There was no will in my movements.
There was no desire in my slaughter.
I was merely a puppet, moving only as commanded. A carousel that drank blood at the summon of duty. Whether I destroyed, cried, or laughed, in all those days, I was a hollow shell incapable of containing the longing of a soul.
But I was not sad.
Nor was I happy.
No emotion was permitted to me. Throughout all nineteen of my past lives, that had been the sole truth.
But I thought, now, it was different.
Because I had refused the summon of duty.
Because I had ignored its call.
I thought I was free now.
That I would cry and laugh of my own will, eat and drink, and at times, talk to others—simply live like that.
Like a fool.
So naively.
"...."
Then why.
Why now.
Why is this wicked being standing before me?
The apex of the abandoned land.
A man who deserves to die.
Why does he feel... familiar... known?
Aged Kimchi wanted to clutch his chest. He wanted to question himself deep within.
This is strange.
Something's wrong.
It must be a goddamn illusion.
An endless fear surged within him.
'Why on earth…'
Why does this man, called Credos, who ought to be cut down, feel comforting?
"...."
It's horrifying.
But I can't understand. I don't know why. I couldn't grasp it. This being who bows before me with such miserable humility.
His figure.
His voice.
His presence.
Everything, every sense and instinct was telling me—
That he feels just like the summon of duty.
That he feels the same as the summon of duty that chastised me across countless reincarnations, drove me, and at times, gently guided me.
'Why... is that?'
Even the Demon King, this man called Credos, had trivial habits that reminded me of the summon of duty.
"..."
Ten times—he blinked exactly ten times.
Ten times—he bit his lips exactly ten times.
Even when he clenched and unclenched his fists in nervousness… ten times again.
Every unconscious movement and gesture of his matched precisely to ten times.
Almost habitually.
Even obsessively.
As though, just like the summon of duty who guided me, he too had to align every action to the number ten.
'Am I…'
And those days.
This current feeling, this conviction.
Are they all coincidences?
Is it the same even now?
No.
There are no true coincidences in this world. What appears to be coincidence is merely a phenomenon shaped by fragments of inevitability.
That's why this feeling was so unexpected. So bewildering. This sorrowful duty I carried, this pitiless fate that could only be engraved through slaughter and bloodshed—
The one who was supposed to stand at the very opposite end of that.
The one who was supposed to be the period at the end of that fate—
Why did he give off the exact same feeling as the summon of duty?
"..."
Could this, too, be the weight of fate I am destined to bear?
I don't know.
I'm confused.
Perhaps that was why.
"...Go."
Aged Kimchi said it before he realized.
Coldly, with an infinite bluntness. As if he were forcefully locking away his confusion. Sealing it in a box that no one could ever open. Just like that.
"And never appear before me again."
Because I don't know how I should deal with you.
Because you are so endlessly welcome, and so endlessly detestable. Because I want to shake your hand, and kill you at the same time. Because I feel like I'll experience such terrifying hope and blissful despair all at once.
".....Thank you!"
Even this two-facedness of yours—
I...
Why is it...
'So dear... and so frightening?'
I really don't know.
Why I'm letting him go. Why, when he ought to be killed here and now, I'm letting him go.
'.....'
If I killed him right here, all this confusion and turmoil would be cleanly severed.
But I couldn't do it.
I didn't want to do it.
In the end, Aged Kimchi turned his head away from Kim Jangcheol. He could no longer bear to look at him.
Of course, Kim Jangcheol had no clue what Aged Kimchi was feeling. He was just thrilled that he'd been released (?) by the strongest and most terrifying monster in existence!
'I... I survived...!'
How tense had he been?
The moment he heard Aged Kimchi tell him to go, it felt as if a radiant light shone before his eyes. His legs nearly gave out.
He quickly shouted,
"As you command, I shall never appear before you again! If there's one thing I can do better than anyone else in the world, it's that one thing!"
"...."
"Then, I'll take my leave!"
In times like this, quick action is key.
Before the being of infinite power changes his mind. Before he suddenly goes 'ROAR' and rips off his head in one strike.
