NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41
*
The original novel [I Got Trapped in a Game] kicks off with the protagonist playing as a hero and nurturing a saint while navigating a game environment.
The game is titled [Making the Lazy Saint Happy], focusing on raising the affection of Azazel, a saint with succubus blood.
– Welcome! You’re quite late today!
Kang Si Woo, an office worker in a black company that treats overtime and all-nighters like a meal, preferred these types of games due to his circumstances. He loved idle games where characters grow automatically without spending time or money.
– While you weren’t here, our party defended against the monster onslaught in the Northern Lands! I insisted we save your rewards for you!
– [Click to earn 5,800 GOLD]
Returning home exhausted, the sight of Azazel brightly greeting him on his smartphone was a welcome treat.
“…How great would it be if I could earn money in real life without doing anything, just like in this game?”
Lying on his bed, Kang Si Woo dreaded the tomorrow that approached yet again. He preferred the hero he controlled in the game far more than his miserable reality.
– [Mr. Kang Si Woo, there’s a little play at the theater today. Would you like to come with me? It’s a heart-thumping romance…!]
No wonder! The game’s protagonist had women flocking to him without lifting a finger, and he didn’t have to worry about food or money.
How could the treatment be so different with the same name? Azazel’s affection for him had already crossed from trust into love.
“Azazel… Would you really like me if you were here in this world?”
The main icon of the game was Azazel, and taking advantage of her succubus lineage to appeal to male players made Kang Si Woo ponder.
He was a man with a rough start—his family struggled due to financial issues, and he lost a leg in an industrial accident while working.
He thought no one would ever like a guy like him, far too easily.
Kang Si Woo was an inherently unfortunate being, as if someone intentionally shaped his life this way.
– Hmm, it was quite a nuanced play! I didn’t like how suddenly the external events made the characters unhappy.
Finishing the theater event, it was time for the player to select their response.
– [I was really glad to see you.]
– [I didn’t like how it suddenly fell into unhappiness either. People watch plays for happy endings, no matter how many breadcrumbs you leave.]
Through such events and gifts, Kang Si Woo could raise his affection level with Azazel.
As always, he chose the first option.
He had been contemplating whether to delete the game, as the same dialogues and scripts kept repeating.
There might be people who were saved by games or found spouses and married, but in the end…
“…It’s boring. It’s just virtual, after all?”
So for Kang Si Woo, it was just a game. The story and presentation were not that great; he had begun playing mainly because Azazel’s outfit was revealing.
– [Mr. Kang Si Woo, are you leaving already? Ah, there’s still so much I haven’t shown you!]
Just as meeting was easy, parting felt too light for him.
Even Azazel’s pleas when quitting the game felt stale now. With updates having dwindled, only a few posts from an inactive community made it online.
After being hooked for over two years, he felt he had done enough.
– [Are you really going to delete the game?]
As if it was time to let go, Kang Si Woo hovered his finger over the game delete button.
“Wait, why is my phone frozen…?”
In that instant, the smartphone’s screen flashed, and Kang Si Woo’s figure disappeared from the bed.
Upon waking, he found himself transformed into his customized hero character.
“Ah, hello?”
“…Azazel?”
“Do you know me…?”
In a twist of fate, he came face to face with Gabriel, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Azazel.
*
Time passed, and Kang Si Woo let his distorted personality spill out to Gabriel. The reason behind the sadistic and violent side unleashed onto his partner stemmed from the belief that she was nothing more than a game character.
This world resembled an exact copy of the game. He thought about how he could do whatever to characters on the screen without repercussions.
He believed it was fine to act like a rake without restraints.
“…Azazel? Is it really you?”
Kang Si Woo gulped as he locked eyes with Azazel. He never expected to meet her, so how did she find him?
“Then did you think I was my sister?”
Azazel frowned, displeased at his expression. She expected him to look forward to meeting her but acted as if it was uncomfortable.
“Sorry for mistaking you for your sister, but I have my own reasons…”
To be honest, there were remnants of feelings left over. After all, it was in front of someone he once loved.
But why did it infuriate him so much to see her face?
Originally, she had no chance of meeting Bing Yeon, so she knew very little about Kang Si Woo. She was just a character trapped in a game, loving a man from a different world.
Even if those feelings were fabricated, she was genuinely in love with that man.
“Is that all you have to say? I think if it were me, I would have just apologized without saying anything.”
In a waiting room full of competitors for a tournament, the sharp voices of the two drew attention from those around them.
“…What an amusing sight. Is that kiss mark on your neck left by my sister?”
