I’m the Madman of This Family

Chapter 304. The Secret of Birth (5)

Keter skipped the story of his past life and the events in Ruquer, only telling Kron about what happened in Sephira.

After hearing everything, Kron spoke with a serious expression.

“Keter. From what I hear, you want to save Sephira.”

“Just saving it would be boring. Since I’ve started, I’ll make it the strongest family on the continent.”

“Is that your dream?”

“No. It’s just ‘one of the things I want to do.’ I don’t have a ‘dream’ that I feel I must dedicate my entire life to. If I had to say, my dream is to live freely, but since I’m already living freely, I don’t need to dream.”

“Haha. You’re living the easiest yet hardest thing.”

Freedom. It’s given to everyone. Even life and death are within human control.

But no human can truly enjoy freedom. Freedom and freedom always oppose each other.

Kron closed his eyes for a moment.

Freedom. Who would refuse it? Who would dislike it?

But everyone, including Kron, knows. Freedom cannot last forever. Being free isn’t always good.

“Keter. Do you know why humans, among all the races, have prospered the most? They don’t have bloodline abilities like the Beastmen, nor the survival and reproduction skills of Goblins or Orcs. Even Elves and Dwarfs, blessed with nature and mana from birth, live in hiding. Why did humans, with nothing, become the rulers of this world?”

A philosophical question that doesn’t match Kron’s rough appearance.

Kron didn’t expect Keter to answer seriously, but once again, Keter surprised him.

“Because they have nothing.”

“……?!”

“Those born with something, born perfect, don’t feel the need to grow. They’re fine as they are. Would a fish want to fly in the sky? Would a bird want to breathe underwater? But humans, having nothing, want to have. Being imperfect, they want to become perfect. But being perfect means no longer being able to grow.”

“……”

“There are more reasons why humans became rulers. This world isn’t just about the survival of the fittest. There aren’t more lions than dogs or rabbits. But that doesn’t mean weakness is the basis of prosperity. No matter how many there are, if they’re raised as livestock, it’s not really living.”

Keter, who grew up as an orphan in the crime-ridden city of Ruquer. His family was wiped out, and he fought alone against the nation. The world he experienced and felt was exactly like this.

Kron fell silent. Hearing the answer to the question he started to teach Keter, he instead fell into deep thought.

‘He’s lived a hellish life.’

Everything Keter experienced in Sephira was fun and exciting. He never spoke of the hellish life he lived in Ruquer.

But even so, Kron could feel that Keter had lived a very harsh life. All human emotions were felt in his words.

Kron, who had been thinking with his eyes closed, opened them. His gaze had changed.

“Keter. I hoped you wouldn’t cross the line. I felt you had no plan, no thought, no strategy.”

“I’m not that much of a fool.”

“Stop talking back and listen. Even if you become a Transcendent Being, you’ll far surpass human limits, but a Transcendent Being is still human. You can only live as a human. Especially you, who are close to being a Transcendent Being but not yet one. You can stop anytime, even now.”

Swoosh.

Kron placed his hand on Keter’s shoulder, his face showing pure regret.

“But you won’t stop, will you? To seize your freedom, you need to keep getting stronger. But the limit allowed to humans is the 7-Star Prime.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve prepared Ain.”

The reason a 7-Star Prime can’t become an 8-Star Irregular. It’s because of the absence of Ain.

But Kron shook his head.

“I know you have Ain. It’s true that without Ain, you can’t become an 8-Star. But that’s not enough. You need to prove your existence to this world. You must swear. And through that process, you can no longer remain human.”

To become an 8-Star Irregular, Ain is needed. But how to cross over to 8-Star, even Keter didn’t know.

Now, Kron was revealing that secret.

“Look at me. Do you know why I’m here as the guardian of the Abyss, watching over the Evil Gods? It’s because of my ‘existence.’ I swore to protect the seal of the Evil Gods, so I became a demi-god beyond human. Because I protect the seal of the Evil Gods and ‘prove’ my existence, I can exist here without consuming causality.”

Keter seemed to understand but also didn’t understand Kron’s words.

To such Keter, Kron revealed everything without hiding.

“The moment you become an Absolute, the moment you can interfere with the truths and laws of this world, we become beings who can’t die even if we want to. We’re bound by the rules. That’s the constraint given to gods. An Absolute can never be free. No matter how trivial it is. You’ll understand what I’m trying to say. To protect your freedom, you must become an Absolute, but the moment you become an Absolute, your freedom ends.”

