Chapter 677: The Falling Sun (5)

"Haaaa."

Cale subconsciously let out a laugh-like sigh.

'If Choi Jung Gun is a single-lifer, he wouldn't have reincarnated after he died.'

He would have become one of the other existences, like turning into a member of the Divine race.

His hand automatically reached into his shirt. He wanted to take the diary out of there right now. But he turned his head after hearing Raon's voice.

"Hey, crown prince! I am asking because I got curious while listening to you!"

Raon's round eyes were blinking multiple times as he tilted his head to the side.

"Why are you so sure that the person who stole the spear claiming to be Choi Jung Gun is not the Sun God? Is there any proof?"

Cale knew the answer to this.

'That story the World Tree told about the 'tribulator.' I'm sure that was about the Sun God.'

It was the response to how the Sun God came to hate Dark Elves and Necromancers in the past and the reason the Sun God considered Alberu Crossman's existence was meant to be and handed this weapon to him.

Choi Jung Gun had fought alongside the Super Rock and had been by a Dragon's side after that. He would have had no reason to have been threatened by Dark Elves or Necromancers to the point he would loathe them.

"Crown prince, the Sun God was the one who gave you the weapon! Something is off!"

"Raon-nim."

Alberu had a gentle and beautiful smile on his face. Raon slowly moved away from Alberu and hid behind Cale's back while poking his head out.

Alberu didn't care, and looked at the white spear with a satisfied gaze.

"I asked Taerang, the 'Unbreakable Spear.' I asked if I could see the record of people who had owned this weapon."

"Ah!"

Choi Han gasped and asked.

"Your highness, Taerang informed you of the names of the past owners?"

"Just their names."

Taerang had said that it could not tell Alberu all of the information about its past owners for privacy reasons.

However, it said that it was able to inform him of the names that were registered to the weapon.

"There are a total of four people registered as owners for Taerang; the expert who created the weapon did not register himself as an owner."

Alberu said the names of the owners in order.

"It started with Ahn Roh Man, the first owner, followed by Choi Jung Gun, Angelina, and finally Alberu Crossman."

Cale's eyes clouded over.

"…Angelina?"

"It's your first time hearing that name, right?"

Alberu was right; they had never heard this name before. But all of them could guess as to who it was.

"The Sun God?"

Alberu nodded his head after Choi Han mumbled.

"I also believe that Angelina is the Sun God."

"Then Choi Jung Gun must be someone else."

"Probably. There is one other piece of information."

"What is it?"

Alberu recalled Ahn Roh Man's shocked voice.

"Ahn Roh Man did not know that the world he lived in was Earth 3. He just called it Earth."

But Taerang had said that it had been on Earth 3.

'This product is an attack-type weapon created by Earth 3's greatest expert and has a special ability.'

Alberu had asked Taerang about that and received a response.

"Taerang said that it should have never received any upgrade nor had external data inserted since it was created. It just gathers information on its own to decipher things. However, it did receive external data for a new update just one time."

"…It wasn't Ahn Roh Man?"

"Yes. Ahn Roh Man said he never input any new data into Taerang."

Then the answer was simple.

"Either Choi Jung Gun or Angelina was the one to input the data."

"Yes. I believe that is how Taerang was able to tell that the Earth it was from was Earth 3."

It was the most plausible explanation.

Each of their minds started moving quickly.

However, just one person…

"…Choi Jung Gun."

Choi Han was different. He was quietly mumbling that name. He looked toward Cale with an extremely iffy gaze.

Cale felt as if he understood the reason behind it. He slowly organized his thoughts as he looked around.

There was soundproof barrier magic surrounding the inside of the stable. The four people in here were trustworthy comrades.

That was why Cale started to speak.

"I ended up transmigrating into Cale Henituse's body while I was reading 'The Birth of a Hero,' which was written by someone named Nelan Barrow."

He slowly recalled the flow of things.

"Nelan Barrow was the other name of Choi Jung Gun, a person who traveled through dimensions from Korea to end up in this world."

Alberu's gaze turned toward Cale.

"Choi Jung Gun completed his dimension travel to end up during the era of the ancient White Star, and he was the first Dragon Slayer. He is also an ancestor of Choi Han's family. But you see…"

Cale looked at the others as he continued.

"I believe he is a single-lifer."

"A single lifer?"

Alberu looked confused. Cale informed the confused Alberu and Choi Han, who were looking at him while remaining silent.

"There are four concepts known as single-lifers, immortals, reincarnators, and transmigrators. They..."

Starting with the information he gathered in Cale's birth mother, Drew Thames' grave to the part about tribulators and single-lifers being the same that he learned from the World Tree…

'…I'll tell them about the root dagger but not about my heart.'

He left the part about having to stab his heart because he didn't want the focal point of this story to be missed as he told them everything else.

