The Protagonists Are Murdered By Me Chapter 46: 231-235, a 13 tzameti fanfic

"Wait, what, a paradox?"

Before I could even listen to Aracelli's answer, the android's lightsaber flew towards my neck.

Wooosh-!!

Immediately after activating the ether blade to block it, the two light-based swords resonated and pushed each other away.

-Discovering an unknown kind of technology.

-Attempting to collect information.

My ether blade was not purely made out of science. It functioned on a completely new energy obtained from monsters called 'ether'. Since it did not work off electricity, it gave a slightly different form even though it was a byproduct of science. Therefore, it must have been an extremely unfamiliar technology to the android, which comes with the knowledge of future science.

-Information uninterpretable. In accordance with Article 179 and Article 1109 about 'Unknown Technology Encounter', we will try to absorb the enemy's technology. If unable to do so, we will eliminate the enemy.

And so the android let out a dry mechanical sound and rushed towards me. In its right hand, it held a lightsaber which radiated an ominous light while its leap, which was helped by the thruster on its back, was quick.

'What is this?'

However, for me who had reached SS rank, his leap was at a snail's pace. On top of it, it was only an attack which relied solely on raw power, with no special technique or swordsmanship.

I dodged the lightsaber by taking half a step to the side, before brandishing my sword towards the android.

Swiish-!!

The android's right arm was severed as I swung my ether blade. In a split second, I changed my grip on the hilt and rotated the ether blade like a windmill and lopped its head off.

Tung-!!

-Dangerous….Operation… Failed…..

The battle was over in an instant.

The android was obviously quick, strong, and powerful, but it didn't even pose a threat to me, who had learned various swordsmanship techniques, as it lacked any finesse and skill.

-Woah… Well, it is an android which was made to specifically hunt magicians, so of course it would not be a match for you, Professor.

Aracelli's form appeared from thin air. Then her eyes followed the back of the little boy who had already run away.

"You really don't want me to kill him here?"

-Yes. If Professor had already witnessed the incident in the future and stopped it, it would be okay. But as of now, you shouldn't do that.

"Why?"

-For a time traveler, witnessing a particular event is by no means an ordinary feat. It means that the history that will happen in that time period is completely fixed.

"What… how is that possible? If I could turn back time…"

-That's impossible. You're a time traveler, and at the same time you've witnessed a kid receiving something from an android. Do you have any memories in your head right now where 'the future' Yoo Seodam appeared, stopped the android and killed the little boy?

"No, of course not."

-That's why Professor can only do it if you went back to the past once again.

That's right, If this incident had been prevented, there should have been no such thing as a failed memory in the first place. Because the present me must have witnessed the future that must have come and prevented the incident.

But what if… I go back to the past after witnessing the success of my future self?

Or what if I don't try to go back to the past?

-That's the time paradox. Time travel is intricately intertwined with cause and effect, so no matter who you are, even if it's you, Professor…. It is a natural flow of the world that has nothing to do with probability or story progression.

"That's right, it's a pain in the ass." I sighed. "Then what should I do now? Where the hell are you?"

-That…

-Let me explain about that.

At that moment, another form of a woman appeared next to Aracelli. She was about 10 centimeters taller than the petite Aracelli, and unlike Aracelli's black hair, she had silver hair.

She was looking at me with a fox-like smile.

"E-Empress Sahar?"

-That's right. It's been a long time. I wish I could kiss you again, but it's a pity that I can't.

-K-kiss? You can't…

-Why?

-Anyway, you can't…

Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that I was going to see her here, so I could only put a bewildered expression as my response.

Sahar smiled widely. It seemed like she liked the expression I was making.

-It's nice to see that face after a long time… I finally feel like I'm alive.

It was quite a burdensome word, but thankfully I could hide my expression this time since I'm pretty used to those words now thanks to Aracelli.

"Yes. It's good to see you after a long time."

She gently landed on the ground while still maintaining her whitish-foglike figure. Then, with her bare feet, she slowly approached me. At that point, I even felt that this dirty alleyway was being cleansed.

Princess Sahar caressed my cheek, but I felt nothing. Then, she said with a sad expression.

-You can't even feel my touch even after meeting me again… What a cruel reality…

After that, Empress Sahar told me her story. In short, she renounced her faith in the goddess, gained divine powers of her own, and became a time traveler.

"Time traveler, huh…"

-What are you so surprised about? Aracelli had told me that you can time travel too. In addition, you can travel between dimensions whenever you want.

"…"

Well, not really. I can only do that thanks to the system. Moreover, time travel is only possible with the power of probability. Compared to me, Empress Sahar, who defied time with her own abilities, and Aracelli, who transcended the boundaries of space with her own effort, was more amazing.

'…you don't have to tell me that…'

'You are noisy.'

I sighed and said. "Anyway, the fact that the event has already occurred means that the future has been set, right?"

-That's right. But that doesn't mean there isn't a way to change it back. If we can prevent other events that we and you have not yet observed, we can change the future.

"What about other incidents?"

-History records several decisive events that led to the destruction of magic by science. If you can find the time frame and block it, the future will surely change.

"Okay."

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But, how can I move to those time frames?

– I'll give you the time coordinates. Would you be able to move with your abilities with that?

'Oh, really?'

'The cost is my lifespan right?'

I glanced at Aracelli with the corner of my eyes. She was flying to the entrance of the alley, probably sightseeing.

I slowly approached her and asked. "This era, how long has it been since you left this world?"

-Ah… If the current year is 597, it's about 70 years after I left.

The city was beautiful. Although it was the most difficult town to live in the whole Vivienda Empire, the world that had not yet perished was still overflowing with vitality.

"Would you like to walk around?"

-Yes… Thank you.

I walked through the city with Aracelli and Empress Sahar. The streets were full of life as it was crowded with people who stopped on the stalls at the side of the road.

-It's not very different from when I left…

"…"

Aracelli left her hometown and wandered around other worlds. She abandoned this beautiful world only to find me.

Has she ever completely forgotten her hometown? Of course not. After all, the reason Aracelli became a 9 circle magician was to save her world. Therefore, she must have loved Vivienda more than I loved Earth.

After walking for a while, a huge square appeared. This square, which was called the cultural street, had a familiar name attached to it.

[Aracelli Square]

A woman more beautiful than any other goddess, angel, and fairy all over the world was there in the form of a statue. The woman was looking up at the sky. That statue depicts the figure of Aracelli after she becomes an adult, something I had never seen before. Having only seen Aracelli in her young form, I had no idea she would be that mature.

-Hehe… Before I left, I told the people that if they want to make a statue of me, they have to soften my eyes.

"Really?"

-Yes. However, they softened it a little bit too much. Thanks to that, I look like a goddess of love and family. It's embarrassing.

"That means there are a lot of people who like you."

-Undeservedly, it seems.

No explanation was written on the Aracelli statue. Perhaps, it was because she was famous to the point no explanation was needed about her. Afterall, she's a hero who has fought against the demons and saved the world.

-You know, Professor… In the future, there are still people waiting for me.

"Waiting for you?"

-Yes. They believe I'm still alive, and they always hoped I would come to help them.

"…"

But she couldn't listen to their wishes. By the time she returned home, it was already too late. The world has been occupied by machines, and there is no way to save the world that has been destroyed.

"Don't worry, I'm here.."

-Professor…

"Just like you've helped me without expecting anything in return, I'll help you too."

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Time travel costs a lot of lifespan. At least 1000 days had to be paid for one jump. But, as long as you have the lifespan, it can be used continuously. Therefore, I didn't hesitate even for a second to burn through the lifespan of mine, which was obtained by a dirty and filthy way of hunting other humans, for the life of Aracelli, who was more noble and lovely than anyone else.

"Once we save your world and when my work is done in my own world… Let's travel together."

-Ah…

There were a lot of beautiful places in the countless worlds. We can go there and relax after all of this is over.

"It's a trip to another world"

Aracelli looked into my eyes for a long time with her transparent, blue eyes. Then, her eyes finally sparkled, and she smiled brightly.

