Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Backside Realm (2)
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The moment I approached the portal, the cluster of lights began to stir threateningly.
It was as if it were eloquently warning, "Get any closer and you're in big trouble!" And in reality, getting hit directly by that would just send you flying.
So that's why I pulled out the black card the headmaster had prepared for me.
When I was a certain distance from the portal, I tossed it in, and the lights writhed as the space tore open.
At the same time, I set the timer precisely. Exactly 2 minutes.
‘...This is the limit with an Atlante pass.’
The Backside World was originally endgame content granted only to players who obtained the "Eternal" authority.
The black card I was holding was essentially an ID given to those eternals. You needed it to avoid getting caught in "quarantine" when crossing into the other realm.
They were managed pretty strictly, more than you'd expect.
“...”
And putting it another way.
The Backside World was such a insane place that even someone at Atlante's level only got 2 minutes of access permission.
There were occasional routes in the main scenario—outside of DLC—where you'd have to come back here again.
‘...I absolutely hate that.’
Seriously.
Absolutely.
I hoped that never happened.
I planned to make sure it didn't.
“Wow.”
The moment we stepped inside the portal, an exclamation slipped from Eliya's lips.
“I thought the Backside World meant it'd be hell right from the entrance, but it's like this...”
“You get it. I understand.”
Truth be told, the inside was so hellish that it overshadowed everything else, but on the surface, it was actually quite beautiful.
Over the terrain and features of the real world, it was like slapping every filter imaginable onto a photo—colorful objects littered everywhere.
Ether bodies. Forgotten ancient artifacts. Thoughtforms.
Every single one was powerful but dangerous.
“Don't touch anything carelessly. Lots of hazardous stuff.”
At my words, Eliya flinched and pulled back her hand from a nearby drifting white haze she'd been about to poke.
In a crisis, the angels' blessings would probably handle it somehow, but it was best to avoid contact with Backside Realm objects as much as possible.
“...So how high up are we supposed to go exactly? How high did you launch us?”
“A bit higher.”
If it were just about entering and exiting the portal casually, I would've grabbed a decent flight item from the secret vault instead of this "catapult."
The reason for this brute-force method was to snag the item in the "Gregory Hall's highest point."
“...Coming up this high brings back old memories.”
Eliya, flying freely alongside me, murmured as much.
“Feels a bit familiar?”
“Because my brother was as crazy as Teacher. From when I was little, he'd just chuck me off mountaintops with no gear whatsoever. In that sense, you kinda resemble him?”
“...”
“But he always saved me. Said it was to build courage, so he did it a lot.”
“...”
No wonder the kid was so eerily calm even in this situation.
“That idiot did love high places unusually.”
Eliya chuckled softly and continued.
“...Wonder what he's doing now, wherever he is.”
Undoubtedly, her tone was laced with longing.
“...”
Of course it was.
Twelve years ago, the Blood Night Incident.
A terrorist attack by "Heirs of the Apocalypse," a splinter faction of demon worshippers who followed the "Red Devil."
Eliya's family was massacred back then.
“...”
If left alone, Eliya would've grown up as a peaceful farm girl, but the fact that she'd been thrust into the spotlight as a next-gen hero candidate—despite having zero interest—likely played a huge role because of her "missing brother."
Eliya's brother was the sole survivor of the Blood Night Incident, but he'd vanished completely, with no information whatsoever.
She probably clung to the hope that if she became famous enough, he'd recognize her and come find her.
For a farm girl who'd never held a sword to reach this point, I couldn't even imagine how harshly she'd driven herself.
“Hey, something's there.”
As those thoughts crossed my mind, Eliya pointed at something ahead.
In the midst of all the colorful glowing objects, the most eye-catching one: a plume of pure white "smoke."
It matched the typical image of a "wraith" perfectly.
Rising faintly, its ethereal form screamed otherworldly at first glance.
‘Gregory Hall's ghost.’
In the original story, it only appeared much later as an Easter egg.
It popped out into the material world once via one of those "Backside World access routes" I mentioned.
“...”
And only those who'd encountered it then would know one thing.
The sooner you acquire this thing, the more broken it is.
Players had data-mined like mad just to snag it a bit earlier, tracking its exact spawn.
“Up we go.”
I rummaged in my pocket and pulled out the sack I'd prepared in advance.
Of course, it wasn't just any sack.
[ Magic Sack! ]x3
[ Price: 500pt ]x3
[ Item: Sundries ]
[ A sack that can hold any object inside for a full day! ]
[ Remaining Points: 1,000pt ]
A sack that could store any item-classified object inside for a day.
This ghost counted as an item too. Even if normal methods couldn't capture it, this would do the trick.
It cost a whopping 500 each, but it was worth it.
I draped one over the drifting ghost.
I handed one of the remaining two to Eliya.
“Hold this.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?”
“When we run, scoop up whatever's nearby. Anything works.”
