Chapter 5 : unexpected gift

The Night of Extinction is Dangerous.

Though the day is not without its dangers, living beings are naturally more afraid of the night than the day.

And fear always has its reasons.

Predators that move cloaked in the darkness of night are symbols of terror, and the land of extinction is no different.

“As long as I’m here, this place is safe.”

In the middle of a barren wasteland, a woman as pale as snow grips her sword.

With an expression devoid of fear, emotion, or any trace of humanity, she scans her surroundings.

The moment her blood-red gaze lands on a prowling monster, it flees as if it has seen a ghost.

In the darkness, crimson eyes glow.

Each movement of the vertically slit pupils is accompanied by the faint sound of rustling dirt before all traces vanish.

[Fortunate, aren’t you? Even baring your ‘eyes.’]

Suddenly, the woman halts.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she resumes her watchful stance, muttering to herself.

“Threat neutralized. I promised.”

[A promise, you say? What a noble sentiment!]

The voice spoke eloquently, exuding vigor.

It echoed as if it could reverberate across the barren land, but only the woman could hear it.

[You still refuse to use my name? Do you still refuse to accept me?]

“Not necessary.”

[Do you even know whose power you’re wielding?]

“My power is mine. Never yours.”

The woman’s muttering continued. Though she appeared to be talking to herself, it was clear she was engaged in a dialogue with someone—or something.

[Accept me. There’s no harm, is there? You could become even stronger. After all, it’s just a name. What harm could that bring?]

“I already have a name. My name is Albedo.”

The voice attempted to tempt Albedo, but eventually let out a sigh and fell silent.

As the silence returned, Albedo turned her head to confirm the only other presence in the vicinity besides herself.

A man lay fast asleep, as if he had fainted.

She recalled the scene of him using what he called alchemy, transforming stone and dirt into water and food.

“Ryu Seo-jun.”

Was he from the original land?

The name she had heard when she received hers wasn’t from the land of extinction.

Fragments of knowledge, passed down from a few caretakers in her youth, surfaced in her mind—lessons about common sense and various other topics.

The memory of those days, when people lived modestly yet harmoniously, and when even in this harsh wasteland called the land of extinction, they somehow found ways to be happy.

Although a series of misfortunes had made it impossible to return to those days, Albedo believed that the cradle she once knew still remained intact, unchanged.

She herself had wandered the land of extinction since “that incident,” but the past few days had been different—so different that they did not remind her of her childhood cradle.

‘…Happy?’

The moment she realized it, Albedo’s eyes widened.

Since her body had changed, and her emotions dulled, it had been a very long time since she felt anything resembling happiness.

It had been so long that she hadn’t even recognized it, quietly accepting it as a normal state. Now, it stirred within her chest.

A life of emotionless wandering, simply walking wherever her feet took her and slaying monsters that crossed her path.

In such a monotonous and uninspiring daily life, a new change appeared.

Was it the “lifeline” called “UTT ‘TT’,” or was it the “prologue” that divided the lifeline, influenced by the ‘man’?

Albedo paused to think for a moment but decided not to overcomplicate it.

The joy of the present was undoubtedly soaking her heart, even though it was a feeling destined to dry up again in the not-so-distant future.

And above all…

—I’m not leaving forever.

—You can come find me, Albedo, or if I become strong enough, I’ll return to the Melting Kingdom someday.

—Finish it all, and if you ever need more, come find me.

He had left room for possibility.

To fully savor the fluffy emotions of the moment, Albedo closed her eyes.

“Still, it’s hard not to feel regret.”

When she opened her eyes, they were as ordinary as a human’s.

The last night in the Melting Kingdom together.

Albedo watched Seo-jun sleep until dawn, repeatedly convincing herself inwardly that a monster might emerge and threaten his safety.

“Yawwn. You didn’t sleep again today?”

“I’m fine.”

“But it’s already the fourth night you’ve stayed awake.”

The fact that the first thing he did upon waking was express concern for her—Albedo gladly accepted his warm kindness while preparing for the journey.

After all, his goal was not the Melting Kingdom but Arka.

To be honest, I don’t really have a plan worth calling a “plan” right now.

The typical trope of a protagonist reincarnated into their favorite game, using their knowledge of the original to meticulously plan their moves, is nothing new.

But of all places, the fact that I woke up in the Melting Kingdom is causing issues.

‘The biggest problem is figuring out how to get into Origin Academy.’

The game’s early story is similar to a typical academy novel.

The protagonist enrolls in the academy and experiences various incidents and growth.

The issue is whether I, personally, have the qualifications to become a student of Origin Academy.

That said, giving up on admission is not an option.

Shared skills, including the Aether Techniques, are all learned at Origin Academy, so failing to enroll would severely impact early growth.

…But.

‘Well, that’s just wishful thinking for now.’

