Chapter 357 - Seo Arin's Wish (Part 1)
[Welcome to the Hall of Wishes.]
[If you have any questions, please ask.]
[It doesn’t matter if you ask mentally or aloud. I will answer with all sincerity.]
"This is the Hall of Wishes."
A pure white space with nothing in it.
Seo Arin, standing there alone, recalled once again the wish she had been contemplating all along.
'If I make this wish... is it possible?'
[It is possible. This is a wish that can be granted with the contribution points you currently have.]
Seo Arin opened her rabbit-like eyes in surprise.
I just thought about it in my head, but then it read it.
'Now that I think about it, they said that even if I ask a question with my thoughts, they will give me an answer.'
[That's right. Everything is fine, so if you have any questions, please ask.]
The system's response was quick, and Seo Arin asked questions without pressure.
"Hey, what is the contribution score?"
[This refers to the value contributed in the final round converted into points. The score determines if the wish is possible.]
"Ah... Not all wishes can come true."
The size of the wish is also divided according to the contribution to the last round.
It means there are restrictions.
"Of course, the number one contributor is Black Scythe."
How much did Black Scythe contribute and what did he wish for?
[You cannot share other people's information.]
"Ah... Really? I didn't really want to know."
The system's reaction, which reads thoughts and responds at will, somehow felt cute.
"The reason I can smile like this is probably because of the relief that my wish can come true."
What if your contribution was low and you couldn't achieve your wish?
Seo Arin's head must have been full of confusion as the situation was different from what she expected.
"I have a question."
[Anything is fine. Please ask.]
"What happens to my skills when I leave the Hall of Wishes?"
[All the skills you have up to now will be reset and you will return to normal. Of course, it is possible that you can fulfill your wish to keep your skills, but it is difficult to fully restore them using Seo Arin's conversion values.]
"Anyway, will any of this work?"
[That's right.]
What if other players besides you say they want to keep the system's capabilities?
Wouldn't the world turn to chaos then?
[That is impossible.]
'Huh? No?'
[There is only one being in each world line who can make a wish come true. When Seo Arin makes a wish, the world line to which the wish applies is placed again.]
'World line?'
It is quite embarrassing when unknown terms and theories appear.
'Do you mean that only I can make my wish come true? What about the other players?'
[Other players who enter the Hall of Wishes will be transferred to their respective world lines when they make their wishes. Even there, only one player gets their wish. This is a measure to prevent overlapping mutual wishes.]
"Ah."
After hearing the explanation, I understand to some extent.
If there are many people whose wishes come true, it will be confusing in many ways.
"Then, if my wish comes true, what happens to the other players? Don't you remember entering the Hall of Wishes?"
[In Seo Arin's world line, that is true. Except for Seo Arin, the surviving players forget that, in the first place, there is a wish as a reward. You won't remember the existence of the Hall of Wishes and will only recognize that you have completed the game.]
'Ah... You're losing memory from the beginning.'
[This only applies to memories related to wishes.]
"Thank you. To some extent, my curiosity has been resolved. Now..."
Seo Arin made a determined expression.
"Make my wish come true."
---------------------
Seo Arin woke up in her room as usual.
Reality has not changed.
Normally, I would have felt relieved to have returned alive this time and worried about how to tackle the next round, but...
'There's no need for that anymore. Because this is the end of the survival game.'
We passed the 20th round and reached the final round.
Of course, there's no way after that.
Complete peace.
However, Seo Arin's expression showed no signs of relaxation.
It was because of what I heard in the Hall of Wishes a while ago.
'They said this is another world line where only I can make my wish come true. Other people don't even remember that it's a Hall of Wishes...'
So, is this world the same world you knew?
Is this the world where you have lived and survived?
What about my companions who have overcome all kinds of hardships and adversities?
Can they really be considered your colleagues?
"Ah, it's difficult."
My head was spinning.
Whether it was the world I knew or not, there was no other way for now.
When a wish comes true, you are simply transferred to the world line where the wish was granted.
Nothing more, nothing less.
'Anyway, is it true that I made my wish come true?'
You'll find out if it's true or not when you check for yourself.
Seo Arin got up from her seat and immediately moved somewhere.
She didn't go far.
Because her destination was just downstairs.
Ding-dong dong dong-♬
Seo Arin rang the doorbell and waited nervously.
After a while, the door opened, and a man appeared.
With a very happy expression.
"Arin! It's good to see you alive like this."
"Good to see you too, Ryu Min."
"Don't just stand there, come in first."
"Ah... Yes."
Seo Arin entered with a slight blush.
It's exciting to move into the house of someone you like.
"What's up, Won?"
"I'm here, sister. Wait, I'll cut you some fruit."
Her younger brother, Ryu Won, started cutting in the kitchen, wearing an apron as always.
"I saw it on YouTube and copied it, what do you think?"
"Wow, is the plating that pretty?"
"Your skills are improving day by day, we won."
