Episode 665. Hall of Hyunjwol (5)

Hwa-ah-ah-

A sensation like being sucked into something enveloped Lee Hoyeon’s body, and he naturally closed his eyes.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation.

God of Betting.

It always felt like this when he called him.

“… Haaa.”

The intensity of the light enveloping his vision gradually decreased.

Lee Hoyeon slowly opened his eyes.

“It’s been a while?”

Emanating from the voice was a divine aura.

Lee Hoyeon looked at the man before him and gave an awkward smile.

“Indeed. It has been a while.”

The man, clad entirely in gold.

God of Betting.

He stood before Lee Hoyeon.

“I said we should meet after everything was truly over… honestly, I didn’t think we actually would.”

The God of Betting smiled as if pleased and sat down in a chair.

Lee Hoyeon looked around the familiar yet awkward scenery.

A messy desk, half-finished cola, and dolls of unknown origin scattered around the room.

Before coming to this world, it was the studio apartment he used to live in.

When he met him, it was always here.

“….”

Lee Hoyeon carefully sat down on a chair.

“Well now. You told me to die gracefully in the end, but crushing my head was really cool. Wasn’t it?”

“Ah, ahaha.”

“Judging by your reaction, you still haven’t realized you won the bet, it seems?”

“Yes. I’ve been running towards this moment, but now that the bet is over, it feels strange.”

Even though the God of Betting was right before him, it still didn’t feel real.

Whether I had really beaten that monster.

Whether this bet was truly over.

Lee Hoyeon still felt dazed.

The God of Betting watched Lee Hoyeon clench and unclench his fist and chuckled.

Well, even I, a god, couldn’t believe it until the very end.

The person involved probably couldn’t believe it properly either.

“This is completely different from dying hundreds of times in the Hall of the Moon’s Shadow. From now on, you can do as you please, so don’t worry.”

Seu-euk-

The God of Betting unleashed his divine power.

It was quite different from how the Demon King unleashed his, but the flow was similar.

Lee Hoyeon unconsciously analyzed the divine power before looking away.

It felt rude, somehow.

“Now, if you look at this, it might feel a bit more real.”

---

• [Lee Hoyeon]

▶ Strength: 79

▶ Stamina: 90

▶ Agility: 96

▶ Endurance: 98

▶ Magic Power: 100

• Unique Authority: Combat Sense

• Skills: Spiral, Cotton Guard, Blood Beat, Arc Consecration, Sky-Piercing Bow, Eclipse….

• Winner of the Bet

---

The status screen, which wouldn’t appear no matter how much he called for it, reappeared before his eyes.

Clearly, when the world’s god possessed the Demon King’s body, it was forbidden, they said.

“It’s not over yet. I’ll officially conclude the bet for you.”

As the God of Betting unleashed his divine power, familiar words appeared before his eyes.

『 Player [Kim Jin-ho] was directly invited by the ‘God of Betting’, and the sponsor of the bet is the god of the ‘Sex Academy’. 』

Kim Jin-ho.

Before possessing a body in this world, it was the name he used in his original world.

Now, even saying it felt awkward, but as he blankly stared at that name, other sentences appeared before his eyes.

『Main Quest Complete. All heroines’ conquest confirmed.』

『Main Quest Complete. Confirmed survival until the game’s ending.』

『Additionally, confirmed the conquest of individuals with high influence and importance in this world.』

Once again, a tremendous power enveloped Lee Hoyeon.

The power he felt when he first possessed a body in this world.

『The winner of the bet is Player ‘Kim Jin-ho’.』

“….”

Watching the fireworks pop-pop- explode on both sides, he thought the sense of style was terrible, but he didn’t bother saying it out loud.

Lee Hoyeon just blankly stared at the words before him before opening his mouth.

“Wow, I actually won this.”

Without realizing it, a burst of laughter escaped him.

He had overcome near-death situations countless times and faced dog-like circumstances.

He made many mistakes, but with the help of many people, he ultimately saved the world.

Clap-

Just then, the sound of clapping brought Lee Hoyeon back to his senses.

“Sorry for breaking the mood. I wanted to let you savor the joy slowly… but I’m a busy guy too.”

Lee Hoyeon turned back to the God of Betting sitting in the chair and spoke again.

“Is the god of this world dead?”

“Of course not. Gods aren’t that simple. Ah, I guess I shouldn’t be called a god anymore. Since all that divine power is here now.”

In the God of Betting’s palm rested a small orb condensed with divine power.

It was the divine power wielded by the Demon King, the god of this world.

Even at a glance, the immense amount of divine power seemed greater than what the Hall of the Moon’s Shadow had absorbed.

“From now on, it’s your choice.”

“Choice?”

“This divine power… is divine power extracted from the god of this world. The one who lost the bet has been banished to another world. It’s the equivalent of death for a god.”

The God of Betting dropped the orb of divine power into Lee Hoyeon’s palm.

The orb looked unstable, as if it might shatter with a touch, but it possessed immense power.

“Since the bet is over, I have to give the winner a reward. Want to look around?”

At the God of Betting’s words, he looked around, but no matter how he looked at the room Lee Hoyeon was in, nothing seemed different.

“Why should I look around?”

“I’m not telling you to just look. With your current abilities, you should be able to see through it?”

Hearing that, his magic power naturally surged.

Eye Opening, Heart (心).

Lee Hoyeon’s eyes glowed golden, allowing him to see through the God of Betting’s divine power.

Then, the world slowly began to change.

“… So this was how it worked all along?”

Lee Hoyeon looked at the thin membrane surrounding him and the world beyond it.

This space was merely an illusion; Lee Hoyeon was still standing in the very spot where he fought the Demon King.

The moment the Demon King died, time had stopped.

