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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
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Chapter 190
A rift tore through the sky.
A hole appeared in the Celestial Realm.
The more Kane clashed with the Celestial King, the larger the hole grew.
The gods wore grave expressions.
“Are we just going to stand by and watch? If this continues, the balance of the world will fall into chaos.”
“But how do we intervene in that fight without risking ourselves?”
Those in agreement gave small nods.
Even gods could die.
Or rather, to be precise—they could cease to exist.
Unlike humans, they wouldn't be reincarnated.
Instead, they enjoyed divine privileges and powers until the moment of their annihilation.
That was why they feared death the most.
“At the very least, we should support from the sidelines.”
“Indeed. If this continues, the Celestial Realm will suffer irreparable damage. Let’s lend the Celestial King our power from afar.”
“Understood.”
The gods revealed their divine auras.
A golden radiance emanated from their forms.
They invoked a power that allowed them to assist from a distance.
A Heavenly Punishment Blade descended toward Kane.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
It was a tactic to restrain Kane’s movements, even for a moment.
As the gods interfered again, the Celestial King’s expression twisted with irritation.
“Celestial King! Look around you. The very fabric of the Celestial Realm is unraveling.”
“If this battle continues, the Celestial Realm will be exposed to other dimensions.”
“We beseech you to make the right decision!”
Their plea was earnest.
The Celestial King begrudgingly accepted their request.
Seizing a brief opening in Kane’s defenses, the Celestial King swung his sword.
“I knew you’d do that.”
Kane had anticipated this and blocked the attack with his Blood Mana shield.
Clang!
The hardened shield withstood the Celestial King’s sword.
Sparks flew, but the Celestial King couldn’t pierce through the blood aura.
“If we keep going like this, you’ll be at a disadvantage. What will you do? I’ve got plenty of time.”
As Kane stepped back, he unleashed a more potent force.
It was a Blood wave.
The blood aura spread out like a fan, crashing forward like a tidal wave.
“What a brute!”
“Quick, we must stop it!”
“That bastard!”
The gods, realizing the danger, braced themselves to block the incoming wave with their own bodies.
Boom!
The massive surge of blood threatened to overwhelm them.
They barely managed to hold it back.
The gods heaved sighs of relief.
Had the blood wave breached their barrier, another massive hole would have ripped through the Celestial Realm.
“You dare ignore me and attack something else?”
The Celestial King leapt into the air and charged toward Kane.
But Kane wasn’t interested in engaging him.
The Celestial King and the gods were concerned about the growing hole in the Celestial Realm.
They feared the damage it could cause.
Kane, however, unleashed his blood mana mercilessly at the void of the Celestial Realm.
Although the Celestial King and the gods scrambled to intercept the attacks, it was impossible to stop everything.
Especially Kane’s blood energy.
The sheer force of it widened the hole even further.
“Celestial King! You must subdue or negotiate with him. The Celestial Realm is in grave danger!”
“Please, make a decision quickly!”
The gods pleaded earnestly.
As Kane unleashed his power with full intent, the very balance of the Celestial Realm began to collapse.
Even the Celestial King couldn’t stop it.
In the end, the Celestial King surrendered.
“Fine! I won’t erase your memories, and I’ll return you to your original world. Just stop this!”
His voice was filled with frustration.
The humiliation of losing to Kane made him lash out in anger.
“If you try any tricks, I’ll fully expose this realm to other dimensions.”
Kane didn’t forget to add one final threat.
After all, the gods of the Celestial Realm, including the Celestial King, were notoriously deceitful.
“Enough! I said I’ll do it—so stop!”
Kane ceased releasing his blood energy.
His gaze shifted toward Ray.
The Celestial King noticed and spoke firmly.
“Waking his memories is impossible. If you insist on it, I’ll fight you again—even if it means the Celestial Realm’s collapse.”
“I’m not asking for much. Just let him keep his memories as Ray.”
“That can be arranged.”
The Celestial King turned his back.
“Follow me.”
To return Kane to his original world, they had to travel to a specific part of the Celestial Realm.
A place where all the world’s threads converged.
The Lake of Singular Threads.
It was said to be a lake where only a single thread of fate existed.
There, Kane and the Celestial King stood.
“I’ll say it again—your power brings calamity to humans.”
“So what?”
“Using it on humans is a violation of divine law.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I won’t stop you from using it against monsters, but I forbid you from using it on humans.”
“Do you really think I’d listen to your advice?”
At Kane’s response, the Celestial King let out a long sigh.
“Haah… your personality is as troublesome as ever.”
“Hurry up and send me back to my world. Let’s make sure we never meet again.”
“You’ll see me again.”
“Get lost.”
Streams of water shot out from both sides of Kane at the lake’s edge.
The water engulfed him completely.
“Celestial King! Now’s the time. Erase his memories!”
“This is our only chance.”
The lake’s water had the power to neutralize divine abilities.
Once submerged, even a god’s powers would temporarily vanish.
Kane was now powerless.
However, the Celestial King did not erase his memories.
Instead, he roared at the gods.
“How long will you keep trampling on my pride? Do you want the Celestial King to break his promise?”
The gods were startled and immediately bowed their heads.
The Celestial King’s wrath was not something they could easily endure.
Even if they disagreed, they had no choice but to remain silent.
The Celestial King turned his head with a dissatisfied expression.
“Until we meet again.”
The water from the Lake of Singular Threads descended, covering Kane completely.
And just like that, Kane vanished along with the lake.
* * *
Gradually, his consciousness stirred.
