Past Life Returner

Side Story 31 – The Day of the Auction - Joshua (2)

He failed again.

「The nickname cannot be used.」

Joshua glanced at Seon-Hu’s monitor. Seon-Hu’s nickname was [gamer_ethan]. Thus, he also tried to use the nickname [gamer_joshua], but the result remained the same.

「The nickname cannot be used.」

Who dares to use this name?

Both Osiris and the nickname Joshua were already taken.

Could it be…?

Joshua hurriedly tried entering the master's sacred name.

As expected…

「The nickname cannot be used.」

What the hell?!

His eyes began to flare with sudden anger. Not only had his own nickname been taken, but someone had also taken the master's nickname too! That was why the master was using the rather crude nickname [gamer_ethan]!

It was blasphemy.

As Joshua stared intently at the monitor, Seon-Hu continued his web surfing and commented, “The game company has blocked all nicknames related to us.”

It was only then that Joshua’s eyelids began to move slowly. When he closed and opened his eyes again, the anger that was in his eyes had disappeared.

It was not someone stealing the name, but an action taken by the game company. It is a very obvious course of action. They did a great job.

Then a new problem arose. If neither Osiris nor Joshua could be used in a nickname, then what word should be used to compose a nickname?

After much consideration, Joshua decided to use a word meaning "servant."

「 Welcome, gamer_butler. 」

He successfully logged into the client window. Multiple banners were displayed. On the largest banner, which occupied the entire front, there was a play button '▶' and the following description:

「 The Great Heroes - Celebrating the Day of Victory, Cinematic.

“November 1st was a glorious time that will never come again for our humanity. Since then, we have been working hard on the cinematography to capture the emotions of that day.” 」

Before clicking the play button, Joshua turned his gaze to Seon-Hu. Seon-Hu was holding his chin with one hand and scrolling with the mouse with the other, staring at the monitor. Since the game client window was minimized to the taskbar, the white hue of the webpage he was viewing lit up the entire monitor.

In that light, Seon-Hu's face from the side looked very serious. His focused gaze especially reminded Joshua of the time he invested in the capital world long ago.

Indeed. You never overlook even the smallest thing, Master.

Seon-Hu said as he felt Joshua’s gaze, “There are over one hundred characters and various tactics. We need to identify the right tactics and characters for us. I'll handle that.”

Even then, Seon-Hu's gaze remained on the monitor.

“Thank you,” Joshua replied.

Thinking of the effort the Master was putting in, it was heartbreaking. Showing such emotions would only make the Master sadder.

Even if it was a feigned smile, it was clear what attitude he should have shown to the Master.

Joshua then turned his face, which bore a smile, back to his monitor.

And then, click!

A blank black screen appeared. The cinematic began with a somber background music.

“Fate unexpectedly throws pain ♪”

The center of the black screen began to widen, and anyone would have noticed that it depicted a gate. The wide-open mouth then zoomed in, seeming to engulf the viewers beyond the monitor.

Pop!

Blood splattered. The scene transitioned to thousands of Declans attacking the people in the video.

“You can't avoid it♪ Run from fate♪ Run from pain♪”

Joshua leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He didn't have high expectations from the start, but the detail of the depicted Declan wasn't much different from reality.

***

Over one hundred characters, probably the main characters of this game as the Master had mentioned, were seen fighting against the Seven Demon Kings. They were falling one by one. The last three minutes of the four-minute video showed their fierce battles.

The world inside the game was rapidly approaching its doom.

“The thing we saw was called hope♪”

Then, the background music suddenly shifted to something grand. The sun was shown burning brightly. In the game's universe, the most powerful transcendent character was about to make its appearance to save the world.

The main characters, who were bleeding and fallen, looked up to the sky with hopeful faces. As the scenes quickly followed one another...

“But its real name was despair♪ Run♪ Run away♪”

The sun began to shatter and crash down to the earth. Then, the world began to burn.

“Can’t escape from despair♪”

Two giant eyeballs appeared where the sun originally stood.

Doom Kaos…

Joshua found himself grinding his teeth without realizing it. Although civilians put lots of effort into making the video, it couldn’t truly capture the terror of Doom Kaos.

Its true form emerged from the memories Joshua held. Memories that weren’t even that old.

Joshua fumbled around with his lost hands until he grabbed hold of his bracelet. His entire arm started shaking, probably from the force he exerted. Even when he thought back, he could not escape that fear. However, if he had to do it again, he would willingly sacrifice himself.

As a result, the one and only divinity stood throughout the universe. But now that divinity was playing a game, just for Joshua…

As Joshua was recovering from his despondency, the video was nearing its end.

