The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 143



Only Krnovel

Episode 143 Demons and Archmages (5)

The pitch-black clouds are clearing away, the dazzling rays of light penetrating through the sparse gaps.

The sky in Magyeong was gradually regaining its clarity. Because the Great Devil, the source of the terrible demonic energy spreading everywhere, has died. If the purification project planned by the Elgar Church was successfully completed, perhaps this place could become a rich land where life flourishes.

However, the expressions on the faces of those who actually killed the great demon and saved this land were not bright.

“Gail! Gail!”

“Brother Gale! Where are you, Brother Gale?”

“Gale… … ? Why, why, after Kadim, even Gale… … .”

Following the comrade who disappeared through the crack, another comrade has gone missing.

Gale didn’t even leave a farewell letter, let alone a footprint. Whether he was searching for the missing Kadeem, was attacked by the remaining high-ranking demons, or had already achieved his goal and returned alone… … There was no way to guess.

The desperate cries only produced empty echoes. The search continued for a long time, with no results. Neither the great magic of finding a needle in the desert nor the great sorcery of communicating with the earth could find even the slightest clue.

How long did he wander through the land where the corpses of devils formed mountains and the blood of devils formed rivers?

The priest, wizard, and shaman finally collapse from the exhaustion.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The three people left behind looked at the dusk sky and fell silent.

*

… … Kadim and Gail. The two were not simply ‘companions.’

Kadim is a sturdy shield made of steel that gathers us all together and protects us from evil.

Gail is a brilliant lamp that shines light, encouraging us not to give up and illuminating our path ahead.

These two people played a bigger role than anyone else… … They were the spiritual pillars of the group.

Having lost both ‘light’ and ‘steel’ at the same time, we could not be the same as before. I was lost in what to do and where to go and wandered around the world without any hope. Holding on to only the slightest hope that he would get the two of them back and return.

But the hope was not realized, and only another unexpected separation came… … .

*

Gordon struggled to open his chapped lips.

“I’m sorry, sisters. I think I should… … go back to the church.”

The priest had a face even more gloomy and dark than his blood-stained vestments. His tired shoulders slumped, and his body seemed much smaller than before.

“I must keep my promise to return to the church and report the results of my journey. If I am too late, the church will consider the journey a failure and send a large-scale expedition force. Then, the knights who were dedicated to defense and the priests who were working hard to provide relief will be called away, and there will surely be great chaos in the saints… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Cyril seemed to have no choice but to accept the fact that another breakup was imminent, but Melissa was not convinced by Gordon’s words.

“Is that report that important? Right now, the people who came here with us through all the hardships… … Kadim and Gale are gone?”

“… … I am truly sorry that I cannot stay here and help you further. However, I swear to Elga that I have not given up on searching for you two. Since we have not found even the slightest trace of you so far, there is a possibility that your disappearance was caused by an incomprehensible will. I will search the sect’s library for any clues… … .”

“Ha, don’t be ridiculous. Where do you think the clues lie in that musty pile of scriptures? Oh, or since we promised before, ‘Let’s meet in the field where the sun never sets,’ are you trying to find a way to get there?”

“… … .”

“I already know that, so there’s no need to look it up! That’s where you go when you die, right? I’ll set fire to hell right here, and we’ll all burn to death together… … .”

“Melissa… …stop it.”

A faint voice that dissuades a rampaging wizard. Cyril grabbed Melissa by the collar and shook her head.

“In the meantime, the priest… … You know very well how hard you worked. No one has the right to force a priest to be more devoted. And when you say these things to us, I wonder if you feel at ease as a priest… … ?”

“… … .”

Melissa bit her lip and trembled with her fists, but she couldn’t bear to hit her. The blind shaman turned her head and calmly waved goodbye.

“Thank you so much, priest. As the priest said, it would be nice if the church had some clue about these two people. I pray that today’s farewell is not an eternal farewell, and may the noble fighting spirit of Atala be with you in your future… … .”

“… … Sister Cyril, Sister Melissa. Once again, I sincerely apologize for not being able to be with you any longer and for leaving first. The guidance of solemn light for the sisters’ future… … .”

“I don’t need the blessings of that damn voyeur god, so just get out of the way quickly!”

“… … .”

