How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 567: Anomalies.. interlude

Morning.

The dawn of another day.

The events of [Act 4 – Chapter 2: Placed Chaos in the Dungeons] and [Stacia Route – Crimson Curtain] had wrapped up earlier than expected, leaving me with something I hadn’t enjoyed in a long while—time.

Time to think.

Time to plan.

I sat at the small wooden table by my bed, the surface bare save for the faint scratches from my restless nights.

Reaching into the drawer, I retrieved the leather-bound book I kept hidden away.

My diary. My secret

Written in the language of my previous world, its pages were nothing more than gibberish to anyone else, but to me, they were survival itself.

Of course, that didn’t make the curious gazes from the girls any less annoying—especially when they pressed with their endless questions.

Dodging them was becoming a skill in itself.

I flipped open the book, eyes scanning the list of events that had yet to come.

[Act 4 – Chapter 3: The One Beyond]

[Act 4 – Chapter 4: The Demon’s Deceit]

[Act 4 – Chapter 5: Lightbringer]

Five major events remained.

In the beginning, I had resolved to keep my distance.

To let Lucas handle them.

After all, these arcs were tied directly to his growth, his path, his destiny as the so-called protagonist.

But things had changed.

Lucas’s growth wasn’t something I could treat as an isolated matter anymore.

His strength, his resolve, his victories—they all tied to my own.

To ignore that... would be reckless.

There were clear benefits to this—though the catches were just as obvious.

My very existence was already an anomaly in this world.

The more I involved myself, the greater the chance of complications—threads twisting out of control in ways I might not be able to fix.

And yet, the opposite was just as true.

If I guided Lucas, if I nudged his path in the right direction, I could reap the rewards of his growth.

As long as he saw me as someone he could trust, I wouldn’t need to scramble for strength or divinity on my own. His rise would become my growth.

The upcoming Chapters 3 and 4 both tied back to the dungeon and the matter of the demonic worshippers.

On paper, the chances of them making another move so soon were slim.

But I knew better.

I knew their bishops were probably already very impatient, right now especially considering Lucas and Emilia is high alert on their radar after what happened in Act 3.

After all... their great lord, Asmodeus, must be aware of what happened by now.

Perhaps not every detail, but enough.

He was a Demon King, yes, but not the kind who relied on brute force alone.

Cunning, slippery—like a cockroach that refused to die no matter how many times you thought you crushed it.

Stacia’s events tied to the clown demon, and the clown demon tied back to him.

Which meant the odds of Asmodeus being aware of my involvement were high.

Too high.

The moment I ascended, I felt it—that suffocating pressure, those countless presences brushing against me.

Watching. Some gazes were vague, distant, like shadows pressing against the edges of a curtain.

Others... sharper.

Direct.

Eris had told me she shielded me from the worst of them, especially from Erebil’s prying eyes.

But protection only went so far.

The higher beings of this world must already know an anomaly is walking freely among them.

The only question left was who exactly knew what.

And there was also Liyana to consider.

She might already be aware as well.

I let out a long breath, dragging a hand across my face.

In the end, it was all already a mess.

A web I couldn’t untangle, no matter how much I tried. Maybe the only sensible move left was to stop pretending I could control everything at all.

Although I’d gotten stronger... it still felt like the ”happy ending” I envisioned was slipping further and further from my grasp for some reason....

’A world subjected through your failures. will come and find its way to the people you love...’

I recalled Erebil’s words.

Right now, it feels like the opposite was happening.

Which makes It the more alarming.

Power alone wasn’t enough. I needed more. More growth, more control, more certainty—otherwise all of this would collapse sooner or later.

”Yaaawn~ Master, what are you doing~?”

Startled, I turned around.

Lavine, in her tiny fairy form, floated lazily in the air, rubbing her eyes with her small hands before plopping herself down on my shoulder.

Her wings fluttered weakly, still half-asleep, like she had just rolled out of some dream.

Since when had she been awake?

”Good morning, Lavine.”

”Good morning, master...” she mumbled. Then her eyes caught the book in my hands, her head tilting. ”Hmm? Are you writing those weird letters in your diary again?”

I chuckled softly. ”Haha... well, it helps me relax sometimes.”

”Really? I thought sleeping with your girls was what made you relax the most.”

She turned, and her gaze drifted to the bed behind us.

Snow, Rose, Seo, and Alice were all tangled together, breathing softly in their sleep, their faces serene in the morning light.

The way they clung to one another—arms, legs, hair all interwoven—looked less like a harem of fiancées and more like one inseparable knot of warmth.

It was a sight I never got tired of seeing.

”Well,” I admitted with a faint smile, ”they are the best.”

”Act... something?” Lavine’s small voice broke the silence again. She squinted at my diary. ”Are you writing a novel or something?”

My eyes widened. ”...You can read it?”

”No, not exactly,” she replied, puffing her cheeks as if offended. ”But I can pick out a few words here and there... You tend to mumble while writing, you know. I just memorized some of them.”

My stomach dropped. ”Wait. How long have you been... spying on me?”

”I wouldn’t call it spying,” she said with an innocent blink. ”It’s more like... you’re so focused when you write that you don’t notice anyone around you, master.”

