Nefi had chosen to seal herself away, sacrificing her own soul for the brother she loved so dearly. The last fragment of her soul now resided in a glowing yellow seal with a smiling face, imprinted near Tokito's left shoulder. When Tokito noticed the strange symbol on his shoulder, Nefi's presence had already vanished. He had no idea what had happened—and his thoughts were in turmoil.
Pacing on top of the large wooden nest made from massive tree trunks, Tokito wandered aimlessly, resting his chin between his thumb and index finger as he tried to think. But his mind wasn't built for this kind of reasoning, so he gave up and went in search of the demon.
To get down from the nest, he first climbed up the wall-like branches before jumping off completely. Since he knew he couldn't die in this world, he didn't even feel pain as he landed. He brushed himself off and began walking toward the forest.
"So that demon… he must be the First Demon King, Kando. Why did his daughter do something like that? As soon as she disappeared, this thing appeared on my shoulder…"
With hurried steps, Tokito made quite a ruckus in the forest—his footsteps kicked up dirt and his breath echoed loudly. He glanced around occasionally, then continued on his way, moving deeper into the forest thick with towering trees.
The sharp cries of forest birds were oddly soothing to his ears, and the sweet scent of pink, yellow, and red flowers blooming by the path filled his nose. Enjoying this moment of calm, he soon exited the forest and saw a hill in the distance—atop it stood the First Demon King. Tokito waved, but the man didn't respond. Kando had his back turned, silently watching something.
Tokito ran across the emerald grass to reach him. When he turned to look at what Kando was watching… he saw it—his world was being erased. The earth was being devoured by dark, shifting cubes. Tokito placed a hand on Kando's shoulder and looked at his face—only to find it entirely blank. It was pitch black.
"Kando? What the hell is happening here?"
"It's over, Tokito. I'm going to be erased."
"What are you talking about? Why would you be erased?"
"Nefi was the pillar holding this world together. Her magic kept my soul alive."
"Why did she vanish? She was with me, and then…"
Kando pushed Tokito to the ground with his hand. As Tokito struggled to get back up, he saw black tears flowing from Kando's eyes.
"Nefi sealed her body to suppress the contract you made. That thing on your left shoulder is a seal. As long as it's there, our contract will remain locked."
"Then how do I bring her back? There's no way I can let such a small and sweet girl die like that!"
"You have to go back, Tokito. That's your only chance."
"But how do I go back, Kando? I'd do anything to bring her back!"
"Nefi split her soul in order to swallow your contract. Most likely, it's now divided. You'll save her without even meaning to. But you can't bring memories from this world with you."
Hearing those words made Tokito hesitate. His eyes widened, and he clenched his fists tightly. Kando was saddened by his own fading face, but there was nothing he could do.
"I'm not going back without saving this world! I won't abandon you to die!"
"Are you insane? How do you plan to save it?"
"I'll use the system! Nefi still lives within it—I know she does!"
"Hah. As if that's possible…"
"Admin Code: Virtual World!"
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"Admin access requested. Please state your identity."
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"I'm Tokito! Masajuka Tokito!"
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"Access denied."
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"I'm Nefi's older brother!"
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"Admin rights granted. Nefi Revilian's access is temporarily transferred to Masajuka Tokito."
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"Please, Nefi… be here, at least in this place. Kando needs you…"
The blue screen suddenly turned red. Words began to appear—and what Tokito read next made his heart freeze.
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"Nefi Revilian has been fully sealed. To gradually release her seal, level up in your own world. The deletion of the false world has been halted. Full restoration requires 10% of Nefi's power."
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The screen faded back to blue, and the words disappeared. Kando tried to comfort Tokito, but his hands trembled. Tokito's eyes welled up with tears as his hands went limp. He fell to his knees and slammed his fists into the grass. Kando reached out to hold his hand—but he couldn't make contact.
"I understand your pain, Tokito. I've been living with the same grief for five thousand years… but at least you have a chance. We must find a way to send you back to the world."
"Bringing Nefi back is my responsibility now. But I'll forget everything once I return. Tell me, Kando—what should I do?"
"I'm no god, I can't see the future. But I know one thing: bringing Nefi back is your mission."
"How do I bring her back?"
To clear his mind, Kando turned his gaze back to the horizon, watching the landscape in silence. Then, with a quiet laugh, he tilted his head slightly upward and looked at the sky. Tokito, still holding his shoulder, turned him to face him. Kando, slightly flustered, pushed Tokito's hand away.
"If you want to bring her back... just live."
