– Volume 13, Chapter 17,
317 (Side Story). Earth perishing. Lee Tae-yeon
“It’s also difficult.”
Lee Tae-yeon, who had met the wizard, muttered sullenly.
A wish that is the reward for conquering the labyrinth. She kept thinking about what to ask for.
He thought about whether to ask for all the dead to be revived or to turn back time and make it a world where monsters can’t invade.
But if you didn’t conquer the labyrinth, you couldn’t make your wish come true. Lee Taeyeon grumbled.
“If that’s the case, is there anyone whose wish came true?”
[does not exist. It can’t be a wish that can be achieved so easily.]
“It’s not easy to reach this point…
[Because standards are relative. What the magician wants is more than that.]
“What’s up?”
Lee Taeyeon brushed her hair. Her hair
gently swayed.
“You can go back to Earth. That’s enough.”
I can finally get out of this damn place.
she smiled contentedly.
“Make a way.”
[I got it.]
Ugh.
space is open.
Beyond that, a familiar scent wafts. she catches her breath
it’s earth
She looks beyond the space with a hazy gaze.
“It’s finally…
She muttered in an excited voice and looked at Balba Bamba.
“You’ve always been a talkative and irritating guy, but after looking at it for a long time, I’ve come to like it. Goodbye.”
[bye. I was also quite happy. It was the first adventurer like you to go down the labyrinth.]
“Thank you for that, too.”
[What?]
the voice said quietly.
[I was happy too. It was a fulfilling time.]
“Since it’s the last time, I’m asking you again. What’s your identity?”
who is the voice
I knew it was a transcendent being.
Even she couldn’t sense the proper power.
Even though I spent an uncountable amount of time right next to him.
I kept asking questions out of curiosity, but the voice didn’t give me an answer.
The voice chuckled.
[You’ll know when the time comes.]
“Soon?”
The words were unclear, but Lee Tae-yeon stuck out her lips when she was told that her identity was a secret until the end.
“You look good.”
The voice possessed laughter.
[Then let me give you a present.]
A light shone in front of her. The light
materialized and made a bead.
[Got a marble that holds something.]
“What is this?”
[You’ll know when the time comes.]
“Hmm… Thank you.”
A marble that could not be grasped even with her observational eyes. Judging from the fact that he handed it to me, it must not be a worthless item. This Taeyeon was gratefully received.
“Then goodbye. I will never see you again.”
She had no intention of returning to the labyrinth.
To come back to this hellish place. It was a terrible word.
But the voice only laughed quietly.
[I see. Then it’s goodbye.]
“Yes.”
Lee Taeyeon nodded vigorously and stepped forward.
put one’s body through space
it’s earth
how much did it develop Since there were a lot of technicians,
they must be dealing with electricity. As he broke through the labyrinth, his physical abilities improved significantly, so he could have built a building.
How happy they live a colorful life.
And what kind of life can she live?
She crossed the space with happiness.
Earth appeared.
her pupils trembled.
“what?”
What appeared were half-destroyed buildings. It was a gray world.
“…was I summoned to the Abandoned Lands?”
her voice trembled.
okay. It will. The number of survivors was not large.
It will not be possible to restore all of the land devastated by the monster invasion.
This is such a place.
She tried to believe that.
But the cruel world showed her the truth.
“Ah…
up in the sky.
A huge rift that swallowed the sun.
‘ why?’
Lee Taeyeon’s eyes shook.
They must have closed that rift.
had won
It must have been.
but what is this
Something went wrong.
Nausea rose to the top of my throat
.
“Huh.”
She let out a breath. Cold sweat running down his cheeks made him feel the cool air.
“oh. A new returner?”
Footsteps were heard. I saw a familiar face
.
“long time no see? Who… Huh? Mr. Lee Taeyeon?”
“…Youngjeong.”
Yeongjeong. Players in hard mode. It was someone she knew.
Lee Tae-yeon barely looked at the portrait.
uncut beard. messy messy hair. parched skin.
something about that look.
Isn’t it like a survivor living on a perishing earth?
The eyes of Youngjeong who saw her were filled with joy. he cried out.
“hey! Everyone come and see! Look who has returned!”
People approach, buzzing at Youngjeong’s words.
“Who is it?”
“uh. Taeyeon?”
“what. really?”
The eyes of the gathered people shine. They start making a fuss.
“Hey! Taeyeon Lee came back after clearing the Alone Mode! And that too
quickly!”
“This really should give me some room!”
Lee Taeyeon blankly looked at them.
hair cut casually. dirty skin.
All of them looked like portraits.
She licked her dry lips.
“…why is everyone like that?”
