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Chapter 119: Monologue (2)
Chapter 119: Monologue (2)
? Monologue (2) ?
As the pitch-black darkness descended in an instant, a mana that had been concentrated for a long time enveloped my entire body.
I looked around. In the total darkness, the only glimmer of golden light caught my eye.
As I moved towards it, what unfolded before my eyes was–.
“Ooh.”
A cavern so immense that its size couldn’t be estimated.
Mana circuits, flowing like blood vessels, crossed the walls in golden hues.
The rock mana emitted a topaz light akin to the sun from the center of the ceiling.
Center of the cavern.
Seemingly a mere rock at first, a colossal turtle caught my eye.
Eyes shut. Hard rock shell. An exterior resembling that of an Alligator Snapping Turtle.
The light-brown shell resembled a massive rock mountain with protruding golden crystals.
“Gormos…”
He was once known as the hands and feet of the Primordial Rock Sovereign, a mythological rock elemental magic beast.
He was the Stone Turtle-Gormos.
[Stone Turtle-Gormos] Lv: 180
Race: Magic Beast
Elements: Rock
Danger: X
Psychology: [Wary of you]
As expected, his overwhelming presence was no joke when I saw him in person.
Although when he was lying down it felt like he was one with the ground, if he was to stand, his size would be larger than most mountains.
Stone Turtle-Gormos slowly opened his eyes, revealing light brown pupils. Those very same pupils fixed their gazes on me.
[You know my name, I see.]
The Stone Turtle narrowed his eyes.
A deep male voice. The calm elderly tone was like one of an intellectual as it resonated in my mind.
[…I sense the aura of the Ice Sovereign in you. I see you have risen to a formidable level at such a young age.]
At least this guy didn’t entertain some ridiculous misconceptions like how I was the reincarnated Ice Sovereign or whatever.
That was enough for me to be satisfied.
[Have you come to face the Trial of Sandstone?]
At this point in ?Magic Knight of Märchen?, there were two possible choices as a response.
‘Yes’ or ‘Please wait a moment’.
Of course, my response had already been determined.
“Yes.”
[I shall open the door of the Trial.]
With a rumble, the ground beneath my feet shook for a moment. I nearly fell…
I turned my head to the side, where the sound was coming from. The rock on the walls spread apart, creating a passage illuminated by light brown mana.
It was exactly the same as the Trial of Frost. From the moment I entered that passage, Gormos’ Greatsword would turn me into stone before trying to crush me to death.
[Another world will consume your mind, and your physical body will gradually turn into stone. Those who are unworthy will meet their end, as they shatter into tiny bits of gravel. Overcome the trial and prove that you’re worthy to become the Master of the Obsidian Blade.]
The Stone Turtle recited the official lines, the same lines I had heard in ?Magic Knight of Märchen?.
Obsidian Blade.
The original name of the ultimate elemental weapon known as Gormos’ Greatsword.
That was my goal.
‘I’m getting nervous…’
I swallowed dryly.
In the game, the Ultimate Weapon Trials were designed to eat away the main character’s mind by weaving together his memories, actual events, and events that could have possibly happened.
The problem was that this could only be experienced once in every playthrough of the game.
However, after clearing the Trial of Frost, I found myself in a position where I had to overcome another Elemental Trial for the second time.
This was something that could never happen in ?Magic Knight of Märchen?.
I didn’t know if the contents were similar to the Trial of Frost; If it was, it could be a repetition of before, where I had to oppose Alice, or the Evil God, or confront another traumatic event related to Isaac.
‘…I can’t predict what will pop out anyway.’
There was no need to dwell on it. In the first place, were the contents of the Trial of Frost exactly as I predicted? Of course not.
It was business as usual. I simply needed to overcome it.
My elemental bracelet was attuned to the Rock Element. With this, my [Rock Elemental Resistance] was increased by 40.
I closed my eyes and pulled myself together.
Then, I slowly stepped forward, entering the passage radiating a topaz light.
“…”
As I entered the gap between the rocks, a long dimly lit passage stretched out before me. Yellow stone fragments floated in the air.
Thanks to them, I could somewhat distinguish my surroundings. It was a far cry from the pitch-black darkness of the Trial of Frost.
Kuuuuuuuuu??.
As expected, a brutal noise began to emanate from the ceiling.
Since the light didn’t reach the ceiling, when I raised my head, all I could see was a pitch-black.
It wasn’t difficult to guess that the sound was caused by the ceiling itself, as it slowly descended.
If I didn’t pass the Trial of Sandstone in time, I would be crushed under that ceiling before turning into stone rubble.
At the end of the passage, I could see an entrance emitting yellow light. The Obsidian Blade was probably there.
However, I couldn’t sprint at full speed because of the yellow stone fragments floating around.
‘It’s a trap after all.’
Each stone fragment was a massive concentration of mana. Any area of my body that touched it would turn into stone at an even more rapid pace.
If I ignored them and just ran, I wouldn’t even be able to endure a minute before my entire body was entirely petrified.
Wearing armor wouldn’t help either. After all, in front of these stone fragments with densely packed mana, a person like me was practically no better than naked.
