Ranker Who Lives Twice

Just how much time had he spent in this dark world? One hundred years? Two hundred? Yeon-woo had given up counting after some time. Time in darkness flowed differently from time outside anyway. The wheels that moved the darkness and the outside were completely different.

Still, one thing Yeon-woo was sure of was that an immeasurable amount of time that most divine beings probably couldn’t endure had passed.

[The domain of fight flares!]

[The domain of death quickly winds the two springs!]

[The trait ‘Intense Light’ pushes away the darkness.]

If it wasn’t for his newly created trait, Yeon-woo wouldn’t have been able to continue radiating light. This was Darkness, filled with blackness that swallowed all.

『Son. You can rest if you want. Leave the rest to me.』Kronos had once said to Yeon-woo. It was a relief that he wasn’t alone in this dark world. His father encouraged him and made conversation with him whenever he was feeling worn out so Yeon-woo felt vitalized.

『I feel this whenever I see you…but humans are truly interesting. How can they continue to fight like this? What’s holding you up?』The Crawling Chaos never participated in Yeon-woo’s battles with the Demonisms and was always a step away. He wasn’t Yeon-woo’s familiar, so he had no need to interfere. Even if Yeon-woo forced him into becoming a familiar, he would’ve tried to get out of it somehow anyway.

All the Crawling Chaos needed was amusement to satisfy his curiosity. From his perspective, Yeon-woo was the best research subject that he’d ever seen.『Love for family? Or heroism? I don’t understand. Is it something that creatures like us will never get… or are those feelings you can’t help but have because you’re mortal?』

The Crawling Chaos always sought the most efficient solution, so Yeon-woo’s challenge just seemed futile to him. He wondered why Yeon-woo dared to attempt to become the Great Father’s ego.

No matter how dim-witted the Black King was, that was only due to his colossal body and greedy temperament that even the Outer Gods couldn’t understand. Becoming the core of a being who considered universes and dimensions as a simple dream—wanting to become a creature who treated the emperor-level beneath him—it was something even the Crawling Chaos didn’t dare try.

However, Yeon-woo was slowly taking the flag of victory in this futile challenge. So the Crawling Chaos had asked Yeon-woo again and again what it was that moved him. What was it that pushed Yeon-woo this far?

“Shut up.” Yeon-woo wiped his mouth as he coughed blood. “You’re distracting.” That was his answer.

『…I see. There’s no specific reason, is that it?』The Crawling Chaos contemplated Yeon-woo’s attitude for a while and came to that conclusion. A satisfied smile was on his face. This was the first time he had expressed emotion. It seemed he’d become assimilated to Yeon-woo’s emotions during their time together.『Fine. A good answer. If you’re just doing what you wish and that means fighting with the dim-witted father…I should give you something back.』

Fwoosh! With that, the Crawling Chaos released himself. He transformed into his original shape, a clump of vestiges, and scattered into the darkness. Since he had received an answer that satisfied his curiosity, he didn’t need to maintain his ego anymore. He didn’t feel the need to watch the result of Yeon-woo’s battle either. He could tell how it was going to end. Instead, he gave Yeon-woo another gift: secrets of the Demonisms.

Dim-witted father…! Please lead me into your dream and trounce the beings that took my wife and children from me!

There was a person who lived his entire life as a herb gatherer in a mountain. His family barely got by with the herbs he dug up for entire days on the mountain, but he was always happy. It was because he had a beautiful wife and adorable children.

Then, one day, when he returned contently after filling up his basket with herbs, he learned that all his children were dead, and his wife had been taken somewhere. He went down to the village to ask, and after one year, he found out that the lord of the manor who had come to sightsee the mountain had fallen for his wife’s beauty and kidnapped her. The man protested in front of the manor to have his wife back and visited the capital to plead his unfair case, but no one listened to the words of a mountain bumpkin.

Why are the secrets still hidden?! Dim-witted father, please listen to me! Where is the end of this world?

There was a magician who experimented for over two hundred years to uncover the secrets of the world. It was the mission from generations ago of magicians who shared his ideals. However, he wasn’t able to learn anything. No one listened to him.

Father, Father…

As you said, I see we had no choice but for things to end this way.

Do I have to be defeated like this? Father, I resent you.

A chancellor who desperately wished for his parents’ affection and tirelessly attempted to receive their acknowledgment tossed himself off a bridge upon realizing he was only a means for his parents to obtain power.

A soldier was taken to war, leaving behind a lover he promised a future with, and only returned as a prisoner of war after twenty years.

A knight who spent his entire life learning the sword eventually became a master, but he was taken to the gallows due to the envy of the lord he served.

Yeon-woo watched all their lives. In some cases, he possessed people and experienced their lives for himself. He became them, and he saw the world through their eyes. He thought according to their mind. Then, when multiple dreams passed, he felt an emptiness in his heart.

Do you understand our pain?

This world is filled with imperfections. No matter how many times you are awakened from a dream, the same world will repeat.

You were also born with bad luck like us, and your shoulders are burdened by your fate.

Can you be free from it?

Demonisms were condensed regrets and sadness. They were what was left behind by those who wearily cried in the worlds that didn’t exist anymore and received the care of the dim-witted father.

