Chapter Text
After Kim Rok Soo's decision, the theater buzzed with questions for the three gods. With Cale keeping a watchful eye, the three gods answered any questions that wouldn't be explained later.
After everyone was satisfied, Death turned to Cale. "Cale, have you decided who else besides you holds authority here?"
Cale hummed, looking over everyone with an intense gaze. He knew it had to be someone he trusted to know when things were too much for him, especially considering some scenes may throw him into his records.
Besides the people he had just gotten back—(and wasn't that a novelty. A part of him was afraid this was a cruel dream) On knows him best. She could always read his moods and see through misunderstandings.
He also refused to entrust a child with the care of an adult.
So while he trusted everyone in the room, not everyone knew him in and out.
With that, he turned to Lee Soo Hyuk. "..Team Leader, you know the signs best."
He nodded, soft smile ever present. "That I do. I'll make sure to keep an eye on things."
('Keep an eye on you', was what he left unspoken. Cale and Jung Soo were his current priority. While he wanted to get to know everyone Cale had opened his heart to, they were also here because they had been hurting him—no matter how accidental.
Soo Hyuk knew Jung Soo agreed with him. They would both protect him, this time without any death.)
Seeing Cale trust someone they didn’t know over them would've made a few people in the room angry, if they hadn't been reflecting on how they had acted in the past month or so.
If anything, this only proved how close Cale was to these new people.
Death nodded. "Now that our job here is done, you shouldn't be seeing us gods showing up anymore. Cale and Lee Soo Hyuk now have all rights to decide when breaks will be needed."
Angelina had a beaming smile on her face, looking at the three she considered hers. "My children, it was wonderful to see you face to face. I hope you succeed in the coming times."
Jack silently nodded, while Hannah continued to glare at her.
Alberu sighed, briefly waving a hand goodbye.
With that, she vanished in a flash of sunlight.
The God of Death turned to Cage. "Cage, I'm glad to see you-"
Before he could continue, Cage interrupted him. "Yeah yeah, I get it. I'll obviously hear from you whenever you decide to bother me again." She glared at him with barely hidden fondness.
He fondly chuckled, before fading into darkness.
(Cale was just surprised he didn't hear another invitation to be his saint.)
Then there was one.
Truth smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry to have intruded in your lives the way I have. I hope you succeed. Please, don't hurt Cale again with your worries."
With that, while the screen lit up again, The God of Truth faded into mist.
After a moment of silence, Cale sighed, leaning his head on Jung Soo's shoulder. "Time to get started then."
Before anyone could try to apologize or talk to him, a voice was heard on the screen.
“Young master, it is morning.”
The man could feel someone gently tapping his body. The rough hand made the man think of the hands of an exhausted parent. It was that warm.
Ron chuckled slightly, "Is that so?"
Cale flinched, looking away from the vicious assassin. He felt Jung Soo shake in laughter from his reaction, so he pinched him.
The voice was very profound. The man felt chills throughout his body and his eyes subconsciously opened. Rather than the bright sunlight coming in through the window to warm the man’s eyes, what he saw was an old man standing there with a satisfied expression.
“It is surprising to see you wake up after a single attempt.”
Kim Rok Soo sighed, reminiscing the days he could sleep in after a day of drinking. Now he had to deal with shitty higher ups and the even worse night shift.
“Huh?”
Bud cracked open a wine bottle, before he huffed in silent laughter. "Y'know, it's weird to see Cale so confused. Usually he's so deadpan even in battle."
Glenn just looked at him tiredly, not even surprised he was already drinking.
Cage nodded from next to him, also opening a bottle. "True. I've only seen him truly shaken once."
Taylor also nodded in agreement, already with a wine glass for her to fill—he was obviously ready to drink.
“The master wishes to dine with the young master since it has been a while. It looks like it will be possible today.”
The man could see a mirror past the old man’s shoulder. Inside the mirror was a red-haired man who seemed to be confused looking back at him.
‘I guess that guy is me.’
