The Irritating Nagging and the Warm Advice.
The two were actually not much different, separated by only a thin sheet of paper.
What truly mattered was sincerity in the end.
In other words, it was the thick stack of cash.
No matter how much nagging made me angry, if I ended up with a thick stack of cash in my hand at the end, I would realize, “Ah, this person really cares about me.”
That sincerity would be conveyed.
“This is all for you.”
“They gave this advice because they care about me and want me to do well.”
That realization would dawn on me.
The power of cash alone was enough.
‘But what if it wasn’t just cash, but something even more valuable?’
‘For example, what about an exploration permit for an ancient ruin?’
An opportunity that couldn’t even be converted into money.
If someone casually handed that over, the reaction would obviously exceed imagination.
So, well… this was really an unavoidable situation.
***
“…So, this had to happen today, huh? This is the only moment when we could secretly explore this place while everyone is distracted with the Prisma Island.”
The student spoke as if realizing something.
“Professor, you had prepared the perfect plan. And we… we didn’t believe you, and just kept complaining…”
“We insulted them. But they endured all the external criticisms, all for us. For those ungrateful people…”
The students’ eyes were now filled with regret, despair, and obsession.
This was the pitiful state I found myself in now.
Normally, I would have felt down, but for some reason, I didn’t feel any of that familiar melancholy.
Instead, all that came to mind was contemplation.
‘This situation could be solved very simply.’
I just had to keep pushing the dislikeable persona.
That alone could send the public opinion into a tailspin.
I could just berate everyone, saying, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“This is my discovery, and I have no intention of sharing this valuable opportunity with you.”
“I brought you along just to use you.”
“You’re beneath me, so just follow my orders. While I enjoy the treasure, you can play the role of guarding the entrance to keep away the wolves.”
“If anyone tries to interfere with my monopoly, use force.”
That’s all it would take to solve everything.
The students would surely be disappointed by my petty and inhumane actions and would strongly condemn me.
But even then, the reason I was hesitating was simple.
‘This… somehow, it feels like I have to go in.’
Beyond the secret passage was a massive door.
[For someone who will come eventually.]
The inscription above the door read that.
There was also a strange crystal orb stored in front of the passage.
Everything about this place seemed suspicious.
The crystal orb was the key to something, a way to open this massive door and unlock the ruin, but right now, that wasn’t important.
What mattered was the writing – it was Korean.
After nearly 20 years, I was seeing these familiar characters again.
‘There are two possible scenarios I can consider.’
Either an ancient sage, who died centuries ago, was someone like me who lived in Korea and then reincarnated or possessed their way into becoming an outsider here.
Or, this was just a character from the original novel, someone who was simply possessed.
In either case, it didn’t matter much.
If this ruin was related to a major character in the main story, I had no choice but to enter.
There was no other option.
‘The problem is that I’ll need their help.’
I’m incredibly weak against physical traps.
I have no magic powers, so if any creatures attack, my life would be over.
I really needed the students’ help.
Having made my decision, I sighed and called them over.
And thus, the exploration began.
But it wasn’t long before we hit a dead end.
‘What’s up with this crystal orb?’
With the help of the saint, we broke the storage case open.
No matter how hard I looked at the crystal orb, I couldn’t find anything.
There was no hidden spell or magic that I could sense.
It just felt like an ordinary glass orb.
‘But there’s no way an ordinary glass orb would be placed here.’
I thought for a moment and then…
“Ciel, try putting your hand on it.”
I suggested.
The girl, who seemed to be the protagonist of this world.
Since this was a world based on a novel, all the events were bound to revolve around him.
Maybe something would happen if he interacted with it.
At worst, I’d lose nothing.
I tossed the crystal orb lightly toward Ciel.
The girl lost consciousness immediately after.
Dazed and Disoriented
Consciousness drifted aimlessly.
In this state, Ciel was awakened by a voice—an incredibly familiar one.
A voice that couldn’t be anything other than familiar.
“Nice to meet you… should I say? The version of me from the second playthrough.”
She had a face similar to mine.
But she was slightly older, covered in scars.
What surrounded us was a red sky and a desolate land.
In a world that seemed to have already been destroyed, Ciel smiled bitterly at his without even dressing as a man.
“You look surprised. I understand. But you’ll realize soon enough. You’re me, after all. The pain you endured… I, of all people, can fully understand it.”
“You must have had a hard time, right? It must have been unbearably painful.”
