Chapter 52 ….
I sat up. The moment I stood, a headache hit me.
“Ugh.”
I winced at the throbbing pain. What… what’s hurting this much? It was a considerable pain.
And then.
‘What was that memory just now?’
The memory that surfaced in my dream moments ago. It was the life of a man who had lived before. A person who gained another life by going back in time.
He used it to achieve his revenge and fulfill his life’s purpose.
‘At the very end…’
Something unknown happened to him.
‘He said it was the fortress.’
[Fortress of Dosesung’s barrier has been created.]
I recalled the last system notification. The “Fortress of Dosesung.” That was definitely the rift I had been in…
“Ah.”
I looked around at that thought. Now that I think about it, what happened to the rift? I frantically scanned the surroundings.
“Where… am I?”
“Have you woken up?”
It was a familiar place. The spot I had been at before entering the rift. Where the researchers were gathered.
“Doctor! Superhuman Jinwoo Lee has woken up!”
One of the researchers shouted, and in the distance, a figure in a lab coat rushed over to check my condition.
“How’s your body?”
“My body… is fine… ah, what about Jin Yeon-hee?”
“Superhuman Jin Yeon-hee is resting over there.”
“Yeon-hee got hurt badly. Is she really okay?”
“Ah, don’t worry. Superhuman Jin Yeon-hee was unharmed.”
“…Excuse me?”
Unharmed? But I clearly saw her bleeding. What does that mean?
“They say that during the process of clearing the rift and coming out, the body is restored. Is it the same for you, Superhuman Jinwoo Lee?”
“…Really?”
I checked my own body in surprise. Now that I thought about it…
‘There are no wounds.’
The scratches I had gotten while fighting Dosesung were gone. How could this be?
‘My body recovered as I came out of the rift?’
Since it was my first time entering a rift, I hadn’t known it had such an effect. Or maybe…
‘I don’t think we even learned about this at school.’
Hmm. Pondering this, I was deep in thought when—
Ding!
[■ Rift: Fortress of Dosesung’s barrier cleared.]
[■ Rewards have been granted.]
[■ Would you like to check them?]
I quickly dismissed the notification. Not the time to check it—too many eyes around.
‘Not this one.’
I checked something else.
[Assimilation rate has exceeded 10%.]
The assimilation rate rose from the battle with Dosesung. An anomaly caused when facing the martial god.
‘…So the rift was cleared, huh.’
I couldn’t remember. How did I clear it? Looking at my skills gave me an answer.
[Divine Power: Descent of the Martial God]
A power gained when the assimilation rate exceeded 10%.
‘Divine Power…’
A force obtainable only by those of S-rank reincarnation or higher.
And I had acquired it.
‘Well, I’m EX-rank anyway, so that’s plausible.’
Given that EX is a rank above SS, obtaining a divine power isn’t entirely strange.
‘But still…’
The skill’s name itself was “Descent of the Martial God.” Its description read:
[The Martial God descends upon this land.]
A simple explanation, identical to its name. Why wasn’t there more detail?
[The Divine Power is sealed.]
[It can only be used each time assimilation rises by 5%.]
There were conditions. It wasn’t a power I could use freely.
‘Assimilation 5%?’
Even increasing 1% was a struggle… 5%? Can divine powers even have conditions?
‘No way.’
Probably not. After all, the martial god itself was already an abnormal reincarnation.
The important point:
‘I used this divine power to defeat Dosesung.’
That was certain. There was no other explanation.
“Phew…”
Conversely, without that divine power, I would have died.
‘I wouldn’t have won.’
Even during the Spirit Command, there had been no answer, but this time it was on a whole different level.
S-rank? Could it even be called S-rank? Honestly, I wasn’t sure.
‘Even…’
I recalled Dosesung’s state. It felt…
‘…like its power was being suppressed.’
Like it could have done more but couldn’t. That’s how Dosesung had appeared to me.
‘What the hell…’
What exactly was Dosesung? And what were the memories I saw? Could they be memories about Dosesung itself? If so…
‘The rift…’
What could it mean?
Just as I started questioning the gates created by the system…
“How’s your body?”
“…!”
It was Jincheon’s voice.
“Ah, it’s fine.”
“You did well. Thanks to you, the rift was handled smoothly.”
“…Not really.”
It wasn’t exactly free labor.
“Could you tell me about the rewards and what happened inside? Can you talk about it now?”
“…Yes.”
I nodded at his straightforward request.
I met Jin Yeon-hee again. As the doctor had said, her injuries were fully healed.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Good.”
“And you?”
“Same as you, I guess.”
Since Jin Yeon-hee had healed, so had I. The residual effects of using the Celestial Demon Sword were gone as well.
“Do you remember what happened?”
I swallowed dryly at her question.
“…No. I don’t remember. What about you?”
“You don’t either?”
I was a little surprised. She didn’t remember either?
‘Did she also black out from the shock?’
If she couldn’t remember, that was actually a relief.
“I feel like… I used a skill one last time. Maybe that’s how we captured Dosesung.”
She mumbled this, and Yeon-hee nodded.
“…Maybe.”
Even if uncertain, the rift was cleared, so that was probably all she could rely on.
“Excuse me for interrupting,”
A man in a neat black suit interjected. I’d heard he was Chairman Jincheon’s secretary.
