Chapter 100: The Meaning Of Faith (3) |
Ershil was a born winner.
Ershil knew how to be loved.
While others studied, Ershil simply knew. It was an instinctive acquisition. She knew how to be loved by others.
With that talent, Ershil grew up receiving nothing but love from a young age.
Her status, talent, and appearance also contributed to making people love Ershil more, but fundamentally, that was the kind of woman she was.
[Your proficiency in ‘Being Loved by Everyone (B)’ has increased.]
“Look at Merchen’s eldest daughter. So dignified and a fast learner. I wish she were my daughter.”
“How can she be so pretty and lovely?”
“The Merchen family is surely going to see a resurgence.”
What others gained through adversity or barely managed to grasp through bone-grinding effort, Ershil obtained with ease.
To Ershil, life was like a game.
The walls of the world seemed too low.
This world was like a playground made for her.
Until she met her master, that’s what she thought.
“I am Merchen. They say I’m the empress of an empire with a thousand years of history, Melanie.”
The one who introduced herself as a transcendent being showed Ershil a wider world.
She expanded her limits and showed her how far she could reach.
Ershil’s view of the world broadened.
From a game to a more challenging one.
And then she went to school. The Korea Hero School. One of the world’s top prestigious high schools.
It was quite interesting.
There was no one superior to her, but there were those who came up to her toes, or chin.
It became a bit more fun.
Until a boy appeared.
Lee Seo-ha.
Before she saw a boy who had broken all records of the Tower of Trials.
He was interesting from the start.
Her master, who seemed to know everything, screamed the moment she saw the power used by that boy.
A Heavenly Demon with the power to ignore all abilities.
He wasn’t boring. In fact, he was interesting. It was a momentary curiosity.
And that curiosity quickly turned into fondness.
“Isn’t even the shadow snake no big deal?”
He passed through tough trials as if they were nothing.
“There’s talk of a Mine moving. Can you help?”
He moved as if he could see the future.
“How about me?”
She even openly flirted, but she preferred not being seduced. She was surprised when she realized he was Veritas, but she thought to herself,
‘Well, it doesn’t seem impossible.’
He was a man who seemed to have more unknowns than knowns.
As she carefully built up her affinity, Ershil, Ershil Merchen, acted cautiously to catch Lee Seo-ha as quickly as possible in the future.
She didn’t cause trouble.
She didn’t show greed. She maximized his favor towards her. Even if she caused trouble, she compensated with more rewards.
It seemed possible one day if she gradually built up his favor.
It was hard for Ershil to bear.
Almost to the point of discomfort. But Ershil endured. She was patient. For the day she could be the first to taste the sweet fruit.
She endured everything.
Until Lee Seo-ha looked at the student council president with those eyes.
“Really, what’s this?”
It was almost like the look of someone in love. Every time he looked at her, his eyes dripped with honey.
It was hard to believe this was the same Lee Seo-ha who usually acted so impassively.
It was the first time he had openly shown such fondness for anyone.
‘It’s a bit of a stretch, but.’
Ershil found an excuse to be alone with him under the guise of business.
She was aware it was a rash move.
But every time she saw him, she became more emotional.
‘I don’t want to lose him.’
Such a childlike sentiment.
And jealousy towards the student council president.
A black flame-like emotion engulfed Ershil. But she restrained herself. The talent of being loved by everyone. With her innate sense, she controlled herself.
She judged that antagonizing the student council president would bring no benefit to her.
She looked at Lee Seo-ha.
“Hello. I’m Ershil, partner of Veritas.”
His expression changed slightly, though he remained mostly unexpressive, when she mentioned Veritas. Ershil chuckled.
She liked that expression, even though he didn’t. It was rare to see him express his emotions. She wanted to torment him. She wanted to bind the existence named Lee Seo-ha to herself.
She briefly imagined it. A scene where Lee Seo-ha clung to her, begging.
“Ah, that’s dangerous.”
It was a base thought, but for a moment, she was almost carried away by that imagination.
Ershil read the manual, trying not to show her thoughts. Compared to existing potions, Lee Seo-ha’s potions were embarrassingly superior.
“The person who brought a turning point to alchemy is really amazing. Even if one elixir is sold for 1 billion, people would still buy it.”
