Kim Hyun-Sung had decided to place his period. In that instant, my mind went completely blank because I knew that was his farewell.

‘What about me... You’re not saying goodbye to me... To Second Life Ki-Young?’

Is this really it? Is this really the end?

“I’m sorry,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘Don’t say you’re sorry, damn it. Don’t say that.’

I could feel myself getting worked up. Of course, my breathing turned ragged. I understood why Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t saying any kind of farewell to me. He had already admitted with his own mouth that he still had some attachments, so he was probably afraid that if he lingered even a little longer, his resolve could end up wavering.

He had to have decided that it was better to leave cleanly.

‘Damn it... what about the people you're going to leave behind? What are they supposed to do, you bastard?’

I wanted to smash him with an axe right then and there. I even wanted to tear apart his ridiculous idea. Unfortunately, I realized it too late. The reason he came here wasn’t for anything else but to place a period. I underestimated this idiot far too much. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Had he known all along that he could make this choice on his own, even without First Life Ki-Young’s help?

I couldn’t be sure when he had realized it, or if he truly understood it at all, but I couldn’t gamble on Kim Hyun-Sung. He knew he was qualified. He knew that by burning himself away, he could resolve this entire situation.

I thought he didn’t know the method, so I intended to keep that door closed, but just like how Altanus had known without being taught, Kim Hyun-Sung had realized it on his own.

He knew that once the continent had reached an irreparable state, he could sacrifice himself and start everything over. I looked up at the distant sky. As expected, the sky across the continent had already collapsed, yet no one questioned it.

There were barely any living beings left on the continent to begin with, and the world itself was being swallowed by that falling sky.

The Republic, the Union of Kingdoms, the Federation, the neutral nation of Laios, and even most of the Empire, none of them remained. Everything was being consumed. Those who had burned the final vestiges of their souls in the pigeons’ nest, those who remained across the continent calling out to the gods on the battlefield had disappeared at some point.

I realized that the continent itself had revealed the lock on the reset button.

‘How much time is left? What happens now? What am I supposed to do?’

The war that took place in Lindel had ended long ago. The dead were the first to be swallowed by the collapsing sky, leaving not even their corpses behind. Those who had come over from the second life, First Life Ki-Young, and First Kim Hyun-Sung still seemed untouched, but even that felt like it was forcing a choice onto me.

Jin Cheong was sitting in the ruins of Lindel and drinking some tea. Sun Hee-Young quietly gazed up at the sky.

Lee Chang-Ryeol, Alps, and Ha Yeon-Soo were running frantically through the pigeons’ nest searching for me. Kasugano Yuno was silently watching me from inside a shabby inn. First Life Ki-Young was chatting idly with Park Deok-Gu.

First Life Kim Hyun-Sung was standing blankly and staring at Lindel.

Then finally, me and him.

They were probably all the living beings left on the continent at this point. Even those who fought to the very end had disappeared. First Life Jung Ha-Yan and the Big Boy Family, Jung Jin-Ho and his brigade, Marquis Jayce, Ryu Han, the Holy Sword Hero, the ladies of the Black Rose Salon, and their traces.

Even the countless people who remembered them were all gone.

I naturally came to understand why the regression had to happen. Someone had to remember all of them. I realized once again just how heavy the burden Kim Hyun-Sung had been carrying on his shoulders. I looked ahead. The idiot was still there in front of me, tears streaming down his face.

I wanted to say something, but no words came out. What could I possibly say to him right now? I could offer comfort, or I could say that I forgive him, but I didn’t want to say anything that sounded like a final farewell.

Right now, the priority was to find a way out of this situation.

‘There has to be an answer.’

There was no such thing as a problem without a solution. The continent clearly regarded Kim Hyun-Sung and me as its parents. There was no way the correct answer was for him to become the sunset.

Of course, it made sense narratively. Since the sunset had become his symbol, it seemed like a fitting ending, but what mattered most was that I didn’t want that to happen. Right, even without Mikael, there could be a way to reverse this.

For now, I had to buy time. I had to stall for as long as possible before Kim Hyun-Sung could suddenly disappear. The one who would press the reset button ought to be me, rather than Kim Hyun-Sung.

“I won’t accept your apology, Hyun-Sung,” I said.

“I already knew that,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“I understand you, but I won’t pity you,” I said.

“Yes, I already knew that as well,” he said.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

“Yes, I’ve been ready for a long time,” he answered.

“Do you really think this is the last thing you’re meant to do?” I questioned.

“Yes.”

‘That’s not it, damn it. That’s not it.’

“Do you really think that this is the last thing you can do, the last thing you can leave behind, and the last way for you to atone?” I asked.

“Yes, I’ve never been more certain of it,” he answered.

‘No, you’re not certain. You can’t be certain.’

“Do you really think you won’t regret it?” I asked.

‘You will regret it, won’t you? Right?’