“At the opening ceremony, when the terrorist attack occurred, it was supposed to be a day of joy. The professors succeeded in stopping the monster, but they didn’t expect a traitor among their own colleagues.”
“On that day, Professor Scott died.”
“That professor, who had his magic drained by the spy, burned his own life to save a student.”
“Thanks to him, many children survived, but… the sight of the sword-wielding man, who had promised his wife to live happily for both of them, crying because he couldn’t keep his promise… Who could say that was fortunate?”
“The opening ceremony was dreadful. But cruelly, that wasn’t where the misfortune ended.”
“A large-scale terrorist attack followed. An attack using science, not magic.”
“No one could have predicted it.”
“On that day, countless people died meaningless deaths.”
“Without leaving a word for their families, without fulfilling a single dream in their lives, many budding lives were cut short. Of course, you were lucky enough to be absent that day.”
“But you couldn’t be happy just for surviving.”
“The survivors glared at you.”
“Their eyes told you that it should have been your child who survived instead.”
“If it had ended there, it would have been bearable.”
“But one of the children’s fathers couldn’t stop his tears.”
“He realized how ugly his thoughts had been. He realized how broken he had become.”
“I have to live forever with my mind shattered.”
“After losing the child who was the center of his world, he could only live in agony, cursed to live with that emptiness for the rest of his life.”
“Countless others took their own lives.”
“That was the beginning of the fall of the empire.”
“The tyrannical rule of the completely mad emperor began.”
“Driven to the limits, the beastmen finally made a pact with demons.”
“They couldn’t just let the world be consumed.”
“Reluctantly, you had to kill the beastmen with your own hands.”
“The sword didn’t dull.”
“But your mind felt like it could break at any moment.”
“A giant shadow monster, consumed by demons.”
“When you cut it down, a child appeared.”
“A little kid who didn’t even look five years old.”
“The child was in shock, seeing what they had done, saying, ‘I didn’t want this. I just wanted to live like everyone else, normally.'”
And then… the child apologized.
“With tears, the child apologized for being born.”
“The child’s body had no uninjured part.”
“It was covered in bruises, as though it had been pelted with stones.”
“Maybe the ones who threw the stones said something like this to the child.”
“You were a disgusting existence who shouldn’t have been born.”
“The child truly believed that and ended their life.”
“I’ve dreamed of that day for the rest of my life.”
“What went wrong? Why did such terrible things happen?”
“What should I have done back then?”
“Of course, there was no answer to these questions…”
“But now, things are different.”
“I’m here now, for you.”
“I can empathize with your pain and sorrow.”
The being claiming to be the first playthrough version of himself spoke.
Because of what was said, Ciel’s face contorted in confusion.
Perhaps interpreting his expression differently, the being claiming to be the first playthrough version of himself awkwardly smiled.
“I know. Not too long ago, you cut off your emotions and swore to save the world, right?”
“You didn’t need any comfort. You just wanted information, right? I’ll give it to you, for sure.”
In the blink of an eye, his expression changed.
With the most serious face, the person in front of Ciel spoke.
“The Evil-Eater, Riyan. You need to kill him immediately.”
“He seems like a lowly fixer in a slum, but in some ways, he’s a greater threat than the Demon King. His abilities reach the heavens.”
“If you don’t act now, you won’t get another chance to deal with him.”
“Wait, what the hell are you talking about?”
Ciel’s voice was filled with clear hostility.
If there was no hostility, that would have been even stranger.
“That there hasn’t been a single victim from the recent terrorist attacks, that all the discrimination was removed, and that the beastmen were saved. It was all thanks to Professor Riyan!”
“There’s a limit to how much nonsense you can spout.”
“Who would believe such a pathetic lie?”
“Wait a second. What do you mean by that…?”
The fake, flustered person mumbled in confusion.
However, Ciel wasn’t about to listen to them.
Thanks to the professor, the logic of the sword was right in front of them.
Without hesitation, Ciel shattered this illusionary world.
***
Ciel opened her eyes again.
I was about to ask what had happened, but…
Before I could, Ciel suddenly did something strange.
Bang, bang!
The crystal orb was struck repeatedly and shattered.
Soon, the orb turned to powder and scattered away.
The people around were in shock.
In front of them, Ciel, grinding her teeth in anger, spoke.
“This was a trap! And a damn unpleasant one at that!”
…Starting right from the beginning, playing with traps.
It seemed the sage was far more malicious than expected.