YuWon woke up surrounded by darkness. Eerie darkness stretched everywhere. He didn''t recall ever marking such a ce as a checkpoint. Everything there felt... strange, like someone was staring at him.


    Just then, he saw a throne before him. A throne made of skulls and bones. On the throne sat a woman, nkly staring at YuWon.


    Her long hair flowed like a golden river in the darkness, and her eyes, ck as night, seemed to pierce straight through him. She watched him with a faint smile.


    "Wee, my child," the woman said. "I''ve been expecting you."


    "Who are you?" YuWon asked.


    He tried taking the noir de from his inventory, only to realize the other YuWon had kicked it away before he escaped.


    "...fuck," he mumbled.


    The woman on the throneughed before shaking her head. "I''m not your enemy YuWon."


    "Sure you''re not," YuWon scoffed.


    Amused by his reaction, the woman leaned forward, her fingers tapping the armrest of her grotesque throne.


    "I am Ereshkigal," she said. "Goddess of the Underworld and your benefactor... in a way."


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    "My… benefactor?" YuWon repeated before shaking his head. "Why am I here—?"


    "You died..." Ereshkigal sighed, almost as if she pitied him.


    Maybe she thought YuWon would break down or throw a fit, which is why his calm reaction seemed so strange to her. He just looked down, wondering how he could die.


    Without the dagger in him, even if he died, he''d respawn. Instead, he scored a date with the goddess of the underworld.


    "Yes. You died while trying to load an earlier checkpoint."


    "You know my ability, right?" YuWon smiled and shook his head. "I can''t die—!"


    "Is that what you believe?" Ereshkigal interrupted.


    She got off the throne and walked to him slowly. She stood before him and lifted his chin with a finger. YuWon sighed as she caressed his cheek and smiled.


    "It''s not over yet, YuWon."


    He stared up at her, confused. "But you said I died, and apparently I can''t respawn—!"


    Just then, Ereshkigal couldn''t hold back and beganughing.


    "You died, but you can still respawn. I merely borrowed your consciousness to tell you a few things that others don''t want you to know."


    YuWon looked at her in disbelief and was about toin when Ereshkigal ced her finger on his lips.


    "Time is of the essence, YuWon. You can give me an earfulter. For now, there''s a lot you need to know."


    YuWon''s eyes widened. Borrowed his consciousness? He couldn''t wrap his mind around it, but before he could question her, Ereshkigal continued.


    "Do you remember the world tree you saw?" she asked. "That was only a sapling. The true world tree is something even the gods struggle toprehend."


    She continued, "The true World Tree is something far greater. It''s an existence that binds various dimensions—or, as you call them, timelines—together. Each branch of the world tree represents a different timeline. Each leaf a different universe."


    With a snap of her fingers, Ereshkigal reced the darkness with a massive tree.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    YuWon''s breath caught in his throat. He had always thought of the world tree as an unreachable entity, but hearing her describe it as something even gods could not fully understand sent a chill through him.


    It was a massive treeden with green leaves, but suddenly, some branches dried up. Some turned rotten, infecting other branches. YuWon turned to Ereshkigal, who was watching the tree with sadness.


    "The branches where you died have dried up, never to flourish again." She paused. "I thought your living was the key to creating a perfect universe. I was wrong."


    "Wrong?"


    YuWon recalled Anna saying the same thing. That his death had ruined the future of her timeline. But from Ereshkigal''s words, it didn''t seem his being alive got any positive result either.


    "Yes, I was wrong," she replied. "The branches where you gained immense power became corrupted, rotten. Their decay spread to other branches, infecting even the healthy ones."


    YuWon''s heart pounded as realization struck. He remembered the other version of himself. His eyes met Ereshkigal''s, and she nodded as if reading his thoughts.


    "That other YuWon was a product of such corruption," she confirmed. "After losing too many loved ones, the lust for power dominated his thoughts. He became a disease, jumping from one leaf to the other, killing any version of you he came across."


    A cold shiver ran down YuWon''s spine. It seemed the god''s game was taking its toll on the world tree and his existence was the trigger.


    If he died, the branch and consequent leaves would dry up. But if he lived and got too strong, the world tree would be in greater danger.


    "So, what am I supposed to do now?"


    "I don''t know," Ereshkigal sighed, looking defeated.


    "There is no clear path forward. But I know this: You must live. You still need to get stronger, but not alone."


    YuWon tilted his head, wondering what she was talking about. But then Ereshkigal told him the reason for his failure.


    "You can get stronger without making reckless moves. Don''t interfere in scenarios with brute force."


    "What do you mean?" YuWon asked. "You''re talking as if I destroyed the bnce—oh... I see."


    Ereshkigal smiled.


    "When you killed the fire giant, it set off a chain of events. By killing an ''unkible'' monster, you proved the awakeners were too powerful. It sped up the third awakening by a decade and threw everything into chaos.


    "I didn''t know…" he shook his head. "But even if I did, should I let those monsters roam freely? What about the awakeners who wanted to kill me? Should I do nothing about them?"


    "Not exactly," Ereshkigal said. "Be more selective. Only kill when absolutely necessary. The Fire Giant, for example, was meant to be unkible. Its death broke the cycle, creating a destabilized world."


    She continued, "Try ying a supportive role for once. Help the awakeners, cultivate and guide them. Fight the monsters, but don''t be the center of every conflict."


    "Follow the rules of the game. Is that what you want me to do?"


    "The gods are watching you closely, and it''s best not to provoke them... even though it might be toote."


    "They won''t leave me be, would they?" YuWon shrugged.


    "That''s how it seems to be," she admitted. "Many gods are already watching you. For now, they can''t act against you directly. But since you reversed the progress of a timeline, they will get some concessions."


    "So, what do I do if theye after me?"


    "...I can offer you something to help."


    She stepped closer, cing her hand over his chest. A strange warmth spread from her palm, slipping into his body. YuWon''s eyes widened as he felt the disaster hearts he had absorbed start to shift, breaking apart and reforming into something new.


    Unlike before, it didn''t hurt, but the sensation was unlike anything he''d felt before. When she stepped back, a message floated before his eyes.


    [The User has epted the God Seed. Feed it well, and you shall ascend to godhood. Current progress: 0.00%]


    YuWon stared at the words, stunned. His disaster heart had turned into a god seed waiting to sprout. But there was a strange thought in his head.


    Ereshkigal was a goddess herself, yet she was helping him fight the gods? Was it only because of the world tree or she had some other reason behind her actions?


    As if reading his thoughts, Ereshkigal smiled. "I called you my child, didn''t I? Isn''t that reason enough to help? Before I forget... a few surprises will be waiting for you when you respawn."


    With that, she turned and walked away; her form fading into the darkness. The scenery changed again, and this time he stood on the terrace of his college, the wind ruffling his hair.


    "...so we''re back again."