The Gamer's POV-Chapter 267: Character Does Not Exist

King’s Paradise...

——

Inside the chamber of his obsidian castle, Lee Lim stood in front of a large mirror arranging his long black trench coat. Underneath, he was wearing a black turtleneck with matching trousers and shoes that made him look like he was preparing for a meeting or a funeral.

After straightening his collar, his shoulders slumped and he exhaled a heavy sigh. "This is it," he muttered in a somber voice. "Soon, I’ll be able to come back to you, my love. Just wait a little longer."

He grew lost in a reverie of the life he’d left behind on Earth. However, that moment of vulnerability was cut short by a heavy knock on the door.

He grimaced and turned toward the door, then spat, "Who is it?"

The door creaked open and Eun-ji walked inside, wearing a sharp black suit and dark sunglasses. Stopping some meters away, she turned to Lee Lim and arched a brow. "Are you thinking about your family again?"

"What do you want, Eun-ji?" he snapped.

She offered a small, genuine smile that faded as she continued. "The others are preparing to head to their assigned positions on the shore. But there is a problem. Seo-yeon is nowhere to be found. I have searched for her everywhere."

"’You’... can’t find her?" Lee Lim repeated, emphasizing the you.

Eun-ji nodded.

"To be honest, I’ve always sensed something strange about that girl. Sometimes I’m able to read a bit about her. At other times, my reading and tracking powers simply fail."

Eun-ji paused for a breath, then added, "I hadn’t paid it much mind, and just assumed that maybe she had powers that masked her presence. But now, all of a sudden, she’s missing. Even her Nagas know nothing of her whereabouts. What baffles me is that they were ordered to stay behind while the other Lords and their armies marched for battle."

Lee Lim remained quiet, and his expression remained a stoic and impenetrable mask.

After a few seconds, he took a measured step and looked contemplative. "She’s missing...?"

His eyes darted to the side. "Admin Privileges? Where is Seo-yeon?"

A screen suddenly appeared in his vision with the words:

[Activating Administrative Privileges...]

[...]

After a long delay, it finally updated:

[The Character Seo-yeon does not exist.]

Upon seeing that, Lee Lim’s expressionless mask finally broke. He had never received this reply before. His Admin Privileges had always been able to locate his Lords at any time, including Seo-yeon.

So what did it suddenly mean... the character Seo-yeon does not exist?

’Strange...’ Lee Lim thought, growing even more contemplative.

After a moment, he looked up at Eun-ji, who had taken off her glasses. Her eyes were closed and thin trails of blood leaked from her lids like she was crying crimson tears. Using a black kerchief, she wiped the blood, then put her glasses back on.

When she did, Lee Lim spoke. "It really is strange."

Then he began walking past her and out the door, while tilting his head and muttering to himself in a low voice. After a few seconds, Eun-ji sighed, turned around, and followed behind him.

***

Cedric’s Inner Sanctuary.

The Obsidian Castle...

——

Inside the Lord’s chamber of Cedric’s castle, Aika sat on the large bed with her legs pulled tightly to her chest.

The day she dreaded had finally come.

Because of this, the expression on her face was one of intense worry as she was deeply concerned... for Cedric.

She exhaled and laid down, sprawled across the mattress. Then, she began to toss and turn restlessly. When she couldn’t find a single comfortable position, she groaned and frantically ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"What will you do?" she muttered in a whiny voice to the empty room.

When they eventually got to the King’s Paradise, Cedric would finally come face-to-face with Seo-yeon, his fiancée. He would also find out that she was currently one of the Ten Lords.

What would he do when he saw her?

To completely end everything and close the connection between this world and the Cradle, they needed to kill all the Ten Lords. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Would he be able to kill the woman he loved?

That was the question haunting Aika, but her fear went deeper. She was extremely worried because while it was the cadets’ duty to execute the Lords, it was the Lords’ duty to slaughter the cadets.

Aika didn’t trust Seo-yeon one bit. As a Grade Four human, Seo-yeon was already a challenge. But now Aika had found out she wasn’t even human, but something utterly terrifying.

’This is driving me crazy,’ Aika thought. ’What if she uses his love against him?’

Aika rolled again on the bed, then hugged her pillow tight.

’What sort of creature is Seo-yeon even? For Leon to be that afraid, she must be one really terrifying creature.’

"Tsk." Aika clicked her tongue.

’Do the Lords know that she is not even human?

Was she also sent by that bastard of a god who brought the Lords here?

What was she even doing in Cedric’s old world in the first place?

Come to think of it... she was the one that gave Cedric that... uh... game? Yes, game.

Could she have known beforehand that he would come to this world?

Wait...’

Aika’s eyes suddenly widened.

’Kim Min-jun’s death had always seemed and felt a bit off to me. Could it be... did that bitch have something to do with his death?’

When that thought formed in her head, Aika immediately sat upright. After a few seconds of thinking about it, she clicked her tongue again and scratched her hair.

’I really hope that’s not the case. But no matter how much I think about this entire situation, nothing really makes much sense to me. What is her deal? Was she just toying with Cedric’s heart?’

Aika didn’t realize that she had clenched her fist after that last thought.

After a moment, she exhaled and muttered, "I don’t care what she is, really. Human, animal, monster... it doesn’t matter. Cedric might not be able to kill her because of how he feels, and even if he does, it’ll break him. I won’t let his heart be destroyed like that. If he can’t do it... I’ll kill her for him."

She shut her eyes for a moment and sighed.

When she finally opened them again and lifted her gaze to the map in front of her, a frown returned to her face.

There was something else that bothered her.

You see, Gamer Privileges had updated some time ago. After that update, Aika was able to see the Lords and their current locations on her map, as they had now been included as characters. But for some reason, neither Seo-yeon’s name nor her location ever popped up.

It was almost as if she still wasn’t a character in this world.