Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Chapter 65 A Divine Move (10)

"Thank you for your efforts."

(It is you who deserves thanks. Hoho.)

I bowed my head to the translucent old gentleman before me. He returned my greeting with a bow of his own.

(But how did you know I was here?)

"I didn't come looking for you because I knew you were here. I simply have a rather unusual ability that allowed me to sit across from you like this."

With the power of the Divine Eyes, I could see what I wished to see.

Until now, however, that ability had been limited to my own future. That was what I'd first seen within the flow of time, and what I'd wanted to see.

But today, I had come to understand the power of the Divine Eyes anew.

The Divine Eyes weren't limited to the flow of time. They could see whatever I wished to see.

Even if it was a soul beyond time and space.

Back when I'd considered them a curse, I would see fragments of the future whether I wanted to or not.

But as the power of the Divine Eyes gradually grew stronger, they began showing me the future whenever I wished, until eventually they transcended time and space.

What I'd initially wanted to see was the answer National Champion Han Seun, on the other side of the screen, had been searching for.

If he would find that answer in the future because of me, I'd intended to show it to him during this match.

But the world of the Divine Eyes had led me to a small urn in a memorial hall.

And sitting before that urn was this gentleman.

The date of death inscribed on the urn was twenty years ago.

He had spent those entire twenty years waiting here, hoping to play one final, unfinished game of Go with his only disciple when the time came for that disciple to draw his last breath and depart this world.

My final move carried the wishes and purpose of those twenty years.

A divine move that overturned a position on the brink of defeat in a single stroke.

I didn't know whether National Champion Han Seun had found the answer he sought through that move.

Strictly speaking, I was the one who had met and spoken with his master. But I was certain that Han Seun had also met his master through me.

(Hoho. I had intended to play one more game with my foolish disciple here before departing without regrets, but thanks to you, I've saved myself some time. Thank you. I know it's shameless of me to ask, but please continue to look after my foolish disciple.)

"I don't know whether he'll need my help, but I will."

(Thank you... Thank you so very much...)

After all, his master's soul had departed without leaving any regrets behind.

And in my hand lay a single half-black stone.

It was the result of the half-point match that I—or rather, National Champion Han Seun's master—had lost.

_____________

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the familiar coffeehouse.

"What was that just now?"

"I don't know. It was my first time trying it too."

"The gate to the underworld opened and closed!"

"Really?"

"No, this isn't something you can simply respond to with 'Really?'!"

"If you're going to lecture me again, I'll listen after I've had some sleep. I've overexerted myself quite a bit today."

I didn't know whether I'd opened the gate to the underworld.

All I'd done was try to see something a little more abstract than what I'd sought when opening my Divine Eyes in the past.

And today had been a little more exhausting than usual.

Exhausting enough that I wanted to lie down in bed immediately.

_____________

I opened my eyes late the following morning.

The clock was already pointing to three in the afternoon. I'd slept for more than twenty hours straight.

The first thing that came to mind was Lia's breakfast. I hurriedly washed my face and went downstairs to the coffeehouse.

"Good afternoon!"

"You're finally awake?"

"How did you manage your meals?"

"What do you think? I had Mahyeon deliver some lunchboxes."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Not at all. I was coming this way anyway."

Director Baek's consideration followed the Elder Nine-Tailed Fox's indifferent reply.

The lunchboxes he'd bought on his way here must have covered last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast.

And he'd undoubtedly gone out to buy lunch himself as well.

He'd spent all his time since yesterday evening delivering food.

"What about the immortals?"

"I found it all rather boring, so I didn't check every game, but they told me to pass along that they'd each won just two games in the morning matches, exactly as you instructed, and then returned."

"They must have won easily."

There were no separate placement matches for the top four.

That was because the matches determining first through fourth place were broadcast online, leaving little room in the schedule.

But having slept as though I'd passed out, I hadn't checked any of the tournament results.

I opened my laptop, visited the streaming site where the tournament was supposed to be broadcast, and played the stream.

The broadcast featured on the main page had an astonishing fifteen thousand viewers.

On the screen, three commentators dressed in suits sat side by side.

One of them looked familiar.

He was the man who had burst into the coffeehouse to carry out his urgent mission(?).

(The long-awaited final of the 2025 OnGame Masters Go Tournament is about to begin. As expected, the finalists are National Champion Han Seun, widely acknowledged as the strongest player, and AlphaGo AI, which has entered this tournament in an upgraded version. We have invited Park Gidong, 9-dan, to assist with today's commentary. Please give him a warm round of applause.)

-HongPildu9dan: Clap, clap, clap!

-wnd20: Eliminated in the first preliminary round lol

-zopinhead: Wow, so he got eliminated early just to provide commentary~ As expected of a professional, he's on another level.

-UzAl: lololololol

-WiggleWiggle: lolololololol

...

(Ahem. There have been quite a few major upsets in this tournament. In particular, the amateur player Dangsan-ri, who fought a bloody battle against National Champion Han Seun and lost by just half a point, has become incredibly popular.)

The commentator quickly changed the subject when the chat's reaction proved far more underwhelming than expected.

Wait, more importantly, me?

(That's right. Dangsan-ri's style of shaking opponents with relentless attacks from the opening, without any thought for retreat, makes him a rare player in modern Go, where securing territory has become the prevailing trend.)

They were definitely talking about me. At first, I'd thought I must have misheard, but they'd unmistakably mentioned my username.

Well, did it really matter?

I'd accomplished my objectives anyway.

Both of them.

The tournament bracket showed the immortals' usernames occupying fifth through seventh places. Unfortunately, it seemed they'd had bad luck with the draw and been forced to play against one another early in the main tournament.

