After defeating the First Fla and wandering aimlessly through the artificial dinsion for what felt like forever, I finally stumbled upon what seed to be the "Exit".
A door.
At first glance, it seed like any other ordinary door, but my spirituality guided toward it.
I could sense it with unshakable and unmistakable certainty.
No, I could feel it with my very "soul."
That door was the "Exit".
As expected, I seem to be more attuned to spirit power than magic. While I can't communicate with spirits like Moon Ji-yeon, I can still sense things through my spirituality.
Standing, I began to reflect on the abilities of my spirituality.
Apart from infusing spirit power into objects, I can sense people through their spirit signatures.
Before, I could do it instinctively because of my high spirit power. But now, if I concentrate, I can achieve the sa results.
If I concentrated my spirit power on detecting other things, wouldn't it yield similar outcos?
A stray thought crossed my mind, interrupting my train of logic.
My current spirit power isn't as high as it used to be after the reset, so why can I sense things so easily?
Wait... is this what Spirit Proficiency feels like?
If you repeat an action enough tis, it eventually becos second nature, allowing you to perform it effortlessly without consciously thinking about it.
In simpler terms, once you beco accustod to sothing, your body and mind internalize the process, enabling you to act on instinct.
This sa principle applies to Spirit Power and Magic.
If you consistently wield the power of an unnatural phenonon, you'll eventually internalize it, refine your mastery, and increase your proficiency over ti.
Just like swinging a sword thousands of tis, repetition will eventually make you a master.
"Still, why did it take so long to figure this out? Is my proficiency just too low? Hmm. It seems I'll need to make ti to experint with my abilities."
"The next Narrative after this one is quite significant. We'll be competing against major countries like Arica, Japan, and China. It'll probably take a while before the Administrators can sort everything out."
"So I should have enough ti for experintation. I need to raise my spiritual proficiency and also figure out what I can do with Drafting and the Black Box."
I let out a weary sigh.
No matter how small, if I had mastered my basic abilities, I wouldn't have had such a hard ti.
How many twists and turns had I taken before finally reaching that door?
There were so many that I lost track of counting them.
In the end, it was because I didn't understand myself that I had to suffer unnecessarily.
This misfortune was my own doing.
I had assud that defeating the Sister would make the "Exit" appear right away. But much to my misfortune, the story didn't unfold as I expected.
Looking back, that was a rather naive way of thinking.
The participants had been thrown into separate dinsional spaces for the Hidden Narrative. Despite receiving a notification from «Link» stating that I had defeated the enemy by default, I never got a system ssage confirming the hidden story's completion.
Perhaps one of the hidden conditions of the narrative was the need to escape from the confines of the artificial dinsionm
Could this be sothing that Sister Superbia set up herself? A final contingency in case she was defeated? Is it possible the other sisters did the sa?
If that's true, it would an they are all trapped in the sa situation as I am. Defeating the enemy would prove pointless if we can't escape.
"Damn, I hope that's not the case. But with Su Jinyoung on our side, I shouldn't be too worried."
With that thought in mind, I gripped the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door open.
Creak—!
The door swung open, and I stepped through, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the blinding light.
Like I had erged from a sealed world, everything was pure white for a few seconds before it began to clear.
When my vision finally adjusted, I found myself back in the Entrance Hall, the very place where everyone, including myself, had been standing before we disappeared.
As if on cue, a system ssage flashed before , accompanied by the familiar, emotionless voice of «Link.»
[Congratulations, Seeker. You have cleared the Hidden Narrative.]
[You have received 50,000 coins as compensation.]
[You have received the «Twlight Shard» as additional compensation.]
I frowned.
Fifty thousand coins? That was all? For completing a Hidden Narrative? Read latest stories on empire
The reward felt… underwhelming. Almost insulting. It was as if the system had slapped across the face, mocking all the effort I'd poured into this.
Then again, when had I started to expect more? When had I beco so greedy?
Although I would undoubtedly need more resources in the future, I couldn't afford to beco too greedy. Ambition was one thing, but unchecked greed could destroy everything I had worked for.
I sighed, forcing myself to focus on the bright side. "At least I received sothing unique."
I glanced down at the item that had materialized in my hands.
It was a small, elegant mirror with a surface that shimred like liquid silver, frad by intricate carvings.
The back of the mirror bore an engraving of two interlocking crescents, one black and the other gold, symbolizing the balance of dusk and dawn.
Without hesitation, I accessed the item's information.
[Twilight Shard, «Mirror Which Separates Two Boundaries»]
Grade: S
Type: Relic
Description: A fragnt of the boundary between day and night. It serves as a gateway to an isolated dinsion, granting its bearer access to the hidden domain of the Witch of Darkness. Those who possess this shard are marked and invited to step into her territory.
Oh, wasn't this interesting?
I had been wondering why I'd received a mirror of all things, but it seed this was no ordinary trinket.
This was a gateway to the Black Witch's Territory.
How wonderful. With this, I should be able to proceed with that plan.
I silently slipped the mirror into the pocket of my Watcher's Dinsional Star Coat.
