Chapter 330:
The people who were waiting for the survivors from Guardian gathered in the city square.
The city did not feel its usual warmth.
The warmth that came from the altar was actually thanks to the Key Sword and Pioled, but the people who did not know that were gripped by fear that the magic circle might have disappeared.
Some of them worried that the expedition might have failed, and waited for any possible survivors outside the village.
How long did they wait?
The people who went out to watch the situation came back in a hurry.
“It, it stopped!”
“What stopped? What are you talking about?”
“The snow, the snow stopped!”
He told them everything he saw outside.
The snow stopped. The cold wind no longer blew. The dark clouds that covered the sky were fading and slowly clearing.
“This hell, this curse is over! The expedition won!”
At his cry filled with joy, the people all headed outside without hesitation.
***
“Is it really, over?”
“Did we win?”
Georen collapsed.
The frost giants disappeared as if they never existed, melting away like ice.
The surviving warriors of Gard looked at the place where Georen’s body lay with disbelief, as if they were dreaming.
They looked at the back of the man who held the brilliant golden sword.
They looked endlessly.
A white light came down like a pillar through the gap of the lifted dark clouds. The light shone on Lean’s figure.
A similar scene unfolded elsewhere.
Light came down everywhere.
The light that fell through the cracks of the broken clouds was the warm heat of the sun that they had never felt before.
The white steam that flowed from everyone’s mouth disappeared like smoke when it touched the light.
As if to compensate for the harsh winter that had continued until now, spring came like a wave. The frozen ground began to melt.
Kurururung!
“What, what is that! What’s going on?!”
“Look over there!”
Beyond Georen’s body, Lean stared blankly at the scene in front of him.
The ice was melting.
It was not just a simple level of ice melting.
The white wasteland in front of him cracked and collapsed, sinking below.
And what was revealed was a vast sea.
The broken icebergs floated on the sea, and the light that fell from the sky bounced off the sea in waves.
The light was getting stronger through the gaps of the dark clouds that had not completely cleared yet.
Its beauty made everyone speechless.
The place where they stood, where they had fought fiercely until a moment ago, was the northernmost end of the continent.
The end of the world.
“Ah.”
At the moment when they saw their homeland that they wanted to see so much, someone shed tears with a sigh.
In the end, they had come this far.
They ran and ran, and chose to fight at last.
They fought and fought, and survived over their comrades’ bodies.
In the end, they arrived at the great land of salvation that their ancestors had shouted about in the past.
It was not something that could be called a simple sea. If this was not the land of salvation, what else could it be?
This thing that made their hearts ache and their tears flow just by looking at it, what else could it be but their longing?
At the end of this hell, there was not only despair.
They finally faced hope.
[Congratulations. You have captured all the stories of this world in your novel!]
[The Divine Spirit Georen is freed from his cursed shackles.]
[The curse of frost is lifted.]
[The system window is activated.]
As soon as he finished all the stories, the system window reacted fully.
The dark clouds lifted and the stars filled above.
The sky that had been hidden was clear and blue, and the starlight that sparkled above was dazzling.
Yu-hyun got up from his seat and stared blankly at the scene.
That’s when it happened.
[Thank you.]
He heard a voice from somewhere. It was not a voice that spoke from outside, but a voice that flowed from within him.
‘Kaira?’
[You have carried a lot of burden for me. Thank you very much. Thanks to you, our world has been saved.]
‘No, thank you. If it wasn’t for you, Kaira, I wouldn’t have been able to come this far.’
[Thank you for saying that. Lastly, if you don’t mind, can I ask you one favor?]
‘A favor?’
[Yes. My role is over now. The contract I made with the system is also up to here. So I want to meet Lean for one last moment, even if it’s just a moment.]
‘…Of course.’
As soon as Yu-hyun answered that way, his mind became distant.
No, not distant. His avatar and his original appearance were separated.
Yu-hyun looked down at his body wearing a black suit.
He could not hide his joy of finally returning to his original form.
Kaira gave him a faint smile and walked slowly toward Lean in front of him.
