Chapter 315: Epilogue - Each of Their Lives (2)

The Farmer and the Fisherman

Sunlight streamed through the window.

Chirp, chirp.

The raucous chirping of birds roused Elvis, who stirred in his sleep.

“Ugh…”

Just awakened, he slowly opened his eyes and sat up.

His thick beard and now visibly aged appearance testified to the passage of time.

“Ugh… My head is killing me.”

Slinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he clutched his throbbing head, still hungover.

“Damn Kendrick… I swear I’ll never drink with that bastard again.”

Despite his words, he knew full well that in a few days, he’d be sharing drinks with Kendrick again.

“Ugh…!”

His body creaked and groaned, no longer as resilient as it once was. Elvis straightened up, patting his lower back.

“Hoo… hiss…”

Pshhh.

A plume of misty breath rose from his mouth as he took a long, deep breath. He was circulating mana through his body to dispel the lingering effects of the alcohol.

Much better now.

Elvis’s face brightened considerably. He slipped out of bed and shuffled toward the door, stepping outside into the blinding sunlight.

His expression immediately soured.

”…How long did I sleep?”

The excessive drinking must have knocked him out for quite a while. The sun was already high in the sky.

“I should check on the fields.”

After washing his face lightly at a nearby well, he pulled a small cart from the barn and began to move.

Clatter-clatter.

As he walked along the narrow path, the farming tools in the cart rattled against each other.

Using the sounds from the cart as his music, he strolled out of the forest path as if on a leisurely walk, until the vast plains stretched before him.

The Summer Continent, known as the Land of Passion.

True to its reputation, the Summer Continent boasted abundant sunlight, making fruit farming its primary industry.

Among its regions, the northern part of the Summer Continent was the primary production area for a grape-like fruit called Piyu.

While many foods and products utilized Piyu, the wine made from its fermented juice was particularly renowned, earning the nickname Tears of the Heavens.

As a result, the entire nearby village consisted of Piyu farming households.

The main crop Elvis cultivated was also Piyu.

Clatter-clatter.

Just as Elvis stepped onto the edge of the Piyu field, an elderly voice called out.

“Heh heh, you’re late today, aren’t you?”

An old man pruning branches in the nearby Piyu field greeted Elvis warmly.

“Yes, I had a few drinks last night,” Elvis replied.

“Still young, still young!”

“I’m already over forty…”

“That’s still the prime of your life!”

“Well, I guess so. Good luck with your work!”

“And to you too!”

After the brief exchange, Elvis resumed pulling his cart and continued on his way.

As he walked, Elvis encountered many people.

“Hello, Teacher!”

“Teacher, Teacher! Can we come over to your house to play today?”

The village children, whom Elvis tutored in reading and writing, giggled and swirled around him.

“Mr. Elvis, the fertilizer spreader you fixed last time broke down again… Could you take another look at it?”

“Elvis! The pie turned out perfect. I’ll save you a slice—come get it later!”

“Bro! Mom wants you to drop by tonight, she says she has something to tell you! But honestly, I bet she’ll just nag you about getting married again, so you don’t really need to go!”

The young man with the kind face and the village women.

Even his younger brother, who had now started a family of his own.

Elvis chatted with many people.

What should have been a twenty-minute walk took a full hour, but no irritation showed on Elvis’s face.

Instead, he seemed genuinely happy.

“Full of energy today too, I see.”

Elvis had spent nearly forty years on the battlefield, combining his past and present lives.

After the final battle on the Winter Continent, he returned to his hometown.

As he pondered what to do next, he succumbed to his parents’ persistent urging and began farming.

Initially, he only intended to help with the labor shortage temporarily while searching for other work.

But what a surprise it turned out to be.

Farming suited him remarkably well.

To nurture life with my own hands… I never realized how rewarding that would be.

Though farming wasn’t easy, the villagers’ support helped this novice farmer adapt quickly.

By applying his knowledge of Sacred Scripture to his agricultural practices, he now cultivates the largest Piyu field in the village.

They say you can never predict what life will bring… Who would have thought I, once hailed as the Wise One, would end up farming?

