NOVEL NEXT Chapter 474
Once upon a time, I faintly remember the dream I had.
“How about Hybris? Don’t get too arrogant.”
“…”
“Yeah, what do you know? We have a long way to go, let’s hurry.”
I couldn’t think for myself.
I just held the Creator’s hand and walked without a care.
Whether the journey was long or short, I barely remember what I saw or heard.
The information that came through my eyes and ears spilled out like pouring water into a bottomless bucket.
Then one day, I encountered a rather shocking event, and I was finally able to think for the first time.
Was it a blessing or a curse?
The Creator was barely holding onto the life of a girl whose lower body was crushed and had a huge claw embedded in her abdomen.
The poor child, who had no strength to fight the pain, was desperately searching for her father.
The girl didn’t last long and passed away.
“How pitiful…”
I found myself kneeling down and gently stroking the girl’s head.
“If you had some strength, you wouldn’t have died so easily…”
Were those words just spoken from my mouth?
Suddenly, the Creator asked me out of the blue.
“Do you want to live here?”
Without a moment of hesitation, I nodded.
[7 Circle Activation: Dragonia Nascentia]
The Creator took me to a mirror.
The girl who was killed by demons stood right in front of me.
The beautiful Creator wrapped a cloak around my naked body and whispered in my ear.
“Live humbly. Don’t cause trouble.”
And then I woke up from the dream.
How could I have such a cruel dream?
It couldn’t possibly happen that the village would be horrifically destroyed and I would die miserably.
I shook off the unpleasant nightmare.
What I did afterward is a bit hazy, but there isn’t much to do in the boring Wilhelm Village.
At best, I could help the ladies with laundry, feed the chickens, or milk the goats.
A few days later, my father returned safely from the battlefield.
He brought back enough money for our family to live on for a lifetime.
When I realized I had the ability to control animals, I felt like the protagonist of this world.
I thought I would live happily for the rest of my life.
Until the Inquisition came in and turned the village into ruins…
After that, I have no memories.
I found myself standing on a desolate land with nothing around.
Once again, I was naked.
The Creator I saw in my dream, no, the continent’s witch appeared and subdued me.
“Did I kill someone…?”
“You only picked out those who deserved to die. For your level, you’re better than 6 others.”
“Guh…”
The witch’s grip tightened even more.
A growing hatred surged within me, longing to kill her.
Perhaps what I saw wasn’t a dream after all.
“You must be reborn as a human in your next life.”
“Next… life?”
“If you’re lucky, it might be possible. I’ve been reincarnated once myself.”
The experience of death was truly bizarre.
It felt like falling into an endless abyss with a door opening beneath me.
As my mind cleared, I felt myself falling again.
A disturbing sense of comfort dominated my body for a long time.
They say people see their life flash before their eyes when they die, but I dreamt of something even happier.
But this time, it was a very vivid dream!
I fought demons alongside a hero from another dimension and sought out my father.
At first, my father didn’t remember me, but together with the witch and a dragon, I defeated the evil within me and restored the dimension.
When I was in my father’s arms, I felt like the protagonist of this world.
[I’m sorry. I’m sorry for forgetting our daughter. This was all Dad’s fault from start to finish. Leaving you alone in the village. All of it.]
I desperately tried to memorize my father’s face from the dream so I wouldn’t forget.
Our sturdy father who looked like a bandit.
I’m sorry for tricking you into thinking I was your daughter.
In truth, I’m a bad person.
I was destined to commit more terrible deeds as I grew up.
From the moment I was born, I had committed great sins and was something that deserved to be eradicated.
However, I was truly happy to be your daughter for five years.
This is the one thing I hope you believe, even if you call me a lying daughter.
With all my love, to my dad Brooks.
[
This entity is incompatible with the product. ASI’s performance may not be fully utilized. Do you wish to continue?]
[ Yes]
[ Once ASI is damaged, existing logs cannot be recovered. Do you wish to proceed?]
