From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 193: Emotion Pt. 3

“From the depths of my heart, thank you.”

Lee Jun-Kyeong's clear voice rang through the air.

.

“...”

It was a small, plain voice, but everyone held their breaths. The one they had most awaited, the one they had needed the most had finally awoken.

Everyone’s gazes were fixed on him. Feeling the eyes that were focused on him, Lee Jun-Kyeong opened his mouth.

“Thus…” he said in a warm tone. “I will continue to rely on you in the future.”

An unbelievable request had come out from his lips. Someone scoffed from the side, the laughter coming from bitterness, not ridicule. However, soon, that bitter laughter turned to astonishment.

“What…!!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A heartbeat rang in the still silence.

"I…”

The unbelievable voice that rang through the air wasn’t Lee Jun-Kyeong’s.

“I’m alive?”

Kim Su-Yeong, whose heart had just stopped, had opened his mouth once again. Even Won-Hwa was looking at Kim Su-Yeong and Lee Jun-Kyeong, alternating back and forth with a puzzled expression.

“This…this divine treatment seems to be you, Mr. Lee, and not me,” Won-Hwa said despondently. However, the voice betrayed a deep sense of relief. Lee Jun-Kyeong slowly shook his head.

“It wasn’t me.”

When his eyes moved, everyone's eyes moved.

“Hel did this.”

They all looked over at the blurry form of Hel as the Familiar lowered its head in embarrassment.

“It's not perfect. All Hel did was keep him from dying. You get what I mean, right?”

Won-Hwa nodded at Lee Jun-Kyeong’s warm voice. Lee Jun-Kyeong had woken up, and as a result, his Familiars had been strengthened. Hel’s ability involved handling the soul, and it had captured Kim Su-Yeong’s soul before the soul had left his body. But the man’s body was still dying. There was only one person who could still save him.

“It’s only you, Mr. Won-Hwa.”

Feeling the firm trust in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s words, Won-Hwa nodded once again. He had gotten a chance at a missed opportunity, able to save someone he hadn’t been able to save.

Thud.

Kim Su-Yeong’s head fell. However, he was still definitely breathing as his heart was still beating as well.

“Why did it take you so long to wake up? Doesn’t this happen every time?” said a grumbling voice. Jeong In-Chang returned to his human form as he spoke with a tired complexion.

“Also, did you do this, Mr. Lee?” he said as he pointed his finger to the side, toward Sangun, who had been clashing relentlessly with him.

Sangun was standing still, like a robot with a dead battery.

“Yes, though it’s only for a moment.”

“Ugh… then, I will…”

Jeong In-Chang collapsed to the ground as if he had done everything he had wanted to do.

“Ee… In-Chang!”

The princess quickly ran forward and caught the falling Jeong In-Chang. Although he had gotten stronger, it was still a force he wasn’t able to fully control. It was clear that he had been barely holding on to his consciousness with his mental strength.

Just as Lee Jun-Kyeong had said, Sangun had been temporarily stopped. He had used the mana that had gathered into this area and the souls Hel controlled to bind Sangun. However, this binding only worked for a very short time. Sangun would be released soon, and he would attack his allies once again, exposing his claws again.

‘Crazy bastard.’

Thus, Lee Jun-Kyeong looked over at someone.

Glint.

He looked over a man wrapped in a green storm of light that was looking right back at him.

“Odin.”

He was the culprit of this situation. Although he was an enemy that had to be taken down as fast as possible, Odin stopped him from making a move momentarily.

“You won’t have any time to worry about me though, Underdog.”

Just like the bastard had said, now wasn’t the right time to care about him.

“ROAR!!”

Sangun had freed himself of Lee Jun-Kyeong’s restraints. It was time for him to focus on the beast. No matter how strong Lee Jun-Kyeong was, he didn’t have the strength to deal with two rulers. If he chose to confront Odin now, then Sangun would go on a rampage.

‘And we’ll be completely consumed.’

His allies would be drawn into a battle with other allies.

“Gasp…gasp…”

If he chose to take down Sangun first, then he was sure that he would have to eat a blow from Odin when he least expected it. The Hunter took a step back, clearly waiting for the battle between Lee Jun-Kyeong and Sangun.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had to make a choice, and that choice was easy.

“You have a different opponent, Odin.”

He chose to go against Sangun. At Lee Jun-Kyeong’s words, Odin flashed his teeth.

“Tut, tut. Now, you don’t even use any honorifics? Even when I’m your boss?” Odin said to Lee Jun-Kyeong, who had completely turned around to stare at Sangun.

In response, Lee Jun-Kyeong had a single question. “Was the scene you showed me through your shit-eating Familiar intentional?’

“ROAR!!!”

However, before he could hear an answer, Sangun attacked Lee Jun-Kyeong.

***

Asgard’s meeting hall was a place where no one could enter without permission.

‘Do you know what a Sponsor is?’ someone said, having entered the hall forcefully.

‘Do you know why this world has become like this? Or even what a Hunter is?’

All the man did was ask questions.

However, Odin only stood as still as a nail driven into a plank in response to the questions, completely stunned by the following words of the man.

‘Because I know.’

Inquisitiveness and curiosity had consumed all of Odin’s desires. As for the desire to act for the people or for his nation, it had been a long time since that had disappeared. He had stood on top of everything and built a castle that would never fall.[1]

After that, Odin changed. He had made every move with intention, working toward his desire to stand on the peak and build a castle on top of the world. Although it had been a near-impossible task to fulfill those desires of his, in the end, he had succeeded.

After everything was over, all he could feel was nothingness. His fulfilled desires had only turned into crumbs, broken apart with nothing left for him to strive for.

