Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 105

“You will burn to death. By the hands of Cha Jaeha-ssi.”

 

Ha Cheongwon, wearing an expression as if he were about to cry, let out a hollow sigh of frustration.

 

“I have my reasons for being shocked as well. It was shocking enough that you die at all, but that the one who did it was Cha Jaeha-ssi… I couldn’t believe it even more.”

 

Ha Cheongwon continued speaking as he looked at Yoo Hwashin, whose mouth was hanging open in a circle.

 

– That’s news even I didn’t know.

 

– Look, the development is crazy right now. Everyone, gather ’round. Do you understand what kind of story Yoo Hwashin just heard?

 

– Old man, over something trivial again… Oh my. Mage, are you alright?

 

The voices of the dragons, huddled together, echoed in the air. Only Yoo Hwashin was left dazed and floating.

 

‘Dying at the hands of Cha Jaeha is a development I never even imagined.’

 

Ha Cheongwon frowned as he looked at the silent Yoo Hwashin. If this man was going to stay quiet, he had no choice but to keep speaking himself. 

 

“I wasn’t able to find out exactly why you die by Cha Jaeha-ssi’s hands. However, the event will take place during the final seventh Hell. Out of the seven Hells, the names of the ones I currently know total three.” 

 

Ha Cheongwon held up three fingers. One of them folded down.

 

“The first of them is the Hell of Falsehood.”

 

The second finger folded.

 

“The second is the Hell of Wrath.” 

 

The last finger folded.

 

“The third is the Hell of Double-tongue. And starting from the Hell of Falsehood…”

 

An episode also known as the Seven Hells, or the Seven Hellscapes. It is a story that slowly wears away at the heroes over a very long period of time. More decisively, it is also a story that leads the world toward destruction. 

 

The 1st Gates, where a certain number of monsters manifested from a Gate; the 2nd Gates, where one had to fulfill the dungeon’s desires inside the opened Gate—commonly known as Red Gates. The Hells were qualitatively different from these 1st and 2nd stage Gate waves. Because the place where the Hells unfolded was, quite literally.

 

“Everything will take place right in reality.” 

 

***

 

In the place where Elric lived, “Hell” generally referred to the place where only humans who had committed sins went. There, a prison was a hell, and a single cramped room at the top of a magic tower also belonged to hell. In fact, Hwashin had been imprisoned in such a spire once; he had shuddered at the sheer number of rats and escaped immediately. In , the Hells claimed the lives of countless people. A few monsters popping out near a Gate could be handled by a group of Heroes, but the Hells were on a different dimension.

 

‘That was also around the time the overall atmosphere of this novel changed.’

 

Rocky mountains sprouted from flat ground, the ocean turned into a desert, and the sky flipped upside down, sinking into the earth. That was Hell. It wasn’t as if a demon king existed for each Hell. Nor was there anyone for the protagonists to save, unlike a dungeon. 

 

Then, how could one clear this Hell?

 

One had to find the person who created the Hell. All Hells were derived from life energy and the flow of fate. Just as there is evil where there is good, Hell was a space that existed somewhere like the shadow of light and dark. Because the person who drew in that space was there, the Hell of ‘Falsehood’ had appeared in Seoul. There was no way they could have known this fact from the beginning. Naturally, the SH Unit suffered countless casualties.

 

Hwashin still remembered that passage, that paragraph, and that scene.

 

「 Helpless.

 

“Kyaaa—! Everyone, get away!” 

 

“This way! Evacuate this way!” 

 

“Dammit! You slow b*stards, get to the back!” 

 

“Destruction is here, God is finally bringing divine punishment upon us!!!” 

 

The first day the Gate opened. What did humans learn? They thought themselves clever, overcame it through the Awakened, and believed they had won. But what was given before their eyes was neither the neck of a loser nor a reward for a victor. Boiling lava seeped between the streets. A number of monsters that far exceeded the number of S-rank Heroes. People dying because they couldn’t be saved.

 

Cha Jaeha gritted his teeth. How much mana he had left was already out of his mind.

 

He simply burned, burned, and burned again. It felt like his vision would blur with tears, but soon his sight became clear.

 

“Hyung—! It’s over on this side.” 

 

“Cha Jaeha, your job is to find that monster. Go with Ha Cheongwon-ssi. Leave this place to me and Mueum.”

 

He couldn’t die here. It wasn’t that his life was precious. But he must not die. Because the place where he belonged was already here. Sometimes, ghosts of the past would catch his ankles.

 

‘It’s because of you. We died because of you.’ 

 

‘Are you planning to be the only one who survives? By killing us? While receiving the adoration of people with that terrible ability?’

 

Mother, Father. Cha Jaeha’s fire instantly slices the bodies of five monsters in half. The places where the flames passed glowed red before turning black. Wounds caused by Cha Jaeha’s flames do not recover.

 

‘I will follow you soon.’

 

Hell had broken loose. It was impossible to revive the dead. Then, there was only one thing he could do within the given despair. 」

 

Perhaps the ending of this novel had already been set from the Hell of Falsehood. The conclusion for a human who tries to do everything by exhausting their life is soon death. Life and success are not proportional. Even if one sacrifices their life, all things that are force majeure are bound to happen.

 

“We won’t be able to stop the occurrence of the Hell itself. However, we can prepare. Because I am here. I plan to thoroughly investigate the Hell of ‘Falsehood’ from now on. I’ll also have to look further into what kind of connection exists between Gates and Hells. The GRC and the Unit 2 will actively enter a cooperative system.”

 

Ha Cheongwon clenched his fists as if he had made up his mind.

 

“If something happens along the way that I cannot resolve with my own capabilities, I will come to ask you. I’m telling you this just in case, but there is only one reason I am doing this.”

