CHAPTER 480: LIKE A TIGER (4)

In the middle of summer, a rumor about cicadas always appeared to surface at Stella.

It wasn’t particularly strange, yet it persisted year after year... a claim that, as soon as summer began, the relentless drone of cicadas filled the air, though no one could find a single one of the creatures anywhere.

The truth? Stella had an isolated space where cicadas were confined to ensure they didn’t disturb students studying in the gardens. Yet, despite this practical arrangement, every summer, students would sigh.

"It’s so hot..."

And the cicada song, faint and persistent, would continue as if nothing had changed.

It was an unremarkable truth, but for those unaware of the academy’s secret, the rumor lingered like an unsolved mystery.

The season had begun again, and the oppressive heat was spreading like a wave just like last year.

A year ago, they had traveled through time.

Stranded in the past, they had been forced to adapt quickly, especially with the first semester’s final exams looming.

However...

"Ugh, I can’t focus...!"

As if those days had been just a dream, they returned to their normal lives.

"Me too..."

Perhaps it was the aftereffects of time travel. Flame and the other two girls simply couldn’t focus on their studies.

Their journey to the past had been perilous, and for the most part, they had acted without even remembering much of it.

But at the same time, it had been magical.

A past where they could only remain trapped in their memories... And not just any past, but one in an entirely different worldline.

It was said that even a simple vacation could leave a person disoriented, struggling to re-adjust to mundane life. Time travel, however, was another matter entirely. Its aftershocks reverberated far deeper.

Determined to regain control, the three of them resolved to take action.

The three of them formed a small study group after school, determined to focus on their studies no matter what.

After all, only the three of them could truly understand what they had been through. No one else would question their group’s composition.

However...

"What are you doing? Aren’t we supposed to be studying?"

To their surprise, Baek Yu-Seol had joined them, flipping through a suspiciously boring historical documentary book titled ’Was Magic Real 3,000 Years Ago?’... a book that looked like it could put anyone to sleep.

He wasn’t part of their group. They had only brought three thermoses of coffee, after all. Yet somehow, he’d managed to worm his way in, claiming he was there to ensure they didn’t ’cause trouble.’

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Did he know?

The irony of his presence wasn’t lost on them. Instead of helping, he was proving to be yet another distraction.

"Don’t you... study?"

"Me? Hmm..."

Bullseye.

Come to think of it, he had never actually shown them any signs of studying.

’Didn’t see that coming...’

Caught off guard by the question, Baek Yu-Seol hesitated for a moment. Yet, to his surprise, Eisel and the other two girls didn’t seem particularly interested in his answer.

They were just annoyed that someone who didn’t even need to study was hanging around and disrupting their efforts.

"Ugh, forget it!"

Flame finally snapped, slamming her book shut and stretching her arms overhead.

Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon, who hadn’t wanted to be the first to suggest giving up, exchanged subtle glances before quietly closing their books as well, both sighing in unison.

"Let’s just do it tomorrow. Even if we study now, we’re not beating Ma Yu-Seong anyway. And we’ll stay in the top rankings regardless."

"Why don’t you just beat Ma Yu-Seong?"

"...You do know he’s scored a perfect score on every single written test so far, right?"

"Then get a perfect score too."

The nonchalant suggestion from a fellow student who also aced his tests struck Flame like a slap.

"Enough. Let’s take a break and clear our heads. Tell us a story."

"What kind of story?"

"You know... that story."

Flame glanced around cautiously before continuing.

"The time we traveled to the past... What happened to that world in the end?"

Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon, curious as well, turned to look at Baek Yu-Seol.

Even though they had left that world behind, they couldn’t forget how, at the last moment, Silver Autumn Moon had made a desperate declaration:

’Flame, because of you, our world is doomed...’ or something like that.

Of course, Baek Yu-Seol had traveled through countless timelines, but there was no guarantee that he knew everything about that world.

Still, for some reason, the girls strongly believed that he held the truth.

"Hmmm..."

Baek Yu-Seol blinked, lost in thought.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer. He was just unsure whether he should tell them.

In the past, Baek Yu-Seol had made several attempts to share his secrets and reveal what would happen in the future.

However, every time he tried to explain before, he had been interrupted by a warning—his [Narrative Power] was insufficient. This time, though, he was curious to see if he could finally speak freely.

’...Judging by the lack of a warning, it seems like I can.’

If this story was something he absolutely couldn’t share, a warning message would have popped up the moment he even thought about saying it.

’Does this mean I’ve reached the point where I’m allowed to talk about it now...?’

Perhaps it was partly due to his improved [Narrative Power], but more likely, it was because these girls had already witnessed far too many truths.

"Well, to put it simply... It ends in destruction."

"... I knew it."

Hearing Baek Yu-Seol’s answer, Flame’s face fell, her shoulders sagging under the weight of his words. Noticing her reaction, Baek Yu-Seol quickly attempted to soften the blow.

"But it’s not your fault. Honestly, I’m not sure if I should even be saying this, but... every world, including ours, is destined to face destruction someday for one reason or another. It’s inevitable."

