“Gods aren’t so different from humans. We’re not perfect either,” I added.

“...”

“You should remember that,” I told him.

I had never thought that one day, I would repeat the words Benigoa had said to me. Back then, I assumed she had said it to give me a hint on how to deal with the Outer Gods, but now that I thought about it, perhaps there was another meaning behind it.

As the deliverer of those words instead of the receiver, those words felt different to me. I wasn't sure about this, but perhaps Benigoa wanted to assuage the burden I was carrying.

'Nothing in this world is perfect, we’re not perfect either, and we’re no different from you, so you don’t have to try to be perfect either. It’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay to feel confused. That’s natural and only to be expected.' I felt like this was what she wanted to say to me.

Of course, I couldn’t know what she really meant when she said that back then, but regardless...

‘This is what I want to say to this idiot.’

Those were the words I personally wanted to tell Kim Hyun-Sung. Of course, he wouldn’t remember any of this conversation anyway.

‘Come to think of it, telling him to remember is kind of ridiculous.’

Unfortunately, it seemed that First Life Kim Hyun-Sung couldn't grasp the deeper meaning of what I said. It looked like he thought the transcendent being before him had just given him some profound statement or a hint on how to survive in this world.

Kim Hyun-Sung's eyes widened. “What do you mean by that?”

“...”

“It means you don’t have to obsess over a perfect life. We’re unstable and confused as well. Everyone struggles just to keep going. When I said I found you interesting, I meant it literally. I didn’t say it from some higher place looking down on you. Whether you believe it or not, the reason you’re here and the reason I wanted to have this short conversation with you isn’t that I see you as some kind of toy,” I answered.

“...”

“I’m here because I see you as an equal. I respect your life, and I understand everything you’ve done, regardless of whether it’s black or white,” I added.

“...”

“...”

Just then, Kim Hyun-Sung quietly shed tears.

“...”

‘What the hell? Why is this guy suddenly acting like that?’

It wasn’t like my words were moving, yet he suddenly broke into tears. I was honestly flustered inside, but there was no way I could show it, so the best I could do was remain composed and act like I expected this all along.

Even though I had just told him that there was no real difference between us, there still had to be some sense of distance, right?

“...”

“Do you feel like you’ve been understood?” I asked.

“That is not it...” First Life Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

“I didn’t expect you to become this emotional during this conversation... I feel a bit sorry saying this, but I wasn’t trying to comfort you. I simply understand you, nothing more...” I told him.

“I know. It’s just... it’s not really about that... I just... I don’t really understand why I’m like this either. Why...” he questioned.

‘Why else, damn it... You’re just getting overly sentimental for no reason.’

The Lindel was collapsing, no—the entire continent collapsing. The sky glowing with the colors of sunset hinted at the fact that time was running out, and everything was just perfect. It was the kind of atmosphere that called for a deeply emotional background track, and he could already be playing one in his head.

Kim Hyun-Sung was endlessly searching for someone here while questioning why he alone remained.

At this moment, facing a transcendent being, First Life Hyun-Sung had to have instinctively realized that the end had come. He probably thought that the man before him was the reason he was still here, and that this man would be the one to bring his story to a close.

Everyone would become more emotional in the face of the end. Kim Hyun-Sung was in that exact state. He was feeling emotional. It wasn’t a particularly special conversation, but the environment was more than enough to make his emotions overflow. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He was even bringing out things he had unconsciously kept buried deep inside. He probably felt fortunate that the one he met wasn’t an ordinary person but a transcendent being, as for some reason, he found it easier to talk to a transcendent being than a fellow human being.

“...”

“...”

I looked at him again as tears fell from his eyes. “I think I understand.”

“Pardon?” First Life Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

“It seems like you need someone to listen to your story,” I clarified.

“...”

“Yes, in a way, I might be the perfect match for the kind of person you were hoping for. I have seen everything you’ve achieved, everything you have thrown away, everything you’ve done, everything you’ve failed to notice, and everything you've wanted... Yes, I’m someone who has seen all of you,” I explained.

“...”

“You must’ve needed someone like that. Someone you could share your emotions, your thoughts, and your life with,” I added.

“...”

“Yes, someone who could empathize with you,” I said.

“...”

“Am I wrong?” I asked.

“Maybe... you’re right,” he mumbled.

Of course, he couldn’t help but agree with me. Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t particularly the type to feel lonely, but the things he had been bottling up were bound to explode someday. Yes, First Life Kim Hyun-Sung was like a ticking time bomb.

He looked fine on the outside, but inside, he was rotting away. He had been suppressing the pressure and stress, unable to share his feelings with anyone. If there had been someone for First Life Hyun-Sung, perhaps the ending of this story would’ve been different.

