Chapter 27
‘Ding!’
[Skill: Execution (D) proficiency increased by 33.3%.]
[Warning: Spirits cannot attack rulers. Spirit’s attacks will be reflected.]
The fatal reason why Spirits can’t attack rulers in the Forest of Spirits.
It’s because any attack by a Spirit is reflected back onto them.
However, my skill, Blunt Sword, doesn’t inflict much damage.
Instead…
Thud.
[Skill: Execution (D) proficiency increased by 66.6%.]
[Skill: Execution (D) proficiency increased by 99.9%.]
[Congratulations! You have reached a sufficient proficiency level to acquire the skill Execution (D).]
[The skill ‘Execution (D)’ has been stored in your Big Data.]
With the reflected damage, I was flung away, gaining distance from the rulers.
‘Got a skill.’
The man who had been eagerly swinging his axe at me—
“What, what’s with that woman? Why won’t she die?!”
—looked at my smiling face as if he had seen a ghost.
‘Heh heh.’
Who knew that getting tossed around by Xenon could be so useful?
Now I could escape while buying time.
I landed safely and scanned my surroundings.
The next target was the Fireball.
The skill ‘Execution,’ which strikes down with immense power, wasn’t bad, but—
‘Having a long-range attack skill would be handy too.’
It would be useful when entering a dungeon or hunting monsters in the future…
And I felt a little guilty for overusing Lyria as a support.
With a smirk, I deliberately aimed a sneer at the owner of the Fireball.
According to a wise anonymous person, making someone angry works on anyone, regardless of age or gender.
As I looked up, my gaze locked directly with the man’s.
Without breaking eye contact, I tilted my head slightly and gestured at him casually.
“…Scared?”
And the effect was…
“You, you cheeky…! Die!”
Perfect.
[Skill: Fireball (C) proficiency increased by 30%.]
[Critical hit!]
[Skill: Fireball (C) proficiency increased by 60%.]
[Skill: Fireball (C) proficiency increased by 75%.]
Consecutive attacks, and a critical hit.
“…It hurts like hell.”
The pain was proof that my plan was progressing well.
‘Just two more hits, and I’ll achieve the skill.’
But not everything goes according to plan, does it?
[Wendy, any more injuries, and it’ll be too much. I’m losing strength…]
Hearing Yeriel’s weakening voice, I grew anxious.
So, I did something reckless that I wouldn’t usually do.
Or rather, I was about to do it.
I was ready to jump straight into the fire.
“You must be out of your mind.”
But instead of searing pain, an unexpected voice came back.
“Xenon?”
How did he manage to break through and get here?
I wondered if he had some kind of teleportation ability, but only for a moment.
“You have a death wish, don’t you?”
His usually impeccable appearance was now marked by heavy breaths.
“You’re always so weak and helpless, yet you insist on pointless resistance.”
With those words, Xenon knocked out a ruler who was charging at me and brushed off his hands.
Then, he took a graceful leap toward his next target.
“Step aside, you’re in the way.”
This guy goes through all the trouble to reach me, and then starts spouting irritating remarks.
The brief moment of gratitude I felt for him quickly faded.
“Weak, helpless…”
I felt a pang of anger at those words directed at me, but he wasn’t wrong.
What I had tried to do earlier was reckless.
Thanks to Yeriel’s healing, I could stay alive, but the aftermath would have been long-lasting.
When I rolled on the ground, holding Celestine, I’m sure everyone thought I was crazy.
Even I couldn’t understand myself, so how could he?
“You don’t understand me either, do you?”
Xenon, whether he heard me or not, adjusted his grip on his sword and walked slowly forward.
I spoke bitterly to his back.
“Do you regret it?”
“…”
“Teaming up with me.”
If I were him, I would’ve thought that many times over.
If he hadn’t saved me, he wouldn’t have become a traitor.
He wouldn’t have become an enemy to everyone, caught up in this pointless fight.
With his skills, he might’ve found better teammates and lived a more stable life.
At my words, he paused for a moment, hesitating.
I closed my eyes, expecting his answer.
The answer was obvious.
‘I regret it.’
But the response that came from him was unexpected.
“I don’t regret it.”
Xenon glanced back at me with an annoyed look.
“But take better care of yourself.”
“…”
“You act like you have multiple lives sometimes.”
