The Darkness Jumper stood amidst her surroundings, her expression dazed.
After spending a long time somewhere else, she could not recall where she was.
The Dark Knight approached her and asked,
“Do you now understand the magnitude of your sins?”
“What are you talking about? Where am I? I am the hero Yoon Mi-so. I need to leave immediately.”
At this, the corner of Laurakis’ mouth, concealed beneath a dark robe, curled into a smirk.
“Kukuku.”
Laurakis manipulated Yoon Mi-so’s mind, jogginɡ the memories of “Yoon Mi-so, the Earth native.” Normally, altering someone’s memories would have been too taxing for his frail physique, but merely reminding her of pre-existing memories proved less demanding.
Yoon Mi-so’s blurred memories crystallized within her mind.
The B-rank villain Darkness Jumper: one who derived joy from others’ misfortunes and craved attention.
To draw the Dark Knight’s notice, she’d committed terrorism on the Seongsan Bridge, causing deaths. Thinking she had failed her mission, she attempted to kill a child in the heat of the moment but was interrupted by the arrival of the Dark Knight.
She had her fingers broken by telekinesis, and her instantaneous teleportation skill was sealed—leaving her in a dire situation.
She was not the “superhuman hero Yoon Mi-so” now. She was not the “youngest Swordmaster” or the “youngest 7th Circle Wizard,” either.
She was simply a blatant villain, undeserving of sympathy, soon to be crushed by the Dark Knight.
“No… no way. This can’t be real. I can’t be…”
Yoon Mi-so rejected the harsh reality staring her in the face.
“There’s no way what I experienced was fake…”
She thought to herself. It must have been the doing of the child standing next to the Dark Knight. He must possess a skill like ‘Dimensional Transfer.’
Yoon Mi-so clung to Laurakis’ leg, begging desperately.
“Please! Please send me back. I must rescue Aileen. Ah… poor Aileen!”
Laurakis kicked Yoon Mi-so away and ascended slightly into the air to avoid further entanglement.
The Dark Knight grabbed a fistful of Yoon Mi-so’s hair, lifting her face.
“I asked if you know your sins. Do you still wish to die?”
“No… I don’t want to die! I am Yoon Mi-so, the hero of the Pangea continent. I’ve merely been possessed for the moment due to the magical interference of demons! Just wait seven days—seven days, and I’ll return!”
Shinnoda observed her transformation in surprise—her current attitude contrasting sharply with the one from just five minutes ago when she had asked to be killed without hesitation. Though she was rambling nonsense, her shift was undeniable.
“Remarkable, Lord Laurakis. What exactly did you do to her?”
[Kukuku. Would you care to experience it yourself?]
“I’ll pass, thank you.”
The Dark Knight then grabbed Yoon Mi-so by the nape of her neck and dragged her hostage to the location of the captives.
“Apologize to everyone.”
With a rough shove, he dropped Yoon Mi-so to the ground.
She landed on her backside but quickly regained her senses, turning her head around frantically.
All she could see were the hostile gazes of the captives, each one of them silently wishing her dead.
“I-I…”
She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again.
‘I am… Darkness Jumper.’
The sins she had committed throughout her life came back to her with clarity as if they had all happened yesterday.
Despite her brief escapade pretending to be a righteous hero, the bloodstained past she left behind could not be erased.
“What have I done until now…?”
With a pathetic expression, Yoon Mi-so realized how wrong her actions had been.
She knew it was wrong—even with her nature of finding joy in others’ miseries, she could have restrained herself.
No one lives freely doing whatever they please. Despite knowing this, she had selfishly persisted in only thinking of herself.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she was overwhelmed by regret for her past actions.
She bowed her head in repentance.
“I’m sorry.”
She apologized to the young man she had killed and all those she had ever taken lives from.
A black streaming broadcast titled <Seoul Terror Live Broadcast☆>, featured in the chat window, was abuzz with the sudden turn of events.
[What is this? Why is the Dark Knight demanding a true apology?]
[Dark Knight—is he divine? Dark Knight—is he divine? Dark Knight—is he divine? Dark Knight—is he divine?]
[Finally, a Dark Knight skill revealed lol lol lol]
[A-rank Awakened One—his skills are flame, telekinesis, and skill neutralization lol <- How does this even work? (Really don't know)]
The Dark Knight drew his blade.
"Kuk."
The sword pierced through Darkness Jumper’s chest, the blade emerging from the other side as she collapsed to the ground, spilling blood.
