Chapter 241

The sky was cloaked in darkness, but piercing through it floated a mysterious purple moon.

It looked as if a giant amethyst were hanging in the heavens.

The moonlight gently illuminated the city below, and under its glow, the city seemed enchanted—silent and serene.

The girl with blue hair walked slowly along the moonlit street alongside a muscular man.

The buildings lining the path appeared to have leaped straight out of a fantasy novel.

No matter how many times or years she saw it, the streets still felt strange and unfamiliar to the blue-haired girl.

“How can this be such a fantastical world without a single Tyrannosaurus?”

The girl quietly complained to herself.

The man noticed that she was lost in some frivolous thoughts but pretended not to care, urging her onward.

As they passed buildings that seemed plucked from a fairytale and entered an open plaza, the large fountain at the city center greeted them.

The water streaming from the fountain sparkled mysteriously under the purple moonlight.

Though the scene was breathtaking, the man frowned upon seeing the crowd gathered near the fountain.

“Hmph, even up north, fake alchemists are swarming everywhere.”

“Well, since I was the last true alchemist, there’s nothing much we can do about it.”

Unlike the irritated man, the girl smiled as if none of it mattered.

“Can you really call it alchemy when they just spray around that dirty evolution liquid without understanding real mysteries?”

“Hmm, yeah, you’re right about that.”

Then, turning her body 180 degrees to face the man with her back to the fountain, the girl continued speaking.

“But if you dig through old history books, you’ll find records where ‘ancient alchemists’ called people like us ‘fakes.'”

With a soft chuckle, she added, “Maybe we’re the ones fading away.”

After observing her, the man calmed down slightly, rubbing his temples with his large hand before speaking.

“So, why don’t you tell me already? What help do you need?”

“You caught on, huh?”

The girl laughed nervously, feeling caught red-handed.

“You only call on your master when you need something. Heartless brat.”

True to his words, the man playfully ruffled her blue hair with his massive palm.

“I need something—an ancient book maybe, or a stone covered in writing. Something like that.”

“…Go on.”

The man crossed his arms, signaling for her to elaborate.

“Thing is…it belongs to the cult.”

“Damn it, girl.”

As soon as he heard her words, the man groaned in exasperation.

***

I stared intently at the large mirror attached to the wall.

Hmm.

The reflection staring back at me was unmistakably Yerin’s childhood self.

Front view? Yerin. Side view? Still Yerin.

Even with my mouth wide open or making cute V-signs—it was all Yerin.

And no matter how much I squished her soft cheeks, it was still Yerin.

Thinking about being able to control Yerin’s movements so freely made me smile involuntarily.

I could probably entertain myself playing with this mirror for ten hours straight.

But then, the noisy chatter outside interrupted my thoughts.

Lifting my head toward the sound, I noticed a small window high above, unreachable no matter how far I stretched.

From it came cheerful voices and the delicious aroma of food wafting inside.

“Woah.”

I marveled at whoever designed this room.

Every day, flames would burn my body.

Unavoidable mirrors reflecting my scorched skin.

And now, the inviting sounds and scents of joyous life outside.

This room clearly seemed designed to torment me thoroughly.

Gulp.

The appetizing smell made my stomach growl.

“Hmm, might as well go out and grab a bite while having fun… oh wait, no. I need to gather information first.”

About this dream.

And what exactly “[The Dream Concludes Properly]” means.

Plus, the person resembling Yerin who appeared in the “moonlight slideshow” felt far too coincidental.

But how do I escape from here?

I began contemplating, gazing up at the tiny window located about three meters above.

***

Beneath the vibrant purple moon, unlike the desolate snowfield, I had managed to escape the mirror room and found myself sitting in the bustling streets.

Fortunately, thanks to other abilities of the “Gray Reaper,” escaping proved easy.

At first, I considered using “ghosting”—the simplest solution—but decided against it.

A naked ten-year-old wandering the streets wouldn’t enjoy much good food anyway.

So instead, I chose to climb up by holding onto the walls and squeezed through the window.

Sure, smashing it (““) would’ve been easier, but I didn’t want to cause too much commotion, so I opted for a quieter approach.

Mmm…

Chewing on a perfectly roasted meat skewer, I enjoyed the lively cityscape.

Around me bustled people dressed in exotic attire, their bright laughter and conversations adding energy to the streets.

“Delicious.”

The meat was perfectly grilled, crispy on the outside yet tender within.

No idea what kind of meat it was though.

Between the skewers were unfamiliar vegetables, crunchy and slightly spicy, stimulating one’s appetite.

Again, no clue what they were, but it didn’t matter—the juices bursting in every bite drowned out any curiosity about ingredients.

Once I finished my skewer, I confidently strode forward and extended my hand.

The shop owner quickly cooked another piece and placed it in my hand.

“Enjoy!”

With his greeting ringing in my ears, I plopped into an empty chair and resumed devouring happily.

Apparently, this group carrying “this-worldly Yerin” held considerable influence because money wasn’t necessary when buying anything.

From snippets of conversations among passersby and merchants, I learned they belonged to a group called the “cult.”

Probably a ninja organization, right?

Curious about what exactly this group did, I wandered around gathering intel, but didn’t uncover much.

One interesting tidbit: The “cult” worshipped something, though no one knew exactly what.

No name, no form, no statues, no images, no mentions—nothing.

Just pure devotion.

It was a baffling religion indeed.

Still, they earned respect by handling “magical books” without asking for anything in return.

Mmm…

Swinging my short legs beneath the oversized chair, I savored the skewer while admiring the scenery.

Colorful lights adorned the building walls, blending beautifully with the purple moonlight.

Somewhere in the distance, cheerful music played, and people danced rhythmically.

However, my ears picked up an unusual noise—a sharp metallic clatter.

Definitely related to “[The Dream Concludes Properly].”

Sigh.

Finishing my skewer in one swift gulp, I stood up from my seat.

***

Under the descending darkness of the purple-moonlit city,

a girl with blue hair darted frantically through the shadowy alleys at the back of the town.

“Master! Your student is dying!”

The blue-haired girl desperately searched for her teacher, who had promised to help.

But nowhere could she find the passage her teacher had supposedly prepared.

“Really persistent, aren’t they? I said I’d just check the contents and return it!”

Panting heavily, the girl clutched a glowing green square-shaped object tightly in her arms.

The plate shimmered with radiant green jade light.

But the black-clad pursuers showed no intention of answering, merely swinging their razor-sharp blades mercilessly.

Even as she dodged the blades, tumbling amidst the dust, the girl entertained absurd thoughts.

“The cult guys’ outfits reminded me of ‘ninjas,’ but they actually *are* ninjas!”

These ninjas performed incredible stunts, leaping from the ground or dropping from the sky—all feats that defied belief without alchemy.

And at the last moment,

as the blade pierced towards her heart in a dead-end alley,

she couldn’t believe it.

“This can’t be happening. This isn’t how it ends!”

She knew her destiny, trusted her fate, and couldn’t accept this situation.

“I’m meant to exist inevitably!”

Clap clap.

Just as she thought it might end this way, faint applause echoed.

Followed by soft footsteps, kong-kong-kong.

Suddenly, the ground beneath the ninja collapsed, dragging him into an endless abyss.

Thump thump.

Turning her head toward the energetic footstep sounds, she saw a child of about ten approaching slowly from the alley entrance.

With an expression completely out of place for a ten-year-old—eyes burning like golden flames—the child approached with steady steps.