At Dian's apartment.
Laura and Dian sat on the sofa, with two steaming cups of coffee placed on the wooden table before them.
They had rushed to Dian's apartment immediately after their lectures ended for the day.
Laura glanced at the TV before reaching for her cup of coffee. She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip, feeling energized by the caffeine. Only then did she turn to her boyfriend.
"So, what happened? Why did you send me that kind of message? And why didn't you open the door when I came over earlier?" she asked, seeking answers to questions Dian had yet to address.
Dian scratched his neck awkwardly in response. After mentally sorting through everything that had happened, he let out a breath and finally began to explain. Before he could continue, however, he added, "First, could you promise that you won't be mad at me?" He was trying to ensure his safety before this confession session.
A faint frown crossed her face at his hesitation, but she nodded nonetheless. Dian felt relieved by her confirmation.
He then began to share his intention to end his life, expressing all the complicated feelings he had experienced—his fear and despair that had pushed him to the brink.
As expected, Laura's expression hardened as she absorbed his words. Even the caffeine failed to suppress her rising emotions.
In a moment of distress, she slapped his face.
"You idiot!" she scolded. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before!? I know you must've been shocked, but not to this level! I would have broken down your door when I came earlier if I'd known!"
Dian instinctively placed his palm over his tingling cheek, looking at her in shock. Laura could be quite physical when her calm demeanor cracked, but this was the first time she had struck him that it actually hurt.
"But you said you wouldn't be mad..." he complained softly.
Laura didn't care. She glared at him and gave him another punch, this time gentler.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. Once she was composed, she locked eyes with him, her gaze serious.
"Are you still thinking about killing yourself?" she asked, pressing her palm to his head.
Dian looked into her serious face. Despite her anger, genuine worry shone through her expression. An awkward smile appeared on his face.
"Fortunately, no," Dian replied.
After he said that, Laura finally let go of him, sighing in relief as a smile of exasperation crossed her face.
She reached for her coffee again, took a sip, and then asked, "Then what made you stop thinking about ending your life?"
Knowing him better than he knew himself, Laura realized that Dian was intentionally avoiding the topic. However, as his girlfriend, she clearly had the right to know—if he was as committed to their relationship as she was.
Faced with her direct question, Dian hesitated for a moment but then decided to open up. He couldn't bear to let her down any further.
He began to tell her about Lucifer's Legacy, the mysterious world he had entered, the monsters he encountered, and everything the system of that world seemed capable of doing.
Laura was shocked by what she heard. She stared at Dian's phone screen, where an app named Lucifer's Legacy was displayed. When she clicked on the app, a simple yet neat interface appeared, displaying a 3D character resembling Dian alongside numerical statistics.
"Isn't this just a game?" she asked doubtfully.
Dian shook his head in response. "It does look similar to a simple RPG game," he replied. "But even I, having entered that world, don't fully understand what it truly is. It claims that I've become one of the Heir Candidates of Lucifer, yet the purpose of it remains unknown."
"And it's real?" Laura asked again, still skeptical.
Dian nodded firmly. "Yes!"
Laura looked at the phone, then back at Dian, her doubt evident. She wanted to believe him, but it all seemed too unrealistic.
A game that could transport someone to another world with monsters and magic, complete with a system for converting money? It was hard to believe such nonsense.
If someone other than Dian had told her this, she would have questioned their sanity.
Despite how often she called him stupid, Dian was not foolish. In fact, he was quite intelligent and consistently ranked in the top 10 of their class during exams.
So, it seemed improbable that he would fall for falsehoods or anything that would make him believe his claims were true—unless he genuinely believed them.
In the end, was it true? Or not?
Laura adjusted her glasses and looked up at the ceiling as she began to contemplate her thoughts.
Suddenly, her phone, which was on the table, turned on by itself with a vibrating sound that piqued both Dian's and Laura's attention.
Noticing an advertisement that had appeared despite her being sure she had turned off the data, Laura frowned and picked up the phone. As she looked closely at the ad, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah?"
It was the same ad that had appeared on Dian's phone.
Lucifer's Legacy ad!
Laura and Dian exchanged glances and gulped audibly at the same time.
"What's written on there?" Dian asked as he moved closer to her.
As they read the text together, they became even more surprised. It was different from what Dian had received earlier. Instead of a direct invitation from Lucifer, it was more like a friend's invitation. And from him, no less.
[You've learned about the existence of Lucifer's Legacy from Heir Candidate number 670: Dian.]
[You now qualify to become his Adorer and join him in his adventure inside World 4-780, Savatia.]
[Would you like to share the same path with him?]
[Yes.] [No.]
Dian and Laura carefully read each word displayed beneath the app icon.
It was relatively easy to understand, and they quickly grasped the message. Essentially, selecting the Yes option would allow Laura to access and log into Savatia, just like Dian. The meaning of becoming his Adorer was still a mystery, but what mattered most was whether Laura wanted to enter Savatia with him.
Dian recalled the gruesome sights of the dead goblins after he killed them. Did he want Laura to become a killer too?
No.
Laura was about to click the Yes option when Dian grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Select No," he said, his voice serious.
Laura turned toward him, her eyes questioning why he had stopped her.
"It's dangerous there," he warned. "There are monsters, goblins, and maybe even stronger opponents. I don't know if we could lose our lives, but since it all feels so real, I think dying would be bad."
Laura still didn't look convinced, so Dian continued.
"Also, aren't your parents ever struggling with money?"
Laura nodded at that point.
"You're right, Dian," she agreed. "My father's a lawyer, and my mom's a nurse. Compared to you, we do live fairly well. However—"
"Didn't I say before that I hate them?" Laura whispered softly.
Dian remembered her mentioning that.
Despite their outward appearance as a perfect family, Laura's life was never easy. Almost every time, her parents ignored her. They focused solely on their jobs, leaving no room for her in their lives.
They were married yet acted like strangers.
They rarely talked, never shared the same room, and preferred going out rather than staying in the house.
They were so rarely at home that in their large and expensive house, only Laura and the elderly maid were present.
Laura didn't know where they were when they were out or what they were doing, but because they always looked at each other coldly, she sensed that they were doing something wrong. Maybe forbidden.
"Money... I need it too," she muttered.
"I want to live away from that house, far, far away from them."
Laura then smiled at Dian.
She raised her left hand and placed it on his chest.
"Then... in the future..."
Laura didn't finish her sentence. Dian could already guess what she was about to say, so he placed his pointer finger on her lips, stopping her. His face turned red.
"I got it..." he muttered as he turned away, "I understand, so just do what you want."
He released her wrist.
Laura sweetly smiled at him, deepening the blush on his face, before turning back to her phone and tapping the Yes button.
Suddenly—
The phone screen went completely black.
Then—
Laura's eyes slowly closed, and she lost consciousness, leaning against Dian's chest.