Chapter 381

Chapter 381

Chapter 68: Growing and Accumulating (1)

As my vision blackened, I sensed a familiar presence nearby.

“It’s been a while.”

When I greeted first, I received a brief response.

– Yes.

A dozen steps away stood Karlos.

Yet, for some reason, he felt unfamiliar to me.

His voice was slightly more gleeful than I remembered.

His expression was more peaceful than when we last met.

Even his posture was relaxed, as if he had lost strength.

It was different from past encounters where his overwhelming presence paralyzed my thoughts.

‘Things have changed a lot since then.’

His presence was still immense, but I didn’t feel like I would be swayed as foolishly as before.

Having formed “status,” it would have been strange for things to be the same as before.

And how much time had passed, with so many changes during that time.

The reflections I had while looking back at the past were not long.

– It seems you have new feelings upon meeting again.

Thanks to Karlos, who unexpectedly spoke first.

“Understandably so.”

I replied nonchalantly as I looked around.

An empty, boundless space beyond causality.

A golden light flickered there, forming a thin curtain.

‘Was he hiding here all along?’

Since our last meeting, Karlos’s whereabouts had been unknown.

Even the Damned System couldn’t locate him.

In recalling Zenoa’s words, it seemed the gods of Bihar also found it difficult to meet him.

I presumed that Karlos had created a space for himself akin to the Damned System, where he could remain safely secluded.

It seemed today my speculation was confirmed.

‘Choosing his own resting place—perhaps it’s appropriate for a god.’

I dismissed the thought, realizing anyone else would find it foolish, and looked back at Karlos.

“We both have urgent needs. Let’s get straight to the point.”

There was no need to confirm whether he intended to transfer his status to me.

It was evident that Karlos planned to pass it on.

The moment he conveyed the message through the Trait description window, I easily guessed it.

He waited for my divinity to grow strong enough to destroy dimensions, and once convinced, he tasked me with the destruction of Biharin.

Now that I had accomplished that, it was time to receive my reward.

“I should collect my dues for all the work I’ve done running around.”

We weren’t here to share casual conversations.

We both wanted something from each other that could end the meeting once exchanged.

Karlos, too, wasn’t one for enjoying interaction with others.

– Indeed, I shall give it to you.

He nodded with a soft smile and stretched his hand toward me.

– Come here.

‘He insists on me coming to him, doesn’t he?’

Was it because his status had existed above all things since birth?

Summoning me so naturally, unlike before when my will was overridden.

In the past, I approached Karlos as if hypnotized, but this time I moved of my own accord, taking slow steps.

Step by step.

Exactly thirteen steps.

I stopped in front of Karlos, leaving a step between us.

Suddenly, golden smoke swirled above Karlos’s hand.

It gathered around a center point, eventually forming a shape.

A rough, jewel-like form.

It sparkled like glass, transparent enough to see Karlos’s face through it.

‘Did Palao’s divinity fragment look like that when I first saw it?’

Back then, what was inside was Palao’s divinity, but now, within this small shape, it clearly was…

“… Is it status?”

Karlos offered no further explanation.

But it didn’t matter. I wasn’t asking because I didn’t know the answer.

It felt like Karlos’s presence had been compressed into that small mass.

Watching it, I unconsciously gulped.

Whether it was greed from facing such a massive status.

Or the burden of having to absorb something so immense.

I couldn’t precisely distinguish.

Naturally, to Karlos, none of it mattered.

Whether I felt complex emotions or not.

Karlos focused on what he had to do.

Closing the remaining gap, he pushed the crystal into my chest.

Khchek.

Despite my shudder, the transparent golden crystal glided in effortlessly.

I frowned at the sensation akin to having indigestion from overeating.

Simultaneously, the hand touching my chest began to crumble.

– Something so simple…

Was he recalling the tiresome times of the past?

Karlos, with a quiet murmur, sighed.

I watched him as he started to crumble away like dust.

Then Karlos, turning towards me, asked a question.

– Do you have something to say?

Seeing him with such a relieved expression, like having put down a heavy burden, I couldn’t help but inquire.

“Does a god of origin… inevitably meet a fate like yours?”

I knew only two gods of origin.

One fervently sought annihilation and eventually achieved it.

The other never spoke of annihilation, behaving like a naive child.

Experiencing such contrasting cases, I couldn’t shake off the lingering anxiety.

Wouldn’t Karlos know of other gods of origin besides the System?

If so, might he know their fates too?

Unanswered doubts transformed into questions, and Karlos nonchalantly provided the answer.

– One promised eternity has no reason to long for it. For longing naturally arises toward what one cannot possess.

Thus, to beings like himself, eternity often becomes a prison.

Though it wasn’t a direct answer, it sufficed to solve my query.

– We are slaves shackled to support causality.

Their existence ensures dimensions persist, allowing causality to function.

– Do not assume your god will be any different.

Was this a warning that Earth’s System would eventually follow his path?

Or advice to behave wisely to avoid such a fate?

Having received the desired answer, I swallowed again, offering my gratitude.

