Chapter 156: Power…



Shimmering, star-like lights filled the air, and intense mana condensed all around the wondrous new place they found themselves in.

As the three girls exchanged glances, one thought settled firmly in their confused yet excited minds: they must win.

Cheshire’s teasing voice and declaration felt almost deceptive, but as their eyes lingered on the restrained Riley, an overwhelming sense of greed surged within them.

They all knew that winning this game wouldn’t guarantee Riley’s heart, but it would certainly give them an edge.

If it helped them assess and confront their future rivals, then it was a chance they couldn’t afford to miss.

This was more than just a competition; it was an opportunity—a perfect excuse to finally confront the buzzing “bitches” that surrounded him, those who dared to vie for his attention.

It was a chance to eliminate them from the equation, and only a fool would deny themselves that.

‘I can keep Riley for myself…’ Rose mused, her mind racing with a hundred different scenarios on how to monopolize the love she craved from him.

Her golden eyes darkened with a possessive glint as the smile on her face grew wider, her blush deepening with the intensity of her emotions.

The thought of winning Riley over completely, of becoming the only one in his eyes, was intoxicating. She would do whatever it took to make that vision a reality.

The other girls were no different, their determination palpable.

Each had their reasons, their desires intertwined with the game they were about to play.

But for Rose, it was more than just a game-it was the beginning of her plan to claim Riley’s heart entirely, to make him hers in every possible way.

And she would not lose.

…

‘We can finally become more than best friends…’ Seo thought, her gaze fixed on Riley with a newfound determination.

“Lady Seo if you just sit out like this Sir Riley is bound to get snatched by someone you know?”

Lina, her maid, had pointed out that her relationship with Riley had been stagnant for too long. At this rate, they might never move beyond the status of best friends.

Although Seo was still confused about how being a ‘girlfriend’ was a title beyond ‘best friends,’ she knew one thing for sure-if she let Riley go now, she would surely regret it.

The pain she felt upon hearing about Riley’s kiss with Snow still lingered in her heart. It was a foreign feeling; one she didn’t fully understand.

‘I want to kiss him as well…’ The thought echoed in her mind, surprising her with its intensity.

Seo realized that if she allowed Riley to drift further into the arms of other girls, her position in his life would be in jeopardy, and not just in a superficial way.

It was more than just a title at risk; it was her place in his heart.

Seo knew Riley was important to everyone around him, and that made her feelings all the more complex.

As she held her sword, her cold, seemingly hateful eyes were filled not with malice but with a deep respect and understanding.

She respected his choices and the people in his life, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t entitled to her own desires.

The idea of being a little greedy when it came to Riley didn’t seem so wrong anymore. In fact, it felt like something she had to embrace if she wanted to keep him close.

‘Lina said it was okay to be selfish… it was ok to be greedy….so…’

‘This is fine right Riley?’

…

“Junior… I must keep Junior safe…” Alice’s thoughts were a singular thread, weaving through the fog of her exhausted mind.

Her best junior, the one she believed fate had intertwined with her own, was in danger.

She could barely think straight, her senses dulled by three sleepless nights spent battling the White Queen’s army in a fantastical world.

The exhaustion was overwhelming, but the urgency of the situation cut through the haze. She was still dazed, her thoughts sluggish and fragmented, yet one thing was clear: Riley was at risk. Her mind, though clouded, clung to this one truth as if it were a lifeline. Cheshire’s voice echoed in her head, urging her to protect the one she was destined to be with. The normally mischievous tone now carried an uncharacteristic seriousness that both confused and alarmed her.

Alice was confused, her body moving almost on autopilot. Every step was a struggle against the weight of fatigue pressing down on her.

The only thing keeping her somewhat conscious was the blessing from Cheshire, who had taken partial control of her body with her hesitant permission.

Normally, she would have been wary of such an intrusion, suspicious of Cheshire’s motives and potential pranks. But right now, her aching mind didn’t care.

Riley was in danger, and that was all that mattered.

Even though a part of her questioned if this was just another of Cheshire’s tricks, the thought was fleeting.

Her instinct to protect Riley, to keep him from being stolen away, overrode everything else.

She could barely differentiate between reality and the dream-like state she was in, but she knew she had to act.

The world around her blurred as her focus narrowed to a single point-Riley.

She was the only one who could save him now, and no matter the cost, she would see it

through.

“Make sure…. Riley doesn’t get hurt….”

Her knights moved obeying their queen’s command.

This was her Familiar’s domain… this was her very own field and this was a place Cheshire designed to be of full use to her, it didn’t matter whether the opponent was given Cheshire’s

authority or not…

In this place she was Queen.

