Chapter 437

“Ugh!”

Chun Yoosung gritted his teeth.

A fierce battle unfolded atop the ocean.

Frey, wielding two spears like spinning windmills, was an incredibly difficult opponent.

With all emotions completely shut off, every attack was calculated and efficient, wasting no movement.

‘Clang! Clang-clang-clang!’

In the end, Chun Yoosung was forced to retreat.

‘Tap…’

Frey lightly landed on the Justice Enforcement team’s raft.

Her mission was simple: buy as much time as possible.

Whether victory was achievable or not was irrelevant. What mattered was ensuring that her one and only master would successfully defend this place.

“You… blue-haired puppet! Get out of the way!”

Alice screamed furiously.

“…Clingy women aren’t popular.”

“W-What did you just say?”

“Media analysis: 1,985 cases. Movies: 256 cases. Web novels: 335 cases. All data shows that women with high self-esteem are considered attractive.”

“Y-You… worthless puppet! Who are you to lecture me about popularity? I was— I was incredibly popular back in my world!”

‘Boom!’

Unable to control her anger, Alice unleashed all of her magic power.

Naturally, the flimsy raft couldn’t withstand such an onslaught.

‘Whoosh!’

Thick smoke rose as violent heat surged.

Jinhyuk could feel the searing warmth from behind.

“Looks like Frey succeeded.”

[Unique Ability ‘Will of the Current’ activates!]

The flow of the seawater smoothed out, allowing the raft to glide forward as if riding a tailwind.

Good.

This gave them at least a few minutes of lead time.

How much time passed?

Eventually, Jinhyuk and Wolyoung’s raft reached the uninhabited island.

“Master, what do you plan to do from here?”

“Well… honestly, I don’t have a perfect plan for this part.”

With so little time to prepare, and since only Rick knew where the flag was hidden on this island, the only option was to search manually with the time they’d secured.

“The team with superior numbers will have the advantage.”

“Exactly. That’s why we have to find it before they arrive. You take the western part of the island. I’ll start on the eastern side. Let’s sweep clockwise and meet in the center.”

“As you command. I’ll search the higher ground where the flag is most likely to be.”

The two split up, heading in opposite directions.

—

The plan was nearly perfect.

They had filtered through the best options within the constraints of the environment to create the most favorable outcome.

‘It worked…!’

Thanks to that, Jinhyuk quickly found the flag’s location.

Based on Rick’s personality, Jinhyuk had correctly guessed that the flag would be placed in a spot where one might think, ‘“It couldn’t possibly be there, could it?”’

A red flag.

‘Tap!’

Jinhyuk pushed himself to run faster.

With a single leap, he crossed a ravine, the wind propelling him forward.

‘Lady Luck is always on my side.’

No matter how difficult the situation, he was always the one who won in the end.

Yes, it had always been that way.

Except…

This time, Lady Luck wasn’t smiling at him.

‘Thwack!’

‘Thud!’

“Found it!”

“I found it, too… huh?”

Alice and Teresa emerged from opposite directions.

This was bad.

Of all the times, he had to run into them right when the goal was within reach.

To make things worse, Alice had the Azure Dragon, while Teresa had the five elemental spirits with her.

…This was the worst-case scenario.

“Block them!”

“Don’t let them take the flag! Azure Dragon!”

At the spirits’ cry, the Azure Dragon unleashed the power of its orb.

“Graaah! Please, just die! I beg you…!”

‘Boom!’

Dark thunderclouds erupted, releasing a torrential downpour of lightning.

At the same time, the elemental spirits unleashed their respective attribute attacks.

‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’

“Damn it.”

Jinhyuk dodged to the side just in time.

While he avoided the direct attacks, the teamwork of those two…

‘Their synergy is insane.’

He hadn’t noticed it while they were allies, but now that he was facing them as enemies, it was undeniable.

All the relentless training and battles had honed the five spirits into a formidable unit.

They blocked his escape routes and predicted his movements with sharp precision.

Even with ‘Soul-Demon Sky Step,’ Jinhyuk was barely able to maneuver around them.

But dodging alone wasn’t enough.

Alice and Teresa were already closing in, almost within reach of the flag.

If this continued, he would lose.

Unless he came up with something…

And then—

“…!?”

An idea flashed through Jinhyuk’s mind like a bolt of lightning.

“Wait, wait! Stop for a second! Did you even properly read the traits of the captain’s hat?”

“That’s…!”

“Of course we did! That’s why we’re going through all this trouble!”

“Then you must know that splitting the hat’s ownership reduces its effectiveness. Whatever you’re aiming for, a weakened, half-baked reward won’t taste as sweet, don’t you think?”

“…”

“…”

Alice and Teresa exchanged glances.

Now that he mentioned it…

They had been so focused on winning each round that they hadn’t thought about what came afterward.

The one thing they both knew for sure was that they couldn’t let the other claim the hat if they wanted to fulfill their individual desires.

“Fine, I’ll take the hat and distribute the rights fairly.”

Alice broke the silence first.

“I…”

Teresa hesitated.

Unable to assert herself strongly, she could only watch as Alice reached for the flag.

But then—

‘Smack!’

“Ack!”

A sharp sound echoed as a burst of fire landed on Alice’s hand.

“You fool! How could you fall for that? It’s clearly a trick. And you—how dare you try to hoard the flag with your filthy hands?”

Teresa’s demeanor changed entirely.

[Corruption.]

Her suppressed dark personality surfaced.

“You stupid saint!”

“Ha! How childish, calling me stupid. Your vocabulary really matches your level.”

“W-Was that directed at me? At me!?”

“If you’re referring to a brat, then yes, it was directed at you.”