"Pfft.."
Cale glanced at the person laughing, surprised to see it was Kim Rok Soo.
"That's your reaction? Even if I knew what was going to happen, I was pretty disoriented."
Choi Jung Soo chuckled, "It was funny to see him flounder in your old body."
Cale jerked his head off his shoulder in surprise. "You were watching him?"
"Yeah. I was forbidden from seeing you, so that bastard sent me to keep an eye on him." He sighed in mostly feigned sadness.
Kim Rok Soo flinched, surprised. "Oi. You were watching even then?"
The screen bulldozed over any response he could have given, so Jung Soo contented himself with sticking his tongue out mockingly at him.
“Young master Cale?”
The man turned toward the source of the worried voice to find the old man, who looked like a servant, looking toward him. But that concerned man was not the problem.
The man clearly heard it.
Young Master Cale. It was a familiar name. He slowly blurted out the name.
“Cale Henituse?”
Hong tilted his head, looking up from Cale's arms. "Familiar? But aren't you from a different world?"
Cale sighed, already knowing how tiring it would be to answer the large amount of questions likely incoming while they watched. Before Cale could answer though, Lee Soo Hyuk softly nudged him.
Cale blinked, remembering that his hyungs would answer the questions they could.
Jung Soo quickly answered instead while Cale was distracted, "Cale knew a bit about the world from a novel that was written as a guidebook for him."
(Well, it wasn’t written for him. They didn’t need to know that yet though.)
"Oh! Thank you Choi Han's nephew!"
He deflated, looking like a kicked puppy. "You can just call me Jung Soo if you want. Any family of dongsaeng and uncle is family of mine." He ignored Cale's muttering about not being his dongseang with practiced ease.
On, Hong, and Raon all looked at each other, before quickly coming to an agreement.
They simultaneously beamed, "Okay, Strange Human!"
That made Jung Soo sulk even harder, the others around him starting to laugh at his expression.
Even Cale had a small smile on his face.
(Jung Soo was glad. He wanted to cheer Cale up a little. It was unhealthy to be so serious all the time.)
The old servant was looking at him like he was looking at his own grandson.
Kim Rok Soo flinched. He never realized Ron still looked at him like that even after all those years.
Now, without always being at least tipsy or hungover, he could see the look in his eyes clearly.
He only slightly missed the days he could drink without care, only focused on destroying his reputation—before everyone left him. Whether it be voluntarily or by death, everyone always left in the end.
Back then—when he was still Cale Henituse—he had been broken and lonely. He had already lost his mother, then lost his father to grief.
(A part of him would never forgive Deruth for abandoning him.)
Back then, while it hurt to lose everything, he thought he could persevere.
He had Beacrox, who he saw as an older brother. He had Ron, who he thought cared for him like a father or grandpa. It wasn't so bad when he had people to spend time with.
(Even if he would never see his father. He knew it was painful for Deruth to see how much he looked like his beloved mother. So aside from trying to comfort him, Cale stayed away. If only so he didn't have to see the look in his eyes.)
That was until his Father brought home a woman and child. It hadn't even been too long after his beloved mother, Jour, had died.
How was he supposed to replace his mother with a woman he didn't know?
Then he heard the gossip. Those bastard aunts and uncles who wouldn't stop making rumors about Basen and Violan.
While Cale hadn't gotten to know them, he knew even then that it wasn't right for a child to bear the fault of the parents. Maybe if his father could address the rumors, embarrass the perpetrators where they stood, Basen wouldn't have been so meek.
So Cale tried. He scolded Basen, telling him to stand tall as a proud member of the Henituse family.
That didn't do much at all. So he came up with a dumb plan to take all the attention off of them, and make those stupid people keep an eye on him instead.
That was his downfall.
He ruined both himself and his relationships.
Beacrox hated him, because of his stupid act of pretending to hate his food.
(That wasn't true. Beacrox's food was truly the best.)
With that, Ron became more of a servant once more—unable to stand the child who insulted his son.
