Ch.120Winter’s Legacy (2)

Four years ago.

Back then, I was going through an unbearably lonely season.

It had been only a few months since I was suddenly pulled into this world.

The fate of “possession” that I had to shoulder without any time to prepare was nothing but confusing.

Perhaps it was what people commonly call a prank of fate, or perhaps it was the execution of inevitability—I couldn’t tell. But what was certain was that there was no way back.

In the end, to survive, I had to keep struggling in my own way.

“What… role do they expect me to play?”

A world on the brink of destruction.

If that was the case.

The ending I needed to change was all too clear.

It might have been an interpretation stemming from my own greed, but I resolved to live by that uncertain calling.

That’s why I stepped onto that uncertain path of thorns.

My choice marked the beginning of a fierce life.

The Usurpation War.

It was the event closest to the point of my possession and one I absolutely had to intervene in when considering the future of the original story.

A power struggle between criminal organizations trying to devour the underworld.

But to call it a simple struggle would be an understatement—it was a massive game that could shake the empire’s political landscape.

The numerous names that clashed out of mere greed would even affect the original story.

Led by the [Monarch] who had ruled the empire’s underbelly until now, the underworld bigwigs challenging the ruler’s throne, and the numerous criminal organizations staining the shadows with violence.

A world full of trash needed cleaning.

Originally.

This war was not supposed to end until five years had passed.

The sweetness of ambition was close to madness.

Violence and plunder turn weak humans into demons, pushing them toward a hell with no visible end.

People wear the collar of sin solely for the reason of a better life.

It’s thoroughly adult-like.

“…I have to stop it.”

A world burning red with blood and fire.

Horrific slaughter continuing endlessly.

Those who became corpses under the shower of arrows, and the barbarians who laughed vilely despite standing on rotten flesh.

It was a tragedy, or perhaps a comedy, that explicitly conveyed the meaning of rock bottom.

Even in this situation, the ones who cried most sadly… were the people who harbored no sin at all.

My very first step had to point toward their salvation.

Of course.

Preventing destruction was the primary goal.

Because in the original story, it was the root of tragedy.

The prolonged war gradually festered the empire’s underbelly, eventually making it so chaotic that even the imperial family couldn’t handle it.

To make matters worse, dark mages joined hands with the underworld.

In this world, the Usurpation War was.

An event no different from the source of all evil.

“Besides… I need to find it before it awakens.”

That thing.

The first trigger that drives this world to destruction.

I would deal with the future calamity in advance.

With that thought, I left the comfortable mansion and stepped into the filthiest depths.

Back then, I couldn’t think of any better options.

Because I had nowhere to turn to.

Suddenly.

Abandoned in a lonely world, I.

Though bewildered by the life given to me once again, hesitating to live, suddenly regretting, I ultimately chose to move forward.

With the determination that this would truly be the last game.

Forgetting you.

“I’ll be going now.”

The mansion where no answer returns.

I didn’t have the typical struggles of a possessed person living as someone else.

I also didn’t need to deceive the relationships this body had built.

After all, the family didn’t care about me.

No.

To be more precise, they treated me as if I didn’t exist.

The months spent in the mansion felt like a cold season.

Except for minimal conversations about meals and washing up, no one showed any interest or affection toward this body.

Even if I disappeared for over a week, there wasn’t even an attempt to look for me.

That place felt like a doll house made entirely of lies.

“What kind of life… did Judas live?”

The hidden side of the traitor I hadn’t known until then.

I had questions at the time, but they were questions I soon erased from my mind.

The approaching storm was overwhelming enough.

And so I.

Walked through the storm.

“Haa, haa…!”

A war I plunged into without preparation.

From that day on, it was a succession of pain and intensity.

Because I was covered in the stench of blood.

I was alone.

Handling powers I wasn’t yet familiar with, killing the trash littering the streets, hiding at night to avoid being tracked, liberating people who were suffering, and moving forward like that.