“...Run? From what?”
Without a word, I pointed upward to Eliya as she said that.
She frowned and looked that way.
“What? It's just the sky?”
Then, wordlessly, I pointed to the massive dot moving erratically in the center of that sky.
“See that?”
“Yeah.”
“That's the pupil.”
“...Huh?”
I ignored Eliya's confused retort and checked my watch.
One minute left.
‘Close enough.’
I wasn't exactly a science whiz, but in this world built on game systems, I'd proven my actions right countless times.
This was safe.
“What do you mean? That's a pupil—?”
Eliya, mid-question, clamped her mouth shut.
She'd just seen the sky's color shift momentarily before reverting.
Probably some creature blinking.
In other words.
What looked like the sky was that creature's "white of the eye."
And the massive "pupil" dot.
Was staring straight at us. She'd finally realized.
“Shit, that's insane—!”
A deafening roar split the air as the "sky" surged forward.
[ Crisis detected. ]
[ Judged as direct threat to life. ]
[ Skill: Desperate Situation applied at EX rank. ]
More precisely, the "Backside World beast" that detected us had pulled its head back before lunging with its maw wide open.
‘...This is why the Backside World is hell.’
And that thing was this realm's "trash mob."
Bottom of the food chain.
“T-Teacher, this, fucking hell!”
Eliya drew her sword as she spat that out.
Her whole body trembled. Tears welled in her eyes.
“G-Get behind me!”
“...Safe if we go that way?”
“You saved me last time! This time, I'll...!”
“...”
Yeah. I get it. Thanks.
Her courage and spirit to fight first, no matter the foe, was impressive. Applause-worthy.
But with our current specs, battling that was straight-up suicide.
“Calm down. We didn't come here to fight it.”
As I said that, I reminded her of the sack I'd given her.
Our endless ascent had just peaked anyway.
Now it was just freefall downward.
“From now on, catch everything raining down.”
“R-Raining down?!”
“That.”
I pointed to the white clumps pouring from the Backside World beast's open maw.
“Catch as many as you can. Tons of uses for them.”
“N-Now's the time to worry about that?!”
But despite my orders, she screamed anyway.
Her life was on the line—how could she care? Fair point.
‘...Still, it's essential.’
That's why I'd ground 1,000 points into buying two extra sacks.
Those things weren't ordinarily useful.
And if my calculations were right, we weren't dying here.
‘Ah, right.’
Time to test this.
[ Using Skill: Evil Dominion. ]
[ Exercising command authority on target 'Eliya.' ]
“Calm down. It's okay.”
At my words, her trembling stopped dead.
“...Huh?”
It was impossible to imagine this from the girl who'd been bawling in terror moments ago.
She looked flustered by her own sudden change.
‘Way more effective than expected?’
I'd hesitated because "command" sounded iffy, but a simple "calm down" erased even primal fear.
No idea how far specific orders went, but the coercive force was no joke.
“Calmed down?”
“...Y-Yeah, somehow. Huh? What?”
“Then catch those falling things.”
I handed her the sack again.
“It's crucial. Got it? We're actually safe right now.”
“...”
Eliya eyed me like, "What kind of freak is this guy?" but instead of answering, I checked my watch.
Ten seconds left.
The beast's maw closed in. Its speed was terrifyingly fast—faster than our fall—but the white clumps tumbling from it seemed to accelerate too.
“...I don't get it. How's he so calm in this?”
With a half-resigned expression, she followed my lead, opening her sack to catch the falling white clumps.
For about nine seconds, the bizarre scene played out: scooping loot from a mountain-sized beast devouring us.
“So, what's the plan?! It's right here!”
Double meaning, probably.
Above: the beast's gaping jaws. Below: the ground.
Physics death down, eaten death up.
But no real plan needed.
“Just. Watch your ankle.”
Can't twist it.
She's the protagonist. Precious cargo.
“Huh?!”
Final second.
As the watch alarm blared, the filter-saturated colorful world snapped back to normal.
The "access pass" that let us into the Backside World had expired, kicking us out forcibly.
“Ugh... ta-da.”
At the same time, I "gently" landed right before the ground rushing up.
Getting booted from another realm at full timer treated you as "respawning" at those coordinates.
Meaning, for us right now, it was like jumping from a two-story building—no more physics impact.
Thud, thud. The impacts echoed in sequence.
“...”
“...”
I ignored Eliya's stunned gaze around us and checked the sack's contents.
[ Gregory Hall's Ghost ]
[ Item: Epic ]
[ A thoughtform infused with a legendary figure's soul. Bestow on gear to contact that figure. ]
[ Ectoplasm Lump ] x3
[ Material: Special ]
[ Mysterious substance secreted only by Backside World creatures. Can maximize properties as a catalyst. ]
Perfect.
Gregory Hall's ghost for my custom gear material, ectoplasm lumps for the "cannon" I'd commissioned from Persy.
