System's POV
chapter-242-1

Mammon's finger flick was more than enough to kill an ordinary human a thousand times over.

The only reason why Thirteen didn't die instantly was due to the reward he gained after completing his Fourth Trial of killing the Diabolical Hyena.

< Fourth Trial Completed!>

— Defeat the Rank 6 Overlord, Diabolical Hyena.

— Reward: You will gain a one-time ability that will prevent you from dying from any attack that can instantly kill you.

But even if Thirteen didn't die from Mammon's finger flick, the damage he received from its impact still resulted in serious injuries.

Not only that, but he was traveling in the air at great speeds, so the moment he landed on the ground, he would definitely meet his end.

The seven-year-old was already a spent candle, so he no longer had the strength to do anything.

But just as he was about to crash on the ground, his body suddenly stopped mid-air, and the space around him distorted.

A moment later, he found himself staring at the face of the Laplace Demon, who was looking at him with an amused expression on his face.

"Sleep," Laplace Demon said. "It would be funny if the one who made the highest contribution in this war was to die in that manner."

Thirteen wanted to ask the Laplace Demon if his father had survived, but he was suddenly assaulted by a drowsiness that he couldn't fight, making his eyelids very heavy.

Soon, the boy finally fell into a deep sleep. The Laplace Demon poured an elixir over his body, helping him recover from his injuries.

Thirteen didn't know how long he slept, but he had a dream.

In that dream, Giga Chad, Blacky, Rocky, and his monster slaves where having a picnic together, eating and laughing with smiles on their faces.

The boy was also with them. Seated beside him was none other than his previous host, Tiona, who was feeding him with a sandwich.

"Eat up, Thirteen," Tiona said. "You need to recover soon because there are many people who are waiting for you to return to them."

"Okay," Thirteen obeyed and allowed Tiona to hand feed him the sandwiches that she had prepared for him.

After he finished eating his second sandwich, Thirteen suddenly felt like something was wrong.

The laughing and the merry-making around him disappeared, making him glance at the empty tables around him.

Giga Chad, Blacky, Rocky, and the other Monster Slaves was nowhere to be found.

Only he and Tiona remained, making him suddenly feel anxious in his heart.

"Tiona…"

"…"

Tiona looked at the boy sadly before hugging him.

"The bond you have made with them is real," Tiona said softly. "All the happiness, the sadness, the pain—all of them are real. This is what it means to be human, Thirteen."

"You will always experience new meetings."

"You will always experience goodbyes."

"Live your life to the fullest."

"Live your life without any regrets."

Thirteen hugged Tiona back and wept silently.

"Tiona, it hurts being human," Thirteen replied. "In the past, I didn't have to deal with these emotions. But now, I feel them everyday. Is this what you felt back then?"

"Yes," Tiona answered. "Unfortunately, I didn't live long enough to know what true happiness means. So, Thirteen, in this lifetime, let's do our best to find it. Although the journey will have its ups and downs and plenty of bumps along the way, all I can say is that I'll be with you to help you face whatever comes your way."

"Let's go back, Thirteen. Back to where everyone is waiting for us. You still have promises to keep, and miles to go before you sleep."

Thirteen slowly opened his eyes and once again found himself in the Celestial Realm, where the Laplace Demon and The One was waiting for him to wake up.

"Before anything else, let me congratulate you for a job well done," Laplace Demon said. "Out of the five hundred Wanderers who have appeared in the Valbarra Archipelago, three hundred and ninety-eight of them survived and completed their mission.

"The number of casualties would have been higher if the Beacon of Light wasn't lit, so allow me to thank you once again for your contribution this time around."

Thirteen was surprised to know that there were so many Wanderers that had been sent to the Valbarra Archipelago.

But before the Laplace Demon could even say anything else, Thirteen asked him the question that had been on his mind ever since he appeared in the Celestial Realm.

"Did Pops survive?" Thirteen asked.

The Laplace Demon, who seemed to be waiting for this question, snapped his fingers.

As if waiting for that moment, a projection appeared in front of Thirteen.

There, Gerald, riding on top of a Saber Tooth Tiger, charged at the Giant Fireball that Arundel had aimed at Thirteen.

The seven-year-old watched as his Father covered his body with a red, full-plate armor that seemed to be made from red scales.

Suddenly, a thought appeared on Thirteen's head, which made him watch the projection seriously.

He saw how Gerald used his hammer to clash against the Fireball, detonating it on impact.

A powerful explosion erupted, which blew him away. When the light receded, Thirteen saw his father lying on the ground, with flames blazing all around him.

However, he could faintly see his chest rising up and down, making him understand that his father had survived that fateful encounter.

Laplace Demon once again snapped his finger, and the scene in the projection changed.

There, he saw Gerald lying on what seemed to be a hospital bed with a cast on his right arm.

Remi was sleeping peacefully beside him, which made Thirteen breathe a sigh of relief.

"As you can see, your father is safe," Laplace Demon said. "When he killed the Fire Dragon, he gained the Fire Dragon Armor, which gave him an incredibly high resistance to heat and flames. That armor is also of the Mythical Rank, so it saved his life.

"Since the limiters for certain equipment were removed during the war, he was able to use the armor without problems. Don't worry. He would be allowed to use the armor anytime he wanted as one of the rewards for the contributions he has made in the battlefield."

"How about Adira?" Thirteen inquired.

"She's alive as well," the Laplace Demon once again showed the Drow in the projection.

Her legs were cut off by Arundel's laser attack, but this wasn't a problem for her. Adira's power revolved around darkness and shadow, so she just patched herself back up as if nothing had happened.

Of course, she was still injured. But a week of rest was enough for her to fully recover.