Such remnants made the situation all the more ludicrous. A newly formed bruise, like a mark of love, and it was absurd that he had come to fight while carrying such a reminder of love.
Azazel glared at Kang Si Woo, arms crossed. She learned from her mentor why her sister, Gabriel, had an affair with Kang Si Woo.
Even if a writer meticulously crafted a setting, the personality and actions of characters could shift the flow of events in the story.
“Reasons? Fine. Let’s hear it.”
Azazel now harbored feelings of resentment and affection towards Kang Si Woo. His blaming of her for his unfortunate past contrasted so sharply with the garbage he had displayed since entering this world.
“I thought your sister was Azazel. You looked identical! I was just a little confused because I came from a different world!”
Unaware of the whole situation, Kang Si Woo poured out his emotional defense to Azazel, thinking this appeal would resonate with her.
After all, the Azazel he remembered was a naive girl who easily believed what she was told, so he figured if he spoke like this, it would be easy to deceive her.
“No matter how much I called you Azazel, your sister didn’t deny it, so I had no choice but to believe it. The memories that only you and I shared, you pretended to know through the succubus’s powers!”
The demon race always operated this way. They delved into the minds of their prey, uncovering vulnerabilities, and crushed them while enjoying themselves.
Azazel truly despised her own lineage. Chosen to be a saint, but receiving improper treatment from the conservative papacy.
“Sure, I’m a bad guy who deserves to be scolded, but my feelings for you haven’t changed.”
“…”
She bit her lower lip and narrowed her brows in response instead of answering.
“Azazel, can’t we start over? If you become my partner, there’s no problem. We could have a harem together…”
Azazel despised every word that slipped from Kang Si Woo’s mouth.
Although his face and voice matched her memories, his true feelings being about wanting to create a harem with her sister was unbearable.
It felt like thorns had blocked her vision, tainting every memory of adventure they shared, those times when he was hurt because of her, all stained.
“…No, thank you. You knew it wasn’t me, yet you still chose to share a body with my sister.”
Unlike in the original story, she learned the truth from Bing Yeon. She knew halfway that it was Gabriel, yet she had turned a blind eye to the truth and craved the man.
She was aware her sister had held onto him to prevent him from leaving her.
“It was your last chance. I thought at the very least, you would realize your mistakes and sincerely apologize to me.”
She believed he would refrain from telling a lie.
At least she thought he wouldn’t mention being deceived.
If he had taken responsibility and admitted everything was his fault, maybe she would have felt better than she did now.
“At the very least, you shouldn’t have suggested we meet again. You shouldn’t have tried to leave me with an even bigger scar.”
The greedy gaze that swept over her body as he looked at her made Azazel glimpse the future.
If she blindly trusted Kang Si Woo’s words and assumed they would resume their relationship as he said.
In that future, she would be steeped in all sorts of violence and addiction. Yet despite everything, she would cling desperately to that man, revealing a pitiful sight.
“Me, who believed in a man like you until the very end—how foolish was I?”
After seeing that future, Azazel wanted to skip out before hearing any more of Kang Si Woo’s excuses.
“Wait! I think there’s a misunderstanding. I was truly deceived by your sister…!”
“Let go of this!”
As she tried to leave, Kang Si Woo grabbed her wrist.
With a swift motion, Azazel smacked him across the face.
Smack—! The sound echoed in the air, drawing everyone’s attention to the spectacle.
“How dare a mere game character…!”
Having been slapped by Azazel, Kang Si Woo tried to retaliate in the same manner, but—
“Don’t lay a finger on my student.”
“…Ugh! You won’t let go?!”
He was stopped by a white-haired man who had suddenly approached.
No matter how hard he tried, his wrist wouldn’t budge. In such a clear mismatch of strength, Kang Si Woo had no choice but to grind his teeth in frustration.
“Brother? What are you doing here…?”
Seeing Bing Yeon protect her, Azazel couldn’t help but be surprised. She had long waited and missed Kang Si Woo, yet why had he come to save her?
Perhaps because of that change in feelings, Azazel subconsciously began referring to her mentor not as “you” but as “brother.”
“Verdandi mentioned that you look like you’ve fallen for some lies again.”
Looking at the nodding Bing Yeon, she saw Verdandi waving her hands and laughing. She already knew Kang Si Woo had been lying to Azazel the whole time.
“I’ve caught a villain who tells lies!”
It seemed she discreetly informed her mentor, Bing Yeon.
– Honestly, that mentor over there seems far more manly than that guy you’ve been waiting for, Kang Si Woo.
Mordigian commented after observing the entire situation.