"...What?"

"Congratulations. From now on, you'll be able to know everything about this world."

The boy introduced his ability as a demon. With a devilish grin, he spoke to the girl.

"So that your ability will never work again."

"Eek...?!"

Panicking, the girl quickly reviewed the current situation. Killing the boy right now? Impossible. If she did, the story would be completely ruined.

She wanted to see a sweet love story between the protagonist and the reader, not a tragic tale of regret and loss.

But leaving the boy alone meant he would continue saying the most terrifying things from her perspective.

If the boy's claims were true, if he could indeed make her powerless...

Then he would probably take out the eye inside his body immediately.

That would be the end.

The world must have already sensed something was wrong.

The moment the eye was exposed outside the protagonist's body, the world would expel it.

It might hold on for a bit, but eventually, it would be ejected with no way back.

The world, having sensed an external threat, would strengthen its defenses further.

No one, not even the girl, would be able to interfere with this world again.

Checkmate.

The word echoed in the girl's mind.

What to do...?

At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind.

Despite being called foolish by other transcenders, she was still a transcender.

She found a flaw in the boy's claim.

"...Yes! That's impossible!"

"What do you mean?"

"You're a human! Knowing everything about the world would drive you mad!"

Yes, that was true.

Even transcenders sought entertainment in remote worlds to stave off boredom.

What would happen to a mere human who knew everything about the world?

It couldn't be good. It couldn't be.

Perhaps fueled by her desperate wish, the boy nodded at her guess.

"You're right. Knowing everything about the world wouldn't end well."

"Good! Then let's make a deal!"

What should she offer?

The boy banishing her was a huge risk.

He wouldn't use that card lightly.

It was a card close to a threat, implying he might actually go through with it.

But it was an effective threat for the girl.

What should she offer to prevent the boy from showing her everything about the world?

As the girl racked her brain, the boy directly refuted her thought.

"But I never said I'd be the one knowing everything."

"...What?"

"You'll be the only one knowing everything."

"That's impossible...! You have to experience it for me to experience it too! You know that!"

"My ability is like an imprint in my mind."

The boy began explaining his ability out of the blue.

What was he talking about?

The girl trembled, listening to his explanation.

"Oh, I should avoid this. Oh, that person is going to do this. That kind of feeling."

"...What are you trying to say?"

"It's simple."

The boy smiled his devilish grin again.

A smile that suggested he knew exactly what she was thinking.

As the girl felt unease creeping in, the boy continued.

"I'm human, and you're a transcender. If I knew everything, I'd go mad."

"Yes! So let's make a deal...!"

"The problem is the same. I'm human, and you're a transcender."

The boy tapped his head and said to the girl.

"My brain can't handle all that information at once, but yours can."

"What?"

"If I learn everything through my ability, it means you process it much faster."

"...I don't understand. You'd still learn everything eventually, even if slower."

"You're missing one crucial fact."

"...Missing what?"

The girl's voice shook with fear at the boy's confident tone.

Her argument was solid.

She would process information faster, but he would still go mad eventually.

Or so she thought.

Until the boy spoke again.

"Thanks to your settings, my ability has grown this much. I faced multiple life-threatening situations at once, growing incredibly strong."

"..."

"But that alone wouldn't have made my ability this strong. I needed help."

"Are you talking about Dorothy's enhancement? What about it...?"

"You should've realized by now. It's a trick. I used my ability as a loophole."

"...A trick?"

"Yes."

The boy's next words made the girl gasp.

Her premise crumbled in an instant.

"When you become omniscient, I'll probably be watching the birth of the universe."

"Yes, that's right."

"By then, 30 minutes would have passed since I passed out."

"...30 minutes?"

"Did you forget? Before I passed out, I asked Dorothy to release her enhancement after 30 minutes."

"?!"

The girl's mind went cold as ice.

Sweat trickled down her forehead.

Now that she thought about it, when she was panicking, the boy was saying something to the heroine candidate.

They were having a conversation?

She had been too flustered to pay attention.

"After 30 minutes, the connection to Laplace's demon will sever. Naturally, I won't see beyond my processing limits."

"No way..."

"Yes. While you're becoming an omniscient god, I'll be watching a fantastic cosmic documentary. The subject? The birth of the universe."

"No, please...!"

The girl screamed, realizing there was no way to stop it.

"Don't worry about me. I have no desire to be enhanced by Dorothy forever."

"You, you...!"

The boy teased her with an annoying grin, but she could do nothing.

She could only watch in frustration.

As he observed her, the boy waved his hand mockingly.

"Even if you illegally intruded, a guest is a guest. I should show you around our home."

"Stop it! Please! I admit I was wrong!"

"Here we are. From the birth of the universe to its end. Enjoy the view."

"No! Please! I'm begging you! What do you want? I'll do anything! Just tell me!"

"Sorry, I'm a bit busy. I'll join you at first, but you'll be on your own eventually."

The boy activated his ability with a smile.

"So, enjoy the journey. Have a good trip."

"No! Please! Noooo!"

Even as the girl screamed, the boy did not stop.

A torrent of information flooded both their minds.

"Ar...te! A...e! Are you...?! Ar...e!"

As my fading consciousness slowly returned to the voices around me, I began to wake up.

...What was I doing?

Rushing to help Siwoo and then...

We fought the monster together.

I gave Siwoo my heart...

"...Gasp!"

"We did it! She's alive!"

"I can't believe it actually worked..."

I was right to trust Siwoo.

My faith, my trust was rewarded.

Even though giving my heart should have killed me.

Siwoo saved me somehow.

"Arte, are you okay? Can you see my fingers? How many...?"

"Where's Siwoo?"

"Huh?"

"Where is Siwoo?"

I wanted to run to Siwoo right away.

To know how he saved me.

To ask why he needed my heart.

To share everything with him.

But Siwoo wasn't near me, so I searched for him.

The others looked at me with disbelief, but I didn't care.

Siwoo, where are you?

Always by my side, where are you now?

"Are you really looking for him as soon as you wake up? He stabbed your heart..."

"That doesn't matter. Where is he?"

"Sigh..."

Realizing they couldn't reason with me, Amelia sighed deeply.

"For some reason, he's passed out. He won't wake up for a while..."

"...I knew it."

Amelia started to explain, but I stopped listening.

I saw Siwoo.

As always, he was there for me.

Ignoring Amelia's words, I got up and approached him.

"...Arte, are you okay? You must be exhausted."

"I'm fine."

Honestly, it was still hard to walk.

But that didn't matter.

"Because you're here."

Smiling brightly, I hugged Siwoo.

As long as he was here, I could endure any pain and hardship.

This pain was nothing compared to that.