Chapter 267.

“…”

My consciousness returned . I slowly opened my eyes . From the softness of the mattress under my back, I could tell I was lying in bed . Unread sentences blocked my view .

[New episode complete — You have succeeded in stopping the devil . ]

[Because you inflicted fatal damage to the ‘Materialized Devil’, your Authority ‘Devil Hunter’ has been strengthened . ]

[Acquired 485 SP]

[Your level of proficiency in the Gift ‘Master Sharpshooter’ has increased dramatically . ]

[The maximum outputs of ‘Algorithm’ and ‘Aether’ have been enhanced . ]

[Aether partially understands the existence of a ‘devil’ . ]

[Your physical lifespan has been reduced by three years . ]

Out of the many messages, the one that stood out the most was, of course, the message about my lifespan .

“…Huu . ”

With a sigh, I raised my upper body .

I expected [Overclocking] to have some side effects . I still decided to add two additional streaks of Stigma because I believed one wouldn’t be enough to inflict reasonable damage to the devil .

Of course, I probably should have realized that materialized devil would be weaker than an actual devil, but still… .

[Damage inflicted on materialized devil, ‘Morax’ — 96%]

Either I underestimated myself, or I overestimated the devil . I had inflicted 96% of the damage by myself . My single attack probably left it on its last breath, and the others probably finished off the remaining 4% .

“…How do you feel?”

As I was checking my condition, I heard a voice . When I turned around, I saw Jin Sahyuk .

I answered briefly, “Fine . ”

Though I had lost three years of lifespan, it was nothing to worry about .

[Abnormal Status]

*Major wound — loss of three years of life (In the process of recovering through Orb of Regeneration)

The Orb of Regeneration was already healing my body . The progress of recovery was characteristically being expressed as packets . It would take the orb three to four months to fully restore my lifespan .

“… . ”

Jin Sahyuk stared at me in silence . That strange gaze and silence were unfamiliar to me .

After a little while, Jin Sahyuk opened her mouth .

“I understand your intentions . ”

“What? What intentions?”

How would she know my intentions when I didn’t even know them myself?

Still, Jin Sahyuk turned back without answering me . I took out the magnifying glass to examine Jin Sahyuk’s emotions .

[Remorse, Resolution, Resignation]

I couldn’t understand why she was feeling this way .

Kiik

Amidst my confusion, the door shut close .

“…What was that?”

I had no idea what she was talking about, but whatever .

By defeating the devil, I was able to claim every reward from this small arc . This arc also allowed me to gauge my strength, and I found out that I was actually far stronger than I thought .

===

[Clear Rewards]

—List of rewards you’ll naturally claim as you proceed

1 . Mysterious Magnifying Glass

2 . Omnipotent Magic Pen

3 . Purifying Crystal

4 . ???

===

“Mmm . ”

I was naturally most curious about the fourth reward, ‘???’… .

Tiriring—

Suddenly, with the sound of a chime, a notification window popped up .

[Because you successfully completed this episode, you may ask me any one question . ]

[The question may also be a favor . I will grant it if it is within reason . ]

“…What?”

My eyes widened . I had never seen this type of message before .

These messages were clearly addressed to me from an unknown existence with intelligence .

“What the, who are you?”

[Is that your question?]

“Huh?”

‘Calm down, me . You need to stay calm . ’

“No, no . That’s not it . ”

I stared at the window in a daze . Was this the fourth reward, a chance to interact with the co-author? If so, what should I ask?

Gulp—

I tried my best to come up with a question but in vain .

I came to my senses a moment later . This wasn’t something that I could decide right away .

“…Later . ”

I shook my head, trying not to rush myself .

Whether it be a favor or a question, I would have to wait until later, at a more decisive moment .

[I see . ]

Thud—!

“Hey, hey~”

At that moment, the door burst open, and a number of people rushed into the room . Not only Aileen, Jin Seyeon, Yi Yongha, Seo Youngji, but also Prihi and the knights were here as well . All of them seemed surprised .

“What’s up with you? You said the devil was super strong! But you killed him by yourself!”

Aileen shouted in a cheeky tone .

“Ah, well, the devil was much weaker than I expected… . ”

Now I would have to spend hours explaining to others what happened . I put on a smile on the outside but sighed on the inside .