While he had Amiru, Eric, and Gilbert for a while—the trash act soon pushed them away too.
His only solace was the massive amounts of alcohol he downed everyday, trying to will himself into forgetting the pain and loneliness.
(At least he had waited til 15 to start drinking, not that anyone cared.)
Then Ron and Beacrox left after that stupid protagonist beat him up.
Then he lost his family once again, due to the never ending war.
And so he focused on rage. He funded the war effort, even when things were hopeless after the White Star revealed himself and Adin betrayed them all.
When that wasn't enough, he personally went to fight as a soldier. He had some talent in weapons, and by the time of his death he had been able to produce aura smoke.
Even if it had all been for nothing. At least he could say he helped with everything he could at the time.
Even if it meant he had to lose everything to get his shit together.
(But he was only a child when he started his act. He wasn't supposed to have so much resting on his shoulders.
Why hadn't anyone helped?)
Kim Rok Soo snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the screen continue. He could see Cale looking at him with concern—likely noticing the signs of record—but he didn't want to burden anyone else with his memories.
Maybe some other time he'd open up about what he went through.
“Yes. That is your name, young master. I’m guessing you are still a bit drunk.”
Listening to the concerned response of the old man, the man naturally thought about a name that was even more important than the name Cale Henituse.
Kim Rok Soo brushed off the painful memories, deciding to joke around if only to get Cale to stop glancing at him with concern.
"Hey Cale, what do you mean by more important than the person you're now in the body of?"
Cale stared blankly at him, easily seeing through his laughing facade.
..He decided to let it slide this once. He knew the burden of painful memories.
Cale sighed, "You know what I mean. You read those books too." He crossed his arms, now leaning onto Lee Soo Hyuk, who was gazing at him with a soft smile.
The three of Cale's kids were now on the back of the couch they were sharing, peeking over his head to watch the screen.
“…Beacrox.”
“Are you talking about my son?”
“…Chef.”
“Yes. My son is the chef. Do you need him to make something for your hangover?”
The man felt his surroundings turn dark and he started to feel dizzy. He lowered his head and put it into his hand.
Alberu snorted inelegantly, "So now you're finally phased?" He wasn't concerned with holding up his princely image, not if the people in this room were going to see him shed that image through various moments with Cale.
On the plus side, that meant he could tease his dongsaeng more.
Cale just glanced at him with a deadpan face, as if wondering why he said something so obvious.
(He didn't notice his hyungs staring at Alberu curiously.)
“Young master, are you still drunk? Should I call the doctor? Or will you wash right now?”
The man looked at the red hair that was falling in front of his face. It was a bright red color, much too different from his original black hair.
Cale Henituse. Beacrox. Beacrox’s dad, Ron.
They were the characters that appeared at the beginning of [The Birth of a Hero], the novel the man was reading before he fell asleep last night.
"..Unlucky bastard. You didn't have any warning at all?" Eruhaben was speaking in an oddly guilty tone.
Cale would normally question why a dragon would speak in such a tone, but he was tired. He knew Eruhaben needed to pull his thoughts together before any sort of apology could happen.
(The pride of a dragon truly is a dangerous thing.)
"No. I was thrown into another world without warning." He sighed for the millionth time that day. "I hadn't even finished reading the novel series."
"Mm." Kim Rok Soo looked guilty, "Sorry about that. I don't understand why he didn't at least warn you."
Cage interjected from in front of them, "Knowing that bastard god, he was likely too lazy."
They all sighed in frustration.
"If it helps, you probably wouldn't have liked the story dongsaeng." Jung Soo had a sad look in his eyes, occasionally glancing at his uncle.
That reminded Cale that Jung Soo knew how the story ended. Likely knowing just how much of a tragedy it was.
Cale grumbled, suddenly in a bad mood. "Whatever. It was inaccurate anyways."
With that worrying statement, the screen continued.
He jerked his head up and looked around. He could see the bedroom that was completely different from a typical Korean design. It made the man think about Europe. Every single thing in the room was extremely extravagant and luxurious.
