IN GAMAND
NO. 19
W. Seolha
Before we begin,
This is the second daughter of the Earl of Rochester,
It is revealed that this is the record of Vivian Rochester.
It was pure coincidence. It's rare to encounter even one person with such extraordinary abilities in a lifetime, so encountering ten might have been a lifetime of luck. It was even more so if one of those four was my older sister, Iana Rochester. This record, along with my sister and the other ten visionaries, will likely be the only one in the world.
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Some can split mountains with a single swing of their swords, while others can set entire mountains ablaze with a snap of their fingers. Some can heal festering wounds with a single touch. It's unbelievable even when witnessed with one's own eyes. Occasionally, the Revelators would be seen staring blankly into space. Their extraordinary abilities, as always, would be used only against demons. As they have for the past two years.
Upon hearing news of the emergence of numerous monsters in the southeastern part of the continent, the sages headed there without hesitation. The scenes of slaying monsters were always… beautiful. What would it be like to actually possess the powers we'd only seen in novels? Having slain countless monsters, they quietly departed the village, as they always had.
They said that the reason the Revelators exist is to hunt demons. They act according to the commands of the Lord. When I asked how they obey the commands of the Lord, the Revelators smiled and said they listened with their hearts. They said that only by obeying the commands of the Lord could the world be saved. When I asked what would happen if they failed to complete the task the Lord had asked, they laughed and answered with a remarkable laugh: the world would perish.
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Today, I finally learned why a creature called a demon had been appearing in the kingdom decades ago. It was pitch-black, like a mass of all negative things clumped together, and it reeked of foul odor, preventing any living creature from approaching it. The Revelators, upon discovering the mysterious sphere, poured their power into it as if it were nothing more than a natural occurrence. Because there were ten Revelators gathered together, it shattered easily. Only after it was completely shattered and pulverized did the Revelators breathe a sigh of relief. When I asked my sister what it was, she simply replied, "The source." While I couldn't quite grasp what the source was, she explained that only by eliminating that "source" could the emergence of the demons be delayed or completely eradicated.
On the day the third source was destroyed, news arrived that the wyverns had stopped appearing in the northern part of the kingdom. Relief seemed to wash over the revelers' faces at the news that the demonic beasts that had always been active in the north when the weather cleared had vanished. Could the disappearance of the wyverns have something to do with the source? I wanted to ask, but the resolute expressions on the revelers' faces somehow prevented me from speaking.
IN GAME
The day was hot. It wasn't sweltering, but the blazing sun was so intense that running around incessantly under it made our backs drenched. This was because we returned to the hellish training grounds as soon as the practice session ended. Running a few dozen laps around the practice range under the blazing sun was nothing more than a slight relief. The trainees' faces clouded over as the instructor pulled out various training tools from unknown sources. Rolling around on the dirt floor became more and more common. Of course, it didn't end there. At least for us.
"The reward I imagined was, huh, practice, and, huh… it's very different."
"It would be better if you kept your mouth shut."
"You're doing well, already, phew, my arms are shaking."
“…both of you, shut your mouths, just,”
My breathing was ragged from the tightness in my stomach and the strain on my muscles. I sighed at Jeon Jungkook and Kim Taehyung, who continued to bicker with each other, even with their breaths coming in ragged gasps. The weight of the bag on my back felt heavy. My overworked arm muscles trembled. I had won first place in the overall practice score. This was despite the fact that I hadn't been able to participate in the practice for about three days due to an injury. It was the result of practically wiping out the monsters near the valley. Still, the instructor's words that the team that won first place in the practice would receive a proper reward gave me some hope, but-
"Shit, foot…, even this kind of thing, is compensation,"
Bracing myself against the sheer cliff with just my arm muscles was killing me. The endless void beneath my feet was so vast that even a brief glance down was enough to send a chill down my spine. The team with the highest grades in the practical training would be granted exemption from the midterm exams through a special challenge. That was the Merlin Military Science Department's "reward." Just hearing it made it sound like a rather attractive reward. Especially since I'd already been agonized over the exams. But that was before I knew what the special challenge even meant.
"…! Cave! Found it! Lower left, distance is roughly…, about 500 meters!"
"Jeon Jungkook! Open the portal!"
If I'd known in advance that the expedition was a wyvern expedition, known to be rampant in the north every spring, I would have taken the midterm exam a hundred times over. I drove the dagger at my waist into the cliff and slowly descended. The sight of my toes dangling in the air was nothing short of dizzying.
Wyverns, these beasts with a name that sounded like monsters from some bisexual fantasy game, had a habit of living in cold places. The problem was that most of the continent where the Crea Empire was located had four distinct seasons, with temperature fluctuations much like South Korea. Except for one place: the northern part of the empire. It was already located in the northernmost part of the continent, so what about Merlin, the northernmost part of that empire? It was a common sight to see flocks of wyverns flying in whenever the weather cleared up a little, and it was all because of this cold weather.
