CH 80

Still, my answer was set. I picked number two straight away.

It’s a bird that was called the Holy Beast. No, even if it’s not a Holy Beast, it would make me sad to see anyone suffering like that. So, if there was any way to save it, I wanted to save it.

[Route 2 is not recommended as it is very difficult. Are you sure you want to proceed like this?]

I ignored the following notification window and asked.

“How … is there a way……?”

“Let me see.”

Ki Yoohyun suddenly stepped up. Ignoring Park Heeyoung, who was muttering about whether we had time to pay attention to a bird, I asked him.

“Can you do it?”

“Perhaps.”

Ki Yoohyun casted a skill towards the Long-tailed Phoenix. The white light that emerged from his fingertips gradually grew and became a curtain of light.

The feathers wrapped in light slowly regained their original color. The feathers fluttered in the light of the iridescent color on a white background, and soon it flapped its wings.

“Wow…..!

I burst into a sigh of relief for a moment.

At the same rate as white light particles purifying the feathers, darkness again began to erode the Long-tailed Phoenix. The bird, which had been struggling a few times to get up, lost its balance and fell down, and is swallowed up by the darkness again.

“…… let’s try again.”

A light flashed from within the black eyes.

The unpleasant smell that filled the surroundings disappeared in an instant. The net of light tightly enveloped the bird and removed the pollution.

The long golden tail shone in its original brilliance, but just for a moment.

“Ssaeek, ssaeeekk…..”

The poison brought by the fragment engulfed the bird’s body helplessly.

There is no end to this.

The Long-tailed Phoenix lost its original power because it swallowed the fragment. No matter how much you purify it, the result is the same as long as you don’t destroy the fragment.

‘In order to break down a completely fused fragment…….’

[ 1. Sacrifice: Burn the Long-tailed Phoenix (Difficulty: Easy) ☜ Recommended

The notification window blinked again, as if it’s inviting me to choose that option right now.

The Long-tailed Phoenix lowered its head as if it had sensed its own fate.

Gulp….

One gesture could put an end to this poor bird’s suffering, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it because there was a clarity in the tear-soaked bird’s eyes.

No, it’s too early to give up.

As long as this system has led me to this point, there must be a way somewhere. Until now, the system had never been able to tell me everything neatly, so if I search thoroughly, there must be a hint somewhere.

There will be. I wanted to believe there was.

I looked at the translucent window in front of me in terrible tension.

‘Ether-Wiki.’

[Checking your eligibilities … Completed.]

[The Eligible: Verifying Kwon Rieul…..]

‘Skip.’

I skipped the long floating texts and checked the items one by one. I was in the spirit of grasping at straws. There aren’t many open items, but there might be hints hidden somewhere.

Then, an unconfirmed notification flashing in the corner opened at will.

[Do you want to play the clip ‘Ecology of A-Class Golden Triangular Rhinoceros’?

Yes / No ]

‘No.’

I didn’t have time to watch cows documentary right now.

But…..

[Do you want to play the clip ‘Ecology of A-Class Golden Triangular Rhinoceros’?

Yes / No ]

The system window urged me to choose yes.

This system window can be operated by recognizing the user’s gaze, voice, and accident. I used all of my gaze, voice, and thought to choose “No” with all my might, but it didn’t work at all.

If you’re going to choose whatever you want, why did you ask my opinion in the first place…..?

[The video will be played.]

I felt like my body was being sucked into something.

And the next moment, I was on a lawn.

……what? A lawn?

Wasn’t I inside the building just now?

***

The shining sunlight in the blue sky, the leaves of grass swaying in the wind, and the appearance of cows grazing in the distance…….

It was such an idyllic landscape. I blinked slowly at the peacefulness of the quiet pasture.

Their ‘video‘ also has a VR function?

The breath I inhaled smelled of summer grass.

Bewildered, I looked down. The crushed leaves of grass dyed the soles of my shoes green. When I reached out my hand, I could feel the feeling of the fluttering grass.

…… Where am I?

I had goosebumps. How can there be such a realistic video? It was as if I was suddenly summoned to an unfamiliar place rather than a video.

Let’s look at how to turn off the system again, really….

I was trying to look around slowly.

“……!”

A beautiful tree in the distance. A strange woman appeared under the shade of the tree.

【Finally, we met.】

“Yes? Do you know me?”

It’s definitely the first time I’ve seen that face. I’ve never been abroad, and I have no memory of meeting a woman that looks like a saintess in a fantasy RPG.

