As I stepped into the hidden space, the first thing I felt was a sense of weakness.
My body felt heavy, and the surrounding air seemed to push me away.
Moving forward felt like a struggle, and every motion felt unnatural.
I knew what was happening. I’d experienced it in the game before.
I pulled up the stat window I hadn’t needed to look at until now.
[Rudion]
[Strength: 17 (-12)]
[Endurance: 8 (-6)]
[Agility: 26 (-18)]
[Magic Power: 11 (-8)]
It was a stat reduction debuff.
Just like in the game, my stats had dropped by about 70%.
Not a big deal, though. My stats were mediocre to begin with, and as long as I didn’t mess with anything here, the numbers didn’t matter much.
But hey, growth is blocked, huh? Guess it changes based on other factors.
Not sure how to use that info yet, but I’ll keep it in mind.
For now, I decided to reflect a bit on where I’d entered.
The Rubetia Royal Palace has many secrets, but three are considered the most important:
The remnants of the past, the curse of the defeated, and the fate of the apocalypse.
One is the dark knowledge accumulated by Rubetia’s ancestors long ago.
Another is the seed of the Demon Race, formed from the curses of kingdoms that fell in Rubetia’s wars.
The last one… well, it’s absolutely ridiculous, but there’s a tiny chance of the world suddenly ending. Like, out of nowhere.
And luckily, in this place I’ve entered, I managed to deal with the last one.
‘The first two would be a headache if they happened, but…’
At least those make some sense. I have no idea why they added the apocalypse gimmick, though.
Do you know the frustration of playing a game, everything going well, and then suddenly seeing, “The apocalypse has arrived,” and the game just ends?
I experienced that in my first playthrough, right after the game launched.
I spent ages trying to figure out what I did wrong, but nothing came up.
It wasn’t until months later that it was discovered and posted online… Talk about getting scammed.
Anyway, since the ending is so absurd, the chances of it happening are equally absurd, so I probably don’t need to worry about it. But since I’m here, might as well eliminate one potential threat.
With that thought, I headed deeper inside, when a genderless voice echoed through the air.
-“Unauthorized individual detected.”
I looked in the direction of the voice, but there was no one there.
Still, I wasn’t surprised.
‘This place is exactly like the game, down to the smallest detail.’
The same sequence of events played out, after all.
So, I ignored the voice and walked further into the space.
As if sensing this, the voice issued another warning.
– Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from accessing. Please halt.
– If not complied with, defense protocols will be initiated.
“Hello~”
Though it’s called defense, it’s actually an intruder elimination function.
Inside the space, powerful magic bullets are being fired indiscriminately. With my current defense level at a mere 2, it’s clear that even a single hit would send me straight to the grave.
In other words, I now have to play a bullet-hell game where not a single hit is allowed.
And that too, without any retries.
‘Kind of nerve-wracking, huh.’
Still, I had some confidence.
The difficulty level is absurd, but this is, after all, the playground for experienced players.
– Initiating defense protocols.
Right after the voice from the void said that, bright red lines began to appear in the air.
It took no time to figure out what they were.
‘Are they really showing this to me?’
They indicate where the attacks are coming from.
I don’t know by what criteria they’re visible… I was planning to dodge just by watching the bullets, but this makes it even easier.
Recalling my memories of playing here, I start moving.
Dodge what can be dodged, and ignore the rest with invincibility frames.
Do you think mastering difficult patterns is a matter of talent?
No, it’s surprisingly a matter of effort.
How many times do you think I’ve been game overed while playing this game?
10 times? 100 times?
‘Can’t really remember.’
I phrased it as a question, but there’s no answer. I don’t know either.
If I had cleared it enough times to count, then that would indeed be a matter of talent.
Once you start putting in the effort, there’s no need to measure how much you’ve done.
You just keep going until you clear it.
That’s how I managed to survive here until now.
Looking back, all the dodging and parrying I’ve done so far… If I had slipped up even once, who knows what would have happened.
‘I did step up because I was confident, but…’
I wonder if I’ve been treating this too much like a game, even though it’s reality.
Actually, I came here with that same mindset, but… I couldn’t help but have a change of heart.
While dodging, my left arm suddenly started burning.
“Ugh.”
It seems a bullet grazed my arm without me noticing.
I thought I dodged it, but my timing must have been slightly off.
This was the first dodge mistake and the first injury since coming to this world.
– Defense protocols terminated. Granting qualifications to the individual.
– Complete. Access granted. Welcome.
Fortunately, the situation ended before any more mistakes could happen.
The loud noises formed by the grazing bullets quieted down as if they never happened, and the bright red lines that filled my vision disappeared.
Looking around, I saw that the bullets I had dodged had left numerous holes in the wall, making it look hideous.
