CHAPTER 05
No.
Among the countless branching futures, I finally found the one path that didn’t break.
I was alive.
In that future, I wasn’t just holding the stick.
I was connected to it.
It might sound crazy, but it’s true. It may have looked like I was just holding it, but in reality, we were one.
A connection between a person and a sword—I’d seen that before.
My father, back at the training ground.
The sword he held back then—it was like it had become part of his body.
Unity.
The highest level of swordsmanship.
Just like my father, I had reached that same level.
But was it really possible? Even if that was the only way I could survive…
At that moment, all the visions vanished like smoke.
“Kraaaagh!”
The monster in front of me roared and charged.
And I had become one with the stick.
I had seen it.
So I knew I could do it.
Breaking through the impossible odds, I finally achieved Unity.
Did I change reality because I saw the future?
Or did reality’s possibility create the future I saw?
I don’t know which came first.
I simply thrust the stick forward.
Now, it would no longer break.
Because Unity means that—even if it lasts only a moment—that single moment can decide life or death.
The stick pierced the boy’s chest.
Naturally.
As if that was how it was always meant to happen.
“Guh…”
Dark red blood poured from the boy’s mouth.
He flailed his arms wildly, but it was meaningless. His strength was gone.
His swollen body slowly shrank. His legs gave out, and he collapsed. His eyes lost focus, staring into empty space.
Everyone watching fell silent.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Hey! Did you see that? Did you see what just happened?!”
The manager finally shouted.
“That scrawny kid stabbed the other one—with a stick! A half-rotted branch! And he killed a half-poisoned monster with it!”
“Wait, wasn’t that just luck? The other guy kind of charged into it himself.”
“Are you blind? That rotten stick stabbed straight into his body like a spear! Doesn’t that seem insane to you?”
“Yeah, it was amazing… I feel like I heard something about this during cult training.”
One of the henchmen tilted his head and then clapped his hands.
“That’s the swordsmanship the Sword King’s family uses. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I’m sure of it.”
“Really? Whatever it was, it was impressive. That was a cool move. Haven’t seen anything this fun in a while.”
“Anyway, the Transfer is beginning. This is the final stage.”
“Oh, finally.”
The excited henchmen stepped back.
Then, red energy began flowing out of the dead boy’s body.
Transfer?
Is that what this is called?
This red, concentrated poison soaking into my body…
Then, a drop of liquid fell from the ceiling.
Drip.
Red fluid also started seeping from the ground.
Sploosh.
Is something beginning?
I don’t know—but I feel like I do.
Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.
A massive force, impossible to resist with human power.
Is that why I can’t see any more visions or futures?
Because it won’t change anyway?
If I want to do something, it has to be now.
Even if it’s something small—like revenge.
At the very least, I could kill these henchmen. If I used this stick I had become one with…
But it would be hard.
My body was getting heavier.
The new poison was taking over me.
Fighting the Poison King’s henchmen in this state was suicide.
Unless something changed again.
And then, I saw it.
A single vision. The only future.
In that future, all five henchmen were dead.
“Ah…”
This is the only future.
So I don’t need to change anything.
No need to add or remove anything—just standing here like this would be enough to kill them.
“Yeahhh!”
“Finally!”
The henchmen cheered.
“The sacrifice has been chosen!”
“The Life-and-Death Poison! It’s erupting in the Poison Pit!”
“The Deputy Leader was right! The poison flowing through the earth has appeared in reality!”
“The Poison of the Poison King! The Life-and-Death Poison!”
“He’s returning!”
“The Poison King!”
“O Poison King, our savior, who fought for the unchosen ones!”
“Let us all recite the holy words! He dove into the earth’s veins to purify the world beyond death! And after 250 years, he will return to us!”
“Ohhhh!”
“Poison King!”
“The Poison King Cult is eternal!”
“Eternal!”
Really?
Will the Poison King Cult truly last forever? I don’t know. I don’t even know what this cult really is.
But one thing is certain—
You all will die here.
“He is returning… Huh? What do you think you’re doing? The sacrifice should stay down!”
“…”
I began walking forward, shaking my head slowly.
