Chapter 172: Festival - Aftermath (2)

The bustling festival street was crowded.

Ershil was walking there, holding onto Lee Seo-ha’s right arm.

‘That seems fine.’

She inwardly evaluated the woman who had taken the spot to Lee Seo-ha’s left.

Lee Seo-ha had many women. It wasn’t just one or two. And most of them were even pretty. If they were just pretty, it wouldn’t be a problem.

The problem was they all had outstanding abilities.

From Kim Ara, the daughter of the Overlord, to Hong Yu-hwa, the granddaughter of the Red Tower Master.

Both of them constantly expressed their affection. Kim Ara was famous for following Lee Seo-ha everywhere, and Hong Yu-hwa collected his photos as a hobby. She was a complete stalker.

Well, it’s not a flaw for a man to have multiple women.

She knew this because she was born in England, a country wrapped in the guise of being gentlemanly but actually quite macho. Men are mostly driven by sexual desire.

So she tried poking around.

Suggested going on a date, just the two of them.

Lee Seo-ha looked puzzled but didn’t dislike the idea. Maybe he was used to this kind of date.

‘Well, he’s remarkable.’

Remarkable.

It wasn’t just about his looks. His looks were indeed good, but more than that, it was his ability. Even if he were incredibly unattractive, many women would still pursue him.

No one at his young age had ever reached the level he had. That’s the kind of existence he was.

So Ershil scrutinized the girl who had a crush on Lee Seo-ha. And like someone by his side, she had exceptional talent.

-You have excellent talent. The kind that could even freeze the world.

Melanie Merchen.

The transcendent within her assured Ershil.

‘Then I should keep him close.’

Ershil didn’t ask much from her. Just to hold her hand and cooperate with her in keeping Lee Seo-ha’s women in check.

And to strengthen their relationship.

That was all.

She might call her own Lee Seo-ha “Lord” or talk about taking down Mines on a date, but she was a woman Ershil could hold onto herself.

‘These days, Hong Yu-hwa is acting suspiciously.’

Being the granddaughter of the Red Tower Master, she had more followers than Kim Ara, who had a Chinese background, or herself, who had an English background. Recently, there had been rumors that she was planning something through her followers, so it was better to be cautious.

It was wiser to recruit allies in advance than to cry and regret later if Lee Seo-ha was taken away.

“Seo-ha, you’re smiling quite broadly. Is it because you have flowers in both hands?”

Ershil flashed her characteristic smirk. Lee Seo-ha smiled awkwardly. Seolhwa Ryeon, with a faint blush, was holding onto Lee Seo-ha’s left arm.

‘Haha.’

Lee Seo-ha let out a hollow laugh. He attracted attention from all around.

There were many different gazes: jealousy, envy, admiration, or even disbelief.

“Are they dating?”

“Isn’t she Seolhwa Ryeon from the next class? Is it possible to have two-timing? I thought that only happened in comics.”

Since it was a temporarily set up food alley, many students were watching.

Normally, there wouldn’t be such a crowd.

There had been news that Mines were attacking.

But there were many students. The Emperor herself had declared she would subdue the Mines. With the Emperor stepping forward, there was a sense of safety. That’s why it was possible.

And in reality, the Mines were slaughtered. By the Emperor’s first star. She didn’t even use the other stars. The implication was significant. The Emperor had become stronger.

Even after a day, many stories were circulating. And stability had been restored. That’s why there were so many students here.

“Lee Seo-ha should die.”

So the students, who were blossoming with tales of the Emperor, harbored hatred towards Lee Seo-ha.

It was known among the students that he was favored by the Emperor.

“Our Seo-ha is really popular.”

Ershil chuckled.

Lee Seo-ha sighed inwardly.

“So, what do you want to do here?”

“Want to eat a banana? Covered in chocolate. It looks delicious.”

“Okay.”

Lee Seo-ha bought three chocolate-covered bananas.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“Thanks. Oh, Seolhwa Ryeon, do you know how to eat a banana?”

“Aren’t bananas just eaten as they are?”

Seolhwa Ryeon replied, looking baffled, and Ershil giggled.

“Take a look at this.”

Ershil stuck out her tongue, giving Lee Seo-ha a sultry look.

Lick.

She licked the chocolate part of the chocolate banana while looking at Lee Seo-ha.

‘Will it work?’

Ershil was half-skeptical.

The Merchen family was known for illusion magic.

It was a prestigious family that produced the remarkable transcendent, Melanie Merchen. When the family settled in England, the name Merchen emerged on Earth.

During this process, a school focused more on seducing men than on illusion magic appeared. The Merchen family’s bloodline included part of a dream demon, a succubus.

Thus, they had inherited the ways of seducing men for generations.

This could be called the essence of the Merchen family. 101 secret techniques to seduce men.

‘It’s rather vulgar, but.’

However, this was the only way to seduce this stone-hearted man.

