The Truth of the Crest

After completing all one hundred runs of the "End of Childhood," I found myself standing once again before the giant tree.

—"So, did you achieve everything you desired?"

One hundred runs. If Libero, who had already lived through an eternity, hadn't been by my side, enduring that vast stretch of time would have been impossible. In fact, from the midway point, I had actually started to begrudge the remaining runs slipping away. Ultimately, a lingering sense of regret remained by the final, hundredth run.

"But it can't be helped. Our agreement was only up to the hundredth run."

—"I, too, find it regrettable. Watching you was quite entertaining."

She watched me the entire time? It occurred to me that the gods, as beings who also lived through eternity, might have a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠completely different perception of time than I did.

—"Now, I shall bestow a reward upon you for splendidly completing your trial."

As she spoke, a single fruit began to fall from the branches above. This time, I didn't panic like before. I had the Wind Authority. Using it to slow the falling fruit, I caught it gently in my hands.

Its size wasn't much different from the last one. However, unlike before, I could feel that there was something inside.

At least it's not an intangible reward.

Though it held something, it felt incredibly light. I slipped my finger into the crack of the fruit. Instantly, a blue light began to swirl through the gap.

Blue...

It was one grade lower than purple. Then again, the odds of pulling a purple reward twice in a row were abysmally low. What mattered more was the actual content, but even a blue-grade item was a massive win. I carefully pried the fruit open.

What is this?

Inside were small pills. Seven identical pills rested within the fruit. I summoned the item's information window before my eyes.

Not bad.

I placed the pills into my inventory. It was a decent reward to compensate for my shortcomings. No matter how much swordsmanship I learned or how many high-grade holy relics I acquired, my base stats remained pathetic. But with these pills, I could temporarily cover that weakness to some extent.

A two-stage boost is far more significant than it sounds.

In the early stages, stats could be raised easily through basic training. But in the later stages, where growth hit a wall, raising a stat even slightly could take years of dedicated training—if it was possible at all. Yet, this pill boosted those stats by two whole stages. Despite the side effects, it would undoubtedly be incredibly useful in critical moments.

—"It seems you are quite pleased with the reward."

"Thank you."

—"No need to thank me. I did not choose the reward."

Come to think of it, the God of Regret had said something similar. He had said that while he was the one delivering the reward, he wasn't the one who chose it.

Then who is choosing the rewards?

As I stared up at the tree, I suddenly felt a warm sensation on the crown of my head. Someone's hand was resting gently upon it.

"Who...?"

—"It is I. I wish to show you one final reality."

It was the voice of the Reality God. But why?

—"Because I have grown fond of you. Therefore, I want you to know the complete reality."

I couldn't resist. Soon, I felt something flowing into my mind. And then... nothing changed.

What changed?

I had expected the scenery to shift, as it always did. But I was still standing right in front of the giant tree.

"Reality God?"

There was no answer.

"Hello? Nothing has changed."

Still, silence met my words. As I stood there in confusion, a different voice echoed in my ears.

—"The God of Regret handles the minor things, while the Reality God takes care of the major ones."

A man's voice. It was a voice I had definitely heard before. I looked up toward the upper branches of the giant tree, where the sound originated. Someone was sitting there. However, shrouded in deep shadows, his figure was impossible to make out.

"Who are you?"

—"I cannot give you my true name, but you will recognize me if I call myself the God of Chains."

The God of Chains?

I narrowed my eyes, glaring up at him. But his form remained obscured. No, his appearance didn't matter. What mattered was how desperately I had wanted to meet him.

"It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was you. You're the one who transmigrated me into Alan."

The reason I had possessed Alan Flake. There was an incredibly high probability it was because of Absolute Obedience. And the source of that Absolute Obedience was the Blessing of the Chain God.

"Is your silence an admission?"

I pressed him urgently, staring up at his perch on the giant tree.

"Then tell me. What was your purpose in transmigrating me? How do I go back?"

But the God of Chains remained silent.

"Then at least answer this! What happened to the Reality God!"

At last, the God of Chains spoke.

—"She lost her voice as a consequence of overexerting her power. It will take quite some time for her to recover."

"Overexerting her power?"

—"Yes. Originally, the scope of reality she could show was limited to the truths the challenger of the trial was actively turning a eye to. But she went beyond that and revealed a reality far exceeding those boundaries to you."

But that made no sense. Nothing had changed since she placed her hand on my head. Yet, the God of Chains said to me:

—"Check your status."

My status?

I opened my status window.

Huh? It had changed. Where "??? Crest" used to be, it now clearly read "Inheritance Crest."

This is the true identity of Alan's crest?

I hurriedly scrolled down the status window. There, the crest's inheritance traits and inheritance skills were finally revealed.

What on earth is this... I checked the inherited trait first.

Something like this existed? Up until now, I had inherited three skills or traits. Among them, Precocious and swordsmanship were hard to notice because Alan's innate talent was so abysmally low. However, thinking back, Authority of the Reim Royal Family had indeed felt exceptionally powerful for an inherited trait.

