*
Irina’s mansion was a space created using the principles by which dungeons formed.
She loved the garden of osmanthus that remained forever green in a space where time seemed not to move.
After all, it was a tree that only bloomed in mild climates, and was difficult to see in Kirus, where the temperature was low.
Irina opened her parasol as she breathed in the clear scent of dew-dappled osmanthus.
“Serhi.”
Serhi, who had been crossing the garden, lifted his head and met Irina’s blue eyes.
Irina gently curved her eyes.
“You’re here.”
“……Irina.”
Now that he knew she was Yevgeny’s younger sister, he could certainly see the resemblance. In things like the sharp lines of her face, or the ends of her gentle eyes.
“You’re late.”
“I was checking to make sure Na Ohyeong was dead.”
He felt no regret over his death. His mission was complete, and he had only gone to find him because he intended to kill him himself.
Thanks to that, it had actually saved him the trouble.
“Mmm, somehow I thought that might be the case. I didn’t feel you using any strength at all…….”
It seemed Irina felt no regret either.
She had never clashed with Na Ohyeong the way Serhi had, but Irina was indifferent to other people’s emotions and circumstances.
To her, other people were nothing more than pieces placed on a board game. Easy to use, and easy to discard.
Of course, Serhi was no different in being removed from emotional exchange.
Because they treated each other like emotionless objects, life with Irina had been comfortable instead.
Until now.
“Here.”
When Serhi opened his hand, fragments were floating there.
The core of the RP Dungeon.
Fragments of what was known as the system’s memory storage device.
After the core was destroyed and the dungeon was cleared, Serhi, who had been waiting nearby, gathered up the remaining fragments of the core and returned.
Even if they were only fragments, some portion of the stored memories should remain.
“Thank you. This should be enough.”
Irina smiled, curving her eyes prettily.
“Irina.”
“Yes?”
Serhi clenched his fist. The fragments disappeared into his palm.
“The experiment I took part in—you said it had nothing to do with Gnosis, didn’t you?”
“Did something happen?”
“Why? Is it strange for me to ask that?”
Serhi asked back with a small laugh. She, too, must have known that he had a motive stronger than countless reasons.
After all, it was Irina who had rescued the pitiful test subject from the Kirus research lab.
Irina stared silently at Serhi.
Heterochromia. Originally, both his eyes must have been blue like hers.
As Serhi underwent an artificial reawakening through the experiment, one of his eyes had turned gold.
“Ah, I suppose I was surprised because it’s been a while since you brought up the lab.”
Irina stroked Serhi’s cheek with one hand.
“Don’t worry. Gnosis had nothing to do with it.”
Her blue eyes, as she spoke tenderly, scanned Serhi from top to bottom. With the eyes researchers used when looking at a test subject.
Serhi softly curved his eyes and smiled.
“I thought so.”
A lie.
*
Saturday morning, a few days after returning from the RP Dungeon.
The newly opened large kids’ café was filled with the latest toys and play equipment tailored to children’s tastes.
Among them, what Gru found most interesting was the children’s fortress, covered in ball pits and slides.
Gru stuck himself firmly onto the Velcro climbing wall and climbed up onto the castle wall.
Rip, rip. After climbing all the way to the top and throwing off the Velcro gloves, Gru’s concept was a wandering adventurer.
‘Gru has finally made it this far!’
And at the end of an adventure, there had to be treasure.
‘If it’s treasure…….’
Gru looked around, then opened his inventory.
‘The Supreme Acorn!’
Gru placed an acorn on top of the castle. It was that “special purification acorn” that had not been used up thanks to the infinite acorn ability he had gained in the RP Dungeon.
Perhaps because the acorn was going to have different abilities than it had in the RP Dungeon, this window had been displayed the whole time.
[Special item is being converted to suit the environment…….]
It could even change. Even if it was an acorn, the supreme was still supreme.
Hehehe, Gru laughed quietly and thrust the acorn high above his head.
‘Adventurer Gru! After defeating the forces that tried to send him into Squid Game, he obtained the Supreme Acorn atop a fortress perched on a cliff!’
Ta-da!
“Peep!”
The white baby bird sitting on his head flew over to the railing of the castle wall and spread its wings in the exact same pose as Gru.
‘Hehe!’
The baby bird, whom he had worried might only grow by eating dungeon cores, fortunately ate anything just fine, contrary to Jurim’s concerns.