Rosalyn perked up curiously, "Young master, what is Europe?"
Lee Soo Hyuk looked over the head of Cale, deciding to answer this one for him. "Europe is another continent from our home world."
Raon finally took his eyes off the screen, loudly asking his question. "You guys along with Strong Choi Han are from a place called Korea, right?!"
He nodded, "Yes, we come from a country named Korea. The four—well, five including Kim Rok Soo over there—of us are Korean."
Rosalyn took notes, while Raon decided to just memorize what he could.
If his human could memorize thousands of books, he could memorize everything important about his human!
(There was nothing unimportant about his human, of course. Raon just wanted to learn more about the man who had saved him.)
Meanwhile, Alberu and Choi Han glanced at each other. They had noticed that instead of Cale answering any questions, it seemed that Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo would answer for him.
They agreed with this idea. It would let Cale rest, and so they decided to help when they could too.
“Young master?”
The man responded to Ron, the old man who was pretending to be concerned and worried.
Ron silently sighed.
He remembered what day this was. The day his puppy young master had strangely begun to be more respectful.
Ron wanted to be angry with himself for never realizing, but the original Cale had distanced himself long before that day. He had only hoped that the puppy had finally grown out of throwing tantrums over unimportant things, he hadn't expected that he had switched with a different person altogether.
Glancing over to the person now known as Kim Rok Soo, Ron wondered just what happened in the original timeline for him to change so much.
(It hurt to realize that he had never noticed his charge was only acting the entire time.
In hindsight, it was obvious. The former Cale Henituse had changed far too drastically after his mothers death for it to be anything but an act.
Hell, he only noticed now because of how much Kim Rok Soo reflected his old self from before Jour died. No anger at the world, no anger at his family, and no excessive drinking. He hadn’t even touched the wine bottle on the table in front of him when his past self would’ve immediately downed it.
Ron knew it was his own fault for never noticing. He was an assassin, and decades older than the original Cale. He should have known.
Not to mention he had failed his new charge too. He shouldn't have been so overbearing.
With one charge he was too lenient, with the other he was too protective.
What was the middle ground?)
“Cold water.”
“Excuse me?”
He needed something to clear his mind. He could see the face of Cale Henituse in the mirror behind old man Ron.
‘Still looks normal.’
‘I guess Cale hasn’t been beaten to a pulp by the main character just yet. ‘
"Main Character?" Lily curiously tilted her head.
Kim Rok Soo flinched in remembrance.
Cale remained silent, knowing the screen would soon show who the main character was. Or, used to be. Considering apparently he was the main character this time.
'Haa.. my poor life.'
His handsome face caught his attention.
"Oh?" Kim Rok Soo teased, "Handsome huh?"
Cale nodded. "Mm. Thanks for the face I guess."
The man had become Cale Henituse when he opened his eyes.
Cale Henituse. The trash who was beaten to a pulp by the main character in the beginning of [The Birth of a Hero]. That was who he was.
“Young master, I presume you will not be bathing in cold water. Are you asking for drinking water?”
Cale turned his gaze toward Ron. Ron may be pretending to be a benign old man, but he was actually hiding his true identity as a cruel and vicious individual.
"Very vicious." Bud muttered, before downing another bottle.
Glenn just sighed from next to him, grabbing a bottle for himself. 'If you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em.'
He made the request to Ron.
“Please get me some drinking water.”
He needed to drink some cold water and clear his mind first.
“I will prepare it right away.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Ron flinched for a second and had an odd expression on his face, but Cale did not notice it
.
Kim Rok Soo facepalmed, 'Ha… My former reputation really won't last long.'
Ron had to leave the bedroom as there was only warm water in the room. Once he was left alone, Cale got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. If he really was inside of the novel, he knew that there should be a large mirror inside.
As expected, the full body mirror was inside the bathroom. Cale Henituse, who had a lot of interest in his appearance and physique, had this mirror set up in here. Nobody else in the household had such a mirror.
