For the next few minutes, despite so eagerly ordering the sweet pastries not even a second ago, Carissa simply stared at the treats before her.

...

...

...

Letting out a deep sigh, I suddenly got up and exited the bakery, reentering the city streets.

In the original story, the problem had been solved by Leo, who, miraculously, through his gift, had learned how to apply the mana-cancelling attribute of his eyes to other parts of his body.

With his hand, he had pierced through the diary, instantly dispersing Anna's soul.

But where had he learned how to do that?

During his fight with Zyn, which I had prevented.

And I had no way whatsoever to kill the soul in that notebook.

If the diary were simply destroyed, Anna's soul would transfer to Carissa's body permanently, creating an even bigger problem.

It seemed there was only one way.

The main characters in my novel, Serena, Carissa, Magnus, Haerin, and Leo, were like actors on the stage, each step and movement mimicking my commands.

Because of my actions, Leo's character had fallen behind, and it was my job as director to rewrite the script, forcing him back into the spotlight.

Leaning on the wall of the bakery, I gazed down at the beach below the railings, pausing for a moment.

There was an incident that was supposed to take place during this trip that I had been ignoring, partially because I could have taken care of it myself without help from the main cast.

Raising my smartwatch, I typed a quick message to Serena, easily recalling her student ID from my novel, "99999", to find her information.

[Athen: Lead them to the beach.]

Glancing behind me, through the windows of the bakery, I watched Serena's expression sour, forcing me to rapidly send another message.

[Athen: Would you please, possibly, lead them to the beach, in exchange for a favor from me?]

[Serena: Tell me.]

[Athen: If you get Carissa alone and ask her, she'll tell you.]

Perhaps, it was her curiosity as a scientist that drove her, but Serena immediatly stood up at that moment, without saying a word, and left the cafeteria.

Carissa, the real one, desperately got up as well and followed after, leaving Leo to gather as many of the pastries as he could in his hands before exiting as well.

Going on ahead of them, I walked down the steps, descending closer and closer to the beach until finally the hard stone ground transformed into soft sand.

Sand filled my shoes, slowing me down, so I kicked them off and walked forward, feeling the warm and cozy surface pushing into my feet with every step.

For a moment, I stood at the edge of the beach, the boundary between the water and sand, gazing into the endless abyss of water, colored a bright orange by the sky above.

It really...is beautiful.

Maybe, for just the moment, the thought of sitting down and embracing the view, ignoring all other problems, entered my mind.

Those people...what do I owe to them? Why am I saving them?

I knew I could easily guarantee my survival in this world with my future knowledge and items, so why was I working and training so hard?

Just like those trust-fund kids I wanted to be so badly back on Earth, I could simply relax in a mansion for the rest of my life in this world.

There was no need for me to put myself through 10-hour training sessions when I could just buy an expensive manor and sunbathe all day.

With silence came these uncontrollable thoughts.

Snapping me back to reality, a sudden loud and frantic voice sounded behind me.

"Serena, where are you going!?"

Turning around, I could see Carissa rapidly following Serena down the stairs onto the beach, Leo at least a hundred steps behind them, pastries in both his hands.

Immediatly hiding behind a large rock, I looked at the two girls and paused.

Would it really be ok to leave those two together? What if Anna takes over...and does something to Serena?

Shaking my head, I convinced myself that Anna wouldn't do anything rash until taking full control while watching Serena lead Carissa into a hidden area of the beach, abandoning the isolated Leo.

Finally, a few minutes later, as Leo stepped off the last stone-brick tile and onto the beach, I emerged from behind the rock.

In the book, Leo was supposed to have stumbled upon a dungeon by the beachside while exploring the city.

Yet, with the changes to Carissa and Serena, he hadn't had the time.

Narrowing his eyes as he scanned the beach, looking for the two girls, Leo eventually caught sight of my sole figure by the beachside.

Immediately, a scream resounded.

"Hey, you!? Did you see where those two girls went!?"

Slowly, I turned around to face him, seeing a flicker of recognition ignite in his pupils.

Raising my hand, I simply waved and answered.

"Hey, Rank 1."

No lines appearing from his hands, Leo simply stepped forward, approaching me.

"Rank 1900, right? Did you see where Serena we-"

Nodding my head, I answered rather rudely, on purpose.

"Yeah, I saw her running down the stairs and away from you. Take a hint, will you?"

"What are you talking about!? Just tell me."

Worry clouded his eyes; whether it was for Serena or Carissa, I didn't know.

Gently tapping the sheath attached to my waist, I silently walked to the right, the opposite direction the two girls had gone, and toward a massive cave in the distance.

Seconds turned to minutes as I walked, until finally, a voice sounded behind me.

"Enough playing around; do you know where they are or not!?"

Turning around, I was immediatly met with countless holographic lines. The pastries in Leo's hands had dropped to the ground a long time ago, replaced with a clean katana.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, matter-of-factly.

"Who cares? I'm taking you somewhere better."

"Where?"

Pointing at the massive opening in the hillside, the city of Mikanos stood above, I responded.

"A dungeon."

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