I slowly took a step forward. Kim Hyun-Sung cautiously followed behind me. In that place filled with nothing but silence, I waited for him to say that he would regret it. He kept searching for an answer to my question. No, he probably already found it. He was just struggling with how to put it into words.

We stopped at a structure that looked like the Independence Gate. From my perspective, I had chosen a suitable spot to bait him, but Kim Hyun-Sung probably thought this was the doorway to the second life. I hadn’t explained anything, but he likely believed that if he passed through this door, he would become the sunset, and a new regression would begin. Perhaps it really would happen that way.

The device itself didn’t matter. Something like that was meaningless. What mattered was his will. If he truly regretted it, then nothing would happen to him at all. Kim Hyun-Sung stood before the massive gate. Standing there, he pondered his answer to my question. I, too, kept turning over many possibilities, searching for the right answer.

“Regret...” Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

“You’ll be forgotten by everyone. You might not even be able to leave behind your will. The people you thought were precious will end up forgetting you. They won’t remember anything about you. And even then... do you really think you won’t regret it?” I questioned.

“It's a foolish thought... something completely absurd, but I don’t think I’ll disappear. I think I’ll become the sunset... the sunset that shines over the place you love, Mr. Ki-Young,” he answered.

‘That really is a stupid thought. Damn it. It’s so ridiculous I don’t even know what to say.’

“Even if no one remembers me, that’s fine. I’ll remember. I’ll be watching over everything,” he added.

“That’s just you imposing your own interpretation. Reality won’t be like that. You won’t become the sunset, and no one will look at the sunset and think of you. You think your ending has meaning, but there’s no meaning in dying.

"Don’t try to give it meaning. Do you really think this is the right choice? It’s not. What are you even standing there believing in? Did you think I would give you what you want? Did it never once cross your mind that this could be a trap, you idiot?” I criticized him.

“...”

“This isn’t atonement. It’s just avoidance and self-satisfaction. You haven’t changed at all. It’s shameless and irrational. Do you really think this is the answer that solves everything?

"Do you really think that this is the end of your story? This is far too easy a punishment to atone for your sins. I wanted you to live and suffer, not to carry everything and disappear,” I told him.

“...”

“You won’t leave anything behind. The ending you want won’t exist anywhere.”

I muttered whatever I could to try to break his resolve. Words meant to make him doubt, even just a little, and yet, this bastard didn’t waver at all. The same guy who used to waver so easily now stood firm, as if he had equipped some kind of unwavering skill.

There wasn't even the slightest change in his face.

The spineless bastard had become completely certain of his own thoughts. If I hadn’t brought him to this ridiculous gate and had given him the initiative, the sky would have been painted with the sunset by now.

I couldn’t even properly decide on what I was saying anymore, and it was to the point where I felt like I wasn’t even playing the role of First Life Ki-Young correctly. If I relaxed for even a moment, it felt like Kim Hyun-Sung would simply disappear. I kept my eyes locked on him.

“Is this really the answer? Do you really think this is the right answer?!” I shouted.

I figured I was shouting out of frustration, as I was feeling angry at myself for not being able to think of another solution. However, there was a chance that perhaps there really wasn’t any answer. I never thought of myself as stupid, but right now, my mind felt completely blank. The only thing I could think about was that he was about to leave.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you bastard. Don’t be ridicul—”

It didn’t seem like Kim Hyun-Sung found any of this strange. If anything, it looked like he thought First Life Ki-Young could be testing him. Perhaps he couldn’t hear anything at all. My gaze drifted to his face again. Absurdly enough, I found myself thinking that he had grown. Hadn’t I once thought that this could all be a kind of tutorial to become the proper caretaker of the continent?

Looking at him now, the thought struck me that he was finally ready. If this really was a tutorial, then perhaps he had already completed it. My eyes moved to his face once more, then to my own reflection in his pupils.

‘What about me?’

My gaze shifted to the collapsing nest.

‘What’s the right answer?’

My gaze moved to First Life Ki-Young, laughing with Park Deok-Gu.

‘I don’t think the continent really wants this.’

Then my gaze moved to Kim Hyun-Sung, staring out over Lindel.

‘There has to be an answer.’

My gaze then landed on the ruined continent itself and on those who had already disappeared. Even so, no, I couldn’t be certain whether this was the right answer or not, but it felt like there was no other choice.

It was instinct, intuition, and stubbornness. It was a calculated decision, and above all, it was something I would never regret. Yes, something I would never regret. No matter what happened, even if everything went wrong, the most important thing was that I would never regret this choice.

I took off the mask.

“Mr. Ki-Young...?” Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

He stared blankly at me.

I grabbed his hand.

“Mr. Ki-Young... wh-what?” he stuttered.

Then, I took a step forward toward the gate.

“Hyun-Sung,” I said.

“Yes? W-wait, right now... here,” he mumbled.

“Let’s go,” I interrupted him.

The world before my eyes was dyed in the colors of the sunset.