**

[Orden’s Kingdom]

Meanwhile, on Earth, assassination plans were well underway . The Djinns divided themselves into teams and proceeded into the western territory; Heroes, including those who belonged to the Association, proceeded into the eastern territory . Behind this systematic collaboration was a ‘secret pact’ between the two parties .

“Damn, there’s a lot of monsters here . ”

Tak, tak—

Cheok Jungyeong shook his hands, and koong—! dozens of monsters fell from the sky to the ground .

“That ‘Monster King’, he sure lives up to his name . He’s got tons of monster followers . ”

They were inside the innermost underground tunnel, just outside Orden’s Kingdom .

For an individual team, the Chameleon Troupe was doing better than everyone else .

“…Droon, how far are we from Orden?”

Boss asked Droon as she tore apart monsters . Droon closed his eyes and measured .

“6km… I think . ”

It was then .

“Woo! I see something interesting going on here!”

A loud voice rang out from behind them . Boss turned around . Wicked was there .

Wicked, who had lost all of her executives, came with only about four or five subordinates . They were more a clique than a gang .

“…Wicked?”

Boss quickly understood why Wicked was here . She was probably too afraid to hang out with the other Djinns . It would be risky for her to be near big-time evils like ‘Terror’ and ‘Dread’ without her executives .

“Haha, it’s great to see you again . The reason I came here is-”

“Boss, someone’s coming this way . ”

Droon interrupted Wicked .

Boss immediately activated Yasha Transformation . Her body quickly turned black . At the same time, a whirlwind of enormous speed rushed towards them from the other side of the darkness .

Boss knew who this wind storm belonged to .

Kurukuru… .

The faint buzzing of an insect resounded throughout the tunnel .

Boss’ face distorted into a frown .

Orden was not her main target . The one she wanted to kill the most was— the damned insect who once took the life of her comrade .

And right now, that same insect was headed her way .

Boss proceeded to greet him as a true ‘Yasha’ .

**

[Recorded past — Akatrina]

With all external threats removed, Plerion quickly prospered . People from all regions of the country rushed into the capital city, and the population of Plerion now exceeded 50,000 . Food shortages were easily resolved with the help of Random Dice and the crystal shards . The job market and the economy stabilized, and the country was back on its feet .

“…Today is the last day . ”

Currently, we were taking a walk around the central plaza, inspecting the city one last time . The plaza, once barren, was now lively . The surrounding landscape was filled with signs of life: ponds, trees, shrubs, and people .

“It’s regrettable that we have to leave . ”

Jin Seyeon murmured in a rather bitter tone .

“It is . ”

I answered and looked around .

Our trip to Akatrina had been an unexpected one, but we gained a lot from this experience . For example, Shin Jonghak’s growth, Jin Sahyuk’s change, information on Kim Chundong’s life, and a faint clue regarding my existence… .

“But we can’t stay here forever . We have to hurry back . Who knows how many years have passed in the outside world?”

This was Aileen’s remark . She was not yet aware of the difference between the time here and the time outside .

“Well then, let’s go . “

We got up from the bench and headed to the royal palace . The civilians were too busy living their own lives to pay attention to us .

This was a good sign .

Together, we entered the royal palace . Prihi was in the royal garden, watching the flowers with Jin Sahyuk .

“…!”

Prihi noticed that we returned, but she seemed reluctant to approach us . It was probably because she sensed that today was the day we would have to say goodbye .

I approached Prihi with a smile .

“Your Majesty . ”

“… . ”

Prihi didn’t answer . She wouldn’t even look at me . I kneeled down on one knee in front of Prihi .

“Please, don’t be upset . We’ll meet again someday . ”

When I was writing the original novel, what I regretted the most was that I released too many meaningless chapters . Chapters that were useless in every way except for the purpose of meeting the deadline .

The co-author must have seen through this . He probably rewrote this ‘changed past’ arc so that it would be useful later on .

“…Is that true? Will we really meet again?”

Prihi asked, her voice a mix of doubt and anticipation .

“Of course . I don’t lie . ”

“… . ”

Prihi looked at me with teary eyes . She looked like she was about to cry, but she didn’t . She maintained her composure as a king .

Jin Seyeon, who was standing behind me, suddenly came forward .