I didn’t stare at it for too long because it felt like I might develop a phobia, but one thing was certain.
“…That was f***ing reckless.”
I almost died just now.
Honestly, I’m lucky it just grazed me. If I had been unlucky and it had pierced through somewhere, I don’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened next.
I knew this place was dangerous, and I was well aware that it wasn’t a difficulty level to be taken lightly, being an experienced player’s playground.
But I thought I’d be fine.
I thought if I just used my evasive skills well, I could break through everything like I had so far and return unscathed.
I was wrong. The torn clothes from the magic bullet graze and the red liquid oozing from the grazed area were completely contradicting my earlier thoughts.
Now that I’ve realized it belatedly… well…
Whatever, at least I’m alive.
I’m clearly aware of the situation, but the only thoughts that come to mind are oddly calm.
I guess people really do stay composed when they’re on the brink of death.
And, while thinking about how I almost died, another thought crossed my mind.
‘It takes being pushed this far to mess up a single dodge, huh?’
With my stats reduced by 70%, making my body feel heavy, and bullets pouring in from all directions like crazy.
And I only messed up once? I think I can trust my evasive maneuvering skills a bit more from now on.
Of course, I do think I need to prioritize safety a bit more. My left forearm is starting to sting.
“How am I gonna explain this one?”
Looking at the wound, the skin was torn in a straight line.
Right now, it’s just stinging, but it’ll probably start hurting properly soon.
My clothes are torn too. Seria’s definitely gonna have something to say about this.
For now, I tore off a piece of my already ripped clothes and wrapped it around the bleeding area to stop the blood.
I guess it’s somewhat okay. I feel like it’s gotten a bit better.
And next… I headed toward the door that opened with the announcement that entry was permitted.
I’ve come this far, so I can’t just turn back… I’ll do what I can for now.
Beyond the door was a large hall with three doors.
Inside the large hall were all sorts of treasures, relics, and special items scattered around.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to get here so soon.”
Honestly, I had thought about finding a way to come here eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be this quick.
Of course, I couldn’t take everything I needed right now.
It’s not like there’s a restriction, so I could carry it out… but if I did, it’d be way too noticeable.
I’m just disappointed I haven’t unlocked my inventory yet.
Once I get my inventory, I’ll have to come back here again.
Anyway…
I figured it’d be smart to grab anything useful from the stash, so I started rummaging through the stuff.
Soon enough, I found the items I had in mind.
A mysterious purple gem and a disc with a strange magic circle drawn on it.
…Huh, no system explanation, huh?
I thought an item description would pop up like when a stat window appears when you pick something up.
But now that I think about it, if that were the case, it would’ve popped up already.
Not that it matters. I already know what the items are and what they do.
[Revenge of the Hermit Witch]
[Though there was no need for revenge against a witch who was never found, her power was revenge itself.]
[When holding this item and receiving an attack from an opponent, ‘grudge’ accumulates. You can expend all accumulated grudge to activate ‘revenge,’ dealing fixed damage equal to the amount of grudge.]
The purple gem was one of the first items I thought of when pondering how to navigate the world with dodging and parrying.
Sure, the grudge accumulation is minimal, maxing out at 500, which isn’t enough to one-shot a high-level enemy… but the fact that it deals fixed damage makes it worth considering.
Of course, I’ve never used it in the game. The protagonist’s basic attacks are stronger, so there’s no need to use this.
But assuming I can fully charge it, 500 damage is a respectable amount in this chaotic world. It’s a decent enough figure for me.
I don’t even know if the grudge will accumulate properly, and even if it does, I’d probably only use it in a real emergency… but it’s better than nothing.
And the disc…
[Regret of the Ancient Mage]
[What do you think is needed before starting a journey?]
[The bravery of a wolf? The agility of a butterfly? The stealth of a snake?]
[All wrong. What you need is the courage to admit your weakness and give up on the journey.]
[Still, it’s better than nothing. Take at least one with you.]
[Upon use, a random mark is engraved on your body, granting you an ability corresponding to that mark.]
It’s a gacha. An ability gacha.
There are three types of marks: Red Wolf, Golden Butterfly, and Black Snake. As long as I don’t get the snake, I’m good.
But how do I use this thing?
I had no idea, so I placed my hand on the center of the disc, and something like magical energy started to ripple.
At the same time, I felt something draining from my body.
It seems the disc activates automatically when it detects the magic of the person touching it.
To think the ancient mage went out of his way to make it this convenient. He really cared about newbies, huh.
Flash!
The magic circle on the disc lit up, and something started to happen.
For someone like me, who relies solely on dodging and parrying, this is my only hope! Please, let it be the wolf or the butterfly!
