I don’t know what I should be doing. I walk alone on this grand avenue, looking around at my surroundings, gazing out at the distant horizon a thousand miles away. People dash past like arrows, one after another, while I keep walking—just walking.
I don’t know my place, hitting the bottom line again and again.
I want to die—yet death doesn’t bring me enough meaning.
A person’s value is determined by what they create, not by the “result” they create.
I have created nothing. I haven’t created life, haven’t created death, haven’t created profit, haven’t created objects. I am nothing—I can’t even be called a “puppet” devoid of worth.
Please don’t try to give me meaning, because I will be satisfied by everything I “love,” and then, without realizing it, I will destroy everything…
If you truly have wild delusions, then please take away this power, this accumulated “sin.”
I want to live—not this blatant destruction!
So heavy, so sorrowful—but what’s the use of piling on more “human” settings? “Dark, deep, and cruel knives” can at most give people a chill in their heads.
Can’t this warm reality cut just as deeply? Can’t a storyteller with shocking words do the same? Insisting on giving yourself some grand, profound meaning—don’t get too carried away.
Naturally Acquired [That kind of thing doesn’t matter anyway, please hurry up]
[Primordial Final Battle—I hope my decision can be understood by others]
Life: Does anyone really need this thing?
Threat Level Assessment: To actually be evaluated like this… “bitter smile”
…
Splish splash, whoosh whoosh, tap tap tap.
Pleasant sounds of water echoed through the forest. I had never heard such clear sounds in my entire life.
The pool was exceptionally clear, too. I could never have imagined being able to see my own reflection on the water’s surface.
I crouched by the pool, my eyes quietly gazing at my “water-born” self. I cupped the water with both hands, scooped it up, and splashed it on my face.
“Whoo! Feels great~” Since leaving the Spirit Light Forest, I hadn’t felt the ripples of a natural spring even once. If I could, I’d love to just jump in and swim…
But that would be rude, and besides, I’m very sensitive to temperature loss.
I scooped another mouthful of spring water, brought it to my lips, and took a sip. Water has no taste, but the trace minerals in it give it a slight sweetness.
This water, too—a little sweet.
This place, too—unpolluted.
I really want to bring some spring water with me, so I can experience that refreshing feeling on the road.
I opened my satchel and pulled out an empty potion bottle. It had previously been filled with a potion I’d never seen before—but now, using it to hold other things shouldn’t make much difference.
“Gulp, gulp, kuha! Refreshing.”
Bottle after bottle of spring water went down. I kept refilling greedily.
Not long after the campfire went out, this forest welcomed the morning that belonged to it and the world. The sunlight was bright and clear—a good time to dry clothes. But well, I had no clothes to hang out to dry.
“Whoa!! Watch out!!”
A huge noise and a series of tremors came from behind me, along with the sound of breaking trees. I was just about to turn around to see clearly when I was violently knocked flying.
Floating in midair, my vision flipped upside down, but I could still see clearly. What knocked me flying was a wild boar—a green-skinned goblin was riding on its back, and the boar seemed very angry about it.
Really, not a moment’s peace—
Then I slapped onto the water’s surface. After the pain came a piercing, bone-deep cold. My chest compressed and expanded from the sudden pressure, and so I fell into the water amid this strange, surrounding sensation… Moments later, my back touched the bottom of the pool. Pushing slightly against the water’s resistance, I opened my eyes and gazed at the blue water body.
Sunlight spread out in the water in streaks due to the “Tyndall effect.” I slowly moved my head, looking around, wanting to see the wonders of the underwater world—but my upper body’s buoyancy made me float up.
“Whoo-ha! Huff, huff.”
After my feet touched the bottom, I opened my mouth and drew dry air into my lungs—so much that I started coughing. Falling into the water in this situation really wasn’t pleasant. My hair was wet in patches, dripping downward constantly…
Just then a wind blew past. To preserve warmth, I crouched down, only my little head poking out.
Well, great. My clothes only update to their best condition at midnight every night, and I don’t have any spare clothes to change into… Even that Gothic outfit would do, but unfortunately I left it in the city.
Wearing soaking wet clothes all the time… No, no, absolutely not. I’d definitely get rheumatism.
“By the way, I’m really sorry! Jumping into the pond all covered in grime! It must have polluted it, right!? Wuwuwu, what a shame.”
“Ah!! Master! Help!!”
The goblin spirit was pointing at the wild boar, which was maintaining a vigilant stance beside me, from the riverbank. I thought it was being unreasonable, so I pretended not to hear.
Did the boar do something to you? Aren’t you an elf? How can you eat meat?! Oh… I guess you can eat it—it’s just a difference between those who adapted from childhood and those who didn’t. Most elves are still used to eating vegetarian.
“Don’t be afraid, little piggy. Hurry and leave now.”
I spoke in as friendly a tone as possible, hoping the wild boar could understand that my voice carried no ill intent.
