DPGR 160

“It’s been a while, child.”

“…God. It’s you, isn’t it?”

“Yes. As expected, you recognized me right away. I knew you would.”

The god let out a calm laugh. It was the first time anyone had ever heard the god’s voice, and everyone froze on the spot. Perhaps it wasn’t just the voice, but the overwhelming pressure radiating from Hayan’s body that had paralyzed them.

Regardless, the god crossed his legs and sat on the sofa as if none of that mattered.

“The reason I’ve come to see you like this is…”

“You know a way to save Dojin-hyung, don’t you?”

Even while everyone else was frozen in fear, only Jiho met the god’s gaze without so much as a tremble in his breath. His caramel-colored eyes, which usually glowed gently, now blazed with intensity.

The god raised one eyebrow in slight surprise, then nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I didn’t originally intend to go that far, but thanks to the two of you, I was able to save my first world.”

“That’s right. This is all because of you. So please, take responsibility and save hyung.”

“You seem angry.”

“……”

“Or… are you afraid?”

The god’s pressure intensified. Jiho’s face suddenly drained of color.

And it wasn’t just Jiho. Everyone in the hospital room flinched. The heart monitor near the bed began to beep faster and faster.

Then, Jiho, who had been shrinking in fear, suddenly stood up and shouted.

“Stop!”

“……”

“Don’t threaten us! If you keep doing this, I won’t just sit back and take it!”

“Oh?”

The god’s golden eyes shimmered. His expression clearly said, And if you don’t sit back, what exactly do you think you’ll do?

Jiho snapped through clenched teeth.

“Then-then I’ll… drive you out!”

He couldn’t harm Hayan’s body, and there was no known way to remove the god alone without hurting him, so the best he could do was bluff about banishment. It was a pitiful threat.

Even Jiho knew how ridiculous it sounded, and his face turned red. But fortunately, the god didn’t laugh at him.

“…I’m sorry. Honestly, I didn’t mean to.”

“……”

“Before, the magic stone inside this gumiho’s body helped moderate things, so I could control it more easily. But now that the stone is gone, it’s much harder. Don’t glare at me like that. I’m doing my best too.”

It was a pitiful excuse, not something you’d expect a god to say. Still, whether he meant it or not, the crushing pressure that had made Jiho’s fingers go numb began to ease little by little.

Jiho, panting softly, looked back toward the bed. Dojin’s heart rate was slowly returning to normal levels.

“Ha…”

As soon as he confirmed that Dojin was safe, Jiho’s knees gave out. Watching Jiho sway unsteadily, the god spoke with a hint of apology.

“Are you alright? I should finish what I came to say and return before I lose control again.”

“…A way to save hyung.”

“Yes, that. You may or may not know this, but psychic abilities are vanishing from this world, and with them, my influence over this world is weakening. I can no longer turn back the timeline. So that method won’t work to save that child.”

“Then… then what happens to hyung? What do we do?”

“You’ll have to find another way. Something like… a loophole.”

“A loophole…”

“The divine power sealed in artifacts still seems intact. Are you aware of that?”

“Yes. But we already tried. We used two recovery potions, and they had no effect…”

“Right. That’s because the problem isn’t with his body.”

“…What?”

“You humans can’t see it, of course.”

The god hopped down from the sofa and strolled leisurely toward the bed. Jiho hurried after him, worried he might harm Dojin again.

The god didn’t care whether Jiho and the others followed. He simply raised a hand over the forehead of the still-unconscious Dojin. A golden light shimmered faintly in his eyes.

“Hm… as I thought. His soul is damaged.”

“…His soul?”

“A part of it has been broken. At this rate, even his body will start to deteriorate. From what I can tell, something intense must have happened right before this. Am I right?”

“…Yes. There was a massive explosion. It happened when hyung lost control and overloaded.”

“If it happened during an overload, then the explosion must’ve come from within him, a surge of magical power. That’s what damaged his soul. He should have died then and there…”

The word “died” cut into Jiho like a knife. The god murmured in wonder, saying it was amazing Dojin was even still breathing.

“There’s only one way to fix him. His damaged soul has to be restored. But a human soul is delicate and complex. Honestly, it’s easier to create a whole new life than to repair a broken one. And in my current state, I can’t finely control my power, so I’m not capable of fixing it.”

“Then…!”

“But that doesn’t mean there’s no hope. Remember the artifacts I mentioned earlier? You’ll need one that can repair not the body, but the soul.”

Jiho couldn’t tell whether he meant he would bring it, create it, or just tell them where to find it. His fingers twitched, and his foot tapped anxiously.

“Do you know the artifact of resurrection?”

The god asked calmly, his gentle voice like a lullaby.

“Yes, I know it.”

It was the broken necklace Dojin had often taken out of the drawer to look at.

At first, Dojin had believed that artifact had caused Jiho to regress, and until Jiho learned about the god’s existence, he had believed it too.

When Jiho gave a short explanation, the god let out a quiet laugh.

