BXBX NOVEL Chapter 41: My Time (2)
Chapter 41: My Time (2)
[Unable to locate the Demon King of Autumn Rain.]
[It has been confirmed that the Demon King of Autumn Rain retreated.]
[Initiating History Reformation.]
The white light covered the vast plain like a dimly sparkling mist stretching all the way to the capital city. Drops of light—the only way to describe them—flew in the wind like dandelion seeds, descending on the land in an endless shower.
“This is...” The Black Witch looked around in confusion. “Mr. Kim, what in the world is going on?”
“Um, I’ve never seen anything like this either...”
My eyes were on the light drops covering the world.
Mr. Sword Emperor. Do you know what’s going on?
—No, this is my first time seeing this too. What the heck is this? It’s scary.
The dude was absolutely useless except for his sword lessons. I really had no idea how a gorilla like him had managed to clear the ninety-ninth floor.
—Hmm? The Guardian frowned. Kim Zombie, you just trash-talked me in your head, didn’t you?
What do you mean? I just thought that you were so great that a lowly man like me would never know what goes on in your mind.
—Strange. The look on your face says otherwise... the Guardian grumbled.
While we bantered, a change caught my eye.
“Huh?” I pointed at the capital’s high walls. “Black Dragon Master, look over there.”
“What?”
“Up on the walls. There seem to be a lot fewer flags than before.”
The golden and red flags of the empire waving on top of the ramparts were quickly disappearing. There used to easily be hundreds of them, but I could only see a few dozen of them now. The numbers were still decreasing.
“...Yeah, you’re right.” The Black Witch narrowed her eyes. “Hold me. I need to check.”
“Yes, I agree.”
“Teleport!” The Black Witch grabbed my hand and used her Skill.
The next moment, we were standing on the ramparts, giving us a full view of the spectacular city.
“Oh my god...” the Black Witch breathed. “Everything is changing.”
She was right. The refugee camps were gone. The Demon King had destroyed their homes, forcing refugees to flee to the capital from all across the continent. Their camps used to make up a slum, but when the white light descended... it was gone the next minute as if nothing had ever been there in the first place.
The clothes of pedestrians on the streets also changed from rags to unmarred clothes. Even the rotten apples in the market stand slowly became fresh and glossy.
“History Reformation...” I muttered to myself.
“What?”
“History has changed.”
The number of guards patrolling the walls was also significantly lower. It wasn’t just the number—their eyes were no longer filled with the despair the Demon King had instilled in them. They were now just bored by the routine patrol; they were just people who were spending their daily lives.
“The Aegim Empire is supposed to be being invaded by the Demon King. They had to either win the war or lose and perish. It was do or die, but...” I swallowed. “...it never happened in this world.”
The possibility of the Demon King’s invasion was erased and no one was even aware of it. Yes, I made it disappear.
“...History has changed.”
The result was right in front of me.
[The eleventh-floor stage has been revised.]
[The twelfth-floor stage has been revised.]
The white light covered the entire city. It touched a wandering waif’s cheek; some of the light landed on the sleeves of a blind man who staggered through the city wondering where his next meal would come from.
The city’s streets, the intersections, an old shop with broken pillars, the houses which people would go back to after a day at work... The droplets gently covered the world like a soft blanket.
[The History Reformation has been completed.]
They soon disappeared.
Both the Black Witch and I were silent. Not a sound could be heard in the frozen world, so it felt like the whole world was holding its breath with us. However, the silence was soon broken.
“...It’s cheap! Very cheap!”
“Fresh apples from Alebrandt! Freshest around! Sir, even elves won’t miss fruits in season! Why don’t you take a look at these fresh apples?”
“The public bathhouses are poorly managed nowadays. I can actually see the dirt in the water. Gosh, those so-called civil servants can’t even properly manage the water, so what are we supposed to believe in...”
I could hear sounds; time had resumed after I had accepted the quest.
“I heard that the royal children cause problems every day! It’s said that when you walk near the palace walls at night, you can hear His Majesty wailing every night. I know it’s just a rumor, but I think...”
“Do you want to have a drink this evening, just the two of us?”
“Please spare us a coin. A coin! The goddess loves you.”
“Alebrandt apples, even the elves love them! Get them here for cheap!”
Life in this world breathed again. One of them paid attention to us.
“You over there! Who are you?”
The Black Witch and I turned. A general pointed his sword up at us.
“How rude of you to waltz onto the ramparts! Get down here right now!” the general shouted with a scary scowl.
I found him vaguely familiar.
“Sarbas Aegim...”
The general NPC’s eyes widened. It was like he had never seen me in his life.
“Huh! You are an odd trespasser. How do you know my name?”
...I see. I closed my mouth.
The general shouldn’t have been here. He was supposed to be the first one to welcome Hunters on the eleventh floor. I had also intentionally gotten killed by him to copy his Skill.
