Chapter 17
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Episode 5 - City in ruins [3]
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Two days later.
Walking in the middle of the Nightmare Forest, it was just a few minutes until we reached the ruined city.
You could even see it through the leaves of the trees from where we were.
"This time, we'll split up. I'll go alone, and the three of you can go together."
I looked at the three who were walking silently beside me.
Breaking the silence, Seth and Clarisse looked at me.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
I was strong enough to go to the city center.
The three E-rank monsters were dangerous.
However, if I managed to evolve 'Step Master' and got lucky, I could sneak past the monsters and quickly reach the center of the ruined city.
So, going alone was the best choice.
While I was thinking about that, Clarisse spoke.
"Can I go with you?"
I blinked and then looked at Clarisse, whose eyes were slightly teary.
She pursed her lips as if she didn't want to hear a refusal.
Fine.
I suppose it was inevitable.
Clarisse, at this point, was very attached to me. Plus, I had to be on guard every night.
The chances of Clarisse sneaking into where I sleep and doing something to me are over 90%.
I sighed and responded.
"Alright."
I gave in upon seeing Clarisse's insistent eyes.
"Hehe."
Clarisse laughed cheerfully, and shortly after, we arrived at the ruined city.
"..."
Even standing in the middle of the collapsed roads and buildings...
You could hear the growls of the monsters.
The structures of all the buildings and streets, no matter where I looked, were a complete mess.
It was a place that had been destroyed long ago in the past.
'The events of the ruined temple and the fact that this city is near that temple are connected...'
One day, a huge stain appeared in the sky, right where the Temple of Faith was located.
The Abyss monsters invaded the temple, bringing it to ruin, with almost all the people there dead.
That stain, a portal directly connected to the Abyss, also appeared in this city.
What followed was destruction.
Since the most powerful humans were either not present or not working in this city, the only strong human was the holy knight.
However, the horrors that emerged from the stain were just as terrifying as those in the temple.
So, the holy knight tried to go after the Sword of Faith while facing the most powerful monsters.
He barely managed to kill two of them… and died.
'Then help arrived, but it was already too late.'
By that time...
The city no longer had life.
And the number of monsters that had invaded was too great.
That's why it was decided to abandon this city.
'On top of that... people still keep coming.'
After the second scenario ends, a group of explorers will arrive on a bus to investigate the situation with the monsters in this city.
Every year, explorers are sent to check that there are no outbreaks threatening the safety of nearby cities or towns.
"So, we split up here."
"Yes."
I nodded at Seth's words.
"Be careful. If it's dangerous, come back immediately."
Seeing Seth worried made me laugh quite a bit.
Seth, at the beginning of the story, was kind to the people he trusted. Everything changed after the third scenario, when he became the cold Seth of the rest of the story.
"Don't worry. We'll be fine. Besides, I'll say the same to you two... Don't die."
Just at that moment, I could see Yuri's eyes looking at me as she said those last words.
It seems that since that day at the Detour, when she mentioned the words 'Don't die,' she would stare at me intently.
In any other conversation, she avoided looking at me directly.
'I feel like there's something strange about her...'
I shook my head.
Whatever Yuri thinks of me...
'She won't trust me.'
I don't know until when.
I've already made it clear to her that she could trust me, but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
'From the beginning, I should have made a good impression... but what bad luck I have, killing those two in the sewers.'
I sighed and then turned around, ignoring Yuri's gaze.
"Let's go, Clarisse."
I told Clarisse, and she followed me, walking by my side in silence, gripping her spear more tightly than before.
...
Looking at the surroundings, only one thought crossed my mind.
"If I had described this place in detail, it might be much easier."
But how was I supposed to know I'd suddenly wake up in the world of my web novel? A story I wrote with the help of various readers and constant feedback.
I thought about it for a moment, recalling with some unease.
"There were several criticisms and complaints."
From the beginning, halfway through, and until the end of the story… the complaints never stopped.
Particularly those from a user who used to comment constantly on certain scenarios.
"Now that I think about it… that reader was called 'Twilight of the Gods.'"
It was just their pseudonym, like the ones we used on the platforms. Nothing out of the ordinary.
However, thinking about it carefully… there was something strange about all this. Could it be related to what happened to me?
"The guy behind the screen wants me to change the story, but in the system, he appears as '???'... no defined name. That means he's not a constellation or anything registered, but a being even higher."
But I didn't know anything else. Nothing clear, at least.
"Besides, that reader was the one who complained the most about errors in the settings. He always left lengthy comments criticizing things that now… seem more important."
Maybe…
Just at that moment, a notification appeared before my eyes, startling me instantly.
「You're quick, author.」
"....."
Simple words, but they shook my entire body as if something more than my heart had awakened.
"You…?"
The guy behind the screen. The one who probably brought me to this world.