“Of course. It’s easier for me to come to you than to summon you.”

“Why has time stopped outside? This has never happened before.”

“The god of this world, who maintained it, has died. So the world had no choice but to stop.”

“… What? No. Wait, wait. Just a moment. That can’t happen.”

The reason he risked his life to fight the Demon King was for this world and the heroines.

But if this world stopped, then everything he had done so far would be nothing but trash.

“Calm down. That’s why I said from now on it’s your choice.”

The God of Betting raised his hand and pointed at the orb in Lee Hoyeon’s hand.

“First, if you have that divine power, you can remove your existence from this world without any issues. You can return to your original world.”

At those words, the computer fan started spinning.

On the TV, a sports game Lee Hoyeon liked was in full swing, and cars and people moving outside caught Lee Hoyeon’s eye.

It was the daily life of the world he used to live in.

“Since the god of this world is dead, divine power will no longer regenerate. However, with the divine power you possess, you can restart this world. Instead, the world’s repetition will stop, and other worlds won’t be observable.”

This time, the appearance of the world he possessed was shown.

The people he loved and the connections he made in this world called out to Lee Hoyeon.

This world, which was once just a game, was breathing and alive right before his eyes.

Lee Hoyeon had felt that many times.

“Lee Hoyeon. What will you do?”

Simply put, will you stay in this world or return?

The God of Betting was asking just that.

Lee Hoyeon chuckled and met the God of Betting’s eyes.

“God of Betting-nim. Haven’t you been watching me all this time? Like during the Hall of the Moon’s Shadow, and even now.”

“Of course, I was watching. That’s why I popped out right away.”

“But you’re asking a rather pointless question.”

“… I figured as much, but I asked just in case.”

The God of Betting shrugged, and turned away without hesitation.

He liked this human, so he talked a bit longer, but it was time to go soon.

By the laws of the world, gods cannot interact with humans for extended periods.

“Do as you please. If you’ve deciphered the power of this world’s god, you’ll quickly figure out how to use it. No need for final goodbyes, right?”

“Ah, wait a moment. There’s something I need to ask before that.”

“Hm?”

“Can this body not impregnate women of this world?”

“…?”

At the abrupt question, the God of Betting blinked in surprise, but for Lee Hoyeon, it was a very important matter.

He still couldn’t forget the humiliation he suffered from Rebecca because he couldn’t get her pregnant.

“Uh….”

For humans, is reproduction such an important issue?

The God of Betting, after a moment’s thought, soon opened his mouth.

“You are merely similar on the outside, but a different being. You were forcibly inserted into this world by the god of this world. To put it simply, think of it like an inanimate doll that looks exactly like a human being given life.”

“That’s impossible….”

At those words, Lee Hoyeon hung his head low.

Putting aside the issue of his masculinity, if things stayed this way, he wouldn’t be able to grant the wishes of Rebecca and Baek Ahyoung.

“However, if you sever your connection to your original world and assimilate into this world… reproduction of the species you desire will become possible.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. God of Betting-nim.”

“Really? You’re amusing until the very end.”

The God of Betting said those words and vanished with a soft swish.

He probably wouldn’t see him again.

The fact that somehow felt regretful.

“Sky-Piercing Bow, deploy.”

Putting the regret aside, he deployed the Sky-Piercing Bow.

To absorb the orb left by the God of Betting, and to restart this world.

Just as he said, because he understood the structure of the divine power, the subsequent process was easy.

“… Tsk.”

The massive amount of information sent by the world caused a headache, but he could endure it by relying on divine power.

Pouring out the remaining divine power generously, the headache quickly subsided.

And soon, the world began to run again.

Hwa-ah-ah-

At the same time, the thin membrane deployed by the God of Betting naturally peeled away.

The musty smell of earth and the wind brushing against his cheek.

It was proof that time in this world had begun to flow again.

Lee Hoyeon slowly looked down.

He lifted his foot from the Demon King’s crushed head.

The Demon King’s death was certain.

However, the darkness surrounding them remained unchanged.

Even after absorbing the divine power, the reason this darkness persisted – was it because of the Demon King’s Castle’s magic?

… I don’t know the specifics.

Right now, I don’t have the strength to analyze such things.

Lee Hoyeon picked up Liliana, who was in the corner, like a princess.

Then, he released magic power and tore away the curtain of darkness surrounding them.

“Wow, Waaaaah! We won! We really won! Unbelievable!!”

“Mage Lee Hoyeon! Mage Lee Hoyeon!”

As the darkness vanished, countless gazes and loud cheers washed over Lee Hoyeon.

Among them, the first ones to rush out were the heroines.

Each of them possessed great power, so they rushed forward so quickly that the other hunters were taken aback.

“Lee Hoyeon! Are you okay?!”

“Hoyeon-ssi! Hoyeon-ssi!!”

“Honey! Honey! Gasp, sob. Sol-ah… Take me with you!”

The hunters following behind all wore expressions of deep emotion.

It was a natural reaction, perhaps, after witnessing such an intense battle.

Seeing the numerous people approaching, Lee Hoyeon let out a deep sigh.

He wanted to collapse right then and there, but his physical condition was better than expected.

Because he had absorbed all the divine power, healing his body in the process.

Therefore, even forcing himself to collapse was impossible.

‘When am I going to sort all this out… There will be interviews, presentations, dealing with Liliana, talking with the heroines, health check-ups, um….’

Lee Hoyeon suddenly looked down at himself.

Lee Hoyeon, the genius mage who defeated the Demon King and saved the world.

Right now, this moment might be a historic one.

‘… Still, it’s fortunate that the final picture is good.’

Lee Hoyeon was currently in a very awkward pose and expression, but even this situation would probably look picturesque.

Never before today had his handsome face been such a blessing.