It worked.
Away from my sweat-drenched mouse, I clenched my fist in silence.
I wonder how long has it been since I last showered?
Surrounded by torn notes and scribbled papers, I looked past the monitor into the burning kingdom on the screen.
A hellscape born from the selfish act of a single player: me.
All to save one character.
One girl hated by the world.
Even as I watched cities crumble and peoples scream in pain, hated by an entire species, my heart raced when she appeared before me—her expression had troubled look
So beautiful...
"Why?" she asked.
A gamer's whim. Long, long whim that spanned over half my life.
The 'hobby' that I sworely devoted to "save you"
But in the end, my efforts bore fruit. I thank you for giving a meaning to this meaningless life.
The screen flickered
I yawned as my eyelids grew heavy. Even the adrenaline that supported me ran out as I accomplished my goal.
Darkness swallowed the screen.
[Congratulations! You have created a route beyond the game's mechanics.]
---
Chronofall was a 'godly' game released in 2030, widely called as The Elder Scroll VI though there was nothing elderly about it.
It was about a fantasy descending to modern world.
Fueled by revolutionary AI, it gave players freedom beyond reason which won the heart of millions of gamers even with the society divided between the use of AI or not.
You could build a stealth archer and literally hide from the eyes of the sun, then strike stealth damage, plunging the world into eternal darkness.
Or you could become an undead priest, stacking immortality upon immortality, turning death itself into a joke.
Borrowing my dad's computer, I first discovered that world when I was eight, thinking I could become a hero I had imagined.
And before I knew it, it had become my life.
So why...
Why am I just remembering this now?
---
I was reborn.
In the bus waiting line, I contemplated my current situation.
No, it was more like I had lived as "this" character for fifteen years, and the memories of my past life just came back right now—the first day of academy.
A single question came. Why me?
I had nothing special going on me. I was just a gamer who liked playing games. Even the 'creating a new route/ending' wasn't something special.
Many players, at least the one I've read in forums could do the same. So why out of all those players and top ranker, did the world choose me.
In the Korean novels I've read, the protagonist had something special going to them but all I had was devotion to the point of madness.
I scratched my head in frustration and checked my memories.
Without a doubt, the world I lived in was Chronofall.
That unreasonably expanded world due to the descent of fantasy
What befall in my eyes were the familiar skycraper that covered the skies, yet beyond this cities would be the territory overtaken by the races from fantasy.
Elven and orcs alike, even spirits and demons would resides by.
It's fun because the game remained as the game, but now that it turned to hardcore real life where one's life is limited, I can't laugh at it anymore.
Complaining like this won't change anything.
As soon as I finished checking the content of my memories the one from my previous and present life seamlessly blended.
That's right, I weakly murmured. "[Stats]"
I'd feel embarrassed if someone heard me mumble those word.
I silently checked my around as the content of my stat became clear.
[Mochizuki Ren]
・Strength 13 ・Vitality 10
・Agility 17・Wisdom 34
・Intelligence 11・Magic -999
Passive/Activate Skills - [Hyper-Sensitive Magic Circuits] Lv.1
◦ Due to the overloaded magic circuits, inability to channel nor store mana.
◦ The shattered circuits vibrate when mana passes, sending instinctive feedback through the nerves.
+10% Agility
+20% Perception
+50% Wisdom
Enhanced sight
Sixth Sense: Danger Sight—upon activation enables one to instinctively feel when "cause and effect" around the user is shifting toward danger.
Unique Skill - [Blink]
Interpretation…
From infancy to adulthood, average untrained person would amounted to 0~10. With most of my stats being above 10 means, it was clear that I didn't slack off in this world.
But still… what a messed up build.
I gave up at the sight of my stats. Although it was in my memory, I wished I remembered it wrongly.
I had such high wisdom—immensely useful for spell crafting, yet I didn't had and will never have the resource to use magic. Nothing felt more frustrating than that considering how useful magics at Chronofall was.
And what was [Blink]?
One could make teleportation magic wih spell crafting, but blink didn't exists in the game—nor a character called Mochizuki Ren.
Well, that's my original name in previous life after all.
It was to be expected, as Unique Skill are entirely unique to the person with it. There are no reliable way to inspect Unique Skill as it comes from the deepest part of that person's soul.
Players being the chosen one, had the ability to create their own Unique Skill, but I, as a being of this world, had no such leisure.
