Synchronization

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All of NoName's attacks unfolded within a mere ten seconds. This time, she seized the greatsword. The swordsmanship instructor's blade grazed past her side by the width of a sheet of paper. Aiming at the man whose stance had half-collapsed, she thrust the sword into his waist, delivering proper retribution. As if refusing to allow even the slightest struggle, she swung her fist into his jaw, then kicked the falling sword's hilt with her foot to send it back into the air.

Slash! Even after tasting one round of carnage, the shield-sword bearer pressed forward to close the distance, only for NoName to leave a deep gash across his throat. It was an exquisitely precise sword path, unbelievable for a technique deployed the instant she snatched the blade mid-air. The shield was a fine weapon for breaking out of isolation. By infusing it with exploding mana at its center, she created an opening amid the chaotic battlefield.

She didn't forget to counter the incoming spells and arrows, of course. Aura barriers weren't infinite, so she dodged what she could. For those she couldn't evade, she had to craft disruption formulas one by one. The info she'd dug up from the wiki proved handy for moments like this.

"Insane...! Not a single spell is getting through!"

From the enemies' perspective, it must have felt like every spell was fizzling out. Not only did she neutralize every magic hurled her way regardless of type, but she even interfered with the casters' mana circuits, forcing them into overload. The mages, terrified, lowered their wands.

Thanks to the Laurel of Life, the gradual HP drain was manageable. She could restore health by expending mana. Conversely, mana could be replenished by dismantling the enemies' spells. With near-infinite resources fueling her, NoName stood unyielding against the academy forces who refused to give up. Their fierce exchange raged on without pause for a full hour.

The blood-soaked earth gleamed red under the moonlight. The elf's eyes, infused with golden mana, burned with an ever more ominous light.

"Demon..."

Someone murmured from the crowd. NoName's head snapped toward the voice, but she couldn't pinpoint the source. The regrouped troops raised their weapons once more.

This approach isn't working.

Gazing down at the coldly defeated Alperion, NoName let out a deep sigh. Even after verifying every possible route, no path to saving Adella emerged. By now, Adella's abilities should be sufficient, but the multi-layered accumulated experiences clashed structurally with her psyche, leaving her mentally unstable. She'd thought keeping reliable allies like Alperion and Sisiela alive would serve as a trigger—yet as the viewers warned, it was just a trap.

"What the hell...! Why are you doing this? You didn't have to go this far!"

A red-haired girl clutching a wand far larger than herself shouted.

"To get my Laurel back."

"You demon!"

"I'm an elf. Can't you tell? I'm cute, right?"

"What kinda idiot talk is that? Elves don't exist in this world—common sense!"

Giselle's outburst sparked doubts among some viewers.

Giselle's shocking claim that elves don't exist in the world sent the chat into a frenzy. NoName narrowed her eyes, demanding an explanation.

"Then what am I?"

"That's what I wanna know...! Just who the hell are you?!"

Identity, existence—words that defined a single person. NoName had always battled them. Overcomplicating the situation wouldn't solve anything. Straightening her laurel wreath, she declared it before the fuming girl.

"Dunno exactly, but right now, your enemy."

"...!"

"Hope we meet as allies next time."

"I won't forgive you!"

Giselle Phoenix, the Remnant Academy first-year cursed from birth by the phoenix. Destined to become one of the phoenix's many spare bodies without claiming the Blossom of Fierce Flames, she boasted the highest mana reserves among her peers. If Luna Pavilis was a pure glass cannon with devastating firepower, Giselle was a versatile all-rounder who could tank and heal as a mage.

But there was one moment when Giselle outshone even Luna's raw power.

That was when she unleashed her ultimate, incinerating demons body and soul alike. Why saving Alperion was a trap: Even if she kiting-slayed hundreds of knights on minimum difficulty, Giselle Phoenix awaited at the end with her ultimate fire magic.

NoName stifled a hollow laugh at the magic circle extending from Giselle's wand. It rivaled 7th Circle complexity, but it was just meaningless scribbles—no valid paths at all. Like a scientist fumbling basic multiplication tables, quadratic formulas, and Pythagoras amid relativity research. In other words, pure nonsense. Immersion shattered.

A world of artificial magic that couldn't exist or even function outside a game— a forced reset trigger made possible only in this simulated realm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Before she could even register the blinding flash, the world erupted into an inferno engulfing her.

Irresistible absolute power, an impossible formula defying disruption. NoName's curt感想:

"Fucking trash game."

Crackle— Tap-tap—

"Please...!"

Adella bit her lip hard and sprinted toward the clock tower at full speed.

