[Bonus Chapter for 10 Golden Tickets ~ refer to the Author’s Reward system.]
The blue knight armor was gohim
The holographic plates had shattered into aningless sparks, leaving Kang Min vulnerable.
The Mirror-Min moved with a terrifying, chanical precision, its movents a perfect, distorted echo of the violence Kang Min had spent years perfecting.
A heavy, leather-clad hand clamped over Kang Min’s face.
The grip was iron, the fingers digging into his jaw and forehead with enough force to bruise.
The Mirror-Min didn’t hesitate.
With a surge of strength that far outstripped Min’s current state, it swung him.
Kang Min’s head hit the obsidian wall.
In that mont, the laws of physics failed.
The solid stone rippled.
The surface beca a dark, viscous liquid, a surface of ripples that expanded outward from the point of impact.
Instead of rebounding, Kang Min’s body sank.
The cold, black sli swallowed his hair, his shoulders, and finally his entire being, pulling him into a silent, weightless void.
When Kang Min opened his eyes, the sll of burnt ozone and cold stone was gone.
Instead, the air was thick with the scent of savory soybean stew, the sharp tang of seasoned spinach, and the dostic hum of a television in the background.
He was lying on a floor that wasn’t obsidian, but a warm, slightly worn linoleum.
"This... this is..."
Min’s voice was thin, the voice of a man waking up from a nightmare only to find himself in a more beautiful one.
He pushed himself up on his elbows.
"...that day..."
He was in the corner of a cramped but tidy apartnt.
In the center of the room, a wooden dining table sat under a warm yellow light.
A teenager sat at the table, his back hunched over a bowl of rice.
This the younger version of himself.
He wore a permanent scowl and a school uniform that was slightly too small.
He looked angry at the world, picking at his food with a bored, rebellious intensity.
Across from him sat another young man, older and broader.
He had a kind face and tired eyes.
"Hyung..."
The current Kang Min whispered the word, the sound catching in his throat.
He reached out a hand, but his fingers passed through the air like mist.
The family remained oblivious to his presence.
His mother moved from the stove, carrying a steaming pot.
His father sat at the head of the table, folding a newspaper.
They looked younger, their faces free of the lines of grief that would eventually define them.
The father looked at the older brother, his expression softening.
「"So, how has it been since you moved out? Is the new place manageable?"」
The brother smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his weary eyes.
「"It’s fine, Dad. A bit small, but it has a tiny plot of dirt in the back. I’ve actually started a small garden. I’m thinking I can finally start farming a bit here and there before I even try to buy land."」
He took a bite of rice, chewing thoughtfully.
「"I know my Degree in Agricultural Sciences hasn’t helped much in getting a stable job yet, but having my hands in the soil feels right. Even if the market is slow, I’m putting what I learned at University to use."」
The mother reached across the table, squeezing the brother’s hand.
Her eyes were bright with a fierce, maternal pride.
「"Don’t you worry about the job market. I feel it in my bones. You’re going to change the world in greater ways than you can imagine. One day, you’ll give life to places that have lost it. You’ll give it back to the people, too."」
The older brother laughed, a warm, genuine sound.
「"That’s a big destiny for a guy growing lettuce in a backyard, Mom."」
The younger Kang Min at the table scoffed, rolling his eyes.
「"Whatever...why did you even want to beco a farr? It’s sounds so boooriiiinggg!!!"」
The current Kang Min, watching from the floor, felt a cold shiver run down his spine.
The warmth of the room felt like a trap.
He knew the timing...and the rhythm of this mory.
Suddenly, the windows rattled.
A low, guttural rumble shook the foundation of the apartnt building.
The light in the room flickered and died, replaced by a haunting, sickly glow bleeding in through the curtains.
The sky outside had vanished, replaced by an atmosphere of deep, bruised red and burning orange.
The family stood up in unison, their chairs screeching against the floor.
「"What was that?"」
The father asked, his voice sharp with a sudden, primal fear.
The current Kang Min scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide and wild.
He ran toward them, his hands swinging through their translucent bodies.
"No, no, no!"
He scread, his voice breaking.
"Just go! Go to a place to hide! Get to the basent! Move!"
They didn’t hear him.
They walked toward the balcony, drawn by the terrifying beauty of the sky.
As the younger Kang Min stood by the window, the current Min saw sothing that stopped his breath.
Floating in the air around his teenage self were flickering, translucent windows.
They were blood-red.
「Your story has caught the eye of a ’Star of Destruction’...」
「A Gate is opening according to your desire...」
「You have been granted early access to participate as a ’Privilege’...」
The younger Kang Min was staring at the red sky.
The current Kang Min froze.
His heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold, invisible hand.
"Wh-what..."
He stumbled back, his eyes fixed on the red text.
"What are those ssages before ..."
He clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp.
"I don’t rember seeing them... I don’t rember seeing them that day...
...I’m sure I didn’t..."
Outside, the air ripped open.
A massive, black-rimd gate manifested in the sky, positioned directly above their apartnt building.
It looked like an eye opening in the heavens, a void that began to pour out the first wave of monsters that would level this block in seconds.
The younger Min was still looking up, unaware that the privilege he had been granted was the catalyst for the end of his world.
The current Kang Min fell to his knees as chaos began descending around him.
The screams of people began to echo.
They were distant and muffled.
He looked at his hands.
Kang Min found out that the reason for his family dying...
...was all because of him.
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