“Where am I?”
Ian asked in bewilderment as he gazed at the pitch-black scenery surrounding him. He recalled his last memory before losing consciousness.
‘I think I ended up here after taking a sneak attack from the Water Demon for Aetherinra.’
Just thinking about that Water Demon made Ian’s blood boil. He had clearly delivered the finishing blow and confirmed it was dead as a doornail—how could it have pulled off a sneak attack? In the game, that Water Demon didn’t have any resurrection skills.
Ian was utterly perplexed.
However, now was not the time for such thoughts. He had to get back; otherwise, Aetherinra and Elise would likely be in grave danger facing the Water Demon alone.
But where exactly was he? Which way led back to the Boss Room?
[Host, you are currently inside my System Space.]
“System? You’re active?”
Ian was surprised to hear the System’s voice. After all, the System had never taken the initiative to speak to him before.
[It is because of you that I had no choice but to intervene.]
“Because of me?”
Ian was clearly confused. He didn’t understand what the System had actually done. Perhaps sensing his confusion, the System offered an explanation.
[Do you truly believe that with your current body, you could withstand a full-power strike from that Water Demon completely unscathed?]
Hearing the System’s words, Ian realized that despite taking a direct hit from the Water Demon, his body didn’t feel injured at all.
“So you blocked that hit for me?”
[Yes. To block that strike for you, I had to expend more than half of my remaining energy.]
[I estimate it will take at least a month to recover.]
“I couldn’t help it. I did it to protect the heroine,” Ian muttered.
[Sigh.]
The System let out a heavy sigh.
[Since you are still within the System Space, you may ask your questions here. I can answer a few for you.]
At this, Ian’s eyes lit up. This was the first time the System had offered to explain things. Previously, no matter what he asked, the System remained silent. Now, he could finally ask the questions that had been weighing on his mind.
“Why did you have me transmigrate into Ian’s body?”
This was the question Ian wanted to ask most, and the one he understood the least. If the goal was to defeat the Demon God, why wasn’t he sent into the body of the protagonist, Veronica? Why send him into Ian, a mere cannon fodder villain?
[Do you truly believe you are a transmigrator?]
“What do you mean?”
Judging by the System’s tone, was he not actually a transmigrator?
[In truth, I simply helped you skip through some timelines.]
“Timelines?”
This was the first time Ian had heard this term.
[The identity of ‘Ian’ was originally meant to be your reincarnation. I simply brought your soul here ahead of schedule.]
Hearing the System’s explanation, Ian finally understood why he had been placed in this body. He also understood why his appearance from his previous life was so similar to Ian’s. They were fundamentally the same person, just existing on different timelines.
“Why do this?”
Even knowing he and Ian were one and the same, he still didn’t understand why the System had pulled him into this specific timeline.
[To deal with the Invaders.]
‘Invaders? Is it talking about that person in black from before?’
“What kind of people are the Invaders?”
[The Invaders are…]
Before the System could finish, the dark space around Ian began to slowly dissolve. Realizing its energy was nearly depleted, the System bid Ian farewell.
[Alright, time is up. Remember, I cannot intervene again for a month.]
[So, stay on your best behavior during this month. Do not fall into any more life-threatening danger.]
[Otherwise, the only thing awaiting you is true death.]
The System warned Ian sternly. However, Ian wasn’t listening closely to the warning; instead, he shouted anxiously.
“Wait! You haven’t finished! What kind of people are the Invaders?”
[In time, you will find out naturally.]
Leaving Ian without an answer, the System vanished after that final sentence.
“Damn it, this System won’t even spare a few extra words.”
The answer had been right there, yet it refused to say it. How was he supposed to take precautions? He wanted to know who the Invaders were and what their goals were so he could prevent them from acting.
However, he was certain that the person in black who attacked Veronica was definitely an Invader. Otherwise, how would they know Veronica was the Daughter of Destiny?
The problem was he didn’t know if there was only one Invader or an entire team. If it was just one person, he might manage to cope, but a whole team would be disastrous.
‘Forget it, don’t think about that for now. The priority is to get back to the Boss Room and protect Aetherinra and Elise.’
Ian shook his head to clear his thoughts. Recalling the force of the Water Demon’s final strike, he knew that it had become much stronger after its resurrection. Aetherinra already had her hands full with the original version; with it being even more powerful now, she and Elise stood no chance.
He had to get back. Even if he couldn’t win, he had to get them out of there. At the very least, he had to ensure they didn’t die.
‘But… where am I?’
Ian looked around at the eerie, gloomy surroundings and asked himself. After leaving the System Space, he realized the impact from the Water Demon had sent him flying to some unknown location.
“Hahaha! I never expected it… I never expected that a member of the Human Race would actually show up here!”
“Who’s there?”
Hearing the sinister voice, Ian immediately went on high alert. As his words fell, a plume of black mist materialized out of thin air in front of him. As the mist receded, the figure of a four-foot-seven loli appeared.
“My name is the Dark Goddess. I hold dominion over all the dark origins of this world.”
“Submit to me, human.”
The Dark Goddess wore a haughty expression, as if she already saw Ian kneeling before her.
“Wait, who are you supposed to be?”
Ian didn’t take this loli—who had suddenly appeared claiming to be a goddess—seriously at all.
“Little sister, are you lost? How about big brother takes you out of here in a bit, okay?” Ian said in a tone one would use to coax a child.
“Urgh… urgh…!”
It was as if she had been poked in a sore spot. The loli’s cheeks puffed up with rage, looking like a gas tank about to explode.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit! You actually dared to treat me like a child!”
The Dark Goddess hated being treated like a child more than anything in the world. She decided right then and there that she had to teach this human a lesson.