Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 88

Chapter 88
Kartheon gasped for air and turned back time as his vision started to blur. ‘I will survive this time,’ he thought.

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You will die.”

Kartheon drew his sword and immediately turned around. However, just as he was about to strike down Shaneth, who was disguised as a mummy, Henrick’s combat dolls attacked him. The ancient king destroyed five combat dolls and called for his mummies to protect him, but Iris lunged at him and smashed him to pieces.

[You have turned back time by 40 seconds.]

[You have used some of your temporal power.]

[You have turned back time fifty-six times in a short period of time.]

[Your body has received a significant amount of damage.]

***

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You will die.”

Kartheon hurriedly ran away, but he was blocked by the barrier that he himself had cast. The barrier that was supposed to protect him ended up stopping him from running away.

“Damn it!” the ancient king screamed. He knew there was no escape for him, but he still punched the barrier in frustration. Henrick was the one to approach him this time and stab him through the heart.

[You have turned back time by 40 seconds.]

[You have used some of your temporal power.]

[You have turned back time 94 times in a short period of time.]

[Your skin has started to break apart.]

***

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You will die.”

There was no way Kartheon would be troubled by insignificant weaklings like them if he had been at his original level. The barrier would remain for half an hour even if all of the mummies in it were killed. The ancient king could delay his death by commanding the mummies to block the assailants, but it would not change the outcome of his dying to them.

‘There must be a way… There must be…’ Kartheon was racking his brains when Iris smashed his jaw with an uppercut.

[You have turned back time by 40 seconds.]

[You have used some of your temporal power.]

[You have turned back time 178 times in a short period of time.]

[You will start experiencing severe migraines.]

***

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You will die.”

Kartheon gnashed his teeth, thinking, ‘I cannot escape no matter what I do!’

The same event repeated over the course of 40 seconds.

The same situation.

The same enemy.

The same death.

Kartheon was about to go crazy, as the same situation had occurred over a hundred times. An arrow fired by one of Henrick’s combat dolls pierced through the ancient king’s heart.

[You have turned back time by 40 seconds.]

[You have used some of your temporal power.]

[You have turned back time 217 times in a short period of time.]

[Your sense of taste has disappeared.]

***

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You will die.”

“Bleurghhh!” Kartheon fell to his knees and vomited. The ancient king looked so pitiful and disgraceful that the title ‘king’ did not seem to suit him anymore.

He had heard the same thing over and over again, every time he turned back time.

You will die.

You will die.

You will die.

You will die.

It was an endless cycle he could not escape from. He experienced a hellish regression and a repeating nightmare.

“Damn it!” Kartheon cursed and screamed. He felt as if he would go insane if he could not at least scream out his frustrations.

Shaneth was surprised to see the ancient king looking so defeated, but she nevertheless raised her scythe and walked toward him. The sight of Shaneth walking toward Kartheon made him feel as if he were looking at the Grim Reaper himself.

“Kuheok!”

The scythe slashed across the ancient king’s body and cut him in half.

[You have turned back time by 40 seconds.]

[You have used some of your temporal power.]

[You have turned back time 349 times in a short period of time.]

[Your sense of smell has disappeared.]

***

Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You will die.”

Kartheon fell to his knees. He was completely exhausted. He had used about 10,000 units of temporal power by now going through the same situation over and over. Turning back time had taken such a great toll on his body that it was no longer possible for him to do so anymore.

The ancient king spoke with a trembling voice, seemingly having lost all his will to fight. “I… I have lost…”

[The Time Resurrection has been canceled.]

[The temporal power will not be refunded.]

The onlookers were confused about what was going on. It appeared to them that the ancient king had suddenly lost all will to fight, mere moments after confidently laughing as if he had already won the war.

Kang Yoon-Soo asked coldly, “How many times did you regress?”

“…349 times,” Kartheon answered.

“That’s not much,” Kang Yoon-Soo remarked.

“…” Kartheon was speechless.

The coalition forces let out a victory cry, rejoicing in their success.

“Whooooooo!”

Shaneth, Henrick, and Iris all approached Kartheon and bound him up.

The mummies all returned to dust after their king lost the war, and the barrier that had been up for half an hour finally dissipated.

Kang Yoon-Soo approached Kartheon, who was bound by his hands and feet. The ancient king asked him, “You… How long did you live before regressing?”

“20 years,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied in a voice so low that nobody else would be able to hear him.

