Chapter 54
Chapter 54
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Main Scenario (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Even supplying the supplies consumed at the front lines has become burdensome, and with no end in sight to the purification efforts, the number of volunteers enlisting is on the decline.”
No one wants to risk their life if there’s nothing to show for it, so people willing to stake their lives are starting to disappear.
“Who’d want to die like a dog for nothing?”
“......Yeah, something like that.”
His voice, filled with bitter affirmation, dripped with self-mockery.
“That’s why everyone was half out of their minds when the oracle came down a year ago.”
“So what was this oracle?”
“An outsider bearing the seed of hope will visit, turning away despair.”
It wasn’t Lashar who answered, but Raoul, standing a short distance away.
Before I could even turn to look at him, Sigram, at Raoul’s side, picked up the words.
“Leave your footsteps in the land of divinity before you depart.”
Only then did Lashar let out a deep sigh and add the final sentence.
“And then, hope will finally sprout.”
My eyebrow twitched.
‘Hope......’
That single word grated on my nerves.
From that moment, other concepts piled up atop the word ‘oracle.’
Hope, outsider, war, Hole, enemy and ally, game, monsters, missions.
The words I knew tangled together, forming a larger picture.
And when I recalled the group’s behavior—how they’d showered me with excessive attention ever since hearing I might be that outsider.
“It’s the prophecy and final words left by the previous apostle of Mephroseta.”
Lashar said in a heavy voice.
From what I remembered, Mephroseta’s power was foresight.
But uniquely, there was only one apostle per era.
And they rarely spoke of the futures they saw.
Just uttering it was enough to be treated as an oracle.
Some apostles even went through life without ever prophesying.
“Seeing the future is a realm forbidden to created beings. That’s why revealing it is stepping out of bounds. It violates the discipline of restraint.”
“......And what happens if you break it?”
“Mephroseta is rather strict.”
Pairing that with the word ‘last words,’ and I could roughly grasp the situation.
‘Seeing the future is an immense power.’
The benefits from sharing that information would be beyond imagination.
That’s why they prove their self-restraint by not speaking of it.
The key point here was that Mephroseta’s apostles didn’t *have* to refrain from speaking—they *chose* to.
If they were prepared to die, they could say whatever they wanted.
“The moment they reveal a future others aren’t meant to know, they die.”
Lashar smiled faintly, as if confirming my words were correct.
“Powers ignore causality. That’s why they’re divine. It doesn’t make sense for humans wielding a god’s power without divinity to face no backlash.”
It meant other apostles faced penalties too if they broke their restraints.
“Whew.”
Honestly, it was hard to wrap my head around.
A world where you could witness divine miracles, gods with direct will intervening in human affairs—it was all alien to me.
Yet instead of denying it, I forced myself to keep thinking.
Because I’d already experienced that power myself.
‘I definitely saw it.’
Time that flowed in a place with no CCTV or cameras.
Time that should’ve only remained in Lashar’s memory—I, a total stranger, had seen it.
I wasn’t foolish enough to deny my own direct experience.
That’s why I had no intention of taking this oracle lightly.
“A power that tremendous has declared it. Bring the outsider to the land of divinity, and there will be hope.”
When the previous apostle uttered those words and died, they say everyone lit up and scoured the continent.
Solely to find the outsider.
Even now, ten days, a month, half a year, a full year later, many still cling to that hope.
It was the moment I understood why they’d suddenly become so strangely courteous after hearing I might be the outsider.
“Whew.”
Tap, tap tap, tap tap.
Arms crossed, foot bouncing, I sank into thought.
‘The land of divinity has to be connected to the gods somehow.’
If it was a temple, then Lashar agreeing to take me there so readily made perfect sense.
It was practically a directive from the oracle to bring me to the temple.
And that was a full year ago.
‘Hope, hope......’
If I really was the outsider they spoke of.
If my visit to the temple meant hope for them.
‘Why?’
Because I’m a Player.
‘Every Player is combat personnel.’
Sure, over 90% were still low-level, but we could surpass human limits.
That’s why I was hope. Reinforcements arriving in a losing war.
‘Monsters are the enemy, Lashar’s side are allies.’
With that stark distinction, there was a high chance.
This goddamn system was shoving Players into this world’s war through the guise of a game.
And the people of this world were ready to welcome the system’s decision.
“Son of a......”
Reaching that simple conclusion, I couldn’t hold back the curse that slipped out.
I’d never enlisted, and now I was suddenly being deployed!
Gritting my teeth, I rubbed my face roughly.
‘Calm down, think rationally.’
To steady my agitation, I started regulating my breathing.
Then, glancing sideways out of habit, I ended up biting the inside of my cheek.
Had I cursed out loud and then gone silent too long?
Everyone was staring at me.
Eyes that seemed fearful, or gleaming with some strange fervor.
Turning my head to escape those gazes, my palms grew sweaty.
‘Is heading to the temple like this the right move?’
Up until we started talking, I’d planned to gather info before going.
But as the conversation unfolded, my resolve to go started wavering.
‘Stepping foot there might drag me into a war that’s none of my business.’
The urge to destroy the catalyst and bolt surged up.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them and asked.