As the Cheshire’s mana seeped through them, the very fabric of the world they found themselves in began to register in their minds.

The concept Cheshire had spoken of started to make sense: a world without limits, a place where physical consequences were absent, and reality blurred with imagination.

In this world, everything was possible. If they could imagine it, they could become it- potentially even the strongest versions of themselves.

As their mana surged, each of the three girls began to manifest their most powerful forms.

Rose, gripping her wand tightly, felt an overwhelming surge of magic bloom within her. Her hair began to glow with a radiant hue, casting light on her surroundings.

Around her, hundreds-no, thousands of magic circles materialized, forming a protective dome that pulsed with energy.

Her golden eyes, now shining with an omnipotent brilliance, gazed upon the world with

newfound clarity.

Rose could see it all-feel it, understand it.

She grasped the very concepts of the world and the intricate magic that bound it together.

She understood why everything held mana within, comprehending the underlying essence that connected all things. This was power-unfathomable, limitless power.

The power of an Archmage.

In this state, Rose was no longer just a skilled magician; she had ascended to something far

greater.

The knowledge and understanding of the world’s inner workings flowed through her, allowing her to wield magic with an ease that was previously unimaginable.

She could shape reality, command the elements, and bend the very laws of nature to her will.

This was her ultimate form, the pinnacle of her magical potential—a testament to what she could achieve in a world without boundaries.

As Rose transformed, her aura radiating with an almost divine brilliance, Seo’s eyes widened briefly before settling back into their usual apathetic gaze.

The sheer power Rose now commanded was undeniable, but Seo’s thoughts remained

unshaken.

‘She’s powerful… but the clan head is scarier,’

Seo’s hand tightened around the hilt of her sword as she readied herself. Mages in this world

were revered, their power capable of reshaping reality itself.

They could create and destroy, bend the world to their will, and at the pinnacle of their power,

those who attained the title of Archmage were said to rival the gods.

But to the Gyeoul Clan, even such power was not beyond challenge. Rose might appear as a goddess in this moment, floating above with a celestial aura, but Seo

knew better. At the end of the day, Rose was still human-she could be cut, she could bleed. Seo’s mind darkened as she recalled the final secret technique her father had taught her.

It was a technique developed specifically to cut through the heavens themselves, a strike that could sever even the gods.

Though she lacked the full strength to wield it in the real world, in this place-this space manipulated by the mysterious cat’s magic-Seo felt confident she could bring it to reality.

The air around her grew tense, a palpable energy forming as she prepared to unleash the

technique.

Purple lightning immediately crackled and surged around Seo’s body, her once serene expression darkening as her eyes transformed into a deep, ominous purple.

The whites of her eyes vanished, replaced by a void-like darkness that seemed to absorb the very light around her, as if she were becoming one with the emptiness of space itself.

The sheer intensity of the transformation sent ripples through the air, distorting the space

around her.

Seo was ready to erase everything in her path, leaving nothing but the abyss in her wake.

[Hidden Blade Final Form: Null Space] she murmured, her voice low and menacing, resonating with the raw power she was about to unleash.

Seo took her stance, poised and ready, her entire being focused on the golden lady before her.

The tension in the air was palpable, as if the very fabric of reality was holding its breath,

anticipating the inevitable clash.

…

“Wow- are you seeing this, Riley? Look at those two go!” Cheshire chuckled, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he observed the escalating tension between Rose and Seo.

His voice carried an unsettling mix of amusement and fascination, as if he were watching an intriguing performance rather than a potentially catastrophic clash.

I couldn’t help but gulp as the gravity of the situation sank in, my body frozen in shock.

The transformations unfolding before me were all too familiar, triggering memories: the game.

Both Rose and Seo had taken on forms that were dangerously reminiscent of their in-game counterparts, and seeing it in real life made the stakes feel all the more terrifying.

Rose had transformed into the embodiment of light magic, her entire presence radiating with

a divine, almost ethereal glow.

This was the Rose I remembered from the game, the same aura, grace, and overwhelming power that she had unlocked in her final form. It was a form that could only be achieved after

reaching [Act 5]—a state of being meant to combat the evil god Erebil.

‘How did Rose tap into such power so soon?’

Did she already know the full extent of her potential?

Had she somehow figured out the path to this immense strength long before she was meant

to? The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

Seo, on the other hand, was engulfed in dark, crackling purple lightning.

Her eyes had turned into bottomless voids, blackened with a deep, terrifying darkness that

seemed ready to consume everything in its path.

