Chapter 282.

[England, Buckingham Palace]

After subjugating Toji, Heynckes was received hospitably by the English government . Heynckes didn’t want the public to find out about his return, and England did its best to stop the information from getting out . As a result, Heynckes stayed in England for two more days before returning to the Himalayas .

“…Hmm . ”

With Heynckes gone, today was the last day Yoo Yeonha would stay in Buckingham Palace .

She stood in front of a mirror in her room and checked her outfit .

She was wearing a black dress designed by the world-class designer, Yi Yoojoong, a pinnacle-grade artifact called ‘Siren’s Black Pearl Necklace’, and an ancient Silla artifact called ‘Bronze Necklace’ . Together with the beautiful Buckingham Palace, her beauty stood out even more .

“Huhu . ”

Every time she saw herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but thank her parents . She couldn’t imagine how they managed to pass down only the best genes .

Immersed in confidence, she made various poses, smiling like a cute girl, biting her lips like a seductress, and looking stern like a worried CEO .

She was well aware of the benefits her beauty brought . She had experienced it firsthand in business . Her appearance exuded trust and evoked admiration, boosting the image of her guild even more .

There was a reason that Yoo Yeonha was the face of Essence of the Strait .

…But her appearance had never garnered ‘love’ from anyone .

“Tsk . ”

A sense of skepticism suddenly swept through her . Yoo Yeonha clicked her tongue and turned away from the mirror .

But the feeling of helplessness didn’t go away easily . She subconsciously thought of Shin Jonghak . She had liked him ever since she was a kid but gave up on him after realizing he would never be hers .

‘How did I come to like him?’

It was a tale from a long time ago .

“Haaa… . ”

Yoo Yeonha sat down on the corner of her bed and recalled her first meeting with Shin Jonghak .

…The official name was probably ‘Guild and Business Friendship Conference . ’ It was a social gathering for corporate leaders and top-class guild executives .

As adults and their children all attended, the 5-year-old Yoo Yeonha looked forward to the conference . She was just as ambitious back then as she was now .

That day, she tried on dozens of dresses with her mother . Although her mother was also passionate, Yoo Yeonha was even more heated up . What dress to wear, what accessories to pick, she spent 7 hours worrying about her outfit .

—How do I look, Father?

The dress she finally picked was similar to the one she was wearing now . A black dress and a necklace to make her look mature .

—Adorable, Yeonha!

—A-Ah, stop! You’re going to make my dress wrinkly! Stooop!

Her father hugged her with a hearty laugh, and Yoo Yeonha remembered being angry at her father for making her dress wrinkly .

Not long after picking her dress, her uncle, Yoo Jinhyuk, who was a rising-star Hero at the time, also arrived . Together, they headed to the conference .

The conference was held in the garden of Chae Joochul’s grand mansion .

—Wow… .

Fancy classical music played in the background, and beautiful flowers glistened under the sun . Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened from the clear weather and scenic view . Although she came from a rich family, the Immortal’s grand mansion had a certain noble charm that she didn’t see in her home .

—Oh, if it isn’t Air Blitz Yoo Jinwoong!

—Haha, Leader Yoon Youngho, it’s nice to see you .

—No need for greetings . Follow me, Shin Myungchul brought an amazing child with him . Her name is Aileen . She was born with an extremely rare Gift called ‘Spirit Speech’ .

—Oh?

Her father and mother disappeared with Leader Yoo Youngho . Uncle Yoo Jinhyuk led her to the place where all the children were gathered . It was a playground built just for young kids . Yoo Yeonha puffed her cheeks unhappily .

—Uncle Jinhyuk, can’t I say hi to adults too? Kids are boring .

—Nope, you can’t .

—But why?

—The goal of this conference is ‘making connections’ . Your parents will take care of the adults, and it’s your job to connect with other kids . Your parents’ connections will eventually become yours anyways . Plus, you’re only five-years-old . Don’t go around calling kids boring when you’re one too .

What Yoo Jinhyuk was saying made sense .

