Summary:
We shall open with that one conversation between Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo but just the first half.
On the other note, The Assistant is not having a good time while Room 0/TCF mini group is having a very good time.

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[SEGMENT 1: The Variables] ▼
▶︎ [Cale Henituse] ◀︎
[Cale Barrow]
[Sui Khan]

▶︎▶︎▶︎

Novel Content Used:
Chapter 655 - Everything can be connected (5)
Chapter 656 - Everything can be connected (6)

▶︎▶︎▶︎

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

"...This is not what I expected."

Valentino muttered out loud as he caressed his right wrist. A pink glowing magic bracelet wrapped around it. He looked to his left side. Both the red-haired man and the skinny drunkard sitting next to him hadn't said anything since the five-minute countdown started.

Valentino looked around the room one more time. He could recognize that most countries in the Western Continent had at least one person who could represent them here except for the Mogoru Empire, the Askosan Kingdom, and the Norland Kingdom. The ones he couldn't recognize were the two next to him and those sitting on those two tables.

At times like this, Valentino wished his good friend Adin could be here too.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Basen's anxious feelings grew every second the countdown went down. The bracelet on his wrist was glowing pink. He would remember all of this.

Basen did not understand why they were doing this.

The Deal. What was the Deal that the God of Mystery made with three individuals? Why did they need to watch another world? What was even the purpose of all of this?

Basen did not know and it made him anxious.

There was another thing too.

His hyung-nim was not here.

His whole family was here but his hyung-nim wasn't.

What if something wrong happened to his hyung-nim? Basen couldn't calm down as this thought entered his mind.

The countdown did not stop.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

"...This is the first time I see a God's domain, Aunt Tasha, Grandpa Obante."

Mary said in a monotone voice. However, Tasha could recognize the girl's excitement. Tasha reached out and held Mary's hand.

"It's our first time too, Mary."

Tasha worried about Mary a lot. She was someone very important to Tasha, on par with her nephew. Tasha considered Mary like her own daughter so she wanted to protect this precious child. Tasha continued.

"However, Mary."

"Yes, Aunt Tasha?"

"This is not a common situation."

Mary nodded. Tasha looked at the person sitting on the other side next to Mary. Her grandfather caught her gaze and he nodded in understanding. He also spoke to Mary.

"Mary, I don't know with whom the God of Mystery made a deal with. But for a God to interfere? I have a feeling that the future won't be peaceful."

Tasha could see how her grandfather was sweating a bit as he reached out and patted Mary on the head.

"So watch and learn, Mary. You too, Tasha."

Tasha blinked before she figured out what he meant. She looked at her pink bracelet and Mary's and Obante's white bracelets.

"You won't remember this, aren't you, Grandpa?'

Obante laughed and nodded.

"But I had figured out that you two will, right?"

Mary did not say anything but she nodded in agreement. Tasha nodded too.

"That's why please try to remember everything we learn here."

Mary answered.

"I will, Grandpa."

Tasha also followed.

"Of course, I will too, Granpa."

"Then I'm glad. That way, you can tell me once we go back."

At his words, Tasha suddenly realized something.

How long? For exactly how long would they be here? What about what happened to everyone else in their world? Did she, Mary, and Granpa Obante just disappear? Wouldn't it cause panic in their city? What about her nephew? What if he tried to contact her and couldn't?

Worry after worry suddenly flooded her mind, causing Tasha's hands to shake. Mary, whose hand she was holding, looked at her in concern.

"Aunt Tasha?"

Tasha snapped out of it and took a deep breath. Thinking about these problems wouldn't do anything now. She would try to ask The Assistant later. Tasha found herself calming down a bit as she patted Mary's hand.

"It's nothing, Mary. I'm fine now."

"...If you say so, Aunt Tasha."

Obante gave Tasha a knowing look as he ordered a set of tea from the menu. He gave Mary a cup.

"Try this tea, Mary. It's one we don't have in our city."

Tasha gave her grandfather a thankful look before she ordered a set of macarons.

"You should try these too, Mary."

After that, the three of them enjoyed some tea and macarons while waiting for the countdown to reach zero.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 6]

The Dragon Half-blood pressed his face against the soft plushie. This felt so nice. He lowered the red cat plushie and hugged it against his chest. He rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up. This felt very nice.

He just did not figure out why he got this special treatment.

The Dragon Half-blood looked past the glass wall. He had figured out that besides him and the civilians down there. All these flowing rooms also hosted people who might remember this like him.

The Dragon Half-blood stared at the glowing pink magic bracelet around his wrist. Then looking around the room with a comfy bed, a lot of plushies, and tables full of delicious food. The Dragon Half-blood touched the glass wall to look down at the screen.

There was only one minute before the viewing started.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 3]

Eruhaben sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

"All sorts of things happened in these last years of my life."

"Hang in there, Senior. It seems like there will be a lot of things we need to do from now on."

Eruhaben looked at the Beige Dragon who just talked. He then looked at the Grey Dragon at the end of the other side. After that, he looked at the young Pink Dragon sitting next to his mom. And finally, he looked at the even younger Black Dragon who sat next to him.

"It seems so. Looks like I can't die yet."

- Goldie! Why are you talking about dying!? You can't die yet! You already promised to teach me!

"Aigo-"

Eruhaben sighed again as he heard the young Black Dragon speaking in his mind.

- Little kid, I'm already very old. Besides, there are these other Dragons too.

- I don't care. I want you, Goldie.

- Aigo, this little kid. Fine, I will try to live a bit longer. But I can't make promises like this, little kid.

- ...I will find a way to extend your life. Just you wait, Goldie.

Eruhaben sighed again, causing Mila to look at him in question. He gave a look at the Black Dragon and she understood.

- Taking care of the little ones is hard, isn't it, Senior?

Eruhaben looked at the young Pink Dragon who kept ordering new foods and looked back at Mila.

- It must be hard for you.

- But it is a beautiful part of being a parent.

- ...It is. That's why we need to gather information. A God has interfered.

- That we do.

Eruhaben looked at the only other table next to them.

Three Holy Maidens and a Saint.

It seemed like the future wouldn't be peaceful.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Studio]

The Assistant appeared in the studio. He took off the black mask on his face and put it away.

Once the mask was off, his white hair returned to its original color.

Crimson red. The trademark of the House of Thames.

The Assistant, no Cale Thames, flopped on the couch next to the young Dark Elf girl and started to whine.

"I hate this job! I want to retire!"

The third person in the room, the Quarter Dark Elf who sat on the other side of the girl spoke.

"You are the one signed up for this yourself."

Cale looked back at the Quarter Dark Elf like he was being offended. Which, he was.

"Excuse me, I did not sign up for this. It was that bastard who did it!"

The Quarter Dark Elf, the Emperor of the Roan Empire, Alberu Crossman tapped his chin and spoke.

"But you are the one who agrees to be his Saint in the first place."

"Ugh- It was because- You know why!"

"And?"

"Oh fu-freak you!"

Alberu let out a laughing squeeze at the redhead's attempt not to curse in front of the young Dark Elf girl.

"You-!"

The Dark Elf girl who sat between them clapped her hands. She pointed at the countdown, reminding Cale of his job. Cale quietly cursed under his breath before he got off the couch and walked to the station next to them. He sat down and opened the PC on the table.

He clicked the Streaming app and opened the file [Streaming Content_Nameless 1]. Cale's lips twitched at the ridiculous name. He pulled out the list and searched for the first piece he would show these people.

[SEGMENT 1: The Variables] ▼
▶︎ [Cale Henituse] ◀︎

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

Everyone had quieted down as the countdown reached zero.

[The screen lit up and another phrase was shown.

〔The Variables〕

The first thing that appeared on the screen was a fancy bedroom. There was a beautiful red-haired man lying on the bed and a muscled black-haired man sitting on the chair next to the bed.]

Mutters broke out as most people did not recognize the room and those two people. However, in those flowing viewing rooms, some people did.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 0]

"Ho... So this is when you met the original Cale Henituse, right Dongsaeng?"

Alberu asked. He could roughly recognize Kim Rok Soo due to his time as the Dark Tiger on Earth 2.

"You're correct, Hyung-nim."

