Chapter 15: Farewell, my dear Gil!

“Still, this is the blessing of the Shadow Demon God. No matter how you look at it, it can’t be weak.”

“I just hope it’ll play a decisive role in the future.”

Ye Lian tried to stay optimistic.

Then, her gaze shifted to the [Super Lucky Gift Pack].

Considering how much she had already obtained, she decided not to open it for now.

‘Compared to that, understanding the difference between the two states was more important.’

With a thought, Ye Lian deactivated the Silver Moon armor, returning to a form that resembled a newborn child.

That terrifying pressure reappeared, and all the Nightmare creatures in the area trembled in fear.

“Once I cancel the transformation, my player name goes back to red, but my power stays in non-player mode.”

“In other words, canceling the transformation automatically switches me to the Demon Emperor form—my strength surges.”

Ye Lian gave a bitter smile, suddenly recalling an old internet meme: [Remove your graphics card to improve performance.]

It referred to how some laptops performed better using integrated graphics than a weak dedicated GPU, which actually consumed more power and offered lower performance.

Her transformation felt exactly like that.

“But at least the transformation helps hide my identity.”

“And the power loss isn’t that significant.”

She checked her non-player stats.

Although her level remained at 4, the numbers were clearly higher than those in her transformed state.

The difference was exactly one-fifth.

A gap well within acceptable limits.

“That reminds me—if even a Demon God-level transformation can’t enhance my Demon Emperor state…”

“Does that mean my ceiling is actually at the Demon God level?”

She still didn’t know how power was ranked, but there was no doubt the Demon Gods were among the highest.

After all, the Demon God who had blessed her bore the title [Supreme].

Even the Shadow Demon God, Liv, who noticed her and granted her a blessing, also held the [Supreme] title.

Only beings truly above all others deserved that word!

‘Maybe it’s because of the blessing, but I can’t help feeling a strange sense of familiarity with Shadow Demon God Liv.’

Clenching her fist, Ye Lian suppressed the odd feeling and turned her attention back to the player panel.

‘Black Knight’ fits well with ‘Shadow Knight,’ but it feels strange paired with “Silver Moon Knight.”‘

‘I guess I’ll change it. I do still have one free rename chance.’

After some thought, she changed ‘Black Knight’ to ‘White Knight.’

Now, her transformation and her in-game name matched perfectly.

She clicked confirm, and the system updated her data instantly.

***

“Transform.”

Ye Lian raised her hand and lightly tapped the transformation device.

In the next moment, she became the Silver Moon Knight once again.

The terrifying pressure finally vanished, and the surrounding Nightmare creatures were at last freed.

‘Thanks to that earlier incident, my emergency objective in the game has already been completed. Now, the real concern is the [Wood Spirit] and some high-level monsters. Leveling up is still absolutely necessary.’

Recalling that black-haired girl in the leather jacket and pants, a sense of unease crept into her heart.

‘More importantly, the crisis in the real world hasn’t been resolved. I must find a way to stop the Dream Invasion during the closed beta.’

That was her ultimate goal.

No matter how real the game felt, it was still just a game.

She couldn’t afford to lose sight of reality.

Even after becoming the Nightmare Demon Emperor, Ye Lian didn’t lose herself.

Her mind remained clear.

“Goodbye, Gil,” she said softly, turning to glance one last time at the pile of trash.

This was her farewell to her former male identity in the game.

Without another word, she pulled the spear from the stone wall and stepped forward, heading deeper into the unknown.

Outside, the blood rain had stopped.

The wind was gone too, and the sky returned to its usual gray.

The thunderstorm faded, the tremors ceased—just like that, the apocalyptic scene vanished without a trace.

But no one would forget.

All the players remembered clearly—an incomprehensibly terrifying Nightmare Demon Emperor had been born.

The tension and sense of crisis continued to grow inside them, stirring up even more anxiety and fear.

***

The team from the Atlantic Federation looked like they were attending a funeral.

The mood was grim and heavy.

Some say that human sorrow is not universal.

Boyang agreed.

But human fear? That was absolutely shared.

When faced with the threat of death, every human being feels fear.

Those who claim not to fear death are simply numb—numb from being afraid for too long.

But when death truly arrives… would that numbness remain?

No one knew.

If you asked Boyang, he’d definitely say:

“Only a goddamn idiot wouldn’t be afraid of dying!”

Li Anping’s death had left a lingering terror in Boyang’s heart, even now.

To be more precise, it was Li Anping’s death that made Boyang truly grasp how horrifying the Nightmare Space really was.

In this place, humans were so weak—so pitifully fragile!

***

“Vice Commander! Three lizard-like monsters are approaching at high speed!”

Just then, a scout player rushed over, visibly shaken.

‘Run? Or fight?’

Two choices immediately flashed across Boyang’s mind.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!” he ordered without hesitation.

He might be afraid—but that didn’t mean he could avoid fighting.

‘What did they think they joined the closed beta for? A vacation tour?’

Upon hearing the command, many players from the larger division hesitated.

Fear filled their eyes, despite their attempts to hide it.

They were ordinary civilians—some had never even killed a fish before.

Now they were expected to fight giant lizards? It was a cruel demand.

“If you won’t fight now, what—do you want to die in a dream!?”

Boyang’s roar snapped them out of it.

Li Anping’s death hadn’t just shocked him—it served as a wake-up call for everyone else.

‘This game…’

‘You could actually die in here!’