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After Saving The Universe A Thousand Times

After Saving The Universe A Thousand Times: Chapter 5

Chapter 5: All Gods’ Descent

Although Dong Jin had jokingly told the cosmic will that he couldn’t sleep earlier, the truth was he genuinely didn’t feel tired at this moment.

To be in his best condition for the “Divine Selection,” he had entered a deep slumber ten hours before the countdown ended. Now, he was still in the state of someone who had just woken up not too long ago.

Time in the instance was precious. Dong Jin had originally been contemplating how to make the best use of this time, debating whether or not to risk a nighttime exploration. But after acquiring the new skill “Night Eye,” his hesitation was no longer necessary.

No one could discover his presence at night.

Though it was unclear whether this applied to supernatural beings as well, with the risk significantly reduced, it was definitely worth a try.

Acting swiftly, Dong Jin changed into clothes better suited for movement, tore off his bandages, and donned a black cap and a matching anti-pollution mask. He also stuffed all the cash from his wallet into his pockets.

Once everything was set, he walked straight to the window of the hotel, which could only open halfway, and slipped out sideways.

It was only the tenth floor.

Dong Jin leapt down, bouncing off the outdoor air conditioning units, and landed smoothly on the ground below.

【Wow, look at those moves… He played Kale’s honey trap game so well, I didn’t expect his combat skills to be this good too. He’s definitely an MVP candidate for this round.】

【There’s a term in another universe for this kind of elegance, right? ‘Graceful like a startled swan, supple like a dragon in flight.’ I’m absolutely smitten!】

【Speaking of Kale, is it just me? Though their personality and face are quite different, I’ve had so many déjà vu moments…】

【Shh, I know who you’re talking about. You’re thinking of Kai, right? That one does tend to seal away his memories and mingle in various trials and instances, always on the hunt for fun. Let’s wait and see—this instance’s background is exactly his type.】

【What’s there to wait for? That kind of forgettable, easily overlooked face is exactly the disguise he loves most! As for personality, Kai plays any role perfectly. There’s no fixed personality for him. Kale’s got Kai’s buffs stacked to the max—he even mentioned ‘revelry.’ Who else could he be but the God of Revelry, Kai?】

【Of all people, he had to provoke Kai. Whether or not Dong Jin makes it through the instance, I’ve already lit a candle for him (praying.jpg).】

Unaware that countless people outside the instance were already praying for him, Dong Jin continued to walk along the darkest paths.

Whether he chose to keep wearing the bandages or put on an eye mask, the intent to conceal his eyes would be too obvious. Now, with his eyes fully uncovered, he could only stick to the darkest routes and avoid letting his eyes be exposed to any light sources.

After wandering around the commercial district for half an hour, Dong Jin finally found a phone repair shop that was still open.

On his way from the hotel to the shop, while casually looking around, he used his “Eye of Truth” to spot two bombs.

It’s truly a miracle that the people in this city haven’t all fled by now.

While thinking this, Dong Jin pulled the brim of his cap down to cover his eyes and stepped into the dimly lit phone repair shop.

“Do you have any second-hand phones for sale? Something cheap will do. Also, I’ll need a SIM card.”

Dong Jin only had a little over a thousand in cash on him.

In a setting resembling the technological background of the 21st century, judging from the material of the clothes in his suitcase, the version of himself in this instance shouldn’t be lacking money. So, the reason he had little cash and no bank card was obvious—he was used to electronic payments.

And if he was used to electronic payments, it would be impossible for him not to have a phone.

But in the first minute after entering the instance, Dong Jin had checked himself over and scanned through his suitcase. He was sure there was no phone in the room.

When he went to the hotel reception later, he had also deliberately glanced at the lost and found section, but didn’t see his phone there either.

With a bit of deduction and remembering that he had encountered someone on the tenth floor whose profession was “thief,” he reasonably suspected that his phone had either fallen somewhere on the way to the tenth floor and been picked up by someone, or it had been swiped by a passing thief after he entered the hotel.

