Chapter 736 – The First Wish, Kim Sanghyun (3)
—
– Kim Sanghyun
— SuuAAAA…!
The sound I heard when the vision started echoed back again.
Suddenly, the vision shattered, and I woke up on a brutally harsh alien planet.
The clear blue sky, fresh air, and soft ground had all vanished.
What remained was a terrifyingly rough land, a raging snowstorm, and visibility reduced to nothing.
I felt the weight of the heavy and rough spacesuit.
The comfort I felt moments ago was gone, leaving my heart longing desperately for the grace of the great being.
How can I become comfortable again?
How can I return to paradise and meet the glorious angel?
Fortunately, a massive structure began to shimmer in my blurry vision.
The structure, standing at the intersection of a temple and magical circle, felt eerily familiar, resembling the sculpture in the center of the spaceship.
It seemed that the thing before my eyes was real while the one in the spaceship merely mirrored it.
Agents started to appear one by one, and communication resumed.
“Johnny, everything good?”
Seeing the smiling Astear, I realized that the end of my mysterious space journey had finally arrived.
“You’ve embraced His will too, haven’t you?”
“Of course.”
Other agents began to appear, taking positions in all directions of the temple.
I had no idea how the magic circle on the spaceship operated.
Because they hadn’t told me, and I hadn’t bothered to ask.
So, I shouldn’t know how to use the real magic circle here, but that wasn’t the case.
No one explained it to me, yet somehow I instinctively knew what needed to be done from now on.
Maybe the Son of Dawn had whispered it to me.
Ah…
An abundance of knowledge seeped into me that I had not previously known.
The agents present at this place were already aware of these facts.
…
Long ago, the Son of Dawn had decided to descend from the heavens for humanity.
However, even for the greatest angel, falling to the earth wasn’t easy.
A massive backlash overwhelmed the Son of Dawn, causing him to lose his wings and strength, trapping him on this tiny planet.
Yet, the love the Son of Dawn harbored for humanity was endless.
Even in his sealed state, he somehow aided humanity, allowing the foolish flock to overcome various trials under their true shepherd’s guidance.
Now it was time for us to repay the grace.
Those who dwell in the heavens, blind and deaf to the earthly sufferings, are the shackles the Son of Dawn has been given.
We must break those chains.
And so…
“With this, the Savior shall gain freedom, and we shall gain salvation.”
“With this, the Savior shall gain freedom, and we shall gain salvation.”
“With this, the Savior shall gain freedom, and we shall gain salvation.”
“With this, the Savior shall gain freedom, and we shall gain salvation.”
“With this, the Savior shall gain freedom, and we shall gain salvation.”
“With this, the Savior shall gain freedom, and we shall gain salvation.”
Voices of the six, including mine, reverberated throughout the temple.
Soon, I performed the magic with the agents through movements I had never known before.
Before I knew it, small daggers were gripped in everyone’s hands.
It was a moving moment for some, tears began to flow.
“Uhh… Huuuk!”
Transparent tears flowed down Cerilda’s brown skin.
Beside her, Brian and James wore equally moved expressions.
“Okay, this is the wrap-up. Let’s proceed calmly, without mistakes. Just to be clear, if the ritual ends incompletely, it’s worse than not doing it at all.”
Astear encouraged everyone with a friendly smile.
Now, salvation was just one step away.
I too smiled happily as I pierced the gap in my spacesuit with the dagger, drawing blood—
—A sense of unease hit me.
“…”
“Johnny? Just pour that blood over here.”
Something like cold water splashed over me, snapping me back to reality.
What on earth is happening right now?
“Johnny?”
The journey with the agents to the alien planet.
Throughout this process, one thought kept rising.
The occult just didn’t suit me.
Unfathomable things.
Abstract phenomena, illogical words.
Kneeling and praying to an inexplicable existence wasn’t my style.
In that last moment, the tower of humanity I had built over my lifetime spoke for the very first time.
What the heck is this?
“Astear! Right now, we’re being possessed by an unknown power.”
As I transmitted my resolute voice through my helmet, the agents shot me looks filled with sorrow, frustration, and a hint of anger.
The instant I saw that look, I realized.
The vision or the ‘persuasion’ of the great being that I had just experienced.
The agents here had gone through much longer.
Me saying a few words wouldn’t sway them now.
“Johnny, calm down! If you make a mistake here and ruin the ritual—”
There’s no need to talk to this crazy lady!
Without hesitation, I turned and ran.
“Ah! Johnny, Johnny!”
The agents were startled and tried to grab me again, but there was someone who intervened before they could.
The one who designed this situation from the beginning.
The one who deceived humanity through eons for freedom.
— SuuAAAA…!
Once again, a dizzying sensation flooded me, and my vision began to twist.
My legs felt like stone, immobile, and before my eyes, the figure of a pale angel loomed.
The Son of Dawn’s benevolent voice echoed.
“My child. I seek to save you all from suffering. Yet, how can you reject my hand?”
Memories flickered past me.
The old hunter, wearing masks of humility, charity, and kindness to survive.
The priest emphasizing virtues of restraint and purity to suppress conflict.
The young hunter who could only practice moderation and diligence as he suffered hunger.
“Virtue is but a deficiency—an illusion created to endure a painful world. Thus, it is a chain to escape.”
At that moment, a sensation I couldn’t describe washed over me.
The Son of Dawn was a being who thoroughly negated everything humanity had built.
The most terrifying fact was that this negation didn’t stem from contempt for humanity.