Cale hummed, "Huh. Why were you the only one with a mirror like that?"
Kim Rok Soo had an embarrassed look on his face, refusing to answer.
Choi Jung Soo snickered. He remembered the times Kim Rok Soo would admire his new face.
..Not that he could blame him. It was a very attractive face.
The man in the mirror had red hair and a pretty fit body. It wouldn’t be wrong to say he had a body that would make any style look good.
"Mm. Thanks for the body, I guess."
"Thank the bastard god for sending you in the first place."
…
"Hell no."
“I really am Cale.”
The man in the mirror indeed was Cale Henituse from the novel. [The Birth of a Hero] was very descriptive about each of the character’s appearance. That was why the man had no choice but to agree that he had indeed turned into Cale Henituse.
Do people usually become calmer when they are surprised and shocked? Cale, no, Kim Rok Soo, calmly thought about the night before.
"Huh? Calmer? Who the hell gets calmer in this situation?" Bud blurted.
Glenn smacked his head, "Obviously, Cale Henituse does."
(Cale Henituse was an enigma they all wanted to get to know better.)
It was a typical day off. It had been a while since he had read an actual book instead of on his phone, so he went to the library to check out some books. He borrowed the entire series since he planned to read all day long.
Everyone leaned forward, curious about the world Cale had come from. This was something those from Korea didn't fail to notice.
Cale glanced at his hyungs on either side of him, silently having a conversation.
The name of that book was, of course, [The Birth of a Hero]. He managed to finish the fifth volume before he fell asleep. But when he woke up, he had turned into Cale Henituse, the individual that the main character mercilessly beat up in volume 1.
‘Will things go the way they did in the novel?’
Kim Rok Soo leaned back, "I hope not. I'm glad so many things changed."
Mary turned to stare at him, having heard what he said. “Young Master Kim Rok Soo, if you didn’t know what happened after the switch, how can you tell so much has changed?”
She was honestly a little suspicious of this Kim Rok Soo, but she’d trust him if Cale did. She could see many of the others in agreement with her. They always followed Cale’s lead.
“Mm.” He hesitated for a moment, but not for the reasons many in the room thought. He could tell that some people were either suspicious or curious about him, and he couldn’t blame them.
So, instead of getting into all the gory details or lying, he’d keep it simple.
“I can tell because many in this room were dead by the time of my own death.” He quickly glanced at his family, and a few others.
Alberu, Cage, Taylor, Bud, Glenn… So many people he had known or only briefly had a chance to meet before the final battle. So many in this room were dead.
(Although he was confused on why the hell Clopeh was here.
..He would trust Cale’s judgement on that one.)
'It seems like only tragedy awaited a future without Cale.' Eruhaben tiredly sighed.
That made him pause. He knows he likely would've passed peacefully in isolation, or he could've been hunted by the White Star.
Just more reasons to be both grateful and guilty.
Silently, he resolved himself to think before acting impulsively. It’s what he should’ve done from the start.
He felt unnaturally calm. Once he got past the point of shock, his mind had calmed back down. He started to remember the contents of volume 1.
[The Birth of a Hero.]
This novel was about the birth of the heroes in the Western and Eastern continents, as well as their trials and growth. The main character was, naturally, Korean. He was a student who had been transported into the world when he was a freshman in high school. Furthermore, his lifespan became as long as a dragon’s lifespan, making him pretty much never age.
"..Never age?" Rosalyn curiously mused, tilting her head.
Lock turned to Choi Han, wondering if knowing this would hurt him. He was shocked to see his hyung with a soft smile on his face—as if he was content.
Choi Han had made peace in his decision. He never wanted Raon to be alone, and he also knew the majority of his newfound family would pass before then.
'-Strong Choi Han! We'll never be alone as long as we have each other!'
He was glad he made the choice to live on with Raon. They would pass together in peace.
He would never regret his decision to offer his extra years in exchange for saving the one who gave him hope.
Cale sighed. He wanted to get angry, but he reminded himself that it was Choi Han's choice.