“There are many misconceptions about the resurrection artifact. In the first place, turning back time is something only a god can do. And that artifact doesn’t ‘unconditionally’ bring a person back to life.”

The resurrection artifact was one that gave its user a single chance after death. People had misunderstood that chance to mean reviving the body.

“All living beings, after death, have their souls scatter and gradually fade away. The resurrection artifact gathers that scattering soul and holds it together for a while.”

At that moment, the god asks the user’s soul a question. Whether they want to live again, or simply disappear as they are.

If the body was still intact, the soul could be returned to that shell. If not, the god could find another nearby vessel and transplant the soul into that instead.

Of course, this was only possible if the soul answered that it wanted to live.

In his previous life, Baek Dojin had answered that he did not want to live.

His body was already completely destroyed, and the most likely candidate for a “different vessel” nearby was Seo Jiho, who had collapsed from guiding exhaustion.

“Well, anyway, if I just twist the power sealed in the resurrection artifact the right way, restoring this child’s soul will be simple.”

The god’s overwhelming pressure surged again from within Hayan’s body. Fortunately, it soon subsided, but everyone understood that time was running out.

Tension filled the room. Kwak Jiheon stepped forward and demanded an answer.

“The resurrection artifact has already been used. There’s no more magic left in the one we currently have. Are you saying there’s another one?”

“Hm. Sorry, but that was the only resurrection artifact on Earth. So you’ll need to go and retrieve one that hasn’t been used.”

“What… I don’t understand.”

“The resurrection artifact was used in the second life, wasn’t it? So after that point, its power was spent. Unlike other artifacts, the resurrection artifact is especially finicky. It only works for a recognized owner.”

“……”

“But don’t worry. It was used starting from the second life. There’s a high chance that the resurrection artifact from the first life still remains unused.”

“……!”

“So if you want to save this child, someone will need to return to the first life and bring that resurrection artifact back.”

“B-but you said turning back time is impossible…”

“I meant it’s impossible to turn back the timeline of the world itself. But a single human soul can be nudged into a gap in time. It won’t be easy, but it’s possible.”

This is the only method I can think of.

As the god whispered softly, Jiho answered immediately.

“I’ll go. Please send me.”

“Guide Jiho!”

“No! You don’t even know what that place is…!”

“No, I have to be the one to go.”

Everyone tried to stop Jiho. Not only was it dangerous to travel through time as a soul, but there were far too many unknowns. Their reaction was only natural.

But Jiho was firm. Even when Kwak Jiheon offered to go instead, Jiho wouldn’t hear it.

“I can do it. I’ll save hyung.”

Jiho was feeling guilt. He hadn’t shown it outwardly, but all along, Jiho had been blaming himself for what happened to Dojin.

‘If only I had stayed by hyung’s side and guided him more… maybe the outcome would’ve been different.’

That day, after emerging from the Final Dungeon, Jiho had lost consciousness during Dojin’s emergency transport due to guiding exhaustion. He had let go of Dojin’s hand, and it haunted him.

The god had murmured that the reason Dojin was still alive despite his damaged soul was thanks to Jiho’s guiding. But Jiho interpreted it differently. He believed it was because he had failed, that it was his fault Dojin was still unconscious and broken.

‘This is my fault. I let go of hyung, and now he’s lying there unable to wake up.’

So I have to go. Jiho’s resolve was unshakable.

“Alright. Then let’s do that.”

For the first time, the god’s calm voice quickened slightly. He urgently explained.

“The speed of time is not the same across all timelines.”

“What?”

“A week there could be a year here. Or it could be a day. It depends.”

The meaning was vague. More cryptic explanations followed.

“You’ll be going as a soul, but you’ll still need to live freely in that world. I’ll find a body that suits your soul and place you inside it. You’ll wake up there naturally.”

“…Okay.”

“Try to return quickly if you can. We don’t know how much time might pass. Once you find the artifact, go to a place where I can easily use my power. That means go inside a dungeon. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then let’s begin. I’m reaching my limit too.”

The god exhaled heavily. Jiho turned to the people trying to stop him and gave them a gentle smile.

“It’s alright. I’m a pretty lucky person.”

He had survived the illegal guiding facility. He had met Baek Dojin and made it all the way here. He had regained the voice he’d once lost, fallen in love, and even conquered the Final Dungeon.

So this time too, things would go well. Even the god was helping him.

“If you’re ready, come here.”

The god called Jiho. He went to each person, offering a light handshake or hug, then walked over to Dojin’s bed.

“Just lie there.”

The god pointed to Dojin’s bed. Jiho gave a shy smile and lay down beside Dojin. Even in this situation, lying next to Dojin after so long made his heart flutter.

‘Hyung… I’ll wake you up for sure.’

He grasped the large, solid hand he had once let go of. His eyes slowly closed.

“Don’t forget. You mustn’t take too long. You’re a soul of this world. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

The god placed a hand on Jiho’s forehead. The murmurs around him grew distant.

His head spun as if he were falling into a vortex. As that feeling swallowed him whole, Jiho lost consciousness.