Chapter 49: I’m not really like that

Greed couldn’t understand why it had collapsed.

How on earth had he noticed?

Its act should have been perfect.

‘I am an existence that has been with the princess since the distant past. I remember every one of Luna’s forms, from when she had emotions to her current state where she feels nothing at all…!’

From a subtle smile to a clumsy way of speaking.

It had perfectly mimicked everything, even her constant requests for hugs.

But it was useless against Sihyun.

He had seen through Greed’s imitation of the girl at a single glance!

Furthermore, he didn’t stop at merely noticing; he instead used Greed’s act against it, launching an unexpected attack.

‘As expected… even if his memories aren’t intact, the Savior’s instincts remain, is that it? Your meticulous acting was a step above mine.’

But there was something else it couldn’t understand.

‘How on earth did he push me away…?’

Among the urban legends, Greed was the strongest, a Calamity-class entity.

How could he, with just a human body, repel it, a being that embodied a Sin?

Of course, he had been a Savior in the past.

There was a good chance he possessed unique abilities, but that was only when he transformed into his nighttime form.

‘He didn’t even transform into his past form, so why…!’

Moreover, the previous attack felt as if it were denying Greed’s very existence.

It was a phenomenon similar to the repulsion that occurs when two North poles of a magnet meet, strongly pushing each other away.

It was exactly like that.

‘I can’t possibly understand… How do you possess the energy of this body? Only Luna and I should have the power of Greed!’

The Black Moon kept its distance from Sihyun, who was continuously trying to approach it.

His eyes were still feigning confusion.

‘You detestable bastard! Are you going to keep up the act?’

[Sihyun, let’s stop the act now. Or should I call you Lucian?]

“……”

[Hahahaha! If you thought I’d keep falling for it, you’re mistaken. I, too, have lived for as long as you have. Don’t think you can keep deceiving me with such a pathetic act!]

“……”

[Why aren’t you saying anything? Ah, surely you didn’t expect me to take over Luna’s body. I understand your shock. Hahaha! It took so long to reach this point. If only you hadn’t interfered, I could have taken over sooner…! When I secretly tried to deceive the princess with a doll, and when I tried to trick her in her dreams, you kept thwarting me…! But look at this, Lucian! In the end, I won. I won!! You failed to protect Luna after all!!]

Greed, with its eyes wide open, spewing mockery, was as threatening as a wild dog barking madly, consumed by madness.

But Sihyun’s expression, as he watched it, remained unchanged.

“……”

‘Hmph… It must have been quite shocking. Your bewildered expression is truly a treat. It’s just like the face you made in the distant past when I told you I had become one with Luna.’

At that moment.

‘Wait… one with Luna…?’

Greed realized it was missing something.

There were three conditions required to become one with Luna.

[The True Name of Calamity]

[The Host’s Permission]

And the most crucial last one.

It was the item that served to connect the host and the Calamity as one.

[The Medium]

‘No way… no way…!’

The Crystal of Greed it had personally given to Luna.

And the similar energy it had felt from Sihyun when he pushed it away earlier.

These two things could only mean one thing.

‘I can’t believe it… When, where, how…!!’

If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

But no matter how it thought about it, this made no sense.

That he possessed the Crystal of Greed.

—Glimmer.

At that moment, something in Sihyun’s pocket glowed and flickered.

[I had a feeling… but I can’t believe you actually have it.]

The Crystal of Greed, which it had secretly given Luna, claiming it was to celebrate the day they became friends.

The medium that the princess should have possessed was now in Sihyun’s hand.

[How on earth do you have that…? I personally gave it to the princess. I hid it away securely with other treasures in ‘Greed’s Space,’ where only Luna and I can enter and exit…!! How…!!]

Trembling.

Greed’s body began to tremble involuntarily.

It couldn’t grasp a single one of Sihyun’s schemes.

‘I’m shudderingly afraid… I’ve lived for a long time, but I’ve never feared anyone this much. You, man… You’re an enemy, but I have to admit it.’

As long as Sihyun possessed the fragment of Greed, the Black Moon could not physically harm him.

Just like humans, urban legends cannot destroy themselves.

Neither the power of collection nor the erosion using its dark-red aura.

No absurdity could touch his body.

Only then did Greed realize.

That it had already fallen into Lucian’s trap.

****

I have no thoughts right now. That’s because I have no thoughts.

‘What the hell is going on?’

It was a situation where curses were inevitable.

Suddenly, too much information poured in, making my head ache.

I was clearly just trying to pat Luna.

I was just trying to hug Luna, as I always did!

‘But why did it suddenly bounce off on its own, then claim it was all an act and start spilling its identity?’

Greed this and that, taking over a body and whatnot.

The being in front of me was spouting information I’d never heard before, one after another.

‘Its name… what was it again? Greed?’

It was a strange name, but the information Greed, imitating Luna, had spouted was as follows.

[Greed is currently imitating Luna after taking over her body.]

[And it’s currently mistaking me for Lucian.]

[The gold fragment I secretly swiped from Luna is actually a part of Greed, so currently, no attacks work on me.]

‘It’s roughly like this… By the way, Lucian again?’

The name of a man who truly appears everywhere.

Even the most extreme social butterfly wouldn’t show up in every single incident this much!

However, I also felt that this situation was a golden opportunity.

An opportunity to buy time until the system updates!

[☆System Update in Progress: Synchronization 99% complete.☆]

‘If it’s just 1%, the update should be complete in a few minutes.’

Until then, I absolutely have to survive!

Ding!

