Became the Mother of Virtual YouTubers - Chapter 76

It was a long journey.

In terms of game time, several weeks had passed, and in real time, it had surpassed 8 hours.

As Yu Da-hee arrived here, she was physically exhausted.

Being an NPC, a native of the game world, it was a natural occurrence.

Summer, being a player and an outsider in this world, had no problems with stamina.

However, she was mentally overwhelmed.

Even after taking a bathroom break and doing an eye massage, the fatigue was considerable.

Determined to save Yu Da-hee, she had played with more focus than usual.

Yet, her concentration was sharper than ever before.

While silently gazing at the colossal enemy in the distance, Summer released the taut bowstring.

At the same moment, the dragon roared and unleashed black flames that shook the sky.

The arrow shot by Summer was instantly consumed by the flames.

“Summer!”

The pure white barrier briefly held back the flames.

It might have been just a moment, but it was enough time for Summer to dodge and reassess her stance.

“…It’s okay. I can do this.”

Summer swallowed her dry saliva and drew the bowstring again.

An arrow wrapped in green light whizzed through the air with a sound that split the wind, striking the dragon’s wing joint.

The wings trembled violently, and rough scales fell like debris.

“Alright!”

The realization that the attack landed made Summer clench her fist.

The dragon lifted its neck again and spewed black flames.

The surrounding air became hot in a whoosh.

A sticky haze shimmered before her eyes.

Grinding her teeth, Summer charged towards the dragon.

With arrows, she couldn’t target the single unscalable point that was the dragon’s weakness, so she opted for close combat.

Receiving Yu Da-hee’s buff, Summer leaped high above the dragon’s head.

Amidst the glimmering scales, dark flesh was visible.

Without hesitation, Summer thrust her rapier with all her might.

A sharp rupture sound echoed as her fingers felt a strong vibration.

Before she could even relish the sensation, the dragon screeched and flapped its wings.

Summer was thrown into the wall by the fierce wind.

“?!”

The scenery reflected in Summer’s eyes was suddenly pulled forward.

In the vivid illusion of crashing onto the ground, Summer involuntarily gagged.

“Is this… really… some other dimension… or something…?!”

The stark reality made her curse involuntarily.

Cold sweat streamed down her back.

Her body trembled for no reason.

To be honest, a part of her felt scared.

“Aren’t I right next to you?!”

Yet somehow, she managed to rise again and stand before the dragon thanks only to Yu Da-hee’s presence.

“Da-hee…”

Through her blurry vision, Summer saw Yu Da-hee summon a holy light.

She clasped her hands together, reciting an incantation with a fervent expression.

Before long, dazzling divine magic bound the dragon’s legs and wings.

As the dragon roared, locked in place, Summer gritted her teeth and took a big step forward.

“Now’s… the chance…!”

Gasping for breath, Summer adjusted her grip on the rapier and leaped once more.

“Uwaaaah-!!”

The sharp point of the blade drove down into the dragon’s nape again.

Black bl**d burst forth like a fountain, and the dragon made its final thrash.

Now, for the last blow.

Amidst the splattered bl**d and darkened vision, Summer jabbed the rapier into the dragon’s weak point.

The dragon, writhing in pain, slumped downward.

“Is it… over?”

Summer muttered, watching the monster’s body dissipate into black smoke.

As the dark energy vanished like an illusion, silence engulfed the area, signaling the end of the battle.

“We did it…”

Summer stood on the cracked stone path and murmured in a fatigued voice.

“Yeah… we really took down the dragon.”

The two looked into each other’s faces.

They absorbed each other’s expressions completely with their eyes.

“…Phew!”

“Ahaha-”

They let out awkward laughter for no reason.

*

The ancient altar emitted bizarre sounds as it glowed.

With the incoming ripple, Summer instinctively felt her throat drying up.

Sanctuary.

This was the final place that Summer and Yu Da-hee had worked so hard to find.

The way to save the world was here.

At that moment, white letters appeared above the altar.

This time, Summer could clearly understand the message.

[When the soul of the saint touches the altar, this land shall revive once more.]

Heat seemed to escape from her entire body.

In disbelief, she let out a sarcastic laugh.

