༺ Subjugation of the Floating Island (4) ༻
A game was different from reality.
Now that this world had become my reality, every time I witnessed Ian’s top-tier fainting act, sighs involuntarily escaped me.
‘I understand, but…’
Yeah, I get it. It’s possible to faint.
The Floating Island was similar to the first year second semester hunting evaluation, where the difficulty of the enemies increased the more one approached the center.
In the first place, this world was based on the hell difficulty of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Even when I played the game, I had gone through countless retries, so I wasn’t really in a position to say anything either.
But still…
‘Please, at least DODGE…!’
You could have easily predicted the surprise attack…
Ian had received a direct hit to the back of his head with an earth magic attack and fainted from the shock.
Fortunately, the demons behind the surprise attack were defeated by us.
After Ian’s familiar, Rex, heard our plan from Kaya, he was reassured, thus he unsummoned himself.
Since she had worked with Ian in the hunting evaluation, Rex seemed to trust her.
When a familiar was summoned, it consumed the owner’s mana. It was a cost to maintain the summoning. So, Rex, who was not needed, was better off being unsummoned.
Ian had to unleash [Apostle of Light] using his full power towards Oz, the core of the Floating Island. Therefore, to prepare for the worst, unnecessary mana consumption needed to be minimized.
‘Let’s think positively.’
Rather than thinking ‘Ian fainted again,’ it was better for my mental health if I thought, ‘It’s a relief Ian didn’t fucking die and just fainted instead.’
I had already given up hope that Ian wouldn’t faint anyway, so my emotions quickly calmed down.
“Why are you guys here…?”
Ah, I forgot Mateo was also here.
Kaya and I had our hoods off, so our attire was not inhibiting recognition. As such, Mateo could easily recognize us.
This guy Mateo probably followed Ian’s path of destruction to come here safely, but enemies were still scattered everywhere in the vicinity. For someone like Mateo, it was a highly dangerous place.
Either way, he was probably going to join Ian and head toward the center with his heroic protagonist delusi- I mean mindset. It would be safer and better for him to just follow us.
“He can also be a transportation shuttle.’
Mateo flew here thanks to the hawk-shaped familiar next to him. The wings wrapped in light brown wind boasted considerable style.
It wasn’t right for me to continue to rely on Kaya’s wind magic.
Let’s ask Mateo for some help.
“Did you chase after Mr. Ian?”
“Yeah. What about you guys?”
“Yes, we need him for our plan.”
“Plan…?”
As always, Mateo seemed confused.
“Whatever. It’s dangerous here, so follow us.”
I forcibly concluded Kaya and Mateo’s conversation. I didn’t want to waste time with trivial small talk after all.
“Sir Isaac, what should we do with Mr. Ian?”
“Check his condition, treat him, and let him rest. Wake him up when we arrive at the center of the island.”
“Understood!”
Now that we had met Ian and Mateo, we could sprint all the way to the Emerald Palace.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 6, Chapter 1, Floating Island」, the boss was Heinkel the Hoarder.
In the cut scene where Ian was in danger, he suddenly appeared and saved him. Then, he proceeded to challenge him to a duel. If the player defeated Heinkel, they could obtain [Clairvoyance].
After that, they would move onto 「Act 6, Chapter 2, Oz」.
The only characters that could be considered bosses in Act 6, Chapter 2 were the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and the winged golden monkey. In reality, they weren’t really bosses; just slightly stronger mobs than the others.
‘They’ll probably get destroyed with just one hit from [Frost Explosion].”
With [Hunter] activated, I practically had a free pass.
And our goal, Oz, the core of the Floating Island, was just a powerless head with a loud voice.
He only threatened players with boasts such as, ‘I am the great and fearsome wizard, Oz.’
In other words, I didn’t need to step forward as long as I entered the Emerald Palace. It was enough to wake Ian up at that time.
Okay guys, let’s wrap this up quickly.
“Kaya, Mateo. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Sir Isaac!”
Full speed ahead.
***
[Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba] Lv: 130
Race: Demon
Elements: Dark, Earth
Danger: High
Psychology: [Wants to rip you apart into itty bitty pieces.]
[Nihihihi! Guys, rip them to shre-!]
