episode_0005

“There’s really no solution.”

As a reward for defeating the Four Heavenly Kings, I chose the Mirror of Life as my reward. And I used it right away.

Upon using it, I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of loss.

Because the lifespan I obtained from using the Mirror of Life was only 89 days.

[Remaining lifespan: 89 days.]

“Damn…! Because of those damn bitches.”

I expected that my lifespan wouldn’t be much, but how could the remaining time be less than three months?

How could it be that by manipulating Ronan in some way, both my body and lifespan could end up like this?

All I can say is that it’s truly remarkable.

“Disgusting bitches.”

Although it didn’t come to stabbing with a knife, it was no different from murder.

Once again, it was a moment when my disgust towards Ronan’s childhood friend, that pink bitch, surged.

“A possessed body with a lifespan of three months…”

So I couldn’t help but drink for real.

As I downed the piled-up wines at the banquet, I lamented myself and Ronan, who I had been possessed by.

Even so, three months is really harsh…

“It’s fortunate that there’s not no solution…”

Well, even if there isn’t absolutely no solution, calling it a comfort might not be accurate.

No, considering it’s almost akin to gambling, it might not be comforting at all.

What am I going to do with my life, really?

*Gulp. Gulp.*

It was when I was drinking heavily while feeling sad.

“Feeling heartbroken?”

“What’s up with you?”

“Ah. Why are you like that? Just friends.”

“I’ve never had a friend like you before.”

“If our hearts connect, aren’t we friends?”

“So what do you want to say then?”

“It’s nothing special, just wanted to share my thoughts.”

No, why is he suddenly acting friendly?

With golden hair, messy skin, and a rough appearance, I obviously knew who he was.

I had met him several times in the game, and it’s no wonder that I, who had played the game countless times, would know that my party members had switched to him.

“Ignore him.”

I felt like I knew his purpose for coming.

He’s a typical Kim Taeyang character from the NTR game, finding pleasure in stealing others’ women?

I didn’t particularly like it, but I decided to just ignore him.

“There’s nothing good about paying attention to someone like him.”

My life isn’t long enough to bother with such a person.

Perhaps I should even be grateful to him, the one who collected the bitches for me.

I decided to think as positively as possible.

“Friend, your woman is so delicious, isn’t she?”

But isn’t he crossing the line?

No matter how I think about it, I couldn’t let that comment slide.

“I’m already feeling like shit, whose woman are you talking about? Do you really want to die?”

I can tolerate everything else, but I can’t stand those bitches being called ‘my woman.’

It’s an insult to me, an attack. If I were to endure hearing that, it would be like abandoning my dignity.

I slammed Jax’s big helmet onto the table.

“… You bastard.”

I exerted some force, but is this guy also a hero after all?

Although he seemed uncomfortable with the food stains, he didn’t seem to be affected much.

And right away, he tried to retaliate against me.

Drawing a dagger from his bosom, he confronted me as if he could kill me at any moment.

“Weren’t you the one who started the argument?”

I faced him with the sword I had at my waist.

Want to give it a try?

Sorry, but I wasn’t going to fall for it at all.

No, at this point, I might even be stronger, right?

Should I give it a proper go?

The fight was about to escalate.

“Ack!! What are you doing right now?”

“Ronan. Stop.”

“J-Jax, are you okay?”

There were women who immediately ran over from the chaotic banquet hall to this place, and they were none other than Ronan’s former party members.

Each of them ran over and began to check on Jax’s condition. Then they glared at me.

“Ronan, what are you doing right now?”

“That’s right. Is it okay to cause a scene like this at the banquet hall? I don’t think so. Sir Ronan.”

Charlotte and Triscella started to scold me.

After checking Jax’s condition, they glared at me, saying this is not right.

“Ronan… Please stop now. We’re sorry. We understand why you’re upset. So please don’t do this anymore…”

And my childhood friend next to me clasped both hands together and looked at me with teary eyes, subtly implying that it was her fault.

That subtle way of making me feel guilty when she’s the one who should be apologizing always annoys me.

“Fine. You’re right.”

Let’s just admit when we’re wrong.

