He listened intently and heard even breathing.
He focused and watched the chest rise and fall up and down.
If he looked away even for a moment, it felt like all of this would disappear.
Jeongwoo sat without moving, watching the sleeping Jaehee.
Though he thought Jaehee would be surprised if he woke up to this, even so, he had no intention of lying down.
He wanted to keep Jaehee in his sight a little longer.
“Whew.”
Jeongwoo confirmed once more that Jaehee was right in front of him, and while listening to Jaehee’s breathing, he also exhaled the breath he’d been holding. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists several times to relieve tension. His fingertips tingled from the tension.
He laughed at how pathetic he was.
He’d never been so nervous even when facing any monster or Constellation including Ouroboros, but when it came to Jaehee, he unknowingly lost his reason. Even though he endlessly confirmed with his eyes and ears that Jaehee was safe, his anxiety wouldn’t subside.
Jeongwoo stared at Jaehee intently before slowly closing his eyes.
All his senses, several times more sensitive than ordinary people’s, vividly felt Jaehee’s breathing, scent, and body temperature even with his eyes closed.
Right. It’s okay. Jaehee is safe.
Jeongwoo repeated the words he was telling himself.
But in his mind, the image of collapsed Jaehee rose again.
A face covered in blood.
Recalling that foolish moment when he’d believed everything was going well, Jeongwoo made a bitter expression.
Once, Jeongwoo had been a King.
His awakening classification hadn’t been King. Jeongwoo’s awakening classification was Fighter.
When Jeongwoo looked at his skills and awakened characteristics, he thought he had awakened as a Knight.
But Jaehee insisted that Jeongwoo should become a King. That’s how Jeongwoo became King with Jaehee’s support.
In fact, it wasn’t easy for someone who wasn’t Royal Road to become King. He had to change his awakening classification through a Personal Mission, but not only did this Personal Mission itself not appear easily, passing the mission wasn’t easy either.
But ultimately, as Jaehee had said, Jeongwoo became King.
After Jeongwoo became King, Jeongwoo’s kingdom grew at an astonishing speed. Jaehee’s help was the greatest reason this was possible. When first accepting subjects, Jaehee had insisted on accepting people without discrimination. Who would have known this would become the most important key to growing the kingdom?
Jeongwoo’s kingdom grew dazzlingly to the point where no one could follow.
So foolishly, he ended up thinking that everything would go well, that he could protect Earth.
Jeongwoo opened his closed eyes and looked at Jaehee lying in the tent.
A face that still had a youthful air about it.
To protect Jaehee before his eyes, he could do anything.
[Constellation, Blazing Flame says to remember the promise.]
[Constellation, Blazing Flame says foolish regret is unnecessary.]
“Ha. Nagging even inside a dungeon. I know. And I haven’t forgotten that damn promise even for a moment.”
Jeongwoo quickly dismissed the messages that appeared before his eyes as if clearing away something dirty.
Even without being reminded, he’d never forgotten that damn promise for even a single moment.
Jeongwoo looked at Jaehee a little longer before finally lying down.
Though it didn’t seem like he’d be able to sleep, he decided to lie down and close his eyes for a while.
Regret is unnecessary?
Without that regret, the current me wouldn’t exist.
Blazing Flame was more grateful to him than anything, but for that very reason, it was also hateful at the same time.
Right. The current Jaehee is still healthy. I can do this. I can protect him.
Jeongwoo repeated to himself over and over.
“Jaehee, Jaehee, open your eyes! What on earth…! What on earth happened?”
He grabbed and shook the collapsed Jaehee. The unconscious Jaehee’s body swayed this way and that as he shook it.
Ah…! Right. This is a dream.
A groan came from his mouth.
After having the same dream hundreds, thousands of times, at some point you become aware it’s a dream even within the dream.
Ah, I’ll be disappointed again, frustrated again, sad again.
He wanted to wake from the dream, but recognizing it was a dream didn’t mean he could control the dream.
Naturally he couldn’t wake from the dream either and had no choice but to watch the repeating dream as always.
Jaehee collapsed as if asleep, and himself shaking and trying to wake such a Jaehee.
