Chapter 169
The darkest place in the world.
Jeonguk, Pandemonium.
Huk… Hehe, Huhuhuh!!
The Demon King, cloaked in black, was laughing madly all by himself.
Hwahaha! Hihah!!!
That man, Lev Denec, who was like a thorn in his side…
Thanks to him, he woke up earlier than expected, and although he had drained more of his powers than anticipated, unable to restore his appearance…
Nevertheless, he had finally managed to banish that bastard from this world.
I’m going insane… It’s me…
Perhaps it had been a continuous surprise.
Lev Denec’s growth rate exceeded anything he had anticipated, far surpassing the speed level of the Reincarnated Hero game he had been monitoring.
Furthermore, that guy possessed the [Copy] ability.
That guy might even come up with a way to use things that don’t even exist…
Thus, not giving him a single second to breathe and attacking him with his powers had been a decision without regrets.
Forget everything there and just enjoy the game I made? Huh!
Though he couldn’t completely erase the brat’s abilities… Anyway, the dimension he was in was a world where magic didn’t exist.
Without the Leragie crossbow, just empty-handed?
Unless someone opened a dimensional gate from that side, traveling was impossible.
Also, as the world line returned, Lev Denec’s memories would gradually fade away.
A countdown to despair that cannot be reversed any longer.
So, now what?
The despair and tragedy he had shown to threaten him… for now, were merely illusions.
Thus, the realization of it all depended solely on the Demon King himself.
And now, both Caeran Hiss and Lev Denec were gone.
A world without those crazy bastards who dared to challenge the position of the Demon King…
Finally, the Demon King… Satan. His time had arrived.
Lucifer, Baal. Show yourselves.
Ssst!
“All-powerful Demon King.”
Looking at the two Great Demons, the Demon King made a decision.
Aria Bluebell… was it Yeriel Artina…?
He had to keep the promise with that guy.
Find those girls and bring them before me.
“Yes, my lord.”
…I shall obey your command.
.
.
.
On a still sunny day, in the lobby of the Sellafi Hall’s first floor.
As Yeriel prepared the meal, she asked Aria.
“Aria? Where’s Lev?”
“He said he’d come down after showering…”
Even after some time had passed, there was no sound of Lev coming down.
“Is he still sleeping again…?”
Maybe because it was break, or perhaps because Selena, who usually trained with them, had briefly gone back home…
Today seemed like he was determined to sleep in.
Aria muttered to herself and began walking up the stairs.
I’ll have to scold him. Breakfast is important, after all.
Always concerned about the health of the Sellafi Hall students, she proceeded without hesitation into his private space.
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Waking up the lover from sleep (v)
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Of course, she didn’t forget to check her list.
…
Smiling at what she saw, Aria…
Knock knock.
Knocked on Lev’s door a couple of times.
‘If he acts all spoiled again…’
That playful Lev would surely pull her back into the covers.
Aria, look… the blanket is warm…?
Just like that.
This is troublesome…
The problem was… she didn’t dislike that kind of physical intimacy from Lev.
Turning down a favor from someone you like was, surprisingly, not that easy for Aria.
…
“?”
However, despite her concerns, there was no sign of life coming from the room.
Shoo…
Only the sound of water, as if he had left it running, interrupted Aria’s thoughts…
‘…!’
And began to unravel her mind.
Clunk!
She quickly opened his door.
*
Huh… urp.
Her head throbbed, her mouth felt foul…
As if she had chewed on something rotten, her stomach churned madly.
Thud.
Cold sweat broke out. She kept gagging and instinctively slumped onto the sofa.
“What is this…?”
One thing was sure: she had returned home from somewhere.
The smell of hell from that novel she had just read, and the scent of the diffuser in her room mixed together.
Her memories were a chaotic jumble.
Perhaps she had erased most of her memories.
Yeah, it’d be nice to think it was just a dream.
Just like how you feel the content while dreaming, but as soon as you wake up, it gradually fades away.
This feels uneasy…
She had definitely dreamed of something with a lot of narrative…
That was about the extent of her feelings.
Thinking that, she instinctively checked the time on her phone.
Hoo. How long did I sleep…
She connected her portable charger since her battery was dead.
