[8-3F, Hospital Medical Office]

Crevon’s hospitals felt no different than Earth’s. They possessed the same knowledge about sanitation and germs with even more advanced healing techniques. Players exposed to highly dense demonic energy in the previous attack came here for treatment.

“…”

Shin Jonghak didn’t come because of any injuries or demonic energy poisoning, but just to see Chae Nayun.

“Why are you staring?” Chae Nayun grimaced in the middle of the holy power treatment. “You’re not returning to the hideout?”

“I’m up next. I’m just waiting,” Shin Jonghak replied expressionlessly. Chae Nayun remained silent as the priest cured her.

“It’s not painful, so stay still,” the priest spoke. Chae Nayun nervously trembled because the holy power injector looked like a syringe.

“Okay.”

She jumped into battle that day as soon as she regained consciousness. Her right arm received a small injury, so she came to eliminate any demonic energy that might’ve remained.

“Um, my head is okay, right?”

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong.”

Chae Nayun fell into thought at the priest’s words. However, she shook it off and decided not to think about that day. Doing so made her depressed, gave her a headache, and ignited a flame in her heart.

“That should be a psychological problem,” the priest spoke. Did he have a mind-reading ability? Chae Nayun scratched her cheek and checked her messenger.

Extra7: Don’t overwork yourself. Message me if you’re in danger.

Chae Nayun looked at the [Lv.5 Invitation Letter to the Love Room] in her inventory. Recently, she felt an urge to summon him. Then a stinging pain struck her arm.

“Ow!”

“There. The poison has completely left your system, so you can go home now.”

“Auu… thank you.”

You said it wouldn’t be painful. Chae Nayun glared at the priest as she stood up.

“Have a nice day.”

She opened the door to leave after picking up her longsword, but Shin Jonghak suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“I’ll be done soon,” Shin Jonghak muttered while looking into the air. Wait for me and let’s head back together. That’s what he wanted to say, but it didn’t come out.

“So what?”

“…”

Shin Jonghak knew about the hardships she recently faced. He couldn’t do anything when she suffered from the banshee’s curse. He had massacred countless undead monsters, but couldn’t find an antidote.

“Do you want me to wait for you?” Chae Nayun said what he thought and placed her hand on his head.

“…”

Shin Jonghak looked at her. He knew who had cured her from the curse, but Yi Jiyoon told him to keep it a secret.

“No, it’s fine.”

He shook his head and suddenly recalled his grandfather, Shin Myungchul. When Shin Jonghak was a child, his grandfather was a member of the Nine Stars respected by the entire world. Shin Myungchul was a hero among heroes, the pride of Korea, and the glory of his clan.

However, Shin Jonghak knew his grandfather found his fame to be embarrassing. Shin Myungchul often tormented himself for not being able to protect his wife, the person he loved most. In his mind, having saved the world paled in comparison to this mistake.

“Then let go.”

Chae Nayun’s sharp voice woke Shin Jonghak from his thoughts. He lightly smiled and let go of her wrist.

“By the way, who hit your temple?” he asked out of curiosity and prepared to go after the perpetrator. Who dares to hit Chae Nayun’s head? It’s already almost empty.

“I don’t know.”

Chae Nayun frowned and pretended to be oblivious.

“I’ll pay back this debt 10 times, no, 100 times over if I ever meet him.”

Shin Jonghak nodded at her words that carried a deep conviction.

***

[8-3F, Aileen’s Hideout, Sparring Room]

Aileen tried to avoid the test, perhaps out of pride, but I eventually convinced her. Jin Seyeon and Rachel also helped to persuade her.

“Haa… I don’t know why I’m here doing this.”

Aileen laughed in vain as she swung her white hair back. I checked the Desert Eagle and spoke.

“It’ll be over soon.”

“I know. Sigh…” Aileen unleashed her magic power.

“Be sure to thank Seung-Ah when you return to Earth.”

She cast a textbook, dome-shaped barrier.

