A moment later.
Just as I thought I had barely held on, the overwhelming energy that had seemed ready to swallow me whole vanished without a trace. The rusty mechanical grinding in my ears stopped instantly, and the fierce wind died down, letting my hair settle softly.
The sudden calm was so complete it felt like the whole thing had been a lie. The radiant light that had filled the chamber gradually scattered into tiny points before fading away.
Nothing had changed. Everything remained exactly the same.
Except for the multiple messages now displayed before my eyes.
I took a shallow breath and calmly lowered my gaze.
『An unprecedented achievement!』
『User Kim Suhyun and four others have successfully obtained the Zero Code!』
『The Zero Code is a divine command born from the unknown dimension of Sipcheon (Ten Heavens). The accomplishment of being recognized as the rightful owner of the Zero Code—after passing through the domains of Law, Protection, and the Temple of Promise—is unparalleled, never before achieved and never to be repeated.』
『A total of 150,000,000 Gold Points have been awarded to Kim Suhyun and the four others!』
『Correction to the reward: It has been confirmed that the Zero Code was not forcibly acquired but earned through proper qualification and official recognition.』
2022-04-18
『The original Gold Point reward is increased tenfold. The corrected total is 1,500,000,000 Gold Points, with 300,000,000 Gold Points granted per user.』
『User Kim Suhyun has earned the title “Summit” (頂上). (This title activates under specific conditions.)』
I almost let out a choked sound while reading. No, it was a real gasp. The total reward wasn’t 150 million GP—it was 1.5 billion GP. And each person’s share was a staggering 300 million. That’s twice the amount I received in the first round.
Name: Kim Suhyun (5th year)
Class: Sovereign of the Sword (Arousal Secret, Master)
Nation: Free Mercenary
Clan: Mercenary (Clan Rank: S Zero)
Titles & Nationality: 1. Summit (頂上) 2. Sovereign of the Sword (君主) 3. Demonic Nature (魔性) • Republic of Korea
Gender: Male (28)
Height & Weight: 181.5 cm • 75.5 kg
Alignment: Moderation • Chaos
[Strength 99 (+2)] [Endurance 95 (+2)] [Agility 101] [Vitality 101 (+2)] [Magic 96] [Luck 90 (+2)]
(Remaining stat points: 0)
And on top of that, I’d earned the “Summit” title for the second time. I didn’t know what effect it had, but more than anything, I finally felt it was real.
I clenched my right hand tightly and felt something small and solid. Slowly raising my arm and opening my palm, there lay a clear, glowing blue orb. No matter how many times I looked, it was definitely the Zero Code.
Yes. I had finally done it.
I had succeeded in rewriting my painful past with my own hands. Most importantly, I hadn’t let my brother or Han Soyoung die. And now…
Now…
“…”
Strange. Why did my chest suddenly feel so tight?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t continue my thoughts. Or rather, I didn’t want to.
Because, I thought.
‘But deep down, you probably didn’t want to accept it.’
‘Maybe it would have been better to listen to Seraph’s advice.’
‘Because the one thing that’s kept you going all this time—your will, your faith, your purpose, your goal…’
‘It’s all about to collapse.’
…What was I even fighting for to get this far?
Why wasn’t I happy, even after achieving what I’d longed for?
Then, at that moment—
“Huh?”
Suddenly, my vision tilted sharply to the right.
“Watch out!”
Someone caught me from behind and grabbed my arm.
As I came to, I saw the ceiling. My legs had gone weak, and I almost collapsed.
“You okay?”
Ko Yeonju’s shadowed face leaned close, her eyes half-lowered.
“No, no. It’s nothing.”
I sighed deeply and straightened up. Then I stared again at the orb in my hand.
The Zero Code still shimmered with its clear blue light. It was so beautiful I almost wanted to be swallowed by it.
Then, once more, I felt a strong pull.
“Suhyun!”
“Y-Yes?”
Startled, I looked up to see Ko Yeonju watching me with a complicated expression.
“What’s wrong all of a sudden? Huh?”
“Why are you like this? What did I do?”
“No… Your eyes look dead… like you’re about to collapse any second…”
“…Are you talking about me?”
At first, I didn’t understand what she meant. I felt a bit drained, but my body was fine.
But Ko Yeonju’s voice cracked as she spoke, her eyes welling with tears. Not just her—Han Soyoung’s face was shadowed with worry, and Nam Daeun and Mardo were also watching me with concern. I rubbed my face, feeling lost.
‘Hwajeong. Did I really look like that just now?’
‘Hwajeong?’
A little strange. If it seemed like I was reluctantly saying that, maybe it was just my imagination.
No, Hwajeong was right. I should get out of here quickly. This isn’t the time to get sentimental. The goal’s been achieved, and since the energy vanished suddenly, many must be worried outside. I’ll deal with everything after I’m back.