If it was the former, that would be fine. But if it was the latter… he would really have to think about what excuse to use if that thief recognized him. 

He couldn’t just shamelessly make up lies, could he?

Regardless, this was all just speculation. Finding this possibly missing phone wasn’t a top priority.

After inserting the SIM card into his newly bought phone and finally connecting to the internet, Dong Jin didn’t use it immediately. Instead, he put it away in his pocket and continued wandering through the crowded areas of Qishi City.

It wasn’t until past three in the morning that he picked up a public phone, called the police station, and briskly reported the locations of 13 bombs that he had memorized. Then, he finally made his way back.

By the time he returned to the Fengmo Hotel, it was close to five in the morning.

The once pitch-black night sky was gradually fading, turning into a slightly lighter shade of dark blue.

Timing his return with the expiration of his skill, Dong Jin silently climbed back into his room.

The first thing he did upon re-entering was to re-bandage his eyes. The second thing was to turn on his phone and open the search bar.

But instead of searching for terms like “supernatural beings,” the first thing he looked up was 《Gods’ Descent》

Even after trying several variations of keywords, he still couldn’t find the piano piece Kale had played earlier.

So it really is unique to the dimension where that supernatural being, Kale, comes from?

Maybe Kale composed it after learning to play the piano.

For some reason, Dong Jin subconsciously felt a bit wary of Kale. After clearing up this curiosity, he began methodically browsing common knowledge about Qishi City and the world itself.

In this quiet atmosphere, the comment feed resumed its casual chatter.

【The setting of this world is pretty old-fashioned. It’s impressive how quickly Dong Jin adapted to using such antique tools. When I check out other live streams, I really see the difference in human intelligence—others are still sleeping in the hotel, while Dong Jin’s already speeding toward the finish line.】

【Did he search for 《Gods’ Descent》 because he figured something out?】

【Not sure. I’m just curious about whether it’s his sharp observation skills or some kind of search talent. How did he spot so many bombs in one glance? He’s like a living bomb detector!】

【I don’t know if it’s a search talent, but it’s probably related to his eyes…】

Under the sharp or mistaken comments from the barrage, Dong Jin, who had been quietly staring at his phone for two or three hours, finally felt a sense of drowsiness.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already 14:22 in the afternoon.

Due to the influence of a thousand midnights, Dong Jin never slept well, let alone in such a dangerous instance.

Rather than sleeping earlier, he had simply rested his eyes for six hours.

Right now, he couldn’t go to the restaurant to eat. Although he wasn’t clear on whether most of the supernatural beings needed food or what their exact diets consisted of, the moment he stepped into the restaurant, whatever air of mystery he had been cultivating would inevitably be “swept away.”

So, he decided to make do with the compressed biscuits he bought earlier at a 24-hour convenience store.

After handling various trivial matters, Dong Jin stepped into the elevator.

At this time, the button for the hotel’s top floor, the “33rd floor,” had already been pressed by someone—or rather, by another supernatural beings.

Dong Jin didn’t turn around.

Because the moment he entered the elevator, he glimpsed a ram-headed humanoid standing inside. If he guessed correctly, it was likely the creature mentioned in the reporter’s note—capable of distorting human cognition.

Not knowing the conditions required to trigger the opponent’s ability, Dong Jin didn’t even consider using his “Eye of Truth” to gaze at the creature for three seconds.

After all, there were still six and a half days left in the instance; there was no rush.

As the elevator numbers jumped higher and higher, Dong Jin remained silent, and the ram-headed supernatural being, dressed in the same black suit but with bulging muscles that looked ominous at a glance, also said nothing.

The creature’s pitch-black eyes, devoid of whites, simply stared at Dong Jin’s back the entire time.

Once, Dong Jin could remain unflustered under the overwhelming killing intent of thunderous enemies; this small scenario didn’t faze him now. Even as he stepped out of the elevator, there wasn’t the slightest trace of sweat on the back of his neck.