“This barrier is going to be sturdy.”

Aileen added her Spirit Speech and it became even more powerful with a single sentence. I raised my gun and aimed at the corner to avoid causing any injuries. I only loaded a single bullet and murmured.

— Scan.

I infused 1.5 streaks of stigma into the bullet. The anti-magic and spell-breaking properties should destroy Aileen’s barrier and Spirit Speech simultaneously.

“I’m shooting.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go ahead.”

Aileen murmured while yawning. I immediately pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out and instantly struck her barrier.

“Yaawn…”

Chwaaak— The bullet shot past Aileen’s yawning head. Clang— Then the sound of shattering glass resounded.

“Un?”

It took some time for Aileen to realize what happened. She stood in a daze before looking around the sparring room.

“What?”

An incomprehensible scene unfolded before her. The barrier she formed had disappeared and the pieces of magic power on the floor served as proof.

“W-What? What happened? W-Where’s my barrier?” Aileen reached out to where her barrier should’ve been.

“Where… did it…”

She touched the air as though her barrier had turned invisible. I turned around and faced Jin Seyeon and Rachel.

“How is it?”

They also had strange expressions. A similar level of astonishment replaced their previous doubts.

“What, what did you do?” Jin Seyeon asked while Rachel only blankly stared with her mouth open.

“Mmm… a combination of my gift, skill, and weapon?”

“C-Come again?”

I made up a lie by mixing in some truth that I had bought several [Equipment Consolidation Coupons] to upgrade the Desert Eagle and that my special skill, [Algorithm], strengthened mechanical weapons.

“I see, but don’t guns have issues with bullets?”

“Don’t worry about that. I have a lot.”

The limited amount of bullets no longer posed an issue for me after I rescued the blacksmith NPC Kedrick. He currently worked in a smith with countless disciples under him. They had more than enough skill to make bullets, so I gave them the specifications a long time ago. Now, they could pump out 20 handgun bullets, 10 assault rifle bullets, and 5 sniper rifle bullets a day.

“Hey, hey, hey! T-This is wrong! Something isn’t right here!”

Aileen hurriedly ran in front of me.

“Do, do it again. I went too easy on you. I forgot about my restricted stats and underestimated you. It’s my mistake, so do it again.”

Aileen spat out a flurry of words. I mulled over my options and agreed to further increase their trust in me. Aileen told the truth when she said she hadn’t gone all out.

“Okay, but hold on a second.”

I turned around and hid from their line of sight. I needed to prepare if Aileen used her full power and I already spent 1.5 streaks of stigma earlier. I modified the bullet’s setting with my smartwatch.

[Anti-Aileen Bullet] Will decrease the power of Aileen’s Spirit Speech related to defense.

[40 SP will be consumed. Would you like to save this change?]

The modification required 40 SP even with its limited use. Was Aileen that amazing or did I just phrase it wrong? I saved the changes and loaded the bullet into my gun.

“Alright! Try it again!” Aileen formed another barrier and shouted confidently.

“This barrier will never break as long as my magic power allows it!”

Aileen shouted like an excited kid. I slowly raised my gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet drew a clear trajectory as it shot forward.

“Ah.”

A short exclamation followed. Clang— The sound of shattering glass rang out once again and the results remained the same.

“How…”

Aileen looked like she just lost her country as she murmured in a daze. Thud. She fell to her knees and stared at the fragments of magic power on the ground. Did I just shatter her barrier or her confidence? I wasn’t sure.

“Um, honestly, I’m just overgeared…”

I looked at Jin Seyeon. “Anyways, can you leave it to me?”

Jin Seyeon nodded.

***

I walked down Crevon’s streets with Rachel. Aileen returned to the hideout in shock and Jin Seyeon went to cheer her up. Overall, things went quite well.

“You’ve gotten so strong.”

Rachel looked bitter as she said that.

“Same goes for you. You must’ve recovered most of your stats from what I hear on the community.”

