#### Chapter 202: A Radical Choice
[The recovery of residual memories is the top priority. Accumulate combat experience.]
As I walked upstream along the ravine, I skimmed over the notes left behind by my previous self. Following their advice, I activated the lantern and immediately set out to find the residual memories.
The corpse was discovered not too far from the return point.
“Holy shit… It’s impressive how you manage to die in such creative ways every time. You truly are something else.”
My thoughts on seeing the corpse of my past self were exactly that. A sigh escaped me involuntarily.
Lucy, who had followed me, was so startled that she kicked my calf repeatedly.
“Mi, Mi—Crazy! Hero! What in the world were you doing to end up like this?”
“I don’t know, man. Just leave it alone if it makes me uncomfortable.”
It looked as though my body had been flattened by some industrial compactor. My skin was crushed paper-thin, broken bones sticking out in various places, and my skull was mashed, with brain matter spilling out from the cracks. Various internal organs hung out of my mouth, and my eyes had popped out of their sockets and rolled around in a pool of blood.
“Ugh… Ah, nooo!!”
While I was momentarily distracted by the state of the corpse, a blood-curdling scream erupted beside me.
It was Yuria. She pointed at my corpse, trembling all over, her face pale with fear, her tears streaming down.
‘Uh-oh. Can she really see this?’
I froze mentally.
As long as the corpse didn’t stray too far from the residual memories, normal people shouldn’t be able to see it. I had brought them here without giving it a second thought, but judging from Yuria’s reaction, it seems she can indeed see the grotesque form of the corpse.
‘Could it be because of her Insightful Vision?’
For heaven’s sake, I hadn’t even considered that possibility.
Is it possible that my corpse is treated as some form of falsehood, making it visible to her?
Upon reflection, it makes sense. That could very well be the case.
“Oh, this is so troubling…”
Though it was late, I tried covering Yuria’s eyes.
The fact that it was far too late became clear when I saw her immediate reaction.
“A, Ah, ohhh… Huh, ugh…!”
Yuria’s eyes were unfocused as she let out continuous moans. She clearly looked like she was in a critical state, overwhelmed by stress and panic.
What to do? How does one handle this situation? My mind, grinding its gears, eventually decided the simplest solution was to eliminate the root cause.
[Item Activation – Izanami’s Heart]
I hastily applied Izanami’s Heart to the corpse. The lantern reacted with the residual memories, emitting a dark and melancholic glow.
An overwhelming flood of memories surged into my mind.
[Residual memories from the previous life have been acquired.]
[0 points of Strength, Agility, and Intelligence have been restored.]
[No lost skills from the previous life have been recovered.]
[All memories from the previous life have been fully restored.]
“Ghhhhhhh!”
A severe pain shot through my mind.
It was likely due to the vividness of my death. Or perhaps it was the rage toward Altear, who orchestrated such a fierce demise.
Once again, I vividly felt the oppressive weight that lay in my chest.
‘First… calm down.’
I adjusted my ragged breathing, dismissing the pain of the moment.
There’s no need to dwell on it now.
I gently stroked the head of Yuria, who was sobbing like a child.
“N-No, Saint lady. This was an illusion, just a trick. Presto, there’s no corpse, there never was. Please stop crying…!”
Desperate words tumbled out as I tried to pacify her.
On reflection, it truly felt like I was spouting random nonsense. Enough so that even Guardian Older Brother Sooho decided to interject.
“Sir, you should put some oil on your brain. Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“Ah, shut up, old man. Just… shut up.”
I brushed the obnoxious old man’s comments aside and continued consoling Yuria.
But stroking her head didn’t seem to soothe her. Her trembling intensified, and incomprehensible mutterings started issuing from her lips.
“Th-this… Saint lady, stop crying. I’m still here. I’m not dead.”
With no other option, I awkwardly hugged her and began patting her back.
‘Oh, crap. Is this appropriate?’
Sure, there’s no reason for her to report me for sexual harassment—I mean, she’s wearing a nun’s habit, but it still makes me uncomfortable. With minimal physical contact, I gently patted her back in a steady rhythm.
But then Yuria clung to me tightly.
“Aaaaahhh! Uh-uh, weewww!”
Yuria buried her face into my chest and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Her tear-filled eyes glanced up at me before she returned to sobbing, then looked up again, sobbed, then hugged me even closer before crying again and looking up yet again.
She repeated this cycle endlessly.
“Oh. Good girl. Let’s stop tears now, okay…?”
With nothing else I could do, I resumed patting her on the back. I was basically a pat-pat machine.
Honestly, it felt simpler to go deal with Altear right now. I sighed quietly, unnoticed by Yuria.
‘Really frustrating dealing with regular people…’
But this is the typical reaction, I admit. It reminded me of the first time I found my corpse in the Halzenberg sewer.
Back then, I also reacted with similar innocence. Back then, the idea of “thinking this is just me overreacting to my own corpse” was unimaginable.
‘It’s nostalgic in a way. But I still get it…’
Though, it’s annoying all the same. Like a seasoned lance corporal watching a newly transferred recruit panic. It’s complicated.
As soon as this is over, I’ll have to pass Yuria off to Knightrea or Jack. I silently resolved this deep within.
“Huh, hic…”
Only after a long time did Yuria finally calm down.
She carefully separated herself from me, still hiccupping. Her cheeks were burning red, embarrassed by her previous outburst.
She glanced at me cautiously before shyly handing me a hastily written note.
[Sorry. Thank you.]
Then she bowed her head repeatedly.
I had nothing much to say. I roughly ruffled the now subdued Yuria’s hair.
“Alright.”
Yuria nodded shyly with a smile, and we resumed our journey towards the amusement park.