As he took his first step out of the elevator, Kale’s voice echoed from around the corner of the 33rd-floor corridor.

He said, “It’s an honor to have you here.”

These words caused the ram-headed creature, who had just exited behind Dong Jin, to halt in its tracks. This menacing supernatural being seemed inexplicably stunned by this development and uncertainly raised a sharp-clawed left hand, pointing at itself in confusion.

“It wasn’t addressed to you.”

Hidden in the corridor’s shadows, Kale’s expression briefly flashed with annoyance at the ram-headed supernatural being’s gesture. Then, with a subtle push from his back, he detached himself from the wall at the corner and began walking step by step toward Dong Jin.

It was at this moment that the ram-headed supernatural being finally realized who Kale had come to greet. As its gaze shifted between Kale and Dong Jin, it asked, “You two know each other?”

It was clear that Kale had no intention of even glancing at the ram-headed face.

Keeping his head down, Kale only looked at Dong Jin and said, “14:55, time’s almost up. Let’s go.”

As soon as Dong Jin nodded and took a step forward, Kale turned around and matched his pace, not sparing a glance elsewhere.

Watching the two figures—one tapping a dark umbrella tip on the ground, the other stepping with black leather shoes onto the carpet—the ram-headed creature felt like a dog that had been walking along only to be suddenly kicked twice.

But come to think of it, have there been any new supernatural beings passing through the door in the last few days?

The creature was one of the leaders too, so how had it not heard anything about this?

However, seeing that this person could get along so harmoniously with that madman Kale, he definitely wasn’t a simple character.

While the ram-headed creature was lost in thought, Kale paid no attention to the supernatural beings around them who spontaneously made way for him and Dong Jin. Instead, he spoke to the man beside him as if there was no one else: “I wanted to ask yesterday, your eyes aren’t injured, so why are they wrapped in bandages?”

Yesterday, Kale had practically been dazzled by Dong Jin.

That night, Dong Jin seemed like the “Devil King” descending within the melody, while Kale was the mere mortal in the song, bewitched by the Devil King until death.

Inevitably, Kale’s heart fluttered for him countless times. By the end of it, let alone asking any questions, he couldn’t even remember what he had or hadn’t said.

It wasn’t until after a night of calm that Kale felt the dizzying sensation, like strong liquor flowing from his belly to his limbs, had finally begun to fade. His reason, worn down by desire, slowly pulled back from the brink of collapse and began to return.

“What a strange question,” Dong Jin raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing Kale.

“Is this world really worth opening my eyes for?”

And there it was again. Even though Kale hadn’t been drinking and Dong Jin had only spoken one sentence, that familiar dizzy feeling began to make him float once more.

What kind of charm was this?

Was it because of that face? Or his voice?

No, it was because of the soul beneath the surface, beneath the tone, an arrogance so fierce it made Kale’s heart tremble.

He wanted him. Body or soul, Kale wanted them both.

The tea party was approaching its end.

At this moment, there were far more than just Kale and Dong Jin in the hallway. When Kale suddenly stopped in his tracks without warning, the supernatural beings who had kept a certain distance from them couldn’t help but subtly or openly cast glances their way—mostly toward Dong Jin.

Because even among the most reckless, wicked supernatural beings, none had ever willingly covered their eyes simply because they believed the world wasn’t worth seeing.

A lunatic. Just like Kale. No, even more self-centered than Kale.

And then there was that crescent-moon smile of his…

Even after Kale and Dong Jin sat down on the double sofa in the suite, some of the supernatural beings’ gazes still lingered on the bandages over Dong Jin’s eyes, the pale skin beneath them, and the two red marks at the corners of his mouth.

“So what about the red marks on your face?”

This time, it wasn’t Kale asking but the ram-headed creature Wuli, who had followed them inside and sat on the opposite sofa.

Taking advantage of the bandages covering his eyes, Dong Jin let his gaze wander boldly around the suite.