"Ho. There was something like that?"

Alberu could not hide his shock at the different concepts such as single-lifers. Choi Han had his head down and his eyes were closed as if he was thinking about something.

"…I am a single-lifer...?"

A single-lifer may become a god or a member of the Divine race. They live very long lives once they travel through dimensions. Choi Han's mind was a complicated mess after hearing these facts.

However, he could not think about his own circumstances for a long time.

Cale said one last thing to finish off.

"The one who brought Choi Han and me into this world is the 'God of Death.'"

Alberu subconsciously responded immediately.

"Is Choi Jung Gun the God of Death?"

Raon, Choi Han, and Cale… None of them could easily answer that question.

Choi Jung Gun wrote the book, 'The Birth of a Hero' that teleported Cale into this world. Choi Jung Gun was also the one who stole the weapon that could kill the monster, the Lion Dragon.

He was definitely closely involved with all these things.

"Mm."

Alberu groaned.

"Either way… Although we cannot currently tell whether Choi Jung Gun is the God of Death or not, we can at least confirm that he has a close relationship with the God of Death or is closely involved with all of these events."

"That's right! Crown prince, I had the same thoughts! We can't make such rash determinations, but we can definitely tell that Choi Jung Gun is doing something!"

Cale agreed with them.

He could not easily say that Choi Jung Gun was a god because he was also someone who was transported to this world. A god was not capable of being 'destroyed.'

But Choi Jung Gun was the God of Death?

Had there not been a God of Death in the past? What if there was?

Then what would have happened to the former God of Death?

'There are so many complicated issues. It is easier not to make any determinations about Choi Jung Gun's existence and just consider him to be someone similar to a member of the Divine race.'

To organize just the facts they had right now…

'Earth 3 is a middle point where Kim Rok Soo's Earth and Cale's world is mixed together.'

'Choi Jung Gun is a single-lifer and became a different existence instead of reincarnating once he died.'

'Angelina is presumed to be the Sun God.'

'We have no idea whether Choi Jung Gun became a god, a member of the Divine race, or whatever, but he is related to all of these things.'

He could easily get it resolved by asking the God of Death if he ever heard his voice again. Cale did not worry much about it.

The present was what was important right now.

"Ah."

Alberu flinched, and then looked toward Choi Han.

"Mm. Choi Han, he is your ancestor…for us to just say his name like that-"

If these guys were talking about his ancestor going this guy this and this guy that… He would not be happy about it.

Alberu was peeking toward Choi Han for a response.

"Please just address him as you wish."

Choi Han waved his hand as if it wasn't a big deal.

Alberu nodded his head and made up his mind.

"I will call him Mr. Choi Jung Gun."

Raon and Cale looked at him as if he was odd. Alberu did not notice this as he nodded his head with satisfaction.

"Hmm. I definitely just can't call my instructor's ancestor by name."

Cale was blankly staring at Alberu's satisfied expression before flinching as Alberu's gaze headed toward him.

"W, what is it, your highness?"

"Why do you look so shocked? Were you talking shit about me internally?"

"No, sir."

"Really? Well, whatever. Do you know what the most pressing issue is right now?"

"Excuse me?"

"The temple."

Alberu looked at the others as he continued to speak.

"The sealed god's temple that will open once we kill the Lion Dragon. What do you think that looks like?"

Raon tilted his head in confusion.

"Crown prince, wouldn't a temple look like a temple?!"

"Raon-nim. Are you thinking that it would look like the temples of the God of Death or the Sun God?"

"That's right!"

The corners of Alberu's lips twisted up. Cale realized that he would hear something important right now.

"This is what Ahn Roh Man told me."

Alberu looked at Cale.

"If thousands of lives were sacrificed during the seven nights and eight days to kill the Lion Dragon…"

This battle was said to be the fiercest and most desperate of any battles they had against a single enemy.

However, the holy white temple that appeared after the monster disappeared was a different kind of hell.

"Tens of thousands of lives were sacrificed in the year it took to reach the end of the temple."

Piiiiiiiiiiiiii—-!

They heard a sharp alarm at that moment.

Choi Han turned toward the sound of the noise with a shocked expression on his face. Cale looked toward the video communication device that was blinking red.

"It's a signal from Miss Rosalyn."

One of their comrades on the outside… Was contacting them now. There was only one reason for her to contact them.

"I guess everybody is here."

Choi Han's gaze headed toward the fifty-ish video communication devices.

They covered all corners of Puzzle City.

His eyes stopped at one spot.

"The Mogoru Empire. The reinforcements from the northeast coalition. It looks like all reinforcements have arrived."

The Jungle, the Whipper Kingdom, etc. All of their allies from the Western continent had sent reinforcements.

The Mogoru Empire that was now too weak to be considered an Empire was the last one to arrive with reinforcements.

