Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: All-Nighter?
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A greatsword harboring the heart of a Lava Drake. It emits endless heat in response to the user's fighting spirit. The red cracks traversing the blade symbolize the fury imbued within it.
⚡ Unstable Flames: Low probability to burst into flames when swinging the sword.
🌋 Lava Eruption: Inject mana to erupt searing mana from the blade.
💥 Final Fury: When the user's life force falls to 50% or below, unleashes the sword's full potential—dyeing the blade red and explosively boosting the user's strength.
"S, S-grade!"
A dumbstruck exclamation burst from my lips, followed soon after by a deep sigh of relief.
"Phew..."
I'd been worried it might turn out low-grade after all, but thankfully, it met the Management Bureau's expectations.
'Final Fury...'
Reading the skill description gave me an odd sense of déjà vu.
It felt just like... the desperate mindset I'd had yesterday when I lied to Yu So-jeong and backed myself into a corner.
Looking at it that way, the greatsword's red patterns really did resemble cracks—like the fissures in my own mentality.
"Anyway, I'm in the clear."
A sigh of relief escaped me naturally. With results like this, neither Yu So-jeong nor the Management Bureau would be disappointed. Hell, they might even give me an award.
But the relief was short-lived. A sadness I'd shoved to the corner of my mind began to rear its head.
'My Lava Drake heart...'
I hadn't even tasted it yet.
It had felt different from the other Drake hearts, so I'd set it aside to savor later...
But I'd gone and eaten all the other intact Drake hearts, leaving me with nothing else to use as material.
What would it have tasted like? Sweet, salty, and spicy like tteokbokki? Chocolate? Strawberry?
No matter how I imagined it, my precious snack was now gone—fused into the hot greatsword. I wouldn't get to taste another until someone brought in a fresh Drake.
'...Wait, taste it?'
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
'The heart in this greatsword is still exposed... It's in its gem form, unchanged...'
Maybe a bit of the flavor lingered? The shape was intact, after all!
As if entranced, I brought my tongue to the red gem embedded in the sword's center.
And—
"Gah?! Hot!!"
Thud!
The intense heat stabbing at my tongue tip made me jolt back and topple over.
The heat was one thing, but the taste was just like any ordinary rock.
Once fully processed, the heart was just part of the sword now, huh...
I clutched my numb tongue, tears welling up.
'Goodbye, my pretty snack...'
I tearfully bid farewell to my precious Lava Drake heart, one I'd never see again.
After going through all that in a flash, my body felt utterly drained.
"Haa..."
Pressure, burden, accomplishment, relief—all those emotions had swirled through me in such a short time, leaving my mind in tatters.
I didn't even have the energy for gaming now. I just wanted to zone out blankly.
I staggered out of the workshop and into the living room, sinking into the plush sofa.
I grabbed the remote and turned on the massive TV covering one wall. Not for any specific channel—just mindlessly flipping through.
Sports channel, news channel, home shopping...
After flipping dozens of times, my finger stopped on one channel.
- "I won't give up...! For everyone's dreams!"
On screen, a girl with blonde twintails held a magic wand. As she pressed the button and raised it high, the scene transitioned.
In a burst of dazzling light, her silhouette filled the screen. Upbeat background music played as ribbons of light wrapped around her, transforming her plain uniform into a frilly dress in an instant.
The wand in her hand became a ornate staff embedded with a heart-shaped gem, and her hair grew down to her waist.
"Princess Heart! Transform!"
On screen, a slime-like monster made of sticky black liquid rampaged through the city, smashing buildings.
Freshly transformed Princess Heart landed gracefully and aimed her staff.
"Heart Shining Sparkle!"
A heart-shaped pink beam shot from the staff's tip toward the monster.
"Hmm...?"
For some reason, I was hooked. I'd normally ignore kids' animations like this, but thoughts of the creator's philosophy and beautiful designs flooded my mind.
- "Kweeeek?!"
The monster shrieked from the beam but didn't fall. Instead, it angrily lashed out tentacles at Princess Heart.
Princess Heart dodged them by a hair's breadth.
"...Gulp."
A flashy battle ensued, light exploding everywhere. The girl soared through the air, dodging attacks, rescuing civilians from near-hits, and unleashing more beams of light.
