SSS-Grade Cafe in Front of The Dungeon
chapter-144

It wasn’t hard for me to remember who she was. It was a face I’d seen often in news.

A luxurious suit, well-groomed hair, a confident gait, and the relaxed expression of a successful CEO. It was Lee Sein, the CEO of C&L Corporation.

For a moment, I wondered if she was also caught up in this dungeon. She walked in with a slow pace.

“Ugh…!”

Duk! With each step she took, one by one, people fell unconscious. The only ones left were Choi Cedric, Rona, Ki Yoohyun, Ash, and me.

Finally, she looked at Ash.

“It’s about time we met, you foolish incarnation.”

“What did you do…….”

Snap. Ash passed out. Lee Sein, who passed next to Ash and stood before Rona, spoke in a bright voice.

“Rona, you’re awake!”

“It’s been a while.”

Rona let go of Choi Cedric’s hand and straightened her posture. Her brother’s eyes shook greatly as he looked at Lee Sein.

What’s going on? There was unusual tension between them.

“I’ve been worried about you, and I’m so glad you’re awake. Cedric thinks so too, right?”

“You’re still the same, aren’t you, Lee Sein-eonni? Or should I call you the Faceless One █████?”

What? I felt my head go cold. That name, I remembered it clearly. The incident in Yongsan, when Ash was in danger. That name had appeared in the system window.

I tried to step in between Lee Sein and Choi Rona, but my feet didn’t move, like they were glued to the floor.

“It’s a family matter, so don’t interfere.” Lee Sein glanced at me and smiled.

I had never met a celebrity like this in person before or after my regression, but somehow, there was something about her appearance, or rather, her presence, that made me feel deja vu.

“I want you to know that I never really meant to kill you, Rona. But fused with the grimoire? I’ve never feed you with any junk food, so why did you eat strange things?” Lee Sein’s familiar smile twisted into a grimace.

“CEO-nim, what on earth are you talking about?”

“It’s no use, Oppa. You already know.”

“…Yeah.” Choi Cedric wiped the hesitation from his face. He raised his sword in his hand, but Lee Sein didn’t move.

“Ten minutes is a very short time. I wonder how long it will be before the dungeon is destroyed.”

Krak! The floor cracked. A translucent crysformed along the crack and enveloped Lee Sein, Choi Cedric, and Choi Rona.

“……Rona, Cedric!”

Bang! I pounded on the barrier with my hand, but they didn’t move. I couldn’t reach them, as if they had a solid layer of protection.

“Tsk….!” Ki Yoohyun immediately attacked the barrier, but it didn’t budge. It absorbed all the attacks, and this side and that side are completely separated.

What is this, a barrier simply to avoid being disturbed?

No, that’s not quite right ……. there was a sense of detachment that separated this small hospital room from the rest of the world. Water and air, the dungeon and the world outside the dungeon, or the real world and the world that has already disappeared. It’s right in front of you and yet it’s so far away.

[Time Remaining 00:05:32]

There’s only about five minutes left. Gradually, the dungeon began to dissipate at the edge of my vision. The air smelled familiar. One by one, the unconscious moved out of the dungeon.

However, the barrier surrounding Lee Sein, Choi Cedric, and Choi Rona was unaffected. It was as if the dungeon would perish along with them.……

“I cared for you in my own way, so much so that I prepared a hospital room for you. I would have spared your life if you had given me the Grimoire, but what a shame.”

“That joke’s not funny. Weren’t you planning on sealing the Grimoire the moment you got your hands on it anyway? You must have been wary of the Grimoire affecting the Causality.”

Her emotionless eyes flickered slightly, as if studded with fake gemstones.

“That’s why you blew up this dungeon, so that I would be caught by the monster’s branches and never wake up.”

Lee Sein was behind this? The head of C&L Corporation?

At Rona’s words, Lee Sein shook her head casually, “It is a false world. A world that has long since ceased to exist, a world that feeds on dreams. Don’t you think it’s a fitting place to seal away the archaic Grimoire and the pitiful siblings?”

“Are you going to kill me? Even if you do, it won’t change anything. You’ll fail.”

“We’ll see about that.” Lee Sein glanced at me and Ki Yoohyun. What was it? Something flashed in her eyes for the briefest of moments.

“Hyaaah!”

Klang! Taking advantage of Lee Sein’s momentary distraction, Choi Cedric raised his sword and struck, but his attack was blocked by an invisible shield. Taking no chances, Rona formed an arrow of light from her hand and let it fly. The arrow pierced the shield and struck Lee Sein.

It worked!

“…Keugh, keulgh!”

Lee Sein lost her balance and staggered. Rona called out sharply.

“Sein-eonni, wake up!”

“Don’t you understand yet? Lee Sein will never wake up.” Lee Sein’s eyes glowed red, “The power of the Grimoire? Now that you’re strong, you can easily kill this body, but it won’t be the death of ‘me‘.”

“……!”

“This world will flow towards its predestined Abyss, and before it does, it’s a good idea to take your precious family along for the ride. Kill this body as many times as you want.”

Rona’s expression hardened ferociously.

Tick, tick…..

