Chapter 322

Chapter 322
Chapter 322

—

…Because in that moment, he could perceive the images of the two goddesses offering gentle smiles from behind Hyun.

These two divine beings were so radiant and pure that they surpassed any comparison to the formal doctrines of the Reaper Church or the deities they worshipped.

‘Ah…’

Staring up at the two goddesses, Lyca found tears streaming down his face without even being aware of it.

Priest Andrew.

He had transitioned into an Avenger, but fortunately, he remained cradled within the goddess’s protection.

The difficulty lay in the fact that he himself struggled to accept that reality.

‘…Could he really be…’

Hyun.

The second he stood before him, his spiritual energy had started to surge once more.

To be exact, it happened the instant he disclosed his ‘true self’.

Yet, confusion still gripped him.

He found it impossible to wrap his head around.

Nevertheless, it had to be the truth.

If it weren’t factual, there was simply no way to account for the miracle of the Indulgences being granted again.

“What was the purpose of this assembly?”

“Has Sir Randolph arrived yet?”

The setting was a large chamber.

Within its walls, various individuals including Serengeti and Priest Andrew had come together.

Saintess Sea, Isabella, Hudson, Balte, and Isaac were all present.

Even the Blade Dragon God Hana had made an appearance.

Every person connected to Randolph was in attendance.

However, the majority of them were in the dark regarding the specific goal of this meeting.

Balte and Isaac, who had reached the venue behind the others, were naturally plagued by the most questions.

They merely took it for granted that Randolph would be joining them.

Creeak.

Before long, the heavy door swung open, and a man stepped inside.

He pulled the door shut, walked into the center of the room, and stood before the group.

Yet, the figure standing there was not Randolph.

“…”

“…!!!”

Isabella appeared to have picked up on something immediately, while Hudson’s eyes grew wide with pure shock.

The reactions across the room were a mosaic of different emotions.

Standing as the focal point of their attention, the man spoke.

“I am Randolph.”

Then, sensing that his initial statement required more depth, he continued.

“I am also known as Park Hyunmyeong, and I am Wilhelm.”

We are referred to as ‘players.’

I had wrestled with this decision for a significant amount of time.

Whether I should bring this to light or keep it buried.

But this was a reality that was destined to surface eventually.

No deception lasts forever, and to persist in lying to the people who had placed their faith in me and stood by my side would be a total betrayal of that loyalty.

At the very least, the people in this room deserved the truth.

“…Will this be okay for you?”

While the rest of the group remained paralyzed by the revelation, Isabella voiced her question with care.

I didn’t misunderstand the source of her anxiety.

In truth, Isabella was the one who held the most insight into my nature.

Back on the Isle of God, she had been able to peer into the fragments of my past.

Similarly, I had seen into her heart and discovered the mystery surrounding the ‘Divine Sickness’.

Even so, Isabella was not privy to every detail of my existence.

‘The negative consequences vanished the moment I merged with Randolph.’

The saving grace was that the risk of my very being flickering out of existence had been nullified.

It was because Randolph and I were no longer separate entities.

Because of that, I intended to lay out the facts exactly as they were, without exaggeration or omission.

That was the only way I could manage the challenges waiting on the horizon.

The massive upheaval that had gripped the lands of Pangenia.

And the various ordeals ahead, such as the ‘Dungeon of Forgotten Honor’.

I wasn’t capable of navigating all of this in isolation.

Moving forward, we needed to consolidate our strength more than ever before.

Bringing together the people I could truly rely on was the most effective way to brace for a future that remained shrouded in uncertainty.

“…Park Hyunmyeong?”

Isaac was the first to find his voice.

Isaac of the Thunderclap!

He was a man who had a country-wide bounty on his head because of his extensive history of lawbreaking.

He had gone to absurd lengths to try and prove the existence of game masters, so he was bound to feel a deep-seated bitterness toward me for controlling his path as I saw fit.

Furthermore, Isaac recognized my name—the name Park Hyunmyeong.

Isabella had witnessed my true face during her transcendence, and Isaac had been told my name.

“The criminal, Park Hyunmyeong?”

“Isaac, please try to stay calm. The fact that we suffered from the ‘Divine Sickness’ was a result of the paths we chose for ourselves.”

Isabella moved quickly to position herself between Isaac and me.

However, the tension on Isaac’s face didn’t fade in the slightest.

“I chose this? What kind of choice did I ever make?”

“Th-that is…”

Isabella found herself at a loss for words.

The entire revelation was simply too overwhelming to process all at once.