The first time I was covered in someone else’s blood, it was sticky and lukewarm.

There were days when I vomited my guts out several times.

But.

To survive, I couldn’t hesitate even a little.

At that time, my output of lies wasn’t like it is now, so when my strength waned, I would hide in places like sewers.

It was a setting with a terrible stench rising, but I wasn’t in a position to be picky.

“Ugh… cough!”

It was the principle that worked in the underworld.

The bottom was a place that eradicated the pure and true, so only those who gave up their dignity and qualifications survived.

In society, there’s a name for those who exist so disgustingly.

None other than trash.

We were waste piled up in a landfill.

Killing each other, stealing, chasing, trampling… repeatedly diving using all sorts of adult methods.

As if betting on who could drag the other down.

I was no different.

Under the pretext of eradicating evil, I wore the same evil as them.

That’s why I didn’t like the memories of that time.

“…Should I just quit everything?”

The anguish I occasionally harbored.

The world of adults, which I thought I had become accustomed to from my previous life, kept entangling me as if proving there was no limit to its ugliness.

To the extent that even the pure heart that had somehow remained alive was completely devoured.

I was just repeating a cold war.

“The bleeding won’t stop… should I stitch it up like last time?”

Sometimes I felt lonely.

Leaning against the corner of a sewer, treating my tattered body by myself, I would suddenly suffer from an unfillable sense of loss.

But I didn’t shed tears in that emptiness.

Was it because my emotions had dried up?

Life just kept getting colder.

Nevertheless.

Time passes.

I single-handedly cleaned up the criminal organizations rooted in the underworld and erased one by one the seeds that could pose a threat in the future.

The situation faded like a faint flame, without even a chance to be gripped by madness.

In the original story, the war continued for a full 5 years.

But I was able to wrap up the [Usurpation War] in less than 3 months.

It was the reward for intensity.

“Haa, haa…”

Breath exhaled intensely.

Only after dealing with all the forces parasitic to the underworld was I able to bring down the last remaining [Kingdom].

That kingdom referred to the domain ruled by the Monarch.

The white-haired old man spits out a mouthful of blood.

“Cough…!”

The figure who gave me the most trouble during the war.

Not only did he have continent-wide influence, but he also possessed overwhelming individual power and strategies that repeatedly outsmarted opponents with cunning tricks.

He was truly worthy of being called the unofficial strongest.

Although he eventually fell.

“It’s over now.”

Around us remained the aftermath of the fierce battle.

The horrifically shattered castle and street scenery.

The old man was kneeling with a tattered appearance.

His body was covered in blood, his neat attire had become rags, and his severed right arm was rolling on the ground.

Especially his left chest, which was pierced by a sword.

I stood with my sword thrust into the old man’s heart.

A faint heartbeat transmitted to my fingertips.

“Don’t struggle.”

“Yes… so it ends like this after all.”

The old man muttered.

It was a response of resignation, sensing the end.

I gazed at him calmly.

Though his body was a miserable mess of blood, I was no less damaged.

Even simply breathing was painful.

Even light first aid was burdensome due to my already depleted output.

I could only grit my teeth and swallow the pain.

“The bitter Usurpation War ends today.”

“How is it? The feeling of being the sole victor left at the end of all wars…?”

“…It’s empty.”

I answered quietly.

Blood on my hands.

The boundary between life and death I had drawn was simple.

I destroyed forces that had aided the cultists in the original story and only trampled those that hadn’t to the point where recovery would be difficult.

The reason I didn’t kill the old man before me now was the same.

He was one of the few figures in the underworld who hadn’t joined hands with the dark mages.

Whether it was because he was bothered by their sinister power, or because of memories from his past involvement, I had no way of knowing, but I thought he would be a good asset if kept alive.

I slowly pulled out the sword I had thrust into the Monarch’s heart.

Screech-.

As the sword was withdrawn, the hole in his chest closed up.

I had restored it to its original form.

But.

“This is not mercy.”

A magic woven with lies remained inside his heart.