[There are two minutes left before the dungeon disappears, please wait until your return is complete.]

“No………”

How did we get here, how did we survive, this can’t end like this. As I despair at the decreasing time….

“Yaaah!”

Woosh! The ceiling collapsed and Choi Yichan appeared.

“…Yichan-ah?”

Choi Yichan, who had fallen from the ceiling, thrust the dagger in his hand against the barrier.

The sturdy barrier instantly shattered like powdered sugar. As if she hadn’t expected this situation, panic flashed across Lee Sein’s face.

“Phew, I’m almost late.” After landing beautifully, Choi Yichan sheathed his dagger. The blade was engraved with a unique pattern, making it no ordinary dagger at first glance.

“‘Yichan-ah, what happened?!”

“Sorry. I’ll explain later. Let’s take care of that first.”

“……Who are you! How did you break the barrier? No way, that dagger is…….”

Tak! Choi Yichan rushed in before Lee Sein could finish his sentence.

There was only one minute left.

“Huh, no. If you do that, the CEO will……!”

Choi Cedric let out a pitiful scream, but it wasn’t Lee Sein that Choi Yichan stabbed.

“Aaaah!”

The dagger’s blade sliced through a black box that was sitting casually in the corner of the room. It was only the size of a palm, so it was hard to see, but it emitted an ominous aura.

Crunch! With a powerful twist of the blade, the box completely split in two. Black smoke puffed out from the cracks, and Lee Sein staggered back.

Seizing the opportunity, Choi Rona used the power of the Grimoire. A translucent book appeared, the pages were flipping over like a hurricane. Then, an ice arrow in the shape of a pentagram flew towards Lee Sein.

Pluck!

“Ugh… Ugh…!”

Lee Sein, or rather, something that had taken over Lee Sein’s body, clamped a hand over her mouth. Her nausea grew stronger and stronger, and black liquid trickled out of her mouth.

“….cough, cough! … Huh? This is…?”

“…..CEO-nim!” Choi Cedric picked up the fallen Lee Sein.

“Be careful!”

The black liquid wriggled as if it were alive, moulding itself into a human form. Slimy limbs stretched out in bizarre directions and crawled across the floor.

It was an unpleasant sight, and the mere sight of it made my stomach churn, as if sharp nails were scratching at the delicate grain of my psyche.

【Aaaaaah……. It’s not over yet. As long as I have the key, I’ll be there……!】

Muttering unintelligible words, the black mass approached me. There was even a sense of desperation in those words. I tried to dodge, but its actions were faster. And then….

Thud! The black slimy thing grabbed my wrist.

“Ugh, eww, let go of me……!”

The force was immense. No matter how hard I tried to tear it off, the black slime pulled me into the depths of the abyss, into the chasm of the dying dungeon. In the blink of an eye, there was nothing but darkness in front of me.

This can’t be happening. This is where I’m going to die?

The life my grandmother had spared me?

“….Rieul-ssi!”

“Rieul-ah!”

I felt a hand pulling me forward. Just when I thought it was over, I saw a white light in front of my eyes. Sharp particles of light cut through the black slime clinging to me.

【Kaaaaaaark!】

With the screams of the black slime that had been attacked, the sound of the countdown stopped.

Tiling.

[The destruction of the dungeon is complete.

The return of the visitors will proceed.]

[Congratulations! You have completed ‘Main Quest: Exploring the Dungeon of Mysterious World’.

Please collect the rewards.]

[Experience: 500 EXP have been acquired.]

[Fame: 50 / Popularity: 100 have been acquired.]

[The name of <Cafe Rieul> has been passed on to many people.]

[Converts the acquired recognition to fame …. Completed.]

[The Grade of the cafe has become C.]

[The atmosphere of the cafe improves with the Grade C reward. More people feel comfortable in the cafe.]

[Name: Cafe Rieul

Grade: C

Fame: 1000, Popularity: 2150]

A long system notification appeared in front of me, but I didn’t immediately feel that it was over. I was anxious that something else was about to start again.

Is this the end now? Is this the ‘real_final_last_final_end’?

“Ugh….”

As I examined the status window more closely, I squinted. My eyes were dazzled by the morning sun.

The cold winter wind slapped my cheeks without warning. My whole body shivered in the ghastly January chill. But right now, I’m happy to be cold.

“Escape, is it done……?”

I was where I was before I was sucked into the dungeon, in a ruined warehouse. I could see the others I’d come back with scrambling to their feet, but there was no sign of Choi Rona or Choi Cedric. As I whipped my head around, searching for them, I heard a voice nearby. It was Ki Yoohyun.

“They’re safe. Don’t worry, they’re just back to where they came from.”

Ah. Come to think of it, the system said, ‘visitors will automatically be returned to their original location’. Thank goodness. Thank goodness. My shoulders finally relaxed.

“Look over there, everyone came back safely.”

This time it was Choi Yichan’s voice, and…….

“There it is! Over there!”

I heard footsteps running towards us in the distance, and when I heard them, it finally hit me.

It’s really over. I can really go home now.

Perhaps because I was finally letting go of the tension, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I reached my limit.

Closing down my eyes, I lost my consciousness.