Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: ACT.20 Ruined World (3)
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“Gasp, gasp.”
As if he hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath, the man gasped raggedly.
I silently watched the monster that was still thrashing about, not yet dead.
‘Mimic.’
That was what the beast was called.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they played a major role in the dimensional invasion of the beasts.
A copy ability that allowed them to perfectly imitate the appearance and voice of any creature they saw once.
They couldn't replicate strength or memories, so their combat power didn't change, but how many people would be suspicious if someone with the exact face and voice of an acquaintance spoke to them?
The terror of them launching a surprise attack when you least expect it.
That was the beast's specialty.
“How… in the world…”
The beast panted, glaring at me.
Was it asking how I saw through its imitation so quickly?
I let out a faint sneer.
“I've fought you hundreds of times.”
With a clear ring, the monster's body split in two, quickly dissipating into black vapor.
If even one of them survives, Mimics rapidly infiltrate a group as if by propagation.
Then, at some point, they devour the entire group overnight.
Like a disease you dismissed as trivial suddenly developing into a serious illness.
“Should this clear up the misunderstanding?”
“Y-You could still be in league with them, staging this to avoid suspicion! How did you know it was a monster right away!”
The man, trembling, didn't easily let down his guard against me.
There’s a limit to how suspicious one should be.
I ran a hand through my hair in annoyance and said,
“If I were in league with them, the monster would have said ‘why,’ not ‘how’.”
“Ugh…”
“Telling them apart is simpler than you think. Look for a black spot on the neck that seems alive. That’s all you need to know.”
I made a circle with my hand and explained to the others around us.
A spot the size of the circle made by my thumb and index finger is rare enough.
But this was something that, to anyone looking, didn't seem like a simple mole but felt bizarre.
That was the telltale sign when a Mimic imitated someone.
As if the misunderstanding was finally clearing up, the man slowly lowered his head and relaxed.
“...Please understand. Shedrant has already lost his family and friends to that monster before.”
“I understand.”
The captain arrived at the right moment and bowed his head in apology.
It was a bit of a nuisance, but it didn't take up much time.
Rather, if I could gain their cooperation without any lingering suspicion, that wasn't so bad.
He immediately called a soldier and had him bring a pen and paper.
“Take this. It’s a letter of recommendation written in my own hand. We have some acquaintance, so if you show him this, Sir Yurgan will immediately drop his suspicions.”
“This should do it.”
The moment I put the letter in my pocket, belated cheers erupted.
One of them, as soon as our eyes met, bowed his head and shouted loudly.
“Th-Thank you. Truly, thank you for coming!”
His grip on his spear tightened.
“I’m not an educated man. I’ve been a farmer my whole life. But even I know that if I don’t take up a weapon like this, my family… my wife and children… will be brutally killed.”
He said this and then lowered his head.
His rough, calloused hands trembled.
He had mustered the courage to enlist in the army, but that courage wasn't constant.
Fear and dread don't disappear. They are stored inside, piling up layer by layer.
You only feel like they're gone because you cover them up with a ‘reason you must do it.’
“So… thank you.”
“...It may have been a small thing to you, but to them, it was a beacon of hope. Just moments ago, they had all but given up on life.”
On Earth, angels and devils collaborated to build a system, giving humans the power to resist by awakening them as players.
But here, in this world, there was no such thing.
The humans here were helplessly hurtling toward extinction with no means to fight back.
And into that situation appeared a ‘being with immense power.’
In a way, it was only natural.
I replied with a dry, “I see,” and immediately turned away.
His gaze, wanting to hold me back, bored into my back, but it soon vanished.
‘This world is already finished.’
If my intervention could change something, I would try, but that was a pipe dream.
In the game, when you came to this world, the map name that appeared on the screen was ‘Ruined World.’
The right answer was to take what I wanted and go back.
“This is hopeless.”
The sky, too crimson to be called a sunset, and the ground were swarming with countless beasts.
Among them, what stood out were the several S-rank beasts.
This world could hold out for three more days at most.
If I couldn't get back within that time, I'd be caught up in it and die, so it was important to make arrangements to return within three days, even in the worst-case scenario.
The best-case scenario was, of course, returning today.
‘The key will be to find him as quickly as possible.’
I familiarly walked along the mountain path toward a cave located on the mid-slope.
It looked like a simple cave, but the inside was a properly remodeled structure.
More importantly, if you tried to force your way in, you would never reach it.
You would wander forever in a darkness that no light could penetrate.
“Excuse me.”
I stopped as soon as I reached the cave entrance.
If I tried to enter recklessly, I would be torn apart in countless ways by the magic set up to stop monsters.
*Swoosh!*
Instead of an answer, a volley of light arrows flew at me.
They were more of a threat than an attack meant to kill, so I twisted my body and easily dodged them.
-Who are you?
A voice was transmitted directly into my head.
Experiencing telepathy firsthand was a rather strange feeling.
It was similar to talking with devils or angels, yet different.
