Chapter 183
Isolation (1)
Even in the Aether World, where phones are rare, all the high-ranking individuals have personal means of communication.
However, the Elf King Flowerseorin didn’t have that. There was a danger that hearing her voice for long periods from afar could lead to a curse.
-…Is that really true?
“Yes.”
Not anymore.
Her curse had significantly weakened, and now there was no risk of anyone falling ill just from hearing her voice.
Thanks to this, Flowerseorin had started using the phone freely, increasing her activity and handling her tasks personally. Despite the increase in her workload, she said that all her frustrations had disappeared.
-Really, you found the divine artifact right away… I’m so relieved. I was so worried because I couldn’t go myself…
Well, what am I going to do with someone so beautiful and kind-hearted? Even if the curse disappears, there will still be people who suffer from lovesickness because of her.
There’s nothing strange about thinking that I might be one of those people. She’s so attractive that not falling for her would be abnormal.
T h is was co p i e d f ro m k i ngm tl. o r g
…Though I have no intention of dating right now.
Maybe that’s why, despite being surrounded by so many attractive women, I didn’t have any romantic feelings.
Most of it was because they were young, but the bigger reason was the mountain of tasks right in front of me that needed to be solved.
I don’t have some absurd sense of duty to save the world by myself.
I’m not that great. I’m just struggling to survive.
“I want to bring the divine artifact to you immediately to further relieve the curse, but my schedule is currently overlapping…”
-It’s okay. I’ve waited this long, so I can wait a little longer.
When she said that, it felt like I needed to bring it to her right away.
“Yes. I’ll visit you soon.”
-Stay healthy until then.
After finishing the call with Flowerseorin, I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out the broken pipe.
“Hmm… It’s completely shattered.”
T hi s w as c opi e d f ro m k i n g m t l .o rg
This pipe is called the ‘Amulet of the Vengeful Spirit.’ It was an artifact I acquired too easily, but in truth, it’s one of the highest-grade magical tools even within the Aether World.
Although it’s not a relic or legendary-grade artifact, just possessing it grants ‘complete immunity to ghost-type attacks,’ which is absurdly overpowered.
But now, it was shattered.
No matter how much I wanted to save Flame, there was no way entering the mirror world didn’t come with risks.
Th i s w a s c o p ie d fr o m k i n g m t l. or g
Absolutely not.
The Constellatio Project had rarely taken the initiative to modify and strengthen an artifact I possessed, and it had placed special blessings on this ‘Amulet of the Vengeful Spirit.’
Thanks to that, I could freely move around Flame’s world, but in return, I used up this once-in-a-lifetime, overpowered amulet.
Artifacts are legacies from the ancient Progenitor Mages era, and settings say that modern technology can’t repair them.
‘Still… should I take it to Alterisha?’
In the original game, you could only request to make or repair specific items, but since this is reality, she might entertain even such absurd requests.
Whether it’s repairable or not is another matter.
“It’s a shame, but… it served its purpose.”
The fact that I managed to save Flame’s life with such an artifact means the Amulet of the Vengeful Spirit was well worth its value.
Still, I put it in a special storage case, thinking it might be repairable.
Next, I checked my stats for the first time in a while.
[Baek Yu-seol]
* Stats
[Strength: 3 Stars 47%]
[Senses: 3 Stars 69%]
[Agility: 3 Stars 03%]
[Stamina: 2 Stars 78%]
[Toughness: 0 Stars 99%]
[Mental Power: 3 Stars 76%]
[Mana: -]
* Skills
[Blink Lv.2]
[Taeryeong Divine Art Lv.2]
* Traits
T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k in gm t l . o rg
[Mana Leakage Syndrome Lv.3]
[Red Spring March’s Blessing Lv.3]
[Contractor of Spirit Leafanel]
Until now, growth had been quite slow, but thanks to the buffs from [Red Spring March’s Blessing] and [Taeryeong Divine Art], growth had accelerated.
Not only did I dip into the big episode of [Dark Mana Erosion], but I also completed a mission directly requested by the Constellatio Project, which granted me a huge amount of growth experience.
