One minute later.
Fenric was teleported back to the Samsara Space.
The first thing he did was question the system:
"System, what does it mean that my personal copy world is frozen?"
The mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind:
"Hello, Samsara player'Shura'. When a major negative impact occurs within your personal dungeon world, causing significant disruption to the world's progression, the system will freeze that world temporarily."
Fenric was speechless.
"All because a queen in name died? How is that considered a major negative impact?"
"To the Zion Country in that world, the queen is a spiritual symbol," the system replied calmly.
Tch. Fine!
It made sense.
To Fenric, the queen was just an old hag he slaughtered without a second thought. But to the citizens of the Zion Country, that woman—their monarch—meant everything.
In fact, when Fenric wreaked havoc in Pyong, the political ripples had already begun. Rumor had it the Zion Country's government pulled all its troops from other countries just to quell the domestic unrest.
Peace?
With Fenric around, peace was a luxury that no one could afford.
By that logic, the turmoil he caused really had disrupted the world's narrative flow.
"What happens to a frozen personal copy world? When can I unseal it?" he asked again.
The system explained:
"Once frozen, the flow of time in that world is completely halted. To unseal it, you must obtain partial authority over the Samsara Tower."
So it can be unsealed.
Fenric finally felt some relief.
After all, personal copy cards were rare and precious. To him, personal dungeons were like private gardens. Losing even one would be a painful blow.
He shifted gears and began checking the earnings from this latest dungeon run.
Samsara Points: 102,336!!
That was Fenric's current point balance.
Seeing those six digits, he couldn't help but grin.
Three months!
It had taken three long months to amass that kind of wealth!
This was, by far, the most lucrative run he'd ever done.
It was a massive improvement over the last personal copy.
Still, Fenric wasn't in a rush to spend the points. First, he planned to check out the available dungeons on the Fourth Stage of the Samsara Tower.
Ding!
"You have a new communication message. Aurora Morwyn invites you to a video call. Please respond promptly."
Seeing the message, Fenric raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Without thinking too much of it, he accepted.
Aurora Morwyn's figure appeared on the screen.
"Ms. Morwyn, is something the matter?"
"Shura, stop calling me 'Ms. Morwyn'. At the rate you're growing, you'll surpass me soon enough. What then—should I start calling you Mr?"
Aurora smiled, then added, "If you really see me as a friend, just call me Aurora."
Fenric chuckled.
"Alright then, Aurora."
"Shura, about the 'One Piece' copy from last time—you know, the one you... heavily impacted—I've looked into it."
"Turns out, only the players who were running that copy alongside you were affected. Meaning, future instances of the 'One Piece' dungeon might diverge for each user."
"Oh?"
Fenric was intrigued. Then another thought struck him.
"Wait—that doesn't make sense. What happens if I enter the second phase of the 'One Piece' dungeon and run into a player whose story hasn't diverged from the original?"
"That's a valid paradox. There's no clear answer yet," Aurora admitted. "My personal guess is the system will default to one timeline, probably the one that's dominant. After all, two conflicting storylines can't exist in a single world."
Fenric frowned.
He didn't like uncertainty.
Still, even if he could go back and do it again, he would still kill the Celestial Dragon.
He didn't regret anything.
"Shura, are you free right now? Want to meet up and chat?" Aurora suddenly asked.
Fenric paused, instantly sensing there was more to this.
But he was free, so he replied:
"Sure. Where to?"
"Let's meet at the teahouse. Bars are too noisy for proper conversation. I booked Box 2779—come straight there."
"Alright, see you soon."
After ending the call, Fenric made his way to the teahouse.
There, in the private box, he met Aurora Morwyn.
"Shura, take a seat. What do you want to drink?" Aurora asked.
"Same as you."
"Got it."
Aurora ordered two cups of Calming tea.
Then silence fell between them.
It was obvious Aurora had something important to discuss, but she seemed hesitant.
Fenric broke the tension with a smile.
"Aurora, I'm not a fan of beating around the bush. If you've got something to ask, just say it."
Aurora exhaled.
"Alright then. Shura, once the cooldown ends, you plan to challenge another dungeon, right?"
"That's the plan." Fenric nodded.
"Do you know which dungeon you'll take on next? Specifically, which one on the Fourth Stage?"
Fenric scratched his head.
"Actually, I don't even know what options are available on the Fourth Stage yet."
Aurora filled him in.
"There are two dungeons on the Fourth Stage. One is harder: 'Venom: Deadly Guardian'. The other's considered easier: 'Strange Forms'."
She quickly added, "Although 'Strange Forms' seems easier, it's not simple. The monsters in there are terrifying. They multiply rapidly and can only be effectively dealt with using fire."
Hearing those names, Fenric's eyes gleamed.
He was familiar with both.
"Aurora, which one did you pick?"
"Venom: Deadly Guardian," Aurora replied.
"What's the main task?"
"Kill a symbiote," Aurora said. "It's hard to get a high evaluation in that dungeon. There aren't many symbiotes, and they're strong—but they do have weaknesses: they're vulnerable to loud noise and fire."
Fenric's expression sharpened slightly.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
"I haven't made a decision yet. I'll have to consider it carefully."
"You definitely should."
Aurora took a sip of tea and finally got to the real reason for their meeting.
"Shura... I actually wanted to ask you for a favor."
________
The Mr. Vampire Arc is finally complete!
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