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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 16: Dongdaemun Labor Market (1)
Not having to work the exhausting jobs at Maseok construction sites was a relief, but my master’s words were entirely unexpected.
"We’re crossing into the Otherworld? Isn’t the world beyond the Gate already the Otherworld?"
[That statement is half true, half false.]
"What do you mean?"
[Have you heard of vengeful spirits?]
“I’ve heard they’re people wandering around the Otherworld, unaware that they’ve died. I’ve only seen one myself.”
Back then, our team was in a different area, and by the time we arrived after hearing the news, the vengeful spirit was already gone.
It’s standard to exorcise vengeful spirits. To be exact, we awakeners call it "purification."
To our eyes, vengeful spirits are merely ghosts wandering without realizing their own death.
Honestly, I thought they were just rumors until I encountered one. After that, I realized that dying in the Otherworld wouldn’t be easy.
[That’s a lie.]
“Pardon?”
But my master’s revelation was even more shocking. Vengeful spirits are a lie? What could that possibly mean?
[A ghost unaware that it’s dead in the Otherworld? Nonsense.]
“Wait a minute. I’ve only seen it once, but vengeful spirits really exist. Other awakeners said so too. So, if they’re not ghosts, then what are they?”
I’d heard that vengeful spirits acted strangely, defying common sense in this world. It was said that distorted memories upon death were the cause. But if the existence of vengeful spirits itself was a lie, that meant that explanation was false too.
[They’re human, just like us.]
Kim Do-Jin explained about those we call vengeful spirits.
[As form the Outside—the Otherworld—I don’t know exactly how it’s structured. I’ve never been there. But I know a few things.]
He said that the Otherworld was both similar to and different from Earth. Frankly, I found the idea that vengeful spirits were actually humans far more shocking than any of his explanations.
"Vengeful spirits are humans? Then why are they treated as vengeful spirits in the Otherworld?"
[Because the existence of humans in the Otherworld must be kept hidden. Have you ever thought about what happens to the Otherworld after the Otherworld Gate closes? Why does the Otherworld Gate keep appearing in similar locations at regular intervals?]
My master’s questions struck at a fundamental issue I’d never considered before. As an ordinary awakener, I’ve only been concerned with surviving each day.
I’d never had the luxury to ponder where the Otherworld Gate came from or what the existence of the Otherworld really meant.
Even so, my master’s question was incredibly shocking.
[Some say the inside of the Otherworld Gate is just a fragment or shard of a dimension that appears temporarily before disappearing. Ironically, that nonsense is actually gaining traction in academic circles.]
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think I’ve heard that somewhere.”
Judging by my master’s reaction and expression, it wasn’t the right answer.
[The Otherworld is real. The Gate we talk about is nothing more than a passageway that allows us to enter and exit that world temporarily.]
“And people live in that Otherworld as well?”
[Yes.]
“In the Otherworld, people can use mana, right? So does that mean they can freely use mana?”
My master nodded, saying I was absolutely right. It struck me that, unlike us who couldn’t use mana outside the Otherworld without magic stones, life there must be much more convenient.
'But if they can use mana, don’t they basically not need magic stones?'
In reality, many of the things achieved in the surface world with magic stones could be replicated in the Otherworld through mana or skill use.
Using raw mana as a power source without magic stones would be a dream for scientists, though it would cut off awakeners from their livelihoods. If that ever came true, then awakeners would be risking their lives gathering magic stones just for
“It sounds good in theory.”
[You won’t be saying that once you see it for yourself.]
My master sighed, looking uncertain of how to explain further. His doll-like face even showed hints of worry, which spoke volumes.
A thought crossed my mind suddenly.
“You said we’d cross into the Otherworld through a D-Rank Gate, right?”
This had puzzled me for a while. During my repeated regressions, I thought my master had died. But it turned out he hadn’t died; he had escaped somewhere.
Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed that he had a way out all along. Even while I was risking everything to help him escape during each regression, he never once mentioned any escape method.
But on second thought, it was clear why he hadn’t told me.
‘He probably couldn’t take me with him.’
The fact that he never mentioned it until the very end must mean he didn’t want to use that method unless he had no other choice.
So, I didn’t ask him why he hadn’t told me about it. I think I understand a little now. If I were in his position, I would’ve done the same.
Still, there was something I had to confirm.
My master had once mentioned that he was somewhere beyond my reach.
“The place you mentioned—is it the Otherworld?”
[Yes.]