Alberu recalled the 20-year-old Kim Rok Soo's skinny body and looked at the muscled body on the screen. He then looked at the skinny body next to him. Alberu's lips twitched.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Basen recognized the room on the screen immediately.

"H-hyung-nim!"

Basen flinched when everyone in the room turned to look at him. Deruth held his son's shoulder, calming the boy down. Everyone in the Henituse family also recognized the room.

"It-It's Hyung-nim's bedroom."

Antonio wondered out loud.

"Cale Henituse?"

"Now that you mention it. Doesn't the red-haired guy look like Cale?"

Eric said, and the people that had met Cale Henituse before nodded in agreement.

"He does look like his mother like this."

Robbit blinked and blanked out after he heard what the King, his father, had muttered next to him.

Did Royal Father know Cale Henituse's late mother? Close enough to compare their looks?

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

"Oh?"

Ron did not expect to see this room again. He also did not expect to see his previous young master on screen. Even if it was a slightly older and skinnier body, Ron could always recognize the puppy young master that he had raised for 18 years.

The long hair of the young master reminded him of the late countess. Ron could feel a prickle of guilt stab his heart.

However, it was not enough to make him regret leaving the Henituse with his son.

Because Beacrox was more important to him than Cale Henituse. It was a cold truth.

Also, since that organization had crossed here, staying would only bring danger to the Henituse County.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

["I didn't expect this at all."

The red-haired man on the bed said, before he turned to look at the black-haired man. The other man noticed his gaze and said the following.

"Kim Rok Soo, you're finally up?"

The black-haired man had called the red-haired man, Kim Rok Soo. However, the next words that came out of the red-haired man were more surprising to the audience.

"Are you Cale Henituse?"]

Cale Henituse.

It was a rather famous name across the Roan Kingdom and even some other countries in the Western Continent. He was famous for being the trash of Henituse County.

"W-wait- doesn't Cale Henituse have red hair?"

"Yeah! In fact, the other man looks more likely to be young master Cale!"

Noises broke out. However, the continued scene on the screen only caused more chaos.

[The black-haired man, who was acting like a prim and proper noble, nodded his head.

"Yeah. I am Cale Henituse."]

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Lily looked at her mother and said.

"M-mother, I don't understand."

She gripped the fabric of her pants.

"Why does the other man call Orabuni 'Kim Rok Soo'? And why does Orabuni call the other man his name? I-I don't understand."

Violan held Lily's hand. She tried to keep herself calm to answer her daughter. She had an idea about what was shown on the screen but she wasn't sure yet.

"...I don't know, Lily."

She looked at her husband and her second son. Their eyes were shaking. They also looked at her.

"Let's continue to watch. I feel like we will get our answer."

She added one more thing.

"Remember, it's not our world that is being shown."

Her words managed to calm her family a bit. However, their Cale's absence made their hearts still heavy with worries.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

Rosalyn absorbed the information on the screen as she sneaked a glance at Alberu Crossman. However, what she found made her feel a bit surprised.

The Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom was having an odd smile on his face. Rosalyn blinked.

Cale Henituse.

She had heard about him quite a lot. She had heard about him when she was still the crown princess. She had heard about him from Choi Han who had an unpleasant encounter with the guy. She also had heard about him in passing from Beacrox and Ron, who had served the said guy for many years.

She could tell from the stories that Cale Henituse was a spoiled young master and a rude person.

However, that said person was the first thing the God of Mystery decided to show them.

Could it be another person with the same name? Rosalyn didn't think so.

The room on the screen was luxurious. It just screamed money and richness. And the Henituse were famous for their richness.

On another note, the name 'Kim Rok Soo'.

It was familiar. It sounded similar to Choi Han's name.

Rosalyn did not know where Choi Han came from. He rarely shared things about his past. There was also this bitter smile on his face whenever they talked about their past so she didn't push.

However, that did not mean she wasn't curious. After all, Choi Han was very strong and talented. He also was so young.

What kind of past did he have for him to be like this?

Rosalyn was curious. She wanted to know and understand Choi Han more. She wanted to understand the young man whom she had grown to consider as her brother.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

Beacrox sharpened his knife as he gave his father a secret glance.

Cale Henituse.

The name left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Beacrox didn't have a very high opinion about that spoiled young master of the Henituse County.

However, he knew that his father held a quite affectionate feeling toward him. Beacrox also remembered the good little boy from before the late countess passed away.

Beacrox had thought that the young master was nothing but a spoiled brat.

He watched the screen.

It seemed like the young master was more interesting than he thought.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Studio]

Alberu looked at the red-haired man sitting across the room and the black-haired man on the screen.

He compared the two of them in his mind.

Different. So different.

Despite both of them having the same origin, they acted so differently.

Yet so similar too.

Alberu took a bite out of the slice of apple pie in his hand.

And if you add the person who was originally Kim Rok Soo to the mix.

You would see another type of different yet similar.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

As the theater quieted down a bit, the screen continued to play the record.

["Cale Henituse."

The red-haired young man voiced out his curiosity at this odd situation.

"How am I able to meet with you?"]

"Why is he saying it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like they shouldn't be able to meet at all."

"Huh."

["I'm not sure. I was working the night shift and fell asleep for a moment to see that you were in this bed. But you see..."

Wearing an elegant smile, the man in his thirties replied before mischievously adding a shocking question.

"Aren't you planning on living in that body?"]

"Wait- what-"

"What does he mean!?"

[The sudden question was quite heavy despite being spoken in a mischievous way. The black-haired man shrugged his shoulders while adding another shocking statement.

"I plan on living the rest of my life in this body. That's why I plan on throwing away the name of Cale Henituse and living as Kim Rok Soo."]

Chaos erupted across the theater.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 3]

"Hoh?"

Eruhaben felt that the thing that was being shown would only get more interesting from now on.

Body swap? Soul swap? Or something even bigger?

The Ancient Dragon suddenly felt that his over 1000 years of living was not enough. There were so many things that he still hadn't seen yet.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

The words of his eldest son, it was clearly his son, hit Deruth like a bucket of cold water. It felt like a hand was grabbing his heart.

He failed. He failed, didn't he?

Deruth had failed as a father. Because why would his son be so ready to throw away his name to live as someone else? He felt like he couldn't breathe at all.

"F--Fa---Father! Breath father!"

Deruth let out a gasp. He didn't realize that he had stopped breathing. The overwhelming grief of failing and losing his son had made him panic. Deruth finally noticed the hands that held his hands.

It was his second son, Basen.

"Father. Please take a breath, in and out, in and out."

Deruth followed his son's example. His breathing had returned to normal. He felt quite shameful for acting like this. He looked past Basen to look at his wife who was hugging his daughter. He pulled Basen in a hug.

"Son."

Basen, while feeling quite surprised at the sudden hug, also returned his father's hug. He could understand his father's reaction to a degree.

It was because Basen's own heart was currently beating so fast.

His hyung-nim. His hyung-nim had thrown away his name and identity to live as someone else.

Did the way they act really drive him away? Basen did not want to know the answer to his question.

Violan was hugging Lily. Her hand slowly combed Lily's hair. Lily tightened her grip on her mother's dress. Violan looked at her husband who was currently hugging Basen. She spoke loud enough for them to hear too.

"...It's not our world. Please remember that it's not our world."

But even her own words couldn't calm her.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

"This starts to get interesting."

Duke Fredo Von Ejellan took a sip of wine from his glass. Solena, one of his trusted subordinates who sat next to him, nodded in agreement.

At the table next to them, Bud Illis, the Mercenary King, complained to his close friend, the Mage Glenn Poeff, who was sitting between him and the exiled princess of Molden Kingdom, Jopis.

"Glenn! Why does their table get to order wine but we can't?"

"How should I know? And shouldn't we focus on the viewing?"

"Yes, we f*cking should."

"Ugh-!"

Bud accidentally bit his tongue a bit due to the sudden cursing from the defined and elegant lady. The way she said it was so elegant that it didn't make her sound any less defined. Glenn sighed at the stupidity of his close friend, although he was also surprised by Jopis's sudden crude language.

"Focus, let's focus."

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

On honestly did not know why she and Hong were even here for. She could see the glowing pink bracelet wrapping around her wrist. Maybe there would be something being shown that she could use to help her and her brother to survive. She smiled a bit as she watched Hong eating the steak.

