Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Branch Point (2)
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“...Teacher?”
Eliya’s puzzled voice came from beside me.
It made sense—she’d say that after seeing me freeze up stiffly in place right when a powerful spirit body popped up in front of us out of nowhere.
[System Message]
[ The presence of the ‘White Devil’ has been detected! ]
[ The ‘Seal of the Fallen Heavens’ reacts! ]
!!! Alert !!!!
[ Emergency event triggered! ]
[ Involves target ‘White Devil’! ]
[ Failure results in loss of ‘soul’! ]
One fact I’d been feeling especially viscerally lately.
The real dangers always hit at timings I couldn’t predict, in forms I never saw coming.
So.
The moment a window like this popped up, realizing on instinct—before my mind could even process it—that this was a life-or-death crisis felt pretty natural.
A chilling sensation raced down my spine as my consciousness sank heavily.
“...”
Truth be told, the warning windows plastered with exclamation points that always showed up in true danger weren’t appearing this time. But regardless, seeing the White Devil’s aura while I wasn’t wearing my mask was a death sentence in itself.
The White Devil was different from the others.
While regular rampages involved the vessel getting corrupted by the demon’s malice, losing reason, and going berserk, the White Devil moved with a very clear sense of purpose.
I’d mentioned it a few times before.
Demons’ affections often twisted in ways that’d make a normal person’s head spin.
Plenty of crazy bitches out there who lock people up, “raise” them like pets, and claim just being together makes them happy.
And this one was the poster child.
In other words.
If I didn’t do something right now.
I was dead.
Not the kind where my life force runs out, but the kind where my “life” ends.
I’d keep breathing, sure, but I’d lose most of what made life worth living as a human.
‘Time remaining: 20 seconds.’
I didn’t know from where, how, or in what form it was approaching.
But based on my ingrained experience, the grace period after exposing my “face” to the White Devil in Sera was exactly that long.
‘...Stay calm.’
Everyone has learning ability.
Go through the same thing a few times, and you optimize a routine.
I knew better than anyone that panicking now wouldn’t help.
With my panic separate, my mind cooled rationally as I assessed the surroundings.
“...Teacher?”
Eliya, clearly sensing something off about me, spoke again, her tone a touch more anxious.
“...”
Normally, the only one worth testing things out with was her.
But with Desperate Situation in play, her stat buffs, and the risk of my “death,” she wouldn’t be much help against a special threat like the White Devil.
A holy sword might’ve changed that, but I didn’t have one right now.
“...Teacher? What’s wrong...?”
The question flew at me again as I stood there blankly, silent.
Watching her, my teeth ground together.
Normally, she’d handle the Main Quest on her own without me.
But the world’s core events had long shifted to revolve around me.
Like the system said before—the butterfly effect.
If I vanished from that flow.
The world would end.
Wouldn’t be weird if some demon rampaged somewhere and swallowed everything.
‘...Time remaining: 10 seconds.’
Gritting my teeth, I scanned around.
If nothing changed, I’d get hit.
There had to be... some way...!
“I hate to say this!”
As I desperately revved my brain, Lana’s voice—her twin blades already drawn—pierced my ears.
“But standing there dazed with a spirit body right in front of you doesn’t seem right!”
And.
The instant I heard that shout.
My gaze locked onto the spirit body right in front of me.
A thought entity spewing thick black mana clouds was zipping threateningly around, slicing the air.
In the game, you’d normally jump into combat right away, suppress it, and devour its “mental energy.” But these weren’t average foes, so they hesitated to strike first.
Even the weakest among us—me—had solid mental defenses thanks to the anti-magic stats I’d taken from Yuria. Tough nut for a thought entity—
‘Thought entity.’
The word thudded in my head.
I recalled the game lore.
Beings from another realm with their own “mental world.”
As I reviewed it.
A flash of insight hit.
“...”
There was a way.
Just one.
A total gamble, but better than 100% death.
“Teacher? What’s with you all of a sudden,,,”
“Hey.”
I sighed back at Eliya’s anxious voice.
“Promise me one thing.”
“Huh?”
To Eliya’s trembling reply, I forced a bitter smile and continued.
“You can handle things alone, right?”
“What do you mean?”
Exactly that.
This method was my only shot at surviving the White Devil.
But she’d have to handle a huge chunk of this “Main Quest” solo.
In other words.
Until I “returned,” she’d have to play the protagonist without me.
“...Please, Eliya.”
Something I’d never do normally.
But no choice now.
With those words, I activated Soul Linker.
Just not calling Kaliban this time.
[...Dawood?]
To the boy king awakening with a puzzled voice, I gave a bitter smile in response.