While admiring the beautifully cut fruit plate, Ryu Won left.
As soon as that happened.
"Arin."
Ryu Min slightly leaned in and spoke secretly.
"Do you have time later?"
"Yes? Time?"
"I have something to talk about quietly, just the two of us."
What is the story?
I was curious, but even if I asked now, he wouldn't tell me.
"Ah, okay."
"I'll text you later, so check it."
When Ryu Won arrived at that moment, Ryu Min straightened up and ate the fruit as if nothing had happened.
'What are you trying to say...? Oh, I came because I wanted to check something else, right?'
With that in mind, Seo Arin asked, recalling the answer she heard in the Hall of Wishes.
"Ryu Min, didn't you make a wish?"
"A wish? What...?"
"It's a wish I make when I won the last round."
Although I specifically mentioned this, Ryu Min simply blinked as if he didn't know.
'It seems like you really don't remember anything. No, do you mean a world where memories have been erased?'
While making a sad expression inside, Ryu Min smiled complicity.
"Ah, do you mean you didn't make the wish to commemorate surviving until the end?"
"...Yes, it's similar."
"Well. I was just focused on survival and didn't even think about that. What did you wish for, Arin?"
"I don't really have any thoughts..."
Embarrassed, Seo Arin hid it with a lie.
Since I felt something for Ryu Min, I've only had one wish in mind.
"Arin, did your system's ability also disappear?"
"Yes... Ryu Min too?"
"Yes. After overcoming the final round, I received a message that all my skills had disappeared. I guess it's true because the status window doesn't appear. They probably disqualified the player because the game was over."
"Chaos... What happened?"
It was a question that came up suddenly out of curiosity.
Do you remember the existence of Chaos against which they fought together in the final round?
"It must have worked somehow. There is no chance of meeting us. The important thing is that they won't be able to invade our world. There may be no reason for that."
"Ah..."
'I remember.'
Only the memories related to the wish were erased.
------------
"It was nice, Won."
"Sister, please visit us again. Ah, by the way, congratulations on your survival!
"Thank you. You too, come visit my house later.
I'll prepare a simple homemade meal."
"Really? Ah, yes! Brother, did you hear that? It's a chance to see a celebrity's house!"
"What's there to see? It won't be very different from my house."
"Hey, honestly, you like it too!"
Ryu Min spoke indifferently, but Seo Arin saw it.
The corners of the mouth are slightly raised.
"Well, see you next time."
"Yes. Go up, Arin."
After closing the door and leaving, I pressed the elevator button.
Without having to go far, it was upstairs.
But shortly after, a vibration sounded.
Huh?
I checked my smartphone, and there was a text message.
[Ryu Min: See you in the underground parking lot in 5 minutes.]
[Seo Arin: Ah, yes.]
After sending the reply, the elevator arrived, and I went down early.
After waiting a few minutes, I saw Ryu Min well-dressed.
Just changed clothes.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Oh, no."
"Let's go to my car."
"Yes."
Ryu Min got into the Lamborghini, started the engine with Seo Arin, and drove off.
Without saying.
"Uh, where are you going?"
"I'm going to a place that's good for talking."
After saying that, Ryu Min moved somewhere for a while.
He, who had not said a word all this time, ran down the road, and the place he arrived at was none other than the sea.
"This place..."
"Shall we take a short walk?"
"Ah, yes."
Late tomorrow.
The two walked on the sandy beach by the sea at night.
I had a guess of what his intention was in asking me to come here, but I had no way of knowing what he was trying to say.
While walking for a while on the sand.
A cool breeze passed through my hair.
"Arin."
Ryu Min spoke with a serious expression, as if it was time to get to the point.
"I really like you, Arin."
"..."
"I haven't shown it yet... I like you a lot."
Seo Arin's steps stopped.
She also covered her mouth.
Because she was so surprised that she couldn't keep her mouth closed.
'The wish... It really came true.'
Making Ryu Min resemble himself.
That was Seo Arin's wish.
How long have you waited for this day to come?
"Arin, how about we seriously date?"
"..."
Seo Arin, who hesitated to respond for a moment, quickly nodded.
"...Great."
The moment he heard those words, Ryu Min's expression lit up.
At that moment, light spread beyond the horizon.
As if blessing two people who became lovers.
"So, within a day?"
"... Yes."
"Now that we are dating, let's stop talking. Or should I call you sister?"
Seo Arin opened her eyes, surprised by the bold words, and laughed.
"Alright, I'll stop talking. But don't use the word sister."
"Why?"
"You look old."
"You look pretty to me, huh?"
At the same time, Ryu Min naturally held hands.
Seo Arin was surprised by the bold contact, but that was only for a moment.
'That's it. The wish I had been waiting for.'
To enjoy the reality I wanted, I squeezed the hands more deeply.
"The sun is so pretty."
"I see."
The two lovers were drawn to the sun, which exposed their red hair.
Today was the beginning of a day I was looking forward to.