The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 195



Only Krnovel

Episode 195. The Flame That Never Goes Out (1)

Where does gluttony end?

If humans do not feel full, or rather, if they do not feel full even after eating, how long can gluttony continue?

Kadim could now answer this question with confidence.

None.

There is no end.

It can go on, endlessly. I can keep eating these forever. These delicious things, I can really keep eating them endlessly.

Kkwaduk, kkwaduk, kkwaddeuduk – !!

A steak that is golden brown on the outside and juicy on the inside. It was a nice dinner. The side dish made by grilling bone marrow topped with butter was so savory that it melted on your tongue, so it could be said to be one of the best delicacies in the world.

Patduk, patduk, kkwaduk – !!

An unknown tropical fruit with sharp thorns. It was my favorite dessert. When you tear off the hard outer shell, the inside is full of flesh soaked in sweet juice.

Tsk tsk, tsk tsk – !

– Queeeee!! Queeeeeee… … .

A proto-demon that tears off limbs and rages… ̴̛̻̬̥̞̤͇̝̘̯̺̖͔͙̎̆̀̀̅͑́̋̔̓̚… ̸̡͈̦̣̠̤̪̳͈͒̎̀͗̕͜͝ͅ… A soup boiled with chicken. It was a very good soup dish. The broth that had been simmered for a long time had a rich meaty flavor, and the bones and cartilage that had been loosely separated offered a unique texture.

This pure white hill was lined with endless delicacies from the mountains and the sea, reaching the vanishing point of the distant landscape. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a banquet hall that brought together all the delicacies of the world.

Strangely enough, I only had the pleasure of tasting it, and no matter how much I ate, I never felt full. Without worrying about not being able to eat more because my stomach was full, and without worrying about overeating and getting sick, I was just greedily eating the food as I could.

Sigh – Ouch!

“… … .”

A crustacean or a two-horned evil… … … Occasionally, living ingredients would run wild and cut off flesh, but it wasn’t a big problem. If you cut off its limbs with an ax or remove its skin and flesh with your bare hands, it quickly becomes calm.

As I went on, I couldn’t understand it at first. Why on earth had I lived my life giving up such exquisite pleasures of gastronomy until now?

Is it because I’m mentally dull? Why on earth do I have to be so alert all the time? If it were just a second longer to spend eating here, I could have given up a hundred times over.

The steep climb is painful, but the fall is so easy. Kadim followed his unbridled desires and filled his endless hole of longing.

It wasn’t an unjustified deviation. Yes, he deserved it. Because he saved the world. Because he saw the ‘true ending’ while leaving the hero as a good guy. Because he finished the first round after going through all kinds of hardships. This was a belated way to receive the reward he didn’t receive then.

The food outside was excellent, but the real beauty of this banquet hall was inside. The further you go into the hill, the more excellent food appears.

Every time I thought that there could be nothing more delicious than this, a new horizon of taste opened up. I went forward, like a beggar, tearing into new meats, gulping down broths, swallowing fruits, pouring alcohol down my throat. Deeper, deeper, yes, to the deep end where the most exquisite delicacy would surely be… … .

Then, at some point, I accidentally spilled an open liquor jar.

– Kkwaaa, kkwaaaaaa… … .

“… … .”

I faced my reflection in a puddle of blood.

Red eyes with all the veins burst, blood dripping from the corner of the mouth like a red waterfall, the face of an evil spirit or challange pickled from being covered in blood, blood rising like steam over the teeth and shoulders.

why am i here

Why am I doing this?

My head, my head, my heart beat strangely. A chilling sound seeped into my mind.

Why do you think so?

I tightly grasped the pitch-black sack. It felt like there was some way to come to my senses. Yes, if you memorize prayers and chants and summon your divine energy, the madness will disappear.

Sigh – Ouch!

The other hand raised the knife and cut off the arm.

The axe and the forearm fell with a thud. The cleanly cut cross-section spurted out raw flesh.

