Invariable Future
‘Got it.’
Norpa Jeran's memory fragment ‘Demon of the Upper Layer’ synchronizes with your unconscious fragment ‘Calamity Descent’.
Tss… Tsszzzt…!!!
My vision rippled, and the text in the alert window shattered into pieces before reassembling like a puzzle.
Connector from the other side confirmed.
Opponent's Connector Authority (Stage 3) is higher, so your unconscious fragment ‘Calamity Descent’ will be forcibly altered.
Your unconscious fragment ‘Calamity Descent’ forcibly synchronizes with the shared fragment from beyond, ‘Invariable Future’.
“...What?”
That was when it happened.
‘The alert changed?’
I frowned at the message, different from the one during Rerto Karen's episode.
Hwooooosh…!!
Conditions for Calamity Descent met, but due to opponent's Connector Authority (Stage 3), the memory fragment is altered.
Consuming 15 Locked Memory Fragments to generate memory for your unconscious fragment.
Locked Memory Fragment (18/88) - Conditions for Invariable Future fully met.
Using memory fragment ‘Demon of the Upper Layer’ as the key, your unconscious memory fragment ‘Calamity Descent’ synchronizes with ‘Invariable Future’.
You must explore the altered memory fragment ‘Invariable Future’.
Red alerts popped up one after another in front of me like a warning that I couldn't refuse, and I could tell this was different from anything before.
“He's coming.”
Chaaang—!!!!
I drew my sword. The sharp silver blade flashed against the sky.
‘…?!’
In that instant, I was startled. It was clearly my body. Not just peeking into the memory like before, but like with the Conqueror's Silver Sword, I existed within it.
But it was different this time. My emotions and senses felt whole—this was me here—but it was as if my soul and body were separated; my body wouldn't move by my will.
“Fight back.”
I looked up.
‘That day.’
Nine knights standing side by side in the center of the hall drew their weapons in unison at my words.
The day I could never forget.
‘…’
I gazed at them briefly, closed my eyes, and drew a deep breath.
“Don't grieve. We have fulfilled our duty.”
The hot aura of war soaked into every corner of my body.
“Let's fight, Guardians of the Empire.”
I slowly opened my eyes and addressed them, the ones called Glory's 9. Their eyes were already filled with resolve.
“...Follow our lord!!”
The end of the dream. Always, with this resolve, we fought.
And….
‘We lost.’
“Destroyer…!!!”
But this time was different from the countless repeated dreams so far. I shouted as I stared at the bastard descending onto the battlefield.
Absolute terror that made my body freeze just from his gaze—in it, I had always done nothing and died by his sword.
But now was different.
Kang—!!
Kang!!!
Kagagagak…!!
The sword in my hand whipped up a sharp sword wind, and I charged at him without hesitation. Swords clashed, sparks flew.
The swordsmanship my body wielded wasn't Yong-gong Geom-sik.
Chil-ya.
Surprisingly, it wasn't the 1st or 4th forms I'd learned. Yet the body wielded the sword with sharpness and precision honed by unimaginable training.
“Huk…! Huk…!!”
In the vortex of countless sword strikes, scratches appeared here and there, and the armor I wore cracked and shattered.
Still, I didn't retreat.
Kang—!!
Swords clashed.
Kang! Kaang!!
Again and again. My breath rose to my throat, nausea threatening, but I slashed even more fiercely, as if burning my life away.
“Is this the future you desired?”
That was when he spoke for the first time—the bastard who hadn't moved a step, simply blocking my strikes in silence.
“Pathetic.”
Like he was disappointed, he let out a low sigh.
Pakang…!!
That was when he grabbed my blade barehanded. His pale hand was awe-inspiring, like a celestial being, but his eyes were cold and terrifying, like a demon from hell.
Woooong….
Silver light emanated from beneath his palm. It rippled rhythmically, like flowing in steady beats.
‘…Huh?’
I couldn't help but stare at this power of his I'd never seen before.
Tong—
But then a sound shattered the silence.
“…!!!”
Like snapping a twig, he twisted his wrist, and my sword broke all too easily.
“Only an ominous future awaits you.”
His words pierced my chest. Hearing the same words Parahum and the White Knight had said come from his mouth felt heavier than ever, weighing on my shoulders.
“It's over.”
He pointed the broken blade at my throat.
“Kuhk…!!!”
I resisted with all my might, but it was futile against his overwhelming power. I could only stare at the blade slowly tightening around my breath.
[There is no such thing as invariable.]
That was when it happened.
Hwooooaaak—!!!!!
Hot flames surged over the back of my hand gripping his wrist.
‘Black Eye…?’
A massive flame giant with blue flames gathered its hands, manifesting an enormous greatsword several times my height. It fell toward him like a guillotine blade.
Kwaaaang…!!!
With a deafening roar, his feet lifted off the ground for the first time.
Tsss….
He stepped back one pace and stared at Black Eye's greatsword embedded in the floor.
[Do you intend to be devoured by the future? Did you not say you would stand above it?]
‘How….’
I looked at him with eyes full of questions.
“An interloper, eh.”
The bastard growled lowly at Black Eye.
Chwaaaak—!!!!
