But Shihu overcame it.
Even though he was buried under rubble, even though he had been shot in the leg.
He overcame it.
He found a way to survive.
After all, the protagonist is someone who embodies hope for everyone.
That’s what makes them the protagonist.
Shihu stood again, steadying his trembling vision and assessing the situation.
In front of him was his childhood friend, consumed by dark mana.
An outcome created by compounded misfortunes.
Around him, voices spoke of “mana absorption” and other terms.
Seo Ah’s appearance was strange.
The dark antler-like branches on her head stood out unnaturally.
And then, Seo Ah raised her hand.
Mana gathered in her palm, and she unleashed it.
Zing.
A thick beam of light scorched across the ground.
Boom.
Its path passed right where Shihu stood.
He raised his sword to block it, but his body was already at its limit.
His consciousness wavered, threatening to fade.
But he overcame it!
Staggering, Shihu steadied himself and stood once more.
For a moment, he had blacked out.
The air was thick with smoke.
He could make out the figures of other "Awakened" attempting to attack.
Seo Ah floated in the air, firing beams of light indiscriminately.
Could she still be called Seo Ah?
That question would have to wait.
There was always hope.
And here, that hope was Shihu.
“I’m not sure about saving the world…”
Shihu gripped his sword and aimed it skyward.
He knew what he had to do.
“But if I can save even one person…”
The protagonist doesn’t fall.
Even if they do, they rise again and again.
“If I can save just one person…”
He couldn’t do everything alone.
Saving the entire world was beyond him.
He wasn’t that kind of hero.
But.
For one person.
For the one person who mattered most.
He had to save them.
He had to.
Because only then…
“Only then can I say I lived a life worth living.”
Shihu resolved to use every tool at his disposal.
There was no turning back now—this was his last chance.
Purification.
Perhaps that was the answer.
The side effects would have to be endured.
If necessary, he could combine it with other skills.
The last time he used the purification skill, he had enhanced it with an augmentation skill.
This time, he could combine it with a skill known as transcendence.
Rumble.
A storm of mana swirled around him.
Mana.
That was the issue.
He didn’t have enough.
It was the reason he hesitated to use the purification skill recklessly.
But there was one solution.
A skill he had recently acquired.
[Last Bastion]
The skill’s description was simple:
[When activated, this skill consumes life force instead of mana.]
Life force wasn’t the same as stamina.
It meant burning away his lifespan.
But there was no other option.
And he was already using it.
“Shihu! Are you okay?”
Cheon Yuhwa came running toward him.
“I’m fine.”
He wasn’t fine.
“More importantly, I need to get close to Seo Ah…”
“The others are calling her a dragon now. Do you still think of her as your friend?”
“I can save her.”
“Save her? You should save yourself first. Your condition is serious. You need to retreat and get treated.”
Cheon Yuhwa grabbed Shihu’s arm, trying to pull him away.
From her perspective, Shihu was already critically injured.
She couldn’t allow him to fight any longer.
“No. I have to save Seo Ah.”
“…How?”
“If I can just make contact, I can activate my skill. I’ll bring her back to normal.”
There was no breaking Shihu’s resolve.
“No chance of giving up?”
“None.”
“Then, if you’re going to be that stubborn…”
Cheon Yuhwa let out a long sigh.
There was no time for a pointless argument.
Shihu gripped his sword tightly.
If she tried to stop him, he was ready to fight her too.
“…I’ll help you. What do you need?”
She released his arm.
Thankfully, Cheon Yuhwa was an ally.
***
A bad ending.
It feels that way.
What was the right choice? Let’s think about it.
Tracing it all back, there I was, out of money.
No money to buy the drugs.
If I hadn’t naively thought, “If you’re broke, just borrow some,” maybe things would’ve been different.
But now isn’t the time for regret.
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s finding a way even when everything is falling apart.
This is the last act of desperation.
I can feel my mind and body being consumed.
Ironically, maybe it’s the drugs that trained me for this—I managed to stay conscious.
[Update Failed]
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 1]
Ignoring the chaotic system messages in my vision, I focus on what needs to be done.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 2]
I know what this body can do.
Flight.
Not so much flying, more like hovering.
Looking down at the ruins from above, it’s beautiful.
It would’ve been even more beautiful if not for the attacks coming from every direction.
What can I do?
Dragon Breath.
Which is just a fancy name for firing black beams of light.
Mana nullification and absorption.
Thanks to that, regular attacks can’t even touch me.
And a host of other random abilities.
People are firing things at me.
Magic.
Some massive attacks.
But none of it hurts much.