Left with no choice, Yoo Yeonha went to the kids’ playground . There, she saw ten or so kids her age .

Huu… huu… .

Yoo Yeonha collected her breath before approaching them .

—Hello, my name is Yoo Yeonha .

30 minutes was enough .

With her conversational skills and beauty, she captured the hearts of the other kids . Just when she was sure she became the main character of the meeting…

—Ugh, annoying .

A boyish girl appeared . She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt . The upset girl sighed and sat down on a nearby chair .

At first, Yoo Yeonha was dumbstruck . How could someone come to such a noble meeting in that getup?

But she soon realized she could just ignore the girl . Yoo Yeonha snorted and invited her newly made connections to eat some pudding .

—This pudding is great . Would you like to try… some?

However, most of the kids around her had already disappeared .

‘Where did they go?’ Yoo Yeonha looked around, confused . Then, she saw them flattering the boyish girl .

—…Eh?

The words, ‘Nayun, Nayun—‘, entered her dazed ears . It was then that she realized who the girl was .

Chae Nayun .

Daehyun’s youngest daughter and the granddaughter Chae Joochul adored .

That was when Yoo Yeonha met Chae Nayun for the first time, and it was also when she felt inferior for the first time . But she refused to yield . She believed she was superior in appearance and clothing .

—…Hello, how old are you? I’m five .

She tried her best to recapture the attention of the other kids… but it was futile . The sons and daughters of mid-sized guilds left for other nobles when the chance came .

The ‘noble’ wasn’t necessarily Chae Nayun . Sons and daughters of more honorable guilds and corporations, they seemed to possess ‘something’ that was even more important than appearance .

It was at that moment that Yoo Yeonha realized she wasn’t the main character . That she was only an extra .

The young and proud Yoo Yeonha was sad that she wasn’t at the center of the meeting . Her resentment was pointed toward Chae Nayun, who became the center of the meeting in only jeans and a t-shirt .

She held back her tears and glared at Chae Nayun . Although she was surrounded by many people, she seemed annoyed by it .

—…That girl . Bad, stupid, idiot…

Yoo Yeonha ate pudding as she sobbed . Only the sweetness of her pudding consoled her .

It was then that ‘Shin Jonghak’ appeared in her life .

—Is that pudding good?

His voice was childish, yet full of confidence . He wasn’t talking in polite speech, but Yoo Yeonha didn’t care .

‘Someone came to me!’

Just that one fact made her happy . Yoo Yeonha wiped her tears elegantly and turned around .

There, she saw a handsome boy who seemed to have popped out of a painting .

She asked in a daze .

—…Who are you?

Shin Jonghak smirked, then said softly .

—Shin Jonghak . My grandfather is Shin Myungchul .

—Shing Myungchul…?

—It’s Shin Myungchul, not Shing Myungchul .

Yoo Yeonha’s eyes widened . There wasn’t anyone in the world who didn’t know Shin Myungchul .

Shin Jonghak seemed to have liked her huge reaction as he stayed and consoled her .

—Don’t worry about those guys . They’re only puppets of their parents .

Shin Jonghak must have spoken from jealousy . Since he liked Chae Nayun for the longest time, he must have disliked seeing Chae Nayun surrounded by other guys .

But Yoo Yeonha didn’t know that at the time .

—People who chase after special people without trying to become special themselves only end up as trash .

He was just as arrogant then as he was now .

—…Un, okay… .

Back then, he seemed like the coolest, most wonderful person in the world .

That was the memory from her childhood . When she recalled it now, her heart didn’t thump like it used to .

About 12 years later, Yoo Yeonha met another man .

A man who didn’t have anything to his name but continued to get on her nerves .

Although she was annoyed, even ignoring him and reproaching him, he saved her life . Not only that, but he also turned her life around forever .

Kim Hajin .

Thanks to him, she was able to become a ‘noble person’ like she always wanted to be . Essence of the Strait became the number 1 guild in the world and entered the top 10 of corporate entities .

