Rio leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen for a long moment before letting out a slow breath.
"…Finally."
Four hundred chapters.
That's how long it took to reach this point.
Four hundred chapters of buildup—characters introduced and discarded, arcs that went nowhere, fights that felt meaningful at the time but now blurred together. He had stuck with it through all of it, partly out of habit, partly because he kept telling himself it would pay off in the end.
This was supposed to be that payoff.
The final chapter of Arcane Odyssey — The Strongest Swordmaster.
"Let's just get this over with."
He shifted forward slightly, resting his chin against his hand as he began reading.
He didn't expect much anymore.
The story had peaked a long time ago.
"To be honest, the only reason I didn't drop this was because it wasn't a harem…"
He muttered it more to himself than anything else, his eyes still scanning the lines.
"…and then the author just threw that in halfway through like it didn't matter."
It had been one of those changes that didn't just add something new—it made everything that came before it feel weaker. Characters lost their focus. Conflicts felt less sharp. Even the main character, Samuel, had started to feel… inconsistent.
Still, Rio had continued reading.
At that point, it wasn't about enjoyment.
It was about finishing what he started.
The comment section was already moving quickly.
@Yungseo: Finally guys, we've reached the final chapter. Hope you enjoy ;)
@Chicke_LL: Author, this better be worth it after those filler arcs.
Rio let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
"…Yeah. Let's see about that."
He returned his attention to the chapter.
Samuel stood at the edge of a broken battlefield, his sword dragging lightly against the ground as the sky above fractured into pieces.
Rio's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Alright. That's not bad."
The writing felt more focused than it had in a while.
Cleaner.
The Wings of Chaos spread behind him, tearing through the air as energy flooded his body.
"…Finally."
After everything, the main character was finally reaching his peak.
This was what the story had been building toward.
Rio leaned forward a little more now.
Not excited.
But interested.
The Demon King smiled.
"…Here we go."
The pacing picked up.
Lines blurred together as Rio read faster, his earlier frustration fading slightly as the tension rose.
For a brief moment, it felt like the story remembered what it was supposed to be.
Then—
Samuel faltered.
Rio frowned.
"…What?"
His eyes moved back.
Read the line again.
The energy around him collapsed.
"…Wait."
A quiet unease crept in.
The Demon King raised his hand.
Rio's fingers stopped moving.
"…No."
Shadow Dismantle.
"…What the hell is that?"
There had never been any mention of that ability before.
Not once.
Everything disappeared.
Rio blinked.
"…No."
He scrolled back.
Read it again.
More carefully this time.
Samuel… died.
Silence.
"…You're joking."
His chair creaked as he sat up straight.
"He was winning."
That wasn't an interpretation.
That was a fact.
The entire fight had been leading in that direction.
He scrolled down again, faster this time.
His comrades vanished.
"…Vanished?"
No resistance.
No explanation.
No aftermath.
The battlefield fell silent.
"That's it?"
Rio stared at the screen.
Waiting.
For another paragraph.
Another line.
Something to justify it.
Nothing came.
"…That's the ending?"
A slow irritation built in his chest.
Not sudden.
Not explosive.
Just… heavy.
"No final fight."
"No explanation."
"You just kill everyone and call it a twist?"
He leaned back again, running a hand through his hair.
"This makes no sense."
His fingers moved to the keyboard almost automatically.
@Chicke_LL: Author, what is this? Is this seriously the plot twist you've been building for 400 chapters?
He hit send.
The reply came faster than expected.
@Yungseo: Yes ;) Hope you enjoyed.
Rio stared at the message.
For a second, he didn't react.
Then he let out a quiet breath.
"…Right."
That was the kind of answer he should have expected.
A hollow laugh escaped him, more tired than angry.
"Four hundred chapters…"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"…for this."
There wasn't even enough substance there to argue about.
It wasn't just a bad ending.
It felt incomplete.
Like something had been skipped entirely.
"…What a waste of time."
He shut the laptop with a soft snap.
The room fell silent.
For a moment, he just sat there.