“What… nonsense…”

How could there be no twist in the game? Summer tugged at her hair in frustration.

“In the end… it has come to this.”

Yu Da-hee lowered her gaze, smiling softly.

“To be honest, I expected this a little.”

With a calm voice, she moved towards the center of the sanctuary.

“Are you crazy? What do you think you’re doing?!”

Summer forced the mini joystick of the controller forward as if it would break. Her pale thumb trembled.

But the exhausted avatar stubbornly refused to move properly.

Still, she desperately grabbed Yu Da-hee’s wrist.

“Let this world… just perish already!!”

A sad smile appeared on Yu Da-hee’s lips.

“But, you’re here, right?”

She blinked away the moisture in her eyes and placed her hand on Summer’s.

“If I can save a world with you in it… it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“d*mn it! Why are you saying something so absurd!!”

Summer choked out in desperation.

“What good is that world to you… if you’re not in it?”

Anger and sorrow mixed, causing her voice to tremble.

“There must… there must be another way… a way to save this world and you, Da-hee… Ah, ahh… aaah…!!”

Her thoughts tangled as she racked her memory.

“…Right! A hidden ending! We have to meet the hidden ending conditions! There must be conditions we haven’t found yet!”

[This message cannot be processed as it may interfere with the game settings.]

“Wait… in the second run… in the next round, I’ll definitely find a way to save you too… there must be a clue!”

[This message cannot be processed as it may interfere with the game settings.]

“This d*mn! Hey, Yu Da-hee. Just wait right here.”

Summer held the rapier upside down.

The sharp end pointed towards her chest.

“I’ll go back to the past and find a way. You just stay put in the future, in this timeline…”

“No!!”

Yu Da-hee reflexively batted the blade away.

bl**d dripped from her palm.

“What are you doing?!”

She shouted harshly as she tightly embraced Summer.

“Don’t do this… please don’t… you know that there’s no other way…”

Her trembling voice echoed in Summer’s ear.

“Ugh… I gathered my resolve because of you…”

For Summer, her connection to Yu Da-hee was less than 10 hours.

But for Yu Da-hee, her bond with Summer stretched over thousands of hours.

No matter how deeply Summer was infatuated with Yu Da-hee, it couldn’t compare to how much Yu Da-hee was drawn to Summer.

“Live on for my sake… please don’t stop singing… okay?”

Her voice, soaked with tears, trembled.

The feeling of being hugged was so vivid.

“But… what meaning does it have without you…!”

A desperate sound escaped as if her throat would tear.

Her heart felt crushed, and she struggled to breathe.

Summer felt an overwhelming compulsion to tear through the system and find something, anything.

Despite that, the saint released Summer, a determined expression on her face.

“Thank you… for bringing me this far… for leaving me with a good memory in the end.”

Then she turned back towards the sanctuary.

The saint carefully climbed onto the altar and knelt to pray.

Brilliant white light began to rise thickly around her.

“Stop… stop it!!”

Summer gritted her teeth and ran towards the sanctuary, but an invisible wall blocked her way.

She shouted, pounded her hands on the wall, and prodded it with the rapier… but it didn’t budge.

Beyond the cold, intangible barrier, the saint lifted her head.

For one last time, she moved her lips slightly.

Again, I’m sorry. And thank you.

A pure white light erupted explosively.

Winds swirled around the altar.

In the shaking space, the figure of the saint was engulfed in light.

“No…!!”

As Summer’s scream rang out, the form of the saint faded.

Brilliant flashes burst out in every direction.

Simultaneously, the world gradually regained its green hue.

The desolate, ash-colored land transformed into a shade of green.

The red sky turned blue.

It was the miraculous moment when this world was saved.

As the dazzling light vanished.

All that remained before Summer was the empty altar.

As if nothing had ever existed from the start.

The saint, Yu Da-hee, had disappeared without a trace.

The transparent wall that had blocked the sanctuary also vanished.

Summer stood there blankly, as if her soul had been removed.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

The sense of loss tore at her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Ah, ah— lost in a daze, Summer’s vision turned pitch black.

On the black screen, a system message flashed briefly.

[Your adventure has saved the world.]