Luke ground his teeth together as his call failed to go through once again. I Can Pick? What the hell kind of name was I Can Pick? Though, he did have a faint idea of what had happened. Khrx must’ve triggered an event that allowed for the naming of their empire and voiced his thoughts out loud. Luke sighed as he kicked the corpse of the god by his feet and shook his head. He supposed there were worse names out there. Like Sneksnek. Khrx’s sense when it came to naming was a disaster comparable to the burning of the holy islands.

After Luke’s call failed to go through once again, he sighed and dismissed the phone interface, revealing the message behind it.

[Quest complete!]

[You’ve slain the god of butterflies and flowers. Are you proud? Jax is.]

[Rewards: 5,000 Achievement Points. The bonus of Jax’s Champion is doubled.]

Luke squatted next to the god’s corpse and rummaged around, but as usual, there was nothing of interest. The game wasn’t very generous with item drops; after all, it wouldn’t be very fair if the fate of the world was hinged on lucky drops. Speaking of the fate of the world, the moon turning black and becoming someone’s mana vessel concerned him but not enough to leave the game. If it was just the moon, the various governments of the world could handle it. He’d take advantage of that fact and push forward in [Resolution]; though, the six countries Lorin interfered with would probably be tasked with handling the problem. There was no chance they’d be able to win the game or make a comeback after being set back by six days during the early game.

“Hey.”

Luke took his hands off the god’s corpse and raised his head. The voice belonged to that annoying woman—the hero’s descendent, Anaheim Miehana. How was she always able to find him even when she logged out to eat and sleep? He was at the center of a labyrinth for heaven’s sake.

“Don’t ignore me. Aren’t you going to say something after I spent so much time tracking you down?”

Luke sighed. “If only your strength were as great as your ability to follow me like a dog,” he said and shook his head. “Wouldn’t that be great?”

Anaheim placed her hands on her hips. “There’s just something about you that I can sense,” she said. “Is this what people call fate?” Her brow furrowed as she muttered, “Love at first sight? Impossible.”

Luke’s expression darkened as he packed the god’s corpse into a box which he lugged over his shoulder. Why were all the hero’s descendants idiots? He shook his head. It was a good thing for him, at least.

“Hey,” Anaheim said, following after him as he plodded along. “What’s with the weird empire name? How did you even establish an empire anyway? I’ve been doing some research on [Resolution], and there were lots of comments saying empires were still at least a month away. Just who are you, really?”

Luke chose not to answer. What was he supposed to say?

“I’m serious, don’t ignore me,” Anaheim said, trotting to keep up with Luke’s increased pace. “How are you more capable than the governments of the world? They have millions of players supporting them, but you’re able to stay at the head of the game with basically just yourself and Aaz’Tala.” She frowned when Luke didn’t respond. “As I see it, there are three options: one, you’re a seer and can see the future. Two, you’re a head developer on the [Resolution] team. Three, you’re really the demon lord.”

“How did you come to the conclusion of me being the demon lord from something like winning at a game?” Luke’s expression darkened even further. Wasn’t this girl’s thought process too eccentric? How did Khrx even meet her? That lizard was definitely plotting against him. Fufu wasn’t going to be fed tonight either.

“Isn’t it simple? The demon lord has always been the nemesis of mankind and only the hero can defeat him,” Anaheim said. “Ordinary people stand no chance against him. If he decided to play [Resolution], he’d definitely be the top player.”

“Khrx is ahead on the achievement leaderboards,” Luke said.

“We both know that’s because of Lorin,” Anaheim said. “But you, you’re miles ahead of the third place person while playing the game properly. It really makes you suspect. But the real reason why I suspect you’re the demon lord is that forum post Aaz’Tala made.”

“Which one?”

“The one that’s calling for all monsters to play [Resolution] and join the guild Paradise because the demon lord is leading it. And don’t tell me it’s roleplay! I’ve seen the recruits in the training barracks—they speak in monstertongue!”

“We’re very avid roleplayers,” Luke said with a straight face, turning to look at Anaheim. “Everyone knows the demon lord died over a thousand years ago.”

“Who says he wasn’t reborn? He could be biding his time and laying low! No, I’m certain he is; otherwise, this stupid curse would be gone already.”

“Well, I’m not the demon lord. How many times do I have to tell you this?”

