The vision ceaselessly showed Lin glimpses of the past. 

Regardless of this, Lin remained undeterred, only moving forward.

“I’ll definitely come back here. I don’t know how long it will take, but I will come back. I… I hope you’ll wait for me.”

Frustratingly, the vision recreated moments that had been significant in his life—moments that were too precious to be merely mentioned. 

Times that had once made him despondent or lost were now of no help in the present. 

After all, who would be swayed by the past while struggling to move forward with a battered body?

Even Lucy, whose condition was somewhat better, stared intently at the vision, her composure suggesting a certain unease.

“It’s bleak.”

His observation was brief. 

His gaze was fixed on the path, but the background of the visions that passed by was either a monotonous gray, burning, or raining.

Seeing it all together, life seemed quite unforgiving. 

Moreover, the visions felt like a rapid procession, which Lin found unwelcoming.

“Ha.”

Finally, they reached the end of the path. 

The tedious journey was over. 

At the end of the road, floating in midair, was a glass bottle adorned with a brilliant, unmistakably luxurious sheen.

“I found it.”

The elixir, a panacea, was not the red potion commonly seen in other games. 

It was a liquid with a texture like paint, mixed with various colors. 

Surprisingly, finding it was not difficult.

Dragging his feet, Lin approached. 

His leg had been numb for some time, making it impossible to walk properly. 

As he reached for the elixir in midair, he wondered if there might be lingering aftereffects.

The brilliance of the elixir did not fade, but it did not seem to harm him in any special way.

“…Damn it.”

He sensed a presence. 

Heavy, rapid footsteps. 

The presence was approaching at an unbelievable speed, changing detail with every moment. 

Without hesitation, Lin unwrapped the bundle and set Lucy down on the ground.

Pop!

When he opened the cap, a fresh fragrance wafted from the bottle. 

The elixir, blessed by the goddess, was truly a cure-all. 

There was no time for admiration. 

Lin quickly opened Lucy’s mouth and poured the elixir in.

“Ugh! Ump…!”

Despite a slight resistance, Lucy instinctively swallowed the liquid without much trouble. 

Since the amount was small, it was all consumed without spilling around her mouth.

However, the moment she drank it, Lucy screamed.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh-!!!!!”

“Cough, Lucy…!”

Lin desperately tried to hold her tight, but—

“What was that just now?”

The presence—no, the succubus—had already arrived right behind him. 

Was this a cheat? 

How could a demon enter the goddess’s sanctuary without any restrictions?

“Answer me, human!”

Unfortunate or fortunate, 

Lucy’s eyes were rolled back, and her body was stiff, arched. 

Her trembling form emitted steam, and her clothes were entirely undone, revealing a large, exposed chest.

Lin had no time to appreciate it.

This was strange. 

In the game, when you drank the elixir, there was a brief blackout, and Lucy’s limbs would be restored automatically. 

Then, you would leave the sanctuary with the restored Lucy, fight the waiting succubus, and easily crush it—that was supposed to be the end of Chapter 1.

Nothing ever went as expected. 

Why did reality have to be so curiously realistic?

Lin let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re laughing?”

“If you were in my place, wouldn’t it be funny? Nothing ever goes as planned in life.”

“I won’t be fooled by such a clumsy delay. I’ll cut off that woman’s head right now.”

“I’m the one with intact limbs.”

“I can deal with scum like you anytime. The problem is that guy who landed a hit on me…”

“This is too much.”

“This bastard is interrupting my words?”

The succubus raised her eyebrow. 

He must be underestimating her, she thought as Lin took his eyes off Lucy, reaching for the luggage.

“No matter how weak I am,”

He pulled out a scroll.

“I can still defeat a demon like you!”

Lin tore the scroll and swung his arm like a sword, cutting through the ground.

“Slash: Spatial Separation!”

As the skill’s name implied, a crack appeared between Lucy and Lin, isolating the space with the hero from the luggage and the succubus. 

Being an ultimate skill, the succubus stared at the space beyond the separation in astonishment.

“Just a little more, and it’s Chapter 1 cleared.”

With success within reach, Lin felt a surge of excitement. 

