Project: Oracle Demo (1)

"Initiating Dimension activation."

"Okay, I'm counting on you, Wiki."

I slipped on the artifact mana shackles that Pletta had donated to me last time.

Soon, a soft gray glow emanated from my wrists.

I closed my eyes and focused on the mana enveloping my body as much as possible.

'Hmm, yeah, there's definitely a huge difference with or without them.'

Even if I was still just a 2nd Circle scrub.

Still, it should be more than enough mana to let twelve people play through the demo version up to Act 1.

"Scenario setup: Project: Oracle. Executing demo version."

"Designated episode: Act 1. NPC autonomy at 100%. Mana release rate at 10%. General senses at 100%. Special senses limited to 20%."

"Settings confirmed."

"Alright, let's do this!"

I thrust both hands toward the console—the startup magic circle.

Dante Otter Dubois couldn't believe his own eyes.

More precisely, he couldn't trust the sensations from his head, his entire body.

"This…… is a fake world?"

Dante moved his arms and legs.

They responded freely.

He even jumped.

Splash! He landed lightly, and droplets splashed up from the puddle on the ground.

The stale, heavy air. The chilling temperature despite the sunlight. The stench rising from the rotten puddle. The imperial-style house with its roof completely collapsed, and the skeleton abandoned face-down on the floor.

Everything he saw, smelled, and felt screamed that this place was real.

If Yujin hadn't reminded them dozens of times that all this was just 'virtual,' and the sensations and pain felt inside weren't 'real' either……

"I'd have thought we'd been dumped into some weird region via space magic." Or another dimension.

Even if it was mere illusion, it was astonishing magic.

Worthy of an archmage's disciple, indeed.

As Dante marveled and began looking around……

"Kyaarrrgh!!!"

A ear-splitting screech suddenly rang out.

He whipped his head toward the source. Something was approaching through the fog from an alley not far behind.

Its silhouette was about the size of a burly adult male, but massive deer antlers protruded from its head.

One odd thing: below the antlers, two round, fruit-like things dangled.

Was it some rare deer beastkin from the western forests?

"Who's there?"

Dante, still not grasping the situation, boldly approached the figure without fear.

Then the true nature of the 'fruits' dangling below the antlers in the fog revealed itself.

They were human heads. Heads with ragged, torn necks, as if ripped off by a beast.

"——!!!"

The moment he confirmed the horrific sight, Dante didn't hesitate and bolted in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, the deer-antler monster had already spotted him.

"Kyaarrrgh!!"

The thing began madly pursuing its new prey to adorn its head.

"This is insane……!!!! He didn't say anything about monsters!!!"

The sudden chase.

Heat surged through his body, his head spun.

Where to go?

The problem was that this place where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he'd landed was completely unfamiliar.

The buildings followed imperial architectural styles, but their layout was starkly different from Romanium, the capital where he usually lived.

Which satellite city had it been modeled after?

Dante sprinted down the first path he saw.

Shaking off that murderous monster came first, above all else.

Fortunately, the sounds from behind were growing fainter.

If he kept this up, he could shake it off easily—or so he thought, until……

"?!"

A dead end. No way out, no matter how he looked.

He'd have to turn back quickly—

"Kyaak!!" "Damn."

Dante sighed. Had he only imagined putting some distance between them?

Finally, the monster fully revealed itself.

It was like a troll with a face crudely molded from mossy mud, topped with deer antlers.

Trolls were already infamous for their ugliness, but this was even more grotesque and wretched.

As a bonus, two men's heads with bulging eyes dangled from beneath the blood-red antlers.

So this was made by that mage too?

"Ha, heh…… talk about twisted tastes."

No wonder he so casually tossed out questions like that in the interview.

Dante swallowed dryly, recalling their earlier conversation.

First off, Yujin had said that even if you died in this world, nothing would happen in reality.

Pain was severely limited too—losing an arm or having your heart sliced out would just sting or throb at worst.

But now that he'd experienced it himself, he got it.

This wasn't about pain or no pain, death or survival.

It was pure, instinctual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠overwhelm.

Every fiber of his body drenched in cold sweat from terror—explanations about pain or life meant nothing. This is really non-lethal? You're not bullshitting, are you?!

"Kyaarrrgh!!" "Uwaaaargh!!!"

The instant Dante sensed his end and squeezed his eyes shut……

Bang!!! A world-shaking vibration hit, followed by a youthful voice from above.

"Now!! Run the opposite way!!"

Dante opened his eyes. Run? Past the monster?

Soon, he spotted the deer-antler monster with a massive wound on one side of its head, as if struck by destruction magic.

"Kyaarrrgh!!!"

The beast roared in agony, clutching its injury.

Dante seized the opening.

The sharp antlers whipped threateningly, but he ignored them and ran.

"Good! Keep straight! You'll hit a fork—go left!"

Tap tap tap tap!

The one who'd saved him with strange magic seemed to be running across the rooftops.

A voice closer to a girl's than an adult's.

Suddenly, Dante recalled his interview chat with Yujin.

'The girl who will destroy the world.'

But now wasn't the time for trivia.

He ran with every ounce of strength.

At the fork, he veered left as instructed and spotted a ladder he hadn't noticed before.

A rickety wooden ladder precariously spanning between building walls.

"Good! Climb that up! Hurry!!"

"Kyaarrrgh!!!"

The monster was still alive.

If anything, its cries were fiercer and sharper than before as it pursued.

Persistent bastard.

Muttering that, Dante scrambled up the ladder like a monkey.

Evidently surprised at how fast he climbed, the girl looked genuinely shocked.

Yes, his savior was a girl.

"Kyaarrrgh!!"

Just as Dante hauled himself onto the roof, the monster burst into view from the path it'd chased him down.

Talk about close.

Worried it might climb, Dante kicked the ladder down and flipped it the bird.

"Krrgh! Krhaaaargh!! Kuaaaargh!!!"

Not content with losing its prey right in front of it, the half-faced beast spewed rage.

"Move."

The girl shoved Dante aside, stepped forward, and shouldered her bizarre metal staff.

Bang! A blue flame erupted from the silver-glinting tip.

The monster's remaining half-head scattered into chunks of flesh, its massive body toppling forward.

Dante couldn't even guess what magic it was.

Ultra-fast casting? Blue flame meant fire-element destruction magic?

Whatever it was, he needed to thank this girl who'd saved his life—

"What are you?"

Click. Now the silver rod aimed at him.

Dante instinctively raised his hands.

"This is no-man's-land—how'd you get in? And armed like that, you're no scavenger."

Scavenger? No-man's-land?

Words he didn't understand, but Dante recalled one tip Yujin had given before starting the game.

If you meet anyone inside, always introduce yourself as a 'Council mage.'

"I'm Council mage Dante Otter Dubois. Dante's fine."

He wasn't part of the council or a mage, but he'd been told to say it, so he did.

Her eyes widened at chest height.

"Council mage? Wait…… you're the recruit who was supposed to come? But just one? And you nearly got defenselessly wrecked by a mere 'wendigo'?"

The gray-haired girl scratched her head messily and sighed.

"Let's go for now. We'll know if you're a real Council mage once we're there. Even if not…… you're a survivor, at least."

"Go where?"

"……You're weird. Where else? The shelter."

She deftly secured the odd staff on her back and added,

"The only zone in this shithole city that hasn't fallen yet."