She had achieved the ambition she always had…

Tok, tok—

A knock interrupted her recollection . Yoo Yeonha shot up from her bed, startled .

“Who is it?”

—Um, it’s Rachel . I heard you were leaving, so I came to see you off .

“…Hmm . ”

Yoo Yeonha straightened the hem of her dress and opened the door .

Rachel was standing right in front of her . She seemed tired from having to deal with Shin Yeohwa, but she greeted Yoo Yeonha with a bright smile .

“You look great . Are you ready to go?”

“… . ”

“…Yeonha-ssi?”

Yoo Yeonha glared at Rachel silently . Rachel was acting subservient and modest as always .

In a way, it was to be expected . Yoo Yeonha knew she had risen to a position where she could determine the fate of a country . With little exaggeration, she could end England if she set her mind to it .

“You . ”

Yoo Yeonha was displeased with Rachel’s attitude . The emotion she felt towards Chae Nayun that day surfaced once again .

She couldn’t hold back .

She shot the pent-up feelings she carried in her heart at Rachel .

“What relationship do you have with Kim Hajin?”

At that moment, Rachel’s shoulders flinched .

“Pardon? What do you mean—”

“Don’t act like you don’t know . ”

Yoo Yeonha turned serious .

“The child you ran off with two days ago, I saw her in Seoul . At the time, she wasn’t with you but with Kim Hajin . ”

“… . ”

Rachel didn’t say anything . As far as Yoo Yeonha was aware, the silence was the same thing as an answer .

“I’ll ask again . ”

Yoo Yeonha’s face turned serious .

She clenched her teeth and asked straightforwardly while sharpening a knife in her heart .

“Did you sleep with Kim Hajin?”

The moment she asked that question .

Guoooo… .

A boundless magic power began to pour down from an unknown place .

**

[Final Arc ▷ ‘You Can’t Jump Off a Running Train’]

[Earth’s Demon Realm Transformation is progressing… 3% Complete . ]

[Calculating Towers that have not been conquered . ]

[Tower of Miracles, Tower of Eternity, Tower of Beasts, Tower of Sorrow, Tower of Despair…]

[…A total of 13 Towers were found . The power of these 13 Towers will be released to the outside world . ]

“…Hajin, magic power just—”

“Fuck, what now?”

“Eh… w-what?”

A sudden change to the system in the name of an ‘arc’ .

Unable to hold back my anger, I ran towards the window and looked up .

Then, I lost all words .

Chwaaa—

Thousands of shooting stars were falling from the sky, illuminating the darkness .

A meteor shower .

Rich writing appeared on the shooting stars . I was most likely the only one who could see it .

「Enough time has passed since the destruction of the Tower of Wish’s shell . But during this time, humanity paid little attention to conquering the remaining Towers . They had little choice because of the great enemy known as Orden .

Tower of Miracles, Tower of Eternity, Tower of Beasts, Tower of Sorrow, Tower of Despair… a total of 13 unconquered Towers have released their powers . It was because of the ‘rejective force’ resulting from the materialization of the Tower of Wish . Their powers served as a catalyst for hastening Earth’s Demon Realm Transformation .

…Now, meteorites are falling on the world . The meteorites contain hundreds of demonic monsters, demon merchants, and destruction-hungry demons . This is the start of the Demon Realm Transformation .

But this Demon Realm Transformation wasn’t a simple phenomenon like the one from the Tower of Wish . ‘Not all demons are enemies’ . The Demon Realm Transformation will change Earth and bring about a new age… . 」

“The fuck does that mean, you piece of shit?”

I cursed at the sky, looking at the words I couldn’t understand . Then…

KWANG—!

A few meteorites exploded as they landed . The earth rumbled and smoke rose up .

[Rewards have been granted to all of humanity for clearing the Tower of Wish — ‘Blessing of the Saints’ has been activated . ]

[A new system has been initialized . ]

[Interesting, your system is level 6, the only Player to have surpassed level 4 . ]

System level .

