It wasn't such a bad life, after all.
In a space devoid of light, where neither black nor white could be seen, Kang Sihyun thought that Harunen's life had been slightly better than Gren's.
Gren had lived a powerless and boring life confined to a mansion, while Harunen, at least, could leave the mansion to meet friends at the academy and enjoy leisurely times with them.
Excluding the scorn he received as an illegitimate child, it wasn't such a bad life.
If there was a flaw, it was that he had died sooner than in Gren's time.
What expressions must you have worn when you saw me?
After his departure, Kang Sihyun imagined the faces of the children, surely filled with sorrow. He hadn’t wanted to cause such expressions.
Harunen, originally treated as less due to his illegitimacy and bullied more severely, was able to enjoy his academy life purely because of their help. And he had wanted to give them something in return, but it seemed the world does not work as one desires.
He had wanted to make them smile and to gift them good things, but inevitably, he had only passed on unwanted gifts before meeting his end.
It wasn’t an intended death, but it was a chosen death. That’s why it felt somewhat lonely.
And slightly unfair.
If only Decumanus hadn’t appeared, he might have lived a little longer.
He should have been suspicious from the start that too much divine power was contained in his body. It was his mistake not to have doubted earlier, and with a sigh, Kang Sihyun swallowed his regret.
It was fate all along.
In this generation, the seal of Decumanus was broken, and he, the reincarnation of Adam, was destined to defeat him.
It was the framework set by fate.
What a loathsome life.
Despite priding himself on his strong will, he could feel himself wearing thin.
Only now did he understand why he was so pleased when he discovered that Ruth was a descendant of the executioner. He was tired and wanted to end it all. How could he not be happy that a new generation had appeared?
Kang Sihyun felt his mind weary as he drifted in a space of rest.
It was about time to wake up again.
He really hoped to return this time.
It was good to have confirmed the children's past lives, but now he wanted to go back.
Back to the place where he originally belonged, not to their past lives but to their current ones.
He didn’t care how many times he died, but parting more than twice was hard.
Just as he thought this, a bright light burst in, waking Kang Sihyun. Frowning, he became aware of the air touching his skin instinctively.
He hadn’t returned.
Once again, it was a previous life of Adam.
“Ah.”
Realizing this reality, Kang Sihyun sank into despair.
How long would this repeat?
Until when, and to what extent, must he experience life as Adam?
He wished that the memories would just be implanted in his head. Experiencing each life physically was excessively tiring and drained too much energy.
Yet, a new life again.
Kang Sihyun struggled with dreadful emotions, not even realizing that his arms were tied behind him. Trying to move, he heard a clanking sound, and only then did he realize that his wrists and ankles were shackled. He was trapped somewhere.
“Hahaha.”
Laughter escaped him. Not because he was happy, nor was it a self-deprecating laugh or a sneer. It was a bitter laugh, filled with contempt for this never-expected reincarnation.
Kang Sihyun let out a bitter laugh as he stared at the floor. The cold floor felt nothing like a luxurious bed or the earth-filled ground of a forest.
It was more like a prison.
“Ha.”
This time, a self-mocking laugh slipped through his lips.
Another such life.
Miserable and pitiful.
Adam had repeated such meager lives.
Exhausted, Kang Sihyun closed his eyes. He contemplated attempting suicide for the first time when the sound of a creaking door was heard. It was too dark to see if there was a door, but he was startled by the sound. A spot of light seeped into the dark space, and a man wearing glasses entered.
“Behaving yourself, Number One?”
Number One?
Kang Sihyun blinked at the name the man entering called him. The designation Number One seemed far too impersonal to be a person’s name.
The man approached and grasped his chin, forcing Kang Sihyun to lift his head. Startled by the closeness of the man, he resembled the director of the research lab where Haru had been confined. The man’s hand fondled Kang Sihyun’s chin. Clench! As he gripped his chin tightly, Kang Sihyun let
out an involuntary groan.
“Oh, does it hurt?”
Psychopath.
It didn’t seem normal for him to ask that after gripping so hard. Reflexively, Kang Sihyun’s eyes hardened, and the man chuckled.
“If you dislike pain, you should listen well. It’s because you keep running away that I have to be harsh.”
The man scolded as he released Kang Sihyun’s chin. Kang Sihyun closed his eyes in resignation as the man turned away and approached again with a whip.
Damn it.
This life seemed to be more treacherous than Gren’s time.
***
“Ssst!”
Kang Sihyun groaned in pain as he moved, feeling a wound tear open. Each time the fabric of his clothes brushed against it, a sharp pain elicited involuntary groans.
“Crazy bastard. You might as well kill me.”
After inflicting wounds everywhere on his body except his face, the man finally left the room. Apologizing every time he hit, there was no crazier lunatic than him.
What kind of body had he entered into?
Feeling divine power indicated that he was certainly a reincarnation of Adam, but he had no clue what his identity was. The man had only called him Number One, and aside from reproach, he offered no other information. The only talk was of guilt-tripping, and focusing on getting information only wore him down mentally.
Kang Sihyun narrowed his eyes and leaned against the wall. The man had unlocked the shackles on his ankles as he left, but not the ones on his wrists, which was quite uncomfortable.
One thing was certain.
This time, he didn’t seem to be a noble.
A slave, then?
The treatment seemed roughly similar. Kang Sihyun thought this as he looked at his body. Fortunately, this time he had inhabited a more mature body than during Gren and Harunen’s times.
He might be about 17 years old.
He could die soon.
Considering Adam’s life so far, Adam was prone to dying young. Thinking he could die within three years, Kang Sihyun sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
“Ugh.”
He regretted looking up when his eyes met those of a spider. He turned his stiff neck and surveyed the dim space. Although he couldn’t see well, it seemed to be not too spacious.
And quite dirty, it seemed.
The smell of dust was terrible. He cautiously reached down to touch the floor, and sure enough, he felt dust and small pieces of trash.
Was he in a warehouse, a garbage dump, or an abandoned ruin?
Information was limited. There wasn't much he could figure out as he clicked his tongue.
Creeeak.
A long time after the man had left, the door opened very cautiously. Kang Sihyun paused in checking his confined space to turn his head and check the new arrival. A faint light from outside the door allowed him to see the exterior. The newcomer was wearing a robe.
As he approached, the shackles on his ankles caused his wounds to be checked.
“What?”
He bowed his head, making it impossible to see his face. Despite deliberately acting sensitive to make him look, the newcomer only examined his ankle.
He didn’t seem malicious.
The atmosphere was different from the man before. Kang Sihyun was on guard, but thinking that being cautious wouldn’t change anything, he soon stretched out his leg.
It was as if he was saying, 'If you're going to check, do it properly.'
Then, the person who had been handling his ankle pulled something out of his robe. A rustling sound followed, and something cold touched his ankle.
“I warned you, Number One. You shouldn’t have run away. Of course, I didn’t push you, but you know. There are many others here besides us. So, you can’t run away. You’ll be caught like this time. But the master won’t kill you, although you can’t always be locked up like this…. The others don’t like you, but I, I hope you aren’t hurt....”
He stuttered annoyingly. It was confusing to follow unless one listened carefully, but Kang Sihyun, instead of getting irritated, looked at the robed boy with wide eyes.
That slightly immature voice was all too familiar to him.
Even the stuttering manner of speaking.
“Ban Haru?”
“...Eh?”
As he called the name, the man in the robe finally lifted his head.
“I, I’m Number Twelve....”
He said awkwardly as he flipped the robe, revealing the face hidden under the fabric.
Red eyes were staring at him.
It was truly Ban Haru.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