-I like that! Let's make sure to travel together.

"Okay."

-By the way…

Then, Empress Sahar interrupted and said:

-Aren't you forgetting me? Rude…

"Oh, no. Of course, I also included you in our plan."

– Hmmm… Your bond is already very strong, and there seems to be no room for me to intervene. It's really burdensome for me.

After saying that, Empress Sahar smiled softly.

-But… I traveled through time and space, making the impossible possible. I look forward to the future. Really.

-…

Aracelli bit her lip, and Sahar smiled slyly. I thought I was lucky because the two of them seemed to have a really good relationship.

"Okay, so let's move on. Please tell me the coordinates of the next time zone."

-Let's do that.

Princess Sahar said so before opening a thick old book.

-You should go to Day 19, month 1 in the year 607 of the Rinekal calendar. A particular law was amended that day: magical support to many lower-class people would be cut off, resulting in a lot of people complaining about their suffering.

"Then…"

-Around that time, a man armed with scientific equipment appears. The man's name is 'Partellian'. He spread the convenience of science to the lower classes.

"Convenience of science?"

No matter how much I think about it, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Isn't magic more convenient than science?

-That's right. Science is so weird. Even if you don't use mana, everything could still be done. With only a few tools, an ordinary man could be proven to be more effective than a magician. After all, unlike magical devices, which need a magician to activate it, science could be activated even by ordinary people simply by pressing a button.

"Oh, I see. I understand."

That was definitely true. No matter how convenient magic or magic tools are, without mana, it was only a piece of useless junk.

But science was different. Even if someone was not a magician, they could still enjoy something close to magical power, and even if they cannot train mana due to their limited talent, they still could be armed with powerful equipment.

-Yeah, so you have to go to that date and stop people from being instigated by science. Can you do it?

"Uh, I have to try, I guess? For the record, I am a believer in science rather than magic."

Even if I can't do it, I have to. If it was to save the world of Aracelli, I was ready to do anything.

-That's a good attitude. Let's leave right away

As soon as Sahar finished speaking, a message came to mind.

[Moving 10 years into the future.]

[1000 days of lifespan is consumed.]

[Day 19, Month 1, Year 607]

When I opened my eyes, the back alley I was in a moment ago had changed into its older, rustier form. It was only a brief moment for me, but everything I was seeing with my own eyes had aged. Even though time traveling was only a little different from dimensional travel, it still left me with a strange feeling.

Numerous torn or shriveled leaves lay on the floor of the back alley, the ground was dented and the walls were cracked. The paint which was coated 10 years ago is almost completely erased now.

[Protagonist Partellian]

[Level 109]

When I checked the protagonist's information, his level had risen considerably. If his growth was compared to other protagonists, it was far behind their pace. But since he was gradually accumulating knowledge from a young age, it was clear that he would be a protagonist with a higher growth limit than any other protagonists I had met till now. Afterall, while most protagonists only make themselves stronger, the protagonist of this world will completely overthrow this world's principles, common sense, culture and technology.

-You really arrived on the correct date.

-Even when I knew the date, I couldn't travel to the precise date… You are truly amazing.

"Haha…"

I wasn't the one who was amazing though, the system was the one who was amazing.

"By the way, I don't think science has been spread out yet. This place looks even worse than before."

I looked around the town slowly, but I didn't see anything related to science anywhere. On the contrary, the alley looked similar to the old neighborhood in Korea, which had now become a really outdated alley

-Don't be deceived. Even at this very moment, Science is still moving in full swing. Today is the day where the first scientist, 'Partellian', also called as the god of electricity, appears in history for the very first time.

"Hmm… For a protagonist who was blessed with the power of protagonist correction, I supposed 10 years was enough to master science." And by now, it's likely that he was already armed with countless inventions and all kinds of scientific equipment.

Since his level is still not that high yet, I can still easily deal with him even when he is armed to the teeth. But if more time passed, I don't think that would still be the case. Afterall, the science brought by Partellian might have evolved to the point it could call the ether dispenser I used garbage.

-It's a bit embarrassing to say this with my own mouth… but there's a very wide gap between the rich and the poor when it comes to magic in the Vivienda Empire. Since magic has existed for so long, families that have existed for a long time hid their technique from the masses and passed them only to their blood relatives. Thus, those without affluent families had a limit to what they could reach no matter how hard they tried.

"It's the same wherever you go. Even in my hometown, that was also the case."

-So… It could be said that the situation in which the poor have no choice but to continue to be poor and the rich keep getting richer has been maintained for nearly 100 years.

Therefore, the complaints of the lower classes piled up. However, it didn't explode since in this magical world, the magic possessed by the lower classes could not overcome the magic of the upper classes. They had no choice but to hold it in and live on.

However, sometimes, some people from the lower classes who cannot stand it, will commit violent crimes.

"Hm… So, in other words, there's a reason why this alley is getting older, isn't it?"

As I was walking around the streets that were littered with garbage, I was able to vividly feel that it had changed considerably from 10 years ago. At that time, there were still many people selling skewers on the streets and the overall atmosphere of the alley was lively. But now, it was deserted and gloomy. People around the alley had dead eyes; they had lost their vitality. It was clear evidence that they only live on without any aspiration whatsoever.

-However, Partellian appears while carrying a pamphlet in which he promotes what science is.

I took one of the aforementioned pamphlets and read it.

A talent for magic? Not required.

Magic knowledge of historical family? Not required.

Anyone can learn and use it as long as they want to study!!

-Partellian reveals the identity of science for the first time in 'Astiella Square'.

Then, when I walked towards the square, I could see it.

"How long will we live while being trampled on when it's because of the environment that we cannot learn magic!!! Why do we have to suffer for not being able to learn?!?!?!?! Let's stand up on our own and fight against them!!!! The power of science will be enough to be independent of them!"

At the top of the square, where the old structures were piled up one after another, the main character, Partellian, who had grown into an adult, used a 'microphone' to spread his voice. A device which required no mana at all and yet could perfectly replicate magician's voice amplification spell.

In addition to the microphone, Partellian also gave the pamphlet about science to the people who had gathered. And most of them were captivated by it.

But,

"Do you think you can fight magic with something like this? Absolutely impossible!"

There were still those who did not fully trust in science.

-Soon, an incident will occur where even those who do not believe in science will start changing their beliefs.

Then, five wizards with their robes flapping because of the wind, appeared over the sky of the square.

"Hey, it's magicians!!!"

"Ugh, ooh! They are trying to kill us again!"

The magicians looked down at the ground from the sky with a proud expression on their face. To be able to float in the air like them, someone had to be in at least 5 circles. However, that was not all. What differentiated the magician over the sky of the square and other magicians was the mark on their robe.

-They are magicians of the magic tower.

Partellian looked nervous, but he still said confidently. "I had expected some magicians to come to this place."

Then he pulled out a long black rifle from his waist. It had a bunch of blue tubes hanging around it, and the holosights were incomplete and bad looking compared to holosights I knew, but I still know the identity of the weapon.

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-Pro-professor, what is that…?

"… it's an energy melting gun."

Energy melting gun, a gun specially developed to melt the protective layer which could be found in a monster's skin.

However, since the cost of making one of those was astronomical and because it was so heavy that it was impossible to carry, it was an object that was not fully developed on Earth. However, in just 10 years after his fateful encounter with Science, Partellian, the protagonist of this world, had developed it. Moreover, it was small enough to be carried.

-It looks similar to the 'mana melting gun' used by future androids.

"There's something like that in the future?"

-There is. And it's a terrifying gun which can pierce through the wide-area protection fields set by magicians with just a single shot.

When Partellian aimed his gun at them, the magicians all snorted and cast a shield spell around their body. Well, I know why they did so. There's no way ordinary people who they couldn't feel mana from could use a magic artifact. At best, they would only attack with a non-magical attack.

Then, a blue flash started to flicker on the tip of Partellian's gun. And moments later, it shots towards the magician.

"Uh, uh…?"