“Isaac. Your destiny was to perish in those mines.”

…And so, I began to explain.

“That nameless city of labor. A site where dozens of kidnapped slaves lose their lives every single day. In that place, you pleaded with me to deliver you.”

“…!!!”

Isaac’s gaze wavered.

Hardly anyone was aware of the specifics regarding what happened in that mining city.

But I was familiar with the most minute details.

Because I was the one who had navigated it.

“To be precise, your contract wasn’t with me, but with the Bluebird, the ‘Game Master’. You requested that I be summoned to intervene in a death you couldn’t bypass on your own, to give you a fighting chance at life. You made the choice to struggle.”

“That is what the ‘Divine Sickness’ truly is…?”

“As part of the cost, the memories of that event were stripped away.”

“So… you were the one acting in my place? Because I was supposed to die in those tunnels?”

“Yes. To be perfectly honest, it was a grueling task. Not only was the area crawling with sentries, but the culture among the slaves was to betray one another constantly. Initially, my only goal was to get out alive.”

“…”

“But I had a change of heart. I brought the mine down and facilitated the escape of the prisoners. Afterward, I went after the people responsible and engaged in several illegal acts. The reason you are a hunted man today is entirely because of my actions.”

The reason Isaac had been forced to seek sanctuary in Kramdel.

I laid out the entire sequence of events.

As I spoke, the color drained from Isaac’s face until he looked like a ghost.

“…I’ve been having these visions lately. It feels like the things I forgot in the mines are resurfacing as dreams. I just… I assumed they were just hallucinations…”

He looked completely shaken.

But it was the undeniable reality.

Every person who had a connection to me was likely going through a process similar to Isaac’s right now.

“If all of this is the truth… why did you keep us in the dark until this moment?”

“Because I was just as ignorant.”

“…What?”

“I had no idea that this world was a tangible, living reality either.”

It was a harsh thing to admit, but there are times when the truth must be spoken plainly.

If I continued to hide it, the contradictions would eventually tear us apart.

The words I was about to say were exactly that.

It was time to unlock the door that had been bolted shut.

A truth that remained unspoken, because no one had the capacity to speak it.

“To me, this entire world was nothing more than a game.”

The reality that I was just playing a simulation, and all of you were merely digital personas within that simulation.

The explanation flowed on without stopping.

I admitted that I wasn’t a Star-Awakened from the start.

That I had approached them and utilized them under a false identity.

That I had inhabited the roles of countless individuals, and that even Wilhelm was just another mask I wore.

I even confessed that when Wilhelm’s life ended, I had shifted my consciousness into Randolph.

“…”

“…”

The room fell into a heavy silence.

It was a banquet of pure disbelief.

They clearly required a moment to sort through the chaos in their minds.

However, the message could also be interpreted in a much darker way.

‘I have been playing you and using you for my own ends.’

Isaac contemplated this deeply.

‘Was I truly just a tool?’

To be used implies that the user gained something at your expense.

But Randolph hadn’t really extracted anything of value from Isaac.

On the contrary, he had rescued him, cleared the weight of his sins, and provided him with a place to belong.

He had introduced him to friends.

He had allowed him to experience a sense of belonging he had never known.

But… no matter the perspective.

The core fact remained that he had been living a lie this entire time.

If it weren’t for the history and the connections they had built up acting as a buffer, he might have stormed out in a rage.

…No, it was more than that.

Storming out would have been the mild reaction.

‘I was planning to kill him. I wanted to take his head. This person who moved my body, Park Hyunmyeong—my only goal was to end his life.’

After reaching transcendence, he had even consumed the ‘Star of the Beheaded’ specifically so he could decapitate Park Hyunmyeong the moment they met.

And now, that very man was standing right in front of him.

But Park Hyunmyeong was Randolph.

And simultaneously, he was Wilhelm…

Where was he supposed to aim his fury now?

It was all too much to take in at once.

Yet, he couldn’t deny it.

Isabella seemed to have been aware for some time.

The way she looked at Park Hyunmyeong said it all.

Her expression was clearly filled with affection and care.

“I am also one of the ‘sinners’. We are known as ‘players’.”

It was then.

In a sudden turn, Hudson came forward with his own confession.

Everyone turned to look at Hudson, their eyes wide.

Hudson squeezed his eyes shut and spoke.

“I’m sorry, Serengeti. I don’t belong to this world.”

“…What are you saying, Hudson?”

“My real name is Oliver. I come from a place called Earth, not Pangenia. This body, this face—none of it represents who I truly am.”

