It had been three days since the second riot in Phuket, Thailand.

A lot of things happened, but to summarize it in three lines:

One. We eliminated the remnants of Pandemonium.

Two. We placed a hero colluding with the Secret Society into a key position within the Thai Hero Association.

Three. If we found the demon of Pandemonium, 'Hyangdan,' we just needed to kill her immediately.

Other factors were not important issues.

Laplace was dead, and now Nguyen was the top hero in Thailand.

The heroes who were aiding Laplace were so deeply involved in his corruption that a war crimes trial was necessary.

With the army under General Jeokrang wiped out, a massive division disappeared, creating a security vacuum for the country.

Until we returned the slaves from God's Resting Place to their hometowns, they were no different from refugees.

We needed to continue mental care for the children undergoing Marine Academy training by instructors and officials from Korea.

Not only on the Succubus Island but also among ordinary women, we needed to check if Laplace created any other dangerous elements.

The citizens were anxious due to the two riots in Phuket.

Journalists were uncovering and exposing the corruption of the murdered Prime Minister and other politicians.

'Those are not my concerns.'

If I had to point out one chaos related to me, it would be just one.

'Sephiroth.'

Everyone was confused about how to organize the process and results of this riot.

Amid this, the most important thing everyone agreed on was gathering information on the newly revealed organization.

-Looking for witnesses of the Sephiroth Knights!

-Who is this person called Joan of Arc?

-Who is this incredible being with ten Sephiroth Knights?

-Is he truly moving to protect humanity?

-Is it true that he came from the future and returned to the past?

-Is he a time traveler who mistakenly called himself a regressor?

The world was filled with all sorts of chaos, but I did not care at all.

Just.

"Oppa, how is it?"

"It's paradise. When did you learn this?"

"I learned it right after I knew we were coming to Thailand."

Gunggi and I were just enjoying our remaining vacation.

I lay naked on the massage bed, with Yun Hye-ra pressing my body and relieving my fatigue with the Thai massage she had practiced.

"Oppa, turn over."

"You'll do the front too?"

"Do you want me to skip it?"

"I'm completely naked right now."

"What's the big deal between you and me?"

"Are you planning to eat me up the moment you see me?"

"Oh my, you caught me."

No matter how chaotic the world was, no matter what work lay ahead, we would rest.

"Hye-ra, should I apply the oil?"

"It's my turn now. Where are you trying to escape by switching?"

"Even if you say that, you will be the one lying down during the real game."

"Hmph. I've been adapting continuously for several days, so I'm okay now. I can handle it."

Until my magic power was completely recovered, I had been ordered not to act, so our job now was to do our best to recover.

"Really? Truly?"

"Of course. You know I recover my magic power faster than you, right? You have to face me with just your physical strength, and if I use my magic, I'll win."

"Arrogant words. You think you can win against me? No chance."

"Lie down. I'll give you a proper massage."

"Oh my, I said my turn isn't over yet! And I can massage from above too."

"What kind of massage are you planning to give?"

"I'll press you hard, so stay still. Hehehe, then, I'll apply a lot of oil...."

"What are you doingㅡㅡㅡㅡ!"

We were really relaxed, enjoying a staycation at a hotel in Thailand.

Even if someone full of magic power appeared and shouted through the window, we focused on our rest.

"Did Se-rin come? How about joining us?"

"I'm working right now."

"We're working too. Resting is part of the job. Hurry and finish your work and come."

"The work isn't done until I find the information! Wow, this is too much. I come back from work, and you guys are getting massages and everything!"

She looked like she wanted to join, but the problem was that Doul was extremely busy right now.

Doul, Hyeon Se-rin, might look like that, but she's incredibly diligent.

"Hey, Yun Hye-ra. Can't you mobilize your subordinates and gather some information with the Brewers?"

"I've done all my work as Gunggi, and my team's work is also done. Doul's team should take over and work hard."

"Ugh, this is annoying! Why do I have to clean up the mess they made?"

"Because we ran out of mana."

"That's why the Chairman didn't tell us to stay in Bangkok!"

"But the Chairman is very satisfied with the results, isn't she, 'Black Dragoon Hesed'?"

