Click. Clack. Dorothy opened the main gate of the Red Castle and headed upstairs.

Dorothy’s level was 998.

There was no one left who could surpass her in sheer power.

A collapse of balance.

It was a phrase that perfectly described Dorothy.

Walking down the corridor, Dorothy finally encountered the ones she had been searching for.

Alice and the children stood there, as if waiting for her.

Dorothy smiled brightly and spoke.

“It took quite a while this time. Now, if I just kill your children, I can summon Oz.”

There was no escape left.

Dorothy and Alice both knew that.

However, Alice had no intention of running away in the first place.

“I’m relieved! Dorothy. You have your fears too.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re afraid of value.”

“…”

Dorothy sees this world as a game, a mere source of amusement.

She believes that nothing other than pleasure or beautiful scenery has value, and therefore, she doesn’t care whether the illusions were originally human or if she cruelly kills the tale devils.

However, Alice, who had observed Dorothy’s anger, concluded that it wasn’t simply because Dorothy had a mental illness that made her see the world as a game.

Dorothy is afraid.

She’s afraid of value existing in the world she’s currently breathing in.

Because… Alice guessed, Dorothy hopes that this world isn’t “real”.

“Dorothy. I don’t know your circumstances. But I can guarantee this.”

“…”

“If you don’t face your fears, you won’t even get a speck of what you desire, let alone what you truly want.”

What she desires.

As the wish was mentioned, the smile on Dorothy’s lips twitched.

It meant displeasure.

Dorothy decided not to react to every little provocative remark.

Because if you get worked up about a game, you look stupid!

Dorothy smiled again and walked towards Alice.

To deal with the remaining monsters after killing the devil.

“Your adventure of running away from me is now over.”

Alice boldly reversed that statement.

“No. Your adventure of calling up storms will end here. Though, I don’t know which adventure will end… That’s why it’s scary, and that’s why it’s more valuable.”

“?”

What Dorothy has been doing in the Red Country so far.

The things the children had advised Dorothy to follow the rules.

And the conditions of the Red Country that prevented Dorothy from using ignorance as a shield, and which were ultimately established by her breaking the rules.

All of it was for this.

Alice shouted, as if declaring.

“You have passed through the stages. Stepping into the Red Country was stage 1. Receiving one of the unicorn or lion badges and engaging in the contest was stage 2. Despite the Lion and Unicorn imposing sanctions for breaking the rules, you mercilessly killed them instead, which was stage 3. Next is stage 4! The rules of the Red Country are called rules, but in reality, they are decrees. And the one who proclaimed those decrees is someone else!”

Humans.

Beyond that, every intelligent being that possesses existence.

There is one thing they fear the most.

That is the annihilation of existence, which surpasses death.

That is why intelligent beings want to prove their worth.

Hoping that they are not mere dreams, that they are not just illusions that will scatter and disappear, they reach for the sky, even if it means shedding hot, red blood.

She is a monster of royalty, rivaling the Red King.

Having satisfied the conditions above, she can exert 100 percent of her power!

“The fear of existence. I call this monster that is fear itself-“

The [Red Queen].

[Dorothy was cursed by the Red Queen.]

[Level 998 - 1]

Dorothy’s level returned to 1.

The Red Queen’s ability is fair competition.

If you want to stay still, you have to run, and if you want to run, you have to run until your legs break.

No existence can be exceptionally strong within the Red Queen’s ecosystem!

The merciless and cruel queen’s power ultimately suppressed even Dorothy’s power.

Clang!

Alice, as a side effect of her ability, is bound by red chains and confined to the throne.

Instead, Alice’s children confidently walked out.

Except for Kim Eun-jeong.

She timidly stayed behind.

Alice, bound to the throne, sternly exclaimed.

“The duel will be fought fairly under the Red Queen!”

A scale appeared from thin air and balanced itself.

The establishment of a fair duel.

“Winning! The winner proves their worth!”

Alice announced the start of the duel.

The children formed a line and faced Dorothy.

Ha-rim spoke, as if provoking Dorothy.

“Your adventure and our adventure. Let’s see which one is more valuable!”

