Chapter 3: Dream (1)

As he looked at the red status window floating before him, Joo-Heon frowned.

‘Crow, was this your doing? Are you bored? Do you want me to give you more work?’

His secretary relic, the Three-Legged Crow, looked bewildered.

[It wasn’t me.]

Of course it wasn’t.

Although she occasionally played pranks on her master, she would never do something so malicious.

That could only mean one thing.

This unknown system was testing him as Majesty.

Joo-Heon began reading the choices suspended before him one by one.

[Obedience]

— Register humanity as a resource for the relics.

— Humanity will become a colony and a source of nourishment for the relics, but the world will gain even greater power and prosperity.

— The Majesty and his bloodline will be guaranteed freedom and will forever receive the favor and protection of the relics.

In other words.

They would turn humans into livestock for the relics.

Then came the next option.

[Massacre]

— Grants the Majesty the authority of [Erase].

— You may personally eliminate criminals, enemies, or anyone you dislike in order to build your own utopia.

Yes.

At first glance, it seemed like a tempting offer.

But underneath it all, it was obvious that it was merely trying to push him into killing human beings.

And then.

[Abandonment]

— Maintain the current state.

— You will receive no protection from the relics, and humanity must face every calamity on its own.

That was no different from standing by and watching humanity be destroyed.

“…How disgusting.”

Joo-Heon let out a cold smile.

The three choices pretended to offer different paths.

But they all led to the same destination.

‘The extinction of humanity.’

And on top of that.

Whoever was behind this intended to use him as an accomplice in that massacre.

“What’s the point of obedience or massacre in a world where my child is about to be born?”

Joo-Heon looked away coldly.

“There’s no point in continuing this. So get lost.”

Then the message responded as though it were laughing.

[Postpone your decision? Very well. Though I believe you’ll end up regretting it.]

“…”

Was it joking?

All three choices led to humanity’s destruction, and it still expected him to choose one.

Joo-Heon slowly closed his eyes.

And when he opened them again.

He was no longer in his bedroom.

He was sitting in a place that was completely unfamiliar.

He couldn’t tell where the sky ended or where the ground began.

Everything around him was white.

Silent.

Then someone came running toward him.

Tap, tap, tap.

Light footsteps.

It was a little girl.

She had beautiful black hair and eyes exactly like Irene’s.

She looked about three years old.

With a radiant smile, she ran straight toward him without hesitation.

“Daddy!”

Joo-Heon’s entire body froze.

“…Daddy?”

He swallowed.

A strange sense of unreality washed over him.

“…We don’t even have a child yet.”

Then his eyes suddenly widened.

“It’s a girl! So we’re going to have a daughter!”

The little girl didn’t answer.

She simply wrapped her tiny hand tightly around one of his fingers and started walking.

Her hand was soft.

Small.

Warm.

A hand that had never once been touched by the world’s cruelty.

The feeling moved him so deeply that he instinctively realized he was dreaming.

And yet.

He didn’t want to let go of that warmth.

It was then—

Whoosh!

Without him willing it, Gungnir materialized in the air.

It was Joo-Heon’s weapon.

A terrifying Divine Grade relic capable of piercing an enemy’s heart even from the other side of the planet.

However.

Far from being frightened by the murderous aura radiating from Gungnir, the little girl climbed onto it as if it were a merry-go-round and began laughing happily.

The smile on her face was exactly the same smile Irene wore whenever she saw something truly beautiful.

‘More importantly… she’s handling a Divine Grade relic with complete ease.’

Any ordinary human would have been completely exhausted just by touching it.

Joo-Heon stood there, silently watching her smile for a long time.

For the first time.

He wished with all his heart that this smile truly existed in the world.

‘So this is what happiness feels like?’

But it lasted only a moment.

A thin golden thread began extending from the tips of the little girl’s fingers.

Her eyes began trembling violently.

“Daddy?”

It was no longer the cheerful voice from a moment ago.

It was the voice of a terrified little girl.

In the blink of an eye, the white world was stained a deep crimson.

The little girl’s body began to fall apart.

Starting from her feet.

Then her hands.

Her body shattered like glass, and the fragments were carried away by the wind.

With tears filling her eyes, she spoke as though an unavoidable force were dragging her away.

“…What am I going to do? *&%#…… They won’t let me!”

Bzzzt.

Static distorted her words.

But there was one sentence he heard with perfect clarity.

“Remember me. I have to be born and protect you, Daddy…”

It was her final cry.

Filled with tears.

Yet before she could even finish her sentence.

Her body shattered completely.

At that very instant, Joo-Heon felt an enormous void open within his chest.

As though something infinitely precious had just been taken away from him.

Then an intense pain pierced his mind.

“Haah…! Haah…!”

Joo-Heon bolted upright.

He was breathing heavily.

His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

His heart was pounding wildly.

It took him several seconds to regain his composure.

[What’s wrong? What’s wrong?]

[Are you okay? Are you okay?]

The Heavenly Rope drifted closer, affectionately rubbing against his face.

Beside him, Irene was still sleeping peacefully.

Yes.

Everything was peaceful.

Everything.

Except Joo-Heon.

***

The following morning, Joo-Heon took Irene to the hospital.

When she saw him asking for another examination barely a day later, Irene was the first to smile.

“You want them to examine us again?”

“Yes.”

“But they already confirmed it yesterday.”

“Just in case.”

Irene let out a soft giggle as she took Joo-Heon’s hand.

“It’s because of that strange dream you had yesterday, isn’t it?”

