The World Is Mine For The Taking

I made my way to the place Veronica told me to go.

It wasn't just any house as it belonged to some influential figure who acted as the de facto mayor of this lawless territory.

Even in a place drowned in crime, chaos, and violence, it was clear they still needed someone to hold the reins. No matter how unruly, no matter how wild, there had to be a figure of authority keeping the balance. Without that—without someone maintaining even the smallest thread of order—this entire place would collapse on itself. It would rot from the inside out until the very idea of such a lawless haven ceased to exist.

That's why, despite the filth and corruption, they still needed someone to enforce the so-called natural order of things.

When I got closer, I could already hear the moans, faint at first, then clearer the deeper I walked. Lustful, desperate, shameless sounds echoing through the corridors. I didn't bother tracing where it came from. Whatever was happening behind those walls wasn't my business. I had my own reason for being here.

I kept moving, my footsteps carrying me down into the depths of the house, until the air grew damp and suffocating. The walls turned darker, the floors uneven, and soon I came upon something that looked like a prison.

A dungeon. That's what it resembled, anyway.

The moment I stepped inside, the stench hit me like a wall. The foul, gag-inducing smell of rotting flesh clung to the air and it was heavy and suffocating. It was like walking into the belly of a corpse, the air so rancid I almost gagged.

"Fufufu… I'm sorry our reunion had to be like this, my dear big sister."

That voice—Veronica's.

Big sister?

The words froze me in place. So that was it. They were siblings.

"Oh? You've arrived, Shredica? Perfect timing. She just woke up," Veronica said, her tone smooth.

"Why'd you call me instead of Laurel?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"I thought it'd be far more interesting if you were the one to hear this. After all, you're more connected to us than you realize."

Her words sent a strange unease crawling down my spine. What the hell was she implying?

"Now then, my dear sister," Veronica continued, her voice dripping with amusement. "Where is Lilith's dungeon?"

"Huh? Lilith's dungeon? Why do you want to know that?" the other woman—Elise—answered.

"Well, I need an artifact that lies within. Something that could help me. So… why don't you tell me? Since you're a part of Lilith herself, I assume you know exactly where it is."

Lilith's dungeon.

The name alone carried weight. Lilith was one of the greatest dragons in existence, a being whose power shook the world.

Veronica had once told me Lilith was long dead, but before her end, she had shattered herself into five fragments.

Fragments meant to bring her back.

So that's what this was about. That was why Veronica was here.

She wasn't just searching for treasure. Her true goal… was to revive Lilith. Or I'm assuming she was.

"I don't know. I've never stepped foot inside Lilith's dungeon," Elise said flatly.

"What do you mean you've never been there? You're the oldest among us! Don't you think Lilith would've shown you something before she disappeared?" Veronica said.

"I really don't know. More importantly, can you untie your big sister already? I can't hug you like this."

"Tch. So even after coming all this way and waiting, we've gotten nothing… Was it a mistake to even come here?" Veronica mumbled, her voice low but sharp. Then, with a pause, she added. "How about Leon? Does he know?"

Leon.

The moment his name dropped, everything fell into place.

These two… they were connected to him.

It wasn't just a guess. From the way they carried themselves, the way they fought, even their appearance and the aura that clung to them—it was unmistakable.

That was why Veronica had unsettled me from the very beginning.

She was related to Leon.

Well, I kinda guessed that already.

"Well, you and Leon were born at the same time, so maybe he doesn't know. Not like you or me," Elise said quietly.

"And what about the others?"

"Leonora and Estelle? I doubt they know either. Leonora was born a little later than the two of you, still on the same day. Estelle… she was the only one who came out a year later."

"I see…" Veronica's voice dropped, cold and cutting, though there was something beneath it—a weight, maybe even sadness. But it was buried so deep I couldn't be sure.

"This is pointless. We came here for nothing…" she muttered.

Elise looked at her and asked, "What kind of artifact are you even searching for?"

"The book containing the spell that summons heroes from another world."

My breath caught.

That was it. That was exactly what I'd been searching for all this time.

"I thought the spell was locked away in the royal castle, guarded by the magic knights?" Elise asked, confused.

"That's just a fraction of it," Veronica explained, her tone sharp. "The real spell is longer. Two entire books long, written in full. And only someone with immense mana and power can cast it—only they could open a rift through time and space."

My voice trembled as I asked. "I-Is it possible… to use it to send the summoned ones back? To return them to where they came from?"

"It's possible," Veronica replied without hesitation. "It's been done before."

If that was true—if that was really possible—then I had a chance.

I could go back.

Back to my world.

We just needed that artifact. We just needed to find the dungeon. And then… my path home would be clear.

"Then… I think I know someone capable enough to help us with this search." I told her.

***

Leon's POV

"What the hell…?"

My phone buzzed in my hand, the ringtone cutting through the silence. But it wasn't the sound that made me mutter those words.

It was the name flashing on the screen.

Shredica.

She was calling me.

Was it an accident? A mis-tap? Or just a butt dial?

I scratched the back of my neck, staring at her name glowing on the display. After a second of hesitation, I sighed and pressed the button.

Might as well answer.