That was why I purposely dressed comfortably.
‘Let’s go.’
I proceeded with hurried steps.
It felt as if there was no moisture in the air at all. I could feel my skin becoming more and more dry. My face and body gradually stiffened.
This was the sensation of turning into stone.
When I suddenly thought of an Isaac statue, I couldn’t help but burst out into uncontrollable laughter.
‘Everything I have done would be futile. How anticlimactic.’
Although it was frightening, thanks to the effects of [Frozen Soul], my fear quickly subsided.
My steps had no hesitation. I carefully avoided the yellow stone fragments, but I didn’t slow down.
Soon after…
A man’s voice resonated in my mind.
????Face the Trial of Sandstone.
Just like that, my consciousness drifted into infinity.
? ? ?
The humid air wetted my lungs.
I scrunched up my nose at the musty smell and quietly opened my eyes.
A bright light flooded my vision. It was the light from the nightstand on top of the desk.
The ticking of a clock’s hand echoed in my ear. A routine noise that went unnoticed unless one deliberately paid attention to it.
I remembered myself pondering whether my concentration had broken due to the sound of the clock’s hand.
“…”
I was sprawled across the desk.
I lifted my head. As I wiped away the drool from the corner of my mouth and looked around, the view of a cramped one-room semi-basement filled my sight.
Thick law book piled up so high that it was suffocating just to look at.
A video game console squeezed into a tiny gap that was somehow created in such a cramped space.
A humidifier emitted a red light. It seemed that the water tank had been full for quite some time.
I turned my gaze back to the desk.
A summary of social welfare and civil law was fixed on the reading desk
In front of that were civil law practice problems for the first round of the bar exam and a notebook filled with the traces of solved problems.
It seemed I had fallen asleep on top of the book.
On the shelf above the desk, books that seemed to have been repeatedly read with intense focus were arranged in an orderly manner.
A briquet-shaped keyring I received while doing briquette delivery volunteer work, a pretty hourglass whose origins I couldn’t recall, and a water bottle containing marimo that I bought at the thought that it might alleviate my loneliness were all unnecessarily placed there.
The wall was covered with various post-it notes.
They contained trivial philosophical quotes scribbled down, as if by someone who had gained some bullshit enlightenment while studying, or encouraging phrases like ‘You can do it’.
As I read the densely written content about the difference between transfer for security of circulating collected items and transfer for security in general terms and the important bone of contention of them… I felt like I was about to throw up.
On the calendar placed in the corner of the desk, only study plans were written.
It seemed too late to…
…Feel the eerie sense of anxiety.
The Ultimate Weapon Trials mixed the memories of the one taking the trial, actual events that had occurred, and events that could have possibly happened…
And by doing so, it created a new world in the person’s mind to devour their sanity.
For reference, the ultimate weapon itself had no intelligence, let alone life-like characteristics. However, it had the will and power to perform its necessary functions.
It was possible that the Obsidian Blade had targeted the existence known as ‘I’ within Isaac and prepared this shitty stage for the Trial.
“…This is actually fucked.”
I really… didn’t expect this at all.
***
Upon leaving the one-room, I was greeted with the sight of a drab alleyway.
A warning sign that read, ‘No Smoking’, was posted on the building’s exterior wall. Even so, a smoker had always come here anyway.
Lamp posts that were sparsely seen. Low-rise congregate housing, It was the living area for Sinlim-dong’s state exam prep students.
It was a familiar sight, but not a welcomed one.
And…
‘Descending Sky.’
To call it an evening sunset… was not correct as the sky emitted a brilliant topaz hue.
A large scale of rock mana flowed through the sky like the wind. It was a beautiful scene.
As I had already experienced before in ?Magic Knight of Märchen?, that was the ‘Descending Sky’.
The sky itself was rock that was created through mana.
The sky was slowly descending and eventually, it would flatten this entire world.
Seeking refuge underground was futile. The moment the sky touched the ground would be the point in time when my real body was flattened and obliterated into smithereens by the ceiling.
Suddenly, I saw my reflection in the building’s window.
I was wearing comfortable sweats, an outfit I had worn throughout my time as a prep student.
And…
“…It’s Isaac.”
It wasn’t my original self who had been worn out by the prep student lifestyle. Instead, it was Isaac’s appearance.
However, my hair was black.
It felt like nothing about my body had changed… That was good.
I raised my right hand and let mana flow.
A pale blue ice mana flowed from my palm, as little ice crystals began to float in the air.
There didn’t seem to be any problems with mana.
Next was my status window.
[Status] Name: Isaac
Lv: 103
Gender: Male
Year: (2nd)
Title: Prospective Second Year
Mana: 24000/24000
– Mana Recovery Speed (B+)
The status window was also the same as before.
Aside from my hair color, physically, I was exactly the same as Level 103 Isaac.
“Come to think of it…”
Ah, I had overlooked something because I kept thinking about the Trial.
I quickly returned to the cramped one-room and turned on the video game console.
I had always enjoyed ?Magic Knight of Märchen? as a psychological reward after studying.
The world in that game had definitely become my reality.