Then he stood up, stretching slightly as his back cracked.
"I should've dropped it earlier."
He walked over to his bed, the faint light from outside slipping through the curtains just enough to outline the room.
"…Whatever."
He lay down without much thought, pulling the blanket over himself.
"I'm done with it."
His eyes closed.
The frustration lingered for a while.
Not sharp anymore.
Just… there.
Eventually—
It faded.
Sleep came.
…
A faint sound broke the silence.
A notification.
Then another.
The laptop screen flickered on by itself.
Light spilled into the dark room.
Text appeared.
[User Identified: Rio]
[Engagement Level: High]
[Emotional Response: Dissatisfaction Detected]
The cursor blinked.
[Would you like to revise the story?]
No response.
Rio didn't move.
[No input detected.]
The text shifted.
[Default selection applied.]
The screen distorted slightly, as if the display itself was struggling to stabilize.
[Accessing: Arcane Odyssey — The Strongest Swordmaster]
[Timeline Adjustment: Pre-Main Narrative]
A pause.
[Assigning Role…]
[Hero: Occupied]
[Villain: Occupied]
[Primary Cast: Occupied]
Silence.
[Searching for Available Entity…]
The cursor blinked again.
…
[Match Found]
[Designation: Unnamed Subject]
[Narrative Importance: None]
[Status: Deceased (Unrecorded)]
[Proceed with Assignment?]
The screen flickered once.
[Confirmed.]
[Initializing Integration…]
The light collapsed inward.
Everything went dark.
Rio didn't wake up peacefully.
He woke up choking.
Air forced itself into his lungs in a violent gasp as his body jerked sharply.
"—ghk—!"
His eyes snapped open—
And immediately shut again.
The light was too bright.
Too sudden.
His vision burned as he tried to focus.
Shapes blurred together.
White.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
"…what…"
His voice barely came out.
Something was wrong.
Not just around him.
Inside him.
It wasn't pain.
Not exactly.
It felt like pressure.
Like something was pressing outward from within his body.
Pulling in different directions.
"…what is this…"
He tried to move.
Nothing responded.
His limbs felt distant.
Unreachable.
His chest tightened as something pulsed beneath his skin.
Once.
Then again.
Wrong.
Everything felt wrong.
Then—
Voices.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
"—output unstable—!"
"—core levels exceeding limit—!"
"—he's going to collapse—!"
Rio's thoughts struggled to catch up.
"…collapse…?"
"No—wait—something's stabilizing—!"
"…stabilizing…"
"That's not stabilization—what is that—?!"
The voices weren't calm.
They weren't controlled.
They were panicking.
Rio forced his eyes open again.
This time—
He saw it.
Glass.
Right in front of him.
Distorted.
Reflective.
"…no…"
His breathing hitched.
He wasn't on a bed.
He wasn't free.
He was enclosed.
Inside something.
A pod.
"…what the hell…"
His heart began to race, the rhythm uneven.
Fragments of something surfaced in his mind.
Not clear.
Not complete.
Rain.
A voice.
Crimson eyes.
"Do you want power?"
"…no…"
The pressure inside him intensified.
Heat.
Cold.
Something sharp.
Something heavy.
All at once.
His body jerked violently.
"Restrain it—!"
"Multiple element signatures detected—!"
Rio's thoughts froze.
"…multiple…?"
"That's impossible—no one can—"
A sharp pain tore through his chest.
And for a brief moment—
He felt them.
Not one.
Many.
Different.
Clashing.
Fire.
Cold.
Something that crackled.
Something that pressed down on everything else.
All of it—
Inside him.
"…this isn't…"
Fear settled in.
Cold.
Immediate.
"…this isn't right…"
His breathing became erratic.
His body wasn't his.
"Shut it down!"
"System isn't responding—!"
The voices blurred again.
The pressure kept building.
The last thing Rio saw—
Was his reflection.
Faint.
Distorted.
His eyes—
Glowing.
Crimson.
Then—
Everything went dark.
[End of Chapter 1]