We thought everything was fine until, out of nowhere, something nudged my calf.
“What…?”
Turning my head, I found Lucy glaring at me, clearly displeased.
As I blinked in confusion, Lucy stared at me with an eerie red gaze and then spoke.
“Hero. Actually… I was scared when I saw your corpse. I almost started crying… you know.”
Suddenly, Lucy extended her arms towards me.
Then closed her eyes tightly, waiting expectantly.
“I’m ready. Go on.”
What’s she ready for? Prepared to receive contemptuous looks from me?
Totally baffled by the proceedings, I scratched my cheek.
“What the hell, woman? You’re doing some random breakdance routine like General Choi Young? Focus on your own mental health, damn it. You’re gonna need to do self-management with your level of fear.”
“Wha- What do you mean…!”
Moments later, Lucy rewarded me with an unprecedented round of low kicks, never seen even before death.
Why? Is it because she doesn’t know what breakdance is? Is it because I called her crazy? Maybe it’s because she doesn’t know who General Choi Young is.
―――
Following the plan laid out by my previous self, I guided both Lucy and Yuria back toward the amusement park.
“Step one. Listen carefully.”
As we walked, I went over the events of my previous life, repeatedly revising and reexamining them.
From this, I arrived at a conclusion.
“Very soon, we will encounter the Deserters Trio. No matter which way we go, one of them will definitely be present.”
“Uh-huh, alright.”
Lucy acknowledged, and Yuria tentatively nodded.
“But you two aren’t much help in a fight. You’re less useful than a fried chicken with all the meat stripped off its bones.”
“…What? What kind of metaphor is that? It makes me feel absolutely terrible.”
Lucy frowned deeply, clearly unpleased, but reluctantly nodded anyway.
You have to admit it, though—these two aren’t just useless; they’re more like black holes, amplifying fatal weaknesses that lead to losing fights we could otherwise win.
So I decided on an extreme measure.
“You can choose. After careful consideration, I see two paths: the Total Annihilation Route or the No-Kill Route.”
I extended two fingers in front of them.
I folded one finger as I spoke:
“Total Annihilation Route: I simply exterminate the Deserters Trio by myself. Then, I come back here to collect you two.”
Pausing briefly to catch my breath, I folded the final finger.
“Or the No-Kill Route: We set up a trap using you both and achieve victory without any real combat.”
That’s right.
These are the two strategies based on the experiences garnered from the five monotonous repetitions of my previous life.
“Wiping out the Deserter trio or deceiving them with a ruse—both options carry their own significant risks.”
Could I quickly and individually eliminate all three in a surprise assault?
With the information I have now, it’s theoretically possible.
I’ll suppress Altear just like the last time with deception—or, if I launch an immediate offensive, I could win before they get a chance to unleash any bullets.
Next, Moskden is more of a buffer from a distance, so if I engage in close combat, I can swiftly kill him. In reality, he’s the easiest opponent in a one-on-one situation.
Dyrus, too, I already have experience from my previous life. He’s an opponent I can chew and spit out in a one-on-one fight.
“But even in the previous life, there were so many variables.”
In one instance, with the exact same deceptive tactics, Altear was perfectly fooled, while in another, not at all, and it had to be forcefully shut down.
“This time, the fishing metaphor might entirely fail.”
If it fails, it might completely derail the plans I’ve made. We might end up wandering around in despair like last time.
To be honest, I don’t want to relive that twice. If I attempt a total annihilation, Altear might go for the option of pounding me into unconsciousness right from the start.
I swallowed nervously and watched the reactions of the two women.
“Of course, why ask? If we can win without fighting, obviously, we should go that way!”
Lucy said, to which Yuria nodded vigorously as if it was the most natural choice.
I momentarily stared blankly at their decision, which, to be precise, was somewhat expected from Yuria but incredibly surprising from Lucy.
“E-Er… Lucy, setting traps using you means you’ll be in danger.”
Truly, I had expected Lucy to unquestionably choose the Total Annihilation Plan. I’d extended the choice out of mere formality.
But Lucy sniffed loudly, looking exasperated.
“Then don’t show me the flat pancake corpse if you don’t want to put me through this! Just because this body cared enough to follow you, are you now suggesting I hide and do nothing? That’s not an option.”
Lucy gave a playful kick to my shin, unlike her earlier outburst. It was more like a teasing taunt.
In an instant, I recalled the confession she made to me in the bamboo forest of Market Treasuries. Following that, the memory of Lucy turning into a pile of white ash in the burning mansion of Adrang surfaced in my mind.
I frowned deeply and shook my head hard.
“No. The Lucy who liked me back then… is dead.”
The shock of the corpse from earlier must’ve shaken her. Plus, having spent six months together building a bond naturally led her to make this decision now.
So, what’s it gonna be? No blood on my hands, but at least I’ve treated her decently and somewhat honorably.
“Perhaps… some residual memories or feelings remain.”
But that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
In this world, the more you hope for something, the harder it hits you. Expectations are poison. I’ve felt that bone-deep already.
I gave a bitter smile, banishing such thoughts, and spoke.
“To all of us laughing and walking cheerfully through the ravine, it must be achieved. We can’t rely on brute force alone; some strategy is needed.”
“Strategy?”
Lucy and Yuria’s round eyes were fixed on me.
Both had such mysterious eye colors, making it easy to get lost in their gaze.
“…”
I hesitated for a moment.
Is this truly the best option? They might still be endangered.
Could I be making a critical mistake by being too shocked and affected by what Scaro had said?
‘No. This is what the two of them want.’
I dismissed the hesitation and smirked slyly as I looked at them.
“As long as you listen carefully and follow my instructions exactly, everything will go according to plan.”
Slowly, I began detailing the plan for the two women.
