‘Water Spirit? Haven’t seen one.’
‘Thank you for the Floating Ship! I haven’t seen any spirits!’
‘I saw their activity, and it really cleared my mind to see those Magic Engineering guys. Hm? Spirits are usually hard to see…’
December 30.
Just one day left until the Great Cataclysm update.
Leo and I wandered through countless ranker guilds, but we ultimately couldn’t find any information related to the Water Spirit.
I mean, I’ve been living in the sea for nearly a month and couldn’t find it, so what chance do the other guilds have?
Leo sighed with a white ice fox wrapped around his neck.
“Phew…”
“It seems like it’ll only show up when the sun sets. With no one knowing this much.”
“Yeah… You did well…”
“You too, Lord Leo.”
After visiting the rank 5 Chaos Guild, Leo returned to the Empire for serious preparations.
So far, I’ve visited a total of 24 upper guilds.
Among them, 7 are ranked in the top 10, and 17 are within the top 50, with quite a few guilds refusing my visit.
“……”
Honestly, I don’t think everyone is genuinely interested in fighting the World Boss.
Some are there for profit, while others are looking to score big during this opportunity.
And some might even go beyond that, trying to seize what others have in the chaotic moments.
Just like Magic Engineering did.
‘As long as they keep it reasonable.’
I’ve had enough experience with villains.
The world has plenty of lunatics, and among them are the twisted ones who want to dominate the world with their feeble powers.
Those guys are subjects for elimination, but as long as they don’t cross the line, I’m thinking of just watching for now.
I’m not the Lily of the past.
And those types can surprisingly help when dealing with external enemies.
[Do you want to log out?]
“Yes.”
A light enveloped me.
■
Kiiing…
The login device’s door opened, and I slipped out into reality.
The Chaos Guild had kept me quite occupied, and it was already dark outside.
‘10 PM.’
In just 2 hours, it’ll be December 31.
The last day of the year.
It has already been over 10 months since I returned to Earth.
I was busy back then, but the journey of the last 10 months has been remarkable in terms of life’s density.
So many things happened, and while it wasn’t fierce, I connected with countless people.
I stepped into the living room, momentarily lost in thought.
Beyond the glass window overlooking the Han River, white snowflakes were falling.
Beyond it, pure white snow is falling.
Not too much, just a visually pleasing amount of snow.
For a moment, I stare blankly at it before shifting my gaze to the computer.
The computer has been beeping constantly since earlier.
As I sit down, the Discord room is going crazy with notifications.
Everyone is in the call room.
Ding.
“You all gathered, huh?”
—Hello.
—Lady Lily!
—You made it, boss! I have something to suggest!!
“What is it?”
—Let’s have a year-end party!
“Year-end party?”
—Yep!
“Hmm…”
A party…
Actually, the Great Cataclysm has made this year’s end feel like the calm before a storm, whereas the end of the year used to be a festival that wrapped up the past events.
There’s even an official broadcast planned to wrap up the year for Deoen, along with a small showcase to reveal updates.
Of course, the showcase is not officially happening from Deoen but is being organized by the Korean branch based on some information.
“Deoen is all about mystery.”
—Let’s find a nice spot in Deoen, enjoy the official broadcast, and eat together!
—…But isn’t the Kraken going to show up right after the Great Cataclysm starts?
—Oh come on! There’s no way they’d be that stingy, right? They’d give us at least a day.
As the call continues, the editor, White Autumn, excitedly chimes in.
—What do you think? What do you think? We all agreed.
—Did your sister just make everyone agree?
—No, everyone said it was fine. Right? Battery, Hyuji?
—Um… I’m okay with it.
—But whether Lady Lily will be in it…
The editors and managers glance around nervously.
Naturally, they are just regular folks.
They have no broadcasting experience other than the food vlog they shot on Kiki Island last time.
Moreover, editors and managers are basically assistants to the streamers, and there were quite a few people who looked down on them appearing on the actual broadcast.
In fact, I’ve heard that since that day, our staff received malicious emails.
“Right. Anyway, I was planning to just relax and view it on the last day.”
—Oh!
“Instead, let’s make it so only those who want to participate can join. Just a heads up, it’ll be like watching TV, so don’t worry too much.”
—You’re the best, boss!
“And, White Autumn, you are to complete the third part of the Magic Engineering visit before the party tomorrow.”