"......."

I immediately grabbed Yun Hye-ra, who was making strange noises at me.

"Kyaak?!"

"I haven't even officially named it yet, but you're calling it by the name the world arbitrarily gave it. It seems you need some education."

"But people call it Hesed. The technique name you mentioned, 'Hesed Force,' was recorded in audio."

"Ugh..."

One of the Sephiroth Knights came to be known as 'Hesed.'

-Is he one of the Sephiroth Knights? But what's his name?

-I don't know. He hasn't said anything. It seems like he's searching for something, like the meaning of life.

-Didn't he say his name? Tsk. Let's see... Found it! Turn up the volume on this video!

-Se...S? Clearer...Hesed Force? Hey! Bring me the Sephiroth-related documents!

Since the concepts of spirituality and angels were pre-existing, people looked up those references and put a dragon slayer into the place of Hesed.

-Great! This 'Black Dragon Knight' is now Hesed!

-Then what about the other guy?

-...It's hard to confirm just by listening to the laughter. For now, place him anywhere. Unlike Hesed, he did give a specific name.

And in the other place was the Dark Charisma.

At the center, overseeing the ten Sephiroth, was Joan of Arc, a position filled by an actor hired by the chief.

All these were avatars of the Goblin.

The remaining eight positions had been somewhat outlined regarding the concept and 'form' they will take.

"Director Do, listen carefully. Next time, you'll unite with me and become a Sephiroth Knight!"

First, with the executives.

Unlike the Dark Charisma, who only received magic power, Black Dragoon Hesed displayed his ability based on Gunggi's magic property, 'flame.'

Naturally, if he were to base it on Doul's magic property, 'wind,' he would show a different form from both Dark Charisma and Hesed.

"...That's easier said than done."

"Find a concept somehow! Gunggi united with me and took a Sephiroth position; next time, you must unite with me and take one too!"

Hyeon Se-rin seems eager to act as a Sephiroth Knight herself.

"It's a must! Seeing the imaginative Goblin show new techniques like that, we can't just let it pass!"

It made sense because, for them, it's an indirect experience that helped them understand new ways to apply their abilities easily.

"Gunggi immediately learned Hesed's combat style and techniques, so can I expect something even better from you?"

"...Hmph."

Yun Hye-ra lightly stretched her arms to the sides.

Soon, the flames attached to her hands became giant claws, and the blades of fire extended forward.

"Jealous, Se-rin? Look at this? I got these right after uniting with Oppa."

"Ugh...!"

"Se-rin, why don't you just eat the Dark Charisma? It's good too."

"Hey! Yun Hye-ra, you gathered magic power with us! I don't want that! I'd rather have a silent warrior than a freak!"

"......."

To win against a rival, she would even go to the underworld in a living body, but being labeled as a freak is disheartening.

Next time, I'd have to show a more impressive side.

"Ugh, really! If only I could find that woman Hyangdan, I could unite and act as a Sephiroth Knight too...!"

Doul's current mission:

Pursuit.

They needed to find the demons of Pandemonium faster than anyone else in the world.

"Se-rin."

"What?"

"Fighting Hyangdan is Goblin's job, not the Sephiroth Knights."

"......Why?"

And dealing with Pandemonium should be the job of the Secret Society members, not the Sephiroth Knights.

"Although the Sephiroth Knights warned Pandemonium, defeating them is the job of the heroes or our Secret Society. We can't let the credit go to an avatar for removing the main shadow over Thailand."

"That makes sense."

Therefore.

"Hye-ra."

"Yes."

"I want to use a mana recovery cheat. Is it okay if it's not in Thailand?"

"Do we need to stay in Thailand anymore?"

Yun Hye-ra immediately got up, and I also finished dressing.

"Call for the private jet. Let's lie down and slowly return to Korea without using mana."

"...And me?"

"Se-rin, you stay in Thailand and find information."

"Wow, seriously...! Next time, call me instead of Yun Hye-ra. Got it? Promise!"

"Of course. If you find Hyangdan, I'll match you with a very cool knight."

There were still six demons of Pandemonium left.

