Chapter 223

I realized a lot of changes.
The retina-searing flashes are nowhere to be seen. The bluish fluorescence only dimly illuminated the darkened room. Instead of moisture, the air around me was dry.
Kim looked down at his callused palms and then up. He clicked his tongue and stepped into the car.
A chair with a torn seat, with a person sitting on it.
“That’s a shitty production.”
“You’re on top of things.”
“I can tell when you come to Polaris and pretend.”
Kim slumped into the seat across from him.
“I can feel it in this subway, and in your face.”
“You don’t recognize your own face?”
A familiar face smiled wryly. Wearing a coat, Kim looked young and clean-cut. In other words, he looked like a goofball with no sign of his usual discipline.
Kim realized it was some kind of being or will that had sent him to Polaris. She was not surprised. She had felt the presence many times before.
As expected, it was an asshole.
“I’ll leave it up to your interpretation of where this is.”
He shrugged.
“It could be an unknown new Tulavia, or it could be a forebrain space that’s indistinguishable from reality. It’s also possible that it’s actually somewhere on Earth, and it’s a set that’s been made to look exactly like Tulavia.”
“I’m not the kind of person who talks like that. Just get to the point.”
“It’s a destination, to put it mildly.”
A muffled voice says
“It doesn’t mean that this is the end of your life, but at least there’s not even a crooked rail in front of you. You’ve made a great run to this point, and you’ll have plenty of options from here on out.”
“Options.”
“Is there anything else you want to ask me before then?”
What you want to ask.
It can’t be.
A seemingly insignificant gemdoll was responsible for throwing an office worker into a Polaris without warning. I wanted to know who he was, and I wanted to know about this place that exists somewhere between game and reality.
I wanted to know.
If I ever encountered the source of this drift, I would shake my head and scream, “Why did you bring me into this world, why did you make me kill people, why did you make me die, and if I don’t save them, they will die.
But now, I’m not sure.
“I already know most of it.”
It’s just a passing thought.
“Yudahee’s arrival was decisive. It negates the theory that there are many other Polaris I just don’t know about, so it can’t be a malicious dream.”
“Hmm.”
“There are only two Polaris. One in the screen I knew, and two here now. If we’re going to go backwards in time, this is where we started, and I and Yudahi are adrift.”
It was more than a guess, it was a certainty.
The “characters” we’ve been interacting with are the most obvious evidence of this. Asterique and Chelsea, the professor, Kushan, and Leila are not just a collection of data.
“One more thing I was wondering: why me?”
Why he was chosen from the many, many users. It was a question that had been festering in Kim’s heart for a long time. But even that has been resolved now.
“Even I picked me.”
Getting to this point was the most obvious answer.
“I assure you, no one else could have done it as well as I did.”
With that, he stood up from his chair.
“I told you it was a choice. I’ll tell you what I want.”
A pistol formed in Kim’s hand.
I stared down at him at gunpoint.
“Don’t you ever jump in front of me again.”
His eyes flashed with a gleam.
“Don’t peek at me, not even for a second. Don’t even send me a damn message. The moment your interference makes me think of myself as a stranger, I will do everything in my power to find you and kill you.”
“…….”
“I live here, and you’re the one who cheapens my reality.”
The eyes that looked up at him were white as if they had cataracts. To Kim, he was just a monster in another man’s mask.
“You’re going to regret this.”
“Of course, motherfucker, but that’s none of your business.”
Even regret is a “me” thing.
Whether you’re homesick in the middle of the day or at the end of the week.
Whether you’re tired of struggling and thirsty for food and entertainment.
Whether you slip up and end up cursing the day’s choices and Polaris – there’s no room for other people’s opinions as much as ants’ tears.
“I see.”
He smirked.
“I like that about you, Hyun.”
“What a coincidence.”
Crack, crack, crack, the hammer comes down.
“Me too.”
The moment you pull the trigger.
Once again, my perspective changed.
It was the night sky.
Light shone down from an unfathomable number of stars. Starlight poured over the ruins as if to embrace a past tainted by mistakes, a present tortured by hardship, and an uncertain future.
It’s a sight to behold.
The ashen color that had painted the world had been washed away.
“……is beautiful.”
I heard a voice mutter something about sneaking out, and when I glanced to the side, Leila was staring blankly up at the sky. With eyes that sparkled like stars and a colorful human expression.
Kim checked my hand, just as he had done earlier on the subway platform. His body, which had been completely transformed, was back to its original state, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is it a molt.
Naming sense aside.
I was grumbling to myself.
Tudududududu-!
In the distance, the sound of a helicopter approached. Kim and Leila turned their heads in the direction of the chopper and looked at each other. Almost simultaneously, their shoulders drooped as if they had lost strength.
“Something, I feel very exhausted.”
“I can’t believe I’m not tired, I’ve been through so much.”
“I’ll never forget today, in more ways than one.”
It would be fun to see how long Leila would live, and it would be fun to watch. As long as Kim’s own lifespan would allow.
“Let’s go back then.”
It was the end of a disaster and the beginning of a new era.
* * *
It was a historic fork in the road.