Saint Jack and sword master Hannah were standing in the front of the group, greeting the leaders of the other allied kingdoms.

"And, as expected, Countess Ubarr is leading the northeast coalition."

The Roan Kingdom's northeast coalition.

It was a gathering of troops from the Henituse territory, Ubarr territory, Wheelsman territory, Chetter territory, etc. Each territory had gathered its troops and sent them to Puzzle City as reinforcements.

The leader of the coalition was Countess Ubarr, the Lord of the Ubarr territory where the naval base was stationed. Next to her was deputy territory lord Violan, who, despite not being the representative of the coalition, was from the Henituse territory that brought the largest number of reinforcements.

"I guess I should slowly head out as well."

Alberu observed each person visible on the screen with a sharp gaze before getting up.

"I will have to postpone telling you about the temple and some other things."

"I will support you, your highness."

Choi Han took out a set of armor and helmet from his spatial pocket bag that looked the same as the one Dragon Rasheel had been wearing, and put it on before walking over to Alberu's side.

The plan to capture the White Star…

Alberu Crossman pretending to be in critical condition was important for this plan.

All preparations had been completed.

Alberu took out a necklace from his pocket and put it on. He turned back to his blonde hair, blue eyes appearance after putting on the necklace that was his mother's keepsake.

"Ah. But you see…"

His gaze turned toward Cale.

"According to what you said earlier, Cale Henituse, you can stop the White Star's endless reincarnation with the dagger from the World Tree?"

Cale, who was looking at the video communication devices, flinched. Alberu and Choi Han's eyes clouded over after seeing his reaction, but Cale pretended not to notice it as he was feeling guilty, before nodding his head and responding.

"Yes, sir. This is the only way to completely get rid of the White Star."

'Yeah. I only told the truth. There are just some parts I didn't say. The part about having to stab my heart… that… I should be able to push that back and tell them about it later.'

Cale made a compromise with himself internally, while Alberu was looking at him as if something seemed even fishier now. Even Choi Han and Raon were looking at him as if he was odd, but Cale had no idea.

"Hmm?"

'What is that?'

He then jumped up from his seat.

"Ahh!"

Raon clapped his paws after looking at what Cale was looking at.

"This is weird! Human, this is weird!"

The shocked Raon's wings were fluttering.

"Raon-nim, what is weird?"

"Cale-nim, did something happen?"

Alberu and Choi Han both walked up to Cale and Raon's sides.

The two of them looked where Cale was looking as well.

It was the location where the leaders of the allied troops and the northeast coalition were gathered.

Duke Deruth, the Knight Captain… The leaders who had been at Puzzle City were all there as well. All of them had grim expressions on their faces, as it was an urgent situation.

'What could be weird in this scene?'

Raon shouted just as Alberu had that question.

"Why does the Saint have his hand on Hannah's shoulder?"

"Raon-nim, that is because they have a good relat-"

"That makes no sense!"

Raon vigorously shook his head.

"The Saint is using his bare hand!"

"Ah!"

Choi Han gasped in shock as well.

"What is it?"

Choi Han gulped after hearing Alberu's question and looked toward Saint Jack and Hannah.

"…Saint Jack-nim is someone who serves the Sun God. As a result, he has this power, almost an instinct, to purify anybody that is related to dead mana."

"That's right! Saint Jack cannot touch his younger sister with his bare hands!"

Sword master Hannah had been poisoned by dead mana.

Necromancer Mary had stepped in to save her life, but as a result, Hannah had to accept dead mana in her body in return for staying alive.

Saint Jack had to now constantly suppress his purification ability that kept shooting up almost as an instinct, in order to be around his sister.

He could not touch his sister with his bare hand.

He could only hold his sister's hand by having bandages wrapped all over his hand.

Alberu quietly mumbled.

"But the Saint is currently touching his sister's shoulder with his bare hand?"

The Saint looked as if he was leaning on his sister with his hand on her shoulder because he was tired.

"This-"

Alberu's eyes clouded over.

"Why is that sword master looking around so much?"

Hannah's eyes looked as if she was warily looking around to protect her older brother, the Saint, from any harm.

However, looking at it from a different perspective, it seemed like a completely different situation.

"It looks as if she is looking for something."

Her rebellious and sharp gaze… Her extremely stiff lips… Hannah looked like a warrior that was hard to approach.

However, Choi Han realized it after looking into her eyes.

He was the one who had fought against Hannah the most. He, who knew this gaze best, opened his mouth to speak.

"…It looks like she is looking for someone who can help her."

Alberu sighed.

"That bastard must not be the Saint."

The moment his gaze headed toward Cale…

"I found you."

Cale said that in a low voice before he smiled brightly.

Alberu subconsciously touched his neck, as he felt a chill as if there was a knife pointed at his neck.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]