Chương 11: A lot to think about Part 2
Enjoy, 9k words
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/Half a day later…/
/Ploft!/
Breaking his concentration, Philip raised his head as he heard someone taking a seat before him.
"Hm… You sure took your time."
Before him was a man hidden inside a cloak, his face veiled by a darkness so deep even he could not pierce through.
"Haa, I apologize… It was quite a hassle coming here with all of the attention my previous "show" gathered…" The man replied as he reached for his hood
"?..."
'This voice…'
He slowly pulled his hood down, the faint light from the magical lantern sitting on the table casting light onto his facial features, revealing who he truly was:
"You… Dae Kyoung?"
Questions upon questions… He expected a few people here today. Even Roy was within his consideration, however, this boy was not.
How did someone he never met before know anything about him?
/Smile…/
Seeing his face made Dae smile lightly, which confused Philip even further.
This boy saw something in him he could not.
"Let's take this slowly. The night is young, and I promise to answer your questions in due order…"
"First, let's make sure no one can hear us…"
He took out a small triangular metal trinket from the inner pocket of his cloak, placing it on the table.
The trinket looked plain, being entirely white and unassuming. Which only made Philip suspect it even more.
Everything he did not understand made him on edge.
/Tap…/
Upon tapping the triangular trinket, he chanted:
"May no one hears us."
/CHING!/
The triangle unfolded like origami as it shined, casting a large veil covering that entire section of the library.
If it were a bit larger, it would've covered half of it.
"... Isn't this going to attract even more attention?" Philip asked as he looked around
'I can't feel anything… Magic or whatever this is, I need to step up my game and soon.'
"In a normal place? Yes it would. Like a fireball in the night sky… But here? Nothing will happen unless one of those knights decides to do a little stroll in the forest."
Philip wasn't exactly buying his words, and Dae knew that, so he added to his explanation:
"If they weren't understaffed… Well… Things would've been different."
"Getting here was pretty simple as well as this cape takes the credit for that."
"... And how and where did you get such a thing?"
"Where else? I stole it from the recent supplies." Dae said lightly as he chuckled
"They are lax. They don't think we are capable enough to do anything behind their backs. So I just got in and out when one of the guards went to take a piss…"
"Of course, I had to do it while none of their agents were on my back. Had it not been for them, I would've arrived earlier. But now's not a bad time either…"
"Very well. I agree that they are understaffed, but that doesn't explain your confidence."
Philip could smell the oddity in his words. How could he be so confident in his actions despite having just arrived in this strange world?
Could it be the "Hero" was like Roy? Able to peer into the future or the nature of certain items?
Besides, why the secrecy?...
"I'll explain everything. I only expect you to listen for now. Ask what you must after I'm done…"
"This library… You must've found out it's beyond what it seems."
"..."
"To protect the Phantom Library hidden within the 021 shelf, complex spells, and techniques were employed in succession to make sure anyone that doesn't meet the requirements avoids this place."
"And while much of it is about to decay, it ensured its protection until a qualified challenger arrived… You."
Dae turned to the side, looking at the windows and the dark forest beyond.
"This spell also hides anyone inside from the outside and vice versa; that's why you never saw anyone around here either."
He touched the table with his index finger. It was full of dirt and dust.
Showing his finger to Philip, he continued:
"Don't you think it's strange that the maids occasionally clean all the other shelves but not the ones in this corridor?"
"Unfortunately, this effect isn't very strong… Otherwise some of the books in this section would've been preserved rather then taken away."
"..."
'His words make sense. Earlier today I saw one of the Maids passing by to sweep the floor, however, she completely avoided this section without a care as if I didn't exist.'
'Still, even if I take everything he said is true. The mystery as to how he came to learn of this still looms over me… And above all, his reasons for approaching me.'
'The greater my curiosity becomes, the greater my caution grows.'
Philip's eyes grew stern as he tapped on the table, sorting his thoughts before asking:
"Given everything you attested, is it not ridiculous to risk yourself this much when we're already this protected?"
Dae sighed, his eyes looking elsewhere as he spoke:
"Well… It's just some precautions. There are still some people who can see and hear us, and I don't like to take chances. Let's leave it at that."
"After all, we can never tell when someone may enter the library for we cannot peer into what's outside…"
"I guess you have a point… But why the secrecy? It's as if…"
Dae had been waiting for this moment.
"I already knew this place? Just like Old Man Vista, right?"
His words seemed to tug at Philip's heartstrings. He expected him to know a few things but didn't he know… Too much?
"!!"
He quickly pulled a pistol from his inventory. However, as his emotions flared…
[Mind Bastion LvMax maintain your emotions]
He stopped, putting it down lightly.
But his eyes remained open, focused. His right hand resting above the gun, unmoving like a rock.
"... So this is what you got. I can feel some danger from it, but would you mind taking it off the table? I mean no harm."
"..."
Philip, however, did not move an inch.
Seeing this, Dae sighed out loud as he thought about what to do, eventually saying:
"You are as cautious as I expected… Very well, I'll prove my sincerity."
From inside his cloak he took out a small metallic collar, strapping it around his neck before tracing a symbol etched on its surface.
/Sheen…/
The metal shone and the collar tightened around Dae's neck, causing him great discomfort.
"Hooo… I hoped things wouldn't need to go this far."
