“Can Helena appear here?”
For a moment, Seong’s mind became a tangled mess.
What is going on here?
The presence that had sent Seong here—the very one who was now hastily withdrawing their energy and kneeling with their head bowed—was unmistakable.
He’d seen them in the event cutscene.
No doubt about it.
And yet, here Helena was, suddenly making an appearance.
Is this even a quest that can be cleared?
‘I thought Helena might intervene at some point, but this early?’
This was far from what he had anticipated.
If he were to align this with actual history...
Hin Del and his companions, after struggling against Helena’s Legion of Death, had grown weary of the battle and decided to seal the Dark Castle in another dimension.
But for her to appear like this, so abruptly?
Was there something he was missing?
Perhaps...
‘Did I overdo it?’
Had his overwhelming performance drawn Helena’s attention?
That seemed plausible.
Though the thought unsettled him, Seong didn’t have much time to dwell on it.
An unexpected development began to unfold.
Suddenly, Helena turned toward the kneeling figure and spoke.
“Don’t kill them.”
“Yes, my liege. Your will shall be done.”
Hearing their response, Helena nodded with satisfaction, a faint smile playing on her lips. Then her gaze shifted—toward Seong.
“Well, you’re even better in person.”
Hearing her voice as an actual sound rather than as an ethereal echo felt strange.
Although this was the Helena of the past, not the one Seong knew, her aura was remarkably similar.
“Now then, I’ll leave you to handle the hero’s party. Do your best, everyone!”
Just as Helena was about to take Seong and leave, he urgently activated a skill.
Skill: The Clock of Doom.
He cast it on the kneeling figure and shouted, “Ten minutes!”
Hin Del and his party heard his cry loud and clear.
Ten minutes?
What did that even mean?
Though they couldn’t decipher it, they watched as Seong and Helena disappeared from the spot, the space around them warping violently.
Shwoooosh!
Left behind were the hero’s party and the ominous figure.
And something else.
“...He left something strange behind.”
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
Above the figure’s head, the ticking hands of a clock had materialized.
The hero’s party quickly realized what it meant.
Something was going to happen in ten minutes.
In other words...
‘We have to survive until then.’
But then—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Pebbles and rocks around them began to float.
The oppressive dark mana radiating from the figure dominated the area.
Hin Del looked up at the entity and thought:
‘Can we even hold out?’
He felt his confidence wavering more than ever recently.
But gripping his sword tightly, he resolved:
‘I can’t let Seong see me falter.’
And so, the fateful battle began.
2.
The air twisted and distorted as space warped.
As Seong passed through a strange passage, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.
The surroundings were bizarre—objects were bent, warped, or left half-formed. Some looked as though they had aged into uselessness, while others seemed pristine and untouched.
A chaotic space where time and reality blended together, creating a dizzying mess.
[ᚠᛇᚱ𐤀𐤌𐤉ᛏ𐤇ᛉ𐤔ᛒ𐤄ᛝ𐤍𐤔ᚾᛊ𐤇ᚾ𐤀𐤋𐤔ᛏᛒ𐤉𐤍ᛇᛏ𐤌𐤄ᛝ𐤂ᛊ𐤎ᛉᚾ𐤔𐤋?]
What was this?
Even the system text was incomprehensible.
Where on earth was this place?
Looking around in confusion, Seong took in his surroundings.
Helena, seated on what looked like a warped yet oddly new chair, greeted him with a radiant smile.
“Welcome!”
“...Helena, where are we?”
“You definitely know me, don’t you? My future self? Or maybe just the soul of the me that died? I think it’s probably the latter... I can feel a fragment of my soul within you.”
“...”
Helena’s turquoise eyes glimmered, and she smiled slyly.
Her cool, intelligent demeanor sent chills down Seong’s spine.
She acted as if she knew she was a remnant of the past.
How did she realize that?
Did she bring him here because of it?
Helena shook her head lightly.
“No, never mind that. You can ask questions once you leave here. Let’s get to the point! Here, take this!”
Helena casually handed him a book.
As Seong accepted it, Helena nodded in satisfaction and snapped her fingers.
Snap!
In an instant, the world shifted.
Time and space aligned, and the surroundings came into focus.
It was an elegant library decorated in an ancient style.
Chairs, desks, and bookshelves lined the area.
As Seong looked around in awe, a system notification appeared.
[You have returned from a location inaccessible to the system.]
[This, too, is classified as an "Unknown Power."]
[You have acquired the Overlord-exclusive swordsmanship manual, 『Helena’s Super Strong Swordsmanship』.]
Even though he was back in reality, the notification left Seong bewildered.
Swordsmanship? What kind of swordsmanship is this?
‘...???’
The manual’s title alone was absurd.
As Seong stared at the cover in disbelief, Helena, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, flashed a playful smile.
“I rushed to make this for my handsome successor, but it turned out quite well. Sorry I couldn’t give you more because of the world’s constraints.”
“??????”
“Oh? You don’t like it? I saw you swinging a sword around, so I figured you liked swords. Do you not like it?”
Helena’s concerned expression seemed genuine.
Flustered, Seong quickly shook his head.
He liked it.
He liked it a lot.
Except for the title.
Helena’s Super Strong Swordsmanship.
As Seong shook his head, Helena breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. I was worried you wouldn’t like it because I named it in a rush.”
“...”
Though she hit the nail on the head, Seong decided not to respond.
Regardless, he was grateful for the gift.
As he bowed and began to store it in his inventory, Helena, resting her chin on her hands, spoke with a seductive smile.