Rather than feeling sick, I felt hungry. The fallen arm and the flowing blood also resembled the meat and alcohol I had seen on the way. There seemed to be no reason not to consume it. Kadim drank the sweet liquor flowing down his forearm.

No, this, this… … It’s not alcohol.

Why do you think so.

Wedge – Damn!

Once again, my left arm swung the sword as it wanted.

I barely avoided it by forcibly bending my upper body. Even in that condition, his left arm was stretched all the way out and his shoulder joint was completely twisted.

Pitter-patter, thud-thud-thud!

However, the misaligned joints were instantly aligned. Thanks to the stacked buffs from drinking countless demonic blood.

He tried to paralyze his left arm by biting its tendons. The rest of his body resisted his attempts with all its might. His stiff back muscles prevented him from bending down, and his lower jaw snapped violently, breaking his teeth. Meanwhile, his regenerated right arm grabbed his balls with a firm grip.

“Ugh, ugh… … .”

All my muscles were out of control. An irresistible force took control of my body. For a moment, my vision blinked. The familiar scenery of the magic realm flashed by in an instant.

Pale mounds of dirt, broken shovels, haphazardly dug holes, the surface already clearly visible… … Just looking at it… … makes your heart stop… … ominous… … something.

Why did you think that?

I hope you continue to enjoy your meals.

Rather than breaking your hair and making it rattle, tearing your face and making it tattered, twisting your arms and legs and squirming and crawling around, tearing your eyeballs and crying out loud, or tearing open your neck and vomiting blood.

It’s better to just continue eating happily.

The grip was released from his neck.

That was right. Kadim continued eating.

I didn’t go against it anymore. I didn’t think about anything. I focused only on indulging in new dishes and going deeper into the banquet hall. After staining the pure white hill red with blood, we reached the deepest part of the banquet hall, another arched gateway leading to a black burning space.

Just before stepping through that gate.

For the first time, Kadim discovered something that wasn’t food.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah… … .

Halo.

A white shimmering halo of light.

It maintained its pure white color even though the whole world was dyed red. He was unfazed even when he saw the monster who had preyed on countless demons. While emitting irregular brilliance, the light source in the center maintained its shape.

Shinyoung, a human being with a calm expression. Somehow it doesn’t feel unfamiliar.

The light came forward and hit my chest.

Z – Yeah!

The scenery has been compressed. A formidable repulsive force was activated. The body was pushed far away and caught in the gap of inertia. In an instant, I reversed the path I had taken, and my madness and blood dissipated.

Hooooooooooo – !!

Only then did Kadim realize everything.

The reason why you came here.

“… … “It was you.”

The reason Melissa is so messed up and twisted.

*

Melissa stared at herself 300 years ago.

That wasn’t a product of twisting space and time. Turning back time is easy only in the dreams of the World Tree, but it is impossible in reality. If that were possible, he wouldn’t have opened a crack in the first place, believing only in uncertain possibilities.

The conclusion was one: a counterfeit, just like the fake Kadim.

But this fake was no ordinary item.

―――― Boom! Grumble, growl, growl – !

‘Multi-segmented giant fireball’, it was definitely a magic that he had personally designed and that only he knew about.

―――― Grumbling, blah blah blah – !

‘Hellfire Flame Spear’, this is also a magic that others do not know.

―――― Kuhu, kwagwagwagwa – !!

‘Breath of the Angry Dragon’, a magic that was only conceived and never shown to anyone.

The replica used her magic almost identically. No, considering the difference in time, it was okay to say she just spoke the same way. But what was most surprising was the fact that the replica used ‘magic’.

Dark blue mana clearly concentrated in the heart.

That fake was a ‘vessel of mana’ that absorbed mana and stored it within its body.

“… … Where did that mana come from? “All the mana floating in the atmosphere must have been depleted.”

“You’re not going to tell me? Until you get Kadim out of ‘hell’… … I won’t be able to find out anything.”

――― Grumbling – !

“Huh!”

“… … .”