Boom! A brilliant light pierced the pre-dawn hush, rousing the city's sleepers. Even from afar, the earth-shaking impact made Adella's heart lurch.

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"No...! Hah..."

Her fists clenched so tight that sharp nails dug into flesh. Blood trickled unnoticed as her gaze locked on the holy city's heart.

"Again... again... all because of me... Aaaargh!"

Letting out a scream near a wail, Adella vaulted the academy's dividing wall in one leap, arriving at the hellscape. Flames towered higher than buildings, unyielding.

Finding NoName amid that would normally be impossible. But then—

"Ah... ahh... No... it can't be..."

Infusing mana into the Laurel revealed the floating string of text in the air. Descending below would reunite her with the one she sought so desperately.

Her silver tail stung from soot, but there was no time for that. Her favorite battle gear torn? Irrelevant now.

"Ahh..."

Spotting the charred forest ranger's corpse, Adella's legs buckled, throwing her off balance.

"My fault..."

Her voice trembled faintly.

"I-It's all because I'm weak. Because of me..."

From the stone wall etched with countless names, an unwelcome memory surfaced.

The memory from the previous loop, chatting with NoName under rain shelter.

NoName's praise from some forgotten loop.

Loop 4.

Loop 6.

Loop 10.

Loop 16.

And now loop 17—NoName's final words echoed through Adella's mind like a panorama.

"Why... why can't you remember?! Why!"

As if some god toyed with them, the world reset countless times. Yet Adella only regained her memories after NoName died.

"Remember! Don't forget! This too—hic... you're such a useless idiot..."

She'd felt déjà vu before. Her gut ached before facing Valrum Venaons, just like the blows he'd land later. Her heart raced when NoName offered to spar. Even first-time churu tasted too familiar.

Adella should have died in loop 1. Jin Chronicle was backed by demon worshippers; he'd planted a demonic resurrection cornerstone in the Laurel for possession. An unwanted but regret-free death. So in loop 2, same choice.

But from loop 3, everything twisted. In the repeating cycle, it was NoName who died.

"You knew... you had to know...! Why for someone like me... hic...!"

Adella was certain NoName remembered every loop, unlike her. Suddenly, all her odd behaviors clicked like puzzle pieces. NoName fought alone in this inescapable hell—until Adella could beat Jin Chronicle.

"Please... no more... no more dying. Just let me die there... I'm... I'm useless anyway..."

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Adella collapsed into the mud, dry-heaving. Only this kept the surging emotions at bay.

Had she ever grieved a single death this deeply? Not in her memories. In a world where human life was worth less than street worms—due to poverty, cold, lack of power—mourning invited mockery.

Adella and NoName had just met today. Not lovers, family, or friends—just tenuous comrades in a ragtag group. What meaning could she find there? Unfathomable.

What terrified Adella most: She'd forget everything again next loop. NoName would sacrifice herself willingly once more, trapping Adella in eternal instants. All predetermined.

She bit her lip raw again. Fangs protruded; her mouth shredded. Retracing her path with NoName, consciousness faded unknowingly, the world regressing to start.

Boundaries blurred like sleep's onset.

This is where I first whined to NoName...

Even amid her self-deprecation as worthless, NoName accepted her beyond abilities. Escape spots varied per loop: noble district, slums entrance, Trephis Square.

Drifting aimlessly, she ended at a roadside stone wall—slum kids' name graffiti.

Twice wrong, right on third. Petty rebellion added more; the wall brimmed with their names.

Wait... why's the wall intact?

Ragged breaths. A reset world shouldn't preserve it. A clue.

Her sword-carved marks alone endured across loops. Past traces remained. This could message the next "her."

"The thieving cat hid well."

"...!"

Zing! A red beam pierced Adella's torso. She vomited blood, collapsing limply on cold stone.

"Cough...!"

"Two Laurels, no less. Unwilling as I am, praise before death."

Jin Chronicle smirked, dispelling the invisibility on her hidden wreaths via spell.

"Fatherly duty."

Her body burned. Abdomen screamed. Hands pressed futilely; blood dripped between fingers.

"Ahh... hic... haaa..."

"Saved me the hunt."

Ignoring her groans, Jin Chronicle departed. Adella drew a cherished dagger. Gripping as NoName taught countless times, she jammed it into the wall with a crunch.

Scraaape—

Face contorting with each motion. The blood pool seemed impossible from her body. But she couldn't stop.

At the memory-laden wall's base, mustering all strength, her final message:

"Hah... hah... hehe. He..."

Hoping next-loop her would find it.