[By completing the mission presented by the Constellatio Project, you are offered two very special rewards.]
[1. A downgraded version of an item used in the game]
[2. A downgraded version of a skill acquired in the game]
[3. Experience points]
Not just any reward, but a ‘very special reward.’ This was the first time such a thing had happened, so I was a bit excited.
The reward list itself didn’t seem much different from before, but there should be a bit more merit.
I pondered quite a bit here.
Should I choose an item or raise my stats? Just increasing strength or agility would provide a tremendous synergy effect with Taeryeong Divine Art.
But…
‘It’s better to choose Blink.’
Mana Leakage Syndrome? Taeryeong Divine Art?
Ultimately, the reason I could run rampant as the character Baek Yu-seol was because of Blink.
No matter how skillfully I wield my sword, what does it matter? Without Blink, I’d be swept away by a few spells and die.
“Um… I’ll choose option 2.”
T h i s w a s c op ied f r o m ki n gmt l . or g
[Experience points are allocated to Blink.]
[Blink’s level has increased!]
[Blink]
Class: 3
Maximum range: 15m
Maximum charge count: 3
Cooldown: 3 seconds
Although the rank has finally increased, unfortunately, the maximum charge count of Blink did not. It couldn’t be helped. It was one of the fundamental issues of the character Baek Yu-seol.
Compared to other characters, growth was exceedingly slow.
‘Because of this, I almost quit several times.’
When playing as characters like Ma Yuseong or Hae Wonryang, they each achieved explosive growth according to their unique traits.
Those two characters’ strengths lie in handling multiple elements freely, so every time they leveled up, they either gained new elements or learned explosive spells, making their growth very noticeable.
T h i s w a s c op i ed f r om ki n gmtl . org
But not Baek Yu-seol.
What’s so great about Blink magic that it only slightly increases the range or occasionally adds a charge count?
But… if I reach the next level, the maximum charge count of Blink will increase to four, so I just need to hold on a little longer.
Though it won’t be as wild as in the original game, where I could use Blink rampantly, having four charges will completely change my mobility.
“I’ll put off choosing the second reward for now.”
[Reward deferred.]
After the Dark Mana Erosion, the storyline diverges based on choices, causing significant changes to the main episodes.
Some players move smoothly into the second semester’s story, while others experience another spooky event called [The Endless Summer Vacation], and still others advance their relationship with the male lead through the [Summer at the Sunny Beach] event.
With literally hundreds, maybe thousands, of events, it was impossible to predict what episode would occur next.
I didn’t plan to wait around aimlessly, so after organizing the rewards, I promptly got up.
It was time to visit Flame in the hospital.
* * *
Flame was using a private room. Normally, only wealthy nobles used such rooms, but due to her major role in the recent incident and her significant contribution to resolving it, the professors had arranged it for her.
“Oh… yes. I’m fine.”
Th i s was c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o rg
“Good to hear. If you’re not feeling any pain, that’s great. Let’s have a meal together next time.”
Not only professors from Stella Academy but also mages from the Magic Tower occasionally visited Flame in the hospital. Solving the big incident known as the 7th Main Tower rumor had garnered her a lot of attention from mages.
Flame found such attention burdensome.
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r om k in gmt l .or g
‘I think I liked it in the dream…’
In that world, she lived like a plant that thrived on attention, enjoying popularity. It was completely opposite to Flame’s real personality.
‘Such a hassle…’
With professors crowding around to express their concerns, how could she lie comfortably?
After placing fruits and bouquets, they left, and Flame immediately sprawled on the bed.
Knock, knock!
However, she quickly formed a frustrated expression at the sound of another knock, only to force a welcoming smile.
“Hey~ Who’s there~?”
The door swung open, and in walked Baek Yu-seol, not a professor or a mage.
“It’s me.”
“Oh, uh…”
It had been two days since she woke up. This was the first time Baek Yu-seol had visited her in the hospital, causing Flame’s expression to soften.
What kind of expression should she make?
Should she smile? Be annoyed? Tease?
No, why am I even worrying about my expression when meeting someone like Baek Yu-seol?
Flame’s thought process went into overdrive.
