episode_0036

The Actor persona is ill-suited for combat.

Physical abilities and magical power are inferior compared to other personas, and the only combat-related skill it possesses is [Role Syncing].

At first glance, one might assume that adopting the Actor persona to play the role of a swordsman or mage would allow for exceptional performance in battle—but that’s not entirely true.

No matter how impressively an action movie star performs on screen, it’s impossible for them to replicate that prowess in real life.

While immersing oneself in a role might bring about a slight boost in ability, it’s never enough to overturn the tide of battle.

That is, ultimately, the limitation of the Actor persona.

But conversely, it’s also the persona’s most unique strength.

When I borrow the Actor persona and immerse myself in a role, my mind becomes one with the character.

I am the role, and the role is me.

The moment I begin acting, it’s no exaggeration to say my consciousness is shielded by the role itself.

So then—

If I borrow the Actor persona and begin performing—

Could I withstand the emotional assault of the Despair Monarch?

Because the me who is acting isn’t Park Jung-hyun, but a living, breathing character.

—CRASH!

Tucking into a roll, I landed steadily and began my image-making.

I am a boxer.

A rookie boxer who just stepped into the professional ring.

My opponent? The undefeated, legendary champion.

The outcome of this match will rewrite boxing history.

Will the champion maintain his reign as always?

Or will the rookie pen a new legend?

As a newcomer, my chances of victory are slim.

But I have to win.

For everyone who’s ever cheered me on.

For the sake of my dream.

Let’s go.

A strange lightness fills my body.

My footwork flows naturally, and my hands rise to guard my face.

Before I know it, the dimly lit boss chamber transforms into a roaring arena.

“Come at me, champ.”

I taunt the Despair Monarch—now the champion—and activate [Role Syncing].

As my magic surges out and envelops its body, the hostility it once directed at Karen now prickles toward me.

But to me, immersed in my role, it only feels like the heated aggression of an overexcited champion.

And then—it swings its monstrous fist!

—DING DING DING!

The match has begun.

“Too slow!”

I duck under its straight punch, weaving past the blow.

With its jaw left wide open, I drive an uppercut straight into its chin.

—POW!!

My fist connects cleanly.

A cold, squishy sensation runs through my knuckles—

And in an instant, my mind plunges into the depths of an abyss.

The fiery arena crumbles away, replaced by a familiar scene of destruction.

A shattered TV.

A hole torn through the ceiling.

My father’s severed arm, suspended in the air.

Seo-jin from next door—now a Corrupted—pounding eerily on the door.

My breath hitches. Without thinking, I take a step back.

This is my most horrific memory.

The root of my existence.

The origin of all my suffering.

The overwhelming tide of emotion threatens to sweep my consciousness away—

When suddenly—

“Hang in there, son! You’ve got this! Knock that champ out!”

A voice—familiar, yet long unheard—faintly echoes in my ears.

That single phrase carves a deep crack into the world dyed by my despair.

—CRACK!

The world shatters, and the blazing arena returns.

“Hah…”

Barely resisting the Despair Monarch’s ability, I pat my cheeks and take a deep breath.

I almost got dragged into an irreversible void.

Focus.

Right now, I’m not Park Jung-hyun, the man who lost his family, friends, and home to the Corrupted.

I’m Park Jung-hyun, the boxer, cheered on by those I hold dear—charging toward victory.

I can do this.

—SMACK!

I block its rapid jab with my forearm.

The creeping despair tries to drag me back into the abyss, but I shake my head violently, dispelling it.

The shifting world stabilizes, returning to the arena.

I land a fierce hook on its exposed left jaw.

Followed by a clean straight punch.

Dodge.

Strike!

Block—!

Strike—!

Again, strike—!

Strike, strike, strike, strike……!

Victory draws closer.

The excitement and adrenaline surging through my body are unstoppable.

My heart pounds wildly.

Every drop of sweat on my forehead feels vivid.

“HAAAA!!”

I swing my final uppercut—the one that will seal my victory—straight at the champion.

But then—

“What the hell are you two doing?”

A pink-haired referee suddenly storms into the ring, spins her body, and swings her greatsword in a wide arc—

—SCHLICK!!

—slicing the champion cleanly in half.

The champion’s bisected upper body bursts into flames.

A crushing sense of futility washes over me.

My dream of defeating the champion—denied. I can’t hold back my fury.

“What the hell was that?! That was my knockout! I was supposed to finish the cham—!”

“…Did skin contact drive you insane?”

The referee stares at me blankly before—

“Snap out of it!”

—SLAP!

She strikes my cheek hard.

“……”

Wait.

Why was I thinking of Karen as the referee?

The question digs into my mind as my stinging cheek brings me back to reality. The surroundings begin to shift.

The electrifying arena fades into the dark dungeon.

The referee who stole my moment becomes the beautiful Karen.

And the champion I was locked in an intense match with?

It was the Despair Monarch all along.

No—reverted to the Despair Monarch.

“Ah, thanks. You hurt anywhere?”

Blinking at Karen, I scratch the back of my head and ask.

“I’m fine. You look a little worse for wear, though. Shouldn’t you get to a hospital?”

Karen twirls a finger near her temple, eyeing me.

“Like I said earlier, it’s a side effect of my ability. My mind’s perfectly fine.”

“Really? I was sure you’d lost it after brawling bare-handed with that thing.”

Karen, her greatsword strapped to her back, studies my pupils.

At a glance, it sounds like pure sarcasm—but I can faintly sense a sliver of concern beneath her grumbling tone.

“I threw myself into danger to create an opening for you. Was it necessary to be so harsh?”

Embarrassed for no reason, I avert my gaze and mutter at the ground.

“If you’ve got complaints, you shouldn’t have teamed up with me. Still, thanks to you, I got a clean cut. Without you, I’d still be struggling to block its attacks.”

“No, you did the hard work. I wouldn’t have beaten it without you.”

“…Let’s stop complimenting each other. Forcing this heartwarming vibe is making me nauseous.”

Uncomfortable with praise, Karen grimaces and shakes her head.

“By the way… is it supposed to be bubbling like that?”

She shrugs, then suddenly points at something.

Bubbling? What?

Confused, I follow her finger—

And see the Despair Monarch’s bisected body, half-melted, bubbling ominously.

Like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

“…?”

A sinking feeling creeps into my mind.

This isn’t normal. It should’ve dissipated into ambient mana, not… this.

The anomaly freezes me in place, as if dunked in ice water.

The corpse of the Despair Monarch swells, looking ready to explode at any second.

“…This isn’t good, is it?”

Even Karen senses something’s wrong, stepping back warily.

There’s only one answer I can give her.

“GET DOWN!!”

—BOOM!!

The moment I shout, the Despair Monarch’s corpse detonates with a deafening blast.

Shrapnel of its body flies in all directions like a grenade.

I shove Karen away with all my strength and try to duck—but it’s too late.

Every exposed part of me—my face, my arms—is splattered with its remains.

The dark-blue sludge seeps into my skin, and instantly, my mind grows… tranquil.

Fading vision.

Crumbling world.

Disjointed senses.

Reality warping.

Before I can even process the nausea rising in my gut—

My consciousness is dragged into the depths.