I safely descended to the cave entrance, nestled in the middle of a cliff, and was able to easily enter. I could feel my overworked arm muscles cramping.
"Wow, there are so many."
“Let’s finish this quickly and go….”
When wyverns gather in the desolate north, casualties and other problems inevitably arise. While this was an inevitable phenomenon, Merlin Academy implemented the spring wyvern extermination to mitigate the damage. The extermination involved the academy's freshmen, those selected for special exterminations. The decision was made to capture and kill all wyvern eggs, as the newly admitted freshmen were deemed unsuitable for catching the swift wyverns, who possessed tough skin and wings. This proved to be a blessing in disguise.
I wandered around poking at eggs with the longsword I'd once crafted at the request of the blacksmith Rosia. I couldn't leave a single one behind. A single wyvern was no easy feat. I struck the completely shattered wyvern eggs with my sword again, checking to see if any were still intact. Confirming that all the eggs were broken, I put the sword back in my inventory and took a deep breath. This meant the special subjugation was coming to a successful conclusion.
[alarm]
Stamina level has increased.
The power level has increased.
Thanks to the reckless use of my arm strength to cling to the cliff, my base stats had also increased. I was close to level 30. Despite that, I couldn't really perceive the change clearly. I massaged my bulging, taut arm with all my might. Supporting a person's weight with one arm wasn't easy. It was even harder if I had to move downwards in that position. Even briefly touching the ground made my arm tremble so unbearably that I decided to just lie down. The cool temperature of the cave crept up my back where it met the floor. Kim Taehyung wasn't much different from me, though. Jeon Jungkook wasn't.
“…Are you still interpreting it?”
"Yes, since it's a character used in the past, there are many cases where the interpretation is not perfect."
Before I knew it, Jeon Jungkook had taken out [Data] from his inventory and answered while rummaging through an old notebook. While I thought it was understandable since it was a script that had been used hundreds of years ago, I also wondered if it was really necessary to go to such lengths to interpret it. If it were me, I would have just roughly translated it and put it away... I thought as I watched Jeon Jungkook, who was already absorbed in the interpretation with his nose buried in the notebook. However, judging by the fact that there weren't many pages left in the notebook, I thought I would soon be able to completely interpret that [diary] as well.
[Main Quest: Finding Materials]
Required Quest
[Main Quest: Search]has been completed.
You have met the entry requirements for the linked quest.
Linked quests are automatically granted.
One of the players you collaborated with
Academy's[Data] Access rightshas been obtained.
[data]Find out where to use your reading ticket
Academy's [data]Please read .
'Anomalous phenomenon'Information about
You can obtain it.
- [Data] Acquisition (Complete)
- [Data] View
Success Reward: ???
Once the translation is complete, this quest will be completed. The system is strict. Simply finding the [data] wasn't the end of the quest. Perhaps the quest completion condition was also the viewing of the [data]. So, it would be difficult to complete the quest until Jeon Jungkook translated the entire [diary]. Oh, my, a diary in Hishak. If Jeon Jungkook hadn't known Hishak, he might have been helpless and had to learn a foreign language one by one. It couldn't have been more fortunate. While waiting for Jeon Jungkook to translate the diary, I slowly savored its contents.
Not long ago, Jeon Jungkook, who was in charge of interpreting the diary, came to us with a pale face. After completing the first part of the diary, he immediately shared some of its contents with us without further ado. The content was truly shocking. The diary contained the stories of the ten Revelators, and their actions and appearances at the time were all remarkably similar to our own. Ultimately, we could only draw one simple conclusion: the Revelators were players. They, too, had been dropped into this world by the system, carrying out quests.
Another thing we discovered was that the "source" we'd destroyed was connected to the ecology of the demons. More broadly, the "abnormal phenomenon" the quests and systems had been talking about was ultimately caused by the "source." The more we destroy the source, the more the demons disappear. And the quest we were given required us to destroy the "source." Does this mean the "abnormal phenomenon" ultimately stems from the demons? In any case, we learned that one of the most representative examples of this "abnormal phenomenon" was the emergence of demons.
"Let's go now. It's time for the punitive force to return."
“…It means I have to climb down that cliff again.”
"……."
I sighed and pulled out the rope to tie myself up. After confirming that Kim Taehyung had tied the rope tightly to the large rock in the cave, I pulled out my dagger without hesitation and threw myself down the cliff. As I thrust the dagger into the crevice, I thought to myself, "There's absolutely no way we'll be first in the lab next semester."
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It was Jeong Ho-seok who came to see me, still racked by excruciating muscle pain after successfully completing the wyvern subjugation. He was there to tell me how the library invasion incident had been resolved.
