Surviving without God

Ryan stepped out of the King of Flame’s dwelling and came to a halt beside Gunther. His face showed the utmost shock. His lowered fists were thickly smeared with blood—whether Zakhar’s or his own. Gunther waited in silence until Ryan spoke first.

— Gunther.

— Yes.

— There’s something that won’t leave my mind.

The face of his friend with short chestnut hair, stripped of its usual mischief, looked unfamiliar—sharpened, almost чужим. Ryan continued slowly:

— Now you can tell me, right?

— Tell you what?

— The reason you fight.

Ryan’s gaze pierced straight through Gunther.

— You don’t have any personal score to settle, so why do you keep struggling in this filth? With your abilities... you could live comfortably anywhere. So why do you keep voluntarily stepping into the deepest hell?

Ryan already knew: Gunther had no direct grudge against Luthien. That much was obvious. They had been inseparable friends—they knew each other too well. The emotions Gunther showed had always been different, both in color and in nature.

That was why the question had been lodged in the back of Ryan’s mind from the very beginning. Even that night before they joined the organization, when they drank on opposite sides of a wall, he had been curious. But he hadn’t dared to ask. For some reason... it had scared him—that his friend, walking the same path, was looking in ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) an entirely different direction.

But now it was different. The current Gunther had clearly changed.

This was not cold rationality for the sake of a goal, not the flame of hatred, not the madness of revenge. Something else had seeped into him—something even Ryan didn’t understand. And right now, he wanted the answer.

Gunther also understood: whatever he said would have a tremendous impact on Ryan. He drew a slow breath.

— The reason I fight...

If this had been a few months ago, he would have hesitated. He would have had to struggle to dress up the hard-to-explain answer—“to return to Earth.” But not now.

— There are things I want to protect.

— And what about someone who has nothing left worth protecting?

Gunther looked into Ryan’s trembling pupils and answered shortly. He knew how heavy these words would be, but he didn’t avoid them:

— Then you have to create them.

— ...Why?

— To live.

On Earth, there had been only one reason he could live—his sister, Suhyeon. And when he came to his senses in this foreign world, he found that here too, there were people who had become his support.

— ...Am I one of them?

Gunther nodded without the slightest hesitation.

— You’re one of the main pillars holding me up, Ryan.

For a moment, Ryan lost the ability to speak. He hadn’t expected such a sincere answer. But Gunther felt no awkwardness.

Because it was the truth. Returning? Of course, it still mattered. But he was no longer someone who thought only of escape. He stood here on his own feet, by his own will. And he believed Ryan would do the same.

— Ryan. And you?

— I...

— Say it.

Gunther looked at him calmly.

Yes, they were inseparable. Just as Ryan knew him, he understood Ryan deeply. And so he believed. Ryan had surely already created something he needed to protect—even on the day he lost everything.

— Why didn’t you kill him?

Ryan stood motionless like a stone statue, his back to the shack from which the old man’s faint breathing could still be heard. After a long silence, a hoarse voice came out:

— Because I didn’t want to.

He continued:

— I’m not going to spout that cliché nonsense about death changing nothing and revenge being empty. I just... didn’t want to kill him.

— Why?

Ryan took a slow breath.

— You know, Gunther. I... the reason I fight...

And at last, for the first time, he opened the door that had been locked inside him for so long.

— I want that boy—the one who had to run, leaving behind his burning home and his family’s screams... to be the last in this world.

It wasn’t just about “revenge.” Ryan’s fingertips trembled. The man who wished that no one would ever again have to run helplessly while losing everything clasped his shaking hand with the other and continued:

— But would killing that old man help anything? If I kill someone who, in everyone’s eyes, isn’t even a villain anymore? An old man who’s already dying from guilt? What would my parents and my sister say? Would they clap, happy that I got my revenge? No. I’m sure they’d smack me across the face.

The words came out with uneven breathing. But soon, Ryan’s voice regained its firmness.

— In the end, what I can do... what I must... what I want!

As if rebuilding an inner foundation, he clenched his fists tightly:

— Is to put an end to the real villains. To crush the evil at the top, so bastards like them stop creating people like me. And for that... yeah, I need to stand straight. Become smarter and stronger. I can’t keep charging forward like a wild boar anymore.

Ryan let out a quiet laugh. His gaze had never been clearer.

— Right?

Gunther nodded.

— Exactly.

The raging flame in Ryan’s eyes disappeared. In its place remained a determination like a wick that would burn far longer.

