Buckle up, guys — this isn't the end…
this
is just another beginning.
The king came with his disciple — the firstborn son of the late king.
He's the son of the Grand Magic User, and crazy thing is...
he's the same age as us.
He walked up and said,
"My respect… but you're an aura user?"
I said, "Yeah."
He looked proud of himself, like he was the strongest around —
but I could see that jealousy in his eyes.
Then he told Zephyr,
"You better not be weak. You don't deserve her."
The barrier user stepped up like,
"Wanna know who's the strongest?"
And the prince said,
"What about a duel?"
So they agreed — a duel in 3 days.
They were both full of fire, going at it.
That's when she tried to stop them —
but then another girl stepped in and said,
"You fight like you're sure you can win."
I replied,
"Then you fight like you're sure you're gonna lose."
Then I smirked and added,
"Nah... your case is different.
You fight like you're pretending to be weak — like you're just playing around for fun."
She was a red flag.
But I said, "Nah, maybe I'm overthinking it."
Then I said,
"I'm gonna help with the core.
That monster core? Broo, it's a fortune."
They gave the core to me and Zephyr.
I told him,
"Let's sell it — split the money 50/50."
But he said,
"Nah, you helped me for free, got me to where I am,
even got me a girlfriend. You deserve it, man.
Thanks, but seriously — you earned it.
If anything, I should stick with you till the end.
If I hadn't met you, I would've died.
None of this would've happened."
That's where my manipulation kicked in.
He thinks it was all because of me…
but truth is, he would've figured it all out,
played the same game, and still won her heart.
But I made it look like I did everything.
Still… I need his help.
So I'll earn his full trust.
Let's call it friendly manipulation.
Then Sigma sent me the void ring through the system screen.
I took the core to it and gave the ring to Beta.
Beta examined the core and created a weapon:
an antidote for the serpent's venom.
Because of that last giant serpent,
more deadly ones with eyes — the worst kind —
might come to replace it or get revenge.
So Alpha will gather intel about them —
no worries.
Now, we've got the poison for the poisonous monsters,
and the antidote for their venom —
all thanks to Beta and the vampire scientists.
The core was massive — around 5 meters tall.
They made about 1,000 antidotes,
each in a potion bottle.
And we can sell them for a ton.
Each bottle costs 1,000 gold points.
In this world, there's no cash —
everyone uses their system:
for mana, aura, communication — even entertainment.
Phones, PCs, even TV — replaced by system screens.
So yeah…
1,000 points is a lot.
Like 10,000 points can buy you a house in the city.
That means 1,000 bottles =
1,000,000 points.
And that's all I need to start making real money.
---
3 days off.
I took the money I got paid and went out to chill —
near the borderline between Korean and Arab lands.
But that's where things went wrong.
I saw Alpha —
he was on another mission…
but badly hurt.
A rich Korean old man, with great influence,
was connected to it.
He said Alpha was in danger.
So I wore a mask — one that looked like Alpha's —
and stepped into the scene.
They were using mana disruption.
Anyone with mana near that room would be paralyzed.
And you know why?
It disrupts mana flow.
That's deadly for normal people.
I should've been dead,
but because of who I am —
I stayed standing.
I teleported in,
destroyed the machine's core in seconds.
Then Alpha used slimy tails from his back
and slaughtered them all.
He looked at me and said,
"Thanks. By the way…
you know who's in there, right?"
I froze.
"No way…" I said.
I felt her presence.
That old witch… it was Sayaka.
I was ready to talk to her,
but she fainted before I could.
I put my mask back on —
and then another surprise.
A voice I recognized.
A presence I respected.
One of the 8 Awakeners.
The Korean one.
That quiet kid…
now fills a roo
m with silence that shakes your bones.
He said,
"Take your hands off her…
and take off that mask."
In that second,
over 20 shadow beasts
aimed for my head.
Standing confident,
he's way stronger than even prime me.
Man, what the heck is this?
Even though I was shocked,
I teleported right to his face and said,
"So you survived, huh? Good to see you here."
Then I just walked away.
He was like,
"What the heck?
Was that teleportation?
No… could it be his speed?"
I didn't say anything else, just left.
And now, the famous killer Alpha had someone protecting him.
No one knew the full scenario —
but yeah, people know Alpha does things for a reason.
Alpha looked at me and asked,
"Was it a good idea to let him suspect us?"
I said,
"Nah, he'll keep it to himself.
We both know he's wiser than he looks."
Then we dipped out.
---
Day 3.
I was out for a walk,
and guess what I saw?
Someone was on a date —
Zephyr and Layla.
They looked chill.
But yeah... whatever.
I was stalking them —
and not just me,
even the king was doing it too.
He wasn't as good at it though.
They were out having fun at a lucky game shop,
and me and the king were sitting on the rooftop watching them.
Then he asked,
"Tell me about her boyfriend.
I already knew you two were friends."
So I told him everything.
But I said,
"Don't ask about his past —
he's not the type to open up."
And the king just smiled and said,
"That's the kind of man I like."
Then he opened up:
> "When I was a kid, I was a crybaby.
All I dreamed about was money and women.
My father scolded me every single night.
Eventually, they stopped giving me money.
So I ran away. Stole some coins and dipped.
But a few days later, I got beaten up
and ended up as a slave.
> Back then, slavery was different.
Now they call them 'workers' —
illegal peopl
e working off their debt through labor.
At least now they get paid.
But in my time? Nah.
They just shipped you like you were an object.
> My big brother found out.
He followed them into a forest,
destroyed the carriage, and busted the door open.
I ran.
> It took me a while,
but I got far enough.
Deep into the woods.
> Then I met a stinky hyena.
Its poison works by smell.
I fought for my life.
And the moment I killed it —
I felt something:
satisfaction.
> That's how I became who I am now —
the strongest around.