Kartheon was at a loss for words. He had almost gone insane, going back in time by a mere 40 seconds 349 times, but this man had regressed 999 times and lived a period of 20 years each time?

“…How are you still sane after all that?” Kartheon asked in surprise.

“I’ve already gone insane,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

Kartheon looked at the man, feeling even more thoroughly demoralized. He felt completely sick of the man as he said, “Are you telling me you are insane right now?”

“I’ve gone insane peacefully,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“…I suppose that makes sense,” Kartheon said, sounding defeated.

Kang Yoon-Soo placed one ice sword on the ancient king’s neck.

Ignus impatiently roared, “Hurry! Kill Kartheon and bring my child back to life!”

Kartheon bitterly laughed and murmured, “Katz was right. I should not even have dreamed of regressing.”

Regression… Kartheon had only realized its futility after regressing multiple times. He thought, ‘It was a foolish idea.’

The power to turn back time, returning to the past to right wrongs and make oneself immensely successful, sounded impressive and yet petty at the same time.

‘Regression is just an act of abandoning one’s world and stealing someone else’s accomplishments,’ Kartheon thought.

To live through the same experience over and over.

To steal someone else’s accomplishments and punish those one disliked.

There was no thrill or excitement in such a life; the only thing one might feel was a sense of futility.

Kartheon finally admitted out loud, “Regression is not an opportunity, in the end.”

Kang Yoon-Soo prepared to deal the final blow and cut off the ancient king’s head. However, he first said, “It might not sound that way to others, but it’s different for those of us who have experienced it.”

Kartheon reminisced about the life he had lived as he said, “Living life all over again is nothing but obtaining second-hand satisfaction from the accomplishments of others.”

Kang Yoon-Soo nodded. Those were words only those who had regressed until they were sick of it would sympathize with.

“Now, kill me,” Kartheon said as he closed his eyes. Kang Yoon-Soo lifted his ice sword and prepared to strike Kartheon.

Suddenly, a voice shouted from the crowd, “Wait a minute! P-please! Just give me a minute!” A man pushed his way through the crowd and stood in front of Kartheon. It was Katz.

“Katz…? But why…?” Kartheon was flabbergasted by Katz’s sudden appearance.

Katz breathed deeply before exclaiming loudly, “Don’t kill him! Please don’t kill Kartheon!”

The trolls and the elves protested the man’s request loudly.

“What the hell are you saying?!”

“Do you know how many elves he killed?! Can you still say that after all this?!”

Katz bit his lips. He could not understand why he had suddenly done what he did, but he did not back down regardless of the reason. He shouted loudly once more, “Kartheon can resurrect the dead elves with his ability!”

The eyes of the trolls and elves trembled, but they seemed skeptical about the idea. However, the bloodied dragon Ignus lowered her battered head to the ground and asked while staring at Katz, “Tell me, what are you thinking of?”

“K-Kartheon can turn back time! He can only go back 40 seconds right now because his body hasn’t fully recovered, but he can certainly do a lot more if he recovers his strength!” Katz exclaimed, forcing the words out as he continued, “We should let Kartheon live until he recovers. Then, Kartheon can turn back time days, no, months to the point before the massacre occurred! The deaths of the elves will never have happened in the first place!”

The trolls and the elves in the crowd murmured when they heard Katz’s argument. However, Ignus scoffed and roared, “What a foolish attempt! Do you really think he will repent for his sins and change his ways?! He is nothing but an evil creature. He will turn back time and meticulously prepare for this war once again, and attempt to annihilate the entire continent!”

Katz was speechless. However, Kartheon suddenly spoke up and said, “No, I will not turn back time even if I manage to recover my strength.”

Katz looked toward Kartheon in surprise and hurriedly said, “How can you say something like that right now?! You have to tell them you will right your wrongs!”

“Were you not the one telling me about the futility of reversing time, Katz?” Kartheon replied. Katz felt flabbergasted, looking dumbfounded by the ancient king’s words.

Kartheon no longer wanted to turn back time; no, rather, it was more proper to say that he had lost all his will to live. He said, “I should not exist at this point in time. Indeed, I wish to embrace death once again and go back to a peaceful slumber this time.”

“B-but…!” Katz tried to retort.

“Enough! You have stalled enough!” Ignus roared in annoyance. She continued, “Kill Kartheon and bring my child to life before he decides to pull a trick using time!”

