Chapter 17: The Second Memory Exchange

“…I expected as much, but still.”

Rigor lightly clicked his tongue as he glared at the scene before him. It was far too horrific to simply brush aside with a remark like I expected as much. Rigor wasn’t the only one lying there, either.

Q-Type, Seohyun, the relay unit, Han Seon-uk, and everyone else around them had already collapsed, covered in blood.

‘So this is a memory from the Origin Dungeon.’

More specifically, it seemed to be the moment when Taehyun had explained the system’s original purpose to everyone and confirmed what Rigor truly wanted. The shape of the black structure inside the Origin Dungeon was enough to roughly determine when this had happened.

Taehyun had thought they needed to clear up the misunderstanding first, which was probably why Rigor had chosen this memory above all others. But had it ultimately accomplished nothing? At the very least, if that man had seen this, he should have understood.

The kind of “victory” he wanted was not something that could be achieved as easily as he imagined, and Rigor and Taehyun had desperately struggled to choose the best possible course of action.

And yet, even that had not been enough to quell his anger?

Taehyun deliberately looked away from the sight of his own corpse, sprawled facedown and twitching in the video. Rigor’s expression as he stared at the body was miserable, but when Taehyun approached him, he seemed to make an effort to regain his composure.

“Don’t worry about it too much, Taehyun. I didn’t expect the first attempt to solve everything, anyway.”

“I’m not worried about myself. I’m worried because you look upset.”

“Well, I can’t exactly say it’s pleasant. Honestly, I hesitated over whether to choose this memory because I didn’t want to watch you die….”

“What are you talking about? That’s just an illusion from a memory. It’s not like I’m actually dying.”

As the two spoke, Replica cautiously displayed another message, as though hesitating.

[[System (Temporary)] Before proceeding to the next room, it would be advisable to provide a brief period for conversation. Both parties, please share your impressions with one another.]

Had Replica hastily added this because it had not originally been part of the plan?

The moment the message disappeared, the video changed. The man standing in a room identical to theirs appeared on the wall.

The expression on the man’s face was even more distorted than theirs. What exactly did he find so displeasing?

[You have changed so much, ****###. I never imagined you would become this pathetic. Is this all you have? These pitiful excuses?]

What exactly did the man think had changed about Rigor?

Was it because he had avoided fighting on the battlefield and instead taken everyone somewhere to hide? Or was it Rigor’s conduct inside the Origin Dungeon?

Rigor, however, did not bother asking about that. Instead, he pointed out something completely different.

“I’ve been wondering about this for a while, but when did you decide you could address me with such disrespectful language? Fortunately, no one here understands what you’re calling me, but if you intend to have a serious conversation with me, shouldn’t you change it?”

[Then should I call you General? I don’t particularly like that either. I have no desire to treat a coward who fled without even fighting on the battlefield as my superior.]

“You’ve forgotten everything. You and I talked about stopping this miserable fighting altogether.”

[That was under the assumption that we would lead the Empire to complete victory, leaving us with no enemies. Not a situation like this!]

“So tell me. Did you ever, even once, genuinely believe that thousands of years of resentment could realistically accomplish that? Apparently, the memory I just showed you was completely useless.”

The man’s eyes wavered.

It seemed that even he was shaken somewhat by Rigor calling him a coward. Rigor seized the opportunity and pressed him further.

“Be honest. You don’t really want to restore the world to a perfect state, do you? You can’t even imagine what life would be like after achieving a complete victory in a perfect world, can you? Do you really think the Origin Dungeon is so simple that it can grant you something you don’t even understand yourself?”

“…!”

“There’s obviously something else bothering you. Stop making excuses and say it. I’ve known for a long time that you’re stubborn for no reason.”

The man seemed to lose his words for a moment. His eyes wandered as he looked around before he glared at the screen again, his expression twisting viciously.

At first, Taehyun thought the man was glaring at Rigor.

But he soon realized that wasn’t the case.

[You’re the one deceiving me. Did you really think I wouldn’t know? A coward who threw away his chance at victory because he was too caught up in some love affair!]

“…Ha.”

[I won’t listen to another word you say. Get me out of this damned dungeon. Now!]

[[System] The conversation period has ended. Please proceed to the next general battle room.]

Replica hurriedly ended the conversation and erased the video, but Taehyun had understood it clearly.

The man had been glaring at him.

As Taehyun stared at the now-empty wall with a complicated expression, the knight spoke to Rigor in an uneasy tone.

“Hey, what are you going to do about this? Looks like we only made him angrier.”

That was exactly what had happened.

The man truly seemed to hate everything Rigor had shown him.

In the memory from the Origin Dungeon, rather than focusing on the circumstances that had left Rigor with no choice, the man had apparently fixated on the fact that Rigor’s resolve had wavered because of Taehyun.

And when they had shown him the scene of themselves dealing with the soldiers on the battlefield, instead of acknowledging that they had resolved the situation peacefully without killing anyone, he had focused on the fact that they had avoided fighting and hidden themselves away.

It had all backfired.

But when the prisoner heard the knight’s remark, he merely scoffed.