"Maybe you've heard of it... This is a truth collar. It forces its wearer to only tell the truth or face a dire fate..."
"I hope you take this as my sincerity, as my life will be in danger from now on."
Even so, Philip did not move. However, Dae didn't seem concerned about him anymore, focusing solely on his collar.
"Let's see… I have to set a parameter… Tsk, old piece of junk…" Dae mumbled to himself as he tapped around the collar
"The parameter… Shall be the reason as to why I came here."
"I want to make a deal with you. And in order to make you accept it, I will say only the truth."
"Do you accept? I promise it will be quick and that you won't regret it. I will also explain to the best of my abilities what was the thing you absorbed. Just as I promised before."
"I came here to answer your questions."
"... What is your goal?"
"... Before I answer that, there is a condition."
"Condition?"
"Please… Let me keep my dignity and don't ask any embarrassing questions…"
"Very well... I accept."
/Click!/
The collar clicked as several metal pins grew from the top half of the collar, digging into Dae's flesh as he bit his lower lip to resist the pain.
Seeing this, Philip easened a little, but not completely.
Like the colonizers trading with the indigenous people of the Americas, he had no way to affirm if whatever he said was really true. Whatever pain and hurdle he was going through could be completely and utterly fabricated only to make him lower his guard.
Whatever he could gain from this wasn't something Philip could tell, but given the things he had experienced so far, any of them could potentially be a reason.
If Dae could see the future and was also pursuing the same goals as him, this would make him a competitor rather than a potential ally.
[The deal has been made. The Truth collar has activated under the collective agreement of both parties]
[The user of the collar can only say the truth from this moment on, else he may suffer the consequences]
A system window materialized before him, and while he knew people could affect and manipulate the System, Philip decided to honor his word and push the pistol down.
If the worst were to happen, there was little a pistol like that could even do anyway. He only pulled it out as a deterrent as most people were fearful of them, regardless if they had gained abilities or not.
Dae's complete lack of care for a gun being pointed at him told him he was either a master deceiver or someone fully aware of what he was capable of doing.
Or even beyond that… He knew Philip's tilting point…
"Then… Explain."
Dae took a deep breath, his eyes shifting as he grew even more serious:
"... There is quite a lot to cover so lets go over the easiest thing. One I'm sure you're worried about… The method I used to communicate with you."
"It's best we go over this quickly since it's going to be of importance to us in the future."
"That wasn't a skill nor anything of the like. It's more of an application of force."
"As you will learn soon enough, this world has many forms of energies in it. Vital force, soul force, mental force, Ki, even mana… And you'll also learn that many species like to name those forces whatever they want."
"Through the study and refinement of these energies we have what is called "arts". Martial arts, magical arts, and so on."
"What I used was one such art, a technique powered by mental force. I simply call it a "Thought bridge". And it wasn't a "skill" that I gained when my Class manifested. It was something that I achieved through training. Something you can do as well…"
"After all, haven't you been experimenting with your own mental force for a while now?"
"..."
'So this strange sensation I feel is mental force?... It makes some sense. If the Mind Paladin must be a form of such application, albeit autonomous.'
'There must be other things I can do with it like affecting the emotions of others with "Emotion Mass Control".'
"On that note, allow me to apologize for a moment. Not only for trespassing onto your mind but also for what I had you do."
"Since I needed your mental defenses to weaken so I could talk with you, I had you absorb that energy… But as I said, that wasn't the only reason I had you do it."
"... Okay. I get that."
Philip took it all at face value, but he still had many questions left to be answered:
"I don't think anyone has the ability to perform such a technique within a day even if they were given an explanation on how to do so… However, even so, a question remains…"
"Where did the information come from?…"
'Given how much he knows, I believe he also knows of my Trait. Otherwise, I'm sure a reaction would've occurred had he tried to contact me and failed. Yet he had me weaken myself first on purpose.'
'Given that old man Vista was a Hero, like me, there's a chance he could've been told much about this world beforehand. However, out everyone who should know such information. I expected Vista's grandson to be here rather than him.'
'Something's missing.'
"... You are right to believe that there's no one like that here. Yet I must say you are underestimating the talent of the inhabitants of this world."
"Somewhere out there is sure to have one such person, someone who can learn and master what they see and hear within a day… Nonetheless, that doesn't matter now."
"..."
Philip wanted to press further as it seemed Dae knew something, however, as he said just now, it didn't matter right now.
"Now, enough beating around the bush. I'll tell you how I got hold of this much information. Can't have you eating yourself on the inside like that."
"... Hm?"
'How does he know… Wait…'
"Are you reading my…"
"All of this conversation we are having stems from a single source. And that was my innate Skill." Dae said as he cut through Philip's words
Calming himself down, Philip shook away his frustration and asked:
"... Innate?"
"Innate… One's hidden potential and much more. A birthright. Blessing to some, a curse to others…"
"There are many, many hidden things in this world. Many originate from the System itself, but much of what the System can do was inside our bodies all along."
"Every being with a Soul has some sort of Innate skill that defines it, holding it together. In some cases, defining it to a concept only limits its true scope."
"The definition of a Soul is often beyond the grasp of most anyway."
"The problem is that innate doesn't often correlate to it being at someone's disposal, quite often, in fact."
"I see… So, is there something hidden in me as well? How did you…"
"No." He replied sternly and without hesitation
"???"
