Episode 253
"…Shackles, huh."
It wasn't that he hadn't anticipated the content of the message he heard.
He had already heard from the developer, Zero, that the Goddess's seal could be broken by attacking the restricted zone.
However, he needed more information regarding exactly how much of it was referred to as "part of the shackles." Turning his gaze slightly,
Hanbit
began to walk slowly through the city.
Even looking at it again, the scenery was distinctly different from the first restricted zone.
Considering that there were even modern seasonings there, it felt as if times had changed.
"-It's too quiet;
" "-What are they doing in the restricted zone?
" "-Isn't it just an event map?
" "-Maybe something will appear if we open it all?"
"-A cataclysm, yikes."
The viewers did not know the significance of this space.
In the first place, aside from Hanbit and a few others, there was no way to obtain any meaningful information.
Perhaps the Goddess of Turmoil had only noticed that something was amiss.
*Crash*
Hanbit, wandering through the still deserted city, headed toward the outskirts.
City walls existed here as well.
Although the appearance was different, the structure itself was identical to the first restricted zone.
"It was this way."
The location where Avant-garde had found the tombstone was not far away.
Hanbit walked forward, carefully scanning the ground below.
He soon stopped, bent one knee, and looked down.
'Just as I thought, it is here.'
The tombstone was in slightly better condition than the one in the first zone.
The white crescent moon engraved on the surface and the sword cutting through the center were also clearly visible.
Although it was impossible to know whose tombstone it was, it was clear that it belonged to a being somehow connected to the Goddess of Silence.
Swoosh—
Hanbit reached out his hand toward the tombstone.
And the moment he carefully wiped away the dirt on the surface, an alarm rang in his ears.
Ding—
[Sense resonance has occurred.]
[Entering the rift of the recorded past.]
Swoosh—
A hazy sensation settled into his consciousness along with a faint message.
Before he knew it, the sight of a collapsed city was unfolding before Hanbit's eyes.
“Lady Serenia……”
An elderly woman reaching out her arm from the rubble let out a groan.
Half of the body was crushed beyond recognition.
“Lunesa, speak sparingly. I will return it to you right now.”
The woman, clad in torn and soiled white robes, spoke as she grasped his hand.
However, no matter how much strength she exerted, no change occurred.
“I was… happy… to be able to serve the Goddess of Silence.”
“I told you to speak sparingly. Just a little, just a little longer, and my divine power…”
“Please, stay safe…” The old man’s head slumped limply to the side as he continued speaking.
“ Ugh.” The woman, pressing her forehead against the hand she was tightly gripping, bit her lip and stood up. Although the city was already unrecognizable, she set out to find survivors by any means necessary. “Zenar!” The woman, rummaging through the interior, spotted a boy in the distance. He was trapped under the rubble of the building. “…Ah, Lady Serenia.” Hearing the woman’s voice, the boy wore a faint smile. Nothing was reflected in his already damaged eyes. “Just wait a little longer! I will save you soon!” Once again, the woman, gripping the hand tightly, struggled to pour out all her strength. But nothing changed. “I… am fine. I… now…” “I’m not fine! This kind of rubble!” Rising to her feet, the woman struggled to push away the massive debris. Even as wounds formed on her sacred fingertips—which should have been unharmed—and blood welled up, she did not stop her efforts. “Lady Serenia.” Just then, the boy, who had been listening only to the sounds, called her name in a low voice. The woman, who had been pushing the debris with all her might, soon knelt down as if collapsing. “I am sorry. I… was so inadequate.” She offered an apology with a sorrowful face. A warm touch reached her trembling hand. “Please… do not say such things. I feel nothing but gratitude.” Her voice, interrupted by intermittent breaths, made the woman’s expression even sadder. She grasped the boy’s hand. “Zenar, I will… I will definitely restore it to its original state. Somehow, I…” The woman’s voice, which had been continuing, soon stopped. She looked up while kneeling, having gazed at the boy's corpse. There, the sky, having turned purple, was shimmering. With a soft rust, the landscape changed once again. The background was the very spot on the castle wall where Hanbit had stood.
However, the atmosphere completely changed as a woman slowly approached.
'…Is this even a rift in the past?'
It was the Goddess of Silence, who had appeared during the tragic scene just moments ago.
The stoic expression she now displayed was almost identical to the one in his memories.
Swoosh—
the Goddess approached right in front of Hanbit's face and lowered her stance.
Then, slowly reaching out her hand toward the tombstone, she spoke.
“I am sorry. It seems we will have to wait a little longer.”
An indescribable emotion could be felt in her low voice.
To be precise, that emotion seemed to pierce deep into Hanbit's heart.
“Were you here, Lady Serenia?”
Just then, a man's voice was heard from behind.
His vision remained motionless, fixed on the Goddess's gaze fixed on the tombstone.
Fortunately, his identity was revealed in the conversation.
“Sage of the Age, what future do you foresee?”
“…I am merely an observer. However, the waves that will return will be difficult to endure. Although the situation is stalled due to the clash of forces, the Goddess of Turmoil is a powerful being.”
“Yes, that is a correct insight.”
Even at the scathing assessment of the man called the Sage, the Goddess calmly nodded.
Carefully brushing the dust off the tombstone, she slowly rose and spoke.
“But the path to victory is not closed. For me, no, for us…”
*Swoosh*
—at that moment, the voice fading like mist.
Beneath Hanbit, who was kneeling on one knee, the tombstone was still visible.
'It’s strange that it has no name.'
Serenia—a name never heard even as the being called Goddess became the Goddess of Silence.
