Everyone is Young Except for Me - Chapter 349

Chapter 349
“You...” I stared at the old man in front of me with astonished eyes akin to a rabbit. He was definitely the old man I met in the tutorial when I first started playing the game. The owner of the bizarre voice who lived in Gaia’s otherworld. He was the only one who called me King of the Seven Stars.

“You are alive...”

“That’s right. We meet again.”

The old man in front of me tried to bow to me. I quickly grabbed his shoulder and pleaded with him not to do so. The old man laughed like he couldn’t help it. Then I asked him for news of someone else. “What happened to that child called Psyche?”

“That child... is no longer in this world. At that time, the barrier of time and space collapsed. I managed to get out, but that child couldn’t do so. It is actually because of her that I was able to be here like this. I probably wouldn’t have reached here if Psyche hadn’t given me time to get out.”

“...I see.” I thought of her and mourned inwardly. Then I regained my cool and asked him, “Is this the Sea of Time?”

“That’s right. Let me explain more about this place.”

The old man in front of me started to give a long explanation. I was able to hear a lot from him. First of all, I was able to come here due to some kind of promise between Kang Jaeseong and Pluto, as mentioned before. It was said that no one except the chosen one could enter this place, which meant I was indeed the chosen one. The more surprising thing was...

“Gaia expected all of this?”

“That’s right. She is the greatest of all beings. As such, she calculated countless situations and predicted the present situation. She also left a lot of arrangements. One of them is to entrust me, who is no longer a constellation, with this great task.”

My eyes widened at the words.

“...Constellation? You mean?”

There was no constellation like the one in front of me from the memories Prometheus gave me. I was naturally surprised to hear he was a constellation.

“Oh, I was late to introduce myself. I was the clock constellation nicknamed Watchman of Time. The name of I, the past that is now forgotten, is Kronos.” The old man answered with a smile.

* * *

At the middle of the Atlan Sea...

The fight between Lee Geonmyeong and the four goddesses lasted a long time. The battle between gods created tremendous waves and rumbling sounds. The wind created by Huera became a typhoon that stirred the waters, creating a tsunami that made everywhere tremble.

The cold brought by Cadiya reached the point of turning the sea into a glacier. Maya supported the two goddesses while Hecatiana, the goddess in charge of magic, pushed Jupiter with various attribute magic and advanced magic. Hecatiana was the most powerful of the main goddesses so she was mainly aiming for the gaps that Jupiter showed.

[It is pretty good, but can you withstand this?]

Lee Geonmyeong gathered the power of thunder in both hands and reached out to the goddesses in front of him. Then a number of thunderbolts spread from his fingers and rushed to the goddess.

[Avoid it!] The moment Cadiya shouted, the other goddesses tried to escape the thunderbolts. However, there was only one person Lee Geonmyeong was aiming for. From the very beginning, this attack was targeting her.

[Maya!]

At Huera’s cry, the other goddesses realized that Maya couldn’t escape and tried to shout, but it was already too late.

[Kyaaack!]

There was a flash of white light as Maya screamed. She was burned and her skin blackened as she plunged into the Atlan Sea. This made her life and death unknown.

Hecatiana was going to save her when Jupiter’s thunderbolt blocked her way.

[Where are you running to?]

[How did you change this way?]

[I was originally like this, Hecatiana. You just didn’t notice.]

[This...]

Lee Geonmyeong put away the thunderbolt that was in front of her. Then he smiled and spat out murderous words, [If you want to go then go. Instead, I can’t guarantee that you will be safe if my thunderbolt falls.]

At Jupiter’s words, the goddesses gritted their teeth and couldn’t reply. It was because as he said. If a thunderbolt fell to the sea then there would be a tremendous electric shock and paralysis. It was obvious that they would drown. Then Cadiya’s words were heard in Hecatiana’s head, -Huera and I will handle this place. You should run away from here.

It was a voice heard only by Hecatiana. Not even Jupiter could hear it. Hecatiana also spoke in Cadiya’s mind, -What does that mean? Are you telling me to leave you here and run away?

-Out of the four of us here, you are the most suitable for protecting the humans. You are the goddess of magic and can help humans in a variety of ways. If this continues, it will be annihilation. You must be alive to plan for the future.

-I can’t do that!

Hecatiana turned red like a child throwing a tantrum. Her gaze fell on Huera. Huera was nodding like she had already given up. Hecatiana couldn’t say anything and just gritted her teeth.

