Ch.190Chapter 190. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (1)

# Chapter 190. IF – If the Cathedral Had Remained Intact (1)

# This story is a “what if” scenario and not part of the main storyline.

Crunch!

I bit down on the evil god’s head, putting it in my mouth. The final blow. The evil god’s body collapsed, gushing blood like a waterfall.

– …

It’s over. The long battle that lasted nearly two years has finally… How should I put it? I feel good, but something keeps bothering me.

Is it because the evil god, my final opponent, died so pathetically? Not only was he weaker than the Seven-Headed Dragon Demon, but he didn’t even seem to have the will to fight properly.

It could also be because of Charon, who hasn’t shown himself since he was badly beaten by the Cloud Demon.

He was the one sealed in the “Necromancer’s Tomb” because the Goddess Church couldn’t kill him. I thought even the Cloud Demon wouldn’t be able to kill him.

I was always wary of Charon, thinking I would face him again someday. But he never showed up, even until the moment the evil god died.

Did Charon really die that day? Something feels off.

“The dimensional gate is closed! We’ve won!”

MeleeSpy, wearing a black helmet, shouted loudly as he came out of the imperial palace with other paladins. Hanna was there too.

“The evil god is dead! We’ve reclaimed the cathedral!”

“Mission accomplished! We can go home now!”

“Scream!”

“Woooooah!”

“Long live Malak!”

The possessed players shed tears of joy. The highlight was Siwoo and Monkey hugging each other and screaming wildly.

“The apocalypse… is over.”

“I never thought this day would come…”

“It’s Lord Malak’s victory, the Tribal Alliance’s victory!”

“Malak! Malak! Malak!”

The natives were just as happy as the players.

By the way, final objective, huh. I remember the paladins’ final objective was “Reclaim the cathedral, drive out the demons invading the surface. Protect the servants of the Goddess.”

I looked at my status window. More specifically, at the text hidden below “Enter Community.”

– Final Objective: Work in secret. Defeat the demons and the servants of the Goddess, and seize control of the surface. If your identity is revealed before that day, you will pay a great price.

My final objective was ambiguous at best. I hadn’t defeated the servants of the Goddess, meaning the civilized people who were followers of the Goddess Church and the possessed players (paladins).

…Perhaps the source of my unease was the fear that I might be left behind alone when everyone else returns to Earth.

[NotACatfish: As you can see from the community, we won!]

[Congrats]

[NotACatfish: What do you mean ‘congrats’? lol It’s our victory]

Well, that’s true.

[NotACatfish: I’m a bit sad we couldn’t fight together until the end]

[NotACatfish: Anyway, we’re both safe, so that’s good]

[NotACatfish: Like I said before, my name is Hanna. Jo Hanna]

She seemed to hesitate, as the messages stopped briefly.

[NotACatfish: Sans. Can you tell me your name too?]

Well, there’s no reason not to at this point. I told her my name.

[NotACatfish: What a boring name]

[NotACatfish: I’ll just call you Sans. I’m more used to that]

No way. After I finally told her, this is how she reacts.

[NotACatfish: Sans. Remember what I’m about to tell you]

Hanna shared detailed information about where she lived, including her home address. Thinking it wasn’t enough, she even wrote down her phone number.

[NotACatfish: Don’t forget, okay?]

[Ok]

Remembering isn’t a problem. I can just write it in “Messages to Myself,” the memo pad exclusive to possessed players.

That’s when it happened.

Woooong-!

The sky opened with a thunderous sound. A white radiance appeared, parting the clouds. I could sense an extremely powerful divine presence.

I instinctively knew it was the power of the Goddess Ishtania. Perhaps her influence had increased after reclaiming the cathedral.

[NotACatfish: It’s time to go home]

[NotACatfish: What are you going to do when you get back?]

[NotACatfish: Want to go watch that movie you were looking for before, “Hentai Kamen”?]

[No]

She remembers the strangest things.

Wooooo-!

The radiance in the sky shot beams of light toward the ground. The light split into dozens of rays, scattering in all directions.

I watched, wondering what it was, and saw that it was tracking the possessed players. Soon, all the possessed players began to shine as if they were under spotlights.

I accessed the community.

[LoveDeathMeow: Meow meow meow~! (Explanation that the light is Ishtania’s power! Confirmation that we’re returning to Earth! Request to rejoice!)]