Lick.

Ershil looked at Lee Seo-ha.

Lee Seo-ha’s gaze wavered slightly.

It was a faint shake, but Ershil was satisfied.

‘What is this?’

Ershil was being proactive.

Every time she approached me, she subtly seduced me. The problem was that it was fatal to me.

“Where should we go next? How about taking sticker photos? It’s famous for the four cuts of life these days.”

“Sticker photos? Is it taking pictures?”

“Yes, yes. Isn’t it interesting, Ryeon? What about you, Seo-ha?”

Ershil suddenly approached and spoke. Sticker photos. I went to take them with my ex-girlfriend in my previous life. It was the place where I met my ex-ex-girlfriend. Now, it is a memory I don’t even want to recall.

“……Shall we go somewhere else?”

“Somewhere else?”

“Come to think of it, since the ‘Bell of Selection’ has rung, we should go visit the ‘Hall of Fame’.”

With a mischievous expression, Ershil looked at me.

I smiled awkwardly.

After becoming an Upper Rank, 24 hours later, a nickname would be registered in the ‘Hall of Fame’.

Upon reaching Upper Rank, you gained the power to distort natural laws, but at the same time, the world evaluated your path and gave you a suitable nickname. Hence, nicknames were important. A sincere person could become the minion of a fallen one, and a person thought to be fallen might actually be protecting the world.

Since nicknames were crucial in judging good and evil, the ‘Hall of Fame’ was quite a spectacle.

‘As long as it’s not me.’

The problem lay in the nickname I got.

Savior.

‘It’s too grandiose a nickname.’

It was grandiose. It was also a title with an enormous effect. While most titles only slightly enhanced the user, the Savior title enhanced me noticeably.

Even Ershil, who was sure it was me who rang the ‘Bell of Selection’ this time, was curious about my reaction.

But since I couldn’t refuse the sticker photos and this, I nodded with the mindset of getting it over with.

“Then let’s go quickly. There’s not much time left.”

Ershil, smiling brightly, led me. We soon arrived at the ‘Hall of Fame’.

There were many people. Most had expensive cameras, and there were many internet broadcasters.

“What kind of Upper Rank will it be this time?”

“Well, it will soon be in the Hall of Fame. There haven’t been any interesting nicknames recently, so it would be nice if an interesting one comes up. Like Black Flame Dragon Emperor.”

“Pffft.”

“…….”

I flinched at the passerby’s words.

Black Flame Dragon Emperor.

I really didn’t want that, but considering I had acquired the power of the dragon, it wouldn’t be surprising. Especially since I used black flames, the likelihood was high. It was a horrifying prospect.

“Do you know? When you become Upper Rank and receive a nickname, people’s reactions generally split into two.”

“What are they?”

“Disappointed or pleased. The former because it didn’t meet their expectations, and the latter because they got a good title despite not being qualified. Usually, if you’ve walked a good path, you tend to get highly rated.”

Ershil looked at me.

“But Seo-ha, you’re a bit different. It feels like you’re getting what you deserve.”

“That’s not it.”

In fact, I was expectant and happy when I received the Savior title. Because it was a really good title.

“What are your plans after the festival?”

“Well.”

“You’ll come to school, right?”

“Probably will.”

I sipped on the straw of the grapefruit soda I bought earlier.

I would come to school. But I wouldn’t be there most days. There’s nothing more to learn there. The students I needed to look after had found their paths. Seo Ga-yeon would be at the guild regularly, so it didn’t matter.

‘Hong Yu-hwa is a bit concerning.’

She would manage eventually.

She was a strong woman.

Even if she collected other people’s photos and stuck them all over her room.

‘…….’

-Isn’t that more dangerous?

Nodding quietly at Eternal Heaven’s words, I looked at the Hall of Fame.

Many names were written there.

From the Emperor, Seo Ye-bin, to Celestial, Thousand Sorcerer, Sword Saint, and Martial King.

The names of deceased transcendents were also listed.

The one at the very top.

The most great and revered hero.

[The Returnee Jin Seo-hyun]

Jin Seo-hyun appeared in Korea, where nothing had appeared.

He created ley lines under Korea, halved the Nazi forces, and contributed immensely to Korea’s development. Some even called him the father of heroes or the great hero.

Looking around, some people were silently paying their respects.

I lowered my gaze. From transcendents to those who reached the highest rank, there were many.

Some had only their nicknames written, but most had both their nicknames and names. It was a display of confidence in having reached this position by themselves.

I scanned through the names of the Mines.

‘There are still many alive.’

In the original game’s route, many of them wouldn’t be alive at my level. But in terms of time, I have killed many Mine bastards.

As I spent time going through the names, the part where the nicknames were engraved in the Hall of Fame began to shine.

Hwaak!

At the same time, a nickname was engraved.

Savior.

Ershil’s gaze on me was intense.