Chapter 206

With Decane’s soul finally expelled, the Star-Forged Blade scattered into light, and Do-Jin returned to Lostania. The world, which had been hazy and distorted, snapped back into sharp focus, and the barrier enclosing the quest zone dissolved without a trace.

Thinking it was finally over, Do-Jin let his gaze drift across the bleak, lifeless landscape and almost let out a sigh of relief. That was when something caught his eye.

What is that...?

Without warning, a loud crack split the air and Decane’s corpse caved in on itself like it had been crushed from the inside.

“What the hell?”

Startled, Do-Jin instinctively activated his Magic Circuits, but there was nothing to attack. From the completely mangled remains of Decane’s body, a black mass tore free, shot straight into the sky, and vanished instantly.

Do-Jin stared at the empty air, completely thrown off. “What was that?”

Anemone spoke up beside him. “It felt like something that had been bound to him. It said thank you, Do-Jin.”

“It talked to you? Was it a spirit?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. The presence was too alien.”

Whatever it was, Do-Jin understood one thing clearly. That thing had been the source of the black flames.

It’s already gone. Overthinking will only piss me off.

He finally let out the breath he had been holding. The tension drained away, leaving behind a hollow sense of closure.

The quest progression is... paused.

He opened the quest window and saw that it had stopped at the soul-expulsion stage. The lack of an update, despite being right at the finish line, told him everything he needed to know. The Light would approach him again, one way or another.

Maybe that woman will show up again.

Do-Jin decided to put that aside for now and check on the stream, but he instantly regretted it. The chat was completely out of control, and because he had turned the stream on in a hurry, his inbox was exploding with direct messages too. A headache crept in, and Do-Jin quietly ended the broadcast.

From the viewers’ perspective, the sudden cutoff probably looked bizarre. Still, if they saw his expression afterward, they would piece things together on their own.

It is not like I am in a great mood anyway.

As that thought crossed his mind, something flashed in the distance.

“Huh?”

A masked subordinate of the Light appeared high in the air. Judging by the way she flailed, she clearly hadn’t meant to materialize that far up. She let out a strange yelp as she fell, though she landed without much trouble.

“What are you doing?” Do-Jin asked flatly, watching her clutch her chest.

Cecilia’s eyes widened. “You sound different this time.”

“Last time, I thought you might be an enemy.”

“That is fair.”

She grinned and pulled out another letter, waving it casually. “Delivery again.”

The letter flew toward him, and Do-Jin caught it with psychokinesis as naturally as before.

Cecilia glanced at him once, then swept her gaze around the area. “I thought so while watching, but wow. You really do not hold back.”

“I will take that as a compliment.”

“You should,” she said lightly. “I told you already. I am a fan.”

She took two steps back, reacting to the familiar pressure urging her to leave. Clicking her tongue, Cecilia waved at him.

“Oh, right. It is Cecilia.”

Just like before, she vanished quickly. Do-Jin rolled her name around in his mind once. Come to think of it, he had never even known her name until now.

When he opened the letter, the familiar light appeared once more.

“Impressive. You stopped a massive shift before it could take root. It could have become the spark for a catastrophic division.”

Do-Jin understood exactly what the Light meant and what it had been worried about. He had felt the same unease himself.

“Do you really think this kind of move ends with just this one attempt?”

“For now, yes. Laves invested a tremendous amount of opportunity cost into this plan. If it had succeeded, the expansion of influence would have been enormous. You shut it down completely. As a result, the Red Star has been forced to pull back, and the Blue Star has gained breathing room.”

“So until the balance tips back toward Laves, they cannot afford to try anything major.”

The light bobbed gently, as if nodding. Then, it trembled with urgency. “We do not have time to linger. Every second we spend talking like this is a waste. Let us discuss your reward. Bella wishes to return a significant portion of the leeway you created to you. In addition, we will contribute whatever power we can spare. Tell me what you want.”

“Anything?”

“As long as it falls within the limits of the power granted as a reward. If you want my recommendation, I would suggest using it to strengthen yourself. From this world’s perspective, that would be the most beneficial choice.”

Just from the way the Light spoke, Do-Jin could tell. If he asked for traits or equipment right now, he could probably walk away with something absurd. But that wasn’t what he wanted.

Would it work this time?

It was something that had been impossible during his last encounter with Bella.

“Can you remove the blood curse afflicting vampires?”

Before his own growth, the problem Do-Jin had wanted to solve was the curse binding the vampires. Even if he had nudged the future off course, the anxiety lingered. Vampires could still become enemies of humanity. The Light of the World he had been seeing more frequently lately only fed that unease.