Then I lifted up my head.
In my line of sight, I spotted a few familiar faces:
Moon Ji-yeon, Yoo Rin, Miyuki and Su Jinyoung.
Apart from Ryu Yeji, who had perished before the Hidden Narrative, the entire group was here.
Everyone had survived.
They had a few bruises here and there, but overall, they seed fine.
As I took in the sight of the group mbers, all alive and well, a rare smile tugged at my lips, and a fleeting wave of relief washed over .
It wasn't a feeling that needed words.
Still smiling, and naturally, I made my way towards them.
They saw approach and imdiately beca stiff. Hesitation flickered in their eyes as if they couldn't decide whether I was truly Kim Jakga, or an imposter.
Well, I was the last to arrive. Naturally, it would seem suspicious. But how was I supposed to prove my innocence?
Fortunately, I had already confird their identities using the [Black Box], leaving no doubt that they were genuine and not imposters or illusions.
But still—
If they had been trapped in the artificial dinsion, how had they managed to escape? How did they all get here before ?
No. I think I already knew the answer to that question.
[The Skill, «Black Box», has activated.]
[The Black Box has detected the activation of a skill.]
[The Black Box has negated the effects of «Dragon Demon Eyes».]
The ssages appeared, accompanyed by a low groan.
Soone from the group had attempted to use a skill, but the [Black Box] had promptly nullified their attempt. The result was the person clutching her head in pain with one hand.
Soo Jin-young.
What a curious protagonist she was. But soone ought to teach her that peeking into soone's personal data was terribly rude.
Soo Jinyoung stepped forward, closing the distance between us. Soon, she stood directly in front of .
But it was strange.
Instead of speaking, she simply stared at my face with a serious expression.
Wasn't this the part where she was supposed to ask questions to confirm my identity if she was suspicious?
So, what was this? What should I say in such an awkward situation?
Damn it. Doesn't she know she's scary when she stares like that?
Anyone would be scared if soone glares at them so passionately.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to break the awkward silence.
"Um, excuse ?"
"Yes?" she replied without breaking her stare.
"Why are you staring at my face like that?"
"I'm trying to confirm sothing."
"I see. So you're suspecting I'm a fake, is that correct?"
"So, you're saying you're the real Kim Jakga?"
"Naturally."
"But isn't that exactly what an imposter would say?"
I sighed.
"I suppose you're correct. But aren't you being overly paranoid? Is this suspicion because you genuinely doubt or because your attempt to peek into my data was nullified?"
Her brows furrowed at my pointed remark, clearly caught off guard.
I smiled nonchalantly. "Don't act too surprised. This isn't the first ti you've tried to peek into my data, rember?"
"Don't worry, my mory about that ti is still fresh."
"Still, don't you think it's rude to invade soone's privacy like that? Are you so kind of pervert?"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do you want to get cut?"
I raised my hands in mock surrender. "Forgive for my outburst. I won't do it again."
I had to apologize quickly. Sotis, this person could be terrifyingly unreasonable, and I didn't want to push her too far.
It wasn't death I was concerned about, I had resurrection points to spare, but wasting one just because soone decided to overreact felt utterly unnecessary.
Soo Jinyoung frowned, visibly annoyed by my constant shifts in deanor.
"Kim Jakga."
"Yes?"
"If you're really you, then prove it. Tell sothing only the real you would know."
"Huh? What kind of question is that?"
Did she really expect to pass so kind of impromptu identity test? I didn't recall building a profound enough relationship with her to warrant such scrutiny.
In fact, we'd only had one serious and morable interaction: the first ti we t.
So, what exactly was I supposed to say now?
I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. "Fine. How about this: I once told you that we would create a new world together. Isn't that right?"
Her eyes widened slightly, but she quickly masked her surprise with a dismissive snort. "Hmph. That doesn't prove anything."
"Really? Then how about I seal the deal with a kiss?"
Her glare sharpened to a level that could pierce steel, and for a mont, I thought I might have crossed the line. But instead of retaliating, she let out a frustrated sigh, removed her hand from her sword, and stepped back.
"Fine. For now, I'll believe you," she said grudgingly.
"Wouldn't expect anything less from you, Soo Jinyoung-ssi!"
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, refusing to dignify my comnt with a response. Instead, she turned her attention back to the others.
I exhaled quietly, and felt the tension drain from my shoulders.
Surviving Soo Jinyoung's interrogation was starting to feel like an achievent all on its own.
Perhaps Soo Jinyoung had already explained the situation to the group, as they all exhaled in unison, and their shoulders slumped with visible relief. From the exhaustion written across their faces, it was clear that they had been through a lot.
They must have endured quite a struggle. Without any backup or support, they had to fight on their own. But now, seeing them alive and intact, I could only assu one thing: the Sisters were dead.
The Seven Flas of Darkness had been the only reported enemies, and with no ntion of additional threats, it stood to reason that the battle was over.
That left just one thing I needed to know.
I casually approached the group and, with a relaxed smile, asked,
"Hello, everyone. It's good to see you all in one piece. By the way, mind telling what happened on your end?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)