The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player Novel - Chapter 351
Chapter 351 – Meeting with Chronos
Min Do-jun went upstairs for a moment and came down with someone.
A handsome man with long hair and glasses. Although he seemed to be Chronos, it wasn’t certain just by his appearance. However, he could feel it. As soon as he saw him, an unknown energy began to stir.
‘Is this it? The remnant of Chronos’ power in my soul?’
It was a clearly different energy from divine power or Terra.
[I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Black Scythe. I am Chronos, the god of time. As you know, this is just a human form I’ve adopted.]
“……”
[You’re feeling a strange force in your body, aren’t you? Don’t worry. It’s just a reaction from the power source I implanted when it encounters similar energy.]
[Instead of standing and talking, why don’t we all sit down?]
Chronos, with a soft smile, sat on the sofa next to Min Do-jun. Immediately, Min Do-jun’s wife brought the tea she had prepared.
[Thank you.]
Chronos received it and drank without hesitation. He didn’t seem to distrust Min Do-jun, unlike him. But that didn’t put him at ease. He needed to calm down.
Slurp.
When Ryu Min finally drank the chamomile tea, Min Do-jun smiled and said:
[I told you you’d drink it.]
“Why is Chronos here?”
[I hid him so Gaia couldn’t find him. Here, he can evade the Akashic Record.]
“But according to Rubuahi, he learned of Min Do-jun’s existence through the Akashic Record…”
[That was a long time ago. Now it’s blocked, so they can’t see this place. It’s bothersome being watched from another dimension.]
“So Gaia must be suspecting something. The places the Akashic Record can’t track are limited.”
[Wow, you’re quite perceptive.]
Chronos, who had been listening quietly, exclaimed in admiration.
[It’s true, as Mr. Black Scythe said. My mother suspects I’ve hidden in this dimension. But she won’t allow the God of Slaughter to search the dimension, and without concrete proof, she hasn’t taken any action yet.]
“So they tried to use me to locate Chronos and get proof.”
[Exactly. But they don’t need proof. Once they determine my exact location, they can use my father’s help to pull me out immediately.]
“With Chaos’ help?”
[Yes. If they extract the power of time using Mr. Black Scythe as a sacrifice, they’ll be able to pinpoint my coordinates precisely, thanks to the nature of the power. Then, with my father’s help, who is skilled in spatial jumps, they’ll rescue me. That’s why my mother will try to ally with him, asking for his help to find me.]
The idea of the two most powerful primordial gods joining forces. What could be more desperate?
[But don’t worry. If they join, we can also join forces.]
“You want to join forces with me?”
[Yes. Please, Mr. Ryu Min, we need your help to destroy Chaos and Gaia.]
Ryu Min remained silent at Chronos’ proposal. For a son to suggest killing his parents. Wasn’t that total betrayal?
“Do you really want that? After all, they are still your parents.”
[Parents? It’s disgusting to call them that. How can you consider parents those who try to kill their child? They’re worse than beasts.]
Chronos’ eyes trembled with anger, showing how much he hated them.
[I accept my father’s actions, but I never expected my mother to betray me too. They just want to use me and then kill me to seize my power… That’s why I have to kill them first before they kill me. Even if they are my parents.]
“Uhmm…”
Not that he didn’t understand Chronos’ position. Not all parents are good parents.
‘But does he really wish to kill them like this? After all, they are still his parents.’
For someone who longed so much for his own parents, he couldn’t understand that feeling.
“Can’t you just live here? As long as the God of Slaughter allows it.”
[How could I? I’m already grateful that he hid me here. I can’t continue being a burden. Besides…]
Chronos sighed.
[I’m tired of running. I want to live openly.]
“Is there no other way than to destroy them? Can’t you rewind time with your power?”
[Even if I do, I can’t change my father and mother’s minds. I would just rewind the tape. They would pursue me again.]
In the end, there was no choice but to destroy them.
‘Though I wish it too.’
Adding Gaia to Chaos for revenge didn’t matter.
If he could destroy them and reclaim his normal life.
‘But how can I help?’
Though he wanted to help, he couldn’t help but worry.
How could he defeat the Primordial Gods?
His power was insignificant compared to them.
Especially now that he had lost most of his power as a player.
‘Uhmm.’
As he pondered silently, Chronos watched him anxiously.
Finally, as if deciding he couldn’t make a decision, he made an offer.
[I suppose you’ll need a reward to help enthusiastically. If you help us destroy them, I’ll grant your wish, Black Scythe.]
“My wish?”
[You want to live a normal life, don’t you? If you help me, I’ll rewind time to before the angels appeared. In a way, it will be your 102nd regression.]
“Does that make sense? Won’t the angels appear again at some point? Besides, if you rewind time after destroying them, won’t Chaos and Gaia revive too?”