—Ugh.
■
The location is the stadium where DCK unfolded within Deoen.
A fantastical reconstruction of a real-world stadium, where countless users had watched matches.
The stadium was a fantasy reimagined place where countless users had enjoyed watching matches.
“I watched it with Yena in reality.”
Anyway, it’s said that the year’s grand event and official broadcast will be held there.
By the way, I got contacted to participate in the event and grace the occasion, but I declined due to being busy.
Still, they gave me a VIP invitation, so if I decide to go, I can anytime.
Swish…
“I should spend the last of the year with my staff.”
They work tirelessly day and night to ensure that the NewTube and community broadcasts run smoothly, often unnoticed from behind.
Even with a hefty paycheck, managing channels with fluctuating millions every day isn’t easy.
But they’ve been doing great with a select elite group, without any special noise, for months.
Swish…
So, from a villa in Elbrite with a great view of the night sky, I’ll spend the last of the year…
Swish…
“Ah.”
Whoosh!
I rise from my seat.
December 31st.
A day to wrap up the year nicely.
It would be great to end it on a good note.
“Of all days, it has to be the last day…”
I clutch my dizzy head with one hand.
Golden-hued water shining brightly drenches my head.
In the sky, a dark crimson aura flows, while on the ground, golden waves I just scooped up with my hands are streaming.
Beyond there, a chilling white frost envelops everything.
On the opposite end, a circulating red energy writhes restlessly.
Finally, this space where I sit.
‘My soul.’
I am dreaming.
“What’s up? Hello, sis?”
A blood-stained casket opens from the sky, and Lasty descends gracefully.
A doll-like girl with eyes like red gemstones.
“I’m dreaming.”
“Dream?”
Lasty tilts her head curiously.
“I haven’t dreamed since breaking the heirloom casket, and it’s on the last day that I finally do…”
“What are you talking about, sis?”
“Lasty, whether in dreams or reality, you’re the same. After all, to a vampire, dreaming is just another part of daily life…”
Swish!
Psssh!
“…!”
Lasty’s pale aura brushes across my cheek.
A strike filled with the blood of dozens of kingdoms.
In an instant, blood flows to my cheek, waking me with a faint pain.
Here…
“Still think it’s a dream?”
“…Reality?”
“Yeah. I don’t understand why you think it’s a dream, since you came here yourself.”
“……”
Spreading the Holy.
The pure white light extends into the Space of Despair and investigates the structure of the space.
“……”
That’s right.
This is truly the space within my soul.
“…Why?”
“Well… I’ve been so busy that I might have spaced out for a moment.”
“That can’t be.”
My mind is in a fairly protected state.
If a brief fatigue could bring me down, I wouldn’t have been able to endure everything that’s happened so far.
More than anything, since that day, mental attacks against me have…
“By the way, the Black Cloud is sleeping, and the Dragon and Horse are playing with each other. The Pharaoh is with Deoen.”
“……”
“I’m taking a short break after watching Candy Star. Oh, and the Demon King of the One said he really enjoyed my performance.”
“……”
“Maybe I poked the Life Vessel too much, and now he seems a bit slow─”
“What are you hiding?”
Lasty shuts her mouth.
In the Space of Despair, Lasty is an existence comparable to the Upper Demon Race.
She possesses a stronger power than the Kraken, known as the Disaster, but in this space, she can never surpass me.
“What are you hiding behind you? It’s so obvious.”
Lasty’s doll-like face smiles softly.
The Veil of Blood that covered the back disappears, revealing a girl even smaller than Lasty.
The girl had her back turned to Lasty, and through Lasty’s thin figure, I could see her blue hair and pure white skin…
“…Ah.”
“I’m used to waiting, but I didn’t expect you to not come until a year had passed.”
Is she not ready yet?
The girl hiding behind Lasty asks.
I stared at the girl quietly.
‘I see.’
Beep─!
I awakened from the dream.
■
Beep─! Beep─! Beep─!
“……”
Sunlight pierces through the window and shines on my eyes.
The alarm ringing loudly after a long time.
After turning off the alarm, I checked the time.
07:00
7 AM.
The time I usually wake up.
It seems it’s still not time.
I let out a small sigh, tidied my bed, and stepped out of the room.
Today is the last day of the year.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