In a desperate moment, Princess Heart got caught by the black monster, wriggling helplessly.
"Is she... gonna lose?"
But the girl didn't fall. People around prayed for her, pooling their heartfelt power. Light exploded from Princess Heart, repelling the monster.
Floating in the air, she murmured softly.
- "...Yeah. I felt everyone's hearts."
With a resolute expression, she raised her staff.
- "You showed me hate, so I'll show you the power of love. Take it!"
Rainbow light gathered in the staff amid flashy effects.
"Light of love, purify everything! Love Heart Beam!"
The seven-colored rainbow became a massive beam, piercing the monster.
- "Kuaaaah!!"
The monster screamed, burning and shrinking. From the slime emerged a young girl's figure.
- "...Thank you, Princess Heart. Thanks to you, I remembered what love is."
- "Then just do better from now on. By loving others."
Princess Heart reached out, but the girl just smiled up at the sky.
- "But I think this is it for me. I'm really sorry."
The girl dissolved into light and vanished, leaving a single white butterfly that fluttered skyward.
Princess Heart watched sadly, tears streaming down her face as she gazed at the sky. With that final image, the screen transitioned.
[Sparkle☆Princess Heart!]
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded fiercely. I'd only caught the end of this short animation clip, but it moved me more than any movie.
I had to watch this show.
A story packed with the director's philosophy and lessons. Beautiful girl designs. Top-tier animation quality... It was perfect in every way.
Entranced, I opened the TV's replay tab and jabbed the buttons to search for 'Sparkle☆Princess Heart!'.
The moment I hit play on episode 1...
- This program requires 200 cache per episode. Proceed with payment?
"Ah."
A payment screen blocked me.
And with my focus broken, another thought hit me.
'What am I even trying to watch right now?'
Sparkle☆Princess Heart! was clearly a show for little girls. Had my mind turned girly just because my body did?
No! No way!
I'm a full-grown adult man. Cartoons like this—!
Like this...!
Like this...
"Ugh..."
My brain screamed to finish that R-rated slasher flick from yesterday instead, but my heart wouldn't let go of Sparkle☆Princess Heart!.
But I'm an adult...
...Actually, now that I think about it, there's no law saying adult men can't watch shows like this.
Hell, didn't that one guy in the Awakener Gallery post kids' cartoon screenshots every day? Adults aren't banned from kids' shows.
They're not 'kids only,' especially not masterpieces like this. Even adults get drawn in.
In this day and age, it's not weird at all.
I hit confirm on the remote and breezed through payment.
Endless episodes lined up for a binge. Yeah, tonight it's Sparkle☆Princess Heart! from episode 1 straight through.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The blaring doorbell jolted my groggy body upright.
"Mm..."
When I came to, I was sprawled on the sofa in some bizarre pose. One leg hooked over the backrest, my body nearly spilling onto the floor. Every muscle ached.
Before the incessant doorbell, my eyes locked on the massive TV screen.
It was filled with a pink logo and cute girl characters grinning at me. Below it, a familiar message hovered.
[Continue to Sparkle☆Princess Heart! Episode 37?]
Ah.
I'd meant to watch just one episode last night... and ended up binging till I passed out.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell yanked me back to reality. A glance at the clock showed it was nearly 2 p.m.—our agreed time.
"Gah?!"
Yu So-jeong was due any second!
I scrambled up. Messy hair, stretched-out T-shirt. Total shut-in slob look. No time for a shower or change.
I hastily wiped the drool from my mouth. Basic manners, at least.
"Who is it...?"
I toddled to the door and croaked out the question. A familiar voice replied from outside.
"It's Yu So-jeong."
I took a deep breath and opened the front door.
There stood Yu So-jeong with her usual blank expression. Behind her, an unfamiliar mover from a moving company bowed to me.
Being seen like this by a stranger... My face heated with embarrassment.
"Ah... Sorry. Overslept."
As I scratched my head apologetically, Yu So-jeong's eyes widened slightly. She scanned my bloodshot eyes and fatigued look, then asked in a concerned tone.
"No way... Did you pull an all-nighter working?"
"Pardon?"