I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 631

"-----!"

"----!"

Screams, large and small, echoed endlessly from all directions. It was the sound of the madness-tainted swamp fairies and the demonic beasts they commanded.

Noisy bastards.

Clicking his tongue, Ian advanced without stopping. He even had enough leisure to pull out his water pouch and a strip of jerky as he walked. Hours had passed, and still, nothing in the jungle had attacked him.

—Hmm... even I’m confused now.

Yog's lazy whisper followed. As Ian looked down, Yog peeked its head from his forearm and flicked its tongue.

—I'm sensing more than one. Anyway, the directions aren't completely different... but for now, let's go to the clearer one. Just keep going straight.

Ian nodded and continued advancing through the fog-laden darkness. It felt like being trapped in an endless labyrinth.

I still can't feel anything.

The White Mage's hideout was hidden much deeper than Ian had expected. If he had had to fight his way here, even he might not have been able to find it alone. Well, perhaps it was a necessary choice to conduct forbidden research while avoiding the dragons' eyes.

It wasn't long before Ian's eyes narrowed slightly. Between the mutated, squirming branches, giant bird's nest-like structures had appeared.

"-----!"

"---!"

Only when the swamp fairies started screaming and fleeing did Ian realize those were their lairs. Frowning slightly, he watched their retreating forms disappear into the darkness.

They weren't all primitive-looking figures wearing leather or bark. Some wore tattered cloth, and a few even wore things that looked like armor.

Maybe they are fairies that once came here to investigate.

Regardless of their origin, all the faces that looked back at him were terribly mutated. They looked like a mix of fairies and beastfolk. Perhaps that was why the high fairies avoided speaking of the swamp fairies at all: their appearance was too shamefully degenerate.

—I've been sensing this for a while, but that doesn't seem like a coincidence, my friend.

As Ian passed the colony, Yog suddenly murmured.

Receiving his gaze, the creature gave a low, amused chuckle.

—Maybe that White Mage fellow had a grudge against the fairies.

A grudge?

One of Ian’s eyebrows rose.

Well, that explanation made more sense than the idea that it was an accidental product of madness. Besides, the ancient fairies seemed just as selfish and greedy as the current ones. It wouldn't be strange at all if they had demanded an excessive price or acted insultingly in exchange for providing a hideout.

The White Mage was just a spellcaster in the end.

Mages were a kind that never forgot a grudge, even if they forgot a favor. If he’d already delved into dark magic by then, this corruption might have been his revenge, a way to repay the fairy’s acts. However, it was impossible to know if he had predicted that the rift he created would maintain that curse forever.

If that guess is true, then the White Mage definitely didn’t have fairy blood in him.

Recalling the story from the fairy warden, Ian let out a silent, dry laugh. If she found out, her pride would surely be wounded.

The thought that it was good he hadn't brought Thesaya followed. No matter her demonic lineage, she wouldn’t have been completely immune to the jungle’s curse.

Thump... Thump...

It wasn't long before the bead of chaos essence resonated quietly.

As Ian’s eyes twitched, Yog chuckled.

—You feel it now too, huh?

Ian nodded. At least now he could be sure Yog wasn’t leading him on a wild goose chase.

This creature could probably sniff out a corrupted one just as easily now.

He made a mental note to test that once they returned to the city, though his gaze had already darkened. The chaotic wavelength was getting closer.

—Ah, guess it’s not this way after all.

Yog's sigh followed, even before Ian could identify the source. Clicking his tongue, Ian kept walking. He needed to confirm the identity of the being emitting such a strong wavelength.

—But like I said, no need to turn back. Just veer a little to the left.

Even as Yog whispered, Ian didn’t change direction—at least not until a few minutes later, when he finally stopped.

That looks like a Tree of Life.

The surrounding trees had thinned, revealing the source of the wavelength beyond a clearing. A giant tree, incomparably large and tall compared to the Twisted Ancient Tree he'd seen in the past, soared into the sky.

The area was dim, as the ancient Tree of Life's leaves and branches blocked the sky.

Thump... Thump...

Of course, it was in an ominously corrupted state. Its surface looked black and sticky, as if covered in tar, and it was even squirming slowly. It would hardly be surprising if it tore its roots from the ground and walked.

—That’s at least an archdemon level of corruption. No wonder it was hard to distinguish. Maybe that thing is the source of the curse.

Yog whispered in a laughter-laced tone, looking up at Ian.

—And it's being suppressed by something. It looks like we could kill it very easily right now. Are you just going to pass by?

Instead of answering, Ian turned to his left. It felt like a trap.

Even if it wasn't, having made it this far without a fight, he had no desire to poke a hornet's nest. Besides, from the moment he arrived here, the echoing screams had become sharper and fiercer.

