I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Chapter 214: The Two Who Refused To Let Go

Chapter 214: The Two Who Refused To Let Go

‘...He was a good guy.’

As I used the spirits to dissolve the power of the crystal, memories of a conversation we had before entering this place came to mind.

The story told by another companion who had worked with him, someone I would never see again.

‘He always kept quiet, so I never knew what he was thinking, but whenever the kid or I needed help, he was always there to lend a hand.’

His feelings weren’t much different from mine.

Despite his eccentric appearance and constant silence, he always took care of those around him.

He always led the group and silently offered a hand when things got tough...

Now, I knew that throughout the journey, he had piled up countless corpses with his own hands.

‘He never said anything, but you could always feel how tired he was, like he could collapse at any moment...’

Even if he had resolved himself, as a human, there were limits to his mental strength.

Just as he reached his limit in our fight, in life, he must have tested his limits every time he used his power.

‘...Maybe saving Ga-ram was for that same reason.’

Of course, that was just a guess.

He never said anything and never shared his pain with anyone.

Now that he had left this world, there would no longer be any opportunity to understand what was in his heart.

‘Maybe he thought the kid, who took on a leadership role at such a young age, could take his place when he was too tired.’

But upon entering the afterlife, I learned how strong his lingering regret was.

Even with his mind shattered, I could feel how desperately he wanted to protect the child from the dangers that threatened her.

Endlessly earnest and endlessly desperate...

“...Ga-ram.”

Surely, the reason he saved the child now cradled in my arms must exist somewhere in this world.

“Now’s not the time to get lost in sentimentality.”

Annabel’s voice interrupted me just as I was steeped in that bitter reflection.

When I turned my gaze toward her, I saw her staring at the void with a tense expression.

“The world moved by rewinding time. You can feel the cracks that formed from that still growing, right?”

“...So you’re saying this space will collapse from the aftermath of the final rampage?”

“That’s not the issue. This much change is happening even in the supposedly safe part of this damned stomach.”

The dark space twisted violently, with cracks spreading rapidly to match her grim expression.

The speed of it was too radical and erratic to be considered natural.

Surely, the master of this space had noticed what was happening.

Some external force was accelerating the collapse of this space.

Realizing this, I pulled Ga-ram’s body close and prepared to step into one of the cracks in the darkness.

-Craaack!!!

Getting out wouldn’t be difficult.

As long as my body and mind stay connected, I could follow that trail and return to reality.

And that remained true, even here, inside the Devourer’s stomach, beyond the afterlife.

As long as we wouldn’t lose ourselves in the storm that followed, Ga-ram and I would surely return to reality. Wait...

“Ga-ram.”

It hit me a moment too late.

It wasn’t just Annabel and me who needed to get out of here.

When we entered, Ga-ram was protected by his wraith, but now, there was no way she could withstand the same chaos I experienced.

“Ga-ram won’t make it through this.”

I was only able to reach this place because Annabel shielded me.

I had hoped Ga-ram could share in that protection, but Annabel had already acknowledged her limits.

“...I can only protect one person.”

Someone would have to face the raw force of the chaotic storm unprotected.

Realizing this, I took a deep breath and, after some hesitation, spoke my decision aloud.

“Then protect Ga-ram.”

“Are you out of your mind!? You nearly lost yourself just moments ago, and you’re saying this seriously?!”

“I’ve already been through it once. I’m ready.”

“Being ready doesn’t mean you can handle it...!”

“If you’re a part of me, you know—without endurance, I’m just a corpse.”

Hadn’t I always prided myself on my ability to adapt and survive, no matter where I landed?

To someone like me, having already gone through this catastrophe, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

I might not win, but overcoming it would be possible...

“...I didn’t inherit your entire personality, you fool.”

Shaking her head as if tired of my stubbornness, Annabel separated from me and began to shield Ga-ram with her own body.

Despite my unreasonable request, she created a protective barrier, ensuring Ga-ram’s frail body would withstand the upcoming shock.

“...Thank you.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I just don’t want all the effort it took to get here to go to waste.”

Still curt, but Annabel’s reluctance showed she was willing to fulfill my unreasonable request.