However, in this place, ?Magic Knight of Märchen? was just a game.
Considering the strange events that had happened to me, it was possible that there was some mysterious secret hidden in ?Magic Knight of Märchen?.
In other words, this could be an opportunity to catch a glimpse at the secret parts of ?Magic Knight of Märchen?.
“What the hell?”
However, the video game screen was filled with static and noise.
The ?Magic Knight of Märchen? game cartridge was there, but an unknown force was creating noise and obscuring my view every time I tried to look at it.
As if it was telling me that it was the one thing I couldn’t look at.
A transcendent power seemed to be acting against me.
“…”
It wasn’t even something new or unexpected to me. I decided not to get flustered and postpone my questions.
For now, the immediate problem was that, just like the Trial of Frost, I didn’t know how to pass the Trial of Sandstone.
What were the conditions for passing this Trial?
Since this was also a Trial, the contents would be related to overcoming a trauma. If that was the case…
‘Perhaps I have to pass the bar exam again…’
…No. There’s no way that’s it.
I could easily tell by looking at the calendar and the books spread out on my desk.
After all, I had been solving practice problems for the first round of the exam. The second round was still a long way off.
The time given to me was limited. Even if time in the world of the Ultimate Weapon Trial flowed faster than the real world, the difference would only be a few months at most.
In the first place, how the fuck am I supposed to do this again? Have you lost your mind?
“Then, there must be something else.”
I needed to gather information.
I got up from my seat and left the one-room again.
“…?”
What’s this?
I noticed something strange after witnessing people on the main road.
I climbed up the pedestrian overpass above the road and stood in front of the railing. Indeed, the same peculiar phenomenon was happening to everyone.
“Why is everyone like that?”
They were all gray.
Literally gray.
Their voices could be heard and various expressions were clearly visible, but all the people were painted in gray, as if they had lost all their color.
Now was not the time to be surprised.
‘I should try talking to someone.’
I was a bit worried about their heads potentially splitting in two like in the Trial of Frost, but…
‘Am I in a position to avoid risks?’
I didn’t have time to ponder and worry.
I approached a male in sweats, who was obviously a prep student and spoke to him.
“Hey there… oh my.”
As I placed my hand on his shoulder, my hand just went through his body.
It felt like I was merely floundering in the air.
It surprised the hell out of me, so I let out a pathetic lamentation.
It seemed as if even my voice couldn’t be heard, as the male continued to walk in an unmoved manner.
“After all I’ve went through, I’m even a ghost now…?”
I couldn’t help but laugh wryly.
Seriously?
“I can touch other things though?”
The cold and solid sensation of the railing of the pedestrian overpass could be distinctly felt.
I deduced that I was being treated like a ghost by gray existences. How absurd.
In conclusion, I was not a complete ghost.
Am I more of a poltergeist?
‘That is…’
So sweet.
Of course, I didn’t have the time to go wherever I wanted and shake various things while enjoying the sight of people being startled.
“First, this trial…”
Ah.
I lost strength in my legs.
I sat down, gripping onto the railing.
I could guess the reason. Despite pretending to be all bright and happy, I fucking hated this scenery.
In my prep student lifestyle… In the desolate darkness of an endless tunnel…
I despised the feeling of isolation that I had experienced for years.
Although those days had settled in my mind as nostalgic memories after my prep student lifestyle had ended…
It seemed like the current me was fully experiencing the feeling of exhaustion and fatigue I felt back then.
“I’m gonna lose my fucking mind…”
My stomach churned and I felt as if I was about to vomit.
“Haah.”
After closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I finally got up.
Pull yourself together.
I slapped my cheeks with both hands.
I needed to figure out how to pass this Trial.
I have to find a hint about an unusual occurrence in this world; something that was different from my memories.
Underneath the Descending Sky…
I began to walk once again.
* * *
“So this is how it felt. I can finally feel it now.”
Märchen Academy, high in the sky above the clouds.
Amidst the cluster of stars shimmering with various colors, a female student sat cross-legged, floating steadily in the air.
A witch hat was worn on her head. Only the end of her long light purple hair was tied up. It was Dorothy Heartnova.
As if she had gained enlightenment after closing her eyes and meditating, she broke into a mischievous smile.
[Did you feel something?]
As Ella, a white cat familiar who was also floating high in the sky with the power of starlight mana, asked, Dorothy nodded
From what Dorothy could feel, her abilities had become a level stronger.
Just moments ago, she had sensed an unusual event that happened in this world and had observed the birth of another worldline.
And now, she was confident that she could meddle in that world.
“Nihihi. I’ll be back, Ella”
The stage that the extraordinary genius, Dorothy Heartnova, would have reached in ?Magic Knight of Märchen? if she hadn’t died.
The result of Isaac defying fate itself to prevent the inevitability of her death, no matter how many playthroughs of ?Magic Knight of Märchen? were taken.
At this very moment, something that should never have happened was about to unfold.
Ella smiled with a giggle.
[Okay. I’ll see you soon, Dorothy.]
The power of [All In the World] merged with starlight mana, as Dorothy emitted a radiant brilliance.