The shield of one magician was pierced by the blue laser. Not only that, the laser also pierced his chest. Then, the magician's lifeless body fell to the ground.

"What is this…"

Belatedly, the remaining magicians tried to cast attack magic on Partellian. However, before they could do so, ten people holding the same gun as Partellian appeared from the back of the square and started firing at the magicians.

Although their aiming skills were poor, the wizards floating in the air could not dodge the laser because they could not move quick enough, and in the end, all five wizards died in less than 10 minutes.

"Ah…."

Silence descended on the square.

"WOOOOOWWWW!!!!"

However, it was followed by a fanfare right after.

How could they not do so? Afterall, someone from the lower class of the society, who couldn't wield magic at all, had just defeated a magician with 'science'!

Of course, most of them were young wizards, and they weren't any good except for their floating magic, but that didn't matter to them. The fact that someone from the lower class killed the magicians, who not only came from the noble family, but were also excellent enough to be affiliated with a magic tower was enough for them.

-The news about anyone could beat magicians as long as they know how to deal with the products of science and technology, which they called 'inventions', will spread quickly from now on.

"Tsk… This is why villains are so useless." In fact, if those magicians hadn't used floating magic, the outcome of the battle would be different.

"But well… I can't fault them too much since the reason for their existence in the first place was to make the protagonist's victory look more dramatic."

-Yes?

"Forget it, it's nothing… Anyway, it all changes if a magician isn't defeated here, right?"

Using magic in combat was something I didn't normally do. But that didn't mean that I wasn't confident in doing it.

"If I kill Partellian here as a mage, it won't go against the 'probability', so there shouldn't be any problem. Let's go right away. Flowerpot, time to pay for your meal."

-You don't even give me a meal….

I deliberately kicked the ground with some power to make the people aware of my presence. Then, I used the same floating spell like the magicians from earlier to create the same dramatic effect as them.

Those poor bastards couldn't control their floating spell properly, that's why they died. However, I am different from them.

After clearing my throat, I purposely shouted loudly.

"Partellian! You're trying to seduce the people to use demonic magic! Are you going to bring back the demon that disappeared 100 years ago due to the sacrifice of the great heroes?"

"What, what?"

"Demon?"

"What do you mean!"

In fact, the only way for demons to appear in the human world was through humans who give their soul to the demon in exchange for power. However, it's not necessary to tell the people here about that. Afterall, a MSG was needed for the story to be more juicy.

"Who are you?"

"Me? You could say I am a more professional magician compared to them."

"It doesn't matter who you are!!! We will kill all magicians!!!"

"Wait, then why did you ask?"

At that moment, Partellian pointed his gun at me.

'Hey, are you ready for that?'

-Yes…

'Tell me for sure!'

-It's done…

As soon as I received the answer from the flowerpot, I waved my hands towards the incoming laser. Then, the blue laser fired by Partellian bent and flew to the direction far away from me.

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"Wh-what?"

"You could only beat those magicians from before because they are weak. Your toys will not work against those who are experienced."

In fact, there were quite a few ways to counter a laser attack. One of them was to make overlapping prisms to refract light, or to use the exact same light to cancel the attack altogether.

However, in the face of his attack just now, there's no need to do that. The output of the gun Partellian used was at most at the level of D-rank, and the defense penetration was only at B-rank. Which means, even if I block it with some normal shield, it wouldn't harm me.

But, again. MSG is important.

"Damn… let's all fire together!" As one of Partellian's men shouted, lasers shot towards me from all directions. But without moving my body, I simply cast a blue shield around my body. And a few seconds later, it all stopped.

'The output seems to have been lowered a lot for portability… Moreover, it seems like the gun didn't have any aim correction function.'

Obviously, Partellian's 'energy melting gun' was superior to that of the Earth. But, the other parts of technologies that make up that gun were so crude that they couldn't produce proper output. To put it in an example, it was like an engine of a maglev train from the 21st century being added to a train from the 18th century.

The fight progressed one-sidedly even though I only used flashy magic to add a dramatic effect to subdue Partellian's subordinates.

If I kill Partellian here, everything will return to normal.

'I must kill you as soon as possible…!'

While preparing for a wide-area magic spell, I concentrated and saturated the magic by even adding bits of my lifespan on top of the mana.

However, Partellian managed to get away by using strange science tools, a bizarre energy barrier suit to withstand my attack, using a pair of flash bombs and some kind of shoes to instantly move to another area. But there were bound to be limits too on those items. So, in the end, I could corner Partellian to a dead end.

'Please, die.' I desperately hoped and shot a white beam towards Partellian.

Paah! Shhh! Shhh!

Suddenly, however, several humanoid creatures, which didn't have flesh and were wrapped in strange mechanical devices, appeared from thin air, and blocked the beam in front of Partellian.

My expression hardened, and at that moment, a message appeared in front of my sight.

[The protagonist faces a crisis.]

[Protagonist correction has been activated.]

"Damn it!" As I hurriedly backed away, ten androids glared at me with their ferocious red eyes.

Each individual was on a different level from the one I had killed before. It made me wonder whether they mastered swordsmanship in that brief moment they fought me because even their movements were more fluid and sharp.

-Enemy in sight.

-I will eliminate the enemy to preserve history.

Princess Sahar, who was watching the android, said in a nervous voice.

-They are the Type C. You can think of them as elites which have been upgraded by at least two levels compared to the android you killed last time. But… Since their energy wavelength is enormous, they shouldn't have been able to time travel… So, how…

"That cursed protagonist's correction!!!"

As I quickly retreated, the androids' beams scanned the spot where I was standing.

-Unbelievable!!! They shouldn't be able to send an android back to 10 or 100 years ago!

-Even sending one individual is hard for me since I don't have enough energy, so how…

"Isn't this a bit harsh? It's never been like this before!"

Then, belatedly, the client spoke in a subdued voice.

"Of course."

It's always like this. I can't just kill a protagonist with regression ability because their ability will be triggered by the protagonist's correction. The same works for the protagonist with reincarnation ability, since they will only reincarnate again.

Therefore, I had to create a reasonable story which justified the death of the protagonist. And so far, I have been hunting the protagonist with such methods.

But this time, for the first time, that method didn't work.

"What kind of nonsense is that…."

All the protagonists I had hunted so far didn't have such hunting conditions. It was as if someone had intentionally made sure that Partellian could not be hunted.

– Apparently, something is being planned at the headquarters of 'Stella Horizon'. If we don't stop their energy, they'll constantly send androids back to the past.

-If that's really the case, we won't be able to change the past.

In other words, both Aracelli and Empress Sahar could not just sit still and wait.

And if the act of sending androids to the past was the 'protagonist correction' in action, we just need to find that energy source and remove it.

-We'll move too from now. Yoo Seodam, we failed to hunt the protagonist in this time frame failure. So get out of here.

-The next coordinate is Month 3 day 27 year 609! You must hurry!

Finally, the voices of the two women faded away. Each of those androids' abilities exceeded S rank, so it was difficult to deal with them, so I had no choice but to run away.

[…Moving 2 years into the future.]

Chapter 233

Day 31, Month 8, Year 709 Valley of Sleeping Heart

[Day 31, Month 8, Year 709]

Aracelli returned to her original timeline and opened her eyes. Her blue eyes glinted and captured the world again. Slowly getting up from her seat, she approached the window and looked out at the world.

"Fyuuuh…."

Empress Sahar, who also returned to the present a beat later than Aracelli, approached Aracelli.

Sensing her presence, Aracelli opened her mouth. "Where is the time travel device located at?"

"In the Stella Horizon."

"…is that the name of that gigantic ship that covered half of the sky?"

"That's right. It was the center of all science, as well as the place where science began. It was also Partellian himself."

"Yes? That's…." As she was about to rebuke Sahar's words, Aracelli remembered one protagonist she had met before. "…Do you mean that Partellian is an 'artificial intelligence'?"

"That's right. To be more precise, they said that 'Forebrain (Mind Uploading)' is something even magic can't do."

"Fo-forebrain…?"

