Act 0. The Exiles Beneath the Moonlight (1)

After finishing the tteokbokki and getting plenty of rest, I booted up Lost World to check the rewards I hadn't gotten around to last time, and to claim the error compensation as well.

"First, the not-so-great ones..."

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"Hmm, pretty standard. Next up... this one from the error compensation."

"...Wow."

While the other legendary title, Savior of the Story, was super useful in non-combat situations, Turning Misfortune into Fortune was built for combat from start to finish. Attack power rises as HP drops, and hitting back right after getting hit amps damage by 1.2 times.

"Total cheat."

I wondered if there was a balance issue, but considering all the hell I'd gone through before, it felt like fair compensation. I nodded to myself. Honestly, it was a title warriors—especially berserkers—would drool over more than a mage like me, but that didn't matter. I could find plenty of ways to use it.

"And now, the main event..."

As expected, like a knight's armor in dress form, all the effects leaned defensive.

"Dispel for real..?"

Sure, only once a day, but for someone like me where every second—or even 0.1 second—mattered, this skill was a huge boon. And with the "handle mana and curses more efficiently" effect stacking to triple now, my casting speed was 2-3 times faster than others.

"That'll do for now..."

I checked the 4th job change quest I hadn't gotten to last time.

My current level was 107. My condition was good, and there was no reason to hesitate anymore.

Adventurers all get a basic teleport skill to the Sanctuary upon character creation, so I used it to head there.

"Oh right, gotta check if streaming works."

For my 3rd job change, I'd ended up in a hidden quest space that blocked broadcasts, so I needed to confirm if it was the same this time.

"It's on here. Anyway, I'm here for my 4th job change."

Upon arriving at the Sanctuary, I was transported to a space with a night sky twinkling with countless stars as the backdrop.

"This place is always so pretty, no matter how many times I see it."

As I started walking across the night sky, light shimmered where I stepped, guiding me along a single path. At the end of that path stood a woman.

"Long time no see, Goddess."

"You've come, adventurer."

Golden blonde hair like Mary's, blue eyes like the deep sea, and that mystical aura as she smiled softly at me. Officially, popularity polls had Marian at #1, but the devs left #0 as a twist. That was the Goddess of Light, Celestia—the omnipotent being who gazed down on Stella Nova from the heavens, tuning the world's laws and guiding all growth.

To focus more on the conversation, I closed the chat window and met Celestia's eyes.

'Damn, she's really gorgeous up close.'

"Hehe, thank you. Such praise is a bit embarrassing..."

Celestia giggled as if reading my mind. I smirked and got to the point.

"For my 4th job change... no, to inherit the past."

"I see... Time flies..."

Celestia pointed her finger at the ground, and a circular ring in front of me began glowing blue.

"You will now experience the witch's past directly. Change that tragic ending with your own hands."

'Feels like a similar vibe to the 3rd job quest.'

"It won't be easy. But I'll be watching, so don't worry."

"...Yes. Let's begin the trial."

As I stepped onto the blue circle, the scenery before me went white, teleporting me to another space. My vision cleared, revealing witches in the same outfit as me, hiding away. It was dawn, between night and morning as the sun began to rise. I quickly assessed the situation.

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'Streaming first?'

'Alive and kicking. Check quest.'

'Like a regression quest, but different.'

Unlike typical regression quests, no save points. No clear conditions given, so no clue on direction.

'Sigh... This'll be tough.'

I let out a deep sigh, already sensing it'd take ages to clear.

"Shh..!"

The black-haired girl beside me jumped, pressing her index finger to my lips. I nodded, and she finally pulled it away.

Reviewing the quest and thinking it over, we seemed to be on the run.

'A young witch?'

The black-haired girl crouched next to me wore the same witch outfit, her eyes covered by a black cloth.

"...Phew, okay now. You can talk."

"...Yeah. Can't see?"

"No? I can. But... I shouldn't look."

"Why?"

"It hurts like my head's splitting."

"...I see. Know where the other witches are?"

"Dunno... I could search, but might get caught..."

"Got it. What's your name?"

"Me? Selia. You, sis?"

"...Noel."

"Cool... Nice to meet you! Let's survive hard!"

Selia had an oddly mature air for a kid. The blindfold, and her fearless, plucky talk amid despair.

"...How do you get around with the blindfold?"

"Priscilla said my mana sensitivity's high, so I sense with mana even blindfolded."

So Priscilla was still alive here. Maybe...

"...Ever heard of a witch named Asella?"

"Yeah! Priscilla's successor, right?"

Figured. This was definitely the past. Priscilla alive, Asella as her heir.

"Anyway, time to move. Priscilla said staying put's bad!"

"Yeah, got it. Let's go."

Selia and I slipped out of the alley and moved quietly.

.

.

.

Back in the now-empty Sanctuary, Celestia closed her eyes quietly, then opened them sensing a mana shift.

"...You've come."

"...It's been ages here."

"Noel-nim has already begun the trial."

The woman who entered had a small frame, long black hair, and red eyes.

"Asella-nim, you know this is your last visit, right?"

"...Yes, Goddess. I wasn't planning more anyway."

Celestia sighed and summoned a screen showing Noel in the trial. A black-haired girl was beside her. Asella just stared sadly.

"...Seeing her after so long makes me want to watch more."

"Selia, my little sister."