Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Translator: Penny
Episode 56: Fear
Episode 56: Fear (Self-Harm Depiction)
Seo Jian's skill was truly shocking.
Protected by the Sword Saint's Blessing, Kang A-yul's sword strikes were all imbued with divine power. Yet Seo Jian evaded every blow by a hair's breadth, striking Kang A-yul's abdomen to initiate a brutal brawl.
Kang A-yul attempted to restrain Seo Jian by launching Magic Swords, but Seo Jian evaded them all with bizarre, unpredictable movements. By shattering Kang A-yul's sword, she secured her victory.
This is just... unbelievably strong.
The existence of the UR-grade skill "Path of Victory" was truly absurd.
It possessed the impossible ability to realize even the most infinitesimal possibility—a mere 0.00000000001% chance—and make it reality.
If there was even a slight chance that the opponent's mana control might falter, she could exploit it to block an unavoidable attack. It was a reality-bending ability, like tripping over a pebble or slipping, forcing her to take hits she could have avoided.
Even with Kang A-yul's enhancements, she couldn't overcome such a cheat-like skill.
The victorious Seo Jian shared her joy by waving to her defeated classmates. Kang A-yul seemed to have woken up, but whether she was still in shock or simply embarrassed by losing to a first-year, she remained face down on the ground.
Thump
Then, as if having gathered her thoughts, Kang A-yul brushed the dust off her clothes and stood up.
Will that scene happen?
After defeating Kang A-yul, there was supposed to be a scene where she approached for a handshake, tripped over a rock due to her characteristic clumsiness, and fell onto the Protagonist in a fan service-like moment.
Thud!
?!
Well, she did trip over a rock.
Now, Kang A-yul's body should be tilting toward Seo Jian, who was reaching out to catch her, leading to a scene where Kang A-yul would fall onto Seo Jian as if tackling her...
"Almost fell."
But it didn't happen.
Kang A-yul barely managed to stay upright, as if determined not to fall on Seo Jian at all costs.
What's going on? That scene was practically a trope...
I had expected that scene to completely shatter Kang A-yul's image as a ruthless second-year senior, transforming him into a bumbling, lovable senior. But the fact that it didn't happen left me slightly puzzled.
Well, since Kang A-yul had lost, I still needed to go pick him up.
From the spectator stands, I slowly levitated upward using psychokinesis and swiftly moved toward the 선수 대기실 ( 선수 대기실 ). As Seo Jian didn't know the details of Kang A-yul's dormitory or other personal information, I had to take him home myself.
Creak
"Miss Ayul, are you here?"
"Ah, Chairman. You've come?"
As I entered the 선수 대기실 ( 선수 대기실 ), I saw Kang A-yul lying on the sofa, as expected, with Seo Jian wiping the sweat from his face.
"Ugh..."
Using psychokinesis, I lifted Kang A-yul's body and gave Seo Jian a slight bow of gratitude.
"Thank you for bringing Miss Ayul to the waiting room."
"Oh, don't mention it. I should be thanking you instead."
"...?"
Just as I was about to carry Kang A-yul back, Seo Jian's words piqued my curiosity.
"I don't recall ever helping you directly, Jian."
"You helped Arin become stronger. Despite your cold demeanor, I could tell you're actually a very kind person."
Damn, she's perceptive.
Could I, not even the original Yun Se-a, ever defeat this monstrous protagonist?
I'm going crazy...
Could I win if I fought in the Void? No, controlling Mana in the Void was notoriously difficult. The Path of Victory ability was probably interfering with my Mana control somehow...
"I'm not sure."
"What are you unsure about?"
"You're awake?"
First, I should try talking to Kang A-yul for a bit.
"By the way, since I can walk on my own... can you let go of me?"
"Come on, Miss Ayul, you're a patient. Absolute rest is required."
"............"
"Anyway, how strong was that rumored first-year prodigy?"
Having confirmed that no amount of struggling could overcome my Psychokinesis, Kang A-yul had become noticeably calmer. Seo Jian seized the opportunity to ask about Seo Jian's strength.
"She was incredibly strong, almost on par with you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, she shattered all my swords and reached me... That makes her only the fourth person to ever do that, after Grandfather, you, and Lee Seo-yun."
After hearing Kang A-yul's detailed assessment, it was clear she had faced a truly monstrous opponent, far beyond ordinary standards.
"At first, I had the upper hand. But around the mid-point, her techniques suddenly became overwhelmingly powerful, as if she had transformed into a completely different person."
Hmm, the Path of Victory.
During the initial phase, when both fighters were calculating probabilities, their skills seemed evenly matched. However, once Seo Jian activated the Path of Victory, her attacks became so overwhelmingly enhanced that even Kang A-yul couldn't defend against them.
"Well, if it's you, I'm sure you can win."
"You're overestimating me."
"What can I say? Among the cadets I've seen inside the Academy, the strongest one is... you."
With those words, Kang A-yul seemed to have exhausted all his strength and drifted off to sleep.
