* * *

When their meeting was over, Pandora slowly approached Sungjin. “It was not in my predictions that you would challenge the sacred area at this stage.”

“I’m not that predictable,” Sungjin answered with a smile.

Pandora lost her usual poker face. At Sungjin’s words, confusion showed on her face. It was different from her normal expressions.

My analyzing system is confused.

He was the third Kaiser who had overpowered her grandfather, but he couldn’t be described by just that. Sungjin was completely unpredictable, even with all the information Pandora had accumulated to make predictions.

“If you consider the risks you have to take and what you could achieve, your decision is unreasonable.”

“You could say that.”

A thousand years. It was a reasonable decision to enjoy everything he could for a thousand years before challenging the sacred area. That was what the two Kaisers before Sungjin had done.

Pandora couldn’t understand why Sungjin decided to take the challenge right away.

My heartbeat has elevated.

Pandora tried to understand why her heartbeat had elevated.

Search completed. I’m in an excited state.

And it was because of Sungjin.

“But you will still proceed with your challenge. Is that it?”

“There are a thousand years that are promised to me that I can enjoy, but not for the people who are living with me now.”

“It is predicted that your era will be an age of peace compared to any other era…”

“I know. I also know that the world I’m trying to create wouldn’t be a much better and peaceful world compared to the world where I rule with my power.”

Sungjin knew it well through his experience on earth. Democracy, natural human rights, and equality for everyone. They all sounded amazing, but in reality, they were far from perfect.

“But there was no case where the Kaiser left his thousand years of prosperity to challenge the sacred area.”

“But there were only two cases before, right?”

“Statistically speaking.”

“Statistically… anyways, I’m going. So you don’t need to go back to your hibernation.”

“That was why you stopped me?”

“Yes. So until then, try to experience as much as you can.”

“Okay.”

Pandora understood why Sungjin told her that she didn’t have to go back into hibernation, but what had she to experience in this world?

What do I want to learn about the most?

The answer was right in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on the guy who was standing in front of her.

I want to know more about Sungin. I’ve been observing and trying to analyze him, but I didn’t expect him to make such a decision. Is this the reason why my grandfather left him as my last research subject?

* * *

That night, Sungjin saw Pandora follow him again to his bedroom.

“Hey. We already talked about this issue.” He was a Kaiser with incomparable power; his word was final.

“I know. I remember you said you wouldn’t take anyone if you didn’t feel like she was your fate.”

“I mean, you can’t follow me to my bedroom to observe me. Anyways, what do you want?” Sungjin was able to predict what Pandora wanted, though.

“I understood something today. That I was in my sleep for such a long time in order to meet you.”

“That’s not completely false.” It was true that Pandora was in her sleep for a long time in order to meet the new Kaiser.

“So you are my fate and destiny.”

“So?”

“So don’t you think you can take me into your bedroom?”

Sungjin had to sigh. “That is a different kind of fate you are talking about.”

Her strong curiosity and passion for research that made her eager to get into his bedroom didn’t make sense for Sungin. “Even if it is fate, why do you want me to take you? If you want to observe me while I’m sleeping, that wouldn’t work.”

“There’s another reason.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to know everything about you. And to understand a guy, it is important to have a sexual relationship to complete the information.”

“Ah, yeah.” Sungjin agreed with her point. There were some things that only lovers would know about each other, but… “That’s not what lovers do.”

“It’s not?”

“No. That’s an interest in a new and interesting subject. Not love.”

“It has to be love?” She looked down. She always looked unemotional, but there was a slight change in her face.

Huh. Is she disappointed?

She looked like a girl whose candy had been taken away, but Sungjin had no plans to step down. “If you got it, go back. You can observe me during the fight.”

“But I wanted to know everything about you, not just your battles.”

“Pff. Fans want to know everything in the private lives of their favorite stars, but there’s always a limit. I will let you observe my everything during the battle, though.”

“Okay. I will observe everything about you, but will not cross the line.”

God, I have a stalker now.

Sungjin laughed and thought that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have a fanatic fan during his final match.

Chapter 6

Although Sungjin decided to challenge the sacred area, he wasn’t planning to start the next day. Everyone needed a bit of time to train and adjust themselves to their new class and their new power, and Sungjin was leading that training for everyone.

Everyone became much stronger.

Sungjin was able to see the changes, but he also had to consider that there could be strong and unpredictable enemies in the sacred area.

What is waiting for us?

The Kaiser of White Silver had warned Sungjin not to challenge the sacred area. And the Kaiser of Gold had told Sungjin that he would have no chance to win.

I’m sure they told me those things with good reason.

He was ready to challenge, but he didn’t plan to underestimate his unknown opponents. His preparation was part of his challenge. He had to make sure everyone could use their full power, and then he would go forward for the challenge.

He was either going to fly or be crushed.

I have no idea what will happen.

But that was the reason why Sungjin was even more excited about this fight.

* * *

They were finally ready, and Sungjin stood in front of the door to the sacred area. It was a strange structure to be called a door.

