All Routes Open

My head felt hazy, and my vision flickered on and off.

It was because I had practically stayed up all night.

“Haah…….”

I let out a long breath.

Just that alone made my vision turn white for a moment.

For a second, I wondered if what I had exhaled wasn’t breath but my soul.

This damn body.

[R: My head felt hazy, and my vision flickered constantly. It was because I had practically stayed up all night. I felt pathetic. It had only been a few days. There would be far more to come, and yet I was worrying so much over just a few days that I couldn’t even sleep…….]

A modified script has been detected, revising.

[N/S: ……because I had practically stayed up all night. I hadn’t even finished what I was doing. Damn shop, how does it not have even a single hoe.]

Anyway, that was why.

Why I failed to notice someone approaching.

No, that’s a lie.

[R: When I came to my senses, someone was staring down at me. Realizing who it was, I was extremely startled.]

“Young Master of the North.”

With the text window popping up, there was no way not to know.

But I didn’t run.

Given who it was, I couldn’t run anyway.

So I greeted him first.

When I lifted my head, a man’s face filled my vision.

A beauty sculpted entirely from snow, from head to toe.

The only thing not white was his clothing.

Seolya of the Northern City.

Ah, no longer that.

“I should call you Count Seol now, shouldn’t I?”

A translucent text window appeared above the white beauty and then faded.

“Character Info: Seolbukbaek Seolya.

Seals: Mark of the Northern River God, Mark of the Ice Jade Qilin.

Occupation Rate 28%, currently leading.

Current probability of victory based on occupation and overall stats: 46%.”

While I was at it, I briefly checked my own information.

“Status: Wanderer.”

“Wanderer: Occupation Rate 0%. A candidate belonging to no faction.”

“What are you doing.”

Seolya’s reply came, but it had nothing to do with what I had just asked.

Hmm.

I’d been ignored.

“As you can see, digging dirt.”

I didn’t protest, of course.

I’m still fragile.

Since Seolya showed no reaction, I held out my hands, thinking perhaps explanation was needed.

Hands that had just been digging into frozen earth.

“There’s no hoe or shovel.”

“…….”

“Do you perhaps have one?”

“…….”

“Not that you’re obligated to lend it to me. I was just curious.”

“…….”

Cold sweat began forming.

To feel this way even amid a literal blizzard was impressive.

In a sense.

[R: Unexpectedly, the man who had come to find me opened his mouth.

“About yesterday.”]

More than Seolya’s icy response, this startled me.

“About yesterday.”

Why was Seolya’s character route script appearing?

“Did you help me?”

“Oh no, that’s a misunderstanding.”

It wasn’t time to enter individual character routes yet.

“What do you want.”

“I just said I didn’t help you, Count Seol.”

“Speak. I dislike owing debts.”

This guy doesn’t even listen.

I wanted to ignore him and go back to digging dirt, but I couldn’t.

Why is this body so weak.

I sighed and stood.

Turning to face Seolya, our eyes met.

From afar they seemed white, but up close they were metallic silver.

“Why would you assume such a thing?”

Not that I wanted to examine that eye color closely.

“With what I did yesterday, the one who benefited was Count Jeok.

If I truly wished to help you, I would have given my shares to you.”

“Had you done so, I would have borne the restraint of all other candidates.”

Let me talk to the Iron Wall guy instead.

“I do not trust people.”

“Yessir…….”

“Not blood relatives.

Not the cunning.

And especially not those who show kindness without reason.”

I know your entire backstory, but we just met here, so maybe don’t overshare.

“I will never accept you.”

“I never asked to join your faction…….”

“Then speak. I do not wish to owe you even in my heart.”

I never made him owe me anything, yet he was carrying emotional debt alone.

Is this that thing about suffering voluntarily in youth?

Maybe not.

“Well, if you insist.”

One of the Five Stars telling me to name any wish.

It would be smart to demand a useful item for future events, but.

“…….”

I pulled the Half-White Half-Black Hide deeper over myself.

He said he’d never accept me, but honestly, if anyone wanted to avoid entanglement, it was me.

“Then just turn a blind eye.”

That’s all I said.

Seolya looked at the spot I indicated.

To others he’d seem expressionless, but I could see his thoughts.

“This is technically your land, Count Seol.

If the landowner forbids me from digging, someone like me has no argument.”

I’m not actually a retainer, but I said it deliberately.

