Chapter 744 — When Im the angriest? (4)
11 min read ·
Cale had a dilemma at that moment.
He had a thought like this.
‘This guy is an illusion, but would it be okay to call him Raon Miru?’
The three-year-old Dragon Cale met here was similar but different from the four-year-old Dragon. Not only was there the one year time difference, the way they were rescued and their environment afterwards were some of the many differences between the two Dragons.
Although this three-year-old Dragon and Raon Miru were the same…
Although they were similar…
They were still a bit different. Most importantly, the three-year-old Dragon was an illusion Cale would never see again.
That might have been the reason that…
“…Dodam.”
That word had burst out subconsciously.
Dodam dodam.
It was the pure Korean word for a child playing well and growing without being sick.
“Dodam?”
Raon slightly released Cale's collar and tilted his head in confusion. That was when Cale accepted it.
For the current Raon that he met in an illusion and would not be able to meet in reality…
Even if he was an illusion that would disappear once Cale left, Cale wanted to say this to the young three-year-old black Dragon.
“…Dodam Miru. Let’s go with that.”
‘You are going to grow well from here on.’
“Miru means Dragon.”
Purple light started to swirl from the bottom of Cale’s feet. Raon, Choi Han, and Cale all knew about this but they were looking at each other.
Cale put his hands around the two front paws on his collar and nonchalantly continued.
“Dodam means that you should play well and grow up safely without being sick.”
The young Dragon's dark blue eyes gently shook. However, the shaking soon stopped and a firm gaze looked back at Cale.
“You can change your name from Dodam when you become an adult.”
Choosing his own name and his own path wouldn't be bad if he safely grew up and became an adult.
Even if this was just an illusion, Cale wanted to tell the three-year-old Dragon about the future.
He wanted this farewell to not be a bad one.
The black Dragon released his grip on Cale’s collar and blankly mumbled to himself.
“…Dodam Miru.”
This was the first time Cale saw this three-year-old Dragon smile brightly.
“I like it.”
Cale smiled at that favorable response.
“It’s a good name.”
Cale nodded his head at Choi Han’s comment. It wasn’t a bad name for having just come up with it.
The purple light was up to Cale's waist now.
‘It's the opposite this time.’
The world Cale was looking at had turned blue or yellow until now but it was Cale who was being surrounded by the color this time.
“Goodbye.”
The black Dragon waved his front paw as if he wasn’t feeling anything. Choi Han chuckled and patted the Dragon's back while waiving to Cale with the other hand.
It truly wasn’t a bad farewell. Cale had that thought as he noticed the purple light and dust cover up to his face and turn things dark.
“Bye.”
He gave a final goodbye and let the darkness take him.
He could not hear anything.
He could only faintly see stuff as the amount of things he could see slowly dwindled.
Plop.
“Ugh.”
Choi Han quickly caught his body as it fell. The reddish brown eyes slowly lost focus as the body was completely covered in purple light.
That person named Cale was leaving.
Choi Han turned his head.
“…Cale.”
The black Dragon, Dodam Miru’s eyes were blinking as he memorized the name of the person leaving them.
The Dragon was now nodding his head as if he made up his mind about something, but Cale couldn’t hear it. He just noticed that the Dragon was mumbling something, and…
‘It’s ending.’
His body was completely submerged in darkness.
* * *
He was in an area covered in purple light when he opened his eyes again.
“That should be the end of indignity. Is wrath the only one left?”
Cale could see that the area was slowly starting to turn dark from the distance.
The sealed god. The last test in the God of Despair's temple was the black colored wrath.
‘I wonder what it will be this time.’
As Cale had that thought…
- You've worked very hard until now, sir.
He heard the test’s voice.
‘I feel like I can sense more emotion in the voice the farther I get in this test.’
The voice that sounded as if it was guiding him through the test as he entered the indignity test was still stiff but he could sort of feel warmth in its voice.
Furthermore, the things it said to guide him were nice things compared to the other tests.
- You now only have the final test, wrath, ahead of you, sir.
In some ways, this was the only thing other than the person challenging the multiple levels of the illusion test that knew that it was all just an illusion.
It was at that moment.
Chhhhh- chhhhhh-
“Hmm?”
Cale heard an odd noise and noticed that there was a dimensional twist.
Black and purple mixed together and created a spark. A white light flashed for a moment in between before it disappeared.
- To be honest.
The white light blinked again.
Chhhhhh. Chhhhhh.
It sounded like static when the radio couldn’t catch the frequency properly. He heard a quiet but firm voice through that static messing with his ears.
It was the voice of the test.
- To be honest with you, I have been overseeing these tests for a very long time and have thought that these tests are extremely cruel.
‘What?’
- The god created me in order to process the tests properly but I have developed what you call, thought, while watching numerous people challenge these tests.
Cale responded out of reflex.
“…You have a conscience?”
Chhhhhh. Chhhhhh.
The firm voice responded energetically through the loud static.
- I seem to have developed a conscience at some point. It must be because I saw too many lives of numerous living beings for a very long time.
It sounded plausible.
- I do not have the power to end this cruel test. That is why I wish to help the challengers out as much as possible, but it is not easy.
It led me to try to help the people who seem as if they will reach the end even if it was just by a little.
Cale looked at the area fluctuating around him with an odd look on his face.