I fire back indiscriminately in every direction.
Someone’s bound to get hit.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 5]
I can feel my mind being eaten away.
But I know what I need to do here.
World Destruction!
No, wait, that’s not right.
What was I trying to do again?
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 15]
Ah, open a gate using the dragon’s power.
Monsters will pour out.
The world will end, just like that.
Honestly, maybe the world deserves to be destroyed.
Maybe that’s true.
But not everyone is bad.
The world could still become a good place.
It’s a fine line.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 21]
Crack.
With my hand, I rip at space itself.
I open a portal to another dimension.
I’m creating a gate.
A small gate isn’t enough.
It needs to be massive so that enormous monsters can emerge.
This entire area will be reduced to ash.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 36]
Shut up.
People live here.
Even if it’s a slum, there are still kids here…
But then again, what does it matter?
They’re all going to die anyway.
What’s the harm in them dying a bit early?
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 55]
The original plan was to destroy the drug factories.
To eliminate the doctor.
To help the protagonist achieve a happy ending.
The protagonist, huh.
Han Shihu has already gone off track.
Because I derailed him.
He strayed from the path a hero should walk.
He couldn’t become the hero everyone admired.
And so, the world will end.
A flicker of light catches my eye.
It seems Shihu has risen again.
The protagonist never truly falls.
Maybe he’s still the protagonist after all.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 82]
Crack.
Space twists and tears unnaturally.
It’s like summoning the emptiness of space itself.
The dragon knows.
This body alone cannot destroy the world.
That’s why it’s trying to call for reinforcements.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 150]
If Shihu can’t do it.
Then I’ll become the protagonist.
There you go, the protagonist you always wanted.
Saving the world.
World Destruction!
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 342]
The more attempts there are, the more distant my mind becomes.
Crack, crack.
With both hands, I pull space apart.
I feel like I’ve locked eyes with a massive monster on the other side of the gate.
It seems to be urging me to hurry and open the gate wider.
How wide does it need to be?
I try to fully open the gate, but the light below bothers me.
A star? No, it’s not.
Stars don’t fall to the ground.
But Han Shihu, glowing like a star, is down there.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 541]
Is he the protagonist?
Still alive, huh?
Han Shihu.
Boom!
The protective barrier I had deployed is breached.
It’s from some spell fired from somewhere.
It’s not Shihu’s doing.
I need to redeploy the barrier.
[Attempting Consciousness Integration... 1416]
For a moment, my mind goes blank.
I can’t properly put up the barrier.
Honestly, just holding onto my consciousness is taking everything I have.
World Destruction!
Sure, just let it all end.
As I try to raise the barrier again, my body feels impossibly heavy.
I’m falling.
It’s like someone attached weights to my body.
Whatever it is, it seems I’ve been hit by some strange spell.
Ah.
I’m falling.
Crash.
The fall doesn’t injure me much.
But I can’t move.
It seems to be a binding spell.
The kind that keeps you from moving.
I try to stand, but I fail.
I end up in a kneeling position.
I see Shihu.
I fire a black beam of light at the approaching star.
But it doesn’t work.
Of course it doesn’t—it’s the protagonist.
Stars are too bright.
Getting close to them burns you.
Their light is blinding.
And then, the star extends its hand.
[Consciousness Integration... Ongoing]
Just kill me already.
I can’t hold on anymore.
If my consciousness is taken over here, I’ll never come back.
But at least it’s Shihu who’s ending it.
It’s oddly comforting.
Even though he looks like he’s barely holding on, still bleeding and exhausted.
I want to stop the bleeding, but I can’t move.
“You’ve done well. It must have been so hard for you.”
At least I can say something like this before the end.
I’m glad I managed to say it while I’m still somewhat myself.
My body feels heavy.
My mind is unraveling.
Shihu’s hand rests on my shoulder.
He looks sad, but he’s smiling.
“I’m glad I got to be your friend.”
“…Me too.”
Shihu replies.
Yeah.
So this is goodbye.
Saying farewell makes me feel a bit melancholic.
But at least I’m saying it while I’m still myself.
“We took the long way around. It would’ve been better if I’d died back then.”
Back when I first went to the academy.
Back when Shihu and I fought for the first time.
“No.”
“But now, since this chance has come…”
I’ll try to smile brightly one last time.
But it doesn’t come out quite right.
Before I truly lose what’s left of my humanity…
“I’m sorry. I wish there had been a better way.”
Shihu’s expression is bittersweet as he speaks.
“It’s okay.”
This is the best we can do.
I’m content.
I smile.
Shihu smiles faintly in return.
“…[Purification].”