“ah.”
Youngjeong’s face hardened.
Then other people realized
too. What did Lee Tae-yeon hope for when she returned?
Youngjeong scratched her head.
“Um… Taeyeon. Calm down and listen.”
“Ahaha. i get it. Is this a hidden camera?”
Yeongjeong tried to explain slowly, but Lee Taeyeon smiled broadly.
she raised her arm
“Yes. It’s strange. We all won, but why is the earth like this? Are you doing this to tease me?”
“no.”
Youngjeong shook her head gloomily.
“We believed that too and returned to Earth. But what greeted us was a broken Earth. Mr. Taeyeon. We were tricked by the monster.”
“Do not lie!”
Lee Taeyeon screamed out loud.
“It can’t be! we won! You won! We got through it!”
There was only denial in her eyes.
“Right! You won! So
get over that hellish time! I finally got here by breaking through that beggarly labyrinth! this is not it! It can’t be like this!”
A cry like the grumbling of a three-year-old child with no reason or logic.
But no one could refute it. Youngjeong opened her mouth gloomily.
“That’s it. Mr. Taeyeon.”
“Ha ha ha…
A thin laugh flowed from Lee Taeyeon’s mouth.
and it was cut off
“You are all fake.”
“what?”
“The final test. is that so? It’s such an ordeal. good. I will win.”
Taeyeon Lee took out her sword. People were cold.
“Have you been fucked?”
“Would you like to dry it off?”
“who?”
There is silence at those words.
If you’re a hardmode player, no problem. All of these hard mode players
. I could conquer anything.
However, Taeyeon Lee is an Alone mode player.
There was only one person who could subdue her.
“…Mr. Taesan. there is?”
“uh. Came back a few hours ago. I’ll call you right away.”
Suddenly he leaves Others click their tongues. He didn’t want to stop Lee Taeyeon, so I decided to run away quickly.
“I. Mr. Taeyeon? Won’t you calm down for a moment?”
Do not be ridiculous.
she laughed sinisterly.
these are all fake
Earth cannot be like this.
So, it was an ordeal created by the labyrinth.
Trials must be overcome.
Living with her becomes mellow. The half-destroyed building collapses with a crackling sound, and people’s faces turn white.
“for a moment! what is this!”
“Uh uh I don’t think I can even buy time’?”
Lee Taeyeon gripped her sword tightly.
At that moment, a tired voice was heard.
“Are you back?”
“ah.”
Lee Taeyeon’s pupils widened. The life that spread was gone. People were out of breath.
“phew. I thought you were going to die.”
“Mr. Taesan. Please.”
“Why did you call me in such a hurry? It deserves it.”
sharp impression.
Somehow it seemed indifferent. He looked at Taeyeon with a tired face.
“long time no see.”
“Taesan.”
“Sorry, but this is Earth. It happened like this.”
“…Do not be ridiculous.”
It can’t be.
You can’t do that.
She did not release her grip on the sword.
“You are fake too. It’s a fake made by the labyrinth…
Tae-san sighed in a daze muttering.
“okay. I guess so. Don’t you want to hear it?”
[Kang Tae-san activated a simple time stop. Time stops for 2 minutes within 100m centered on Mt. Kangtae.]
Time stops.
Taesan moved alone in the stopped time and approached Lee Taeyeon.
“First, lie down and cool your head
.”
Taesan raises his sword.
[Kang Tae-san activated Add.]
[Kang Tae-san activated Multiplication.]
[Kang Tae-san activated designated skill reset.] [
Kang Tae-san activated Multiplication.]
[Kang Tae-san’s non-lethal attack.]
[Lee Tae-yeon 92236816 damage.]
Lee Tae-yeon blankly stared at the ceiling.
The sky could be seen through the cracks in the worn out places. In fact, it was water that could not serve as a house.
But the most intact thing here was the water.
“Are you calm?”
“…to some degree.”
Tae-san was sitting on a worn-out chair,
looking at her.
he opened his mouth
“How do you feel?”
“dirty.”
Taeyeon said quietly. Taesan nodded.
“I understand. I did too. It was shit and I wanted to destroy it all.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Taesan opened her mouth at the melancholy voice of hers.
what he hears.
She closed her eyes tightly at the events that contained her profound experiences.
they didn’t win
He was dreaming of an unattainable hope in a false victory.
Many people died from the monsters that appeared after returning to Earth.
It was literally a time of slaughter. Most of those who returned first were Easy Mode players. Unable to resist the monsters that appeared, they all died.
It was only after the hard mode players returned belatedly that people were able to join forces to
drive out the monsters and gain their own territory.