It was the first time he had been so thrilled, despite always being calm.

“Fight with full power!”

Lin drew out the scroll he had prepared and charged at the succubus.

“Vio’s: Full Power…”

“Slow.”

Scritch!

And with that, the demon’s claws slashed through his abdomen. 

Overwhelmed and outnumbered. 

Lin thought of the Chinese idiom for such a situation. 

What good were multiple ultimate skills if he didn’t have a chance to use them?

“Pathetic.”

Swish!

“Ugh!”

The claws raked across his body again. 

Blood gushed out, staining the succubus.

The demon licked the blood splattered on her face and mocked Lin.

“I’ll commend your courage. You’re more resolute than most men.”

Swish!

“…!”

“If you weren’t so fierce, I would have given you the greatest pleasure before killing you. What a pity.”

The succubus grabbed Lin’s neck and slashed him multiple times.

Lin quickly became drenched in blood and turned into a ragged mess.

Ultimately, Lucy’s words had proven true. 

For those without talent, effort could only push one so far.

“I suppose you won’t even have the strength to set up a final stand, let alone enjoy it,” he lamented, his voice heavy with despair. 

He hadn’t wanted things to end like this. 

He had imagined his final moments would be spent fighting valiantly, even if it meant taking a few blows before he fell.

“Answer me honestly, and I’ll make it quick and painless.”

Lucy wished for that. If she had to die, she hoped someone—perhaps even the hero party—would remember her.

“What is that thing?” the demoness hissed.

The reality was harsh: even the lower-level succubus couldn’t do anything to alter his fate.

Crack!

“No answer?!”

Still, he continued, “The most fascinating thing about this world…”

“What are you babbling about?”

“Here, when you drink a potion, its effects are instantaneous… It rushes through your system… circulating through your blood…”

“Have you lost your mind from blood loss?”

“No, listen closely… this is important…”

“Ha! Don’t waste time with your weak attempts at delay.”

“I… I drank the holy water earlier.”

“What?!”

He thought he could manage to make some sort of final stand. 

Crackling and sizzling sounds filled the air.

“Ahhhhhh!!!!”

The holy water in Lin’s blood was unleashing its power. 

The succubus, covered in blood and desperate, began to burn from the torturous flames.

“Damned rat!”

The succubus’s movements slowed, thanks to the holy water. 

Lin grabbed the demon’s arm and drove the last vial of holy water into her face.

Smash!

The flames roared to life. 

The sacred fire did no harm to Lin, but the succubus, engulfed in flames, writhed and screamed on the floor.

“Aaahhhhhh—!!!”

It was cold. Lin, leaning against the wall, gathered his tattered clothing. 

The space-separation effect from Lucy’s spell seemed to be fading, reconnecting the area she had severed.

The scroll-cast spell had the advantage and disadvantage of having a limited duration.

“Nno—!”

The succubus’s wails were filled with rage.

“This can’t be happening! I need to gather more energy to resurrect the Demon Lord!”

But her cries soon dwindled. 

Where the succubus had been, only a charred, female corpse remained. 

At the same time—

“My hands… my legs…”

Lucy, who had awoken from her nightmare, stood on her own two feet, gazing at her body with awe. 

Still unable to make out her surroundings clearly, she traced the new limbs that had sprouted.

“I’m relieved.”

His vision was still blurred, the world tinted red from the blood in his eyes.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’d fix it.”

Relieved that he could keep his promise, Lin took solace in that. 

It was then that Lucy recognized him and bowed her head towards him.

“Unfortunately… I suppose this is where I end.”

Lucy, still nude, barely managed to drape some clothing over her shoulders.

“I’m going to catch a cold…”

See, I did it. 

I am useful. 

I can achieve things.

With a late sense of satisfaction, Lin smiled. 

And that was the end of it.

His vision dimmed into darkness.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

The hero, embracing his fallen companion, cried out. 

Despite his efforts to comfort Lin—rubbing his cheeks and smoothing his forehead—Lin remained unresponsive.

“Lin!!!!!!”

Desperately calling out, she received no answer. 

The suffocation of despair began to set in. 