[They won’t revive. No, it will be as if they never existed. If we cut this timeline and merge it with another.]
“…A timeline?”
[Hehe, I should first explain the concept of timelines.]
With a smile of superiority, Chronos spoke like a teacher to his student.
[The timeline you walk on is not the only one. Have you heard of parallel universes?]
“Sure. It’s the theory that there are infinite other Earths with different histories from ours.”
[Then the explanation is simple. Black Scythe, you are currently only living in one of the countless timelines created by the multiverse.]
“……”
[Let me explain it more simply. Normally, when one goes back in time, it’s thought they go back to the past, right?]
Ryu Min nodded.
[It’s partly true. When you go back, you return to a past you know, but it’s not the real past. It’s a copy of the past.]
“A copy of the past?”
[In the first time, Black Scythe died at the hands of a goblin and performed his first regression. But you didn’t return to the true past. You just returned to a copied timeline identical to the past.]
“……”
[In reality, the world of the first time, where you died, still exists somewhere. It exists as the world where Black Scythe died.]
“So, the world of the first time where I died exists as a parallel universe?”
[Correct. The same goes for the second time, the third time, and up to the hundredth time. All those worlds exist as separate timelines, without the presence of Black Scythe.]
“Then, the current me…”
[The 101st time. Black Scythe is only living in the 101st timeline. You didn’t return to the past.]
Maybe because he already knew the concept of the multiverse, the idea of a copy of the past was more understandable.
[It’s impossible to completely reverse time. Even for me, it’s impossible to reverse time. It’s an immutable law. One can only create countless timelines, like branching branches. The Room of Wishes, the reward of the Final Round, is based on this concept.]
“The Room of Wishes…”
[Think about it. If everyone’s wishes were granted, how entangled and complicated would the world be?]
Ryu Min had thought about that before.
It wasn’t just one person but 97 people asking for wishes. How could they all be fulfilled?
Someone might wish to go back in time, another might wish for the death or resurrection of a specific person.
“Then, is it possible that…?”
[What you think is correct. The Room of Wishes only created timelines for each person.]
“……”
[In that timeline, someone might be living as a rich person, another might have gone back to the past, and someone else might be demonstrating their skills as a player. In a way, it’s as if each one is living their own dream.]
Chronos’ theory, although it seemed real, belonged to an incomprehensible realm.
‘Then, are Min Juri, Seo Arin, Christine, living their own wishes? Like in an individually created dream?’
In that place, Ryu Min might exist or not.
They were just living in other parallel worlds.
[Do you understand now?]
“Yes, I understand that everyone is living in their own timeline. And that the current me is not the Ryu Min of the first time, but the Ryu Min of the 101st timeline.”
[But that doesn’t mean Black Scythe is a fake copy. Don’t misunderstand. The concept of the multiverse is not that simple…]
“I understand. Then, what did you mean by merging timelines?”
[In the current timeline of Black Scythe, 1.8 billion people have died. But if we create a future without Chaos and Gaia, and then merge that new timeline with the existing one, we could live in a world without Chaos and Gaia, maintaining the population.]
“Is that possible?”
[I wouldn’t make this proposal if it weren’t.]
Cutting and pasting only the desired parts of the timelines? Then we could live in the world we desire. An ideal world.
‘In summary, we can choose and edit only the parts we want.’
Undoubtedly, if that were possible, there would be nothing better.
[What do you think? Are you more willing to help me now?]
‘Anyway, I already intended to help eliminate Chaos, as agreed, so…’
Ryu Min saw no need to mention it.
“Alright. I’ll help you. But what can I do without much power?”
[If you don’t have power, you just have to get it.]
“How?”
[There’s a huge amount of Terra buried in Drakania, isn’t there?]
“Ah.”
Though he doesn’t have the same power as before, with Terra he could try. He doesn’t know how much is buried, but…
[Here, the God of Slaughter has also offered his help.]
“The God of Slaughter?”
Ryu Min looked at Min Do-jun, who smiled at him.
[I will restore all the power you had as a player.]
“All the power I had?”
[Yes.]
“But Gaia already erased that data, so it’s impossible…”
[Gaia may not be able to, but I can.]
Min Do-jun’s confident smile left Ryu Min astonished.
‘If I regain my old power and get all the Terra buried…’
Then, facing Chaos and Gaia wouldn’t be impossible. Plus, he had the God of Time, Chronos, on his side.
[But to restore the data, you’ll need a special procedure.]
“A procedure?”
[You’ll have to become a transcendent being like me to recover the latent data.]
“Transcendent?”
[It means you’ll become a stronger being. Stronger than the gods.]
Ryu Min, who had been bewildered for a moment, soon showed determination in his eyes. If they offered to make him stronger, why reject it?
“Then, please, do it. God of Slaughter.”