# Gathered (1)

The extremely luxurious convoy departed the Henituse territory.

It was quite spectacular seeing numerous high-grade carriages crossing through the plaza in a single file line to exit the castle. Furthermore, knights with Vice Captain Hilsman at the center were guarding those carriages.

In addition, mages in robes riding horses were stationed in the front and back.

Chhhhhhhhh.

A portion of the residents who would normally not be looking out had opened their curtains to watch.

“… Billos-nim.”

“I'm seeing it as well.”

The bastard son of the Flynn Merchant Guild. In this illusion, Billos Flynn the merchant was still just the bastard son who was residing in the remote Henituse territory.

He burned the paper in his hand and mumbled in a low voice.

"The message from the Molans was true. The young master-nim has made his move.”

Billos’s loyal subordinate looked at him. Billos noticed the gaze and continued speaking.

“Spread the rumors. Tell people to pay attention to Puzzle City.”

“Yes sir. I understand.”

Billos finished burning up the paper and reached his hand out to close the curtains.

Chhhhhhhhh.

Another person who was looking out the window closed their curtains and started talking toward the video communication device.

“Your highness. Young master Cale is moving differently from usual.”

– Okay. I understand.

“Should I follow him?”

– …That’s okay. We just need to pay attention to Puzzle City since we know that is where he is headed. Stand down for now.

“I understand, your highness. ‘Ah. I also heard that Duke Deruth opened up the basement training ground.”

-…….

“Furthermore, we cannot locate Sir Choi Han. Some of the Henituse Estate’s employees have been missing for a few days as well. Finally…”

-…….

“The Forest of Darkness. We saw Choi Han heading there. Of course, Choi Han seemed to have recognized me.”

The individual who had been reporting to Alberu through the video communication device pulled off the hood that was being worn quite low to cover the face.

“Alberu. I'm going to follow him.”

– …Auntie.

Dark Elf Tasha. The wanted criminal, who had escaped despite being named a sacrifice, smiled toward her nephew's scowling face.

– Carefully. Safely. If you must follow him, auntie.

“Okay.”

The call ended and Tasha clenched her eyes shut before opening them and getting up.

Choi Han had shown himself, as well as where he was going, to Tasha on purpose.

“…Mary.”

She called out her other family member’s name as she walked over and grabbed the doorknob of her hiding place.

“Time to head to Puzzle City.”

Swoooooooosh.

Wind swirled in a place that had not had any wind until that moment.

Silent black shadows, the Dark Elves, followed Tasha out of this hiding spot.

On the other hand, Cale looked out the carriage window and confirmed that some curtains were moving before turning his head without any hesitation.

Knock knock.

However, he looked out the window again after hearing some knocks and opened the window.

“Cale-nim.”

Bear King Sayeru was on a horse and smiling as he approached Cale’s carriage. Most priests were riding carriages but Sayeru and a few priests were on horses.

‘These are their battle forces.’

It was obvious that the ones on horses were individuals related to battle or strength.

“What is it, priest-nim?”

“Cale-nim, I wanted to thank you for allowing me to experience such a magnificent delivery convoy.”

Cale nonchalantly commented while looking at Sayeru’s smiling face.

“It is just the basics.”

“Excuse me?”

“A convoy like this is normal for the Henituse Duchy.”

“Ah……”

The smile on Sayeru’s face twisted a bit. However, he soon smiled again and continued speaking.

“The Duchy truly is amazing. However, there is something peculiar. To be able to gather a procession of this size with numerous carriages and food right away… It seems as if things were prepared as you planned on doing this.”

Cale sighed as Sayeru seemed to be trying to fish some information out of him.

“Priest-nim.”

“Yes?”

Cale spoke as if he was doing his best to not call Sayeru stupid while Sayeru was looking at him with a gaze of anticipation.

“Didn’t I just say that this was normal?”

“…….”

“The Henituse Duchy does not need any preparations for something of this level.”

This was the truth.

Cale looked at Sayeru up and down as he asked.

"Are you envious?”

“No, that’s not-”

“Just let me know if you need money. I will make a donation. Okay?”