"Your case is special. Your Innate skill has already manifested… And so has your Class' potential."
"... I…"
"Stop. I know less than you think and would prefer if things remained like that."
"Remember to keep your information private, even from me. At least until you fully trust me."
"That's quite contradictory. Even so, you haven't answered my question."
"I know… But let's continue. That'll be clear soon."
"Your innate potential awakened early due to the influence of a certain item… And no, I don't know what it is. I only know that it exists and you used it."
"This item is the same reason why you didn't gain a Class. Its interference led to a distortion in the parameters and with it, a fault in the distribution of the "Artifact's" energy, leading to a halt in the process."
"Energy? Artifact?"
"The strange machine in the Church, the big ball… Let's call it that."
"It has a limited energy reserve. One that takes a hundred years to refill. Even when the kingdom uses a lot of resources."
"The way it works is so complex that even after a millennia of research, human scientists and mages are still rather clueless about how it works."
"When it accessed everyone's parameters, it evenly distributed its energy to each person. In your case, everything was used to awaken your innate potential due to the item's interference."
"This normally wouldn't happen, but nothing is always true in the world... This is my theory, at the very least. You're free to look out for the answer if you wish for it."
Dae took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, thinking or rather, remembering what he was supposed to say next:
"Anyhow… Due to the complexities of each person's personality and Soul, some may become much stronger than others… And there is nothing much I can do for them. Only they can change themselves."
"It has always been like that. From the time we're born, we're separated. Some are born rich and others poor, some with a vision and others clueless about the world, destined to be but a cog in a greater machine they can't see its end…"
"Here is no different. Some were given such immense potential the world quakes at its mere mention, while others… Are destined to see nothing but their footprints."
"And this is the origin of Innate abilities… What matters of it anyway."
"... But why say all of this?"
Dae smiled.
"That's because the awakening of this Innate potential is the very purpose of the Orb in the gymnasium… My innate Skill came to be like this. Answering your previous question."
Philip lightly tapped on the table, not surprised:
"... I figured that much when you told me all of this… But in that case, why is it changing everyone's memory?"
"That was a safety measure put in place by its creator to protect it since the Orb is technically an Illegal creation."
"... And?"
'Those in power make the rules. If it's illegal or not, it doesn't matter.'
"... It seems you're still looking at things from an earthling perspective…."
"You must've heard of the other species, right? There are many, maaany more than just your usual Elves, Dwarfs, and Goblins… Where do you think those ideas even came from?"
"Are you saying our ideas of folklore and fantasy came from real contacts and not just imagination?"
"There is certainly some truth to that… But it's not everything… Still, let's return to this world. Earth won't matter to us from here on out for a long while…"
"Ahem… Many centuries ago. The species banded together and created something similar to the UN. You may have learned of that thanks to some records lying around."
"To avoid significant conflicts that could end in the destruction of large portions of land and endanger the lives of many creatures within. This is one of the many purposes of the organization."
"To name a few, we have: Protection against foreign forces, maintenance of the continent's ecosystem, regulation of conflicts and interests between the species, and so on…"
"And that Orb is something considered Illegal by that organization. Very illegal at that. To the point that mere possession of it could cause a war if some conditions align."
"Like a Nuke being detonated a little too close to one's territory by a foreign nation."
"... Then how come the instructors held it as if it was nothing but a toy?"
"That's because they're unaware of it. From their perspective, that is but a simple Ranking Orb, an expensive but available item if you have the coin."
"All that said… My Innate Skill is called "A Momentary World"..."
"..."
'So far, his collar hasn't changed colors at all. I almost think it doesn't work at all…'
"... Philip, no matter how much you look at it, the collar isn't going to change colors… If it does, then I am most likely going to die."
"Ahem… Continue."
"Well, I did say that, but this may push things a little…"
"This will be pretty complicated to explain, but… My Skill. It allowed me to live in an imaginary reality where events happen with as much accuracy as the real world. And I did so for several years…"
[BIIP!]
Before he could even finish speaking, his collar beeped threatenly, becoming yellow.
"Urg… Perhaps that wasn't the best way to phrase it."
Dae began sweating a little, fearful for his life.
Philip could feel it. His emotions surging...
Dae was truly on edge.
"I would say that this Skill allowed me to get my memories from the closest future timeline…"
"Memories from years into the future now reside in my head. Including deep secrets of this world… Or so would I would like to believe."
"... This Skill has severe limitations, with the first being its single use. Disappearing upon activation… You could even say this was my second chance. To inherit memories from a future me, thus giving me a second life."
"The second is that a lot of my memories were either deleted or censured. Memories like the true name of the Orb and what sort of energy was the one you absorbed... I only know that whatever that was is immensely important to you and will aid you greatly."
"No… Maybe it's better to say the System sealed those memories, for I'm not qualified to peer into them anymore."
"..."
Philip's expression tensed as he thought of the repercussions of his words, but after much thought and a headache. He said:
"... That is a… Terrific Skill."
"Then… I guess this is the origin of the knowledge and proficiency that allowed you to communicate with me mentally. Am I correct?"
"Exactly."
"Okay… So you know the future… Very well. I'll believe you for now. But I still have a question…"
He put his hands on the table, frowning as he looked straight into Dae's eyes:
"What am I to you? Friend? Foe? A tool to be used? What is it? Make your intentions clear, right here and now."