Her steps were unstable, and her body gradually turned into text and scattered.
But Kaira burned her will to meet Lean somehow and delayed her disappearance.
A fleeting miracle that could not have happened otherwise.
Yu-hyun witnessed it.
“Kai…ra?”
Lean noticed Kaira coming from behind and opened his eyes wide.
He could instinctively feel that the Kaira in front of him was not Yu-hyun, but the real her that he had been waiting for so long.
“How, how did you…”
“Shh.”
Lean had many questions to ask Kaira, but she smiled playfully and pressed her index finger on his lips.
She didn’t have much time left. So, before she disappeared for the last time, she wanted to fulfill her dream.
Kaira removed her finger from Lean’s lips and reached out her hand to him.
“Let’s dance. Together.”
“…!”
At her words, Lean bit his lips.
Yes. He had once promised to teach Kaira how to dance at the Spirit Festival.
He had thought it was a promise he could never keep and had given up completely.
He clenched his throat, trying desperately to hold back the rising sorrow.
He couldn’t cry. He couldn’t be sad here.
He wouldn’t deserve to see her then.
After calming his emotions, Lean smiled and took Kaira’s hand.
“Yes. Gladly.”
The two of them held hands and danced.
At the northernmost end of the continent.
On a stage beyond the cliff where a beautiful sea stretched out, the two of them stepped in sync while locking their eyes on each other.
Everyone looked at that dazzling sight.
It wasn’t a beautiful dance by any means. Kaira didn’t know anything about dancing, and Lean couldn’t teach her properly either.
Their movements were just monotonously swaying while embracing each other.
But still.
No one could take their eyes off them.
The two of them smiling happily at each other, the white light scattering around them, it all seemed like a dream that would disappear if they got too close.
People just shed tears and watched the scene.
“Lean. I’m really happy right now.”
“So am I. Kaira.”
Even though their end was predetermined, they could smile contentedly.
Because at this moment, everyone was laughing and talking happily.
Because even though this scenery would disappear soon, it would be remembered forever in his memory.
So let’s dance. Let’s send her off with a smile.
The steps continued, and they supported each other’s flow.
And when all the dances were over.
“I love you. Kaira.”
“Me too.”
Kaira turned into dust and disappeared with the light.
Lean’s arms that had held her waist and hand fell powerlessly in the air.
Some of the letters that had turned into Kaira seeped into Lean’s body.
The only thing left when their dance ended was Lean alone.
Lean, who was savoring the aftermath, looked at the traces of Kaira on his fingertips, and then moved his feet.
He approached where the warriors were looking at him.
Lean’s eyes met Yu-hyun’s.
“So that was your true self.”
“As you can see.”
“May I ask your name?”
Yu-hyun nodded readily.
“Kang Yu-hyun.”
“Kang Yu-hyun. That’s a nice name. Thank you very much for everything.”
Lean bowed his head slightly to Yu-hyun.
“Thanks to you, we were able to escape from this hell. Thanks to you, we were able to find hope again.”
“I didn’t do it alone. We all did it together.”
“Still…”
“If you really want to thank me, just promise me this.”
“What is it?”
“Lean. You have become the Spirit of this world now. So please take care of this wounded world. Help it regain its former glory, and be a great Spirit. That’s all I have to say.”
“…Yes. Of course.”
He was going to do that anyway.
No, he was even more determined to make a better world than before.
Everyone looked at him with satisfaction when Hender’s scream came from behind.
“Ringug! Wake up Ringug!”
Hender was still holding Ringug, who was bleeding and dying.
“Look at this idiot. The fight is over! This hell is over, the winter is over! So open your eyes!”
[It’s okay.]
It was Pioled who answered for Hender.
[He’s not dead yet. He will die if we leave him like this, but I won’t let that happen.]
“Great Sister…”
[And Lean…]
Pioled’s body was collapsing.
Her lower body was shattered, and her barely remaining torso was holding up the great sword.
The veil that covered Pioled’s face broke and revealed her face.