“You judged it to be a malfunction?”
"Yes, it couldn't have been otherwise, since there were no traces left."
“So… was it really possible to erase all the traces that remained throughout the library?”
The magic Jung Ho-seok used while drawing a magic circle. Magic, my dear. Since I had zero interest in magic, I only vaguely knew that the magic circle he used that day was a type of magic that erased traces. However, the thought that our traces might remain not only in the Forbidden Books Repository but throughout the entire library kept me from returning to the academy, and I was constantly worried that I might be expelled the entire time I was out on the special subjugation mission. Erasing every trace of us from that short, new library building was next to impossible. But what the heck, a malfunction—
“…Is that your skill too?”
“No, this is… not a skill.”
"Then how on earth-,"
"Strictly speaking, this is the magic that was in Jay's memory."
I paused at Jung Ho-seok's words. Jay, that was the name of the body Jung Ho-seok was in. "So, that kid, he knew how to use magic from the beginning..." At my words, Jung Ho-seok nodded with a vague, vague expression.
"He was a magician, and a very talented one at that. He knew about various magic circles, not just the one I used that day."
“…Okay, just a moment, you…”
Suddenly, a realization dawned on me, and I looked at Jeong Ho-seok with a shocked expression. He still looked at me with a rather ambiguous expression and nodded slightly. It was a sign that my thoughts were correct. I felt my mouth gradually open.
The magic circle was developed by Jay. If that's true, then Jung Ho-seok shouldn't know about it. But he used Jay's magic circle as if it were nothing... The implications are clear: Jung Ho-seok's memory is fading, too.
"I didn't mean to hear it, but I did. My ears are a bit sensitive."
I could understand what he meant as he scratched the back of his neck with an embarrassed expression. His conversation with Jeon Jungkook on the library steps. His words about Jeon Jungkook's memories fading. After that, Jung Hoseok, too, felt it. Jung Hoseok's memories were fading, leaving behind the memories of "Jay."
The hypothesis I hadn't been able to confirm because I couldn't ask Kim Taehyung became a fact thanks to Jung Ho-seok's words. The players' memories were being jumbled, and I was the only exception. Only 'me' was the exception. I exhaled deeply and ran a dry hand down my face.
"Thanks to that, I avoided suspicion. I erased all traces of the building, so if I just hide that diary well, there's no way I'll be found out."
“That’s fortunate, but…”
“…Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. You look tired, so I’ll be going now. It looks like other guests are coming too.”
When I gave Jeong Ho-seok a puzzled look at his words, he simply smiled broadly and stood up. "Get some rest," he said, stopping me from getting up, and walked briskly toward the door. Before opening the door, his words left me with another puzzled expression.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep the memories a secret from Min Yoongi.”
The door slammed shut, and I had to search my memory for a moment. The words, "My ears are a bit sensitive," lingered in my mind. It wasn't until much later that I realized Jeon Jungkook's words—to keep the fact that my memories were fading a secret from Min Yoongi—were part of a conversation we had not had on the stairs, but in the middle of the forbidden bookstore.
/
Today, I realize once again that even though they are seers following God's will, they are not much different from people. Their differing opinions clash, eventually escalating into fights. Fights create factions, and that's how factions are formed. The ten seers split. My sister's expression was gloomy as she watched the five seers leave the group, but she didn't stop them. I will follow in her footsteps, always.
Of the five who left, only one returned. The remaining four are said to have perished. When asked what awaited them, using their transcendent powers, they were told it was a trap. The five remaining Revelators, including my sister, sighed in despair at the news that their bodies hadn't even been recovered.
The six of them, including one who returned, decided to reunite. Reconciliation was swift. However, I wondered if the fact that someone had died might have a certain coercive nature.
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One of our party died. It was the devil's fault. But for some reason, I still felt uneasy. We buried him in a sunny spot and then set off.
It seems like the remaining revelers are staring blankly into space for longer and longer periods of time.
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I destroyed another source. So far, I've destroyed five sources. They're scattered across the continent, so finding them was a challenge. My sister told me that destroying five in six months was incredibly fast. I asked how many remained, and she said she didn't know yet. I don't know how long the trip will be. Still, aside from the occasional worried letter from my parents, the trip was enjoyable.
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I think there's a traitor among us. I overheard Devon talking to his sister. His comment about the recent death of one of his party and the massacre of four Revelators seemed more than a coincidence, and the only one who naturally came to mind was the one who had returned. Irina Clante. But she's always been kind to everyone. I began to wonder if she was really a traitor. I hope not.
