CHAPTER 68: BAD ENDING

Ha-joon and Arthur stood opposite each other without saying a word.

After what felt like an eternity, though it wasn’t even up to a minute, Ha-joon spoke with a smile.

"If it isn’t my best buddy Arthur..." His smile widened into a grin. "Are you ready to hand over your wives?"

Arthur stared at the figure as if looking at a hopeless fool. "What exactly is your obsession with my wives?"

Ha-joon opened his mouth to say something, but Ellie’s voice interrupted him.

"Art... there’s a problem."

Arthur glanced at her from the corner of his eye as she continued. "I can’t find Amy."

Arthur’s eyes instantly scanned through the remaining students and immediately noticed that both Amelia and Cecilia were absent.

And from the expression on Ha-joon’s face, it seemed he didn’t know either.

Suppressing his urge to sprint off, Arthur turned to Ha-joon. "I would have liked to kill you now..." he said in a calm tone, "but it seems something else has come up."

Ha-joon curled one side of his lips. "And so fucking what?"

Arthur didn’t react at all to his words, then sighed. "I meant: Buzz off, Ha-joon."

Ha-joon’s eyes widened, and then his face contorted. "Are you still looking down on me, you bastard!?"

For the first time since Ha-joon had seen Arthur, his eyes glowed, not blue or yellow, but red. Deep, bloodied crimson.

"Ha-joon..." Arthur said in an even voice that shook not just Ha-joon but his allies too. "I always saw you as a bug unworthy of my attention. A pest, tolerated for the sake of the world’s balance."

He turned his back on the draconic man and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "But if that bug dares to buzz around needlessly..." He paused. "I won’t hesitate to squash it."

Ha-joon froze where he stood. ’Huh?’ he thought. ’Why can’t I move?’

The young man felt cold sweat bead across his body. ’Am... Am I scared?’

Arthur didn’t spare him or the rest of his allies a final glance and leapt onto the tree.

Ellie and Cassie quickly followed without a word. After a moment, Cassie asked:

"Arthur, are you alright?"

Arthur exhaled slowly and forced a smile. "Yeah..."

It was honestly too much for him.

First, he met Anna again, only for her to jump off a freaking cliff.

Now Ha-joon had appeared out of nowhere as the villain, and both Amelia and Cecilia were missing.

The worst part was: Arthur had a suspicion about who was behind it.

’I should’ve killed her when I had the chance,’ he thought through clenched teeth.

Twice.

That was how many chances he’d had to kill Agrat.

First was during the entrance exam, but too many people were around. The second was during the ruin exploration class, but the teacher had shown up.

If he’d known things would turn out this way, he would’ve done it.

Arthur opened his mouth to sigh, only for a loud, echoing boom to resound through the entire dungeon.

A gust, no, a whirlwind of air blasted in their direction, uprooting trees.

Arthur immediately activated his demonic dragon blood and grabbed Cassie and Ellie by the waist, shielding them from the crashing trees and the howling wind.

As he slowly opened his eyes, once tightly shut, all he could see was the empty space left behind by the unknown wind, and a sky tinged red and black.

"What..."

Everyone in the forest felt it at once.

No, not just them, the entire world. From East to West, South to North. They all felt it, the darkening of the sky.

The end of the world.

Ding!

『 You have failed to accomplish #48 Side Scenario 』

『 You have failed to accomplish #48 General Event 』

『 You have failed to accomplish #48 Main Event 』

『 User has failed multiple scenarios 』

『 You have reached a bad ending 』

Arthur didn’t know what had happened in that brief moment when the system notification popped up in front of him.

The only thing he did know was that a blinding red light had shot through the world, and rifts in space had appeared, revealing massive, crooked ships filled with armies of enemies.

And at the center of them all was Agrat, holding the corpses of Amelia and Cecilia.

She was divine, and yet impure.

Like the reincarnation of a corrupted goddess, her soul merged with another blighted being.

Long golden lashes, golden hair, and vacant eyes veiled by a beautiful black blindfold, with a flowing black dress.

The memories of Arthur’s life began flashing through his mind:

His time with Nathira, Isabella’s cooking, Ellie’s teasing, Cassie’s shyness, and Amelia’s stubbornness.

At that moment, Arthur knew: everything was over.

As the blinding light engulfed the world and the army of darkness descended, Arthur’s soul fell into an endless abyss of shadow.

[He was dead.]

"Kahnnn!! Uhwahnehnn!!!"

❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅ ❅

『 Beyond the Reach of Humans, in the Frozen Heights Farthest North of Another World 』

"Is the Young Master alive?"

A young, handsome man lay lazily in bed as a single maid whispered.

The cold northern wind passed through the window, making the figure shiver slightly before he opened his eyes.

White... no, golden hair and golden eyes.

He was beautiful. Impossibly so.

The man, who was barely 18, slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling as the maid and those who followed her blushed.

The figure sat up straight, leaning his back against the bed’s headrest, eyes drifting toward the window.

He smiled softly, like a godly prince, then his face twisted. "What the hellllll! Why am I at the start again?!"

The maids flinched, but their cheeks remained flushed. His frustration only made him seem more impossibly handsome to them.

The man, no, Arthur Arcain, slicked back his neck-length blond hair and glared at the maid. "What’s today’s date?"

The maid shifted her gaze and answered the shirtless figure, "Young Master, it’s... it’s April of the 571st year..."

Before Arthur could sigh in relief, she finished:

"... of the goddess Tessia."

"Huh?"

─── ✦ End of Volume 2✦ ───