Then what about the inherited skill... What kind of skill was it that I had remained completely oblivious to it until now? As I checked the skill's description...

Huh? My train of thought ground to a screeching halt.

What? It took me several moments to process what those words actually meant. It wasn't a truth that could be easily digested. No, to begin with, it was something I didn't even want to believe.

It wasn't transmigration?

I had never possessed Alan Flake in the first place. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was the exact opposite. I was Alan Flake, and...

"Sung Yu-rang's memories were just transferred into my head?"

—"Do you understand now? Honestly, I wanted to keep it hidden from you a bit longer. We managed to get past the God of Regret smoothly, but I never expected the Reality God to pull a stunt like this."

"Why did you hide this from me all this time?"

—"Because you needed to believe you were Sung Yu-rang."

I needed to be Sung Yu-rang... "What does that mean?"

—"I can't explain all the details, but perhaps this will help you understand." He spoke coldly. —"Do you think you could have made it this far without Absolute Obedience?"

Those words pierced my heart like a sharp icicle. I slowly chewed over the question lodged in my chest. Could I have made it this far without Absolute Obedience? Unquestionably, no. Though my reliance on it had decreased now, in the beginning, Absolute Obedience was the only thing I could rely on. Even if that were true...

"What does that have to do with deceiving me? Fine, let's say I was never actually Sung Yu-rang. Then what about Absolute Obedience...?"

—"Naturally, it was used by the player, Sung Yu-rang. Though you believed you were the one activating it all this time."

"Does that make any sense? A player activating Absolute Obedience at the exact split second I needed it?"

—"Because you truly believed you were Sung Yu-rang. Your thoughts and Sung Yu-rang's thoughts were perfectly synchronized. At least, until you met that woman, Gwen."

Things changed after I met Gwen? In that moment, a realization struck me. "Is it because... I started viewing the people of this world as real human beings?"

—"Yes. Even I didn't foresee that. Because of it, a discrepancy began to form between you and the Absolute Obedience you knew."

A tidal wave of unbelievable truths crashed over me. Yet, they aligned too perfectly with my experiences to be mere fabrications by the God of Chains. What he was saying was almost certainly the truth. But one question still lingered.

"What on earth do you want from me? I understand now that inheriting the player's memories wasn't his doing, but the effect of Alan's crest. No, I suppose I should say 'my' crest, not Alan's. But why go so far as to conspire with other gods to make me believe I was Sung Yu-rang? What could beings as grand as gods possibly want from me to go to such lengths?"

—"I cannot tell you that. Just like the Reality God, there are limits to the truths I am permitted to speak."

"Then you, too, will end up like the Reality God...!"

—"Quiet. I play a far more critical role than she does. But I will tell you this much: you are doing exceptionally well, even now."

"Doing well?"

In that instant, the space began to tremble violently. It shook as if caught in a massive earthquake. Looking closely, the boundaries of the room were crumbling away, dissolving into nothingness.

—"It seems our conversation is at an end. Since the Reality God, who lent us this space, has lost her power, this realm must collapse."

Not yet. I wasn't finished speaking to the God of Chains. "Absolute Obedience! You have to do something about that, at least!"

It wasn't that Absolute Obedience wasn't useful. But my reliance on it had clearly diminished. Furthermore, now that my values and those of the player, Sung Yu-rang, had completely diverged, a conflict could arise at any moment. "Can't you just revoke the blessing or something?"

—"I'm afraid it is impossible to revoke a blessing once it has been bestowed upon a character. You possess the player's knowledge, so you should know this well."

"Then is there no other way...!"

—"You possess Sung Yu-rang's memories. You probably know him better than anyone. So, trust him."

Trust him? Just like that? Of course, I knew Sung Yu-rang intimately. But the Sung Yu-rang in my memories was hardly a reliable fellow. Yet, as if reading my thoughts, the God of Chains countered:

—"Because he, too, seems to have changed a great deal while watching your journey."

He did too? Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind—the first trial, where I had gained the strength to move forward by watching Sung Yu-rang. If so, could Sung Yu-rang have been influenced by watching me in return? In fact, he had been trying to prove himself through me.

My vision crumbled along with the surrounding space. The second trial was drawing to a complete close. No, it wasn't just the second trial that was ending.

My time as Sung Yu-rang is also at an end.

I felt no resistance to the thought. If I were still the pathetic, useless Alan Flake of the past, it might have been different, but the current me had grown immensely. Moreover, I had already drifted far from the Sung Yu-rang of my memories. If someone were to ask who I was now... I was neither Sung Yu-rang nor the old Alan Flake. I was simply myself.

Reality returned. Aside from the conversation I had shared with the gods, my memories of the hundred runs within the trial were already beginning to fade. However, the task I had to accomplish in reality remained crystal clear.

I will become a hero. Because that was what I had always done.