Chapter 123

The girl needed to get away from the place where she had woken up.

Following her instincts, she descended the mountain. Her pace wasn’t particularly fast or slow, but it didn’t take long for her to reach the foot of the mountain.

Step by step.

With each step the girl took, the lush branches lost their vitality, snapping off, while animals and monsters held their breath and hurriedly fled. As such, the only things that could stand in her way were the rugged terrains, but even those couldn’t halt her steps.

Thud.

The girl stood at the edge of a large rock.

It was merely the result of walking where her steps led her, not her intention. But still—

The rock she stood on was so large that one could almost call it a cliff without exaggeration. Even a fully grown adult would suffer injuries if they leaped from such a height, and for a girl much smaller than an adult, the danger was even greater.

So, a normal person would have sought a path around it or, if unable to find one, would have carefully descended by using the cracks in the cliff.

Swish—

The girl continued forward just as casually as she had up to this point.

As if she were walking across flat ground spread out before her.

If someone had been beside her to witness it, they would have either screamed and covered their eyes from the horrifying scene about to unfold or rushed to save her.

They would soon realize that their efforts had been in vain.

Beneath the girl’s calmly descending steps, a black mist gathered.

Tap.

The mist that had previously allowed the girl’s arm to pass through now solidified, firmly supporting her. As if she had anticipated this result, the girl showed no sign of surprise as she continued to descend step by step, easily reaching the bottom of the cliff.

After passing a few more trees, the girl finally arrived at an open plain.

“…?”

The plain was marked with a huge slash.

Curious about the straight and clear mark that looked as if it had been drawn with a brush on a canvas, the girl tilted her head and approached it.

As she got closer, she could see the slash more clearly.

What had looked like a line from a distance was actually a fissure created by the splitting of the ground on both sides.

The deep crack, which seemed difficult to escape if one slipped and fell into it, was filled with scattered piles of blackened ash.

“….”

For the first time since escaping from the wall, the girl’s unbroken steps came to a halt.

‘──────

‘

“….”

The girl furrowed her brow as if something was tickling her mind.

…It’s frustrating.

What was the identity of the faint voices she could hear?

What were they saying?

She didn’t know anything, but she lingered for a long time in front of the fissure, pacing around the area.

It wasn’t until several more minutes had passed, even after the voices had completely faded from her mind, that the girl started walking again.

When the voices fully stopped, so did the itch that had been bothering her.

“…It’s a shame.”

A startled gasp escaped from the girl’s mouth for the first time.

Surprised by the sound she had made unconsciously, she quickly covered her mouth. Her wide-eyed reaction while holding her hand over her lips revealed an innocent, childlike side to her— R

If it weren’t for the black mist extending from her, anyone who saw that sight would have been unable to resist a warm smile.

“…Ah, ah?”

Realizing that the sound that had startled her came from her own voice, the girl hesitantly spoke again. Fascinated by the sound of her own voice, she continued to utter simple sounds, much like a baby speaking for the first time.

While she was playing around with her voice like this, two shadows appeared on the empty plain.

Two men approached the fissure, just as the girl had earlier, and peered into it.

But there was a clear difference between their actions and the girl’s.

While the girl had shown only pure curiosity, the intense gaze with which the men examined the ashes suggested they had a specific purpose.

The men noticed the girl before she noticed them.

Unaware of the approaching strangers, the girl continued to play, her soft voice carried on the wind reaching the man holding a sword.

The man, who had straightened up, suddenly noticed the girl standing a fair distance away.

“What the… There’s someone over there.”

“Have you never seen a person before? Instead of wasting time saying nonsense, why don’t you start searching for anything useful? Even a piece of armor could make us a fortune!”

“Everything’s burned down. Do you think anything would be left? And if it was just a person, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“Metal has a high melting point, so something might have survived. And you ran here the moment you heard we might strike it rich.”

“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this? Ah, just look around already!”

“Tch… You’re making such a fuss. If I find nothing here, I’ll share your embarrassing moments in the group chat… uh…?”

Reluctantly turning his head at his friend’s urging, the other man’s expression initially twisted in annoyance, then changed to one of surprise.

Was he seeing things correctly?

After blinking several times and rubbing his eyes, the man realized it wasn’t an illusion. S~eaʀᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“…Isn’t that Canaria? Wasn’t she supposed to be in Laxia?”

“Is it a cosplay?”

“Cosplay?”

Muttering, “Could it be…?” at his friend’s words, the man looked at the girl, then shook his head to dismiss the thought.

Though he wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about cosplay, even he could tell this wasn’t it.

Even if someone could match the hair color and eye color, it would be nearly impossible to perfectly imitate the face and build.

Moreover, the appearance of the NPC “Canaria” he knew wasn’t something that could easily be replicated.

If she had a common look, she wouldn’t have become such a famous figure among the players.

“If that’s cosplay, wouldn’t it be more accurate to call it transformation rather than cosplay?”

“They say a woman’s transformation is always innocent, don’t they?”

“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

The man, annoyed by his friend’s chatter, gave him a light smack on the head and started walking toward the girl.

“Ow… If you’re going to hit me, do it gently! That knocked a chunk off my health bar.”

