Chapter 5

"Am I not an experienced one?"

The Will of the Earth.

In a sense, these beings are quite close to the vague imagination of gods. Not only do they exist, but they can also grant humans the power to avoid hardships.

If you make a mistake, you will truly understand what it means to be utterly ruined, both in body and mind. This is the Will of the Earth after the apocalypse.

Now, such a Will of the Earth has declared that it will stand completely on the side of humans. If that's the case, can't we have hope for life after the apocalypse?

"That's right. Hehe. Then, shall we stop the banter here? Let's move on to business?"

"Business...?"

"Why did I choose to possess this child's body 'today' to meet you?"

Indeed. Why did you do that? You almost gave me a heart attack. You should have at least warned me before coming out.

"Listen. It won't harm you. First, let me make it clear by swearing on my existence: I was against the annihilation of the human race from the beginning."

Then, I can feel a bit more at ease, right? Well, just because I was in charge of positive karma doesn't mean I'm a good being.

"Shall I tell you more about the past? To be clear, we are not gods. We each have our own domain. We are not gods, but we can handle certain powers within limited fields. You know that, right?"

I know. That's why it's not the Will of the Earth, but the Wills of the Earth.

"Occasionally, there are miraculous cases where people with cancer recover and survive. It's all due to the whims of the Will of the Earth in charge of healing. That child is quite soft-hearted."

Ugh. Just hearing the word 'cancer' makes my stomach hurt. I have one too, a big one.

"Right. The one you have. Let me give you another example. Sometimes humans die suddenly, even though they were healthy the day before. Yes, there's a Will of the Earth in charge of death. So, what do you think I am in charge of?"

It was a sudden appearance, but there were a few hints. The stance against the annihilation of humans and the unexpectedly large reward.

"God of Wealth...?"

"Oh! Yes! Yes! You're smart! Different from what you thought, right?"

If you're smart, you're just smart. What's the difference from what you thought?

"An Awakened person with the power to create a shelter, and in the apocalypse, you ended up lying in bed for ten years. How did I feel about that?"

Ah, yes. I'm the biggest fool. And it's not ten years, but 9 years, 5 months, and 11 days.

"Well, it's fortunate. Your foolishness was opposed by some Wills of the Earth. After all, I paid the full price for this 'insurance.' Their opinions don't matter. It's all up to me!"

I couldn't understand most of it, but I get that there are Wills of the Earth that don't look favorably upon me.

"Right. That's not important. We don't have much time. Let me briefly explain the current situation. Where should I start...? Ah! Right! Let's start with the situation before your regression. At that time, the Earth was dying."

"Really?"

"Like all living things, planets have an end, and dimensions can also disappear. The problem was that the Earth's decline was accelerating. The Wills of the Earth had to gather. They investigated why this was happening."

"Because of humans?"

"Bingo. The Human Annihilation Project was underway."

Ah... humans again.

"Alright. Let's continue. The funny thing is, the Wills of the Earth couldn't directly kill humans. The human population was already too large. 7.6 billion. If we acted 'directly,' the karma would be too much to bear."

Ah, negative karma.

Killing 7.6 billion humans would result in about 760 billion?

"Right. You're familiar with it. When a human kills another human, they get about 100 units of negative karma. You might think it's just 760 billion, but that's not the case. Killing a human is considered a form of genocide, which is relatively cheap. For a being like us with powers, directly killing a subordinate species we coexist with would result in millions of times more negative karma."

Millions of times? Not just thousands, but millions of times?

"Right. Multiples. If we kill a human, we accumulate millions of negative karma. In special cases, it might be different."

Roughly, if we calculate 1 million per person, killing 7.5 billion people would result in 7.5 quadrillion negative karma.

"But is that the end? No. It's not just killing a few people but exterminating an entire species. So, it would require even more, perhaps tens of millions of times more."

Wow? Then it would be in the trillions, maybe even quadrillions. I don't know if I should consider this fortunate.