“You can use it now if you want! In fact, I’d really appreciate it if you did~”
“Hmm, sure.”
Without hesitation, Seong opened the item.
He trusted Helena completely.
And the overwhelming goodwill radiating from her made him feel secure enough to act boldly.
The moment he used the skill book—
[You have met the conditions for use.]
[You have acquired the Almighty-grade swordsmanship skill exclusive to the Overlord class: 『Helena’s Super Strong Swordsmanship』.]
“Almighty!?”
Even Seong, who had calmly used the skill without hesitation, was stunned.
He’d thought it would be a Legendary grade skill like Add More.
It was a skill she had created herself—no, hastily cobbled together, as she claimed.
But it turned out to be an Almighty-grade skill?
The unbelievable grade left Seong slack-jawed.
And for good reason.
This was a swordsmanship skill of the Almighty grade.
“And she called this ‘lacking’?”
To give something this incredible and still regret not being able to give more?
It was incomprehensible.
Helena's followers—like Overpalace—seemed to have inherited her traits.
It was no surprise, really.
Whatever the case, Seong had obtained the skill.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he immediately opened his skill window.
With so many swordsmanship-related titles in his arsenal, his expectations were naturally high.
The name was a blemish, yes, but the grade spoke for itself.
The moment he opened the skill—
『Helena’s Super Strong Swordsmanship』
A swordsmanship created by Helena in a short period out of love for her successor. Despite being hastily crafted, its depth and intricacy surpass those of any other swordsmanship.
『Use it diligently, yap-yap!』
With the exception of the name, the skill was flawless.
Though he hadn’t compared it to other swordsmanship skills, the description alone made it clear—this was on another level.
And the system itself had endorsed it.
“This is like the swordsmanship Hin Del used, which bundled various techniques together into a single style.”
High-grade swordsmanship skills often worked this way, combining multiple techniques into a single framework.
As the skill level increased, so would the number of techniques.
It was, simply put, incredibly romantic in concept.
Watching Seong, who was clearly delighted, Helena smiled slyly.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I really do. Thank you so much.”
“Ehehe, I didn’t give it to hear that, but I can’t help feeling a little bashful now. So, is my soul at rest?”
Helena’s shift to the main topic made Seong nod solemnly.
He explained that he had absorbed the memories and experiences contained in her soul, but they were so vast and profound that he hadn’t been able to fully process them yet.
Seong recounted his experiences in Eternal World calmly, while Helena listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
When he finished explaining the events leading up to his arrival in this place, Helena spoke.
“You know the one who sent you here, right?”
“Yeah, that person—or entity—from earlier, right?”
“That’s correct. It’s called Noctrynnium. After my death, it seems they’ve chosen to honor me in their own way. Meeting them, one by one, will be important if you are to inherit my power and legacy.”
“Hmm, I suspected as much.”
“Oh? You already had an idea?”
As they talked, Seong grew increasingly aware of just how extraordinary Helena was.
Not only had she understood that this was a recreation of the past, but she had also accounted for concepts like the will of the world and its oversight when handing him the skill.
“Did she sneak this past the developers?”
She had managed to evade the developers and administrators of the game, bypassing their constraints to give him the skill.
Everything she did felt transcendent.
How could an NPC be so extraordinary?
Was this intentional on the part of the developers?
Seong couldn’t be sure.
But one thing was certain: Helena was no ordinary NPC.
Even Hin Del, the Almighty-grade hero, paled in comparison to her.
“Hmmm, I can still help you out a bit. So, what did I say I’d do next?”
Seong could sense the end of their meeting approaching.
But instead of lamenting it, he calmly answered.
“You supposedly tear this entire dimension apart and disappear.”
“Hmmm, that’s not too difficult. Should I tell you about the others? Most of them are here in this castle.”
Helena’s laughter was intoxicating, her eyes gleaming with warmth. She looked as though she wanted to give him everything.
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And yet, there was a mischievous glint in her gaze.
Seeing this, Seong chuckled softly and shook his head.
“We call that ‘spoilers,’ and I’m not really a fan.”
“Hehe, I figured my successor might say that. I genuinely wanted to tell you, but I guess that’s a bit disappointing.”
This wasn’t a test.
Had Seong asked, Helena would have told him without hesitation.
But since he didn’t want to know, she respected his decision, though she found it a little sad.
Their meeting was brief, but its impact was profound.
For both Helena and Seong, this moment lingered.
As their time together came to an end, Helena spoke once more.
“Well then, I’ll lend you a bit of strength for my soul’s sake. And this note! It’s for Noctrynnium. Oh, looks like the ten minutes are almost up. I’ll send you back now! And do me a favor—give Noctrynnium a hard time during their swordsmanship trial! This is goodbye forever, so take care!”
With those parting words, Seong vanished from the spot.
The note contained instructions for Noctrynnium in the future.
Helena, gazing into a mirror-like screen, watched the ongoing battle involving Noctrynnium and sighed deeply.
“It’s a shame I’ll never see him again. My body—or rather, my soul—isn’t what it used to be. I’ll have to leave it to him.”
Her turquoise eyes shone as she smiled wistfully.
“Even knowing this is the past, it still feels bittersweet.”
Though she couldn’t meet him again, she wished for Seong to confront Noctrynnium and put them in their place.
Meanwhile, back outside, Seong had joined Hin Del and his companions, driving the battle to its climax.
Helena rose from her seat.
“Well then, shall I move for my dear Seong’s sake?”