Chapter 122: Monologue (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 122: Monologue (5)
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[Status]
Name: Isaac Lv: 103 Gender: Male Year: 2nd Title: Prospective Second Year Mana: 23,880/24,000 – Mana Recovery Speed (B+)
I bit my thumb.
The sharp sting of my teeth sinking into the flesh felt vivid, grounding me.
I lowered my hand and blinked slowly.
“When did it happen? I mean, when did I get my color back?”
“You gradually started looking better during the karaoke, and now you’re completely back to normal.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Well, I wanted to observe the situation for a bit. The President has a strong will, so I figured you’d snap out of it quickly.”
“…”
I feel like the wind’s been knocked out of me…
Dorothy’s absurd suggestion—that I should just play and have fun—had a much greater impact than I expected. I’d turned gray because of the isolation.
Since entering the Trial of Sandstone, I had done nothing more than march along the same path I had already traversed during my time as a prep student. I was living alone, isolated from everyone else.
However, because of this girl—who felt like a refreshing breeze—I didn’t even have a chance to get lost in that despair.
It was a simple solution that perfectly suited my life as an examinee. Thinking of a solution myself would have only given me a headache, but…
It felt like Dorothy literally grabbed me by the collar and pulled me out of that abyss.
Even so, only my body had regained its color. The world was still monochromatic; I hadn’t even returned to the starting point yet.
Putting that aside, though…
“Uh, do we have to keep holding hands?”
This is so embarrassing…
“It’s fan service. Don’t you like it?”
“No, I’m asking because I like it a little too much.”
“Nihihi.”
I couldn’t believe I was holding the soft hand of a goddess. It made me feel like we were a couple.
In that state, I lost myself in thought. Thanks to Dorothy, I had a sliver of a clue on how to resolve this situation…
To not be ostracized by this world.
If I tore this world apart without hesitation, becoming an existence that no one could ignore…
It was possible the world would return to its original colors and I could overcome this trial. It was a violent method, but it was worth a try.
…However, there’s no way things will go as smoothly as I hope.
[An external variable has intruded and greatly influenced the Trial of Sandstone!]
‘What?’
Suddenly, a system window popped up in front of me.
External variable intrusion?
“Huh…?”
In an instant, Dorothy’s hand, which I had been holding, crumbled like a sandcastle caught in the tide. I hadn’t lost my senses again; there was simply nothing left to hold.
I looked at Dorothy. Her body was turning into sparkling stardust, fading away.
“Senior?!”
Dorothy looked down at her vanishing hands, her expression full of meaning.
She looked calm, almost as if she had known this would happen.
“Nihihi, I guess I overexerted myself a bit. I can’t hold on any longer.”
She sheepishly smiled, clearly aware of her body’s condition.
A transcendental ability that allowed her to intervene in other worldlines—no matter how you looked at it, such a power couldn't be easy to use.
Dorothy had been pushing herself to the limit for me.
[Conclusion: [Gormos' Obsidian Blade] is readjusting the Trial of Sandstone.]
“President.”
Before I knew it, half of Dorothy’s body had already vanished.
However, she stared at my face intently, as if she wanted to memorize it for just a moment longer.
“I had so much fun today. Because you were there with me.”
Dorothy smiled softly.
“That’s why you have to come back, okay?”
“…Yes, of course.”
And then, she disappeared completely.
Stardust fluttered in the wind, leaving a lingering afterimage in my vision. Dorothy had returned to her original world.
I was nothing but grateful to her. Thanks to her, I had solved the most infuriating part of this task.
However, looking at the system window…
Gormos’s Greatsword—the ‘Obsidian Blade’—seemed to have recognized the impact Dorothy had on me.
It was planning to recalibrate the trial to account for her intervention. The difficulty was about to skyrocket.
‘I accept the challenge.’
This was a trial to become the owner of an ultimate weapon. It would be absurd if I could pass the Trial of Sandstone and claim the Obsidian Blade solely through Dorothy’s help.
Looking at the sky, which was still descending, it didn’t seem like the trial was resetting. Instead, it was going to make the remaining time a living hell.
‘And my trauma…’
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the purpose of all trials was ultimately the same: to overcome trauma. This trial would be no different.
But besides my life as a prep student, was there anything I could truly call trauma? Getting rejected after confessing to a girl in high school? Spilling a pot of perfectly cooked ramen right before the first bite? Honestly, those were the only things that came to mind.
“…?”
Suddenly, dense, dark ash began to cloud my vision.
As I raised my head, I saw massive clouds of ash swirling in the wind, creating a vast, grim spectacle. What was all this?
I stood up from the bench and scanned the cityscape.
The numerous buildings filling the city were gradually turning into ash from the top down, consumed by black flames. It wasn't so much burning as it was a flame that ‘annihilated’ everything it touched.
