Chapter 488
‘Anyone who wishes to become part of the Rosenberg family must first prove their worth.’
That was the long-standing tradition of the prestigious Rosenberg family.
And thanks to that damned tradition, what was supposed to be a pleasant vacation had now turned into a living hell.
“Haa…”
Jinhyuk pressed his throbbing temples with his fingers.
“S-sorry, Jinhyuk. My father… he gets a little too enthusiastic sometimes…”
Teresa bowed repeatedly at a ninety-degree angle.
She looked on the verge of tears, apologizing nonstop—so scolding her felt out of the question.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault, Miss Teresa.”
“Thank you for understanding. Still, please don’t take it too seriously. My father half-jokingly, half-seriously started this whole thing.”
Well, for something half-joking, the scale of the engagement event was no joke.
Sons of foreign conglomerate CEOs, high-ranking guild elites, and even famous celebrities.
The list of participants was extravagant to say the least.
‘Fine. That much I could still deal with.’
The problem was…
…that Alice had completely lost her grip on reason, as if gasoline had been poured onto a raging fire.
—I-I too shall hold a public proposal! I’m better than any Rosenberg or Teresaaa!
After downing a massive amount of alcohol, Alice had gone live on Viewtube, sending the world into chaos once more.
– Enliz: Is this for real? This is a next-level scandal, LOL.
– Player Hides Past: WTF. Alice is proposing publicly? Her fanclub alone has over 5 million members—what happens if they all join?
– S-Class: What do you mean what happens? It’ll be a hell party LOL.
– LittleBig: I heard they’re sending selective invites, so it shouldn’t be millions. More like a Squid Game style selection.
– Choi Woojin: It’s gonna be a bloodbath. The reward’s way too OP.
– Index: This is gonna be wild. It’s even being broadcast live—I’m not missing this.
– Kim from Basement: Veteran Corporation might just collapse after this.
As if Dustin hadn’t already drummed up enough hype on his own, Alice’s involvement exploded the situation into a worldwide frenzy.
Every major news outlet and top-tier Viewtubers had flooded into Europe just to land an exclusive interview—anything more would just be redundant to explain.
“This is all your doing. What’s the point in regretting now?”
Chun Yoosung, who had joined the group just yesterday, looked on with a smug expression.
“That’s all you have to say after so long? Just rubbing salt in my wounds?”
“I’m just being honest. No matter who you choose, hell awaits.”
“Hey, come on. Don’t be so cold—give me some proper advice. You’ve got experience with stuff like this, right?”
Just looking at him, he gave off the vibe of someone who’d been through every type of romantic battlefield.
I mean, with that face, he must’ve left legions of fangirls in tears.
But Chun Yoosung just let out an awkward cough.
…No way. Was he actually a natural monument?
“You… seriously? I mean, considering you managed med school while climbing the Tower, maybe it does make sense…”
“Anyway, figure it out yourself. Dammit. Why am I even talking about this?”
Chun Yoosung grumbled and walked away.
⁕ ⁕ ⁕
The grand banquet hall at the center of the Rosenberg mansion.
Spanning well over 1,000 pyeong in area, the hall was packed with men.
“Hmm. This is going to be fierce.”
“Who knows what kind of challenge it’ll be, but it won’t be easy.”
“Still, being the son-in-law of the Rosenberg family has its merits.”
“Not to mention, with Alice… it could tie you to the Veteran Corporation too.”
“I heard Sir Dustin also offered an SS-rank item he got from a labyrinth as part of the engagement gift.”
“SS-rank, huh… now that’s an attractive prize.”
Whether it was Teresa or Alice.
As long as they ended up with either, it would be a jackpot.
You’d instantly gain worldwide attention and status rivaling the master of a top guild.
Just then—
DING! DING! DING!
The clock struck precisely 7 PM.
Dustin, seated at the head table, rose to his feet.
All eyes turned in his direction.
“Ahem! Ahem! First of all, thank you all for coming from so far away. Thanks to not only my dear daughter but also Miss Alice hosting her own event, we’ve had an overwhelming number of participants.”
A total of 967 contestants.
Even after careful selection, it was nowhere near enough to contain the popularity of Teresa and Alice.
“So… I’d like to spice up the traditional contest with a few additional rules.”
Dustin snapped his fingers toward the air.
DING!
[You have used the special item ‘Mini Event Creator (A)’.]
[Ultimate Fiancee Event has been activated.]
Details: Currently, both Alice and Teresa are hiding somewhere in the mansion. Each contestant must find one of them and attach their personal sticker to her dress. All unique abilities and skills are allowed during the event, and special items can be purchased with cash.
Time Limit: 19:10 ~ 24:00 [Approximately 5 hours]
Area: Mansion and surrounding forest
[Item List]
Motion Detector: 5 million dollars
Tranquilizer Gun: 1.7 million dollars
Tranquilizer Dart (1): 300,000 dollars / 3 for 800,000
Mansion Map: 20 million dollars
Pink Diamond Ring: 7.5 million dollars
White Rose Bouquet: 500,000 dollars
…All item purchases will be allocated toward wedding expenses afterward.
“OOOOOH!”
“Sounds fun.”
“Victory will be mine!”
“As if. I’m sweeping every item here!”
The contestants roared in excitement.
The atmosphere heated up in an instant.
It was already clear how brutal the competition would be.
“This feels more intense than a Tower of Trials event.”
Jinhyuk downed a glass of wine on the table in one gulp.
If he chose Teresa to get the item, he’d be forced into an engagement. And Alice—the walking disaster—would undoubtedly descend.
But if he chose Alice, he’d miss out on the item entirely.
In the worst-case scenario, a corrupted Teresa might just flatten the mansion herself.
