Xanthia's singing hadn't brought Dematero back to reality. The reason was simple: he thought he was still dreaming.

  He vaguely remembered that when he chose to plunge into darkness without hesitation, he hadn't even finished listening to her song before he decisively left, embarking on a path of no return.

  Every choice he made at crucial junctures in life seemed wrong, always messing things up.

  Now, back at the starting point in this "dream," he was determined to listen to the song to the end. As usual, the timeline was bound to jump, revealing more regrets.

  However, what completely shocked him and made him fully awake was Xanthia suddenly becoming lively and saying something incredibly Versailles-like!

  "You have no talent for singing? Stop joking with me! Not only do you have talent for singing, but you also have talent for songwriting! You're destined to be a rising star in the music industry, a talented singer-songwriter!"

  The impression of Xanthia, dazzling and radiant on stage, was deeply etched in Dematero's mind. No one was more stunning than she was at that time!

  One of the things he regretted most was that Xanthia never had the chance to sing her masterpiece, "Like Smoke"...

  Wait, now wasn't the time for reminiscing. Why was this "dream" so vivid?

  What was even more exaggerated was that Dematero felt like this "dream" was more real than the life he had just experienced!

  Dematero suddenly stood up, as if he had gone mad, frantically spping himself hard, trying desperately to wake himself up.

  Xanthia was startled by his frantic behavior. She thought to herself, "Oh no, the system item's residual effect is too strong. It indeed squeezed out quite a bit of 'pain points'. The problem is this guy now seems to have lost his mind!"

  Dematero had never offended her, and she, who had her own bottom line, felt a bit guilty. For the sake of completing the mission and extracting the pain points, he had indeed performed admirably.

  Of course, Dematero also gained a lot of benefits. At the very least, he would surely be able to quickly get over the shadow of lost love, mature, and take more responsibility for his life. This was an invaluable "enlightenment."

  Feeling guilty, Xanthia sincerely comforted him, saying, "Dematero, calm down... Glen probably told me everything about your situation. I think matters of the heart shouldn't be forced. In the future, you will definitely have a bright future and meet even better girls!"

  What better girls? No girl is better than you!

  He unconsciously replied in his heart.

  Rather than waking himself up, Dematero's cheeks suddenly felt hot, so painfully real.

  He took a deep breath, and the air was filled with the scent of youth. His gaze shifted from the sunset on the horizon, to the evening glow, and then down to the rge pyground below, before settling anxiously on the pretty girl in front of him—

  She was still dressed in simple blue and white sports attire, so vibrant, pure, and beautiful.

  Suddenly, he smiled. But because she was still in front of him, he suppressed the urge to burst out ughing like crazy.

  In this age when online novels flourished, who hadn't read a few rebirth stories these days?

  He understood the situation perfectly!

  I, Dematero, have been reborn! This feels awesome!

  Reborn to a point where all tragedies have yet to happen!

  Damn Elena, who falls in love after rebirth?

  Thanks to the Mud Truck, thanks to... Susan? Wait, Dionysius seemed even worse off, having been dismantled completely. Could he have been reborn too like those in regression manhwas?

  Now wasn't the time to dwell on this. He felt guilty towards the girl who had been the sorrow of his life, standing vividly before him, as sincere and gentle as she had been in his memories, so kind, so beautiful.

  She was always like this, wholeheartedly giving her care, but how had he responded? Misunderstanding, indifference, disdain, sarcasm... Just like in the beginning, he had thought she was acting.

  But in his memories, even until her death, she maintained this seemingly false yet perfect tenderness.

  At this thought, Dematero fiercely spped himself again!

  Now, all he could see was her. Smiling, he began to cry, struggling to hold back the sobs, crying like a fool with a troubled mind.

  But who could understand his feelings right now?

  He couldn't even say to her, "Xanthia, it's so good that you're alive, so good... so good..."

  If she heard him say that, she would only be utterly confused, thinking he had lost his mind even more.

  In reality, Xanthia had no idea what he had been through, but she could still empathize with him.

  After all, he had essentially been "reborn," and the system, in order to extract pain points, had surely filled his future with regrets.

