Chapter 101: Face-to-Face (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: Face-to-Face (2)
A crater that had formed unannounced deep within Gehenna, the Demon Realm.
"Finally..."
The day he had eagerly awaited while camping inside for months had finally arrived.
Episode. Face-to-Face
"I've recovered nearly eighty percent."
Clench.
Balor Joaquin stared at his open palm before tightly balling it into a fist. As he slowly unfurled his fingers, his hand was pale, marked with deep crescent indentations from his fingernails.
"Haha... haha!"
A wide grin broke across his mouth.
"I've eaten so much mugwort and garlic that even smacking my lips brings up a bitter taste."
It had been uncertain when—or if—he would ever regain his true body's power. In the worst-case scenario, he might have had to remain a half-corporeal reflection forever.
Yet Balor Joaquin had silently endured.
'I am an Infinite Regressor.'
He had repeated regressions uncounted times. Time and again, he had forced possibility out of impossibility.
Do not sway with impatience.
Hold steady, and a solution will always present itself.
This was the unshakeable conviction Balor Joaquin lived by as an Infinite Regressor.
And once again, his patience had paid off.
"I'll have to schedule my return to the Human Realm soon."
'I should consult the squirrel family first.'
If it were up to his heart, he would rush straight to Joaquin Academy to reunite with that guy.
'Though life never moves that smoothly.'
To enter the Human Realm, one had to pass through a Gehenna Gate without exception, and heroes belonging to the Hero Association were said to be permanently stationed nearby. According to the squirrels, that was that guy's arrangement.
With discontent brewing among the demons showing ominous signs recently, he had posted standing forces at the gate to maintain constant vigilance.
Had he still been a heroic spirit, it might be different, but now that Balor had nearly reclaimed his true body, there was no way he could pass through the gate without undergoing an identity check.
He couldn't exactly waltz in and declare, "Hey, I'm the Hero of the Origin." Balor himself was a walking piece of history.
'That disciple of mine has made things rather troublesome.'
Still, he felt pleased.
The guy who had always suffered from loneliness seemed to have settled down and adapted well to this world. Though, considering his personality, he seemed to be doing too well(?), so Balor decided he would need to give him a sharp earful.
Chuckling to himself, Balor Joaquin headed toward the surface. He bound effortlessly up the sheer cliff face with nimble, energetic leaps—an agile technique he had picked up from the squirrels.
"Up we go."
Balor Joaquin pushed off the ground with his hands and pulled himself out of the pit. Let's see, where were the squirrels? By now, they should be off somewhere gathering acorns...
"...What's this?"
He easily spotted the squirrels gathered in a tight huddle. They were crowded head-to-head around Lycan, who was holding a smartphone. Balor Joaquin casually sauntered over.
"...What are you guys doing?"
"(Ah, Hero of the Origin!)"
The advisor, Chipmunk, scampered over on all fours to greet him. Hopping onto Balor's shoulder in an instant, Chipmunk whispered the explanation into his ear. A moment later, one of Balor's eyebrows twitched.
"Blessing of the Apocalypse M?"
Apparently, it was a mobile game.
"(Technically, 2nd.)"
He was so dumbfounded he couldn't speak. Balor glanced over at Lycan. Even then, the guy and the squirrels were completely fixated on the smartphone screen.
"(Ah, my lord! I told you, not like that! Dodge quickly, then press Skill 1 over there!)"
"(Dodge, dodge! Aigoo! The area-of-effect indicator is right there on the floor, how can you not dodge that? Ah, old age is truly cruel, truly cruel.)"
"(Shut up, you brats! I can't concentrate because of you! Shut your traps before I roast you all with lightning!!)"
"(Invest that lightning-fast magic into your reaction time instead!)"
"(You uncivilized rodents!)"
Balor's eyes dulled as he watched the squabble. To think a former Commander of the 1st Corps was addicted to a mass-produced mobile gacha game. There were so many things to criticize that words got stuck in his throat.
