It would be a disaster to leave the monster chef alone in the perilous volcanic zone; all the hard work would be wasted.

However, it was too time-consuming to escort him all the way back to the lower areas, so I ultimately made the rational decision.

That was to accompany him until we defeated the boss.

As I moved at the monster chef's pace, I listened to his story.

“The novel I transmigrated into is a harem fantasy called 'I’m So Tired of Saving the World'.”

“I think I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that the one with a protagonist who's famous for being unlikable, a light novel?”

“That’s right! The protagonist is an incompetent high school student who gets summoned to a world conquered by a demon king. But thanks to meeting capable companions and riding along, he ends up being treated like a hero, despite being useless.”

“So, who did you transmigrate as?”

“I was the mercenary captain who got jealous of the protagonist early on, tried to make a move on him, and ended up getting killed off.”

“Ugh, just a regular extra villain, huh.”

“Yes!”

“You mentioned it’s a harem fantasy. Was your favorite character one of the protagonist’s love interests?”

“Sniff... Yes...”

The monster chef had quite a tragic backstory.

The protagonist of the original "I’m So Tired of Saving the World" was known for his unrivaled laziness and lack of ambition.

He was so useless that he was sure to starve to death in that other world, but there was always a supporting character by his side. Of course, it was a woman.

“She was the first elf he met right after he transmigrated to the new world...”

A blonde elf named Lumina was bright, kind, and gentle. Even when the protagonist couldn’t pay his way and kept causing trouble, she never left his side and always defended him.

In other words, she was the classic devoted heroine type.

“That guy was really the scum of humanity! Even worse than when he was leeching off of Lumina while being a useless waste of space! Not only did he use Lumina as his healer shuttle, but he even placed her on the front lines! Once, he even let her get kidnapped by orcs for some bait tactic!”

“Is he crazy?!”

“Of course he is! After putting Lumina through all that misery, he finally made it big and started hearing people call him 'hero'—then all these women started approaching him! I guess he must’ve liked it. I mean, there were even princesses among them! That shameless opportunistic jerk...”

“Wait, so he dumped his faithful wife and moved on to another?”

It was a bitter pill to swallow.

“Yes! And right in front of Lumina, he told the princess, 'Lumina’s just like an older sister! I couldn’t have romantic feelings for someone 120 years older than me!'”

“What's wrong with being 120?! That's just a few decades! Oh, wait, that's not the point... So what happened to Lumina? I imagine it would’ve been quite a shock for her.”

“Well, in the original, that’s exactly what happened...”

In the original, Lumina would’ve been deeply hurt, wandered out of town in a daze, and been kidnapped by villains, eventually dying to awaken the protagonist. She would’ve been a typical disposable character for that purpose.

However, with the transmigrator in place, the original plot was destined to be destroyed.

The monster chef, having gone to comfort Lumina, learned her true feelings.

“Hey, Lumina. Excuse me.”

“Oh my, Austin! What brings you to my room at this hour? Come in, come in. Want to have some pasta?”

“Ahem, I was worried you might be upset about what happened earlier. That guy... how could he confess to a princess and leave you behind?”

“Oh, that? It’s not something I should be upset about, right?”

“Huh?”

“I do feel bad for the princess, who’s probably going to get eaten alive, but if they like each other, there’s nothing we can do. Honestly, the princess really has terrible taste in men.”

“L-Lumina, are you... serious?”

“Yes. Honestly, I don't understand why all the women are crazy about someone like him, when there’s someone like you—muscular, kind, and cool. If the world ignores you, I’m happy though.”

“L-Lumina? What did you just say...?”

“Oh my, Austin. Didn’t you already know how I feel? By the way, you look really cute right now.”

With that, the two of them spent some time confirming their feelings for each other, and the result was...

“Graaahhh!”

“The dragon’s breath hit the castle hard. Everyone died except me.”

The monster chef’s survival was due to Lumina, the genius healer, sacrificing her own life force to heal him with a miraculous power.

It was clear that he would be haunted by the trauma of that event for the rest of his life, mourning his favorite character.

“Don’t cry. Stop it.”

“Sniff... Okay, sis.”

“How much do you have left for the 10 billion cash?”

“Just a little. I think I can get it if I mine ores for another month.”

“Good. The boss on the 101st floor is a magma golem. If we defeat it, we’ll get jewels. I’ll give them to you, so use them to buy the genre change ticket.”