From thoroughly cooked, fluffy peas to sweet candies, it gulped them down and chirped so cutely that Gru had become quite fond of feeding it.
Was that why?
‘It kind of looks a little rounder…….’
Gru tilted his head and stared at the round baby bird.
Then Mephisto tilted its head after Gru.
The baby bird Mephisto seemed to be slowly learning about the world.
It had started imitating Gru’s actions more often, and also enthusiastically devoted itself to indirect experiences just like Gru did.
Last night, too…….
Jurim, who was going into the room with Gru to put him to sleep, came to a halt in the living room.
Mephisto was sitting on the cushion placed on the coffee table, focused on the television.
“Does that thing take after its owner, too?”
“Oh! So smawt!”
And this morning as well…….
Jurim, led out of the room by Gru while still dazed, rubbed his eyes as he looked toward the living room.
But no matter how much he rubbed his eyes, the baby bird was unmistakably watching television with bloodshot eyes.
“Still?”
“Oh! Amazin’!”
Watching television all night—it had incredible stamina.
It was something Gru had never once done, since he became sleepy by eight at night.
……Though perhaps because it had stayed up all night, it did wobble a little when flying over to Gru.
After slipping the acorn neatly into his inventory, Gru took out a new item.
‘Now it’s time to defeat the boss of Squid Game, Chairman Squid!’
What he pulled out of his inventory was a play-house fork.
Gru lifted the fork item, the size of a small shovel, like a hero’s treasured sword.
[Poke! Stab! Kids’ Fork (B)]
If you poke! and stab! with the fork, you can crack open hard shells.
*Children should use with caution.
It was the item he had obtained as a reward for his personal quest in the RP Dungeon.
‘Use with caution……!’
Gru read the information window again, then wriggled the fork back into his inventory.
After all, he couldn’t carelessly swing around such an incredible weapon that children had to be cautious with!
Gru climbed over the castle wall and plunged into the ball pit attached beside it.
“Puhah!”
Gru popped up from the ball pit and waved toward a table on one side.
On Suhyeong and On Jurim, seated at the table—the father and son of the On family—waved back at him.
Gru smiled brightly and dove back into the ball pit.
As soon as Gru disappeared, the On father and son returned to expressionless faces.
Their promise to eat together on the anniversary of Ijo’s death had fallen through when the RP Dungeon raid took longer than expected.
As a result, instead of vaguely arranging another meal, it led to meeting at a kids’ café.
It was all because of Gru, who had been staring at the advertisement for the opening of a large kids’ café with drool in his eyes.
After the three stopped by the memorial monument to pay respects to On Ijo, they headed straight to the kids’ café.
Two large men dressed in achromatic suits that did not suit the colorful interior.
Because the kids’ café tables were insufficient, several families usually shared tables, yet no one approached the table of the On father and son.
They merely glanced over from time to time.
Fortunately, the two were rather accustomed to being stared at, and thanks to that, they were able to talk freely.
Suhyeong took out his phone and sent a text to the person in charge of the resort construction this time.
Jurim peeked at Suhyeong’s text instructing the person in charge to put in a large ball pit, then propped his chin on the table.
The resort Doan was building on Jeju Island this time was suddenly scheduled to include a large kids’ center.
Across the quiet table, Suhyeong, who had been fiddling with his phone, opened his mouth.
“Is this your doing?”
The phone On Suhyeong held out had a news tab open.
[Breaking News] A Daughter-in-Law’s Rebellion? Cheon Gyuri Announces Press Conference Regarding Assemblyman Ham Jinpyeong
[Breaking News] Ham Jinpyeong Voluntarily Withdraws as Minister of Justice Nominee
Minister of Justice Nominee Ham Jinpyeong Announces Withdrawal. “I Keenly Feel My Lack of Qualifications.”
[Breaking News] Brom Guild Leader Cheon Gyuri Abruptly Cancels Press Conference
Was Cheon Gyuri’s Press Conference Canceled Because of Ham Jinpyeong’s Withdrawal?
No matter how one looked at it, Cheon Gyuri appeared to be involved in Ham Jinpyeong withdrawing his nomination as minister.
Unless Cheon Gyuri had gone to the RP Dungeon and returned with a head injury, someone had clearly exerted influence.
On Suhyeong was certain that the one who had exerted that influence was his son.