Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 347: Friend (1)

“By the way.”

“Hm?”

Shiron turned his head to the side and lowered his gaze slightly. His face was still a mess, with tears he hadn’t managed to wipe away. Yet his serious expression compelled Yura to follow his gaze without a word.

“If you’re Yura… then what the hell is this?”

At the end of his gaze was the figure of a woman bound by chains.

The Yura of his past life. More precisely, it was the image of her just before their final farewell—a girl wearing a school uniform with flowing black hair, crouched down.

He wasn’t even sure if it was a girl. Shiron crouched as if to examine the figure closely, then began touching the bound form of Yura.

“What… what are you doing?”

“…It’s warm and soft.”

Yura gave him an incredulous look, but Shiron remained unfazed. If anything, his hands grew bolder, exploring her thighs, chest, and other areas as if to confirm something.

“It’s squishy. And it’s wet.”

“…So what?”

Yura tried to maintain her composure, though her face turned red at his sudden boldness. His remark was made as he brushed his hand across the mucous membrane inside her mouth. Despite his words potentially inviting misunderstanding, Yura didn’t want to disturb Shiron, who appeared entirely serious.

A contemplative Hyun-jun was undeniably attractive.

“What the hell is this?”

“…Are you asking me?”

“Who else would I ask?”

Shiron glanced back at Yura with slightly narrowed eyes, his sharp gaze betraying the unresolved questions swirling within.

“You said you came to this world 500 years ago, right? Then shouldn’t you know what this is?”

“I don’t know! This is my first time here too!”

“The Hero’s House? You were in that locked-down space, weren’t you? Apart from being gray, this place doesn’t look all that different.”

“That place was a… unique return point for angel-class beings. Anyway, I don’t know where this is!”

Yura stammered but tried to answer clearly. Calling herself an angel felt unbearably cringy, even for someone who had already lived through adulthood twice. Still, she understood the gravity of the situation.

Despite his disbelief in her “angel” claim, Shiron didn’t stop talking.

“This thing stayed still even when we were causing a ruckus earlier, so I thought… maybe it’s a statue or something.”

“How does this look like a statue?”

“A statue? An avatar? A dummy? Let’s just call it a dummy.”

Crackle—lightning flared from Shiron’s fingertips. Yura initially thought he was just showing off magic, but she quickly grasped its purpose.

“I shone a light in its eyes, but the pupils didn’t contract. What is this thing…? The mucous membranes are intact, the temperature’s normal, and it even smells nice.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

“There’s no reflex response either. Is it brain-dead?”

“…The heart. Check if it’s beating.”

No sooner had Yura finished speaking than Shiron pressed his ear to the dummy’s chest. Thump, thump, thump. The heart was beating steadily.

“The heart’s beating, but there’s no pupil contraction… What the hell is this?”

“Isn’t it brain-dead?”

“Brain-dead in a fantasy world? How could it be brain-dead if its heart is beating?”

“Well, that’s true…”

Yura grimaced, then her eyes lit up as if something occurred to her. She began tapping the air with her fingers. Shiron, realizing what she was doing, looked as though he’d bitten into something sour.

“Is that… a status window?”

“Yeah, why?”

“…Never mind.”

Shiron decided not to interrupt Yura and resumed fiddling with the dummy.

‘Damn it, this world is so unfair. I’ve come this far, and still, no status window?’

Status window!

He muttered resolutely, but no translucent screen appeared before him.

Even though saving a childhood friend he thought was dead felt rewarding, it didn’t stop him from feeling cheated. After all, Yura had also benefited. If anything, the joy of reuniting with a loved one should outweigh that of seeing a long-lost friend.

Of course, Shiron’s feelings for Yura—speaking as Cha Hyun-jun—were complicated and sincere. But knowing that the status window, a ridiculously advantageous system, existed only deepened his regret.

Whether it was hero points or a shop system, falling into a game world and being denied such perks felt utterly unfair.

“Hey.”

Just as he grumbled to himself, Yura, basking in a sense of superiority, narrowed her eyes.

“This seems like a Demon God.”

“…What?”