"If you can't, that's fine, but don't expect anything from me either."
"My goal is to prevent the future from happening and altering the course of history to one where we can live a decent and fulfilling life. And for that, I plan to gather those with the relevant abilities to challenge pushing aside the river of Fate."
"And you, Philip, are one such person. I am your ally, and you are my ally. I can't say much about the future… Where our choices will lead us… But that's what you are for now. My companion… Or so I expect you to become."
"I'll provide you with the means to grow so you can make your own choices. But I expect some cooperation from you as well… So? Is that enough for you?"
At this very moment, Philip was reminded of Roy's words and the prophecy he was given. And for a moment, he laughed.
'I finally understand what his prophecy was all about now.'
'A choice… Words I cannot believe… Two "me"... He's speaking of my choice right now.'
'The me if I refuse and the me if I accept… Perhaps even another me… The me from the broken future Dae is so desperately trying to escape from.'
'His stern expression may say one thing, but his eyes and body say another. He is desperate and energetic. Moving eagerly somewhere else… Somewhere that's not here.'
'If I could meet the me from the far future, I wonder… What would I say to his words?'
For a moment, Philip chose to close his thoughts and listen solely to what he desired… And the answer came as quickly as he stopped thinking about the consequences of his actions:
"... What do you need me for?"
"..."
Dae's eyes grew distant as distant memories brushed past his vision…
…
/Dae Kyoung POV/
/Several years into the future…/
In a broken world clad in dark fumes, a red hue illuminated the high skies…
But it wasn't the sun.
The air was thick and heavy, being mostly cinders and toxic fumes… All plants had died, all life was lost, all signs of civilization… Were nothing but ruins.
Sitting around a small bonfire crackling weakly were a group of unusual individuals, battered and bruised, tired and…
Hopeless.
"... And that is what we think you should do Dae… We already considered every single possibility…"
"..."
"Although the past is unpredictable, we believe you can change just enough so that we have a chance in surviving this mess."
"The only thing left is…"
/CRACK!... SPLASH!/
Above them, the empty space seemingly cracked, shattering like broken glass. Making all the warriors gather together as they mustered their waning strength, clutching onto their weapons as they stepped in position.
/Tum!/
However, from the void inside the crack, the empty world beyond form, a single man appeared.
His entire body bloody from multiple injuries, he lacked many things… An eye, a part of his arm, an ear… And the most recent of them all… His legs.
In fact, it seemed that this time this scar would be his last… As he lacked his entire lower body… From his chest downward...
The moment he left the crack, he immediately fell into the ground.
"Wh… PHILIP?!!"
There was no time to think, they all rushed to help the bleeding man on the ground.
"..."
"He isn't…"
"Don't say the obvious! Quickly! Where is that darned thing?!"
/Open…/
After he was fed a small green stone, everyone sighed in relief as ethereal light gathered around him.
"Tough son of a…"
"Is there any signs of…"
"No, he's clean… From the looks of it he separated his own body at the last minute… He'll be fine but it'll take some time…"
/COUGH!/
"!"
"Don't try to speak… You're in no condition to…"
A woman with purple hair held his head, her eyes red as she looked at his condition…
"Of course, I fucking am… Who would take care of your sorry asses… Cough… If not me?"
The woman tried to have him stop talking, but slapped her hand away… Although saying he slapped her was a bit much… He barely had any strength left.
"... We… Don't have time. Let me say my words before I retire."
"You…"
"..."
/Silence…/
He pulled a small bead out of his inventory, raising it for all to see:
A strange orb with something inside whose shape barely held on like water. It seemed to be trying to escape its cage, but in the end, it could only revolve inside, sometimes forming a strange, barely noticeable shape that quickly dispersed before their eyes.
"This… How did you get *****?!"
The girl exclaimed in both pain and surprise as she bit her lips, but Philip barely reacted even as she shook him, which pained her even further…
"... Shut up… My ears… Hurt…"
Philip turned to the others, asking:
"With this, you should have everything needed, right?"
"..."
Dae looked at his companion on the ground, one that suffered just as much as he did…
"Yeah… With this… We can alter the rules and break continuity… Everything has been gathered."
"Good… Everyone should have already told you what you should do right?"
"... Correct…"
"Heh… What got you so serious?... Smartass… Guess its my turn then?..."
"... For me… There isn't much you need to do…"
"... Don't be cocky."
"Let him finish Amagi…"
"Cough… Crazy bitch…"
"What did you say?!"
"Urg… I'm dying…"
"#!!..."
"Let it go Amagi…"
"Tche!"
"Heh… As I was saying… The only thing you need to help me with… During the very first month…"
"Because… Haa… Of the nature of my Skill, I can't predict what is going to happen once you start… Changing the future."
"COUGH!"
"…"
"...The very first thing you need to do is… Erm… Let me remember…"
"Ahh… I remember now… Do everyone remember the day our Classes got Ranked?"
Dae smiled, a rare thing to see…
"I remember that… I got so smug because I got a red Class, when in truth… It wasn't anything impressive."
"So… The thing is… I actually got the chance to absorb it…"
"... You what?..."
"But in the end, I got too fearful… So I didn't absorb it…"
"You got such a chance so early on and you just threw it away?!"
"Calm down Amagi… Continue."