The jasmine scent emanating from his entire body was quite pleasant, but lingering too long would risk being seen as a pervert. I should try to ignore it as much as possible.
Come to think of it, this scent is similar to the one that briefly emanated from my body back then.
I had stubbornly dismissed it at the time, but now it seemed Kang A-yul had taken me, unconscious and drenched in cold sweat, and washed me.
Unfortunately, I can't go that far.
I still wasn't used to seeing another woman's body. Even my own body felt awkward sometimes—how could I ever get used to someone else's?
"Good night, Miss Ayul."
I gently laid the sleeping Kang A-yul on her dormitory bed and lay down on my own, looking forward to tomorrow's final match.
Like a student cramming for finals tomorrow... What am I doing?
Even though I tried to sleep, I couldn't fall asleep at all and ended up staying up all night.
I couldn't afford to lose to Seo Jian due to sleep deprivation, so I checked the medicine I'd grabbed from the pharmacy earlier for any sleeping pills.
Maybe I'll take just two.
Thunk!
It was a horrifying sensation.
The feeling of a blade piercing my flesh, the pain fully registering before the person who stabbed me twisted the blade ninety degrees, tearing my body in half.
After a brief blackout, my vision returned to Yun Se-a, who was walking through the Academy as if nothing had happened... but.
Before I could even react, I was swallowed by darkness again. When I regained consciousness, I found myself amidst the chaotic aftermath of the Academy, witnessing Kang A-yul, Lee Seo-yun, and various other figures collapsed in pools of blood.
"...What... what is this?"
Swish!
My vision spun violently, and in that dizzying whirl, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Seo Jian.
Before I could even open my eyes from the pain of being beheaded, my vision snapped back to the moment before the blade struck. Before me...
"Chairman, why have you changed so much...!"
Seo Jian charged at me with a knife, tears of blood streaming down her face.
"Ugh... sob... sob..."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Hah... hah...!"
The moment I tumbled off the bed, I instinctively grabbed my neck with both hands, squeezing as if to strangle myself, checking if my head was still attached.
"...It was just a dream."
A brutal dream.
It was a nightmare filled with memories of the countless deaths Yun Se-a had suffered in the story, and... the horror of seeing Seo Jian, not me as the player, delivering those deaths.
It began with Yun Se-a's death by a stab to the heart, reached its climax with her suffocation under the burning rubble of a collapsed building, and culminated in a relentless cycle of mutual slaughter, ending with her being cleaved in two by Mephisto's attack while protecting Seo Jian.
Having witnessed Yun Se-a's deaths firsthand while playing the original game, I felt like I was merely observing her demise. After the initial shock, the deaths no longer caused me significant mental stress. Yet, the anxiety persisted.
What if I lose to Seo Jian? Beyond that point, predicting the story's trajectory becomes utterly impossible.
If Seo Jian became Student Council President, she would be so overwhelmed with Student Council duties that she would naturally be unable to engage in external activities or seize the opportunities she might find there.
If those seemingly insignificant opportunities accumulated... eventually, we would fail to defeat Mephisto, and everyone would be annihilated. I wouldn't even be able to return home before meeting my death.
Slap!
I slapped my cheek hard, trying to snap myself out of it, but felt nothing. It must be the effect of my Blunted Senses.
Then how could I inflict pain on this body?
Banging my head against the wall only quenched a slight thirst. I felt nothing.
Slitting my wrist with a knife produced only a mild sting, nothing more.
I tried to calm my mind by crafting gemstones, but not a single gem materialized. I even attempted to relieve stress by battling Azathoth, but even he refused to be summoned.
What should I do...?
At that moment, my forearm came into view.
Thin and fragile, my arm looked like it could easily snap with the slightest force. The pain from when Shena had brutally slashed my entire body still lingered, a wound so agonizing I could still vividly recall it.
Click.
I twisted the bracelet and released it.
"............"
My mind screamed that this was wrong, that it was madness. But I was terrified.
If I were to be utterly defeated by Seo Jian, the restraining force that kept the original story on its intended course would vanish.
So, I have to drive out this fear with pain, one way or another.
I want to go home, so I absolutely can't afford to lose to Seo Jian.
I refuse to lose. I have to win, no matter what.
But I'm terrified. What if I lose? How will the Protagonist twist the story? Should I beg her to let me join the Student Council and then gaslight her into manipulating the flow according to the original plot?
But would Seo Jian even fall under my hypnosis? If I fail, I'll plummet from the Academy and become a traitor.
Ah...
I'm just so frustrated.
Beyond reason.
Thwack!
Crack! Crunch! Snap! Creak! Snap! Crack!
How much time had passed? My mind was still hazy.
My head was spinning, my vision blurred, and I could barely make out anything.
After a brief moment of focus, I regained my senses. The sight that greeted me was...
"...Ah."
The damned, blindingly bright sunlight. And through that sunlight, I could see...
A room drenched in blood, from the wallpaper to the floor.