[ Yes]
[⦁⦁⦁ Memory Synchronization Complete]
[ Welcome ‘Hybris’]
“Wow, why does syncing take over 50 hours? This capacity is no joke.”
blink blink
I instinctively looked around.
There were many unknown objects piled up on the luxurious round desk.
Could this possibly be the hell they talk about in the Kingdom?
Then those square things might be torture devices.
thud thud
“AAAH!”
“Yikes! What’s with the surprise? You almost scared me to death!”
“W-Who are you…! Huh? Hero?”
“Do you recognize me?”
That face looked very familiar.
It was someone I saw in a dream after I died.
Hope sparked within me that maybe I hadn’t fallen into hell.
“I know, it’s you, Yeon-ji! What is this place? Are we trapped in a prison?”
Then what about the dream I had?
And what language am I speaking right now?
Everything was so confusing.
“AHHH! This is all your fault for that penalty you all created! Seriously, calling me “princess” every time is just way too much!”
The hero suddenly started screaming and tearing at their hair in agony.
“What? What’s happening…”
“Ah, sorry, I wasn’t talking to you. But we finished syncing, so what should we do now? This is my first time talking to an ASI with limitless freedom.”
“Um…”
“Ask what I think about the change in authority. No, we always aim for strict political neutrality in our broadcasts. Panties color… You’re getting banned for that! You’re still supposed to be 15 in this setting, please stay within the lines!”
Is this hero completely out of their mind from enduring the tortures of hell’s guards?
I curled up in a corner and trembled.
“Take us to VR Neverland? Oh, that’s a great idea! Who said I was a reclusive nerd? Typically in games, if you don’t have friends, you bring a bot along. Hybris, let’s go for a fun time… huh? What’s that over there?”
Eeeek
Yep, this place is definitely hell for sure.
—
The 1st Taming Master Championship concluded successfully.
The real-time number of viewers reached 1.5 million on Twish, 1 million on V-tube, and a different counting method put Weverse at a total of 5 million including duplicates.
Sadly, we couldn’t break the Twish record of 3.5 million. How on earth did that happen?
During the game, as I saw astronomical sums rolling in, I had to quickly change the prizes for the participants.
“I originally just planned to stuff all but the first place with mint chocolate peppermint candy.”
“Is that really something a person would do? That’s a punishment, not a prize!”
“Why is it a punishment? If something good is multiplied by four, it’s four times better.”
“Ewww. Yuck.”
Saetbyeol stuck out her tongue and pretended to vomit.
Ugh, how gross, I just want to rip out that tongue.
“By the way, is Bae Yeon-ji a good person? Can we really trust her with erosion?”
“To my knowledge, she’s a good person. She helped us on our broadcast when you were pulled out of the game before.”
“Oh wow, really? A lifesaver, huh?”
“Anyway, her main body is still in my Aura Heart, so I can always retrieve her if needed… Plus, since Hybris has a commoner friend, she doesn’t have much knowledge gap. What she knows, I mostly do too.”
“That’s a commoner discriminatory statement. Aren’t you afraid of the public guillotine?”
“Nope, my neck is pretty sturdy. I won’t get chopped by that.”
“Really? Even if I tickle you? Tickle tickle”
Hah!
The chill of cold fingers on my neck.
My head sank like a turtle into its shell.
It seems Saetbyeol sensed the killing intent and quickly changed servers to escape.
[NoName: I won’t hit you, so come here.]
I sweet-talked Saetbyeol and headed to the cotton candy stand.
She had been helping me train for the Magic Battle since a few days ago under the condition that I’d take her to VR Neverland, which was made by Samsung.
Cheon Saetbyeol had excellent Aura manipulation abilities on her own.
Because of that, her endurance was impressive, allowing us to test her in various ways.
As Saetbyeol popped into existence from the ground, I handed her a cotton candy.
“Oh thank you! I’ll enjoy this, sis.”
