Schurke lazily sparred with Sword of Love.

His personal plan had shifted a bit.

Originally, he intended to stay here, collect his pay, and then leave.

Having lived in this world for too long, Schurke's fervor had significantly waned.

Now, he's not too concerned about perfectly completing the tasks assigned by the system.

The pact with Lucas was precisely to help re-establish the Sea of Flames.

As long as things progressed this way, he would finish his task.

However, Aldo using those Principles was a huge variable.

"Tsk."

Schurke pushed Sword of Love back a short distance.

He dispelled the magical barriers surrounding his body.

"What? Not fighting anymore?" Sword of Love was taken aback.

He simply smiled.

"Things have somewhat gone beyond control."

Schurke conjured a glowing orb in his hand.

"That is...!" Lucas, hiding in the shadows, identified it immediately.

Others, when looking at it, likely wouldn’t react.

Only Lucas could.

Because that was his aspiration, now taken by Schurke.

"I have no intention of aiding him too much with this fraudulent compensation anymore."

Schurke clasped his hands together.

Snap.Lucas's aspiration was directly crushed.

The shards scattered everywhere, then turned into shimmering dust and disappeared.

Lucas's heart seemed to stop.

His eyes rolled back.

He collapsed.

"Lucas! What's wrong with you?!" Giovanni caught him with his hands.

"He knows..." Lucas coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Of course I know," Schurke sighed.

"I’ve encountered plenty of cunning folks like you."

"I was originally going to help you and then collect the rest of the deal."

In Schurke's hand appeared a parchment documenting the agreement between Lucas and Schurke.

He burned it directly.

"The contract is nullified due to your false aspiration."

Sword of Love stood bewildered, not understanding what was happening.

"Hey, hey... What’s going on? Are we fighting or not?"

Schurke shook his head.

"Regrettably, no. With what's about to happen in Qiu Yu City, it’s best I don’t stick around."

Schurke cracked his neck.

"System."

He began silently issuing commands to the System.

Freeze.

Everything seemed to come to a halt.There was movement, but very slow.

During his interaction with the System, Schurke's brain would accelerate to a rapid pace.

Making everything else seem to slow down.

"Teleport to the Last Fortress."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

【Beginning Teleportation.】

【Teleportation Complete.】

In the blink of an eye, Schurke disappeared from Qiu Yu City.

Leaving everyone behind with bewildered expressions.

"What? Where did he go?!"

.

.

.

Last Fortress.

A place with an unclear location in the First World.

Once a symbol of humanity, the city is now only ruins,

The surrounding landscape is just heaps of rubble.

The only noteworthy thing is a pitch-black cube at the fortress.

Schurke appeared there in an instant.

He stepped into that Cube.

"Aaaa....!"

Boom.

He lay straight on a large bed.

Inside the cube was a simple room.Bed, table, refrigerator.

A basic rented room typical for any salaried worker.

This place was created from remnants of Schurke's memories of where he once lived.

"Cancel Mission."

【Confirm Mission Cancellation?】

"Yes."

【It seems the host has recently failed to complete missions frequently, please reflect on yourself.】

"Whatever."

"Finally I can take off this mask."

Acting all days being something else is like his day job now.

Schurke closed his eyes on his bed, sighing.

Another mission had failed.

Schurke had been in this world too long, completing too many missions for the System.

One thing he learned was that completing missions wasn't necessary.

The absolute requirement was his presence and influence at important events.

It wasn’t essential to complete the missions given by the System.

The System's rewards were extremely generous, but they were not obligatory.

If there was no choice, then from the beginning, there would be no difference from being a slave to it.

Initially, Schurke risked everything to complete missions from events that followed.

It took a long time for him to realize that completing them wasn't necessary.

He would take on missions, and if they became too troublesome, he would abandon them halfway.

The System, of course, left some reprimands for him.

But fundamentally, it unable to harm him.

Schurke opened his spatial inventory.

From it, he took out a cigarette.Using his fingers to flick and ignite the fire, he lit it.

He brought it to his mouth and took a drag.