Still, three latest-generation tablets made the whole venture more than worthwhile.

Even if I'd have to buy one separately.

(In particular, his playing style bears a striking resemblance to National Champion Han Seun's style before his professional debut, which seems to have drawn even more attention to their recent match. Unfortunately, he failed to advance to the main tournament because National Champion Han Seun, unquestionably the most talked-about player in this competition, secured victory in the fifth round.)

(National Champion Han Seun has been sweeping aside his opponents with unstoppable momentum and now stands on the brink of the long-awaited final! Park Gidong, 9-dan, do you have any predictions about how this final match will unfold?)

(His opponent is AlphaGo, which inflicted that painful defeat on him last time. Since its match against National Champion Han Seun, no professional players have challenged it, so we have no data to go on. But judging by his current momentum, we might see a different result this time.)

(Yes! The unpredictable final will begin in just ten minutes!)

-Beep.

I hurriedly turned off the stream and closed my laptop.

-Jingle.

Because a familiar face had opened the coffeehouse door and walked inside.

"Welcome."

"One coffee, please. Oh, and you have Wi-Fi, right?"

It was National Champion Han Seun.

I had no idea why he'd chosen our coffeehouse of all places to play the most important match of the tournament, but it looked as though I'd be watching today's final in person.

And it was only yesterday that I'd foolishly thought, 'Now that he's met his master, surely he won't come looking for this place again!'

____________

At the same time, in a memorial park near Seoul that National Champion Han Seun had visited.

A group of people dressed in black suits had gathered in an open area.

There were roughly twenty of them. One might have thought a funeral procession was taking place, but there was no sorrow on their faces.

Instead, they looked more like exhausted office workers.

"Good grief. If I hadn't let that bastard get away ten years ago, I'd be working comfortably at the crematorium by now."

"Senior, are you telling that story again?"

"Oh? Are you tired of hearing how your esteemed senior's life went down the drain?"

"You tell it so often. Besides, this is my first assignment here..."

"All right, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Let's get to work. Open the trunk."

The middle-aged man addressed as Senior stubbed out his cigarette and headed toward the trunk of the black sedan they'd arrived in.

-Beep, beep.

The trunk opened, and the two began unloading and setting up their equipment with practiced movements.

In no time, a blue folding table, chairs, and a parasol had been arranged in the middle of the memorial park. Beside them stood a brightly colored signboard that was impossible to miss.

【Samdo River Tours — Comfortable Transportation to the Underworld】

『Limousine Service Available! Before Departure, We Can Reveal Up to Two Lottery Numbers in Your Children's Dreams! Additional Benefits for Family Group Bookings!』

"Senior, do we really have to put this up? No matter how I look at it, we seem more like con artists than grim reapers."

"Hey, what else are we supposed to do? Every soul lingering here has no intention of leaving anytime soon. If we don't do something like this, we'll never meet our quotas."

"Even so..."

"Tsk! And straighten your promotional sash!"

"Yes..."

【Serving You with Kindness and Dedication. Deputy Manager Oh Changsik, Grim Reaper】

【Serving You with Kindness and Dedication. Employee Shin Jihye, Grim Reaper】

With sashes bearing those words in a traditional calligraphic font draped across their shoulders, the two headed toward the memorial hall where the urns were kept.

Both wore enormous customer-service smiles that practically stretched from ear to ear.

"Oh my! Mother, have you been well? Did your son come to visit you this Parents' Day?"

"I'm not going!"

"Goodness, who's asking you to go? I just came to say hello."

"I'm not going!"

"Oh, Mother, really. You're so stubborn. How many years has it been now? Look, if you want to receive offerings at your ancestral rites later, you've got to go sooner rather than later. Here, look. Employee Shin, the mirror."

"Pardon? Yes!"

The grim reaper called Employee Shin hurriedly took out the mirror she'd prepared.

"Mother, look how sunken your cheeks have become. Imagine how upset your children will be if you appear in their dreams looking like that."

"Have I gotten that thin?"

"Which funeral makeup company did this? Happy Funeral again? Those crooks charge a fortune and do nothing but rob people blind. This won't do. Mother, if you go to the underworld right now, we'll throw in two complimentary servings of ceremonial rice. At least you'll look a little healthier after eating."

"Really?"

"No, make that three! Mother, you'll arrive looking as plump as a drowning victim. We're paying for this out of our own pockets, so don't go spreading the word."

"But I still need to see my grandchild before I go..."

"Your grandchild? Which one? The second son's child over in America? Good grief, you're dreaming big. He only left last year. It'll take ages for him to settle down and start a family. You'd be better off reincarnating and going to see the child yourself."

His affectionate tone and exaggerated gestures were so different from the senior who had been stubbing out his cigarette moments earlier that Employee Shin could only stare at him blankly.

After all that tireless effort, they finally managed to add one name to their register.

"Phew. Where to next?"

"The special memorial hall over there."

"Ah, that old Go player? I wonder if he'll ever actually go to the underworld."

"Why?"

"It's been almost twenty years. He's practically an earthbound spirit by now."

But work was work.

Deputy Manager Oh Changsik put on his customer-service smile once more and opened the door to the special memorial hall.

"Elder! We've come to play Go, Elder!"

"I don't think he's here."

"Th-That can't be. Employee Shin, check the register."

"He's not in the register either."

"Give me that!"

-Thud.

After checking the register, Deputy Manager Oh Changsik collapsed helplessly where he stood.

"We're screwed."

A name disappearing from the register meant the soul had attained release.

Someone had sent one of their customers onward without going through a grim reaper.

And it was a particularly troublesome customer who had lingered for twenty years.