Kwaaaaaa────!!
As we rode Mateo’s hawk familiar, we were powered by Kaya’s wind booster to swiftly move toward the Emerald Palace.
Suddenly, the green-skinned witch wearing a pointed hat, ‘Elphaba’, and a winged golden monkey demon popped out.
They were all mobs born from the Floating Island’s earth mana.
The Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba was letting out a laugh that sounded like ‘Nihihihi’. Dorothy developed the habit of laughing in such a manner from these demons.
The mental shock had probably caused her to laugh this way, but…
‘It doesn’t matter.’
If the demons laughed like that, it felt like utter shit. But if Dorothy laughed like that, it was just cute. That was the important thing, so it didn’t matter even if their laughs were similar.
Elphaba controlled a pack of wolf demons, a flock of crow demons, and a swarm of bee demons.
I casted [Frost Explosion], shattering their bodies with the sheer magnitude of my explosion, then imprisoned them within the aftermath of ice so that they couldn’t move a single muscle.
Jjejeok──, Kwang──.
As I used Defrost to release the ice into its mana form, the Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba and her subordinate turned into ash, scattering in the wind.
It felt a bit unfamiliar, but the mana consumption for [Frost Explosion] had now become extremely minimal.
[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 87!] [You have gained 2 stat points!]
‘Noice.’
Level up!
I immediately invested the newly acquired 2 stat points into Growth Rate [Learning Efficiency].
Incidentally, I wanted to quickly obtain the unique characteristic that could be obtained by fully maxing out both [Physical Training Efficiency] and [Magic Training Efficiency].
‘If I have that, my power will be greatly enhanced.’
However, there was a condition where I could only acquire that unique characteristic starting from the second year, so for now, it was regrettable that I couldn’t do so.
“…”
Mateo couldn’t close his mouth and was just staring at me blankly.
Come to think of it, this guy harbored the desire to catch up with my skills during the first semester duel evaluation.
In my current [Hunter] state, I was the strongest in Märchen Academy. As such, it seemed like he had fallen into a state of deep shock after seeing that I had reached a far higher level than when facing Orpheus the Submerged.
Soon thereafter, we reached the Emerald Palace.
Kwaaaaaaaah────!!
As the gatekeepers tried to speak, I immediately launched [Frost Explosion], defeating them right away. After all, there was no time to engage in conversation.
We then opened the arched door and entered the palace.
A spacious and solemn space. Inside, a gigantic curtain divided this space in half.
Behind the curtain was the oval-shaped silhouette of a massive shadow. Flames illuminated the surroundings with their fierce intensity.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, a cutscene played when the player approached that area. I remembered the curtain revealing the large head of a middle-aged man.
It was Oz, the core of the Floating IIsland.
‘I’ll leave that to them.’
I headed straight for the underground stairs next to me.
After all, Dorothy would be down there.
“Sir Isaac?”
“Leave that to Ian. Just tell him to cast [Apostle of Light] once he wakes up.”
I looked at Ian lying on Mateo’s familiar as I answered. As expected, he was still peacefully unconscious.
If he casted [Apostle of Light] at Oz, the protective magic enveloping the Floating Island would be released.
When that happens, the demons of this landmass would probably go berserk, but there were plenty of talents at Märchen Academy to defend against their attacks, so I had nothing to worry about.
“Also, run away as soon as possible. If not, you’ll definitely die.”
Kaya nodded with a determined face. Since we had already discussed the plan beforehand, she clearly understood my intentions.
It was because of the mana gas explosion; there was something like that underneath the island.
When I tried to go down the stairs again, this time, Mateo spoke up.
“I didn’t hear an explanation. What are you trying to do, Isaac?”
I had completely forgotten to explain our plan to Mateo.
I didn’t really want to go into detail at this point and honestly, there really wasn’t anything to hide, so I just pointed below and answered in a calm voice.
“…I’m going to destroy this entire island.”
I’m going to fuck up the Floating Island.
And save Dorothy.
Those were my only goals from the very beginning.
Mateo was silent as he gulped his dry spit with an anxious face. It seemed like he had anticipated that I would give such an answer in the first place.
Anyway…
I ignored them and stepped forward once again.
A faint scent of flowers.