Sharp mana erupted from his hand gripping the broken blade, forming a massive blade of light that pierced the sky, slicing through the air toward Black Eye.
“Dodge…!!!!!”
In that moment, my body—which hadn't moved by my will until now—finally voiced my words for the first time.
Connector Authority level is low.
Unable to interfere further in the altered memory fragment domain with higher Connector Authority.
Chik…! Chijijijik…!!
That was when it happened.
“It's futile struggling.”
His sword pierced Black Eye and severed my throat.
Damn it….
Not even curses came out anymore.
As he said, I struggled. It might seem insignificant, but it wasn't meaningless.
Low Connector Authority prevents retrieval of most altered memory fragments.
Please raise your level. Only a tiny portion will synchronize.
Kwak—
Just before collapsing, strength unconsciously gripped my fist.
Though my breath stopped and I fell to the floor, a faint smile formed.
It was the first time. I had swung my sword at him for the first time.
“Huk, huk, huk…!!”
I gasped out the held breath and clutched my throat, which had just been pierced moments ago.
Black Eye asked me.
“You?”
A blue fireball orbited around me, and I slumped down as if my strength had drained.
Looking around, I realized I was on a bed.
“Are you coming to? What the hell was that….”
Bilsang, looking at me worriedly from beside the bed, asked urgently.
Norpa lay collapsed on the bed next to me.
“Yeah… I'm fine.”
Confirming his chest rising and falling slowly, I finally nodded.
‘That memory just now wasn't Norpa's. Nor was it mine. Whose memory was it?’
I released my hand from my throat.
“…!!”
Surprisingly, my palm was smeared with red blood.
I hurriedly checked my throat in the mirror on the wall.
“This is…”
No blood flowed from my throat, but instead, there was a scar like an old wound that had healed.
‘That dream….’
Honestly, no need to agonize. It wasn't a dream.
A kind of precognition.
‘It's me at the moment of Calamity's arrival, based on all the preparations I've made so far.’
Unlike the dreams I'd had until now, it was the singularity where I could fight the Calamity.
But different from the precognition seen through Rerto Karen's memory fragment: in this dream, I couldn't intervene directly.
The reason was one.
‘Someone intervened in the precognition. Someone with higher authority than me.’
Thus, its name changed to the special "altered memory fragment."
‘Who?’
The answer was one.
‘Destroyer.’
He must have intervened in my precognition.
‘How?’
I shook my head slowly.
Honestly, unlike other players, my Memory Keeper title was like a bridge connecting my dreams and Dimension World. There was clearly something beyond simple system explanation.
‘What is it….’
I was starting to question why this special ability applied only to me. Or was it a system applied to everyone, but I just hadn't found it?
I felt the need to compare more with Jin-su and Chan-ho's systems.
That was when it appeared.
The newly appeared alert right before my eyes.
“…Huh?”
I held my breath involuntarily at the newly added name at the end.
‘Got it.’
Setting aside questions about the system, my gamble seemed to have paid off.
For a moment, anxiety about the dream faded; the moment I saw the Destroyer's name, my heart raced.
Honestly, when Norpa Jeran's memory connected to the dream and the alert warned of another Connector's intervention, I'd feared failure.
“Good…”
Traits of the relevant figure in Locked Memory Fragments depend on your understanding of that figure.
A new line appeared that hadn't been there before.
‘Through countless iterations so far, I'd only ever been overwhelmed by his crushing presence. But in this dream, I faced him squarely.’
And I'd clearly seen the power he used to break my sword.
Though I lost in this memory too, I realized my efforts to catch him weren't in vain.
Swaaaak—!!
The moment I hit [Confirm], I felt pulled into darkness again.
In the sub-space stood Lanselro and Cyan Kartinin, with the Destroyer glowing white behind them.
Thump- Thump- Thump-
Suppressing my pounding heart, I walked toward him.
[Traits]
Overwhelm, Domination, Absolute, Vitality Recovery, Mana Recovery, Crushing….
[Your understanding of this figure is low. Retrievable traits are limited.]
Despite the warning of limitations, his traits filled the system window densely.
But I scrolled down without hesitation.
I sought only one thing.
The Memory Keeper title was still full of mysteries. But from repeated experiences, one thing was certain: it could be retrieved when there was a matching link in the memories.
It was just a single strike, but I'd memorized a power of his I hadn't known before, and now it could remain in the fragment.
‘Might as well go all the way now.’
Many questions to unravel from start to finish, but at least I was approaching him.
“In this dream, swinging my sword at you was the end, but next time it'll be different.”
Still a future of defeat.
But the future had definitely changed.
Bit by bit, toward him.
And eventually, I'd step on him and climb over.
I stared at the Destroyer's form before me and murmured like a vow.
“I'll show you exactly how far human struggling can reach.”
My scrolling hand stopped.
Acquire this trait?
Caution: Only 1 trait can be acquired. Choose carefully.
But I hit [Accept] without hesitation.
“I'll strip your powers one by one and make them mine.”
Applying trait….
Light emanated from the Destroyer's form before me and began absorbing into me.
An unknown hot energy filled me from within.
It was the power he'd used on me exactly once in the memory.