"Heheh… Don't you all… Find this funny?..."
""...""
"Hehehe… You need to help me… Stop being so overly cautious… I lost many opportunities due to this habit of mine… But it was also what helped me last this long…"
/COUGH!/
Philip spit out some blood… Together with a strange maggot…
"Oh no… He's been…"
"..."
"Talk slowly, we still have time…"
"No we don't Vincent… Our time is already over." Philip replied as he took a deep breath
"Let's not waste any of it..."
"... You already know what to do next, right?..."
"Are you talking about those four Titles you got?"
"F-Five… There are five Titles. But the fifth one eluded me… I ended up wasting too much time searching for something I could've never… Gotten…"
"Don't worry. I have a plan for that."
"Of course you do… Otherwise we'd be dead…"
"... The last Title will be a little tricky but I think I can help you get it."
"Do what you must… I'd much rather bleed then and curse you then… This."
"..."
"... With enough training, I should be strong enough to finish what we talked about before."
"Beyond that… You'll send me "there", right?"
"Yeah… I know that you…"
"What I care about doesn't matter…"
"... Are you two still thinking of doing that?!"
A beautiful girl with silver hair screamed at them as she approached them in the distance.
"... Unfortunately, that was my thought as well." Dae added as he crossed his arms
"Dae?!"
"Philip is the only one who can do it… Only by challenging himself in the wild can he improve."
"Wasn't that what we all did?..."
"But we only went out to train when we were stuck! We had months of training and preparation in order to get even stronger! You're thinking of sending an inexperienced boy to face those things! Do even understand what that implies?!"
"Hehe…"
"What is it?!" The girl asked as she frowned
"You just answered yourself…"
"What?"
Dae stepped in, saying:
"You don't have to worry about him, with my help, he will have everything he needs to grow at an unbelievable pace, not just him but everyone."
"But… Is it necessary to be that radical? Our time is short but not so short that… Wait… Don't tell me you… Are you two planning on making a monster?!"
/Smile…/
Philip smiled as he closed his eyes for the last time…
Dae did the same, looking at the black smog in the skies…
""Wasn't that the point all along?"" They said together as one embraced the dark and the other…
…
"..."
"I need you to get stronger. Unbelievably so." Dae said as his expression turned heavy
"... That's unexpected…"
"That isn't the only thing I need you to do though."
"I thought as much… So?"
"It's like this… Let's help each other.
"Hm?"
Dae put his hands on the table, smiling lightly as he presented his idea:
"Due to the way I presented myself to the Crown. I am currently an immense asset to them."
"Because of this my actions are most of the time being monitored. Giving me little freedom to act or to grow on my own in secret… If I get too strong too fast, I may end up falling into a hole I can't get out of on my own."
"So I need…"
"You need someone with absolute freedom of movement. Someone to pull you out of the hole."
"From a certain perspective, yes…"
"While I can provide you with information and support from the legal side of things. You can help me with things that I normally wouldn't want the Crown to find out about."
"Why not just ditch them out?"
Dae looked at Philip trying to see if he was joking or not… And when he realized he wasn't…
"Haaa... HAHAHAHAHAHA! That was the funniest shit I have heard in quite a while…"
"That's… Impossible. Ditching the Crown is the same as abandoning your Humanity."
"What do you mean?"
"... You will learn about that pretty soon. What I want to say is that putting the Crown on the side is the same as placing billions of Human lives on a chopping block… The Humans… Need us, Heroes, more than anything else."
"I am not saying for you to be that Hero, you can be whatever you want… But this is the path I'll follow."
"And also… Even if I wanted to do that… Such a thing is impossible. You can't even begin to imagine the amount of power a dynasty can gather in a thousand years of rule. Their roots grow as deep as the Sacred Eternal trees of the Elves and the Dwarfs' Ancient Magmatic forges."
"So this is the deal. I will give you a lot of info and support, while you become my hands and feet on the outside… I promise to give you full freedom, as much as you desire."
"Freedom? Then what guarantees you that I will do what you ask? How do I even get out of their radar? If they are so incredible, isn't escape impossible?"
Dae smiled lightly, looking outside, saying:
"What is that you seek in this world, Philip?"
"What? What do I seek?..."
'That's an interesting question… Honestly. I don't know. Just a few days ago I was busy surviving. It's too early for me to think about anything else.'
'Until now… I guess I've been moving merely because… Why have I been doing all of these things anyway?'
'... Well… I guess its easier to follow someone's words then do nothing… Staying still isn't my style but I can't say I've been moving for a purpose that's entirely my own either.'
'I guess if I were to condense it in one word… Curiosity.'
"... Since you're having so much trouble piecing things together, let me help you figure it out…"
Dae took out a small dagger from his chest pocket… Before throwing it at Philip!
/Grab…/
"What was that for?..."
"Can't you tell? That's the reason you're here. Your motivation."
"Power and entertainment. Everything boils down to you wanting to satisfy your curiosity as you find happiness in exploring the unknown that is this world!"
"..."
"And you will see, my goals perfectly align with yours."
"..."
'My goals huh… I am… Scared at how perfectly he nailed down my own thoughts.'
'But is that truly what I want?...'
"I know that's a lot to digest so let's stop for…"
"Continue."
"... Very well.."
"As I said, I will give you full freedom of movement since I seek to make you stronger and the others too."