"Let's go to Ulleungdo."

To our mana recovery spot.

---Chapter 258: We Rest Despite The Chaos (2)---

-Hey, they say a coup happened in Thailand?

-It's not the first time something like that has happened in Central America.

-Hey. Thailand is in Southeast Asia, you idiot!

-What? A coup in Thailand? Ah, I was planning to travel to Taiwan.

-Taiwan is not Thailand!

Sometimes, people didn't care whether there's a war or a coup happening in another country.

-Have some interest in what's going on!

-Why should I? Does my life change spectacularly if I care? I'm busy just making a living. If it's America, maybe! I have stocks in NASDAQ, so I care about that. Is there anything worth caring about?

-The Korean Marine Captain, Red Brassard, is currently training Laplace's abandoned children with his instructors!

-What? Marines? Ugh, isn't it just spreading their influence to another country?

Even if the news talked about this and that, and people on the internet discussed it, it rarely reached the general public.

-Anyway, something... Wow! Sephiroth Knights! So cool!

-The new article about them is quite decent. Last time, it was just some arrogant guy running wild.

-Really? No sense of restraint... is that it...?

However, when it's about extraordinary abilities that became global issues, the story felt different.

As soon as we got off the plane, people's conversations, smartphones, and earphones were filled with information about the Sephiroth Knights.

Not just in personal conversations, but in the media too.

"As soon as we arrived at the airport, the first thing I saw in the lobby was an analysis article on the Sephiroth Knights."

After coming out of Yangyang Airport's lobby and arriving in Korea with Yun Hye-ra, the first Korean broadcast we saw was a current affairs program on a wall-mounted TV.

[Sephiroth, what is it?]

To the general public, the term or concept of Sephiroth might be unfamiliar, so analysts were explaining what Sephiroth is and who Joan of Arc was in a way that people could easily understand.

-So what is Sephiroth, nerd?

-The Tree of Sephiroth is a diagram used in the Kabbalah, a mystical branch of Judaism...

-We don't need a guy reading from Wikipedia!

-Hmph. Just think of it as ten archangels!

-Oh, I kind of get it now.

That was good enough.

-So is the Dark Charisma an angel too?

-...You could roughly say they're an angel from the future sent to save humanity. In that sense, aren't they an angel? If the future is destroyed by demons, God could designate one human as His only begotten son.

-Is it like a futuristic version of the Second Coming of Jesus... complicated.

If a group called the 'Red Guards' caused a terror attack in the U.S., you could infer their purpose and principles from the name 'Red Guards.'

But unlike other groups, the Sephiroth Knights were probably good guys. At least they must be angels, meant to fight demons, right?

If that's the case, that's good.

Even though the name might be different, you can guess some of its characteristics from where the name was taken.

"Oppa. Are people in Korea interested in the Sephiroth Knights too?"

"Well, they did show their strength by smashing Susanoo's head in Busan's offshore. They must be satisfied knowing there's another Sephiroth Knight... wait a minute."

As we were about to leave the airport lobby, a man holding a red megaphone was shouting loudly.

"The Sephiroth Knights are the salvation sent to us by God!!"

"......."

It's not uncommon to see someone shouting in crowded places, but it's rare in this era of extraordinary abilities.

"Believe in God!"

[Adapted to the era of extraordinary abilities, the S+ rank ability users sent from the future to the past are to deal with the demons. In other words, the demons of this Pandemonium are extremely dangerous and serious threats....]

As the man's shouting overlapped with a woman's phone analysis broadcast through her speaker, it was clear the effect of the Chief revealing the Sephiroth Knights publicly was significant.

"Scary... So a guy like Duoexini caused chaos in Thailand too?"

"I wondered why Goblin went to Thailand. Turns out he went to execute Duoexini's friend."

"Judging by the lack of mention from society, they probably missed him? Ah, damn. Hope he doesn't come to Korea out of anger."

"Hey. Isn't it fine since we have Dark Charisma in Korea?"

People were getting agitated.

The civilians who heard the stories from the media are worried about various things, but those in Korea were more concerned about the trouble spreading to their country.