When I was still in the Spirit Light Forest, I used to be very close with small animals and could even talk with them…
I don’t know why, but after that, it stopped working. Maybe it was a special authority of the Guardian—being able to exchange information with the animals in the forest.
The wild boar paused for a moment, its panting gradually weakening, no longer showing hostility. It watched me while staring at the goblin not far away, then stepped toward the bushes, one step at a time, until I could no longer hear its footsteps.
I let out a sigh of relief and looked at the goblin bouncing over toward me. Watching him gaze sorrowfully alone in the direction the wild boar had left, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Master! Why are you laughing!”
I could hear the shame in his voice—but I just couldn’t stop laughing, until the spring water splashed all over my head… My expression, set off by the water droplets, probably looked quite pathetic.
“Hmph!” Oh? I’ve been splashed like this and you still have the nerve to be angry?
I shook my soaking wet head, lowered it, and looked again at the “ammunition” scattered all around me.
You want to play, huh?
It’s said that psychokinetic spells extend through mental power, and then blah blah blah a whole bunch, reaching the level of telekinesis or even stronger…
[Mage Hand] is the most basic state, while my [Force Manipulation] is much more powerful. Although in my current mode I can only manipulate one or two targets, that’s still enough—
As I was thinking, I had already started moving. I used Force Manipulation to form a water ball, and while the goblin was still in his angry fit, I hurled it at him.
With a splash, he was soaking wet too.
“Wahaha! Whoa! Master!”
I really wanted to tease him a bit more, but I needed to deal with the current situation first. Since I’d ended up down here due to forces beyond my control, I might as well take a good wash—and dry my clothes while I’m at it.
“Um, you should go back and find your captain first. I think it’s about time we parted ways.”
“No.”
Of course.
“I have no connection with you people to begin with. Now I want to go home. If you beastfolk appear in a small town, it will absolutely cause panic. Think about that—don’t you realize it’s inappropriate?”
“Oh right. Then I’ll go back and discuss with the captain and the others about how to proceed.”
Ha, he left. But the way he just said that… it didn’t feel like he meant to leave at all…
I shrugged and walked step by step to the shore. After confirming no one was around, I took off my clothes one piece at a time… The sweater was soaked through, the leggings were soaked through, the boots were soaked too. Best to put everything on my body aside…
Thank goodness I hadn’t been sunbathing all over. Otherwise, if my whole body were dark, I don’t know how out of place I’d look now.
I’d been injured several times before. Even though my recovery ability could heal my wounds to a complete state, if the skin around the wound had turned dark, then the newly regenerated skin at the original wound site would remain—making it look very out of place and comical.
“Still so white… Why does it have to be so white…”
I flicked my skin coldly, my body, and even the slightly raised part on my chest… Heh, hehe. Just like in most TS manga and novels…
Strangely enough, when I was at Lady Crierol’s house, my body clearly hadn’t developed yet—it was just a comfortable flat surface. But now it already…?
I’m not very good at biology—especially the subject of human females—so I don’t know when their menstrual cycles are… Probably around the same time as males, starting in their teens.
“Growing so fast. Why am I growing so fast?” I asked naturally. Actually, I’d also seen that my status panel had become… lonely. Many attributes and switches were gone, and I couldn’t even see my ability values.
[Time Chaos]? Weren’t they previously [Time Rewind] and [Growth Acceleration]? They got merged together directly—are you trying to make me experience the feelings of different age stages?
So annoying. What a bizarre world.
——————
…
The road of dusk is already a road of no return.
Please face the exploding reality with a smile.
Let the journey to the Yellow Springs be endlessly warm beneath this surface.
Even though this is destined to be a road of no return.
Yet even with all one’s strength, there can still be a dagger capable of cutting the throat of fate.
All results depend on a single thought of yours.
The world welcomes you. We welcome you.
Welcome To AWO (Art World Online)
——————
“̸̻͇̙̔̕͠B̸̘̠̟͒̓͝ä̴̺͉́̾͘l̴̺͓̈́̒͒͜a̴̺͖̠͊͆̕n̵̻̝͇͑̀̿c̵̡͓̽́́e̵̫͎̐̐̕”̸̞̘̙̀͠͠ d̸͉͖́̽͜͠e̵͔͖̾̽͛͜s̴͔͇̘͛͊̕t̴̢̺̘̾̚̚r̸̦͙͔̿̒͘o̸̢̻͉̓̈́͆y̴͔̼̻̔̿͝e̵̡͖͐͑̓d̵̟͖͓͑̈́͝ b̴͇̻̫̒̾͝y̸̢̦͐͒͘ “̵͇͍͍͌̾͋c̵̦̫̻͋͐͘h̵͖̪̙̿͘͝ä̵̼̙͓́͒̈́o̵͖̪̐̿̓ș̴̙͔̐̈́́”̴̺͍͑͐̐͜
Reality is always cruel; even if this world is bitter; idle matters always mix in bitterness; even leisure is brilliantly withered.