Elvis chuckled wryly at the irony of his situation.

Arriving at the field, he immediately set to work.

Since he was late, he needed to work even faster.

The Piyu plants, soon to be harvested, boasted a lush, vibrant color.

How long had he been engrossed in his work?

Rustle—

A sound from one side of the Piyu field caught his attention.

“Huh?”

Elvis turned to see a tall, muscular man standing there, his bronze skin gleaming and red hair blazing.

“Hey there!” Kendrick, the village’s most renowned fisherman, waved carelessly. “Nursing a hangover?”

Kendrick held a pot in his hand, several live fish flopping around inside.

“Spicy seafood soup? How does that sound?”

Seeing Kendrick grin, Elvis couldn’t help but grin back.

“Sounds good.”

The two men, now in agreement, settled down by the stream near the fields. Kendrick expertly cleaned the fish and began cooking.

The meal was simple: a soup made with fish, water, and a few portable seasonings. But as the saying goes, hunger is the best sauce, and they devoured a surprisingly large portion of the seafood soup, leaving not a drop.

“Ugh… That hits the spot. This hangover is a real killer…”

“If it’s that bad, why not just dispel the alcohol aura?”

“Ha! You wouldn’t understand. What’s the point of drinking if you’re just going to get rid of the hangover? This hangover is proof you drank and a badge of honor!”

Elvis shook his head at Kendrick’s impassioned rant.

Just then, Kendrick seemed to remember something and spoke up.

“Ah, a letter from Tania arrived recently.”

“Really? Where is she now?”

“This time, it seems she’s on the Summer Continent. Somewhere way down south, I heard.”

Kendrick shook his head.

After the war ended, Louis and his travel party’s journey came to an end.

But Tania refused to settle down.

She charged forward toward a new goal:

Zero’s Domain.

The fact that she had almost lost Louis again right before her eyes.

The realization that she hadn’t been able to provide any meaningful help at that crucial moment.

These drove her relentlessly.

And Tania wasn’t the only one.

Come with us!

The Twins, having realized their shortcomings during the final battle.

Now, to follow Louis, who had transcended realms and ventured into distant lands, the Twins joined Tania on her training journey.

That was already five years ago.

Yet their journey remained unfinished, and they occasionally sent letters with news.

“Impressive.”

“Stubborn bitch.”

Kendrick and Elvis exchanged amused glances and continued their casual banter.

“Did you hear? Some kid from the next village ran away.”

“And the neighbor’s mare foaled.”

Such trivial talk seemed incongruous for individuals who could have already made a name for themselves in the world.

Even at its most charitable, it was no more than idle chatter between village elders.

Compared to the fierce intensity of their lives, the stories they shared seemed almost trivial. Yet the joy they felt together permeated every word.

After hours of chatting, the conversation drifted to marriage.

Kendrick said with a grave expression, “Don’t get married…”

“Not this again? I’ve told you countless times, I have no interest. I’m happy as I am.”

“I keep saying it so you won’t change your mind! The moment you get married, your happiness and freedom are over!”

Kendrick nodded solemnly, his face radiating earnestness.

Just then…

Crraaahhh…

The roar of a tiger echoed from somewhere.

Kendrick’s face froze.

And then…

“You little hellion! How dare you stay out all night?!”

Lavina’s thunderous roar, as deafening as a tiger’s howl, reverberated across the Piyu fields.

Hearing this, Kendrick’s face turned ashen.

Elvis, looking incredulous, asked him, ”…You didn’t go home last night?”

“I woke up on the street…”

In other words, he’d gotten drunk and passed out on the street.

Cr-ha-ha-ha!

The tiger’s roar echoed again, and Kendrick, his neck suddenly shrinking into his shoulders, scrambled to his feet.

“I’m outta here! Let’s grab a drink again tomorrow night!”

“Sure… if you’re still alive by then.”

Before Elvis could finish his sentence, Kendrick’s body vanished in a flash.

Elvis shook his head, sighing helplessly.

That was the moment.

Tap-.

With a soft sound, a massive shadow loomed over Elvis’s head.

Growl-.