“Those who meet must part, those who part must meet again . ”

“…Right . That is the way of the world . ”

Prihi nodded and wiped her eyes . And she took out the last piece of crystal that she’d been holding onto .

“Here… take it . It’s the last crystal shard . ”

===

[Continental Fragment Piece]

—Crystal that maintains the Recorded Past

—Increases the bearer’s wisdom and intelligence

===

Finally, we had all six crystals . But it seemed Prihi had something else to give to me .

“Also…”

This time, it was a different crystal . The baseball-sized crystal shined white rather than blue .

Prihi explained .

“This is the crystal that came out of the devil you killed . Take it with you . ”

This was, of course, the [Purifying Crystal] .

I grabbed the crystal, but Prihi would need this crystal as well . So I infused Stigma’s magic power into it .

Stigma’s magic power caused the crystal to vibrate from the inside and split into two . The size of the two shards, in terms of ratio, would be 8:2 . I returned the smaller shard to Prihi .

“This crystal will prove useful to Your Majesty as well . Please protect your world with it while you await our reunion . ”

As I was explaining to Prihi, I suddenly felt a fierce gaze land on the back of my head . I turned around, afraid the gaze would drill a hole in my skull, only to discover Jin Sahyuk glaring at me . Her gaze was a combination of sadness, regret, anger, and jealousy .

“…Okay . Thank you . I’ll do as you say . ”

At that moment, Prihi nodded with a bright smile . Jin Sahyuk glared down at the top of Prihi’s head . I grabbed Jin Sahyuk by her wrist and pulled her towards me .

“Yes . Well then, see you later . ”

I said my goodbye as I brought the six shards together . At this time, Prihi and the knights were already surrounding us . The knights bid us farewell while keeping respectful manners .

—Thank you for everything! It has been an honor to work with you!

The lie that we were priests had long been revealed .

We answered them with big smiles .

“It’s been an honor for us as well . ”

I bowed .

At that moment, Prihi whispered to Jin Sahyuk in a very small voice .

—I’m not going to become you .

She could just be trying to insult Jin Sahyuk, but Jin Sahyuk looked at Prihi in surprise . Prihi returned a mysterious smile .

“Now, go . Thank you for everything . ”

Prihi said with a smile .

“Yeah, well, it’s been a pretty interesting experience for us, too~”

Aileen answered . In contrast to her calm tone, she looked as if she was about to cry, her nose as red as a tomato . I brought the crystals together before she could start to weep .

“We’ll be off . ”

With a dazzling light, the six crystals converged into one, to which I infused my Stigma .

Chwaaa… .

The light from the crystal obscured our vision .

**

[Orden’s Territory]

When we opened our eyes, we were back in the real world, at the exact spot we first met . Jin Seyeon, Aileen, Yi Yongha, Seo Youngji, Shin Jonghak… . Everyone was here, except for Jin Sahyuk .

“Ah . So we’re back? I’m kinda sad . ”

Aileen stretched her body . A teardrop flowed down her cheek .

“What the . I-I’m not crying . I yawned, is all . I said I’m not crying . ”

I first checked my connection with Spartan .

Spartan, who stayed on Earth while I was in Akatrina, informed me of the current situation .

“…It looks like we won’t have time to rest . ”

“Hmm?”

Aileen tilted her head questioningly .

“Why?”

“Because the Djinns’ Orden Assassination Mission is currently underway . The Hero Association joined them as well . ”

With a bitter smile, I tapped the smartwatch with my finger .

“Seriously?”

“Yes . Please, follow…”

As I was about to set off, I discovered something on the ground . It was a gem sparkling with rainbow colors .

‘What’s this?’

I bent over and picked it up .

===

[Tower Seed]

—Seed containing the changed world of ‘Akatrina’

===

“…Ah~ So there was a trick in the narrative . ”

I gave a small smile .

[???], the fourth reward of the chapter .

I thought that referred to the chance to ask a question to the co-author when in truth, this seed was the real fourth reward .

Tens of thousands of people would continue their lives in the fake world within this ‘Tower Seed’ . If we plant this seed in the ground, the world of Akatrina as we know would rise like a tower .