“Why so unenthusiastic? Are you okay? It’s not a terminal illness, is it?”
“What… are you an idiot? It’s just exhaustion…”
“Yeah. I know.”
“Then why ask if you know? It’s annoying.”
Baek Yu-seol knew better than anyone that her hospitalization was just due to severe mental fatigue.
He pushed aside the piles of gifts on the table and placed the fruit basket he brought in their place, then sat on Flame’s bed.
…She scooted slightly inward to avoid him.
Not very noticeable.
“I wanted to meet you, but you had so many visitors. Do you remember what happened then?”
“Uh, well… it’s kind of embarrassing, but I do remember.”
Lowering her gaze, she fidgeted with her fingers and spoke cautiously.
“That place is my homeland.”
Baek Yu-seol probably already knew that her homeland was a different world. She had never explicitly told him, but… another ‘her’ in countless timelines, who loved him, must have.
“I know.”
As expected, Baek Yu-seol responded nonchalantly, peeling an apple.
Considering he usually wielded a sword, he was surprisingly clumsy and messy at it.
Well, it’s not like you eat an apple for its shape anyway.
“…You’re really bad at this.”
But still, this was beyond terrible. It was the worst.
“Just eat it as is. They say the peel has more nutrients.”
Baek Yu-seol munched on the apple.
Crunch!
For a while, the only sound in the hospital room was that of him eating the apple.
Baek Yu-seol, engrossed in reading the newspaper on the table, and Flame, lost in picking her next words.
“Hey…”
Finally, when she spoke up, Baek Yu-seol folded the newspaper and gave her his full attention.
‘Damn. Why is he listening so intently…’
She had only intended to say something trivial, but his reaction made her hesitate.
Th i s w a s c op i e d fr o m king m t l.org
“About that world I dreamed of.”
“Yeah.”
“It wasn’t real, right?”
Baek Yu-seol rested his chin on his hand and remained silent for a moment before answering.
“I don’t know.”
“…Huh?”
“It could have been real, or not. But what’s important is that by returning, that world is now safe.”
“I see…”
“If that world is real, it will remember you as a hero. The moment you sacrificed yourself, all the monsters in the world disappeared.”
Baek Yu-seol’s words were simple.
‘You saved that world, so don’t blame yourself.’
He had precisely identified what part of the experience she was troubled about. Though he said it indirectly, his words were incredibly warm.
Breaking the ice made the awkward atmosphere gradually melt away. They began to exchange trivial jokes and could look into each other’s eyes as before.
While spending time on idle chatter,
They heard a commotion outside the hallway as people rushed by.
“What’s that?”
Although they tried to ignore it, the atmosphere was too intense. Baek Yu-seol immediately stood up and checked the hallway.
“That’s… Adolevit’s ‘Phoenix Knights.'”
Flame followed him and saw Baek Yu-seol’s serious expression.
Entry of private soldiers into Stella was strictly forbidden except in special cases. Moreover, having the royal Phoenix Knights come here could cause significant diplomatic friction.
“What could this be…”
Feeling uneasy, as it was something that didn’t happen in the original story, Flame watched as Baek Yu-seol’s expression darkened further, understanding the situation more quickly.
Princess Hong Bi-yeon’s future was predetermined.
T h i s w a s c op i e d from ki n gmtl . o r g
‘The day she graduates from Stella, she meets her death.’
This destiny, whose cause and reason were unknown, had plunged countless players into despair over the past 10 years.
Why does she have to die?
If merely dying was the end of her story, it would be fortunate.
Depending on the player’s choices, Hong Bi-yeon met even worse endings.
And now was one of those times.
‘Hong Bi-yeon’s Exile Ending.’
They would isolate her from society, imprison her, and let her slowly wither away without being able to do anything.
While a better fate than imprisonment, social death, or execution, it was still wrong.
Baek Yu-seol chased after the departing Phoenix Knights. The ornate carriage leading them stood out prominently.
He stood by the main gate of Stella Academy, watching the Adolevit royal carriage leave for a long time.
Was it just his imagination?
He felt as if he locked eyes with someone beyond the darkly tinted windows.
End of Chapter.