A spell planted to prevent him from acting freely.

A magic that would explode as soon as I recited the activation phrase.

It was designed to activate even if my life activity ceased, so preemptive strikes from the other side wouldn’t work either.

The old man seemed to feel the spell constricting his heart.

A tired laugh escaped him.

“Kekeke… So you’re still letting me live. Indeed, you’re interesting.”

The old man spoke while kneeling.

His aged eyes were deeply sunken, enough to give one chills.

I answered.

“From now on, you’re a puppet.”

“A puppet, you say…?”

“If you don’t follow my instructions, I’ll immediately take that heart of yours.”

“Are you proposing a deal?”

“I mean you should pay the price.”

“I suppose there’s no right of refusal… as the loser, it’s the rule to submit to that fate.”

“Well thought.”

“But it’s a pity. I almost won. Lost by just a hair’s breadth.”

“You truly were terribly strong.”

That was true.

Only after surviving several near-death experiences and depleting my output to the limit was I able to pierce the old man’s heart.

If I had been even slightly off, defeat would have been mine.

I exhaled a painful breath.

The old man looked up at me and asked.

“Victor… in the rightful name of war, is there something more you desire?”

“Of course there is.”

I answered without hesitation.

After all.

It had been my top priority goal since I first plunged into the depths.

I spoke of the seed of destruction.

“The last member of your royal guard that you’ve been hiding all this time.”

The Monarch’s royal guard consisted of five.

But.

Only four appeared in the war.

The remaining one would be in the underground prison.

A monster with overwhelming talent for slaughter that he wanted to keep by his side, but had imprisoned from the world due to uncontrollable power.

I mentioned the killing demon the Monarch had been hiding all this time.

“Bulchung. I’ll be taking her.”

“…Huh.”

A laugh as if dumbfounded.

The old man muttered with a blank gaze.

“It was something I kept strictly secret… but you always seem to read my mind. As if you know the future.”

“So what’s your answer?”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore.”

The Monarch nodded as if giving up.

“Do as you please.”

The old man readily gave the coordinates.

It was a prison in a remote location.

As soon as I confirmed the details, I turned my back.

My staggering steps left behind the collapsed throne, departing from the scene of the underworld where the war had ended.

Now it was time for the boy to meet the seed of destruction.

Just then.

The season at that time was beginning winter.

The coldest winter, that is.

***

After wandering for more than three days.

What I discovered at the end of roaming the remote landscape was none other than an underground prison hidden in ruins.

I approached, dragging my legs that still had muscle pain.

Normally, it wouldn’t have taken this long to cover the distance, but my movements had slowed due to physical exhaustion.

It seemed I would need to devise a more convenient method of transportation from now on.

‘Come to think of it… was it Bulmeong?’

It would be convenient to have such a spatial ability user.

I should look for one later.

Putting aside idle thoughts, I headed to the basement.

At the end of the long staircase appeared the scene of a prison with thick bars packed tightly together.

Devices that slowed down mana were also operating around.

I sensed that I had come to the right place.

Clank-.

A faint sign of life from beyond the iron bars.

Then a faint voice echoed.

“Who…?”

A shadow revealing itself.

Despite the deep darkness, a silver-haired girl with dazzlingly bright hair was there.

Chains were wrapped around her arms and legs in several layers.

“Finally, we meet.”

I examined her.

An incredibly beautiful original, but with traces of violence remaining here and there.

It seemed the Monarch had oppressed her for control.

Seeing her face scratched all over and even bruised blue, I was suddenly reminded of my previous life that I had forgotten for a while.

Even when I was young, I had to suffer from violent parents.

Maybe it was just an overlap I saw for no reason.

“I’ve come to take you.”

“…?”

I gently extended my hand through the iron bars.

What returned was a wary gaze.

Regardless, I smiled and spoke.

It was a softly created syllable of embrace.

“Don’t you need a name?”

A somewhat unexpected question.

That was the beginning of us two.