“Meet me in real life and I’ll believe you!”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Outside is a very scary place,” Luke said. He kicked open the gates of the labyrinth and stepped outside into the sunlight. He put his fingers to his lips and let out an ear-piercing whistle. A cow ran towards him from within a nearby forest and knelt in front of him. He swung one leg over the cow’s back and mounted it, still holding onto the crate with the god’s body inside. Before he could give the cow orders to leave, Anaheim took a seat behind him, hugging his waist.

“I’ll make Khrx tell me where you live,” Anaheim said, gritting her teeth. “I won’t be so forgiving then!”

“He doesn’t know where I live,” Luke said. “And I plan to keep it that way.”

“Aren’t you two friends?” Anaheim asked.

“Yeah,” Luke said with a nod. The cow rose to its feet and dashed towards the forest. “But Khrx is a walking disaster. Misfortune falls upon anyone’s residence he visits. And he still insists he’s lucky despite that.”

“Just making sure, but you know Khrx is a dragon, right? An actual dragon, not a persona.”

“Don’t be silly,” Luke said. “How can Khrx be an actual dragon?”

Anaheim’s brow furrowed. “You really don’t know?” She leaned forward, pressing her chest against Luke’s back as her face crept passed his shoulder. She stared into his eyes. “Hmm…”

Luke snorted and pressed his palm against Anaheim’s face, squishing her nose and causing her to yelp. “If you continue to be this annoying, I’ll have my mount throw you off.”

Anaheim ground her teeth as she leaned back and rubbed her nose. When had anyone dared to press their palm against her face like that? She leaned forward and sunk her teeth into Luke’s shoulder, biting as hard as she could.

“The hell!?” Luke shouted as he wrenched his body forward. A wave of mana surged from his body, tossing Anaheim off of the cow, sending her tumbling to the ground.

[Lukroix Adveign Desrigard has kicked Anaheim Miehana from the guild.]

After flipping through the menu, Luke waved his hand at Anaheim. “Hell’s Embrace.” Before she could react, black flames engulfed her body, instantly killing her. Luke snorted at the ashes she left behind and rubbed his shoulder. The hero had been just as unreasonable. Clearly, her idiocy had been passed down to her descendants. He should really remove that blessing the saintess put on the hero and her lineage. It was ironic how Anaheim was calling it a curse. But to do that, he’d have to leave his hiding place in reality, and if he did that, Khrx would definitely find him, which would lead to Fufu’s retrieval. And until he accomplished his goals, he couldn’t let Khrx reunite with Fufu.

***

[Lukroix Adveign Desrigard has kicked Anaheim Miehana from the guild.]

[Your lover, Anaheim Miehana, has been slain by Lukroix Adveign Desrigard.]

Khrx scratched his head at the rectangular screens which appeared in front of his face. He dismissed them and shrugged.

“What happened?” Lorin asked.

“I’m not sure,” Khrx said as he rummaged through his basket of candy. Opricles had kept his end of the deal and gave Khrx his promised reward after arriving in Tahens. Khrx had even received a request to kill barbarians around the city, which were clearly players of the settlements Lorin had destroyed as pointed out by the quest description. “Luke expelled Anaheim from the guild and killed her.”

Lorin tilted her head. “Why would he do that? He seemed like a rational person.”

Khrx shrugged. “Like I said, I’m not sure. Maybe they were fighting over treasure. They’re always together, aren’t they?”

Ring, ring.

Khrx dismissed Luke’s call.

Ring, ring.

And Anaheim’s.

[Your VR drive is being forcibly removed. Logging out in two seconds.]

Khrx sighed. “Why can’t they just let me play the game in peace?”

Instead of being given an answer, his vision went dark.

***

Awakening Cycle 1,072,362: Day 20.

Dear Diary,

Sometimes, I feel like I’m not in control of my life. I’ve been feeling that a lot this awakening cycle. I think more choices have been made for me than I’ve made for myself. It’s a very frustrating feeling. A very, very frustrating one. First, Fufu was kidnapped and I was forced to play a game. Then, the game bullied me because of my transformation that I wasn’t even allowed to pick because of Luke. Now, I’m caught between the quarrel of the hero’s descendant and the demon lord. Despite all the good I’ve done for the world, why am I so unlucky? Where are the good things that’re supposed to happen to me because of my good karma? Dragons are lucky, but why do my blessings always come in the shape of misfortune? When I was just starting to enjoy the game, I was forcibly taken out of it. And I can’t even do anything about it because the person who removed my helmet is an unkillable, broken, cheat-like existence. I’m upset, and I miss Fufu. The next time the world starts to end, I’m not going to stop it.

Love,

Khrx