He didn’t deny it. That meant I’d finally narrowed down his location from ‘somewhere’ to ‘somewhere in the Otherworld.’
[You have a younger sister, Min-Ah, correct?]
“Yes.”
My heart tensed as soon as he mentioned Min-Ah. Although he was following me as a spirit, my master had never brought her up.
Even without saying anything, he knew my situation.
[The Otherworld might hold a way to cure mana immunity deficiency.]
“I heard that Team Leader Cha’s younger brother passed away from a similar condition.”
I debated whether or not to mention it, but I decided it was best to be open. My master didn’t ask how I knew.
[I feel sorry for Woo-Jae. It seems I gave him false hope.]
I understood why he hadn’t said anything about Min-Ah until now.
He still felt guilty over the death of Cha Woo-Jae’s younger brother.
While I remember only two days each regression, my master remembers twenty years of failed attempts whenever he regains consciousness.
We both bear the burden of regression, but the scars we carry are different. Although we share this curse, the pain that comes with it is uniquely ours.
But I also realized something: Unlike me, who only has Min-Ah, my master has several people he feels responsible for.
To fail despite doing everything in his power, to be plagued by doubts about betrayal from those he trusted—what kind of pain must that be?
How can he stay sane?
Who is Master Kim Do-Jin, really? Is he the person who lived his life unaware of his regression? Or is he the one haunted by memories of failure?
“The reason you didn’t bring up Min-Ah is because you didn’t want to make the same mistake again, isn’t it?”
[I won’t deny it.]
“I’m different. No, you’re different now, too.”
[What makes you so sure?]
“Well, because you’re not giving me false hope. You’re asking me if I’m okay with the uncertainty, with the chance that we might fail.”
Human emotions are fickle. When someone keeps whispering ‘you’ll succeed,’ it fuels hope, but failure feels that much more devastating when it comes.
"Still, when you face failure with the knowledge of the risk, it doesn’t hurt as much as blind hope would."
Not that I plan on failing.
I could give up my life, but not Min-Ah’s. Before the cycles of regression, Min-Ah was just someone I had a duty to protect. Now, she’s my anchor, the reason I’ve been able to endure this endless repetition. Because she’s been there, I’ve been able to survive these cycles without losing my mind.
So now, it’s my turn to save her.
[It’s all the same.]
“It isn’t. And if it is, then I’ll make it different.”
[You think you can?]
“I have to. This is the last chance for both of us, isn’t it?”
Master’s eyes widened in surprise. I no longer exist within his timeline.
But he does. If he dies, he’ll return to the loop, again and again. And in his endless cycle, there won’t be an “Lee Su-Hyuk” fighting to break free from the regression.
I’m the first and probably the last Su-Hyuk to share this memory of our regression. Even if another version comes, who knows when that’ll be?
Once Su-Hyuk escapes the cycle, he’ll go on to live his own life, as will Master. Whether we share preferences or repeat the same days doesn’t matter. For now, it’s what connects us.
“When a person repeats the same things dozens of times, they get a bit sharper, you know? You didn’t realize you were regressing until you escaped Nyarlathotep, right?”
[And so?]
“At least that means you survived up to that point. Your regression happens only when you die.”
Master didn’t die facing Nyarlathotep as I once thought. Instead, he must have been moved somewhere isolated, which cut off my own timeline from his.
The fact that Kim Do-Jin regresses means he must die at some point. But here he is before me, alive.
I knew it then.
“Master, you tried to end it yourself, didn’t you?”
He didn’t respond. If every time he opened his eyes, he was forced to relive memories of failure, of course he’d want to end it.
I once did too. I would end myself, hoping that when I opened my eyes, it would be tomorrow and time would flow forward again. That wasn’t something anyone could understand unless they, too, shared the burden of regression.
I’m certain: every time he escaped at the last moment. But what condition could he be in after all that running? And in an isolated space with no way back—how long could he truly hold on?
Kim Do-Jin, you’re slowly dying.
Dying to save someone insignificant—a person like me who only briefly crossed paths with you in this endless loop.
“All you need to do is survive. You remembered that you were a regressor after facing Nyarlathotep, didn’t you? Then hold on just long enough to go beyond that.”
This will be different from past regressions. It has to be.
“I’ll cure Min-Ah. I’ll save you. And as for the traitor who betrayed you? No matter how strong they are, I’ll hunt them down and kill them for you.”
[…]
“So, please, until I get there—stay alive, no matter what.”
Even if it’s at the edge of the world or in the depths of hell, I’ll come find you.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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