Half a Victory, Half a Funeral

The sub-quest ended in less than half a day.

DAY 2.5 ‘Wall Construction’ Sudden Quest Final Score 🙂

North Lord Seolya’s Territory 26%

East Lord Lee Mok’s Territory 15%

South Lord Benchel’s Territory 16%

West Lord Jeok-o’s Territory 22%

If one were to judge purely by the results, it was fair to call it ‘half a failure, half a success.’

There were things gained, and things lost.

Each faction successfully built their walls.

Those walls would protect people from the post-apocalyptic creatures lurking in the border regions.

But the mood was far from bright.

Perhaps that was only natural.

During the construction process, each faction had lost a portion of the territory they had gained on Day 2.

“Haha, what a gloomy atmosphere. No need for that.”

Seonjeonggong looked down at the sunken-faced candidates and spoke.

“You figured out that the creatures weren’t attacking the stones, but the unknown force moving them. And that you could safely build walls outside the range of that force. That alone is commendable.”

Seonjeonggong, who had been sitting cross-legged in midair, slowly rose to his feet.

When the candidates’ gazes followed him, he awkwardly scratched his head.

“Hahaha, sorry. You’re all outside my taste range, so even if I suddenly become popular like this, it doesn’t really make me happy.”

“Cut the crap.”

Jeok-o snapped immediately.

“Well done? You call this well done?”

“Of course it was well done, West Lord Red Count. If you hadn’t completed the wall, you would have been directly exposed to the creatures. Though this fragile Seonjeonggong would have done nothing but lament your plight.”

“We lost several percent of our territory!”

“Hahaha, but you couldn’t advance while building the wall, could you? Retreating was the natural order.”

It was a reasonable argument.

Yet the mood didn’t improve.

Jeok-o ground his teeth.

“Natural? Then how do you explain this result?”

His gaze pointed to the final score still lingering on the screen.

Central Lord OZ’s Territory 21%

OZ’s occupation rate has exceeded 20%. Promoted to Count.

“Hahaha. I wouldn’t know what trick Central used. You all saw it yourselves. This Seonjeonggong was hovering around the whole time, worried you might get hurt.”

“Useless!”

“Hahahaha. West Lord Red Count, your tongue is quite sharp.”

Laughing off the insult, Seonjeonggong clapped his hands lightly.

“Well then. If you’re curious about what happened, go ask Central directly. Dismissed. Good night, candidates!”

“You bastard, I wasn’t finished—!”

Before Jeok-o could finish, the screen abruptly shifted.

And then—

“Darling, resting well?”

A cheerful voice arrived first.

Then a large shadow dropped over me.

I glared up at the man who had suddenly blocked my light.

“I feel like throwing up.”

“Wow! I’m hurt. Just because I’m always smiling doesn’t mean I don’t get hurt, darling. If you regret it later and change my keyword to Regretful Man, the review committee might still not pass it—”

I clamped his mouth shut.

While I was at it, I slapped it twice for good measure.

This mouth. This damned mouth.

“Turn off the screen!”

Beside his head floated a screen about the size of a ten-inch tablet.

It displayed him in real time.

Meaning when he chattered, it was twice as loud.

“If at least the sound overlapped, fine—but why is it half a beat delayed?”

It’s like a round song!

“My head is pounding!”

“Haha, is that all? I knew my darling wouldn’t say something cruel to me for no reason.”

I released his mouth once he obediently turned off the screen.

Immediately, he resumed talking at full speed.

“Why does my head still hurt even though the screen’s off…?”

“Oh, my poor darling.”

The very culprit of my headache pressed his palm to my forehead.

Then he fell silent.

“Caliburn?”

“You’re burning up.”

His voice was unusually low.

Almost gloomy.

I flinched.

But then he rolled away, lying on his side, propping up his head, and resumed chatting.

“This is because you use computers, smartphones, and tablets too much. Electromagnetic waves are harmful. Don’t even go near a microwave for a while. Promise with me?”

What kind of community does this guy hang out in?

“What electromagnetic waves? And it’s not like I watch because I want to. Why are you nagging me?”

I covered my eyes with both hands.

“The screen shows me things on its own. What am I supposed to do?”

“That new outfit suits you.”