But right now, the most important thing was finding out where the two of them were hiding.
He had to be the one making the choice. If someone else got to them first, things could spiral out of control.
‘Still, these prices are insane.’
He’d wondered what kind of items they were selling, only to find it was literally a full set of tools designed to be highly useful for this very contest.
The prices weren’t just overpriced—they bordered on pure madness.
And yet, seeing how everyone was sweeping the items up, it was clear that only people with limitless bank accounts had gathered here.
[The Fiancee Battle begins.]
[10… 9, 8…]
The countdown started.
And the moment it hit 0—
Participants leapt in all directions.
Into the mansion, the halls, rooms, and even the forest. Countless figures rushed out.
Jinhyuk chose the guest room area on the mansion’s 4th floor.
‘Miss Teresa knows the mansion’s layout too well. She won’t be found this easily.’
Judging by the five-hour time limit, this wasn’t going to be an easy game of hide-and-seek.
That meant the best target for now was Alice.
Knowing her, she’d definitely be waiting in the best room in the entire mansion.
Tap.
Jinhyuk activated [Black Demon Sky Movement], and in the blink of an eye, he reached the fourth floor.
Clack.
The door opened.
And there stood Alice in a white dress and a bridal veil.
Maybe it was because she always wore black—but in a pure white dress, her usual image was completely shattered.
“I knew it! I knew you’d choose me over that dumb saint! I win! I win! Kyaaaa!”
Alice bounced up and down where she stood.
“Don’t be ridiculous. What the hell were you thinking pulling this stunt?”
“W-well, if I didn’t do something like this, my contractor who has zero awareness would never notice me! Anyway, hurry up and stick your sticker on me, okay? Then I’ll give you everything in my subspace inventory! I’m way richer than the Rosenberg side, you know!”
Alice clung to Jinhyuk’s sleeve and whined.
Clack!
Just then, the door opened again.
Other participants who had just arrived at the fourth floor stepped in.
“Miss Alice…!”
“I’m the Vice Master of the Luna Guild—”
“I’m from Melon Corp—”
“GET LOSTTTT!”
[Alice activates her Unique Ability ‘Blood Lord’!]
KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA!
The windows turned crimson.
“Uwaaaagh!”
“Guaaagh!”
The participants trying to enter were blasted right out of the room.
“Can’t you see we’re having an important conversation?!”
Alice panted, retracting her mana.
But there was one.
A man with slicked-back hair who withstood Alice’s unique ability.
“M-my master… strong…”
“I’ve used up all my power…”
“We’d better head back. Sorry we couldn’t help more.”
The spirits around him apologized with guilty expressions.
“It’s okay. Thanks to you, I managed to hold my ground. You all did great.”
The man gently patted the spirits on their heads.
A face that was all too familiar—and increasingly irritating.
Lucius de Verakis.
The heir to a British noble family, overflowing with talent in every field. A so-called genius.
They had clashed once before, and it was a huge headache then too.
Of course he flew straight here the moment he heard about Alice’s public proposal.
“Master, we want to change masters too.”
“Yeah! That guy looks like the gentle type who cares for his spirits!”
“Haah… take me, please. Wahh.”
“Mogiii mogii!”
“Miyoooo!”
“Quiet, all of you. I’ve got a headache.”
Goguma and the spirits each muttered something as they stepped forward to shield Jinhyuk from Alice’s rage.
‘These little…’
Jinhyuk’s eyebrows twisted into a deep arch.
“Really? You want to go with him that badly?”
“N-no… it was just a figure of speech.”
Undine stammered nervously.
“Don’t feel pressured. There’s always a way, you know.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
“What do I have to do?”
“You just have to cancel your contract with me and be free.”
“Wow. That sounds simple. So how do I become free?”
“Well, the way to do that is—”
CRACK!
A hammer made of glacial sculpting slammed into the back of Undine’s head.
She collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
“Anyone else want to be free?”
Feel free to speak up anytime.
He’d make them freer than anyone else in the world.
“……”
“……”
Naturally, everyone kept their mouths shut and shook their heads with intensity.
“You really are merciless to your companions. I expected as much, but seeing it in person is even more disgusting.”
“To me, you’re the bigger freak. What, you really like her that much?”
“Of course! I’d give everything for my Lady. There’s no way I’d ever hand her over to a scumbag like you!”
Lucius pulled out several cylindrical objects from his coat.
Those are…?
FLASH!
Blinding light exploded in all directions.
“You’re a cash whale too?!”
Jinhyuk clenched his eyes shut.
If he remembered right, flashbangs cost a million dollars apiece…
And this guy was tossing them in bulk like candy.
“Money is no object. Even if I end up on the streets—”
“Ugh, just shut up already!”
Alice slapped Lucius across the face.
“GAAAH!”
Lucius went flying, smashed into the bed, and shattered it.
“Now then… hand it over. The sticker.”
“Wait, I’m the one who’s supposed to place it on you, right? Aren’t you the one running away?”
“When it comes to my goals, I don’t care what methods I use. I might as well drain every drop of your blood while I’m at it.”
Alice bared her fangs.
Her eyes were completely gone—she was clearly in a dangerous state.
Jinhyuk pulled out a pair of daggers.
“Alice…? How about we calm down a little, yeah?”
“Hehehe. Resistance isn’t bad either. Better to establish control early in the honeymoon phase. Don’t worry—I remember from the corridor, right? I’m the type who saves the best for last.”
VROOOOM!
Red spikes rose behind Alice.
The blood-red droplets standing in stark contrast against the pure white dress created a grotesque scene.
‘Let’s focus on surviving for now.’
Jinhyuk gulped dryly.
