Chapter 50
The first thing I had to do was this.
Glancing at the weakening shields, I silently counted the seconds.
The time left before they broke completely was…
‘Around 60 seconds.’
That was all.
We had managed to maintain the shields for three minutes so far, which was already impressive given that most of them had only fought a few battles before.
“Hey, Sylvester, could you contact Team A?”
As I called out to Sylvester, who was nervously pacing near the weakening shields, he nodded right away.
He must have felt anxious and helpless in this situation, but now, being able to help even a little seemed to bring a spark of hope to his eyes.
He moved his hand through the air, and a golden parchment appeared, floating before us.
To think I’d see Hermes’ communication scroll, something I’d only read about in novels, manifest like that!
I momentarily forgot we were in a dire situation, watching with bright, curious eyes.
Sylvester quickly scribbled on the scroll with a quill that had appeared with it.
{This is Team D. Do you receive this message?}
His handwriting was hurried, the letters crooked and uneven.
Still, it was legible enough.
The message was sent, and shortly after, a ‘ding’ announced a reply.
A small letter with wings flapped through the air, displaying the message.
{This is Team A. What’s the situation?}
The terse and cynical tone made it clear who the recipient was.
‘Xenon.’
Recognizing it right away, I gently placed my hand on Sylvester’s to stop him before he could reply.
“Sylvester, do you mind if I take over?”
“…No, it’s fine.”
Sylvester nodded easily and handed me the quill.
Without hesitation, I began to write.
{It’s me, Wendy. How are things over there? Progress-wise, I mean.}
As I sent the message, Sylvester looked at me with a puzzled expression.
I hadn’t immediately asked for help despite the urgency of our situation.
“Why…”
Though he didn’t say it, I could read the question in his eyes.
A look of reproach, wondering why I didn’t ask for aid.
I gave him a sheepish smile and bent down to meet his gaze.
“We need help too, but they’re likely in the middle of their mission as well.”
If Team A abandoned their mission to help us, it would be considered a forfeiture of their progress in the Thunder base.
The moment they withdrew, all their progress would reset.
If that happened, all their efforts to conquer the Thunder base would be wasted.
Moreover, knowing Xenon, if he found out we were in danger, he’d rush here without a second thought.
“That’s why I’m doing this.”
The Thunder base is one of the trickiest to clear.
If they gave up halfway, the next attempt would be even harder.
After all, the strategy of pushing through with brute force—draining all their energy in the early stages—was hardly sustainable.
That meant the subsequent attempts would only get tougher.
There was even a chance they might fail.
And if that happened, we would…
“Have no chance of winning.”
Sylvester stared at me, wide-eyed, as if stunned by my declaration.
“Then…”
He hesitated, about to speak.
Right then, a reply from Team A arrived.
‘Ding!’
{About halfway through.}
‘Well, I figured.’
There were no miracles, no surprises.
Facing reality brought a strange calm to my mind.
The Thunder base, unlike the Fire base, was filled with aggressive beasts.
With that in mind, a 50% progress rate was quite an achievement.
As if I had expected it, I smiled faintly and sent another reply.
{What, only halfway? You better pick up the pace. How about the first to clear buys the other a wish?}
After sending the message, I stretched.
Although I hadn’t received a reply yet, I could already imagine Xenon gritting his teeth as he read the message.
Patting the tense Sylvester on the shoulder, I gave him a bright smile.
“Take care of things for me, Sylvester.”
“What? Why say something so unlucky—?”
Sylvester’s face turned pale in an instant.
‘Ah, damn.’
I might have said something that could be misunderstood.
All I meant was that he should manage things while I was stuck at the altar…
“I just meant to take care of things while I’m on the altar.”
I quickly corrected myself, waving my hands as I explained.
“It’s just that I won’t be able to move, so I thought you’d be perfect to act as the vice leader in the meantime… What do you think?”
Sylvester was the ideal choice to act as a vice leader to guide the team.
Though young, his reasoning and judgment surpassed those of many adults.
Maybe that’s just what happens when you’re an avatar chosen by one of the highest-ranking constellations?
Even I was sometimes surprised by him.
Realizing what I meant, his ears flushed red.
