The World After the Bad Ending

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 132: Preparing for Act 5

Aisha’s matter was safely resolved thanks to Rexaron’s peculiar actions.

She and I had already agreed long ago to explore the next Demon Dungeon together.

Once again, Aisha gladly accepted.

"Come to think of it, Aisha, there’s something I’d like to ask you."

"Yes, go ahead and ask."

"What do you think of Midra Fenin in martial arts?"

Midra Fenin, the second-ranking first-year martial arts student.

At the mention of his name, Aisha tilted her head.

"If you ask me that…"

Aisha slowly stroked her chin.

"Honestly, I’m not very close to him, so I don’t have much to say."

As expected.

I was well aware of Aisha’s circle of friends.

She always had an aura that made it difficult for people to approach her.

The overwhelming presence of the Bizvel family emanated from her entire being.

"But I have sparred with him once before."

The top and second-ranking martial arts students.

It was natural for them to have sparred at some point in their academy life.

"His sword movements are strangely hard to follow."

"Aisha, even you found them hard to follow?"

"Yes, I can’t tell if he’s deliberately relaxing his strength or not, but he uses some kind of bizarre swordsmanship. You wouldn’t understand unless you experience it firsthand, Senior Hannon."

Strange swordsmanship, huh?

I leaned back in my chair, lost in thought.

Something about Midra was unsettling.

The only connection I had with him was through the student council, but he kept lingering in my mind.

"Should I look into it?"

"No. Aisha, that kind of thing doesn’t really suit you."

Aisha was a girl who enjoyed swinging her greatsword like a windmill.

She wasn’t exactly the investigative type.

At that moment, Aisha grabbed my arm.

"Senior, I can do it too."

She looked at me with utmost seriousness.

Why was she so determined about this?

It felt like I had unintentionally provoked her.

"…Alright, then. Can I count on you?"

"Yes, leave it to me."

I had a bad feeling about this.

But for now, I had gained Aisha as a team member.

I got up from my chair and went to find someone else.

The person I sought was none other than Foara.

Foara Silin, the Spirit Lord’s contractee.

Foara looked at me curiously as I walked in carrying a chair, but after hearing my proposal, he soon brightened up.

"Since it’s Senior Hannon asking, of course I’ll go!"

"Are you sure? First-years can participate in this Demon Dungeon. You must have made some friends."

Aisha had trouble socializing with people her age, so she never received team invitations.

But Foara had a naturally gentle appearance.

He must have received plenty of offers.

"Ah, hehe, I actually turned them all down because I wanted to go with you, Senior."

What an innocent and adorable junior.

I immediately welcomed Foara into the team.

Now, with me, Seron, Aisha, and Foara, we were four in total.

I already knew who else I needed.

Without hesitation, I strode toward the Special Department building.

Climbing the stairs swiftly, I soon arrived at a familiar classroom.

I didn’t bother knocking and pushed the door open.

"Grantoni."

"Ugh."

At the sound of my voice, there was a loud crash.

Curious, I peeked inside.

There, sprawled on the floor under a chair, was Grantoni.

He was lying flat against the ground.

"Grantoni, did you decide to start dating the floor today?"

Without lifting his face from the ground, Grantoni slowly turned his head toward me.

"Hehe… No, I was just practicing facial expressions."

Facial expressions?

With that skeletal face of his?

I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh my, dear husband, why are you carrying a chair?"

Just then, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

It was Vinesha, wiping her hands with a handkerchief.

As always, she was dressed in an outfit adorned with many ribbons.

Around her neck was a pendant she treasured like a precious keepsake.

"Vinesha, are you still calling me that?"

Vinesha now understood that what she once felt for me wasn’t love.

There was no longer any reason for her to call me that.

Yet, she covered her mouth with her long, sharp nails and laughed.

"But it’s a habit now. Or… would you like to make it real, since we’ve come this far?"

"As if you actually mean that."

"If my dear savior truly desires it, I’d gladly marry you anytime."

Vinesha looked much more relaxed than before.

It was clear that something inside her had changed after recent events.

"By the way, didn’t Musika say tomorrow night? You came early."

"I wanted to invite Grantoni to join our team for the Autumn Demon Dungeon expedition."

With Grantoni, this mission would be much smoother.

I definitely wanted him on board.

"Ah."

At my words, Vinesha hesitated for a moment.

Noticing this, I tilted my head.

"Vinesha?"

"Husband, what should we do? Grantoni is…"

"I’ll explain."

At that moment, Grantoni cut in.

