In the Name of God - vanish into fiction

-“But this was the first time that Master’s mind was all crushed like this and that and you got unsummoned! You’re holding onto your sanity properly, right?!”

“…Is that really the right way to put it?”

Letting out a small, hollow laugh, I recalled the moment we entered the Boss room.

As soon as I was enveloped by the black energy, my connection with Echo was severed. Looking back, it seemed I had fallen straight into an illusion spell right then and there, without even a chance to counterattack.

“I thought it was no big deal since my Apostle never wavered against any illusion magic.”

Once again, I thought of my Apostle, who would calmly break through and advance whenever an illusion spell unfolded. I was truly impressed by how that child possessed such a solid mental strength.

“As expected, my kid is amazing. Of course he is.”

As I sat there nodding to myself, Echo continued speaking while patting the back of my hand with its front paws.

-Strictly speaking, Master is a ‘mental body’ residing in Seong Do‑yoon’s physical body. Mental shocks will have a direct and major impact on Master’s very existence! So you must be careful, and careful again, of illusions!

“Alright, alright.”

I wondered if that would really go according to my will, but I answered that I understood for now and stroked Echo’s head. As I rumpled its fur with my hand, it felt somewhat healing.

“So that’s why the system gave me the ‘Adaptation’ skill, right?”

-That’s right! Without that skill, Master’s mind might have already entered the collapse stage long ago!

“Aren’t you saying such scary things a bit too casually?”

-Uuuugh, but it’s the truth…

I fell into thought for a moment while kneading Echo’s head like a rice cake.

“A mental body…”

I had suspected it, but hearing the word “mental body” directly from Echo made me certain.

My soul was not residing in Seong Do‑yoon’s body in a complete state.

Even though I was said to have died once, if my soul had settled completely into a body restored by the system, there would be no reason for a countdown like a “lifespan.”

After all, the Seong Do‑yoon in the memories I inherited did not have any diseases, except for having low physical abilities and being excessively thin.

If such a body was restored, could it really become this sickly just because another soul resided in it?

“No. It is because I am not a ‘complete soul’.”

Since it was nothing more than a “mental body” residing there instead of a soul, it was reasonable to see it as physical damage arising from that discrepancy.

<Our game company informs you that we always prioritize plausibility for the pleasant enjoyment of our players.>

It was a phrase that used to pop up every time I logged into the game.

If that phrase still applied now, the increase in lifespan was likely a type of “plausibility” the system prepared so that there would be no contradiction even if I occupied this body.

The moment “plausibility” was sufficiently satisfied, all restrictions would probably disappear, and my soul would completely merge with Seong Do‑yoon’s body. At that time, I would be able to enjoy the life given to me fully without having to work hard to earn more lifespan as I do now.

However…

‘That’s not what I want.’

I did not wish to live longer even at the moment I met my “complete death.” That was still the same now.

I was simply holding out in this place because of a small lingering regret: wanting to know if my Apostle was doing well, and wishing that the word “extinction” would no longer exist in this world where that child lives.

To someone like me, whether it was plausibility or whatever, none of that mattered.

“There might be information about a place where that child might be staying among the memories I’ve forgotten. To check, I have no choice but to try synchronizing with the shadow fragment after all.”

Since a lifespan of a whopping 30 days was at stake, the backlash would be great, but I thought I could endure it if the human painkiller, Lee Sunho , stayed with me.

Just as I was about to call up the system window to check the remaining time until accepting the synchronization.

Knock, knock.

I heard a knock.

Since I knew who it was without even checking, I placed Echo on the corner of the bed and told them to come in.

Lee Sunho, who entered the room, had a troubled expression for some reason.

Lee Sunho lightly waved his phone. It seemed he had just received a message.

“It seems I have to go to the dungeon. Apparently, there’s some trouble with the Boss room.”

“The Boss room? But we took care of the Boss.”

We had clearly caught the Boss monster and secured the core, and I had witnessed the black energy that had filled the Boss room vanish completely. Could there be a problem?

“They say the investigation team members lost their minds one after another as soon as they entered the Boss room. There aren’t many people who are still sane even now.”

No matter how much I thought about it, there was nothing noteworthy in the Boss room at the time we left. Only the ruins of the cathedral and the traces of battle remained.

“Was there a device or magic in the Boss room that we didn’t know about?”

“Perhaps.”

Nodding at my words, Lee Sunho approached me.

“From the investigation team’s perspective, they seem to think we might be of some help since we made it out of the Boss room safely.”

“Then I’ll go with—”

I was about to say I’ll go with you, but I shut my mouth upon feeling the cold gaze of Lee Sunho standing before me.