Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Father!

My mind is in a haze.

Father!

It feels like waking from a long sleep - a heavy, lingering kind of haze.

Its the sort that spreads from the deep recesses of the brain.

Father!

Huh, uh?

Father! Are you alright?

My eldest daughter-in-law was carefully tapping my shoulder.

Ah, thank goodness... Honey!

Relieved, my eldest daughter-in-law, accompanied by my eldest son, entered the room. Soon after, my other sons followed in single file, filling the vacant space in the room like sausages.

Dad...

My sons, with worried faces, surrounded the bed.

Why such faces? Its not the first time Ive been sick.

Seeing my sons faces clears my mind a bit.

Memories, once muddied like diluted ink, were slowly returning.

Yes, this is the VVVIP room of the hospital where Ive been admitted for the past two years. My health has been deteriorating, but I never expected it to worsen to the point of jumbling my memories like this.

Dad, but you looked troubled in your sleep...

I had a dream. About the hard times on the third floor. Why? Do you want me to tell you about it?

Oh, Dad! Weve heard it enough to have it etched in our ears!

The eldest son lets out a small laugh. The somber mood lightens a bit.

Yes, those hard times now seem like mere memories...

Its been 70 years since I cleared the Tower. Humanity has regained peace.

The god who cried for the destruction of mankind was defeated by me and retreated, promising a next time. And I became the hero who saved humanity.

Holding wealth and fame for 70 years, I lived as one of the worlds most renowned individuals. Though my body remained healthier than any other elder, the problem lay with my mind.

It seems its time for me to go.

Perhaps its due to the excessive regressions from the Tower. In recent years, my memories became frequently jumbled, and sudden fainting became common.

My children.

Yes, Father(Dad).

I am... ready to leave.

My body is healthy.

But thats the problem. Its only healthy.

I feared what I, with a not entirely sound mind, might do. I couldnt allow a senile old man to wield the divine power latent in my body.

...Dad.

My eldest son bowed his head. He was the most stubborn person who clung to me, wishing for me to live more these past few years, but now it seems he understands my firm decision.

All this time... I was truly, truly happy. I considered it a fortune to have you as my father.

Dad, me too!

Father...

My family began to shed tears one by one.

I laughed heartily, indulging their complaints, and then gave a small cough.

Now, now, everyone should leave. I think I need some time alone.

...Thank you for everything, Father(Dad).

One by one, my family left the room, wiping away tears.

After watching them leave, I pulled aside the curtain beside my bed and looked out the window.

{Grandpa Jun-ho! You must get born!}

{You are the pride of South Korea.}

{The entire nation is rooting for your recovery!}

The walls surrounding the hospital were covered in bouquets and banners. There must be hundreds at a glance.

Its not get born, its get well, you fool...

Youve been injured. Regressing to the moment you first entered the floor 66th floor.

Large chunks of metal scattered on the ground were an added feature.

A mine... maybe?

Yes, the first image that came to mind was a mine. It looked similar to underground tunnels Ive seen in books.

But, the ceiling is too high for that...

An Kyung-Joons observation was valid. I heard that mine ceilings are usually low, requiring one to stoop, but the ceiling here was high, at least 20 meters.

And this metal. Its not ordinary.

An Kyung-Joon handed me a chunk of silver-shining metal.

Would you like to hit it?

...Hit it?

Yes. Just tap it lightly.

...

I cautiously tapped the metal chunk with my fist.

Oof...!

Even though I tapped it very lightly, a heavy impact was felt in my fist. It was as if the metal had struck back at me.

Had I hit it a bit harder, I might have regressed.

What is this?

Ive done a few experiments, and it seems this metal isnt ordinary.

An Kyung-Joon, who had quickly cleared the left room thanks to his empowered spirit, had been waiting for us and conducting various experiments. As a result, he had come to understand quite a bit about the properties of this metal.

This metal... it has the property of returning a certain level of impact back to the source.

...It returns the impact?

For a science enthusiast, this would be a jaw-dropping characteristic.

Yes, well need to investigate further, though...

A mine with rare metal strewn about. Could there be some significance to this?

Im not sure how to interpret this.

Shall we... go in?

Just pondering wont solve anything. In the end, you have to stick your head into the lions mouth to understand the problem.

I took the lead again, with Kang Chan Hyung covering the rear.

...Hmm.

There must be something. Its the kind of environment where something, like a wolf hidden in the ceiling, could jump out at any moment.

Yet, despite being fully alert, I didnt feel anything.

Gulp.

That silence, like the calm before a storm, made me involuntarily swallow.

***

After about ten minutes of walking...

...The chunks here are particularly large.

Several significantly larger metal chunks were visible compared to other areas. Could this be a sign of something? I continued to move, not letting my guard down.

Just as we completely passed by these mysterious metal chunks

?!

Because my senses were heightened, I immediately noticed it:

Behind our group. An anomaly was felt.

Be careful...!

I tried to warn, but it was already too late.

The large metal chunk we just passed began to levitate. The irregularly shaped chunk started to take form, assembling itself.

The process was so fast that one could barely see the chunks coming together.

Click. Click. Click.

In literally the blink of an eye, the metal chunks formed into a giant with two legs and two arms.

Damn it...!

We were caught off guard.

End of Chapter -

[TL: Join Patreon to support the translation and to read up to 5 chapters ahead of the release: /HappyCat60 ]