"It is said that it was a technique that allows anyone to live forever by uploading their human mind to another virtual world created by science. Partellian succeeded in realizing that technology, and replaced his human body with the huge battleship called Stella Horizon."

"What in the world…"

If the battleship itself was really the protagonist… It would be impossible to defeat it, even if both herself and Yoo Seodam work together.

"Just how could science do that?"

With magic, it was possible to make a passage to subspace. However, it was incomparable to that power of science, which could create another world where one can enter it to enjoy eternal life.

'Partellian's technology has already far surpassed my level of magic.' Therefore, it was impossible for her to win against him. So, Yoo Seodam had to do all the work from the past if they wanted to stand a chance against Partellian. But, even that was not an easy task, since the androids could time travel freely.

"Don't be overly concerned. Even Partelian cannot use time travel so willy nilly. Some functions of Stellar Horizon must've stopped working because of that one F-type android which they sent to 100 years ago."

"Isn't it possible that they discovered another energy source in the meantime?"

"No, that won't be the case. We have confirmed that the planetary generator-which is energizing the Stellar Horizon–is still working in the Valley of the Sleeping Heart."

Planetary Generator was a huge generator built in the valley of the sleeping heart. It was something which was built to extract energy from the world itself, and if it was destroyed, most of the functions of Stellar Horizon will be stopped.

But, will such important places have loose security?

"There is one thing we can use to attack." Aracelli said.

"That is?"

"The only subject they have not conquered; space." Aracelli put her hand on the window. The strange window, which through several twists and turns connects to another space, was created by space magic. And, Aracelli was a wizard who reached the pinnacle of such magic.

"They are the ones who rule time and even created a virtual world…"

Papat-!!

The landscape of the mirror that Aracelli caressed changed; It flickered and began to display another place in an instant. The place displayed on the mirror was none other than 'Valley of Sleeping Heart'.

"But do they really know about the existence of another dimension?"

Empress Sahar approached the mirror without hiding her startled expression. It had been a long time since she arrived in the Vivienda Empire, so she had a good grasp of how normal wizards use space magic. In order for other wizards to link one place to another, they must go to the location, install a device there, and collect the coordinates for at least 12 hours. But that's not all, they also need to use the spell in the two places at the exact same time for the spell to be successfully activated.

"…This is amazing."

Aracelli closed her eyes and focused her mana. Thanks to her circle's gradual recovery, she was able to use dimension magic in more various ways. In the state of her circle being frozen, she was someone who could use dimensional magic for dimensional movement. But, in her heyday, she was able to use it in a more colorful way, for example:

Opening the dimension high up in the sky, expelling her enemy out of the universe, or even summoning magma from deep in the ground to attack the enemy.

For her, the third dimension was no longer a barrier. No matter how far away it was, everything was as close as it was before her eyes. Therefore, everything that came into her sight was immediately within her grasp.

"There it is…" Finally, in the mirror, the true Valley of Sleeping Heart was reflected. A huge, transparent dome-shaped glass tube was encased in a strange red building, where a blue halo was glimmering like a mist. There were dozens of such domes around the place, and the power plant-like structure, which had a complex structure such as antennas and steel frames, is the 'heart'.

"The mana nearby is twisting, so approaching till here with a mirror seems to be the limit."

"That should be the case. They set up a base on top of the mana pulse, but they drained all the mana around and only ran it on some specific area. Therefore, it was said that it was almost impossible to use magic around there."

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In other words, it was an 'Anti Mana Field'. It was a technology that nullifies the implementation of magic itself by generating a vortex of mana.

"Don't worry about that. As long as you can control your mana within it, you can use any magic with ease."

Of course it wasn't as easy as how Aracelli portrayed it. However, as Aracelli was someone who had reached the realm of nine circles, she was certain that her mana control was second to none under the sky.

"My circle hasn't fully recovered yet, but there's an energy that I can use, isn't there?"

"Energy?"

Aracelli pointed her finger at the top of the tower in the mine.

"There it is."

The great hero who disappeared from this world 200 years ago, Aracelli Reinkal. The survivors of the Vivienda were still waiting for her, not giving up hopes.

"I can't live up to that expectation, but I can at least make it worthwhile."

After saying that, Aracelli crossed her legs. Then, a vortex of mana rushed in an instant. The amount of mana flowing out of her body wasn't much, but it was enough to draw the energy of the 'hyperspace rescue signal' that was being sent from the top of the tower.

Moments later, as Aracelli covered her own left eye with her palm. A translucent eyeball appeared in the air in front of her.

"I'm sharing my familiar's view with the mirror." As those words fell, Empress Sahar was reflected in the mirror. It was due to the fact that Aracelli's familiar was looking at her.

"I will go to the valley." As Aracelli stirred the air, the position of the eyeball shifted in an instant to the Valley of Sleeping Heart. The view inside the huge glass tube, which had not been confirmed up until now, was clearly captured in the mirror.

"Ugh…" Because of the swirling vortex of mana. Aracelli had a slight cold sweat running down her body, but she didn't seem to have any major problems. However, the problem was that the detection ability of science was greater than expected.

Wiing-!! Wiing-!! Wiing-!!

– Unidentified mana was detected.

– Finding the source to eliminate it.

Fortunately, the androids had not yet found her familiar. She painstakingly moved her familiar into the interior of the power plant.

Thankfully, she was someone who had been inside a spaceship with Yoo Seodam before, so she didn't find it awkward here, which was made up of pipes, wires, monitors, and automatic doors that spewed steam all over the place.

"I can feel a huge wave of energy from somewhere close."

Aracelli moved her familiar slowly, chasing after the source of her energy. Automatic doors opened and closed repeatedly in all directions, red lights flickered threateningly, and a mysterious technology called CCTV, a technology higher than familiar magic, was looking over every place.

Aracelli tried to hide her familiar's face as much as possible to avoid their eyes, but they still ended up detecting her.

-Discovering a substance made up of mana.

-Confirmed that the material passes through the wall ignoring the physical force.

-Coating all walls in the power plant with anti-mana waves.

-Proceed with the coating.

Aracelli's eyebrows twitched at those words. For the first time, the movement of the familiar was blocked by a wall!

"It's okay, it's okay… A wall like this can be jumped over with a short distance movement…"

Maintaining a familiar within the vortex of mana was daunting, and yet, she also had to be stealthy and teleport at the same time.

Even though blood dripped from her nose, Aracelli did not stop casting her magic.

'A little bit, just a little bit more…!' Some walls were still passable, while others were no longer passable. Aracelli moved as efficiently as possible, avoiding CCTV and android troops.

Finally, when her familiar reached the depths of the power plant…

"Keuk!"

"Unbelievable…"

The sight they saw was something they never thought they would see.

"Is that… the power plant that mines the energy of the world?"

Thump-!! Thump-!!

In the center of the power plant, a certain huge heart was beating. Around it, hundreds of gigantic eyeballs floated, and tentacles presumed to be its arms and legs were wriggling to all directions.

That's not all. The walls were also lined with veins which pulsed as if they were alive. The pillars supporting the ceiling also wobbled as if a giant earthworm had stood upright, and the floor shook as if thousands of snakes were crawling on it.

Both Empress Sahar and Aracelli realized something was wrong with the place. It was a kind of space that shouldn't exist in this world. Barely holding back the acid which rose up to her throat, Aracelli broke down in tears and disconnected from the familiar.

"Cough Cough Cough Cough…"

"Aracelli. Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I am fine."

"You are not okay. Seems like the psychological wound was great… Get some rest."

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"Fyyyyuuuuuhhh…"

Even though Empress Sahar told her to do that, she too, had a pale, tired face. She had seen all kinds of things up to this point of her life, but it was the first time in her life that she had seen such a horrific sight. And it was also the same with Aracelli.

"What the heck is that, do you know?"

"Roughly… But, it doesn't make sense…"

"Doesn't make sense?"

Aracelli wiped her head with cold water and took a deep breath. Because she still couldn't understand this situation.

