Chapter 90 - Player (2)

Silence settled between us. After briefly gathering my thoughts, I let out a quiet sigh out of habit. Watching me, Lagna closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again.

“You're calmer than I expected. I knew you wouldn't believe me even if I told you.”

What was she talking about? I'd sighed because I thought this really might be it.

“Then again, perhaps you're better off ignoring it. A Dimension collapse is a disaster you can neither predict nor prevent, even if you know it's coming.”

She certainly had a point. In the game, too, Dimension collapses always struck without warning. Though most runs ended without one ever happening.

'You'd be lucky—or unlucky—to see one in a hundred runs.'

Of course, when one did happen, it was an absolute catastrophe. In the middle or late stages, you could manage it to some extent. Early on, though, pressing Escape and starting over would actually save you time.

“So where did this information come from?”

I calmly checked what I needed to know. My gut told me this was the source of my unease, but I couldn't be sure.

“A mage of the Tarutein School named Sharnel Fergan. Apparently, they've spent a long time studying Dimension collapse phenomena.”

After giving me the mage's name, she said that was all she knew.

“I see. I'll look into it myself from here. In any case, thank you for the warning.”

As I turned and headed for the door, her voice came from behind me.

“Are you... leaving already today?”

Well, a new quest had popped up. Shouldn't I go take care of that first?

* * *

The tavern was as noisy and bustling as ever. Seated in a secluded corner, a silver-haired elf tapped the table with her index finger. It was a habit of hers whenever something weighed on her mind.

“Haa...”

Her sweet, beautiful little sister, Erwin, had changed three months ago. Not only had she started asking for help with the training she used to hate so much, she pushed herself to her limits, as though even sleep were a waste of time. And she'd grown a little sharper.

She wasn't quite as bad with her own flesh and blood, but... the way she spoke to others, looked at them, and acted around them was markedly different from before.

'Still, at least it isn't a change for the worse...'

An excessive drive to improve and wariness of others? Those were welcome qualities for an explorer, whose lot in life was to enter the Labyrinth. In fact, they had helped her make enormous progress.

Her sister had successfully contracted with all four great elementals and brought three of them to Enlightenment, giving them wills of their own. And that wasn't all. Her archery, hand-to-hand combat, and close-quarters knife fighting improved by leaps and bounds with each passing day. Frankly, it made her wonder how such talent had gone so long without blossoming.

What made her sigh, however, was the cause of that change.

'How much longer can I keep this hidden...?'

The death of a barbarian whom Erwin called Mister and leaned on for emotional support. Really, even calling it a death was ridiculous. The man himself would be alive and well, having even made a name for himself as Little Valcan.

'Should I tell her now, at least?'

When she first heard news of him, she'd been surprised. Then came anxiety. She'd thought it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. But what do you know? Erwin, who shut herself in her room every day and devoted herself entirely to training, still hadn't heard.

“Have you heard? They say the Ebon Sword might become the Sword Duke's disciple!”

“Hah! Where did you hear that nonsense, and why are you spreading it? The Sword Duke is a man of noble standing. Why would he ever take some mere explorer as a disciple?”

Sitting alone in a secluded corner of the tavern, Daria listened to the nearby explorers' conversations with relief.

'The rumors really are starting to die down now...'

The story that had once been heard everywhere in the city had been buried beneath new ones. Tales of an evil spirit being vanquished, or a priest of Carui who'd fled into the sewers being slain. It had given her quite a scare when that barbarian became the talk of the tavern again... but even that had mostly died down by now.

'Yes. Let's leave things as they are.'

Daria finally made up her mind. Really, there was nothing to agonize over. For someone who had chosen to live as an explorer, when would another opportunity for such growth ever come along?

“Hey, pretty elf. Did you come here alo—”

“Fuck off. Unless you want a hole in your forehead.”

Shoving away the approaching drunk, Daria left the tavern. She'd been coming here every evening in case the barbarian did something else to get people talking... but she wouldn't be coming anymore.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

Back at their lodgings, she knocked on her sister's door. No answer came. Wondering if Erwin had fallen asleep on the floor, she slipped the key into the lock.

CLICK.

The lock released, and the door creaked open, revealing her sister within. Erwin had summoned all four great elementals and was sitting with her eyes closed as though meditating. But...

“...have to...”

Her lips were moving slightly, as though she were muttering something. Daria held her breath and drew closer. Then she could make out the words more clearly.

“I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. That way, I won't have to lose anything. I can have it all...”

Her sister kept repeating similar phrases, as though brainwashing herself.

“Erwin...?”

Daria hurried to rouse her.

Surprisingly, her sister's expression was perfectly calm.

“Oh, you're back?”

“Are you... all right?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well... you were muttering something to yourse—”

“Huh? I was just talking with the elementals.”

It hadn't sounded remotely like a conversation with elementals... but Daria held her tongue. Her sister was showing her the door.

“I'm training right now. Could you come back later?”

“All right...”

Daria left the room dispiritedly. Back in her own room, she mulled over what had just happened. What she'd seen wasn't something she could dismiss as enthusiasm or determination. It was almost compulsive. Erwin hadn't been like this even after that incident ten years ago...

'What's wrong? That barbarian couldn't have meant that much to he—'

Daria abruptly froze. She had recalled the biggest recent change.

'Ah, could it be because she absorbed that Essence?'

Daria pulled a book from the shelf. She'd bought it from the Guild some time ago for a considerable sum.

[The Complete Compendium of Low-Grade Essences]

A book containing information on every Essence from grades 7 through 9.

First, she checked the Essence her sister had absorbed most recently.

'Where's Canibaro...?'

