Saving My Favorite in a Doomed World Chapter 73

“Excuse me..?”

 

At Hwashin’s question, Kim Daecheol tightly gripped his glass.

 

“Hmm? Why so surprised? It’s fairly famous, isn’t it?” 

 

No, it’s not well-known at all. We just entered this dungeon, what could we possibly know?

 

Cha Jaeha shot him a look that said as much. Hwashin ignored it.

 

Jeong Mueum whispered to Lee Suho.

 

‘What… is Hyung saying?’

 

Yoo Jian looked back and forth between the two with a look of disbelief.

 

‘….So you’re saying this Uncle right here used to be in the rebel army?’

 

‘Don’t whisper so loudly that everyone can hear.’

 

Hwashin sneered. With an expression overflowing with composure, he stabbed a piece of meat with his fork and said.

 

“Enet is a city where those who built a shining metropolis in this desolate world are gathered. An endlessly supplied light, the people living with unique abilities through that light, and even the cutting-edge civilization they continue to create. At first glance, it’s nothing short of a utopia.”

 

—It’s the beginning of an ordinary civilization. 

 

Riel chimed in.

 

—As with most stories, the beginning opens with a ‘world where everyone prospers.’ Similarly, the corruption of that beginning happens in an instant. The dimensional story in the book ‘Earth 345’ was like that, and the story of the ‘New World’ dimension was the same. It’s all the same story. 

 

Only the protagonists are slightly different.

 

Kim Daecheol remained silent for a moment before speaking.

 

“…Yes, you’re right. The city of Enet was heaven. Everyone living in the Illusion City wanted to go there. Even if they couldn’t, they lived contentedly. People on this side lived well enough in their own way. Until everything began to change, little by little.” 

 

Kim Daecheol harbored doubts about such an Enet.

 

Does infinite happiness truly exist?

 

Does the concept of crime simply not exist in their world? 

 

If all of them are doing what they want to do, who is doing the work they don’t want to do?

 

“But then you come to realize. How Enet was able to infinitely, forever, regardless of day or night, resolve everything with ‘light’.”

 

Enet shone. The principle was simple. It gathered the floating ‘light’ and converted it into energy. The power called ‘light’ sometimes floated in the air, sometimes dwelled in certain inventions, and mostly abounded within people.

 

Even if one were to artificially gather ‘Light’ from nature, it would be impossible to handle such an enormous amount of energy consumption. 

 

Then, exactly who is providing Light to the entire city? 

 

“Light comes from people the most. Because it’s an energy based on life force. It’s just that it’s rare to find people who possess it in the form of light. Even among the people living in the Illusion City, it was common to see those who held light within their bodies. Around that time, a friend told me. That there was a good job, and asked if I wanted to try it.”

 

It was around then that Kim Daecheol noticed something was off.

 

The building he arrived at with his friend looked like a sophisticated hospital on the inside, though the exterior was worn. It had occupied that spot for a long time, and buildings aged that way through countless renovations. 

 

What kind of part-time job is it?

 

To that question, his friend smiled and answered thusly.

 

Ah, they extract light. I heard it’s used in Enet. Ah, this is a secret.

 

Light is life. That is why it was noble, and possessed power. They were taking that away from humans? The amount of light one person can use in their entire lifetime is fixed.

 

Kim Daecheol grabbed his friend and recklessly escaped the building.

 

That part-time job gradually began to emerge from the shadows into the open.

 

[ You can earn money by giving light to Enet ]

 

Afterwards, the Illusion City changed. They could still enjoy a decent life, but they could earn money with light. Light even began to replace money. The energy that filled the chips implanted in their bodies changed from free to paid.

 

Yet no one expressed dissatisfaction with it.

 

“You don’t believe my story, do you?” 

 

Seeing Cha Jaeha frown, Kim Daecheol let out a hollow laugh.

 

“Everyone is foolish. Buying life with life as collateral, and using life as money, does that make any sense?”

 

“You’re right. Everything you said is correct. But sometimes, what is right doesn’t explain the way the world turns.”

 

“Th-then what? What are the principles of the world?” 

 

Lee Suho tightly gripped the edge of the table. Kim Daecheol turned his head toward Lee Suho. He was smiling, but he was sad.

 

“It is the choice of the majority. The majority judged that the city of Enet had no problems, and thus that city gained power. It couldn’t be helped. Even if people died in the streets from a lack of Light, people went out to sell Light and bought food with Light. At first, only those without money did that.” 

 

Afterwards, people started not to work.

 

If selling Light brought in money, why would anyone bother going to a job? Except for a few people, companies became something like a hobby. 

 

One day, several people collapsed weakly on the street. They died just like that. The reason was a phenomenon called ‘Light Deficiency,’ something never heard of before. 

 

However, the people didn’t curse Enet.

 

They cursed those who had used their Light indiscriminately. 

 

Kim Daecheol thought something was strange. Light or batteries could replace money. That light and batteries were directly connected to life.

 

“Life is being used as currency.”

 

With those words, silence fell over the table.

 

The inside of the store was still bustling. Only a very small number of them would pay with money, and the rest would sell their remaining light or batteries to the store.

 

“Kim Dae-cheol-ssi, who thought that was strange, started a small organization.” 

 

“That was when I was young. Now I’m just an old man.”