For example, the world Baek Yu-Seol originally experienced as a game had been destroyed by the existence of Thirteenth Onyx Moon.

But not every world ended in that way.

At least, that’s what Baek Yu-Seol believed.

Some worlds froze over completely due to the rampage of the Pirate King, Black Belize.

Others had their lifeforce drained entirely by the birth of Dusk Soil Moon.

Still others were abandoned by the World Tree, which took off into space, leaving the planet behind.

There were countless possibilities for how a world could end, and by now, most worlds had already faced their doom, leaving only a few still standing.

’I saw it with my own eyes. The stars disappearing from the night sky.’

Despite the inevitability of destruction, if there was ever a world that managed to survive until the very end...

That world would face the descent of Thirteenth Onyx Moon.

A world where Thirteenth Onyx Moon descended.

It sounded dramatic, but in reality, such worlds weren’t uncommon.

In fact, thousands of players had witnessed its arrival in Aether World when they played the game to its conclusion.

But why?

Why did Thirteenth Onyx Moon appear only in worlds that hadn’t yet been destroyed?

Judging by its name, it could be assumed that Thirteenth Onyx Moon was another hidden Twelve Divine Moons created by the Progenitor Mage...

’But I still don’t know the reason.’

Worries could wait until later.

Baek Yu-Seol smiled at Flame and said.

"Was my explanation too simple?"

"Uh... yeah."

"To put it simply, hmm..."

Truthfully, Baek Yu-Seol had no idea what caused that world’s destruction. It was just one of countless worlds. How could he possibly know?

But since the girls seemed to trust him completely, he decided to tell a small lie to ease their concerns.

"That world... was destroyed by Silver Autumn Moon."

"...What?"

"Originally, Silver Autumn Moon was one of the Twelve Divine Moons that governed time, but time isn’t something you can handle carelessly. You can think of time travel as a delicate glass clockwork—one tiny impact can break it completely."

He felt slightly guilty about the overly dramatic metaphor, but the girls looked convinced, so he continued.

"But in that world, Silver Autumn Moon recklessly wound the gears over and over again. Trying to escape a destruction that hadn’t even arrived yet, it kept running further into the past."

"...And then what happened?"

"Time got chaotic. The past and the future started to overlap. People learned about their own deaths in the future and murdered the ones responsible ahead of time. Others with grudges killed people in the past. Some even killed their younger selves to prevent certain outcomes."

It was a completely made-up story.

Not even the game he had played before had events like this. He was just pulling ideas from sci-fi novels he’d read.

But the three girls listened with rapt attention, their eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Fortunately, Flame seemed much more at ease now. Perhaps learning that the world’s destruction wasn’t her fault had lifted a heavy burden from her shoulders.

Baek Yu-Seol smiled, feeling satisfied that his little lie had done the trick.

"So, don’t worry about it. I’ll make sure nothing like that ever happens to our world."

The girls nodded, visibly relieved. Their tense expressions softened, and for the first time that evening, they seemed at peace.

But Baek Yu-Seol didn’t realize the truth.

It wasn’t his reassurance of ’don’t worry’ that comforted them.

It was the way he said ’our world.’

Baek Yu-Seol had always thought of himself as someone who could cross into other worlds at any time. That’s why hearing him refer to this world as ’our world’ gave the girls an extra sense of security.

***

That evening.

Baek Yu-Seol sat in his dormitory, deep in conversation with Silver Autumn Moon, who had appeared without warning, as usual.

"...So, you’re saying it’s actually possible for the past and future to intertwine?"

— Yes. It’s never happened in our world, but the possibility exists. The fact that you know about such things... You really are an impressive human. Heh.

"That’s not exactly what I meant..."

Baek Yu-Seol fell into deep thought.

It was just a story he had made up on the spot, based on ideas he’d read in sci-fi novels. And yet, to think it might actually be possible...

— Anyway, forget about other worlds for now. Right now, you belong to this world. I hope you’ll stay here and live out your days peacefully.

"You’re saying strange things. Of course I will."

— Heh. That’s a relief. So, what’s your plan from here?

"...I’m guessing Flame being sent to the past was also the work of Fawn Prevernal Moon, right? It seems like he’s going to move again soon, but... I don’t have the power to stop him."

— True. No matter how capable you are of containing us, you’re still incomplete.

"Well, the answer’s obvious then. I may have been too busy lately to think about it, but... I’ll just have to keep doing what I’ve always done."

— What you’ve always done?

"Yes."

Baek Yu-Seol’s thoughts drifted to someone.

The Witch Queen, Scarlet.

A girl as pure and untainted as freshly fallen snow. It was a stark contrast to the fearsome title she bore.

And instinctively, he knew.

In order for someone like him, with the rare condition of Mana Leakage Disorder, to grow rapidly, he desperately needed the help of someone who had faced a similar condition.

It was Scarlet.

Wasn’t that exactly why he had gone through the trouble of keeping Scarlet at Stella Academy?

He regretted not tapping into her potential earlier. The realization gnawed at him, and now that he finally had some breathing room, he knew he had to act.

"Just like always... I’ll train until I drop."