This was [Hidden Blade Final Form: Null Space], a technique that mimicked her father’s

deadly precision and lethal power.

She stood motionless, poised to unleash her devastating attack on the golden figure before her-Rose. “Did you do something to Rose?” I asked Cheshire, my voice tense with suspicion. The cat was perched beside me, watching the spectacle with an air of detached curiosity.

“Hm? Not at all, aside from the administrative boost I temporarily granted them- I didn’t do anything at all,” Cheshire replied nonchalantly, his smile widening ever so slightly.

As always, his words were slippery, impossible to pin down.

Was he lying?

Was he telling the truth?

With Cheshire, it was always hard to tell.

The only person who could instinctively see through his deceit was his master, but

considering her state that didn’t bring me any comfort now.

“Is this the level of the strongest those girls could muster?” Cheshire mused aloud, his tone

dripping with disdain as he watched the scene unfold.

His smile was cold, almost mocking, as he twirled horizontally in the empty air, his cape fluttering around him like a dark specter of disappointment.

“At this rate, my dear Alice would win almost immediately~” Despite his seemingly casual demeanor, Cheshire’s words were laced with the cold-blooded

truth of the situation.

The world they were in was a creation of his own will and imagination—a domain forged

specifically to test and enhance his master’s strength.

It was a realm where Alice would reign supreme, an absolute queen of all that existed within

it.

Rose and Seo, despite their formidable powers, were operating within a world designed to

test their limits.

Cheshire’s realm was a manifestation of his own boundless mana, a reflection of his

intentions to prepare Alice for dominance.

In this space, their combined abilities, while impressive, were but fleeting challenges against

the true purpose of this world.

As the tension between Rose and Seo grew, Cheshire’s smirk widened.

The clash of their powers was inevitable, but the outcome was not in doubt. The very moment

their energies collided,

Cheshire knew that the world he had painstakingly crafted would begin to falter.

It was built from his own mana, and even he could not sustain the strain that such a

cataclysmic clash would impose.

I knew the damage sustained in this place wouldn’t reflect directly on their physical

counterparts. However, the mental and emotional impact was very real.

This was one of the reasons Cheshire was such a valuable summon in the game-his nearly

unavoidable mental attack could debuff enemies in a way that was nearly impossible to counter.

Now that this world was a reality, the stakes were higher.

As Rose and Seo prepared to face the full brunt of Alice’s power, I couldn’t help but worry.

The potential mental trauma and psychological damage they could suffer were a serious concern.

My worry gnawed at me, knowing that all I could do was watch as events unfolded.

But now that my mouth wasn’t covered, I realized I wasn’t entirely out of options. Cheshire

thrived on chaos and acted purely on whims.

His weakness was something I could exploit.

“Hey, Cheshire… You want to make this whole situation fun, right?”

“????”

“Then why don’t we make it more entertaining? Release me from these chains and let me join

the fight.”

“Why should I do that?”

“Don’t you think it’s only fair for me to defend myself in this situation that I never agreed

to?”

“You’ll die almost immediately, you know? That’s rather boring to watch…~” This crazy cat… so he’s basically admitting that he’s doing all this just for his amusement.

Well, he wasn’t being very subtle about it, so I can’t really complain, especially since I know

his true personality.

But I’ll die immediately, huh?

That was quite amusing. “Don’t worry, I won’t die.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I’ll win,” I said with unwavering confidence.

|| ||

PFFT…!!!!

“HAHAHAHAHA~”

He burst into hysterical laughter at my response, as if he found my assurance utterly

ridiculous.

But there was something in his laughter that told me I’d managed to amuse him enough.

And that was all I needed to convince him.

“Ok Good Show Me Then-“

With a snap of his fingers, the mana chains binding me disintegrated into nothingness.

The same smoke-like cloud that had enveloped me now wrapped around me again, just as it

had around the three girls.

System messages flashed in my mind, summarizing the rules of this world’s functioning.

In a matter of seconds, a torrent of information surged into my brain. My vision cleared, and strength surged back into me-my mana was restored.

This was a world where imagination equaled power.

[Level: 83] → [Level: 121]

[Level: 121] → [Level: 322] [Level: 322] → [Level: 456] [Level: 456] → [Level: 691]

[Level: 691] → [Level: 821] [Level: 821] → [Level: 999] As I felt my power growing stronger by the second….

[Note: Maximum level reached!]

[Congratulations! you have unlocked a portion of divinity]

The fear in Cheshire’s eyes was a core memory I would never forget.

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