He’d discovered the collapsed Jaehee when he returned from a nearly week-long business trip. There had been many important matters on the business trip, and thinking to discuss them with Jaehee, he’d looked for Jaehee as soon as he arrived.
But when he found Jaehee, Jaehee’s entire body was already cold and he’d lost consciousness.
Seeing the bluish lips, he knew it was poison. He hurriedly took out a potion and made him drink it, but it was no use. Of course. Potions worked when there was still breath left, and had no effect on someone already dead.
Even knowing this, he couldn’t accept it. He forcibly fed him potions and also gave him status ailment recovery potions.
He did everything he could.
And finally, when he realized there was nothing he could do for Jaehee…
“Jae, Jaehee. I’ll be back. I’ll, I’ll make you better soon.”
A man muttering while looking at Jaehee inside ice.
His eyes were blankly vacant, and his appearance was utterly shabby.
After realizing he couldn’t do anything for Jaehee, he froze Jaehee’s body. To do this, he’d had to purchase a new skill from the Galaxy Shop.
After putting Jaehee in ice, what he did was…
“Don’t worry, Jaehee… I’ll, I’ll avenge everything for you…”
He went around looking for whoever fed Jaehee poison. One by one, he visited those he suspected.
When necessary, he didn’t hesitate to use torture. Hell unfolded that way.
When he opened his eyes, his face was completely soaked with tears.
“Haa…”
His heart was pounding madly and his back was damp with sweat. Jeongwoo roughly wiped his face with his sleeve and got up. As he exhaled rough breaths, he laughed at how pathetic he was.
With someone like this, what could he do… He rubbed his face several times with his trembling hands and bit his lips tightly.
Setting out solemnly with grand goals, only to make a fuss after coming just this far—he laughed at how pathetic he was.
“Fuck… Get it together, Woo Jeongwoo. Not yet, you haven’t done anything yet. This is just barely the beginning.”
He took a deep breath and looked toward where Jaehee was lying. Unlike the dream, Jaehee with a healthy complexion was sleeping while exhaling stable breaths.
Seeing that, he clenched his fists.
He had turned back time.
Only to save Jaehee.
If he said he did it to save Earth, to save people, that would be a lie. From the beginning, he’d only thought of Jaehee. He hadn’t been suited to be King in the first place.
Though he’d lived his whole life hating Constellations, thanks to that Constellation he’d obtained this opportunity.
When Jeongwoo had given up on everything and could no longer have hope in anything, it was Blazing Flame that spoke to him.
Blazing Flame asked Jeongwoo what he would do if given a chance to turn everything back.
Ah, what sweet words.
A chance to turn things back.
How could he not take that hand after hearing such words?
Constellations were surely another name for demons. Because they made the sweetest proposals to humans fallen into despair.
Time regression was something even Blazing Flame had to pay a lot for, he said. Because of that, several restrictions had to be attached.
Jeongwoo gladly said he would endure all of it.
That’s how Jeongwoo went back in time to before everything began.
When he first saw young Jaehee, laughter burst out.
For this, even if he had to offer anything to a demon, it wouldn’t be a waste.
If he’d had two souls, he would have offered both to the demon.
Jeongwoo steadied his breathing several times and slowly got up.
Outside the tent, the rustling presence that had been bothering him since earlier was getting on his nerves.
Rather than lying here and having such ridiculous nightmares, it would be better to go outside and torment Kang Mingyu.
Jeongwoo left the tent and saw Kang Mingyu doing something in front of the campfire.
For even that Kang Mingyu to seem welcome now, he definitely wasn’t in his right mind.
“Hey, Kang Mingyu. No, Prophet. Stop rustling around.”
“Huh? Huh?”
Kang Mingyu, who had been crouched over his large frame doing something, jumped in surprise and turned around. In his hand was something charred black that he seemed about to eat, and his face had soot smudged here and there.
“S-sorry. Did I wake you? I was hungry so I was trying to eat something…”
“Prophet. Tell me. Is the future still destruction?”
Jeongwoo said, taking out a can of coffee from his inventory and tossing it to Kang Mingyu.
