Chapter 108…
A day had passed since we wiped out the Plunderer Guild Alliance.
But the outskirts of Beijing were still devastated.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue as I looked around.
The apartment complexes in the new town were half-collapsed as if they had been bombed, and the commercial district’s display windows were all shattered, leaving behind only their ugly steel frames.
Through the broken glass, the inside—now filled with ashes instead of merchandise—was visible, and a bleak wind whistled between the cracks.
The city bore wounds as though giant claws had raked through it.
The situation was worse than I thought…
The survivors were carrying their remaining belongings and hurriedly relocating to other regions.
But on their faces, there was no despair or resignation one would normally expect.
Only familiarity.
As if accepting the change of seasons, they quietly abandoned the ruins of their lives. Those blank expressions somehow felt even more tragic.
This… this has become their everyday life.
An old man walked by holding a broken picture frame to his chest, and a young woman quickened her steps while gripping a child’s hand tightly.
The child didn’t cry, even while looking at the collapsed remains of his home.
As if this was already the third or fourth time, he simply followed his mother calmly.
“Elderly people, gather here! The temporary shelter is ready!”
“Move the blankets and water over here! The temperature drops at night!”
“This area is done! Moving on to the next!”
Led by Joo Geon-ryul, the Cheonsun Guild was handing out food and blankets to the refugees and clearing debris from collapsed buildings.
They moved with no hesitation whatsoever.
Everything was systematic, as if they had repeated this for years.
In Korea, such a sight would be unimaginable—and unacceptable.
Even the Cheonsun Guild members look way too used to relief work.
Warriors moved heavy construction materials, wizards cleared debris with magic or purified drinking water, and clerics were so busy treating the injured they hardly had a moment to breathe.
“If the capital area is in this condition, then… what about everywhere else?”
Joo Geon-ryul muttered in a voice worn down by fatigue.
The nearby guild members silently nodded.
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
This place was probably the safest region in all of China.
The mere fact that infrastructure like airports and power plants was still running was almost miraculous.
No… probably because the government is barely holding onto those, things haven’t gotten completely out of control yet.
Right now, China was like a balance scale about to tip over at any moment.
On one side were the government and a few righteous guilds like Joo Geon-ryul.
On the other side—an overwhelming number of plunderers.
The only reason the situation hadn’t collapsed already was because the two heaviest weights—the government and Joo Geon-ryul—were still hanging on.
In short: [Government + Joo Geon-ryul vs. Plunderer hordes].
If Joo Geon-ryul dies here like in the previous timeline…
China would collapse explosively.
And its fragments would inevitably fly straight toward the neighboring country—Korea.
And I thought only Korea was a problem…
Protecting just one house—my little home—was already this difficult.
I barely managed to stabilize Korea after it collapsed first… I didn’t expect there to be an even bigger ticking time bomb right next door.
That’s why I have to keep Joo Geon-ryul alive. That’s how I protect “Mrs. Park.”
I looked off at the erosion zone painting the sky red.
Crimson lightning tore across the sky, entangled with dark clouds to form a massive vortex.
That’s the Red Gate of Eungnyong…
With the rift in that state, of course the entire region was a wreck.
Though, compared to China’s vast landmass—hundreds of thousands of times larger—it was just a drop in the bucket.
“Professor Kang.”
Joo Geon-ryul approached me.
His eyes were darker than usual.
“You came. How is the relief work? Any progress?”
“It’s progressing, but the damage is immense—just as large as the number of plunderers who gathered here.”
“So they swept everything clean…”
“They’re no different from a swarm of locusts.”
Human casualties were tragic, but the worst part was the property damage.
The plunderers had looted not only food but even clothing as they fled.
And the damage hurt so much because it created a vicious cycle that led back to more human casualties.
“…You should get some rest. You were up all night.”
“I’m fine.”
“The raid is tomorrow. You need to rest.”
“Ah, right. Actually, that’s why I came to see you.”
“…?”
What was that supposed to mean?
When I gave him a puzzled look, Joo Geon-ryul glanced toward the refugees in the temporary shelter.
They were gulping down hastily prepared emergency meals.
“We need to move up the Red Gate raid schedule. We can’t wait any longer.”
“…Isn’t that pushing yourself too far?”
“Pushing myself… Do your eyes not see those people? I’m a superhuman. Not eating or sleeping for a day means nothing to me. But that old man might not survive the night. That child over there might fall ill from exhaustion.”
“…”
“Every day, the number of people dying is so high it can’t even be counted.”