“I recovered about 80%. Luckily, I received lots of time on the 6th floor.”

Rachel should’ve spent around 120 hours there.

“Oh, and I never revealed your nickname to anyone.”

She didn’t want me to worry.

“Thank you. Um, can I ask you for a favor?”

I took out [Hwai’s Sword Technique] from my pocket. I brought it with me in case I ran into Suho, but it seemed he wasn’t here. I didn’t know how to meet him either since we didn’t exchange nicknames.

“Sure,” Rachel replied with a bright smile.

“Then here.”

I gave her [Hwai’s Sword Technique]. It should look like [Hwai’s Basic Sword Move] to Rachel since I used setting intervention to change its name to avoid any unwanted suspicion.

“Give it to Suho.”

“Okay.”

Rachel took the item without even checking it. She tried to put it in her inventory, but couldn’t and tilted her head in confusion.

“…” She blinked and asked with her eyes, What is this?

“Um, some items can’t go in the inventory.”

“Ah, I see…”

Rachel placed it in the pocket of her [Lv.4 Black Suit]. It would be rude to not give her anything, so I took out a wrist protector from my inventory.

“Here.”

“Okay.”

Rachel took the item without much thought.

“Wow…” The beautiful design immediately caught her attention.

“Who should I give this to?”

“To Rachel.”

I answered as she stared intently at it.

“Yes?”

“You.”

Rachel’s feet stopped. Then she widened her eyes at me.

“Think of it as a delivery fee.”

I had used this wrist protector before, just like the [Lv.4 Black Suit] she currently wore.

“This is a Lv.5 item…”

“Well, I’m quite rich. Try wearing it.”

Rachel blankly stood for a moment before nodding and putting it on. She treated it with extreme care because of its level.

“Oh, it looks good on you. It’s almost like it was made to go with that armor you’re wearing. Use it well.”

I would have to call what she wore [Kim Hajin’s Old Equipment Set] if I had to come up with a name. However, she didn’t know this and looked deeply touched.

***

Time quickly flew and 3 weeks passed. Kim Suho and the other players grew an enormous amount thanks to nobles opening their hearts and lending their guards to spar. As I said before, Crevon provided the best environment to grow stronger through fighting.

Only 10 days remained until D-Day. Then I would have to kill Black Lotus as Fenrir. I didn’t need to worry about being discovered since I hired Jain for the show.

[I heard Fenrir will fight Black Lotus.] 

[A wolf vs a flower. Obviously, the wolf should win.]

[Yeah, no.]

[I hope the wolf wins.] 

[I wonder what’s on the 9th floor :O]

“What a party.”

I didn’t know how the rumors spread, but Fenrir vs Black Lotus became something like the battle of the century. The SP coming in made me happy. I turned the community off and turned on the crystal ball TV.

— We have prepared an interview with one of the participants in the round of 8, Boshy.

An interview for the martial tournament came up. The tournament started with 512 contestants and now dwindled to just 8.

— Hello, Miss Boshy.

Today’s guest featured a robed woman named Boshy.

— Hel… lo.

Boss looked nervous. I could tell from how her hands cusped together and her fingers fidgeted.

— You defeated Masked Knight and advanced to the round of 8. How do you feel right now?

Boss replied after hesitating.

— I feel good.

The MC became speechless at her short reply. A long silence descended on the screen. Shouldn’t they skip to an advertisement now?

— I see… you feel good. Then what do you plan on doing today to celebrate advancing to the round of 8?

Boss replied confidently this time.

— I’m going sun watching.

—Sun watching… Do you mean you’re headed to Prestige?

— Right.

My smartwatch rang at the perfect time.

[Prestige’s Sunrise Ceremony will begin in 3 hours.]

A sun would rise in Prestige today.

***

[3F, Prestige]

Bell and Jin Sahyuk came out to Prestige’s streets. She wore a robe, but no longer gasped for breath thanks to the incomplete curse counteragent that Bell brought from floor 8-2.

“How’s your body?”