This time, the party members were right.

Everything they said was correct.

“Your words are right. So, I guess I have to agree.”

It was truly a wake-up call that hits you when you admit your mistakes.

Especially since I only had three months left to live because of the party members, my patience was wearing thin, you know?

Honestly, I didn’t want to let it go, but strangely enough, it seemed like a good idea.

“I formally challenge you to a duel.”

In situations like this, challenging to a duel seems appropriate.

I remember something about taking off gloves and throwing them as a challenge, right?

I tried to take off my gloves, but unfortunately, I wasn’t wearing any.

I’ll just throw something random.

While pondering what to throw, I noticed a cake on the broken table nearby and grabbed it to throw.

Splat!

“Argh!! This guy. Really to the end!!!”

It hit Jax squarely in the face.

Jax, who was in a subdued state, suddenly hit by the cake, tried to charge at me in anger, but the party members held him back, trying to restrain him somehow.

“Sir Jax. You can’t fight here!!!”

“Yeah. Just hold on for now. If we handle this well later, it will be more advantageous for us.”

Indeed, as they said, this place was a sacred banquet hall with nobles.

It would be unreasonable to duel in such a place.

If I let things go without a duel, I’d likely be blamed for everything.

“Ronan. Please stop. You may understand how you feel, but we can’t duel here…”

It seemed like a disadvantageous situation for me in many ways, but I didn’t care at all.

If dueling wasn’t allowed without the nobles’ permission, then getting their approval should suffice, right?

As long as the nobles allowed it, it was fine.

“I will grant permission.”

A man who had been watching the situation intervened.

I vaguely remember him as quite a handsome man, probably the second prince.

“Resolving disputes through duels is an excellent way, especially for warriors.”

He wasn’t a particularly remarkable prince, but his help might come in handy at times like this, right?

Well, of course, there was no reason for me to be grateful since he was just making things interesting.

“So, will the warrior Jax accept this duel?”

“Of course. I can’t just overlook such disgrace.”

Anyway, the conversation progressed quickly.

Jax agreed to my duel to salvage his pride. His demeanor was truly pitiful.

Right now, he probably thinks I’m weaker than him, but in reality, I’ve been much stronger than someone like him for a long time.

Educating Jax like this wouldn’t be a bad idea, but it might be a bit regrettable.

“Your Highness, I have one more condition I would like to add to the duel, if I may.”

“What is it? Go ahead and tell me.”

I politely bowed my head to the prince and spoke.

Dueling is fine, but I wanted to have a more definite battle if possible.

“Hah. Have you come here to chicken out now?”

Jax laughed, thinking I was scared, but I ignored his words and continued speaking.

“If possible, I want to face not only Jax but all the warriors in Jax’s party.”

“What do you mean? You want to fight four of us at once?”

“Yes.”

Isn’t it better for party members to lose together when dueling?

The prince was quite flustered by my suggestion, but I continued with my argument without hesitation.

“If… If that’s what you want, I’ll agree. Let Jax decide if he accepts.”

In the end, the prince was somewhat awkward about my proposal and turned to Jax for a decision.

“Huh. Fine. Of course, I’ll accept. You proposed it first, right? Don’t talk nonsense later. Crazy bastard. Let’s see how far you can go with your bullshit.”

Jax looked at me with a bewildered expression, but eventually, as if resigned, he accepted the proposal.

Well, there’s no reason for him to refuse.

“Ronan. I understand why you’re angry, but now that it’s come to this, I won’t go easy on you.”

“I don’t want to fight with Ronan, but I’m sorry.”

“Ronan… How did… this happen…”

After hearing these words, party members each showed a slightly uneasy reaction, but despite their responses, not a single person refused to fight me.

In the end, it seems like these guys are planning to confront me along with Jax. How can they face Ronan, whom they’ve been with for three years, without any hesitation?

I didn’t expect anything from the start, but it was truly amazing how every expectation was met without fail.

“Alright. Then let’s head to the training ground, and as soon as we arrive, we’ll start the duel.”

The story has come to an end.

Now is the time when we really have to duel.

We all followed the Second Prince to the training ground.