2026-01-24 21:42:13Five thousand Desire Points.
I stared at the number on the blue holographic screen, feeling like I had just won the lottery.
Usually, my chest felt like it was being crushed by a hydraulic press. Now? It felt light. Breathable. For the first time in three months, I wasn't in active pain.
"Master!" Runa kicked open the door to my apartment, holding two plastic bags triumphantly. "I have returned with the tribute!"
She slammed the bags onto my wobbly table.
Inside were two packs of A5 Wagyu beef, a bottle of expensive wine, and... a cup of instant seafood noodles.
"I spent the rest of my savings!" she beamed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "For you, I acquired the finest meat in the district. For myself, I shall fast to purify my weakness!"
I looked at the marbled steak. My stomach growled. I wanted that steak. I wanted to sear it and eat it until I passed out.
But then I looked at the Cup Noodles.
My stomach wasn't just hungry; it was fragile. If I ate that much rich fat right now, my failing liver would probably pack its bags and leave.
I sighed, reaching for the instant noodles.
"Foolish disciple," I scolded gently.
(I am literally dying to eat that steak. Why is my body like this?)
"Master?" Runa blinked. "You... you prefer the dried noodles?"
"Rich food clouds the spiritual senses," I lied, peeling back the lid. "The preservatives in this cup... they temper the gut. It is a poison I ingest willingly to build immunity."
Runa gasped. "I see! You are constantly training your internal organs against toxicity! I am so unworthy!"
She grabbed the Wagyu beef. "Then I shall eat this heavy burden so you do not have to!"
"Go ahead," I said, pouring hot water into my cup. "Suffer for your art."
(Enjoy it, you lucky girl.)
While Runa cooked the steak on a portable stove (which smelled heavenly), I checked my phone.
The HunterTube notification bar was broken. It was just a solid line of red.
Video Views: 2.3 Million. Comments: 50,000+
Top Comment: [User_Slayer69]: I framed this video. He literally shushed a boss to death. Is he the Emperor of Japan?
I scrolled down.
IronBloodLeader: It’s CGI. Look at the pixels. I’m reporting this to the Association.
I chuckled. Let them report it. The System masked everything.
[System Alert: Passive Income Generated: +120 DP.] [Current Status: Viral Sensation.]
I slurped my noodles. Life was good. I had points. I had a disciple who did the dishes. I might actually survive past Christmas.
[Perspective Shift: Metropolitan Police HQ - Special Crimes Division]
Detective Sae Kirishima sat in her darkened office, the glow of the monitor reflecting in her sharp, analytical eyes.
On the screen, a looped video played.
A man in a cheap coat raised a finger. Shhh. A Hobgoblin dropped dead.
"Impossible," Sae muttered.
She tapped the keyboard, pausing the video frame by frame.
"No mana signature. No chanting. No artifacts visible."
She adjusted her glasses. Sae wasn't just a detective; she was an A-Rank Hunter with a unique ocular ability: [Truth Sight].
She could see the structural integrity of reality. Lies appeared as red distortion. Illusions appeared as static.
"Let's see who you really are, Renji Amagiri," she whispered.
She activated her skill. Her irises turned a glowing, electric blue.
She looked at the paused image of Renji's face.
Usually, she would see data. Name, Rank, Crime Coefficient.
Instead, she saw... Glitch.
The moment she focused on him, the monitor distorted. Static snowed across the screen.
[Error. Cannot Decipher Target.] [Warning: Cognitive Hazard.]
"What?" Sae recoiled, rubbing her eyes. "My skill... bounced off?"
That shouldn't happen. Even S-Rank hunters had readable data. The only things that blocked [Truth Sight] were Elder Gods or...
"Or a scam so elaborate it breaks the laws of logic," she hissed, slamming her fist on the desk.
She rewound the video. She watched Runa Yozakura—a known failure—suddenly execute a perfect sword strike.
"He's using illegal drugs," Sae deduced instantly. "He's doping his disciple and using holograms to fake his power. He's a fraud. A dangerous one."
She grabbed her coat and her badge.
