Ranker Who Lives Twice

Chapter 771 - Li's Fragment (5)

After meeting Sun Wukong, Yeon-woo reflected and began to think a lot on his own. ‘What must I do to survive?’

The ‘dream’ must continue. That way, his family members, who had just recovered, could live their lives. Yeon-woo had even considered imbuing them with darkness and forcefully making them into ‘Hwang’ level beings. However, raising one’s power level was not as easy as it sounded, and Yeon-woo also questioned whether his family members would even go along with that idea.

Regardless, what Yeon-woo wanted was not just the survival of his family members, but to create an environment where they could all live happily. To do that, Yeon-woo decided to immerse himself in eternal slumber…

Yeon-woo thought that this was the best option, and he tried to shun and hide his personal wish to live with his family. If his family could live happily ever after, that was enough for him. He repeated this over and over in his mind like a mantra.

However, Sun Wukong came along and said that Yeon-woo was just deceiving himself. Even if one sacrificed oneself, would one’s family really appreciate it? Of course, memories could be erased, but then one’s happy life would be nothing more than a fabricated happiness. Sun Wukong's words brought out a truth that Yeon-woo had tried to avoid.

In truth, all Yeon-woo was doing was deceiving himself. Once he understood this fact, Yeon-woo tried to find a new way, a new path. Although he still felt like he was wading through a thick fog…Yeon-woo felt he was slowly finding a way and making progress. Sun Wukong had guided him and prevented him from going astray.

And although very small, Yeon-woo managed to find a glimmer of hope. ‘Transcendence…’ Of course, even though he was the Alternate Ego of the Black King, achieving transcendence would not come easy. Though his power level was already equivalent to a ‘Hwang’ level being, and even if he became the main ego of the Black King, it was still up in the air whether Yeon-woo would achieve transcendence.

If he could achieve transcendence, Yeon-woo would be an existence that stood far above the framework of the Black King. Of course, reaching that state was near impossible. If any existence that was familiar with the Black King’s status knew about Yeon-woo’s thoughts, they would think that he had gone mad.

Yeon-woo knew that this goal was a little far-fetched. This was why, even though he knew that there was a possibility, he did not really put much thought into reaching that pinnacle level. The beginning beyond the distant beginning… No, to become an existence that existed long before the beginning.

Wasn’t the Black King an existence that existed before the Heavenly Demon brought out the First Light, created the universe, and turned the ‘wheel’? Yeon-woo was thinking of transcending all of that. It was hard for him to even envision such a position. However…

‘I can do it. No, I must do it.’ Yeon-woo decided to reach that absurd position. Only would he be able to stop this never-ending cycle of the ‘wheel’ with his own hands and continue this ‘dream’. So, Yeon-woo was essentially planning on becoming a carpenter to repair the spokes that make up the ‘wheel’ and repair the conditions of this ‘dream’.

In this way, Yeon-woo would be able to continue living with his family. No, it was not just that. He planned to bring back all those he had lost and all that was lost. Starting with his old lover who died because of him… Brahm, who closed his eyes while still worrying about his granddaughter… The Martial King, who had left the world with a warm, fatherly look… Yeon-woo was planning to put all those beings and things in their original places…and he would stand firmly within that world as well. This was what Yeon-woo meant by his expression “change”.

Of course, Yeon-woo knew well that achieving such a feat would not be easy. No, it was more likely that he would fail. Maybe after failing, Yeon-woo would just become another Demonism.

The Demonisms lost most of their memories and even lost their identity. Only their instincts remained. They too were existences that at one time pursued their own goals with a fervent passion and objective. Perhaps it would be better to become a spirit.

‘Still…’ However, no matter if he failed, Yeon-woo was determined to try. ‘Even if I attain my objective for just a brief moment.’

Fortunately, Yeon-woo had a path: Li’s Fragment. If he could utilize Li’s Fragment and obtain the Heavenly Demon’s power…! By doing this, perhaps he could be freed from the restraints of the Black King, which was omnipresent.

***

‘Have I ever wanted to continue living like this before?’ Yeon-woo suddenly had this thought and smiled. He could confidently state that he had never had this yearning feeling before. He had lived his life as a ghost that just did not die.

After his father disappeared, his brother went missing, and his mother also died…Yeon-woo had become an orphan and entered the army to run away from his troubles, and he was subsequently sent to Africa. On many occasions in Africa, Yeon-woo pushed himself to the brink of death.

At that time, Yeon-woo felt that death was reasonable. He did not dare to commit suicide because of what his mother taught him. If he continued to live such a brash lifestyle, he would soon be reunited with his family…

Even after he found out the whereabouts of his younger brother and entered the Tower, Yeon-woo lived his life the same way. If it was for revenge, throwing his life away was always on the table. Even if he died in the process of trying to achieve revenge, he wanted to make sure that he could at least drag one other being with him.

However, when his brother was awakened, when he realized the truth about his father, and when he was reunited with his mother, Yeon-woo’s thoughts slowly started to change. A seed of hope sprouted from within him. Now, Yeon-woo wanted to live. He wanted to live a happy life with his family and have his own family with Edora.

Yeon-woo’s resolve became clear. Now, now…he felt like a ‘real’ living person.

***

「…So, you’re going to become the Black King and bring us back to life?」After hearing Yeon-woo’s explanation, Patron made an exasperated expression. He knew what kind of existence the Black King was. Although he had never met the Black King in person or encountered anything related to him, the Black King’s lore had been passed down from generation to generation within the tribe.

With the being in front of him was stating that he would become such a lofty being…Patron could not help but feel flabbergasted at Yeon-woo’s nonsensical explanation.

