Eisel Ludwig
Eisel Ludwig was a highly unique character. The very first line she uttered upon meeting the player was always the same: "I don't recognize your face..." It might not have seemed like anything special. In fact, most players reacted with something like, What kind of nonsense is that? She's a freshman herself.
Even after that, she was a character shrouded in mystery, leaving behind nothing but cryptic remarks before vanishing into thin air. However, as players progressed through the game and eventually discovered that she was a regressor, the context completely shifted.
Her saying she didn't recognize your face meant the player was an anomaly—someone who had never appeared in any of her previous regressions. And those strange remarks she left behind were actually hints about the upcoming storyline. Viewed superficially, this unique trait served as a guide for beginners; viewed deeply, it was an incredibly appealing element for players on multiple playthroughs.
Her dialogue would change slightly from run to run. In response, the story itself would twist and turn in subtle ways. It was a powerful mechanic that practically forced players to start another playthrough.
I was no different from any other player. If anything, I was drawn to her even more intensely. A regressor struggling to change the future through countless regressions... and the player, who could become her sole 'confidant,' the only one who truly understood her. That alluring dynamic had a way of captivating people.
I was a fan of hers. In fact, most players probably were. We were all genuinely captivated by the character of Eisel Ludwig. Yet, despite repeating countless playthroughs...
...Her death remained unavoidable.
Eisel Ludwig always died midway through the story, during an episode tied directly to the purpose and reason behind her regressions. In a way, the player was a regressor too, capable of turning back time at will through the system's save and load features, or even starting an entirely new playthrough. Yet, no matter what you did, the outcome of her death never changed.
Because of this, the developers took a massive amount of flak.
Because the game boasted such an incredibly high degree of freedom—especially within the academy—these frustrated reactions were only natural. Meanwhile, the developers remained completely silent on any questions regarding Eisel. Some players eventually accepted it, while others refused to give up.
Since Eisel boasted unrivaled popularity within the game, the fallout was massive. Some quit the game entirely, others mocked her as an incompetent regressor, and some—unable to let go—foolishly kept trying to find a way to save her.
I belonged to the latter group. In fact, right up until I ended up inside this game, I hadn't been able to let Eisel go. At some point, it wasn't even about liking her anymore; it was half out of sheer spite. By then, it wasn't just persistence—it was an obsession.
Now that the game has become reality, I thought I might find some kind of clue.
But the Eisel I had just crossed paths with had passed by without uttering a single word. This was something I had never experienced, even in the game.
Should I assume I'm not considered a 'player' anymore?
To be honest, I didn't know much about Eisel from a non-player perspective. In the game, the powerful force of destiny known as the 'System' practically forced our paths to cross.
"Hmm..."
No matter how much I racked my brain, no answers came. Perhaps a real-life regressor, whose lines weren't predetermined like in a game, was an even more complex existence.
Still, I would try everything I could. My desire to save her remained unchanged. Watching her die on a monitor screen was one thing, but imagining her body turning cold right before my eyes was too painful to even contemplate.
She couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing him again in the flesh made everything so difficult. She hadn't committed any crime, yet she had instinctively ducked into an alleyway as if fleeing from him.
"...Do you have business with me?"
She had to accept it. He was no longer the 'Zeto' she remembered. The memories they had shared no longer existed.
...He no longer knew her. That uncomfortable, terrifying truth clawed at her mind.
I thought... I had gotten used to this by now.
Apparently, she hadn't. Perhaps, deep down, she had been keeping her distance, avoiding deep connections with others.
But that man... Zeto was special. He was the sole 'variable' that had appeared across her countless regressions. She couldn't help but be drawn to him.
And it seemed she wasn't the only one. He had approached her with ease. Once, they had shared a deep conversation. He possessed an 'understanding' she could never have imagined. Perhaps she had been starved for that very understanding.
He had slipped into her empty heart, gradually expanding his presence. Before she knew it, he had grown as vast as the void inside her—a presence that was undoubtedly 'poison' to a regressor like her.
A single hot tear rolled down her cheek. His final moments still refused to fade from her mind.
