The Last Opportunity
"Hoo…… This is the last time."
#122 "Why?"
He didn't understand what she meant. He simply repeated the words that had come out of her mouth. He wondered what that sharp alien language could possibly mean, but soon realized it didn't matter and gave up. It was just some strange muttering to herself, and he simply couldn't understand it. In truth, he didn't have much interest in words themselves. What he did have plenty of thoughts about was the current situation. That was Ines's perspective—one who only had confidence when it came to speaking.
Kang Sian, on the other hand, had a somewhat different view.
'This bastard? Her? Why the hell…?'
Only despair. How could their perspectives possibly align when the sky itself was collapsing? How could he feel anything but despair when the beautiful bridge he'd crossed turned out to be nothing more than a flashy, shoddily built structure? All the hopes he'd nurtured over the past few days. The delusions he'd entertained for months. The wishes he'd held for years. The yearning he'd carried for decades. All of it crumbling. He despaired because a reality worse than anything he'd imagined had unfolded right here.
'The protagonist is a discriminatory bigot…… and even belongs to some shady organization…… and is shameless enough to say it outright……?'
The original protagonist, who had possessed at least a modest, commoner's sense of decency even if not perfectly righteous, no longer existed. Instead, there was only a protagonist so lacking in decency that even someone from the gray area would look like a saint by comparison.
No, this couldn't be right. Kang Sian hurriedly erased the thought from his mind. There were still too many ambiguities to draw any conclusions. It could simply be someone with the same name and gender—a namesake. Even in the cramped confines of Korea alone, namesakes were everywhere; why would the West be any different? She was probably just a woman of the same gender who happened to enroll in the academy the same year as the protagonist.
So he continued to suppress his emotions. Showing panic here would do him no good.
"Ines Corceiro? I didn't expect to find a Hispanic mixed up with a discriminatory crowd."
Showing weakness would only give her an opening to bite. He threw out a jab to test her.
"Ha, do I look like one of those mongrels? I have nothing to do with those South American beggar bastards."
"What, so you're from Europe then?"
"Something like that. From a country you'd be jealous of, you piece of trash."
She wasn't Hispanic. Then the only places that name could come from were……
'The Iberian Peninsula. Either Portugal or Spain.'
The origin of her discriminatory tendencies seemed to peek through. Of course, it could have come from a much later point in time. But it was reasonable to assume she'd been influenced by a country that had maintained a dictatorship for over a century. Carrying not just one but multiple discriminatory tendencies made it strange to chalk it up to simply being from the South. Especially in this day and age, when many Southerners held non-discriminatory views. Therefore, the theory that she was someone else from Europe gained weight.
"Of course, I'm living in a nice place called Alabama right now."
"Alabama?"
The place with her inbred relatives and their sweet little home. At the same time, the hometown of the Gray Zone protagonist.
'Huh? At this point, it's practically confirmed, isn't it?'
With just the mention of the state name, the scales tipped completely. Kang Sian had wanted to cling to the slim possibility that remained, but he ultimately gave up. Even if his memories of how the customization had been done were hazy, he clearly remembered that the default appearance was an unattractive Black woman. Even if she was somewhat discriminatory, she had customized herself into a beautiful white woman because of it. And looking at the woman standing before him now……
It was becoming difficult to deny it in any way. In the end, the possibility of her being a namesake was impossible.
Of course, if he dismissed everyone less attractive than Cheon Mari as ugly, he could force himself to deny it. But how could anyone apply such standards to others? It was no different from insulting all of humanity.
"Hah, so you grew up in a nice place. No wonder you've had such a filthy way of speaking since we first met."
"You know what I find even filthier right now? Your face."
Anyway, it was now certain that the person before him was the customized protagonist. Discussing her authenticity any further would only waste time.
'So, what happens from here on out?'
First, the possibility of becoming friends with Shannon, an other-race individual, and developing an extremely close relationship had vanished. Unless she reformed and corrected her discriminatory views toward other races, it was no longer possible.
Second, the possibility of getting a boyfriend—which had at least existed in the setting—had also disappeared. Especially this one, even more so than with Shannon. Even if she corrected her discriminatory views, her unconscious behavior would make it difficult to raise her favorability past a certain point. Realistically, it was reasonable to assume she'd date someone from a pure-blooded species while attending the academy this time around.
Third, the possibility of becoming friends with a short East Asian with brown hair and brown eyes had also vanished. It wouldn't be as bad as the boyfriend situation, but it was clear it would be similar to Shannon. Given her discriminatory attitude, they might even end up as enemies. If that happened, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
'None of the existing characters who supported her during her academy days are by her side…… It's already a problem now, but it'll be an even bigger problem later.'
