Chapter 42

“Are you kidding?”

“Do I seem to be joking?”

Not at all.

Park Tae-sung was as serious as usual.

But it was hard to believe.

Even if it was true, a question was raised.

“Why are you telling me that?”

It was the biggest question.

If he is indeed a returner, it would have been Park Tae-sung’s biggest secret.

Why would he tell such a thing to Jin-woo?

The relationship between him and Park Tae-sung is not strong enough to tell such a secret.

So, it was even more questionable.

“The first reason is that tower.”

“The tower?”

“Yes. And the second reason is because of the three lives I experienced.”

Park Tae-sung got up from the seat.

He walked to the window and looked at the tower.

“In my first life, I was just a normal player. The level was a little over 200, and I didn’t have any hero skills. I died in my first life when the level 400 dungeon was cleared and monsters invaded the city. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the past.”

He poured the whiskey into his glass.

“In my second life, I was strengthened by using the memories and information I had before my return. I got hero skills and items. And I made strong colleagues too. Thanks to that, I was able to survive the first monster wave.”

He poured the whiskey down his throat.

“In the monster wave, the four demon kings appeared. Many colleagues have sacrificed their lives, but finally, we were able to win. But this time, a war broke out between humans aiming for the holy relic. We won the war, but the problem is that the losers fired nuclear weapons.”

No matter how strong players were, there was no answer when a nuclear war occurred.

“In the end, I died in vain even in my second life. And when I opened my eyes again, I was back to the beginning. I was empty and angry. I couldn’t trust people anymore.”

Jin-woo understood.

Park Tae-sung gave everything to get out of the monster crisis, only to die once more in the hands of other people from the nuclear war.

It was understandable to feel disillusioned with humans.

“So I decided to do it alone. Become stronger alone and take all the high-level items. I used to have a lot of legendary weapons and armor. I did not enter any guild. I didn’t even create any relationship.”

It is the third life.

“I used people as needed. I threw bait at the guilds and used them. Lastly, I hid all of the relics in one place by myself. It didn’t inform humanity.”

If the existence of relics became known, there was a high possibility that a war would occur again.

It wouldn’t have happened if Park Tae-sung didn’t announce its existence from the beginning.

“But I didn’t know then. What the tower is like.”

Jin-woo listened intently.

If Park Tae-sung words were true, the stories to come from now were very important.

“In the tower, beings of each dimension gather and compete. I participated alone in the first match. Because I couldn’t trust other people. But that was a mistake.”

“A mistake?”

“Yes. I participated alone, ignoring the number of people on the invitation. I also had confidence. Because I caught the four demon kings alone. But it was a grave mistake.”

[You did something stupid.]

The swordsman who was listening to his story remarked.

“The match is not just a one-on-one fight. There were rules to follow. Attack and defend. The Four Demon Kings were simply their emissaries. Killing the demon king in the tower will be the true victory for mankind.”

“A tower siege…”

“Yes. The monsters were part of a legion led by the demons. The first condition was to prevent them from destroying the four relics.”

“But mankind didn’t know that.”

“Yes. Eventually, we lost the fight. While I was fighting the Demon King in the tower, mankind could not defend itself. The cause of defeat was selfishness. Each guild was only protecting their own interests.”

It was expected.

Over the years of stability, each guild has adapted to a peaceful life and transformed guilds into businesses.

It was impossible for them to change in such a short time.

Unless there is a breakthrough leader that could unify them.

“When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the beginning. And I thought, what should I do? What kind of life must I lead to save mankind? And I found one answer.”

“What is it?”

“Forming two teams. One leads the team that attacks the tower, and one that defends the world.”

“Someone to defend…”

“Yes. And I chose the head of the Red Dragon to do that. Even in my previous lives, he was very strong. Also, his ability to lead a group was excellent. That’s why I have accepted Lin Xiao as my partner.”

“What does he have to do with it?”

“The Red Dragon’s guild leader, Michael Lin, is Lin Xiao’s father.”

It made sense. It was a strategic choice.

“Everything went as planned. Beyond being the best guild in Korea, the Taewang Guild became a global guild. I also had a close relationship with Lin Xiao. But you have emerged.”

“What do I have to do with it?”

“In the three lives I’ve led, there was no one like you in any of them. Of course, you may have been living your own life unnoticed.”

To put things simply, a normal life.

“I think history has been distorted in the process of me changing things during my reincarnations. Even if you repeat life, not everything will stay the same.”

Jin-woo thought about the butterfly effect.

Subtle changes can make a significant change in another person’s life.

Park Tae-sung thought about the same concept.

“But what surprised me most is you, who appeared with legendary skills.”

“Well?”

“In all three lives I’ve experienced, no one has ever appeared with a legendary skilled.”

Jin-woo was surprised. It was a little unexpected.

Is he the first one who ever had a legendary skill in this world?

“When you appeared, I knew right away that some things would change dramatically. So, I worked hard to recruit you.”

