Chapter – 04
The portal that had been showing the final moments of the collapsing mansion completely disappeared.
The place we arrived at was a somewhat unreal space.
A place where there was no distinction between up and down, like some kind of artificial dimension.
The floor was transparent, while the walls and ceiling were completely white.
It was so vast that it was impossible to tell where it began or where it ended.
In that brilliant yet empty space, I paused for a moment at the sight of Lilia standing stiffly.
A young child with her small fists tightly clenched and her lips pressed together.
How could I possibly rush her after seeing that expression?
The Lilia I knew was an unrealistically kind child.
At the third gate, she helped a suspicious person everyone else avoided.
She even forgave someone who had nearly killed her.
As a reader, her gentle nature, combined with the innocence unique to a child, had sometimes felt almost heartbreaking.
Seeing it in person felt different.
It seemed words truly couldn’t capture every emotion.
“…Lilia.”
The vacant look in the young girl’s eyes as she stared into space made my chest ache.
Because as a reader of the novel, I knew Lilia’s story.
The Sudra of the Mansion.
The unfortunate woman who became a monster due to a foolish mistake by a god was Wendy Porcelain’s nanny—and Lilia Porcelain’s biological mother.
Not long after Wendy was born, her biological mother died from postpartum complications.
The nanny had entered the household to care for Wendy.
Lilia was the illegitimate child born between that nanny and Wendy’s father.
By normal standards, their relationship could have been worse than strangers.
Yet the reason they were more tightly bound than most sisters was because of Lilia’s efforts.
Worried her older sister might feel isolated after losing even their father to illness, Lilia deliberately called her own mother “nanny.”
And the nanny gave both children equal love without discrimination.
“My nanny… no, my mom… liked it more when I called her Mom.”
Tears gathered in Lilia’s large eyes.
“But I’m glad I called her that at the end. Right?”
How much pain must that forced smile be hiding?
How deep must the wound be in the heart of a child who couldn’t even call her mother Mom until the very end?
Unable to even begin to measure the weight of that pain, I silently pulled Lilia into an embrace.
[All tutorial zones have been completed.]
At that moment, a message appeared, likely because the other survivors had also finished their tutorials.
Without even having time to properly grieve the deaths of our loved ones, we were forced to face another new quest.
“It’s okay, sister. I’m here with you.”
With a tired face, Lilia assumed a defensive posture while watching new portals begin to open one after another.
[Portals are now opening.]
Portals similar to the one we had arrived through began appearing across the white walls.
Soon after, people started pouring out of them like a flood.
“Hey! Stop pushing!”
“Where the hell is this…?”
“Get out of my way!”
It looked like a battlefield.
Among them were people who seemed familiar from the novel’s descriptions, and others I had never seen before.
“I… I killed someone with these hands….”
One thing was certain: everyone here had survived by killing monsters that might once have been their family members or close friends.
“Are they going to make us kill each other here too?”
And they were people strong—and dangerous—enough to do it.
As the chaos continued, I carefully observed the newcomers.
Somewhere among them should be the original protagonists.
That mission would begin soon.
I needed to find them quickly and recruit them into our team.
But where are they…?
Finding the protagonist’s group among this massive crowd was no easy task.
People were still confused, wary, suspicious of one another, pointing invisible blades at each other.
It almost seemed like I was the only one here maintaining my rationality.
What was unfortunate was that the original story’s despair and nightmares had only just begun.
「Alright everyone, survivors, your attention please!」
The chaotic atmosphere instantly quieted at the sudden mysterious voice.
“What is that…?”
One man pointed upward with a terrified face.
Naturally, everyone’s gaze followed.
The being now at the center of attention smiled brightly, her eyes curving gently.
A small golden ring floated above her head.
Four soft, luxurious wings spread from her back.
Her golden hair flowed down like a sunset-lit river, wrapping around her naked white body.
Even those who had been shouting in anger or trembling in fear could not help but fall silent before such overwhelming beauty.
“An… angel?”
The silence broke instantly.
「I’m a little late, aren’t I?」
The being spoke softly, blinking her long eyelashes.
She was so radiant that it almost hurt to look at her too long.
I knew her.
A servant of the god who managed this world—and one of the main accomplices behind its destruction.
「My name is Elistine. From now on, I will explain how you can survive.」
It was the appearance of Elistine, the 7th Angel of Sam Saeng Ji.
In this world’s lore, she was the angel in charge of charity.
As kind as the virtue she represented, she was also the angel most saddened by this world’s destruction.
[First, I should explain why the world has become like this.]
All eyes focused on her as she began speaking in her gentle voice.
[Originally, this world was filled with goodness and hope. Because the god who first created it believed such things were beautiful.]
The novice god who first received divine authority and created this world.
That god filled it only with the things he personally considered beautiful.
A world filled only with goodness and light.
But such an ideal world was inevitably unbalanced.
And eventually, that imbalance caused cracks to form.
[Where there is light, there must also be darkness. Without darkness, light loses meaning. A world where this balance was broken began to fracture.]
For someone dragged into this collapsing world by accident, I honestly wanted to curse that so-called god.
[After realizing the problem, the god began releasing evil to restore balance… but… ha… you could say there was a small mistake.]
A god who couldn’t even properly fix his own mistake and let it grow into this disaster…
Should he really even be called a god?
[Too much evil spread throughout the world, and as a result, disasters began to descend.]
Elistine’s voice remained gentle, but I could sense a sigh and faint guilt within it.
“This is insane! So everything happened because of that god?!”
“My family… my friends… they all turned into monsters… and I had to…”
Voices filled with anger and grief erupted from the crowd.
Elistine, a compassionate angel who loved life more than anyone, showed a sorrowful expression.
[I offer my deepest apologies and condolences for what you have suffered.]
Despite being an archangel who commanded other angels, she bowed her head respectfully.
But the crowd’s anger did not subside.
Some even threw objects at her.
However, they burned away in the archangel’s divine light before they could reach her.
[You are the last hope of this dying world.]
Elistine silently endured their anger with sad eyes.
After waiting for the noise to die down, she continued.
[You have all seen the quest windows and notifications. These systems were designed to help you overcome your trials.]
“We’re not your pawns!”
“You caused this mess—fix it yourselves!”
[I sincerely wish we could. But only those who belong to this world—you—can suppress the evil and restore balance.]
The uproar began again.
“That makes no sense!”
“What kind of god does that?!”
“I’m done. I can’t do this anymore!”
“Just kill us already!”
But eventually, even the chaos faded as Elistine simply endured it without reacting.
[Fortunately, we have managed to invite several beings who can help you.]
[From many dimensions, across countless timelines and events, the Constellations have come to support you and make you stronger.]
As soon as she finished speaking, starlight began flowing across the empty sky.
A magnificent display of light unfolded.
Beings who carried their own stories, histories, and myths.
Transcendent entities capable of shining through the power of their own legends.
Beings who ruled over events, worlds, and time itself.
These were the Constellations—the other true protagonists of Sam Saeng Ji.
[Now! Choose your Constellation, overcome your trials, and become the saviors of this world heading toward destruction.]
[May fortune be with you on your path.]