(He knew what it was like to be the last man standing. He was grateful Choi Han made the choice he did. He was also extremely happy to know that his son Raon wouldn't ever be alone with Choi Han around.)
Cale snapped out of his thoughts when his hyungs both nudged his sides, likely wondering if he was alright.
He sighed once again, "I'm okay."
They both looked at him with concern, but let it be for now. They wouldn’t push him to say anything he didn’t want to when he was so tired.
“… This is bad?”
He was going to be beaten into a pulp by such a person. The important thing, however, was that he had not been beaten up just yet.
Kim Rok Soo snorted, "Very true."
Cale took his eyes off the mirror and walked into the tub that was full of warm water. He leaned against the tub and looked up at the ceiling. It was that expensive marble that was described in the novel. The estate that Cale lived in was actually full of marble.
Cale started to mumble as he looked toward the ceiling.
“It’s not like there’s much I’ll miss.”
Everyone in the theatre flinched.
Now they understood just why he was so calm after waking up in a different body—he apparently had nothing to stay for in his previous world.
..They wondered why that was the case. Cale had built such a large family in this world, so what happened in his past as Kim Rok Soo?
(They were all extremely curious—wondering just what happened to make Cale the way he was—but they also knew that that was why they were there in the first place.
They would be patient. They would let Cale show himself to them at his own pace.
They owed him that much, and more.)
Cale sank down on the couch they were on, leaning even more onto Lee Soo Hyuk. Jung Soo leaned onto him, making it seem like there was no end or beginning to where they were all tangled together.
Strangely, he wasn't all too sad about what had happened.
He knew the person now known as Kim Rok Soo would take better care of his former team members. They would have someone who could actually bond with them. Someone who hadn't closed himself off to everyone after losing his family.
He was glad. Especially now that he had gotten his hyungs back now too.
With that thought on his mind, Cale tugged the people on either side of him even closer. He would never let go of them again.
Both of them clutched onto him in turn, and he knew they were all in sync as always.
His life as Kim Rok Soo. There really wasn’t much to it. He was an orphan and didn’t have much money. He also didn’t have a person he loved to death, nor a friend he would give his life to save. He only continued to live because he could not die.
Yes, he could not die.
Lee Soo Hyuk flinched in regret, he knew that this was partially because of the last order he had given Cale.
Cale silently pinched him. He refused to let his team leader feel guilty for something that wasn’t his fault.
Lily raised her hand like she was in class, "Orabeoni, what do you mean you couldn't die?"
He glanced at her, "..I had promised someone I would keep going." With that, he went silent once more.
Due to the cryptic answer, everyone could gather that Cale had obviously lived a very difficult life before the transmigration.
It seemed like he had been alone in a ruined world.
Meanwhile, Kim Rok Soo was baffled. Didn't have too much money?? Hello?? The same man that had an unholy amount of money???
There was a reason he had no problem adopting his niece. That money was part of said reason.
He completely hated the thought of death or pain. He became an orphan after both of his parents passed away from a car accident when he was little.
Violan tightly grasped her husband's hand, anguished at the thought that her newfound son had lived such a tragic life.
But then again, there had to be a reason Cale was such a good commander. Violan had always known that ever since that fateful day, Cale seemed wise beyond his years.
He didn’t like pain or death. No matter what it was, even if he was rolling in a pile of dog shit, it was still better than being dead.
Bud choked on his alcohol, before wheezing. “..Is this the same Cale we know-” Then he froze. He could feel his friend glaring at him, but even more terrifyingly, he could feel the glare of many dragons.
Bud decided to just shut up.
Cale glanced back at the dragon table gratefully, earning a guilty nod back.
Eruhaben had obviously noticed the new people answering questions for Cale.
While silently lamenting, he had made the decision to shut up anyone who would badger Cale about certain decisions himself, in order to help his child anyway he could.
The other dragons followed his lead.
They didn’t need to scold Cale any longer, not after knowing how much the lack of trust had hurt him.
