Chapter 120: The Order of the Scenario

One of the 38 bad endings: The Otherworld.

This bad ending occurs when the Otherworld and reality merge through a medium called Grantoni.

Bad Ending: The Otherworld

When the Otherworld is activated, transcendent beings like Gwaejon appear—beings that exist only in the Otherworld.
Gwaejon
Unlike Akjon of the real world, Gwaejon is a distinct existence belonging to the Otherworld.

To categorize it precisely, Gwaejon was once a transcendent being who was slain in the real world before Akjon appeared.
‘If you’re dead, you should just accept your death and disappear quietly.’

But Gwaejon stubbornly clung to its long lifespan and ultimately took root in the Otherworld.
Even now, Gwaejon constantly seeks a way to break into reality.

Thus, the bad ending ‘The Otherworld’ is not caused by Grantoni alone.
Gwaejon had been preparing for this far longer than expected, refining various elements across different eras to pave the way from the Otherworld into reality.

‘That’s why I couldn’t just get rid of Gwaejon right away.’

Gwaejon exists only in the Otherworld.
For that reason, it is not as immediately dangerous as Akjon.
However, this also means there is no way to eliminate Gwaejon while it remains in the Otherworld.

The Otherworld is practically Gwaejon’s domain.
Anyone who steps in willingly will only be annihilated by Gwaejon.

That is why, even in the original scenario, Lucas is unable to deal with Gwaejon.

Act 4, Chapter 5: The Thread of Tragedy

In Act 4, Chapter 5, after rescuing Grantoni, Lucas completely seals off the Otherworld.
This entirely thwarts Gwaejon’s plan.

Afterward, all of Grantoni’s bizarre behavior at the Academy disappears.
The only lingering image is Grantoni occasionally standing on the special department’s rooftop, gazing at the stars.

‘Because the Otherworld was everything to Grantoni.’

A friend to Grantoni, and an unforgettable first love.
Someone destined to become the world’s greatest Spirit Sorcerer.

‘Musica.’

Furthermore, she carried another title.
One of the Six Great Heroic Reincarnations to be fully revealed in Act 5.

The Keeper of Souls
Aquilin.

Musica was Aquilín’s reincarnation.
However, Musica herself was unaware of this fact.
Unlike Saintess Acrede, she crossed the River of Oblivion without receiving a blessing.

Instead, she was born with overflowing talent.
Even without memories, she had more than enough potential to shine as the world’s greatest Spirit Sorcerer.

But precisely because of this, she caught Gwaejon’s attention.
To Gwaejon, she was the most irresistible fruit in existence.

With her power, Gwaejon could lay the groundwork for escaping the Otherworld.
However, Musica possessed an unshakable soul.
She was far too resolute for Gwaejon to manipulate.

So, Gwaejon shifted its target.
To someone who had learned from the same master as Musica.

Vinesha.

Gwaejon decided to use her instead.

The day Vinesha meddled with the Otherworld, Gwaejon exploited her innate emotional void and intensified it.

And thus, the tragedy was complete.

Under Gwaejon’s influence, Vinesha ultimately offered Musica to the Otherworld.
Furthermore, as the price for pulling Gwaejon into the real world, she fell into a berserk state.

In the moment when her uncontrolled rampage was about to end her life, her master burned their own soul to save her.

However, in doing so, even her master met their demise.

Emotional deprivation.

Too much had been destroyed to explain it with just that one reason.

Certainly, Vinesha’s emotional deprivation was excessive.
But she hadn’t lost her mind to the extent of sacrificing both her fellow disciple and her master.

However, because of that incident, Vinesha was completely shattered.
As an aftereffect of being manipulated by Gwaejon, she lost her memories, and her emotional instability grew even worse.

She used the Veil Bandages to suppress her turmoil, but even that was meaningless.
Her mind and emotions had already melted away under Gwaejon’s influence, leaving her in complete ruin.

In the end, she forgot her master and her fellow disciples.
All that remained was a desperate struggle to fill the void of her unfulfilled love,
As she sank into the abyss.

‘The reason she clung to the magic of the Transcendent Sage, Zeryon…’

Amidst the broken fragments of her memory,
Perhaps it was just a vague wish—
To bring her master back to life.
To retrieve Musica.

That was the full story behind the bad ending, The Otherworld.

I stood still in the empty classroom.

On the floor lay a pendant—
One that had passed from my master’s hands to Vinesha, and finally to Grantoni.
The same pendant I had given Grantoni on the day I made a deal with him.

I picked it up and opened the lid.

Inside was an old photograph.

Vinesha.
Musica.
Grantoni.
And their master.

A picture capturing the happiest time of their lives.

Yet every person in that photo had had their lives utterly destroyed by Gwaejon.

I clenched the pendant tightly in my fist.

‘Grantoni doesn’t know everything about what Vinesha did.’

On the day of the tragedy, Grantoni returned home late with his master.
By then, Vinesha had already offered Musica to Gwaejon.