“You said many countries have fallen. How many?”
Lashar hesitated, fumbling, before finally answering.
“Eight nations have lost their territories and ceased to exist.”
“And how many remain now?”
“......Only the Atar Empire and Heilas Principality still hold their sovereignty, people, and lands—two in total.”
“Including those who’ve lost sovereignty?”
“Like Perel, groups that turned into armies reliant on rear support—three.”
“What’s the exact number of troops that can be mobilized?”
As I rattled off in a harsh tone, Lashar faltered.
But when I urged him silently with my stare, he soon replied.
“If we mobilize every last soldier from the rear...... around 500,000, I’d guess.”
It was a losing game. The numbers I’d seen in missions proved it.
‘No reason to lend a hand in someone else’s doomed war.’
I needed to pull out now.
The moment I reached that conclusion, I gripped my shield.
Planning to destroy the catalyst right then.
But in the most absurd twist, my hand wouldn’t move.
“Fuck......”
Because of the mana pooled in this catalyst.
Something beyond that mana-draining hole kept tugging at my ankle.
Gritting my teeth made a chilling grind.
‘Hole......’
If what lay beyond this hole was truly Earth.
If this was a ‘Hole,’ and I could come and go via it.
Then monsters crossing over to Earth was entirely possible.
‘You said the war started suddenly, right?’
Lashar had said monsters that never existed in this world suddenly appeared.
Chewing on that story over and over, a thought struck me.
What if monsters from another world had punched holes into this one?
‘It can’t be coincidence that it’s sucking mana off the catalyst.’
Thinking that way, I couldn’t just ignore the hole between this world and Earth.
It’d be like saying Earth was next.
Gulping, I opened the mission window with trembling eyes.
Scrolling to the bottom revealed numbers larger than what I remembered.
12,354,973
13,608,154
18,154,320
......
If those were monster counts.
If monsters could cross Holes to Earth.
‘No.’
I gripped so tight my knuckles went white.
“Whew.”
The trembling and hesitation didn’t last.
It’s better to prepare for the worst than be caught off-guard.
Even if my assumed worst-case was pure delusion and nothing happened.
Even if the effort, time, and money spent preparing proved pointless.
It was better than complacently watching, thinking ‘I’ll be fine.’
My past life proved it.
So my words came out calmer than expected.
“You said we leave once Ahel’s mana recovers?”
“......Yes.”
“When will it recover?”
Lashar, peering intently at my face, swallowed dryly before speaking.
“We could leave right now. I just wanted to confirm you’re safe first......”
“Confirmed?”
“......Closer to ‘I want to trust you.’”
“Then quit stalling and let’s go. I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
I had things to check after clearing the hidden mission.
For planning ahead, swift action was best.
Nodding at my calm urging, Lashar turned first.
I fell in right behind him.
“Done talking?”
Ahel, who’d been waiting seated beside Raoul, brushed off his rear and stood.
“ Yeah, we can head out now.”
Despite Lashar’s reply, he crossed his arms and scanned me up and down.
“Going like this is gonna cause headaches for sure......”
Then he muttered something incomprehensible.
“For now, just one day.”
Instead of a proper explanation, Ahel just spouted what he wanted.
Then he suddenly reached toward my head.
I swiftly grabbed his wrist and blocked him.
“Hey now, don’t dodge. It’s all for Kay’s sake. Really. I swear?”
Ahel wiggled his fingers with a beaming smile, and we locked eyes in silent standoff for a moment.
Figuring I’d see what happened, I released his hand.
As long as he wanted my mana, he probably wouldn’t harm me.
His freed hand darted forward.
Then slender fingers poked my forehead.
Before I could frown at the sudden contact, a transparent film enveloped my body.
‘......Like a soap bubble.’
Not uncomfortable, but I felt cut off from the world.
Half-curious, half-wary.
“What’s this?”
“Blocked it so your mana’s afterimage doesn’t leak out.”
Afterimage? Come to think of it, Ahel had mentioned ‘afterimage’ when he first found me.
‘Said to learn how to hide it quick.’
Probably some trace unique to attribute mana.
As I observed the change in my body.
I looked up to ask for details.
“What’s this afterimage and how do I hide......”
But meeting Ahel’s eyes, I trailed off and froze.
He was scanning me with a satisfied smile.
His gray eyes sparkling—just like something I’d seen before.
Where did this déjà vu come from?
It teased at the edge of my mind, so I stared intently at Ahel’s face, and suddenly the twins’ faces popped into my head.
‘When they’re in front of sweet-and-sour pork.’
The eyes they make when swallowing hard at delicious food.
‘So to this guy, I’m like sweet-and-sour pork—no, something just as tasty?’
My gaze toward Ahel chilled.
“If you’re trading, you come to me first, got it?”
The dude flashed a coquettish eye smile and sidled closer—uncomfortable as hell.
“......Back off a bit.”
“Aww, why so distant between us?”
We barely talked a few hours ago, you and me?
Staring in disbelief, his next words were a spectacle.
“So all your curiosity’s satisfied now? Eat and ditch—too harsh!”
Straight-faced, I stepped back from Ahel.
Damn System