Episode 172
The thousandth Mary was there. Once upon a time, the King of Heroes, as the thousandth meteor met the tomb of the shattered Heroes… the Clown Lord.
The heroic saint
was facing the broken remains of the saints (遺W) and the lord of the game
.
The tombs of broken saints, endlessly repeating despair.
“Ah, you have appeared again to repeat the same foolishness.”]
And the Lord of the Game sneered coldly. It was a smile that was so cold that it gave me goosebumps. Before he knew it, the face of Maria that Yoosung knew was no longer there.
『Young and immature saint.”]
Above the jet black hood, there was just a shadow writhing like a living creature.
“You poor, naive puppet who does not know that even your own will to go against fate is part of that great destiny.”]
The Lord of the Game mocked, and the saintess did not reply. And Yoosung also just remained silent.
It all just felt like one big joke.
I was so sick of this meaningless idling, endlessly repeating complicated puns, that I couldn’t stand it.
Fate, Madness, Hero, Human. I no longer even know what those words mean.
Like a person who experiences meaning saturation by repeating the same words endlessly.
The “Endless Labyrinth” was there.
At some point, you get lost in the labyrinth and wander without even knowing where to go or where to return.
“Calm down, Yoosung.”
It was right then.
Saint Mary said.
That voice caught Yooseong’s consciousness, which was spinning in circles as if he was dizzy. And then he continued speaking.
“What do you want to be?”
“…Yes?’’
Yooseong was at a loss for that sudden question and asked back.
“You want to be a hero, right?”
And Maria paid no heed and asked back. In a voice full of confidence, without the slightest hesitation.
“But why do you give up being a hero?”
The heroic saintess was tilting her head innocently.
“Because…
“Yoosung, you wanted to be a hero from the beginning.”
“Are you afraid that after five years you will find out that the path you chose was wrong?”
Maria asked. Yoosung did not answer. No, I couldn’t answer.
I’m scared.
The moment he heard those words, Yoosung swallowed his breath without saying a word.
“Why is the King of Heroes, who was proud even in the face of criticism from all the people in the world, acting like a coward who cares about what others think
?”
Maria said.
“Was Mr. Yoosung’s determination to become a hero so poetic that you would hit someone in front of you just because they told you how impossible your dream was in reality?”
“…Wow, it really feels like I’m getting scolded by my mom.”
Yoosung laughed and answered Maria’s words.
The headache that had been weighing on his head until just a moment ago disappeared, and he even had the illusion that the darkness was lifting.
Suddenly, in a funny joke, the truth finally appeared before him.
In this ridiculous joke hidden behind all sorts of complex rhetoric and pedantic ridicule, there was only one truth that existed beyond the veil.
Kid, do you want to be a hero?
Yoosung wants to be a hero.
After about 5 years, I was afraid that my decision might be wrong, so I was afraid of giving in and compromising in front of the logic of reality, mistakenly thinking that it was the right thing to do.
But from the beginning, the Jester Lord was telling only one story.
It was a story about a vain and impossible dream.
The helpless self, who had no choice but to be protected by the pot-bellied Internet cafe owner, becomes a hero in that hellish world where the world has become a game and humanity has to fall before the end.
There was no such thing as a grand cause.
He just longed for himself as a hero.
Kid, do you want to be a hero?
That’s why young Yoosung did not hesitate when the Clown Lord extended his hand to him. There was no reason to hesitate.
Because that kid wanted to be a hero.
There was absolutely no worthy cause, no harsh logic of reality, nothing.
“A hero…”
That’s why Yoosung spoke in a trembling voice.
“I wanted to become…”
“is it so.”
Maria laughed at those words.
“Even if after about five years you realize that the path you chose was wrong and wrong, what would it be?”
He said after laughing.
“There is nothing in this world that needs to be taken seriously.”
Her clown-like laugh was so detached and beautiful that Yoosung couldn’t understand it. It shines so beautifully that I can’t even face it.
It was as he said.
There was nothing in this world that had to be taken seriously.
It was a dream of a shooting star that was so bright and sparkling.
I wanted to become one because I admired it. I wanted to get my hands on it because it was shiny and shiny. So I wanted to be a hero and that was it.
That was it, really.
Hey, do you want to be a hero?
I want to be a hero.
What hero?
The greatest hero in the world.
Yooseong answered, and the clown monarch giggled and answered those words.
Like a conversation between father and son.
You will become a hero of heroes! However, you will not be understood by everyone for the rest of your life, and you will become the subject of their laughter and ridicule! °1 Where else can you find such a funny joke!
I was satisfied with that.
Really into it.
You can become a hero among heroes. So what does it matter even if someone doesn’t understand it or becomes a subject of laughter and ridicule?
That’s what I wanted from the beginning.
There was no room for logic or reality to intervene in that pure longing.
“Oh, I’ve seen this somewhere before.”