"Ah, man. Demons appearing is already troublesome enough, but there are even worse demons that require such monsters to step up?"

"Relax. Duoexini is dead in Korea. One appeared in Thailand, so next time it will be another country, right?"

"Right? Damn. Hope it appears in another country."

It's a natural concern in a way.

"Hopefully the neighboring country... haha."

"Why are you saying such scary things?"

"Well, what does it matter? We were already hit once. As long as it's not us. As long as it's not meee!"

No matter how globalized the world was, if there's turmoil in Phuket, Thailand, and missiles fell on the city, it didn't have a direct impact on the Korean Peninsula.

"Hey, honestly, I want to see another Sephiroth Knight. Aren't you curious about what kind of extraordinary ability users came from the future?"

"Sigh... It would be nice if we could make their future technology ours. People are already mimicking the Dark Charisma's techniques."

"Exactly. Soon there will be more people wearing claws on both hands. Haha."

Even if a meteorite fell on the opposite side of the Earth, if its damage didn't affect here at all, it would just be an interesting issue to watch.

"Oppa. Let's just go."

Yun Hye-ra pulled my hand.

Seeing that I was paying attention to people's voices, she covered my ears with her hands and pulled me along.

"There's no need to stress over hearing that. People would think differently if they directly experienced what happened in Thailand. Right?"

"...I guess so."

"Oppa."

"Sometimes, I get these thoughts."

I held Yun Hye-ra's hand and left the airport.

The car prepared by Yun Hye-ra's subordinates was waiting for us in the parking lot. I put Yun Hye-ra in the passenger seat before sitting in the driver's seat.

"They say knowledge is power, but sometimes, knowledge is poison."

"Ignorance is bliss?"

"Yeah."

That's how it felt.

I had always felt that way whenever I encountered the darkness of this world, but every time I faced this darkness, the 'protagonist' must have had his mentality chipped away.

"No matter how strong someone's mentality is, they still get stressed. I do too. But now, I think I'm more stressed than when I entered the underground island of the succubus."

"When you see people who know nothing?"

"Yeah. It's not that it's their fault, but it feels a bit that way."

It might have seemed like the women beside him were healing him, but whenever the protagonist saw the terrible malice of humans in the dark world, I wondered if his heart was truly healed.

"Really, the stress is beyond words."

Sometimes, I got these thoughts too.

"I think it's right to wipe everything out."

The meteor was right.

If all humanity could be euthanized simultaneously by a meteor collision and the destruction of Earth, wouldn't it bring peace to those suffering all over the world?

Sometimes I thought that maybe the answer was for everyone to go to the afterlife together harmoniously.

But.

"...Still, wouldn't the Chairman worry about this more than I do?"

Thinking about someone who worried and suffered more about this than I did, my thoughts changed.

The woman who knew everything about the world, even seeing the future, did not give up on this world.

Instead, she created the Secret Society and decided to save the world.

She decided to conquer the world herself and unify the system, bringing awareness to the world by revealing the Sephiroth Knights.

In that case, I only supported and followed the Chief's decision.

"Hye-ra."

"Yeah."

"If the Chief decided not to conquer the world but to destroy it all, what would you do?"

"...Hmm."

Yun Hye-ra, who was booking a ticket to Ulleungdo from the passenger seat, laughed.

"Oppa. Do you know?"

Yun Hye-ra winked at me with an innocent face.

"Just a year ago... around this time. Before you started making your name known in earnest, we had that kind of talk among ourselves."

"What kind of talk?"

"Just, wouldn't it be better to wipe out everything except for one country."

Flinch.

"All the other executives agreed. Why? Because they had all been betrayed by humans, by nations, by people. They only had thoughts of wanting to wipe everything out."

For a moment, my hands on the steering wheel paused.

"And now?"

"Not anymore."

Yun Hye-ra's hand stroked my thigh.

"We found a reason to live. Hehe."

"...That's a relief."

I gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Oppa. Until we get on the boat, I need to recharge my magic power."

"If we get stopped at a checkpoint, sort it out quickly."

"If we say we're going to Ulleungdo, they'll just let us through, right?"

"..."

