Chapter 192

Love engaged in a night-long conversation with Jaeyeon. Despite being an adult man and woman spending the entire night together, there was no hint of impropriety—making it all the more enjoyable for both.

Love felt his heart lightening. He experienced a sense of intoxication without even taking a sip of alcohol.

To think just talking through the night could be this much fun.

Bae Saram.

He was the son of Pae Jaisuk, Earth-34’s wealthiest tycoon. Born with privileges beyond mere gold or diamond status—he held the rarest “Orichalcum” privilege.

Not only blessed with striking beauty, Bae Saram possessed exceptional intelligence and one-in-a-million aptitude for bio-energy manipulation. Raised amidst high expectations and rigorous education, he had grown up under constant scrutiny.

Ten years passed, then twenty, until finally thirty years had gone by.

Despite his talent, perseverance, and dedication, Bae Saram eventually reached his limit.

Despite combining elixirs with rigorous training, her progress gradually slowed over time. No matter how much she steeled herself or sought mental care, her spirit was flagging from exhaustion.

And then…

It must have been around that time when…

…she discovered a fantasy novel in the library.

It was utterly shocking.

Her heart raced wildly after reading just a few pages. This writing, driven solely by ‘fun,’ existed on an entirely different plane compared to any book she had ever read before.

She tried sharing this remarkable discovery with those around her, but unfortunately, their reactions were less than enthusiastic:

No one understood her newfound joy. Those who once admired and respected her now ridiculed her hobbies, showing no empathy for her interests.

As she spoke about settings and worldviews, even those who had whispered their love for her before now looked at her with cold eyes. They believed they were hiding their feelings well enough, but they couldn’t escape her special gaze—gaze that impressed even immortals so much that they marveled:

At this rate, calling her a spiritual being or a young goddess wouldn’t be an exaggeration!

And perhaps because of this…

I… If I were to spend my life with someone…

The over ten-hour conversation with Jaeyeon was incredibly sweet to her.

If only there were more people like him whom I could converse with so easily…

Despite being seventy years old, Love had never experienced proper romance, let alone any intimate relationships. She’d been on a few dates before, but the shortest lasted one week, while the longest stretched to just one month. Even during these brief encounters, proper dating opportunities were rare.

Naturally, there was no anxiety.

Her background as part of the world’s wealthiest family, her dazzling looks, and her exceptional ability—being in the top 0.001 percent—which allowed her to build a company single-handedly…

Unlike the common excuses of unmarried women who claim they “can’t” find love, she genuinely wasn’t interested in romance. It wasn’t that men didn’t pursue her; rather, their advances had never been a priority for her throughout her life.

The problem now was this:

Having encountered someone she truly cared about… Her situation had completely changed from simply granting permission to love.

Murmurs rippled through the air.

The research institute buzzed with excitement. Early morning arrivals gathered in the hallway, whispering amongst themselves.

“He’s here! He’s actually here!”

“Wow. I can’t believe I’ll see F-D in person…”

“She’s truly beautiful… I heard rumors that Flower and Jaeyeon-nim were seeing each other. Is there any truth to that?”

“Come on. A dragon falling for a human? Unlikely. They say dragons view humans as mere pets—dogs or cats at best.”

Everyone was rendered speechless by the appearance of this universal star. Even the proud director of the research institute couldn’t help but act like a giddy child.

“Oh.”

Love observed Jaeyeon from afar, surrounded by women who seemed to be vying for his attention. The dragons’ gazes upon him were particularly intense.

“What’s wrong with you?” Ruby, the red dragon, interrogated Jaeyeon in a high-pitched voice. “Why did you leave without telling us? We were worried sick thinking something might have happened!”

Despite her small stature, which made her seem too young to be an adult, no one could deny that Ruby possessed perfect proportions and a lovely appearance. She was undoubtedly a charming girl.

“Heh-heh. We’re not even living together yet, so it’s a bit much to call this staying out,” Hwakyu, the Black Dragon with jet-black hair, chuckled. His all-black suit, revealing his voluptuous figure, exuded an irresistible aura.

“By the way, is this where you work, Jaeyeon-ssi? It’s quite fascinating.”

Snow, the White Dragon, dressed in a dazzling dress as if she had just stepped off the stage, spoke up. Sapphire, the Blue Dragon, sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Jaeyeon, wearing loose-fitting jeans, a tank top adorned with intricate patterns, and sporting long earrings that cascaded down to her shoulders. Her white sneakers were so bright they could have blinded anyone looking directly at them.

The physical intimacy between them seemed entirely natural, almost taken for granted.

It’s not just one Flower.

Despite having little romantic experience, love is indeed a woman’s domain. The moment I saw the F·D members interacting with Jaeyeon, my conviction solidified.

Every single one… they’re being genuine.

Especially when Flower met her gaze with that warm, affectionate smile…

“Haha…”

I couldn’t believe it. In all my life, I’d never imagined encountering such a situation.

