Chapter 150

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 22, 2025

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Pinterest Telegram

“The Elixir of Balance.”

Received as a reward for defeating the Swamp Ruler, who was once the Lord of the Abyss, it’s a universal potion.

Facing it, Ulan’s eyes widened.

“If it’s an elixir, then it must be…”

“You’ve had it once before, right? It’s similar to that one,” Noa replied.

Regular elixirs boost one of your traits or characteristics by more than double, but the catch is they can also double the penalty, making it pretty much a gamble.

But the Elixir of Balance is different.

It enhances all physical abilities and traits by about 20%, and unlike a regular elixir, it doesn’t raise any penalties at all.

In other words, it’s always a win if you drink it.

That’s the Elixir of Balance for you.

‘Originally, I was going to drink it myself.’

But lately, I’ve changed my mind.

If my abilities are going up by a percentage, then it makes way more sense for Ulan to drink it since he has much higher stats.

Plus, Ulan had already boasted of defeating two Lords of the Abyss. So if anyone should get the boost, it’s him.

“So it’s good for your health?”

“Exactly.”

Not only is it good for the body, but it also immensely boosts physical capabilities. But since it wasn’t wrong, Noa smiled.

Then, at that moment, an unexpected response came.

“Then you should drink it.”

“…Huh?”

Ulan handed back the elixir.

Noa stared blankly at him. Then Ulan explained why he returned the elixir.

“My body is strong. On the other hand, you have low stamina, so it would be much better for you to drink it.”

“……”

For a moment, she was speechless.

Ulan had already tried the elixir, so he should know its effects better than anyone.

Yet he was willing to give it up?

Noa was quite taken aback.

But on the other hand, it felt nice.

To have someone as precious as Ulan recognize her and offer such a valuable item.

But that feeling was fleeting.

Noa shook her head firmly.

“I really appreciate your thought, but this time, I can’t accept it.”

“Why not?”

“Even if I drink it, the effect will be minimal anyway. So it’s better for Ulan to have it.”

She explained in earnest why Ulan had to drink the elixir.

After a considerable amount of time had passed.

Ulan silently nodded his head.

“If that’s your wish, I will respect it.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Noa smiled softly.

Soon enough, Ulan downed the elixir.

Not a drop left behind. Watching him, Noa blinked as though she had been waiting for this moment.

To check for changes.

[Name]: Ulan Bator

[Age]: 17

[Rank]: SS+

[Trait]: Blessing of the War God

[Characteristic]: Bravery, Honor, Trust, Unyielding Belief, Berserker, Powerhouse, Strong-headed, Scholar

But there seemed to be no significant change.

This meant that his physical abilities had increased by about 20%, not any traits or characteristics. Noa immediately asked, curious.

“How do you feel?”

“I feel a bit lighter.”

“No other changes?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure yet.”

Well, it was the same last time too.

They’d have to wait a little longer for the full effects to kick in. Noa nodded silently.

Once everything was wrapped up.

She yawned, her face sleepy.

“Yawn. Should we sleep soon?”

Given that she had been busy from morning until evening, fatigue was obvious on her face.

But Ulan shook his head.

“It’s still too early to sleep.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that……”

Noa asked, puzzled.

But she couldn’t finish her sentence.

Because Ulan suddenly leaned toward her across the table.

“……Huh?”

Was it the sudden action? Noa stumbled backward and landed right onto the bed. Naturally, Ulan ended up covering her.

“……!?”

Immediately grasping the situation, Noa shouted in surprise.

“U-Ulan?!”

“I just remembered something I wanted to tell you.”

“W-what is it?”

In this context, what could he possibly want to say?

Only one thing came to mind. While still flustered, before she could finish her thought, suddenly Ulan’s hand came toward her face.

A strange tension escalated.

Noa squeezed her eyes shut.

But there was no need for that.

Ulan merely reached past her face and grabbed something from the backpack under her.

Rustle! Rustle!

The sound of rummaging through the backpack. A moment later, Ulan handed her something he had pulled out.

“Here it is.”

“……Huh?”

Noa slowly opened her eyes.

In front of her was a crumpled stack of papers. As she took the papers, her mind slowly returned to her.

“W-what is this?”