He hastily got to his feet.
He grabbed the unconscious 4th Star Master and began dragging him. He bowed his head deeply toward Aged Kimchi, turned around, and dashed off—no, made a rapid escape in the opposite direction.
He cheered inwardly.
'I'm alive. I really made it out alive.'
He heaved a genuine sigh of relief.
Honestly, even when he had jumped in and kicked the 4th Star Master earlier, he wasn't sure if that had been the right move.
But he had no choice.
Because only by doing that could he, the demons of the abandoned land, and the 4th Star Master survive—he had been sure of it.
'If I hadn't done that, that moment would've marked the beginning of Aged Kimchi following her duty. Eventually, he would have come to the abandoned land.'
And then no one could stop him.
Everyone would die. That would be the end.
Farming? Everything would be gone.
He couldn't let that happen. So he jumped in.
With the feeling of placing a bet. Like challenging a starving Tyrannosaurus to a game of rock-paper-scissors after ten days without food.
'…It was like wagering everything, whew.'
He survived.
He was happy.
And the fact that he managed to save the 4th Star Master in the process made him even more satisfied.
'At least this guy's different from those scheming 1st Star and 2nd Star Masters.'
Though he was rash and violent, deep down, he truly cared about the well-being of the abandoned land. His reaction during the invasion, and how he appeared in the game, were proof of that.
'This guy's worth raising as a subordinate, like one of the Four Heavenly Kings.'
He would surely be of help.
Just as he was feeling reassured by that thought—
…Twitch.
The unconscious 4th Star Master's body trembled faintly. Still being dragged by Kim Jangcheol, his eyelids fluttered open ever so slightly.
'I…'
The 4th Star Master murmured in a half-dazed state.
'I want to free the people of the abandoned land… from hunger...'
But it wasn't easy.
Inside the abandoned land, such a thing was impossible.
So he set his sights on the human realm.
A fertile land, a world where everything was abundant—he believed that if they conquered it, no one in the abandoned land would ever go hungry again.
In the end, he raised the banner of invasion.
Even without the support of the Demon King. Even if the Demon King backed out in fear and abandoned the great cause. He believed that he, at the very least, had to step forward and see it through. That he had to achieve results.
If he did, then even the Demon King would finally step up. He would recall the great cause he had momentarily forgotten, and gladly lend his strength once more.
He believed that, with all his heart.
Believing so, he charged forward.
And finally, success was just within reach.
Yes.
Success.
The fortress.
It was just about to fall.
They could have made their great cause a reality.
Just one more step.
Only that much.
If they had gone just a bit further!
".....!"
Flash!
The 4th Star Master's eyes snapped wide open.
His pupils, already dyed red.
The victory he had missed right before his eyes.
The fall. The success. He thought of nothing but that.
".... Kuwooooh!"
In an instant, he kicked off the ground like a spring.
He shook off the Demon King's hand that was gripping his back. He twisted his body. He charged. Toward Aged Kimchi—the one who would mark the end of their grand achievement, the final piece of the fortress's downfall!
'If I just bring down that human!'
It'll be done.
That human was clearly the strongest in the fortress. If he could win. If he could behead that human and raise the head high!
'I can completely! Bring it down!'
He was certain.
Nothing else crossed his mind. Not the Demon King who had suddenly intervened and knocked him unconscious. Not the confusion he had felt in that moment.
All forgotten.
The success he had nearly attained. The downfall. The great cause. With only that in mind, the 4th Star Master Tartu charged at full speed.
Toward Aged Kimchi, who now wore a chilling gaze.
"Kwaaaah!"
".....Hey! You bastard!"
The 4th Star Master's impulsive act of blind devotion.
Kim Jangcheol's urgent shout did not even register in his ears.
He charged, only forward.
Toward victory.
Toward death.
And the darkness—
…..Splat!
It happened the moment Aged Kimchi's shoulder seemed to twitch slightly. The body of the 4th Star Master, which had been lunging toward him, vanished. Only his legs remained from the knees down, stuck in the ground.