"(It's actually pretty fun, Hero of the Origin.)"
Chipmunk defended Lycan, as befitted his title of advisor. Balor let out a resigned sigh.
"...I'm sure it is..."
He wasn't really in a position to scold Lycan anyway. Back on Earth, he had played mobile games himself to stave off boredom—and before long, Balor had turned into a total addict.
It started out as a way to indirectly feel nostalgia for this world. By the time he came to his senses, his pantry was completely empty.
Taking inspiration from that, Balor submitted a proposal to a game company's contest. Having accumulated a nauseating amount of life experience as an Infinite Regressor, his proposal was accepted without surprise.
That was the secret origin story behind the creation of Miracle Blessing M.
'Hmm.'
Balor squatted beside the squirrels and examined the game closely.
The design of Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd looked remarkably familiar. Controls, inventory... Aside from the background assets, it was strikingly similar to Miracle Blessing M.
"This is way too similar..."
It was practically begging for a plagiarism lawsuit. Granted, Miracle Blessing M hadn't been entirely clean on that front either.
Still, Earth and this world were different worldlines. It left a deeply uncomfortable lingering doubt.
"Advisor."
"(Yes, Hero of the Origin?)"
"If it's '2nd', that means it's a series. Is there a Blessing of the Apocalypse M 1st, too?"
"(...Uh. I hadn't thought that far...)"
"Well, whatever. Might just be a marketing gimmick."
"(Ah! So that's it!)"
Chipmunk chimed in enthusiastically.
"(Calling it '2nd' makes people think there was a '1st', giving it an aura of history!)"
"Smart little guy, aren't you?"
Balor scratched the top of its head with his index finger. Chipmunk let out a strange squeak. Twisting its body happily for a second, it quickly caught itself.
"(Ahem! Would you like to try the game as well, Hero of the Origin? I happen to have a spare phone stashed away.)"
"I'm fine. What gaming at my age?"
"(Age...)"
Chipmunk shifted its eyes subtly toward Lycan.
"(Argh! Trash game!)"
Lycan clutched his disheveled hair and collapsed backward in defeat.
"I take back the comment about age."
"(Yes, Hero of the Origin.)"
* * *
Rachel's shocking declaration had left my head spinning ever since. To make matters worse, Medea had added her own meaningful commentary.
─I'm already one of the Seven Stars, though?
─And since I'm an Ancient, my biological age might be seventy, but my practical age is actually a bit younger than yours, you know?
─Geomma Oppa.
─Medeaaaaaaa...!
With the Sword Emperor's murderous fury bringing an end to the madness, we finally disbanded. Leaving behind Ryozo and Abel's glares that practically pierced my spine, I fled.
That's right.
Naturally, to Se-in's guesthouse.
"Can I laugh?"
Yoo Se-in's lips twitched.
"No."
"Pfft!"
"I told you not to laugh."
"Pfft, hahahahaha!"
Yoo Se-in clutched her stomach and rolled around on the floor. She looked exactly like a fish flopping around on a cutting board.
'Should I slash her?'
The moment the thought crossed my mind, Yoo Se-in froze mid-flop.
"Excuse me. As a possessor and a reincarnator, we have a telepathic connection of sorts. Your blasphemous thoughts are piercing right into my brain."
"If you know that, why do you keep asking for a beating?"
"The one who asked for a beating isn't me, it's you! Just how much flirting did you do for other women to openly declare they're going to steal you right in front of your wives...?"
Thump!
...
I slid Murasame back into my coat. Giving her a head-knock with the pommel of the hilt felt immensely satisfying.
"...Ow."
Yoo Se-in rubbed the bump forming on her forehead, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.
"Why take it out on me?"
"Keep your monologues internal."
"It wasn't a monologue."
"Ah."
You really want another hit, don't you?
"Stop! Stop the violence!"
Yoo Se-in thrust both hands out like a traffic cop.