"Getting you out of their radar is also pretty simple. We were lucky that we had over 100 people this time. Making individual tracking pretty much impossible. They might have hundreds of trained assassins and scouts… But they can't be focused only on us all the time."
"They have to protect their borders and VIP figures. It's already impressive they sent so many agents to us in the first place."
"And currently, you just had to be of… Minimal value to the Crown, and we shall make them believe so for a little longer. Until you manage to flee. From then on it will be my turn."
"But let's leave the discussion of your escape for later."
"Wait… There's one thing I don't understand."
"Say it."
"Why? Why do you need me to grow stronger? Can't you grow stronger yourself?"
"Of course I can. Where the reasons I shared before not enough?"
"Do you take me for a fool? That only explains so much, not your targeting of me in particular."
"Well… This is hard to explain… Let me finish what I had to say first before I share the rest, is that alright?"
"... I was planning on listening regardless."
"I know."
"..."
Dae picked up a big map from his inventory and placed it on the table, pointing at a Continent in the corner.
(Image?)
"You already know what this is, right? This is the West continent."
He then went to place four dices in two different areas, three of them were gathered in the same place:
But that wasn't all, he then went to throw in five more pieces in seemingly random places.
"This is what I want you to do. Gather these items…"
"I don't have a name for them, nor do I know of their appearance and even less about their uses, but I assure you that they are more important than you could ever imagine… I just can't tell you much due to the restrictions of my Skill."
"What are they?"
"Remember the Ranking Orb?"
"Yeah?"
"That was made with one of these in mind. A mere copy, a poor replica of something of immense power… A madman's creation you could say."
"That's why they are illegal. Because these items were supposed to be a secret in the first place. And a few other reasons of course."
"And that power that you absorbed was something collected from one of those objects… Well… I can't be sure about that. There are many ways to make one of those… What I said was only an example."
"What I want from you is to gather these nine things… All of the ones that can be found in the West continent."
"I know the locations of four of those items, the other five… Are beyond my grasp, but I trust that with enough guidance, you'll acquire them one way or another."
"Looks rather… Simple."
"... Simple?…"
Dae's eyes returned to the past as his words grew faint…
—
/BOOOOOM!/
Memories of a battlefield, the skies torn, the earth broken, cities toppled, the whole horizon covered in cinders…
A fortress stood amidst a sea of red.
"ARG… NOOO! DON'T LET THEM GET IT!"
…
No matter where they ran, it caught up to them. One after the other, life outside became… Non-existent.
"AAH… AHHH… AAAHHH! NOOOO!"
…
Lives were lost pursuing salvation, the hope of a broken system being cast aside by the new, rising order.
Heroes attempted to prevent destruction, men fled for their lives… Monsters devoured them all.
"Huff… D-Dae… I don't want to…"
…
The few remaining could do nothing but run, no time to cry, no time to mourn. Plagued by the memories of their dying friends, visions of their devoured corpses cursing their dreams…
Forever.
"Huff… Huff… S-Shit… FUCKING HELL!
…
After much conflict, seas of blood and tears, Dae finally got his hands on a small green box… Stained with black marks, the dried blood of those who once held upon it.
"W-With this… We will… will…"
Standing alone in a silence world, Dae mourned before countless corpses of unrecognizable creatures, some of which had rusty and broken armor… They had a symbol on their chest that was the same as Dae's.
Creatures… People. Disfigured into unrecognizable piles of… Flesh and metal.
…
"Yeah… It's simple… Very simple…"
/CREAK!/
Dae's fingers started to dig into table as his body trembled…
'It's because of how simple it is that I am so fucking angry!'
"Dae? Are you okay?..."
"..."
/Exhale…/
He finally calmed down a little after hearing Philip's words, raising his head to face him once more.
"Sorry for this… Where was I?"
"The nine things you wanted me to gather."
'This guy's mind isn't stable at all. His emotions are all over the place. If I were to say what I feel… Is he suffering from some disorder?'
'Someone who knows too much… He fears something, regrets… Something far more intense…'
'PTSD, maybe?'
"Oh yeah… Ahem… There are nine of those objects scattered around the West continent. Of which I know the location of four. The other five are in places beyond my knowledge."
"And if things couldn't get more simple, three of such items are currently or at least will be gathered in one place! And so they will continue for another year."
"You can completely ignore every single request from me. But by gathering those nine … Let's call them "Origin Orbs"... By gathering those nine Origin Orbs, you are preventing chaos from setting in on the continent."
"And that's everything I need you to do."
"Okay, I got that... But how and why? How is collecting those things related to any of this chaos you talked about?"
"A good question… I'll give you some context first.. The number of said Origin Orbs."
"Although I said nine. The number may be higher than that. This number is only the confirmed cases. In comparison, the North continent has a total of four confirmed cases while the Eastern continent has… A total of twenty seven, confirmed Origin orbs."
Philip grew confused.
"That high?... Aren't those "Origins orbs" supposed to hold immense power? How is it that they haven't conquered us yet?"
"... You heavily underestimate the horror of the seas and the strength of this Continent… Besides, what does power mean if one cannot properly contain it?"
"Even if they have that many, so what? A high number only means more competition, and even so… This information came from the future, who knows how many they actually have right now?"