He got up from the floor, brushing himself off.

"My soul-bound friend, my spirit arts aren’t working right now."

"They’re not working?"

That was completely unexpected.

My eyes widened in surprise.

"Is it because of the Otherworld’s backlash?"

"Bingo."

Grantoni flicked his fingers lightly.

"Since I spent too much time outside my body, my soul needs time to settle back in. I’ll probably need about a week."

A week.

That meant he wouldn’t be able to enter the Demon Dungeon.

‘That floor requires the Flame of Will, and Grantoni would have been perfect for it.’

I looked at him regretfully, but I understood.

I couldn’t force him to use power he didn’t have.

"Alright, I get it."

"But my soul-bound friend, I can’t give up that easily for you!"

The moment I understood, Grantoni suddenly stood up on his chair.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

As expected of Grantoni, who was always eccentric—his energy was overwhelming.

"Even if it's impossible alone, it's possible if there are two of us!"

"If there are two of us..."

"Vinesha noona."

When Grantoni called Vinesha, she nodded.

Soon, light began to flow from Vinesha's pendant.

At the same time, her eyes turned blue.

Musika had entered Vinesha's body.

"Hello, hello? It's been a while!"

Musika greeted me with a bright smile through Vinesha's face.

"But we just met yesterday."

"A day is quite a long time, you know?"

It was hard to believe that she had once been devoured by the Abomination—her energy was through the roof.

With a cheerful grin, she spoke to me.

"The 'two' that Grantoni just mentioned—that’s me. I can fill the part of his soul that hasn’t fully settled."

Only then did I understand Musika’s words.

"Of course, I know this isn’t an ordinary thing. Anyone with knowledge of soul sorcery would call it dangerous."

Even though I hadn't said much, Musika continued speaking without hesitation.

Before I knew it, she had moved to stand beside Grantoni.

"But guess what! I have an incredible secret that no one knows about. Wanna hear it?"

Behind her, Grantoni spread his arms wide and shouted,

"Ta-da!"

His exaggerated arm movements looked like some kind of dance.

Using Grantoni as a backdrop, Musika placed one foot firmly on the chair and made a V-sign near her chin.

"I am actually the reincarnation of one of the great heroes—Aquiline!"

Somewhere, the sound of fireworks erupted, and confetti fluttered in the air.

It turned out that Grantoni had used ghosts to create the confetti explosion.

"Well? Amazing, right?"

Musika turned to me with sparkling eyes.

I met her gaze for a moment before raising my hands and clapping.

"Truly surprising."

But hearing something I already knew wasn’t surprising at all.

More importantly, I realized that this was the story Musika had wanted to tell me yesterday.

'As expected, Musika has also become aware of the memories engraved in her soul.'

Vinesha had already regained memories of her soul in the alternate world.

Musika had been far more exposed to battle than Vinesha.

Through this experience, she must have awakened the memories of her past life as Aquiline.

I had somewhat expected this.

Aquiline, the Guardian of Souls, was a master of soul sorcery.

With Aquiline’s knowledge, assisting Grantoni would be no problem at all.

This was reassuring.

"Your reaction is weaker than I expected. So, you already knew about our reincarnations, huh?"

By "our reincarnations," Musika was referring to the other heroes.

And she was right—I already knew about them.

"The timing of the prophecy and the present align perfectly. If there was anyone worth the Abomination going to such extremes to abduct, it had to be Aquiline’s reincarnation."

"Wow, amazing deduction! So, do you also know who the other reincarnated heroes are?"

Musika’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

To her, these were the comrades she had fought alongside in another era.

Of course, she would want to know who they were now.

"No."

But even I didn't know all of them.

To be precise, there was one hero whose reincarnation had never been revealed—even after playing through the entire game.

The Great Hero, Wolfram.

No one ever found out who his reincarnation was.

But aside from him, I knew the others.

"One of them—you’ve probably figured it out yourself, Musika."

At my words, Musika slowly let out a bitter smile.

Musika was inhabiting Vinesha’s body.

Since Vinesha's core of memories had been shattered once, her memories tended to surface uncontrollably.

Through this, Musika must have seen a glimpse of one of the reincarnated heroes.

Because Vinesha had already encountered him before.

A hero who had fallen into corruption, twisting his past memories for his own ends.

The Fallen Flame.

Rosli.

A man who revered mystery, seeking to shroud the entire world in an enigma.

The leader of the Mysticism sect.

The final boss of Act 5—

Vulcan Zebra.

He was the reincarnation of Rosli.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]