I clicked my tongue.

“It’s not a new outfit. It’s new skin.”

“Still, snake skin is better than bear skin, right? Luxury bags use it too. Haha—wait, that’s crocodile.”

“Don’t know.”

Don’t ask a half-withdrawn game addict about that.

“You did well.”

Something lightly brushed against the back of my hand covering my eyes.

“It had to be the Sangsa Snake.”

“Yeah…….”

Unlike the other Lords, OZ had expanded his territory instead of losing it.

The reason was simple.

“How many sigils did OZ have left?”

“Zero.”

He advanced by sacrificing every creature that had granted him power.

“Not a waste?”

“If you’re about to call me stupid, I’ve heard enough already.”

“Hahaha.”

“Even if they were evil beasts, their power rivaled the other Lords’ master creatures. They were fooled by appearances for a moment, but if it dragged on, they’d have noticed.”

“That the real OZ was dead, and only the skin wrapped by the Sangsa Snake remained?”

I fell silent briefly.

“Yes.”

OZ was dead.

More precisely, he had been swallowed by the Sangsa Snake I cultivated.

In certain folktales, the Sangsa Snake was said to be a monk who died of lovesickness after falling for a woman, transforming into a monster.

The common trait across those tales was obsession—it clung to the one it loved and never let go.

That was why I needed it.

“A normal creature wouldn’t have clung to OZ to the end. That’s why it had to be the Sangsa Snake. OZ was loved by all evil beasts, so perhaps……”

“Love was heavy.”

“Not heavy. Persistent.”

It was ironic.

The very trait that allowed OZ to live as he pleased ultimately killed him.

“The Sangsa Snake is obsessively clingy. Even as mere skin, it stuck to OZ until it swallowed him.”

“And assimilated with his skin after death.”

“Amazing, isn’t it?”

So amazing that even the system mistook OZ for alive.

“Why the gloomy face, Your Majesty? It went as planned.”

He brushed my hand aside and tickled the corners of my eyes.

Cold, light touches flickered there—perhaps jeweled butterflies.

“Yes. As planned.”

“It’s a good thing.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you depressed?”

I didn’t have the energy to answer.

“OZ didn’t deserve to die?”

This is why prophets lack tact.

“What difference does it make now?”

OZ was dead.

I killed him.

And I would continue to use him.

“You’re too kind.”

I laughed sharply.

“I just killed someone.”

“Haha, not someone. Data.”

“……”

He was right.

OZ was data.

This was a game.

“Right.”

“Today didn’t even need a counseling session. Maybe Rank A?”

“Don’t be stingy. Give me S.”

“Hahaha. Hard to do with deduction points. If OZ hadn’t tried to harm you, you would’ve gone the long way around instead of killing him.”

“But I didn’t.”

I felt unfairly accused.

Then the protest faded.

“Forget it. I’m exhausted.”

I turned onto my side.

His hand followed.

“For the record, I’m not leaving the room tonight.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Even without looking, I could imagine him tilting his head cutely.

Despite his boar-like build.

“You’d call your ‘darlings’ if I left. I might indulge you normally, but I’m too tired today.”

It sounded petulant, but it was true.

“If I fall asleep…… maybe. I’m too tired to wake up easily. So if you do something in the corner of the greenhouse…… I might sleep through it.”

My consciousness blurred.

Yet the image that had been throbbing in my head remained.

I noticed something strange the moment the sub-quest ended.

Specifically, the moment the Sangsa Snake swallowed OZ.

Act 1 Possibility Eliminated

A cryptic line appeared.

Deleting unmaterialized data of ‘OZ.’

Then OZ’s image multiplied into dozens of screens surrounding me.

I recognized them immediately.

They were the OZs I had played in WWC.

First playthrough OZ. Second playthrough OZ. Third playthrough OZ……

It made no sense.

OZ had died many times in different routes before.

Yet the game had never shown this effect.

“Going to sleep?”

The prophet asked.

I nodded.

Even with my eyes closed, I still saw OZ in WWC.

But at least the headache had eased.

Perhaps thanks to the cool fluttering wings brushing my burning forehead.

“Good night.”

The hand over my eyes remained.

……Strangely, that reassured me.