Grumbling while holding his head, the friend followed behind him.

As the distance between them shortened, and the girl’s appearance became clearer, the man walking ahead became certain.

The girl standing there was undoubtedly the NPC he knew.

…Although there was an inexplicable feeling about it, and he had no idea how someone who was in Laxia just yesterday could be here now or why they might be here.

It seemed like his friend, who was following behind, had similar thoughts, judging by the surprised look on his face.

“What the… It’s really her?”

“…? Shouldn’t you be the least surprised?”

He was the one who insisted on checking in the first place.



Hearing this, his friend scratched the back of his head.

“I just thought it might be someone who looks like her… Hey, have you ever seen Canaria before?”

“You’re looking at her right now.”

“No, I’m not talking about now. You know what I mean, stop playing dumb. It makes me want to punch you.”

“If you’re so upset, why don’t you fight me? Want to bet some gold?”

“…”

His friend fell silent.

His pride was wounded…!

But while a bruised ego could be mended, lost gold coins wouldn’t come back.

Knowing the difference in skill between them, his friend swallowed his irritation.

Meanwhile, the man took a deep breath and continued.

“Well… I’ve never seen her in person.”

He had seen her plenty of times in broadcasts and photos.

That’s why it was fascinating for him to see the famous NPC right in front of him.

“Hey, hey. But doesn’t she look a bit different? It’s not like what you see online.”

“People always say that celebrities look different in real life.”

“No, I mean, she’s really different. It’s like she’s completely out of it.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

The man looked over the girl again.

And soon, he understood why his friend had said that.

Instead of Canaria’s usual sharp and hardened demeanor, a pure and innocent childlike expression occupied her face.

And that wasn’t the only thing.

If it were the girl they knew, she would have noticed their approach long ago and either attacked or kept a close watch on them, yet now she was so distracted that she didn’t spare them even a glance.

Poke, poke.

As the man pondered the differences, he felt a touch that snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Hey… What do you think about trying to capture her?”

“…What? Capture what?”

“Canaria, of course.”

“Are you out of your mind? Did you eat something bad?”

What a ridiculous suggestion.

The man and his friend were only just above level 30.

Even when players much stronger than them, those who could really fight, had banded together, they had failed to defeat her. There was no way the two of them could manage it alone.

Seeing the man’s negative reaction, his friend tried to persuade him more gently.

“Look. There’s definitely something wrong with that Ascension Ritual or whatever it was. She’s clearly not in her right state. Don’t you think we could take her down now?”

“That’s nonse…”

The man was about to dismiss it as nonsense, but he paused when he looked at the girl.

…It made sense.

There were no companions to protect her, she didn’t seem mentally sound, and she wasn’t even minimally armed.

It was the perfect situation for an ambush.

At the very least, it was clear that they wouldn’t get another opportunity as good as this.

“Dozens of parties rushed in to claim the First Clear, but none succeeded. If we manage to do it, wouldn’t that be a massive breakthrough? We’d get tons of interview requests, and the news would spread everywhere…”

His friend was right.

Though it wouldn’t be as glorious since they weren’t capturing her in her prime, they would still receive attention they had never experienced before.

The man was a gamer.

He had always admired professional gamers who raised trophies in competitions or those who succeeded in taking down a boss monster for the first time, basking in the spotlight.

He dreamed of standing alongside them.

Though he had long accepted the limits of his talent and chosen to enjoy the game casually, a small piece of that dream still glittered in his heart.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

After all, it’s just a game.

Even if they died, they could simply respawn, right?

The man drew his sword.

…He briefly felt guilty about attacking a defenseless girl who was playing around, but the overwhelming desire for glory crushed that feeling into oblivion.

“Hah, that’s the spirit, my friend.”

“Why don’t you pay me back for the last three months of overdue friend fees before you say that?”

Exchanging lighthearted banter, they turned on the recording function.

After all, no one would believe them if they just told the story, so they planned to submit the recorded video as proof of their conquest.

Once all preparations were complete, they boldly charged toward the girl.

Thud, thud, thud!

“?”

Hearing the sound of footsteps running toward her, the girl turned her head and met their gaze.

However, the distance between them and the girl had already closed.

Just three more steps, and a swing of the sword, and the pink-haired girl would fall, bleeding.

It weighed on their conscience to think of killing a young girl, but it was just a game, after all.

Even if they were criticized by those who liked her character, it would be nothing compared to the glory and attention the man would receive.

With that unwavering belief, the man pushed off the ground with all his strength…

Clatter, clatter, clatter—

“…Huh?”

But why wasn’t he moving forward?

Feeling puzzled, the man tried to lower his head, but his body wouldn’t budge.

Rolling his eyes with a dumbfounded expression, he eventually realized that he was lying flat on the ground.

Thud.

In his fading vision, he saw his friend collapse, spilling black liquid.

In the dimming darkness, a familiar death message greeted him.

“…?”



The men, who had recklessly rushed in, were devoured by the black mist and vanished without a trace.

The girl stared curiously at the spot where the men had disappeared, as if finding their sudden disappearance strange, before losing interest and turning her head away.

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