It was the least they owed.
‘For that reason, I need to first make sure I don’t get beaten up.’
Cale did not know what day it was in the novel right now, but he was sure that he had not met with the main character just yet. The reason was simple.
‘I don’t have the scar on my side.’
Cale Henituse, the trash of Count Henituse’s family. A few days before meeting the main character, Cale was drinking and causing a ruckus. He was flinging things around and got stabbed on his side by a broken desk leg, resulting in the scar.
What an interesting character. He didn’t get the scar from fighting someone else. He got it because he got angry that the alcohol didn’t taste good and threw a tantrum. He meets the main character a few times after he gets the scar, and, in a refreshing cider-like scene, gets beaten to a pulp.
Kim Rok Soo flushed. 'Ha.. I was such an arrogant kid.'
Deruth reminisced on those days. The days he was always concerned for his child, but never knowing how to reach out. Now.. he needed to apologize and do better.
With that silent resolve, he began to pay attention once more.
(He wondered, would that be enough to atone for how much he had failed Kim Rok Soo?)
“Mm.”
Cale crossed his arms and started to think.
He did not know what happened to Cale after getting beaten to a pulp in volume 1. All he knew was that the main character, Choi Han, has many fateful encounters and overcomes a lot of trials to grow into a hero along with his party members.
Thus the era for him to prove that he is a hero will begin. The Roan Kingdom that Cale currently lives in, as well as many other locations in the Eastern and Western continents, will be filled with war. It truly will turn into the time for the heroes to show their full potential.
Jung soo buried his head into his dongsaengs shoulder, before muttering, "That's not what happened to uncle at all..."
Cale sighed, patting his head, "I know that now."
"At least everyone seems happy now. That future didn't come to pass." Lee Soo Hyuk reassured them.
"Mm. True."
Cale started to frown. Kim Rok Soo, the man who became Cale. His life motto was pretty simple.
Living long without pain. Enjoying the small joys of life.
Living a peaceful life.
“… As long as I make the story proceed like normal while taking out the fact that I get beaten up, the main character will take care of the rest.”
Everyone thankfully stayed quiet with a certain dragon's glare watching over them.
Taylor silently made a toast to Cale, thankful to him for changing what would've likely been war and slaughter.
For some odd reason, he could recall every single line in the book without any issue. Cale relaxed in the warm water while coming to a final conclusion with his now clear head.
Roan tilted his head, "Human! I thought you had known you had Record from the start?"
Cale leaned back to softly pat his scales, "No. I had the theory I did, but I hadn't known for sure."
"Oh Okay!"
“It’s worth trying.”
It was worth trying to avoid the continent’s war and living peacefully. This trash’s situation was much better than when he was Kim Rok Soo. The location of this estate was also in the corner of the Western Continent, making it an ideal location to avoid the war. In the novel itself, there were many nobles who managed to avoid the influences of war. Even if he could not completely avoid it, he should be able to at least reduce the damages to a minimum.
“Young master, are you inside the bathroom?”
He could hear Ron’s voice coming from outside. Cale thought about Ron’s true identity. Ron was an assassin who crossed over from the Eastern Continent by sea. He pretended to be a benign old man, but the true Ron was a cruel and merciless man.
Ron silently played with his knives.
He had nothing to say to the narration, considering it was true.
“Yes. I’ll be right out.”
His natural response was to talk informally to the old man. Cale realized what he was doing and made up his mind about what to do in the future.
He needed to push that old man to the main character and send him away.
Ron stopped the movement of his knives, before grinning and looking to Cale, 'Oh? Send me away?'
That old man could easily kill Cale with a single blow, but treated Cale like a puppy you left alone because you felt bad for it. He was smiling gently, but there was not an ounce of care about Cale on the inside. In the novel, Ron leaves with the main character and his son after Choi Han beats Cale to a pulp.
That made Ron stop smiling.
While it was true he hadn't been close to his previous young master, he had still cared.
