Chapter 474

I faintly remember the contents of a dream I had long ago.

“Hibris, how about it? It means don’t be arrogant.”

“…”

“That’s right, what would you know? We have a long way to go, let’s hurry.”

I couldn’t think for myself.

I simply held the Creator’s hand and walked aimlessly.

Whether the journey was long or short, everything I saw or heard is hazy in my memory.

Information that came through my eyes and ears slipped away like water poured into a leaking barrel.

Then one day, encountering a rather shocking event, I experienced thought 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 massive claw embedded in her abdomen.

The poor child, too weak to even wriggle in pain, desperately looked for her father.

Not long after, the girl passed away.

“How pitiful…”

I knelt down of my own accord and gently stroked the girl’s head.

“If only you had power, you wouldn’t have died so easily…”

Was that voice just now mine?

The Creator suddenly asked me,

“Do you want to stay here?”

Without any hesitation, I nodded.

[7th Circle Activation: Dragonia Nascentia]

The Creator brought me in front of a mirror.

There was the girl who had been killed by the demon beast, right before my eyes.

The beautiful Creator draped a cloak over my naked body and whispered in my ear,

“Live humbly. Stay out of trouble.”

And then I woke up from the dream.

How could I have dreamed something so cruel?

There’s no way the village could be destroyed so horribly, and there’s no way I could die so miserably.

I shook off the unpleasant nightmare.

Though I don’t remember exactly what I did afterward, there wasn’t much to do in the dreary Wilhelm Village.

At best, I helped the ladies with their laundry, fed the chickens, or milked the goats.

A few days later, my father returned safely from the battlefield.

He had earned enough money for us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

When I realized I had the ability to control animals, I felt like the protagonist of the world.

I thought I would live happily forever.

That was until the heresy investigators arrived and turned the village into chaos…

After that, I have no memory.

I was standing on a desolate land where nothing existed.

Once again, I was naked.

The creator I saw in the dream, no, the witch of the continent, subdued me.

“Did I kill anyone…?”

“You’ve only been picking off those who deserved death. Considering your actions, you’re the best of the six.”

“Ugh…”

The witch tightened her grip on me.

Hatred that wanted to kill her kept bubbling up inside me.

Perhaps what I saw wasn’t a dream after all.

“You must reincarnate as a human in your next life.”

“Next… life?”

“You might if you’re lucky. I’ve reincarnated once myself.”

The experience of dying was quite strange.

It felt like a door opened on the floor and I fell into an endless abyss.

Just when it seemed like I was coming to, I fell again.

An uncomfortable sense of comfort lingered for a long time.

They say people see their life flash before their eyes when they die, but I instead had a happy dream.

And this time, it was incredibly vivid!

I fought off monsters with a brave knight from another dimension and went searching for my father.

At first, my father didn’t recognize me, but through the combined efforts of the witch, the dragon, and myself, we vanquished the evil within me and recovered the dimension.

Holding my father close made me feel like the protagonist of the world.

[Sorry. Sorry for forgetting our daughter. It was all my fault from beginning to end. Leaving you alone in the village too. Everything…]

I desperately tried to memorize the features of my father’s face from the dream, so I wouldn’t forget it.

Our sturdy father who looked like a mountain bandit.

I’m the one who should be sorry for pretending to be your daughter.

The truth is, I’m a bad person.

I’ll do terrible things when I grow up.

I’ve sinned greatly since the day I was born and ended up as something that should be eradicated.

Still, those five years I spent as your daughter were truly happy.

This much is the truth, so even if I’m a lying daughter, please believe me.

With all my love, to my father, Brooks.

[▶ This object is incompatible with the product. It may not be possible to fully utilize ASI’s performance. Do you wish to continue?]

[▶ Yes]

[▶ Once damaged, the ASI cannot restore the original log. Do you wish to continue?]

