Chapter 97 The Truth of the World, 100th Cycle
Ancia rushed onto the lotus leaf path of Moon Lake. The lotus leaves sank under her feet, and some of them flowed into the lake water.
The lotus leaves were lit up by footsteps, forming a path that stretched towards the Moon Tower.
Ancia climbed onto the last three raised lotus leaves and stood in front of the enclosed Moon Tower.
As always, a gate automatically appeared on the Moon Tower, opening before Ancia and welcoming her at any time.
Once inside the Moon Tower, Ancia calmed down and slowly ascended the spiraling seashell staircase. The deep blue mineral powder on the walls, as tranquil as the sea, gradually brought her scattered thoughts together.
The pearl curtain on the top floor remained still. Today, all the buildings in Gracia have been decorated as part of the wedding venue, except for the Moon Tower, which still retains its original appearance.
The Dean was in the Star River room. He only appeared in Gracia when necessary, and spent the rest of his time in the Moon Tower.
He looked at Ancia, who was wearing a half-length wedding dress, and sincerely praised her, "You look beautiful today."
Ancia stared at him intently, then asked in confusion, "Why weren't you controlled by the game's plot?"
The dean chuckled softly. "When did you discover the anomalies in the world?"
Ancia: "The moment the Demon King died."
The dean pressed on curiously, "Why?" He summoned a soft, floating sofa and placed it next to Ancia, "Sit down and tell me slowly, there's still plenty of time."
Ancia gave a mocking smirk. "The numbers are wrong. A level 100 final boss can't be defeated by a team whose highest level is less than 99. Its death was too easy. I didn't have any items that transcended the rules of the world, yet I killed it without any problems."
In the game, the gap between each rank is enormous. A Demon King's level 100, converted to a class star rating outside the Abyss, should be equivalent to ten stars. Moreover, even with the Abyss's bonus, the Demon King is as fragile as paper before the Radiant Wedge.
As a game combat designer, her professional intuition told her that something was amiss during the battle. However, the situation was urgent, and she didn't have time to think about it in detail.
Ancia took out the black paper that fell after the Demon King died. "And this... How come a CG image would fall after a monster dies?"
A sigh escaped her lips. "Victory in the war was the result everyone expected, and the fall of the Demon King was an epic ending. I was almost blinded by happiness, thinking that I had truly protected the world I loved."
The dean asked softly, "Defeat the Demon King, and live happily ever after with the one you love—don't you like this kind of ending?"
Ancia smiled and wiped the corner of her eye. "Of course I like it, but only if free will exists."
The more she laughed, the sadder she became, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls, impossible to wipe away. "That day I found out they were all preparing to propose... and then I finally understood."
The dean handed over a handkerchief, saying, "When the feelings are right, you'll move on to the next stage."
Ancia wiped away her tears and shook her head vigorously, "No! They wouldn't prepare a proposal without first confirming my feelings!"
"They are the people who respect me the most! Even if I hesitate even a little, they will not take another step, but will wait for me to decide to go my own way!"
"Even the dumbest Skalke would have subtly and repeatedly confirmed that I was willing to marry him before saying such a thing!"
“They’re not like they are now…and Eve and Aurora…their tastes have changed too…the people I like aren’t like they are now…”
Anciya's eyes were red, and she spoke each word firmly, "I don't want this fake happy ending."
The dean sighed, walked over to Ansia, knelt down, and took a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.
Ancia lowered her eyes, and with swift movement, the Shadow Embrace in her right hand was placed across the Dean's neck. She said expressionlessly, "So, Dean, the only one who appears outside the plot, can you give me back the people I like?"
The dean's face was obscured by the nebula, which also completely concealed the dagger. It appeared that Ancia's hand was affectionately pressed against the dean's throat.
Only the two people standing so close knew that the dagger had already pierced their flesh.
The dean remained completely unfazed, as if he weren't the one being threatened. He avoided answering, instead asking with a smile, "Ancia, do you know how many times I've heard you say these things?"
Ancia shook her head.
"Many times...so many times that I've almost lost count."
An absurd conjecture popped into Ansia's mind.
Her voice trembled as she asked, "Every time... it's not the first time, is it? Entering the academy, defeating the Demon King, and now... all of this has happened so many times, hasn't it?"
The dean nodded slightly, his cloak shifting slightly. "To be precise, this is the hundredth time. Welcome back, Ancia."
Ancia felt her right hand being gently held, and the skin that touched it felt slightly cool.
The dean's voice was seductive, "Open my cloak."
Ancia hesitated for a moment, then chose to trust her intuition and decisively pulled down the hood.
The mysterious cloak that was fixed to the dean slipped off, and the nebula on his face slowly dispersed, revealing a beautiful face that transcended race and gender.