Bell looked at her, but she remained silent.

“Stay hidden. We’re in a relatively safe place, but it’ll be difficult if you run into trouble.”

“…”

Jin Sahyuk didn’t even have the strength to reply. Of course, the curse no longer threatened her life and it would be wiped away after bathing in Prestige’s sunlight. No, Jin Sahyuk’s magic power would devour it with vengeance.

“I’ve suffered enough.”

Bell didn’t bother her about it. He knew the humiliation she went through. Just thinking about those times should bring her pain.

“Do you want to eat something? Like your favorite corn fried rice.”

“Later.”

Jin Sahyuk knew she had to eat to recover her strength. Bell nodded at her brief reply. They slowly walked and stood with the huge crowd. Medea’s palace could be seen in the distance and the first sun would rise above it today.

— How long do we have to wait?

— 10 minutes.

— What happened to the inner wall?

— Oh, apparently they’re gradually pulling it down.

Players talked among themselves as Jin Sahyuk pulled her robe down and sighed.

“Sahyuk,” Bell called her.

“What.”

“Can you wait here for a second? We might not have time to buy the corn fried rice later, so I’ll go buy it now.”

Jin Sahyuk nodded. For some reason, she really wanted to eat corn fried rice today. She only ate porridge until now because of Rumi.

“Then wait here.”

“Okay.”

Bell disappeared as Jin Sahyuk waited for the sun to rise among the crowd. The artificial sun could weaken curses. A mere banshee’s curse should be burnt clean since the administrators said they would bless the first wave of sunlight.

“Whew…”

Jin Sahyuk sighed once again.

I held on for so long with all my stats barely averaging 3 points. My patience and willpower surely increased by a hundred times.

Jin Sahyuk recalled a certain man and clenched her teeth. Now, she would soon take revenge.

Just wait 3 months. I’ll catch up to you soon.

— Look, the sun!

— Sun! Hey, take out your recorder!

— Wow!

An earthshaking resonance of magic power occurred as the crowd pointed towards the heart of Prestige and shouted. Jin Sahyuk also raised her head.

A brilliant orange light rose above Medea’s palace. A light that didn’t previously exist in Prestige. Jin Sahyuk smiled as the sun slowly lit up the world and touched the people with warmth. Tak— Someone suddenly put their arm over her shoulders.

“What.”

Did Bell come back already? What the hell was he doing? Jin Sahyuk frowned and turned.

“…!”

Her heart immediately jumped and her diaphragm constricted.

“It’s been a while.”

Jin Sahyuk recognized him. Hic. She hiccuped unknowingly at the man who appeared in her dreams the most, the son of a bitch who wouldn’t leave her mind for a second because of her pent-up resentment and anger.

“You’re alive.”

Kim Hajin spoke to her.

“…”

The person she wanted to kill the most now stood next to her. However, Jin Sahyuk couldn’t say anything. She became drowsy and drenched in cold sweat from an instinctive fear instilled in her body.

“What’s with that expression? Smile, will ya? Someone would think I came to bully you if they saw.”

Jin Sahyuk felt dumbstruck. She wanted to unleash her magic power and smack him, but her body refused to listen. She couldn’t even move her tongue, much less her fingers.

“You’re not gonna smile?”

A cold voice rang out. Jin Sahyuk found herself forcefully raising the corners of her mouth and clenching her teeth. She valued her pride even more than life and would rather bite her tongue than suffer such humiliation. She creaked her head to the side and glared at the man.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Don’t look at me like that. You’re scaring me. Oooh, I’m getting goosebumps.”

Kim Hajin smacked her shoulders. This meaningless gesture seeped into her bones and she could feel the vast difference in their stats.

“I can’t kill you today even if I want to, so don’t be so nervous.”

Kim Hajin’s words gave her the greatest humiliation. He meant that he could easily kill her otherwise.

“Wow, isn’t the sun pretty?”

Jin Sahyuk made a wish for the first time in her life for Bell to come save her.