“Got it.”
Sylvester nodded, though he looked more nervous than usual, and then faced forward.
[Sylvester has been appointed as the Vice Leader of the Black Faction.]
With this, even if something bad happened to me, the faction wouldn’t collapse.
If the leader falls, the vice leader takes over as the commander.
Watching Sylvester’s steady back made me feel both fond and a little sorrowful.
He was trying to act mature, but he was still just a kid, not much older than Lyria.
I felt a pang of guilt for pushing such a heavy responsibility onto him.
“Whatever happens, it’s not your fault.”
I gently brushed back Sylvester’s jet-black hair, soft as silk.
“So don’t look back.”
He let himself relax under my touch, almost like a docile kitten.
But that peace didn’t last long.
‘Crack, crack.’
The barrier that had been holding firm began to fracture.
It split like an eggshell, breaking apart.
‘Crack!’
And just like that, it shattered.
It had held up for quite some time.
Actually, ‘quite some time’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Given our team’s abilities, withstanding these attacks and blasts of fire was nearly impossible.
So what could the answer be?
There was only one explanation.
[Constellation The Hearth of the Cosmos has assisted in maintaining the barrier.]
[Constellation The Sage of Death has contributed to the barrier.]
[Constellation The Versatile Newcomer is also…]
The sky filled with countless indirect messages.
-mamxxx: Don’t die on us, Wendy!
-dowxxx: This is just another part of the trial, right? If you kill them all again, I’m gonna freak out here.
ㄴujuxxx: Then this place is just one big public restroom.
-123xxx: Please stop tormenting the kids.
[You have gained favor from 85 observers.]
[Cumulative favor: 120]
…And playful yet worried messages from the readers.
We were only able to manage this because they had been supporting us all along.
Constellations typically can only intervene indirectly.
They might boost their avatar’s stats or suggest a direction for them to grow.
But, sometimes, more direct intervention was possible.
Though, like in Carl’s case, such help often came with severe penalties…
Seeing the team in one piece suggested that it wasn’t the avatars who bore the penalty this time.
It must have been the constellations themselves who paid the price.
I didn’t know what penalties the constellations had faced, but the fact that they still chose to help us was deeply moving.
[Constellation The Loving Rod apologizes for not being able to assist further.]
I blinked in surprise at the indirect message that appeared.
There was no need to apologize.
In fact…
“Thank you.”
I was grateful.
Thanks to them, we had managed to buy this much time and prepare safely.
“You’ve been a great help.”
I bowed deeply toward the sky, and for a moment, I thought I heard soft laughter in the wind.
[Constellation The Loving Rod smiles contentedly.]
[Constellation The Loving Rod tells you to please be careful.]
[Constellation The Loving Rod…]
Eros chattered on, almost as if he had been holding back this whole time.
Seeing his lively response, I felt relieved, knowing that my sincerity had reached him.
…But then, something seemed a little off.
[Constellation Star of Eros is fading.]
The indirect messages from Eros, which had been so lively, suddenly went silent.
“…Huh?”
And it wasn’t just him.
Similar messages began appearing from all directions.
“What is this…?”
“What’s happening?”
[Constellation Star of Odin is fading.]
[Constellation Star of Hestia is fading.]
[Constellation Star of the Readers…]
Each message listed the true names of the constellations that had aided us.
The avatars, shocked and confused, couldn’t hide their panic.
Forced exits?
This had never been mentioned in the original story, nor had I ever heard of such a thing.
‘Why?’
Was the penalty for the constellations more than just temporary suspension?
The use of the term ‘fading’ felt severe, as if…
Something far worse might be happening.
Perhaps something like permanent banishment.
The thought struck me, making my heart plummet.
‘Then, what about my readers?’
What happens to them?
Where do they go when they disappear?
Will they be able to watch me again?
…Surely, they won’t come back with no memories of me, right?
We had only just started to bond.
I had just begun to accept them.
‘What about Hestia and Odin? Eros?’
Where have they all gone?
I don’t want this.
I don’t want to lose anyone else precious to me.
…More than that.
What happens to me now?
Caught up in confusion, I barely noticed the massive fireball flying toward us from afar.
—
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