Certainly, the Taewang Guild did aggressive recruitment.

From the beginning, they have presented him with the best conditions.

“I needed to have you on my side. But in my mind, I have a lot of questions. Who the hell is this man? Can he be my ally? Is he someone I can trust?”

For someone who had repeated his life several times, Tae-sung had no choice but to be cautious.

“In the beginning, I even thought you were another returner.”

“What? Me?”

“Yes. Because if I had been reincarnated, somebody else may have experienced it, too. However, after observing you for a while, I concluded you were not one. You have that tendency to do something stupid. That trait can’t be found in time travelers.”

“Hahaha! Is that so? But why are you telling me this?”

“I have experienced this world several times, but I failed. I couldn’t catch the demon king. I couldn’t save the world.”

“Get to the point.”

“I will do the defense. I want you to attack the demon king in the tower.”

Jin-woo nodded. He expected it to some extent.

“The reason I have made it clear that I am a returner is so I could share information to you about the tower. Unless this fact is revealed, there was no way I could explain my knowledge to you.”

Well, even now that Park Tae-sung has explained everything, Jin-woo still found his story hard to believe.

It wasn’t something he could decide on immediately.

“Let me think about it.”

“Okay.”

* * *

All the protesters were gone when he returned him.

His blackmail seemed to be working.

“What do you think, Master?”

[Park Tae-sung’s return?]

“What do you think?”

[Well, well, there is credibility for Park Tae-sung to be a regressor.]

“Okay?”

[All references to the tower in his story are correct. There are many types of tower matches, but the most common is Attack and Defend.]

“Did you experience it, too?”

[Yes.]

“Did you win?”

[Of course, I won. Red Moon cut the castle at once and split the demon king’s head in two.]

Jin-woo shook his head. The swordsman made it sound so easy.

“What about defense?”

[There was no need to do it.]

“Yes?”

[As I said, Moorim was annihilated by the troops they sent. Only a small number survived, and we all went inside the tower.]

“Ah.”

[More than anything else, the defense will be easy for us because I could cut down all the monsters they sent.]

If that’s true, Jin-woo thought, his master is truly powerful.

[You have two ways to win. One is to cut down all the monsters in this world by the date written on the invitation. But that’s almost impossible with your skills right now.]

“Is it really impossible, even if I get more skills or items?”

[It will only be possible if you have realized the true power of the True Moon Swordsmanship.]

Jin-woo had nothing to say to that.

[The second option is to accept Park Tae-sung’s proposal.]

“Well…”

[There is nothing wrong with what he said. You don’t like it because you feel that he’s tricking and using you. But if you take that out of consideration, he could be a strong ally. Above all, he is a leader who is more famous, more trusted by the people in this world.]

It was a fact.

Her reputation and credibility have also been higher than before.

But was that enough to lead the whole of mankind?

The probability is close to zero.

Billions of people, the heads of each country, and guild leaders. He would have to persuade them all.

“Then, are you saying I should cooperate with him?”

[If you gain more experience and become stronger, you can do what he does. But right now, you need his help.]

Division of roles.

It was the best scenario if he could trust his ally.

“But can I trust Park Tae-sung?”

Park Tae-sung used people.

He sent people to dungeons with high-difficulty for his experiments.

Can he really trust such a person?

Jin-woo was unwilling.

[You are thinking about it in the wrong way.]

“Yes?”

[We’re talking about the survival of your entire world. Think of it as a high-stakes bet, not simply as giving your trust to him.]

“Well…”

Survival of the entire world.

It didn’t completely affect him, because he had never experienced something like it.

It was something that he had only seen in movies.

His Master, however, advised him to go with Park Tae-sung.

He trusts his Master.

“Okay.”

* * *

Next day.

Jin-woo met Park Tae-sung once more.

“I will accept the proposal.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

“No. In fact, I don’t completely trust you. But I will cooperate with you because we have a bigger cause.”

“Thank you anyway, whatever your reason is.”

Park Tae-sung bowed his head with sincerity.

However, it was not the end of the conversation as far as Jin-woo is concerned.

“There are conditions before cooperation.”

“Speak.”

“I would like to select the number of people who should go to the tower.”

“Can I ask why?”

“I felt it while fighting the Four Demon Kings. Most players couldn’t match them. Protecting people during the fight will only interfere with my attacks.”

“I understand.”

These are things Park Tae-sung has already experienced.

He knew how it felt to fight along with people who had such a great power gap from him.

He nodded.

“So, I would like to organize 5 people, including myself, who will go to the tower this time.”

“Yes?”

Park Tae-sung asked with surprised eyes.

“5 people?”

“Yes. The invitation said to have a party of 5 people. Is there a problem?”

“When I got the tower’s invitation, there was no limit on the number of people.”

“There was no limit?”

“Yes. Above all, attacking the tower with 5 people…”

It is near impossible.

Something was changing.