CH 172

Certificate 2.

“…Star”?

Baek Ho-min muttered blankly.

What do you mean star?

I didn’t know that getting a star would sound so empty. It seems like yesterday that I risked my life to get a star, but now everything feels meaningless like a dry grain of sand.

Seeing the empty expression of Baek Ho-min, Platinum Lord somehow smiled as if she was sad and pleased.

She slowly knelt down in front of Baek Ho-min.

“Look around, Monday.”

Baek Ho-min looked around as Platinum Lord told him to. Dark red crystals were appearing as the skin of the brilliant and bustling metropolitan city was peeled off.

Was all of this hallucination?

It was too realistic and realistic to be hallucinations. You should at least have experienced it to see hallucinations, but Baek Ho-min has never tried ice cream.

At that time, Baek Ho-min witnessed the bodies he killed in front of his eyes turning into red flesh that could not measure their original shape. It looked like a horror predator.

“Was all this a lie?””

“It’s a well-made lie.””

Platinum Lord remained silent for a while and then said again.

“Too well-made lies”.”

With that subtle nuance, Baek Ho-min felt that she knew something different about the city.

“Kang hajin said this is a space that reflects the fear of choices people made during the civil war.”

“There’s no way that many people can imagine a common fear. If it had been, it would have been as vague as a dream. I’m sure they found out soon.”

Platinum Lord smiled low and whispered.

“The reason why this city can be so realistically realistic is that it stems from the fear of only one person who is very good at urban management.”

She, who led the civil war and was at the forefront of the collapse of the Eternal Church, said.

Platinum Lord’s eyes were hazy as if wandering years ago.

Baek Ho-min recalled what she saw on the street. The appearance of Platinum Lord wandering around the street casually in casual clothes.

“He kept thinking from the moment the civil war ended until now. Whether his choice was really the best or whether the Eternal Church was necessarily wrong. At first, it was a simple delusion, but as time passed, this place gradually changed into a concrete and realistic shape.”

Platinum Lord muttered, looking into the blood-soaked gloves.

“To the point where he is afraid enough.”

‘He’ was referring to Platinum Lord himself.

Baek Ho-min recalled Song A-young.

Song A-young talked about solidarity and cooperation. She appealed for education and freedom. Youngjoo like Platinum Lord said it was strange and said to be with them.

If this city reflects the regrets and fears of Platinum Lord, Song A-young’s voice was also the voice of Platinum Lord.

Platinum Lord also knew that he was strange.

“If these were parasites…”… Why were you so weak?”

If I had been strong.

It would not have been as difficult as it is now if they were beings who were scared to the point of bleeding or making their hearts beat.

It was so weak like an ordinary person that the feeling still on my hand was painful.

“Because I imagined it like that.”

Platinum Lord calmly replied.

“A world where civilians and hunters are strictly separated. Distribution and commerce have developed, so you can find a way to live without hunting, and you can interact with other towers, so the general public imagined a world where studying alone is enough.”

Baek Ho-min stared blankly at Platinum Lord.

Was the city that Platinum Lord wanted to create actually this city? Why did she push people by mobilizing extreme methods such as adversity?

When asked to become a parasite, Baek Ho-min did not even keep it in mind. But the person who would have been shaken the most might have been Platinum Lord.

Then it was time for Baek Ho-min to ask a heartbreaking question.

“Why did you make me do this?” Are you punishing me?”

Platinum Lord did not immediately answer Baek Ho-min’s words. She looked down at the floor for a while, refined her posture, and sat straight.

Looking straight at Baek Ho-min, Platinum Lord stared at him seriously with an expressionless face.

“In other words, the five-story system was actually a trial for myself. It’s a place to test the strength of my heart, the lord. But now I had no choice but to leave it to you.”

“Why?”

“This is to confirm my qualifications.”

“Qualification?”

“Qualification to hear the secret of return.”

Baek Ho-min recalled the story Platinum Lord had told before. Proposal that if you successfully conquer the five-story system, you will tell the secret of your return.

Platinum Lord finally opened her mouth.

“I’m a returnee. Monday.”

Constellations who escaped from the abyss were able to watch Baek Ho-min’s daily life after a long time.

I couldn’t shut up at the sight of Baek Ho-min, who had become a mess, but I was relieved that there was no big wound. None of the constellations were shaken by Baek Ho-min’s mental breakdown.

Only Martial King felt sorry for Baek Ho-min.

“That’s too bad…”But at that time, I advanced one by one from the 45th floor, and I think it’s a relief that Homin finished quickly.”

However, Martial King responded that other constellations were insignificant. First, Mystery of grabbing and twisting the limbs of the phoenix, who returned from “Recollection,” opened his mouth.

“I’ll have to be betrayed by my subordinates and tortured for two weeks to know that this is nothing and shake it off.”

“Mys-Mystery, you’really. When your hands and feet melt for about three weeks and then regenerate again, you will have all sorts of thoughts.”

“I need that much ordeal when I’m growing up. I remember going up to the seventh floor without thinking. Later, betrayal becomes just a daily thing.”

“I’ve had a similar ordeal in Paladin. I told Hongryeon that Moktukgaksi had no intention of dating you, but he was dumped, and I think Homin is suffering similar pain to then.”

Martial King looked contemptuous at the constellations’ whispers.

“So, are you all grown up now?””

Constellations closed their mouths and looked elsewhere.

At that time, Platinum Lord slowly settled in front of Baek Ho-min. She opened her mouth staring at Baek Ho-min.

[To check the qualifications]

“Yeah.”

At that time, The One groaned briefly and took a step back.