At the same time, complex, pitch-black shapes—reminiscent of the void of the universe—emerged from various points, encroaching upon space.
“Why is that…?”
Where are those flames and black shapes coming from?
This was something I had seen frequently in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ and had witnessed with my own eyes during the Trial of Frost. This was the magic of the Evil God Nephid…!
‘It’s reusing the Evil God here?’
Is this damn thing insane?
Kuoooooo───!!
“The hell?!”
Even the ground was collapsing…?!
This wasn’t the time for reflection. I turned and ran.
I looked around. The gray people crossing the street were screaming in desperation. They were either annihilated instantly by the black flames, swallowed by the collapsing earth, or devoured by the black spheres.
‘What do I do?!’
What kind of madness was it to bring back the Evil God right after readjusting the trial? Was it planning to just go full throttle now?
Where was the Evil God? Why was its magic appearing here in the first place…
Crash──!
When I looked back, the road behind me was sinking as the very foundation of the earth gave way!
Think. Think fast. I need a way to survive. Come on, brain, do your job!
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“Keuk…!”
A groan escaped my lips. My body chose this exact moment to become excessively heavy. Part of my body had turned to stone; it seemed a substantial amount of my vitality had been drained.
Still, I exerted every ounce of my strength, desperately dodging the collapsing ground as I ran for my life.
And then…
Kuoooooo───!!
“Uwak!”
The earth shook violently.
Before I could fall, I quickly used [Rock Generation] to create a pillar to anchor myself.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the road before it shattered completely. I couldn't stop moving.
It was a high-intensity earthquake. Even the burning skyscrapers were toppling over like dominoes.
And then…
“…!!”
A dense mana pressed against my skin. The sheer force of it felt like it could crush me.
It was a mana that easily surpassed even the Floating Island, Cavallion the Earthshaker.
“The Evil God? No, wait… what is that?”
It wasn’t the Evil God.
The mana felt different from what I had experienced during the Trial of Frost. I couldn't identify it, yet it felt strangely familiar, like déjà vu.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down my cheek. I clenched my teeth, gasping for air as I swallowed hard and looked toward the epicenter of that tremendous power.
I didn’t know exactly where it was, but it was clearly far away.
Kwanggggg─────────!!!!
From that distance, a navy-blue light erupted terrifyingly, like a volcanic explosion. It was blindingly bright—likely the light of a massive magic circle.
High in the sky, a wave of dark blue mana rippled outward. It spread in all directions, sweeping over my head. In an instant, the light that had filled the city vanished, and the Republic of Korea was shrouded in an alien, black glow.
Soon after, something caught the light of the magic circle and revealed itself on the surface.
It was a creature with an incredibly bloated, massive build.
[■■■…]
A bizarre voice echoed through the atmosphere. I couldn't understand a single word.
Moreover, I couldn't even make out the creature's true form.
Bzzzzzzzz──.
Static and visual noise enveloped the entity.
It was as if it were an existence that was never meant to be seen.
‘It’s not a demon.’
I couldn't detect demons from a great distance, but if their mana leaked into my perception range, I could sense them. I had learned that during the Trial of Frost, thanks to the Evil God.
‘Then what the hell is it…’
I tried to open the status window, but…
[ ※ Unable to check information! ]
Even the status window couldn't uncover a single scrap of data.
Whether it was Dorothy, Alice, the Primordial Beast that transcended death, or even the Evil God—my final goal—the status window had always provided something, however limited.
This creature was fundamentally different from anything I had encountered. It was hiding a secret of a different caliber.
The problem was, I couldn't even begin to speculate what it was.
By all accounts, in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, there was nothing more dangerous than the Evil God. Was it a hidden final boss? No, that was impossible. Even as a ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ completionist, I had never seen anything like this.
The noise couldn't completely hide the creature; occasionally, small gaps in the static revealed parts of it. Each time, I saw skin of an unclassifiable color, thick with countless embedded eyes.
Suddenly, an unbelievable possibility crossed my mind.
Whenever I tried to see something related to ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, noise occurred. The same phenomenon was happening with this giant.
‘That means…’
That being was not from the world of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Yet, it was an existence related to ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
It was an existence that belonged here, in the Republic of Korea.
And it appeared only when this world was facing its end. Almost as if it had been shackled until this very moment.
A thought struck me.
Why did noise occur whenever ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ was mentioned?
The world and its people appearing ashy were related to my trauma. But there was no reason for the game itself to be affected.
In other words, the source of the noise was separate from my trauma. Could it be… that monster?
“…!”
At that moment, a cheerful sound effect rang in my ears. I was so tense that I nearly jumped out of my skin.
A system window appeared before me.
“What is this…?”
After reading the window, I stood frozen, unable to process the situation for a long moment.
[[The Evil God of Destruction, Nephid] has brought forth the end of all worlds.]
[Survive until initialization.]
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