I don’t remember, but that’s what I’m told. I was specially noticed by God and selected as a guide…… but cases like mine are very lucky, so don’t get your hopes up. There are no remaining positions anyway.]

“……”

Min Do-jun was desperate.

Would he just vanish like this?

Without even being able to dream of revenge?

“Isn’t there a way to avoid annihilation?”

[There might be exceptions like me, but by regulation, most souls cannot avoid annihilation. Souls are no different from worthless trash.]

“……”

[Any other questions?]

“Just one more. Did a soul named Cha Ye-rin come before me?”

[Cha Ye-rin…… Let me check.]

Eira touched the air as if manipulating a status window and said.

[You mean the person who died 2 minutes and 16 seconds before you? Korean nationality and your partner.]

“That’s right. Is she alive by any chance?”

[What do you mean?]

“I mean is her soul alive.”

[If you mean her soul, she hasn’t been annihilated yet.]

It was fortunate that she hadn’t been annihilated.

[Though she can’t avoid annihilation anyway.]

‘No, there’s still a chance.’

Min Do-jun asked in a serious tone.

“You said there’s a god?”

[That’s right.]

“I want to meet God.”

[Hehehe……]

When he was puzzled by Eira’s meaningless laughter.

He spoke.

[Ordinary humans cannot face God. But you’re really a lucky case.]

“Pardon?”

[God wants to meet you anyway.]

‘God wants to meet me……?’

Min Do-jun asked with a puzzled expression.

“For what reason is he calling me?”

[I don’t know that either. The only instruction I received was to bring you. Maybe like me, your memories will be erased and you’ll get a position……]

He didn’t know why God was looking for him, but it worked out well.

‘I wanted to meet God too.’

He had no choice but to go.

[Shall we go then?]

* * *

Eira, who took Min Do-jun’s hand, ran at high speed.

Whoosh whoosh-

He ran so fast that the background whizzed by.

‘I can’t feel the sensation of being grabbed, so I’m definitely dead.’

Since he had no physical body, he couldn’t feel any sensation except sight.

‘I can’t smell, taste, or feel touch, and I can’t hear sounds either.’

Even Eira’s voice wasn’t heard through his ears but felt like it was transmitted directly to his mind.

‘No matter how much you fly and crawl in the living world, nothing works in this quiet world called the underworld. Everyone is equally powerless.’

Even now, wasn’t he being dragged around like a flag fluttering in the wind, caught by the guide?

Though he didn’t know how he could grab his soul.

[We’re almost there.]

Min Do-jun, who had been watching the passing scenery like a bus passenger, raised his head when he heard they had arrived.

[Did you bring him?]

There was light before his eyes.

It was so bright he could barely see properly, but one thing was certain – it wasn’t Eira’s voice.

A very serious man’s voice echoed in his head.

[Are you Min Do-jun?]

“That’s right.”

[I have something to discuss privately, so Eira, go out and do your work.]

[Understood, God.]

Eira, who had been beside him, disappeared in an instant just as he had appeared.

[I am Derkius. The god who governs death in the world.]

When meeting God, he thought he would feel such overwhelming awe that he wouldn’t dare raise his head, but he felt no particular emotion.

It just felt like talking to light.

“What business does God have with me……”

[I want to make you a proposal.]

“A proposal?”

[Before that, I want to ask you something. What was your reason for wanting to meet me?]

It seemed he had been watching the entire conversation with Eira.

“I wanted to humbly make a request to God.”

[A request? What request?]

“A request not to annihilate the soul named Cha Ye-rin.”

[Ho.]

God spoke in an impressed voice.

[It’s admirable that you care for your spouse even after death.]

“Did you know about my relationship with Cha Ye-rin?”

[Of course I know. I know everything that happens in the human world. Sitting in this position, all I can do is watch.]

So God had been looking down at the world.

‘From what he’s saying, it seems he can only watch and can’t directly intervene.’

Of course, it was just speculation.

[You died an unjust death, didn’t you?]

“……”

[I can still faintly feel your anger. That’s why I’m making this proposal.]

God got to the point.

[I’ll give you a chance to return to 10 years ago, so will you take revenge?]

‘What?’

Min Do-jun’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“So…… you’re giving me a chance to regress 10 years?”

[That’s right. You’ll get the revenge you so desperately want.]

Regressing 10 years.