She had finally recovered and was able to hold him in her arms, but now…

“Goddess, please! Please! I’ve made mistakes. I won’t be arrogant again! Please save Lin…!”

Overcoming death herself, she had once been confident there was nothing she couldn’t handle. 

Yet now, she sobbed like a child, pleading with the goddess.

“Without Lin, it’s as if I’m dead too!!!!!!”

She vented her frustration at the silent goddess, and then, realizing her own folly, frantically apologized.

“No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten angry. Please, save Lin…”

She clung desperately to the non-existent hems of the goddess’s robes.

“Goddess… Goddess… Please… I’ll even give up on revenge. Just bring Lin back. If you do, we’ll go somewhere far away and live quietly, just the two of us…”

After a long period of heartfelt praying and pleading, Lucy finally opened her tightly shut eyes, but nothing had changed. 

Lin still smiled at her.

“Ugh…!”

Tears flowed from her eyes, dried from shock. 

What could she possibly do?

The goddess seemed to cruelly leave her with only enemies beneath the sky, taking only her own.

“Lin…!”

Lucy began to relinquish her dreams, one by one. 

She gave up on the dream of living alone with him, the journey they would take together, and even the revenge against the hero party. 

She relinquished becoming his lover, and the confession of love she had dared to entertain.

Finally, she surrendered the hope of saving Lin.

“Ahhhhhh—!!”

Lucy couldn’t give up.

Tears blurred her vision, and sorrow tightened around her throat. 

With everything she had left behind, Lucy pressed her lips to his. 

His rough, coarse lips only deepened her sadness.

“I am an artist,” she whispered.

If he were not here, she would ask the goddess, “Please, grant me a peaceful day with this person… Please, goddess, save him.”

The power of a hero, or any rank, was of no use now.

“He is truly… the only person I love…”

For him, she would dedicate herself.

Boom!

The world was filled with light. 

Crimson and gold illuminated the cavern. 

Amidst the thunderous roar, a massive hole was torn in the ceiling, and before her appeared the Holy Sword, Hononima.

As if entranced, she reached out and grasped it, feeling a warm energy flow into her. 

It was a familiar power, the strength she was meant to enjoy as a hero. 

With this sword and her restored body, she could return to the world, topple the empire, and punish the betrayers.

But Lucy did not do that.

She blocked the energy given by Hononima and brought the Holy Sword to Lin.

“Will you not regret this?”

A gentle voice asked her.

“You might never become a hero again.”

“I am not a hero, I am just Luciena Estel.”

By rejecting her role as a hero, Lucy allowed Lin to embrace the Holy Sword.

“And he is not a burden, he is just Lin. This Lin.”

Lucy wiped her tears away.

“That is enough.”

“I am sorry for the trial, child.”

“Goddess.”

Lucy smiled widely.

“Thank you for letting me meet Lin…”

Tears caught at the edge of her smile, falling onto Lin’s cheek, as the light of the Holy Sword enveloped him. 

A warm, comforting energy seeped into Lin. 

His once stiffened and lifeless body began to relax, and the rigid smile on his face softened into a gentle curve.

As his life returned, the Holy Sword’s light began to dim. 

When Lin blinked his eyes open, the Holy Sword faded away, dissolving into a burst of light.

“Lucy?”

“Lin!”

Hearing his call, the hero embraced him.

“What happened?”

“It’s a miracle! The goddess saved you!”

The once cynical woman was now more grateful than ever.

“You saved me.”

“No, it wasn’t me, it was the goddess…”

“It’s thanks to you praying for me.”

In his warm gaze, the girl bit her lip gently. 

She had to convey her feelings before they melted away into sweetness. 

She couldn’t afford to lose him now.

“Lin, I… I love you…!”

“Indeed, you are my greatest companion.”

Ah.

The girl stiffened.

She suddenly remembered what she had begged to sacrifice to revive him, and the things she had done to him. 

The label that had always tormented her resurfaced.

“…Yes, of course!”

She smiled, hiding the chill of her heart.

Let’s thank the goddess.

The goddess who returned him to her.

“My only ally, my greatest companion…”

Yet,

“My… Lin…”

She couldn’t stop the tears of self-reproach that still marred her feelings.