I frowned, a bead of sweat rolling down my temple.

...Had I really gotten that complacent?

Well as long as she doesn’t understand the whole context it doesn’t really matter right?

I turned back to my notebook.

Taking on a few more notes to asses about I closed it.

”What, you’re done already?” Lavine’s tiny voice carried a note of disappointment.

”Yes.”

The future was still too unpredictable, like a tangled web that shifted every time I thought I had unraveled it.

A true anomaly in itself...

[Name: Riley Hell]

[Divine Title: Heaven’s Anomaly]

[Race: ?????]

[Level: ?]

[Strength: ?]

[Agility: ?]

[Endurance: ?]

[Luck: ?]

[Power: ???]

It’s just a thought, but could I?

I activated my Authority.

’I can win against Ereb—’

My thought never finished.

A crushing weight pressed down on me, not from above but from within, like my own soul was being wrung out by unseen hands.

My chest seized, my vision snapped white, and my very being screamed at me to stop.

”Master!!!” Lavine’s panicked voice pierced the ringing in my ears.

System notifications erupted across my vision in violent crimson.

[WARNING!]

[WARNING!]

[WARNING!]

[Forceful Authority engagement beyond current user threshold will result in imminent death!]

The suffocating pressure clawed at my insides, until—suddenly—it receded, leaving behind a hollow ache.

My breathing came ragged, shallow.

My lips curled in a shaky laugh. ”...Hah. So, I really can’t lie my way out of Erebil, huh?”

It was expected, but... part of me had wanted to believe. You never truly know until you try, right?

”Why are you laughing, master? You idiot—look at yourself!” Lavine’s tiny hands tugged at my cheek, her voice cracking.

Only then did I notice the wetness dripping down my face.

Blood, dark and hot, seeped from my nose, my eyes, even the corner of my mouth.

My heartbeat thundered so violently I thought my chest would split open.

Not even Alice, in her truest form, had managed to damage me this badly—granted that had been during training.

”Stop smiling, you idiot—!”

”Shh. The girls are still sleeping.”

”That’s not something you should be worrying about right now!” she snapped, voice trembling.

”Don’t worry,” I muttered, my grin still smeared with blood, ”I never thought about winning against Erebil with my Authority.”

[The Anomaly has lied!]

The system’s voice struck like a gavel, final and absolute.

And the world... obeyed.

The pain. The blood. The warnings. All of it vanished, erased as if it had never been. My body was clean, my pulse steady, my vision clear.

”...Hmm?” Lavine tilted her head, blinking at me in confusion. ”Did something happen, master?”

I met her gaze, the ghost of my earlier agony still clinging to my nerves. My lips curved into a faint, practiced smile.

”No. Nothing at all.”

....

’Did I lie again...?’

The thought lingered in Evelyn’s mind as her steps carried her behind the back gardens of the Royal Hall.

The air was heavy with the perfume of countless blossoms, flowers arranged so artfully that even the seasons themselves seemed bent to accommodate their bloom.

Roses, lilies, rare imported orchids—everything arranged to please the eyes of kings and queens.

A garden of luxury, of vanity, of quiet decadence.

It was beautiful, yes... but to Evelyn it all felt hollow.

A place made for noble eyes, yet so few of them ever bothered to come.

So few cared enough to look.

Her gaze wandered over the garden’s stone paths, over the glistening fountains, before her feet halted mid-step.

She closed her eyes.

A small, knowing smile curved her lips.

She had found her.

Deep below, where the light of day could not reach—the faint flicker of a soul distinct, unmistakable.

Evelyn’s steps shifted, her pace unhurried but purposeful, until finally she stopped before the girl she sought.

”Stacia Alger Del Luna...” Evelyn’s voice rolled gently into the air.

There was silence. Then, slowly, Stacia turned her head, meeting Evelyn’s gaze with guarded eyes.

”...You are?”

”Evelyn Shoreline.” Evelyn bowed with practiced grace, her blue eyes shimmering faintly as runes flickered for just a breath across their surface.

”Evelyn... I’ve heard Reina mention you once.”

”Fufu. I’m glad my reputation precedes me,” Evelyn answered, her smile carrying both warmth and something sharper beneath. ”But now, shouldn’t it be my turn? Tell me—” her eyes narrowed, voice soft but piercing ”—to which Stacia am I speaking right now?”

Stacia’s brows furrowed. ”...What are you talking about?”

Evelyn’s smile only deepened, as though savoring the private joke only she understood. In Stacia’s essence, faint but burning, she sensed it—the hidden sun buried deep within her, shackled, sleeping.

”I only wanted to confirm something,” Evelyn said lightly. ”A little experiment, if you’ll indulge me. In exchange, I’ll let you enjoy the time you have in that body. Because it won’t be long, will it? Before she awakens... and your gift is fully absorbed with you with it...”

Stacia’s silence was answer enough.

”I’m sure you’re confused but... you can trust me,” Evelyn murmured, her tone almost tender, ”After all... I love you as much as my original does.”

Seeing Stacia’s reaction, she lightly stepped back.

’Looks like my experiment was a success....’