Chapter 1: I Ended up running away

This story begins on the day I stumbled upon a gemstone lying on the street.

Just like the old saying, “If misfortune finds you, fortune will follow.”

Having lost my family at a young age and been abandoned in an orphanage, I had endured my share of misfortune.

So when I saw that gemstone, rolling around on the ground, kicked aside by countless passersby, I believed that my fortune had finally arrived.

Looking back now, it was misfortune disguised as fortune.

A gemstone lying on such a busy street, completely ignored by everyone?

If I had been a little more experienced with the world, I never would have picked it up.

But back then, I was just a naïve child who had no idea how the world worked.

Blinded by immediate gain, I grabbed the gemstone and ran straight to a pawnshop, eager to sell it—only to be met with another disaster.

“Kid, don’t mess around. There’s nothing in your hand.”

I bolted out of the pawnshop and desperately shoved the gemstone in the face of anyone I could grab.

Again and again, I received the same response.

Only after hearing it dozens of times did I finally collapse onto the ground in defeat.

No matter how valuable something might seem, if no one else can see it, it’s worthless.

This gemstone was strange—it could only be seen and picked up by me.

And when I realized that truth, my eyes burned with rage.

An indescribable emotion took hold of me.

If I had to put it into words…

It felt like the world itself was mocking me.

I truly believed that everyone was pretending they couldn’t see the gemstone, just to ridicule me.

I kicked the ground and punched the air.

I cried my eyes out, sobbing and wailing like a child, screaming that this wretched world should just be destroyed.

And so—it happened.

The gemstone flashed brilliantly, granting my wish.

[Your life will now proceed toward the destruction of the world. Do you accept?]

A translucent message window appeared before my eyes, captivating my attention.

In that moment, I finally understood what this gemstone was.

Not through my own reasoning—

The knowledge was simply engraved into my mind.

This was a “Quest Jewel,” a relic granted only to the chosen ones.

[You have accepted. Now, I will grant you 100 objectives. If you complete them all, this world will be destroyed.]

I nodded, and the Quest Jewel set my path toward the world’s end.

If I completed a task, I would receive an appropriate reward.

If I failed, I would be sent back in time to try again—repeating the task until I succeeded.

From that moment on, I dedicated my life to fulfilling the objectives displayed in the translucent window.

I clung to my fortune, refusing to lose what the gemstone had given me.

At first, things were easy.

The Quest Jewel rewarded me with absurdly powerful gifts every time I completed a goal.

When I finished my first objective, I received enough money to leave the orphanage.

By my fifth objective, I gained the ability to wield magic using water as a source.

The seventeenth objective granted me a lifelong companion.

By the fiftieth, I had established an entire criminal organization.

There were times when I died trying to complete a particularly difficult goal.

But every time, the Quest Jewel rewound time and brought me back.

It never stole my memories or left scars on my body.

If anything, it ensured I was always in my best condition.

And so, my methods grew more ruthless.

Somewhere along the way, my twisted sense of values made death no longer seem frightening.

I began to treat it like a roguelike game—an obstacle that only made me stronger each time.

But that doesn’t mean I took death lightly.

No matter how many times it happened, I could never get used to it.

Every time I was sent back to the save point, I lost control of my emotions.

Sometimes, I was angry.

Sometimes, I was devastated.

Not once did I ever feel joy.

And so, my obsession with completing the objectives only grew stronger.

Seventieth objective.

Eightieth.

Ninetieth.

Finally, upon completing the ninety-ninth, I had half the world in my grasp.

I smiled in satisfaction, watching those who worshipped me, and prepared to complete the final task.

And now—here I am.

Facing my 132nd life, having failed to defeat one magical girl.

Even after waking up, I was still sitting on my throne.

The hole in my chest and the sky above had vanished.

Rain poured through the roofless ceiling, soaking me.

I could feel a faint vibration from the Quest Jewel around my neck.

[You have returned to the most recent save point.]

[Recalculating objectives. Please wait.]

[Recalculation complete.]

[New objective: Eliminate the magical girl, Happy.]

[Reward: The destruction of this world.]

As I stared at the message window, a deep sigh escaped my lips.