[Sihyun-nim, how did you know about the fragment of Greed and manage to take it then? Honestly, I was a little disappointed when I saw you secretly take it from Luna, but to think there was such a hidden meaning! You’re truly amazing!]

Startled!

I felt a pang of guilt for a moment, but I couldn’t possibly tell the truth here.

‘There’s an old saying.’

If you’re going to lie, lie all the way!

And if you don’t get caught, it’s a win!

From now on, I need to tell a soulful lie. To the notification window and to Greed!

‘Oh dear. To think you saw me that way, how disappointing? Well, now that you’ve realized my profound intentions, I’ll forgive you. Hahahaha.’

[Hehe. Sihyun-nim, you’re truly cool, both in the past and now…]

‘Anyway, you focus on the system update. I’ll handle this situation somehow.’

[Huh? With no beginner package and nothing, completely bare-handed?]

‘First, attacks won’t work on me because of the fragment of Greed, so I should be fine. More importantly, that guy is mistaking me for a man named Lucian. I’ll just play along with the atmosphere and try to buy some time.’

After alleviating the notification window’s worries, I immediately took a step closer to Greed.

The girl was still glaring at me as if she wanted to tear me to shreds.

‘Seriously, it feels weird seeing her like that in Luna’s form. It’s like Luna is despising me. I feel like I’m going to awaken to a new fetish.’

I need to do something before I awaken to an M-leaning preference!

‘In times like these, the first words are important.’

First, pretend to be Lucian! And pretend to know everything!

Pretend I planned it all!

I need to keep up the pretense to buy time right now.

‘Alright, I’ve seen through all your plans, so I should tell you to stop your foolish tricks now!’

I steeled my resolve, took a deep breath, and opened my mouth.

“Greed, your foolish——”

At that moment.

[If I can’t physically harm you, then how about the mental (心象) world, Lucian? Kya hahahahahaha!!]

Greed laughed loudly and began to scatter dark-red energy.

‘Hey, you bastard! I haven’t even said a word—!’

—Whoosh!

My vision was obscured by blackness, and then I was sucked into a cold, dark energy.

****

‘If I can’t physically harm him, then I’ll break his mind first. This is the only way to defeat Lucian.’

Greed was pulling Sihyun into the mental world, just as it had done with Luna, and showing him the past.

Even if Sihyun possessed a heart of steel, he wouldn’t be able to endure if he realized that the girl he loved had ended his life.

‘Betrayal and despair. And he’ll be disappointed in himself for cherishing Luna all this time without knowing that fact!’

Had Greed’s prediction come true?

“Ughhhhh……!!”

As soon as Sihyun saw the past, he began to writhe in agony on the floor.

“I can’t… I can’t take it anymore…!”

Greed was slightly surprised by Sihyun’s more intense reaction than expected.

‘Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be this effective… His reaction is incredibly strong, almost like he’s acting. Yes, Lucian, you were human after all.’

Just as humans cannot remember the moment they fall asleep, they can never remember the moment of their death.

‘Since he directly experienced the moment he fell into eternal sleep, he won’t be able to endure much longer, and his mind will collapse.’

[Kekeke… Lucian, seeing you suffer like this makes all the days I was thwarted by you feel cleansed and refreshed.]

The Black Moon danced through the air, circling around him once.

Sihyun still had his face buried in the floor, unable to even think of getting up.

It seemed his mind’s collapse was not far off.

‘Once he becomes like a puppet with cut strings, unable to feel anything, I’ll be able to retrieve the fragment of Greed he possesses. Hahaha! While I leisurely wait for that moment, I’ll destroy the reality you live in.’

Greed lightly tapped Sihyun’s bowed head with a finger, mocking him.

[You can just watch as the world you live in falls into despair, trapped in the mental world. Hahahaha!!]

—Whoosh!

The Black Moon let out a mad cackle and left Sihyun abandoned in the void.

At that moment, Sihyun, who had been lying on the floor, writhing, subtly raised his head and muttered softly.

“Did it… go? Did it go? Damn, it went!!!”

Ding!

[Sihyun-nim! That was truly perfect acting. Greed was completely fooled and left us behind! Now it’s finally time to counterattack!]

What on earth had happened?

Sihyun had clearly seemed to be suffering madly after seeing the past Greed showed him.

“It’s certainly a sad past… but I’m not Lucian, you idiot! Show me the death scene 10 times, 100 times, I don’t care. He’s a complete stranger to me, so do you really think I’d bat an eye?”

[S-Sihyun-nim… even so, not batting an eye at all, that seems a bit too inhumane!]

“I’m an otaku among otakus, a master of everything from thrillers to gore anime. To try and faze me with a mere heart-piercing scene, you’re 10 years too early.”

[Sihyun-nim… being an otaku isn’t something to be proud of, I think…]

“C-cough! Well, anyway, if I tricked it, that’s all that matters!”

The scenes Greed desperately showed him had no effect on Sihyun.

‘Everyone keeps mistaking me, but I’m absolutely not Lucian.’

“Anyway, by now, the system update should be finished, right?”

[Of course! Look at thisss!]

Ding!

However, contrary to what the notification window had declared so confidently.

[☆System Update Complete! Synchronization 100% progress.☆]

[Restarting system: Estimated cooldown 10 minutes]

“Are you kidding me right now? You’re not some Windows update, so please stop trying to be so realistic with these things!!”

[S-Sihyun-nim! N-No violence…! Just 10 minutes…! Please give me just 10 minutes!!!]

“If you don’t reduce it to 5 minutes right now… then it’s me living and you dying!!”

[Waaaahhh!! Th-That’s too much!!!]

Sihyun seriously began to wonder if the notification window was, in fact, the root of all his troubles.