“Cale-nim, that’s not-”

“It’s okay. I know that's what you are thinking on the inside. Haaaaaaa. I'm going to rest now, priest-nim.”

“Wait-”

Tap!

Cale closed the window and shut the curtains. One corner of his lips curled up. However, that corner twisted back down after seeing something.

On the window on the other side of the carriage…

The children averaging ten-years-old were quietly looking at something. It was not something amazing or beautiful.

The robed mages who were moving with the Knights Brigade… The children were looking at the people wearing black robes with piercing gazes.

Mary was said to have become a sacrifice in this illusion.

Mary was dead. In this illusion…

Saint Jack was also dead.

‘…It may be an illusion, but you’ve made me quite angry.’

“I'm going to fuck that son of a bitch of a god up.”

The children averaging ten-years-old flinched for a moment before quickly turning toward Cale.

"What is it?”

However, Cale responded as if he had no idea about anything. The children averaging ten-years-old quietly observed Cale. Cale started speaking again after sensing their gazes.

“You can speak freely in here because this was something that was prepared suddenly.”

The carriage was suddenly brought from the Henituse Estate. There were no eavesdropping devices or magic devices in here for that reason.

"Aha.”

The children averaging ten-years-old, starting with the quietly gasping On, started smiling like Cale with one corner of their lips curled up.

"Why are you smiling like that?”

“Pffft.” Cale chuckled before looking forward and organizing his thoughts.

‘I recorded all of the records Ron handed me.’

It allowed Cale to understand how this illusion world had created such a future.

Screeeech-

The large gate of the Henituse territory opened. The vanguard moved out and Cale's carriage was the next to exit.

Right before Cale’s carriage moved past the gate… Cale turned his head to see the top of the slums. There was nothing there.

Originally, there should be a black tree or a white tree there. The top of the slums was desolate.

“Cale Henituse without his shield.”

Based on the records of this illusion, Cale had met Raon, Choi Han, and everybody else he had met and even gained the earth attribute ancient power, the Scary Giant Cobblestone.

However, he still lost.

He lost some close battles and did not manage to protect his people. Those results piled up to create a new future.

There was just one thing, the wood attribute ancient power, the Indestructible Shield. That was the only thing he did not manage to gain.

There was no cringe-worthy ‘Young Master Silver Shield’ nickname in this world either.

Shield.

It was the first power Cale gained as well as the starting point of his plan to survive in this world.

Too many things had changed because he did not have that one thing.

First of all, Cale's body was not in balance because he did not have a wood attribute ancient power, leading to him always being subdued by the complete White Star in every battle.

Furthermore, there had been numerous casualties in situations where he needed to protect them, making them lose a lot of people until now.

It was at that moment.

– I'm right here.

The corners of Cale’s lips curled up.

– I'm here.

The glutton priestess of the Indestructible Shield slowly grumbled as if she was discontent.

“Heh.”

Cale let out a chuckle.

‘Yes. I have all of my powers right now.’

The current Cale in this illusion was the same as himself in reality.

He had no idea why the sealed god left him as is for this test.

‘Is he saying that I can't change things by myself because everything has already been twisted?

Or does he want me to flail around when everything has failed?’

In that case…

‘Okay then. I don’t see why not.’

Who cares if he had to flail around in the depths of failure once? He could even do it thousands of times more.

He just had no reason to be held down in this illusion longer than necessary.

‘And, as I've continued to notice, this test is nice and gives me at least the smallest of clues or powers to overcome the test.’

The test used by the sealed god was not completely advantageous toward him. It was the same when Cale first experienced the despair test because of the sealed god and had been the case with every test so far here.

The test was pretty fair to the challenger as well.

“That is why I need to use all of my chances.”

However, it would not be easy.

‘Young master-nim. Why are you going through the records again?’

He recalled the look on Ron's face after he brought over the files with the records. He had not missed the concern visible underneath the disguise of a benign smile on Ron's face. He could understand the reason as soon as he looked through the documents.

‘The White Star's power and his forces are much more than I imagined.’

It was to the point where he could not help but wonder how the past could have changed so much.