At least, she and Hong could eat delicious food while they were here.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

[The eyes of the man who was the original Cale Henituse were calm. They weren't shaking at all.

The supposed real Kim Rok Soo quietly looked at the person who was in his original body before opening his mouth.

"...So you want me to call you Kim Rok Soo?"

"That's right. Why? You don't want to? Don't you plan on finishing your life as Cale Henituse as well? Then you should throw away the name of Kim Rok Soo now."

"Pffft."

Kim Rok Soo inside Cale Henituse's body... No, the person who had made up his mind to become Cale Henituse nodded his head and continued speaking.

"Sure. We'll do as you said, Kim Rok Soo."

"Good, Cale Henituse. Now our outer appearances match our names."]

Someone groaned.

"How are they so calm!?"

"Yeah, what kind of conversation is this?"

"How come both of them are so chill about throwing away their identities like that!?"

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 0]

Choi Han stopped eating and turned to look at his liege. On the other end of the couch, Alberu Crossman muttered something about crazy bastards.

"Cale-nim."

"Hm?"

"Do you really not miss your old name? Is it that easy to throw away your name like that?"

To Choi Han, his name was the only thing that he hadn't thrown away.

Tens of years.

Choi Han had spent tens of years throwing away a lot of things to survive in the Forest Of Darkness.

His name was the only thing that remained. It was him. Choi Han is him. He is Choi Han.

So Choi Han couldn't understand how both his liege and the original Cale Henituse threw away their names easily like that.

Cale turned to look at Choi Han while his hands continued wiping Raon's face.

"Choi Han."

Cale paused to gather his thoughts.

"Choi Han. To me, no, to me and him, our names are indeed important."

Choi Han nodded. Alberu also focused on what his dongsaeng was saying.

"But you see. The people who were special to us, to those names were no more."

Choi Han let out a small gasp.

Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk.

The Henituse Family.

They were all gone to these two people.

No one said anything. Cale continued.

"That's why, Choi Han. If trading our names away can give us something better, we are ready to do it."

Cale seemed to struggle to say the next part.

"If trading my name away means that I get to meet you guys, I will gladly do it."

Choi Han's eyes twinkled while Alberu's lips curved up to a genuine smile. Warmth filled their hearts at Cale's words.

"Human! Human! This great and mighty dragon will throw away his name too if it means I get to meet you!"

Raon also became emotional as he suddenly pounced his human. Cale immediately wrapped his hands around the black dragon and hugged him.

"Hm, Raon."

"I can always ask you for a new name! Human! I'm glad that the other human made the deal! I'm grateful that he gave me the chance to you!"

"Yes, Raon. I'm glad that I get to meet you too."

"That's right, Human! You get to meet me and our family!"

"I know, Raon."

"That's why we should loot this God to bring back a lot of gifts for our family."

Cale's hand that was petting Raon's head paused while the Swordmaster snickered and the Crown Prince laughed out loud. Cale nodded and continued to pet Raon.

"Yes, we should do it."

[...Please have mercy, Young Master Cale.]

"We will see."

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

Clopeh Sekka, the Guardian Knight of Paerun Kingdom, observed the whole room in silence. Every single person in this room was not simple. He recognized most of them.

Clopeh looked at the screen.

Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.

Clopeh thought about these two names.

One belonged to a trashy young master.

The other sounded familiar to the name of that youngest Swordmaster, Choi Han.

Clopeh touched his wrist.

Purple.

The color of the bracelet around his wrist wasn't blue or pink.

It was purple.

Clopeh did not know what it meant for him.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 6]

The Dragon Half-blood touched the glass and stared at the red-haired man on the screen.

That red color.

It was a few shades off, but the color of the hair of the man on the screen was similar to that of the man he had called his 'father'.

It was then that the Dragon Half-blood noticed another thing about Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.

They had the same eye color.

It was brighter but it was still similar to the White Star's eyes too.

The Dragon Half-blood was sure of it now.

The White Star. Cale Henituse. Kim Rok Soo.

The three of them were connected.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 3]

Dodori munched on the apple pie that he had ordered for him and the cute Black Dragon hoobae.

Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.

The scenario on the screen was something that the great and mighty dragon, Dodori, hadn't seen in his 12 years of living.

So many things.

There were still so many things for him to learn. Dodori lightly kicked his feet and leaned toward his mom.

The Pink Dragon Dodori grew more and more curious about the world that was being shown on the screen.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

[The person who had chosen to continue to live as Cale Henituse looked at the person who had chosen to continue to live as Kim Rok Soo and nonchalantly added on.

"I guess you've really been happy."

The scenario on the screen suddenly cut to the image of another black-haired man breaking apart and disappearing. They could still see his eyes as a new voice echoed through the theater.

"Oh, by the way, the original owner of your body is living well too. He's happy. That is why Jung Soo, I, and everybody is happy."]

The image of a human breaking apart was scary to everyone. It was terrifying.

However, the continued scene rendered everyone speechless.

[It cut back to the bright smile on Kim Rok Soo's face. The smile made his face look much younger, like a young man in his twenties, instead of the mid-thirties that matched the real age of the body.

"Yeah. I met someone I wanted to see for a long time."

Cale Henituse looked at Kim Rok Soo with his stoic face, one that he had worn through the whole time they saw him on screen. However, his eyes had an odd glint in them like he couldn't make sense of Kim Rok Soo. He voiced out his question.

"Who was the person you wanted to see?"

The answer of the black-haired man was jaw-dropping.

"My mother."

It made the red-haired man at a loss for words.]

"H-his mother!?"

"Like the late countess!? I thought that she already passed away!"

Chaos descended through the theater once again.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Office]

The God of Mystery could feel all the energy pouring into her domain. She let out a satisfied sigh.

This. This was the reason she even bothered to host these viewings.

The audience's emotions and reactions to the things that she showed them would become her energy.

That was why there was this extra theater for these clueless mortals.

Of course, the people in the viewing rooms were different than these mobs. They were all more unique than the crowd in the theater.

Especially the punks in the Viewing Room 2 and the Sun Goddess's favorite mortal.

The God of Mystery's laugh echoed through her office as the large amount of energy kept pouring in.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Studio]

Cale Thames stared blankly at the PC's screen when his mother was mentioned.

Mother.

Cale thought that he wouldn't be shaken if he heard about her again.

But he was wrong.

Even if he already lived over 100 years, even if he was currently carrying on her family's legacy, his heart was still shaken up at the mention of her.

A slender hand pulled the hem of his sleeve, causing Cale to snap out of his turmoil.

Cale looked at the owner of the hand. It was the Dark Elf girl. She had approached him when he was spiraling.

"...Mary."

Cale called out her name. The Dark Elf girl, Mary, gave him a small smile and a worrying gaze, asking if he was okay.

"I- I will be fine."

Cale answered as he slid his hand into hers. Mary nodded at his reply while patting his hand with her free hand. Cale let go and smiled at her.

"Thank you, Mary."

She also smiled back at him and gave him another nod before retreating back to her seat beside the Quarter Dark Elf Alberu who was watching the two of them in silence. He was also surprised by the mention of Cale's biological mother. He also could guess a part of her fate in the world that was shown on the screen.

However, Alberu kept those thoughts to himself.

Because Cale Thames wasn't Kim Rok Soo, no, wasn't the Original Cale Henituse on the screen.

Maybe once upon a time, they were the same person. However, they had chosen to walk different paths.

They were no longer the same.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Deruth suddenly felt like it was hard to breathe again.

Jour.

He hadn't expected to hear about her like this. Even if ten years had already passed, his heart still hurt every time he heard about her.

At the same time, he started to understand his son's decision in the other world.

Basen tapped his thighs. He recalled a conversation he had with his hyung-nim in the past. If it was for his hyung-nim's mother, Basen could understand it. Because Basen knew how much his hyung-nim loved and missed Lady Jour.

Zed gulped, his throat felt dry. He remembered the mischievous Jour when they attended the Academy together. He thought about Alberu's mother.

He had thought that he would never get to see her again.

Yet the God of Mystery was showing him that there was a way to meet the dead.

He did not know what to do with this turmoil in his heart and mind.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

Ron suddenly felt like he aged a decade more.