"That's why we decided to outsource it. To beings who don't care about karma, or rather, who want to accumulate negative karma."

"Really?"

Can such beings exist? Karma and karma are not something you can choose to care about or not.

"Such beings exist. Their souls are so corrupted that they seek only stimulation. You've seen them, right? Familiar, right?"

Ah. Ah. Those damn monsters.

The human race didn't perish because of zombies. It was because of these bizarre monsters. They didn't just infect or eat humans.

'Sigh.'

"Let's settle this when we meet again. The decision was made to exterminate the human race by outsourcing it to the Earth. Not everyone agreed. As I mentioned, I was also against it."

That makes sense. The Wills of the Earth are as unique as their names, with strong personalities and different domains.

"But as you might have guessed, my opinion was overruled. The power of the God of Wealth is strong in human society. You probably thought I opposed it because of that. Even though my power was among the strongest among the Wills of the Earth, I couldn't stop it."

Well, in the past, it might have been different, but now, in this world, one of the greatest forces determining a human's status is money.

"But that's not the main reason I opposed it. Wealth. Handling wealth made me sensitive to trends. I intuitively knew that such a radical and unsafe contract would inevitably cause problems. That's why I opposed it."

That's true. Those madmen didn't just kill humans; they made the Earth's environment the worst it could be. Breathing became a risk, and drinking water required caution.

"So, I decided to take out insurance. It was obvious that a crisis was coming, so there was no reason not to."

"Was the regression the insurance?"

"No. More precisely, I made this child my disciple. When other Wills of the Earth began to recognize the severity of the situation, you were chosen as the solution."

Me? Why me?

"You're foolish but kind. You're also strong and have excellent adaptability. You were capable enough to awaken early in the disaster, protect children, and grow a shelter. Your only flaw is that you trust people too much and are overly kind. But that won't be the case anymore, right?"

"Of course."

You trusted people. To efficiently manage the people who gathered due to your unique ability and the only 'large-scale' safe zone in Seoul, you thought it was best to assign tasks based on their strengths.

Politics to politicians, administration to administrators, and security to police or military personnel.

And I was betrayed. By politicians, administrators, and security forces. A knife was stabbed into my spine.

"Right. So, it was decided to center the regression around you."

"Really? If we're going to regress, why not go back to before the contract or outsourcing? Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

"Tsk tsk. You're still foolish. Under the auspices of the karma system, how could I, one of the Wills of the Earth, violate a contract we directly made with another Will of the Earth? No matter how strong I am among the Wills of the Earth?"

Ah, yes. How would I know? I'm just a human.

"You're right. I didn't think of that. I'll cancel the 'foolish' comment."

Nodding solemnly, she looks like a typical annoying younger sister. So annoying that I want to punch her.

"No. Anyway, the day you regressed was the day we made the contract. The moment you regressed, I automatically knew. I knew that the contract was a fraud, a lie. It took a few days to understand and acknowledge our mistake."

So, you came to me today, on Monday?

"Right. And ironically, thanks to this, we now have a clear distinction between allies and enemies. It was a very important issue, even if minimal."

Huh? Just me?

"Right. Just you. But 'just' is not the right word. I will watch over you, and my disciple will be with you. Thanks to the insurance, I'm now the strongest! You can be proud."

"Ah, yes."

Her bold declaration didn't move me much. I was planning to die right after regressing. If this time is just going to be more suffering, I'll just die before it starts.

"Really? Can't you?"

"Can't what? Die? Should I go up to a building right now and jump?"

"Then what about the children you cherish? And this child, Yuda-yeon?"

Her cheerful, nonchalant threat made my mind as cold as ice, without me even realizing it. I can confidently say that this change in me is not because I'm afraid of the God of Wealth's threat.

It's a physical reaction when I'm truly angry. The angrier I get, the more calm and focused I become. My mind, as if dipped in ice water, clears of all distractions and focuses on one problem. My vision narrows, unable to look away.

So,

"Ah. I'm so pissed off."

I'm angry now. So angry that it's happened less than ten times in my life.

