The field had disappeared.
Instead, pitch-black darkness filled every direction.
Déjà vu?
He had definitely experienced something like this before.
'It was like this back then too.'
It was a memory he could never forget.
The day he met the devil, when a tingling sensation spread through his entire body, that was the beginning of everything.
As expected, a chilling voice soon settled beside his ear.
"It has been a long time."
A voice he had not heard in eight years.
A cold shiver ran down his spine and the hairs on his body stood on end.
An anxious tension surrounded him.
Just as a chill began spreading through his body, Ho-young lifted his head.
"It's you."
It was undoubtedly the Demon of Greed.
The voice and figure were clearer than before, making Ho-young certain.
Two sharp horns were faintly visible.
The figure also seemed larger than before.
'Mammon...'
He had always thought that this day might come someday, but now that it had actually happened, everything felt shocking and unreal.
And above all.
'Why?'
The fear hidden behind his curiosity slowly began to rise.
An overwhelming terror wrapped around his entire body.
He did not understand what had happened, why this had suddenly occurred, or if he had done something wrong. An unknown fear flooded his mind.
But among all those thoughts, the first words that came out were this.
"What has happened to me right now?"
His own safety.
Naturally so. Ho-young had already lost fourteen years of his lifespan through his deal with Mammon.
Because of that, he was most worried that he might have died.
Fortunately, that was not the case.
"You could say you are in an unconscious state."
"Then... am I alright?"
"You should ask a doctor about the condition of your body."
It was a vague answer, but one thing was certain. He was still alive.
'It must be something like being unconscious...'
Ho-young tried to calm his tension and settle his mind.
After a brief moment.
Once he had regained some composure, he spoke again.
"Then... has time stopped right now?"
"I do not possess such an ability. Time always flows, and your lifespan is reduced accordingly."
"Lifespan..."
It was something he had never fully understood.
A person could die instantly after being struck by lightning, or get hit by a car a month later.
So how could a lifespan be reduced?
Ho-young wanted to know exactly what that meant.
He had always thought that if he ever encountered Mammon again, he would ask about it.
And today was that day.
Mammon spoke.
"Every person has a limit to the lifespan they can bear. If we assume a newborn child has a lifespan of ninety years, then that child will never live beyond ninety. Or perhaps they may die earlier for various reasons."
"So you mean a 'maximum lifespan'. If my lifespan in this life was one hundred years, and fourteen years were reduced, then I can live up to eighty-six at most. Of course, I could still die tomorrow."
"You understand correctly. However."
Heh.
A mischievous chuckle filled the darkness.
"Is one hundred years simply your wish, or do you have some basis for saying that?"
The voice truly sounded like that of a devil.
As an ominous feeling spread, Ho-young broke the silence.
"How much time do I have left?"
At the direct question, Mammon dropped the laughter and replied.
"When the flower begins to fall, you will see the petals with your own eyes."
"You still refuse to answer clearly, just like before. Then what exactly are you?"
"I am a being that covets everything in the world. Sorrow and joy, youth and old age, dreams and achievements, even curiosity. I consume every emotion that is produced and consumed in this world. Your talents are no exception."
Ho-young felt a chill.
He understood what that meant.
"So you also covet the talents I covet."
"A portion of my power has been transferred to you. If you use that power to covet the talents of others, then naturally something will return to me as well."
That was correct.
Mammon, a devil, was not a charity worker who acted without payment.
This was the hidden side of his ability.
"A portion of the talents you covet will return to me."
"I understand what you mean."
Simply put, it was a royalty for the ability.
If he used Greed to covet someone else's talent, part of it would flow back to Mammon.
"Has it always been like that until now?"
"Will you resent me for it?"
"No. I have no intention of doing that. Coming back to life was already a miracle, and gaining this ability alone is something to be grateful for. But."
Ho-young raised his head and asked.
Now came the real question.
"I want to know why you suddenly came to see me."
"To prevent an accident."
"Prevent?"
"The limits of a human are determined from birth. But I have seen humans who tried to surpass those limits and were devoured by greed. Without exception, they all became madmen."
"Devoured means..."
"Transcendence creates disharmony."
"Ah."
He roughly understood.
His mind and body were still human, yet he was trying to surpass human limits, creating a disharmony.
During that process, they lost control of themselves and became insane.
"So you came to my subconscious to tell me that?"
"You may think of it that way. However, remember this one thing. I did not come to see you. From the moment we made the contract, I have always been with you."
"Are you parasitizing my body?"
"Call it coexistence. A coexistence to see the end."
"The end? Where is that end? Do I simply need to surpass human limits?"