…Ah.
I had been stupid.
So stupid I wanted to crack my own skull open.
I hadn’t considered the number of people dying every moment here.
Why care about the deaths of Chinese citizens?
Sure, it’s none of my business.
They have nothing to do with me.
…or so I had thought just moments ago.
I forgot… the “government” is one of the two pillars supporting China.
A government’s most fundamental strength is:
the people’s support and legitimacy.
Whether voluntary or forced doesn’t matter.
If the population itself dies off, the government collapses.
And if the government collapses, it’s the same as Joo Geon-ryul dying.
Then Korea would be shaken.
And my home—Mrs. Park—would be in danger.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
But something about Joo Geon-ryul’s reasoning doesn’t add up…
I understood his goal.
And that his goal aligned with my interests.
“Wait.”
“If you’re worried, I can go to the Red Gate alone—”
“No, that’s not it.”
“…?”
“I understand your desire to save these people—and all innocent civilians across China. However…”
The method was strange.
Like saying you can stop a house from flooding just by blocking the front door.
“If we clear that Red Gate… will that really solve everything? Because that’s what it sounds like you’re saying.”
“…”
Flinch—
I caught the brief tremor in his expression.
So my guess was right…
I understood now.
Clearing the Red Gate would indeed help the people here.
If he had said that from the beginning, I wouldn’t have doubted him.
But he was looking at things on a much larger scale.
Could this be related to what he said on the plane? About his body…?
And as expected—
Joo Geon-ryul let out a deep sigh and lowered his head.
Then he spoke, voice heavy—resigned:
“You’re sharp, as always. Yes… I should come clean. Do you remember what I told you before? That I’m fundamentally different from humans…”
“Yes.”
“I… don’t have a mother.”
…Excuse me? Suddenly?
He actually said that out loud?
As I stared at him, confused, he realized the misunderstanding and quickly explained.
“Ahem… I skipped too much explanation.”
“Yes, way too much…”
“I meant—I was not born from a human body.”
“…?”
That… made even less sense.
Then where the hell was he born?
Was he claiming to be some figure out of mythology?
“Haha… Guildmaster, that’s quite a joke. What, were you born from an egg?”
“Oh?! How did you know?”
“…Huh?”
“You’re right. I was born from the [Egg Cliff] in a village called ‘Chantanya’ in southwest China—thirty years ago.”
Wait—wait—
My head hurt.
Too much shocking information all at once.
[Egg Cliff]… the place said to produce round stones every 30 years?
And this year marked 30 years since the Tower and the System appeared.
Which meant—
“Guildmaster… your current age—”
“Thirty.”
“Oh…”
The age of establishing one’s purpose and foundation.
Joo Geon-ryul was thirty years old.
“And Deputy Guildmaster?”
“One year younger. That’s why he calls me ‘hyung.’”
I looked over at the goat-bearded man helping refugees.
That face… was in his twenties?
Well, if they said so, I had no grounds to argue.
I guess China was in such a mess they both aged like crazy…
Maybe constant homelessness exposed them to too much sunlight.
Anyway, they suddenly felt more approachable.
They were younger than I had been in my past life, after all.
Right—age isn’t the point.
The point was that Joo Geon-ryul was born from an egg.
Meaning he wasn’t human.
And that this was tied to the Red Gate raid.
“I’m sorry. It was just… a lot.”
“I’m used to it. Sang reacted the same way the first time.”
“Ah…”
“And I’m not completely sure myself. I only accepted it because the System said so.”
“Then… you are…?”
“Oh, I haven’t said the important part yet. The System labels me like this.”
He switched his Status Window to public and showed it to me.
I couldn’t close my mouth after reading it.
[Status Window]
Name: Joo Geon-ryul
Race: Seed of Pangu
Level: …
…
“I am a descendant of Yuanshi Tianzun.”
“…!?”
Joo Geon-ryul—
was a descendant of one of China’s primordial creation deities.
Wait. Then the reason Gobert Merlin wants his body is…
A body imbued with the power of a creation god.
Possessing it would let him cling to life—and ascend in power.
So in the previous timeline, when he became the Tower’s top wizard…
That power wasn’t from his effort alone.
“And that Red Gate is the final piece of my “Main Quest.” Clearing it is the only way I can become truly free.”
Finally—
everything made sense.
The reason he was so obsessed with that place.
The Red Gate of Eungnyong wasn’t just a dungeon for him—
It was the proving ground that would determine his destiny.