There was an arch shaped frame in the middle of an empty space, and there was something made of light and darkness that looked like a curtain.

“So the sacred area is beyond this door.”

“So… this will be our final fight.” Ereka stood close next to Sungjin.

Ereka respected Sungjin’s decision, and had decided to fight with him until the end to support his dream, but she was a bit worried.

If we go back, we can enjoy a thousand years of prosperity and happiness.

Although, if they went back, she wouldn’t be the one next to Sungjin who would fight with him for his final fight. And she also knew that stepping back because of the risk or strong opponents was not what Sungjin would do.

Maybe you could live a safer life.

She wanted to see the world with natural human rights that Sungjin had told her about, but she was worried about Sungjin.

But going on until the end is what you would do.

All she had to do was support him as he was.

Next to them, Pandora looked at them with her eyes that looked like an abyss.

Would he be able to make what my grandfather tried but failed?

Maybe Sungjin’s fate was waiting for him.

“Here. I stand here to challenge the sacred area. Open the door.” When Sungjin shouted, the space with light and darkness started rolling, and two huge crows appeared from the space.

The crows started to talk in english.

“My name is Muninn.”

“My name is Huginn.”

“Two crows of Odin,” said Sungjin in a low voice when he heard the two names.

The name of this world was Valhalla. It was the name of the place Odin, the God King of Asgard Pantheon, created to let his warriors fight and challenge each other.

The Valkyries had guided him until now. Valkyrie was the name of Odin’s messenger, who guided warriors in Valhalla, so it was not a strange thing that Odin’s crows had come down here to guide Sungjin to his last challenge.

I heard that these crows can see the past, the present, and the future.

But it didn’t really matter. He was going to go forward anyways.

“So you guys are the guide for my final challenge?”

“Yes,” the two crows answered together.

“Pff. That means Odin is waiting for us behind the door?”

“Wrong.”

“Then?”

“He organized it, and he is watching, but he won’t be the one waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

“The fate that has been waiting for you. The destiny that has been waiting for you. Your nemesis. That is what is waiting for you.” The two crows talked with rhythm and looked at Sungjin with an unknown energy. “The one who wants to become an Arc Master. Who wants the absolute power that is more than a thousand years of glory. The higher you fly, the more dangerous it becomes.” It sounded like a warning and a prophecy at the same time.

“Do you want to relive the past where they tried to fly high only to fall to the lowest?”

“Pff. Do you want to tell me about the legend of Icarus?” Sungjin smiled and continued. “I know the risk, and I know there is a lot to lose.”

His capital that he had built as he wanted. All the people who had come to make an oath to serve him. Endless people who lined up to present him with precious jewels. All those beauties that he could have. The world he could rule as he wished to with the youth of a thousand years.

He had everything that humans could possibly dream of. Even Qin Shi Huang didn’t have all the things Sungjin had. The emperors on earth ruled for only a few decades, in fear of assasiation and rebels, but Sungjin was free from those concerns.

If that was all he wanted, he had to stop here. “But I will go.”

To become an Arc Master and do what only an Arc Master can do.

The two crows flew up on their wings.

“Then we will open the door.”

“This is the path to your destiny.”

“Everything is as expected.”

“Now go forward.”

“Your fate is waiting for you!”

“Sure. Let’s go” Sungjin walked into the rolling space.

“Yes, Sungjin.” His girls followed him.

* * *

They arrived at a gigantic island floating in the middle of outer space.

The sky was not a blue sky. They were able to see vast black endless space. There was a transparent layer covering the island.

There were many different geographical features on the island.

A volcano, jungle, desert, valley, field, river, ocean… It was an impossible combination of various geographical features on one island…

“Hmm. That is quite an interesting combination.”

It looked like the gods had collected different features and put them all together in one place with their transcendent power.

Swish.

A bird made of flame flew up from the volcano.

Is that… a phoenix?

A mountain surged from the ocean. It was a gigantic fish that was carrying a mountain on its back.

Ha, this is where all the legendary animals live?

Shooting stars appeared among the planets, and living plants moved in the jungle. A colony of ants bigger than humans crossed the desert; a corner of the desert collapsed, and a huge bug that almost looked like a river appeared and swallowed the colony of ants.

There was a peal of thunder for no reason, only to be followed by a typhoon. The weather was unpredictable and extreme. It was a perfect battlefield for the final challenge.

And… Sungjin was able to see Vahalla in a distance universe. Sungjin was able to recognize it at once, because the Kaiser of gold had showed him once before.

So that is the world we came from, which means this is another universe that is separate from it.

And on the other side, there was another planet that looked exactly like Valhalla…

“That side of the world looks… a bit… ominous.”

Sungjin was able to understand why Ereka said that. Valhalla looked like a vivid, colorful world with green forests, blue oceans, yellow deserts, white clouds, and ice on the north and south poles. But the other planet was simply red, and the ocean area was black. It looked like a world without any life.

But that world…

It didn’t take long for Sungjin to recognize that on the other planet, all the continents were placed in perfect symmetry and were exactly the same size.

That can’t be a coincidence.

There must be another Valhalla.