【Suite influenced by the “Door”: This is an expensive suite where those who enter cannot lie, now being freely occupied by a group of supernatural beings.】

Aside from that, there was no other useful information; the “Door” wasn’t here.

After quickly scanning the room, he casually remarked in front of the 12 gathered supernatural beings:

“I want to bring laughter to the world, but this world doesn’t make me laugh, so I painted a smile on myself.”

“What? Is this smile not joyful enough?”

Dong Jin hadn’t lied. He didn’t just want to bring laughter to this world—he wanted to bring it to all the universes watching.

Otherwise, why would he deserve the tickets from the audience of these universes? Why should he outshine all other trial-goers to win the FMVP?

How to put it… If someone heard such words without knowing the full context, many might even be moved by them.

But the ones here were all vile beings, licking blood from the tip of the blade, hailing from different universes and timelines.

Not to mention, the “painting” Dong Jin referred to meant forcibly cutting the corners of his mouth, leaving two red scars as his “smile.”

With these two factors combined, no supernatural beings would find his words heartwarming.

—They only found them terrifying.

Which one of these beings hadn’t experienced a lot? The evil they had witnessed far surpassed that of ordinary people, and many of them were the very embodiment of evil themselves.

So they knew very well—simple wickedness wasn’t scary. What was scary was pure evil, unaware of itself.

And now, that very evil spoke again: “Kale, I’ve told you before—I’m the acknowledged savior.”

Everyone knew that no lies could be spoken in this room.

In that instant, Dong Jin was no longer seen as an otherworldly beauty. In their eyes, he became the inhuman among the inhumans, the freak among freaks, the madman among madmen.

“… Truly absurd. What else did they call you?” murmured a humanoid female supernatural being sitting alone nearby, as if talking to herself. Then curiosity got the better of her, and she directed the latter half of the question toward Dong Jin.

After all, they couldn’t leave the hotel, and from morning to night, they were rather bored.

It was rare to have a newcomer, and when there was guaranteed, fresh gossip, naturally they wanted to hear as much as possible.

“There were a lot of titles. A few interesting ones, and if you string them together…”

Dong Jin recalled the countless, sometimes useful, sometimes meaningless achievements he had earned during those thousand midnights. Stringing a few of them together, it formed: “You are the king of the wicked, the lunatic of the universe, the apex of the pyramid, the solution to the equation…”

And everyone’s big daddy.

Of course, Dong Jin didn’t say the last part out loud—he still had emotional intelligence.

After all, he was just showing off to get votes, not recklessly seeking death.

In just four short sentences, all the supernatural beings fell silent.

How arrogant, how mad, and yet how revered must someone be to receive such overwhelmingly positive descriptions?

But wasn’t everyone here a villain?

“Just to clarify, you don’t have to answer my next question if you don’t want to. I’m just purely curious,” the female supernatural being cautiously preempted, afraid she’d upset this new lunatic with too many questions. “What exactly did you do to them?”

Could it be that there really was someone who treated a villain as a savior, even worshiped him on a pedestal?

I’m telling the truth, I really am the savior—the kind who saved a thousand universes. Why doesn’t anyone believe me?

Dong Jin glanced at the faint reflection of himself on the transparent coffee table and, for the first time, wondered if maybe he just didn’t look kind enough.

In fact, even without having gone through those thousand midnights, he would still qualify to be called a savior.

Because he had given up on a path that could have quickly taken him to the top from the very beginning.

—He had arrived in this world already infected, as the Fourth Calamity.

—If he had abandoned morality and forsaken his limits, rampaging through the universe, he would have become a literal disaster.

—With countless lives delivering experience to him, he would have ascended as the Plague King in record time.

It sounded so simple.

Had he chosen that path, not even gods could easily approach him by now.

But from the start, Dong Jin had decisively rejected this Plague Calamity route.

Because he was born stubborn. Even if the world was just a game, he wouldn’t play some R18 pirated version.

—If he was going to play, he’d play the only Hell Mode.

For that, he would gamble with life and death a thousand times, all to achieve the perfect ending.

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