I looked back at him with a strange look on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

“……No, it’s nothing.”

I felt like The One was somehow nervous, but I couldn’t care about the tricks. This was because Platinum Lord’s words continued.

[Qualification?]

[Qualification to hear the secret of his return]

Mystery frowned.

“The secret of returning…”… I said this before, but is there something?”

“It would be a secret if it was a secret to carry it back to the topic of returnees or to go back without memories. Doesn’t it mean nothing?”

“No, that’s what I’m supposed to do…”…”

[I’m a returnee] Monday]

Mystery were not surprised by Platinum Lord’s following words. Already, they have been told by The One that Platinum Lord believes herself to be a returnee.

The regression is done by Baek Ho-min, but the memory was sufficiently possible because Platinum Lord was doing it.

Platinum Lord paused there for a while and then continued.

[No, it’s right to say that he’s a returnee]

“You were a returnee?”

Mystery immediately responded to the subtle tone. Martial King looked strange at the sharp response of Mystery.

“Archmage said this. Platinum Lord thinks she is a regressionist. Aren’t you saying that because you have memories of regression?”

“No, I think that’s a little different. I’m talking in the past tense. Doesn’t that mean you’re no longer a returnee? Did you notice that you’re not a returnee, you’re just a set?”

Then, the mystery suddenly came to mind again.

“Come to think of it, why does Platinum Lord have a memory of returning?””

“What?”

“That’s right. Baek Ho-min, no matter how he returns, for what reason does Platinum Lord have memories of regression?” Is there something like that in Youngjoo’s privilege?”

[What do you mean by a returnee?]]

[It means he’s no longer a returnee]]

The conversation was getting weird.

The secret of Platinum Lord was an area that even constellations did not know. Areas of memory and knowledge that they have never seen before.

[[I’m originally”]

It was a returnee. Monday. As far as I remember, this was the 8th return. In order to win as a lord, to succeed in the demotion, to pass through the third floor, to pass through the fifth floor…… Well, like that]

Mystery, who was listening to the story of repeated regression, clenched her teeth. It was about Platinum Lord she didn’t know.

[But at some point, she found out that she had lost her ability to return.]

Platinum Lord pointed her finger out at Baek Ho-min and said.

[I think it’s you] No. To be exact, the constellation in you seems to have been taken away by someone.]

The space in the image world froze.

Before being surprised by Platinum Lord’s shocking words, Dynamite and Martial King turned to Mystery, who exuded terrifying life.

Mystery’s eyes with broken veins were turning red.

There was only one sentence in her head.

Fell for it.

‘I’m not the first returnee.’

I remembered something that The One had said shamelessly.

It wasn’t a lie.”First.”

Because the returnee was Platinum Lord.

‘You can’t get caught by Platinum Lord. Because you might lose your ability to return.’

I thought it was a simple safety measure, but the thief was guilty.

It was an ability stolen from Platinum Lord, so it could be taken away again.

“Platinum Lord is just a psychotic person who believes she is a returnee.’

She was a regressionist, but she didn’t know that she had lost her ability to return, so it was true.

The One was lying while cleverly deceiving Mystery’s ability to judge lies.

The first regression of image world constellations is The One.

The One was the beginning of everything.

Because of The One, because of The One.

All her life passed by in Mystery’s head.

Crying.

Blood tears burst out of her eyes.

“Mys-Mystery.”

“Where are you?”

Mystery murmured in a cool, sharp tone at every bar. Even the phoenix felt so hot that it put its hand on the sheath inadvertently.

“The One. Where is it?”

I couldn’t see The One anywhere in the red image world.

“I didn’t notice that at all. It’s you… Until we talk about circuit skills.”

Looking at the Platinum Lord continuing her speech in a calm tone, Baek Ho-min couldn’t know how to say it.

Platinum Lord was a returnee? I’ve had such doubts. No, it was almost certain.

Platinum Lord acted as if she knew the future and was confident. Of course, there were things that I didn’t understand.

Sacrifice and minor mistakes that Baek Ho-min felt unnecessary.

“This is the first time you have been noticed during eight returns. I don’t remember names well except for those who need them.”

Baek Ho-min was puzzled by the words. In the memories of constellations, Platinum Lord came out without exception.

In that memory, Platinum Lord was all an important figure. But soon, as I recognized the order, I began to understand.

The first seven regression was Platinum Lord’s Until then, she had struggled alone to climb the tower.

However, during the eighth round of regression, she somehow lost her ability to return to someone in Baek Ho-min’s constellation. Thanks to this, Platinum Lord has moved with only 7 memories of regression, still thinking that she is a regressionist.

However, it was Baek Ho-min who repeated countless regressions since then.

The One, Mystery, Dynamite, phoenix, Martial King…….

Maybe there are more.

If it was unnoticed during Platinum Lord’s eight returns, there would be many self-death without meaning.

And after a long time, it has reached the present.

Platinum Lord was talking about stolen goods in front of a thief who stole her.

“Do you know why I left the 5th floor to attack?””

Baek Ho-min stared blankly at her.

“Now it’s not me, it’s because you’re a returnee.”

“That’s…”

“I can’t fulfill my role as a returnee and lord. If I die after losing my ability to return, I will lose all my memories of this round.”

Every word of Platinum Lord made Baek Ho-min feel weighed down. Did Platinum Lord live alone with this feeling?

“So you have to continue with your will. It’s you who can do it. So this ordeal, the certificate, was necessary for you. Monday.”

Platinum Lord raised his hand and poked Baek Ho-min in the chest.

“I needed to prove my determination to climb the tower no matter what.”