 

“What’s so old about being in your 30s? People who are 200 years old would cry if they heard you, really.”

 

“Where in the world is there a person like that?”

 

“…Well, be that as it may. Anyway, hasn’t that organization now become the rebel army that Enet is most hostile towards?”

 

“….They don’t even appear on the news much anymore. They’ve probably all failed.” 

 

“I doubt that. They secretly inform you of where the recruitment tests are held every time, don’t they, Kim Dae-cheol-ssi?” 

 

“Hah.”

 

Kim Daecheol regretted not dying today. To think he would meet guys who needlessly made him recall the past.

 

“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. That activity is too dangerous. In the first place, does it even make sense for a group of people of barely that size to make the entire city their enemy? Even if it does, there’s no chance of winning.”

 

“You don’t know that. We haven’t joined yet, have we.”

 

“Even if you guys join….. nothing will change.”

 

Kim Daecheol pressed his wrinkled brow with his fingers.

 

“It’s not a fight that will change just because four or five people are added. ….You’ll end up facing reality and coming back here like me anyway.”

 

“Then at least the location.”

 

“No.”

 

“Just the loca-.”

 

“No.”

 

“The lo-.”

 

“No.”

 

After the same squabble went back and forth several times, Yoo Jian ordered more free popcorn, and Cha Jaeha ordered more paid beer.

 

Hmm.

 

Kim Dae-cheol-ssi, your stubbornness is quite something. 

 

He already knew that Kim Daecheol was in the (former) rebel army. That’s why he chose him. But he was incredibly stubborn, more than expected. This level of stubbornness was even nastier than the old tower master of the Magic Tower he dealt with back when he was Elric.

 

“Sigh. You’re really stubborn, Kim Dae-cheol-ssi.”

 

“What I can’t do, I can’t do. Is there any reason to pour your precious youth into something like this?”

 

“There is.”

 

“…..It must be an illusion. Because I was like that at your age, too.”

 

In front of Kim Daecheol, who had dim eyes, two fingers snapped with a sharp sound.

 

“Then I’ll prove it first.”

 

“….What, how.”

 

“Excuse me, I’d like to order.”

 

When Hwashin waved his hand a few times, a part-time worker who was serving approached.

 

“Yees, please place your order. We can’t give you any more popcorn.”

 

“This store has up to 3 floors, right?”

 

“Yes, that’s right. You can move seats, but let me check for an empty table—”

 

“I’ll pay for the orders of all the customers on every floor here. Ah, they can add more if they want, and please put a bottle of your most expensive liquor on each table.”

 

“….Excuse me?”

 

“Tell the owner that the bill will be charged to ‘Light’.” 

 

The corners of Hwashin’s eyes curved into thin crescents.

 

The part-timer couldn’t say anything and hesitated, then nodded their head saying they understood for now.

 

“I-I’ll ask the owner first!” 

 

“What are you doing right now?”

 

Kim Daecheol jumped up from his seat. The chair he had been sitting on fell backward with a loud thud.

 

It was natural for him to be agitated.

 

He was going to pay for the tables of all the customers in a 3-story store himself? In one night?

 

The amount of Light a person can use is fixed. It is almost unheard of to use all of one’s Light in a single day. People usually die without knowing it, being nibbled away a little every day. 

 

The act the man in front of him just committed wasn’t on the level of dying little by little.

 

“If you use this much amount in one day, you could die.”

 

Using an excessive amount of Light was also something that must never be done. Because the amount a person could use in a day was fixed. 

 

This man was doing something he shouldn’t do. Why on earth? To prove what?

 

“I said I’d show you.”

 

Hwashin rested both his arms on the table.

 

“If I, and we, possess enough Light to satisfy you, Kim Daecheol-ssi, that should be enough, right?” 

 

Here, magic power was exactly light, and life force.

 

Then just how much life force did Elric, Yoo Hwashin, have.

 

A man who lived for 2nn years and never aged, a man who was reborn in another dimension with that tenacious life force.

 

Riel, who had been reading that scene, chuckled and said.

 

—He’s a fellow who will live longer than me, a dragon. ….There’s no one as cursed with the love of fate as you.

 

Yeah, that’s right. Riel. It would be rare to find a mage who receives that damn love as much as I do.

 

Just then, the part-timer and the boss ran over to the table, panting. The boss looked at Hwashin with an unbelievable gaze.

 

“I, just now. I heard something strange from the part-timer. That you would provide free menus to the guests in the shop and pay with Light instead…”

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“….W-well. I thought that was impossible. B-by any chance, could I view just a part of your status window? I only need to know the available Light usage amount for one day.”

 

Unlike the profusely sweating boss, Hwashin was smiling.

 

Kim Daecheol thought it was rather fortunate. Right, if he checks even that, at least this young kid won’t do anything crazy.

 

“Sure!”

 

Hwashin smiled brightly as if to say, that’s what I wanted! Status window. With a refreshing voice, a status window with some information obscured popped up in front of their eyes.

 

[ Name: Yoo Hwashin

Residence: Illusion City

[ Physical: 50 ] [ Intelligence: 78 ] [ Light: Immeasurable…. (Expand) ] [ Owned Abilities: Word Command(Unknown), Prophet (Unknown), Physical Enhancement (Unknown)… ]

 

*Other information is hidden at the request of the status window possessor. ]