The late Countess. Lady Jour Thames. His puppy young master's mother.

If it was to meet her again, the puppy young master really would abandon everything, including his own name and identity.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

Alberu Crossman, the Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom, suddenly let out a bitter chuckle, causing the Second Prince of the Breck Kingdom, who sat next to him, to shake.

"...Mother."

After Alberu's word, John realized it. He recalled what he knew about Alberu Crossman.

That's right. His mother also had passed away. Hearing the original Cale Henituse talk about his mother must remind Alberu about his own mother too.

John thought to offer the other prince some comfort, yet he just couldn't open his mouth. He did not know what to say to Alberu in this situation.

Meanwhile, Rosalyn was having other thoughts when she heard what Alberu said.

Strange. She felt as if the Alberu, who sat across from her, was being too emotionally vulnerable than he would normally be in a foreign setting like this. She had met the Crown Prince Alberu in the past and she had noticed the mask of a perfect prince that he wore all the time. He wouldn't let it slip this easily.

Just, what were you hiding, your Highness?

Rosalyn wanted to ask but she held herself back.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

[Kim Rok Soo shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking after seeing the confused look on Cale Henituse's face.

"Cale Henituse, my mother reincarnated in the world you used to live in, the world I live in now."]

The chaos that barely calmed down erupted again at the conversation on the screen.

"Another world!?!"

"Hang on, how are they meeting if Kim Rok Soo lives in another world!?!"

["...She reincarnated on Earth?"

"Yeah. Earth 1. That's the world Team Leader Kim Rok Soo in his thirties is in."]

"Earth?"

"Is it the name of the other world?"

"Hang on- Earth 1? Doesn't that mean-"

[The screen suddenly switched to the image of Kim Rok Soo standing in the middle with a group of people who shared familiar features in their appearance with him.

There was a note box near Kim Rok Soo. It said.

〔Kim Rok Soo〕
〔Age: 36〕

Another note was written under the image.

〔Earth 1〕

After a few seconds, another image replaced it.

It was an image of Alberu Crossman holding a white spear.

There was a note box beside the spear.

〔Unbreakable Spear Taerang〕
〔Origin: Earth 3〕
〔Current Owner: Alberu Crossman〕

The screen lingered on this image for a while.]

"His highness!?!"

"The crown prince?!?"

Noises broke out from the citizens of the Roan Kingdom at the sudden appearance and name of their Crown Prince.

"What the hell is even happening?!?"

"Why does the crown prince of Roan Kingdom have a weapon from another world!?!"

"At this point, nothing will surprise me anymore."

Some people said. The screen, however, continued to surprise everyone.

[The image of the Crown Prince of Roan Kingdom faded away and a new image replaced it.

This time, it was the image of a much younger and thinner Kim Rok Soo standing in the middle of another group of people similar to Earth 1.

The note box near him wrote.

〔Kim Rok Soo〕
〔Age: 20〕

Unlike the two previous images, the voice of Cale Henituse suddenly carried out.

"Does that mean that the Sealed God's test was on Earth 2?"

The image faded away and it returned to the scene between Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.]

A moment of silence fell upon the people in the theater before wave after wave of sounds went off among everyone.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 0]

"It even voices out my thought."

Cale stated it out loud before adding.

"Using my voice too."

[...It only shows a selective thought?]

"Assistant-nim, that is breaching my privacy. Even more than it already is."

[...I offer you a compensation?]

"Deal."

[Why do I feel like I just got scammed?]

"Of course, you did, Silly Assistant! The Human is wearing his scamming smile!"

[Eh. The one who will pay this compensation is the God of Mystery. I honestly don't give a f- I honestly don't care anymore.]

Alberu whispered to Cale.

"The Assistant is more interesting and funnier than I thought."

Cale whispered back.

"I agree, Hyung-nim. So let's scam him more."

[...You know that I still can hear you, right?]

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Zed rubbed his forehead.

This started to get out of his hands.

The Alberu from that world had a spear from another world.

Not to mention a bunch of other worlds that just got mentioned.

And a God.

Zed suddenly felt scared. The scale of things was bigger than he thought. He rubbed his wrist.

Blue. The reminder that he wouldn't get to remember any of these pieces of information made his heart feel heavy.

Next to him, the Second Prince of the Roan Kingdom patted his chest. The image of his oldest brother holding a holy-looking white spear etched into his mind.

Robbit was sure of something now.

The Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom, Alberu Crossman, he was here, in one of those other viewing rooms.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 3]

Dodori's eyes started to sparkle at the mention of so many worlds.

"Mom! I didn't know that there were this many worlds!"

Mila just patted her son's head as she said.

"... It's surprising, isn't it?"

Dodori nodded his head in excitement. Meanwhile, Mila was chatting with Eruhaben.

- This is more serious than we thought, Senior.

- Indeed. Why do these troublesome things start to appear in my last years?

- Hang in there, Senior!

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

"The name!"

Lock suddenly shouted out, causing Ron and Beacrox to look at him. He blushed as he blurted out.

"Nameless #! The Assistant called us 'Residents of Nameless #'. Is it our world's name?"

Pendrick, who sat near Lock's table, nodded in agreement.

"...It does make sense like that. Great job for noticing, Lock!"

"Hehe."

Lock let out a happy noise at Pendrick's praise.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 6]

The Dragon Half-blood stuffed a whole apple pie into his mouth as he pondered about all these different worlds that got mentioned.

All three of them were called Earth.

He recalled what The Assistant had said at the start.

The world he and all these people come from was called Nameless #.

Did that mean all 'Earth' worlds share something in common? Earth 1 and Earth 2(?) both had a Kim Rok Soo.

The Dragon Half-blood tilted his head.

"Is the world we are watching also called 'Nameless'?"

[...Correct. The world you are watching is called Nameless 1.]

The Dragon Half-blood nodded his head at The Assistant's answer to his question.

"There are more worlds out there, right? Not just ones that are similar to each other."

[Hm...]

"You don't have the authorization to answer me that question, do you?"

[You already reached your conclusion. I don't see how me answering it will do anything.]

"Fair enough."

The Dragon Half-blood licked his lips as he told The Assistant his request.

"Can you get me more of these apple pies? They're so good."

[...Sure.]

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 2]

Choi Han buried his face in his hands. Beside him, Cale Henituse had zoned out even since his mother got mentioned.

Choi Han did not know whether to laugh or to cry.

After all these tens of years living in this fucking world, without a single hints about his old world, he now suddenly got to hear about Earth again.

But not just one but fucking three 'Earth'.

And not to mention, His Majesty in that world also had a weapon from an 'Earth'???

What the hell was even his life right now? Like which Earth had Choi Han come from?

Choi Han did not fucking know anymore.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

As the noises of conversation across the theater died down, the screen continued to play.

["My reincarnated mother lost her parents when she was very young because of an unranked monster's attack and was left all alone. I'm trying hard to become her family."

A bitter yet proud smile was on Kim Rok Soo's face.

Cale Henituse thought for a moment before asking.

"If she reincarnated, she should be younger than you, no?"

"Ha. She currently calls me uncle."

Kim Rok Soo shook his head as if he still couldn't believe it.

The soft smile on Kim Rok Soo's face made it clear that he was in no way lonely, even if it was a completely different world that he lived in now.

Cale Henituse's eyes filled with understanding. The man who would continue to live as Cale Henituse understood why the real Cale Henituse made up his mind to live as Kim Rok Soo.]

No one said anything as they watched the scene.

Someone broke the silence.

"Monsters?"

"Unranked monster? What does that mean?"

Conversations broke out again.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

"Oh, Jour."

Deruth muttered as his heart felt heavy at the revelation about the current fate of his reincarnated late wife.

Like the man who had adopted the name Cale Henituse on the screen, slowly but firmly, Deruth finally understood the reason why his son in the other world made up his mind to live as Kim Rok Soo.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

Rosalyn secretly watched Alberu Crossman's reaction to the scene on the screen.

She recognized the growing bitterness in his smile.

However, his eyes were telling a different story.

It was a pair of cold and calculating eyes.

There was a forced calmness that filled it.

Rosalyn recalled the image of a confident Alberu Crossman holding the white spear called Taerang.

Logically, she did not think that the Alberu sitting here knew about this spear from another world.