Uurgh…
And checking the lighting logo of her service provider, she gagged once more.
.
.
.
Around 4 PM.
Dressed in casual clothes, she stepped out of the house.
[Missed calls: 11]
Checking her phone revealed that someone urgently wanted to meet her.
Since the day was surprisingly chilly, she quickly entered a café.
“Yunho Oppa!”
“Ah.”
The voice from the woman with the black bob haircut sounded strangely familiar but also unfamiliar with her name.
“I guess it’s been a while since we last saw each other…”
…
“Have you gotten more handsome or something?”
As I unwrapped my scarf and sat down, she began examining my face closely.
“I ordered one for you too. Decaf Dolce Latte, right?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Chae-rin.
Her charm was her friendliness and cuteness.
Unlike me, she seemed to thrive on complex human relationships…
When I borrowed a lighter from her among my college friends over a drink, we hit it off.
Unseen unread messages stacked up on the screen of the iPhone she set down.
At that moment, my memories began to fall into place.
Just a few weeks ago, she had dumped me…
Ah, that… my ex-boyfriend wanted to meet again…
…
I’m really sorry. I was a bit tipsy at the time…
Perhaps because our relationship was so short, it felt strange to use honorifics.
I will have to end this relationship.
I slowly took a sip of my coffee.
The Dolce Latte I hadn’t had in a long time was still sweet.
Only now did I feel a sense of reality.
“What have you been up to lately?”
She rested her chin on her hand and asked me.
In that pose, she looked like a rather fine breed of cat.
“Nothing much, really.”
“Hmm~.”
That’s right. I hadn’t done anything.
It had been a boring life. I graduated from the library and information science department in Seoul, while others pursued double majors for their careers.
What I chose was the civil service exam.
And the librarian exam had a relatively lower competition, so I was currently on standby for assignment.
In the end, I spent the whole day playing games… and reading novels.
Recently, I had been unnecessarily immersed in reflections on various games.
“I knew you’d be like that.”
She smiled brightly.
Was it just my imagination, or did I feel a slight relief in her expression?
“What’s up? Why did you call me?”
“Um, well…”
And just like when she had confidently broken up with me, her expression resembled that now.
“I broke up with Seung-yoon.”
Baek Seung-yoon.
Her ex-boyfriend.
Well, leaning on another man to ease the pain of heartbreak is common in many relationships.
I was just one of them.
“Yeah, you must be going through a tough time.”
I can honestly say I didn’t really care.
“Hah…! Acting all cool…! But I mean, that’s good.”
Until I heard her next words.
“What about you? Do you think you might want to start over…?”
Shocked!
“Start over…?”
.
.
.
Start over. Start over. Start over…?
.
.
.
“Yes, with me.”
Kim Chae-rin. She had made me feel enough of a sense of reality.
Jrrrk.
I stood up from my seat.
“Yunho Oppa…?”
“Coffee money…”
“That, did I upset you? I’m sorry…!”
I handed her a bill and grabbed my scarf.
I felt as if I was forgetting something important.
Ding!
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[Item Activation! : Haisman’s Secret – Extraction · Creation]
[You have learned the Dimensional Gate Spell.]
[Path: Pandemonium]
——————————————————
“……????”
And at that moment, a surreal game status window began appearing before my eyes.
*
Shoo…
In the Sellafi Hall, male dormitory.
Lev Denec’s private room.
“Lev…?”
Despite Aria’s inquiry, the water continued to flow heedlessly into the sink.
The silence of the small dormitory during the vacation could be felt.
Aria hurriedly searched through his room.
“Don’t mess around and come out…”
Still, there was no sign of life.
Today had indeed been a sunny day.
It was just a normal day to wake Lev up, who doesn’t wake up unless it’s his turn for morning duties, and then share breakfast and chat.
If you’re tired, I can bring breakfast to you… it’s okay…
However, trying to transform this ordinary moment into something extraordinary.
The most important person was absent.
…Just messing around…
Aria’s time had stopped.
Drip. Drip.
Sniff. Sniff.
She stood frozen in place, repeatedly wiping away her tears with the tips of her fingers.
Like a puppy that had lost its owner, she just waited for him for a while.