“Please… save me…”
Tears streamed down her cheeks, landing on the cold asphalt.
Even in her final moments, Yoon Mi-so still didn’t realize that her encounter with Saint Aileen had been a mere illusion. Her love for Aileen would end in a bad ending.
“Sorry, Aileen. I couldn’t rescue you…”
Shinnoda retrieved a red jewel from her body.
In an instant, Yoon Mi-so's body was engulfed in blue flames.
------<Succession>——
[Strength permanently increased by 035]
[Agility permanently increased by 047]
[Intelligence permanently increased by 058]
[Luck permanently increased by 033]
———————————–
An alert window appeared before Shinnoda.
Holding Laurakis, he leaped off the bridge, their bodies floating gently upwards, carried by her spell.
“Aileen.”
[Hmm?]
“Before she died, Yoon Mi-so mentioned not being able to rescue Aileen. What happens to that world?”
[Discussion about that world is moot. It is nothing but an irrelevant illusion.]
Passing the scene filled with heroes and police officers, they landed on a rooftop of a nearby building—having noticed they were being followed.
He released a soft sigh.
“Hmm.”
Soon, a man appeared, leaping from one rooftop to another.
“Who is that child?”
A hero clad head-to-toe in a tight-fitting suit, ‘Voltman,’ had arrived cheerfully voicing his intentions.
“What’s up?”
“Arrest… probably sounds out of line, but I have a proposition.”
“Proposal?”
“Have you ever considered becoming a hero?”
The Dark Knight snorted.
“I’ve violated your so-called ‘No-Kill Rule’ countless times. A hero, now?”
“That’s not a concern for everyone, just a handful of stuck-up oldies. Besides, obviously, you wouldn’t debut as Dark Knight. Ditch that gloomy robe and strut around proudly, receiving the hero’s welcome.”
He slowly shook his head.
“Declined.”
“May I ask for the reason?”
“I must kill villains.”
His tone carried a sense of duty, making Voltman’s eyes widen.
‘This man harbors deep hatred for villains.’
Voltman concluded it was impossible to persuade someone with such profound darkness—experience taught him that such people would walk their own paths no matter the noise around them.
“Well, alright. Still, leave the heroes alone. Medusa may have been an evildoer, but she’s association-affiliated. This may pass, but there’s no guarantee it will next time. No matter how extraordinary you are, you’ll struggle if you make the association your enemy.”
“…”
Silent Dark Knight.
Voltman continued undeterred, expressing gratitude that had been weighing on his heart.
“Anyway, thanks. I almost lost my life to the K-Pharmaceuticals villain, but you saved me.”
*
I changed clothes far away due to suspicions of being followed and headed home. The time was already 11 PM.
Laurakis panted, revealing wings and a tail.
“Phew, I’m tired.”
“You could have made your body fully human.”
“A pure human body is too weak.”
So that explained her half-human, half-dragon form.
I waved goodbye to Laurakis at the gate of my house.
“See you next time, then. Or rather, your soul exists within me, so we’ll see each other either way. Farewell to your physical form, maybe?”
Her tail swayed back and forth, and I was overwhelmed with the urge to grab it—it seemed so soft.
“Hey. Why not let me stay at your place? It’s bothersome to wander the streets, and hiding my horns and wings is exhausting.”
“But Pak Hayeon isn’t home, is she? How do I explain you?”
“Tell her I’m a cousin or something.”
Though I felt a bit guilty, there was nothing I could do—it wasn’t plausible to suddenly introduce a horned girl with wings and a tail as my cousin.
“Who would believe that?”
“Who cares if they don’t believe it?”
At that moment, a familiar voice called out.
“Hey? Shinno? You’re home late?”
It was Pak Hayeon, holding plastic bags.
“Wha- Pak Hayeon! Why are you… out here?”
“Why so surprised? Who’s that over there?”
Laurakis stepped forward confidently.
“I am Shinno’s daughter! I’ve come looking for father!”
Pak Hayeon’s face turned ghostly pale, as did mine.
“W-what nonsense is this?!”
I hurried to cover Laurakis’ mouth as she struggled, shouting.
“Mm! Don’t abandon me like mother did! Waaaaa! Daddy!”
Pak Hyun’s expression turned ice-cold, and she stared at me like I was trash.
“No… This girl is lying!”
My attempts at explanation only made it seem worse.