He had looked completely surprised when that image was shown.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 2]

"Monsters. Oh gosh, there are monsters on Earth."

Choi Han rubbed his face more as he ranted. Cale Henituse, the only other person in this room with him, seemed to finally snap out of his spiral thoughts about his mother, turned to the distressed Swordmaster, and asked.

"Is it not a common thing in your old world?"

"No?"

Choi Han answered.

"Back on Earth, or the Earth that I know, there're only humans and normal animals. We don't have magic or special powers or anything like this world."

He continued as Cale listened.

"But now he said that there are monsters? What am I supposed to feel about it?"

Cale stared at the person who still had the face of a teenager even if he had lived for many years.

"Choi Han, how long have you been gone from your world? You know how things can change in just a blink of an eye."

Choi Han fell in silence for a while before answering.

"I don't know for sure but it's truly a long time ago."

Choi Han swallowed hard, forcing his feelings of uneasiness down.

"You're right. Maybe all of this happened after I got to your world."

He paused for a second before continuing.

"...I just don't know what it means for my family who still lives there."

"Ah."

This. This was a matter that Cale understood. Images of corpse after bloody corpse flashed through his mind. It made him want to vomit.

Choi Han let out a silent groan. He also realized that he might have reminded the red-haired man of some gruesome memories.

"Cale."

He called out. The 18-year-old young man with the soul of a 40-year-old soldier looked at him.

"We can, no, we will change it. Cale. We will save them this time."

"Hah- such a meddlesome hero."

Cale sighed before adding.

"...We will save everyone, Choi Han."

Choi Han flinched before laughing.

"Hahaha- Yes, we will."

"Hehehe- That's the spirit!"

The laugh of two out of three individuals who had made a Deal with the God of Mystery echoed through the room.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

The screen started to continue playing.

[Kim Rok Soo sat up and looked toward Cale Henituse, who was leaning on the head of the bed.

"I want to tell you the details, but I don't know how much time we have so I'll stop this story there."

"Okay."

Cale shared his honest sentiments.

"I want to hear the details, but I'm kind of in a rush right now."

The eyes of Cale Henituse were filled with worries.

"But I've been here a few times to know that I can't get out of here whenever I please."

The red-haired man shared this information with the black-haired man.

"Really? I didn't know. I still have a lot of work to do."

Kim Rok Soo nodded his head as if he got some good information before hesitating for a moment and then adding on.

"...The family is all well?"]

The citizens of the Henituse's territory looked up in surprise.

The famous trashy young master of them was acting quite different than what they remembered.

Was it because he was sober?

Or was there something else at the play?

["Of course."

Kim Rok Soo smiled differently after hearing Cale Henituse's nonchalant but firm response. The smile on the black-haired man was a sorrowful one.

The red-haired man seemed to be effected by that smile that he added on.

"Everybody is doing well. Father and mother are healthy. Lily is learning to use the sword. I want to make Basen be the territory Lord. But for now, he is just helping out with the administration of the territory."

"Hmm."]

"This person. This Kim Rok Soo guy doesn't want to become the territory Lord?"

"Such a strange guy."

"On the other hand, the young master Cale Henituse seems to care a lot about his family."

"Yeah, he acts so different from the rumors."

[Kim Rok Soo scratched his forehead with his index finger.

"Cale, don't you think that Basen should be the next territory lord?"

"I'm not going to do it. Lily or Basen can do it if they want. Basen seemed almost willing to do it when I saw him last time."

Cale Henituse looked disgusted at the thought of becoming the territory lord, and Kim Rok Soo looked at Cale Henituse's expression and started to speak again.

"His personality is a perfect fit for the territory lord. I guess he still doesn't think that the position should be his though."

Cale Henituse stared at Kim Rok Soo when he heard that.]

"Huh? Wait- why the real Cale Henituse also not want to become the territory Lord?!?"

"Hang on. Maybe it's just that he prefers his brother to do it than the Kim Rok Soo guy. We still don't know much about the guy's capability yet."

"But the way he praised young master Basen? It does not seem to be the case."

"Ah- that-"

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

"Ah- Hyung-nim!?!"

Basen stuttered, his face covered in pink blush as he did not expect his hyung-nim's opinion about him.

Lily suddenly declared.

"I'm going to be a knight! I'm not going to be the territory lord!"

"Lily!?!"

Basen gasped at his little sister. She looked at him with a serious face.

"I wish to become a strong knight who will protect our territory!"

She leaned toward him.

"That's why either you or Orabuni should become the territory Lord! You two decide!"

Basen was feeling quite shocked right now. His mother, Countess Violan, patted Lily's head and talked to him.

"Let's have a discussion with your older brother when we come back. Basen, yours is pink, correct?"

Basen just speechlessly nodded in agreement.

Behind the Henituse Family's table, after accidentally hearing all of their conversation, Antonio, the heir of the Gyerre Duchy, muttered to himself.

"What's a strange noble household."

"...They really are different."

The oldest son of Marquis Stan, Taylor Stan, who also had heard everything quietly replied back.

Beside their table, the heir of the Ailan Duchy and the heir of the Orsena Duchy just scowled at the foolish way the children of the Henituse County were acting.

Meanwhile, Amiru, Gilbert, and Eric were having a discussion about how more mature and collected the real Cale Henituse on the screen were behaving.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

Ron's benign smile grew wider. His puppy master was behaving quite different than normal.

However, the fact that the puppy master truly treasured his family was something that he already knew.

Beside him, Lock exclaimed.

"He is quite different from what you and Choi Han-hyung told me."

"Hm."

Beacrox nodded. The real Cale Henituse acted quite different from what he remembered.

"Also, the person called Kim Rok Soo, no, hm..."

Lock paused and slightly shook his head like he was considering something. He continued after making up his mind.

"The new Cale Henituse also cares a lot about the Henituse family."

Indeed, he did. Ron had noticed how the boy(?), the man, had refered the Count and the Countess as 'father' and 'mother'.

It led to a question.

"How long has it been since they switched?"

"Indeed, how long."

Ron replied to his son's question before musing over when was the switch happened as the body of Cale Henituse on the screen did not look that much older.

If it was before his other self left, would his counterpart notice at all?

Ron wondered.

▹▹▹

[LOCATION: The Theater]

[Kim Rok Soo, the real Cale Henituse, flinched at the other man's gaze before realizing something and quietly laughing.

"Basen... Yes, you're curious about Basen, right? You've probably been thinking about his age. We're only three years apart. You probably thought it was weird. It wasn't mentioned in The Birth of a Hero after all."

A glint of surprise flashed through Cale Henituse's reddish brown eyes.

"The Birth of a Hero? You know about the book?"

"Of course. I was in your room when I opened my eyes and the book was there."

Kim Rok Soo answered as if it was nothing.]

The mention of a book made people confused and curious. It grew as the book, The Birth of a Hero, revealed to be in Kim Rok Soo's world.

Yet it contained something about Basen Henituse, a person from another world.

[Kim Rok Soo was debating for a moment and looking at Cale Henituse.

"When I first spoke to Basen..."

As Kim Rok Soo talked, the screen switched to a young Basen and a young Cale Henituse.

A note apppeared above the scene.

〔Less than one month since Basen came to the Henituse County with Countess Violan.〕

The voice of Kim Rok Soo carried on.

"I said these things to that kid at that time."

Th voice of Kim Rok Soo echoed through the theater. It overlapped with the voice of the young Cale Henituse.

"Basen. You are part of the Henituse household. Remember that. No matter where you go, your family name is Henituse. Got it? Don't you remember what father said? Listen to me unless you are an idiot. Tell people that the Henituse blood flows through you. Tell them that no matter what."

Basen had responded back saying he couldn't do that, and the young Cale Henituse had responded like this.

"Shut the hell up. Do as I said. Otherwise, you won't be able to live in this house. Do you think that the cousins and the collateral family will leave you alone? Are you going to be dumb?"

The flashback scene faded away and the screen returned to show the current Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.

"Hmm."

The red-haired man made a noise as he quietly listened.]

"Oh my?"

"This is-!?"

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Violan barely held back her tears as she heard what Cale had told Basen.

"Hyung-nim..."

Basen smiled as he also recalled this memory.