The manager’s eyes went wide. He stomped his foot.
“Stop! Don’t move! He’s about to descend! Stay right there! What, are you seriously going to make me beat you down?!”
The panicked manager lunged at me.
Fast and agile—but oddly sloppy.
And that’s when I realized something about reality.
They can’t kill me.
I don’t know why exactly, but I’ve become important to them.
That’s why his movements were strange—he wants to stop me, but he can’t actually kill me.
And in that hesitation, I slowly extended the stick forward.
Slowly, naturally.
As if it was the obvious thing to do, the stick followed the flow and pierced the enemy’s throat.
“Guh…”
Blood poured from the manager’s mouth.
Blood.
It’s painful to see.
But this blood was different—it felt like I could finally breathe again.
“Huh? What was that?”
“What just happened?”
“What are you all doing?! Get him! Take him down now!”
“But we can’t kill the sacrifice…”
“Then don’t kill him—just knock him out! Crush him with your bodies if you have to! How hard can it be? He’s poisoned with century-old poison and earth-vein poison!”
The henchmen, after a moment of arguing, charged at once.
An ambush.
But it was useless.
To my eyes, they appeared as separate, unconnected blobs.
They weren’t united.
The first one to reach me threw a punch.
It was fast and strong. Much stronger than me.
But his attack had no essence.
Everything has a physical form.
But a sword is different. The sword I learned wasn’t just about form—it followed rules: flow, order, illusion.
So I treated his punch like a sword.
But this “sword” had no flow, no order, no illusion.
So it was nothing.
And fighting something that’s “nothing” is easy.
With a small motion, I dodged and thrust my finger into his chest.
Thunk.
His fist wasn’t really a sword. My finger wasn’t just a finger. It was a branch.
But so what?
My finger was already soaked in his blood.
“Ugh…”
The enemy groaned and collapsed.
“…!”
The second henchman hesitated.
He threw a heavy kick, like a rock.
But his skin wasn’t as strong as a rock.
The stick pierced his side.
Only the length of a hand—but that’s enough. Just a hand’s length is enough to kill a human.
“Kuh!”
He coughed and bent over.
The next two also fell to the ground, coughing up blood.
There were no screams.
Would it have been more satisfying if they screamed?
Maybe. But I didn’t have the strength for anything flashy.
I had killed four of them in an instant—without even moving far from where I first stood.
And now, I couldn’t move at all.
“Ugh…”
Poison. Poison. Poison.
My whole body was filled with poison.
Still, I felt better.
It was only some henchmen—but killing them gave me peace of mind.
Then, my body shook with a spasm.
I felt dizzy and sick. I hadn’t eaten, but I felt like throwing up everything.
Then, from the dead henchmen, purple smoke began to leak out.
Ssssss—
Were they also part of the transfer?
Again, poison seeped into my body.
“Ugh…”
I hoped not.
If it were the poison from the kids, maybe I could accept it. But from those henchmen? No thanks.
Still, I couldn’t stop it.
It got harder to breathe. My vision blurred.
Maybe this was a side effect of the different poisons mixing.
And then—something fell over me.
Splash!
Water from the ceiling, and liquid rising from the floor.
Is this poison too?
I couldn’t breathe. No—that wasn’t the issue.
Water was pouring into my mouth and nose uncontrollably.
“Guh, cough!”
I never thought I’d drown in a cave. I flailed, desperately trying to spit it out.
I couldn’t die here.
I had to live.
I had to survive, no matter what—so I could fulfill their wishes.
The wishes of everyone who died for me.
Even if it meant giving up everything—
“It’s unfair.”
A voice echoed.
I got chills. It felt like my blood froze.
Whose voice was that?
“It’s meaningless.”
A hollow voice. Completely empty.
This was dangerous. If I listened too long, I’d become hollow too.
The poison I swallowed wasn’t ordinary.
I had to resist. Somehow.
But…
I had no strength left.
Just getting this far was already a miracle.
It was only possible because I could see the future.
But now, I couldn’t see anything.
I’m sorry, Brother. I’m sorry, Sister. I’m sorry, Tiver.
I guess… this is it for me.
Still—I did everything I could.