[MorningTentInstaller: I’m going to catch up on all the webtoons I missed as soon as I get back. For real]

[OneSlice: Oh, so this light was divine power? It came into my house and startled me]

[ITrustedMonkeyUncle: A brilliant light surrounds me~]

I didn’t expect Ishtania to actually send them back home. Well, that’s fortunate.

[NotACatfish: Sans]

[NotACatfish: Let’s definitely meet on Earth]

After thinking for a moment, I sent a message.

[If you’re ugly when we meet, I’m running away immediately]

I figured it was better not to say something like “Actually, I’m Malak so I probably can’t go to Earth…” Let’s end on a cheerful note.

[NotACatfish: You wanna die?]

Whoosh!

Right after Hanna sent her message, she and the other possessed players were sucked into the light. It happened in an instant.

– …

Am I the only possessed player left now?

“Lord Malak.”

Lakye, who was riding on my back, called out to me. Without Lakye, establishing the Tribal Alliance and obtaining divine manifestation would have been difficult.

She was truly the greatest contributor to this victory.

– Lakye.

Pushing away the uneasy feeling, I calmly called her name. The name of my most beloved follower in this world.

“When your divine manifestation ends, you’ll need time to recover in the spirit realm, right?”

– That’s right.

“I’ll wait until then. A time when we can talk, just the two of us, without any worries…”

– Mm.

She had said there was something she wanted to ask me when all this was over.

Thinking about it again, staying in this world might not be so bad. It would be nice to rebuild the surface with the followers I love.

And didn’t I resolve during the Atomic Rex incident? To save everyone, whether they were possessed players or civilized people.

I made my choice, so I have no regrets. Just as I was steeling my resolve…

[Don’t worry]

The true Malak contacted me through “Messages to Myself.”

[I’ve finished talking with Ishtania]

[When you open your eyes, you too will be home]

[You’ve worked hard until now]

[And, thank you]

What? I’ll be sent home too? I felt more confused than happy.

No, not now.

I haven’t even said goodbye to my followers yet… Lakye said she had something to tell me!

Unable to fight the sudden drowsiness washing over me, I fell into a deep sleep.

***

When I opened my eyes, I was on Earth. It might be more accurate to say I appeared with a “pop” on the same street where I had disappeared, wearing my convenience store vest.

Just as two years had passed in the other world, two years had also passed on Earth. I first went to my parents’ house to see them.

“M-Mom…!”

Seeing my haggard mother made me want to cry. Where had all that majestic Malak gone?

I cried “Waah, waah” with my deep voice.

“D-dear! It’s XX! XX is back!”

“What, what is this! You! Where have you been all this time! Huh?!”

After spending an emotional time with my family whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, I went to the police station to report that I was alive.

After going through various complicated procedures, a week quickly passed.

After much discussion, I decided to give up my rented room and live with my family. I guess I evolved from an independent loner to a work-from-home son.

“Huff, huff.”

Now, I’m living my life jogging in the neighborhood park as rehabilitation training.

I was worried that I might find 21st century Korea unfamiliar after living as a totem for two years in another world, but that wasn’t the case.

Perhaps it’s because I grew up here for 20 years? I got used to it quickly.

Rather, the two years I spent ruling(?) as a god in the other world felt like a distant dream. It was a long and interesting dream, but not a clear one.

It wasn’t an issue with my memory or psychology; it seemed the Goddess or the true Malak had taken some measures.

Perhaps it was a kind of consideration to protect the fragile human mind.

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

I sat on a bench after finishing my jog. I’m sweating like rain. It’s killing me trying to move a body I haven’t used for over two years.

Sometimes I wonder if this is really my body. I’ve heard that the human body operates through a bioelectric system composed of positive and negative ions.

After being stored in Ishtania’s secret space for two years, could it be that the electrical signals aren’t being properly received?

While thinking these useless thoughts, I turned on my smartphone.

“…”

I see Hanna’s phone number saved in my contacts. I’ve been debating whether to contact her for days now.

Pressing the call button wasn’t easy. I worried that my call might bring back memories of her life in the other world, which she might have been trying to forget because it was too painful.

As I was hesitating…

“Mr. XXX?”

A middle-aged woman in a tracksuit approached me with a smile. Then she handed me her business card.

“Could we talk for a moment?”

In the center of the business card from the woman who looked like an ordinary neighborhood ajumma was written “Dried Seaweed Transport Management Bureau” in large letters.

“…Talk?”

Management Bureau.

I swallowed hard. I have a bad feeling about this.