Deep blue curly hair cascaded down, and translucent ear fins extended from behind her cheeks, trembling slightly in the air. Fine blue scales traced a long, thin arc from the corner of her eye, disappearing into her sideburns.
Those smoky purple eyes gazed at her with longing, never looking away for a moment.
The face appeared so close to her that she was speechless with shock.
After an unknown amount of time, Ancia finally found her hoarse voice, "...Siren."
The sea monsters, a race said to have been wiped out, were renowned throughout the continent for their allure and divination. Their beauty was unparalleled, and their divination skills were described as divine in epic tales, yet they vanished overnight, never to be seen again.
Her gaze fell downwards, and she saw a small gap in the scales on his bare chest. The heart, which should have been protected by blue scales, was now missing the very center scale, and the wound there was a bloody mess.
“That seashell brooch… what can truly protect you from harm is the scales on your heart,” Ancia murmured.
The dean raised his hand and gently covered his chest. "Don't look here, it's ugly."
He raised his face, his eyes sparkling, "Look at my face, my face is the most handsome."
Ancia stared blankly at the siren who had once again overturned her impressions, unable to understand, "Why? What are you doing all this for?"
The dean knelt down beside Ansia's legs. After removing his cloak, his true nature was revealed, and he wanted to get closer to Ansia.
"I will do the same thing as you did ninety-nine times."
Ancia's mind was a complete blank as she repeated after him, "Ninety-nine times saving the world? Me?"
The dean chuckled softly, his face becoming even more captivating, as if it could steal the soul of the viewer. "Yes, this isn't your first time here; this is your 100th time."
With a wave of his hand, the system panel appeared in front of the two of them, recording every choice and outcome made by Ancia.
“You see, in some playthroughs, you're with one of them. In some playthroughs, you're engrossed in magic and no one gets close. In some playthroughs, you're with several of them…”
"But in every playthrough, you become aware of the anomalies in this world and discover the truth that the continent is controlled by the game. Regardless of whether you have formed a romantic relationship with the creatures here, you will always seek a way to liberate this world."
Ancia watched as many scenes flashed by on the screen: her enthusiastically shopping, her joy at eating her favorite food, her diligently studying in class, her engrossed in researching magic, her breaking down in tears, her walking alone...
"I don't think I ever succeeded, right? I don't remember those things."
The dean's eyes flickered with complex emotions that Ancia couldn't decipher. "You won't remember, but every time you leave the game, time reverses and the world resets. There's no punishment when the game ends; in fact, you'll be granted one wish."
He sighed, "But you always make the same request."
Ancia's eyes welled up with tears again. She smiled and said the same thing as the dean, in unison, "Bring the game cartridge to me/you."
She has no memory, but she knows herself best.
Whenever she sees the game cartridge, she will pick it up and have the chance to enter the game again.
She knew her dream and was certain that she would fall in love with this world, love its people, and fight for their freedom and destiny.
From the first time to the ninety-ninth time, it has never changed.
Ancia's smile faded, and she asked softly, "What's the price? What's the price for starting over?"
The dean succumbed to her persistent gaze, "My magic."
Ancia suddenly realized something, and lightly scratched the dean's lips with her fingernail. She didn't use much force, but a faint bloodstain seeped out from the light-colored lips.
hp-1.
An attack was detected, and a red level indicator appeared above the dean's head.
Ancia stared in shock at the small number—lv1.
The legendary dean, a being surpassing even archmages and on par with the Lord of the Abyss, is now on the same level as the weakest monster, a slime.
He was indeed a powerful figure, but each world reset deducted magic power, causing his level to plummet until he was only level one.
“Ancia, we have no chance. I have become one with the will of the world, and I know where the limit is.”
"This is the last time."
The dean said softly.
He raised his hand, his fingertips wiping the drop of blood from his lips, and smeared the blood onto the black paper in Ancia's hand. The back of the paper featured a CG of the Demon King falling, while the front was a pure black page.
The black on that page receded rapidly like a tide, revealing the array diagram that should have been kept hidden from the world.
Anciya only glanced at it a few times before wanting to put it away, but she unconsciously bit her lower lip until it bled, forcing herself to study it carefully.
The dean seemed oblivious to her pain and hesitation, and asked expectantly, "What is the magic circle left behind by the abyss?"
Ancia remained silent for a long time before whispering, "The Wedge of Radiance, the Crown of Moonlight, the Embrace of Shadows, the Wild War Drums, the Eternal Codex... The Heart of the Siren serves as the core node, etching a magic array with life magic to open the Ascension Stairway."
The dean nodded. "I see."
He gently lowered the hand he had been holding to his chest, revealing a bloody, mangled wound, and smiled at Ancia, "The Siren's Heart is here."
"Remember the request I made to you before? Now I'm going to use it."
“Take my heart, Ancia.”
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