Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 367: So it was you, huh?

In the dim evening light, Vanessa’s face was flushed, as if set ablaze, the redness spreading from her cheeks all the way to her ears.

Even though she appeared calm on the outside, it was clear that her inner turmoil was far from the nonchalant front she was putting up.

This emotional ripple had started some time ago—ever since she met Ethan, Vanessa had been feeling something strange inside.

When the store clerk, Olivia, mistakenly assumed they were a couple, Vanessa hadn’t gotten mad. In fact, at that moment, she suddenly realized something.

It was about the things she had said to Ethan earlier.

Inviting him over to her place, casually mentioning that no one else would be home.

The moment she recalled Ethan’s reaction, she immediately knew he must have misunderstood!

What was I thinking? I must’ve been possessed to say something so… suggestive!

The embarrassment hit her like a wave, and she felt an overwhelming urge to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

That’s why, for a while after, she couldn’t bring herself to talk to Ethan. Instead, she pretended to be busy looking up information on her phone, trying to distract herself.

Maybe it’s because girls are natural-born actresses, but Vanessa’s performance was so convincing that Ethan didn’t notice anything was off. In fact, he thought she was upset.

But when she heard him call her name, Vanessa finally realized what that strange feeling inside her was.

It was the way this guy treated her—it was… different.

How to put it? It was like, from the very beginning, he had naturally seen her as a friend.

And what surprised Vanessa even more was that she felt a strange sense of familiarity with him, too.

It was this inexplicable familiarity that made her feel comfortable around him. The awkwardness between them faded quickly, and she even felt a sense of security in his presence.

That’s why she didn’t refuse when he asked if he could call her by her first name.

Still, even though she agreed, she couldn’t help but feel a little shy when Ethan actually called her “Nessa.” After all, she’d never had a guy friend close enough to call her that before.

After that, the two of them fell into silence again, as Vanessa once more used the excuse of looking up information to avoid the awkwardness.

She typed “Sandwich Showdown ACE” into the search bar on her phone.

Immediately, a bunch of results popped up. The top one looked like a news site, updated just a few minutes ago, with a glaring headline:

“Shocking!!! The Undefeated Soul Reappears in Utopia, ACE Fights for His Lady!”

Vanessa couldn’t help but twitch at the over-the-top title, but soon realized that the “Utopia” mentioned in the headline was the very supermarket she had just been in.

Curious, she clicked on the link and started reading.

“Good evening! Tonight, a new ACE has emerged, our savior, the undefeated warrior of legend!”

“According to an anonymous source—store clerk Olivia—the incident began when his girlfriend was knocked out during the Sandwich Showdown. Enraged, the king himself entered the battlefield, single-handedly dominating the scene. According to Olivia, the scene was incredibly brutal, with no one left standing.”

“Tonight’s Utopia was not a battleground of victors, but a stage for the triumphant king! Let us now salute the king and his queen with a round of applause!”

“…”

Vanessa stared at the so-called “news” article, her expression a mix of disbelief and confusion.

What the heck is this?

But as soon as she saw Olivia’s name mentioned, she knew exactly what this was about—it was referring to her and Ethan.

How could Olivia just make stuff up like this?

She and Ethan weren’t even in that kind of relationship! King and queen? Seriously?

Vanessa’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, not just from embarrassment, but from a bit of anger too.

Because she noticed that the article was signed by none other than Olivia herself.

Though she was a little annoyed, Vanessa couldn’t help but imagine the scene in her head.

After she fainted, Ethan storming into the chaotic battlefield like a king, rescuing her and defeating everyone in his path to claim the sandwich.

What is this, some kind of shonen manga? Vanessa thought, half-laughing, half-crying at the absurdity of it all.

‘No, no, no, there’s no way we can trust anything that clerk Olivia says.’

Vanessa shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the ridiculous thoughts that had crept into her mind. But despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but sneak a glance to her side.

And that’s when she froze.

Where was he? Where had Ethan gone? He was just right next to her a moment ago!

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, making her shiver involuntarily.

Something felt off. Vanessa couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was a creeping sense of unease. Still, she wasn’t the type to believe in anything supernatural, so she brushed it off.

She figured Ethan must’ve gotten lost or wandered off, and she couldn’t help but mentally roll her eyes at how ridiculous that was.

Her first instinct was to turn back and look for him.

But just as she took a couple of steps, she noticed something strange—the air around her had started to fill with fog. In mere moments, it thickened, becoming so dense that she could only see a few feet in front of her.

Vanessa instinctively pulled out her phone, intending to check the weather forecast, but to her surprise, there was no signal.

Even if she wasn’t the most perceptive person, it was impossible to ignore how eerie this sudden fog was.

Surrounded by the thick mist, Vanessa felt an overwhelming sense of isolation, as if the world itself had abandoned her.

Her gut told her something was very wrong. She felt like a small boat, lost in a sea of fog, teetering on the edge of capsizing at any moment.

Her first thought was still to find Ethan.

But just as she was about to turn around, she noticed a shadowy figure emerging from the fog not far ahead.

At first, she thought it was Ethan catching up to her, and a wave of relief washed over her. She hurried toward the figure, eager to reunite.

But as she got closer, her body suddenly froze in place.

“W-what…?”

There was nothing there. No person. But the fog had formed a distinct, human-shaped outline. And at the same time, she felt a malevolent gaze fixed on her.

Vanessa stood there, paralyzed, as the transparent figure slowly approached her. It was as if her blood had turned to ice, and she couldn’t move a muscle.

The sheer impossibility of what she was seeing made her heart plummet into a pit of cold terror.

As the foggy figure drew closer, Vanessa’s fear reached its peak. In that moment, she couldn’t even think to scream for help—her mind had gone completely blank.

And then, she saw them—two glowing, crimson eyes. A sharp pain shot through her head, and everything went black as she collapsed, unconscious.

The foggy figure reached out toward its helpless prey, moving slowly, deliberately.

But just as it was about to touch the unconscious girl, something strange happened. Vanessa’s body was suddenly pulled backward, as if by some invisible force, flying away from the figure’s grasp.

The creature paused, confused, before letting out a furious roar that shook the surrounding fog.

In that instant, a voice rang out from the distance.

A moment later, a streak of purple light shot across the ground toward the creature, moving so fast it didn’t have time to react. The light was a ball of purple flames, and the moment it reached the figure’s feet, it exploded into a brilliant blaze.

A pillar of violet fire erupted into the sky, the shockwave scattering the fog in all directions, revealing Ethan standing there, holding the unconscious Vanessa in his arms.

He glared at the creature, now writhing in agony as the strange fire consumed it, and his expression darkened.

“So it was you, huh? You’re the one who tried to pull a Batman stunt and scare me earlier, weren’t you, you bastard!?”