As I contemplated my future build, the bus I was waiting for arrived.
That's right, today was that long entrance ceremony…
Some around me wore the same uniform as I did. Clenching their fists barely able to contain the excitement.
'It's must be good to be young.' I shook my head as their senior of life (33) and lifted my foot to the bus.
The inside of the buses had it's own familiar scent in it—the air purified by magic calmed and relaxed one's minds.
'Ohhh… so this is the legendary +15% recovery speed that lasts for extra 8 hours after the bus ride!! As expected of the prodigious Arcana Pathfinder Academy!!'
I shone my eyes inwardly as I gazed around but kept a poker face. Looking things beyond screen and in real life was an entirely new experience!
Yet, suppressing my desire to inspect around more, I moved to the nearest seat not to bother the students lined behind me.
"No way is that…!"
"Whoa she's cute…"
Seems like it's going to get rowdy.
I attempted to reach out for my wireless noise-cancelling earphone, but was greeted by an adorable voice as if inviting one to cloud nine.
"Hi! Are you a new student too?"
The source of this introvert nightmare fuel? No way… is that Alicia Solenne? Why is a princess like her riding on this commoner bus? Is she here for the recovery boosting benefits too?
What unfolded before my eyes were a face meticulously handcrafted by the gods itself to make the most beautiful woman in the world. The small adorable nose made one want to press it lightly, yet her long seductive eyelashes made one want to make a mess of her.
Wrapping her was a sunlight that befall to her gold-yellow hair as if the world congratulating her arrival. Even without any filters, she was easily more beautiful than anyone I've seen in the world.
I widened my eyes in surprises, unable to open my mouth, I nervously nodded taken aback by her beauty and innocent behaviour.
"Really? That's great~! I was getting nervous because, I didn't know anyone so I was hoping to get to to know to you… oh right. I am Alicia Solenne! Nice to meet you!! I hope we gets to the same class," unbothered by my silence, she cheered up on her own.
She was the type of girl who smiled like sunlight, talking to everyone like an old friend.
Even to her.
Suddenly, a pulse of heat shot through my skull. My hand supporting my head.
The bus doors, closing as the final person entered.
Missing the white haired female that just entered through bus, my memory attacked my mind as a flashback of my previous life ran by.
["I-I am Irysis- I, I hope we get to the same classroom too!!"]
[Beyond the screen, I saw two girls walking together. One white haired, another, Alicia's gold hair fluttered.]
["A-Ali" the scenery swiftly changed as the white haired girl tried to call out only to be interrupted by one of Alicia's friend. Unable to do anything, she couldn't help but gives up as Alicia happily talked with her friends.]
["Who was that girl, Alicia?"]
["It's Irysis, my friend! Hmm… I wonder if she had some issues…"]
["Well it's probably not something important."]
["Maybe that's true! If it's something really troubling, she'd ask me!"]
[The scene dimmed once again, moving to another one. ]
["Irysis! Why have you turned out like this! Please hold on! I swear I will save you!"]
[The next scene, Alicia was crying next to Irysis' mutilated body as the protagonist looked up—tightly gripping his sword.]
["I'm so sorry… so sorry… if I just noticed much quicker… if I just paid more attention to you…" Alicia's shoulder shivered as she sobbed—her staffs resting upon the girl's lifeless body.]
Death after death, and restarts upon restart. No matter how much I tried, she, always ended in the same fate. Until I succeeded.
It's not that I blame you everything.
After all, it's all that f***'s fault that she always ended in that way.
But. Unconsciously, I was directing my gaze at her keenly, surprised at myself capable of doing such acts.
Then, I opened my mouth as a clear sound reverberating through the bus.
"You hope giving hypocrites who surrounds yourself in meaningless friendship. Do you think you're helping at all? I despise nothing more than a creature like you."
From the standpoint of a loner. I couldn't help but be controlled by emotions and said some words I didn't mean.
Shit.
I-…
Alicia furrowed her brows and placed her chin above her hands.
It's her habit when she's troubled.
Yeah, I know. I didn't think I'd become like this on our first meeting—heroine.
I just wanted to get out of here. I just wanted to disappear from this spot. I'm going crazy.
[You have successfully interpreted your Unique Skill]
Accompanied with the system notification, the landscape warped as I vanished from the spot, the next I blinked, the bus was gone and I was by roadside.
Breathless, I ran away.
As far as I can, away from the bus.