"They might not even know how to use it yet!" Dae said as he light tapped his fist on the table
"And even when they figure out how to use it, they will still need to settle their own problems first before setting their eyes outward… And what better place to start than the weak North continent?"
"We have a lot of time before those issues come to us…"
"But it means they'll come eventually, right?"
"... Yes. This also applies to the Northern continent."
"Our goal is to prevent the future… So we'll be coming to them first. It won't be easy since essentially… We'll be waging war against the whole world."
"... Are you even aware of what you're trying to drag me into?"
"I'm not dragging you into anything. I'm helping you prepare for the inevitable, don't mix things up… You can leave if you want but the truth will remain the same."
"You may be skepitical but the longer you remain in this world, the greater you improve and train… The more you'll believe me… If this collar is not enough, once we meet again far in the future, we can do this again, your terms then."
"... Very well. It's not like you're asking me to wage a war right off the bat."
"Yes, we can take our time to do that."
"..."
Philip was beginning to reconsider if hearing this man was a good idea…
"That said, let's proceed to the real part of our conversation…"
"Philip, we talked a lot about the other races, right? You must know that they can summon a hero every once in a while and that they are our… "competition" to say the least, right?"
/Nod…/
"That I know. There was quite a lot of knowledge in those books… Although they were rather useless for the most part."
'I've read a few so I can consider myself aware of this world's background to some degree.'
Dae smiled.
"Then… Did you know that those races can now summon Heroes en-masse?"
"... Is that bad?"
"By no means no… It's just that… Don't you find it curious? That every single race suddenly found a way to summon heroes in large quantities in a very close period of time? Even when they have been trying to do so for several Millennia?"
"And that the Humans were the only ones who weren't given such knowledge? That even when they studied their tools to summon the Heroes for over 1000 years. They still haven't found out how to do so without the use of the artifacts?"
"How did they figure it out?..."
"... When you put it like that… Still. What of it?"
"It's not a coincidence. All of this is directly connected to future events. The emergence of Heroes, the Origin Orbs… And many more bizarre things."
"We're not only fighting against time, we're also fighting against those trying to push the end forward… You've seen the Heroes. Despite being nothing but brats, they hold within them immense potential and power."
"In a world filled with such beings where multiple species are actively racist against each other as they compete for supremacy and space… Do you know how high our chance of surviving all of this in our current state is?"
"Small?"
"... How I wish it was just small…"
Dae laughed as his eyes turned hollow.
For a moment, Dae's emotions came to a complete halt, startling even Philip as he wondered if something had gone wrong.
"It's zero."
"..."
"... We can't escape from the madness that is slowly forming and we don't have the means to change it."
"That isn't reassuring… You're telling me we've been summoned to a world that despises us and will soon turn into a hellhole."
"At this moment, this world has no future. We're going to die. It's utterly and completely hopeless to even try resisting."
"... Is it too late to go back?"
/Chuckle…/
"You do know how to crack a joke… Unfortunately for us, the moment we saw it for the first time, it was over…"
"Besides, that Trait of yours makes it impossible for you to break that easily."
"..."
'I should've expected him to know about that too…'
"What I just said was the future I once saw. Even if I change many things, those bigger events will still happen. And the only thing we can do is to get strong."
"I guess you're right…"
"But that isn't enough, Philip… I already tried that before… Just getting strong, isn't enough…"
"We need to go beyond that. Further then anyone here can even fathom… Disassemble their plans and break everything apart."
"For that all… We must become monsters."
"... How much of a monster are you talking about?"
"Think with me for a moment. Some of the races in this world can live for hundreds of years, some can live even longer. And means to prolong one's life aren't as rare as you imagine."
"So tell me, how can we get strong enough to fight against a genius who trained for 1000 years in just five years or so?"
"... Well, we… Can't…"
Philip tried to think of solutions but they were nothing but jokes at the end of the day.
"That's right Philip. We fucking can't. We aren't Shonen protagonists… We can't just find a deserted island and train with a hidden master for a year to make up for what they've been focusing on for a hundred… It's unrealistic."
"..."
"Imagine a hero from the very first generation surviving and training with all his focus. Can you imagine how strong you would be by now? One thousand years later?"
"... I can't. It's a lot of time."
'Not unless I find a way to repeat what I did with my memories… But even if I can alter time, I can't see myself lasting even a tenth of that time training.'
'Even with Mind Bastion, I would lose my mind over time in a way it cannot prevent… Otherwise, Mind Bastion would be a curse and not a benefic Trait.'
"It is…"
"... Let me raise another question since we're on the topic."
"Bring it."
"If there are so many strong people… Why do we need to do anything? Shouldn't things just balance out? Leave those old powerhouses to fight against each other?"
/Sigh…/
"The truth is simple, yet… Saddening. Unless you want to resign to a life similar to that of cattle… Then go on… Stop growing stronger. Leave your life… In someone else's hands."
"In the future, we will be set with three choices: Annihilation, become "cattle", or fight… Until you die."
"Even Heroes with immense benefits such as us have our limits. A point where we can't get stronger no matter what, or at least not as fast… It is at that moment that we will die."
His eyes narrowed, his intentions clear:
"I think it's obvious what both you and me choose…"
"... So how can I change all of this?... Or at the very least, survive?"
"I already told you. We are going to become monsters. A creature that, in a few years, grew to rival those ancient creatures."
"How? That's the complicated part. But I can assure you that together we can at the very least survive!"