Dorothy had a rough idea of how things were going.

It was disconcerting for her to have her level down, but in the end, what she had to do hadn’t changed.

If she kills them, the Red Queen’s effect will end, and her experience points will return, allowing her to summon Oz.

Dorothy knew it all, but she was incredibly displeased.

They are game characters.

Yet they tell her to prove her worth.

As if this were a real duel in reality.

A duel with everything at stake is only established in an equal reality.

Dorothy denied it inwardly.

This place is an illusion.

It had to be.

“Value… a duel… don’t make me laugh.”

However, Dorothy smiled.

If she got angry and fought with all her might in the game, it would be like admitting this place was reality.

“Yes… Let’s play.”

Screech.

The scales of balance tilt.

Even with the Red Queen’s power, it was taxing to suppress Dorothy’s power.

This was proof that Dorothy, while thinking this place wasn’t reality, was slowly revealing her true strength.

Twinkle!

Eun-jeong’s magic wand, which was originally a bell, cast a speed buff, marking the start of the fight.

Suho took the lead, with Kyeong-min beside him.

The two kept their distance and watched Dorothy’s movements.

After a brief standoff, Kyeong-min used Tengu’s ability, wind.

If he condensed the wind and threw it, it would serve as a decent check.

Whoosh!

Kyeong-min’s wind bullet rushed towards Dorothy.

Dorothy didn’t block it and took it head-on.

The wind bullet, sounding like a sharp blade, did not injure Dorothy.

“Hmm…”

Kyeong-min’s head, seeing that, spun rapidly.

If even a condensed attack doesn’t work, the opponent’s next move is obvious.

A charge.

Kyeong-min prepared chains in advance to counter the attack.

Sure enough, Dorothy charged, and Suho blocked her path.

Suho tried to block her blade with the powerful shield he had gained after becoming a Dullahan.

At the same time, Kyeong-min wrapped chains around Dorothy’s arm to divert its trajectory.

Clang…!

The shield partially shattered, and Dorothy’s blade grazed Suho’s cheek, drawing a little blood.

Suho kicked Dorothy and immediately backed away.

This far, it was an exploratory battle to gauge her strategy.

“As expected… it won’t be easy.”

They knew from the moment the scales tipped slightly.

That even with the Red Queen’s ability, Dorothy couldn’t be completely suppressed to balance the power.

Dorothy’s strength clearly surpassed theirs.

“What value is there in a shield that can’t even block an attack properly?”

Dorothy said with a smile.

It was a sarcastic remark directed at Suho.

“Maybe so…”

Suho muttered, re-gripping his dented shield.

He thought that his changed form would allow him to act as a proper shield, but an enemy that can’t be blocked always appears.

“That’s not true. It’s Suho’s amazing feat to stand in front and protect us, even knowing he can’t block it.”

Alice refuted that statement.

Suho thought.

Perhaps his role wasn’t to block attacks, but to stand in the way of the enemy, even knowing he couldn’t block them.

“Suho has courage!”

Swoosh.

Eun-jeong’s magic wand healed Suho’s wound.

Saying that you shouldn’t be afraid.

“…”

Dorothy rushed at them again.

Suho doesn’t block the attack with his shield.

He deflects it or pretends to block it while dodging.

Kyeong-min makes the process easier by keeping Dorothy in check.

And if she shows an opening.

“Haap!”

“Hmm?”

Ha-rim, who became a Dragonkin, strikes a vital point!

Thwack!

A powerful impact sound, unimaginable from Ha-rim’s usual punch, echoed.

Dorothy was pushed back significantly.

Did it work? As they looked at Dorothy.

“Ugh!”

Ha-rim clutched her arm and groaned.

She had been cut on her arm in that brief moment.

“Are you okay?”

Eun-jeong quickly flew over and healed Ha-rim.

“That’s too bad. I was trying to cut it off…”

Dorothy, without a single wound, walked towards them.

This proved that the attempt to strike a vital point was futile, and conversely, it only highlighted the significant difference in their strength.

“Are you in pain? Don’t worry, I’ll end it now.”

