Everlast Ruins
The chilling voice that came from behind me was unmistakably that of a man.
But when I turned around—
there was no one there.
A dozen questions flashed through my head in an instant.
'An invisible-type monster? Or maybe a visual distortion spell?'
But above all—
'I've never seen anything like this in the original story.'
Even as confusion tangled my thoughts into a mess—
"Surprised? Do you truly believe the world dances entirely in your grasp?"
The biting voice echoed again, from nowhere and everywhere at once.
I couldn't pinpoint its direction anymore.
Was it in front of me? Behind me?
No—around me, from everywhere.
What was this, a haunted house?
"What the hell! Show yourself!"
"I am already here."
"Then show your face!"
"Perhaps you should ask your useless eyes to make that happen."
...He was mocking me now.
And still, there was no figure to be seen anywhere.
As someone who knew this game world better than anyone, I was beyond baffled.
'What the hell is this?'
Originally, this dungeon was supposed to conclude with the appearance of the Broken Puppet Warrior Commander.
You'd claim your dungeon-clear reward from that NPC first—
'Then, after being acknowledged for completing the hidden objective…'
A secret path would open behind him.
The entrance to the Secret Stone Chamber.
There, you'd meet the Five Guardian Saints and receive the special hidden reward — the Guardian's Blessing.
But this—
this wasn't supposed to happen.
This was completely new.
"...Wait. Hold on."
"Hm? Something wrong?"
"I wasn't talking to you, old man."
And then it hit me.
'Right — the Five Guardian Saints.'
Now that I thought about it, those NPCs also appeared as disembodied voices—
just like this one.
The Sword Saint spoke with a sharp young man's tone.
The Bow Saint — a gentle woman.
The Flame Saint — a dignified middle-aged man.
The Wolf Saint — a clever, lively boy.
And the Light-and-Shadow Saint…
'Right. A vague, indistinct man's voice, just like now.'
Yes. This voice. Exactly the same.
'Okay. Then that's it!'
As realization dawned, I was already opening my inventory.
I tossed my steel sword inside and drew out a bow instead.
[Weapon] — A replica of the bow used by the elven war hero Shilogis.
Its accuracy is mediocre, but it can fire arrows at incredible speed.
It was the bow I'd wrung out of a black market dealer.
'Originally meant to be used during the Crimson Wind Ritual.'
Well, guess it's serving another purpose now.
I nocked an arrow and drew the string taut.
I didn't have any bow-related skills yet, but that didn't matter.
Because I wasn't planning to fire it.
'Just drawing it is enough.'
[Activating Eye of Walarakas!]
As the string drew tight, my glasses shimmered—
and a faint pattern appeared across my vision.
Sssk.
Like computer graphics overlaying reality, a glowing trajectory appeared before me—
a projection of where my arrow would fly.
'Perfect.'
That line showed the exact flight path a shot from Rapidshot would take.
The Eye of Walarakas—the magical spectacles stolen by that old fox Bamilo from the Archmage's library—
had this very ability.
Thanks to them, even though I'd never used a bow before,
I could see precisely where an arrow would fly.
But that wasn't what I wanted.
"...Alright, where are you? Where?"
I simply held the string drawn.
I wasn't planning to hit anything.
'I only drew the bow to activate the Eye of Walarakas.'
I was using the glasses' function in a completely different way—
to track something unseen.
What did that mean?
...You'll see.
"Amusing. Do you think brandishing that bow will frighten me?"
The mocking tone persisted,
but I had already fixed the bow in a single direction.
"No. But this way, I can see you."
"…What?"
Through the shimmering lens, the glowing arrow path abruptly stopped midair.
Even though I was drawing the bow to its fullest,
the projected trajectory was cut off halfway—
as if it had struck something unseen.
Right there.
That could only mean one thing.
The presence was standing there.
The source of the mysterious voice—
'The Guardian Saint of Light and Shadow.'
He was right there, where I was aiming.
These demon-tainted glasses didn't just reveal physical forms—
they could perceive mystical, invisible entities as well.
So I'd used them to locate a space where the arrow's path was disrupted—
a void the arrow couldn't pass through.
That's how you could detect an invisible foe.
'Exactly the same trick you could pull in the original game.'
Which meant I was sure—
absolutely sure—
that I was staring straight into his unseen eyes.
"Light-and-Shadow Saint. I know you're there.
If you want to play games, how about showing your face first?"
Then came a low chuckle,
and that cold, velvety voice again.
"Very well. For such bold sight and fearless invitation,
I shall respond in kind."
And then—
Shhhhhh…
From the ground, a black shadow rose—
twisting and shaping into the form of a man.
I instinctively swallowed hard and stepped back.
Even though my mind reeled at the sudden, unexpected materialization of the Light-and-Shadow Saint—
'Light-and-Shadow Saint… so it really is him.'
—I forced myself to think fast, to figure out what to do next.
But once the shadow finished taking shape—
all thoughts became meaningless.
"Though a little late, welcome to our world, traveler from beyond."