“…”

“But please, you have to believe me. The feelings I have for you are genuine. You are the only person for me. That has been true since the beginning, and it will never change.”

“…”

Serengeti stood there, completely stunned.

Though their wedding had been interrupted by the Hydragon’s arrival, weren’t they on the verge of becoming husband and wife?

And now she was being told Hudson was a sinner?

A traveler from another dimension?

Even the romance they shared felt like it was built on a lie.

“…Was everything just a fabrication?”

“No. That’s not it. I know this sounds like a hollow excuse, but I felt I had no choice. Our status here was essentially that of ‘sinners’. We were seen as hostile invaders.”

“…”

“In my original world, I was ready to give up on life. I was sickly, and I didn’t have a single soul I could call a friend. I was overwhelmed with joy when I found you here. I reached a point where I felt Hudson, not Oliver, was my true identity.”

He had wanted to confess this a long time ago, but he couldn’t find the courage.

But he couldn’t keep the secret any longer.

If the truth didn’t come out now, it never would.

“Being with you made me want to live. It gave me a reason to stay. Sir Park Hyunmyeong… Sir Randolph, he was the one who saved me. But I always carried this knot of anxiety in my heart. I wondered if it was wrong to keep this from you. I was terrified you would leave me if you knew… every day was a mental struggle.”

“You still should have told me.”

“I did try. You just didn’t take it seriously… I’m so sorry.”

“…Now that I think about it, you might be right.”

Serengeti bit her lip.

Reflecting on it, there were numerous oddities about Hudson.

And right before their wedding, Hudson had definitely tried to tell her something.

-Actually, there’s something I need to confess.

-Confess? What is it?

-I’m actually…

-Actually what?

-I’m a sinner.

-A sinner who stole my heart?

-No… that’s not what I mean…

-Don’t worry about it. We’re getting married in a week. Everything is ready, so just let me take care of things, Hudson.

-Wait. A week…?

…She had definitely heard him call himself a sinner.

But she had pushed the thought aside, using the stress of the wedding plans as a shield.

In reality, Serengeti had her own suspicions.

She had just been desperately wishing they weren’t true and had chosen to ignore the signs.

The news that both Randolph and Hudson were sinners hit hard.

She hadn’t given it much thought before, but now that the truth was staring her in the face, her mind was a whirlwind.

“Me too…”

“…Huh?”

Having composed herself, Serengeti spoke slowly.

When Hudson looked at her in confusion, Serengeti let out a long, heavy breath.

“You aren’t my first love either, Hudson.”

“…Wait? What did you just say?”

“Do you know the actual reason I decided to join the ‘Knights of the Round Table’?”

“…Why was it?”

“Because I thought the Vice-Captain I saw when I was a child was incredibly impressive.”

“…You told me I was your first love.”

“I’m sorry. That was a lie.”

Phew!

As if a weight had been lifted, Serengeti shrugged her shoulders and offered a smile.

“Um… then why was I stuck on the Mountain of Ascetics?”

Balte tentatively raised his hand and spoke up.

Balte had spent an eternity training with his spear in the Chaos Zone of the Mountain of Ascetics.

But he had no recollection of how he had ended up there in the first place.

“The individual training became too tedious, so I decided to leave you on the Mountain of Ascetics.”

“…Excuse me?”

The statement hit him like a bolt from the blue.

“When I cranked the restrictions up to the max, I couldn’t perceive anything. It was so dull just thrusting a spear in that void… I have to admit, even I didn’t expect you to keep at it for over two years. I truly am sorry.”

“No, you absolute lunatic. Am I some kind of toy you use when you’re bored?”

Balte found himself cursing instinctively.

Even as reserved as he was, he couldn’t keep quiet after that.

It felt like being hit with a truth he never wanted to encounter.

But there was something else he was even more curious about.

“This is all incredibly jarring, but before all that. I must have been in a life-threatening situation too. I just can’t remember what it was.”

“…To be honest, I don’t recall either.”

“What?”

“I’ve handled so many similar scenarios… I don’t remember them all that clearly, except for a few unique cases.”

“…”

“What I can say for sure is that most of them involve being hunted by a beast or being trapped. My only objective was to ‘survive’.”

“Then how many people have you helped to ‘survive’?”

“Let’s see. I’ve done it about a thousand times, and I managed to succeed in ‘surviving’ about 99 percent of the time.”

“Keok!”

Suddenly, a choked sound erupted from the side.

It wasn’t Balte who had made the noise.

The one who had let out the cry was none other than Hudson.