Chapter 20
Greenhouse Flower
“Enemy!”
“Seize them!”
“Aargh!”
“Monster! It’s a monster!”
“Protect Lord Basarek!”
“Gaaah!”
It was chaos.
Who am I? Where am I? What’s happening?
Screams and shouts erupted from the place HeavenlyMaiden had stormed into.
Romero ran desperately toward where she’d disappeared, struggling not to fall behind.
“You! You’re with that little demon!”
“How dare you invade this place!”
“Face my sword!”
Of course, the enemies didn’t let Romero pass easily.
“Ugh!”
A sword grazed his hair.
A moment later, and he’d have been dead.
His blood ran cold, but he couldn’t just stand there.
“Fireball!”
“Argh!”
There was no time to stand still, focus, and chant properly.
He hurled magic with abbreviated incantations.
“Touch of the Earth! Rock Bullet!”
“Aaagh!”
“Be careful! The enemy’s using wicked sorcery!”
“It’s magic, not sorcery, you idiot!”
Pushing through with all his might, Romero chased after HeavenlyMaiden, but she was nowhere to be found.
All that greeted him were fallen bodies and remaining enemies, their eyes glaring.
“HeavenlyMaiden!”
“This one looks easier. Get him!”
“Die!”
“Face the sword of justice!”
“You filthy bastards…!”
Romero fought off the remaining enemies, climbing the stairs.
HeavenlyMaiden had swept through like a storm, taking out most of them, but their sheer numbers left plenty behind.
And since Romero seemed less threatening, they attacked with confidence.
“Gasp! Hah!”
To be honest, just keeping up was overwhelming.
His mana was already running dry.
His head spun.
Eeee-
A ringing filled one ear.
His body felt heavy, his hands slippery with blood.
It was too vivid. Too real.
Death seemed to loom before his eyes.
Was this a game or reality?
What if this was reality, and the ‘me’ before putting on the goggles was the one in a game?
He was disoriented.
“The sorcerer’s weakening!”
“Now’s our chance!”
“It’s magic, you idiots!”
But Romero gritted his teeth and climbed the stairs.
Fear of death and an inexplicable stubbornness drove him forward.
He reached the third floor.
Amidst a sea of corpses, a twin-tailed girl stared at someone.
A man knelt before her, trembling and begging for his life.
“Please, spare me. I’ll do anything.”
“Hmm…”
HeavenlyMaiden tilted her head, inspecting him as if something wasn’t quite right.
Finally reaching the third floor, Romero stared at the scene in a daze.
“Oh, you’re here. I was waiting.”
HeavenlyMaiden greeted him brightly.
Her pure, untainted demeanor was all the more chilling.
To smile like that amidst blood-soaked surroundings.
It was utterly alien.
“Is this guy the target? He’s bald, so I kept him alive for now.”
“…”
“Romero?”
“Oh.”
Snapping out of it, Romero hurriedly pulled out the mission document to check.
“Uh… looks like him.”
“Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Please, spare my life—”
Slash-
Thud!
The shiny bald head rolled off its neck.
“…”
Romero stared blankly as the head tumbled across the floor, then Urk!
He vomited. Blargh!
HeavenlyMaiden looked at him, surprised.
“What? First time seeing someone die?”
Romero, still retching, glared at her, tears welling in his eyes.
“Isn’t it weirder to be used to it?”
Sure, given the era, he’d seen death a few times, but never this graphic.
And never this close.
No wonder they called it perfect virtual reality; the game was disgustingly realistic.
HeavenlyMaiden grinned as if it was cute.
“A greenhouse flower, huh.”
“Call me what you want.”
Romero muttered, wiping his mouth.
“Did you block the entrance?”
It was the order she’d given before charging in.
No witnesses, she’d said.
Romero nodded.
“Yes. I raised earth to block it.”
“Well done. What about the rest?”
“I took care of the ones that came at me. Not sure if there are more hiding.”
HeavenlyMaiden approached and gestured.
Romero crouched awkwardly, and she patted his shoulder as she passed.
“Good work.”
“…”
As she descended the stairs, she said innocently,
“More fun than I expected. Stronger ones will show up if we keep going, right?”
“…”
When Romero didn’t follow, she peeked up from the stairs below.
“What’re you doing, Romero? Not coming?”
“Oh, yeah. Coming.”
Snapping out of it, Romero hurried down the stairs.
“A greenhouse flower, huh. Interesting.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Wanna join the sect?”
“…Is that a demand?”
“Not a demand. It’s your choice.”
“Then no.”
“Hmm. Pity. Let me know if you change your mind.”
“That won’t happen.”
“You never know with the world or people’s hearts. Keep up, Romero.”
Romero stared blankly at her back.
Wait…
Now that he noticed, not a drop of blood was on HeavenlyMaiden.