“If there had been someone like that, I would've been a little less unhappy, a little less alone. No, perhaps none of this would’ve even happened. Yes, as you said, I’m an emotional person. Someone who’s easily shaken and influenced by all sorts of things. I have no conviction,” First Life Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“...”

“If there had been someone I could share my thoughts and feelings with, I wouldn't have met such a terrible ending,” he added.

“...”

“...”

“A terrible ending? Do you think everything is over now?” I asked.

“Look around you,” he replied.

“...”

“You can’t call this a beginning. This... is the end of the story,” he said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Even if there’s something beyond this, I don’t have the confidence to see it. I’ve already experienced too much and made too many mistakes,” he said.

“It might feel that way right now, but it’s not,” I told him.

“Pardon?”

“Humans can change with even the smallest trigger. You know better than anyone how much a person can change depending on their environment, don’t you?” I asked.

“...”

“Aren’t you curious why I’m telling you all this?” I asked.

“...”

“Do you think I’ve only seen this version of you?” I questioned.

“That’s...”

“Just as you wish, you’ll meet them soon,” I told him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I said you will meet them soon. The person who will change you. The one who will correct your mistakes and help you stand back up when you no longer have the strength to do so. Yes, just like I said earlier, you’ll meet someone who can empathize with you, support you, and share your emotions, your thoughts, and your life,” I explained.

“...”

“You’ll meet someone who can cry and laugh with you,” I added.

“...”

“You probably won’t remember this conversation we’re having right now... but who knows, maybe one day you will,” I said.

“...”

“...”

I turned my head slightly and looked at Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung. He was staring in my direction as if he had realized something, even though I wasn’t visible from his point of view.

It seemed that he finally remembered this conversation as it was happening in real time. Without realizing it, I nodded. The words I was saying right now were also meant for Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung.

I told him that he didn't have to struggle alone. He didn’t have to carry everything by himself. I told him there was someone here who would support him, empathize with him, share his emotions, thoughts, life, and be ready to face the things he had done together with him.

First Life Kim Hyun-Sung stared at me with a blank face, and Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung looked this way once more.

“Hyun-Sung,” Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.

— Hyun-Sung...

“I’ll see you in a bit.”

— I’ll... see you in a bit...

Then the sun began to rise. Time, which hadn’t been moving, flowed once again. First Life Kim Hyun-Sung stared at the scene with his mouth wide open, then he looked back at me. It seemed like he wanted to say something, yet he could not bring himself to speak, leaving him flustered.

I choose not to say anything. Instead, I extend my hand. He stared blankly at it for a while before taking my hand.

I could not tell whether the one holding my hand was First Life Kim Hyun-Sung or Second Life Kim Hyun-Sung—no, I was certain that it was both.

A radiant light engulfed me. Whenever I open my eyes, countless scenes would flash past me. Even the ones I’d rather not see. They passed by so quickly that I couldn't take in everything, yet the process felt as if the narrative was finally becoming whole.

Worried that I was not alone, I glanced to the side and saw that he was seeing the same scenes. It feels as though the world was being dismantled and reassembled.

The battle against the Outer Gods; the moment I gave him the future; the time he stabbed me in the stomach; the first time the Regressor Instruction Manual connected us together; the time at the Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary; the moment I thought Kim Hyun-Sung died; the time he tried to take his own life; the events unfolding in this first life; and the conflicts between us...

The Plague Lord's time of terror; the incident at the Rift Museum; the moment Kim Hyun-Sung appointed me as the Sub Guild Master of the Blue Guild; the time we rode a griffon together; the time we fished at Mirror Lake; what happened in Laves; the ordinary days we spent eating together and enjoying our time; the time he got drunk in front of everyone; what happened at Castle Rock; the incident in the black market; and the time I taught him swordsmanship.

Our adventures were still ongoing.

Yes, even the moment in Heren when he confessed that he was a regressor.

Then I saw the very first time we met in the tutorial dungeon and exchanged greetings.

“My name is Kim Hyun-Sung.”

“I’m Lee Ki-Young.”

When the timeline was built, I finally realized that where we stand wasn't the first life, but the second life. I realized that this place was no longer the ruined Lindel, nor a world bathed in an endless sunset, but a place where time was flowing once again.

The sky was moving, and I saw people within the city. Kim Hyun-Sung's eye was shining, and I saw him looking at me quietly.

I look back at him and hesitated for a long while. Then I said in a playful, nonchalant tone, “So we meet again. Let me introduce myself again. My name is Lee Ki-Young.”

“...”

“...”

“My... name is Kim Hyun-Sung.”