While I was climbing the Tower of Wish, I had used [Consolidation Coupons] to level up the system to level 6 .

[Your stats have been condensed to 5 attributes . ]

[Your attributes are 1 . Sharpness 2 . Tenacity 3 . Creativity 4 . Materialization 5 . Consolidation]

“Boss?”

I turned to Boss . She seemed to be experiencing the same phenomenon as she was staring into the air .

—Grrrk .

—Grrrk .

Next, strange roars began to ring outside . I widened my eyes and looked outside the window .

—Grrrk .

From the meteorites pinned to the ground, hundreds of demonic beasts were crawling out .

[Arc Progress – Demonic beasts of the Demon Realm invade humanity . ]

[Countless ‘Dungeons’, ‘Mirror Worlds’, and other battlefields will be created . ]

[Every time a Dungeon is cleared, or a demonic beast is killed, you will receive DP (Dark Points) . ]

[DP can be gained by ‘anyone’ and can be spent in ‘demon towns’ or with ‘demon merchants’ . ]

[Note, demon merchants and demon towns are not your enemies . They are ‘neutral entities’ who wish to seek benefits through this war . ]

[You can convert SP to DP . ]

Clang—!

At that moment, a black demonic beast jumped through the window and landed on me . I swung my hand subconsciously . The demonic beast was cut in half cleanly .

“…The hell?”

I looked down at my palm, which had suddenly become sharp .

[7 points of sharpness will be imbued in all actions you make . ]

[You obtain 5 DP from killing a demonic beast . ]

“What just… . ”

“Hajin?”

As I was murmuring in bewilderment, Boss called my name .

I turned on the TV without answering her .

—Emergency report . The world is experiencing an unprecedented meteor shower . These meteorites are causing huge explosions; civilians are recommended to stay inside… .

“No, Hajin . ”

Boss tapped on my shoulders like she was frustrated .

“Yes?”

“L-Look over there . ”

“Huh…?”

I turned to the direction Boss was pointing to .

Three minutes ago, it was a vast field in Central Asia with nothing to note .

But that wasn’t the case now .

General stores, clothing stores, weapon stores, magic stores, and others… . Benches surrounded a pond in a plaza with 4-story high inns . There were even existences that looked like people .

A meteorite had struck and created a new town .

“…What’s that?”

The system returned an answer to my confused murmuring .

[They are ‘demon merchants’, beings who came to Earth through the meteorites . Demon merchants are fundamentally different from demons, devils, Djinns, and demonic beasts . Demons are not a single race, only referring to those who came from the Demon Realm . Demons have different settings depending on what race they belong to . ]

[Devils will employ Djinns and demonic beasts to conquer Earth . Humanity will try to stop them . These ‘demon merchants’ are here only to reap benefits from the two sides’ war . ]

[They will sell you anything, whether it be technology to annihilate members of their own race, weapons, magic, or whatever . As long as you have DP, that is . ]

[How is it? Not so boring anymore, right?]

“Are you kidding me, you son of a bitch…”

Seeing the last sentence, I couldn’t hold back my anger .

“Huu…”

But being angry wouldn’t change anything .

I calmed myself . There was something I needed to do .

I took out the [Purifying Crystal] from my Stigma .

But at that moment, Boss discovered something else .

“…Hajin . ”

She pointed at the sky with her trembling hand .

‘What now?’ I looked up, somewhat fearful of what I would see next .

Immediately, my thoughts stopped .

“…A dragon . ”

Boss murmured quietly .

Boss and I looked up at the sky in a daze .

It wasn’t something like the Human Dragon Aileen, but an actual dragon .

In the sky, a member of the mystical race known as dragons was circling the moon .

“Jesus Christ is this for fucking real… . ”

I couldn’t help but curse . I had not cursed in a long time, but this damned co-author just wouldn’t let me be .

Chap—

“Uk!”

Boss hit my mouth with her hand .

When I looked at her confused, she gave me a coy look .

“Don’t curse . ”

“…Ah, okay . ”

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