Gordon bowed and bowed. He turned stiffly like a wooden doll, and took steps that would not fall. He staggered forward, step by step, toward the east, where the sun was glaring.

The shaman whose heart was suppressed as heavy as a rock, and the wizard who burned his spirit like a flame.

I did not take my eyes off the departing priest’s back until it disappeared into a faint stain beyond the horizon.

*

… … The three people left, and now only Cyril and I are left in the group.

Before I go on, let me be clear: I don’t hate her.

No, rather the opposite. I can assure you. She is one of those people whom I, who had lived my entire life as a maverick, have truly opened up to and whom I value more than my own life.

But at that time, there was nothing I could do.

We were both so tired, sad, and in pain. They harbored inseparable grief within themselves, and there was no one left to serve as a buffer between them. For the first time, I realized that the fact that someone was sadder than me could cause painful jealousy and hatred.

Yeah, looking back, it was so childish. If I could go back to that time again… … I wonder if I could handle it a little better.

Everything is unknown. The harsh flow of time does not allow for reversal. The burning emotions have evaporated, but I am not even sure that I have become a better person than I was back then. However, now that I have gained a bit of objective insight into the situation, I can only evaluate that time like this.

On the earth that is wet with tears that cannot be wiped away, the flame that pays tribute to the departed cannot rise.

The friction and separation that occurred between her and me was ultimately unavoidable… … .

*

On the outskirts of a desolate demonic landscape, a sleepless night that does not allow rest. The endless sobbing chilled the air.

“Hmm, Mr. Kadim… … Mr. Kadim… … . where… … Where on earth have you gone… … . Ugh… … .”

“… … .”

“Ugh, I’m sorry… … . I, I… … Somehow quickly… … A solution… … I should have found it… … .”

Cyril didn’t know.

That Melissa, who had gone to bed long before her night watch, had not slept. That she had spent the night wide awake. That she had listened to every single one of her cries and sighs that had continued for hours.

Melissa thought.

How long will Cyril keep crying like that? Does she really think it’s her fault that Kadim left? Is she actually blaming herself to intensify her emotions? … .

I didn’t think like this from the beginning. On the contrary, I sympathized with that sadness and even secretly wiped away tears. However, repeated crying over hundreds of days eventually distorted her thoughts like this.

The underlying feeling was ultimately this.

Why does that person show his sorrow so bitterly and for so long?

I’m really the sadder one.

“… …Stop it, sis. How long are you planning on crying?”

I impulsively opened my lips. Cyril wiped away her tears and suddenly raised his head.

“balm… … ? Oh, you weren’t asleep yet?”

“… … “How can you sleep when someone is crying like that next to you?”

“I’m sorry… … . I made a fuss… … . Sorry, sorry. I’ll be quiet now… … .”

“Don’t apologize. Why do you always apologize, man? “They just made me out to be a bad bitch for saying something for no reason.”

“… … .”

A silence that descends with the chill of dawn.

Cyril asked after a short hesitation. I wonder if something unpleasant happened during the day, and if so, I would like to apologize for that as well.

After hearing that, Melissa couldn’t hold back any longer and fired back.

“Sister, you know that you are the kindest, most pitiful, and saddest person in the world… … ?”

“… … uh?”

“Honestly, you think so. There is no one in this world as kind, pitiful, and sad as you.”

“Oh, no… … . What do you mean, Melissa… … ? I, I have never thought of it that way… … .”

“No, it’s okay. I thought so too, you know. That’s why you’re crying. You’re a great priestess of the wilderness. You’re the other half of the great warrior of Atala. I thought the two of you would live happily ever after after your journey, but your precious other half went mad and disappeared so absurdly. You’re a tragic heroine who lived a good life and achieved great things, but faced a cruel fate!”

“… … .”

As his emotions grew, his tone became more harsh. He continued to scold Cyril, who had a blank look in his eyes.

“I don’t know what you think of me, myself, my position. You might think I’ve only been campaigning for a few months. But still, I’m the one who’s been with Khadim the longest.”

“… … .”

“I, too, am holding back like this, but why are you the only one? … You can cry as much as you like, express your love as much as you want, and be recognized by everyone as being compatible like that… … Well, he came later than me… … Why only you, why only you… … .”

“… … balm.”

The words that were inside her poured out incoherently. Even Melissa herself had no idea what she was trying to say. Nevertheless, the priestess of the wilderness listened to the denunciation silently without any criticism or ridicule.

