NOVEL NEXT Chapter 919
<919 – Dark Shadow vs Dark Shadow (28)>
There is darkness in the human heart.
A competent peer hopes that the cleaner will be humiliated when the boss’s son discovers their true identity.
A daydreamer mutters about being lucky every time they buy a lottery ticket, wishing for a sudden death by lightning.
What happens if we delve deeper into this darkness?
A promising young man hopes that an unforeseen accident will ruin their future.
A naturally beautiful person hopes to get burned and become disfigured.
No matter what, there exists an ugly selfishness that desires for someone better than me to become less than me.
But such darkness is not tolerated by people.
What makes a person humane is not this ugly selfishness but the virtue of patience that controls that very selfishness.
And so, feelings that are ugly and shouldn’t exist sink into the darkness.
That sunken darkness.
A memory where a massive shadow looms larger than any.
Heavy imaginings that should never resurface, sunk beneath the depths of memories.
The nature of outsiders whispered.
– There are so many ways to kill a human, yet how does this trivial world intend to exist without the Principal?
– Ah, is that why it’s already gone to ruin? Perhaps ■■■■ times already. If I count how many times it failed in the hands of players other than myself, it would make it ■■■■■■■ times.
– There was that time we indulged in dimensional collapse, and it all crumbled when a hundred-dimensional gates opened.
– We tried creating the strongest chimera to repel all intruders, but it ended up devouring all the Middle Realm life forms, leading to a disaster.
– We built a gigantic fusion generator to create a fusion piece merging all attribute puzzles but ended up making planets vanish.
– I expanded consciousness to infinity, making humanity immune to divine punishment builds, but the total mental energy became too high, causing alien species to detect the Middle Realm, leading to ruin.
– Is that why the Principal often plunges the Middle Realm into chaos? To defend against alien invasions?
– Should I also implement a female quota to control the population, so the human birth rate drops to 0.01?
– I could indefinitely spread superior machines that can’t reproduce, but still, resources are precious.
– Developing technology is a hassle; should I just poison crops to let them die?
– No, even crops are too precious to destroy. It would be better to spray them as if they were strengthened, as long as the God of Death isn’t eliminated to avoid being tricked into useless divine items.
– Or perhaps I could gather all the intruders in one nation and let them suffer from large-scale unemployment and poverty due to economic collapse?
Numerous ways for the world to end.
Sadi Chocolate was aghast, tearing apart each different method.
One.
If just one of these were realized by Oknodie, the world would perish.
Knowing such methods, this child keeps them to themselves.
Because they like the Middle Realm.
Because they like their friends.
In other words, if she were to grow to dislike the Middle Realm or her friends.
If what needs to be protected were to disappear.
This world would face the threat of destruction at any time.
‘The human heart is fragile and easily manipulated. I thought the world was trivial and boring. To think that such a world could survive because of a child’s patience was so precarious!’
It had to be stopped.
Someone needed to prevent this child from becoming intoxicated with the possibility of the world’s destruction.
However, at the moment this thought crossed her mind, Sadi Chocolate realized that the possibility of ruin had already been opened.
Now, what magical ritual was she unfolding?
As she read the inner thoughts of Oknodie, she was transmitting information to the afterimage planted in the Director’s mind and unfolding an alerting ritual.
Everything she observed and judged was being seen and heard by the Director in real-time.
Not by anyone else, but by Sadi Chocolate herself.
She informed the so-called Three Great Evils, First Wahyhiemhai, of the numerous ways to destroy the world.
‘I may have caused the world’s destruction.’
People are boring, but she didn’t dislike the Middle Realm.
For someone living an easy and comfortable life, this reality is heaven, not hell.
But what about the enigmatic man, First Wahyhiemhai, who lived life as effortlessly, yet might bring about the world’s ruin? What was his heart like?
“How fascinating. To think the world we’ve lived in is as fragile as this glass bowl.”
“I don’t understand why we’ve taken the long way around when there are such simple methods. Hahaha.”
“Indeed. But if that’s the case… Huhuhuh. Hahahaha!”
Sadi Chocolate poured her heart into delving into Oknodie’s memories.
Anything would do.
If she couldn’t flip the Director’s thoughts right now, they would choose the future of ruling over a world destroyed halfway, according to their tastes.
That kind of convenient selection couldn’t happen.
So she had to find it.
A future that is better than the world’s destruction, a possibility even the Director could acknowledge.
‘It’s hopeless.’
A future where part of humanity is selected each year through sacrificial lottery and enjoys both power and peace.
A future where plants, supported by plant buds, automatically fight while dreaming happy dreams.
A future of life and death coexisting, where the dead work for the living to contribute and the living prepare laws when the dead pass on.
Even such plausible futures have traps.
The people living among the plants would clash with those who don’t want to escape their dreams, and they would have to wage wars against the plant monsters trying to purge any ‘subversive elements’ threatening the stability of their regime.
The future of coexistence would see the living obstruct the dead’s contributions, prolonging the privileges of a few, eventually bursting with the pent-up hatred of the living towards the dead, leading everyone to become the dead.
‘Is there truly nothing? Not a single thing. A happy future that the Director could be satisfied with, and that Oknodie could fulfill?’
Just as despair loomed closer.
She finally discovered it.
Deep within.
The [Final Strategy Guide] that Oknodie had hidden away.
Not everything was solved within it, but Sadi Chocolate instinctively realized.