“No.” Yeon-woo shook his head as if Patron misunderstood something. “I’m going to reach a level beyond the Black King.”

「Crazy…!」

“The Black King is a confined existence.” Yeon-woo’s low voice was full of power and vigor. “The Black King is tightly bound to things like the ‘wheel’ or ‘dream’. And without those things, the Black King cannot do anything. So, I’m planning on doing away with all those things. After objectively analyzing the ‘wheel’ and ‘dream’, I’m going to deconstruct it and put it back together.”

「But…!」Patron was about to say something but stopped in the middle.

Yeon-woo’s eyes shone brightly and a corner of his mouth curled up. “Well, if you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

「What does that mean…?」

“What sort of a question is that? Even if you don’t like it, I’m still going to take the Soulstone.”

「…!」

「…!」

「…!」

Yeon-woo’s words meant that he would just ignore Patron’s opinion, essentially ridiculing Patron and the others. They did not have a choice in the matter because they did not have the qualification to decide anything.

“So, choose.” Yeon-woo’s smirk grew larger. “Are you just going to perish and be annihilated like this, or will you grab onto a sliver of hope?”

「…」

「…」

「…」

Patron and the others were thoroughly at a loss.

Valdebich and Narotsu, who were observing the situation, opened their mouths in shock. In particular, the shock that Narotsu received seemed to be very large. He was shocked because he firmly believed in Valdebich and Yeon-woo as being the saviors in the prophecy. However, the image of a savior was thoroughly shattered after hearing Yeon-woo’s unequivocal statement.

『Hahaha!』 Sun Wukong found the situation so funny that he started laughing out loud uncontrollably. He then started speaking to Yeon-woo through divine speech so that only Yeon-woo could hear his words.『Are you another face of the Heavenly Demon?』

『What do you mean?』

『You refreshing temper is similar to the rest of us.』

『I don’t like being compared to your crowd.』

『Hey, your temper is just as bad as ours if not worse.』

『No, it isn’t.』

『I think it is?』

『No.』

Sun Wukong broke out into a smile.

It seemed like Sun Wukong was now making fun of him, but Yeon-woo decided to not pay any attention to Sun Wukong.

『If you’re not, do you plan on joining us?』

『Can anyone just join?』

『If a face of the Heavenly Demon can become the ego of the Black King, then why wouldn’t the opposite also work?』

『…I guess that makes sense.』

『Also, wasn’t that what you are aiming for?』 There was still a sense of playfulness in Sun Wukong’s voice, but on the other hand, he was being as serious as ever.『Just like how Yvlke is leveraging both the Heavenly Demon and Black King to achieve his objective, you’re trying to do the same, right?』

『…』

『The only difference I can see is that Yvlke is trying to create a rabbit hole to hide in while you’re planning on sitting atop the food chain and do whatever you wish.』

Yeon-woo gave out a sigh.『You’re somewhat correct. I did get the idea from Yvlke.』

『Good.』

『…?』

『I’m saying that you made the right decision. Even if it’s just a small possibility, it’s good that you’re pursuing it at full force. That’s the most important thing.』

『…』

『…What?』 Yeon-woo felt strange listening to Sun Wukong complimenting him. However, Yeon-woo was even more convinced that he had chosen the right path. Sun Wukong had guided him towards this path, no?

‘If you simply teach something to someone, one may lose resolve and crumble in an instant. But if one concludes something on one’s own accord, one will be able to stick it out and push forward.’ Thinking this, Yeon-woo could feel his heart calm down. Since becoming the Alternate Ego of the Black King, he had lost the unyielding resolve to pursue his goals. Yeon-woo now felt like he had reacquired that passionate resolve.

Yeon-woo turned to the giants, who were unsure of what to do. “I’m not telling you to trust me. Trust Valdebich. Does that work?”

In an instant, Valdebich turned to Yeon-woo. All the giants turned to Valdebich. And then…

『…What?』

「…I want to meet my family.」A giant on Patron’s side broke the silence. The giant’s voice was filled with sorrow, but it also contained a tinge of hope.「My father, mother, and sister… Will I be able to meet them again in your recreated world?」

“I will try my best.”

「Me, too! I don’t want to continue living in this depressing place. I want to open my eyes to fields of gold.」

「I want to be popular with girls! Shit! I wasn’t popular with girls in this lifetime! How long do I have to live as a single! My next life! My next life is the answer!」

「I want to be filthy rich…!」

「I…!」

「I…!」

Once one person spoke up, the floodgates opened. They expressed the hopes that each had in their hearts. However, currently, they could not fulfill their hopes and desires in the world that they were currently living in. Only frustration and despair bloomed.

Yeon-woo could feel a wave of new faith rushing into him.

[You have acquired faith from the giant race!]

[You have acquired faith from the giant race!]

…

[You have succeeded in acquiring the faith of all giants!]

…

[You acquired a new title: The Giant’s Only God!]

…

Patron closed his eyes as if he had nothing more to say, and Narotsu gave a relieved smile before tapping Valdebich on the shoulder.

Squinting one eye, Narotsu spoke out,「Don’t forget about me, alright bro? It was good to see you.」

Poof! After stating that line, Narotsu shattered and scattered. The rest of the giants soon followed. They became particles of magic power and rushed into the Soulstone.

Patron, who remained until the end, still had a serious expression on his face.「If you really are our savior, we will meet again. If you don’t find us, I’ll make sure to come find you.」

“As you please.”

「…I hope that damn prophecy is true.」Stating this, Patron disappeared.

[You have acquired the Soulstone – Diligentia (Diligence)!]

***

… Now, there was only one Soulstone left.