This was a relatively mild reaction.

The first time, I had been consumed by rage and obliterated this entire space.

By the tenth time, I had fallen into despair.

By the hundredth, my reactions had dulled.

By the 131st, I had laughed like a madman.

The message window flickered and faded, revealing my kneeling subordinates, their heads bowed before me.

I let out another sigh.

Did they realize that they had knelt in this exact same spot 132 times in a row, drenched in rain?

Did they understand that they were marching toward their inevitable deaths, trying to defeat a single magical girl?

They probably wouldn’t know.

Only I had experienced that horrific future.

“All preparations are complete, my Queen.”

One of my subordinates spoke.

It was Alpha—a vampire with an enchanting beauty and the very first companion I had acquired.

Her name was uninspired, yet she proudly bore the name I had given her.

So naturally, the subordinates that followed were named Beta, Gamma, Delta, and so on.

Looking back, my naming sense was atrocious, but at this point, I didn’t care anymore.

I shifted my gaze away from her and looked up at the sky.

Then, I opened my mouth, letting the falling rain fill it completely.

Though now empty, my mouth had been filled with blood just moments ago.

Since time had been rewound, I rinsed my mouth with rainwater and spat it onto the ground, washing away the lingering scent of iron.

At the same time, I tried to erase from my mind the 131 battles I had fought against the magical girl.

“…My Queen?”

Alpha’s voice carried a hint of confusion at my strange behavior.

She had no idea that I had repeated this exact act eighty-two times before.

That’s why she asked.

And as always, I responded the same way.

Even now, I did the same.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

In attempt #33, Alpha had questioned me persistently.

In attempt #48, she had simply pressed her forehead to the ground in submission.

This time, she had chosen the latter.

What else repeated itself?

Oh, right—I had devised 128 different strategies based on the information I had painfully gathered about Happy through my own deaths.

By attempt #129, my imagination had run dry.

That was when I half-heartedly decided to give up.

By attempt #132, I was completely certain.

I gazed absentmindedly at the rain-soaked world around me.

The regret and emptiness etched onto my face were not washed away by the falling rain.

Maybe my perspective had changed due to the countless deaths.

Or maybe—I had simply been broken.

But none of that mattered anymore.

The only important thing was…

I no longer had the will to complete the final objective.

The Quest Jewel, which I once considered a blessing, now felt like a curse.

It was time to let it go.

“Alpha. Come here.”

“You called for me, my Queen?”

“Closer.”

“As you wish.”

I curled a finger, gesturing for Alpha to approach, and held up the necklace before her eyes.

The Quest Jewel, the very thing that had brought me this far, was embedded in the pendant.

“What do you see?”

“A simple necklace, my Queen.”

“You don’t see the red gemstone?”

“I… can see it clearly.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“…Forgive me, my Queen. I do not see the red gemstone you speak of.”

“I see.”

The Quest Jewel remained invisible to others.

In the early days, when everything went smoothly, I thought that this was the reason I was stronger than everyone else.

But now?

Now, I knew better.

It was time to discard the Quest Jewel that still glowed vividly in my vision and carried its weight in my hands.

And at the same time—

It was time for Yeres, the Queen of Darkmoon, to disappear.

I rose from my throne and removed the crown from my head.

Then, I placed it upon Alpha’s head.

She stared at me, stunned.

“My Queen…?”

“From now on, you are the Queen.”

“…What?”

“That’s all.”

“I’m leaving.”

“My Queen?! Where are you going, Queen Yeres?!”

The moment I spoke my final words, I gathered water, casting a spell to shatter the Quest Jewel.

I had once been consumed by the desire to kill the magical girl Happy and claim the world for myself.

But now—

My desire to live a normal life had outgrown my ambition.

The gemstone, seen only by me, had never existed in the first place.

I had convinced myself there was a jewel in an empty space.

For so long, I had mistaken a delusion for reality.

So now—

“Take care. Don’t die.”

Forgive me for abandoning everything and running away.

I just can’t do this anymore.

And with those final words—

I sank into the water.

For the first time in 132 lifetimes, I had acted on impulse.

And that reckless decision…

Filled me with an unexplainable sense of freedom.