However, the voice was familiar. This voice that rings directly in my head, surely somewhere…….

My vision suddenly blurred while I was still trying to recall. The landscape that lost its color looked as if its borders had been crushed.

What’s going on?

【It’s because of the interference with causality.】

【This is not a good situation to have a long talk.】

【Just one. You can ask me anything you’re curious about.】

The words brought me to my senses.

It suffices to follow through on the vague memories later. First of all, there was one thing I wanted to ask this fantasy RPG saintess.

“I want to know how to save that bird, the Long-tailed Phoenix.”

【You will know the answer.】

“Yes?”

I didn’t know, so I asked you?

Just as I was trying to argue, a large bird flew from beyond the blue sky. The bird circled the air and sat on the shoulder of the fantasy RPG saintess.

The bird looked sick. The wings that had lost their original brilliance drooped helplessly. There was no energy in the whining chirping.

The saintess picked a fruit from the tree behind him and gave it to the bird. It’s a dark red fruit that is slightly larger than the thumb.

The bird opened its beak and swallowed the fruit.

Soon, from the tip of its beak, the bird was reconciled to light and disappeared. Only the white feathers fluttering in the wind proved the bird’s existence.

“……!”

I was surprised for a moment.

Soon a new Long-tailed Phoenix appeared in its place.

Flapping! The white feathers sparkled in the sun, and the bird flew back to the far side of the sky. Glittering particles of light poured out in the place where the Long-tailed Phoenix passed by.

“Ah…..”

Here, my senses have become surprisingly sensitive, and things that I would not have known before came to my head naturally. It feels like I am receiving knowledge that does not belong to me directly in my head.

The Long-tailed Phoenix, which purified the pollution accumulated in the body, returned to the ether of light, and a new bird’s body was created from the ether.

This is the meaning of the name ‘Phoenix‘. The ‘ether of light’ that exists in the dungeon is the bird itself. As long as the ether system circulates endlessly, there is no death for this bird. That’s why it’s called the Phoenix.

The saintess called me, who was distracted by the mysterious sight. She picked another fruit and handed it to me.

The moment I put the cold, soft fruit on my palm, the space completely collapsed.

My field of vision turned dark.

Just before it was crushed, only her voice remained, tickling my ears.

【How is it? Your second life?】

“……!”

【We will meet again.】

【I hope you can get the life you wanted until then.】

It’s a completely meaningful words. I’ve seen this a lot in games.

A character who appears in front of a novice villager character in an RPG game, who peacefully runs errands at a grocery store or hunts slime, and speaks incomprehensible words with a vague expression.

A character who only says a lot of meaningful words such as ‘I waited to see you again’ or ‘I need your help’ and doesn’t actually give any help.

When a character like that appears, something troublesome happens. I don’t like that kind of thing.

You said you’d let me run a cafe. Rest! Don’t you know what it means? I’ll take into account that there are more cafe customers than I thought, but I don’t want to get caught up in big things I don’t know.

That saintess, what are you going to raise me for?

“…..ah.”

While complaining inside, a unfamiliar memory flashed through my head.

I remembered. Where I met the saintess.

I’m sure that time….

The thought was there.

A storm of light covered my vision.

***

“Huk, huu….”

My eyes were tingling with sweat. I blinked blankly.

“Rieul-ssi?”

“Kwon Rieul, what’s wrong?”

The room was painted black. This was truly the barrier room I had been before.

I don’t know how much time has passed. I could feel the gazes of Kwon Jiwoon and Ki Yoohyunn looking at me anxiously from the side. I could also see the figure of Hunter Park Heeyoung, who ws agitated, too.

What was that just now?

The scene that had been overly vivid faded away in an instant, so there was no sense of reality yet.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, huh … I was surprised for a second … I’m surprised.”

The system said that it was a video of A-Class Golden Triangular Rhinoceros, but there were no cows, and it wasn’t even a video in the first place. If there is a Consumer Agency for the system, I would like to file an appeal.

[Thank you for using it.]

A message popped up immediately.

I’m not teasing you.….

Ki Yoohyun reached out his hand and wiped my forehead with a handkerchief. As the distance between me and Ki Yoohyun got closer, I could see Kwon Jiwoon’s expression hardening over his shoulder.

Ki Yoohyun, who bowed his head obliquely, asked in a low voice.

“What did you see?”

“……what?”