Is that even possible?
Staring in a daze, he quickly followed.
“What about the remaining stragglers?”
“Burn them. Building and all.”
“…What?”
————-
Three hours later.
“Damn assassins! You made it this far?! In the name of Serco, I’ll—”
A dagger lodged in Serco’s throat mid-speech.
“Gurgh! This won’t kill me! The ancient artifact is in my hands! I, Serco, will never die! I’ll revive infinitely! Haha! Despair—”
Stab! Stab! Stab!
“Damn…”
More daggers pierced Serco’s vital points, and he collapsed.
Elite knights in armor surrounded them, but they were already long gone to the afterlife.
HeavenlyMaiden said cheerfully.
“That’s it for Assassin’s Critical. Pretty fun, huh?”
“…”
Where she looked, Romero stood, looking ten years older, his face hollow.
In his haggard state, he stared at the corpse of Serco, the true final boss behind the scenes of Assassin’s Critical.
All he’d done was follow HeavenlyMaiden.
He lost count of how many times he nearly died from mana and stamina depletion.
Is this… right?
Clearing a game in a single day—no, in just three hours—was that even possible?
– Does this make sense?
– A 30-hour average playtime game cleared in three hours?
– And she did all the side quests too ;;
– Literally every assassinate-able side quest, for real.
– Serco’s ending is a true ending you only get by completing all side quests.
– Damn, the difficulty was the highest I’ve seen, and this makes sense?
– Speedrunners are crying watching this.
[Mission Success!]
Mission: Clear Assassin’s Critical in one day
Reward: 100,000 cookies
[ㅇㅇ donated 1,000 cookies!]
I set it as a joke, but why’s this real ;;
[HeavenlyDemonChanDongpoMeatThief donated 10,000 cookies!]
As expected of the Heavenly Demon’s daughter…!
[HeavenlyDemonChanLeftoverDongpo donated 10,000 cookies!]
Didn’t expect it to be this good ;;
[DongpoWhat’sTheBigDeal donated 50,000 cookies!]
HeavenlyMaiden! Carry on your father’s legacy!
“Heavenly Demon-nyang~ Thank you, nyang!”
“…”
Amidst the sea of corpses, HeavenlyMaiden’s casual reaction seemed almost eerie.
The chat erupted in debate.
– I don’t even know how she did it ;;
– Me neither. It was so fast I couldn’t see.
– Damn, that’s not assassination ㅠㅠ
– Not the Assassin’s Critical I expected ㅠㅠ
– Assassination (by smashing through the front door).
– Lol, no witnesses, so it’s technically assassination, haha.
– Seriously, she’s gotta be at least absolute mastery level.
– Nah, absolute mastery at her age is impossible. Plenty of warriors never break that wall in their lifetime.
– Then what?
– My guess: top-tier cyberware implants + awakened abilities + first-rate martial arts + magic.
– That’s even weirder, lol.
– Didn’t they say the Heavenly Demon was a martial arts genius?
– Genius? He was a monster.
– The world’s greatest looks like a joke?
– Heard a rumor he reached absolute mastery at fifteen.
– If she’s the Heavenly Demon’s daughter, maybe…
Looking around with a hint of disappointment, HeavenlyMaiden said.
“Hmm. The game ended faster than I thought. Romero.”
“Y-Yes?”
“You got time? Feels bad to call you out and end early.”
“You don’t have to…”
“There’s another recommended game. Ever tried Stardew Valley?”
“Stardew… Valley?”
————-
“Ahh, so peaceful.”
Under a blue sky, unnamed weeds swayed gently in the breeze.
Romero, gazing at the tranquil farm scenery, found peace of mind.
After the blood-and-flesh chaos of the battlefield, he finally appreciated the value of calm.
Until HeavenlyMaiden showed up.
“I’m off to Rifa, so clear the field from here to there and plant potatoes.”
“…Huh?”
“Going.”
Pop!
“…”
Stardew Valley, a quintessential chill farming game.
The main content was farming, fishing, mining, and bonding with villagers.
“Urgh!”
But for Romero, it was hell.
Thud!
Collapsing again from mana depletion.
“The sky’s yellow…”
From Assassin’s Critical to Stardew Valley.
He’d lost count of how many times he’d hit his limit today.
– Lol, doing manual labor in a chill game.
– Chill (kill).
– It’s your karma, dude. Should’ve been nicer.
– The Dongpo Meat Squad’s watching. Don’t slack.
– Where do these guys keep coming from?
– The Dongpo Meat Squad is everywhere and nowhere.
– Damn.
Maybe because of the collab with HeavenlyMaiden, his viewership had nearly doubled, which was some comfort.
[StarvingCommander donated 10,000 cookies!]
Get up and work, Hotsan.
“…Ugh.”