Moreover, the elderly woman who appeared in the earlier flashback was the very person seen in the cradle.
'…This feels strange.'
The feelings inside her heart were too intricately intertwined to simply dismiss it as seeing a rift in the past.
Feeling puzzled, Hanbit slowly rose and looked at the chat window.
There was no possibility this scene had been shared, but she had a hunch.
However, the atmosphere was somehow odd.
-What’s wrong with her?
-I’m scared;
-Suddenly?
-Have you had a hard time lately?
-We’re sorry.
Hanbit involuntarily tilted his head at the unpredictable flow of the story.
The question arose from a few chat messages.
"-Just cry your eyes out, Black Dragon."
"-Seriously, holding it in is a disease. "
"-He looks handsome even when he cries.
" "……?"
Hanbit's mind froze for a moment as he read the messages.
Crying.
It meant shedding tears.
The problem was, why had that topic suddenly come up?
Swiping
the camera, Hanbit switched to mirror mode.
He looked at his reflection on the screen.
"Huh?"
The same face as usual.
It was still the exact same look from real life.
Except for the tears streaming from his eyes.
Swiping,
Hanbit raised his hand and quickly wiped away his tears.
However, since they didn't stop for quite a while, he decided to pause the broadcast for a moment.
"Just a moment. It seems there is… a bit of an error. I'll turn it back on in about an hour."
Click—
Having cut off the stream, Hanbit covered his face with both hands.
Giving up on the flowing tears, he let out a sigh.
“…Is it because the shackles have been broken?”
The tragedy of the ancient city he had witnessed through the rift in his memory.
He had deeply assimilated with the emotions of the Goddess who had helplessly faced the deaths of her people within it.
Perhaps the change in the seal was the cause.
In other words, it was correct to view these tears as belonging to the Goddess, not Hanbit.
Grrr—
as if sensing his concern, Cheonho appeared and wrapped his arms around him.
“Are you alright?”
Sylph, who had been silent for a while, also tried to comfort him by creating a gentle breeze.
He was grateful, but it truly wasn't Hanbit’s sorrow.
“Haa.”
He let out another deep sigh and looked up at the sky.
A world ravaged by the Goddess of Turmoil.
According to Zero, there was a possibility that this tragedy could become the future of Earth. Of course, that would only be
if the Clear of this Record Project were to be stolen by the Holy Faction.
Swoosh—
Hanbit, finally stopped crying, and stood up.
He considered waiting for a message from Team Zero, but if there was no news yet, it meant it wasn't the right time.
Turning his head, he surveyed the interior of the city.
“…I can't get in.”
The other player did not appear even after some time had passed.
Simply put, one would assume that qualifications for clearing the stage were required, but there was one variable.
[First Liberator]
Upon being the first to liberate a private zone, you can manage all access privileges for that zone.
Anyone added to the blacklist will have their access to that zone revoked. This was
the title obtained as a reward for clearing the first private zone.
Although I hadn't used this effect yet, if I wanted to, I could ban even those who had obtained privileges from entering.
It would be right to weed out all the members of the Adult Faction for now.
“Let’s get out.”
Having finished his thoughts, Hanbit walked toward an exit inside the city.
Swoosh—
passing through the shimmering portal, he stepped outside.
There, countless players were standing without even entering.
'Can't I get in?'
The numerous eyes directed at Hanbit and the people rubbing against the entrance.
It was clear enough that something was wrong.
“Black Dragon.”
Just then, a man holding a black bow approached from the crowd.
It was the Ranger who had helped him.
“What happened?”
“Entry is blocked. They just kept repeating that I don’t have the qualifications.”
“…Really?”
A complete ban on entry, one of the situations he had suspected.
Unlike typical quests or episodes, it seemed there was only one Witch of Sorrow.
In this case, granting Hanbit the qualification was the only way.
Of course, there was no intention to announce this fact yet.
“Too bad. I’m leaving.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Hanbit walked along the path below the canyon.
However, for some reason, a Ranger followed him.
“What? Why?”
“I have a message.”
“A message?”
Hanbit questioned the somewhat random remark.
He couldn’t recall who the Ranger was supposed to deliver the message to.
“Who is it?”
“Li Wei.”
“…Li Wei?”
The name, which seemed to have absolutely no connection to him, made him even more puzzled.
They were supposed to meet someday, but were he and the Ranger close?
No matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind.
“…I am aware that our relationship is faint, even without you making that face.”
As if that thought was clearly visible on his face, the Ranger added an explanation.
Hanbit scratched his cheek and changed the subject to the main point.
“So, what is the message?”
“I meant I’d be waiting on Feria Island.”
“Couldn’t you have just sent a message?”
“There’s a reason. It’s best to hear the details directly.”
Whoosh—
Having finished delivering the message, the Ranger slung his bow over his shoulder.
It seemed he had been keeping watch on his surroundings.
“…Come to think of it.”
He began to speak after a slight pause while adjusting his bow.
Then, he asked an uncomfortable question.
“I saw tears flowing inside. Did something go wrong?”
“No. It’s just an error.”
“I see.”
Upon receiving the immediate reply, the Ranger nodded.
Putting his bow back in place, he turned to leave.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
Ta-da!
The Ranger kicked off his feet and vanished before I could even say a word.
The memories of him picking a fight and blushing felt like a lie.
“Shall I go too?”
Hanbit took a Warp Crystal out of his inventory.
The destination was the island on the western side of the continent where existing players had been progressing through Episode 8.
It was Feria, which also served as a forbidden zone.
