Chapter 120: Return

[Ian’s POV]

“Hey, look over there…”

“Wow… Handsome…”

I could feel their gaze.

“Hey, can I get your number…?”

“Have you ever considered becoming a celebrity?”

“Would you be a guest on our show, even just for a moment…?”

People who usually ignored me now showed an unusual amount of interest.

Rejecting every offer, I stepped into a nearby café and sat down. I could feel the eyes of everyone inside turn toward me—just for a moment.

“Uh, what would you like to drink?”

“Java Chip Frappuccino, with extra chocolate.”

“Wow, you speak Korean well.”

I ordered a high-calorie dessert—something unthinkable in the other world—and returned to my seat, waiting for the drink to be ready.

While I waited, I pulled out my phone and started researching the game. Specifically, Project Luna—the one I had been working on for some time.

‘There’s seriously no wiki for it?’

There wasn’t a scrap of useful information. Even the worst games that don’t make it into the top 100 usually have a fan café and an active community sharing tips and guides.

But here, nothing. No info on character selection, no strategy on where to use which summon, and no useful content—even the posts boasting about beating the story with only 1-star summons were worthless to me.

‘They beat the Demon King with only 1-star summons?’

Even though the title seemed promising, the actual strategy involved endlessly healing a 1-star summoned creature using potions. Sure, it might technically work, but if that were really viable, you could have just stormed the Demon King’s Castle and finished the game with a barrage of healing potions.

Failure to do so carried a steep penalty. In real life, you’d get event rewards or apology gifts like soul stones when the devs felt generous. But in this world, events didn’t even happen.

‘The daily log in event ended after a month. They just stopped doing it.’

There were a few glaring disappointments. I sighed and sank into my chair as a staff member approached with the drink.

“Your drink is ready.”

“…Can you bring it here?”

“Sorry? Oh, sure. On the house.”

The staff quickly left the drink and disappeared. When I picked up the glass, I immediately understood why they had brought it personally.

Beneath the drink was a receipt—with a handwritten 11-digit number. Probably the part-timer’s phone number.

‘This face… it really is something else.’

Even the drink was one size larger than what I had ordered. Is this the kind of VIP service handsome guys get just by existing?

That thought alone made my face flush with a mix of embarrassment and amusement. Especially knowing that I only had one week left to enjoy any of it.

‘So sweet.’

But all that frustration melted away as soon as I took a sip of that sugary masterpiece—a drink that felt like the pinnacle of modern science.

Sweet. Incredibly sweet. This drink was basically cheating. Probably loaded with more calories than a full meal.

As the high-calorie, high-sugar concoction spread through my body, I could practically hear my brain revving up.

‘Yeah, I’ve only got a week left. I might as well enjoy it.’

I launched the game and logged into my account. Before I got transported to another world, I had spent almost all my savings on this account, and now it overflowed with soul stones and powerful summons.

With the strongest lineup of summons, I dove into Story 1-1. Back to the tutorial.

[Today is the day I enter Canopus Academy…]

SKIP.

“Oh.”

I skipped the boring text instinctively, then sighed and started over from the beginning. I knew the story already, but I might’ve missed something important, so I couldn’t afford to skip everything.

After all, the key to returning to my original world within the week was hidden inside this tiny smartphone.

I had to uncover it all and make my way back.

‘Still… this game is absurdly unfun. How did I ever play this…?’

As I skimmed the dull narrative, I kept sipping on the sugary drink. At least the sweetness kept me going.

***

Southern Region.

This was where the Duchy of Eritz was located—a place where warmth lingered all year round.

Noah and Stella soared through the skies on the back of Giant Eagle, scanning the southern terrain in search of Phoenix.

“Are you sure we’ll find it here?”

“Yes! Ian said Phoenix is in the South!”

“…So he said.”

Ian’s words were always wild and unbelievable—but he had a habit of turning those wild claims into reality.

Because of that, the girls couldn’t help but trust him. Even when it seemed like he was lying.

Whether true or false, they had no choice but to believe—willingly or not.

“There’s a 5-star summon hidden somewhere in this land…”

Stella stood on the roof, gazing down over the southern expanse. The view included the city she called home—a breathtaking sight, likely worth millions to anyone trying to see it for themselves.

Even Stella, daughter of the Duke, had never seen this vista before. There were few things as rare and awe-inspiring as this.

“…But how are we supposed to find it here?”

At the same time, the vast expanse of land turned poisonous, as if it were searching for something. Stella, who had lived her entire life on this land, couldn’t even begin to guess where the 5-star summon was hiding.

“The White Tiger I saw before was hiding in the mountains.”

“…In the mountains?”