“Si...sis...!”

“Be happy with Lumina.”

“Yes! I’ll be happy!”

Just as the monster chef wished for happiness, the Tower of Trials seemed to wish for the same.

Boom, the earth trembled.

[ The boss of the Tower of Trials, floor 101, 'Magma Golem with Embedded Ore,' has appeared.]

<Kuooohh!>

The boss was sent to me. It spared me the trouble of seeking it out.

“Si...sis! The boss has appeared!”

The beast’s massive body rose, looking like a giant mountain of rocks. The minerals on its surface glinted blindingly.

Its size and momentum were overwhelming. But...

“Mm. Divine punishment.”

As the flying squirrel perched on my shoulder gathered its energy and made a show of releasing it, a thunderbolt fell from the sky.

The magma golem was crushed into tiny bits without even a scream.

“One hit...?”

[ Congratulations! You have defeated the boss of the Tower of Trials, floor 101, 'Magma Golem with Embedded Ore.']

“Is it the effect of the soul pet? Doesn’t feel all that real... Anyway, Mayo, what are you doing? Hurry up and collect the jewels.”

“Oh! Right!”

As I watched the monster chef loot, the environment of the 101st floor quickly stabilized.

The active volcano became calm, and the lava rapidly cooled into solid rock.

After a moment of enjoying the view from the peak, something came to mind.

‘Ah, right. I need to write a letter to Terry.’

Having broken through to the 101st floor, I now had an estimate of how long it might take to conquer the tower.

I pulled out a notebook for notes. A message that seemed to be from Tesilid, sent after some time, appeared.

Where are you? Are you okay?

You’re not hurt, right?

What’s going on?

You’ll come back soon, right?

Please just give me a word.

...

The neat handwriting felt strangely unsettling.

It wasn’t just that. The most recent message was especially ominous.

...I’ll wait quietly. For now.

It’s dangerous. My world.

‘Gotta hurry back!’

I quickly wrote a reassuring message and put the notebook back.

Just then, the excited voice of the monster chef reached me.

“Sis! I’ve gathered all 10 billion cash and just bought the genre change ticket!”

“Really? What genre did you get?”

“Romance fantasy! I set Lumina as the female protagonist!”

“Well done. Congratulations.”

“Now I need to go to the point shop and buy the return artifact... but the Tower of Trials has a bug, so I can’t go there.”

“Just trust me. I’ll clear it quickly.”

“Thank you, sis!”

I waved goodbye to the monster chef and cheerfully headed up to the next floor.

✠

It had been quite some time since Tesilid had mimicked the angel statue in his prayers.

But his precious one had not returned, and there wasn’t a single reply in the notebook yet.

The break from the person who had kept him alive and human was stretching on too long.

Tesilid began to feel the limits of enduring alone. Bad thoughts were creeping into his mind through the cracks in his sanity.

Unfortunately, the seven thousand years of abuse were not easy to shake off.

The soul that had been tormented by the "Strict Order and Light" had not fully healed, and he could not shake off his distrust of 'gods.'

That was why even now, when he had converted to believing in the ‘Words that Build Worlds,’ his faith was not unconditional or blind.

The sensation of betrayal and loss, honed through long years of learning and training, was starting to tighten around his neck again. His sea-colored eyes darkened.

Incessantly, impious thoughts surfaced, and he sinned in his mind.

Tesilid turned his head, placing his hands on his forehead. Through the open curtains, he saw heavy snow falling outside.

Looking at the pure white world, he thought.

Winter. The season of thousands of cold and lonely winters he had endured.

What if spring never comes?

He felt his breath stop just from the thought. He tightened his clasped hands, and as his hands hurt from the pressure, he diagnosed his own condition.

This was dangerous.

Continuing this aimless wait would push his mind into the abyss. And for Tesilid, this could lead to a fatal situation.

He needed to do something. He needed to meet someone.

At that moment, a religious ritual to help steady his mind seemed like just the thing.

He immediately put on his coat, shattered his space transition stone, and randomly moved to a different location.

After walking for a bit in the snow, he arrived at a small church built in a ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) quiet village.

A young priest hurried out to greet him and, concerned about why he had come in such weather, asked what he needed.

Tesilid, with his hood pulled low, replied in a desolate tone.

“I want to confess, Father.”