RG 130

The fake said that because it was a replica, it wouldn’t have any “sense,” but honestly, the original wasn’t much different. Even after killing hundreds or thousands, his expression never changed. Not even when stabbed. Whether he killed someone or was pierced by a blade himself, he never showed any emotion.

Before my regression, this Calamity had been terrifying and horrifying. From his point of view, killing humans was probably no different than a person squashing a bug. Just like a human killing an ant—my family and I had died at the mere flick of his hand.

A scene from a dream flashed through my mind again. And as if it had been waiting, the fear I’d barely shaken off began creeping up my legs, swallowing me whole.

‘Shit.’

I bit down hard on my tongue. Metallic blood and sharp pain spread inside my mouth.

Only then did I finally come to my senses. Forcing my brain to wake up, I swallowed the blood and summoned my status window. The familiar interface appeared in front of the Great Calamity.

Please, let me get information from the replica. With that desperate hope, I checked the contents displayed before my eyes.

User Information: None (Antagonist)

Age: ???

Primary Skill: Living Shadow (Immeasurable)

Title: The Eternal Nightmare

Attack Power: Immeasurable

Attack Speed: Immeasurable

Movement Speed: Immeasurable

Agility: Immeasurable

Special Note▼

ㄴ Seed of Calamity (100% Progress) (100% Sync Complete)

Every letter in that status window felt like it was being carved into my heart. I blinked blankly, then let out a hollow laugh.

Immeasurable, really? This wasn’t what I’d wanted. At the very least… even if I couldn’t comprehend it, I’d hoped it would be displayed with a clear rank.

Grinding my teeth, I stared down the status window. Even if it didn’t meet my expectations, I had to scrape together whatever information I could. I’d never get another chance to face this replica.

‘Well, at least it means it’s ranked higher than L-class.’

L-class and Immeasurable. Was Immeasurable the rank that came after L? Or was there another rank entirely?

‘Normally, EX-class is used after L-class. So maybe the sequence is L, EX, then Immeasurable.’

Before Cha Sahyeon was abducted, his seed progress was 35%. The next time I saw him after the abduction, it had risen to 62%, meaning it had increased by 27%. Just from that 27% increase, he’d become L-class, and his presence had grown powerful enough for even regular people to sense it. Which means… with 38% left until he hit 100%, there was a high chance his grade had changed again before reaching completion.

‘It’s just a theory, though.’

Still, I hadn’t expected a vague classification like “Immeasurable” to actually show up. This damn system has a way of smacking me in the face with reality whenever I start to let my guard down, reminding me how shitty things really are.

I sighed and calmly examined parts of the status window besides the rank. It was strange that his name was listed as “None” instead of “Sahyeon,” but what really caught my eye was the title.

“His title changed, didn’t it?”

Come to think of it, not just Cha Sahyeon, but all the main characters whose status windows I’d seen had titles. For the record, I don’t have one. Makes sense—I’m just a supporting character, after all.

‘Big Bro Seonghyeon’s title was pretty cool.’

Ryu Seonghyeon’s title was The Radiant Sun. It was closely tied to his skills and various specialties. Kwon Taehyeok had The Righteous, which related more to his personality than his skills. Eun Woojeong’s title is The Spider King. That one feels more like a position of authority. In the end, the meanings behind the three titles are all different. In Cha Sahyeon’s case…

‘If I remember correctly, Cha Sahyeon’s title was The Master of Shadows. Seeing that the replica’s title is The Eternal Nightmare, does that mean the title changes once it reaches 100%?’

I let out a bitter laugh and murmured to myself, “His previous title was already bad enough, but now that he’s awakened as a complete catastrophe, it’s even worse. The Eternal Nightmare, seriously…”

Isn’t this way too different from the three main characters the system chose as main characters? What, is it discriminating against the antagonist out of spite?

Now that I realized titles actually carried meaning, not just fluff I could gloss over, I felt strangely bitter. 

Of course, that doesn’t mean Cha Sahyeon is completely blameless. He deserves the label of antagonist. He’s someone I both fear and hate, and he’s taken far too many lives with those hands. No one can easily pass judgment on those crimes.

But now, I know that Cha Sahyeon is a “created being.” He didn’t become the Eternal Nightmare of his own free will. So doesn’t it seem unfair that he has to bear the burden of those sins alone? If anyone has to pay the price, it should be both Cha Sahyeon and the bastard who made him that way.

‘Ideally, the best outcome would be to never let that hell repeat again.’

I shook off my thoughts and rose to my feet. I braced my trembling legs and looked up—there he was, the replica, still standing there expressionless like a doll. Since I couldn’t extract any more information from the system, I decided to at least examine the replica’s body. 

I pulled aside the old robe fluttering in the wind, revealing a black shirt underneath. The shirt was also torn and ragged in multiple places.

“This is…”

As I examined the replica’s body, I was taken aback.

The strong smell of blood and the damp shirt had made me think maybe someone else’s blood had splattered on him—but no. There was a deep wound on his shoulder. It looked like he’d been cut by a sharp weapon; flesh had been carved out, and blood had soaked the shirt.

There weren’t just wounds on his shoulder—his whole body was riddled with them. And the scars were even more numerous.