He even copied all of his unique abilities, including the ‘Mana Protection’ that blocks trauma with mana. It is an imitation so elaborate that it is believable that it has truly deviated from the time axis of the past and reached the present.

I could only think of one person who could make something like this.

“It’s Gordon.”

“……what?”

“It was probably Gordon who created you. I don’t see any traces of witchcraft in you, and Sister Cyril is not the type of person to use the memories of her former colleagues like this, no matter how fake they are.”

“… … .”

“Anyway, that priest… … “It doesn’t help now or ever.”

Girl Melissa frowned at Amy. She knew that her future self was definitely her enemy, so she was no longer polite.

“Shut up! Even though that Elga is a reckless person, at least he doesn’t let his comrades go to hell like you! Why on earth did you just sit there and do nothing while Khadim went to hell!”

“… … “You’ve been saying that since a while ago. Who told you that rumor?”

“I told you! I have no intention of telling you! I don’t know why I became a scumbag like you, but I hope you take out Kadim and then disappear into the depths of hell!”

Melissa narrowed her eyes.

The biggest vulnerability of this counterfeit product was found. That is, ‘really similar to your past self.’

That was not a puppet that did as it was told, but a being that judged and acted according to its own nature. It seemed like the user worked hard to convince them to send it here to make up for that, but… … Melissa had the confidence to simply destroy it and coax it out.

Well, isn’t the person you’re trying to persuade none other than yourself?

“No, I didn’t just sit back and do nothing. I desperately tried to keep Kadim from going to hell. And the reason I can’t leave now is because of the thieves.”

“……what?”

“If I go to Hell, those thieves will take away the ‘safe haven’ where Kadim and I reside. In fact, they are the ones who sent Kadim to Hell. The guy who urged you to subdue me is probably in league with those thieves.”

“… … .”

Her eyes were trembling slightly. Her eyes, filled with the wind of ash, pierced through her inner thoughts. Even though they were the same person, there was an unbridgeable difference in their experience between the two.

“A sanctuary… …? What does that mean?”

“Literally. This world will soon be destroyed, but there is only one place where we can escape destruction. “I have been preparing to live there with Khadim for a long time.”

“Perhaps that place is called ‘The Dream of the World Tree’… … ? But the woman who convinced me… … She says that only by returning the power that goes into it to its roots can the destruction of the world be prevented… … .”

“You don’t take that literally, do you? “They are planning to steal the sanctuary and enter it themselves.”

“What… … ? Then, then why did Kadim do what they told him to do… … .”

“Kadim wanted to save more people. They wanted to accommodate others besides just me and Kadim. However, the power stored in the ‘World Tree Dream’ is limited. If as many people were accepted as Kadim wanted… … .”

“… … The period of time that I can endure will become extremely short?”

“No, it’s worse than that. “Everyone is trying hard to reduce the number, and the ‘Dream of the World Tree’ will not be a place of rest, but will become a place of chaos where people kill and chase each other out.”

Her hazy pupils wavered like candles in the wind. The woman who had been telling plausible lies without blinking an eye was finally brought to a halt with a firm call.

“balm.”

“… … !”

The first name she heard after falling into this unfamiliar place. The girl Melissa’s shoulders flinched and trembled.

“Please. I can’t leave this place because I’m protecting the ‘dream of a world tree.’ So please, instead of me, you bring Khadim back from hell.”

“what? Well, what is that… … .”

“You don’t have to worry about not being able to come back. The living can get out of hell through that crack at any time. “But you’ll have to hurry because the dead can’t escape no matter what you do.”

“… … How do you know that?”

“I’ve already been to hell. one… … “For 50 years.”

“… … .”

The past came to a standstill after hearing an unbelievable future. Soon, confusion appeared on his face as he couldn’t decide which side to believe.

Melissa snapped her fingers to get his attention again.

“balm. If you find it difficult to judge, just think about one thing. ‘Future You’ or ‘Those Who Fear Destruction’, which one do you think will truly make the choice for Khadim?”

“… … .”

The bitterness of delicate emotions was revealed. It’s time to pull out the secret weapon.