She looked like Kaira, but younger and more innocent.
Pioled smiled at Lean.
[Well done.]
“Thank you for your help, Pioled-nim. Thank you for believing in me who was lacking.”
[I didn’t believe in you. I just believed in my big sister. My choices were always wrong. Even the last one I changed was too late, but still… It wasn’t all wrong.]
Pioled was satisfied with that.
She regretted not being able to say goodbye to her big sister, but she decided to accept that she had left with a contented face.
Her life was also coming to an end soon. Then she should use this last remaining strength for a better place.
[Big sister. And sisters. I’ll be following you soon.]
Pioled’s body shattered.
The sword she was holding also crumbled and turned into white letters.
The remnants of Pioled that fluttered in the air went to Ringug, who was held by Hender, and seeped into his wounds.
The wounds healed, and Ringug’s pale complexion regained its original color.
“Ri, Ringug! Hey! Are you awake?!”
“Hen…der?”
“Yeah. Yeah, you bastard! You’re alive! You’re alive!”
“The fight…?”
“We won! We won! This damn winter is over!”
Ringug was happy to hear the hopeful news, and he slightly turned his head to look at Yu-hyun.
His appearance in a black suit was so out of place in this place that it was impossible not to notice.
Even so, Ringug could naturally tell who Yu-hyun was.
“I guess it would be rude to call you sister now?”
“Call me brother.”
“Hehe.”
With Hender’s support, Ringug got up from his seat.
The Guard warriors who had treated their wounds came one by one and stood next to him.
Bella hugged Ringug and Hender with both arms.
The Guard warriors embraced each other and rejoiced.
Lean, who was watching the scene, lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
He felt their gaze.
The gaze of the stars.
The eyes of the people who stood in the same place as him.
Lean’s body was wrapped in golden light.
His body, which had become a complete Spirit, could no longer stay in this world.
Ascension.
Lean’s body soared up with the light.
At the birth of a new Spirit, the other Spirits who had gathered around watched the scene.
Some with caution, some with pure blessing.
Lean, who had risen to the place of the stars, looked down at the surrounding Spirits and opened his mouth.
[Nice to meet you.]
He announced his new name to everyone.
[The ‘Great Guardian of Gard’. My name is Lean.]
***
When Lean ascended to the sky and the system returned to its original form.
A large window appeared next to Yu-hyun and showed familiar, now nostalgic faces.
-Yu-hyun!
-Senior!
-Yu-hyun!
-Brother!
Yu-hyun pretended to be surprised.
How did these people know that this situation was over and contacted him right away?
“You guys? How did you…”
-We’ve been watching since before.
“Watching since before?”
-Yes. We suddenly got connected…
More than that, one thought came to Yu-hyun’s mind.
“Don’t tell me, you saw me fighting like that too…”
-…Haha.
Everyone laughed awkwardly at Yu-hyun’s words.
No matter how much it was a disguise, it wasn’t a sight that Yu-hyun wanted to show to people he knew.
And they had been watching it all along, so he felt a bit dizzy.
Kang Hye-rim, who couldn’t contain her joy, said without tact.
-You were so pretty! Yu-hyun!
“…Hye-rim.”
-You fought like that. I thought it would be hard for you, but you moved so well…
“…Hye-rim, you’re getting a spanking when I get back.”
-Eek?!
Kang Hye-rim was shocked and flustered, and Yu-hyun was adamant.
Kwon Jia and Seo Sumin were also wondering if they should say something like that, but thanks to Kang Hye-rim stepping on the mine first, they sighed with relief.
Kwon Jia asked carefully.
-Are you not coming back right away?
“I want to go back as soon as possible.”
He had to return most of the stories and fragments he had. He also wanted to have a fun time with them.
“But I’ll stop by the headquarters first.”
In Yu-hyun’s right hand was a piece of ruby that had been stuck in Georen’s heart.
And inside this piece, there was a fragment of the Codex that he had been looking for so long.
“I have some work to do right away.”
The director of Pentagram, Demiarios.
It was his turn to face a counterattack.
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