-There must have been a considerable number of monsters on your way here, yet you appear so calm. That must mean you are a formidable warrior. However, I know all the powerful beings who have ever lived, and I have never seen one such as you.
His voice was thick with suspicion.
Just like the captain of the survivor village.
“I have a letter of recommendation from the survivor village below. I'd like you to read this first.”
I placed the letter on the ground and took a few steps back.
By raising both hands, I showed that I had no hostile intentions. At that moment, the letter floated up on its own.
Then it shot into the cave like an arrow and vanished from sight in an instant.
‘I covet that every time I see it.’
Magic.
A power everyone has yearned for at least once.
But the conditions to obtain it are too harsh, and it's impossible to get at the beginning, so it's better to give up.
-...This is certain. It is Sir Crobald's handwriting.
The voice had become considerably softer.
The pitch-black darkness receded, revealing the interior.
As if inviting me in, the way was open.
“Are you the one who came from another world?”
However, it seemed he still didn't trust me completely.
An elderly man with a deeply wrinkled forehead stared at me fiercely.
Yurgan von Hatzfeld.
The Great Sage and the one who single-handedly maintained the barrier.
Also, the one whose cooperation I needed to return to Earth.
“That is correct.”
“Hmm.”
If I really was from another world, the rest of my words would naturally become believable.
It seemed Yurgan intended to confirm that part by meeting me in person.
Yurgan observed me intently for a long moment, then let out a short exclamation of admiration.
“It is true. You are not a being of this place. Though it was a letter from Sir Crobald, it was a difficult story to believe so easily.”
“Then I take it your suspicions are cleared.”
Instead of answering, Yurgan stroked his long beard.
“I’ll get straight to the point. It is impossible to send you back to your original dimension.”
“May I ask why?”
“There are two reasons. One, I cannot draw such a high-level magic circle while maintaining the barrier. Two, even if I could somehow draw a dimensional travel magic circle, there is no catalyst.”
I already knew this much.
The first problem could be solved if I bought time by killing the surrounding beasts, but the second one was always the roadblock.
The existence of a catalyst.
“A dimensional travel magic circle is of the highest order among high-level magic. It cannot be activated easily. I may be revered as a Great Sage, but even I can only trace it; activating it with my power alone is out of the question. That is why a catalyst is needed, but…”
Yurgan's eyebrows furrowed.
“...The problem is that something containing the power of a dimension must be used as a catalyst. How could such a thing possibly exist?”
I used to think so too.
Until the game became reality.
When I played the game, I always got stuck here, but this time was different.
‘A Dimension Stone.’
While playing the game, I had deliberately gotten hit by certain attack patterns to come here and researched ways to return.
I always hit the same wall.
The need for something with dimensional power.
After many attempts, I eventually gave up, unable to solve that problem, but now I had something that fit the description perfectly.
“Then, if I solve those two problems, will it be possible?”
“You don't seem to have understood my words. You intend to face all those monsters alone? Do you truly believe that is possible? Even if you were to display such incredible divine power as to eliminate every monster in this world, it would still be impossible because of the second problem…”
Yurgan stopped talking when he saw what was in my hand.
A Dimension Stone.
There was no way a Great Sage like Yurgan wouldn't recognize the power contained within it.
“Th-That is… could it be…”
“You say it’s impossible, but I’m sure if you were given the chance, you would want to try activating such a super-high-level magic yourself.”
“That goes without saying!”
The skepticism that had filled his face just moments ago vanished, and Yurgan's expression instantly turned to one of excitement.
A mage, after all, has the temperament of a researcher.
You could say he had the same personality as Min Gyeong-hoon.
Yurgan, who had been rejoicing like a child, suddenly seemed to remember something, and deep wrinkles creased his forehead again.
“Oh dear. There was one more problem. To return to your dimension, we need its coordinates. We cannot travel without knowing the destination.”
“This should solve that.”
I quickly took off the ring I was wearing.
The Coordinate Recording Ring.
It was one of the pieces of equipment I had obtained from the Jamryong Guild.
Many people had found it absurd that such an item was B-rank, but once the worldview expanded to other dimensions, it was more than understandable.
“Ha.”
Yurgan let out a disbelieving chuckle.
“Did you perhaps already know about dimensional travel magic?”
“There were similar things in the world I lived in. I know what is needed, but I was in a predicament because I couldn't execute the method myself.”
When I offered a plausible lie, Yurgan nodded in understanding.
The concept of dimensional travel was common in subcultures, so it wasn't exactly untrue.
“Then it’s settled. In exchange for me significantly reducing the number of beasts in this area, you, Sir Yurgan, will create the dimensional travel magic circle. I will interpret this as you accepting the deal.”
“Hmm. Before that, may I examine that Dimension Stone?”
Yurgan couldn't take his eyes off the Dimension Stone, his gaze filled with curiosity, so I handed it over with a wry smile.
Yurgan, grinning from ear to ear as he examined it like a child with a new toy, suddenly froze in his tracks, looking astonished.
“This is…?”