“So what are we gonna do now? That kid, Jin Sahyuk, is already gone . ”

Just as I was about to sentimentalize over Akatrina, Aileen hastened me .

“…Give me a minute . I have one more thing left to do . ”

First, I tried to create a new Gift . According to Spartan— Kim Suho finally cleared the Tower, so the amount of SP needed to create this Gift should have decreased .

===

[Buster Call] [Intermediate-rank]

—Summon

*Using Stigma’s magic power, summon from the Tower of Wish vassals who swore loyalty to Kim Hajin or his possessions .

===

[You need 8000 SP to create ‘Buster Call’ . ]

[Would you like to save?]

The price had gone down from 30,000 SP to 8,000 SP .

It was more than fair .

I clicked ‘Yes’ without a moment of hesitation .

And immediately… .

[A huge ‘accumulation of luck’ erupts!]

[Maybe all of your misfortunes have been for this moment! Your Gift ‘Buster Call’ has been increased to ‘high-intermediate rank’!]

[Your luck doesn’t end here! Your Gift ‘Buster Call’ has been increased to ‘high-rank’!]

[In addition, you’ll receive a portion of the SP (2000 SP) you spent on Gift creation back!]

Golden fireworks exploded before my eyes .

**

[Orden’s Kingdom, Underground Prison . ]

Kim Suho entered the underground prison with Yun Seung-Ah . Their mission was to rescue the hostages held captive here . Breaking in was easy since Yun Seung-Ah had memorized the inner structure of the Kingdom in advance .

However…

“Suho, doesn’t this place feel kind of weird?”

When they reached the prison, Yun Seung-Ah noticed that something was off .

All of the jail cells were filled with Heroes who appeared too healthy to have been locked up for two months .

Of course, there was the possibility that Orden treated them humanely, but… .

“Hmm? What’s weird?”

Kim Suho, who was frantically breaking open the cells, stopped to ask .

With big smiles across their faces, Heroes who had been locked up came out of the cells Kim Suho had just opened .

“It’s just that… . Ah?!”

At that moment, Yun Seung-Ah noticed someone . The moment she saw him, all her doubts melted away .

“Senior Hanho!”

‘Park Hanho’, the chairman of the Temple of Justice .

Yun Seung-Ah rushed to meet Park Hanho, who was locked up in the innermost cell . Kim Suho also recognized him and quickly followed Yun Seung-Ah .

Crack—!

With one slash, Kim Suho broke open the prison cell, and Park Hanho was freed .

“Ah, thank goodness . How did you get stuck here? Hurry on out . ”

Yun Seung-Ah brushed the dust off of Park Hanho’s body .

“Are you okay?”

Kim Suho asked worryingly, but Park Hanho didn’t answer . He only stared at Yun Seung-Ah and Kim Suho with an expressionless face .

“…Senior? I mean, Chairman? What’s wrong?”

Park Hanho was silent . A grim sense of foreboding enveloped them . Park Hanho was normally kind and gentle, but he seemed a bit different right now . There was something ominous about him .

Yun Seung-Ah slowly backed away .

Tak—

But she ran into something . The Heroes that Kim Suho released were already surrounding the duo .

“…Chairman Park Hanho?”

Kim Suho muttered as he instinctively grabbed his sword . He was familiar with this kind of development .

“Oh, yes, hi . I guess you two are here to save me . “

Park Hanho finally spoke .

There wasn’t a hint of emotion in his nonchalant answer .

A certain premonition crossed Yun Seung-Ah’s mind . She spoke, trying to suppress her doubts .

“Yes . We’re here to save you, Senior . You know, like how you saved me last time . ”

“Hm . I see . ”

Park Hanho nodded .

However, suddenly, metal-colored magic power blazed up around his body .

“But… you really didn’t need to . ”

Park Hanho’s magic power was the sturdiest in the world . It had the very rare ‘unbreakable’-attribute .

Park Hanho, who always stood in the front lines to protect his allies, was a Hero whom others revered and depended on .

“…Suho, take out your sword . ”

But currently, there was something different about Park Hanho .

Something about him had changed .

Yun Seung-Ah clenched her teeth and drew her sword .

“I’m happy here . ”

Park Hanho whispered .

Guooooo…

Suddenly, a huge rumbling descended from the ceiling of the underground prison .

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