It was a monster found only in the Witch's Forest, but they'd been lucky enough to obtain its Essence while rescuing an explorer it had chased all the way out of the woods.

'Ah, here it is.'

Flipping through the pages, she summoned a fire elemental and read the text.

[Canibaro] Grade 7.

Agility (Medium), Darkness Defense (Low), Endurance (Low), Precision (Medium), Sixth Sense (Low), Hearing (Medium), Fixation (High).

*Increases Agility and senses while moving.

*Mana Mine (Red)

*Hounds (Blue)

*Pursuing Arrow (Green)

As she carefully reviewed the information, one part made her freeze.

“Fixation... is High?”

A sudden sense of déjà vu prompted her to check the Essence Erwin had absorbed three months ago as well.

[Steel Hill Pursuer] Grade 8.

Strength (Low), Physical Resistance (Low), Leg Strength (Low), Leaping Power (Medium), Earth Resistance (Low), Perception Disruption (Low), Agility (Medium), Fixation (Medium)

*Increases Penetration upon a successful surprise attack.

*Piercing Arrow (Red)

*Terrain Eruption (Blue)

*Spot Weakness (Yellow)

'What in the world...?'

This one had Fixation too. And at Medium, no less.

'Don't tell me that one too...?'

While she was at it, she checked the very first Essence her sister had absorbed. Sure enough...

[Goblin Archer] Grade 9.

Flexibility (Low), Smell (Low), Poison Tolerance (Low), Perception (Low), Perception Disruption (Low), Precision (Low), Sight (Low), Agility (Low), Fixation (Low)

*Applies paralytic poison when using bow-type weapons.

*Thief Steps

Even this one had Fixation. Only now did the situation become clear to Daria. Her sister's excessive obsession with power was all because of this stat.

'Then what should I do?'

She couldn't have her sister spend money to erase Essences she'd worked so hard to absorb. But leaving things as they were weighed heavily on her.

'Once she gets an Essence that can replace one... I'll have her erase it then.'

After much deliberation, she reached a conclusion.

But after a quick wash, she lay down in bed and found herself facing another question.

'Uh, wait a minute.'

If Erwin found out the barbarian was alive before then... where would this stat turn her fixation?

* * *

Ten days had passed since I heard about the Dimension collapse. But whether it was a baseless rumor, the truth, or a misconception held by someone who believed it was true... despite keeping busy looking into it, I had nothing concrete to show for my efforts.

“Sharnel Fergan?”

Even Raven, who'd always helped whenever I brought her questions, was no use this time.

“Look, you can ask me to arrange a meeting all you like, but I've never heard that name before. We barely have any contact with the Tarutein School in the first place.”

“... I see.”

“Anyway, keep the whole day free when you come next week. We drew lots, and we have a winner.”

“A winner...?”

“Did you forget? You agreed to help one of my seniors with their research in return for having that paper examined.”

No, I remembered that. I just hadn't expected them to draw lots for it.

'Tch, now I'm even more worried...'

I'd never had good luck with draws in my life.

Anyway, I kept trying various ways to meet the mage named Sharnel Fergan, but every attempt failed. Meanwhile, the rumor slowly began to spread.

“Bjorn! Did you hear, nyah?! They say there might be a Dimension collapse soon, nyah!!”

Misha, who'd gone to meet an old teammate for the first time in a while, came rushing back and started making a fuss. If even she knew, I had to assume it had spread everywhere.

Sure enough, when I visited the tavern that evening, everyone was talking about the Dimension collapse. The problem was...

'None of them even knows where the rumor came from.'

Who had first said it? What evidence was there? Without discussing any of that, everyone was fueling their anxiety and blowing the rumor out of proportion.

'This is... a little strange...'

Something felt off, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Normally, for a rumor to spread this far, shouldn't there at least be some plausible evidence? By now, gossipmongers had tacked on all sorts of hearsay as supposed evidence, but at the beginning there hadn't even been that.

'Could someone be deliberately spreading the rumor?'

Having watched the situation closely from the start, that was the conclusion I reached. Of course, it was only speculation... but no matter how I looked at it, the current situation was a little strange.

'Ha, it really does seem like something's going on.'

It was frustrating. I wanted to know the information quietly circulating in more secretive places, not the gossip being traded in taverns.

But reality wasn't so accommodating. How was a barbarian who'd started from nothing and made a name for himself solely through combat supposed to access information like that?

'If it weren't for Lagna, I wouldn't even know the name Sharnel Fergan.'

At last, I made a decision. In my hand was the pill that had come with the letter from Ghost Busters. To keep my anonymity airtight, I'd originally planned to wait at least three months before taking it, but...

'Moving it up by a month should be fine.'

I popped the pill into my mouth and swallowed.

「The character has taken GB-027.」

I wasn't immediately dragged into the spiritual world. According to the information I'd found in the secret library Raven and Lagna had given me access to, the gathering was held at midnight on the fifteenth of every month.

'Just three days to wait.'

Time passed quickly. Then the moment I'd been waiting for arrived. A sensation as though my mind were drifting away from my body.

「The character's soul resonates and is drawn into a specific world.」

When I opened my eyes, a computer stood before me.

* * *

A pure-white space reminiscent of the cosmos. I probably wouldn't even have been able to tell up from down if not for that computer over there.

'What the hell is this now?'

This was nothing like the start I'd expected, but I slowly stepped toward the computer. It was a feeling I'd never experienced before, as though I were riding inside a robot and operating it to walk.

After an awkward, tottering journey, I finally reached the computer and checked the monitor, which was already on.

[Please enter your password.]

A short sentence on a black DOS screen.

Without much thought, I typed in the password.

[Rafdonia’s king, Mother fucker]

So that hadn't been “P.S.” as in “postscript,” after all.