The dragon lifted her claw and swiped at Kartheon. However, Katz remained steadfast, staying in front of the ancient king with his eyes closed as he prepared for his demise. In moments, he would be split in half by the dragon’s claw.

‘No!’ Kartheon screamed inwardly, focusing his remaining strength into his eyes. It was at the very moment that Katz was about to be sliced apart that the ancient king’s heart was moved for the first time. He thought, ‘I cannot let him die…!’

Suddenly, everything stopped.

***

Time stopped. Ignus’ ferocious claw strike, Katz trembling in fear, the eyes of the crowd watching the spectacle in horror… Everything had stopped.

The only ones still moving were Kartheon—and one other person.

Kartheon saw the human who was moving freely even while time was frozen, and he asked in surprise, “How are you moving?”

“No idea,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he looked around leisurely. He had been aware that Kartheon could stop time, but this was the first time he had experienced it firsthand.

“It’s amazing,” Kang Yoon-Soo said, swinging an ice sword lightly. The blade broke into pieces like morning frost, its fragments sparkled in the air. In the place where time had stood still, everything seemed weaker.

“Please move Katz,” Kartheon pleaded.

Kang Yoon-Soo stared at Kartheon. The ancient king was pleading and not commanding for the first time in his life. He asked, “Why should I?”

“I do not know,” Kartheon replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo moved Katz into a position where the dragon’s claw would not be able to reach him. Meanwhile, Kartheon started to slowly turn into dust starting from the tips of his feet. It was the side effect of his stopping time.

“You have gone against the laws of time. That is why you can still move while time is frozen,” Kartheon said.

“What are you talking about?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

However, Kartheon coughed up blood and said, “You will find out what I mean by yourself even if I do not explain it to you.” His breathing turned laborious as he continued, “You do not have the power to control time. How did you regress?”

“Demon Lord,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied in a low and deep voice. He continued, “I regressed because of the Demon Lord.”

Kartheon said bitterly, “I think I know what happened to you. You poor thing.”

“What the hell?” Kang Yoon-Soo exclaimed with a frown.

“Is something different from your previous lives not happening right now?” Kartheon asked. Kang Yoon-Soo’s eyes shot wide open and began trembling when he heard the ancient king’s words. Kartheon slowly continued, “This will be your last life…”

“I know,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“…and the Demon Lord will appear earlier this time,” Kartheon finished.

It was Kang Yoon-Soo’s first time hearing that. He could not hide his emotions, and his eyes trembled uncontrollably again. He walked up to Kartheon and grabbed the ancient king by the neck, asking angrily, “What do you mean by that?!”

“It is just as I said. Even though the Demon Lord appeared before you consistently after 20 years, he will appear much earlier this time,” Kartheon replied.

“Tell me why,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Hmm… I wonder why…?” Kartheon replied slowly, as if he were exacting an act of petty revenge.

Kang Yoon-Soo gripped Katz’s neck and said threateningly, “I’ll kill this guy if you don’t tell me why.”

Only then did the ancient king answer him, saying, “I met with the Demon Lord once at the magic tower.”

“So what?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“I almost lost everything after I picked a fight with the Demon Lord. I barely managed to survive; no, it is more fitting to say that the Demon Lord let me off,” Kartheon said as his lower body crumbled to dust. His upper body was beginning to turn into dust as well by the time he continued, “I learned to control time after I survived against the Demon Lord.”

“Get to the point,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Go to the magic tower where the Colossi reside,” Kartheon said.

Kang Yoon-Soo frowned. The magic tower of the Colossi was one of the two forbidden places on the continent, along with the lair of the Dragon of Destruction; they were places no one should even attempt visiting.

“Why should I go there?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“The one who killed me is in that magic tower. He will help solve your problems,” Kartheon said.

Kang Yoon-Soo could not understand what was going on, but he asked the ancient king, “Why did the change only occur during the thousandth life?”

“Someone is getting in your way so you will not be able to regress anymore. I cannot say anything else other than that,” Kartheon said.

Kang Yoon-Soo glared at the ancient king before grumbling, “I didn’t manage to get anything helpful out of you in the end.”

“What did you expect from the villain?” Kartheon retorted with a laugh as he was slowly dying. Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed his head as he was crumbling into dust, but Kartheon asked in an annoyed voice, “Can you not just let me die peacefully?”

“I have to get my rewards,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied before crushing the ancient king’s head.

The stopped flow of time started to move once again.

[The ancient king has been defeated.]

[You have brought peace to the Desert of Death.]