Chapter 411

Chapter 411

Chapter 73: Reward Leave (8)

I missed Hyunwoo.

He was always the one who came to visit first.

Maybe this time, it would be fine for me to visit him first.

“Is that really okay?”

When I asked cautiously, Yeonwoo responded with a bright tone.

『Of course! Have you had dinner? Should I order something? The room service here is quite good.』

“Wouldn’t it be too much trouble…?”

『Oh, don’t say that!』

“Well then, please order something simple.”

『Alright! See you later!』

After finishing the call with Yeonwoo, a bright expression settled on Rashar’s face.

The thought of finally being able to meet Hyunwoo made his steps quicken.

He headed swiftly towards the hotel, almost like flying.

As soon as he rang the doorbell at the suite, the door burst open.

“Big sister is here! Come in, over here.”

Yeonwoo greeted Rashar warmly with a broad smile as she stepped out.

Feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed, Rashar followed Yeonwoo inside.

Personally, she didn’t have a close relationship with the twins.

Still, she felt grateful for the warm welcome.

“The kids have just finished eating, so you’ll be able to dine comfortably.”

Hearing the word ‘kids’, a familiar face naturally came to mind.

A mysterious woman and a boy who had adorned the internet in countless photos with Hyunwoo since one day.

They looked different, but she knew they were the same figures.

While recalling the images imprinted in her memory, she heard a youthful voice from inside.

“Kang Jinwoo, is it not done yet?”

“Just wait a moment. There must be a save point somewhere…”

As Rashar walked into the living room along the suite’s corridor, he saw Jinwoo operating something.

And next to him was a child clinging tightly to the hem of his pants.

All that was visible was the small body and shadow.

Yet below that, the enormous presence of an iceberg submerged in water could be felt.

‘Divinity, and godhood.’

It felt like the calm existence was poking her entire body, as if it was tied down.

Rashar was an apostle who shared a status with Hyunwoo.

Thus, her capacity to perceive divinity and godhood was invariably vast.

Her throat tightened as the tension rose, but she swallowed dryly and spoke.

“Nice to meet you for the first time.”

She could sense the twins looking at her in perplexity.

Even so, she believed it was proper to greet them formally.

For the entity before her was the primordial god of this dimension.

“I deeply appreciate the grace bestowed upon us, and I’m terribly sorry for the delayed greetings…”

“It was not I who granted you grace.”

The primordial god of Earth, who interrupted Rashar’s words, rebuffed coldly.

At that, the twins’ eyes widened in surprise.

The atmosphere froze instantly, but the primordial god snorted disdainfully, turning its head away.

“I’d chase you out this instant if I had my way… Ouch!”

Bang!

But before finishing the sentence, it clasped its head and rolled on the floor.

“Ouch! It hurts! I’m telling you, it hurts!”

At that moment, Hyunwoo appeared, grabbing the head of the primordial god, so there was no time to be glad to see him after a long while.

“You might get thrown out before Rashar if you carry on like this. Watch your words.”

“If anyone should be thrown out, it’s them, not me…!”

“Then pay for the lodgings yourself if you don’t like it.”

“Ugh! That’s mean! Don’t you think that’s childish?!”

“You have no room to talk.”

Clicking his tongue, Hyunwoo motioned Rashar inside.

“No need to deal with that nuisance. Just ignore it.”

“But still… “

“But still, if you came at this hour, aren’t you off work now? You haven’t eaten dinner yet, so go and eat first.”

Not wanting to worsen the noisy situation, she couldn’t ignore Hyunwoo’s intention to settle things.

“You too, Jinwoo, put that down and make room.”

Rashar, along with the twins, turned around.

She had heard there was some disagreement between Hyunwoo and the primordial god regarding bringing the Biharin over.

‘I didn’t know the hostility would be this severe.’

It was almost to the point of being turned away at the door.

That fact alone was enough to make her feel intimidated.

There was another person who wasn’t happy about Rashar’s visit.

As soon as they entered the dining room with the awkward twins, they heard running footsteps.

It was Berta, who had brushed her teeth in the restroom after dinner.

Berta stopped at the entrance of the dining room, her fur bristled.

“Why is Sha here?”

Then, with a fierce expression, she hissed, “I don’t like Sha anymore! Get out of here right now!”

Everywhere she turned, it seemed like everyone disliked her.

Trying to swallow her bitterness, Rashar attempted to calm Berta.

But rather than calm down, Berta’s voice only grew louder.

As the situation continued, she felt like an unwelcome guest who had come to the wrong place.

‘Maybe I should just leave…’

With a sense of melancholy, she sighed.

“Who says leave or stay?”

The voice, slightly lower than Hyunwoo’s usual tone, came from Hyunwoo who had just finished his conversation with the primordial god. Standing in the dining room, he picked up Berta with a firm face.

* * *

As soon as Rashar turned to leave, a snort was heard.

Of course, it was the Damned System that made the sound.

Clearly annoyed, it showed no intention to hide its feelings.

‘Despite repeated warnings, it continues to act this way.’