 

Yoo Hwashin gazed at him silently.

 

“It is for my sister, Ha Yujin.”

 

 “….” 

 

“I want my sister to see many things. If possible, I want her to live longer than me, experiencing many more joyful things. Because that child has suffered so much until now.”

 

When the Gates opened, Ha Yujin’s fate changed entirely. The time she was robbed of was a staggering five years. There was nothing that could compensate for that time.

 

“I refuse to let my sister be robbed of her future by something like this. So, Yoo Hwashin-ssi, don’t even think about dying and cooperate with me.”

 

Cooperation. This young fellow is saying what I should be saying. Ha Cheongwon adjusted the lapels of his suit jacket and stood up. Before he headed out again, he turned his head slightly and added one more thing.

 

“And there is absolutely no way our Yujin will ever marry you.” 

 

“….?”

 

Leaving only a question for Hwashin, Ha Cheongwon vanished with his eyes wide and glaring.

 

***

 

The first place Cha Jaeha headed after his return was the Association President’s office. It was only natural.

 

The experiment in Russia. According to Ignaty’s statement, Korea was not free from that experiment either. Somewhere, the act of killing innocent humans was being carried out. The Association President walked out from behind his office desk and took a seat on the sofa in front of the reception table.

 

“If it weren’t for Cha Jaeha-ssi, I wouldn’t have welcomed a visitor like this. Would you like a cup of coffee?” 

 

“I’m fine.”

 

In the excessively heavy atmosphere, the staff member couldn’t smile even though they were smiling.

 

‘….I’m going to go crazy.’

 

He really didn’t want to be involved in this kind of serious conversation. In general, a wise professional life meant living simply without complications. Just order me to go on a coffee errand instead. 

 

“Does that employee have to keep staying here?”

 

Cha Jaeha-ssi, nice.

 

“Is there a reason his presence would be a problem?” 

 

“It won’t be me, but you, Association President, who will find things inconvenient.” 

 

“….Hmm. You, step out for a moment.”

 

The employee, barely hiding his smile, quickly left the room. After confirming the sound of retreating footsteps, Cha Jaeha went straight to the point.

 

“I’ll ask bluntly. I assume you’ve already heard, or rather seen, what happened in Russia this time.”

 

The Association President was a possessor of multiple clairvoyance. It was highly likely he had been watching everything—the summit, the banquet.

 

“Of course. I know.” 

 

“Then you must also be sensing what I’m going to say next.”

 

The Association President replied with a benevolent smile.

 

“I know what you want to say, but that is already a finished matter. We are no longer conducting that experiment in Korea, Cha Jaeha-ssi. If you wish, I’d like to let you rummage through my entire office to find related documents, but… well, that won’t be possible.”

 

What a sly old snake. 

 

‘He would have destroyed all the documents anyway.’

 

He had expected this much. He didn’t expect the Association President to tell the truth in the first place. What he had come to do was simply a declaration of war. The experimental subjects in Russia were surely ordinary citizens. Among them, they would have found individuals whose deaths wouldn’t cause a stir and made them subjects.

 

Cha Jaeha’s heavy voice filled the room.

 

“Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea.” 

 

“……” 

 

“The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic.”

 

He stood up from his seat. Cha Jaeha’s gaze slowly pressed down on the Association President.

 

“The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea resides in the people.”

 

The Association President looks up at him.

 

“And all power emanates from the people.”

 

The Association President stroked his beard. He said.

 

“Even if you recite content that everyone knows…”

 

Yes, everyone knows. But not everyone follows it.

 

“For now, I will believe your words, Association President. However, if your words are a lie and I find out you are experimenting on the citizens.”

 

Night settled deeply into his eyes, where the light had vanished.

 

“You, too, must be prepared for the consequences, Association President.”

 

***

 

At the time when Yoo Hwashin was troubled by Ha Cheongwon’s final remark and Cha Jaeha was threatening the Association President, Kang San was also swept up in immense worry.

 

– Kang San, are you close with Yoo Hwashin-ssi?

 

– Hwashin Hyungnim? Among reporters, I’d say we’re on relatively good terms. He even contacted me as soon as he returned from Russia.

 

When Hwashin Hyungnim contacted him, he thought he was going to go crazy with joy. He even wondered if he had really been that close with hyungnim. The senior tightly grabbed the hands of his junior, Kang San, who was puffing out lukewarm breath with a proud expression.

 

– Then let me ask you one favor!

 

– A favor?

 

And so, right now. Kang San was tearing at his hair while looking at the program scheduling proposal in his hand.

 

< Title: Wise Hero Life ~ Meeting the SH Unit ~ >

 

– Channel: TDS

– Planning Intent:

1) Provide information on changing Gate patterns through famous Heroes

– Provide a meeting with S-rank Heroes who are difficult to meet in daily life… 

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

‘Haah. Of course, there are cases where we host broadcasts with Heroes.’

 

Would Hyungnim really do it? He is an S-rank Hero, after all. At the time they would spend responding to an interview request like this, it would surely seem better to the public to handle Gates instead, and it would be more beneficial for them too.

 

‘Then again, it’s not like there’s no precedent at all, so it’s a bit awkward not to offer the proposal at all.’

 

In the case of A-rank Hero Chanyoung, he had responded to interviews several times and had even appeared as a guest on the 8 o’clock news, so it wasn’t a completely nonsensical proposal.

 

‘As a bonus, the viewership ratings will hit the jackpot. Because not much information about Hwashin-hyungnim or the SH Unit has been released yet. Plus, if Jeong Mueum-ssi or Yoo Jian-ssi come on… Yeah, let’s just try contacting him first.’

 

With a nervous heart, Kang San called Hwashin. And the answer that came back was.

 

“What’s the schedule like?”

 

It was more positive than expected.