“Do you know about Delia’s younger sister?”

That was an unexpected question.

Noa was momentarily startled but soon nodded, as if she knew who Ulan was talking about.

“Um, are you talking about her half-sister, Rudine Arpen? The princess who became an invalid due to magic overload?”

Ulan silently nodded.

Then he revealed why he suddenly brought this up.

“I found a way to treat her.”

“What? Really?”

Eyes wide open in shock.

It was understandable. Treating someone who had become an invalid due to magic overload was incredibly difficult.

‘Of course, eventually I succeeded in developing a healing potion.’

In the later part of the original story, Delia manages to create a healing potion through her research. But by then, Rudine Arpen had already passed away.

‘On the other hand, I……’

Cannot make the healing potion.

Because Noa had never played as Delia to the end. So she didn’t know the ingredients or the combinations needed to create it.

But when Ulan suddenly mentioned finding a treatment method, it was only natural she was surprised.

“W-what method is it?”

“It’s written there.”

“……!”

Ulan pointed at the stack of papers.

Noa immediately fixed her gaze on the documents. The fatigue that had been weighing her down faded away.

After a while.

Once Noa finished reading all the papers, her eyes widened. Her face was filled with shock. She replied, with astonishment written all over her.

“W-who did you get this from?!”

“From Diplyn Cernio’s laboratory.”

“Huh? Why would it be there……”

While Noa looked perplexed.

Ulan detailed the conversation they had just before disposing of Diplyn.

How he had secured the treatment method to manipulate Delia later and not informed her, intending to use it as a bargaining chip with Ulan.

“Oh my……”

After hearing everything.

Noa was momentarily left speechless. After a moment, she clicked her tongue and replied.

“She turned out to be much more of a piece of trash than I thought.”

Eliminating Diplyn was a plot development that had never occurred in the original story. So initially, she felt a little worried.

She feared that by disposing of her, the future related to the Abyss Worshippers might change.

But upon hearing the truth, her thoughts shifted.

“It’s really good we got rid of her.”

Noa replied, feeling relieved.

Ulan nodded silently.

It signified his agreement with her.

“So I want to ask.”

His lips moved as he brought the topic back to where they began.

“If that’s the case, can you make a healing potion?”

“Yes, I can.”

“What materials do you need?”

“Hmm, most of them can be found in the capital. There are some rare or expensive materials, but there’s no need to worry.”

Pausing momentarily to respond.

Noa smiled.

“We have this.”

What she pulled out was the Marquis’s seal.

It looked like they could buy all the necessary materials easily with that seal.

“Then let’s gather the materials tomorrow. If we can save Princess Rudine, then Delia won’t have to be sad this time.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do that.”

Ulan readily agreed.

Though their tasks for tomorrow increased, neither of them seemed to mind. As they settled on their plans for tomorrow, the night in the capital grew deeper.

6.

In a world shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

Nothing was visible, like a realm of the abyss; faint light sparkled within it.

Not long after.

A familiar landscape came into view.

A view of the world she couldn’t return to, one colored by her memories as Yoomina.

But that was short-lived.

The scenery shifted rapidly.

A classroom stained in ash-gray. A memory from her middle school days. It was the very source of her isolation for three whole years.

‘……’

The first thing she saw was a desk covered in scribbles.

Next were textbooks torn to shreds, and the smell of sour milk wafted from her bag.

Upon reaching that point.

‘Ah, it’s this dream again.’

She recognized that this was a dream.

She hadn’t had this dream for a long time.

In the past, she would have struggled as soon as she realized it was a dream to wake herself up. But she didn’t feel the need to do that anymore.

‘The same situation happens every time.’

It was about time she got used to it.

As the surroundings grew a bit brighter, the past memories morphed into a nightmare.

「Lady, this is disgusting.」

「Hey! Didn’t I tell you to wash up?」

「Ugh, I feel sick.」

Snickers and jeers echoed around her, coming from those who had scribbled on the desk and torn her textbooks to shreds, the very ones who had relentlessly tormented her.

「Teacher! It smells like rotten milk!」

「Open the window for some fresh air.」

「Is there even a need for that?」

「Yeah. One person could just be sent outside.」

The mocking continued even during class.