First of all, the Mogoru Empire and its Alchemists’ Bell Tower were under the White Star's control and was the center of the Western continent.

In addition, the three kingdoms up north of the Northern Alliance that had been involved with the White Star through the Indomitable Alliance had submitted to the White Star after Clopeh Sekka was defeated. Clopeh was currently imprisoned.

‘As for the Jungle-’

Litana was not the Queen of the Jungle right now.

Litana was the former Queen and her current whereabouts were unknown. A shaman who was the White Star's subordinate was the current King.

Crown prince Valentino’s Caro Kingdom, the Breck Kingdom under Rosalyn’s father’s reign, the Whipper Kingdom under Commander Toonka… And finally, the Roan Kingdom.

They had all submitted to the White Star at least on the surface.

How could they not when the center, south, and north of the Western continent were all under the White Star’s control?

‘Young master-nim.’

Ron had removed the benign smile on his face and had spoken with a rare stiff expression on his face.

‘The chances of victory are not high. It will be difficult to even gather our forces.’

Cale shook his head.

“I don’t need anything.”

Cale thought about the playing field of the forces.

The Western continent's Jungle, Whipper Kingdom, the North… The Eastern continent's Mercenaries Guild, Molan household……

“I just need to catch the damn head.”

The White Star.

‘The me of the present can’t catch that bastard?

That’s not possible.

I already caught him once, there's no reason I can't do it again.’

As for the sealed god…

‘I need to take care of that bastard in the future, so it isn’t a bad idea to use this as practice to take him down.’

“Raon.”

“What is it, human?”

Cale, who had been looking around the inside of the carriage that was out of the temple’s reach, asked Raon to do something.

“Contact our friends.”

The looks on Raon, On, and Hong’s faces changed. Cale slowly spoke as if to respond to the looks of anticipation in their sparkling eyes.

“Tell them to come watch.”

“I got it, human!”

Chhhhhhhhh.

The remaining curtain was closed and Cale’s video communication device started flashing without stop.

* * *

“Noona. You'll go, right?”

“Of course I'll go.”

Rosalyn firmly adjusted the edges of her old robe as she responded. Lock continued to look around despite nobody being in this forest as he answered.

“I want to go too.”

“Okay.”

Rosalyn’s eyes sparkled while looking at the now turned off video communication device.

The escapees, Rosalyn and Lock.

Rosalyn, who had been expected to be the Tower Master for the next generation of the Magic Tower ran away saying that she did not want to be in the same situation as the Alchemists’ Bell Tower while Lock was wanted because he was chosen as a sacrifice but ran away.

“Hyung.”

Lock nodded his head at the voice calling him and spoke.

“Let’s go.”

The trees of the forest seemed to move as Maes and the other Wolves revealed themselves.

The Wolves were said to be disowned by the gods. It was the reason a large number of them were chosen as sacrifices, making them the race with the most escapees.

The Wolves quickly started moving.

At the same time, on a desert in the Caro Kingdom… Someone raised their body up from the Land of Death.

“Ha, haha. He wants us to come watch?”

This person's whole body was covered in black lines that resembled spider webs and just as many injuries. The owner of this body was sword master Hannah. Saint Jack’s only blood relative, his younger sister Hannah, clenched her sword.

“You'll go, right?”

The robe of the person asking her this question fluttered as dust was brushed off of it.

“Of course I'll go.”

“It’s been a while. I haven't been to Puzzle City in a long time.”

The excommunicated priestess Cage. She was separated from Taylor, who remained in the territory, and was currently working as a mercenary. She mainly used curses as she had been doing in the original history and was currently wanted for arrest by the White Star's side.

Cage, who was now the leader of the Mercenaries Guild, motioned to her guild members with her eyes and the Mercenaries Guild quickly started leaving the desert with Hannah leading the pack.

A few days later.

“We're here.”

Cale’s luxurious sacrifices delivery convoy entered Puzzle City.

Puzzle City had once been famous for its extremely plentiful rock towers made by numerous people’s desires.

There were no more rock towers in this place.

Instead, there was a large five-story tower made of white marble at the center of Puzzle City, shining brightly under the sun’s bright light.