"If the suppression ends and things are still unfinished, then everything is already predetermined."

"Staying there would only put oneself in danger."

【It seems the host is lacking motivation. Recommend the host regain some spirit.】

"Shut up."

"I'm almost dead tired."

Schurke kept his eyes closed, trying to calm himself as he inhaled the cigarette smoke.

He was utterly exhausted with this world.

In the beginning, when he first arrived in this world, everything was new, exciting.

Walking the path to immortality, practicing magic, battling foes.

It all felt like a beautiful dream.

As time went on, more changes came.

The world didn't change; he did.

He realized how meaningless everything was.

Cultivate, grow stronger, eliminate enemies.

Then cultivate, grow stronger, eliminate enemies.

Buying trivial things from the System's shop to cultivate himself.

Playing the role of a disposable villain in someone else's story.

At a certain point, you realize everything becomes meaningless.

Why? Because there are so many pleasures to indulge in this world.

Yet in your eyes, everything still seems so dull.Repeating endless tasks.

Walking a path predetermined by someone else.

Sometimes he wondered if he was just a puppet entertaining others.

No matter how strong he became, his power was granted by the System.

At that moment, Schurke looked at the System.

He thought to himself.

No need to try too hard anymore.

Schurke opened the System.

His eyes scanned the treasures and rare items within.

【Ticket Back Home】

Schurke chuckled.

He had once considered buying it.

Buying the ticket to return to his own world.

But then he reconsidered.

He didn't truly have a reason to go back.

In that old world, he had no family, no loved ones.

Apart from being the place of his birth, there was nothing holding him there.

Schurke's eyes fell on another item.

【Revival Gem】

【Revive a creature belonging to this world.】

【Price: Not Yet Available】

His eyes seemed a bit lost.

After all...He continued doing these pointless tasks of the System, for what purpose?

Schurke fell asleep.

Today, he put on another mask, and then removed another one.

At a certain point, he no longer knew which was his real face and which was the mask.

He tossed the cigarette into the trash can.

Schurke buried his head into the pillow.

"I... In the end... why do I exist?"

"Why do I keep existing ?"

.

.

.

The eerie smile of Demon Emperor Geogre seemed endless.

The flames spread extensively.

They reached 75% of the Sea of Flames.

"The flames are spreading too fast...! There's very little time left before the Sea of Flames recovers...!"

Tofu looked at the data in panic.

Director Minh couldn't help but glance at the clock.

"10 seconds left."

"Everyone, get ready!"

5!

4!

3!

2!1!

A flash of light.

All the gates began to restore.

"Charge!!!"

"Action!!!"

From all the gates, countless "players" rushed in.

Their names all followed the format DMG_Name.

These were DMG employees.

They were the "legal hacks" within the game.

Fully equipped, maximum skills, everything equivalent to Mujou, Heaven's Pride, and MaGold’s gear.

Level 99.

They were set at the maximum strength allowed by Cosminsto.

A multitude of people surged through all the gates.

At this moment, the old man Giovanni chuckled.

"Ha ha! A bunch of nonsense! Does the Knights of the Far Lands really send weaklings for help every day?"

"Why did Schurke leave? These guys would die even before we raise a hand."

"No, that's not it." Lucas shook his head.

He understood the significance of those entering Qiu Yu City.

"The issue isn't their strength, but the fact that they are all foreigners."

Sea of Flames.

The Azure Flame is considered a part of the "fragment of memory."

For the "local people", or NPCs, touching it and remaining intact is nearly impossible.

Take Unholda Kaiser, who stood at the location of the Sea of Flames before it formed, enduring endless damage.However, those who just rushed in are all "foreigners."

Foreigners are not affected by the fragments of memory.

While they still take damage from the flames, it's not an absolute death sentence.

The event where No One ran through the sea of flames is the clearest proof to the locals of this fact.

At this moment, Nightingale's expression was frozen, extremely uncomfortable.

"You mean they can influence Unholda Kaiser?"

Lucas nodded.

"Yes."

"Who can guarantee that there's not a second No One among them?"