It was the best opportunity that didn’t require any consideration.

But Min Do-jun didn’t bite the bait immediately.

Suddenly, he had doubts.

“Why are you giving me such special treatment?”

[Before answering, it would be better to see this first.]

As soon as he finished speaking, a TV suddenly appeared between God and Min Do-jun.

The TV was playing footage of Min Do-jun dying miserably.

[This is recorded footage from my perspective at that time.]

The video showed in detail what happened after Min Do-jun died.

-Kyaaaah!

-S-save me!

The hunters led by Shin Kyung-min attacked the Blue House.

Not only the President but all high-ranking officials had their heads cut off.

Citizens became mere prey to monsters that appeared from who knows where.

“This, this is insane……”

Min Do-jun couldn’t continue speaking at the horrific scene that was like hell itself.

[Min Do-jun. After you died, Korea was destroyed. As you can see, it was the work of hunters including Shin Kyung-min and 500 monsters.]

He knew they had staged a coup, but seeing it directly like this was shocking.

“What are those monsters? Why aren’t they attacking Shin Kyung-min’s group?”

The monsters in the video touched citizens but didn’t touch Shin Kyung-min’s group.

As if they were on the same side.

[Because they are on the same side.]

“……!”

At God’s definitive words, Min Do-jun couldn’t understand.

“Monsters and humans taking sides…… How is that possible?”

[Because of an EX-grade trait called mind control.]

‘EX-grade trait?’

To Min Do-jun, who thought S-grade was the highest, God explained about the mind control trait.

“To think such an overpowered trait exists……”

[To you, it might look like Shin Kyung-min led the coup, but actually there’s a guy named Adam behind it. He’s the master of Overlord Guild.]

“Overlord Guild?”

He had heard of it since it was a world-famous guild, but he didn’t know the master’s name.

[As you can see, Adam used his subordinates to destroy Korea. He killed everyone, whether hunters or citizens. Not satisfied with that, he went on a killing spree touring all countries like Japan, China, Russia, America, etc.]

“……”

[At first, he only planned to destroy Korea, but he became a psycho obsessed with killing and decided to kill all humanity.]

“He’s completely insane.”

[He killed everyone he couldn’t mind control by looking at their karma. Min Do-jun, the reason you died was also because you couldn’t be mind controlled. Because your karma was low.]

Min Do-jun realized belatedly.

That the one he truly needed to take revenge on wasn’t Shin Kyung-min’s group but Adam.

[When you think about it, it’s all my fault. This happened because I thoughtlessly created the mind control trait.]

“So the awakening system was indeed created by God?”

[Yes. I designed it and integrated it into Earth.]

“Then the appearance of monsters and dungeons was all……”

[All my doing.]

To scatter monsters and dungeons on peaceful Earth…….

“Why would someone who cares for humans do such a thing?”

[Who said I care for humans?]

“……”

[I don’t take sides with either monsters or humans. Both are species I created, so they’re no different from my children.]

God said he loved monsters and humans equally.

“Then why did you open passages called dungeons to make them fight each other?”

[It’s not like I wanted to do that. I had no choice. If left alone, both would have faced extinction.]

God said.

That Earth was dying.

[If left alone, humans would have perished due to energy depletion. The dimension where monsters lived was the same.]

The planet where monsters lived had run out of food.

They were destined to starve to death.

[But I couldn’t give them energy or food. The two planets were like being in glass tubes that I couldn’t intervene in.]

But there wasn’t no method at all.

[I couldn’t intervene directly, but I could help indirectly. For example, connecting each other’s planets or integrating the awakener system.]

God created passages called dungeons on Earth, allowing the two species to meet.

[Monsters could solve their food shortage by eating humans, and humans could substitute for lacking energy by processing magic stones, which are materialized monster energy.]

Although they had to kill each other, for God, that was the best solution.

At least neither would face extinction while fighting.

[The problem was that humans were too weak compared to monsters. One-sided massacre wasn’t what I wanted. That’s why I introduced the awakener system.]

The awakener system created to balance things made humans stronger.

[I applied a game system so humans could understand it easily.]

But the problem was creating a trait called mind control that destroyed balance.

[At the time, I never thought that trait would cause such problems.]

“So the reason you’re giving me this opportunity is……”

[Regress and kill Adam. That’s the only way to prevent Earth’s destruction.]