Remedy stood up and, against all expectations, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"What, giving up?" the tank mocked, his voice trembling despite his bravado. "You can't save her now."
Remedy calmly began to stow his chains. "I warned you this was a one-versus-four, but you didn't listen. The fight is already over."
He looked at the tank with a flicker of genuine pity. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder—a gesture so cold it seemed to freeze the tank's very soul.
"You should take one last look at your leader's 'heroism'... before it's too late."
The tank stood perplexed, rooted to the spot. He suspected another of Remedy's traps and readjusted his shield, his knuckles white. "W-what are you planning?"
Remedy opened his hand, and the chains vanished into his inventory.
[Have you noticed?] Ely's voice echoed.
No. But I had a theory.
He looked back at the tank. "I fought monsters long before I had a System to help me. I learned to improve, I worked relentlessly on myself, and I know my own nature better than anyone."
The tank stared, unable to follow Remedy's train of thought.
"When Serene uses her power, I feel... altered," Remedy continued, gesturing toward the spheres. "I feel different. It's a shift in my core, a change in my very identity."
He pointed to the glowing orb above his own head. "If that's true, then the sphere is a representation of one's identity. To polish it until it's smooth means becoming a better version of oneself. A perfected self."
The memory of the hollow-eyed monsters he had encountered flashed through his mind.
"So... if it's cracked, it means I am fractured. I lose my will, my drive. I become less... me. So tell me, what happens if it's destroyed?"
The tank's hands shook violently. Remedy took a slow, deep breath.
"It means there is no 'me' left."
Nearby, the healer collapsed to her knees. Her staff clattered to the ground as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. The archer stood frozen, her eyes wide with a horror that transcended physical pain.
The tank swallowed hard and slowly turned his head. Terror seized him.
Their leader—the obstacle for Remedy, the prey for the lone wolf, the student for the professors—was the man who kept them together. But that man was gone. He stood locked in a mid-sprint pose, a hollow statue without a soul. Above his head, the shattered remains of his sphere evaporated into the cold air.
Remedy turned his back to the scene and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry... but your leader doesn't exist anymore."
A funereal silence descended, broken only by the healer's muffled cries. The reality of the situation was too heavy to digest.
The tank said nothing. He de-summoned his shield and walked toward the swordsman. He placed his hands on the leader's shoulders and turned him around. It was ghastly.
The leader still wore the same determined smile he had started with, but there was no warmth behind it. No light. Drool escaped his open mouth as if he no longer possessed the basic instinct to swallow. He was alive, his heart was beating, but the "self" was gone.
The tank didn't utter a word. He picked up his leader in his arms and walked back toward the girls. He paused beside Remedy.
"She was the girl the professors warned us about. I don't know why we didn't notice it sooner."
Remedy's eyes were expressionless. "Looks like you won't even need that trip to the hospital... Go."
"We forfeit!" the tank declared. He moved toward the archer. "We're leaving. Now!"
The archer looked at Serene. Her gaze was filled with a searing hatred and a desperate thirst for vengeance. Blood stained the tip of her knife, and a character was etched into her forearm: S.
Serene raised her hand toward the sphere above her, her fingers beginning to tighten. The sound of spreading cracks filled the air. The tank froze.
"Stop it! I said we're leaving!"
Remedy raised a hand, and Serene stopped. The spheres above the three survivors vanished without shattering.
"Thank you..." the tank muttered. He and the archer gathered the healer and prepared to leave.
From the shadows of the woods, the Lone Wolf watched his enemies. Memories of his own companions—their smiles, their shared dreams—clashed with the image of these four bastards poisoning them and destroying their chance at the exam.
But no matter how much hate he should have felt, he could only feel pity.
The Wolf retracted his claws. He stood motionless as they disappeared into the white light of the return scroll.
In the observation room, the professors were silent. The spectators had no commentary. Only Dr. Glass let out a whisper, barely audible: "I truly hate that power."
The light of the return scroll faded, reflecting in Remedy's pupils.
[Your theory is good. You were close.]
You mean it's not quite that?
[Yes... it far worse than you imagine. But i cannot tell you more.]
Remedy exhaled. I know. I know.
He turned around. "Shall we go, Serene?"
She nodded and followed him, the dark energy swirling back into her body. Together, they ventured deeper into the Inner Zone.
As they vanished into the darkness, the fog over the Lone Wolf's mind finally lifted. He shook his head as memories flooded back. He remembered arriving, seeing the four ambushers waiting for Remedy and Serene. He remembered Remedy fighting the Blood Stag. He remembered the archer drawing her bow from the tree... and then Serene had looked at her. Everything after that was a blur, as if he had forgotten himself.
He snapped back to reality, breathing hard as if waking from a nightmare. He sat down, leaning against a tree. "Haa... haa. What a monster!"
When his breathing normalized, he pulled out the empty healing potion bottle. He looked at it with the eyes of a wolf who had lost his pack. "What do I do now?"
He toyed with the empty vial, staring up at the dungeon's artificial night. Then he stood up and brushed himself off.
"I'm going to continue. I have to pass this exam."
He set off in a different direction. "I just have to avoid them. Stay in the Inner Zone, but stay away from them."
He walked away from the clearing that had just witnessed a desperate struggle, a masterful duel, and a tragedy that had birthed new hatreds and a terrifying legacy.
End of chapter 22
═══ STATUS WINDOW ═══
Name: Remedy
Lineage: Human
Tier: 1 — Optimized Human
Level: 15
EXP: 72 %
MP (Manifestation Points): 84,290
Health: 26%
Energy:
• Mana: 60%
═══ PATH ORIENTATION ═══
• Primary Path: Sealed
• Secondary Path: Reality Scourge
═══ SKILLS ═══
• Primary Path: None
• Secondary Path: Steal, Manifest, Bind, Devour
═══ TALENTS ═══
• ???
═══════════════════════════
Available Law Structures:
* Law of Feather-Weight: Level 5
* Law of the Vibrating Blade's Edge: Level 5
Team: Remedy & Serene
Team Points: 1,338 (758 + 580 earned)
═══════════════════════════