#214
“Given that Earth is the only planet that has surpassed the 80th floor, I believe the reason for the failure of previous planets was their inability to climb the tower. And in the process, I think you reset the planet through your own judgment in order to maintain the barrier. Here, I think the reset is a process to return Elix to its initial state… Are the road players ‘really’ dead?”
[What is the point you are trying to make? Please tell me that.]
“On the final day of preparation, you told us: ‘If I had to let you know, one more time in the future’. “This is the number of resets the guides can make when they gather all their strength.”
Sehyeon didn’t bring this up to get an answer. To put it bluntly, he was making suggestions to the guides. With the hope that we are on the same side.
“If many of the reset road players are still alive somewhere… “I would like to ask if you could use your last remaining strength to temporarily bring players from previous planets here.”
The answer, as expected, was silence. She seemed to convey to Billwill’s motionless expression that this was nonsense. But soon, Billwill’s eyes closed deeply.
[…] Unfortunately, that’s an answer you won’t hear no matter what price you pay.]
It was the answer I expected. The reason I said this in the first place was to tell them that they also have this option. The decision of the next day was the responsibility of the guides.
However, is this really impossible for the guides who have repeatedly replaced countless planets?
‘It would be impossible for an empire with a current owner… .’
If there are empires that could not devote themselves to this land because they did not get a king in this generation, and if the status or national power they held in the past was high, even if they were temporarily brought back, it would be an enormous strength in terms of power.
“I’ll just go now.”
Sehyun threw the watch in her hand towards Bill Will. And he turned his back on Billwill, who had caught him at high speed, and his eyes turned to the clock for the last time.
What mattered now was not the things that might or might not happen. Baek Do-hyeon. Now that I had confirmed the desperation he was suffering from, meeting him came first.
***
My sense of time has become dull to the point where I don’t know how many days have passed. From the day he left the tower until now, Baek Do-hyeon has never had a single day of rest. The lifestyle of eating to survive, let alone sleeping, continued.
The afterimage I faced every time I fell asleep, chasing impatience, desperation, and unknown anger. The sight of the tidal wave rising high into the sky and the presence of the gigantic creature that trampled even it and crushed it took my breath away.
It was a dream that repeated like a nightmare. In that dream, Baek Do-hyeon was always helplessly coughing up blood and just watching in vain the destruction that others had prevented.
There was nothing Baek Do-hyun could do. It was the first time he felt a sense of distance and defeat.
I had to acquire skills strong enough to compete with others. I had to acquire skills to counter it. The voice that would guide Baek Do-hyeon was nearby.
‘What you need to get will be on the next floor.’
‘Are you saying that the next Implementation Empire will be my empire?’
‘That’s it, you’ll understand when you get there, right?’
He had a cunning, meaningful smile that hid many things. Nevertheless, Baek Do-hyeon approached the man with a desperate feeling. What Baek Do-hyun believed in was his ability. He has foresight and is the only one who can help Baek Do-hyeon.
That was Tyra, the Lord of Aihya, the White Clothed Empire.
‘Your role will be very important. There’s only one thing you have to do.’
In front of me was a sky with a red sunset. The hull of the airship separating them came into sight, exhausted.
Baek Do-hyeon, who was watching the clouds passing by, could not bear the fatigue and closed his heavy eyelids. The words I had pondered over countless times lingered in my ears.
‘Disturb me with telepathy. Of course, it would be impossible for Baek Do-hyun now. But if that becomes possible, you will get what you want when you enter the tower. So, before then, you must learn a skill that can disturb me. Whenever you come to see me, I will be your partner. I’ll let you know about the next indicator later.’
Tyra had the <Sensitive Resistance> skill that allowed her to resist mental stimulation. Her Baek Do Hyun’s skills did not work on her at all, and in order to neutralize her resistance, her Baek Do Hyun had to develop or obtain a higher level skill that was superior to the skills she currently possessed.
This is a mind-sensing skill that is strong enough to neutralize skills such as <Sensitivity Resistance> and <Dominance Resistance>.
“We will be arriving in the Empire soon, Lord.”
Baek Do-hyeon, who had been lost in thought, pressed his eyebrows and stood up at those words. The distorted vision made me feel nauseous. It was an aftereffect of mental sensitization that had been used for a long time.
Baek Do-hyun wiped away the cold sweat that had formed on the tip of his chin and was shaking precariously and held on with his mental strength. Then, I cut the path without proper focus and staggered towards the exit.
“… “Grand Duke Isis is very worried these days.”