‘...Not bad.’
High-risk, but solid haul.
“Teacher.”
As I thought that, trembling Eliya beside me spoke up.
“...You planned all this from the start, didn't you?”
“Huh? What?”
“I mean, going up to the Backside World, grabbing that mystery thing, getting chased by whatever, landing safely like this—I don't get the principle, but you knew it'd go exactly like this?”
“...Pretty much?”
Why else would I do it?
Among veteran players, it was the famous "Gregory Hall Ghost Early Farm Method." Pretty straightforward with the right setup.
Bonus top-tier ectoplasm made it a go-to.
“Then why didn't you tell me from the beginning?”
“...Probably 'cause you wouldn't have come if I did.”
Yeah.
Sorry, but true.
I was sure it'd be safe, but no one would sign up for this spectacle.
“...So why'd you need me in the first place?”
“Not enough hands.”
“Huh?”
“Needed at least three sacks of the white stuff. Couldn't do it solo—”
[ Target 'Eliya' influenced by you, develops intense anger toward target 'Dawood'! ]
[ Negative influence imprinted! ]
[ Collectible reward granted! ]
[ Skill: Evil Dominion activates. Gain 1 command use on target! ]
“...”
Huh.
Recharges right after use.
Glitch?
“For that—for just that—you dragged me through hell, ha, haha...”
Eliya glared at me, shaking as she spat it out.
Her pupils were unfocused.
...Scary.
“Sorry. I'll apologize.”
“If a simple apology fixed everything, why would the world need laws—!”
“I'll do anything you ask, just one thing.”
The promise I'd made when she apologized to me before.
Time to return the favor.
Eliya, about to erupt, froze at the words.
“...Anything?”
“Anything.”
She scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Then pursed her lips and stuck out her pinky.
“Promise then.”
“Huh?”
“Pinky swear. Promise.”
“...”
What is she, a kid?
But she insisted, so I did it wordlessly.
Pinky hooked, thumbs pressed; she beamed.
‘...She'll let it slide for this.’
Simple, huh.
“...Heh. You really do resemble him.”
“Huh?”
“We did this a lot with Bro back then.”
Eliya pulled away from me after saying that.
Her face still lit up with a smile.
“...Seeing you makes me wanna do stuff like this for no reason.”
But.
That last sentence was, without a doubt.
Laced with tangled emotions.
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‘...What a weirdo.’
Eliya watched Dawood bundle up the sacks and head off, then glanced at her own hand.
The pinky she'd hooked with his just now. His warmth lingered.
She fiddled with it absentmindedly.
“...”
She silently recalled the earlier scene.
That unidentified colossal monster gaping its maw at her.
‘Calmed instantly.’
It'd been so terrifying.
So sure she'd die.
But he said calm down, it's okay.
And it really felt that way.
Like the words drilled straight into her heart.
‘Weird. So weird.’
On the surface, he was the epitome of oblivious. Words tossed out carelessly.
But stick around him, and you'd see he always spotted what others missed.
And above all.
He had this habit of nailing things into people's hearts at crucial moments.
‘Kinda... similar?’
The brother etched in her heart remained that damnable family member forever.
Mischievous, oblivious, only pulling lame pranks usually, sometimes making her wonder if such a blockhead existed.
But at the same time.
No matter the adversity, he always rose and overcame.
Never compromised, no matter how strong the foe.
And above all.
Whenever she was in danger, he always rushed in to save her.
Her one and only hero in the world.
He'd say it every time.
‘Calm down. It's okay.’
Just like that.
“...”
And strangely.
After that ordeal, Dawood evoked that man faintly—
“Aaah—!”
Eliya screamed and slapped her cheeks with both hands.
‘Crazy! I'm crazy!’
How dare she compare him to her brother!
He's someone else's man anyway! He likes the Tristan Duchess! Comparing him like that to her brother is an insult!
“Annoying! Teacher, you're so freaking annoying!”
Yeah. He annoyed her!
-Calm down. It's okay.
“...”
The voice echoing from earlier pierced her ears again, quieting her briefly. But Eliya shook her head wildly and yelled louder.
“I freaking hate Teacher—!”
Her face flushed beet red as her bellows echoed around.
As if forcibly shoving out the voice from within.
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“Aaah—!”
“Annoying! Teacher, you're so freaking annoying!”
“I freaking hate Teacher—!”
“...”
Dragging the sacks along, those echoes rang out from afar.
‘How pissed is she...?’
Next time, yeah. Gotta apologize properly.
Or she might actually kill me...?
[ Target 'Eliya's favorability greatly increases! ]
[ Favorability level rises to 'Interest Stage 4'! ]
[ Additional collectible reward! ]
[ Good-aligned character, so reward reduced. ]
“...”
And no clue why this popped up.
No.
Why the hell is this even triggering?
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