In a moment, my mind went blank.
There’s a limit to how much you can get blindsided, right?

I mean, I’m already in this pitiful situation as someone who’s never played the original game even once. The only info I had was that spoiler post.

And it turns out that was fake?
Really, out of sheer coincidence, that silly post was the very first thing I laid my eyes on that day and this mess happened?

‘How was I supposed to predict that?!’

After clicking on a title that read, “Just Played and Writing a Review (No Spoilers),” the massive spoiler hit me hard enough to make my head spin. And now the even bigger twist is that the spoiler was fake! If I could’ve predicted something that bizarre, that would’ve been weirder than the actual twist.

‘It would’ve been less frustrating if it just made no sense at all.’

The information I got from the spoiler post and the real deal matched ridiculously well.

Yuri didn’t turn into the boss after falling from grace.

Lucy, who was framed as a psychopath murderer, really did go on a killing spree and I stumbled upon it.

Siel, who was fated to commit real mass murder, ended up saving me with her power, and Lien also trusted me and overcame her instincts to become a reliable companion.

And let’s not even get started on Ms. Rubia…

With her hollow eyes and suffocating suit.
Doubt about her accomplishments, hatred for her own inability to feel guilt—fed up with it all, she chooses to die with a blank expression.

The woman who desperately tried to hide the fact that she bought adult diapers ended up fated to become a cold-hearted businessman.
How was I supposed to foresee any of that?

My head spun with a mix of rising frustration. I felt curses ready to pour out of my mouth, but…

‘…Let’s calm down.’

I somehow managed to cool my head.

If I weren’t pissed off by the spoiler post writer who blindsided me not once but twice, that would be a lie.

But if you think about it, the outcome wasn’t that bad.

The protagonist, who had never seen a Harry Potter movie, got sucked into the story upon reading a fake spoiler about Voldemort dying for him.
It’s as if I suddenly became friends with Tom Riddle during his Hogwarts days.

It feels like something straight out of a parody what-if story.
Somehow I ended up rehabilitating the original villains into companions.

Even if a veteran player with thousands of hours in Blood and Bone 2 were to get sucked into the story, they wouldn’t have pulled this off.

That fake spoiler turned out to be a blessing in disguise; that’s not an unreasonable conclusion to draw.

‘Now I need to start managing my expressions too.’

The truth being what it is leaves no sign of shock fading away; that much is inevitable. But I can’t keep panicking like this.

I could feel eyes on me.
Eyes watching me.

The emotions of admiration and longing that I previously couldn’t comprehend. Now, I could easily understand that from the perspective I’m in.

Think about it.
The goddess in front of me has no idea I couldn’t receive the messages from the status window. She probably doesn’t even know that I couldn’t play the original at all.

How must I have appeared in that context?
The easy path she presented to me.
The sweet suggestion to betray all of humanity and strike a deal with the Emperor to survive alone. And yet, my dignity remained completely unwavering.

Even the villain fated to kill hundreds or thousands doesn’t give up, extending a hand to trust them, which could seem foolish at a glance.
And somehow, I managed to turn that into success, saving countless lives at the hands of those who were destined to take lives.

“No one will give up. I will not lose anything and will save everyone to reach the ending.” This facade of a beautiful story.
Seeing it actually come to fruition.

From her perspective, I must seem like a real Messiah.
So that’s why she’s looking at me with such sparkling eyes, right?

But what if it’s discovered that it all happened by accident? What if it gets unveiled that this was just a butterfly effect born from misunderstanding and coincidence?
Undoubtedly, the level of ‘assistance’ she’d lend me would drop a few notches.

Her determination to support me shouldn’t waver, but I had to stay composed while looking at her.

Could she be interpreting my previous turmoil as abnormal behavior due to worrying about my companions?

[You don’t need to worry that much. Your companions are all safe for now.]

Before long, her benevolent voice confirmed it. Since I certainly cared about their well-being, I promptly listened.

[The Emperor’s target is solely you, who poses a possible threat to him. Since he saw you vanish while blocking the meteor, he must believe you are dead.]

He doesn’t even consider me a threat until I start acting like a Messiah and gaining power. Something about that feels off.

While I was lost in such trivial thoughts and furrowed my brow, I suddenly recalled an incredibly important fact.
Iain was dead. He wasn’t the only one who would draw that conclusion upon witnessing my sudden disappearance—it’s not just the Emperor!

Siel, Lien, Lucy, and Yuri are all there too.
They must all think I turned to ash after exhausting all my power trying to fend off the Emperor’s attack.

I could feel cold sweat trickling down. I could easily imagine what they might do.
“…Even if the Emperor has lost his reason to fight, I don’t think our kids will let him be.”

Especially Siel and Lien. I rushed to voice my concern, knowing they must have gone completely off the rails… but…

[No, that won’t happen.]

I was immediately shot down.
[Once he reaches the realm of the Demon God, he won’t want to waste energy fighting. He’ll avoid conflict as much as he can.]

The Demon God. Hearing that made my expression turn sour.
Sure, it’s nice that those kids might survive, but calling that good news feels a bit of a stretch.

Noticing how I felt, she looked at me with a smile reminiscent of when we first met.
[You don’t need to worry. Didn’t I say I would lend you my strength?]

She grabs my hand. Through that hand, I felt something being conveyed.
[I’ll entrust all of my divinity to you.]

I felt familiarity from that energy. It was just like the time those strange wings had suddenly sprouted out of nowhere.
[The divinity you have already gathered. Your body, which is already changing. With this… you might just reach an equal level with the Emperor.]

I had wondered why my body had turned into such a mess. Could it be that the belief of the Black Fangs had affected me since I was their commander?
To think I was the culprit I was looking for all along.

I was taken aback by that thought… when suddenly…
[The Emperor will reach the realm of the Demon God in three years. It’ll be tight, but I’ll do everything I can to elevate your body and spirit to the max.]

Her words startled me, and my eyes widened.
…Three years?
It’s going to take three years? I won’t be resurrecting and having a rematch anytime soon?

I looked back at the crystal ball.
Was she serious about the claim that I shouldn’t worry about the companions?

Reflected in that ball were scenes of Ms. Rubia and some guardian elves moving those who had passed out from being overpowered by the Emperor to a safe haven.
The Emperor returned to his office, maintaining silence, leaving behind the dazed Second Prince.

I could see the goddess standing there, eyes closed, seemingly reciting a spell. I could feel her strength slowly draining away.
If I broke her concentration here, who knows what would happen? Besides, even I could tell there was no better option available.

If I approached this showdown with my current strength, the outcome would be predictable.
Putting my life on the line in a fight with no chance of winning would be akin to giving up.

A brilliant light enveloped me in the shape of an egg.
Though my consciousness grew increasingly hazy, my mind continued to race with thoughts.

Three years. That’s not a short time.
What judgments will those kids make thinking I’m dead? Whether Ms. Rubia will manage to prevent the rampage.
Will they feel responsible for my death and suffer?
Thoughts of all kinds wouldn’t cease.

Yet, against my will, my eyes gradually grew heavy. Soon, darkness engulfed my sight. Along with that, the unavoidable waves of sleep crashed down upon me.
In this situation.
Ultimately, there was only one thing I could do.

‘…Nothing too serious will happen, right?’

Nothing’s going to be a problem.
Desperately, I recited this unfounded optimism in my mind, and then I closed my eyes completely.