“… Thank you.”

Karlos could have chosen not to bestow his status and gradually vanish from this place.

It might have taken more time, but the outcome he desired would have been achieved either way.

‘Yet, he chose to use the game’s rules to pass his status to me.’

Admittedly, it was a mutually beneficial transaction.

Nevertheless, Karlos had shown me kindness.

I wasn’t oblivious to that fact, so I bowed to the vanishing god of a dimension.

After straightening back up, the image of Karlos was nowhere to be seen.

For a brief moment, I stood idly, feeling as if I heard a faint laugh. A very clear and light-hearted laugh.

Listening to it, I found it difficult to move.

On this day, countless lives’ home had ceased to exist.

Undoubtedly, it was a tragedy befalling all Biharin.

Yet to someone who now no longer existed, it probably was an unparalleled relief.

‘Then, is my happiness also someone else’s misfortune?’

It was a thought I would soon shake off.

Despite knowing, I found moving on difficult.

So, I stayed for a while, gazing at the spot where Karlos had disappeared.

* * *

Returning to Earth, I found it considerably noisy.

From the moment I began demolishing Biharin, the number of Holes visible in the sky began decreasing rapidly.

It ultimately became ‘0’ at 9:34 this morning.

This led to an overflow of chaotic news and reports worldwide.

The online realm was even more tumultuous.

People heading to schools and workplaces couldn’t hide their unease and excitement.

And when speculation with a hint of hope emerged about the war finally being over.

“…… The, the Association confirmed that all existing Holes are now closed as of this moment.”

The Player Association officially announced.

As soon as Lily finished her statement during the press conference, questions flooded in from all directions.

Some excited journalists bombarded her with questions.

However, rather than answering, Lily calmed the commotion.

“But!”

She shouted with such force, imbued with Mana, that civilians covered their ears.

It resulted in a swift quieting of the press conference venue reminiscent of a marketplace moments earlier.

“At the same time, we have confirmed a new entity capable of creating Holes.”

The once-quiet venue filled with murmuring again.

“The Association’s final judgment is that it is too early to declare total peace and security on Earth. The Player Association will exert all its strength to eliminate this entity….”

Summarizing Lily’s ongoing words: Remain vigilant, as war could break out again at any time.

However, many seemed to neither heed the message carefully nor at all.

Just looking at posts on various communities and social media sites made it obvious.

People were already celebrating and casually mentioning the heavy word “peace.”

Such complacent behavior.

I observed their reactions silently.

After the Association’s press conference concluded and news anchors appeared on TV,

“Keep following the current lifestyle patterns, despite the frustration.”

I casually warned my family watching the news with me.

Jinwoo, who was slicing fruit, cautiously asked,

“Will the Holes open again?”

“Yes.”

I declared it decisively, without leaving room for doubt or contrary opinions.

Omby will certainly return.

It’s merely a matter of time.

It has limited methods to access Earth again.

With the System’s protective barrier still intact, direct crossing of causality would be challenging.

‘You can surmise just by looking at the level of the replicas sent.’

Ultimately, attempting to reopen a Hole from another dimension targeting Earth seems a likely option.

According to the System’s estimation, it might take about 2 to 3 weeks.

In a way, it was fortuitous. I desperately needed time.

‘During this interval, I shall fully absorb the status.’

Karlos’s status was immense.

Ashamedly incomparable to what I had been seizing thus far.

Even if I had focused solely on Karlos and abandoned all other gods, I could have possessed substantial status.

Ironically, I couldn’t immediately absorb all the status at once because of its enormity.

It seemed Karlos was aware of this dilemma.

So he embedded his status directly within me.

Allowing me to absorb it slowly over time.

Though I comprehended this situation in my head.

‘Getting skewered by a knife once would be better.’

The bloated discomfort reminiscent of indigestion that lasted hours became a torment.

Continually gnawing at my nerves, reminiscent of undergoing torture.

Sighing deeply, I slumped into the sofa.

‘I must gather more divinity during this opportunity.’

Considering the enormity of Karlos’s status, the divinity acquired was meager.

According to the Damned System, Karlos had invested most divinity in game creation.

Thus, he probably had little divinity left.

In many ways, the timing seemed suitable.

‘Of course, I can’t afford to relax too much during this period.’

Quietly, I planned to make my time meaningful while preparing for the next.

Frustratingly, not everyone shared my mindset.

It took less than a day to realize this unfortunate truth.

Damned System

### New Elements and Characters:

– **칼로스 (Karlos)**: He, the presence that the narrator interacted with.

– **세노아 (Zenoa)**: na, mentioned in memory regarding Karlos.

– **비하르 (Biharin)**: it, a location associated with the gods.

– **황금색 빛 (Golden light)**: it, established an enveloping cloak.

– **비하르인 (Biharin)**: they, residents of Biharin.

– **기원신 (god of origin)**: na, a term used to describe a type of god.

– **진우 (Jinwoo)**: he, slicing fruit as part of the family.

– **릴리 (Lily)**: her, spokesperson for the Player Association at the press conference.