The World after the Fall

"…Here comes the stubborn again."

"I'm not being stubborn. It's a matter of justice."

"What are you talking about?"

"We cannot accept the smaller evil just because we are against the greater evil. Rupture is not that kind of place."

Yoonhwan spoke fiercely and Kashim became silent. Yoonhwan believed Kashim understood what he was getting at, but Kashim smiled bitterly.

"You are still young. You have not experienced enough of the world."

"No! It's not about that! I am…"

"Yes. It is."

Yoonhwan felt as if he was being trampled upon. Kashim spoke to him.

"A dream requires sacrifices for it to become real. As you know, there is no perfect justice in the world."

Yes, that he knew. Yoonhwan knew that. But…

'He would've said differently.'

Yoonhwan remembered someone else. When everyone said no. When everyone gave up on the present. The man did not give up and pursued his justice. It was Yoonhwan's best friend.

What had happened to him then? Did he clear the tower in the end?

'…No, that's not possible.'

Yoonhwan felt sad. He knew how the world worked. One man who did not give up couldn't change the world. Yoonhwan shook his head to shake away all his sad memories. Kashim was speaking.

"You are speaking of selfishness disguised by your justice. You know there's nothing you can do as a mere member, and you are pushing us to do something because of your helplessness."

Yoonhwan couldn't object. He thought maybe Kashim was right.

"If you say so, what about Seoyul? Or me and Mirel? Who here doesn't want to be just?"

Yoonhwan glanced at Seoyul. Her emotionless face didn't show any expression. She had been in that state ever since the simulation was over.

"You talking about that now will not…"

"That's enough. I'm sure Yoonhwan understands."

Mirel quickly stopped Kashim as he was beginning to get angry. Kashim shook his head and sipped the tea as he continued, "If you don't like where Rupture is going, become powerful. Grow."

"…."

"Even if you have such a noble dream, there's nothing you can do if you don't have the power to do it. No one will care about a mere member's thoughts."

Kashim then stood up and walked out of the room. Silence fell in the room and Mirel spoke up.

"Yoonhwan, I didn't think you were so stubborn."

"…"

"I know Kashim might sound pushy, but he has a point. You know that."

"…Yes."

Yoonhwan answered reluctantly and Mirel smiled.

"Everyone knows what you are talking about. We all know, but there is no other way."

Yoonhwan wanted to ask, 'Why do we have to do it if we know that it's wrong?' If they really knew, then they should not have done it. But Yoonhwan couldn't ask. Deep in his heart, he too knew why they had no other way.

He knew that not everyone could be like 'him'.

That's why Yoonhwan hated himself at this moment.

"Thank you for your understanding, Yoonhwan."

Mirel tapped on his shoulder and walked out. Even after a long time had passed, Yoonhwan stood there wordlessly, biting his lips.

Seoyul looked at him for a bit and then disappeared also.

"That is every new recruit that we have had in the past half year."

Center of <Highseeker>, office of the Master. There was a man sitting across from Myad who was reading through documents in a plush chair with his legs crossed. The man's name was Imai Kazuki, the 3rd Captain.

"…12? I thought there'd be more."

"Those 12 are the only ones at the 3rd step. There are more below that."

Myad nodded and Imai thought to himself.

'Damn girl… I wonder where she went off to.'

This report was originally 2nd Captain Yoo Surha's job, but it was passed down to Imai after she left. Myad asked, "So, are there any particular ones I have to pay attention to?"

"Yeah, a few. Especially the woman on the first page."

Myad then went back to the first page. There was a name written down there: Han Seoyul.

"She's a tough one. She went through simulation 520 times and stayed to the end for 518 times. Even after she finished the 3rd stage Awakening, she never hesitated to kill faces she knew. She will become a great warrior."

"…Really?"

Myad seemed to be surprised.

The simulation was to recompose the Great Disappearance that happened 700 years ago through the tested's memory, to forcefully awaken them. It was simulation, but Myad knew how terrible it was.

It was because it was Myad who had planned it. It was fake, but it was still hard to kill people one knew in order to survive alone. Most people were mentally broken after their first 10 tries and required another 10 simulations to get used to it, and then another 10 times to get the hang of it.

Rupture referred to the 30 times as an 'adaptation' period.

The 30 repetitions were required to take the first step into getting Rupture's unique world [Sea of Blood, Mountain of Corpses]. Yet, Han Seoyul did not require an 'adaptation' period and cleared the simulation 518 times.

"That is amazing."

"Yeah. She's my favorite."

Imai smiled and glanced at Seoyul's photo. It was a very slight second, but Myad saw Imai's lust-filled eyes. Myad smiled bitterly and flipped over the next few pages. And then he stopped at some page.

"Oh, him… um…"

Imai glanced over at the name and hesitated. There was Kim Yoonhwan. Myad asked, "What happened?"

"There was a problem during the simulation."

"Problem? Why? Was there anything wrong with the simulation?"

That did not happen before. The simulation was very important within Rupture. If there were any problems, it should have been reported already.

"No. He… He was being stubborn until the end."

"Stubborn?" Myad asked.

"Yeah. He didn't kill his friend to until the last part."

"Meaning… he never cleared it?"

"No."

Myad then looked at the report again.

A total of 1954 tries, all fails.

It was an inexplicable challenge and an equally inexplicable fail count. There was no one like this before. Myad became curious.

"And why was he passed?"

"Because he was awakened. When he failed the 1954th simulation, he suddenly became a 3rd stage Awakener and opened a unique world."

"Without finishing the simulation?"

Imai nodded.

"Yeah, he did become a 3rd step… and he also got the [Sea of Blood, Mountain of Corpses]… and Mirel just passed him then…

The boy was successfully awakened without finishing the simulation, and he got the unique world? It was very interesting to Myad.

'By the way, this man…'

Myad then remembered something he had been missing. He completely forgot about it because he had been very busy. Myad narrowed his eyes.

"Imai, this man…"

It was then that someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?! I'm reporting here right now!" Imai shouted angrily, but the knocking did not stop. Imai walked over to the door and opened it. There was an officer panting at the door. He flinched at Imai's angry face but shouted,

"M-master! The Lords are here!"