Memorize

"Be quiet."

As soon as I finished speaking, Vivienne clamped her mouth shut. However, her longing gaze fixed on me made it clear she hadn't given up hope. A memory surfaced of that moment in the clearing when I twisted Jung Ji-Yeon's neck. She had wanted something from me too—whether it was to be saved or killed, only she could truly know. But Vivienne was different. She clearly and unequivocally wanted to live.

Her stats and rare class seemed solid enough, though I'd need more detailed information to be sure. A magic stat of 92 points—such a score would still hold its value even in the later stages. Her other stats weren't bad for a mage either. While she might fall short when compared to <10th-tier> or the upper echelons of top players, her unique class compensated for those gaps.

The real issue was that using an elixir would consume one of my two remaining vials. I couldn't simply buy more with GP, as I'd already spent 77,777 GP on hidden items. Unless I found another way to acquire them, I was reluctant to use them. Yet, it wasn't an absolute no-go.

I remembered a method to secure two additional elixirs in the future. While I couldn't access that place yet, the memory was vivid and certain. Besides, the two vials I had saved were meant for him and her, in case of dire emergencies. But those were worst-case scenarios that I could ideally avoid altogether.

Looking at Vivienne's potential post-recovery stats, they would be: [Strength 48], [Resistance 50], [Agility 56], [Vitality 45], [Magic 92], [Luck 74]. Already exceptional, with a chance of slightly improving her magic stat further. Having someone of her caliber join our party in the early stages would undoubtedly be advantageous. Most importantly, she could fill the currently vacant mage position.

And the best part? I'd be able to add two rare classes to our roster. The book Vivienne had given me could be used to train another player in the same rare class, effectively creating two specialists. As someone already experienced in this profession, Vivienne could also serve as an excellent mentor to the new recruit.

I could feel myself leaning toward the decision. Ultimately, as a native inhabitant of this world, Vivienne's death wouldn't weigh heavily on my conscience (by my standards). And she wouldn't hesitate to grant a wish if the time came. After weighing my options carefully and calculating every angle, I let a soft smile creep onto my face and turned toward Vivienne.

"Vivienne."

"Yes?"

I steadied Vivienne's nodding head, aligning my gaze with hers. Observing her in her current state—naked—it was hard not to acknowledge her beauty. Her long, jet-black hair, silvery eyes, and flawless white skin (excluding the cracks, of course) complemented her elegant face. My gaze inevitably traveled to her well-proportioned figure, at which point she instinctively shrank back. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed nervously, a clear sign of her unease.

"You're an alchemist, right? You should be familiar with the concept of equivalent exchange."

"Y-yes. It means exchanging items of equal value, doesn't it…?"

"Exactly. You've already offered what you had, and I've agreed to save you. That establishes the basis for an equivalent exchange. Now, if I were to save your life again, what would you have left to offer in return?"

"But…"

"I get it; your situation is unfortunate. However, I can heal you completely. I may even be able to restore the strength you've lost, and help you regain your human form without reverting to that spider monstrosity. This could very well be your one and only chance."

"How... How would you do that?"

Vivienne's wide, trembling eyes betrayed her emotions. Judging by her reaction, I suspected that deep down, she regretted becoming a spider-like creature in the first place. With this realization, I knew I had made the right opening move. Lowering my voice to a gentle murmur, I leaned closer, whispering softly into her ear. One hand stroked her hair, while the other moved across her back in slow, deliberate motions. Her body trembled more violently with each touch.

"You'll see soon enough. Now, if I save your life, restore your strength, and return your lost humanity, wouldn't it be fair for you to pay a fitting price in return?"

"...What do you want? You know I don't have anything left…"

"That's not true. There's still one thing you can offer."

I pressed lightly against her back, emphasizing my point. The motion caused one of her cracked wounds to open slightly, but I didn't pay it much mind—everything would be healed with just one vial of elixir, after all. Though she winced from the pain, understanding seemed to dawn on her as her expression hardened.

The choice was now hers to make.

A brief silence hung between us. But as had been evident earlier, Vivienne harbored an almost obsessive attachment to life. Soon enough, I saw her head give a faint nod, and I couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

"You'll listen to me carefully from now on, right?"

"…Understood."

There was a hesitant, subdued tone to her voice, likely due to the ominous undertone in my words.

Carrying the items Vivienne had provided and the two cocoons of players, I returned to the clearing. There, four cocoons were laid out in an eerily solitary fashion. Without wasting time, I cut through the threads binding the cocoons and released the others. Each time I freed someone, they looked at my face and broke into expressions of joy, as if they had just been saved from certain death.

After a brief reunion, their attention naturally shifted to the enigmatic woman and the two additional cocoons I had brought. The immediate priority, however, was dealing with Vivienne's situation. While we had coordinated our story beforehand, I was still a bit apprehensive. To my surprise, Vivienne was handling it better than expected.

"So, according to what you're saying, you were cursed by an evil mage long ago and turned into a spider?"

"Yes, that's correct. However, this person here managed to extract the core that formed the spider's body, allowing me to regain my consciousness and identity."

"But… even if you turned into a spider, you still remember killing players and creating dungeons, don't you?"