"...!"
For a moment, I couldn't even form words.
[View your rewards.]
The system message still blinked before my eyes—
urging me to claim the reward for completely clearing the dungeon "Sealed Passage of the Tomb Ruins."
I kept my mouth firmly shut.
The man sitting on his throne, however, wore a calm, faint smile.
'So this is the Light-and-Shadow Saint.'
That strong yet graceful smile carried a certain edge—an unspoken sharpness that made my skin prickle.
But why had he appeared this way?
"..."
Unable to read his intentions, I clenched my teeth and glared back at him.
"Why so tense? Is there something wrong with our procedure?"
…A problem?
Of course there was.
Out of the countless questions swirling through my mind, I picked one and forced it into words.
"Why am I an outsider?"
"Hm?"
"I'm asking—what do you actually know about me?"
I was dying to know what kind of information he had.
But instead of answering, the Light-and-Shadow Saint burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha! Know you? Of course I do!"
"You do? H-how?"
"No, actually, I don't."
…Was this guy kidding me right now?
I scowled at the Saint, annoyed at the absurd wordplay.
"I know you and yet I do not. Or perhaps, I do not know you—and yet I do."
Despite his strange phrasing, his tone was utterly serious.
So I decided to hear him out.
"Fine. Forget what you don't know—just tell me what you do know about me."
"You are not of this world. You came from another dimension… am I right?"
"...!"
The words struck me dumb.
That was way too much, right from the start.
What was I supposed to say to that?
'Do I just admit it? Is that even safe?'
I couldn't make up my mind.
"Uh, well, that's…"
As I stammered, the Light-and-Shadow Saint smiled faintly.
"There's no need to hide it. It is neither your weakness nor your sin."
…He wasn't wrong.
Whatever my origins were, it wasn't something he could use against me.
In fact, what he was saying touched directly on the question that had been haunting me.
"Then, do you also know why I was brought into this dimension?"
At that, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his expression cryptic.
"I know… and yet I do not."
"…Oh, come on."
I nearly shouted at him in frustration—
—but before I could, he spoke again, his voice calm and deliberate.
"I know that you came to our world to fulfill your destiny.
But I do not know what that destiny is."
"...!"
His explanation silenced me completely.
The more I turned his words over in my mind, the less sense they made.
"I came here to fulfill my destiny?"
What kind of nonsense was that?
Destiny?
What was this, a prophecy card reading?
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean—my destiny?"
I could hear the tremor in my own voice.
The Saint's reply, however, was cool and detached.
"Destiny is a path.
Where yours leads… even I cannot see."
"..."
"I only know that those who possess such destiny… are the ones who return here."
"'Those who possess such destiny'…?"
A name flashed through my mind.
Eve Wyler! Irgal!
The ones who had taken the player's role in the story.
"Then you're saying… I'm not the only one? There are others like me?"
"You could say that… or you could not."
"…Ha."
God, I wanted to grab that smug mouth and sew it shut.
And what was that other part?
People with such destiny 'return' here?
"Oh, come on! What are you even talking about? I didn't return anywhere—I just fell here out of nowhere!"
"Hahaha!"
He laughed again as I snapped back at him, face twisted in irritation.
"Yes, you must continue to ponder and struggle with your destiny, until the very end."
His voice was laden with meaning.
And suddenly—cold air swept through the chamber.
[Status Effect: Perfect Intimidation has been applied!]
"...!"
A crushing pain clamped down on my heart—
like an invisible hand squeezing the life out of me.
That's when I remembered—
'The Five Guardian Saints only appear when the divine powers of the gods have weakened.'
In other words, they were beings who rivaled the gods themselves.
I couldn't just treat him like any ordinary NPC.
"Now that your turn has ended, it is ours to question."
As if to prove his overwhelming might, the Light-and-Shadow Saint rose from his throne—
his mere presence radiating suffocating pressure.
I clenched my jaw, teeth grinding against each other.
I had to stay conscious, even if I had to bite my own tongue to do it.
The status effect Perfect Intimidation—
It forced the target to speak nothing but the truth.
'Only beings at the level of a divine incarnation can use something like this.'
But intelligent or charismatic NPCs could sometimes resist it.
"Mmgh—!"
The only way to resist was to keep my mouth shut.
Say nothing.
That's what I intended to do.
"Answer me, outsider."
No matter what he asked, I wouldn't respond.
Not a word. Not a syllable.
But then—he caught me off guard.
"Do you, as one of imperial blood, believe you can become Emperor?"
"…Huh?"
Did he just ask if I could become Emperor?
"Uh, um…"
The question was so strange, so unexpected, that I answered reflexively.
"Emperor? I mean… yeah, sure, why not—totally possible…"
"Excellent. So you believe so yourself."
Wait—what did I just say?
Before I could even process it, system messages popped up before my eyes.
[Faction Scenario: Ruler of the Empire and the Continent has appeared!]
[Do you accept this scenario?]
…What?
What the hell just happened?