Elvis looked up to see a colossal Nabi looming above him.

But even more terrifying than the Nabi was Lavina, perched atop its head.

“Elvis! Where did that damned human go?!”

Lavina’s voice boomed, sounding as if she might breathe fire at any moment.

Startled, Elvis stammered, “He… he was here just a moment ago…”

At his words, Lavina ground her teeth.

“Just let me get my hands on him!”

Her killing intent was palpable, thick and suffocating.

They used to be so madly in love…

Now, it was impossible to tell whether they were husband and wife or mortal enemies.

Cold sweat trickled down Elvis’s back.

He desperately wished Lavina would disappear quickly.

Just as she was about to leave, as if his wish had been granted, she turned back.

“Elvis.”

“Huh…?”

“If you can lure that man out for another drink just once more…”

Lavina drew her thumb across her throat in a slicing motion.

Gulp-

Though Kendrick had been the one to suggest drinks first, Elvis couldn’t bring himself to retort. He swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.

Only then did Lavina’s face soften with satisfaction, though she still gritted her teeth.

“Where the hell did that man disappear to now?! Let’s go, Nabi! Time for a hunt!”

Cr-harrgh!

With a resolute cry, Nabi’s streamlined form vanished like lightning.

The situation had unfolded like a sudden storm.

Finally alone, Elvis let out a faint sigh of relief.

Then, almost involuntarily, he chuckled softly.

Abel and Jerome both recently had daughters, too…

Even Lavina and Kendrick, who bickered constantly, were actually famous in the village for their close bond.

“Living like this… isn’t so bad after all.”

It wasn’t the perfect peace he and his friends had dreamed of in their previous lives, but the world had, in its own way, achieved a peaceful daily life.

And everyone was living happily.

“This is enough.”

Elvis murmured to himself as he rose from his seat and brushed off his rear.

He needed to check the rest of the fields before it got too late.

Chulsoo’s Story

Somewhere in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi-do.

A man sat at a meticulously organized desk.

Surprisingly, the impeccably dressed man was none other than Wang Cheolsoo.

He stared blankly at a pristine white notebook, utterly empty.

It’s already been a month…

An unbelievable tale.

An event that would have others pointing and calling him a madman if he ever spoke of it.

Until recently, Wang Cheolsoo had been at the heart of it all.

Next time, try drawing your own story. But practice your drawing skills more first.

With those words, Louis had sent him back to Earth. A month had already passed since then.

It was an experience too vivid to dismiss as a mere dream.

Though its beginning and process were far from beautiful, paradoxically, that very event had transformed Wang Cheolsoo.

“That… wasn’t mine.”

The Webtoon he thought he had created.

But from beginning to end, he hadn’t contributed anything to the work he had always considered his own.

At first, he had tried to deny it and had fallen into despair, but once he fully accepted the truth, his resolve solidified.

Returning to Earth, Wang Cheolsoo visited his parents’ columbarium for the first time in years.

After gazing at his parents’ radiant smiles in their photos for a long time, he began cleaning and tidying up his home, which had been in disarray for over a decade.

At the same time, he packed away the stains of the past—the flaws, the grudges, and the denials—into trash bags and threw them away.

The entire process of cleaning and organizing took a full month.

Only then could Wang Cheolsoo completely empty his mind and finally sit down at his desk.

“Hoo…”

He took a small, deep breath and picked up a pencil.

Just like he said…

The blunt pencil tip touched the white paper.

This time, let’s draw my own story for real.

He drew a straight line.

Scratch-scratch…

To practice drawing, just like Louis had said.

This time, to create a proper comic and share his story with others.

Wang Cheolsoo began practicing with the most basic skill: drawing straight lines.

What story should I draw?

Countless scenes and stories flooded his mind.

A modern fantasy setting.

A story about supernatural powers.

Just a slice-of-life comedy, and so on.

A faint smile playing on his lips, he nodded and murmured, “Wuxia… let’s go with Wuxia.”

It would be even better if it featured dragons, right?

As he imagined the framework of his story,

Scratch-scratch…

Wang Cheolsoo continued to practice drawing lines.