"If you surpass those limits and even transcend that transcendent realm, you might see the end. But that is not the true end. When a flower blooms fully, a new stem will grow and another bud will open."
"What does that even mean?"
Ho-young raised his voice in frustration.
But at that moment.
Mammon's figure began to fade, and his eyes slowly closed.
And then.
Flash.
When his eyes opened again, people looking down at him entered his view.
Among them, a man in a medical gown spoke in English.
"Player Ho-young, Player Ho-young? Are you conscious?!"
"Ah... yes. I'm alright."
Ho-young moved his eyes around.
It seemed this was the emergency treatment room set up beneath the stadium.
Next to him were several players standing with worried expressions.
"Ho-young!!"
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
"Please calm down. The patient is alright. We will know for sure after running tests, but it appears he simply fainted. Some rest should be enough."
After calming the players and sending them outside, the medical staff approached Ho-young and asked.
"Do you remember fainting?"
"Yes."
It felt like he had experienced a very deep dream.
His head was heavy and foggy, but he did not feel any major problems with his body.
He remembered everything.
Even Mammon's final words before disappearing, leaving behind talk about a new seed and a flower bud.
'So basically he's telling me to be careful.'
If he wanted to surpass human limits, he needed to control himself carefully so that he would not be devoured by Greed.
And then.
"Ah!"
He remembered one more thing.
"What happened to the match? It was definitely..."
"Yes, that's right. Your country won. Congratulations on finishing third."
That was a huge relief.
Soon after, loud applause erupted in the stadium.
It happened the moment Ho-young, now fully conscious, walked out into the stadium with the Taegeukgi draped over his shoulders.
People who had been crying like children finally stopped and sighed with relief.
A player collapsing the moment the match ended was a truly shocking situation.
But seeing him walk out normally put everyone at ease.
[What a relief. According to the latest report, it has been confirmed as a minor fainting spell. It is being cautiously assumed that he simply pushed himself too hard throughout the tournament. He showed incredible work rate in every match.]
[Yes, truly a relief. Once the World Cup ends, he should undergo a full medical examination. If we could no longer watch his play, that would truly be a tragedy for football.]
Even the commentators had tears in their eyes.
On the giant screen appeared a message announcing Korea's third-place finish, along with a congratulatory note for Ho-young being selected as MOM.
Another historic record that shocked the world once again.
Ho-young had been selected as MOM for seven consecutive matches.
And as expected, today's match quickly became a hot topic.
Ho-young's performance, his health condition, the alleged Hollywood action, and controversial referee decisions.
Many different keywords became trending topics, especially the questionable refereeing from Switzerland.
Football media outlets around the world, along with figures within the sport, stepped forward to harshly criticize referee Cerrito's competence.
[The 2010 South Africa World Cup will likely be remembered as a tournament full of controversial decisions. In this process, it cannot be denied that several teams, including Switzerland under coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, benefited from those decisions. In particular, the ruling of a Hollywood action against Ho-young in today's third-place match has already been confirmed as a clear refereeing error.
Considering that FIFA President Sepp Blatter is Swiss and still holds enormous power within FIFA despite nearing the end of his term, this raises serious suspicions.
The president of the Arab Football Federation stated, "The invisible influence of President Blatter is clearly at work," adding, "It is time to end the Blatter system."
Meanwhile, FIFA Vice President Chung Mong-joon stated, "This should not be overlooked lightly. We must demand a full investigation from President Blatter." At the same time, he officially announced his candidacy for the next FIFA presidential election.
Of course, as long as President Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini maintain their strong alliance, it will not be easy.
After former Real Madrid president Pérez stepped away from football, who had tried to counter Platini while forming alliances with the Middle East, Blatter's power became even stronger.
However, no one can predict how this World Cup might reshape the landscape of world football.]
Whether Blatter's twelve-year reign would finally come to an end became a major point of interest for the FIFA presidential election scheduled next year.
Aside from that, most of the remaining issues revolved around Ho-young.
[Many people were worried about Ho-young's health condition. Real Madrid president Calderón has sent a specialized medical team to South Africa today.]
[World Cup Closing D-1. Opinions divided over the Golden Ball winner. Iniesta vs Ho-young. Could the first Asian winner in history be born?]
└What Iniesta? Is that journalist serious? How can someone score fifteen goals and not win the Golden Ball?
└If Iniesta gets 5 goals and 5 assists in the final, I'll accept it.
└Still not accepting that.
└Iniesta only has 3 goals and 3 assists right now lol. That's not even comparable.
└Adidas sponsors the award. They'll definitely give it to Ho-young. He's signed with Adidas.
The result would be revealed the following evening on the 11th at the Johannesburg stadium.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)