— Then help me. So I can carry out true revenge... true judgment.

— Of course.

— Ha-ha, guess I was right to make a friend like you.

Ryan’s smile grew wider. The corners of his lips lifted, his shoulders shook—and, as always, he burst into booming laughter that chased away any gloom:

— You’ve still got business with that old man, right? Enjoy your little meeting in the shack. I’m off.

Without hesitation, he turned and walked away with a light, steady stride.

.

.

.

Ding!

[Ryan Parker has made his “choice”]

[Bond Scenario: Judgment of That Day — Completed]

[Ryan Parker’s worldview has been updated: Chaos → Order]

[New keywords registered: Commander Verion Heinz / Truth about the Society of Holy Flame]

[Bond level with Ryan Parker has reached 100]

[Your bond has been engraved under a single name]

You have died together countless times and risen together again. When one fell, the other helped him stand. O brothers not bound by blood, your bond protects one another more firmly than any divine blessing.

[Combat power of both sides significantly increases when fighting together with Ryan Parker]

[Mastery of the “Commander” class has greatly increased]

[Ryan Parker’s trait “Blood of Giants” has fulfilled part of the conditions for evolution]

[Part of the trait “Blood of Giants” is transferred to you]

Gunther looked at the endless stream of messages. Some he had expected, others were a surprise. Especially the partial transfer of traits... such a privilege had never existed in the original game.

“...That’s something.”

Gunther watched Ryan’s departing back for a moment, then turned in the opposite direction.

Rustle—

He still had things to do. The Second King of Flame, Zakhar Mordecai, was waiting for him with an unreadable expression.

***

Several days passed. Gunther was heading toward the Night Raven “Sanctuary,” recalling that morning—the moment when he had been left alone with the King of Flame after Ryan’s departure.

In short, after that, the King of Flame had become surprisingly cooperative. Like a man with nothing left to cling to in life, he gave away everything he had. Gunther, who knew just how capricious this character was, had been deeply surprised.

Clues that could raise the level of Flame of Eternal Torment, internal information about the Society of Holy Flame—he gave it all.

It was hard to say what he was thinking. Perhaps he believed this was his way of atonement. One thing was certain: meeting Ryan had caused a serious shift within him.

...Thanks to that, they had gained an unexpected benefit as well.

“...There’s a warehouse nearby where heretics used to store their belongings. There should still be some unsold items left. I’ll tell you the location and how to open it.”

The Society of Holy Flame maintained such secret storage sites across the continent. And this particular one had been under the direct control of the King of Flame—and, according to him, no one but himself even knew it existed. There had been no information about it even in the official storyline. At that moment, a message appeared before Gunther’s eyes:

[Personal scenario updated! The old is always better]

[Hidden condition fulfilled!]

✔ You have revealed the true names of the Forgotten Gods. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

[The efficiency of their power increases]

[Forgotten legacy begins to seep back into the world]

It was the same message that had appeared when The Ruler of the Oceans revealed the true names of three gods to him.

“Heretic items... could it be?”

[Three gods hope you will return their sacred relics]

[...They say it will create synergy beyond imagination]

Not only would it increase his stats, it would also allow him to fulfill another hidden condition of the scenario “The old is always better.” Even if not, it would become a powerful bargaining chip in negotiations with the Society of Forgotten Books.

“The location is close too. I’ll stop by on the way to the Union.”

The King of Flame had given this valuable information almost casually, and at the end had added:

“...Come see me again soon. There’s something I want to discuss.”

The roughness that once flared in his voice like fire had disappeared. In his eyes, self-torment and despair had settled deeply. For some reason, Gunther felt he had seen a similar gaze not long ago.

“Well... I’ll have to visit him a couple more times.”

After finishing business with the Union, there would be time.

Rustle—

Gunther finally stopped. He had returned here after several months. The first time, he had been brought with a sack over his head. Now, he had come on his own.

A rusted pipe. A stalled compressor. A steel frame rotting under the rain. Standing before the entrance to the Sanctuary, disguised as an abandoned foundry, Gunther paused for a moment.

“...Is this the end?”

Once he descended, Act 1 would come to an end. The mysteries surrounding him—including the Tablets—would become slightly clearer, an official order from Grand Crow would be issued, and he and his companions would set out for the Union of Kingdoms.

The beginning of great change. But there was no point hesitating anymore. Preparation was complete.

Clang—

Gunther stepped onto the iron stairs.

And slowly moved forward.