Ershil calmed herself down while speaking sincerely.
“Would you buy it at that price?”
“Yes, an elixir like this is worth that much.”
She said that, but somehow, Lee Seo-ha looked even more attractive today.
“You don’t have to give it. It’s like a service for the customer.”
“I might get the wrong idea if you give it away like this.”
Ershil looked up at Lee Seo-ha.
Her eyes were slightly wavering. Normally, Ershil would have stopped there.
But today was different.
Today, she didn’t want to stop.
“Can I misunderstand like this? I want to keep misunderstanding.”
That’s how Ershil confessed to Lee Seo-ha.
I looked at Ershil.
She was looking at me with trembling eyes. This was Ershil, born into a noble family, adept at feigning expressions.
Seeing her tremble like this, she seemed to be quite nervous.
‘Or not. Is she pretending to tremble?’
The talent of being loved by everyone gave her an innate sense.
A natural sense of what actions to take to increase affection from others.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the talent to see through that.
The sense of the Sword Demon was limited only to the realm of combat.
Anyway, I looked at Ershil.
‘I should reject this.’
It’s not that I disliked romance, nor was I an ascetic.
It’s simply because I lacked the time.
‘I want to date too, but it’s impossible to protect this world while being in a relationship,’
Tak Yoon-il had declared.
Soon, this world would be destroyed. He was correct. His words, though perhaps intended for himself, held a partial truth.
‘In the original story, Kim Seo-hyun defeats them all.’
However, humanity didn’t survive in that scenario.
All the transcendent beings left Earth, leaving only Kim Seo-hyun alive. That was the first ending of Epic World.
If the difficulty remained the same, it would be manageable.
Even with nothing, there was a way to desperately climb up. There was also the strategy of sacrificing my development and focusing everything on Kim Seo-hyun.
The issue was that strong opponents were already making their appearances.
From Napak Cheon to the mermaid spearman I encountered in a recent event.
“The pace is too fast.”
Normally, these strong opponents would only begin to appear, like a teaser, demonstrating their strength in front of the protagonist.
Thus, there was no time to waste on romance…
“Shh.”
Ershil quietly placed her index finger over my mouth.
“It seems you don’t have feelings yet. So, don’t say it.”
“…”
“I’m glad you didn’t say sorry. It means there’s still a chance.”
Ershil’s eyes formed crescents.
“For some reason, looking back on Seo-ha’s past, you always seem to be in a hurry. So, let’s stop here for today.”
She winked with one eye.
I was left speechless.
After parting with Ershil,
I wanted to give Sung Han-byul something in return but ended up giving her more potions and elixirs before returning to my penthouse.
Normally, I would train with Black Heaven, but today I wasn’t in the mood.
‘……’
I lay on my bed, expressionless.
This world was not a game world.
It’s impossible for a game to feel this real. This world had a population of 10 billion, each with their own thoughts and actions.
And I…
I closed my eyes and activated my talent, True Heart. The gloomy mood was forcibly calmed.
Depression was dangerous.
Once you fall into it, it’s not easy to get out. I forcibly calmed my mind and turned on the computer.
I looked for something fun. It wasn’t a day off, but I decided I needed to rest.
I checked my phone.
I browsed the internet news.
[Invincible Lotte. The fastest team to achieve 10 consecutive wins. Can they win the championship again?]
ㄴYou, Black Mamba?
ㄴI’ll hack Dansuma for you.
The news didn’t seem very interesting.
I logged into the Alchemy Guild. It was full of praise for me. But even the praise didn’t interest me.
“Maybe I should shop.”
I opened the multidimensional store.
I clicked on a talent I had planned to buy earlier.
Flame of Spiritual Thought (S-)
I had thought about this one. The Flame of Spiritual Thought was a power used with mental strength.
The ability was simple.
The power I want to materialize is imbued with the properties of flame. For example, Energy of Defying Heaven is a corrupt power. This power is imbued with the property of ‘burning’.
“The power it consumes is mental strength, like Nyeom.”
Using mental strength in this world means it’s a powerful synergy.
I jumped off the bed, wanting to go outside and test this ability.
I put on the Mask of Illusion and a hoodie, wearing the hood deeply to cover the mask.
That made me feel a bit better.
I walked down the dimly lit streets, heading out to hunt Mines.