To snap myself out of it, I slapped my cheek hard. Then I tucked the Zero Code into my pocket and spoke.
“Let’s go. Time to head back.”
Just before leaving the room, I turned around as if hypnotized.
The chamber was unchanged. Only the cold blue fire burned quietly, lighting the space.
Was it bittersweet? Or was it a love-hate feeling?
I didn’t know.
But one thing was certain.
I would never,
“…”
ever come back here again.
After leaving the Temple of Promise, one question lingered: what had become of the four domains? As soon as we returned to the Sacred Domain, the light clusters approached and guided us like before, but I was curious about what would happen next. I couldn’t compare it to the first round, since I’d wiped them all out then.
Hwajeong gave me the answer. To cut to the chase, the moment I used the Zero Code to lift the Law Domain, they disappeared. Of course, the Temple of Promise, the final gate, and the ancient ruins remained, but the Guardians had no reason to stay once the Zero Code was no longer protected.
As someone who had hoped to recruit them as allies, I felt a pang of regret. But since it couldn’t be helped, I had no choice but to let it go.
As we were guided back, the four women chatted with the Guardians.
“Ugh, the more I see them, the more I want to take them with us, Mardo. They’d be fun to raise.”
“Yes. If I could, I’d like to live with them too. But since Daeun is a sword, maybe she could be used as a weapon?”
The four women played with the curious Guardians.
“Hmm. This is the first time I’ve ever received 300 million GP. Honestly, I’m still in shock.”
“Me too, it’s my first time with 300 million, but I’ve been through something similar before. You might not know the Istanbul Low Road, but in our clan, we call this the ‘Kim Suhyun Effect.’”
They fussed over the reward messages the whole way back. Even Han Soyoung talked more than usual.
But it was obvious at a glance. They had a lot they wanted to ask me but were holding back. And they weren’t really cheerful—they were just acting that way for my sake.
Honestly, I didn’t think I had any major problems, but I still felt sorry.
So I occasionally played along and smiled, but the mood only grew more awkward. Especially Han Soyoung, whose worry deepened noticeably. I guessed she sensed my emotional state with her heightened senses, so I just stayed quiet.
We passed through the Sacred Domain, the Iron-Blooded Domain, the Sword Domain, and finally reached the first Shadow Domain. It took about the same time as when we entered, and we returned to the spot where we had first come in.
“Thanks for seeing me off… Yeah, yeah… Oh, come to think of it, how many hours have we been in here?”
Ko Yeonju asked suddenly, as she said goodbye to the Shadow Giant.
“About eighteen hours, I think. Longer than I expected.”
Han Soyoung estimated, and it was almost exact.
About three hours going in, an hour and a half at the Temple of Promise, and three hours coming back. So roughly seven and a half hours had passed. Not exactly a short time. (Though it was nothing compared to the first round.) The strange phenomena made time fly without me noticing.
Anyway, only one thing remained. After lifting the Law Domain with the Zero Code, I just had to enter the Warp Gate and it would all be over. The fifteen-year saga of my Whole Plane life would finally come to an end.
It was a sudden thought… it had been a long journey.
I reached out to find the invisible barrier, stood before the Law Domain, and took the small blue orb from my pocket. My heart pounded, but my mind felt oddly blank.
“Well then…”
After a moment, I slowly pressed the Zero Code against the barrier.
But—
“Hmm?”
How long had I waited?
No matter how long I waited, there was no sign the Law Domain would lift. To be precise, there was no reaction at all. I rolled the Zero Code around in my hand just in case, but nothing changed.
“Uh? Could it be that I’m trapped here forever…?”
Still calm, I heard Ko Yeonju’s teasing voice, followed by Nam Daeun’s laughter.
“I think it could still work. What if we made the temple our kingdom and the five of us lived together happily? And if we ever felt lonely, you and I could have a kid.”
“Daeun, watch your mouth. You say things in front of Mar like there’s no filter.”
“Why? Since it’s only a formality that we’re father and daughter, it’s not really incest, right?”
“W-what? Me, with Dad?”
Mar, why are you so shocked? There’s no need to get worked up over something like that… No, don’t blush. I’m not trying to turn anyone into a beast here.
“Let’s just wait a bit longer. The barrier is pretty big, so maybe it’s taking time to lift.”
At least Hansoyoung is the most sensible and realistic one here. Thanks to her, we’ve avoided an awkward situation.
I turned to her, still with my hand on the barrier, wanting to show my gratitude with just a look.
And then it happened.
“…?”
Suddenly, a sharp, acrid smoke stung my nose, and at the same time,
Whoosh, whoosh!
A wave of intense heat surged from the front.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Looks like Episode 2 will be wrapped up within chapters 4 and 5. :)