“Now seems the time to identify the rewards from the rift.”
“Ah…”
“Could you show us the rewards obtained from the rift?”
I pressed the reward acquisition button upon hearing that.
[Rewards have been acquired.]
Clatter. Something fell onto the prepared table.
This…
‘Looks like an earring?’
A small earring. The secretary carefully picked it up with white gloves.
“We’ll have the Enchanter verify what this is for. They’ll assess its power and grade and distribute rewards accordingly. Do you agree?”
“…Yes.”
An Enchanter, huh.
‘Makes sense.’
Those who identified the powers of items gained from the gates were called Enchanters. Normally, items went to them first.
‘…Of course.’
For me, it was different.
[Illusion of Korca activated.]
[■ Subjugation Earring (A)]
[■ Carried by someone nameless to not forget another.]
[■ Increases resistance to mental attacks.]
“….”
I could see the grade and effects. Even though we cleared an S-rank rift, this was only an A-grade item? Somewhat disappointing.
“Here’s a glove.”
Yeon-hee checked her reward too—a green glove.
[■ Green Spirit Glove (A)]
[■ Significantly increases the wearer’s reaction speed.]
[■ Duration: 1 minute.]
[■ Usable once per day.]
Another A-grade item. I pondered this.
‘Huh? Aren’t rewards supposed to match the gate’s rank?’
I had expected that, but apparently not.
“The items will be handed to the company’s Enchanter for assessment. Please also prepare a report on what occurred inside.”
“Understood.”
The secretary spoke to Yeon-hee and left.
With rewards taken care of, I wondered if there was anything else to do.
“Jinwoo Lee.”
“Ah, yes, Chairman.”
Jincheon called me.
“Thank you for your help. Despite the danger, you traveled a long way—much appreciated. I won’t forget to reward you.”
“…No, it was a good opportunity for me. Thanks to Gyeongbeom and Jin Yeon-hee.”
“…Gyeongbeom, huh.”
Jincheon’s expression briefly changed.
[Heroic Sixth Sense activated.]
I could feel the atmosphere shift.
“Yes. Still, help was help.”
“…No. Do you want me to go into an S-rank rift? No need.”
An S-rank rift. If an S-rank artifact had appeared there…
‘That’s a national-grade artifact.’
Something that should be managed by the state. And if it appeared in an S-rank rift…
‘Even a B-rank rift is worth hundreds of millions.’
Even reporting it would earn billions.
An S-rank rift?
‘What the hell.’
Could anyone even imagine the value? I had no loss here—unless I died inside.
“…Thank you for your generosity. I’ll still give you a proper reward.”
“…Understood.”
There was no reason to refuse. Though it felt a bit heavy.
“I’ll have someone deliver it later. A resting space has been prepared outside, so take a break.”
The suggestion was clear: leave the room. I turned without hesitation.
“Understood.”
I bowed and stepped out.
After I left, Jincheon spoke to his daughter, Jin Yeon-hee.
“I thought it was dangerous, but we almost had a disaster.”
Yeon-hee bit her lip at his words.
“I indulged you, but I never intended to risk losing my daughter.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Yeon-hee apologized quietly. Jincheon sighed.
“Though the outcome was fine, there won’t be a next time. This is the last time I’ll indulge you.”
“…Yes.”
“All your indulgences, whether becoming a reporter or helping Jinwoo Lee, are included.”
“….”
“How far are you willing to go? You can leave some guilt behind.”
“Father.”
Yeon-hee’s eyes went cold.
“There’s no guilt left to leave behind. There’s no one left to forgive me.”
“Yeon-hee…”
Jincheon looked frustrated.
“So, you’re willing to give up your life for that child?”
“This life was earned thanks to him. It’s not giving up—my life never truly belonged to me.”
“Jin Yeon-hee…!”
“Just a little more.”
Pushing back Jincheon’s roar, she said:
“Just a little more. It won’t be forever, and he’s become a superhuman too, so just a little more.”
“…You.”
“You have to, right? Chairman, I mean. Aren’t you also letting things slide out of guilt toward him?”
“….”
Jincheon had no answer. Couldn’t deny it.
“So just let it slide a little longer.”
“…Yeon-hee.”
“It was nice to see you after so long. Please send the reward through Secretary Kim. I’ll give it to Jinwoo.”
She turned and left.
‘Alright.’
She didn’t plan to drag it out long.
‘…Too many nuisances keep attaching themselves.’
The Black Night Witch, Irene…
Those clueless women kept interfering. Time was running out.
I had to settle this as quickly as possible. No matter what it took.
Waiting outside, Yeon-hee came out.
“Did you finish talking with the Chairman?”
“Yes. Let’s go immediately.”
“Immediately?”
“We have to go.”
“Oh, right.”
Time was limited, so I nodded.
“Let’s go.”
The car we had arrived in was already waiting.
We carefully got in, and Yeon-hee spoke to the driver.
“Back to the place we came—”
“Ah, wait a second.”
I jumped in before she could finish.
“…Why?”
Yeon-hee looked at me strangely. I explained:
“Can we stop by one place before we go?”
“What for?”
“I have a favor to take care of.”
“A favor…?”
“Yes. A favor.”
The reason I came to Gwangju. I had to handle the task Irene had asked me to do.
