131 - Jailbreak

[No need to make them remember every single past event just to seem human. Implanting a few flash memories is enough. If someone remembered every day in detail, they'd seem less human than anyone. Don't you think so, newbie?]

Rumble—

It was a night just like that one, with thunder crashing and rain pouring down in sheets. Exactly as Adella remembered it.

A girl had collapsed into an especially deep puddle. Half her body was submerged. The ragged scraps clinging to her offered no protection from the cold.

"You okay?"

Nami reached out first. But the girl, unable to distinguish between a helping hand and a harmful one, just gasped with vacant eyes.

Her gaze at those fingertips was emptier than empty could be.

"Let's go, sis..."

The voice cutting through the pounding rain was one of resignation.

"That was the punishment I deserved back then."

Like all slum kids, she had to turn to theft once she was old enough. Her first attempt had failed, and she'd been beaten mercilessly by men several times her size. That was the result.

Deep in the heart of a child who had learned the world's malice far too early, sharp thorns would soon grow. When those thorns pierced her own flesh, the pain and torment would fuel her, letting her see the world through colored lenses.

But after that... how did I live?

A seed of inescapable doubt bloomed in Adella's mind.

Did I get back up after failing, try stealing again? Or did I cower in fear, hiding at home for a while? She couldn't remember. Clutching her head, she escaped the alley.

The world changed several more times after that. The girl who admired the academy student who saved her from being run over by a carriage, the girl who wept on the rooftop after receiving her rejection letter—they were all "past Adella," pieces that formed the current "Adella."

But the eyes watching these scenes grew colder.

"Why on earth did I want to go to the academy so badly...? What even is the academy?"

Her breath came short. Her head throbbed. Even trying to recall felt like hitting a wall; the threads of thought snapped feebly.

"What the...? Session... what's a session...?"

The boss alert interface appeared before me after so long. It signaled that we'd finally arrived safely in the world with the final boss.

Good. As Adella reported, Mephisto had definitely been summoned.

We had no idea how broken the world would be or if we'd even have solid ground for the fight. But worrying about it was pointless. Focus on what we could do now.

I double-checked my final stats and unwrapped the bandages on Adella's arm, torn to shreds from the previous battle, then rewrapped them.

"Sis, what's a flash memory, nyang?"

"Flash memory? Why bring it up suddenly?"

"Oh, it sounded familiar from somewhere, hehe. Just asking if you knew, sis. You know everything."

Adella shrugged.

"It's when a natural disaster or major social incident happens, and even years later, you vividly remember the situation at the time. Where you were, what time it was, what you were thinking, what you talked about with people around you."

Similar to but different from PTSD. PTSD stems from extreme stress threatening your own life, while flash memory can apply even to events involving total strangers.

In my past life, it helped a lot during erosion investigations. Residents recalled those events more clearly than daily life, making it easier to pinpoint timelines and circumstances.

Adella tilted her head.

"I thought I had great memory. I remember every detail of our first meeting. But everything before feels fuzzy."

"People say older memories fade, so maybe."

"No... it's weird. Why would I just resign myself right after failing the academy exam? If it were me now, I'd smash everything in rage and bolt to another country."

She gently stroked her bandaged arm. The thickly layered parts were stiff, tapping out a tap-tap when she prodded them with her nails.

"I remember stealing the fruit, crying on the roof... but that other stuff doesn't feel like me."

A faint tremor of fear laced her voice.

"You don't think..."

"Above all, I've never even tried a tuna sandwich, so why do I think I like them—"

Boom—!

Before Adella could finish, a massive explosion rocked the air. A deafening roar was followed by a sandstorm threatening to swallow everything.

Crack—

The ground split as a massive rock wall rose like a shield, hiding our bodies.

"Demon! That demon that burst out of your body back then!"

Adella shouted from behind the wall. Peeking out, I spotted a huge crater. Black-red smoke billowed from it, flames leaping high enough to scorch white clouds.

The demon's form, crowned with massive horns, was grotesque. Or was defining "it" as having a form even valid?

Different from Jin Chronicle or Pope Callistus. Black sludge could be covered with dirt. Giant flies could be swatted down. Like heat haze over scorching asphalt, black energy crept up. Two sparkling purple lights within seemed to stare at us like eyes.

"No way the afk penalty triggers like this..."

All patterns were memorized. This—where Mephisto suddenly turns to black mist and pursues—was what happened if players just ran without attacking.

He must think we'd vanished from the world by escaping his sight. In World of Arceria, cowards always faced big trials.

"Adella, run!"

"Run? Huh?"

Just survive 5 minutes. With current stats, movement speed boost is 3.6x. Aura-clad, that's 140 km/h max—faster than a cheetah. I've flown 300 km/h as Kai'Sa in LoL; half that is doable.

Dodging along Mephisto's path means no obstacles—buildings and forests are obliterated.

But the issue: Mephisto wouldn't let us escape easily.

'Mephisto's Meteor Shower'.

Hummm—

Mephisto's purple eyes gleamed ominously. From the black mist, fireworks loaded with golden light shot skyward.

Like a new sun rising in the dark sky, intense flashes erupted. Looking up would blind us, so I kept eyes forward and ran.

But comet tails spreading from impact points soon entered our view.

Kaboom—!

The roar, proving sound lags light, twisted the heavens belatedly.

Not a hard pattern to dodge. Even non-demonic bosses like in Wearsoft marked red zones for meteor drops.

But 5 seconds... 10... 20 passed, no red carpet.

"Why no red zone!"

No sooner said than a massive meteor plummeted toward us at terrifying speed.

Can't use mana yet... Plan's derailed from the start.

Electron degeneracy pressure halting white dwarf collapse, and the Chandrasekhar limit for its mass.

But mana lacks a fixed negative charge like matter. Reset gravity potential to positive in the Lane-Emden equation, treat the asteroid like a white dwarf exceeding Chandrasekhar limit, and induce explosion.

A third of my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mana evaporated instantly.

Fwoom—!

The meteor passed through the massive ring, turned to dust, and vanished in a shockwave.

Even with regen, only twice more usable. Better dodge by trajectory normally, but flare-like light prevents looking up. Chat's invisible too.

Suddenly Adella grabbed my left wrist tight, pulling me toward her.

"...!"

Boom—!

A huge crater formed right beside us, gray smoke of gravel, dirt, and dust surging up.

"Sis, we gotta get outta here fast! Can't run faster, nyang?"

Her plea pierced the roar; I poured strength into my legs.

Following her urgent words, I applied spring magic to our shoes. Strides jumped from 6-7m to kangaroo-like 20m leaps.

Temporary engraving lasted only ten steps, but enough to escape her warned spot.

Thud—!

Boom—!

"Haa... 5 minutes felt eternal."

If real life, sweat would've poured down my neck from the intensity.

Panting heavily, Adella pointed somewhere with a finger, telling me through gasps.

"Heok... Hek... Sis, is this magic too? Or a spirit...?"

"Huh?"

"This. Floating text in the air."

"Chat window. Adella can see us. Adella carry confirmed just now. Armp... uh? Wha... stuff like that..."

Her wide eyes stared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blankly. For a moment, it seemed black chat text reflected in her irises.