If the vampire curse is tied to Laves, then the Cult of Ruin will always have room to pull something ugly.

And if nothing else, he wanted this resolved for Karin’s sake.

“You want to deal with that curse...?” The Light hesitated, clearly troubled, yet it took the question seriously. “It is true. This is an unusually good opportunity.”

Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible, but several favorable factors were aligning, and there was surplus power available to shape Do-Jin’s reward.

“It is worth attempting.”

“So it is possible?”

“Likely, but barely. The curse the vampires bear has been accumulating power for an extremely long time. Separating it will not be easy, and erasing it outright will be even harder.”

Do-Jin agreed to it without hesitation. If there was even a chance, he would take it.

“It could also be extremely dangerous, not just for you, but for the vampires themselves. The risk would be severe enough that fate itself would be on the line.”

That was when he hesitated. Did he really have the right to gamble with the fate of vampires? However, he had to do something before the Grand Duke’s control reached a breaking point.

I should at least have the option. Whether to use it or not can be decided after talking it through with the people involved.

Do-Jin nodded. “Even if it is just to eliminate the possibility of a catastrophe, I need that card in my hand.”

“I see. Give me a moment.”

The Light split cleanly in two. The divided halves merged with a blue radiance that appeared from nowhere, forming an intricate Magic Circle that descended into Do-Jin’s palm.

“With that, you will be able to separate any curse, but only that. What happens to the curse afterward, and whether it can be endured, will rest entirely on those who bear it. Do not forget that.”

“Thank you.”

“Do not thank me. Compared to what you accomplished this time, this is nothing. And your wish is ultimately for the sake of this world, is it not?”

“Then let’s call it even.”

The Light shimmered warmly, then vanished without another word. It seemed to have spent the last of its strength shaping the reward.

A moment later, the delayed quest completion message appeared. At the same time, messages from the outside world erupted noisily, reacting to the sudden end of the broadcast. Letting out a heavy sigh, Do-Jin turned his back on the scene and walked away.

***

Do-Jin’s duel detonated the entire LOST community.

The NPC massacre alone had already set the place on fire, and Do-Jin dropped into the middle of it like an accelerant. On top of that, it was a character-delete bet. There was no way it’d be anything short of a nuclear topic.

└ Nah, this was insane. Other streamers were out here doing “tracking streams” and “justice broadcasts.” Milking the shit out of it for views. Do-Jin just turned the stream on, erased the bastards, and shut it off. That was cold as hell.

└ This is facts. The fight itself was hype, but the real flex was how he clearly didn’t give a single fuck about clout. Stream on, kill confirmed, stream off. No speeches. No farming. Absolute menace.

Plenty of streamers had taken the moral high ground and gone after the killers, but indeed, none of them were anything like Do-Jin. They ran investigation streams, memorial streams, or outrage streams designed to pad their numbers. Do-Jin had spent less than ten minutes on air and deleted all the players. It was inevitable that his reputation would skyrocket.

└ But seriously, how the hell does that even work? One die and one’s character gets wiped? That sounds fake as shit.

└ Lore-wise it tracks. Their Regenian souls got kicked out of the world completely.

└ LMAO yeah, maybe do not go on a murder spree in the world one were summoned to protect, dumbasses.

Right after the stream, every board went up in flames. Clips Do-Jin never even uploaded were chopped, edited, and blasted across the internet by fans. Short highlight reels spread everywhere, most of them titled with phrases like “Corrective Therapy” or “Reality Check Delivered.”

In the wake of this online drama, Benga went live, dressed in a suit yet looking hollowed out.

—I believe this incident represents an unacceptable abuse of power. No matter how you look at it, preventing another user from ever playing the game again crosses a line. The Apostles of Möbius cannot avoid responsibility for allowing this system to exist. I have invested a significant amount of money into LOST. If those investments can vanish overnight, how is any user supposed to feel safe?

└ LMFAO shut the fuck up. Maybe don’t commit mass murder, one absolute clown.

└ Watching kids get slaughtered made me want to puke. This is the best possible ending for a piece of shit like one.

As the abuse kept pouring in, Benga finally snapped.

—It was just a game! If this was going to happen, then they should have disabled killing entirely!

└ Normal people do not wake up and think. “Yeah, today feels like a good day to raid an orphanage.” One brain-rotted fuck.

—AAAAAAAH!

With no one on his side and the chat eating him alive, Benga started smashing whatever was within reach. He knocked over furniture. He hurled equipment. At some point, he smashed the broadcast gear itself, causing his stream to cut out halfway.

More than anything he had said, his actions made it clear that his career was over.