Caught in the storm of Vinesha’s rampaging power, part of Grantoni’s face was blown away.
Because of that shock, he was never able to fully recall that day.

By the time Vinesha left with a burst of mad laughter, their master was already dead.

After barely regaining consciousness, Grantoni desperately clung to their master’s lifeless body and hastily summoned Vinesha back from the Otherworld.
But to save her, he had to burn his soul’s power.

As a result, all he could manage were the simplest expressions.
A proper conversation was no longer possible.

Left alone, having lost both his first love and his master,
There was little Grantoni could do.

From that day forward, he pursued Vinesha,
Chasing her from the Phantasmal Kingdom all the way to the Empire.

「Vinesha noona!」

「?」

But Vinesha, with her shattered memory, didn’t recognize him at all.

「Who are you?」

That fact ignited an unbearable rage in Grantoni.

He had lost Musica.
He had lost his master.
And yet Vinesha—having erased her own memories—was living however she pleased.

Then, Grantoni’s eyes landed on the pendant around her neck.

It was the pendant their master had placed on her at the very end.
A final token, given in the desperate hope that she wouldn’t forget everything.
The last relic of their master.

「……You don’t deserve to have that.」

Grantoni’s voice trembled with grief.

「That belongs to Master. Give it back!」

Fueled by sorrow, he launched an attack to take it from her.
But Vinesha was strong.

Grantoni was utterly defeated by her.

「Why do you keep asking for it? This is mine. It’s mine, and I will never give it up.」

No matter what, Vinesha refused to let go of the pendant.

In the end, having lost to Vinesha, Grantoni trudged away from her.
After that, he enrolled in Zeryon Academy, determined to study and find a way to bring Musica back from the Otherworld.

‘Afterward, Vinesha’s memories gradually eroded away.’

Memories and emotions naturally wear down over time.
But in her case, the core of her memory had been shattered.
No matter how precious something was, it eventually faded from her mind.

One day, while working as an assistant professor at the academy, she discarded the pendant.
And it was Lucas who picked it up.

Wanting to return it, Lucas sought out Vinesha.
In the process, he discovered both her attempt to steal Zeryon’s magic and her identity as a Mystery.

On the day Vinesha lost to Lucas at the academy,
She threw the pendant at him in a fit of desperation.

By then, she no longer even knew how much it had once meant to her.
The only thing that remained clear in my memory was the sight of her empty eyes,
Brimming with tears as she stared at the shattered pendant.

‘That’s why I stole this pendant before it could be discarded.’

Even I couldn’t predict exactly when Vinesha would throw it away.
The timeline of this world had already twisted.
If she had discarded the pendant somewhere beyond my reach, it would have been disastrous.

That’s why I had deliberately stolen it and passed it to Grantoni.

Yet here it was, abandoned once again.

I didn’t know how Grantoni ended up crossing into the Otherworld.
I had no way of pinpointing which of my actions—taken to guide this world back to its true path—
Had triggered the butterfly effect leading him there.

But one thing was certain.
There was only one reason Grantoni would go to the Otherworld.

‘To retrieve Musica.’

I clenched the pendant tightly.

Restoring this world to its true course—
It was my obsession and my conviction.

Since the true timeline was the only way I knew to protect this world,
I had always forced things in that direction, no matter what.

But on the day I saved Nia and Nikata,
I made a firm decision.

‘I will bring this world to its happiest ending.’

And that determination had not changed.

Grantoni and Vinesha.
A tragedy tangled like a knotted thread.

I had decided to untangle it.

‘Act 4, Scene 4—skip the Autumn Demonic Palace and move directly to Act 4, Scene 5 to complete the scenario.’

Act 4, Scene 5.
The Tangle of Tragedy.

To properly end the scenario, I needed to enter the Otherworld.

And I already knew the first thing I had to do.

‘Run!’

Clutching the pendant, I sprinted forward at full speed.

With Grantoni having already crossed into the Otherworld, every second counted.

Even though Grantoni had the unique trait of being an Otherworlder,
The longer he remained exposed to that realm, the more danger he faced.

Worse yet, the bad ending’s Otherworld was the place where Gwaejon, who had devoured both Grantoni and Musica, would fully manifest.

If Gwaejon absorbed their abilities, he could fully incarnate.
The result would be a world where the Otherworld and the real world became one—
A realm where life and death collapsed into chaos.

That was an outcome I absolutely had to prevent.

Just as I burst out of the Magitech building,
A flash of blue hair flickered before my eyes.

Without hesitation, I grabbed her wrist.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she belatedly noticed me.

The Unyielding Azure Flame.

Eve.

Just as her brows started to furrow, I spoke.

“Eve, a life is at stake. Will you help?”

At my words, her expression instantly changed.

The frown vanished,
Replaced by the resolute determination befitting the protagonist of the side story.

“What do I need to do?”

The response came immediately, as always.
And because of that, I trusted her.

The Otherworld Grantoni Rescue Team.

One member secured.