"Stop. ...Pass!"

What was this reality?

---Chapter 259: We Rest Despite The Chaos (3)----

After arriving at Ulleungdo via Sejong Island by boat.

"Yeah, it's okay. You don't need to worry at all. Any injuries? None at all. ...Wow, Seol-hee, I didn't expect you to care not only for my body but also my mind. I'm touched. Next time we meet, I'll repay you double for the comfort you've given me. Yeah. You can look forward to it."

"Yes, Yumir. Oh, me? I'm more worried about you. The Laplace incident. Oh, you did well. Thank you for saying that, and I'm sorry for worrying you from afar. No, no. I'm currently dealing with 'this side' of things, so I'll contact you after my business trip when it's convenient. No need to come. Yes. Thanks for worrying."

I contacted Baek Seol-hee and Yumir to check in.

Since I was still concerned about the affairs of the Secret Society, especially the Goblin, I had to keep in touch with both of them.

"...Sigh."

Three minutes of phone calls.

Sometimes, the need to quickly convey everything within three minutes due to Cheonriyan could be helpful.

Though we kept exchanging texts, once I mentioned I was going to 'wash up,' they stopped sending messages.

"Oppa, are you done with your calls?"

"Yeah. ...Where's your swimsuit?"

"Why would we need swimsuits between us?"

Yun Hye-ra dipped directly into the hot spring.

Not just dipped, she sat right in front of me, pressing her hips against me.

"Why are you pushing that to such an inappropriate place? What if someone sees?"

"Who would see us recovering our mana here?"

"Well, that's true."

Ulleungdo.

Secretly observing or watching others here was a serious crime.

Voyeurism was an act that disrupted patriotism, obstructed Ulleungdo culture, and negatively impacted national security and world peace.

"Hum, hum, hum."

"Do you like it that much?"

"Of course. In Thailand, we never knew when or where something might explode, or when we'd have to go out again."

As Yun Hye-ra said, we had to stay on high alert in Thailand.

We never knew when someone might cause trouble, and after Hyangdan's identity was revealed, we had to move even faster.

In comparison, Ulleungdo was different.

Though incidents still happened here, at least we could lay down all worries for a moment in this place.

"Oppa, can you give me a massage?"

"Sure. Where should I start?"

"Mana pouch."

"...You're direct, really."

"But you'll do it, right? Right?"

"Of course."

I held Yun Hye-ra's mana pouch and pressed firmly, as she requested.

"Haah... Oppa's hands are the best. I feel alive every time you touch me."

"......."

Though there were no muscle knots, I couldn't help but feel she was slightly reduced compared to when we left Korea.

"You've used a lot of magic power."

"Yes. Even if I recover here, I might need at least two months of rest without any combat."

"Have I called you too often?"

"Well, it's more because I mainly operated in Korea."

I received a lot of help from Gunggi.

"Since the Dojirider days, I've often used Gunggi as my partner. During the Duoexini incident, I received help from Doul, but thinking about it, I've been with you a lot this time."

Considering the amount of mana used since April and the recent frequent use of high-mana consumption skills like teleportation, she definitely needs a long rest.

"I think I'll have to report to the Chairman and take about two months to recuperate here."

"On Ulleungdo?"

"Yes. It's comfortable for you to have someone here. Ah, of course, I won't interfere with your patriotism with others. I'll just take care of the house and recover my mana here."

"And you'll rush in if something triggers."

"If it's hard to raid the Goblin alone, I'll step in to support."

"You'll support for a bit and then retire immediately?"

"Oppa, I'm still one of the Four Heavenly Kings."

Yun Hye-ra pouted and nudged me with her body.

"Do you think I'm a common mob? I'm not a mob."

It didn't hurt much because we were in the hot spring, but Yun Hye-ra kept pushing back, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"You're strong; it's not that I'm weak. Do you understand? I'm pretty average."

"That's true. Seeing you unleash your mana every time, I sometimes get confused if it's Gunggi or Dochul in front of me. ...Ugh."

"Which mouth is saying such strange things? Hmm? What are you talking about?"

"Not a fire type but a water type... okay, sorry."