“Hey! Didn’t I tell you people to come down!” the general yelled. He treated me like a stranger now. The history of both the twelfth and eleventh floors had changed.
Ah. I could feel my heart beating against my chest. Indescribable emotions clogged my heart, my chest, and then my entire body. The emotions were so intense that I couldn’t even speak. Why? The world regained its life, but my voice seemed to have been taken away.
I looked down at the general, moving my lip soundlessly.
“No, wait—I still can’t take the life of a hero!”
“On behalf of the Aegim Empire, I offer you my sincerest gratitude.”
“I was skeptical about the prophecy. This world isn’t even theirs, so I believed that it was unlikely for these heroes to fight for us. But I was worried for nothing. I would like to thank you again.”
“Please protect the empire.”
My memories with the general had already become old. The general’s smile from our last goodbye crossed my head. Ah, yes. That was what it was like.
“Ha. Hahahaha. Ahaha! Hahahaha!”
I didn’t know why, but I burst into laughter. I laughed so hard that I was bent over, clutching my stomach. The general gave me a look of utter bafflement. All of the soldiers’ eyes were on me too. While the Black Witch looked at me as if I was weird, the Guardian saw me as a madman.
But I didn’t care. I was sad that the people of the empire had forgotten about me, but a much stronger emotion took hold of me. I cleared my throat and opened my mouth.
“...I protected it!”
My roar startled the general.
“I protected it!”
The soldiers on the rampart unwittingly took a step backward.
“I protected your empire!”
Yet I didn’t stop. Instead, I blended my roar with my red aura, spreading it far and wide.
“I kept the promise!”
The imperials in the streets, the intersections, their homes, and the shops raised their heads. My voice reached past the walls of the city and the palace and into the audience chamber. I laughed. My laughter echoed on and on.
“I did it without any shame or regrets!” I stood proud on the ramparts and pointed at the sky. My palms were blackened by countless tally marks. I just didn’t want to have a single victim, so I had repeated the same day hundreds of times until I defeated the Demon King of Autumn Rain.
“I’m proud of it! I did it!”
I was happy. I had never been this happy in my entire life. My life used to be trash; I had been jealous and jeered at other people. My days had been drowned in alcohol. I had tried not to feel anything—I kept telling myself that I was keeping my cool, but in truth, I had given up on my life.
[Stage Clear.]
[The twelfth floor has been cleared today.]
But it was different today. I could stand tall, at least today. I was able to hold my head high in front of the Black Witch, Sword Star, the empire, and the world. Above all, I could truly be proud of myself.
[Announcement.]
[The twelfth floor has been cleared.]
That was the person I could be right now.
[Calculating the number of champions...]
[Calculation has been completed.]
My heart raced in joy.
[Announcing the three champions.]
Light inscribed words in the sky above the empire.
The Quest Completion Contribution List:
First Place: Death King
Second Place: Black Witch
Third Place: Sword Star
The NPC general probably wasn’t able to see it, so he stayed frozen by my roar.
“W-what are you talking about...”
“Sarbas Aegim!” I beamed at the general, making him flinch. “Protect your empire! I’m sorry to say this, but since the Demon King has been defeated, the heroes’ job is done! I’m sure that your empire is rotten in ways people can’t see and there are many problems you need to solve! Still, you are on your own! Good luck! Try your best! I’ll do my best too! Let’s go, let’s go!”
“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about... I really...have no idea...” The general NPC opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish.
—Hahahaahahaha! Pfft! Hahahahaha! Heeheeheee! Y-you lunatic! You wacko! You Zombie! I thought you might’ve grown up a little and learned from your past, but wow. You wacko, you just brag to everyone close enough to hear! I really want to know how your brain works! Scientists would be all over you! Zombie, I have to hand it to you! You’re a real piece of work! The Guardian rolled around in the air, laughing.
I slicked back my hair. Then what else was I supposed to do? I find myself absolutely fabulous today.
—Y-you madman...! You— Kim Wacko! Hahaha! Alright! I like your spirit! Hahahaha! The Guardian rocked from side to side.
I turned back to the Black Witch. “Now, now. Black Dragon Master! What are you waiting for? Let’s get to the thirteenth floor!”
The Black Witch sighed. She wore a complicated expression. “Yeah... Not many strong Hunters are sane. I understand. I consider it fortunate that you’re at least better than the Inquisitor.”
“Huh?”
The Black Witch grabbed my hand and activated her Skill. “Teleport.”
The next moment, we were back on the plains. The Black Witch grabbed the Sword Star’s arm and before turning back to me.
“The Rank 1 champion always gets to enter the stage first,” the Black Witch explained. “Say it on behalf of everyone, Death King.”
That was the first time I was called by my title. A lot of things were my first today.
I smiled. “Okay... Send me.”
And I headed to the next stage.