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Hello, I'm Shimhaeng.

Thank you for visiting today.

I healed your body. No, I awakened you.

So,

"Ah. I'm so pissed off."

I'm angry now. So angry that it's happened less than ten times in my life.

"The children? It's a shame. What can you do? When the apocalypse starts, many will die. It can't be helped. Yuda-yeon? She was a grateful child. So what? Now, are you threatening me with the children you were protecting in this damn apocalypse?"

Naturally, the words that came out of my mouth lost any filter for a higher being like the Will of the Earth.

"......"

"Are you aware of how fucked up this situation is? Did I have any say or participation in that contract? Did I just go along with it? No! You did it! You made the mess and now you want me to clean it up?!! Ha! Fuck! Do whatever you want. I'm going to die anyway. We can all die together, holding hands."

"You."

"What! I'm going to die anyway. Does it matter if I speak informally? Shit? Then kill me. Why? Can't you? Then I'll kill myself. Are you going to stop me from committing suicide? Go ahead. I'm going to die next August anyway. For the next 8 months, I'll just live it up."

Yuda-yeon's face, possessed by the God of Wealth, hardened. Honestly, there was no need to be so scared on the first day of regression. Maybe back then, I was saying I'd die, but deep down, I wanted to live.

But now, everything is just a hassle.

Frankly, who are you taking out your anger on after being scammed?

The Earth is dying because of humans? So what?!

The Earth is 4.5 billion years old. Isn't that a long life? If you wanted to live longer and made a mess, you should clean it up!

Trying to shift the blame by saying it's actually your fault?

"......"

"......"

An uncomfortable silence fell between Yuda-yeon and me. Neither of us, nor the God of Wealth, expected this atmosphere when we left the house this morning.

"Let's get up. Let's not see each other again. It's uncomfortable for both of us."

I had no reason to endure this uncomfortable silence. I pushed the chair roughly and stood up.

"And one more thing. Be ashamed! Higher beings are a pain in the ass."

Spitting out these one-sided words, which I truly wanted to say before the regression, I left the cafe.

"Damn!"

I muttered, spitting out my frustration, which I couldn't clearly define.

My mouth tasted bitter. Was it because of the disappointment in a being I trusted, or because of my own disgust, or because of the cancer in my body? I couldn't tell.

Seeing my car in the paid parking lot, I thought, "Yuda-yeon's belongings are still at home," but I didn't care.

I felt like smoking a cigarette, something I had never done and hated the smell of.

I didn't go straight home. I couldn't. My head was hot and cold with undefined anger, and I felt like I could kill anyone who picked a fight with me. So, I drove aimlessly.

Wandering around Seoul, I parked on Bukaks Skyway in Samcheong-dong and sat in a quiet spot, taking in the night view of Seoul.

The winter night view of Seoul, sparkling like stars, will be a sight I won't see in a few months.

"Phew. You're young, Yohan."

A normal person wouldn't feel at ease after lashing out at someone unilaterally. I, being foolish but kind, as the Wills of the Earth would say, would feel even worse.

"Damn! Why is it so cold?"

There was no point in acting like a fool here, and I felt a sense of despair.

"Let's go home."

After a long time of being outside, I arrived at my house, and there,

"Huh?"

Yuda-yeon, wearing the clothes I bought her and looking exactly as she did when she left the house this morning, was squatting and waiting.

"Brother..."

It was clear she had been crying. Her eyes were swollen, and her face was covered in tear marks. Seeing her pitiful face, I felt more compassion than anger or frustration.

"Did you eat?"

It was frustrating.

"Sniff. Not yet."

"Let's go in. We need to eat first."

But Yuda-yeon fidgeted with her hands and didn't come in. That was strange.

"I told you the password. Why are you out here? It's cold."

"Do you hate me? Brother? Can I stay with you...?"

"No, I don't hate you."

"But! The God of Wealth!"

"Enough. I was also very emotional earlier. It's cold. You'll catch a cold. Come in quickly."