"Renji Amagiri. I don't care if the internet loves you. I'm going to expose you."
[Perspective: Renji]
"Master, that was delicious!" Runa patted her stomach, looking satisfied. "I feel my energy reserves refilling!"
"Good," I said, throwing my empty noodle cup into the bin. "Now, we need to discuss our next move. The dungeon run was a success, but we need—"
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The sound echoed through the tiny apartment like a gunshot.
I froze.
(Landlord? No, I paid him. Assassin? No, they wouldn't knock.)
Runa’s hand instantly went to her sword hilt. "Hostiles?"
"Stay calm," I whispered, standing up. My legs were a little stronger thanks to the DP infusion.
I walked to the door. I checked the peephole.
Standing there was a woman with silver-rimmed glasses, a sharp black suit, and an expression that could freeze boiling water.
She held up a badge.
(Oh no. It's the cops. Did I forget to pay taxes? Is it the jaywalking? Is it the scamming?)
I opened the door, leaning against the frame with what I hoped was a look of casual annoyance.
"No solicitors," I said. "Unless you're selling cookies."
The woman didn't smile. She stepped forward, invading my personal space. She smelled of cold mint and justice.
"Renji Amagiri?" she asked, her voice sharp.
"That depends," I drawled, heart hammering against my ribs. "Who's asking?"
She flashed the badge again. Metropolitan Police. Special Crimes Division.
"Detective Sae Kirishima," she said, her eyes glowing faintly blue as she scanned my face. "You're under arrest."
(Wait, what? I didn't actually do anything illegal yet! Except the medical malpractice! And the fraud! Okay, I did a lot of things.)
"Arrest?" I raised an eyebrow. "On what charges, Detective?"
Sae stepped closer, pulling a pair of mana-suppressing handcuffs from her belt.
"Illegal use of unlicensed artifacts," she said, reaching for my wrist. "And public indecency for that stream."
Runa jumped up from the table. "You will not touch him!"
"Runa, sit," I commanded.
I looked at Sae. She was glaring at me, but I noticed something. Her hand—the one holding the cuffs—was trembling slightly.
And the System chimed.
[Target Identified: Sae Kirishima.] [Desire Potential: Extremely High (Tsundere Type).] [Note: Target is obsessed with uncovering your 'Truth'.]
I smiled.
"You can try to cuff me, Detective," I whispered, holding out my hands. "But be warned. I'm not responsible for what happens to your heart rate."
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Chapter 277: The Fabricated Sovereign (Grand Finale)
The silence was the first thing that felt real.Not the heavy, pressurized silence of a dungeon or the ringing silence of a battlefield. It was the silence of a house at dawn, or a book finally closed.I felt the last vibration of Ayaka’s sob against my shoulder. I felt the warmth of Runa’s hand, the familiar callouses of a warrior’s grip, slowly fading as my nerves stopped reporting to the brain.(It’s a strange thing, dying.)(I spent fourteen hundred lives running from it. I spent a million Desire Points dodging it. I lied to the stars just to stay in the light.)(But now? It’s just... a release.)The Void in my chest, the black hole that had been my curse and my crown, gave one final, gentle pulse. It didn't pull anymore. It didn't hunger. It expanded, merging with the air in the room, with the scent of lavender and rain, until there was no "Renji" left to hold it.My heart gave a final, tired thump.Ba-dum....[System Alert: Life Signs... Null.] [Status: Heart stopped.] [Closing
Chapter 276: Before the End
I could feel the weight of the ink.It wasn't the heavy, suffocating pressure of the Void or the crushing gravity of the Singularity. It was the weight of a story that had reached its final punctuation mark.I lay in the center of the massive silk bed in the Master Suite of the Saionji Imperial Palace. The room was cool, smelling of the lavender Ayaka had imported from a reclaimed sector of the old Earth and the scent of rain from the open balcony.My heart beat slowly.Thump... thump...It wasn't a struggle. It was a rhythm. Like the ticking of a clock that had finally found its pace after a billion years of frantic racing.(I am tired. But for the first time in my life... I am not exhausted.)I looked at my hands. They were thin now, the skin like translucent parchment mapped with the blue veins of a life well-lived. Fifty years had passed since the Great Reset. Fifty years of peace, chaos, and everything in between.The door to the suite creaked open.I didn't need to look. I knew