“Can’t we just make an option to not feel ticklish? It doesn’t seem too hard.”
“You seem like you get tickled a lot.”
“I might still be young, so that could be why.”
“What about in your past life?”
“Who would be crazy enough to touch royalty in their past life?”
“Ha, I guess that makes sense.”
Jokes aside, in this country, simply brushing against a commoner could get you executed.
Of course, no one would carry out the execution literally, but the fact that such laws were formalized indicated the social hierarchy was absolute.
“Hey Saetbyeol, let’s go ride the Ferris wheel.”
I pointed at the large ride, urging Saetbyeol.
“Really? I’m good anywhere! Wow, you’re actually the one suggesting something first, sis.”
“If I don’t, you’d just keep taking me on mind-numbingly boring merry-go-rounds.”
“Okay, okay! We have to cater to our whiny Na-me sis!”
Saetbyeol placed a reindeer headband on my head.
“Wow, so cute! This makes us look like a couple for sure!”
Ignoring her exuberance, my gaze had been fixed on one spot since a while ago.
[Veixel]
[Hybris]
It had only been two days since I had entrusted her.
Since she was composed of debris, I felt Hybris’s presence stronger in this virtual reality than in reality itself.
I quietly stood behind Bae Yeon-ji and queued for the Ferris wheel.
It seemed she was preoccupied explaining things to Hybris.
[‘Falcon Beer’ donated 50,000 won!]
-“Hey, look behind you! Behind!”
“Ah, Falcon Beer, thank you for the donation of 50,000 won. Hybris, repeat after me: Thank you for the 50,000 won donation.”
“Thank you for the 50,000 won?”
“Good job, sis!”
In an instant, Bae Yeon-ji demonically shrieked as she saw me.
On the other hand, Hybris only tilted her head in confusion.
Bae Yeon-ji didn’t recognize me as her data was cleared in this world, so Hybris didn’t know who I was.
– Woah, is that Na-me for real? 정말?
– Who would dare use an avatar like that nowadays? Definitely is real lol
– Oh look, Adella is here too! Hi hi~
– ASI duo formation!
– Was this part of the broadcast plan?
– Hahaha, can’t believe it!
“No! I didn’t know Na-me was coming. You guys recommended Neverland, right? What brings you here, Na-me…?”
“Not much, just visiting with Della. Do you want to join us?”
“Yes! It’s an honor for us! Na-me, I’ll open the door for you. Here, come on…! Is the step too high? Should I carry you up?”
“I’m not a kid; I can do this by myself. Hup.”
Looks like this park isn’t designed to be child-friendly at all.
Hybris and I ended up sitting facing each other.
Since it was the first time she met these new people, she seemed quite awkward and had stayed silent.
As the Ferris wheel moved up a quarter of the way, I casually asked Hybris,
“Hey buddy, do you recognize who I am?”
“Um… not really. Do you know me?”
Bae Yeon-ji was enthusiastically explaining something from the side.
The game was talking about this and that about Kaizen World.
Hybris showed a look as if she barely understood half of it.
I smiled to myself.
Well, she might experience some PTSD for a bit, but at least it’s better than her not talking at all.
[ Main Custom – Deactivated]
[ Custom 1 – Equipped]
I shook off the childlike demeanor and summoned my mature body.
Hybris’s doe-like eyes widened in surprise.
Her mouth dropped open in shock as she was petrified, not a single fluff of her hair moving out of place.
I leaned forward and brushed back the golden hair falling over her ears.
In a whisper, I spoke to her softly.
I figured it was an act of kindness since she didn’t seem to know how to view whispered chats yet.
“Congratulations on being reincarnated. Your past life memories will come back gradually as you live, but don’t hate me too much for it.”
“You are…?”
I returned to my position, letting my butt touch the end of the seat, crossing one leg over the other.
Shrugging my shoulders as if to say, what’s wrong with that?
“I’m NoName. Nice to meet you, Hybris.”