The Son of Dawn genuinely loved humanity.
He wishes to demolish the tower humanity built, out of love!
That’s why I couldn’t help but shout passionately.
“What you’re denying is our entire existence!”
“…”
“That little blue star somewhere beyond the sky. It’s a tower built by everyone who has lived there, pooling their strength.”
“Do you not understand how insignificant that tower is?”
To the great being, humans are beloved yet profoundly insufficient.
What we built was so trivial that it’s pitifully dressed up as virtue…
The Son of Dawn wants to reshape humanity from the roots!
“It may seem insignificant to you. However, that tower is the tower ‘we’ built!”
The pale angel spoke with an expression of sorrow.
“Do you not understand my words? My child, I do not wish to plunge you into a pitiful fate. I came to provide you with endless happiness and pleasure. There’s no longer a need to struggle to build a tower.”
“What do you—”
“I will build it for you. A tower taller and greater than yours.”
Ah…
What filled my heart wasn’t fear of the pale angel.
It wasn’t fear; it was a single emotion, the most intense blaze that a human heart can ignite.
Anger ignited within my soul.
This was no magic or miracle.
This was anger stemming from a logic anyone could understand—not that baffling occult stuff.
It was about all our lives.
…
I recalled my childhood memories.
A father who was always drunk and violent.
A mother who soaked her pillow with tears all night.
I had nothing.
Thus, I had to pick up scattered pieces of stone from the empty ground any way I could.
By day, I worked at Mexican catering or fast food places, and at night, I read books until dawn.
I even went to a Korean church that I had no interest in, seeking anyone who could help me, or roamed around looking for kind souls nearby.
I remembered choosing to enlist in the Navy instead of college because I couldn’t afford tuition.
Two deployments.
123 combat operations.
More than five positions.
Before I knew it, I held six medals.
Yet, more valuable than those medals were the hearts of the people who believed in and helped me.
After receiving many letters of recommendation, my next step was college.
I earned top grades and graduated early after three years, naturally entering medical school on a scholarship.
But when I achieved my medical license, I faced the biggest challenge of my life.
How could a man who was born to be stuck on such a tiny star remain just there?
I had to leave a trace that I had existed among the stars!
I thought the chances of failure were high.
With luck and many people’s help, I’d overcome many challenges, but that last one was truly daunting.
Yet, the heavens had signaled it was not yet my time to fail.
I remember the moment I first saw the world beyond the clouds.
I recall the moment I, born as a human, witnessed the expansive black-blue ocean of the universe.
In that moment of unparalleled glory, I thought.
I finally completed the tower built from the lowest bottom.
Most of the bricks that constituted that tower were my talents and efforts.
But not all those bricks came solely from me.
I remember my mother’s tears as she desperately tried to protect the children from my father’s violence.
I remember the Mama who provided meals and a place to sleep, and most importantly, a sense of security to the kids in the slums.
I remember a comrade who carried me when I fainted in battle.
I recall an officer passionately advising that my talents should not be wasted and that I should head to college now.
The generous scholarship foundation established by a famous athlete funded my education, and my professors in graduate school nurtured my dream of becoming an astronaut.
A great country bestows abundant love upon the talented and diligent.
I was precisely that beneficiary.
Thus, I represented humanity—a part of the golden tower built by humanity.
Because all these life memories were so vivid, I could shout firmly.
“What are you trying to offer us?”
“…”
“Build a new tower for us? A tower smarter and greater to replace the one ‘we’ built?”
“…”
“Don’t be ridiculous! The golden tower built by humanity has meaning because we constructed it with our hands! So, any tower you provide will hold no value!”
At last, I felt the compassion in the pale angel’s eyes recede.
Thus, what followed wasn’t conversation but a command.
“…There’s a goat, not a sheep, here. Loyal ones, raise the goat onto the altar. He will be a sacrifice heralding a new beginning.”
The pale angel’s vision vanished without a trace.
Then, agents approached, radiating a chilling aura.
Not long ago, they regarded me as a colleague, and now there was not a trace of that kindness left.
If the angel commanded, they would willingly lay me down on the altar, extracting my heart and liver as a sacrifice.
Thanks to that, I could finally rid myself of the weakness that had been lurking deep within my heart.
The Son of Dawn is someone who infinitely loves the foolish and small, but he’s also a devil who demands that all sheep follow him!
To put it plainly?
“Bastard! Just because you have wings doesn’t make you an angel!”
“Johnny!”
The zealots showed anger at my blasphemous words.
“Astear! Why do you insist on dragging me into this ritual?”
“You’re trying to ruin everyone’s salvation. If the ritual ends imperfectly, the worst outcome will—”
In that moment, I declared resolutely.
The words they could never refute.
“What’s the problem? Didn’t your god say it Himself? ‘Do what you desire’!”
“What—”
“This is my choice!”
The agents here are stronger than I could compare myself to.
However, there’s something they don’t know.
To be precise, I intended to teach them, but they had given up on learning.
For example, the fact that all the spacesuits here are connected in real-time.
If the one in authority knows how, they can control another person’s spacesuit.
It’s typically functional when an internal problem arises, but it can also be applied like this!
— BEEP!
The moment of determination, Astear’s words flashed in my mind.
If the ritual gets ruined here, the worst outcome will follow.
From now on, I shall have no regrets, no matter what happens.
Rather than becoming a pawn of the devil, abandoning the tower I’ve built, I’d rather die together here!
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.