After that, it was a repetition of despair. It knocks down the attacking monster, and many people die in the process. Then, another returnee fills the place.
Above the countless corpses they were dying slowly.
After hearing the story, she asked quietly.
“…Wouldn’t hardmode players be able to deal with the monsters without a problem?”
“It was like that when I last returned. But it’s different now. Monsters that were much stronger than those that appeared then came out. There are some guys who can’t win even if dozens of people rush at them.”
Taesan said calmly.
“We are fooled. to them.”
“…Is Choi Jun-sang alive?”
Junsang Choi. I was an easy mode player. He was a professional with electrical skills. He said he would go back to Earth first and make a light bulb, becoming the modern Edison.
“I don’t know because I returned before I even returned
. I would have died if I had seen what I couldn’t see.”
“Park Ji-young?”
I was a normal mode player. She was an excellent cook. He said he would return to Earth and show off his culinary skills.
“He died two days before I returned.”
“…What about Yoon Se-an?”
A hardmode player, he was a law scholar. In the process of rebuilding civilization, I thought the law was necessary, just like the previous Earth.
While attacking the labyrinth, he diligently created a law code to be used on Earth and completed it just before clearing it. All promised to act according to his code.
Taesan replied.
“He died a year ago.”
She closed her eyes tightly.
she kept asking. Those whom she remembers the names she used to know.
The answer came back that most of them were dead.
“That’s the situation. now we.”
Taesan pressed her eyes with a tired face.
“I don’t know the situation in other countries. I couldn’t afford it. But since we’re like this, it won’t be all right there either.”
The world was perishing in its truest sense.
Now, even the refuge of the labyrinth did not exist. Lee Taeyeon blankly looked down at the floor.
“So we need you.”
“…I?”
“okay. You should be our leader.”
At Taesan’s words, Lee Taeyeon suddenly raised her head.
“I am the leader…
“No.”
Taesan shook his head.
“You have to do it. I can’t be.”
Taishan is strong, of course.
He is the strongest Easy Mode player, and Lee Tae-yeon
could have won if the conditions were met.
“But I can take down one strong monster, but I can’t protect them all. After one shot, it’s like a gun that needs repair. In a situation like this, a purely strong person like you should be the leader.”
Taesan said quietly.
“I don’t know how strong you are yet, but since you came back after clearing Alone Mode, you must be much stronger than when we last met.”
The last time they met was during the Last Return to Earth Quest. It
was a long time ago.
Lee Tae-yeon at that time was also very strong. After a long time, he must have become much stronger since he cleared Alone Mode and came back.
“I…
Lee Taeyeon’s voice trembled.
Become a leader.
take responsibility for people’s lives
impossible. She finds it difficult to protect herself alone. To carry the lives of others on top of that. Her mind can’t stand it.
However, Taesan’s words prevented her from rejecting him.
“Of course I know. that you are having a very hard time That’s why I’ve been rejecting it until now. But we can’t even afford to be struggling right now. Lee Tae-yeon.”
Taesan smiled bitterly.
Seeing his expression, Lee Taeyeon closed her mouth.
Even in Easy Mode, he was always confident. Even in a hopeless situation, he was not afraid and found a means to overcome it.
But now Taesan’s face was very tired.
That expression made Lee Taeyeon unable to refuse.
“I won’t ask you to answer right away. Cool down a little first.”
“…you can afford that right’?”
they were perishing There was no room for Lee Tae-yeon’s level of power to play.
“You will be frustrated too, but I don’t want to be too harsh. Maybe the monsters
are playing a joke… they’re giving them some time. Monsters of the current level can be handled to some extent by people other than me.”
Taesan left the room. The door closed with a creak.
Left alone, she blankly stared at the closed door.
She didn’t do anything but stared blankly at the sky between the gaps.
everything was dumb
Reality didn’t feel like reality.
After a day like that, she suddenly came to her senses.
She looked at the cracks in the open ceiling.
‘That…
I couldn’t feel it before, but as I went down the labyrinth, I could feel it now that I had enough dignity and strength.
The power emanating from it is a category and class that she
cannot comprehend.
Those who are at least on the same level as the gods of the labyrinth.
Can’t win.
Fighting to come is a death that no one can deny.
“Ah ah…
My body was shaking.
Earth is not a safe place.
Monsters still exist and she must fight to her death.
teeth collide My whole body trembles and my mind shakes.
death.
It was right in front of her eyes.
Just as she was about to panic, the door opened.
“Um…
a little girl came in cautiously. Lee Taeyeon, who hurriedly came to her senses, stared blankly at the girl.
“Minji Kim…?”