That’s why Yooseong laughed like it was no one else’s business and then raised his head.
“Isn’t it a story about being in danger, awakening from a single word from your lover, and defeating the evil last boss?”
The King of Heroes, no different from any other time, was there.
“If you don’t know the wonderfulness of love… you probably don’t know. Isn’t that right?”
[“….”]
Yoosung said and Maria laughed.
And the tomb of the broken saints and the monarch of the game remained silent.
“Perhaps…”
It was the King of Heroes who broke the silence that followed.
“Shall I call you Maman from now on?”
“…yes? I beg your pardon?”
At Yooseong’s words, Maria couldn’t understand them for a moment and tilted her head.
“What on earth does that mean?”
“Hmm. No, it’s nothing special, it’s just a trendy word that’s popular these days.”
Yoosung answered as if it were someone else’s business. Really no different from any other time.
“What is it? In that neighborhood, they usually call lovers with maternal love…
“Ma Ma Mang, no way…
“Oh, that’s it. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t even our language to begin with. “This is why English is the world language.”
“Well, isn’t it better than darling?” Then silence fell. It was a truly chilling silence.
After silence, Maria smiled. It was a smile full of charity, worthy of the name of the saint.
And with the sight of the two people, the Lord of the Game, who had been silent, raised his head.
[“You and I, we… have always been like that.”]
And he said.
As the Clown Lord once said to Yoosung, those words are no different from anything else.
“I know myself.”
And Maria answered.
“And I know you.”
[“….”]
I know myself.
As it was said earlier in front of the Jester Lord, the tomb of heroes who ridiculed the King of Heroes himself.
And Yoosung could not know Maria. There is only one person who understands the Lord of the Game: Mary herself.
So it was just silence.
Ultimately, it is up to you to save yourself. It was never someone else’s role.
Just as the King of Heroes faced the broken tombs of heroes, this was something that only the ‘Saint of Heroes’ had to face.
Take a step without saying a word.
At the same time, Maria took a step forward.
Facing the Lord of Games there.
At that time.
At the very place where the clown monarch set his stage, the saint continued speaking without heeding anything.
The harshness of reality shown to a child who does not know the world.
The wish of a child who still insists on dreams and childish ideals.
On the very stage where every scene from beginning to end is being broadcast in front of the world.
– Kang Yoo-seong, the King of Heroes player
….
Beyond the screen that people around the world are focusing their attention on, the revelation of the Holy Woman’s King of Heroes has begun.
— He was sweeter and kinder than we thought, and incredibly soft-hearted…
— He was even a crybaby, a coward, and an outrageous spoiled child.
It was also his past that he revealed to the world several times in the past.
— The first time a fellow player died due to his mistake, Yoosung cried like a child for a whole week day and night.
— It was the same in the face of guilt when the attack failed and the tower break occurred and casualties occurred.
— Well, as I saved the world over and over again, I began to feel skeptical and cynical. But in the end, all of us here are broken people in our own way.
— Still, Yoosung never gave up. No matter how painful and scared I am, no matter how broken and broken I am, I am still fighting for the world. Even if it means nothing.
From that day on, the world became a game.
And six seasons in which the survival of the world was at stake have just ended.
［《Endless Labyrinth》 season has ended］
［Random equipment tickets will be given to all players who have shown great performance, and skill card tickets of Rare grade or higher will be given to the top 100 players!］ ［
Hero grade to the top 10 players ! View the above artifacts. Ticket 1 ］
［As a reward to the player ‘Kang Yu-seong’ who defeated the season boss 《■■■■＞ ■■■■ —]
Click!
“Breaking news! The ‘Endless Labyrinth’ season has just ended! The number one player ranking is Korea’s Kang Yu-seong!”
“No. 1 player ranking for all five seasons, No. 1 shooter and top strategy player! Unrivaled first place in all levels, equipment skills, and achievement scores! “This is truly a performance worthy of a hero among heroes!”
As I was reading the messages pouring in like a flood, I heard the sound of a camera flash going off.
To take more pictures and capture the images of the heroes sitting in front of them.
click! click!
“On behalf of all the heroes gathered here, may I ask you to say a few words to Mr. Kang Yu-seong?”
UN Assembly Hall, Geneva, Switzerland.
In the heat of reporters filling the room, player Kang Yoo-seong quietly turned his head.
A blonde woman in a very familiar suit sitting right next to Yoosung lowered her voice.
“Yoosung, please say something kind, even if it’s something you don’t like. “I’ll ask you this, okay?”
Maria Jaeger.
One of the top players better known by her nickname, La Pucelle.
“Please give us your thoughts on the heroic performance you risked your life to protect the world!” the
reporter said, and Yoosung reluctantly
moved his face in front of the microphone.
That very day.
At the throne at the end, he remembers the ‘adult’ who blocked his path and the lover who supported his dream of becoming a hero until the end.