“Is this for real?”

After a night of passion and noise, I was startled to see F-D at the research institute in the morning.

Is there an event early this morning? They even bothered with full makeup at this hour.

As five beauties with various charms revealed themselves, everyone around them held their breath.

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Oh, yes. This happens to be the men’s cafeteria.”

“Ah, hearing that makes me hungry too. Excuse me! If it’s not too much trouble, could we have a meal here before leaving?” Ruby asked loudly.

A middle-aged man rushed over to her. He was the director of the Surreal Research Institute.

“C-of course! It’s an honor to meet you! My name is John Smith!”

“She shines like the sun, Ruby!”

“Ruby-nim! I’m your fan! Could I get your autograph…!”

The once quiet men’s dining room suddenly came alive with chatter. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched not just Ruby, but all my squad members engaging with the excited fans one after another.

They’re actually managing their fan interactions. I thought they’d tell them to buzz off.

Just as this thought crossed my mind…

“Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!”

My phone suddenly started ringing incessantly.

“What’s going on? Why is it ringing so many times?”

Normally, my phone doesn’t respond to unknown numbers. It’s set up to only accept calls from registered contacts, yet here were several exceptions calling simultaneously?

Surprised, I quickly checked my phone.

Missed Calls: 17

”…What’s going on?”

As I pondered this odd message, my shadow suddenly sprang up.

Whoosh!

The shadow writhed briefly before transforming into a handsome man with black hair, shimmering like countless stars in the galaxy. It was F-D’s manager, Shadow Dragon Eddusuni.

“Eddusuni-nim?”

“Jaeyeon. An attack is coming.”

“Huh?”

I couldn’t make sense of these words. This wasn’t Ardenia; who would be attacking whom here?

It doesn’t seem like there’s a monster situation.

Eddusuni waved his hand lightly at my puzzled expression.

Pfft!

A psychic blast flew towards me. Instead of resisting, I accepted it, and soon over a dozen screens materialized in my mind.

It was a broadcast—a documentary centered on interviews.

I saw the people who appeared in the interviews. Military seniors, gangs my father had been involved with, the schoolyard bullies and gangsters I’d fought.

And then… Mother.

She looked much better than I’d expected, dressed in fine clothes. The only similarity between her appearance in my memories and now was the expression filled with resentment and irritation.

”…Cheddar.”

I immediately called Cheddar and turned on the internet.

The public opinion was not favorable.

A flood of critical articles about me began to surface. As both the Apostle of Game Gods and the third Transcendent born on Earth-34, I naturally attracted a great deal of attention—such hot material was indeed rare.

One might think my background would shield me from such treatment, but Earth-34 boasted some of the highest levels of press freedom in existence, making it impervious to external pressures.

“What is this?! Have these insolent fools lost their minds?” Ruby’s red hair seemed to catch fire as she roared.

“Where are those broadcasters?! I’m going to pay them a visit right now!” Each time she bellowed, flames appeared to leap from her mouth.

I shook my head at the sight. “Calm down. You’ll get arrested if you keep that up.”

Snow nodded vigorously at my words.

“No… I was aware of Earth-34, but this is truly a cultural shock. For the media to attack a Transcendent over such personal matters? In another civilization, this could lead to the extermination of an entire group.”

Hwakyu wore an expression of cold disbelief.

“Moreover, for public opinion to swing so decisively after just one documentary—does that even make sense?”

I nodded in agreement.

“It does, because this is Earth-34.”

The inhabitants of Earth-34 generally believed whatever outrageous claims appeared in the news or documentaries.

In a world where the Goddess of Truth exists:

• The press could never speak falsehoods. Of course, they might mock people by not telling the whole truth or altering the order of subjects, but there was a strong conviction that if they made any assertion, at least on that subject, it had to be true.*

And that was the very powerful weapon possessed by Earth-34’s media.

As long as it had a basis in fact, the press could wield this weapon against anyone. And at least for now, what the media was claiming was largely true.

“Oh my… This is such an…”

“What should we do? The situation seems worse than we thought…”

“The shareholders’ protests are coming in like rain.”

Hearing the murmurs of researchers who had finally checked the articles and news, I began to gather my thoughts.

The media wouldn’t target me themselves.

It wasn’t much of a secret that I’d lived like a thug. Of course, discussions about my parents were extremely sensitive, and few people handled them carefully… But even so, those who needed to know were already aware.

And now it suddenly comes out into the open?

Eddusuni was right. This is an attack.

A group with malice toward me is on the move. Not just any group—a large-scale operation in full swing.

As far as I know, there’s only one organization capable of pulling off such a scheme.

The Celestial Society… Have they lost their minds? What do they hope to achieve by provoking me like this?

It made no sense. While this controversy could certainly damage my image, it couldn’t possibly destroy me outright.

Was this perhaps a plot to make me angry?

Could there be some larger conspiracy at play here?