The catastrophe began hundreds of years ago and threatened humanity’s right to survive in earnest 48 years ago, but it is now a thing of the past. The pollution that ravaged the continent is being cleaned up day by day, and the cracks are no longer visible.
Of course, not all problems could be solved. Already, mutated Parasites dotted the continent, and they were still considered bombs.
The scars left by the catastrophe and the rift were deep. Blood still flowed from the slashes. It would be a long, long, long time before the wounds would be sutured.
The initial work of rebuilding was going well.
– Having overcome old threats, we stand before new ones.
– It’s a fight we’ve forgotten about as we struggle to survive.
– After nearly 50 years of separation, we will need emotional and material exchanges, and I, as a representative of Harenthal, would like to contribute to Chapter peace. …….
As the indiscriminate outbreaks subsided, exchanges between nations resumed. This was largely due to the efforts of Führer Harenthal. He traveled to various countries on a daily basis, giving speeches.
“He’s a hard worker, too.”
“It’s probably to take the lead in the international community in the future, and it’s working. There are people coming out of the woodwork who believe in Führer Klawbert.”
“It’s a pain in the ass, there are so many of them.”
Despite the security challenges, there was no denying that the role of the commander-in-chief was crucial. Xu Lan had enough on his plate to run his own country, and it was hard to find another suitable candidate.
Kim looked away from the TV and looked at Kushan.
“How are you guys doing?”
“You seem pretty busy for a lab, I hear you’re working with Ishrad to develop a vaccine for parasitization. Progress seems to be moving faster than I expected, thanks to the Professor.”
“You make it sound like it’s nobody’s business.”
“I may be the boss of everything else, but I’m not really involved. It’s hard for me to get my foot in the door when it comes to external collaboration. Think of me as the old man in the back room.”
The stature of the Celbrox Labs was rising without end, but as strong as the light was, the shadows were just as dark. Still, suspicions abounded in the lab, and they remained silent amidst the rumors.
It was a way for the professor to take responsibility. The professor is determined to rebuild the continent by leading her researchers. However, she stuck to the attitude of a researcher.
“Leila must be doing well.”
Leila has officially taken over the role of Lab Director.
Worries will never be the same. Under Leila’s leadership, the Rap will be the ultimate savior. With pens instead of guns, gowns instead of body armor, they will save countless lives.
I had several offers, but I turned them all down.
It wasn’t a good fit for Kim’s personality. We will maintain our friendly relationship, but there are no plans to merge or take charge of the lab. Of course, I don’t know what the future holds.
“So how long are you going to sit on your hands?”
“I don’t like to hear the phrase ‘white knuckle’.”
You’re a self-proclaimed back room old man.
“I want to help the lab from the outside. There are some connections I haven’t visited in a long time. I’ve grown attached to the name Kushan, but maybe it’s time for me to make a change.”
“Yes.”
“What are Dustborn’s plans for the future?”
Dustborn’s outreach team returned to Kilikia.
To the city, where, as always, there’s chatter and intrigue.
“Plan.”
Jaw clenched, Kim fiddled with the remote and changed the channel.
– Breaking news.
– Earlier today, a body was found on the streets of Rotine. Reported by an anonymous tipster at around 3am, the body was badly mutilated beyond recognition.
– According to a statement from the public security forces, a bloody pair of scissors was left at the crime scene. Given the bizarre method of killing, the police concluded that the same killer was responsible for the previous two murders.
– At this time, we do not have any additional evidence, and…….
“Oh my God. The world.”
“It’s a pretty ugly neighborhood sometimes.”
“Sometimes, thank goodness. It’s just the way it is.”
Beep!
As I was watching the news, my phone rang at just the right time.
The caller is a congressional official, Kavek.
The reason for this was obvious.
“I knew it. Tax thieving bastards.”
“Is it work?”
“Uh, I’ve got to go.”
The main episode may be over, but there’s no shortage of work for Dustborn. In every age, in every world, there are madmen. The continent needs a strong deterrent.
That’s not a role that Celbrox Labs can fill.
Kim relayed the request to Kavek and summoned a worker.
“Asterique, it’s happening. Chelsea’s not answering her phone.”
– Oh, yeah. I’ll take him since he’s right next to me?
– No, I thought it was a vacation! When do you tell me to take a vacation…!
“Do you want to play at a time like this, when the citizens are shaking in their boots, eh?”
A deep sigh came from the speakers.
– Okay, just try to catch me in the act, really.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, be that motivated.”
Kim grabbed his pistol and left the building.
The automatic doors opened to reveal the bustling streets of Kilikia.
“Now! Here, oh! Uaaaah……!”
“That’s a nice little disappearance! Pick it up quickly, it shouldn’t take more than three seconds.”
“What are you talking about, Chelsea. I don’t eat stale bread, no matter how old I am.”
“Holy shit. You spilled it.”
The streets of the city are populated by stellar human figures at all hours of the day and night.
A city that is both dreary and colorful, ugly and infinitely beautiful.
“What are you doing, you’re like gold.”
Even in this world, it will continue to survive.
fin.
“Survive as a 1-Star in Manga” Complete