Beside him, Deruth let out a small groan, guilt filled his heart as he listened to what his oldest son had told his step brother at that time.

His oldest son already accepted them, bothe Basen and Violan as his new family from the very begining.

He suddenly had an inkling of what his oldest son had planned to do.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

["Cale."

Kim Rok Soo gently grabbed Cale Henituse's shoulder.

"I don't know whose blood flows through Basen Henituse's body, but that kid is my younger brother, Lily's older brother, Count Deruth's son, and Countess Violan's son. He's definitely someone with the mindset of Count Henituse's family."

Various emotions flowed through Kim Rok Soo, no, the real Cale Henituse's eyes.

Cale Henituse looked at the black-haired man before closing his eyes for a moment.

The image of Basen's face shown up. Even if their hair color was different... The weak yet stubborn face that resembled the pale Cale Henituse's face more than Deruth's or Violan's.

The screen went back to Cale Henituse and Kim Rok Soo.

Cale Henituse opened his eyes as he spoke. His voice was still stoic but there was a clear softness in it.

"Basen is my dongsaeng as well."]

A citizen of the Henituse territory said out loud.

"The new young master also treasures his new family a lot."

"Huh? You're right."

The person sat next to them, accidentally heard what they just said, and scowled.

"But does he even have the right to? After all, that man is a fake who is living in their son, their brother's body."

"That-!"

"The man is just a-"

Someone near them cut in.

"But he does?"

"W-what-? How can he-"

"The man called Kim Rok Soo and the real Cale Henituse. Both of them agreed to continue to live with their new identities at the start, remember?"

"Ugh-!"

"Actually, the real Cale Henituse is the strange one. He was the one who told Kim Rok Soo to throw away his name."

"Oh yeah, he seems to know more about the switch than the real Kim Rok Soo!"

As they spoke, the screen continued to play.

["...He is. What else do you need other than that?"

Kim Rok Soo removed his hand from Cale Henituse's shoulder while looking at the expression that seemed to be saying that there was no need to respond to him. He then added on.

"You can ask Countess Violan about the details. You'll probably need to chat with her if you want Basen to be the territory lord."

Kim Rok Soo shook his head with nostalgic eyes, as if he was thinking about the past.

"...Haaaa. No matter how much I acted as trash and the cousins wanted to kick me out, the Countess and Basen wouldn't budge. You'll need to convince Countess Violan if you don't want to be the territory lord."]

The whole theater was stunned to silence by what the real Cale Henituse just said.

Who was Cale Henituse?

He was a trashy noble that most people here had heard about at least once.

But it was all an act?

Before the crowd could process this information, another bomb got dropped.

["Ah."

The red-haired man let out a small gasp.

Kim Rok Soo looked at him with confusion as Cale sternly corrected him while also dropping a huge bomb to the audience.

"It's the Henituse Duchy now. It's no longer a County."

"Wow. That's amazing."

"Yeah. It is. We're quite an amazing household."

Kim Rok Soo had a bright smile on his face as he watched Cale Henituse nod his head.]

"...Duchy?"

"The Henituse County becomes a Duchy!?!"

"What the hell-!?"

Chaos broke out.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Basen was surprised when he heard how the person who had traded places with his hyung-nim also considered him as his dongsaeng.

Honestly, Basen did not know how to feel about it.

Before he could think further, a bomb got dropped.

Basen gasped as his Hyung-nim's words.

Deruth groaned like he was in pain at the reveal of his son's act.

He had suspected it before but to hear a clear confirmation, it was still hard. He felt like he had completely failed as a father.

However, as everyone in the room barely took in this information about the real Cale Henituse, the new Cale Henituse dropped another bomb.

Basen squeaked.

"We become a Duchy?"

"Duchy!?"

"How did they-!"

The Queen, the Third Prince, the heir of the Ailan Duchy, and the heir of the Orsena Duchy shouted in outrage.

Meanwhile, the rest of the room focused on something else.

For a County to ascend to a Duchy, they must have a huge amount of merits.

Merits from winning wars and gaining great benefits for the kingdom that they served.

The Henituse Household must have done something spectacular in the other world.

Robbit put a hand on his wrist.

The future of Roan Kingdom did not seem peaceful.

Zed grimaced. He realized something else.

It was not just the Roan Kingdom.

A God had interfered.

Whatever happened in the future would affect their whole world.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

Ron's smile fell as the fact that his puppy young master's famous trashy status was nothing but an act.

Ron could quickly deduce the reason behind it. It was quite clear once you recalled what the young Cale Henituse had told the younger Basen.

To become a shield for his new family.

Ron had to admit.

It was quite impressive, that determination to continue an act for 10 years of the puppy young master.

The bomb that dropped by the new young master was also impressive.

Beacrox muttered in bewilderment.

"They become a Duchy?"

However, Ron was focused on something else.

The current Cale Henituse had preferred to them as 'we'.

The man had truly considered himself a Henituse.

Meanwhile, the Dark Elf Tasha was both in awe and frightened by the ascension of the Henituse Household from a County to a Duchy.

Tasha was someone who had been by Alberu's side for years, she was someone who understood politics, especially politics between nobles.

For a County to ascend to a Duchy, it was just not a matter of merits. They also needed something else.

The Henituse Household had the crown's support.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

Rosalyn barely absorbed the truth about the real Cale Henituse before a new bomb got dropped.

The Henituse County of the Roan Kingdom had become a Duchy.

Rosalyn, who was an ex-Crown Princess, was shocked with this.

In fact, most people in this room were all shocked by this to a certain degree. They were, after all, people who had their hands in politics.

Remembering which country the Henituse belong to, Rosalyn turned to look at the Crown Prince of Roan Kingdom and called.

"Your Highness!"

"...Miss Rosalyn."

The genius mage stared at Alberu with fierce eyes.

"Your Highness, you know what this means right?"

"I know."

Alberu averted his eyes, avoiding Rosalyn's gaze.

"The future is chaotic."

The Second Prince of Breck Kingdom, who was sitting between the two of them, noticed the strange wording of the Crown Prince Alberu. His sister, Rosalyn also noticed it as she gave him a look, asking if he also heard it. John nodded before he gave Alberu Crossman a look.

The Crown Prince Alberu had used 'is' instead of 'will be'.

He had said it like a fact instead of a prediction.

Meanwhile, the Guardian Knight of the Paerun Kingdom found the real Cale Henituse more interesting.

As someone who understood the power of fabricated stories and rumors, Clopeh realized that the way the rumors and gossip about Cale Henituse being a Trash spreading across the whole Roan Kingdom and even reaching other countries on the Western Continent was strange.

How was the name of someone who was just a son of a noble of an average kingdom able to spread that far? Far enough that Clopeh also had heard about him at least once.

Yet that famous and well-known fact was just a lie?

That whole 'Trash' image was nothing but an act?

Then who was the real Cale Henituse?

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 2]

"You-!"

Choi Han gasped as he stared at the red-haired man who sat next to him.

"Me what?"

Cale snapped back as his lips twitched. Honestly, he felt quite uncomfortable as his well-kept but not-really-important secret got exposed so casually by none other than his counterpart.

Moreover, he remembered all the other people who just watched it too and buried his face in his palms.

"Well, fuck it."

"...You know what? Forget it."

Choi Han muttered as he decided to deal with this topic anymore.

It didn't matter to him or their plan anyway.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

The chaotic conversations died down a bit as the screen continued.

[Cale Henituse frowned as he looked at the bright smile of Kim Rok Soo.

"...Hey."

"What's wrong?"

"... You... Don't the others say anything when you smile like that in my body?

Kim Rok Soo touched the corners of his lips as if he was wondering what the issue was.]

"What's wrong with the smile? It actually makes him look hotter."

"Maybe because the previous Kim Rok Soo doesn't smile much? I mean, look at his stoic expression. Image it on Kim Rok Soo's face."

"Or maybe he just feels weird out by his old face wearing a smile that he never made before?"

["What's wrong with my smile? They were all happy that their team leader-nim let them go home early."

"...Are you doing your job properly?"]

"Oh! A team leader! Kim Rok Soo is a team leader!"

"Dude, calm down."

"But what kind of team did he lead?"

"Who knows?"