"..."
'Just survive… This level of difficulty is higher than in the memory trial…'
"How long do we have?"
"... A few years? My memory is jumbled up, so I can't remember this very well… Perhaps it was purposely altered."
"My over-the-line guess is four to six years. My conservative guess is three to four…"
"... That's quite a low number…"
"One that we can, in fact, raise."
"How?"
"The Origin Orbs… I am sure...They were some of the fuses... Although removing them won't stop what's to come. It will at least delay it… If we play our cards right."
"Changing the future is hard, they often say a single man can't stop a war… But we're two men, right?"
"The races won't have to fight for something they don't even know exists or where it is. The more we deprive of them, the lesser the chances of them causing trouble… This includes our own species."
"We're also to blame for the mayhem of the future. We're not the good guys here… We're just trying to survive here."
",,, But how will I get my hands on something that is so important that a mere replica is considered illegal in the entire continent as a whole? I feel like a low level character being sent on the final mission to end the game."
"Aren't there going to be strong dudes protecting each of them? How am I supposed to pass through them? Do you have a plan for that as well?"
Dae smiled mysteriously once again, and Philip focused…
"That's the cool part…"
"..."
So far, everything he had learned told him of a bleak future. One that was prone for dissaster if he acted or not. Even if he turned back here, he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly regardless of how much truth there were in his statements.
However, while Dae tried to frame thing as him being fully in control of his own actions, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice on the matter either.
Even so.., Although he didn't quite trust him yet, he was willing to follow his words until he had a method to verify the veracity of his statements.
So he paid attention to every word Dae uttered, after all, there could be hints hidden in each letter of every paragraph…
"That's your problem!"
"...##!!!"
'This son of a… That's it.'
Philip opened his inventory…
"What are you doing Philip?! Please calm do…"
"Shut up…"
…
[You have used, Slow acting Old laxative x1]
After force-feeding Dae something he would truly enjoy, Philip sat back on his chair, smiling in satisfaction.
"Harf… Harf… I almost drowned… What did you feed me?" Dae asked as he held onto his throat in disgust
"Something really fun… Now finish what you were saying before its effects start. I don't want to be around when it happens."
"... You're worrying me…"
"..."
"Huff… Being serious now… Getting two of the three Origin orbs is quite simple… As for the 'strong' dudes you talked about... We can go over the details later."
"And this… Is all that I wanted to talk about."
"Is it?"
"Well… There are other things. But we can leave then for the other days… We can assign specific days of the week to talk. You can bring me your questions and I will do my best to answer them."
He went into his pocket and picked a clock.
"We still have some time before they grow suspicious of my disappearance."
"... I'm curious. You said you escaped surveillance with that item, however, you must have aan alibi in place to prevent them from checking on you."
"What was the excuse you used to come here?"
"... That's… Quite the embarrassing answer…" Dae said as he looked away
"Tell me."
"Please no…"
"Do it."
"... Sigh… I called a maid into my room to fuck…"
""...""
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Dae exclaimed:
"Ahem! I didn't touch her! I knocked her out and came here immediately to meet you!"
"..."
Philip… Cringed.
'Arg! When you put it like that… It seems as if you ditched a beautiful lady to meet me you fucking bastard!'
"..."
"So that's the reason why there is no one after you… They think you are having fun with a maid right now…"
"COUGH!... Anyway… Back to the topic at hand. Let me help you with gaining some Titles."
"Wait, now that you're done. Tell me… Why me? You could've chosen any of the other Heroes. I'm sure they have more potential then a low rank Class holder like me."
"What is it? The reason behind you choosing me?"
"... It's because… Of your Skill."
"..."
'I'm not surprised.'
"Look, I don't know what it does but its one of our greatest assets! Helping you develop it… Is one of my goals."
"... Fine. I'll accept this lackluster asnwer… Let's go back to what we were talking about before… The Titles."
Philip looked at the books around him, asking:
"Are you talking about this? The one that involves reading all of these useless books?"
"Cough… They aren't useless. They are just way too specific and outdated, a 1000 years behind the times… Even though they were updated by the past Heroes..."
"That doesn't matter anyway… How are you going to make me read over one hundred books in the remaining time we have?"
"Philip. The power and versatility of the Phantom Library are bigger than you imagine; the fact you're trying to read those books rather than explore them just reinforces its creation."
"However, while you failed to pass this trial, the fact you can still somewhat keep up with the request proves you have some qualifications… So let's make a small trade to solidify our cooperation."
Dae smiled, this time, it was a genuine, honest one.
But Philip had other fears…
"..."
'… When is the Laxative going to take effect?'
…
.
.
.
Notes
First, I apologize if the end was a little out of character. Much of the original text was written like that and I kind of wanted to preserve some of the humor from the past me from three years ago or so. Anyhow...
Quite a lot changed in the way I portrayed this conversation. However, since we're a little soon in the story, the changes I made don't quite appear yet since Dae's purpose remains the same.
I thought about making major changes to the flow of the story but that isn't necessary. I think its fine to add things here and there to make it all flow more concisely but overall, the pace and future of the story is something I'm happy with, although this time, I'll inject some of the discarded and ignored events I never added, Like Philip's clash with Vincent to give some background on the Heroes' potential and strength.
Thank you all for reading, see you all next chapter.
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