Glancing over to Kim Rok Soo, Ron saw a blank look on his face—likely agreeing to the narration.
He sighed, before placing his smiling facade back on.
This was just another of many misunderstandings he needed to clear. He resolved himself to speaking with Kim Rok Soo as soon as possible.
At least now Ron knew why his current young master had been so focused on sending him away with that rabid dog.
Cale put the bathrobe on as he quickly exited the bathroom. Ron was standing there with a smile on his face and a tray with a cup in his hands.
“Young master, here you go.”
Cale picked up the cup and walked past the old man. He did not want to make eye contact with such a dangerous old man.
“Great, thanks.”
Ron’s expression turned odd once again, but Cale had already walked past him. Cale took a drink of the cold water as he started to think.
Kim Rok Soo facepalmed, 'Aigoo.. My poor reputation."
Jung Soo chuckled, "You really are too nice for your own good sometimes."
Lee Soo Hyuk nodded, obviously agreeing.
Cale just tilted his head, confused. There was nothing wrong with expressing basic courtesy.
‘There are too many strong people here.’
In fact, there were too many of them. No matter where the main character went, there were either strong individuals or individuals with hidden secrets. These individuals were both human and other races.
Lee Soo Hyuk laughed, "And you somehow managed to at least ally with nearly every single powerful person there."
"Shut up." Cale grumbled.
‘I at least need the strength to protect myself.’
In order to live long without pain in the continent that will soon be filled with war, you needed a decent level of strength. Of course, you could not be too strong. Then other complicated things will happen.
Cale thought about the different fateful encounters that occurred in the beginning parts of the novel. The powers that strengthen the main character and his party members. He was thinking about the ones that would help him live long without pain. There were a couple that came to mind. He just needed to pick one of them.
-Oh! Cale, is this when you decided to find me?
'Yes, glutton. That's when I first decided to collect you.'
“Young master, we will start to dress you now.”
“Oh, right. Thanks.”
The door soon opened and couple servants entered to help Ron dress Cale. Cale did not notice that Ron had a stoic expression unlike his usual self as he looked at the clothes the servants were bringing in.
Kim Rok Soo sighed, already giving up on his former reputation. At least he had a new, fun one now.
“Ah, something simple today.”
He hated really complicated attires. Simple clothes that let you relax comfortably were the best.
"You really needed new clothes. All you wore was black."
"You can't see blood on black."
"..True."
…Suddenly everyone was concerned.
“Yes, young master.”
The servant in charge of the attires quickly pulled out some simple clothes and Cale changed into the simplest of them all. He lightly frowned after finishing getting dressed. Even this, ‘simple,’ attire was extremely extravagant and not to his liking.
However, the reflection in the mirror was quite handsome.
‘He really is handsome and makes any clothes look good.’
The face really was the final piece to fashion. He looked in the mirror and fixed his sleeves before turning around to look at Ron.
Kim Rok Soo laughed, "You really do like that body, huh?"
Cale just shrugged, "It's a nice body."
Ron was once again smiling like a gentle old man.
“Ron, let’s go.”
“Yes, young master.”
As the screen faded to black, everyone noticed a small light coming from where Cale was sitting.
Looking back, they saw that Cale was holding a.. Mirror?
Cale silently tapped on the mirror, noticing that he could also apparently communicate with the bastard on it. Ignoring that, he scrolled through the 'arcs' that he could pick from, silently wondering what he should show next.
"..Team leader, should we show them what happened to our previous world yet?"
Lee Soo Hyuk thought for a moment, before he shook his head. "We should ease them into it."
Jung Soo peeked at the screen, "How about we watch how and where you got your Ancient Powers first? Then we can ease them into the bad stuff."
"Human! Hyung and Noona have always wanted to see what they missed every time you came back with an Ancient Power!" Raon butted in.
On and Hong nodded in agreement.
Cale glanced up at everyone else in the room, studying their curious faces.
He sighed, "Alright. We can do that, then we'll take a break." He tapped on the mirror, and the screen up front lit up again.