Romero got up and tilled the field with earth magic.
“Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig. Dig…”
While plowing, he noticed something odd.
He was casting magic more than twice his usual limit without running out of mana.
Unlike before, when he needed intense focus to cast properly, now even half-hearted chants produced stronger effects.
“…Huh?”
After a moment’s thought, Romero focused and cast a fourth-circle large-scale earth magic.
Awaken, pulse of the earth.
Stir the rage slumbering in the deep abyss,
And release the suppressed breath!
“Earthquake!”
Rumble!
Boom boom boom!
An earthquake erupted, tilling the entire area.
Slightly weaker, but undeniably fourth-circle earth magic.
– ???
– A fourth-circle Earthquake spell out of nowhere?
– Wasn’t he third-circle?
“…Ha.”
Thud.
Dizzy from mana drain and stunned by the unbelievable, Romero collapsed.
He’d so easily crossed the fourth-circle barrier he’d struggled to reach despite endless study.
Following HeavenlyMaiden, facing death multiple times, his magic skills had grown rapidly.
Romero instinctively knew this growth wasn’t limited to the game.
Staring at his hands, he muttered.
“…Is this really virtual reality?”
The greenhouse flower had finally left its cozy shelter and begun to sprout on its own.
————-
Knock! Knock!
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a haggard man entered.
“Editing’s done.”
Jegal Samdol, the youngest of the Extermination Squad, reported with a face as hollow as Romero’s.
He’d clearly been through his own war.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Snap!
Dam Wolrin folded her fan and ordered.
“Upload the mukbang first, then gaming, then outdoor in that order.”
“Understood.”
“And I sent more footage, so edit that too.”
“What? Already?”
“Why so surprised? Everyone knows our Sect Leader’s diligent.”
“When’s the deadline…?”
“Tomorrow.”
“…”
“What? No response? Got a problem?”
“N-No, ma’am.”
Jegal Samdol left, shoulders slumped.
Dam Wolrin watched his back, then turned her gaze.
Pang Deokjo, who’d been looking at the youngest with pity, flinched.
“Why so jumpy? Think I’ll eat you?”
“N-No, ma’am.”
“By the way, why hasn’t your leader come back?”
“No idea. I heard he grabbed a sword and left the village after getting thrashed by HeavenlyMaiden—er, the Sect Leader.”
“Dead?”
“…No way.”
Dam Wolrin tapped a box she’d set aside.
“Take this to the auction house and sell it gradually at a fair price. Don’t let the value drop.”
Pang Deokjo peeked inside and gasped.
“T-This is…!”
“Precious elixirs hand-gathered by the Sect Leader. Steal any, and it’ll be your funeral feast.”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
“Go.”
After Pang Deokjo left, Dam Wolrin stared at the elixirs she’d kept separate.
The real elixirs were there.
The ones she’d ordered Pang Deokjo to sell were less valuable, often used for alchemy.
Not that they weren’t precious.
“Hmm…”
Dam Wolrin looked out the window.
Elders strolled the streets or sat chatting warmly.
They seemed content with this peaceful life.
Why had they retired from the martial world?
Weren’t they tired of fighting?
After the Great Cataclysm and Rift War, they likely didn’t want to lose this hard-won tranquility.
Even these elixirs couldn’t persuade the masters of Hermit’s Grove.
Time’s running out.
The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament was approaching.
She’d promised her brother, so she had to convince them somehow… but no clear solution came to mind.
Yet.
“Eat first, think later?”
Her energy was low, and her brother had said to eat freely…
Dam Wolrin grabbed a handful of cold-natured elixirs and popped them into her mouth.
‘Mmm!’
Immense energy surged through her.
Focusing her mind, she entered meditation.
————
Knock! Knock!
“Editing’s done…”
Jegal Samdol froze as he tried to open the door.
It wouldn’t budge.
The handle was ice-cold.
“Brother Deokjo!”
“What’s wrong?”
“The door won’t open!”
“…Let me see.”
Crack!
Sensing something amiss, Pang Deokjo broke the door down.
“…!”
The room was completely frozen, white as snow.
“What the…?”
His breath was visible.
Jegal Samdol muttered in shock,
“No wonder it felt cold…!”
In the midst of the chill, Dam Wolrin opened her eyes.
A blue glint flashed in them.
Gulp.
Pang Deokjo realized her presence was entirely different from the day before.
With a supremely satisfied expression, Dam Wolrin murmured,
“Heh… I’ve finally reached Extreme Demonic.”
“Congratulations, sister!”
“Shut up!”
“…”
“Heh… I’ve got a good idea.”
Muttering as if struck by realization, her eyes half-closed,
“If persuasion’s tough, make an offer they can’t refuse.”
Pang Deokjo and Jegal Samdol felt an inexplicable chill.
