Chapter 10: Outside the Barrier
“Kid, you not coming?”
I responded to Gwen calling me right in front of the barrier.
“Of course, I will.”
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
The murky colors shining through the shimmering light of the barrier didn’t leave me feeling good.
They say the strongest fear humans feel is the fear of the unknown, and here, chaos was that unknown.
Naturally, it was a substance non-existent even on Earth, and within the game, its identity remained a mystery.
I had to step into a space filled with such substances.
‘Well, I’m not gonna die.’
I had a relic.
After all, even Allen Pleuk managed to step into the Chaos Realm in his 100th playthrough when he raised the Hero Candidate.
He just died from a Chaos Beast in the third mission.
‘So let’s go.’
With Gwen accompanying me, there was no safer environment than this.
I had to experience the Chaos Realm sooner or later, so this was a good opportunity.
As I confirmed my movement, Gwen stepped outside the barrier as well.
“Phew…”
I inhaled deeply and stepped out of the barrier.
I tightly gripped the relic she handed me with my hand.
It was the moment we crossed the barrier.
“Gah…!”
A sense of dissonance gripped me, and my breath became trapped.
My vision spun around.
It wasn’t pain. It was something indescribable that filled every opening in my face.
“Gah…!”
It was torment.
I felt like I could go insane from the agony.
Every sense in my body felt numb, as if perhaps even my brain was getting paralyzed; everything was starting to turn black.
I wanted to spit it all out.
I wanted to cry and release it along with my tears.
That was what my instinct screamed.
Save me.
Someone…
“Pull yourself together!”
A sensation of my neck twisting.
Only then did I feel a sting on my cheek.
That’s when I realized my senses were slowly returning.
“Where is this…”
It was a forest.
It looked like I had somehow been dragged out of the barrier.
My vomit covered the ground beneath me.
I gasped and said, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
“It’s okay.”
Gwen handed me a cloth.
“Anyone would react that way the first time in the Chaos Realm.”
I was about to ask if she experienced it too but thought better of it.
Given my state, it would be a nuisance.
I didn’t want to act that way towards someone who was showing me kindness.
Just as I was wiping my face with the cloth, I heard her voice again.
“That crumbled pretty quickly, didn’t it?”
My hands froze.
That phrase pierced sharply into me.
“You always seem calm in everyday life.”
That hit the nail on the head.
The reason I maintained my composure was mostly due to the trait [Absolute Obedience].
However, chaos shattered me in an instant, not even giving me a chance to use [Absolute Obedience].
It was different from before.
While Allen Pleuk’s mind was breaking down, I, as the player, would usually stabilize him through [Absolute Obedience], but chaos attacked not just Allen’s mind, but mine as the player.
If it weren’t for Gwen, I would have been in serious trouble.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“No need to thank me. I only agreed to take you to the trial.”
At this point, Gwen looked almost angelic.
I somehow managed to shake myself off and got up.
Then I said to Gwen.
“Let’s try again.”
“Are you sure you can do it?”
I nodded.
After taking a moment to stabilize, I realized something.
Just now, I panicked merely because of unfamiliar sensations.
If I knew I wasn’t going to die, then there was no problem.
‘Stay calm. Don’t panic.’
I decided to activate [Absolute Obedience] just in case.
If it helped Allen’s mind withstand chaos, then I would likely be fine too.
With my mental preparation completed, I followed Gwen again into the Chaos Realm.
“Phew, phew…”
I recognized the unfamiliar sensation of something clinging to my throat, yet I knew I could still breathe.
My eyes, like thick lenses, could see well enough ahead.
Finally, the sight of the Chaos Realm entered my vision.
An extreme space where ordinary people wouldn’t even be able to withstand it.
The air smelled tainted by chaos and was thick with dark red dust swirling everywhere.
Thanks to the relic, I could breathe, but it was far from comfortable.
“It’d be good to wear the hood of your cloak. The flying red dust is all concentrated chaos.”
As Gwen suggested, I obediently pulled up the hood.
I still didn’t know exactly what chaos was, but I understood its danger now.
“By the way, you seem pretty stable this time.”
“I’m a bit uncomfortable, but it’s manageable.”
“It usually takes at least five experiences to get used to it, so you’re quite a rare case. After witnessing how you were earlier, I thought it might be tough for you.”
It was mostly thanks to [Absolute Obedience], but I couldn’t reveal that.
‘By the way…’
I looked at the scenery unfolding before me.
“It’s surprisingly beautiful.”
We stood on a hilltop, allowing us to overlook the scenery below.
From the left end of my sight to the right, ruins stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Even though no one had lived there for a long time, the ruins stood in stark contrast to their surroundings, evoking a sense of wonder.