The purple and black lights mixed together and the white light was gone. More black light took over the area as he was slowly moving toward the final wrath stage of the illusion tests.
The test voice calmly continued.
- The indignity test. I was able to send my voice across little by little starting with that test.
Cale took one step forward.
He was headed toward the black light. Wrath.
- Please be safe and overcome everything.
The voice was stiff but had warmth to it.
Cale listened to the only thing cheering him on in this dark area as he moved forward.
- Ah!
However, Cale stopped walking for a moment after hearing the voice again.
The test voice was silent for a moment as if it was hesitating before it continued speaking.
- For your reference, wrath…
It did not say anything after that.
- Mm.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
Cale looked up at the air.
There was nothing there but the voice cautiously continued, as if it had felt his gaze.
- Mm. For example, mm, I'm not sure how I can explain it to not go against the test’s rules. Mm.
“Speak freely.”
Cale crossed his arms and waited.
It would be helpful if he could hear this.
Furthermore, this test voice had been quite nice to him.
- For example, let me explain it to you. First of all, when would you say that you are the angriest?
“When I am the angriest?”
- Yes sir.
Cale was silent for a moment.
- Something popped into your mind, didn't it?
The test voice asked but Cale did not say anything. The test voice continued as if it was nothing.
- That is what I plan on showing you.
“…What?”
Everything was covered in black light now.
Cale watched as his view became dyed black.
- Please.
The voice that had been oddly nice since the indignity test continued in the warm voice.
- Please despair.
The voice itself was a test.
None of the things that the God of Despair had created was an ally.
Cale sunk into the darkness once again.
* * *
And the moment he opened his eyes to face this final wrath test…
“I knew it would be like this.”
Cale could not hold himself from laughing.
The test suddenly became nice?
The test voice became warm?
Would people become relieved to hear that?
‘You should suspect such a thing.’
The sealed god. That bastard fed on people’s despair. He would try to eat you up if you showed any openings. In that case, that bastard would be willing to do anything and everything to create that opening.
Cale had no reason to trust the enemy.
That was why when the test voice had asked…
‘First of all, when would you say that you are the angriest?’
‘When I am the angriest?’
The wrath test probably had to deal with doing something in that angriest situation.
Cale had only focused on one thought and nothing else once he heard that question.
The first thing that makes him the angriest.
‘When the children complain about the side dishes.’
Yes, that would make him very angry.
How could he not be angry if the children who never complain about the side dishes suddenly start complaining?
Cale did not stop there. He thought about other times that make him angry.
‘I need to hurry up and get up but I keep sleeping. It makes me angry when nobody comes to wake me up.’
He would be very angry at that.
He needs to keep lying down on the soft bed and sleep until he wasn’t sleepy anymore?
That’s so infuriating.
He kept thinking.
‘When I can’t think of anything to do.’
Yes, that would make him very angry.
He wants to play but the only thing he can think of is rolling around on the bed!
How could that not make someone angry?!
Cale thought about more things in case it wasn't enough.
‘When I have to keep eating ramen even though I want to stop eating ramen.’
He had eaten so much ramen when he was Kim Rok Soo. He wanted to stop eating it now. But if they told him to eat ramen again? And if they gave it to him with Yeolmu-kimchi that has fermented just right? And then they give him jjajang ramen after he finishes the ramen?
“Haaaaa.” Just thinking about it made him angry.
He thought of one last thing.
‘Work for the territory. When I am trying to get administrative work done but they keep telling me to rest! That makes me very angry!’
Just thinking about it made him very, truly full of wrath.
Yes. Those were the thoughts in Cale’s mind.
And this final test in front of him…
"Cale Henituse!”
Someone pulled away the documents in his hand.
As Cale had realized as soon as the test had asked that question, this wrath test was not from the memories of his past either. It was a hypothetical situation.
The test pretended to be nice and offered its help to ask when he was the angriest, and Cale had come up with many different situations.
The results were visible as soon as Cale regained consciousness.
“You will have no more work! From now on and forever!”
"F, fat, sob, her.”
“I cannot listen to you any longer!”
Cale avoided his father, Deruth Henituse's gaze, lowered his head, and barely caught his breath.
Deruth could not hide his anger as he watched Cale. He threw the documents that he took away from Cale.
Chhhhhhh-
The documents fluttered and fell to the ground.
“His highness said that he cannot give you any work either! How could this happen?! You will never be able to work again!”
‘Hehe. Ah, this is great.’
This wrath test…
Cale was feeling excitement and happiness in this illusion.
‘This test is really good.’
“Get out of here right now! Do not come anywhere near the office or the Lord’s Castle!”
“…Yes, father……”
Cale barely held back his laughter as he walked out of the office.
Duke Deruth was huffing but Cale’s mind was light and at ease.
Choi Han walked over with a serious look on his face at that moment.
“Cale-nim.”
"What is it?”
“…Raon, On, and Hong are complaining about the side dishes.”
“Really?”
“Yes, Cale-nim. I'm sure that makes you angry, but…”
Choi Han warily peeked at Cale as he continued speaking.
“Beacrox is urgently looking for you. He says that you are the only person who can take care of this, Cale-nim.”
“Sure, sure. Of course I have to take care of it. Shall we go?”
Cale’s footsteps were light as well as he headed toward the Henituse Estate.