‘Did I return to my original world?’
Slowly, he lifted his eyelids.
The familiar ceiling of his small studio apartment came into view.
“Phew…”
A sigh of relief escaped him.
He was finally back.
The experience of being transported into a game world now felt like a distant past life.
Still, there was a pang of bittersweetness.
The characters he had spent time with in that world—they were more than just NPCs.
For eleven long years, he had lived alongside them.
How could he not feel a sense of loss?
“In reality, I’m just a good-for-nothing loser who barely leaves his room unless it’s to help Grandma… Ah.”
His thoughts drifted to his grandmother.
In his trial, he had saved her before being pulled into the game world.
Had that change in the past stuck?
He grabbed his phone.
A quick check confirmed that his grandmother had returned to her village after her trip.
“She’s safe… Thank goodness.”
At least his trials had been worth something.
But what about the game?
Curious, he searched online for War of the Gods, the game he had been trapped in.
It was still a relatively new release.
But its reviews were abysmal.
The internet was filled with harsh criticism and complaints.
[What even is this pay-to-win nonsense?]
[The devs have completely lost their minds over money.]
[Lost their minds? More like nobody in their right mind would spend a single cent on this trash. Only rich lunatics with money to burn would even bother.]
[Exactly! Who thought this terrible monetization model was a good idea? It’s outrageous.]
Reading through the comments, Kane—no, Han Chanyul, now that he was back in reality—couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly.
“I actually played this crazy game. I wasn’t even a high-earning employee, yet I wasted my pitiful paycheck on it.”
Was it grief over losing his grandmother?
Perhaps that’s why he had sought refuge in a game, desperate to escape reality, even if only temporarily.
Despite his limited funds, he had pushed himself to keep playing, unable to stop.
Of course, in hindsight, he could only chalk it up to fate.
[Ugh! Spit on it. This game is doomed.]
[What kind of game is it to deserve all this hate? Now I’m curious.]
[I’ll try it out and report back.]
[Okay, give me a few days.]
[A brave soul enters the fray!]
[Brave? More like a fool handing money over to the devs.]
[It’s suckers like that keeping these greedy game companies afloat.]
Seeing the endless stream of insults in the reviews made his blood boil.
Back in the day, he would’ve joined in on the bashing.
But War of the Gods wasn’t just a game to him anymore. It was the world he had lived in during his past life.
If he were to explain his emotions to anyone, they’d probably call him insane.
But they hadn’t lived it—he had. He had been there.
And that made the harsh criticism sting even more.
This wasn’t a game built for casual players.
It was a carefully crafted experiment—a space designed to awaken chosen individuals as hunters.
But the players didn’t know that.
“They don’t get it… But I do.”
He sighed, deep in thought.
“I can’t just let this game fade into oblivion.”
The question was—how?
How could he revive War of the Gods?
With his past-life memories intact and his magical abilities still available, he had an edge.
One reckless idea crossed his mind:
Hunt monsters, make a fortune, and outright buy the game company.
But he shook his head.
“That’s not the fastest way.”
It was an option, yes. But one to be used only as a last resort.
“Maybe I should go see Ray?”
In the real world, Ray was known as Min Kyungsoo, the youngest son of the powerful SG Group.
If Kyungsoo had also passed the trials, he would surely remember him.
A conversation with him could be the quickest path forward.
“I still remember his contact info… But I’ll go in person to see if he recognizes me.”
With that decision made, Han Chanyul grabbed his coat and set out for Min Kyungsoo’s place.
* * *
Min Kyungsoo lived in a penthouse near the SG Game Company.
It was clear he was from a wealthy family.
His life was the complete opposite of Han Chanyul's.
As he entered the apartment complex, the security guard immediately stopped him.
"How can I help you?"
"I'm here to meet a friend who lives here."
"What floor are they on? And what's the purpose of your visit?"
The guard was suspicious, questioning him thoroughly.
His eyes scanned Chanyul, clearly sizing him up, as if evaluating a potential threat.
‘This is a luxury apartment, and I must look out of place in this outfit.’
His clothes were quite shabby.
He hadn’t planned on visiting Min Kyungsoo, so he had come in his workout clothes.
It was understandable for the guard to be suspicious of someone who appeared out of the blue in such a high-end building.
‘Still, the guard is polite for a Hunter.’
In the current world, Hunters were considered the top predators.
The president.
Members of parliament.
Generals.
All of them were Hunters, people who had awakened to their powers.
This guard wasn’t just any regular one.
He was a Hunter recruited by a security company to protect the residents of the building.
Though such jobs often came with an air of arrogance due to their privileged status, he still maintained his professionalism.
"I’m a friend of Min Kyungsoo, who lives in the penthouse."
The guard’s eyes widened in surprise.
He quickly masked his reaction.
"May I have your name?"
"Han Chanyul."
"I’ll contact the upstairs."
The guard disappeared for a moment.
About two minutes later, the guard returned and pointed to the inside.
"Your identity has been confirmed. Please follow me."
The guard led him to the elevator.
"I’ve never heard of Young Master Kyungsoo having a friend. I apologize if I’ve caused any inconvenience."
From the guard’s words, Han Chanyul could infer two things:
First, Min Kyungsoo remembered him.
Which meant that after completing the trials, he had returned to the real world.
Second, the guard referred to Min Kyungsoo as "Young Master."
This suggested that the guard was a Hunter working for SG Group.
Chanyul now wondered if the guard himself had been forcibly awakened into a Hunter.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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