But he couldn't get to the leader yet. The only thing he could do was to keep walking.

For hours, or sometimes for the entire day, he walked towards the 'leader' until his world power ran out. In all of those near-death experiences, he met many of his old selves from different times.

-Dammit, again?!

-Stop it already!

Sometimes he even heard voices. And as he remembered the old days, he felt his layers being taken off as his power greatly increased.

The steps were always the same. Rhamad appeared from somewhere and brought Jaehwan out from the spring, mumbling 'Ouroboros'. It was then that the day's 'Unclothing' had finished.

Runald asked, "Jaehwan, what are 'clothes'? I think these people really consider it seriously."

"Clothes…"

Jaehwan didn't know, but he didn't say it. He was 'unclothing' right now so he couldn't just say he wasn't sure what it was. Jaehwan even had asked Rhamad what 'clothes' actually were, but Rhamad's answer was just this:

'Ouroboros.'

Jaehwan was annoyed.

"And what is that supposed to mean? You always just say 'Ouroboros.'"

'Ouroboros is Ouroboros.'

"Can't you simplify it? It doesn't help if you make it complicated."

'It's not a matter of complicating.'

Rhamad then spoke to Jaehwan with a sympathetic look on his face.

'You are out of the system, but still live in the system.'

That was very striking to Jaehwan. Jaehwan then realized in the future that word was going to lead the way in the fight against Big Brother.

"Jaehwan?"

Runald was looking at Jaehwan. He answered, "Oh, what were we talking about?"

"About clothes."

Jaehwan thought. Runald wanted an answer to which he did not have.

"Ouroboros."

"What?"

"Clothes is Ouroboros."

"…And what's that supposed to mean? Oh, the warriors did say 'Ouroboros' when they pointed at my genitals."

Ouroboros while pointing at the genitals? That seemed like a very different meaning. Runald quickly covered his genitals as he realized Jaehwan was looking right at it and asked, "anyway. So, what is Ouroboros?"

"I don't know."

"…Are you making fun of me?"

"I don't know everything!"

Runald then shouted angrily.

"But you are doing that Unclothing thing! You are unclothing but you don't what you're taking off? It doesn't make sense!"

He was right. Jaehwan then asked, "Runald. Do you know what is life?"

"…What? Life?"

Runald couldn't answer. The question wasn't easy. He could say whatever, but he couldn't just say it out loud. Life couldn't just be described by words.

Runald shook his head.

"I'm not sure."

Jaehwan nodded. "Exactly."

"What?"

"You don't know what is life, but you're living it, right?"

Runald then became astonished. He stared at Jaehwan with an admiring look on his face.

"W-wow! That is brilliant! You are brilliant!"

"…"

"I see… Ouroboros… our life…!"

It seemed Runald was going to start talking nonsense, so Jaehwan waved his hand and stopped him from talking.

"Runald, let's end it here."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I feel like I'm dying."

"…What?!"

Runald became frantic and Jaehwan spoke in an 'Ouroboros' kind of face.

"Take me out after about 10 minutes. Okay?"

And Jaehwan feel unconscious. It was his 38th near death experience.

And after another month, he finally was able to reach the end of the hot spring.