"That's…" Aracelli recalled the sight she had just seen. Although she had never seen it in person before, she had heard many stories about it from Yoo Seodam.

"That place is… called Hell Gate. Or at least, a part of it. It was a space where all debris from the universes go… I don't know how it could be there…"

Somewhere inside the Hell Gate.

A man was sitting in a room which looked like an office. The man, for some reason, looked identical to Yoo Seodam. As if he didn't like something, he continued to tap the desk with his restless fingers.

"It's late."

On his desk lay an ordinary, state-of-the-art, Earth computer. And on the monitor, all kinds of prompts were popping out.

[Thank you for loving 『On a Street Without Nobody』 until now. The epilogue will be serialized in the next episode.]

[Thank you for loving 『I Will Return and Become the Strongest』 until now. The epilogue will be serialized in the next episode.]

[Thank you for loving 『I fell into the magical world, but I only know how to use swordsmanship?』 until now. The epilogue will be serialized in the next episode…]

News of the completion of all kinds of works was coming in one after another. And each time it popped out, the landscape of Hell Gate gradually changed.

"Even if the story of such small worlds ends, it wouldn't be much help."

The man let out a breath and moved the cursor.

『Magic World, Ruled by Science!』

Even if the insects were small, they all had different sizes. Similarly, there were tall humans, little humans, wide continents, narrow continents, huge planets, small planets. Everything had a size, and so did the dimensions.

Small dimensions hold less energy. So, it was more efficient to absorb the energy from the finished story of a large dimension. In particular, they would be able to absorb a large amount of energy from a huge dimension with an ultra-high civilization such as 'Vivienda'.

By the way,

"That guy, Yoo Seodam… Why did he return to Vivienda?"

He knew that Yoo Seodam traveled through numerous dimensions to prevent the story's completion. However, he had never come back to the world he had visited previously. Realizing the occurrence too late, he hastily consumed his 'probability' a lot and bestowed protagonist correction [Protagonist 'Partellian' could never be defeated by magic.] to the second protagonist of Vivienda.

However, judging from the movement of Yoo Seodam in Vivienda, he was sure that the protagonist would die soon. Annoyed, he leaned on his chair and called for someone.

"Reina. Are you there?"

A moment later, the door to the office opened, and a woman with golden hair and golden eyes entered. With a somewhat gloomy impression, she kept her cold expression on her face and lowered her head.

"Yes."

"Do you know why I called you?"

"I don't know."

"Yoo Seodam, he's currently at Vivienda. Didn't I tell you not to transport him there?"

"That…." However, since she knew there was no point in making excuses, she decided to just bow her head.

"I apologize."

"Whew…. I don't know what you're trying to do, but are you aware of the fact that it's useless? Why are you so rebellious? You did everything you wanted."

"Yes."

"So, let's do a little better from now on."

"…"

The man was right. Yoo Seodam could never kill or stop the man in front of her. That's why Reina thought that it would be good if Yoo Seodam just lived a happy life with the things he got through hunting the protagonist.

However, Yoo Seodam didn't do that. His new life and acquired abilities were all used for one purpose: Hell Gate. To be precise, to meet her.

Looking at his action, how could she possibly say, 'You'll never be able to do it'?

"Editor… I'm just saying this just in case, you didn't reveal your identity to him, didn't you?"

"Of course not. I know best that Yoo Seodam will die if I do that."

"That's right. Be careful in the future. Because if he dies, I'm the one who will be in the most trouble."

After saying that, the man waved his hand, so Reina walked out of her office.

– Hmm…. What did Aracelli say will happen in the year 609, again?

In one eye of hers, the image of Yoo Seodam traveling to another world and struggling to solve the story, was reflected.

Reina Ju could not hold out the stabbing grief she felt in her heart.

Chapter 234

[Month 3 Day 27 Year 609]

After arriving several years in the future at the same spot where I had a fierce battle with the protagonist Partellian, the first thing I did was contact Aracelli.

"Aracelli, can you hear me?"

-Yes, Professor. I just arrived.

"Oh? Didn't you leave earlier than me?"

-It's because we are moving from a different time zone, Professor. On top of it, in the 709th year, something happened, so I spent a few hours doing other things.

Few hours? I really felt that only a brief moment had passed.

"Is that so? What happened? Your voice sounds tired…"

Then, the figures of Aracelli and Empress Sahar appeared in a form of whitish fog before his eyes. Both of them had a somewhat pale impression painted on their faces.

– A problem broke out in the year 709.

"If it's a problem, don't tell me…"

-It was as you thought, Professor. The restrictions on their time travel were almost gone because they had an almost infinite energy source.

"What? How is that possible?"

Aracelli mumbled something for a moment, then transferred some of her memories about the Valley of Sleeping Heart to me.

In the deepest part of that place, where all the energy empowering the technology in this world comes from, a phenomenon quite similar to the ones I had experienced at Hell Gate back then has been discovered.

"That!!!!"

-···As expected. That's a part of Hell Gate, right?

It's not just similar; it is the exact same structure as those terrible things which had something that stimulates the instinctive fear within humans that I remembered. That overwhelming sense of intimidation it possesses made me feel infinitely smaller.

-How can you survive in a place like that…?

"Well…"

Come to think of it, it's a relief that I'm not mentally ill after surviving that place. Even though I had lived in that place for years, just glancing at it for a moment made me nauseous.

In fact, considering that most of the hunters who went to Hell Gate suffered mental illness or died while suffering from anxiety, I think I was on the very lucky side.

"By the way, how the hell did Vivienda have a part of Hell Gate? It should only exist on Earth…"

– I don't know either. However, in that place, I found a passage which was connected to another dimension. Science has not yet discovered spatial science, so I'm sure it was made by someone else… I have no idea who it is though.

There were only three people in this place who had the skill and knowledge about dimension. And science of this world somehow had still not touched that subject yet.

-Currently, the space was in a passive state, so it should be fine. but if we leave it as is, androids will constantly visit you from the future and disturb Professor. So, we decided to solve this case.

"How will you solve it?"

-About that…

Aracelli looked into Sahar's eyes and smiled before speaking.

-We are going to destroy that power plant.

"What!?!?? That's dangerous! I can take care of it from the past, so just stay still!"

– No, that's impossible.

-….

"What do you mean by impossible?"

Sahar said in a slightly subdued voice.

-The energy flowing from a place called Hell Gate is getting stronger. Perhaps sooner or later, more androids will go into the past. There is a high possibility that it will detect your time travel destination and follow you precisely to your destination, Professor.

"I'm really going crazy…"

I scratched my head and grimaced. But no matter how long I think, I can't think of a possible way. In fact, back in 607, because of the android's interference, the history could not be changed.

If such interference becomes more and more severe, this mission will surely fail.

"If there's no other way, I beg you two to be as careful as possible. Just sneak in and destroy it. Don't try to do anything else. You are a dimension traveler, Empress Sahar is a time traveler. So, if the two of you work together, you should be able to do it, right?"

-That's natural!

-Professor is running around sweating blood for my world, so I should never fail.

Then Aracelli and Sahar laughed awkwardly.

-Before we go, let me tell you about the history of the year 609.

"Ah yeah. Tell me what happened."

-Actually, there are no major incidents in that year. However, a decisive event occurs in that year.

"A decisive event?"

-Yes. A girl is murdered by a mysterious monster.

"Why is that a decisive event?"

Empress Sahar closed the book loudly to the point it made a thud sound. Then she said,

-That girl is the great Archmage Elaim, someone who led the future human race to victory.

"Pardon?"

-Science has been defeated by magic once. And at that time, she was the third Archmage to ever appear in this world, and said to have inherited the will of the Great Archmage Aracelli Rinekal.

At that point, Aracelli coughed loudly. Apparently, she was embarrassed to be called a Great Archmage.

-Elaim said that she taught herself by reading the books that Aracelli left behind. She also said that she inherited all Aracelli beliefs and magic to protect the world.

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And, Elaim finally broke science and rose to victory.

-But the problem is… their time travel ability…

"Don't tell me…."