From there upward, his entire body was shattered to pieces and flung high into the sky.
Thud!
"....!"
Kim Jangcheol felt a burning sensation spread across his entire body. Sticky lumps raining down from the sky. Warmth. Shards and blood that had once belonged to the 4th Star Master.
"..."
He couldn't say a word.
Scream? He couldn't even get one out.
It was because his gaze had met Aged Kimchi's, who was staring unblinking at him through the mist of blood, a crimson spray forming a rainbow as it scattered through the air.
"....Is this your way—speaking of peace with your mouths, and then biting at your opponent's neck in the same breath?"
"..."
So calm.
So quiet.
A question so eerie, it sent chills down the spine.
Kim Jangcheol desperately moved his throat. With all his effort, he finally managed to get a timely response out.
".....Kuh! Huh, huuh! That!"
But could that even be called a proper answer?
Wouldn't it just provoke that monster further?
Kim Jangcheol struggled like a man drowning, trying to form a proper reply. But it was never an easy task.
He now understood, with his very skin, the overwhelming power.
A murderous aura that the word "terror" couldn't even begin to describe.
To organize his thoughts and respond calmly in the face of such a thing—it was an incredibly difficult, nearly impossible task.
But Kim Jangcheol managed it. Through sheer survival instinct that erased impossibility itself.
"Th-that, I-I wasn't able to stop him in time... I'm sorry. For the invasion of the fortress. And for that recent attack..."
"....It does seem that way."
"Then..."
"And you're also shameless."
"....Excuse me?"
"No. Forget it. Go."
Aged Kimchi looked down at his own hand.
The fist that had just obliterated his opponent.
It was soaked in blood.
The more he looked at it, the more it felt like the summon of duty was whispering to him. Telling him to return to her original place. To walk the path he was meant to walk. That it was his fate.
"...."
How long had she been lost in thought like that? Had hours passed?
When he finally looked up again, the Demon King called Credos was gone. So were the demons who had been invading the fortress. It seemed they had all retreated.
In their place, a familiar voice came piercing through the dusk.
"Oh? There he is! Lord Aged Kimchi! Are you alright!"
It was servant, Dyoll, running toward her, panting. Behind him, limping along with a crutch, came Reivaj.
And so, he felt glad.
But at the same time, he felt regret.
"...."
Why did he feel such regret at his departure? Why, though grateful for his absence, did he feel so inexplicably sorrowful?
He didn't know.
Truly.
"Goodness! Do you know how shocked I was when you suddenly vanished? The demons that broke into the shelter were losing their upper bodies in the blink of an eye, and the person who was beside me was suddenly gone, and I thought I'd been snatched by some ridiculously strong and terrifyingly fast demon and died for sure!"
"Indeed. As my servant said, we truly were worried. Though I knew you were strong, given the circumstances..."
"...Seems I caused some unintentional worry."
"It's alright. Just the fact that you're safe is enough. No matter how strong you are, you're still human, and those demon rampages were beyond what anyone could handle."
"Yeah. I see."
Aged Kimchi smiled faintly.
To think there were people who worried about her this much—it felt strange, unfamiliar, and yet not unpleasant.
No, perhaps this unfamiliar feeling alone made it all worth it, this act of turning away from the summon of duty.
"But were you sitting here alone this whole time? It's hard to see from the shelter because of the sand dunes, were you hiding out here? But wow, what's with all this blood?"
"...There was a bit of a fight."
"You don't even have to say it, I can already tell. But hey, there's something weird over here too? What is this?"
Dyoll, who had been glancing around, discovered something on the ground. It was a fairly hefty-looking bag.
"Did the demons drop this on their way out?"
He opened the bag.
Looked inside.
"...Huh?"
Dyoll's eyes went wide as she saw the contents of the bag.
That was the first moment the world came to know about chuno, the premium specialty of the abandoned land that would go on to become a legendary hit across the continent, thanks to the lunch bag Kim Jangcheol had dropped.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]