“……That’s all.”

“Yes, that’s enough.”

Before he could speak further, I hurriedly scooped dirt.

Even through the insulating hide, my fingers throbbed.

I endured it.

Finish quickly and leave.

Unless necessary, I didn’t want prolonged contact with any character.

“Thank you for your generosity, Count Seol. Farewell!”

With the bamboo tube filled with frozen soil, I greeted him and turned away.

Thankfully, Seolya didn’t follow.

The sudden route script had alarmed me, but perhaps it meant nothing.

“Things without form are hard to cultivate as you wish.”

Caliburn’s words from last night resurfaced.

“Damn prophet.”

In classical tragedies, prophecy always worked like that.

The more you struggled to avoid it, the deeper it dragged you.

I hated prophets for that.

Outside, Caliburn was more often called a prophet than a mage.

Ominously.

‘Let’s check.’

I opened my status window.

And……

“Cal—!”

The moment I entered the greenhouse, I ran toward Caliburn.

“—iburn!”

My voice followed belatedly after my body.

“Hahaha. You can just call me Cal, darling.”

Even though I grabbed him by the collar upon meeting, he grinned.

Still spouting nonsense.

“We’re not close enough for that!”

“Hahaha. How hurtful. We’ve been living together for quite some time.”

“It’s been one day! I came here last night! And phrase it properly!”

Before I could finish, a pale figure near Caliburn suddenly rose.

Even standing, it remained blurry, but it resembled a giant lizard with wings.

“…You’ll cause misunderstandings.”

Thwack!

The lizard-like creature hissed something and smacked Caliburn’s head with its tail before vanishing.

It sounded like swearing.

“Seems I caused one.”

“What did it say.”

“Something like ‘shameless bastard.’”

“Why?”

“Two-timing?”

I would prefer not to be considered one of those legs.

“It thought you were my lover.”

“…….”

I collapsed to sit.

Caliburn crouched before me, tilting his head.

“What’s wrong, darling?”

“I’m despairing. Don’t talk to me, sir.”

“Hahaha, sir is too much.”

Considering he’s described as an ancient being of unknown origin, sir is generous.

“I told you not to phrase things like that.”

“Hahaha.”

Stop laughing.

“Was that a hologram?”

“My angel?”

Angel…… sure, wings like that.

“Yes. No one can enter Bran without permission.”

“You’re unbelievable. Couldn’t you date after work hours?”

It felt like returning to the dorm after an all-nighter and catching your roommate with their partner.

“Hahaha, I get lonely easily.”

I sighed and sat where he’d been whispering sweet nothings to that lizard-angel.

A swing-like seat woven from slender jade vines.

“You’re not surprised, darling.”

“About what?”

Then I realized.

“Newly.”

“Hahaha. Seems my story was in the edited files.”

“A little.”

The reason Caliburn was unromanceable in WWC was explained.

He was generous with affection, but humans were outside his boundary.

“Didn’t you say you’re not attracted to humans?”

“Haha. Could we phrase it as not my romantic type?”

In WWC he was always flirting, but never with humans.

Even tried flirting with a post-Ruin creature attempting to kill a candidate during testing.

“I haven’t done that yet, darling.”

“Yet?”

“I’m good at self-awareness.”

“Is that a brag?”

He rested his face on his knees and looked at me.

“So what happened? You seemed shaken.”

“Ah.”

I remembered why I’d rushed in.

“Its strange.”

“Hmm?”

“They’re acting strange.”

“The Five Stars?”

“…How did you know.”

“Because those five are the only romanceable ones in your edited file.”

True.

“And you’ve been blatantly avoiding them.”

Also true.

“So what did the lords do?”

I frowned.

At that moment Caliburn said.

“Wait. I can’t see your face.”

And he pulled off my bear hide.

“Ah.”

I hadn’t even realized I was still wearing it.

“Better.”

He cupped my face and smiled.

Only his lips visible, but I could feel the satisfaction.

“Now tell me.”

I hurried.

“Character routes. They’re storylines where you enter a specific character’s ending and learn their backstory.”

“Yes.”

“But now isn’t the time. It’s supposed to be the common route.”

“The early progression repeated without deep ties to any one character?”

“Exactly.”

He stood.

“Did a route open that shouldn’t?”

I nodded.

“Whose?”

“Everyone’s.”

My voice sounded dull even to myself.

“All of them. All five opened.”