Someone stood next to Baek Do-hyun and said something like that. Isis. When I heard that name, the fatigue that had been flooding in like a flood began to go away like the wind. Baek Do-hyun let out a long sigh and smiled bitterly.
“okay… “I’m considering it.”
Soon the day will set and I will become a child. the day… Was it cold?
Baek Do-hyeon took off the outer garment to cover Isis, held it in his hand, and waited in despair for the airship to dock. I hoped that Isis, who was coming to meet me, would not be cold, and thought of the words of apology I had given to her for worrying about me.
“Little Isis… Do you like hugs? That would be nice… .”
I don’t know when Isis became a big part of him. At least when Baek Do-hyun first saw Isis on the other side of the screen, he didn’t like her.
I was uncomfortable with the ever-changing appearance, and I did not like the work pattern that changed every time my personality changed. Especially when in the form of a child, Isis became a lot more sloppy. Baek Do-hyun didn’t like it, and he was upset that I had to deal with more things.
However, this was never mentioned once. As usual, he replaced his dissatisfaction with a sigh and quietly grew his empire, encompassing public affairs.
But the child, the woman, and the man didn’t seem to like it. From one day on, she began to steal Baek Do-hyeon’s work from women and men, and even at night, the child struggled to keep her sleepy eyes open and did the remaining work.
For dozens of nights, Baek Do-hyeon, who was no better than him, took away the child’s work.
‘I really like you.’
Words I had never heard before flowed from the child’s mouth. But those were her words full of tears.
‘So, don’t hate us too much. Because I’ll work hard… Please don’t throw it away. We really like Dohyun. I want to continue to be with you.’
Like a child being scolded, Isis hunched her shoulders and repeated those words several times. Even though he was shaking for fear of being hated, his eyes were straight on Baek Do-hyeon.
Even though Baek Do-hyeon thought foolishly that it was as if she was alive, he discovered his childhood self in Isis. Young Isis was someone who especially reminded Baek Do-hyeon of his past.
Isis and Baek Do-hyeon were similar in many ways. Women, men, and children.
When Isis was in her female form, she was more resolute than anyone else, when she was in her male form, she was more thorough than anyone else, and when she was a child, she was more vulnerable and honest than anyone else.
Baek Do-hyeon’s life was like that too. He lived a life where everything had to be perfect. And a life where it was not acceptable to be behind others. A life with a weaker heart than anyone else.
For decades growing up as an only child, Baek Do-hyun walked a path alone without encouragement. The road was so narrow that it was difficult to look back or to the side.
I lived under the pressure of my parents’ expectations that seemed to weigh me down at every moment, and I never escaped the urging and whipping for even a single moment. Maybe that’s why Baek Do-hyun grew up to be a great adult, as expected. He grew up to be an adult who went to a good university and was said to be a bright kid.
It was a solid road. In reality, Baek Do-hyun was hired as an intern at a prestigious large company, and the company, which valued Baek Do-hyun’s abilities, included him in a project as soon as he was converted to a full-time employee. Of course, it also included the influence of higher-ups who viewed Baek Do-hyun favorably.
However, not all of the series of processes were good. The cold stares of his classmates and the gazes of the shooters looking for faults ultimately created a certain tragedy.
As Baek Do-hyun took over the mistakes of his boss within the team, Baek Do-hyun’s position sharply declined from that day on.
What came back to Baek Do-hyun was not humane encouragement, but crude criticism. Baek Do-hyeon did not receive a single word of encouragement from his classmates when they made mistakes.
There was no place for Baek Do-hyun in the company. Not even one place.
‘Did you see the conductor’s face? I was so looking forward to it, but now he’s lying down with his head covered. ‘I shouldn’t leave it to a guy who hasn’t even completed his annual leave, so I’m going to argue with him and say hello.’
‘You’ve been so energetic since you were an intern, f*ck. It sucks.’
‘It looks like the shooter will change, who do you think it will be? Ha, bastard… . In times like this, you have to come under me to screw me over.’
There was no way I would be happy about the blemishes that others had made. Nevertheless, that day of silence was the first bitter experience of society that Baek Do-hyun experienced. From that day on, Baek Do-hyun had no choice but to become resolute in order to protect himself. I had no choice but to be thorough and hide my weakness.
Baek Do-hyeon was someone who lacked many things. Baek Do-hyun himself acknowledged this. He was not a humane person. Because I followed a stereotypical path, I lacked social skills, and the only price I paid was the pain I had to endure.
There were times when I wanted to die. There were times when I wanted to cry out of loneliness, and there were times when I wanted to receive encouragement or comfort. In fact, Baek Do-hyun also wanted to receive the attention, encouragement, and warm words that everyone else receives.