There might’ve been some reason why Yeon-woo was chosen as one of them. However, Yeon-woo continued to fight, defeat, and swallow them. He understood, experienced, and assimilated with them.

Whoosh!

[‘Sky Wings’ react to the Philosopher’s Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria) and blazes!]

I see. Is that your answer? That might be better than a half-hearted consolation. Heehee.

Keekeekeek! How impudent. A mere human…

Perhaps it was due to this that the Demonisms were split into two groups: one that supported Yeon-woo and one that was hostile toward him.

The group that supported him was composed of Demonisms who believed Yeon-woo could rightfully rule them, while the hostile group had those who looked down on him and wanted to make him like them. They were also the ones who despised being pitied. Naturally, there were way more of the latter, so Yeon-woo continued his isolated fight. Now, although alone, it was a nearly equal battle.

* * *

Uncle!

Then, Yeon-woo heard it. It was a voice that pierced through the world of him and the Demonisms. It had been so long that he almost didn’t remember it. He had a hard time recalling the voice’s owner, but that made the voice sound more clear to him: Sesha. ‘My one and only niece.’

Are you leaving?

Yeon-woo turned back. There was a Demonism that was significantly smaller than the other Demonisms. He was the head of all the Demonisms. This was the Demonism that almost succeeded in killing him in the past.

Yeon-woo started calling this particular Demonism Sage from some time. There was no particular meaning to it. The Demonism just happened to speak like a sage.

From some point, Yeon-woo’s battle with the Demonisms ended with a fight against Sage. Yeon-woo thought if he completely defeated Sage, he could become the Black King’s real ego. In other words, Sage was the final gate.

Of course, Sage didn’t hand over his life so easily. What was ironic was that although Sage blocked all of Yeon-woo’s attacks and occasionally showed a threatening strength, he usually had a light demeanor that made it hard to tell if he was friendly or hostile. So Yeon-woo gave up on trying to understand him.

Instead, they sometimes paused from their bloody battles and talked. They were able to learn many things about each other and discovered neither of them was willing to back up. Sage wanted the dream to end, while Yeon-woo wanted the dream to continue. However, that was why they became what could be called “friends”—even now.

Sage asked Yeon-woo if he was leaving based on his reaction, and Yeon-woo just silently nodded. Sage could only release letters, but he sounded as if he was laughing.

Huhu.

You still haven’t understood us completely yet. There are some who don’t acknowledge you. But is that okay? If you leave like this, the beings left behind will be furious.

“This fight won’t end anyway, hm? Not until I’m done swallowing you all. Even if I leave here, the battle will continue in some part of my subconscious endlessly.

That’s true.

“There’s something more important than that, isn’t there?” Yeon-woo’s eyes flashed sharper than ever. “The matter of whether I can keep you all off.”

Oho. You’re confident. You think you can?

“Somewhat. All I have to do is break this abyss-like egg, right?” Yeon-woo ignored the Sage and the other Demonisms surrounding him like any other time and looked up. To be frank, he couldn’t tell if he was really looking “up” because a sense of direction wasn’t needed here. However, he needed something important right now: an escape route.

You spoke as if you were going to fade away with us in here… I guess you won’t.

“I changed my mind. I’m going to stay with my family a bit longer. Let’s finish our fight then.”

Mm. Our conversation… the understanding “we” have… it’s not something that can be cut off so easily. I suppose this is fine too.

Yeon-woo got the impression Sage was smiling, even though he couldn’t see his face.

Alright. Come back after enjoying the dream some more, “other me.”

But keep in mind.

As I told you again and again, as long as the dream continues, you won’t be set free from your bad luck and fate. You might want to end this dream with your own hands someday.

Yeon-woo scoffed. “Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen.” At that moment, the world around Yeon-woo began to spin rapidly. It was evidence that he possessed claim on more than half of this deep darkness.

[The paused spring of time is activated!]

[The paused exuviation resumes. 99.8, 99.9%… 100%!]

[Exuviation is complete.]

[You have completed the 7th-step Dragon Body Awakening.]

…

[Current status: Black God]

[You have failed to transcend due to an unknown reason.]

The unknown reason…was probably because Yeon-woo hadn’t swallowed the final gate, Sage, yet. However, this was sufficient for Yeon-woo right now. He escaped from the darkness he thought he’d never be free from, and extending the dream by a little more was a feat great enough.

Crack! Suddenly, cracks began to spread in the darkness as the spring of time spun. Between the cracks, bright light peeked in. It was reminiscent of a bird breaking out of its egg. It was transcension.

The egg of darkness that had been binding Yeon-woo all this time was broken. And when Yeon-woo gathered his strength, the darkness exploded and the pitch-black world disappeared.

Crash!

“Uncle!”

Between pieces of the dispersing crystal, Yeon-woo could see his niece calling him anxiously from far away. She was all grown up into a lady now, but he recognized her immediately. ‘She takes after her father quite a bit.’

Crash! Yeon-woo thrust his right hand down with all his strength, and black-red Sword Thunder bolted down, tearing apart all the hindrances that blocked him from his niece.