With that, Kando began walking away. Tokito, still determined to return, followed him from behind. They walked slowly over the lush grass until they came upon a floating black sphere—hanging in the air like an orb of shadow.
Tokito: "What is this, Kando?"
Kando: "We've finally found it."
Tokito looked at him with a blank expression, not understanding what Kando meant. Kando smiled brightly and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"This, my dear human, is a magic rift."
Tokito: "And what exactly is a magic rift?"
Kando: "Listen carefully. When Nefi's soul vanished, the world began to dissolve."
Tokito: "Yeah, I remember that."
Kando: "These rifts sta—... Say 'yeah' to me like that one more time and I'll break your legs."
Tokito: "Hey, chill out, man."
Kando: "You got a death wish or something?!"
Kando suddenly lunged at Tokito, who burst out laughing and ran off across the green field like a kid fleeing a dog. Just as he slowed near another shadowy cube, Kando's hand accidentally slipped into it while trying to catch him.
Kando: "This cube… it's different."
Tokito: "What do you mean it's different?"
Kando: "The others are magic rifts… but this one is Nefi's gluttony. It consumes everything it touches."
Kando yanked his hand back—but it wouldn't budge. In the end, he ripped it off completely. Oddly, no blood flowed.
Tokito, surprised: "There's no blood…"
Kando, chuckling: "That's not how it works. This place isn't that simple, hahahah!"
Tokito still didn't quite understand.
Once his laugh faded, Kando explained, "No one dies here. Only attacks that affect the soul can harm you in this world."
Tokito clenched his right fist and struck it into his left palm.
"So basically, we're both immortal here. But what use is that, Oh Mighty Midget Kando?" he teased, crouching down mockingly.
Kando stepped back slightly and raised his hand.
"Come to me… Glutton Sword!"
But nothing happened. The sword didn't appear.
"I knew it. The sword's no longer under my control—it's Nefi's now."
Tokito mocked him from behind: "Great, now the schizophrenic midget Kando thinks he's a god."
Kando turned to him, annoyed: "If I rip off your legs, all that'll be left is a midget torso!"
Tokito stuck out his tongue and dashed off again. Instead of chasing him, Kando sat down and called out,
"Come on, tough guy, hit me if you dare!"
Tokito plopped down where he stood.
"If I touch the midget, I might catch his disease."
Though Kando didn't show it, he was smiling inside. Nefi's departure had hurt him deeply—but he trusted Tokito completely.
As Kando stood and approached, Tokito slowly stood and backed away.
"You don't have to run. Come—we need to make a plan."
As Tokito slowed down, Kando smiled gently and said,
"You're my only hope."
Tokito's face turned bright red like a tomato. Kando stepped closer and extended his hand.
Seeing Kando's small hand, Tokito clenched his own and replied silently to himself, "Alright… I accept."
Kando smiled sweetly, his eyes soft.
"Hehehe… now I'm finally back."
His body began to grow. Crimson horns protruded further from his skull, and his tattered robes burst apart, revealing a new outfit—orange, with skull symbols adorning it. His crimson hair grew wilder, more untamed. His tail lashed out, wrapping around Tokito's throat and lifting him into the air.
Tokito tried to pry the tail away, but it was no use.
Tokito: "What are you doing, Kando? We had a deal!"
Kando: "Hehehe… I never cared about you or Nefi. Now that she's sealed herself, I can kill you."
Tokito: "So this is your true form, huh Kando?!"
Kando: "You humans… always so naive and stupid."
Tokito: "What do you mean by that?"
Kando: "With these black cubes, I'll erase your entire world. Soon, my army will march through, and we'll turn everything to ash!"
Tokito: "Typical demon. Bring your army—I'll stop them all!"
Kando: "What a foolish little child."
He continued to strangle Tokito before hurling him far away. As Kando grew to over three meters tall, he lunged and began beating Tokito into the ground.
Kando: "Without the Cruelty Spell, you're nothing! Hahaha! If Nefi saw this, she'd be crying right now. I'll destroy her soul along with the seal!"
Tokito: "I don't care about myself! I've already died once. But that girl… she doesn't deserve this!"
Kando: "None of that matters. In one year, the gateway will open completely. If you don't stop my army and seal the dungeons within three years, they'll invade the real world."
Tokito: "I'll stop whatever you throw at me!"
Kando: "Hehehe… once you leave this place, you'll forget everything. Your future self won't even know what to do. Oh—and if you want to get out of here, you'll need to land a single hit on me."
Now, Tokito stood on the verge of a decisive battle against the First Demon King Kando. The outcome would shape his future. As he struggled to win this battle, his friends were already facing a far greater war...