I patted Yun Hye-ra's shoulder as she reached back, then hugged her from behind, clasping her hands.

"I thought you'd be happy if I used my body to the best of my ability for you, but it seems that's not the case."

"It's not that. Oppa's vitality is just too much. What would you have done if you weren't a villain?"

"Who knows. Maybe I'd be working at a host club in Busan."

The name Virile Man Do was not in vain.

I had built my body and managed it to be like this now, but before that, it was quite a mess in many ways.

Even though people talk about how neat I was now, this was the result of my diligent efforts over the years.

I was naturally agile, not strong, and my strength was enough to lift and lower a woman with both hands repeatedly.

Most importantly, with the support of magic power, strength didn't really matter.

"Like the succubi in Thailand, I might have become an incubus in Busan, spreading pleasure to many women."

"Well, in that case, you might have been dragged to some island to become a breeder. Or, a more definitive conclusion might have occurred."

Yun Hye-ra squeezed my hand tightly and turned her head back.

"You might have ended up being tied to some S-class ability user's leash, stuck at her house forever. How about that? Doesn't that scare you?"

"And why would she imprison me?"

"Well... maybe because she loves you?"

"In that case, there's no need to tie me up."

I buried my face in Yun Hye-ra's shoulder and pulled her closer so she couldn't escape from my embrace.

"If a woman loves me enough to risk the rumors of imprisoning a man, I'd just live in her house forever."

"...Really? Even if you couldn't go outside?"

"It would be nice if the house were spacious. Like an 80-pyeong penthouse where I could walk around and exercise without needing to go out."

If someone fed, housed, and provided everything for me, there might be no need to go outside.

"And if I could assure her I wouldn't escape, she'd eventually take me out on dates, right? We could walk around together and enjoy the outside air then."

"Oppa, you're really something. How can you think like that?"

"I'm an indoor type. As you know, I don't like going out much."

"Didn't you go out a lot and have fun?"

"That was just because there were many things I wanted to try."

I just wanted to experience various cultures of another world, this novel-like Earth.

Back in the original world, there would be many things I couldn't actually do, whether because of money or abilities.

"You know what I love the most."

"Reading novels?"

"Exactly."

The four executives and the chief all knew about my hobby.

"Do you know what's the best thing about joining the Secret Society?"

"What is it?"

"The chief understands my hobby and is now whipping authors to make them write."

They said creativity came from pain.

So, did that mean giving pain would produce creative works?

Continue writing! Continue writing! Continue writing!!

A suspiciously purple-haired, wealthy ability user would be wielding a red whip, urging captured writers somewhere.

"Thanks to that, there's been a humanities boom since the beginning of the year. Although it started more in Europe than in Korea... I just hope it becomes more active in Korea someday."

That red whip, metaphorically money, is being wielded, and somewhere in a basement, writers are creating new worlds with a single keyboard.

"I hope literature for children gradually shifts to stories for adults, just like now."

"...Is that the reformed succubus, Big Mother story?"

"For now."

Maybe because my magic power had somewhat recovered, real-world thoughts were coming back.

"What's the role of Big Mothers? Taking care of children, right? So they should create fairy tales for children."

The chief was bringing in web novel authors to squeeze out works for my hobby, but what she 'truly' squeezed out were fairy tales for children, including infants.

She focused on creating fairy tales that future generations could read, ensuring that children didn't become demons and fostering their emotional development.

A fairy tale book that gave dreams and hopes without unexpected videos popping up was more effective than any video medium.

"When the Secret Society rules the world someday, I'll also... hmm?"

A text message arrived.

"...What?"

An unexpected sender suddenly sent a message.

"Who is it?"

"...A ghost."

I pressed my Taeguk Watch and called the sender.

[Hello? Ah, hyung. It's...]

"Hyung is patriotically serving in Ulleungdo. Hang up."

[...]

Click.

"...Oppa, that voice just now."

"Yeah. It was Gwang Ik Gong."

The number one in Korea.

"How dare he."

Calling during a sacred patriotic act in Ulleungdo.

"Oppa, if it were a girl, you would have continued the call."

"......."