I no longer felt the need to be patient with it.

After utilizing divinity to prevent raising my voice, I spoke in a cold tone.

“If you continue to behave like this, get lost.”

The system seemed shocked to hear such explicit words, making a strangled noise.

Then, with an indignant tone, it squawked.

“You’re choosing those outsiders over me?!”

It was almost amusing, as if I had betrayed it.

Without hiding my cold expression, I retorted back.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re not more precious than my friends, my lover, or my family.”

Perhaps sensing the ferocity in my tone, as I was truly at my wit’s end, the system’s figure trembled slightly.

Taking advantage of the moment, I leaned in closer.

Meeting its gaze, which was unusually tense, I fixed my eyes on it.

“How many times do I have to tell you to knock it off?”

Throughout the past ten days of travel, the system had shown outright hostility toward Berta and any Biharin it encountered.

Especially if they had any relation to me, its rejection was even more vehement.

Seeing me socialize with them, it would sulk and fuss constantly, complaining why I wasted my time on them.

After such repeated incidents, I had a vague understanding of the system’s mental state.

‘I guess it was annoyed seeing me spend time on outsiders it didn’t approve of.’

Much like a young child throwing a fit when their best friend played with friends they didn’t like.

Realizing this made me sigh deeply.

At times, I couldn’t tell whether I was raising a child or serving an primordial god.

However, I tried to resolve it amicably, seeking a peaceful coexistence.

This was based on the belief that we would spend an eternity together, so unnecessary conflict wasn’t desirable.

Yet, seeing it make threats and berate Rashar like this turned my resolve upside down.

‘I can’t believe it would slight and threaten Rashar like this, knowing how I felt about her.’

Half the reason I stubbornly returned to the physical world was my family, and the other half was Rashar.

During the year I spent as a being of pure energy, she was at the center of my regrets.

I hadn’t been able to protect her through war, hardly supported her the way I should have.

Even while considering her precious, instead of protecting her like I did the twins, I dragged her into battle.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her ability, but it never pleased me to drag her into danger.

So now, I intended to treat her right, to begin making her past so happy she’d forget the painful years of war.

‘For it to act like this knowing everything, to slight me and my world?’

This was both a threat to me and my world.

In a voice weighted with my suppressed anger, I continued, emphasizing each word.

“At most, a century.”

Less than a hundred years before my loved ones would Die.

Leaving me to live on with memories of this century for a much longer time.

“With a defined end in sight, can’t you let us live a little happily and comfortably during that time? Do you have to nitpick and make a fuss over everything like this?”

Damned System looked away from me.

Finally regathering my emotions, I straightened up.

“This is your last warning. Enough is enough. Do it again, and you really will be kicked out.”

There was no verbal response, but it didn’t argue or shout at me like before either.

I took that as it accepting my warning.

To mark the end of the uncomfortable conversation, I pointed to the gaming device sprawled on the sofa.

“If you have time to cause a fuss over nothing, play some games.”

The TV was on bright, and a VR device was already connected.

“I bought all sorts of games since you said you wanted to play.”

“… I was going to play, anyway.”

Pouting like a child, the system picked up the VR equipment in a sulk.

But obviously struggling with the controls, it continued to fidget awkwardly.

Without a word, I restored the save point from the last stage the system had played the previous night.

Glancing at me, the system put on the device over its head.

With the divinity retracted, I headed to the dining room to encounter another chaos.

“I don’t like Sha anymore! Get out of here right now!”

Why was everyone so obsessed with making Rashar leave?

Grinding my teeth, I marched over and scooped up Berta.

And spoke sternly to the fussing little one.

“Who says leave or stay?”

“K… K! Sha is…!”

Berta failed to manage her anger, her voice quivering with frustration.

But I cut her off resolutely.

“I clearly told you tossing a fit won’t solve anything.”

“But Sha started it!”

“This is my place, and Rashar is my guest. If you behave rudely, I won’t take care of you anymore.”

Even before I finished speaking, tears welled up in Berta’s eyes.

But when I didn’t relent, she gradually backed down.

“Apologize or go back to your home, one or the other.”

In the past, she would have thrown an even bigger tantrum.

“… I’m sorry.”

Today, an apology came.

It seemed the education I’d given through parenting hardships over the past few days had some effect.

“Apologize to Rashar as well.”

“… Sha, I’m sorry.”

Reluctant and forced as it was, at least an apology came from her.

‘At least she said sorry.’

Thinking that was enough, I put Berta down.

But instead of running off, she mumbled, asking for a hug again.

Softening my resolve, even while scolding myself inwardly, I picked her up again.

Damned System, having noticed the ruckus from the dining room, watched with a slit-eyed glare but didn’t say anything.

It merely flicked its head abruptly and returned to the living room.

I glanced after the retreating system, then settled Rashar, who remained stiff, back into her seat.

After that day, there were no more unnecessary outbursts at the lodging.

There was finally peace.

Damned System (빌어먹을 시스템, it)

**New Elements and Characters:**

– 원신 (primordial god, na)