Kron’s words were contradictory. To protect freedom, you must become an Absolute, but becoming an Absolute means losing freedom.

But Keter understood. So he took Kron’s hand on his shoulder and turned it away, saying,

“I’ll think about that when the time comes.”

“……”

“You can’t not go on a picnic just because you’re afraid of rain.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“There’s nothing I can’t do.”

Keter’s determination to move forward, even if he regrets it, warms Kron’s cold glass heart. Kron placed his hand on Keter’s head.

“You’re such a disobedient child.”

Originally, Kron planned to lock Keter in the Abyss for 50 years.

He intended to make Keter a solid 7-Star Prime and then send him back into the world. After 50 years, everything in the outside world would be settled.

The world would have forgotten Keter, and the Sephira family, which Keter considered a burden, would be gone. Then Keter could enjoy a longer ‘freedom.’

But he decided against it.

Because Keter didn’t want that.

‘Above all, he’s prepared.’

Keter is reckless, but not a fool. He’s ‘already’ prepared to grieve, rage, rejoice, and regret.

Squeak.

Kron drew a cross with his finger. Then a door appeared in the Abyss.

Thud.

Kron pushed Keter’s back. Keter tried to resist, but it was useless.

“You have to give me the promised reward, you bastard!”

This wasn’t out of regret, but because he didn’t get the information and gift about Akra.

Kron waved his hand at his departing son, Keter, and said softly,

“I’ve already given it.”

*

Crash!

Keter fell onto the Syndicate headquarters’ table. Ivan and Tuska, who were playing chess on the table, jumped up.

“I won this.”

“What are you talking about? I was two moves ahead.”

“Your queen was taken, how can you be two moves ahead? Can you even see anything with that bucket?”

The two argued over the game before noticing the suddenly appeared Keter. Keter, sprawled on the table, muttered.

“What did he give me?”

He was kicked out of the Abyss without receiving the promised information about Akra or the gift. And there was no way to return to the Abyss.

At least he brought the Book of Creation, so Keter shook off his regrets and got up.

“Let’s call it a draw and play another game later. But how many days have I been gone?”

At Keter’s question, Ivan finally looked at Keter and said,

“Four days. You came back earlier than I expected.”

“I thought you were dead, Lord Keter. But you’ve grown even more since you left?”

The faint divine power emanating from Keter was thanks to the divine power absorbed from the Book of Creation.

Keter had a lot to say, but he was annoyed that four days had passed. This was absolutely not something to let slide.

“Where’s that bastard Kilian?”

Even though he warned it was dangerous, this was beyond danger—it was a ‘trap.’ If Kron hadn’t treated him as a father, it would have been obvious what would have happened.

Then Keter suddenly turned around and reached out his hand. Kilian’s neck was caught in his grasp.

“……!”

Kilian, who always appeared stealthily avoiding Keter’s senses, was now detected by Keter.

Even Keter was surprised he caught him.

‘Can I feel him now?’

The divine power absorbed from the Book of Creation. And Keter, who grew through survival of the fittest after dying and coming back to life, could now even sense Kilian’s presence.

Kilian, caught by the neck, said nothing. He was too shocked. Both by being detected and by Keter surviving the King Kwonseong.

Even returning not just unharmed but stronger was completely beyond Kilian’s expectations.

“You’re back.”

“Didn’t expect me to come back, did you?”

Keter tightened his grip. Kilian, not resisting, said,

“Um, I don’t know what happened, but I want to say it’s a misunderstanding, and I apologize.”

“Will an apology end this? I’ll kill you and say sorry in front of your corpse.”

“Of course, I don’t plan to just apologize with words.”

Snap!

A finger snap sounded. Then Kilian, in Keter’s grasp, suddenly disappeared and reappeared right beside him.

“Originally, the request I made to you, Lord Keter, was to complete requests from seven people, but I’ll count the last one as completed. So, I’ll give you the promised reward.”

Snap!

Another finger snap, and a sword appeared before Keter’s eyes.

A purple blade with an eye. The hilt was made of human bone. An Artifact, but a cursed one. Exuding malice and deceit. But at the same time, it also felt familiar.

Keter almost said without realizing.

‘Apophis?’

The Demon Sword Apophis, borrowed from Grand Duke Alkione in his past life. It had now come into Keter’s grasp.

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