The admission dilemma is not something I need to deal with immediately.

That’s a problem for future me to overcome. Right now, the pressing issue staring me in the face is passing the immigration process.

Reaching the border of the Melting Kingdom was a success.

Thanks to Albedo’s help, I was able to traverse the Melting Kingdom with ease. But how on earth do I get to Arka, where Origin Academy is located?

If the continent’s map in this world is not drastically different from the game’s world map, I first need to enter the Principality before heading to Arka. However, unlike the now-collapsed Melting Kingdom, the

Principality remains a strong nation. It won’t easily allow a suspicious person with no identification to enter.

“This is tricky.”

“Are you worried about something?”

As I brooded over my frustrating reality and muttered to myself, Albedo’s superhuman hearing caught my words, prompting her to speak to me.

I walked.
Since it wasn’t exactly a story I needed to hide and carry alone, I willingly confessed.

“I don’t have an identity. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but when I woke up, I found myself in the middle of Myeolguk.”

“An identity, is it really necessary?”

“It is. To get to Arka, where the Origin Academy is, I first have to pass through Wonkuk, which borders Myeolguk.”

There’s no such thing as a country that warmly welcomes illegal immigrants.

At best, they’d lock me in a detention cell, and more often than not, they’d simply deport me.

However, unlike other illegal immigrants, I came from Myeolguk.

If I’m deported, I’ll end up back in Myeolguk.

And without Albedo by my side, I might really have to struggle to survive in Melkuk.

“Then I’ll help you.”

“Sorry? What?”

Help me? Albedo is strong, but to be honest, I don’t think this is her area of expertise.

Could she be thinking of storming Wonkuk with me, demanding my identity in some show of force?

With her strength, it would undoubtedly be effective, but it’s far too dangerous a plan.

Luckily, the form of help Albedo mentioned was different from what I imagined.

“We’re almost at Myeolguk’s border. She’ll have no choice but to come.”

But what Albedo referred to as “help” was something I couldn’t understand either.

“Um, what do you mean?”

“This is where we part ways.”

Albedo suddenly drew her sword and began striding toward me.

Part ways here? Was she planning to use me to stain her sword here?

For the first time in a while, I felt the terror of death looming over me.

Who was the “she” Albedo referred to, the one who had no choice but to come?

And what did she mean by parting ways here?

My endless questions were abruptly cut off at some point.

“Hngh!”

BANG!

“…What?”

Albedo plunged her sword into the ground.

For the first time, even letting out a battle cry, she forced the blade into the earth with such force that it could only be described as her utmost strength.

An indescribable energy pressed down on me, and my entire body prickled.

The sudden pain felt like a dull, widespread muscle ache, as if my whole body had been strained.

What in the world had she done?

As I blankly stared at the cracked and shattered ground around her sword, Albedo met my eyes with a sorrowful expression.

“This is my gift. The sword.”

“A gift? From you?”

“Yes.”

Who in the world gives gifts like this?

The words rose to the tip of my tongue but were barely swallowed.

The sword, deeply embedded in the ground, looked like something out of the legend of King Arthur—a vibe of “Take it if you can pull it out.”

“As long as the sword stays where it is, monsters won’t come here.”

But Albedo seemed to have other ideas.

“And in a few days, some woman will come looking for you.”

As if she had seen the future, she confidently foretold what was about to happen.

“When that person arrives, take the sword and go to Arka.”

“Wait…!”
That was the last thing she said.

Albedo turned her back on me, grabbed only the backpack I had made for her, and left without hesitation.

Left stranded in the middle of a fallen nation in an instant, I was stunned. But there was nothing I could do about it.

Albedo was already far beyond my reach, and her parting words lingered in my ears.

“What on earth is going on…?”

Scratching my head in bewilderment, I muttered to myself.

At this point, all I could do was hope Albedo’s sword would drive away the monsters.

Even though I had no faith in any religion, losing faith was akin to losing one’s life.

Surely, unwavering faith in Albedo could be considered a form of belief, couldn’t it?

And then, the next day, someone really did come looking for me.

“I received a report about the appearance of Antares and came in haste. But… who are you?”
It was none other than Sayulcheon, the first instructor and strongest trainer of Orion Academy, where I was preparing to enroll.

“Antares?”

Sayulcheon shouted the name of Antares, the most catastrophic disaster of the fallen nation and the fiendish Star Dragon she had once defeated in the past.

Before I even had the chance to ask why Antares was suddenly being mentioned here, her head whipped around.

“That sword—is it yours?”
Sayulcheon’s gaze, which had left me, was now fixed on Albedo’s sword, embedded in the ground before me.

What on earth? What kind of relationship do the two of them have?

Author’s Note

These days, I’m living for the joy of reading your comments…!
See you in the next chapter!