-That's right.. As soon as those people realized defeat was inevitable, they went back to the past. They killed little Elaim to change the future.

"I'm going crazy, really."

It's so complicated. I'm going crazy.

-You understand now? Your role is to protect Elaim. I am almost certain that the androids will keep coming at you until they sort things out, so it's probably best to run away.

"How long do I have to run away?"

-Until we destroy the power plant.

-Their time travel is different from ours. It's like riding a rope to the past. However, if the energy source to supply the passage of time disappears…

"You mean that all androids will be forced to return?"

-Yes.

Aracelli and Empress Sahar, who had spoken up to that point, suddenly looked back. It seemed like something had happened in their timeframe.

-Anyway, we'll go now. We don't have time.

– I wish you good luck. After this is over, I'll give you a big hug.

-Yes? Wait, I-

Aracelli tried to say something, but before she could finish, they both disappeared like a mist. Apparently, time travel was done via Empress Sahar's powers, so Aracelli had no choice but to obey her.

"Uh-huh, to think it's an escort mission…."

Escort missions were actually the hardest mission for F-rank hunters. This is because, most hunter at that level will have difficulty responding to a suprise assassination attempt.

However, back when I was still F rank hunter, I had no choice but to learn to do anything I could to survive another day, from using complicated devices or just simply roll around in the dirt to kill a single monster. Thus, from that experience, I had done quite a lot of escort missions.

However,

"I have never guarded someone from a cutting-edge mechanical monster."

Well, it will work somehow.

Like it has always been.

Sohyangchon was a quiet secluded village where the harmonious mountain birds could be heard almost every time. In that place, the scenery was breathtaking and the air was pure and refreshing.

Not all settlements in Vivienda were a bustling city just because they were called the magic empire. There are still rural areas like Sohyangchon, and there are quite a lot of its citizens who are not magicians.

Elaim too, was not a magician. She was nothing but a simple and ordinary country girl. Because of her pretty appearance, she was very popular amongst the village's youth; they were all vying for her. But of course, she had no interest in them at all.

'I will go to the city and become a magician! And I will meet and marry a wonderful man!'

However, she was worried about her freckles and her red hair to be able to do that. On top of it, she was also resentful to her parents who told her to stop dreaming such nonsense dreams and just focus on farming.

Today, Elaim, who like always, escaped from her farming duty without her parent's knowledge, lay down in an abandoned hut in the field and enjoyed her leisure time reading.

Her parents didn't like reading much, so she had to create a secret place like this to avoid getting caught reading books.

"Hummmmm~"

The book she was currently reading while humming was none other than a biography book. In this small town, there were magic books too, but they were all stored in the village head's personal library, so Elaim couldn't take them and read them. For that reason, whenever she had time, she always read the biography about Archmage Aracelli Rinekal.

She was a mysterious hero who suddenly disappeared from the face of the world after pushing back the demon army of hell that appeared 100 years ago, dyeing the sky red.

Even though a long time had passed, her stories were still constantly sung by the bards, being performed in musical drama, and her mannequins as well as statues modeled after her were constantly being built.

In this world, when the name 'Aracelli' was added to anything, it will without fail create a positive image, so the name Aracelli is the most popular name in the present generation. But that too will make a funny complication when two friends have the same name.

It was such a common name, but Elaim sometimes hoped that her own name was Aracelli…

"Elaim! Elaim! Are you here?"

"Uughhhhh!"

At her father's cry outside her, she lifted her head like a meerkat deceived by an eagle. She hurriedly tried to hide the books, but unfortunately, it was already too late.

Her father slammed the hut door open and came in.

"…Ah, Dad. All this, I will explain."

"…."

Her father sighed as he looked at the books littering the old hut. As Elaim bowed her head in apology, her father came and stroked her hair.

"… I'm going to the city soon, and I think I'll need a porter."

"Yes? Yes?"

Elaim thought that she'd be scolded, so she was confused at her father's words.

When Elaim raised her head while processing the words, her father looked at her and smiled.

"I'm thinking of buying the porter something they wanted… If there is anyone around you who wants something, could you introduce them to me?"

"Ah…"

City and what she wants to have.

It was everything Elaim had longed for so far.

Elaim jumped into her father's embrace.

"Dad, thank you so much!"

"There there… So, let's work hard today. By the way, can you please keep it a secret from your mother?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Elaim smiled and nodded her head vigorously.

When the two finished chatting and were about to leave the hut,

Kwang-!!!

The wall of the hut collapsed. Then, a black silhouette came in.

"Ahh!"

"Ugh…!!"

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Her vision was obscured by the dust. She couldn't even move because of the surprise. Thankfully, her father immediately grabbed her, placed her in her corner, and raised his scythe toward the intruder.

"Who are you? What is your purpose!"

Then, from the dust, someone, or something appeared.

Kiikk-!! Kiikk-!!

It's eyes emitted light as red as blood and with every move, an eerie scrape of a metal was heard. Its body was covered with black iron.

"Ju…Just what…"

-Target found. Removing it.

Its identity was… Android.

The android saw Elaim's hiding place at once, and began to approach it in stride.

"This bastard dares to!!!!"

Elaine's father ran with all his might and swung his scythe. However, in front of the approaching attack, the android didn't even move.

Kaaaang-!!

When the sickle touched the android's head, the sickle shattered. It sent chills down Elaim father's guts, afterall, modern scythe was made of state-of-the-art alloys which should never break in any way.

"!!!!!"

In retaliation, the android swung its fis toward Elaim's father, without even responding. He was hit in the stomach and thrown into the corner of the hut.

Unable to utter a single word, Elaim's father slumped over, unconscious. Meanwhile, Elaim covered her mouth with her trembling hand.

"Ack… uh…!"

Gi-ing-!! Gi-i-ing-!!

Standing in front of Elaim, the android stretched out its hand towards her head. When she saw a strange light emanating from its palm, she sensed her death approaching her.

'Ju-just like this….'

At that moment, the wall across her shattered, and a man jumped in and smashed the android's head.

Kang-!!

The android, which was unbothered when his father attacked it with his scythe, turned to the side.

"Whoa… Even though I ran as hard as I could and even stole the latest sports wagon, I was almost late…"

(T/N Sports wagon. The equivalent of a sports car.)

(E/N: Do you think they have F1 races with sports wagons?)

(P/N Imagine a grand prix for wagons)

The man then spoke to Elaim.

"Elaim, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes…"

"First, you have to get out of here-"

Whoong-!! Pang-!!

As Yoo Seodam was about to say something to her, the android got up and kicked the hut debris at him.

"Damn it. We'll talk later. Just wear this. You won't be hurt by any shock by wearing it."

As Yoo Seodam took off her coat and threw it, Elaim grabbed it tightly. Then, thinking of her father lying in her corner, she crawled towards him.

"Ah, Dad…!"

"Ugh…"

Fortunately, her father was still breathing. Without hesitation, Elaim wrapped the coat around her father's body.

Paang-!!

At that moment, a laser was fired from the android's palm, and it brushed past Elaim's ear.

"HIIIIKKK…!"

If the aim had been a little more precise, she would have died by now. Thankfully, just before it shot, Yoo Seodam hit the android's hand to disrupt its aim.

"You idiot kid! Why are you giving what I told you to wear to someone else!!!"

"H-H-He is my father…"

"For god's sake!!."

Hearing her reason, Yoo Seodam couldn't say anything else.

Whing-!!

Yoo Seodam blocked the fist swung by the android with his fist too. His physical ability was now at a level that allows him to wrestle with a robot. However, if he knows that if he keeps this any longer, he'll soon be pushed into the corner.

After kicking the android in the stomach as hard as he could, he pulled out an etheric blade and pretended to wield it. At his stance, the android retreated and tried to evade.

However, rather than swinging it, Yoo Seodam stepped on the ground. At that time, the earth magic prepared by the flowerpot was activated, creating a huge steel wall between them.

Taking advantage of the momentarily blinded android, Yoo Seodam aimed his Winchester towards the wall.