The tension between the two flared explosively.

“No way will either of them let the other win, even over their dead body.”

Was this a moment to breathe a sigh of relief?

As Jinhyuk let out a small sigh of relief—

‘Pop!’

The flag was pulled out.

Alice and Teresa had grabbed it simultaneously.

“…Huh?”

What just happened?

Jinhyuk’s pupils quaked like an earthquake.

His mouth hung open, unable to comprehend the result.

“Why…?”

“Why? Because instead of losing the opportunity while fighting this dumb vampire, I thought it was better to secure the reward, even if the effectiveness is reduced.”

“Hmph! Contractor, we already knew you’d try something like this. Our plan to make you drop your guard worked perfectly.”

To prevent long-range interference using ‘Barrier’ or ‘Glacial Sculpting,’ this performance had been essential.

And the effort had paid off.

[All games have concluded.]
[The winner is the ‘Justice Enforcement’ team.]
[Rewards are being calculated.]

With the appearance of the game system notifications, the vacation on Paradise Island came to an end.

Well, for some, it was only just beginning.

—

The sensation was smooth and snug. It was hard not to marvel at the fit.

As expected of something made in France.

It might even become addictively comfortable.

Jinhyuk found himself thinking that without realizing it.

“I… I always thought the world mocked and deceived those who put in effort,” Chun Yoosung muttered, reflecting on his past.

“It’s only natural. I was always the one who tasted despair and bitter failure in front of you. Hundreds of disappointments and struggles… I accepted that as my fate.”

But now—

“Turns out, heaven doesn’t abandon those who work hard.”

Chun Yoosung’s lips twitched, as if he couldn’t contain his joy.

“Enough. You’ve said that for hours. Isn’t it tiring to keep repeating the same thing for ten hours straight?”

“It’s not tiring at all. At least not in this lifetime. The only regret is that the broadcast system isn’t activated, but… Well, as you said, this much is enough to soothe my regrets. The rest I’ll leave for the friends waiting behind me.”

The victorious spirits and the Azure Dragon eagerly awaited their turn to use the captain’s hat.

Even though the hat’s divided ownership meant they couldn’t fulfill all their desires, they seemed satisfied with showing that even worms squirm when stepped on.

“Then, until next time. I’ll leave happily to prepare for my trials.”

Chun Yoosung left with a bright smile.

“This form… I think it’s not too bad,” Alice said, clinging tightly to Jinhyuk’s side.

She smiled like someone who had everything in the world, and it didn’t seem like an empty statement.

“Peaceful… This is what I wanted. This time with my contractor.”

Sipping a freshly made tropical drink on a sunset-lit beach, it felt as if all the world’s worries had vanished.

At least in this moment, she could forget about reclaiming her position as the head of Ataraxia, the looming threats of the Tower’s other powerful forces, and all the other troublesome issues.

“Contractor, as your captain, I command you to drink that. I added some special apples to make it delicious.”

“Hey! Don’t cling too much. You haven’t forgotten, have you? You’re not the only one who holds ownership of the hat.”

Teresa pulled Jinhyuk from the other side, causing Alice to miss the chance to feed him the cocktail of the fruit of knowledge.

“What are you doing?! It was all ready—I mean, I just wanted us to sip and enjoy together!”

“She’s saying it’s better to spend time with me instead of this brat. Look, even your body agrees. Isn’t that right?”

Teresa’s white fingers grazed Jinhyuk’s neck.

A warm breath brushed against his ear.

“Just say you’re mine. The way the fallen enjoy themselves is quite… thrilling.”

“D-Do you want to die?! Who said you could go that far!?”

“Oh my, is it too much for our little brat to handle?”

“It’s not too much! I’ve… studied a lot!”

Alice clung tightly to Jinhyuk’s arm.

Seriously… They were getting more absurd by the moment.

Jinhyuk hung his head, looking utterly resigned.

‘Let’s just endure it for ten hours. Just ten hours. Pretend I’m dead.’

All the taunts and jeers from the spirits would eventually pass with time. That thought alone kept him going.

And finally—

[The 24 hours have ended.]
[The effects of the ‘Captain’s Hat’ have expired.]

‘Fssss…’

The hat crumbled into dust.

“Hiiik…?”

The first to wake from the dream was Undine.

Frozen stiff under the overwhelming aura, her entire body was paralyzed.

“Is it already over? The 24 hours?”

“I thought it had only been five minutes?”

No matter how much they denied reality, they couldn’t reverse the fact that the 24 hours had ended.

“Did everyone have fun? Yes, it must’ve been fun. How thrilling it must’ve been.”

Jinhyuk chuckled darkly, like someone who had gone mad.

All the humiliation he’d endured…

…It was etched into his very bones.

He would replay it 12 times before bed every night.

Now, it was time to return the favor.

“Everyone, take your positions. Prepare for a raid assuming we’re fighting a deity… No, forget it. Just run. Leave this island—now!”

Chun Yoosung’s voice thundered as he gave the order.

[Zodiac Constellation ‘Sagittarius’ has been activated!]

But there was nowhere to run.

‘Splat!’

The Azure Dragon, attempting to ascend into the sky, was struck by a massive shard of ice and plunged into the ocean.

“H-Help! Paddle! Paddle hard!”

“We can do it! We can survive!”

“Heave-ho, heave-ho.”

“Heave-ho, my foot. We’re doomed!”

The panicking spirits scrambling onto the raft met a similar fate.

A raging inferno consumed the entire vessel.

“Clatter, clatter… My bones… my bones are melting!”

“Tweattttttt!”

This place was hell.

And the wrath of the veteran in the maid outfit was unstoppable.