In that moment, what made it even more painful was the teacher’s indifference, not the classmates’ cruelty.

She was clearly being bullied, yet she had never received help from the teacher, not even once.

A sight she had seen countless times before, recalling that painful past, suddenly a line was drawn around her. Teachers and classmates all stood outside of that line, merely looking in.

No one came to approach her across that line.

‘It’s okay.’

In the past, just seeing that scene would have left her feeling blue, but now it was alright. Because she knew there was someone who would willingly cross that line.

‘……Ulan.’

The red-eyed barbarian.

Just having him around made her feel secure. As long as he was there, she would never be consumed by her past.

Noa thought this way.

But just then.

The scenery of her dream, which had always been the same, changed.

The classroom vanished like a mirage, and the bullies, the indifferent classmates, and the dismissive teacher all disappeared without a trace.

Back to the realm of darkness.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

「Outsider.」

One of the bullies from her memories.

The voice had begun to hurl words she couldn’t remember back at her.

「When everyone was heading toward the Abyss, how did you feel?」

「You just trembled in the back.」

It recalled the memory of when she had tried to save Laurea, dragged into the Abyss. When everyone else overcame the horror of the Abyss, only Noa couldn’t do so.

「But what? You think you’ll save the world?」

「That’s a real joke.」

「You’re a coward, running away from the past.」

Relentless accusations rained down.

Noa couldn’t refute a single one. Because it was the truth. As a result, the heart she tried to hold onto began to sway and crumble.

And at that moment.

The voice spoke with finality.

「You are of no use at all.」

That phrase dug deep into her heart.

The voice whispered again and again, denying Noa’s worth, questioning the existence of Yoomina.

「You can’t save the world.」

「So give up and accept your fate.」

「Cower in your room with your eyes closed and ears blocked.」

「Just like you’ve always done.」

The relentless accusations couldn’t be countered.

As the torrential downpour of words pressed down on her, Noa finally lost her composure.

‘No, this is just a dream!’

It wasn’t something that had actually happened, just a nightmare.

So Noa struggled. To break free from the nightmare.

But the harder she fought, the more she felt herself sinking.

Lower and lower, toward the bottom of the unseen Abyss.

‘……!’

A sudden fear washed over her.

As if she were about to be pulled completely into the Abyss and vanish, Noa reached out her hand.

‘Please, anyone……’

She tried to plead for help.

But she couldn’t do it. At that moment, as she reached toward the sky, memories she had buried long ago came flooding back.

During her middle school years, when she was being bullied.

Countless times, she had sought help. From classmates, teachers, and even her family.

‘But……’

It had been futile.

Classmates were afraid of being bullied themselves, so they ignored her, and teachers didn’t want to get involved, so they brushed her off.

Her family even blamed her for everything that had happened.

Every single reason she was bullied and tormented.

So—

There was no point in pleading for help.

Nothing would change anyway.

As she realized this, Noa’s eyes began to lose focus. The hand she had reached out for help fell weakly to the ground.

Her consciousness was being consumed by darkness.

Just as she was about to give up and stop struggling, someone grabbed her hand.

‘――.’

Then a soft whisper came.

What could it be saying?

As she strained to hear, an even clearer voice pierced her ear.

“Noa.”

As soon as she heard that voice,

The world of dreams began to crumble quickly.

Starting with breaking free from the vile nightmare, Noa’s consciousness returned to reality.

“……!”

The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

Noa blinked in confusion.

She recognized that she had woken from a dream, but for some reason, her mind felt cloudy. Like thick fog had settled in her brain.

At that moment, another voice spoke.

“Are you alright?”

She reflexively looked towards the voice that nudged her ear. It was Ulan, the red-eyed barbarian, holding her hand tightly, a worried expression on his face.

Noa murmured back.

“Ulan……?”

“I thought you were having a nightmare, so I woke you up.”

With his words,

Her memories quickly returned.

From looking for the Hidden Piece in the capital, to coming to the hotel, and finally falling asleep.

Once she collected her thoughts.

Noa nodded quietly.

“……Yes. I had a nightmare.”

“Then I did well to wake you.”

Ulan smiled.

He patted Noa’s shoulder and returned to the sofa. Since morning was still far off, he suggested she rest a bit longer.