[▶ Yes]

[⦁⦁⦁ ▶ Memory Synchronization Complete]

[▶ Welcome ‘Hibris’]

“What? Why did the synchronization take over 50 hours? The volume’s absurd.”

Kimppeukkimp-

Instinctively, I looked around.

There were many mysterious objects on an elegant round table.

Could this be the hell mentioned in the kingdom?

Then, those square things might be torture tools.

Tuk-tuk

“Hykkkkaaah!”

“Eek! You scared me! Why are you so startled? Suwa, I was startled too.”

“Who, who’s there…? Uh? Knight?”

“Would you know me?”

A very familiar face.

It’s the person I saw in a dream after I died.

I began to hope that this might not be hell.

“Of course, I remember! Lady Yeonji-Pongdu, do you know where we are? Could we be imprisoned in a dungeon?”

Then what becomes of the dream I had?

And what about the language I’m speaking now?

Everything is confusing.

“Aaaaaaaaaaah! This is all your fault because of the punishment you guys made! Seriously, it’s ridiculous how you keep attaching ‘Pongdu’ at the end of every sentence!”

The knight suddenly screamed in agony, pulling out his hair and writhing in pain.

“What? What’s going on…”

“Ah, sorry, that wasn’t something I should have said to you. Now that the synchronization is done, what should we do? This is my first conversation with an ASI with unlimited freedom.”

“Uh…”

“Asking for my opinion on the power transition. No, our broadcasts always strictly maintain political neutrality. About the color of undergarments… Hey, you should get banned. This kid is fifteen-years-old in setting, please keep it in check!”

Could it be that this knight couldn’t withstand the torture from the jailers of hell and has gone mad?

I cowered in the corner of the room, trembling.

“Would you like to take me to VR Neverland? That’s a great idea. Who called me a social recluse? It’s normal for people without friends in games to play with bots. Shall we hang out, Hibris? Huh? What are you doing there?”

“Hyyyyyeeek…”

Deddeul-deddeul-deddeul

It’s undoubtedly hell.

* * *

The first Taming Master Championship ended in great success.

The real-time number of viewers on Twish was 1.5 million, 1 million on V-tube, and including duplicates, 5 million on Weverse, with slightly different tallying methods.

Unfortunately, it didn’t break the Twish record of 3 million viewers. How do they do that?

Midway through the game, I realized I needed to urgently change the prizes for the participants when I confirmed the astronomical amount of revenue coming in.

“Originally, I intended to give the mint chocolate peppermint candy as the prize for everyone except the first place winner.”

“Are you even human saying that? That’s not a prize, it’s a punishment.”

“Why is it a punishment? If goodness is multiplied by four, it becomes four times as good.”

“Uwewk. Weeeek.”

Saetbyeol stuck out her tongue, pretending to throw up.

Man, I almost want to rip out that tongue of hers.

“Still, isn’t Lady Bae Yeonji a decent person? Can we really trust her with the synchronization?”

“That person is good, as far as I know. They were also the one who helped during our live broadcast when I took you out of the game.”

“Oh, really? They were our savior.”

“Anyway, her main form is still in my Aura Heart, so if anything happens, I can pull her back. Plus, since Hibris is an ordinary friend, there aren’t many gaps in our knowledge. I pretty much know what she knows.”

“Ah, that’s class discrimination. Don’t you fear the guillotine of the common people?”

“Yeah, my neck is tougher. That won’t cut it.”

“What if I tickle you? Tick-tick-”

“Huhk!”

The cold touch of fingers on my neck.

My head instantly shrank like a turtle’s.

Saetbyeol had already detected the kill intent long ago and fled to another server.

[NoName: I won’t hit you, so come here.]

I persuaded Saetbyeol with words and headed to the cotton candy shop.

Starting from the other day, Saetbyeol has been helping with magic duel training in return for playtime in Samsung’s VR Neverland.

Cheon Saetbyeol has an extraordinary ability to manipulate Aura.

This means her stamina is exceptional, providing various test opportunities.