"After I became a spider, I couldn't leave the dungeon. If I had, I would have been hunted down immediately. Moreover, once my body was infected and consumed by the spider, my intelligence also began to regress under the core's influence. I remember those events, but it's hard to say they were intentional. If I had remained human, I would never have done such things."

"Hmm…."

Yun-Jung scrutinized her with a suspicious gaze before turning to me for confirmation. I quickly elaborated on Vivienne's explanation.

"She's telling the truth. If it weren't for Vivienne, I'd likely be dead right now. At a crucial moment, she managed to suppress the spider's actions from within. Without her intervention, none of us would've survived."

At my words, Yun-Jung and An-Sol both looked troubled. Seeing Vivienne act so convincingly, I couldn't help but smile. Using the art of mixing lies with truth, I was deceiving them for now. In order to integrate Vivienne into our group, I needed to downplay some of the things she had done so far.

"Still, what you've done doesn't change."

"Of course not. I have no intention of avoiding responsibility."

"But your body... it seems like your shoulder and back are torn...?"

An-Hyun appropriately interrupted Yun-Jung's question and directed it to Vivienne. She glanced at me before answering.

"Actually, my body is in a very dangerous state. Even though I regained my form after the core was extracted, the strain on my body is substantial."

"So you're saying you're going to die soon?"

"Probably."

"Ha..."

When she mentioned she was going to die soon, as expected, the atmosphere darkened slightly. They must be confused. I waited for an opening and then stepped forward. Now was the time for a direct approach.

"For now, we plan to work together with Vivienne."

As soon as I spoke, all their eyes turned toward me. An-Hyun looked surprised, while Yun-Jung and An-Sol frowned, clearly not pleased with my decision. However, since entering the Hall Plain, they had never opposed my decisions, and I had no intention of backing down on this matter.

I can understand the idea of recruiting a promising candidate. However, right now, we need to act quickly. To do that, it made more sense to recruit someone who could immediately contribute to our cause, rather than a player who would take a long time to grow. If Vivienne joined our group, it would cut down the time needed to carry out my plans by at least 30%.

"Vivienne herself seems to be struggling with what she's gone through. If there's even a chance she can live, she wanted to atone for her actions. Of course, what she did was wrong, but there is room for mitigation. She seems to be reflecting on her actions. So let's take her to the city, find a way to treat her, and if she can help, we'll work together. If not… Well, we'll deal with it. That sound reasonable?"

An-Hyun showed some leniency in this matter. The ones who were more hesitant were Yun-Jung and An-Sol, who still looked dissatisfied. However, they seemed to soften somewhat when I mentioned how Vivienne saved my life. Soon after, when I added, "She might die soon, though…," they reluctantly nodded in agreement.

With the major issue solved quickly, I let out a relieved sigh. Though there was still some lingering suspicion, for now, I had successfully brought her into the group. The rest would be dealt with in time.

I exchanged glances with the others before turning my gaze to where the players were lying. I could feel the others' eyes following me. There were two players lying flat on the ground, one male and one female, both wrapped in magic robes. They were the two players who had come in before, only to be caught by Vivienne.

To be honest, I had almost forgotten about them while having fun teasing Vivienne. If it hadn't been for her calling me as I was about to leave the corridor, I might have just left them there.

Their breathing was faint, but it seemed they were still alive, although their faces were pale. Since they were both wearing mage robes, their physical stats likely weren't that high. Yun-Jung, who had been staring at them, spoke up in a worried tone.

"Oppa, do you think they're going to die like this?"

"They won't die. But it's better we get to the city as quickly as possible."

"I know a shortcut."

Vivienne quickly raised her hand, offering to lead the way. Yun-Jung shot her a cold look and retorted.

"Hmph. You talk well. But this is all your fault."

"..."

I could see the flash of irritation on Vivienne's face, but she quickly bit her lip and composed herself. It was a bit reassuring to see her following my orders to stay calm, even though she couldn't completely hide her frustration, as she huffed through her nose.

As the two exchanged sharp words, I couldn't help but chuckle and turned my attention back to the players. I was planning to check their information. Just as I was about to activate my third eye, I suddenly felt a pounding headache. My vision blurred, and when I shook my head to clear it, I could focus again. But for some reason, it felt like the surroundings were tilting.

"Oppa, what's wrong...?"

Noticing my condition, Sol quickly approached and supported me. Why... is this happening?

As if sensing my strange behavior, Hyun, Yun-Jung, and Vivienne also came over to me. I told them I was fine and tried to forcefully activate my third eye again.

"Uh..."

"Hyung!"

"Oppa!"

I felt my vision spinning in front of me and my entire body losing strength. This feeling... is exhaustion, isn't it? Could it be? At that moment, Seraph's words from before flashed in my mind.

I hadn't even used it at full capacity, but it's already this bad... With that thought, I could feel the surroundings darkening. My eyes involuntarily started to close.

『Potential ability. "Last Man Standing" (Rank: A+) is activated.』

As the message appeared in the air, a surge of willpower emerged, forcing my body, which was about to collapse, to stand upright again.

.

.

.

.

You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.

pat reon.com/GreenBlue17

200 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.

5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.

Goal refresh every week.