The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 178



Only Krnovel

Episode 178 Unexpected reunion (3)

Melissa trembled, her eyes wandering unfocused.

“Oh, no, no… … . This, this, I didn’t do… … . I-I never wanted anything like this… … . It’s not what I did… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim stood still with a distorted face. Looking at the crushed pieces of flesh and blood that once looked similar to myself, spread across the lawn.

“Now, wait, wait a minute. You can turn it back, you can turn it back, you can turn it back… … .”

It was as he said. As she waved her hands, her six parts soaked up the blood and formed the shape of a giant.

Gurruruk, gurruruk –

… … It was questionable whether that was the right solution.

“Ugh, ugh… … . What is it, Melissa? Why, why, did you attack me? Who is that guy who looks just like me… … .”

“Ah, no, Kadim… … . I, I didn’t make you like this, no… … . How could I, how could I attack you?”

“… … Huh, did he trick you? Don’t be fooled, Melissa… … . It’s clear that a demon or monster stole my appearance… … .”

“Huh, huh? Oh, no, this is, ah, not the devil… … . This, this is, Ka, Kadim… … . This is, y, the real Kadim… … I, I waited for a really long time, and finally, finally, I met him again… … .”

“Huh… … What are you talking about? … ? I have never left your side even for a moment… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim finally figured out the whole story.

‘Dream of the World Tree’ is a utopia where you can achieve anything you want. Reuniting with someone you miss was no exception. While she was away, Melissa seemed to have created that ‘fake Khadim’ for her comfort. Then, thinking that she shouldn’t be seen by the real person, she probably unconsciously killed her… … .

Melissa’s condition was very unstable. Although it is fake, it is a being that has been considered no different from oneself. I killed something like that with my own hands and then brought it back to life, so it wasn’t unreasonable for me to be so shocked.

But this time, the revived fake was persistently insisting that I was the real one. If I left it alone, I might be the one to get screwed next.

Kadim spoke firmly as he approached Melissa.

“… … Melissa, let’s get out of here right now. This place is too dangerous.”

“Huh, what are you talking about, you bastard… … ? “By any chance, was it you who made Melissa leave here every time?”

The fake Kadim raised his axe fiercely. Kadim scanned the figure closely. Since he was still in his first stage, it didn’t seem difficult to subdue him. The problem was the repercussions that his actions would have on Melissa.

Luckily, before I could get into a bloody fight with myself, Melissa stepped in and sorted things out.

Coo coo coo coo coo –

The fake Khadim freezes like a stone statue when you touch it.

“Whew, Whew, Mi, I’m sorry… … . I’m so sorry for killing you, Kadim… … . Just stay like that for a little while… … . Uwuk, woof, kweeek… … .”

Melissa cried and vomited. She cried out to the frozen fake, then crouched down, trembling. It seemed like it would take her quite some time to regain her composure. Instead of rashly provoking her, Kadim stood silently beside her, waiting for her to calm down.

The sun that never sets moves back and forth across the sky like a pendulum.

Only after the tears and blood that had soaked the dirt floor had completely dried did the trembling finally stop.

Melissa got up, roughly washing her face, unmoved by the sight of the now hardened fake.

“Whoa, my mistake… … . If you really come back someday… … Oh my, I should have predicted this would happen… … .”

“… … Have you calmed down a little?”

“Yeah, it’s okay now… … . “I’m sorry, I didn’t see it that way.”

“Then let’s get out of here quickly. “I will go outside and listen to the details.”

“That won’t do, Kadim.”

Kadim was startled and raised his gaze.

Melissa’s expression suddenly changed.

It is not a girl who is happy to be reunited with an old colleague, nor a woman who is shocked by unintentionally causing tragedy, but an expressionless blank space whose meaning is unknown, with a distorted image overlaid on top of it.

Melissa’s eyes were as wide as ash, and she twisted her hair with her fingers.

“Well, if I go outside, I’ll get mad again… … ? Just rest here a little longer and go. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance to rest like this… … .”

“… … Well. It doesn’t seem like a very good environment for relaxing.”

“Ah, ah, sorry. Is it because of ‘this’? Okay, I’ll clean it up for you… … .”

Guuung, gurgling – !

The center of space became distorted, and the fake Khadim’s body disappeared as if being sucked into a whirlpool. Melissa smiled brightly, pointing into empty space.