Shiron froze mid-motion, his hands still on the excessively lifelike dummy. Warm, soft, and disturbingly realistic—was this thing really a Demon God?

“That doesn’t make any sense. If it’s a Demon God, why does it look like your past self?”

“…I targeted it for identification, and it shows up as the ‘Remains of a Demon God.’”

“Are you kidding me? The status window isn’t just for shopping?”

“Is that what matters right now? I’m telling you, it’s a Demon God!”

Yura flailed in panic, trying to separate Shiron from the Demon God. But his expression remained conflicted. Instead, he hugged the so-called Demon God tightly and took a few steps back from her.

Yura was visibly startled by his actions. The sight of him cradling a dummy that resembled her past self stirred something inside her. It was an oddly ticklish yet complex sensation.

“…What are you doing? I’m telling you, it’s a Demon God.”

“Are you sure it’s a Demon God?”

“It is! The status window clearly says ‘Remains of a Demon God’!”

“What if the status window is lying?”

“What?”

“What if the status window is wrong? What if this is actually you?”

“…What are you even saying? I am me!”

“Dammit.”

“But even the gods cannot deceive me, the greatest genius of all time—Shiron Prient!”

“Stop spewing nonsense.”

Yura let out a deep sigh, her mind in turmoil. Has this guy’s brain finally given out from all his struggles?

“Isn’t it more likely to be a Demon God if you think about it that way?”

“Why? Go ahead and defend your argument.”

“Your tone makes me want to punch you, but I’ll let it slide.”

“…What is it?”

Was he pushing too far? Shiron cleared his throat, studying Yura carefully. Her tone and actions seemed to confirm she was indeed Yura, but what if? If this was one of those stories where cutting down the dummy would lead to a happy ending, it would save him a lot of trouble. But Shiron, who believed that the dead don’t return, wanted to approach the situation with extreme caution.

“So… the reason why the Demon God took on my past self’s appearance is…”

Yura didn’t entirely fail to understand his hesitation. After all, it was Cha Hyunjun—someone she had known since childhood. She was aware of his chronic overthinking.

“That’s it!”

An exclamation point practically appeared above Yura’s head.

“The Demon God wants to trigger your sympathy!”

“…Go on.”

“Think about it. What’s the most important thing to you? Isn’t it me?”

“You’re saying that with such confidence. Since when did your face get so thick?”

“Don’t interrupt me!”

“…Continue.”

“The point is! Even this conflict is part of the Demon God’s scheme! The Demon God is trying to manipulate you. It copied my past appearance, using its last shred of power to beg you for salvation!”

“Hmm…”

Shiron turned to look at the dummy, locking eyes with its vacant gaze.

“Then why is it tied up?”

“How should I know? Demon Gods are conceptual entities. Losing power could manifest in a way our minds interpret as being bound.”

“Hmm…”

Shiron continued staring into its eyes for a long while.

Meanwhile, at the top floor of the tower…

Lucia and Seira were waiting for Shiron as usual.

“Hey, Seira.”

“What, Lucia?”

“Are you sure Shiron’s still alive?”

Lucia murmured as she doodled on the floor with her finger.

They were told to wait, so they waited. But it had been over 100 days since Shiron disappeared.

Was he off to kill the Demon God? If she thought about it that way, waiting wasn’t unbearable. But with no news, she felt like a guard dog chained to one spot, unable to leave.

“He’s alive. The remnants of the kid’s magic are still lingering in the air.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

“Anyway, take this to Aisha.”

Seira handed her a letter. It was addressed to Siriel, who was currently in the empire.

“Do you think this will keep Siriel from figuring it out? She has a knack for sniffing things out.”

“I remember the kid’s handwriting perfectly. Plus, I’ve infused it with his scent. Don’t worry.”

“Hmm.”

Lucia sniffed the letter paper, testing its scent.

“It does smell like Shiron.”

“Exactly. This is magic engineering, perfected by the genius magician Seira. If she notices, that’d be unnatural!”

“…”

“Anyway, if she had noticed, she’d have come running already. Since it’s been a year, she’s clearly been fooled!”

Seira pounded her chest confidently, a smug grin on her face.

Completely unaware of who was already on the tower’s first floor.