His identity was constructed on his desires, and Odin, Jang Hyo-Jin, had endured everything for the sake of fulfilling them. However, after having gotten all that he had wished for, living without another peak to strive for was nearly unbearable.

Thus, he tried harder. He wanted to build a stronger, taller castle, reaching higher and higher into the sky.

In that manner, his new goal was to kill the Sponsors. In Odin's opinion, the ones behind it all were the Sponsors. Without them, there would be a much better world and his castle would become impregnable.

Even before the Hunters had appeared, Jang Hyo-Jin had been the head of a massive conglomerate that had ruled Korea. To be frank, things had instead gotten worse for him because of the Sponsors, having to endure such hellish days in order to obtain power once again.

As a result, the Sponsors had become the new desires and goals for him. However, that was only a small piece of his desires. Odin’s true desires and his true nature still stayed the same.

‘Curiosity and inquisitiveness.’

He wanted knowledge.

Someone who could understand was someone who could make use of, and thus, someone who understood was someone who could rule. Moreover, those who couldn’t understand were those who were ruled by others.

Unlike his desires, this ideology was more innate. This was instinctual–an innate need for domination.

Odin’s curious and inquisitive mind had to move to something new to distract him, and so he had become interested in the Underdog.

‘Aren’t you curious about it all?’

But, suddenly, someone who was able to give him the true answer he had been searching for had appeared. Just looking at him made Odin’s heart throb. The person before him was sincere.

‘Could he really know?’

Odin began to converse with him, almost as if he had become possessed by something. However, as with anything, getting what he wanted would come at a cost.

‘Can I really throw it all away?’

The castle he had built and the sturdy organization he had founded all had to be discarded. However, for Odin, the spirit of inquiry was more important.

‘I’ll throw away everything.’

The more he understood and the more knowledge he accumulated, the more he would be able to build a castle later.

‘Then, how quaint,’ the man had said, taking off his hood as he spoke.

At that moment, even in his incredibly long life, Odin had never been so surprised. He still could remember that day.

‘I am a remnant of time,’ the man said as he was introducing himself.

'I am…’

He laughed ever so slightly.

‘I am the true Demon King.’

BOOM!

Odin’s thoughts had been broken by the sound of an explosion before him. The explosion of mana was sweeping through the area and moving like a typhoon before his eyes. That would be what the man had referred to him earlier.

‘A battle on the level of Rulers.’

That man had spoken about the existence of the rulers and about what would happen in the future.

‘There’s a method as to how to use that.’

He had told Odin how to create a Ruler.

‘How to become a Ruler.’

However, Odin didn’t make that choice, to make the next step to become a Ruler and use unparalleled power.

“That would just be a loss.”

Because in doing so, that was tantamount to admitting defeat for him. There was nothing more stupid than sacrificing the future for short-term growth.

Odin looked over at Lee Jun-Kyeong and Sangun.

‘The Underdog.’

Between them, his eyes were only focused on the Underdog. He couldn’t believe it no matter which way he looked at him. He had the same face as that man, the true identity of Lee Jun-Kyeong, that he had told Odin.

It still all seemed like an unbelievable fairy tale fantasy.

'Should I kill him now?'

At this point, it was still easy to say that Lee Jun-Kyeong was still weaker than he was.

Moreover, in this situation where an opponent called Sangun had been created, it was the optimal situation for him to kill Lee Jun-Kyeong.

‘Although that man’s orders were not to do so, still…’

The orders that Odin had received were to use Muninn to awaken Lee Jun-Kyeong’s memories and then bring him back to life. As for everything related to Sangun or Fenrir, those were all Odin’s own decisions. However, Odin wasn’t that man’s subordinate.

‘I’ll kill him.’

Originally, Odin should have left this place once Lee Jun-Kyeong had arrived, but now, the Hunter had changed his plans. He was filled with curiosity once more.

‘Let’s go against fate.’

He wanted to know if he could end the fate assigned to Lee Jun-Kyeong right at this moment. A stream of green light flowed into Odin’s fingertips.

Although Lee Jun-Kyeong’s back was exceedingly sturdy and without openings, Odin was sure that if he made a move himself, he would be able to pierce through it. Slowly, a green vortex began to take shape.

“Gungnir.”

This was Odin’s absolute Authority: an absolute force and an absolute powerlessness.

It was being completed.[2]

Moving at a speed invisible to the eye, no one could notice it and no one could avoid it. Gungnir would never stop until it pierced through the opponent’s heart.

“Pierce his heart,” Odin commanded.

But then, just as he was about to cast Gungnir, the rain that had begun to fall earlier began to torrent even harder.

Drip. Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.

Just when I was about to shoot Gungnir. Odin shrugged off the rain and flicked the water drops that landed on Gungnir off, and it was then that he was able to notice.

“...!”

Gungnir was something created from his mana.

Not only did it make no sense that drops of rain would be able to touch it, but this was also a city enclosed in a formation.

“How…!”

Moreover, Odin had sealed this city off himself using his abilities. This was a place where it should have been impossible for it to rain.

Something was wrong.

“Something is not going to plan!”

Odin raised his head as he continued to condense Gungnir.

“It’s been a long time.”

He could see why there was a sudden downpour of rain and why Gungnir had gotten wet. This was the worst outcome he could have imagined.

“Odin.”

CRACK!!!!

Lightning was striking down on Odin from the sky.

1. Castle refers to his organization, his reputation, and everything he had ever done. ????

2. The word ? can mean both martial and also without. So it’s an ambiguous usage that means both something that is the strongest force and also something that brings about absolute powerlessness, impossible to avoid. This fits with Gungnir, which is the spear that never misses. ????