There were endless possibilities for what kind of problems might arise. In a modern society, problems could easily be created with just a little opening. She could become the subject of controversy and fall into ruin. With her characteristic discriminatory tendencies, she might suddenly flee to Germany. She might meet a lonely end with no one around her. Or she might simply become a complete wreck of a person and head straight for a bad ending.
Just three people being absent created this many possibilities. The only silver lining was that the other two—excluding Shannon—might not meet tragic ends. At the very least, if they lived lives separate from the protagonist, they could still find happiness. And the same applied to Kang Sian.
"W-what? Why do you keep glaring at me?"
If their meeting was limited to just this lecture, nothing much would happen. They were merely passing acquaintances who would each live their own lives.
'The real question is whether the world ends or not……'
The protagonist's role was essential. Could someone else take her place and save the world?
'Uncertain.'
Anyone could attempt it. The question was whether they'd succeed. Especially for him, the risk was too great due to his lack of magical power. Cheon Mari, who would gradually grow to the level of the game timeline, had the highest chance. But he couldn't use his only childhood friend unless there was truly no other option. Even if hell awaited, it was only natural to avoid an even slightly hotter version of it if possible.
'If only Mari didn't have that personality……'
A woman with the kind of character that could push Satan aside and claim a seat in hell. A woman who openly declared Nartika Corporation as her personal property. Someone who became endlessly cruel except when it came to her family and her one and only childhood friend. The top candidate for someone who might betray him while carrying out the protagonist's duties. After everything ended, seeing Nartika's flag waving over capitals worldwide would be quite the sight. Of course, seeing global human rights drop to the level of a certain 21st-century chairman's country would also be quite the sight.
'Without Nartika, there is no new Earth.'
'Long live Chairwoman Cheon Mari.'
'Let's advance into the great ocean with faith in Chairwoman Cheon Mari.'
'If you're going to marry, find a woman like Cheon Mari.'
'Learn from Kang Sian's good qualities.'
'Cheon Mari's Quotations.'
'I love Sariwon Nartika Gate~'
Incidentally, the second-to-last one was actually being secretly written. The fact that it even included content about Kang Sian made it all the more horrifying. The horror of the sun rising above Nartika. A cyberpunk dystopia unfolding because someone didn't want a post-apocalypse. Of course, if he helped Cheon Mari, at least the world's destruction could be avoided, so it would be slightly better. Though he'd become a traitor remembered throughout human history, he could also become part of the sun. It was an option tempting enough for anyone with ambition for power. Unfortunately, it held little appeal for him.
Therefore, even for the sake of his childhood friend Cheon Mari's future, Kang Sian made a firm decision. He would treat Cheon Mari as a precious asset to be used only when necessary.
"—Hey. Can't you hear me? Why are you just staring like a mute?"
And the lunatic standing before him, he decided, would be treated as a consumable to be used only until he won. No, not even until he won—just a card to be discarded after a few attempts. If he could tame her, great. If he failed, then so be it. It was a harsh judgment, but even if her potential was excellent, her thought process itself was garbage, so it was unavoidable. Moreover, the events of the past few days had already collapsed the bridge called "relationship" between them. Since she was on the other side of that bridge, he had no choice but to leave the collapsed bridge behind and move forward.
"Hoo…… This is the last time."
"Hoo? What do you mean, hoo?"
Now it was time to show his firm resolve. Kang Sian stood up from his seat. Step by step, he walked over to Ines. He approached with a faint smile, causing her to instinctively take a step back. The primal fear that the same thing as last time might happen again. Fortunately, even as he drew close, there was no sign of the same pressure from before. Of course there wasn't. Kang Sian had no intention of repeating what happened last time.
"You really have no manners. Have you ever considered fixing that personality of yours?"
"Huh? Manners?"
"The way you speak is rather rude, you see."
"Is this bastard joking right now? What? Manners?"
"You really don't want it? This is your last chance."
"If you've got a chance like that, fix yourself first!"
"It's really the last time, you know? Don't regret it later."
"Fine! Last chance or whatever—"
Thud!
The sound of a fist landing was brief. She felt her insides being pushed back until they nearly flipped over. As she coughed and lowered her head, an unexpected hand came into view. Kang Sian's fist, buried in Ines's stomach. Overwhelmed by pain that seemed to paralyze her entire body, she lost her balance and dropped to her knees. She repeatedly dry-heaved while trembling uncontrollably. Kang Sian looked down at her and clenched his fist tightly. Then, in a completely different tone, he spoke.
"You threw away your chance."
It was time to teach her the words of the ancient sages.