“ah. You remember!”
Minji Kim. Normal mode player. She was a kind-hearted girl and had a good friendship with her.
she said brightly.
“I’m surprised. Taeyeon is back! I believed you would return to Earth one day, but I knew it would take longer!”
“…yes.”
She thought so too. However, her longing for clear accelerated her speed even more.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have stayed there a little longer.
Kim Min-ji clenched his fists.
“Because even Taeyeon came! In the future, we may be able to expand our territory too! You will be able to defeat the monsters and live as before!”
she said briskly.
Lee Taeyeon asked in a trembling voice.
“…Your brother?”
Minji Kim had one older brother. Although they often quarreled with Minji Kim, they were an ordinary family who cared for each other.
Minji Kim quietly scratched her head.
“Ha ha ha… He died a month ago.”
“…what happened?”
“You want to protect me. It’s stupid. I can survive just fine.”
she murmured softly. His eyes were filled with sadness, but at the same time, he also contained resignation.
Lee Tae-yeon realized. That they don’t even have time to grieve over the death of a family member.
“…This is the life my brother saved.
You can’t die like this. And now Taeyeon is here.”
Eyes full of bright hope turned to Lee Tae-yeon.
“Taeyeon, who cleared Alone Mode, must be much stronger than before, right?”
And there was also urgency in it.
“Please protect us. Mr. Taeyeon.”
Fear of death, fear of monsters.
A young girl named Kim Min-ji was entrusting her future to herself.
Taeyeon was out of breath.
“Shall we run away?”
After Kim Min-ji left, she muttered quietly in the room left alone.
It is impossible to escape from divine beings, but such beings cannot easily descend to the earth. If she was alone, she would be able to hide as long as she wanted.
he had Even those who called themselves guides, adventurers and NPCs who descended the labyrinth, no one could find them if she decided to hide herself. She had the ability to do that.
“Ha ha ha ha…
An empty laugh came out.
It’s a meaningless imagination.
The voices of hundreds of people across the cramped room kept ringing in her ears.
“Taeyeon is here…
“Now you don’t have to die meaninglessly…
“We can survive…
The things in that voice are the longing and hope for Lee Taeyeon. reliance on her.
Even if he didn’t want to hear it, his strengthened body listened to each and every emotion contained in that voice.
My lips are dry.
Are you running away? their hopes? Abandon all expectations? Ignoring the cries of resentment against you as you die,
abandoning your feelings of despair as you disappear, trying to survive on your own?
Can not.
She couldn’t be that shameless.
Everything that could be done was blocked.
“Woo-wook.”
Nausea came up. She barely covered her mouth.
My head was dizzy.
Even his spirit, which had been forged through years in the long labyrinth,
seemed like it would break if he touched it.
no. It was never trained in the first place.
She’s barely holding on to her worn-out mind, but her mind had reached its limit a long time ago.
She stuttered out her hand.
I felt like I would really go crazy if I didn’t hold on to something.
snap.
She held something small in her hand.
It was a dark stone.
From the outside, it looked like nothing but an ordinary stone, but inside it contained the power to turn back time.
“…the stomach stone of Ouroboros.”
A labyrinthine item that can turn back time only once.
At first, I thought I could undo the past, and I was happy, but soon I had no choice but to be disappointed.
The time that can be turned into Ouroboros’s stomach stone is limited until just before the ancient gods invade the earth.
She checked with Barbaba and the Transcendentalist who was watching her, but she
couldn’t avoid the fate of entering the labyrinth.
“…did you say this?”
the voice had spoken do you want death Lee Tae-yeon answered no.
Then the voice asked again. Do you want to break through the labyrinth again?
Lee Tae-yeon said she didn’t like that either.
She still couldn’t come up with an answer.
‘but.’
You cannot abandon people who believe in you and rely on you.
Lee Tae-yeon struggled to get up and went outside. The people who were waiting looked at her in amazement.
“Taeyeon?”
“…Monsters will be coming in the next two hours.”
People were surprised by her quiet words. Lee Tae-yeon continued.
“The number is about twenty-five. Twenty-three of them can be played against hardmode players, but the other two are not. Taesan and I have to fight.”
“Huh? Can’t you feel anything?”
“Because it is still outside your range of perception. All ready.”
“ah. Yes!”
“Taeyeon!”
Kim Min-ji looks at her with a bright face.
Ignoring those eyes, Lee Taeyeon raised her sword.
‘Let’s survive for now.’
And let’s survive. People. And
if, at the end of the day, they are driven to the point where they can no
longer avoid it…
What will she choose at the end?
She herself did not know.
Level up with skill
