[Curse of Crown]
A romance-fantasy novel written by a failed writer from the slums.
The story was inspired by an old game he used to play in his childhood, back before the first Cataclysm.
[Love and Fantasy]
According to the game's lore, the world of Novara was home to different races.
Elves, Humans, Dwarves, Beastkins, and even Demons all lived in harmony.
Well, not exactly harmony, but they at least lived in peace with each other.
A situation too good to be true.
Such an alliance was only possible because there existed threats greater than each other.
Something no race could face on its own.
Ironically, the threats they faced were familiar with what the first cataclysm brought to Earth.
Corruption, Gates, and most dangerous of all, Void creatures.
But Novara was not the same as Earth.
They were greater in numbers and larger in size.
There were four major continents, and each continent contained at least three subcontinents.
And this was just twenty percent of the whole of Novara.
Ten percent of it was a dead zone, an area taken by Void creatures.
And the rest of it was a vast, terrifying sea, something whose depth even the strongest of the strongest never dared to explore.
There was a concept of a hidden area, something called the land of divines, but no one ever discovered it in-game.
The game's story followed a noble girl, the daughter of a prestigious family with daddy issues, and her entanglements with various male leads.
Every route ended in tragedy.
Yes, not a single happy ending.
The heroine died every time, leaving nothing accomplished.
A trash game.
That's what everyone thought.
Except for one masochistic soul, the failed writer, who saw beauty in its tragedy.
He spent years replaying the game, desperately searching for a possibility of a happy ending.
But fate had other plans.
Before he could find it, the Cataclysm struck, and the world was consumed in ruin.
The failed writer later created this novel in memory of that game.
Though, ironically, the novel wasn't about the noble girl at all.
It followed another girl, one who transmigrated as a noble girl from a version of Earth where the Cataclysm had never occurred.
The story twisted as the new girl struggled to rewrite the tragic fate of the original heroine.
But even the novel's story ended in tragedy, with the whole world being destroyed.
How?
Wasn't the Failed writer trying to reach a happy ending?
Was there really no other possibility?
"You'll understand when you reach the last arc, little Roy. Everything is connected," the person who used a pen name, Failed writer, once said, stroking his overgrown beard.
The novel ended in five arcs, with everyone dead. So, what would the last arc be about? Their ashes?
"The land of divines. It would be my masterpiece."
But before he could write the last volume, he passed away.
'Damn that shut-in NEET,'
...Needless to say, the novel was trash, too.
Luckily for it, there was no one else who could trash-talk it except me.
I was the only reader of that story, after all.
'He really got me good this time.'
I knew he was not a normal person, how else could anyone survive an apocalypse, hole in a crampy house without any proper food.
'He has definitely had a big hand in my transmigration.'
I didn't know, I might be just overthinking, but if he was really involved in all this... then he might be alive.
'The last volume... the land of divine... huh'
Was it him giving me directions to reach the end?
But I was ten years behind the main story, and it would take a further ten years for the story to reach the end.
'And the gate to the land of the divine only opens after the end of the world.'
Which meant I needed to survive twenty years in this world and die with everyone in the end to find the answer to my questions.
'What bullshit.'
"...And after I killed my first monster, I was so terrified that I dropped..."
Grace continued to talk beside me as I continued to ignore her.
'This is all bullshit... I am not going to live my life for such nonsense.'
I didn't ask for a second chance, but if it was given to me, I was not going to waste it either.
The purpose of life?
I will find it too. For now, I was grateful just to be given a chance.
What about original Cale?
I might have received his memories, but I am not him. He might be gone, or he might be somewhere inside.
But he came back, I will fight him too.
I might be wrong, and this body might belong to him,
But I wanted to live.
Because giving up on life is not an easy choice.
"And the moment we were returning, suddenly a loud boom echoed through the whole train, for a moment I thought we were all going to die." Grace grimaced, recalling her experience.
"Is that so? Must be tough for you." I finally turned my attention to her.
Grace's face brightened even more at my response,
"You say it, thankfully, I have learnt some wind spells, so I was able to land safely."
"Is tha-Wait! Aren't you a water mage?" I asked in puzzlement.
"Didn't I tell you earlier? I am dual elemental."
My eyes widen,
"That's amazing, a dual elemental. I heard they are very rare."
Grace put on a proud smile and replied,
"They are that rare to be honest, most people from a rich background have at least dual affinity."
'What with that? Cale only had a single affinity.'
"It's still amazing. How is your mastery?"
"It's embarrassing, but I am just at first star for both."Grace scratched her cheeks in embarrassment.
"That is still very amazing."
"Stop it, you are just flattering me now."
"No, I am being genuine here... by the way..." Suddenly, my tone turned serious.
"Yes?"
"How do we get out of here now?" I finally asked the main question.