“To see ruins and call it beautiful, you have quite an unusual taste.”
Gwen didn’t seem to agree.
“That village ahead was once inhabited hundreds of years ago. All the spaces outside the barrier used to belong to humanity. While I can understand finding it beautiful since it’s just part of the past we have no connection with…”
“…I see.”
“Let’s head back. Just adapting to the chaos is enough to achieve our goal. I didn’t expect you to adapt in just one go; I thought it would take at least two days.”
After a short stay in the Chaos Realm, we turned to head back.
This entry was merely for me to acclimatize to chaos, not to go deeper into the trials.
As we walked, suddenly…
“Allen!”
I heard Gwen calling urgently, and as I stopped in my tracks…
My vision turned completely black.
(I can’t do this.)
(This is my limit.)
(I want to give up.)
(It’s all meaningless.)
(This will be the last time.)
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
“Allen! Allen!”
As Gwen shouted my name, my eyes opened.
Gwen’s face appeared before me.
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
But why was that voice still ringing in my ears?
As I listened, I seemed to know whose voice it was.
This was my voice. Not Allen’s voice, but my real voice.
(Give up.)
(Give up.)
My cheeks stung.
Gwen was mercilessly slapping my face.
Yet the voice continued to sound.
(Give up.)
‘Give up? On what?’
I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
At that moment, I saw an unbelievable sight.
Gwen was aiming her sword at my face.
‘Gwen?’
Gwen wouldn’t point a sword at someone without reason.
But I knew that if she aimed her sword at me, she wouldn’t hesitate.
Knowing this, I reacted quickly.
‘Dodge!’
<Trait [Absolute Obedience] activated.>
I quickly rolled out of the way.
When I looked, Gwen hadn’t even swung her sword down in the first place.
“I’m sorry. I thought this would have a better effect.”
“What is happening…”
“I had no choice; you showed early symptoms of Chaos Infusion.”
Early symptoms of Chaos Infusion?
Was it related to the voices I heard a while ago?
Then Gwen suddenly apologized.
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“What?”
“I should have warned you to watch the ground carefully. I was careless. I didn’t expect you’d step on the chaos gathered on the ground…”
So that was why I lost consciousness in an instant.
But I still had questions.
“If early symptoms of Chaos Infusion progressed, why didn’t you kill me?”
I knew it wasn’t the kind of question to ask the one who saved me.
But considering Gwen’s personality, it was odd.
Gwen was usually warm, but when decisive actions were needed, she was colder than anyone else. Surely there had to be a reason.
“It was different from ordinary Chaos Infusion. Since it was a type I’d never seen before, I hesitated.”
“What do you mean?”
“At least in terms of the body, there was an incredible will resisting the progression of Chaos Infusion. But the problem was that your consciousness hadn’t awakened. Normally, Chaos Infusion progresses at the same speed for both body and consciousness, but for you, it’s like your inside and outside have split apart…”
Inside and outside being split apart.
That description might have accurately expressed my current state.
However, it could also mean that while Allen’s body was withstanding Chaos Infusion, my consciousness was unable to resist until I saw Gwen’s sword.
‘Was the issue with my consciousness?’
Until now, there had been problems with Allen, not me.
‘Why?’
I didn’t know enough about chaos to pinpoint the cause.
Why was it that while Allen’s body could resist, my consciousness couldn’t do so until I saw Gwen’s sword?
As I pondered this, Gwen said.
“Regardless, you’ve overcome it, so there’s no need for concern. As long as you don’t make direct contact with chaos, such incidents won’t happen again. And even if by chance you do encounter it, people who have successfully resisted once usually can resist again.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure if my resistance was what allowed me to escape the Chaos Infusion this time.
All I knew for sure was that from now on, I’d have to be more careful about where I stepped.
*
Three days passed.
Gwen bought supplies like food and cloth in the village, while I tried crossing the barrier with her at night a few more times.
Now, with at least a two-star relic, I had reached a level where I could breathe almost normally even in chaos.
“Is everything ready?”
We planned to be outside the barrier for at least a week.
There was a chance we might not return.
So I said goodbye to the Innkeeper.
There wasn’t much left for me to prepare.
“Yes, let’s really set off now for the trials.”
Honestly, I was still scared.
The other side of the barrier was a dangerous space where one misstep could cost a life.
Suddenly, the voice I heard in my consciousness came to mind.
(Give up.)
I felt like I understood the meaning of that voice.
Was it really necessary to become stronger?
Did I really need to become a hero?
It would be a lie to say those thoughts didn’t cross my mind at all.
But there were still too many unknowns.
Not knowing anything right now meant I could only move forward.
I stepped out toward the outside of the barrier.