That attitude was even harder to bear. After the long confession, a deep sense of guilt and shame came over her. Melissa wiped the tears from her cheeks and got up from her seat.

“… … sorry. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he brought up this strange story. But, but now I… … I don’t think I can be around my sister. “When she’s around her sister, she makes me look so shabby and the sadness I carry feels so insignificant.”

“… … .”

“Are you used to using your ‘mind’s eye’ instead of your eyes now? It’s not that far from here to the wilderness, so I won’t bother to take you there. Thank you so much for everything, and I hope that in the future… … I can see you with a smile on my face without any emotion, Unnie.”

“Now, wait a minute, Melissa… … ! Don’t do that, let’s talk more… … .”

Cyril quickly got up, but Melissa didn’t change her mind. Using the magic he had imprinted on her beforehand, he quickly got away from her.

The darkness of the night slowly cleared away. A hazy light swept across the sky. A new morning was dawning on the land where the Great Demon had perished. However, to Melissa, who had a hole in the middle of her heart, the scene felt like the finale of some crude tragedy.

It’s been four years since I left my hometown and started my journey due to the unexpected temptation of a barbarian.

Archmage Melissa was left alone again.

*

… … After that, I wandered the continent alone, following the traces of my missing comrades.

I also went to the northern part of the country where severe cold waves hit. I also went to the southern part, which is infested with volcanoes. I went to the East, which was still in turmoil due to power struggles, to the Kingdom of Lucaonia, which was rising to become an empire, to the Great Forest where the Elves were said to have retired, and even to the Demon World and the Wasteland that I had already left.

Not a single clue was found anywhere. The lonely search, which was longer than the journey to subdue the Great Demon, ended up being a waste of time with no results.

No, if I really had to ask… … There really was no income at all. I picked up a demon who was on the verge of starving to death in the Demon World and brought him back.

If my colleagues found out about this later, they would be horrified. However, I didn’t bring him here to apologize for the demons I’d killed. I wanted to prove through this demon what I’d heard from Gordon before: ‘The demons weren’t originally this evil.’

(The specific experimental records regarding the demon, ‘Acula’, will be attached to Research Topic No. 334 → ‘Can a demon really be made human-like?’)

After concluding the search, he established ‘Magic Tower’ near his hometown as planned. It was not with the pure intention of teaching magic to wizards like before. After a long wandering, I came to a conclusion on one thing and decided that I needed group help to focus on research on it.

So, the conclusion I reached was this.

Kadim is no longer on this continent, no longer in this world.

The crack that appeared after the Great Demon died leads to another world.

Therefore, in order to find Kadim, we must artificially create a rift leading to another world.

I have always numbered my research topics in the order in which they came to me. But this time, I decided to make an exception. This is now my lifelong mission, which is more important than anything else, and which I must accomplish with the rest of my life and with all the means at my disposal.

So, let’s number it with that determination in mind.

Research topic number 0.

Research on magic that creates rifts leading to other worlds.

The specific execution records and results for that are… … ■■ …

*

Dozens, hundreds, thousands of pages painted black… … .

Parararararak –

The rest of the writing was completely covered in dark ink and was illegible.

Around that time, Kadim took out the divine power that covered his body.

Knock, knock… … .

The side effects were becoming unbearable. The power of the tattoo had finally worn off and the madness had subsided somewhat, but the damage accumulated in his body remained intact. His muscles were melting, his skin was splitting, and his forearm was sagging, so he had to hold on to it with his other arm.

That was the end of what was written in Melissa’s record. But her message is not over yet. Kadim was trying to close the cover without thinking, but then he raised his eyes.

Tiny sparks jumped out from between the cracks in the pages.

Tick, tidik, growl – !

The sparks, as small as dust, grew into a conflagration in the blink of an eye. They mercilessly devoured the records containing the ultimate mystery and scattered them dazzlingly. The reckless dance of flames in the air gradually transformed into letters with meaning.

Kadim read the sentence without missing a single word.

[To the Great Forest.]

As soon as the interpretation was finished, the flames died down like a welcome.

Rumbling… … .

The pile of ashes gave off a faint smoke as if it had done its job. She clenched her fists to crush Kadim.

The next destination of the journey has been decided.