“…”
“Skills can be acquired anytime. But…”
He murmured something incomprehensible and let out a low sigh.
“I won’t find another comrade like you.”
‘Comrade.’
The word that came out of Xenon’s mouth left me momentarily blank.
Maybe it was a formal and expected word, but hearing it from him, it felt strangely ticklish.
He was always grumbling, always sharp-tongued.
‘Even now…’
He’s scowling as if he’s taken on a troublesome burden.
But still…
‘A comrade, huh.’
At least he considered me a comrade.
As I mulled over the meaning of that for a moment—
He knocked away a fireball heading my way and stepped forward.
“Do it, like you were doing before.”
The murderous aura of the rulers was pushed back by his presence.
But that was only for a moment.
From all around, painful groans could be heard.
“Ah… It’s all over now…”
“We’re finished!”
The long battle had worn down the Spirits one by one.
Even more, many of those who met the conditions had left, and their numbers dwindled.
Of course, there were still some who remained loyal despite these unfavorable conditions.
“Everyone, stay strong!”
“Do you plan to just die like this to them?”
There were a few who stayed by choice to help their teammates instead of advancing to the next stage.
But even with those, including Lyria’s group, they were still few in number.
Now, the Spirits were at a severe disadvantage.
The rulers, too, became even more aggressive when they noticed that the Spirits they needed to fulfill their quotas had disappeared.
Still, fortunately, there were no casualties yet.
That was because Yeriel was healing the Spirits, even those with severe injuries.
But from a while ago, that power of his had been weakening as well.
The miraculous power that could mend broken bones with ease could now barely stop minor bleeding.
[Wendy, I can’t do this anymore…]
I felt it instinctively.
Yeriel’s presence was fading.
His awakening would soon come to an end.
At this rate, it would be a complete defeat for the Spirits.
“It’s impossible after all.”
Xenon, looking at the grim scene, sighed bitterly.
“It’s unfortunate.”
With those words, Xenon’s sword aimed to pierce through the neck of a ruler approaching him.
Specifically—
‘Ding!’
It was supposed to pierce.
If a giant notification window hadn’t appeared before everyone’s eyes at that moment.
[Hidden Quest: Completion of the Pacifist Traitor]
After the traitor’s emergence, if no one is killed within one hour, including the traitor, all will clear the gate.
—If the traitor reveals this information, the hidden quest will immediately end.]
It would have certainly gone that way.
[With the traitor’s victory, the first gate, the Forest of Spirits, concludes.]
[Before moving to the next gate, ‘Black-and-White War,’ gather supplies at the first survivors’ base.]
—The survivors’ base includes new survivors who have come from other regions.
—Supplies will be distributed according to the performance of each team.
—If a team is disbanded, supplies will be distributed according to individual performance.]
For a while, people just stared at the empty space, unable to believe what they were seeing.
‘So…’
Did this mean that no one had to run away or kill anymore?
It was both futile and…
“Put down your weapons!”
“Does this mean we don’t have to fight anymore?”
“We’re saved!”
“Thank you, gods!”
…a joyful thing.
But not even joy is distributed equally.
“This can’t be real…”
“Then why did I…”
I watched the rulers, who stood frozen in shock, dropping their weapons one by one.
And the Spirits, who were embracing each other in relief and joy, shouting—
“It’s over now!”
“We don’t have to kill anyone anymore!”
‘What a mess.’
I spotted Caltain Ilion standing stiff in the distance.
What would his expression be like?
Was he regretting everything?
‘Well, that’s not the important thing here.’
Whether they regretted it or not, the fact that they were just hated for their futile efforts wouldn’t change.
The rulers, who had committed all kinds of transgressions to survive, were now drowning in deep remorse.
The mission was over, and now they didn’t have to harm each other anymore.
But they had already hurt or betrayed others to survive.
Nothing could be undone.
As the gods wished, they had become villains who only tormented innocent people.
They had become the villains.
Whether the victims realized it or not…
‘Is that why they introduced the variable of the traitor?’
I should have seen this coming from the moment they turned it into a divisive game…
I let out a small sigh, and Xenon, who had been standing still, approached me.
Sensing his familiar presence, I turned my head slightly.
“Xenon?”
Xenon, meeting my eyes, looked away uncharacteristically.
Feeling puzzled for a moment—
“I’m sorry.”
—unexpected words slipped out of his mouth.
—
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