After Saetbyeol was summoned onto the ground, I handed her a piece of cotton candy.

“Thanks, I’ll enjoy it, Lady.”

“Is there any option to not feel ticklish? It doesn’t seem too difficult.”

“You seem very ticklish, Lady.”

“It might be because I’m still young.”

“What about your past life?”

“In that life, who would dare touch the body of royalty and not be considered insane.”

“Haha, indeed.”

Joking aside, it’s a country where even brushing against a royal could legally lead to an execution sentence.

Of course, they probably wouldn’t immediately execute someone, but the mere existence of such a law made class distinctions absolute.

“Saetbyeol, let’s go on the ferris wheel.”

I gestured toward the large amusement ride.

“Eh? I’m fine with going anywhere. What’s up with Lady being so proactive all of a sudden?”

“Not if you’d keep complaining by riding the boring merry-go-round again.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever Lady Namae wants to do, we’ll follow, yeah yeah!”

Saetbyeol placed a Rudolph headband on my head.

“Wow, so cute! This way, we look like a couple!”

Ignoring Saetbyeol’s excitement, my gaze has been fixed on a point since earlier.

[Veixel]

[Hybris]

We met again two days after I sent her off.

Because she existed as a particle matrix, I felt her presence stronger in virtual reality than in reality.

Quietly going behind Bae Yeon-ji, I joined the line for the ferris wheel.

She was probably distracted trying to talk to Hibris.

[‘Mr. FalconBeer’ donated 50,000 won!]

-Lady, look behind you!

“Oh, thank you, Mr. FalconBeer for the 50,000 won donation. Hibris, try saying it, thank you for the 50,000 won donation.”

“Thank you for the 50 man won?”

“Right! Good job, sister! What’s behind you? Gah!”

Bae Yeon-ji saw me and screamed as if she had seen a ghost.

Meanwhile, Hibris just tilted her head.

Because Bae Yeon-ji has access to the data of the clear world, Hibris doesn’t know me.

-Whoa, real Na-me? Wow wow wow wow

-Who dares to impersonate someone recklessly these days? It must be the real deal, lol

-Ah, Adella’s here too, hi hi~

-ASI Duo formed!

-Was this part of the broadcast plan?

-Good thighs laughs

“No way! I had no idea Lady Na-me would come. You recommended this place, Lady. Why are you here, Lady?”

“Well, I came with Della. Would you like to join?”

“Yes, we’d be honored! Lady Namae, please let me open the door for you…”

“I’m not a kid, I can do it myself. Tch.”

This amusement park isn’t very kid-friendly at all.

Hibris and I ended up sitting across from each other.

She’s been maintaining silence since the beginning, clearly bewildered by the strangers.

When the ferris wheel had ascended about a quarter of the way, I casually asked Hibris,

“Hey friend, can you figure out who I am?”

“Huh? Hmm, not really. Do you know me?”

Bae Yeon-ji tried explaining enthusiastically from the side.

Something about the game and Kaizen World.

Hibris wore an expression of not understanding even half of it.

I smiled knowingly.

It may induce PTSD for a brief moment, but it’s better than not explaining at all.

[▶ Main Custom – Deactivate]

[▶ Custom 1 – Activate]

I shed the disguise of childhood and summoned a mature body.

Hibris’s deer-like eyes grew wider and wider.

She froze like a statue, mouth agape, not even stirring a single hair.

I leaned forward and brushed the flowing golden hair behind my ear.

It was a delicate whisper for her alone.

Since she didn’t know how to view private chat yet, it was a consideration I showed her.

“Congratulations on your reincarnation. Memories from your past life will likely come back as you live, but please don’t hate me too much.”

“You…”

I returned to my seat, perching on the edge and crossing my leg.

As I shrugged off any concerns, I gave her a simple introduction,

“I am NoName. Pleased to meet you, Hibris.”

Perhaps because I was taller now, the crossed leg position was much more comfortable than when I was a child.