‘Valkasus. One favor.’
Like always when calling him, it involved alchemy.
[Skill Info]
[ Alchemy: Seal ] [ 5 Strokes ]
[ Restricts target’s skill use for a set time. ]
[ Duration: 0.3 seconds. ]
This one.
But.
[...You serious? You want me to use it like that?]
The boy king responded with disbelief after hearing my “request,” but I nodded.
‘Absolutely. Or I die.’
[...I’ll believe you’ve thought this through!]
Luckily, he didn’t pry and agreed right away.
I checked the clock.
Timing had to be perfect. Had to sync exactly with when the White Devil struck.
Eyes on the second hand, carefully.
3, 2, 1 until it rips my soul.
‘Valkasus, now!’
I shouted and leaped in front of Lana and Eliya, weapons drawn. My body’s alchemy circle glowed with the motion.
“W-Wait, Mr. Dawood?! What are you doing with that sword?!”
“Teacher?!”
Panicked voices chorused from behind as.
All my “power” vanished.
I’d targeted myself with the alchemy.
So the spirit body could lock onto and attack me right away.
-!
Predictably, the spirit body charged me with terrifying momentum.
And the exact same instant it did.
Something “rose” into view.
No sense of it “moving.”
Like the process got skipped, only start and end existing.
“...”
My blood ran ice cold.
Just facing it felt like it’d blind me.
Outwardly, Yuria. The timid, shrinking one who shredded anything approaching viciously.
But.
Now, pure white.
Dazzling, blinding white pouring from her entire body.
“Ahh...”
Her lips parted, exhaling a rapturous sigh.
She reached slowly toward my face, like it was precious.
“...Found you.”
And as the spirit body slammed into me with ferocious intent.
Yuria’s slowly extended fingertip touched my face.
“Forever, together.”
With those words.
The rising “white mist” swallowed me.
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The moment Yuria’s hand touched Dawood’s face, both bodies crumpled limply.
As if their consciousnesses cut out simultaneously.
And at that exact moment.
---!!!
Chaos erupted around them.
People “hidden” everywhere bursting out at once was, in a way, pretty comical.
“...That crazy bastard—!”
Tucker reacted first, the one who’d been lurking and watching.
As he scrambled up in shock, Seras and Prime Minister Sullivan beside him emerged no differently.
The original plan was for them to somehow “stop” the White Devil while it tried to devour his “soul.”
Dawood had shown he could hold out against humans at least until they intervened, so the plan stood.
But this lunatic had willingly sealed away all his own powers!
“...Dawood!”
Elnor rushed down from upstairs in a heartbeat.
“Damn it, what the hell were you thinking—!”
From gods-knew-where, Lilu popped up from the floor.
As Eliya blankly looked around, not grasping what was happening, Lana scanned the surroundings with a dumbfounded expression.
“...Were this many people hiding in such a cramped space?”
“...”
“...”
“...”
Awkward silence flowed as they eyed each other.
No clue how they’d all gathered here at once, but clearly, one shared purpose had drawn them.
For Dawood Campbell’s safety.
“...Explanations later—grab him first!”
Elnor, quickest to clock it, spoke up, and a snapped-to Sullivan urgently followed.
“It’s ‘Familiar Designation,’ one of the demon’s authorities. If we don’t act fast, he might never wake up—!”
But his frantic explanation proved pointless.
Dawood’s eyes snapped open right away.
“...”
“...”
“...”
Sullivan shut his mouth, uncharacteristically flustered.
“N-No way this is...?”
“...The Iron-Blooded Prime Minister, my ass. What a pathetic sight.”
With a disbelieving voice.
“...You alright? Hurt anywhere? Any weird sensations?”
Dawood blinked dazedly at the words.
He looked at Elnor approaching, then swept his gaze over the crowd buzzing around him. All tense, awaiting his response.
“No weird sensations... but first off.”
He spoke in a vacant tone.
“...Where am I?”
Relief flickered across Elnor’s face.
She’d feared the worst, but he was speaking clearly—no major issues apparent.
“It’s the deepest part of the dungeon for the first trial of the Hero Selection Exam. There was a little incident, so—”
“Hero Selection Exam? Dungeon? What’s that?”
“...”
Elnor fell silent.
A sense of wrongness was crawling up her spine.
Not just her—the others’ faces were twisting bizarrely too.
“...Um, by any chance, Dawood.”
Elnor barely squeezed out the question.
But before she finished.
Another reply flew.
“...Dawood? Is that my name?”
Elnor’s jaw dropped.
As the others gasped variously.
“No, wait.”
Another line followed.
“Who are you people?”
His eyes held the look of someone truly seeing “strangers” for the first time.
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