["Of course. I'm going to make sure to save this world I'm living in right now. I'll make it so that the people around me can live in peace."

Cale Henituse closed his mouth after hearing Kim Rok Soo's response.

Images after images of various people quickly flashed through the screen.

The voice of the real Kim Rok Soo, no, of the current Cale Henituse echoed through the quiet theater.

"This world where I am living as Cale right now... I want to protect this place. I will definitely protect this place."]

"Wow! Is that His Highness The Crown Prince?"

"Sir Hero Choi Han!"

"Oh my god, oh my god! A Dragon! I didn't see it wrong right?!?"

"So many people? Are those Eleves? Does this person know all of them?"

Chaos broke out again as some of the people that got shown on the screen were well-known among the citizens.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 0]

"Cale-nim."

"Dongsaeng."

Cale just blankly stared ahead while ignoring Choi Han and Alberu's warm gaze that held a lot of affections toward him.

- Human, human! Why are you ignoring Strong Choi Han and Cookie Prince?

However, Raon, who had made himself comfortable, sitting in his human's embrace, was blabbering inside Cale's head.

- Human! Your ears are so red, human! Human! Are you just being shy?

The blush from his ears spread all the way to his cheeks.

Choi Han and Alberu, the two were watching him, immediately noticed.

"Oh my, I have such a cute dongsaeng."

"Are you feeling shy, Cale-nim?"

"Cookie Prince and Strong Choi Han are right! The Human is the cutest, just after me, the great and mighty Raon Miru. The Human is just shy too! He must feel embarrassed for having his thoughts broadcasted like this!"

Raon shouted.

"That's why we need more compensation, Silly Assistant!"

[What the- I didn't even say anything!]

"The Human needs more compensation to recover!"

[...but he looks fine to me?]

"You see wrong!"

[But-]

"More compensation!"

[You know what? Yeah, sure, why not. More compensation it is then.]

- Human! Human! Did I do good? We get more gifts for our family!

Cale smiled brightly as he petted Raon's head.

"Good job, Raon!"

Beside him, Choi Han and Alberu both had their hands over their mouths, trying their best not to laugh out loud.

[...]

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

Witira looked up in surprise. It quickly transformed into grief.

"Is that-?"

"Paseton!"

Witira felt tears falling from her eyes at the appearance of Paseton on the screen.

"Paseton! He is alive in the other world!"

Beside her, her father, the Whale King Shickler, also tried his best not to bust into tears.

"...So he's alive there huh?"

Archie mumbled as he watched the two members of the Whale Royal Family start to grieve for the Half-Whale Paseton again.

Mary looked at the screen in awe. She had seen her on it. Tasha, who sat beside her, held her hand again.

"Mary, is that-!?"

It was just not Mary. Tasha in her Dark Elf form was also there. Among some other Dark Elves. Mary nodded.

"Almost everyone is there."

Her grandfather, the Mayor of the Underground City, barely held back himself.

"Fanscinating! We are there- Oh my Dragons- Is that a Dragon!?!"

Tasha almost choked as she gasped.

It was really a Dragon! A baby Dragon!

On the other table of the three Elves, all of them were crying. They never thought that they got to see a Dragon!

Lock, on the other hand, was sobbing due to something else.

Maes- Everyone- His siblings- His siblings were all alive in the other world.

"They're alive- they're alive- and they are smiling-!"

Beacrox, who sat next to him, did not know what to do to comfort the crying Wolf-boy. Pendrick, who finally got back to his senses, quickly moved from the next table to their table.

"Ron-nim, if you would?"

Ron understood that Pendrick would know how to calm the boy as he changed seats with him.

Pendrick quickly moved near the young boy and hugged him.

"There, there, Lock."

"Pendrick-! They're alive! My siblings are alive!"

The Elf Healer patted the boy's head.

"I know, Lock. I know."

Lock sobbed.

"Why- why can't they be alive here too?"

"That- I don't Lock. Maybe something different happened in the other world. That guy, that Kim Rok Soo person. Maybe he did something."

"I- I know. I know things might be different in the other world. But I- I just wish that it's me who gets to keep my siblings."

Lock mumbled while having his face buried inside Pendrick's chest.

Beside them, Beacrox sighed. He did not know what to say so he did not. However, he was also surprised by the appearance of the wolf children, and of him and his father too.

The new Cale Henituse seemed to know too many people.

On another table, the Ex-assassin Freesia, the Half-Dwarf Half-Rat Mueller, the Chief of the Flame Dwarf Kanelle, and the Tiger Shaman Gashan all looked surprised at their appearance on the screen.

They had not expected it at all.

"N-Noona- That's us right?"

Hong asked his sister, On. She nodded.

"It's really us- We- we even look so nice and happy."

On gulped.

Did-did that person take them in?

For the first time in a long time, On had hope.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Zed watched and took note in his mind.

So many people... But besides his oldest son, the rest of the Roan Royal Family did not show up.

Assuming these were people whom the transmigrator valued, his oldest son had gained a scary ally in that world.

Not to mention, all these different races... The Dark Elves.

Did the transmigrator find out? Or did his son tell him?

Robbit gulped. If his older brother and this person were close... and if all these people were this person's people or ally, Alberu's chances to become the future King would be high.

Robbit lamented. Maybe he never had a chance since the start.

On the other table, Amiru, Gilbert, and Eric, those who were friends with the real Cale Henituse found themselves a bit surprised by their appearance on the screen. The new Cale Henituse looked like he had adopted all the relationships of the original Cale Henituse.

Taylor Stan and Antonio Gyerre on the other hand were surprised by their appearance on the screen. They were not people who had associated with the original Cale Henituse like those three Northeastern noble families. Their families weren't associated with the Crown Prince Alberu who had also appeared on the screen.

So Antonio Gyerre found it was strange that he and his grandmother, the Duchess Sonata appeared among the images.

Meanwhile, Taylor focused on something else. He was standing in the image on the screen.

Did- did his other self find another miracle?

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 3]

Cage saw it. She was there on the screen. But she focused on something else.

A confident and healthy Taylor who was standing with her.

She covered her mouth and swallowed back her tears.

She wanted to know it.

She wanted to know how the Taylor of the other world cured his legs and lived.

Beside her, Hannah gasped. That was her and her oppa.

Jack clapped his hands together.

Both of them had seen it.

The black marks on Hannah's face.

Cotton blinked. It was herself that had appeared on the screen, among some people from Endable Kingdom.

She also noticed Duke Fredo stood out quite a bit in the image.

Just what did she and him do in the other world?

On the table next to them, the Black Dragon gasped.

He was on there. No, the other him was on there. That person had told the truth.

The Black Dragon recalled the conversation he had with the red-haired human, his other self, and those two other humans before he came here. He had not told anyone else about it, including the old Golden Dragon.

The Black Dragon hugged the red cat plushie tighter as he promised to himself.

'I will live. I will find a way to make Goldie live longer. Just wait, other me!'

Beside him, the Pink Dragon Dodori tucked his mother's arm as he exclaimed excitedly.

"Mom, did you see that? I was up there on the screen. You were there too."

The Grey Dragon Rasheel, who sat beside Mila, grumbled.

"We're all there, kid."

"Hey!"

Rasheel wanted to say something more but the vicious glare from the Beige Dragon next to him made him rethink his words and just said.

"Whatever."

Mila patted Dodori's head.

"I see it too, Dodori."

- Senior. The red-haired human on the screen.

- He's such an interesting human.

- Let's watch him more.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 6]

The Dragon Half-blood stared at the screen.

He was there.

In his true form. The Dragon Half-blood bit his lips.

Then a young Black Dragon also appeared on the screen and the Dragon Half-blood's lips started to bleed.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 2]

Choi Han and Cale looked at each other in bewilderment.

So many people.

So many people whom they had not even met nor known about.

So many people who had died in their world yet lived there.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

Duke Fredo put his wine glass down.

He and Solena shared a look.

Maybe this was a chance for them after all.

But further more, everyone in this room had noticed it too.

All of them, every single one of them who were in this room had appeared on the screen.

Clopeh's mouth felt dry. If all the people on screen were people that the new Cale Henituse knew and befriended(?), then he would be a terrifying man.

Unknownly, Bud also had the same sentiment to Clopeh. He had goosebumps all over his body as he reached the same realization.