Chapter 275: Side Story: The Anniversary
The air was thinner up here, but the view was still the best in the multiverse.We had returned to the Sovereign's Palace—the floating island we built together decades ago. The white marble was weathered now, covered in a soft patina of age and climbing ivy. The waterfalls still cascaded off the edge, but they sounded more like a whisper than a roar.I sat on a stone bench overlooking the city of Pangea Zero.My hands were spotted with age. My back had a permanent curve that even the best elven medicine couldn't quite straighten.(I am old. I am truly, undeniably old.)I looked at the silver ring on my finger. It was simple, worn smooth by fifty years of wear."Renji? Are you daydreaming again?"I turned my head. It took a bit longer than it used to.Ayaka stood there. She walked with a cane made of solid gold, but she still carried herself like a woman who owned the horizon. Her platinum hair was now a pure, snowy white, tied back in an elegant bun."I was just thinking about the bil
Chapter 274: Side Story: Renji's Birthday
"Grey."I stared at the bathroom mirror.There it was. A single, silver strand amidst the black. A traitor in the ranks.I plucked it out."Ouch."(I’m aging. I’m actually aging.)"Master?" Melody floated through the door, holding a towel. "Why are you attacking your own head? Is it a parasite?""It's worse," I sighed, inspecting the hair. "It's time."I leaned against the sink.I could have kept the [Infinite Mana Core]. I could have remained a Singularity. I could have stayed twenty-five forever, frozen in perfect, ageless power.But I gave it up. I chose to be human."Does it bother you?" Melody asked, her fins drooping slightly. "That you are... fading?""No," I smiled, flicking the grey hair into the trash. "It means the story is moving forward. Stagnation is boring."I walked out of the bathroom."Besides," I adjusted my collar. "Silver makes me look distinguished."I walked down the grand staircase of the Saionji Villa. The house was dark."Hello?" I called out. "Did Leo fly in
Chapter 273: Side Story: The Kids' Adventure
I was hiding in an alleyway.It felt nostalgic. The damp brick wall against my back, the smell of ozone from the neon signs above, the hood pulled low over my eyes.(I spent the first three chapters of my life like this. Now I'm doing it on a Tuesday afternoon.)"Target acquired," I whispered to myself.I wasn't stalking an assassin. I wasn't hunting a god.I was tailing my seven-year-old son, Kenji.Runa's boy. The one with the wooden sword and the serious eyes. He was marching down the street of the Undercity Market District with a determination that mirrored his mother's."He walks with purpose," I noted. "His center of gravity is low."Kenji stopped in front of a candy shop run by a Cyborg Goblin named Scrap.The item of interest: [The Galaxy Breaker Gobstopper].It was a jawbreaker the size of a baseball that changed flavor every ten minutes. It cost 500 yen.Kenji patted his pockets.Empty.(I know for a fact he spent his allowance on sword polish. Poor financial management. He
Chapter 272: Side Story: Kael's Bar
"You're paying for the next round."Kael slid a shot glass across the polished wood of the bar. It stopped perfectly in front of me.I picked it up. The amber liquid swirled, catching the dim light of the overhead lamps."I saved the world, Kael," I said, leaning back on my stool. "I think I deserve a discount.""You saved the world by lying to it," Kael grunted, wiping the counter with a rag that looked suspiciously like part of his old Dark Knight cape. "That just means you owe everyone a drink."The Rusty Sword Bar was quiet tonight. Located deep in the Undercity, it was a sanctuary for those who had retired from the grand narrative.And looking around, I realized I wasn't the only one.Sitting in a booth in the corner was Genjurou Yozakura. The Sword Saint. He wasn't wearing his combat robes. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, sipping a bright blue cocktail with a tiny umbrella in it.Next to him sat the former Demon General, Gorg. He was playing cards with a Goblin Merchant
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