<Wouldn’t he have reacted the same way no matter what we showed him at first? It’s difficult to calm someone who’s determined to get angry. There’s nothing to do but let him get it out of his system.>

“True, I suppose. Rigor himself said we couldn’t expect everything to work on the first try. Maybe he’ll get better if we keep showing him more.”

The cursed beings lightly shrugged and headed toward the next room.

Taehyun stared blankly after them before suddenly remembering something he wanted to ask. He quietly approached Rigor.

“What is it, Taehyun?”

“There’s just something I want to ask… It probably isn’t the right time for a question like this.”

“What is it?”

“Earlier, that man used a word I didn’t understand. Is that your original name?”

It was a question so out of place that Taehyun wondered whether he had completely lost his sense of timing. Still, he couldn’t let it go because it had been bothering him.

The moment Rigor heard the question, he suddenly let out a dry laugh.

“I thought you were going to ask something important.”

“It is important, isn’t it? I mean, I don’t know your real name. Even the name Rigor was one I gave you…”

“That isn’t my name. No matter how insane that bastard has become, he wouldn’t openly call his superior by his name.”

“Then what is it?”

Rigor hesitated for a moment. Seeing that the others had already crossed into the next room, he began walking.

Taehyun followed behind him, and Rigor lowered his voice to a quiet whisper.

“It’s difficult to translate perfectly into the language of this country, but it roughly means something like ‘master.’ More specifically…”

“So?”

“It’s a title children under about five or six years old use when addressing an adult who teaches them. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

Rigor chuckled and walked straight through the doorway.

Taehyun followed him, somewhat confused about what emotion he was supposed to feel after hearing that.

He still didn’t know.

Perhaps the meaning would become clearer depending on how things unfolded from here.

****

Once everyone entered the next room, Replica immediately began preparing for the next battle without the slightest delay.

[[System (Temporary)] Beginning the second ‘Memory Exchange.’ Please select the memory to send to the opponent.]

Sending the memory from the Origin Dungeon had only served to anger the man further.

But, as the prisoner had briefly pointed out, perhaps the man would have gotten angry regardless of what memory they showed him.

Perhaps avoiding provoking him had been impossible from the very beginning.

“What are you planning to show him this time, Rigor?”

“I don’t intend to change our strategy much. We have no choice but to tell him what actually happened, one event at a time.”

“But is it really okay to leave the selection entirely to Rigor? I honestly think we should discuss it among ourselves too.”

<What can those of us who don’t even fully understand what kind of man we’re dealing with contribute by offering half-baked opinions? Let’s leave it to Rigor for now. There’s no need to rush.>

The cursed beings briefly debated among themselves, but ultimately, the decision of which memory to send remained Rigor’s.

The moment they sent the memory, the general battle began.

Their opponent was quick.

It wasn’t merely that he could decide quickly because he was alone. It was almost as though he had already decided from the very beginning what memory he would send Rigor.

‘…Perhaps he’s been carrying all that resentment for that long.’

The thought was somewhat absurd, but Taehyun couldn’t dwell on it.

The man had chosen his memory just as quickly, and the general battle had already begun.

“This bastard. This time he’s made sure we can’t run away at all….”

Rigor clicked his tongue as he surveyed their surroundings.

Unlike the battlefield from before, they were now inside a vast hall decorated with all kinds of dazzling jewels.

At first glance, an indoor space might seem easier to hide in than an open battlefield.

But Taehyun quickly understood what Rigor meant.

Countless windows along the walls had been sealed shut, and every door leading outside had been barricaded. Any furniture that might have served as cover had already been smashed to pieces and scattered across the floor.

Judging by Rigor’s earlier remark, there was no strange hiding place like the one they had used before, either.

Meanwhile, at the center of the hall, an even more fierce and horrific battle than the one on the battlefield was taking place.

[How dare you attempt to take His Majesty the Emperor’s life! Have you lost your minds?!]

[Protect His Majesty! Cut down every one of those traitors!]

As before, the fighters were tangled together in a battle where it was nearly impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

Unlike the previous battle, however, the purpose of the fighting was immediately clear.

Apparently, someone had attempted to overthrow the last Emperor.

A familiar-looking little girl sat upon the throne, staring down at the chaos below with a pale face.

“They won’t be easily incapacitated, so we’ll have to eliminate them all. Prisoner, I want you to help me.”

“Just him? What about us?”

“Hide in a corner and stay out of sight as much as possible. Taehyun doesn’t have a proper weapon, so fighting will be difficult for him. And if the angel uses his power in this situation, he’ll only make things worse. You, use your full strength to create illusions and keep attention away from us. Be careful. They’ll see through ordinary illusions.”

After firing off his instructions to the knight in rapid succession, Rigor threw himself into the middle of the battle alongside the prisoner.

At first, the flesh-covered warriors had been completely absorbed in fighting one another.

But the moment Rigor and the prisoner entered the fray, they all turned their attention toward them.

And unlike last time, Taehyun was able to spot both Rigor and the man from earlier among the mass of warriors.

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