The Cat Knight Rex and the Drunkard Alchemist Rei Stecker looked at each other. They did not expect to see themselves on the screen.

A tired yet more confident Rex, along with a sober and well-dressed Rei.

Just, what happened to their other selves?

Rosalyn gasped. Her other self and her two siblings were there.

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince Alberu Crossman almost had a heart attack at the appearance of Mary, his aunt Tasha, and other Dark Elves.

The Transmigrator, the original Kim Rok Soo.

Just what did that guy do?

Actually, what was Alberu's counterpart doing and thinking?

▹▹▹

[Location: The Studio]

The Emperor of the Roan Empire, Alberu Crossman, watched in admiration at the collection of the Transmigrator's people.

"He's a crazy bastard just like you, Cale!"

"No, I'm not!"

The Assistant, Cale Thames, shouted back from the station.

"That guy is tens times, no hundreds times worse than me. His baby Dragon just scammed me!"

"Oh my goodness, the young Black Dragon scammed you?"

Cale huffed before calmly adding more.

"Honestly, they can suck her dried for all I care. The God of Mystery is the one who will pay after all."

"Then, have you told her yet?"

"No, but she knows everything in this place anyway. It's her Domain."

"Make sense."

"Also,"

"Hm?"

"Since she did not give me a raise, I shall make let them suck her dry."

"You're petty bastard."

"Why thank you."

Alberu just shook his head at the smug expression on the redhead's face.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

[The previous images were gone as the screen went back to showing the two souls that had swapped places.

"Ah, but is my smile really weird?"

Kim Rok Soo was still touching the corners of his lips.

"I think it gives off a mature feel and makes me look charming."

Cale Henituse almost scoffed in disbelief.

"Ho. You're talking about a mature feel with my face-"

The redhead on the screen radiated a look that showed his annoyance. He looked like he did not expect to hear such bullshit from the real Cale Henituse now that he somehow did meet him.

Kim Rok Soo responded as if there was no problem.

"Of course. I'm over forty years old after all."]

'What?' was the collective thought of everyone who was watching.

["What?"

The current Cale Henituse also shared the audience's thoughts. His gaze turned sharp as he looked toward Kim Rok Soo.

"...Why are you forty?"

The screen cut to the image of a younger Cale Henituse standing in front of a full body mirror.

The note box was shown.

〔Cale Henituse〕
〔Age: 18〕

The current Cale Henituse's voice narrated his thought like it did previously, finally giving the audience a piece of critical information.

"I have opened my eyes inside the 18-year-old Cale Henituse's body."

The screen returned to the scene of Cale Henituse's bedroom.

Kim Rok Soo looked right into Cale Henituse's confused eyes and opened his mouth.

"The moment [REDACTED] died, the God of Death offered him a deal."]

Everyone in the audience flinched at the sudden bleeping sound.

[As the current Kim Rok Soo's voice narrated, the screen also showed a blurry image of a smiling person with dark hair. It quickly switched back as Kim Rok Soo continued to blow the audience's mind.

"The God of Death offers you a deal at the moment of your death or if you are in extreme danger that could potentially lead to your death. When I was forty... Umm, basically, the God of Death offered me a deal when I was about to die and I accepted it."

Kim Rok Soo. The real Cale Henituse had accepted the deal with the God of Death.

"The conditions the God of Death offered me were simple."

The remorse deep inside Kim Rok Soo's eyes that was clearly different from Kim Rok Soo's bright smile. It finally made itself clearer to the audience.

Kim Rok Soo continued speaking to the one person he could share the conditions of his deal with.

"As soon as I returned to the moment I met Choi Han, the starting point that could change the fate of our world, I would go into the body of a person named Kim Rok Soo in a different world. That was the condition of the deal."]

"...Sir Choi Han?"

"I don't understand. Why does his meeting with Sir Choi Han have anything to do with changing fate?"

"Isn't there something else more important?"

"Like what?"

"Like turning back time?!?"

"Oh. Yeah. That."

▹▹▹

[Location: The View Room 3]

Eruhaben put the tea cup down. He turned to the table next to them.

"Which one of you is the God of Death's?"

Cage gulped as she answered, looking a bit annoyed at the thought of the God of Death.

"I am, Sir. I'm a priestess of the Church of the God of Death."

"I see."

Eruhaben did not say anything more and turned back to look at the screen as Cage relaxed a bit.

The mention of the God of Death on the screen had surprised her too.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 1]

"Turn back time."

Rosalyn muttered as she looked at the screen. Such a concept had never crossed her mind before.

However, 'soul swapping', 'different worlds', 'different version of themselves', etc., all of those impossible things were unfolded in front of her now.

Rosalyn sneaked a look at the Crown Prince of Roan and wondered.

Was this Alberu Crossman the one she knew or was this someone else?

No. However, she quickly denied it in her mind. Rosalyn trusted her senses. This was the Alberu Crossman that she knew. There was something different but it was still him, she was sure of it.

Rosalyn looked forward and watched.

Maybe her question would be answered in this viewing.

If it would not, she would find the answer herself.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 5]

Beacrox put a hand on his hidden knife.

The moment Cale Henituse met Choi Han.

It was quite a simple moment, yet when Beacrox thought about it.

Hypothetically, if their meeting went differently, which it probably did for the real Kim Rok Soo on the screen, it might have changed a lot, yet at the same time, not at all.

Beacrox sharpened his knife.

The new Cale Henituse on the screen might catch his other self's interest.

Because just watching this, Beacrox already found him interesting.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Theater]

["Do you know why I accepted that deal?"

Kim Rok Soo put his hand against his forehead as if he had a headache. He closed his eyes.

The eyes that were full of remorse could no longer be seen.

"Where should I start... Hmm..."

He was silent for a bit before finally starting to speak again.

"I hate Harris Village."

The screen turned black right after that sentence. The phrase that was first shown returned.

〔The Variables〕

Another phrase was shown under it.

〔Cale Henituse〕
〔(COMPLETED)〕

The phrases faded away as a 10 minutes countdown showed up.]

"What?"

"Hang on! That's it??"

"What kind of cliffhanger is this!?!"

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 4]

Deruth let out a shaky breath. Actually, all members of the Henituse family did.

Zed gave them a secret glare as he knew the reason why they did.

Harris Village.

The place Jour Thames had visited before her death.

And the place that recently got destroyed.

Zed couldn't help but wonder.

Was there a connection after all?

▹▹▹

[Location: The Viewing Room 2]

Choi Han and Cale Henituse stared at each other. Cale was the one to give up first as he turned away. Choi Han opened his mouth but quickly closed it.

Choi Han did not need to ask why as he recalled a conversation he had with Beacrox years ago when the War was still in its early state.

Harris Village.

It turned out to be a sour spot for both of them.

But it was then, another question rose up in Choi Han's mind. So he asked.

"...Why your other self brings up the Harris Village?"

Cale flinched slightly at its mention but his mind also started to turn as he questioned his other self too.

"...I don't know."

Cale finally turned back to look at the Swordmaster.

"But it probably has something to do with my mother."

Choi Han let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. He didn't ask more as both of them fell into silence.

The countdown continued.

▹▹▹

[Location: The Office]

The God of Mystery finally sat up properly after the countdown shown up. She tilted her head as she looked at the sparkling milky way above her.

The God of Mystery put a hair strand behind her ear as she spoke.

- How was it, my dear viewers?

Her silvery voice echoed the empty space as the Star Stream twinkled.

- Do you like this first show? Is it entertaining enough?

As the stars above her became even more sparkling, the God of Mystery smiled as she looked at you with her eyes that looked like the pair of magical gems.

- That's why, my dear viewers. Please continue to stay and watch. I shall put up more entertaining shows for you to watch.

The countdown on the screen went down slowly as the God of Mystery giggled at your responses.

▶︎▶︎▶︎

[SEGMENT 1: The Variables] ▼
▶︎ [Cale Henituse] ◀︎ (COMPLETED)
[Cale Barrow]
[Sui Khan]

▶︎▶︎▶︎

Upcoming:

[SEGMENT 2: The Exceptions] ▼
▶︎ [Choi Han] ◀︎
[The World Tree]
[Choi Jung Gun]

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