I could feel her trust in me.

With her independent will, she could have refused, but she acknowledged me enough to support my decision.

“So don’t fall. If you really think you’re that great.”

Feeling the sentiment behind her words, I silently nodded and stepped toward the crack.

And then—Boom!

With the collapse beginning, a surge of memories flooded toward me, violently crashing into my body.

My skin peeled away, and my muscles twisted painfully.

-Whooooong!!!

A wave of power crashed down from above, as if to crush us.

I tried to shield Ga-ram with my back, fearing she would be crushed, but when she realized what I was doing, the despair in her eyes deepened.

“That’s why... leave me behind.”

She was saying that my actions were making her suffer even more.

Because she had come here willingly, she didn’t want anyone else to suffer any longer because of her.

“Just... leave me here, as I am.”

How did it come to this?

What sin did this child commit to be dragged into this strange world, forced to bear a burden no child should ever have to bear?

“...It’s not your fault.”

That cursed fate, and the trials I encountered to meet this child, felt overwhelming.

Yet, the grip of my arms around the child only tightened.

Understanding her pain only made my resolve to stay with her grow stronger.

“No one forced anyone to sacrifice for you. Not me, not him either...”

Even though he understood this girl’s pain long before I did.

Despite that, he had a reason to risk his life to save this girl.

“Everyone chose to save you of their own will.”

I didn’t know the details.

Now, there was no chance to hear what was in his heart. All I could do was make guesses based on what I’d seen so far.

Fighting danger without a word, saving people without a word...

To the point of obsessing over whether he truly saved a girl in the end, the man who sacrificed himself must have had a reason.

“Because he wanted you to live in this world. Because he wanted you to survive, even in this world...!!”

Whether out of selflessness or selfishness, in the end, he wanted to save this child.

Because he believed that, even in this world, there was a reason for this girl to live.

“So don’t tell me to leave you.”

How could I abandon this child when I’d inherited such desperate resolve?

With the child in my arms right now, feeling her presence so clearly, how could I give up this moment and leave her behind?

“I will never abandon you, Ga-ram, so you mustn’t either...!”

With that determination, I took one step at a time.

Moving step by step toward the light ahead of me.

-Whooooong!!!

The fear I had been holding inside burst out, and the storm that swept in from all sides nearly knocked me off balance.

The direction I was being pushed in was toward the exit.

But the unexpected storm tore the child from my arms.

The girl I had been trying to save was being swept away by the raging torrent of power, her limp body pulled into the current.

“Please...”

This might be the final moment.

All I could do was reach out my hand.

I could only hope that the departing girl would take my hand by her own will.

“Please, don’t leave me behind.”

As those desperate words spilled out, her eyes snapped open.

At the same time, her once limp legs kicked off the ground, and her hand stretched out toward me with all her strength.

And then...

“Stupid oppa.”

A quiet whisper reached me as my mind finally cleared.

I turned my stiffened head to the side, and through my blurred vision, I saw someone’s figure.

A girl with a mature appearance but a fragile inner self, facing me.

“You even have a wife... If something had happened to you while taking care of me, what would the people left behind have done...?”

Were those words of resentment directed at me? Or was it self-blame for putting me in danger?

Either way, what I did for this child might be considered a sin.

Living in this reality, which was filled with horrors worse than the underworld, forced nothing but despair and suffering upon you.

“If you want to hate me, you can.”

Even if she resented me, I would accept it.

If that was the price for forcing this child to live.

If I must bear the responsibility for forcing her to take my hand when it could have been her last moment.

“Why would I hate you?”

But despite my selfishness, the girl was smiling.

So brightly, so clearly...

She showed me the kind of honest smile a girl her age would naturally have, without hesitation, right in front of me.

“You didn’t abandon me, oppa, so how could I ever abandon you?”

Yes, the girl wanted to live.

Even though the world remained cruel, and there was no way to undo what had happened...

Still, the girl stood before me, expressing her will to survive.

“...Thank you, oppa.”

“Thank you for finding me... Truly, thank you.”

She felt relief knowing there was someone she could face such a world with.

Feeling a joy beyond compare.