It was unknown whether it was completely removed or sent elsewhere. However, one thing was certain.

Now, Melissa is out of her mind.

“… … Come to your senses, Melissa. If you keep acting like that, I’m going to subdue you and get you out of here.”

“What are you talking about? Leaving? Where? This place, the ‘World Tree’s Dream’, is the utopia where we will live together forever… … .”

“Didn’t I tell you that there was still work to be done outside?”

“No, no, no, Kadim…” … . Mission, sacrifice, struggle… … You can let go of all your attachments to the outside world. You have done enough for the world. “Now it’s your turn to be rewarded for your accomplishments and rest in peace.”

“… … .”

“And I didn’t lie. look. As long as you stay here, there’s nothing to worry about. “It’s the ‘perfect solution’ to mania, right?”

Daejeonsa’s response to that claim was to tightly grasp the sack. The wizard sighed and shook his head.

“Whew, that won’t do… … . I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, Kadim. After all, I think I really ruined my first impression of this place… … .”

“… … .”

“Let’s start over from the beginning.”

Wedge – oh! Pararaeraeraera –

The moment when Kadim, sensing an ominous intuition, throws down the axe, and Melissa claps her hands.

The world started to go backwards.

Huuuuuuung –

The ax came back upside down. The wind blew backwards. The grass shook upside down. The sun went around backwards. Even the fake Kadim, who had been distorted and disappeared, reappeared, repeated his actions in reverse, became six pieces, and then reassembled again, retreating to the edge of a distant field and disappearing.

After everything was restored to its original state, Melissa clapped her hands again.

Hooooooooo… … .

Then time flows in the right direction.

Melissa smiled calmly and repeated what she had said when she first came in.

“Just wait a minute, Kadim! I’ll make the madness disappear right now!”

“… … .”

But there was just one thing in this world that could not be returned.

Kadim’s face twisted and he lunged at her like a wallop, grabbing Melissa’s forearm.

“… … uh?”

Phew, whoosh!

The moment he lifted her up and threw her, her body transformed into a phantom-like flame and disappeared. Kadim scanned the surroundings without hesitation. Melissa’s true body had teleported to a nearby place, and she had a look of confusion on her face.

“What, what, why, why, Kadim? Could it be… … that your memories haven’t come back?”

“… … .”

It wasn’t just the memory that was unaffected. The anxiety that was squeezing my heart, the thirst for blood, the feeling of being a foreign body interfering with my body, and even my madness was restored to its original state.

I felt relieved again. Anyway, my body is capable of resisting the power that manipulates this world. It may not be safe from the external pressure that turns humans into pieces, but… … .

He had to subdue Melissa as quickly as possible and get out of here. Kadim charged, throwing lightning and holding Iron Demon.

“Uuuuuuuup!!”

Pararaeraeraeraera, woo – woof!

Unfortunately, the blade did not reach its target.

The ax’s trajectory was distorted arbitrarily, and the blade was blocked by a transparent barrier. Even if they managed to approach Shinyoung and make a surprise attack, the fierce onslaught only cut through phantom-like flames every time. Even the warrior’s mighty inaction could not demonstrate his power in front of the wizard who controlled the world.

Grumbling – !

Melissa used avoidance and defense while at the same time searching through Kadim’s body to its core. Then at one point she got fed up and her eyes welled up.

“Ka, Kadim? What do you have on you… … . What on earth is that bright red thing… … ?”

Shock filled her empty, open eyes. Melissa lost her composure and was lost in shock, mumbling incoherent words.

“How can this be? Why, why is there a being with that level of ‘status’ in Kadim’s body…? … . To bring back memories… … No, to keep this dream alive… … How should I quickly start with that and that… … Solution, solution, solution… … To more powerfully manipulate the ‘Dream of the World Tree’… … The solution… … .”

“… … .”

“… … “Lilia.”

Melissa whispers someone’s name with a serious expression, and then suddenly disappears.

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… … .

A wave pattern spread in the air. A lonely wind blew over the fields. A message from the world outside of dreams echoed from the distant sky.

– […] … Please wait a moment, Kadim. I’ll just find a ‘solution’ and come back soon. don’t worry. If we extract what’s inside your body and restore your memories, everything… … It will be okay again.]

Puck – !

“… … balm.”

The warrior left alone lowered the tip of his sword to the ground and gritted his teeth.