"Sigh. You really show zero mercy. Is that why everything gets so tangled up? I swear, heroes always have a few screws loose."
Heroes tend to be violence-oriented. Regardless of gender, they keep gentle people at arm's length. Soft, soap-scented men weren't particularly popular in this world.
"Anyway, your personal drama is your business, so please keep in mind that I have zero room—and zero intention—to get involved."
"I know, I know."
In truth, Yoo Se-in was extraordinarily busy these days. It was because of the task I had entrusted to her.
The top priority task—suppressing Chloe's condition—remained unresolved. She was seeking help from various people.
However, the awakening of a blessing had been an unsolved riddle across seven hundred years of hero history. It wasn't simple enough to be solved instantly through a few insights I provided.
On the other hand, time was running short. The ticking bomb around Chloe's neck showed no signs of stopping.
'For now, we have to delay that bomb.'
In that regard, Yoo Se-in's divine power proved surprisingly effective. Her ability allowed her to penetrate deep within one's inner mind.
So Yoo Se-in regularly invaded Chloe's consciousness to suppress the rampant Heart Demon.
'She's a snob, yet she does it without taking a single cent.'
Yoo Se-in was performing this act of goodwill free of charge. Even I would feel a pang of conscience if I used violence against someone after asking them for such a favor.
I gently stroked my forehead.
"...Don't make a fuss. I was just venting. Aren't we close enough for that?"
"'Close enough'? That sounds a bit suspicious. What, since you're adding two more, are you planning to add one more including me?"
"You dopamine addict."
I shoved away Yoo Se-in's approaching cheek with the heel of my palm. Held back by my outstretched arm, she flailed her arms uselessly.
"Besides, you can't feel emotions like love anyway."
It was something she had mentioned before. As Yoo Se-in synchronized with the Status Window, feelings like affection faded away. It was a structure similar to how my own Humanity was precariously low.
"Now that hurts my feelings."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm the bad guy. Satisfied?"
"You just realized that now? You trashy guy who seduced two more women despite having pretty wives! And is that all? Barging into another girl's house uninvited to ask her to save Chloe... Wow, listing it out like this, you're a total—"
"..."
"Sorry."
I let it slide because of the quick apology.
Pretending to play dumb, Yoo Se-in picked up her smartphone. She lay down on the sofa in the most comfortable posture imaginable, crossing her legs and plopping them straight onto my thighs.
"What are you, my cousin?"
"Pretty much, right?"
"Sigh, forget it."
I tilted my head back against the sofa cushions. Come to think of it, I hadn't emptied my mind in a long time.
'In my past life, I used to play mobile games at times like this.'
Now that I had a family and grew older, it wasn't that simple. Moreover, I was worried I might get whisked away to another world again. It sounded ridiculous—not even a one-in-a-million chance.
Except I was living proof of it.
"Hey, hey. Kang Geomma."
Yoo Se-in nudged me with her foot. Once her impulsive kick found its target, she poked the top of my head.
"Do you know this game?"
Despite her frivolous posture, her brow was furrowed. Speaking in a surprisingly serious tone, she held her phone out to me.
"...Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd?"
The game's title triggered a sharp sense of déjà vu.
"It's a game that suddenly exploded in popularity lately. I live on online forums, so I searched everywhere, but there was no spark, no viral campaign, nothing—it just blew up out of nowhere."
"...A game becoming popular might be a big deal to a shut-in like you, but to me—"
"Why are you turning a blind eye when you experienced it firsthand?"
Yoo Se-in scolded me with stern eyes.
"If you ask me, this game is an omen."
An omen of the second Apocalypse.
Yoo Se-in left the rest unsaid. Then she silently handed the smartphone over to me. Staring at her for a moment, I tapped the screen.
[Blessing of the Apocalypse M 2nd Launch Celebration Event]
⟝Adarma Festival⟞
* * *
☞ Touch screen to start adventure ☜