"Fate suddenly saves us♪"

A black silhouette landed in front of the fallen main characters. The shadow that lifted the main characters with a massive hand was probably Caliber. The shadow that emerged, causing a bloodbath, was probably Mary. The shadow that shouted orders at the soldiers in the game world was probably Lee Tae-Han. And the shadow believed to be Joshua appeared, spreading green poison fog and bringing death to the Seven Demon King Corps.

Is this how they portrayed me, Osiris? I have only had this plague skill a long time ago. So outdated.

Joshua's dissatisfaction did not end there. The shadow representing Caliber started overshadowing others.

"Fist♪ Fist of steel♪"

There were even lyrics prepared just for Caliber.

"I saw a fist filled with salvation♪"

It was when Caliber's thick shadow suddenly looked up at the sky, spewing blood. The giant eyeball of Doom Kaos spread an evil black light.

"But the destruction was faster than his fist♪"

The shadow of Mary, who seemed to be flying in the sky, and the shadow of Joshua in the green poison fog, both disappeared into the black light emitted by Doom Kaos.

"Don’t give up♪ The sanctuary is not far away♪ Fate will take you there♪"

The background music ended there, but the video still continued. A white light started spreading from the center of the screen slowly. The silhouettes representing the heroes appeared one by one, and the video finally ended with them kneeling towards the sky.

「We express our deep gratitude to Him and the final heroes.」

***

They portrayed Caliber and me as if I'm lesser than him. Such audacity…

It would have been unbearable if the video was not a glorious representation dedicated to the Master. Joshua's brows continued to furrow in discomfort.

Then, a faint chuckle was heard from the side. Only then did Joshua realize he was so engrossed in the video that he missed the Master's gaze.

"You're not upset about your screen time, are you?"

When Joshua turned his head, he met the bright smile of Seon-Hu.

I’m glad to have brought you joy in this manner.

Joshua replied, "Master, I am the lord of the spirit world and the Undead Emperor."

It was humiliating to be treated on the same level as Caliber, who simply ate soondae stew. Joshua made his intentions clear, but showed no signs of embarrassment.

"It is just a game. This is the extent of what civilians can depict. Who in the world wouldn't kneel before your true self? Rather it is the living or the dead spirits, right?"

Seon-Hu spoke jovially and winked in one direction. Where Seon-Hu looked, there was a negligible entity hunched over.

Since entering this internet cafe in Berlin, it was constantly sticking its head to its knees. Civilians called it a ghost or a specter. But to them, it was better known as an evil spirit.

Although Joshua's abilities were blocked, his spirit vision made him aware of the spirit's existence. This spirit wasn’t one that had escaped during the collapse of the spirit world. It was trembling in fear, wearing a uniform from World War II.

Given its energy, it couldn't harm anything in the mortal realm and was bound to vanish on its own. Thus, Joshua didn't feel the need to forcibly send it back to the spirit world.

"The Caliber is no different from those beings in front of you. But when you meet him again, treat him as a comrade."

"Of course, Master."

Seon-Hu went straight to the point.

"In this game, there are three attack routes, and we're positioned in the bottom lane. Typically, two players stand in the bottom, divided into a dealer and support, with the support aiding the dealer."

"Yes. Then I will take the role of support."

"No. I will be the support."

Joshua protested, "Why would you take the role of support, Master? That's impossible even in the game. I will support."

"I'm not ashamed of anything for you. It's just a game after all."

"Master..."

Joshua felt downtrodden.

"I'll be the support, and you'll be the dealer."

"I will be the support.”

“I am the support.”

“I…”

“I am the support, okay? Do not object.”

Joshua could not respond. No matter the Master’s intent, the role of the support seemed the same as the warehouse in the Stage of Advent. There was no need to mention what kind of place the Bsilgol warehouses were.

However, since the Master had made his intention clear, Joshua could only be uneasy with his frustration.

"Alright. I shouldn't have burdened you. It's my fault. Let's change our approach."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Joshua's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no rule that the bottom lane must have a support and a dealer. In fact, this tactic might be perfect for us."

"Yes."

“We two will be dealers.”

"But isn't there a reason why the tactic has always been divided between support and dealer?"

"You're right. By dividing resources between two, it's less effective than concentrating them on one. This helps dominate the battlefield, which is why I chose to be the support."

"As you know, it's too much for me."

"I understand. If we both play as dealers and decimate our enemies, we can overcome the penalties from the traditional tactics. We grow together, fight together, and ultimately lead the entire battlefield. What do you think, Joshua? Shall we go with this tactic?"

"Yes, let's do that."

"Good. All that's left is to annihilate our enemies."

It was just ‘a mere game,’ but now that the Master was participating, it couldn't be labeled as such. The path ahead for the Master must undoubtedly be victory!

Joshua placed his hand on the mouse with a stern look in his eyes.

"I'm ready. Let's go and kill our enemies. With the Master by my side on the battlefield, the path will be nothing but glorious honor.”

Duo. The two dealers were ready to deploy to the bottom lane.