*

A field devastated by cutting with a knife and an ax

Kadim stared at the sun in the sky.

Before I got to this point, warnings I had heard repeatedly rolled around in my head.

‘If he’s been hiding in a place like that for over 200 years, wouldn’t that wizard be a little out of his mind?’

‘… … Perhaps the mind has already become twisted, rotten, and broken, like that of a person possessed by a demon or a madman.’

‘There is a very high probability that the current Archmage is not the one that Lord Kadim remembers… … .’

“… … .”

I knew it. I didn’t know. Maybe those words are right. It is impossible to maintain a normal mental state after experiencing pain and despair that would alone create a high-level demon. Even during our conversation before coming in, didn’t we catch signs of uneasiness several times?

Still, was it a mistake to want to hear her story first?

Or, was it a mistake to believe that a solution to ‘mania’ had been found?

Or, in the first place… … Was it a mistake for her to feel guilty that her life was ruined because of her?

Either way, it was already too late a regret. It was clear that her mind had been twisted, rotten, and broken far more than she expected. If she had been outside, she would have been able to physically stop the runaway… … Now that the situation was like this, there was no way to do anything.

‘balm… … . In this fake paradise where things only go according to your will, playing house with me as a puppet for eternity… … ‘Is this really what you want?’

The liberation from madness was quite a wondrous experience. However, it was nonsense to settle down and stay here. The absolute being of this world was a madman who unknowingly toyed with life and death, and even manipulated time and memory without any hesitation.

This time, I was fortunate enough to have the ‘unidentified entity’ inside my body. If it weren’t for this, my memories would have been manipulated and I would have completely forgotten what happened.

However, there was no guarantee that it would remain safe. Melissa clearly said she was going to find a ‘solution’.

But I have to escape from here quickly… … I scorched the entire area but the space was still fine… … And I couldn’t see any exit… … And the means of destroying the mystery didn’t work either… … So there was nothing I could do but kill Mellie… … ̸̧̮̞̝̠͕̲̓̅́̀̽̿͝͝͠… … ̷̪͊̉̊́… … ̴̺̜͙̱̠̦́̍͌͒̃͆͗… … ̷̡̢̧̨̧̫͓̼̊̎̓̉͛͊̚͜ I have to carve out that crazy bitch’s face, crush her skull, snap her neck, rip her limbs apart, bite her heart out, and happily get out of here… … .

Squeak –

Kadim lifted his little fingernail and pulled it out. That wasn’t enough to calm me down, so I pulled out two more fingernails in succession.

Tsk tsk, tsk tsk –

Droplets of blood flowed down and formed beads on my fingertips. Reuniting with my old comrades, experiencing an excessively peaceful state, and witnessing the ruined side of my comrades… … The emotional storm raged on, and my defense mechanisms became shallow. I suppressed my madness and steeled my resolve as the pain surged.

Still.

I can’t leave Melissa’s side or kill her.

‘Ugh, ugh, why did you leave, you idiot… … . You promised to be by my side… … . Hmm… … . Why why… … I promised to always be by your side… … Without saying a word, just like that, I left… … Hmm… … .’

Because I saw that the girl wizard from long ago still remained inside her.

Therefore, in order to take action, you must understand all the facts and use all methods.

When no means are available to stop the wrongful tyranny… … and when persuasion, coaxing, threats, suppression, restraint, and violence do not work… … as a last resort, he gives them rest with his own hands.

That was the best mercy that the Great Warrior of Atala could offer his former comrade who had gone mad after waiting for him for 300 years.

“……under.”

… … Of course, given the current situation, it was a ridiculous story.

Who would show mercy to anyone when he was locked up in this beautiful dreamland without being able to move? Especially when his mind was as unstable as anyone else… … Maybe his future was to be locked up for 300 years and several times over, forgetting who he was and becoming the plaything of the great wizard.

But the helping hand appeared surprisingly quickly.

Dooooong… … .

A ripple that spreads gently in the air.

The same phenomenon occurred when Melissa left her dream. An anomaly that might allow her to go outside. As she approached slowly, tensing her muscles, she heard a familiar voice from the sky.

– [I, I’ll be fine… … ? Are you really in there? … ?]

“… … .”

Kadim thought, tearing the corner of his mouth.

From now on, I should introduce that friend not as ‘quite’ but as ‘extremely’ capable.