As I descended down the dark stair, a vast precipice leading into profound darkness filled my sight.
And in the very center, a small beam of light mercifully cut through the darkness.
From the distant abyss where nothing was visible, a long object was rising out of it.
It was a repulsive pillar made up of various human body parts.
“…”
The owners of the body parts that made up the pillar were all ‘adventurers’.
Enchanted by the illusion of the Floating Island, these humans started their adventure in the country of Munchkins and followed the Yellow Brick Road. From there on out, they had adventures until eventually reaching Archwizard Oz, who said he would grant any wish.
In an illusion where they rode hot air balloons and went beyond the rainbow to return home, they would be reminiscing about the joyful adventures that they had experienced, but…
In reality, they met their death, becoming pitiful victims of the island.
And the minions of the Floating Island had carved up the bodies of these very victims and adorned them here.
At the top of the pillar, there was a large black orb.
It was a barrier created by layering the Floating Island’s dark and earth mana.
The ones who entered it were always the same; they were the ones who completed their journeys. They met their death there as their life force and mana were sucked dry by the Floating Island.
Dorothy was definitely inside that very orb.
However, that didn’t mean I could simply break through that barrier.
‘It would be CBR after all.’1TL Note: korean term: chemcal, biological, radiologicala
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, attempting to break that barrier would cause a toxic mana gas to explode, leading the player to their death.
It was an extremely powerful gas explosion that shattered the Emerald Palace, spreading far and wide.
Extra Bad Ending N. 17 「The Untouchable」.
Yeah, the title of the Bad Ending was already a problem.
It sounded as if I shouldn’t save Dorothy no matter what because she needed to be sacrificed.
‘But would I ever abandon Dorothy?’
Never.
Even if there were countless Bad Endings on the path to saving Dorothy.
As long as I was here, she had to be saved no matter what.
There was no other reason. In this regard, rational thought processes were thrown out the window.
It was simple really…
…Does a fan really need a reason to save their favorite character?
While descending the stars. I discarded the black hooded robe.
I was only wearing it just in case I got caught by the academy staff during the journey to the Floating Island anyway.
Next, I took out a navy blue robe and a black fanged mask from the magic pocket inside my school uniform. It was the Magic Cloak of Disguise – Berserker.
‘I haven’t worn it in a while.’
Märchen Academy and Hegel Magic Tower would have already judged that the Black Monster had appeared on the Floating Island.
Even if I caught the attention of the subjugation force or the Magic Tower observing the Floating Island, I would need them to pass it off as ‘Oh it’s the Black Monster’.
The Cloak of Disguise was a mess after my fight with Galia, but thanks to the repairs, there were no functional issues.
Due to the silent surroundings, the rustling sound of the cloth brushing against each other echoed in my ear.
After wearing the navy blue robe, I held the black mask engraved with large fangs and molars in my hand and stopped in my tracks.
My gaze was still fixed on the black spherical barrier.
‘Is today the day Dorothy finds out…’
With the power of [All In the World], Dorothy could look into the very essence of the world.
Even if I disguised myself as the Berserker, it was impossible to hide from Dorothy’s eyes.
So today, Dorothy would likely realize the fact that I was the Black Monster.
Then… there was no need for the mask.
Cheeng───!!
Hwarererereuk───!!
[Kkkeeuahhhhk!!]
The ceiling vibrated as if an earthquake had occurred while the sound of holy flames and the screams of a middle-aged man echoed from above.
It seemed like Ian had properly fired off [Apostle of Light] at Oz.
Chijiijik──.
As a tearing sound was heard, the solidified paint on the wall that encompassed the vast precipice began to peel away as if torn off.
It was as if a piece of paper was burning while rising into the air.
The inner layer made by the Floating Island’s mana tore away, brightly letting out a pale brown light.
It was the sight of the Floating Island’s protective magic being released.
The surroundings became bright, which was pretty nice.
The pillar made up of human body parts became even more vivid. It was somewhat grotesque though…
Still, I felt pretty good.
“I’m already excited.”
With a faint smile on my lips, I casually monologued to myself.
I wanted to see Dorothy soon.
Footnotes:
1TL Note: korean term: chemcal, biological, radiologicala