Leaning against a crumbling wall, barely holding himself up, his body had been drenched in thick, dark blood. The bandage over his eyes had slipped down loosely, revealing his deep, dark blue eyes—like a vast ocean—shining faintly.
And he had worn that same gentle smile he always had since the very beginning.
Swallowing the blood welling up in his throat, he had said:
"I was always..."
"Looking at the same place as you, Eisel."
"The ocean you loved... I hope we can go see it together next time."
With those final words, he had closed his eyes, a smile lingering on his lips until the very end. The world fell silent, as if mourning his passing.
Even though she had achieved the goal she had yearned for so desperately with his help, she couldn't bring herself to wish for the end.
How can there be a next time...
For Eisel, there was always a 'next time.' But for him, there was no such thing.
Going to see the ocean with him now... it probably meant little to a blind man, and the current him wouldn't even remember it. It was an incredibly selfish wish, but it had become her new purpose.
She had regressed for his sake. She completely overhauled the systematic approach she had refined over her previous regressions. Even methods she had once loathed were acceptable now, as long as they helped her achieve her goal.
She would grow strong by any means necessary. She would use every card at her disposal.
"In this life..."
She would never let that happen again. Never. Absolutely never.
Though I had a lot on my mind, time didn't wait for me. The days flew by, and soon, the day of the class placement exam arrived.
I had worried about my physical condition, but I actually felt quite decent. Perhaps eating that 'Special Salamander Rice Bowl'—which was highly effective for stamina recovery—before going to sleep had helped. For the record, it tasted awful.
I was expecting something like grilled eel over rice.
The class placement exam was already well underway. All the freshmen, including myself, were staring at a massive screen set up at the front of the examination hall.
Students who had finished their exams or were waiting for their turns could watch the simulated space created by illusion magic through the broadcast magic screen.
"What in the world... is that..."
Yuri, who had somehow tracked me down, was standing naturally by my side, giving me a play-by-play commentary of the match. Thanks to her, I had to put in extra effort to pretend I couldn't see the screen, but since it came from her kind heart, I was simply grateful.
"She's incredible..."
"Is she really that good?"
"That girl... as much as I hate to admit it... seems to have already far surpassed the level of a mere student."
So, who was currently taking the exam to make Yuri react like this? On the screen, a girl's platinum-blonde hair fluttered and shimmered in the wind. It was Eisel.
I fully agreed with Yuri's assessment. It made no sense for her to unleash that kind of power already.
...She's way too strong.
In the game, Eisel had naturally taken first place in her group, but she hadn't been this overwhelmingly dominant. The current Eisel had single-handedly annihilated the other nine students scattered across the stage in just about three minutes.
The screen showed Eisel delivering the finishing blow to the last surviving student. Standing there with a chillingly expressionless face, she looked like someone who had simply finished a chore.
Her posture made it crystal clear to every student watching: she was in an entirely different league.
While her signature lightning magic remained the same, she was displaying various other techniques and abilities that I had never seen from her in the game. Even taking her special regression ability into account, she was ridiculously strong.
I can't keep up with what's going on anymore.
I barely managed to hold back a heavy sigh. Ever since our long-awaited encounter, my headache had only grown worse.
"Calling the next participants."
Of course, I wasn't even given the luxury of time to ponder over Eisel.
"...Amon Caligus. ...Zeto."
The instructor conducting the exam called out my name in a low voice. After that, the names of the remaining participants were read one by one.
Right. I needed to focus on myself first. Being able to influence things the way I wanted was only possible after I became strong enough.
That being said...
"Amon Caligus..."
"He's from the Caligus family, the ones responsible for the earth element among the Four Great Elemental Families. I used to run into him occasionally at gatherings when we were younger. He's built like a mountain, but he's incredibly vicious... If he had inherited even half of his father's character, he wouldn't be so ill-tempered."
Yuri, catching my murmur, furrowed her brow in clear distaste. Of all people, to face a member of the Four Great Elemental Families in the placement exam. Even in the game, starting off against someone like him was considered a high-difficulty scenario.
Why does nothing ever go my way?