“Suho, be careful! Dorothy can control the wind too!”

“…!”

Dorothy created a miniature Ferris wheel beside her.

A Ferris wheel barely the size of a fan.

It made one realize how much Dorothy’s power had weakened.

“Spin.”

The Ferris wheel spun round and round, and a blade-like wind raged.

Clang!

Kyeong-min’s words allowed Suho to quickly gather the children in a line and stand in front.

The powerful wind cut the surroundings, and Dorothy stood leisurely.

Dangerous.

What just happened was an unexpected attack.

Kyeong-min was able to deal with it by remembering the connection between him, who handles wind, and Dorothy, who handles storms.

Simple, yet this too was “wisdom”.

The situation is not good.

If Dorothy charges while they are in a line, there is no way to stop her.

If Suho is breached by the charge, the children, unable to move or do anything, will be defeated by the blade-like wind!

“Kyeong-min. We have to do it.”

“That’s the only way, isn’t it…!”

“Hoo…”

Ha-rim’s declaration made everyone nervous.

There is only one chance.

You must successfully perform the ultimate move!

“Let’s go!”

Kyeong-min used all his strength to offset the wind.

How long it would last, given his lack of skill proficiency, was unknown.

Judging by his expression, it didn’t seem like it would last long!

“Yahhhhh!”

Ha-rim threw a punch.

Clang!

“Slow.”

“Ugh.”

Dorothy deflected the attack.

She seemed annoyed by being pushed back.

Then Dorothy kicked Ha-rim, slamming her into the ground.

“Ugh!”

“Stop it!”

Suho charged at Dorothy, who was about to finish her off.

He succeeded in deflecting one attack.

However, without Kyeong-min’s support, it was impossible to continuously respond to Dorothy’s attacks.

“!”

The shield was sent flying, and Dorothy brandished her knife.

The blade rushed towards Suho’s face.

At this moment, suddenly.

Eun-jeong, crying, pushed Suho’s head away.

Thanks to Dullahan’s characteristics, he barely avoided his head being pierced.

He narrowly escaped the crisis of death.

Dorothy hadn’t expected Eun-jeong, who seemed terrified even before the fight, to jump out so boldly.

She had come closer to heal if anyone got hurt, but she had only been fleeing until now.

Fear overcome by worry, that “heart” of Eun-jeong brought about this result.

‘The child’s still here?’

Dorothy glanced at where Shin Ha-rim had been slammed into the ground.

There, Ha-rim, already recovered from her wounds, was nowhere to be seen, only her fist.

Thwack!

Dorothy was pushed back again.

And then Suho ran over without a head and pushed once more.

“!”

The place Dorothy was pushed to was the center of the castle’s corridor.

To be precise, the center of the Red Castle.

Why? Why, when the attack doesn’t even work, do they just keep pushing?

Why are they so desperate?

‘That’s probably what you’re thinking, Dorothy. Just because an attack doesn’t work doesn’t mean you can’t win!’

If the Red Queen failed to adjust the balance, conversely, the victory conditions are also relaxed.

From defeating Dorothy to the condition of inflicting a wound.

Even that isn’t easy, but as long as the Red Queen has acknowledged the duel, there must be a way to win!

The spheres of the Red Castle move individually.

This was Shin Ha-rim’s suggestion to Alice.

Individually moving spheres… If they have regularity, they become trajectories.

Shin Ha-rim thought.

If trajectories are viewed from a flat perspective, aren’t they just lines?

Then, if those lines can be used to draw a picture in the air, it might be possible to make a creative attack while hiding their strategy!

Symmetry.

That is the manifestation of divine power!

Shin Ha-rim’s divine power was stronger the more creative it was.

Bang!

Divine power, fatal to devils, struck Dorothy directly.

“This is the value we obtained by trying and facing it!”

The Red Queen determines victory or defeat.

It’s the children’s victory.

“You lost to us in the duel. Our adventure is more valuable than yours! So, we will move forward!”

“…”

Finally, Dorothy got hit!

As always, if you spot any mistakes, feel free to let me know—and I hope you enjoyed the read!

—Chi