Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Setang
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Han Saetbit broke into a cold sweat at the voice that suddenly came from right behind him.
Why now, of all times, had he forgotten about Setang?
He tried to puzzle out the reason for that brief lapse, but it was already too late.
All he could do now was scrape together some excuse to minimize the damage.
"No. It's not that I forgot..."
Before he could even finish, Setang's voice rang out again.
Are you ignoring me when I'm right here? Is that thing better than me? Setang huffed indignantly as she spoke.
At a glance, it looked like genuine anger, but it felt closer to deliberate sulking to show off her feelings.
Just like a little cousin puffing out her cheeks and whining, "Why won't you play with me! Waaah!"
Only, the difference with a little cousin...
was that he could control his cousin.
And he was stronger, too.
Setang was neither, of course.
And right then—
"Eek...!"
Setang clearly wasn't truly angry, yet the sky began to shake.
A massive ripple erupted in the distance.
The atmosphere trembled in layers, a vast vibration spreading from high above.
Like an invisible giant hand sweeping through empty space, the flow of air inverted, and the distant horizon twisted.
A low rumble echoed from beneath the earth, spreading outward, while stars in the far universe cracked apart, oxidizing into brief flashes of light like single explosions.
But as expected, nothing was amiss around where I stood.
Not a single breeze stirred, not a blade of grass quivered.
As if I were in the heart of a colossal storm, yet safe in its eye, untouched by the chaos.
I felt a quiet relief deep down.
Even trusting that Setang wouldn't harm me, it was impossible not to feel anxious watching something of this magnitude unfold right before my eyes.
Perhaps sensing my unease, the massive anomalies began to ebb away, little by little.
At the same time, I felt Setang's gaze shift.
At first pinned on Syst, it gradually tilted toward me before finally fixing in place.
Tracing its direction only deepened my certainty.
I took it as a kind of prank.
There was anger and jealousy, sure, but what dominated far more was a simple desire to play with me, to get closer.
I scooped up the fainted Syst into my arms...
Eek! ...but sensing things might escalate again, I meekly set it down on the ground...
Hmph! With Setang's petulant response, I pondered deeply why this incident had spiraled so far out of control.
Our relationship now was worlds apart from the beginning.
Back when we first met, Setang had been something like a powerful benefactor to me.
Crude as it sounded, it was close to a sugar mama arrangement.
Not that I was selling my body, but she offered all sorts of help drawn to my looks and charm.
Maybe it was even closer to an idol and their fan.
Either way, things had changed a lot since then.
We were practically close friends now.
My wariness had all but vanished, and Setang was treating me more casually by the day.
But at the same time, I wondered.
'Is this... okay?'
A month was short, if you thought about it.
Hadn't our relationship shifted too quickly?
I slowly retraced the more fundamental reasons Setang had fallen for me—and what had changed between then and now.
The first thing that came to mind was my Charm level.
I was weaker now.
More precisely, intentionally holding back.
Sure, sky-high Charm had its perks, but it came with burdens I could barely handle.
Like being unable to form normal social bonds.
That's how it had been when I first met Setang.
She'd been drawn to me almost hypnotically.
She'd grant any wish of mine, and if I felt even a twinge of pain, she'd feel it deeper than I did.
Eemo was a perfect example.
The moment Setang learned I'd suffered from Eemo's memory implantation, she'd moved to erase her without hesitation.
If I hadn't stopped her, Eemo really would have vanished.
And the fact that Eemo had accepted her own erasure without a word still sent a chill through me even now.
Frankly, the Setang from a month ago had been little more than a strong slave of mine.
Not acting by her own choice, but bound by my Charm.
So I'd started lowering my Charm.
Besides Eemo and Setang, I needed normal relationships.
I knew maintaining that extreme Charm would only hinder real communication and adaptation.
The results were clear.
Mine and Eemo's relationship—and especially Setang's—had slowly, ever so gradually, leveled out into something more equal.
Setang especially.