Taang-!!

A volley of bullets blasted past the steel walls, before hitting the android's head. After that, Yoo Seodam quickly ran towards Elaim and shouted.

"Get down!!!"

Rumble-!!

The hut shook violently.

'Keuk…!'

Ngiiinnngg-!!

Elaim's ears rang and her vision kept shaking as her consciousness slipped away.

'For now, let's get out of her…. Ela… Grip…'

Someone shouted, but she couldn't understand it properly.

'E…'

In the end, Elaim, who fell to the floor, couldn't do anything but capture the image of the man who was screaming at her.

'Well… For now, sleep comfortably.'

Eventually, silence melted into her world.

Chapter 235

Elaim had a strange dream. In that dream, some kind of armored monster appeared, hurt her father, and even tried to kill her.

On top of being strange, the dream also felt realistic. She could feel the pain vividly and even remember the voice as well as the face of the man who was trying to save her.

"Ugh…" Elaim, who was about to open her eyes, frowned as her temple throbs.

"You are ugly when you wrinkle your face like that."

"Ugh!!!!!"

Elaim looked up in surprise when she heard an unfamiliar voice suddenly speaking. When her gaze fell on the man whom she presumed to be the one who just spoke, she realized the face of the man who was speaking belonged to the same man she had seen in her dream. He was sitting there with a bored look on his face.

Elaim, who was lying on the floor close to the crackling bonfire, immediately tried to get up from her seat. However, she could only grimace and grab her head as it throbs.

At that moment, Yoo Seodam held out a pouch of walnuts he had been munching towards her.

"Would you like some walnuts? I heard it's good for your head. Maybe because it's shape is similar to a brain."

"…The reason walnuts are good for our brain is because they are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which stimulates brain activity. Not because it resembles a brain."

"Is that so? Either way, it's good for your head, isn't it?"

"It should have no effect whatsoever on a headache…"

Even though Elaim said it like that, she still accepted Yoo Seodam's walnut pouch politely with both of her hands. Afterall, besides the throbbing headache, she could also feel that her stomach was rumbling.

As she finished chewing her first bite, Elaim asked cautiously. "My father… Is he okay?"

"Hm?" Yoo Seodam looked at her and tilted his head at her question. "Rather than asking who I am, where is this place, or the identity of the monster who attacked you, you asked the well-being of your father first as soon as you woke up?"

"…" Elaim stared wordlessly at Yoo seodam. And then, with a smirk, Yoo Seodam answered.

"Your father is fine. I already treated him, so his life won't be threatened because of the wounds."

"Then…"

"I think you are going to finally ask 'the' questions, so I'll answer it in advance. This place is in a forest about 100km from your house. The monster who attacked you came from the future, and I came back in time to protect you, just like them. How is it, any more questions?"

"Wait…wait…wait! What does all that mean……."

"This forest is about 100 kilometers from your house. The monster who attacked you came from the future-"

"If you are just going to repeat your earlier answer, just forget it! It's just… There's too much happening… I can't process it…"

As Elaim began to organize her thoughts, Yoo Seodam closed his mouth and pulled a bag of peanuts. In fact, both the bag of peanuts and walnuts were taken from Elaim's hut, but it seems she didn't notice it at all.

"You just said that you came from the future, didn't you?"

"Yes."

As Yoo Seodam answered while chewing a peanut, Elaim met his eyes.

"Honestly, I have a hard time believing it. But… I choose to believe you because you've saved me and my father from a monster I've never seen in any books before. For that, too… Thank you very much."

"Your ability to understand and adapt with the situation quickly is commendable."

When Yoo Seodam nodded at his own words like an old man, Elaim asked carefully.

"Have you dealt with that monster?"

"I split its head open."

"Then, can I return to my house now? I want to go see my father."

"That's not allowed."

Yoo Seodam threw another peanut to his mouth and laid his back to the chair he always brought wherever dimension he went to.

"There are still a lot of androids targeting you. So, you have to run away if you want to survive."

"…. For how long?"

"Until the problem in the future is resolved. I don't even know when that will be. We just have to trust the folks in the future and wait."

"…"

The word 'future' still felt real to her, so Elaim was silent and bowed her head.

"Just lie down and go get some sleep. Tomorrow we will be busy."

"Yes…"

Without being able to shake her uneasiness, Elaim crawled into the sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

[Month 3 Day 28 Year 609]

The next morning, Yoo Seodam, who woke up just before sunrise, woke Elaim up and left their camping site. As a means of transportation, they used a mana-powered carriage which Yoo Seodam had stolen on his way to save Elaim.

After traveling through the vast wilderness for hours, they finally arrived at a city with towering buildings and towers. The name of the city was Arterial City. As it was built on a high cliff, there was a huge flying boat port there. and it was also a place that served as a transit city for many cities.

"Wow…" Elaim, who entered Arterial City for the first time in her life, scanned her surroundings excitedly without even thinking of keeping her mouth shut.

The buildings were all tall, and there's a wagon flying through the sky! Roads ran through buildings, strange magic statues floated and the voices of merchants who promoted their goods using magic filled the area.

However, even though there were a lot of sounds, Each and every one of them didn't disturb each other at all, so she could hear a new song with every step she took.

"Have you never been to the city?"

"That's so… Originally, I was about to go to the city with my father…"

"After all of this is over, you will be able to explore the city without any trouble with your father."

"Haha… I hope I will really be able to do so."

"It's fine to look around, but don't forget to cover your face. Enemies can scan your biometric information."

"Okay."

As Elaim pressed her hood down, Yoo Seodam also wore his hat even more tightly.

Fortunately, there are no artificial satellites in the year 609, so the androids tracking ability could be said as being cut to half. But since it was almost certain they still had excellent technologies, Yoo Seodam wanted to lead Elaim to a safe place as soon as possible.

"By the way, why did we come to this city?"

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"We are going to 'Rinekal Rigatuma'. They said it was the safest place in the world."

"If it is Rinekal Rigatuma……."

"Do you know about it?"

In ancient language, Rigatuma means 'heritage', so Rinekal Rigatuma could be interpreted as Rinekal's Heritage. And history said that it was Archmage Aracelli Rinekal herself who named it.

The only reason that made that place famous was because its former name was 'Vivienda Academy', the very same magic school where Yoo Seodam once worked as a professor. However, it had become a place which could no longer be used due to the invasion of the demons years ago.

But for some reason, Archmage Aracelli claimed that place later in her life and sent it high into the sky again…

It was said that until now, there had never been a mage who could break through the barrier around the place which was set up by Archmage Aracelli. Hence, till now, no one had been able to enter that place.

"We can't enter that place…"

"I know. The security system of that place is excellent, isn't it?"

"Then why…"

"I have the key to get in there."

At Yoo Seodam's words, Elaim furrowed her brows. She couldn't believe it.

Inside that place, there must be a lot of knowledge and information about archmage Aracelli. Therefore, someone who enters that place would be able to become the archmage of the century.

"What's wrong? You don't believe me?"

"Honestly… Not at all."

"Don't worry about that. Even without me, you were destined to go there."

"What are you talking about?" She asked. She was just an ordinary country girl, how in the world was she destined to enter that place?

"In the first place, there was no barrier set in that place. However, I was told that only wizards with the same belief as her could enter. She was surprised and upset when she was told that no such person has appeared for over 100 years."

"Why do you talk like you personally know the great hero?"

"I do know her."

Elaim bit her lips tightly at his words. No matter how much she is grateful for him as he was her benefactor, she could not stand the fact that he was joking with the hero she had admired her whole life.

"Please don't say nonsense like that."

"Hm? Now that I think about it, your hut was all covered with Aracelli Rinekal biography. Do you respect her that much?"

Elaim quietly nodded her head, and Yoo Seodam smirked.

"It's amazing but feels weird at the same time."

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. For now, let's quickly go. We have to take the flying boat."

"The flying boat?!"

"Why are you screaming? What if you get caught?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

After hearing Yoo Seodam's words, Elaim suppressed her beating heart which had begun to pound like a drum from the excitement. She had always wanted to ride it, but she had long since abandoned that dream because she was nothing but a poor country girl.