On the day the sixth source was destroyed, Devon died. He failed to escape the storm created by the destruction of the source. His death seems to have put his sister on high alert. It's because Devon, of all people, was the one who died. Devon had secretly told her sister that he suspected a traitor. The thought that the traitor might have overheard their conversation sent shivers down her spine. If so, then her sister could be the next target.
I began to wonder. If there really was a traitor, why didn't he kill me first?
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My sister died.
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There is no such thing as God in this world.
/
[Main Quest: Finding Materials]
Compensation settlement has been completed.
Would you like to confirm?Y / N
"There's a tear in the back of the diary. Someone must have deliberately torn it off. It seems like it was in this condition before it was stored at the Academy. I don't know where the note containing the rest of the contents is, though."
The "other guest" Jung Ho-seok mentioned was Jeon Jung-kook. He had just arrived with the welcome news that he had finished interpreting the diary. Reading the diary entries he had carefully organized, I was speechless. Traitor? It was a word that inevitably brought to mind someone. Karen, for example.
“…I guess it failed, as you can see. There aren’t even three people left.”
"If you're talking about the back of the diary, then that's highly likely. But you never know."
"No, that's what I think. The prophets clearly failed. I just came up with a somewhat plausible hypothesis."
Jeon Jungkook was alone. He hadn't even brought Kim Taehyung with him. He explained that since the diary mentioned the "traitor," he was reluctant to reveal the diary to Min Yoongi, who was one of the suspects. He also said that if he only invited Kim Taehyung, it would seem a bit suspicious. I agreed with him.
"When we met the system last time, I told you that this world should flow similarly to the world we originally came from."
“Who… that system?”
"Yeah, first of all, the time this diary was written is... January 288, roughly... 500 years ago. And in our world, that would be around the Joseon Dynasty."
“…does that have anything to do with it?”
"I think there is, to some extent. Look, if this world and ours are supposed to develop along similar lines, then the developments that have occurred in our world from the Joseon Dynasty to the present should also be somewhat similar in this world."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"But even if you look at it in a positive light, isn't this world far from modern times?"
"Yes, on the surface, it seems closer to modern times than to contemporary times."
"Then, can we say that the flow of time is distorted?"
Jeon Jungkook tapped the armrest of the sofa with his index finger and nodded. His expression was indifferent. "I guess he understands," I thought, and continued.
"The Revelators are the players."
"okay."
"And the reason players came into existence was to make the flow of time in both worlds similar."
"okay."
"If the Revelators had already succeeded, would there have been any need to bring in other players?"
“…There probably wasn’t any.”
"Yeah. We're here because they failed."
“…I see.”
The Revelators failed. The influence of the "traitor" likely played a significant role. While we don't yet know what happened to the remaining three Revelators, it was easy to predict that they ultimately failed to destroy all of the "sources." If they had destroyed all of the sources, there would be no more for us to destroy, unless new sources emerged.
What the heck, I'm not even in charge of post-processing. I pressed 'Y' as a notification window opened, indicating that compensation settlement had been completed. The bright blue notification window's contents vanished, replaced by new sentences.
[Main Quest: Finding Materials]
player: Julia Bian Orte / ? Hye ?
-Rewards available 2 There is a dog.
· Old key
· Random box
2Would you like to receive the dog's reward?
As I stretched my palm into the air, blue lights converged on my palm. As even the pale white light gradually faded, I felt the weight forming on my palm. Where the light had faded, there was an old key and a familiar box. The old key had the color of scrap metal, as if its paint had peeled off in places. Its shape was strangely familiar.
“Is that… compensation?”
“Yeah, this key, strangely… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere.”
Fidgeting with his keys, Jeon Jungkook chose to collect his share of the reward. When a halo of pale light enveloped the room once more and vanished, something was resting on Jeon Jungkook's palm. A worn-out piece of paper, torn and worn here and there.
“…Julia, can I borrow your keys for a moment?”
For some reason, Jeon Jungkook's expression seemed pale, so I handed him the key without a word. He looked at the key and the map in my hand, then spread out a worn-out piece of paper on the table and placed the key on it. Jeon Jungkook, who was rummaging through his pockets empty-handed, pulled out another key. A key that looked very, very similar to the key I had received. Realizing what it was, I could only stare blankly at the map. The continent drawn on the old map was clearly this world's continent. A large continent where the Crea Empire, the Hishak Kingdom, and others were located. Here and there, incomprehensible 'O' marks were placed. And the place marked with an 'X' on that map was none other than Merlin Academy.
[Old Map]
Other items
Indicates the location of the records of the prophets
Mysterious map.
The place where the records disappeared
An 'X' is displayed.
My eyes met with Jeon Jungkook's, who had been staring blankly at the three 'O's. The 'X's weren't just scattered across the academy. Our gaze naturally found the one remaining 'X'.
Crea Empire: Imperial Palace
Someone has already tampered with Vivian's records.
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