As Cedric walked, he touched his chest where the crystal of the red energy was — the one he had obtained after destroying the red bridge monster.

Unsurprisingly, the crystal was no longer there. This cemented the fact that he could not cross the blue bridge. But what was surprising, however, was his realization that Aika still had her crystal.

This was one of the thoughts that occupied his mind.

When he gained Admin Privileges, his crystal disappeared. But since he shared his attributes with Aika, why did she still have hers? Did this mean she would still be able to cross?

Cedric couldn’t help but fall deeper and deeper into these thoughts.

Half an hour later, the long line of cadets finally reached the blue bridge. Rather than crossing first, the princess who led the line stepped aside to let the others pass first.

Maybe that was her act of showing selflessness?

Or maybe she genuinely put others before herself?

Either way, she watched and guided the others as they stepped into the portal, which swallowed them one after the other.

Ten people crossed, then twenty, then a hundred. Eventually, the four hundred or so cadets who were still alive crossed the bridge. Even Cedric’s party members were so excited at the prospect of leaving that they hurried into the portal when it got to their turn.

By the end, only the princess and Cedric were left. She looked over at him and her lips parted to speak, but before the words could form, he smiled and said hurriedly, "After you, Princess."

Her lips slowly closed. After appearing lost in thought for a moment, she asked in a quiet voice, "Are you really going to be able to bring him back?"

Cedric acted as if he was really joining her by stepping closer to the massive bridge. Then he nodded, "Yes."

Aurora’s tired face lit up slightly. She nodded gracefully and said, "I’ll see you on the other side then."

She turned and stepped into the bridge, which swallowed her.

Cedric exhaled.

Filled with longing, he extended his hand toward the bridge, but sparks of blue energy sizzled from the portal to his fingertips, forcing him to immediately retract his hand.

It was like a current of electricity ran through his body when he tried to touch the bridge, and the violent kick of the energy was enough to make him back a few steps away from the bridge.

He stared at his trembling fingers, the air still smelling of ozone.

Just as he thought, he couldn’t cross the bridge.

***

Minutes passed with Cedric doing nothing but staring at the massive bridge.

Truth be told, it wasn’t so much that he would miss the Cradle that made him feel this way, but rather the fact that he would miss his friends. Unsure of what to do exactly, Cedric sighed and sat on the ground, hugging his legs.

’When I think about all the money I could have extorted from the Princess, and all the plans that I had... this situation really makes me depressed.’

Tsk.

Aisshh, what a dilemma.

He needed to start thinking of how to return because he couldn’t settle for this situation.

At that moment, Aika took her human form, then sat beside him. She then leaned her head on his shoulder and asked softly, "What do you plan on doing now?"

Cedric’s eyes turned to her. He thought for a bit then said. "I really don’t know."

He looked away, then after a moment, he thought to himself, ’Seo-yeon, where are you?’

Despite all he had heard from Aika, and all he had been able to piece together, he still really wanted to see her. He wanted her to at least explain herself.

To tell him what exactly was going on and why... why she was doing the things she did.

As he waited, he began to remember all the times he spent with her. There were truly good times. In fact, there was never a bad time with Seo-yeon.

He remembered how she was the first person to show him the good side of humanity.

...she was also the first person to make him feel like he belonged in the world, rather than just taking up space in it.

...And she was the first person to give him a reason to look forward to tomorrow.

Come to think of it, she was the one who bought his first gaming set and introduced him to gaming as a means of escapism and to have a world where he could control.

At the moment, Cedric found it really hard to see her as anything more than the person whose shadow he was still afraid of losing.

And honestly, he missed her, because maybe... he still loved her.

Cedric sighed deeply as he stared at the ground.

While still lost in his reverie, one of his black ravens suddenly descended and landed heavily on the earth somewhere in front of both him and Aika.

For some reason, Aika suddenly grew alert and sprang to her feet. She dipped her hand into her shadow, pulled out a katana, and pointed it at the raven.

On the other hand, Cedric, who was also jolted out of his thoughts, stood up and stared with wide eyes. Rather than alarm, his heart was racing. It felt like time was slowing down in breathless anticipation.

At that very moment, the raven suddenly shimmered and shifted, morphing into a woman in her twenties wearing an oversized hoodie and a pair of loose shorts.

Under the illumination of the bright moon, Cedric could see a bit of blood and the jagged edges of fresh tears across her clothing.

Yet, despite the state of her clothes, she had a really warm smile on her face, and she looked just as beautiful as Cedric remembered her.

But at the same time, she also looked just as tired as he remembered.

He suppressed the urge to go to her... to hug her and to tell her just how much he missed her. He wanted to ask her why she still looked so exhausted despite no longer working.

So many emotions rushed through him that, in the end, all he could do was stand frozen in place.

He watched her adjust her glasses, a habit he knew she did whenever she was nervous. He could see her eyes water as she raised one hand and waved sheepishly. And then, her voice cracked.

"Hey, Min-Jun."