“… … Do you remember? Whenever things got tough in the Demon Realm, you always talked to Kadim. We talked about meeting someday in the fields where the sun never sets, smiling like the moon.”

“… … .”

“We are now just one step away from achieving that dream. I will show you the sanctuary they are after.”

Melissa lowered the ‘World Tree Dream’ from the ceiling and showed it to her.

Ugh-!

On the surface of the translucent sphere, a scene of golden fields with warm sunlight and swaying grass was revealed. The girl’s eyes, facing the utopia she had imagined, sparkled like a dream.

“Look, it’s exactly as you imagined. If you can just rescue Kadim, we’ll stay here forever. I wasn’t planning on letting anyone in besides Kadim and me… … but you’re a different story.”

“… … .”

“Because you are also me.”

Girl Melissa bit her lip and closed her eyes.

The woman was half-convinced. The girl would believe her words and disappear into hell. She had no choice. She knew exactly what she had been like back then. The girl, who had strong pride but was still emotional and foolish, could not escape the clutches of the woman who had been through so much.

But on the contrary… … the woman was so worn out that there was one thing she overlooked.

“There’s one thing wrong with what you said.”

“……what?”

“I never spoke like that with Kadim in the Demon Realm.”

“What are you talking about? I remember clearly… … .”

“No, I never said I would meet ‘only with Khadim.’ I always said that I would meet ‘all together’ with Gale, Gordon, and even Sister Cyril, someday, in a field where the sun never sets, smiling like the moon.”

“… … !”

At that time, I didn’t think that ‘Kadim’ was the only thing that was precious.

The Archmage’s heart wavered for the first time. The girl magician smiled, as if she had been struck once.

“Huh… … As expected, what that first woman said was right. The world is about to end, but you never said a word about taking care of your colleagues?”

“Wait, that’s not it… … .”

No room was given for anything to be said.

The woman belatedly sensed the flow of mana. Literally, a flow that she sensed too late because she was too distracted.

Grumbling – !

– Kkuu …

A ring of fire appeared in the air. A large black panther appeared beyond the ring and immediately leapt in front of the sphere. The black beast that suddenly jumped through space and invaded, that haggard dark elf riding on the beast’s back, was definitely there.

It was Lilia, the world balance keeper.

For a moment, the eyes of the two women who had formed a sisterly bond met.

Ugh-!

The Black Panther and the true World Tree Keeper entered the ‘World Tree Dream’.

“Ah, nooooooooooooo – !!!”

――――――Whew, whew, whew – !!

A tearing scream shook the hall. A turbulent current of intense emotion swept through. Waves of burning mana spread out, and vortices of flame burned the vines. The area became as hot as an exploding hellfire.

But it was too late.

Once the World Tree Keeper enters the ‘dream’, there is nothing he can do, even if he is a great wizard who has returned from hell. The power of the World Tree, which was only focused on the ‘dream’, is slowly starting to redistribute to the roots.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh… … .

“… … .”

It was clear who the culprit who ruined everything was.

Crunch, she twisted her neck so hard that it broke. The woman, who had turned into a pile of ashes, gave off a ferocious heat that seemed as if it would burn everything that was alive and breathing, and her bloodshot eyes looked at me.

“Do you, do you… … know what you just did?”

“… … .”

However, the girl wizard was not afraid at all.

“huh.”

As if he had to write down what he had just done, he blew the sparks that had fallen on the cover and proudly opened up his record.

“Once again, you saved the world.”

*

A hazy, stain-like spirit emerged from beyond the crack.

―――――Kugugugugugugu – !

The body was swept away by the magic pouring down like a waterfall. Without struggling or even making a sound, it fell silently as if it were asleep. The magic and divine energy were so thickly mixed that it was hard to see the shape, but the identity of the divine spirit was clear at a glance.

Well, only one of them went to hell.

“… …Kadim?”

“… … Will I get better?”

Near the World Tree, Illenia and Duncan were looking at the sky and muttering at the same time.