Eemo had always called herself my servant, so her emotional shift was minor, but Setang now felt and expressed herself far more naturally than before.
I wasn't worried about suddenly losing that power.
If I wanted, I could release the sealed Charm stat from the Ugly Laurel Wreath anytime.
The wreath only worked because I allowed it.
Taking it off was no issue.
...
'Then... what's the problem?'
Only after posing that question to myself did a belated realization hit.
That I'd pegged Setang as the problem just because she'd introduced a tiny variable.
Maybe, unconsciously, I'd been seeing her as a servant too?
Today, more than usual, my mind was cluttered with things to sort out.
As I organized my thoughts, Syst, abandoned on the ground, began trembling its screen faintly as it woke.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Where... is this? Syst's screen quivered faintly before slowly brightening.
It hadn't fully recovered power, but it seemed able to speak at least.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ...Saetbit-nim? "Yeah. You feeling a bit better?"
Syst scanned its fingertips for a moment before whipping its gaze backward.
At that instant, the screen shook ever so slightly.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ...I detect Setang-nim's gaze on me right now. Gaze?
I turned my head.
Setang's presence was still unmistakably fixed on me.
But Syst couldn't possibly distinguish that.
It was an AI that had barely encountered Setang; of course it couldn't grasp such subtle sensations.
In other words, Syst had mistaken it for Setang staring at itself.
"No, that's a misunderstanding—"
I tried to correct it, but Syst seemed to misinterpret my words instead.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ...Please, do not intervene. I must resolve this myself. Setang was in a slightly glum mood right now.
She'd picked up on my brief moment of worry over her.
Setang was clumsy at hiding her own emotions but hypersensitive to others', especially mine.
Whether Syst knew that state or not, it pressed on.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Setang-nim. I am an entity that assists Saetbit-nim. Setang didn't respond.
Instead, her emotions rippled lightly.
Syst took that as a good sign and launched into a lengthy explanation of its role.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ I provide a wide range of support, from information analysis and external detection to lifestyle conveniences and decision-making assistance. Syst continued with a full sales pitch on its capabilities.
Some struck me as "Do we really need that?", but most were impressive enough to earn my admiration.
Whether Setang understood or could meaningfully judge them was another matter.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Moreover, Saetbit-nim can enjoy various entertainment contents through me, with unlimited range—anytime, anywhere—without interruptions—with multiple people... "...YouTube ad?"
The thought slipped out of my mouth unbidden.
Syst didn't seem to register my reaction and tried to continue.
But Setang spoke first.
...Fine then. Can you let me play with Saetbit too? The moment that question dropped, Syst's screen froze into silence.
I looked at Setang.
The one feeling Syst sensed was pure desire to be together.
Syst understood, sharing the sentiment itself.
But no matter how much it compressed itself, how could it play with a being whose body casually dwarfed an entire planet?
Syst had no idea how to even approach that.
...
A heavy silence descended.
Beyond chilly, it was a bone-piercing stillness that hung in the air.
Feeling that leaden atmosphere with my whole body, I thought,
'Ah, shit. We're screwed.'
Right after, Setang vanished quietly without a word.
And the story of her reappearing before us—in a form beyond imagination—came much later.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Afterward, Eemo heard my explanation and said it was inevitable.
"Inevitable...?"
Eemo nodded slowly.
Common sense dictates Setang-nim can't stay in the same space as Saetbit-nim, let alone close by. Psychologically or physically.
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
Eemo's explanation was quiet but crystal clear.
You're only realizing it now. Amid my tangled thoughts, I cautiously ventured,
"What about you?"
Eemo answered immediately.
I'm not some vast, overpowering existence like Setang-nim that can't even seal its power. I used to have... a bit of that strength... Her gaze dipped briefly before returning to calm.
Didn't Setang-nim shatter almost all of it? I recoiled instinctively.
Eemo meant "shatter" literally.
Eemo continued matter-of-factly.
That experience was fulfilling enough. No regrets. "I didn't ask that..."
It's true.