‘There are no signs of proper treatment.’

The healed wounds looked ragged and messy. Some scars were so grotesque they made me instinctively grimace. Whatever weapons had done that, they weren’t normal. If he’d been treated properly, these kinds of scars wouldn’t remain. I looked up at his face.

His long, black hair was unkempt, clearly left to grow out without care.

Cutting one’s hair, treating one’s wounds, dressing in clean clothes—These are all things a child learns from an adult. If there’s no love or care, they don’t receive that guidance and might never learn.

This, too, was different from the Cha Sahyeon I knew now.

Cha Sahyeon had gone with me to the local salon to get his hair trimmed. He knew how to wear the clean clothes I bought him. He remembered how I took care of him, and he mirrored that by taking care of me when I was hurt.

The one standing before me was a replica of the Cha Sahyeon who never met me. That realization stirred something strange and deep in my chest.

A world reduced to ruins, fire blazing, thick smoke and embers fluttering in the wind. The Calamity standing amid it all was supposed to be a symbol of my fear, and yet… oddly enough, the fear was beginning to fade.

Maybe it was because this was my first time seeing him this close. Even if he’s a replica, seeing that same face up close blurs the lines between them.

Looking closely, his face gave off a more mature impression than the last time I’d seen Cha Sahyeon. He was also noticeably taller, with a solid build—like a massive wall.

‘Even the Cha Sahyeon I met again after his disappearance had grown so much it felt unfamiliar—but that wasn’t even his final form.’

This replica must be how Cha Sahyeon would look as an adult.

How great would it be if he could’ve grown and aged like a normal person, without the seed progress being tampered with?

I was indulging in that impossible thought when—

Cha Sahyeon, who had been staring blankly into space, suddenly twitched his eyelids. Because I had been so close to his face, I didn’t miss that fleeting movement.

‘What was that?’

He said it wouldn’t have any will of its own—so is movement allowed after all? 

Before I could fully process the question, a strong pressure gripped my arm. Startled, I looked down to find a large, scarred and bloodied hand tightly grasping me.

“Wh-what the…?” I tried to shake him off in panic, but my arm wouldn’t budge. 

I instinctively knew something was very wrong. A wave of goosebumps spread across my skin, and the fear I’d forgotten came flooding back. Just as I was desperately trying to wrench my arm free—

A cold fingertip gently brushed my cheek.

The featherlight touch made me reflexively lift my head. Clear green eyes met mine, directly and unwavering.

“…”

“…”

The once-dull eyes now held a flicker of awareness. Cha Sahyeon—no, the replica of the Calamity—slowly blinked as he stared at my frozen face, then opened his mouth to speak.

Whoosh!

“…!”

Just before he could say anything, something yanked my body backward with great force, as if someone had pulled me from behind. The sensations from my arm and cheek scattered like smoke. My body toppled backward helplessly as the replica and the ruins receded rapidly into the distance.

Like falling off a cliff, the replica grew smaller and smaller until he was finally swallowed by pitch-black darkness.

And my consciousness was cut off completely.

***

Piiiing—! 

A high-pitched ringing brushed past his ear. It sounded like a taut string snapping in an instant.

Cha Sahyeon pulled back the hood of his black robe and looked up at the sky.

‘A shadow that doesn’t belong here made brief contact and then was severed.’

Not even a full second. It barely counted as a moment, and yet that fleeting connection had given him a wealth of information. A shadow he hadn’t planned for had appeared somewhere—and because of it, he’d gained some unintended information. Still, his lips curled into a soft smile.

“I figured this would happen.”

Underneath his windswept black hair, a green earring glinted in the light.

“You never wait quietly, do you, Brother?”

Smiling faintly, he raised his hand and gave a short wave through the air. A massive, pitch-black spear materialized above him. One became two, two became ten, ten became a hundred—soon, hundreds of spears filled the sky.

‘Well, that’s part of your charm, isn’t it.’

He’d even said on purpose that he’d be back soon, yet barely an hour—no, even a full hour hadn’t passed before he was already making moves. It was a very Cha Seohu thing to do, but that didn’t mean Cha Sahyeon wasn’t worried. Cha Seohu’s body was still injured, after all.

With a slight flick of his finger, the hundreds of shadow spears plummeted downward in unison. The ground shook violently as a thunderous roar echoed, and clouds of dust shot into the air.

Clang!

As the spears pierced the earth, the ground trembled like an earthquake, and a massive form burst up from the sand.

Crash!

Thud, thud!

Sand cascaded off its body as the monster, hidden beneath the desert, finally revealed itself. It was an imugi, a serpent that failed to become a dragon. An S-class monster, known for its remarkable ability to suppress its presence and stay hidden.

Amid the falling sand, the snake’s head emerged. Its massive eyes, marked by vertical pupils, glowed a murky green.

Shhhhh!

Having spotted the one who’d disturbed its slumber, the snake flicked its tongue and let out a threatening hiss. From beside Cha Sahyeon, a black bird took flight with a flutter.

Following the bird, a new shadow formed and transformed into a giant scythe. Cha Sahyeon rested it on his shoulder and whispered, “Let’s end this quickly and go.”

Creak, creak!

The bird let out a high cry as it glided over the snake like a shadow.