The notification floated in front of me, bright, immovable. I stared at it without blinking, my chest pounding heavily.
Then, it updated.
「We'll be able to talk after the second scenario.」
And then it disappeared.
I stood staring into the void, frozen. I felt my heart beating in my ears.
Thump. Thump.
I clutched my chest, breathing heavily.
Clarisse, walking beside me, seemed to notice immediately.
"Hey, Zeth, is something wrong? You're sweating a lot… and you're pale."
She reached out and gently placed her hand on my forehead.
But I ignored her.
I kept staring at the air where the notification had been, recalling every word.
"We'll be able to talk after the second scenario…"
That message held a hidden meaning.
After the second scenario, special functions unlocked in the survival window. One of them was the "Chat and Call" tab.
Two options that allowed the chosen ones to communicate with each other, like a mobile phone. Messages, calls… though no video calls.
"If I can talk to him, then… I'll be able to ask him what I've always wanted to know."
He seemed able to send me messages at any time, but he didn't.
"He's reading my novel."
Observing the changes I'm making myself as I become the protagonist of this story I wrote.
"This is dangerous…"
Moreover, the identity of the person behind the screen was confirmed.
"Twilight of the Gods."
With that first message, "You're quick," he confirmed my suspicions.
"So… it is Twilight of the Gods. The reader with the most complaints throughout my entire story."
What did that really mean?
Why was it dangerous?
"If I mess something up… if I make it worse than in the original story… especially in the parts he complained about…"
I shook my head, trying to clear those thoughts.
I forced myself to focus my gaze forward. The path continued, and I couldn't afford to get distracted.
'I know who it is: my most annoying reader… but also the one who supported me the most.'
Then I understood something.
'I know the events that irritated him. Enough for him to complain so much…'
So now I had a clear goal.
'I need to fix those mistakes that bothered him.'
***
I looked ahead.
Two monster bodies lay sprawled before me.
"Why did you bring those things?"
Clarisse was by my side, observing the monsters' bodies.
Their forms were similar to the abyss creatures I saw in the Ruined Temple Detour.
Except these didn't have as many mouths all over their bodies.
"Can you keep a secret?"
I smiled at Clarisse.
Her eyes widened as she looked at me, and then she smiled.
"A secret…? Between us."
"Yes, just you and me."
Clarisse nodded as if she were an adorable puppy wagging its tail.
"Then don't tell anyone."
Clarisse nodded again, more serious this time.
I approached the bodies of the two monsters. In reality, they were only asleep after I knocked them out.
'Let's see if their souls are enough to evolve the skill.'
I placed both hands on their heads. The monsters were slumped against the wall, unconscious.
「Stigma: Requiem of Devoured Souls has been activated」
Their bodies trembled for a few seconds. However, as I extracted their souls, they began to wither rapidly.
In just a few moments, their bodies crumbled into dust.
"…"
A notification appeared before my eyes.
「The skill 'Master of Steps' has evolved into 'Instant Acceleration' Lv 1」
"…"
A smile spread across my face.
I couldn't contain the joy at seeing that notification floating in the air.
My breathing became uneven from the excitement.
I didn't take my eyes off the notification for a while, until I shook my head to calm myself.
'This is better than I expected.'
Instant Acceleration.
It wasn't a skill I had originally written, but I understood its concept immediately.
Besides, its name said it all without needing any explanation.
'I could level up this skill with a few more monsters, but…'
I looked at my stigma.
Karma progression: 「0.98%」
I was about to reach 1% progression, which made me frown.
'Ugh, I just hope I don't reach 100%.'
That is, unless I'm forced to use the stigma against a being so powerful that the progression shoots from 1% to 100% in an instant.
I shook my head again.
Then I turned to Clarisse, who was still staring intently at the spot where the monsters had been.
She was in disbelief.
"This is our secret."
As if snapping out of a trance, Clarisse looked at me and nodded quickly. She approached me with light steps.
"Hehe, our secret."
A radiant smile spread across her face, her eyes sparkling.
'The next step is to test the skill… though it could be a risk.'
I looked outside.
We were inside a building with half its structure collapsed. Only one side was still standing.
I climbed to the top floor and looked down.
'That's the museum.'
I barely recognized the museum's shape. It was in ruins, though some parts still stood.
The facade was a complete mess, making it hard to identify.
"Clarisse, our objective has changed. Help me find a church, or something that looks like one."
From above, I scanned the area around the museum.
The place was so destroyed it was hard to make out anything. The streets were filled with rubble, crushed cars, and half a building piercing the highway.
"A church? Sure, Zeth. If you say so, I'll do it."
Clarisse, with her usual smile, helped me search.
After a while…
"Zeth, I found it!"
Clarisse pointed to an area among the rubble.
"Yes, that's it."
As a reward, I patted her head while observing the little that remained of the church.
'I found you.'
The Sword of Faith will be mine.