MDPS 47🔐

 Chapter 47

My Dark Past is Too Strong
Astaroth (2)

The secret training room was rather desolate.

Since the summons could wreak havoc if they ran around, no furniture or amenities were intentionally placed inside.

“Wow. So there’s a place like this too. Is this also a facility attached to your company?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Oh… money really does make a difference.”

While Oh Hyun-ah marveled at her surroundings, I gathered my resolve.

From now on, I would sentence Oh Hyun-ah to a cruel fate.

She certainly wouldn’t believe it easily. At first, she would deny it. Then she would grow angry. But eventually, she would regain her composure and reach the stage of acceptance.

“Hey. You still have that ticket, right?”
“Huh? The special ticket? Yeah, I do. Why?”
“Is there… like a timer on it or something?”
“Nope. No other messages. It just says to use it in the summoning scroll I received if I want to summon.”

It seems only apocalypse-grade summons might have cruel timers. Or maybe only my ticket had a short duration.

“But why that?”
“I’m going to use that ticket to summon a creature.”
“Oh, really?”
“But there’s one condition for handling the ones you summon that way.”
“Condition? How would you know that?”

I took a deep breath and set the tone.

I had to appear as sincere as possible. If Oh Hyun-ah didn’t believe me and summoned in a fit of frustration, that would be a problem. I might even have to kill the summon to protect her. So now, not even a hint of playfulness could be mixed in.

“Actually, I got a perk too.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. As you guessed, it’s a perk I got because I played the game.”
“Right… because what I got was originally your perk too.”
“But the owner was already decided.”
“Yeah. Sorry…”
“So now, listen carefully. Got it?”
“Yeah!”

Oh Hyun-ah looked me in the eyes with a serious expression.

With half worry and half anticipation, I spoke to her:

“To summon using that ticket, you have to act out your dark past.”
“…Huh?”

Oh Hyun-ah’s serious expression melted into a blank stare.

“What are you talking about? Dark past?”
“The summons you’ll get with that ticket are ‘Astaroth’. They’re creatures inspired by the 13-year-old you, when you were completely immersed in villainous romance stories.”

At that moment, Oh Hyun-ah froze as if she had been hit on the head. She didn’t smile, move, or even blink.

“Once you summon them, you have to stand in front of them and prove that you are Astaroth. How to prove it… you know best. After all, it’s your dark past.”

Oh Hyun-ah’s eyes darted around the training room.

“What? Is this a prank? Are these things trending on social media now? Like adventurer pranks or something?”

Right. She wouldn’t believe it.

“This is not a joke, not a prank—it’s real.”
“…So, to use the summons with this ticket, I have to act as Asta…roth? Me?”
“Yes. That’s the only way.”
“…Maybe I should just give up? Another summon… like Baeksa’s Yuriel… no, still, I have some shame. Taking away the perk completely, how could… still…”

Looks like your mind is a mess, little sister. I admire that you still retain some decency even while confronting your dark past.

But for you, I’ve prepared a motivating photo.

“Sent via messenger to Oh Hyun-ah…”

Of course, the photo was a profile image of the summons that Astaroth controls. I had dug through old files stored on my computer and finally found it.

“What? Why the message?”
“Check it out.”

Upon seeing the photo, Oh Hyun-ah’s eyes went wide.

“This… what is this?”
“These are the kids that will become your summons?”
“Crazy!”

Judging by that reaction, it seems Oh Hyun-ah was impressed.

“Can you give up? You could even face them directly and interact with them.”
“…But their abilities? They might be flawed.”
“Excluding the ones I already own, I’d say they’re top-tier.”

At that moment, Oh Hyun-ah collapsed to the floor in despair.

“Why, why am I being put through this trial…?”
“Hyun-ah, think carefully. You can give up here. Pretend the perk never existed. But if you think about my case, your ticket might activate a ‘timer’ soon. If you miss that chance, the ticket will disappear.”
“Disappear?”
“You’ll never see it again.”
“Ugh!”

Oh Hyun-ah took a deep breath, stood up, swept her hair to one side, and started twisting her body.

“What are you doing?”
“Just wait. I’m channeling my past self.”

It was quite a spectacle.

Watching my sister move like this for the first time, I felt my eyes nearly rot. I told her to act as Astaroth, but why is she pouting like that?

“Is this really your best?”

She seemed to be attempting her own version of deadly charm, yet all I felt was anger. The temptation of flesh makes one clench fists, apparently.

Finally, Hyun-ah, trembling and unable to move her lips properly, spoke:

“Bow your heads, you wretches. The queen shall—”

Thud.

Oh Hyun-ah collapsed, unable to maintain the persona of her past self.

“Just now… I tried my best though…”
“I want to die. I’m embarrassed to have a sister like this.”
“Does this feel like a joke? I feel like dying! But did you do it? Did you really?”
“Yes. I faced my adolescent self too.”
“…You mimicked yourself back then? Wow, how did you do that? You’re relentless.”
“I’ll give you all the time you need. But don’t skip today.”

Hyun-ah struggled to rise and moved again.

“Bow your heads, you wretches. This queen… Aaaah!”

A horrifyingly amusing sight. Can she actually summon them today…?

Meanwhile…

“Toavis Schulz has cleared the Elf Fortress.”

Toavis Schulz, a superstar adventurer from Germany and ranked 3rd worldwide, completed the Elf Fortress challenge, earning global acclaim. Even the world’s top 2 adventurers had yet to clear this dungeon.

“Thank you. This victory is not my personal achievement, but thanks to all German citizens for their support.”

After brief remarks, he returned to his guild, Schattenlegion (Shadow Legion). A full-scale party prepared by the guild, complete with champagne, began in celebration.

Bang! Bang bang!

“Yay!!!”
“Toavis! Congratulations!”
“Germany’s pride!”

Toavis happily accepted the praise.

“Thanks, everyone! We maintained our country’s rank and raised my name’s reputation. Thanks to our legion!”

The party included Germany’s famous figures, from ministers to celebrity guild masters. A diplomat approached Toavis.

“We just received news: Spain, the U.S., and China have also cleared it.”
“Ah, really?”
“We expect Japan’s news soon as well.”
“How about South Korea?”

The diplomat’s mention of Korea puzzled Toavis. Korea, after all, was a minor adventurer nation.

“They haven’t made progress yet.”
“Three days in, still nothing?”
“Yes. Why are you concerned with Korea? If a ‘Dungeon Break’ occurs due to untimely conquest, the Tower of Records would be attacked.”

Toavis’ smile faded for a moment.

“That country… shouldn’t be underestimated.”
“Pardon?”
“Especially for someone in diplomacy, like you.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t say this officially. But… what makes you expect so much from that nation?”

The diplomat was led away as the atmosphere cooled.

Sighing, Toavis stepped outside the party hall. Lucas Schäfer, his deputy guild master, approached.

“Why the sudden mood? Something happen at the fortress?”
“Just… something that bothers me.”
“What bothers you? This conquest went smoothly.”
“He still hasn’t appeared. Is he… really dead?”

Lucas knew exactly who Toavis referred to: Astaroth, the one Toavis Schulz had never beaten. Legend Seven’s first PVP champion, a murderer in mock battles, with a clear origin: Republic of Korea.

“We know how terrifying he is.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m certain he’s dead. If he were alive, he would have already conquered the world.”

Lucas understood Toavis’ fear: that the glory he currently enjoys might one day vanish like a bubble. He vowed:

“Toavis, no blemish will touch our glory. I will make sure of it.”