“Yes. I was hiding in the White Tiger Mountains.”

“Then it must be smaller than I thought. It was hiding in the mountains, after all.”

“No? It was huge. Incredibly distracting in size.”

Stella tilted her head at the contradictory statement. Hiding in the mountains, yet large enough to be a distraction?

“What are you talking about? You just said it was hiding in the mountains?”

“Yes! In the mountains!”

It was then that Stella realized there was a major gap in perception between herself and Noah.

When she said “in the mountains,” she meant among the ridges—hills blanketed with countless trees, where wild beasts roamed. But Noah’s “in the mountains” was literal. He meant inside them. Buried beneath hundreds of millions of tons of earth.

Once Stella grasped this, she was stunned.

‘No way… even if it’s a 5-star summon… Is that even possible?’

Whether it was possible or not didn’t matter. If summons like that were really hiding beneath mountains or continents, how could anyone possibly find them?

Fortunately, Noah had an idea.

“The reason the South is warm is probably because of the Phoenix.”

“…Really?”

“That’s what came to mind. Isn’t the warmest place in the South exactly where the Phoenix is located?”

Noah’s words made sense. What if the reason the southern region remained warm year-round wasn’t due to its subtropical climate, or the continent’s angle relative to the sun, but because of Phoenix?

If that were the case, Phoenix could be radiating heat from underground day and night. By finding the source of that heat, they might locate where Phoenix was resting.

It was theoretical—but worth investigating.

“Ifrit. Did you hear that?”

“Yes. I’ll look for it.”

Stella summoned Ifrit and asked her to find the hottest place in the South. Ifrit closed her eyes, concentrating on the flow of energy. Soon, she found it.

A small lake, nestled in a mountain in the southern region.

“I think this used to be a volcano.”

That mountain, Ifrit explained, contained the hottest energy she could detect.

They had found the place Noah was referring to. Now, it was time to wake Phoenix. But how?

Again, Noah turned to Stella for help.

“…Stella, can you hit this spot with an Origin Art?”

“What? It’s a volcano! If it erupts…”

“I’m begging you. This is the only way to wake Ian.”

At that, Stella sighed and looked toward Ifrit. Ifrit nodded, saying she would try to control the eruption. Flames began to rise in her hands.

“…Are we really doing this? Really? Huh?”

“I’ll take responsibility,” Noah said calmly.

Of course, if the volcano truly erupted, there would be no way to take responsibility. But Noah spoke with conviction.

Seeing her unwavering determination, Ifrit—knowing full well this was dangerous—launched her special move into the lake.

A blast of plasma, blazing with heat like the sun, pierced the water and disappeared into the depths.

RUMBLE—

“Uh, oh. It might explode!”

“What!? Hey, Noah! Run, now!”

“It’s okay.”

While Ifrit and Stella panicked, trying to flee, Noah remained still. Calm. She waited.

Then—KWA-BOOM!

A massive phoenix burst out from the lake, wings ablaze.

[Did you call for me?]

It was the Phoenix, wings spanning wide and radiant. 

While Stella and Ifrit stood frozen in shock, Noah stepped forward and addressed the majestic summon.

“Yes, I did. Protector, I have a request.”

[Go ahead and ask.]

There was no arrogance in Phoenix’s voice. No demand for reverence. Noah had a guess as to why the summon appeared so willingly.

‘Ian… you were right.’

Ian once said, “You have a constitution that is loved by the world.” That every summon would want to become her strength.

And it was true.

“I have just one request,” Noah said.

“Please become my summon.”

***

[Ian’s POV]

“The time has come.”

“…Already?”

After clearing the game several times over the past week, I had come to understand its mechanics more thoroughly than even the developers. Rubbing my reddened eyes, I slowly sat up.

After lying in bed for almost a week, my body protested with loud pops and cracks as I stretched.

That’s when the system spoke to me.

“Is it okay to spend all your time like this?”

“What?”

“You’ve done nothing but play games all week…”

“Oh, that?”

I grinned as I looked at the message. The system said I could do anything, but it couldn’t even read my thoughts.

“This world is better than reality. I’m looking forward to it more.”

I had realized something when I returned to reality. In the real world, I was just a nobody. Not the alpha male who had everything.

But in that world—I was noble, handsome, wealthy, and powerful.

Anyone who returned to Earth with this body would feel like they’d fallen into another world all alone.

“…Well then. I chose well.”

“Chose?”

The system didn’t answer. It just responded with a (^ㅇ^) emoticon.

Eventually, I passed out on the bed again. 

When I opened my eyes next, a familiar ceiling came into view.

“Ian!”

Noah, Stella, and several other girls were looking down at me.