Cadiya’s words continued, -You only have one chance. We will open the way. Run away. Additionally, take care of the humans. In particular, the children in the North Pole if possible. It hasn’t been long since Jupiter descended and it will take him quite a while to regain all his strength. Hurry.

Cadiya said so and held hands with Huera, floating in the air while preparing for a joint attack. Once the wind and snow met combined, a sharp snowstorm obscured Lee Geonmyeong’s vision. He tried to scatter it, but their strength was stronger than expected. Lee Geonmyeong couldn’t take care of it with his power alone.

[How funny. Then can you stop this?]

Lee Geonmyeong’s sharp thunderbolt flew toward the huge snowstorm. To his surprise, the thunderbolt spear was caught in the snowstorm and merged with it.

[......!]

Lee Geonmyeong was surprised and gritted his teeth.

[...Was it made by consuming all the divine power you have? It was the final struggle. Good. I’ll play with you.]

Lee Geonmyeong started to gather his own power. The divine power of an original god was indeed different in quantity and quality. It was expected that this would be his final attack on Huera and Cadiya. Even if they survived, they would only be able to endure one or two more blows.

[You have to go, Hecatiana!] 

[Go! Go and look after the humans! You can do it with your strength!]

[I-I...]

Hecatiana looked at the backs of the two people with trembling eyes. Finally, the joint attack by Cadiya and Huera stretched out toward Jupiter. Sharp icicles accompanied by strong winds and snow lit up the sky.

Hecatiana gritted her teeth and vowed, [I will surely get revenge for you. I’m sorry. Everyone... I’m sorry...] 

Hecatiana waved her hand and finally concealed her form. She disappeared somewhere unknown using space movement. Lee Geonmyeong had no choice but to watch her disappear. The incoming attack right now was too fierce for him to care about Hecatiana.

[You terrible women. I will send you to the Underworld right now. Die!]

Lee Geonmyeong’s thunderbolt and the snowstorm of the two goddesses collided with each other. A terrible fight ensued that split the sea.

* * *

Meanwhile...

I was crossing the black sea in front of me under Kronos’ guidance. Of course, it was a boat ride and the boat was created by Kronos through magic. Since it was made by magic, the boat moved forward on its own without needing to row. Along with the sound of waves, I could hear many stories from him. 

Currently, I was hearing a story from the time when he was a constellation.

"...That is how I am like this now.”

“I see.” I slowly nodded. In fact, from the moment I heard the name Kronos, I was able to grasp his true identity. He was one of the constellations who had been hit hard in Ragnarok in the past to the point of death. His power of time was so powerful it was said that Pluto was forced to use the power of death to defeat him. The surprising thing was that Kronos now recognized Pluto as an ally, not an enemy. Just before he died, Gaia saved his life. Instead of his youthful appearance, he became old as a side effect.

“You think of Pluto as an ally, not an enemy?”

“That’s right. If I didn’t know the truth, I would’ve died thinking of Pluto as an enemy.”

“Umm...” After listening to him, my complex thoughts intertwined like a ball of thread. What was the truth wrapped around Pluto?

“We’ve arrived.” The boat that had been moving well suddenly stopped. Kronos turned around, smiled at me and brought up another story. “It was thanks to the broken Star Piece that I was able to live so far when my star soul was about to be destroyed.”

“A broken Star Piece?”

“You have another piece of my broken Star Piece. I lost it in Ragnarok. Perhaps Gaia is helping me. Hahaha.”

At the same time, my inventory suddenly opened and an arrow popped out. It was the Arrow of Time that I got from the Beast Master guy.

“It seems time has been granted to me again. I don’t know how long I have been waiting for such a moment over the years. Now I can rest. May Gaia’s will be fulfilled...”

At the same time, Kronos’ body started to shine white and he became a small pocket watch. Just then, the Arrow of Time made a sharp sound and it stuck to the pocket watch like there was a magnet. It turned out that what I thought was an arrow was actually a clock hand. Finally, the stopped pocket watch started moving. Kronos’ time that had long been stopped was finally moving.

Tick—! Tick—!

Kronos’ pocket watch floated in front of me as if requesting something. I carefully grabbed the pocket watch from the air.

[★Star Piece ‘Kronos’ Pocket Watch’ has been acquired.]

The moment I grabbed it, the black sea in front of me surged and a huge wave rushed to swallow me up. A golden pocket watch was ticking in front of the black wave. I closed my eyes and surrendered myself to the tsunami.