This was the most excellent solution.
The Director, receiving her memories, also seriously contemplated with a grim expression.
And then, with a reluctant smile, he said.
“If my daughter wishes that much, then I have no choice but to support her. I’m sorry, Professor Sadako, but I must secure ‘half’ for the future.”
At the moment Sadi Chocolate held the correct answer, the heavy memories of Oknodie no longer pressed down on her.
She effortlessly rose against the tide of memories.
“Do you know what’s in your fist?”
“No, I learned an even more amazing secret.”
Oknodie whimpered.
“How many chances do I need to give? Do you not want to play with me?”
“…I’ll search for it. I just need to find it again.”
“It’s too late! Sadi is not qualified to join the organization that plays with me. Don’t think of barging into my heart!”
As Oknodie shrieked, the once calm sea of memories transformed into a stormy ocean.
The currents rushed, and an intellectual attack monster appeared, causing psychic pain as it could seriously hurt the Spirit Bodies, while the silhouettes of despair combined in the deep sea formed Bad Ending triggers.
Eternal slumber or freedom.
Choosing one meant the latter was undoubtedly right.
Gritting her teeth, Sadi Chocolate spread her doppelgangers throughout Oknodie’s memories.
Many doppelgangers were swept away by the current, crushed by the guardian monster, and drove all mad by the deep-sea beasts, yet some were able to discover the truth thanks to the sacrifice of countless doppelgangers.
“Tomato!! Eating it raises mana by 30!!!”
“Correct! Hehe. It’s a reward. I’ll give you this!”
Receiving the tomato, Sadi Chocolate couldn’t contain her emptiness.
The sea of memories had returned to calm as if nothing had ever been chaotic.
They preserved the state before the rampage and cloaked it, making the chaos of the interim a nonexistent event.
‘Then what about this?’
Sadi Chocolate wondered if the ‘key’ she acquired had another awaiting at the bottom of the deep sea.
Perhaps this was a similar existence to the ‘all-purpose key’ that Jibsa Jang Okashii-ne had given in contract with Oknodie.
A key to unlock the seals of Oknodie’s memories.
Having suffered greatly in the sea of memories, Sadi hid the key away.
Vowing to one day tease Oknodie with this.
[The God of Death beheaded after a bloodbath for his spirit core.]
[Bow in reverence.]
[The celestial seat 24 sees the transition of divine authority.]
[The new ascendant is Sadako.]
[The God of the Undead.]
While Sadi struggled, the God of Death was struck by the revolutionary’s 1 billion Ki blast.
A lethal blow that disrupted the tense standoff decided the victor instantly.
Finally, the God of Death met his end.
“Yay! We did it!”
Joyful, Oknodie hopped about.
“Uh? Papa? Where did Papa go?”
“Your Papa went to hell.”
“What kind of curse is that out of nowhere!”
“…No, really, he went to hell. He left a message.”
Sadi felt unjust.
For once, she genuinely tried to be kind.
“He said he was going to collect the treasures that the God of Death couldn’t retrieve to support your [Final Strategy Guide].”
“Hmph. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“Your Papa left more than just greetings.”
Sadi pulled out stationery and a pen from Oknodie’s bag.
Now that she was in a room meant for memories, unlocking the bag’s pattern was as easy as unlocking the Magic Watch.
━━━
To my proud daughter, Oknodie.
By now, the toy must have conveyed, but Papa is leaving to gather the God of Death’s legacy for Oknodie’s grand design.
Oknodie trusts Professor Sadako, but ultimately she is still a professor at the Academy.
It’s hard to say she is entirely on your side.
Just as Oknodie trusted me and gave up everything, when the moment truly comes when we need each other, I can do the same for you and give up everything.
Though I’ve abandoned many, I came to realize that there are still those I haven’t abandoned.
If friendship is to strengthen, let only genuine friendship remain.
Jiang, Sing, and Titosso.
If the three betray you, even the strongest of hearts will get wounded, and you won’t be able to follow the plans of the [Final Strategy Guide].
Steal the shadows from Jiang, snatch the sword from Sing, and take the light from Titosso.
Only someone who can remain unchanged despite losing what they hold dear can be truly trusted.
The tests directed at Jonnas, Reap, and Destroyer will come at the appropriate time.
Rest assured and watch over this.
Life is short, but the reunion day against death will not be far off in the future.
Next year, when you rise to the graduation class, I will help you achieve your ‘Graduation Project’ with ease.
When that time comes, we will meet again.
Please graduate from the Academy safely.
There is much I want to do together.
If the world doesn’t recognize you, then look up at the night sky.
One of them will surely be my divine light that shines solely for you.
Always thinking of you, your Papa.
━━━
Amidst the touching letter, there lay some less-than-stellar content.
“Eh? The divine star shining in the night sky is only divine class…?”
Before she could finish speaking, a new notification appeared before Oknodie.
[Bow in reverence.]
[A new powerful challenger has emerged in the celestial seat 24.]
[The name of the new challenger is First Wahyhiemhai.]
[The God of the Phantom.]
The powers and remnants of the God of Death, which Sadako couldn’t fully gather, were smoothly taken by First Wahyhiemhai as he ascended to divinity.
An unexpected Joker card appeared on the poker table, which was neither part of the Principal’s design for the Weekly Event nor Oknodie’s plans for the [Final Strategy Guide].