Seeing Elaim with excited expression painted across her face, Yoo Seodam put on a bitter expression. He doesn't know what she expects, but the flying boat won't be as exciting and enjoyable as she imagines.

Afterall, he had a hunch that their movement had already been detected by the androids. It's only a matter of time before they catch up to them.

"Let's hurry."

"Yes!"

Famous or slightly larger flying boats usually have names attached to them, but Yoo Seodam only bought a ticket for an unnamed flying boat.

The '12th flying boat' they were going to board was huge. To compare, it was as big as a cruise ship on Earth. And as it was the cheapest boat around, there would be a lot of passengers on it.

Wooong-!!!

WIth a rumbling noise, the flying boat flew high into the sky.

"Wow…" Elaim exclaimed as she stood on the deck with her hooded still up. Her eyes were twinkling as she looked down to the ground.

"People look like ants!"

"Yeah."

"The magic tower became smaller than the model toy I had at home. Wow, that's really cool. How could this be? Seodam. How do flying boats fly?"

"The floating crystal is supporting the entire ship. Wizards control the entire ship by determining the output and direction of the floating crystal."

"Wooowww…."

"Are you listening?"

The flying boat gradually increased its altitude. Eventually, it soared above the clouds. Since the outer surface of the flying boat was protected by a pressure shield, there was no need to worry about the pressure difference.

Watching the curious and excited Elaim wander around the flying boat, Yoo Seodam also tried to enjoy a brief moment of leisure.

But at that moment, out of the blue, the deck went into chaos.

"What? Who is that?"

"Is it a magic show?"

"Armors…?"

Underneath the flying boat, an unidentified monstrous creature, wearing black steel armor, appeared.

– The energy of the target has been detected.

– Finding the target to eliminate it.

"Goddamit!" Yoo Seodam cursed. He promptly ran towards Elaim as 12 B-type Androids surrounded the flying boat and stuck their arms out.

Wiiingg-!!!!

Boom-!!

"Ahhhh!!"

"Help!!!!!"

When a red beam was fired from the android's hand, chaos ensued onto the deck.

"Seo-Seodam!!!!"

"Stay calm."

When all the androids' eyes were focused on her, Elaim hiccuped and plopped down to her bottom.

'They are weaker than the last ones…'

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Nevertheless, he still refused to lower his vigilance.

Tung! Tung!

As soon as several androids landed on the deck, Yoo Seodam ran to one of them and reached towards it.

Woosh-!!

In an instant, an android ceased to function as he shoved his right hand into its chest area before pulling its energy core away. Shortly after he tossed it to the chest area of an android running right next to him, Seodam turned and swung his forearm to meet another android's fist head-on.

Kwaaang-!!

A brief struggle ensued. Just like before, the more he endured, the more disadvantageous he would become as he had to protect the people by himself.

As he slipped his opposite hand into the air and pulled out an etheric blade, he tried to quickly dispose of the android in front of him. Unfortunately, he was blocked by another android's lightsaber protruding from the side.

– The enemy uses swordsmanship.

– Swordsmanship scan completed.

– Reinforcing self to cope with the fighting style of humans.

"Tsk"

The other day, Yoo Seodam used swordsmanship when fighting an android. At that time, he destroyed them in just two hits. Back then, they judged swordsmanship to be an 'unknown technique', but now, they had already come up with a countermeasure to counter it by fighting with enhanced athletic ability rather than magic.

Which means, his swordsmanship and magic had already been grasped by them.

'Should I use the Winchester?'

However, he threw the idea away. Guns were not suitable for dealing with large numbers of enemy at close range. Moreover, Winchester was a sniper-like firearm, which means, it takes time for it to shoot another bullet.

The choice Yoo Seodam had right now was to use the ether sword. The item The Lost Morning Star was a type that weakens the opponent by applying a debuff, so it was not suitable for dealing with non-living things.

Reluctantly raising the ether blade, he moved quickly using the Dharma Heavenly Wind God Technique.

Footwork, it was a mysterious technique that even those with advanced science could not grasp.

Woosh-!!

When another android was cut into half, a series of laser beams rushed into its place.

Yoo Seodam casted a barrier magic in one direction, avoided the lasers which were not covered by the shield and blocked some which aimed at his vitals with his swords. Then, he jumped high into the air. As the androids soared into the air to chase him, he used the skill once more and rushed towards them.

– Responding to enemy attacks.

As the android's built-in computer judged that it could not block that attack with only a single entity, five Androids gathered and deployed an energy shield.

Wiiing-!!!

Yoo Seodam's sword hit the energy shield, but it did not penetrate; only creating a small crack. At that moment, light flashed from the tip of the sword, it also rotated like a drill. Moments later, a sharp needle of ice broke the energy shield and charged towards the android.

When the head of one android was torn off, the energy shield naturally collapsed, and the formations of the other androids also collapsed.

Ba-bang!!

As a mechanical arm grasped his hands, Yoo Seodam hugged it and slammed it to the ground. Then, when another machine slammed it into his head and fired a laser, Yoo Seodam either blocked or deflected it with the ether blade.

Meanwhile, Elaim was hiding in a corner and watched the fight without even blinking. She was terrified and frightened, but she didn't want to close her eyes, turning away from him as he was fighting for her.

Dung-!! Dung-!!

-Mission, failed….

Yoo Seodam let out a long breath as he killed the last android. He then ran to where Elaim was hiding. Fortunately, she was unharmed.

"Elaim, are you okay?"

"Behind you!!!"

"!!!!"

As Elaim shouted, Yoo Seodam hurriedly turned around and crossed his arms in X shaped in front of his chest. In the very next moment, a red-skinned android collided head-on against his body.

Kwaaang-!!

When they collided, a huge shock wave spread in all directions. It was not the kind of shockwave one would imagine would occur when two humans collided.

"Kyaahhh…!"

Elaim body rolled over the deck for a long time, then smashed into another wall.

"Ugh…!"

Her breath was caught in her throat, and she struggled to get up.

'Unbelievable…!'

Yoo Seodam cursed once again. He had just finished dealing with 12 androids, but now, another 30 androids were appearing?

On top of that, every android which just came had better ability than the previous one.

Yoo Seodam looked at the red android, sweating profusely. At the very least, the android was at the same level as him. If they fought in a one-on-one fight, he was certain he could kill it. But, as of now, that chance was slim. 30 D-type and C-type androids had appeared cutting through the air and blocked him from all directions.

'How can they send this much?'

Before, they could only send a single D-type android to the past, but after the last time, their amount was increasing more and more.

'This is going to be difficult.'

Yoo Seodam bit his lips tightly. Even though he always said that he only fought when he was sure about his winning chance… maybe, he had always just been fighting a losing fight and had been fortunate enough to have won.

Then, a sudden thought came across his mind.

'Wait a minute, isn't it time to pass by there?'

With that in mind, Yoo Seodam looked down to the ground.

'I didn't even have to think of any other way.'

As what he thought was true, he decided.

"Heuppp!" Yoo Seodam raises the ether blade to the air, and starts to radiate mana.

At the sight, the androids took on a defensive stance in their own way. Their enemy's combat power was stronger than they had initially expected, so they had to deal with him properly.

However, rather than attacking, Yoo Seodam concentrated all the mana he had gathered on his legs and ran towards Elaim.

He took her into his arms and asked, "Elaim, do you believe me?"

"Yes… Yes?"

"Okay."

"Come on… wait a minute… Kyaaaaaaah!!!"

Without being able to finish her words, Elaim screamed as Yoo Seodam blitzed to the edge of the deck and jumped off the railing!

The wind slapped her on the cheek, but it was nothing compared to the fear she felt.

'Oh, this is how I'll die, huh?' Elaim thought. If she had known that she was going to die at such a young age, she would have tried dating someone.

She thought so and closed her eyes tightly.

'Elaim a flowery 18-year-old, dies today. Goodbye world.

;)