  Therefore, since there was a chance to start anew, he would definitely cherish the squandered past and prevent himself from regretting the future so much.

  But Xanthia, who maintained sincerity and gentleness, once again caught Dematero off guard.

  Just when the "pain points," which seemed to have been squeezed dry, burst forth again. No wonder the system's comment on this humanoid summoning beast was: "Specialty in literature, trait of a loyal dog, enduring through countless trials, high output of pain points..."

  Xanthia couldn't help but find it amusing. You couldn't just shear a sheep until it was bald, and yet he somehow managed to strike gold.

  In the midst of great sorrow and joy, Dematero even wanted to pull Xanthia into his arms tightly, crying his heart out. However, he forcibly restrained himself.

  At this point in time, he and Xanthia weren't that close. They were just ordinary "desk mates" who knew each other, friends at best. If he were to act impulsively and cross the line beyond friendship, wouldn't that damage the image he held in Xanthia's eyes?

  Now that Xanthia had completely repced Elena and become the angel in Dematero's heart, even that highest level of "dead angel" from his memories, he couldn't be too careful when facing the "resurrected" Xanthia.

  This was how Dematero was: when faced with someone he truly cared about, he was extremely restrained and couldn't let go at all. Yet he was willing to do anything for her!

  He thought again, after this "rebirth," he would never degenerate again. Would Xanthia still reach out to him in the darkness as she did in his memories, forging an unbreakable bond with him?

  He felt a sudden pain in his heart. He didn't want this bond. Perhaps that would be the better choice.

  He would bear the burden of those painful memories himself. As long as she remained happy forever, that would be enough. Her body was too fragile; if things didn't change, she wouldn't live long!

  He wanted to rewrite the tragedy of her future from this starting point. Even if he could only be her "friend A" forever, he would willingly accept it! Dematero once again found himself moved by his habitual sentimentality...

  Xanthia found Dematero's mix of tears and ughter, his foolishness, rather awkward and heavy-hearted.

  Skillfully discarding her gentle, sisterly image, she switched to a mischievous and pyful mode, teasing him intentionally, "Dematero, are you acting like this because you've been reborn? You know, I read a lot of novels and manga usually, and I feel like I've seen this kind of thing before. So, spill the beans! What kind of person do I become in your future?"

  Upon hearing this, Dematero was taken aback, managing to stop his tears and forced a smile, "Xanthia... cssmate, your imagination is quite wild. Rebirth? How could something like that happen!"

  "But you did look really strange just now."

  "Alright, I'll come clean with you. Yes, as you suspected, I have been reborn. And I've had a great epiphany. So, no matter what amazing things I do in the future, don't be surprised! Hahaha..." Dematero deliberately responded in an exaggerated manner.

  As he expected, his reverse approach made Xanthia doubt him even more. He didn't know she was just pying along with his clumsy and clownish performance, genuinely thinking she didn't know he had been "reborn"!

  "As for your future, I'm not cursing you. Exercise properly, don't study hard, and just like to py around! You even dabble in dangerous things like emotions, which isn't something you should be doing at your age. If you want to live longer in the future, you have to stay single, keep your emotions stable, and be happy every day, understand?"

  Dematero, who considered himself "worldly-wise" and already a "senior," looked at Xanthia of this age like he was looking at a child, half joking and half serious in his advice.

  Xanthia smiled at him, "Dematero, thank you for your concern. You should also take care of your health, study well, and stay happy every day... Oh, Glen is still worried about you. Don't forget him, your true friend. Bye!"

  She waved and turned away without a trace of nostalgia, leaving him still intoxicated by her smile.

  Shortly after, Dematero couldn't wait to see Glen, embracing him uncontrolbly, "Glen, I've figured it out! Love is just bullshit! Now, I'm just an emotionless writer!"

  Glen was completely puzzled, but seeing his friend in such high spirits and restored vigor...

  Hmm, Xanthia, this girl, was truly terrifying. What exactly had she done to Dematero in such a short time?

  Xanthia, this girl, turned her back on the world, fishing alone through the ages, a truly formidable existence that one should not provoke, absolutely not someone to joke with!