“……”

“It was only a dream. They say that when a woman is pregnant, she can have all kinds of dreams.”

Joo-Heon didn’t answer.

He wished it had only been a dream.

He wished Irene was right.

“Still, since we’re already here, let’s check again. Everything will be fine.”

Irene walked toward the reception desk first.

Joo-Heon watched her back for several seconds.

There was something that continued to trouble him.

The sensation that still lingered in the palm of his hand.

‘That couldn’t have been just a dream.’

But he forced the thought down.

Because Irene was smiling.

Because she said everything would be alright.

Inside the examination room, the doctor let out a chuckle as he prepared the equipment.

“Hahaha, but we just confirmed it yesterday. I see the future father is very worried.”

“I just want to check one more time.”

“Very well. I’m sure the baby will feel reassured seeing both Mommy and Daddy again.”

Irene lay back on the examination bed.

The doctor placed the ultrasound probe against her.

The monitor lit up.

Several seconds passed.

The doctor didn’t say a single word.

“…..Huh?”

Joo-Heon’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

The doctor adjusted the position of the probe.

He looked at the screen again.

Adjusted it once more.

“What’s wrong?”

The smile disappeared from Irene’s voice.

The doctor slowly lowered the probe.

“……The baby isn’t there.”

“What?”

“She was here yesterday. We saw her clearly… But she’s gone! There’s no medical explanation for something like this!”

Irene’s expression stiffened.

Joo-Heon remained completely silent.

The only thing that changed was the way he looked at the doctor.

His gaze became much sharper.

“Calm down and explain it properly.”

“I-I… We don’t understand what’s happening either. A case like this is medically…”

The doctor’s voice gradually faded away.

Barely managing to stay on her feet, Irene left the examination room while holding onto Joo-Heon’s arm.

Even after they returned home, it was obvious she was doing everything she could not to cry.

“I’m not going to cry.”

“I know.”

“I really mean it.”

“…I know.”

Joo-Heon pulled her tightly into his arms.

In the living room sat the gift box they had bought just the day before, right after confirming the pregnancy.

Inside the open box rested a tiny pair of baby shoes that no one would ever get to wear.

Joo-Heon clenched his teeth.

Someone who loses their parents is an orphan.

Someone who loses their husband or wife is given another name.

The world always finds words to describe loss.

But there is no word for someone who loses a child.

Not in any language.

Not in any culture.

Perhaps because no name is capable of containing that kind of pain.

Joo-Heon stood staring at those tiny shoes for a long time.

Then, as though struck by lightning, he walked to his room.

He opened a drawer and took out a relic.

[Eileithyia’s Thread (A Grade / Consumable Relic)]

— A relic left behind by the goddess of childbirth and life.

— Allows the user to detect the condition of the fetus by maintaining a connection with it.

In truth, there was a story behind that relic.

Not long ago, Julian had gone looking for Joo-Heon to scold him.

“Seo Joo-Heon. What the hell is this?”

“What? Did you go blind? It’s a relic.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. Why were you threatening a relic related to childbirth?”

Julian’s eyes widened.

He had been informed that Joo-Heon had threatened the relic of the goddess of childbirth in order to force her to give him a daughter.

“And why does it have to be a girl? Don’t tell me you’re one of those fathers obsessed with daughters.”

“No. I’d also like to have a son.”

“Then it doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter.”

Joo-Heon answered with a completely serious expression.

“But if I have a son who takes after me, the world will end.”

“……”

Julian remained silent for several seconds.

“…At least you’re aware of it.”

For one of the few times in his life, Joo-Heon spoke with genuine fear.

“If it’s a girl, maybe the world still has a chance.”

“Bah. If the child takes after his mother, even if it’s a boy, there won’t be any problem.”

“Irene is also the Queen of Bankruptcy.”

“……”

What a couple destined to bring about the end of the world.

In the end, Julian confiscated the relic.

Well.

Actually, he gave it back after Joo-Heon promised never to use it to threaten anyone again.

But that no longer mattered.

Joo-Heon gripped the relic tightly and activated it.

[Activating Eileithyia’s Thread.]

[Searching for target…]

Joo-Heon closed his eyes.

Please…

Don’t let the baby be dead.

Don’t let the baby be dead.

[Search complete.]

[Target: Still alive.]

Joo-Heon let out a deep sigh.

The baby was alive.

Knowing that alone was enough.

But then—

[It is a child who cannot be born.]

“What…?”

[The child has been transferred elsewhere.]

‘Elsewhere?’

A terrifying light flashed in Joo-Heon’s eyes.

His resolve to become a kind father hadn’t even lasted a single day.

But.

It didn’t matter.

Because kindness wasn’t what he needed right now.

‘Someone dared to lay a hand on my child.’

That was all he needed to know.

And one sentence kept repeating over and over in his mind.

[Postpone your decision? Very well. Though I believe you’ll end up regretting it.]

That red message from the previous day.

There was no other possible explanation.

It had to be the work of those damned relics.

‘So it was you?’

As if it had been waiting for him.

The red window appeared once again.

Ding!

[My, what a tragic disaster. Such a pity—and so frightening, isn’t it? Though this was only a small preview. From now on, far more horrifying disasters will continue to occur.]

Its tone overflowed with confidence.

As though it could read the thoughts of human beings perfectly.

[If Majesty chooses the policy he will follow even now, humanity can still be protected.]

[So, choose one of the three options—]

At the same time.

Joo-Heon let out a laugh.

“I suppose it never even crossed your mind that I might choose a fourth option.”

“…Huh?”