—You might regret this, Friend.

"Just guide me to the next destination," Ian muttered without stopping.

Maybe it wasn’t deception, but there was still no reason to change his decision.

—Fine.

Yog didn't press further.

Ian followed the direction it indicated, step after steady step.

Along with the echoing screams, the jungle's darkness undulated endlessly. It was an environment sufficient to make one lose their sense of direction, and even their sense of time.

At least I don’t have to worry about Heaven Defier reviving anymore.

Oddly enough, Ian’s mind was calm. He even found himself returning to thoughts he’d pushed aside. He had shaken off the remnants of old fears that kept him cautious and tense—and in doing so, had fully accepted his farewell with Archeas.

If that had been Archeas’s intention all along, it had worked perfectly. Of course, it was also thanks to Yog falling silent.

Then the only major event left until the ending is... the civil war.

The thought followed that the game’s ending couldn’t be too far off. The outcome of the war would likely lead straight into the game’s conclusion.

Since the Heaven Defier was a hidden boss in the game, it probably won’t have a big impact on the grand flow of things.

He kept walking, his thoughts flowing one after another. It had always been like this ever since crossing the Wall. From here on, everything was uncharted territory.

Even so, a few things were certain. The game was entering its final stage, and the sort of events that signaled the end were surely waiting ahead.

So something else is bound to happen during the war, huh?

Just from what he'd experienced so far, there were more than enough sources of anxiety. The fanatical pirates of the archipelago, the mages of the tower who could resurface at any time, the Round Table Parliament now controlling the Order, and the two archdemons that were still lurking somewhere in the Black Lands, each commanding enormous power.

Though the biggest variables are the Emperor and the Dark Prince.

Coexistence was practically impossible, and it was hard to guess the true intentions of either. It wouldn't be strange if either of them made an extreme choice to protect what was important to them.

And if Ian’s prediction was right, the time would come when he’d have to choose a side. However, now, he had the option of choosing neither. The newly crowned Bastard King had become a third path of his own making.

But anyway, by then, I won't be fighting alone.

Ian once again reached a conclusion not much different from before.

Of course, the gathering and mobilization of forces were measures to be taken only when he chose to intervene in the war. He had no wish to be bound by it, nor to see lives wasted needlessly. After all, there was no telling when an enemy equal to the Heaven Defier, or something even more dangerous, might emerge.

If something like an avatar of the heavens or the void itself were to descend...

Imagining the worst-case scenario, Ian put a piece of jerky in his mouth.

The absence of the Platinum Dragon suddenly felt heavier than ever. The world might not yet know of its death, but that didn’t change the fact that Ian could no longer rely on its help.

Therefore, his only choice was to grow stronger—strong enough to ensure he would never have to endure such a loss again.

But to do that, I need to have the White Mage's knowledge.

He organized his thoughts one by one. As for the possibility of never returning after the ending, there was no need to dwell on it yet. That was a problem he could face once it became real.

It didn’t take long for Ian to break free from his thoughts. He suddenly realized that the surrounding scenery was losing its color. The jungle's darkness seemed to have delayed his perception. Before he knew it, the surroundings had faded into black and white—so much so that it felt unnatural even in this place.

—Looks like we’ve found it this time.

Ian nodded readily, all without stopping his steps.

"-----!"

Soon, the echoing screams grew more distant, falling behind him. The faded, twisted trees became gradually barer, and the thick fog thinned.

The soil underfoot was also becoming dry and brittle. A faint dizziness followed the disorienting shift in sensation. It was the sensation of crossing the border of a demonic realm, one he was now quite familiar with.

Thump... Thump...

As the bead of chaos essence let out a faint rumble, Ian's head tilted up.

With the leaves gone, the gnarled branches exposed an undulating sky stained in ominous colors. It stood in stark contrast to the black-and-white ground below, a sight that would fill most with dread.

—Looks strangely familiar.

However, the two who were looking at it were among the few exceptions.

"It does," Ian replied. He too was reminded of the lands beyond the Black Wall, though not everything was the same.

—That is definitely a rift.

Far beyond, a long rift was carved, as if tearing the ominous sky. The rift fluctuated between red, magenta, and purple, staining the surrounding sky. It also looked like the half-open eye of some transcendent being.

—Unfortunately, it seems no being has broken through it yet. Of course, it wouldn't be strange if it happened right now.

Yog added softly. A strange anticipation and vitality were returning to its voice.

—Can you feel the rift's wavelength, my friend?

It asked, but Ian was no longer looking at the rift. Gray chunks of earth and rocks were floating beneath it. It looked as if time had stopped after a massive explosion, a sight just as alien as the rift itself.

"I’ve seen something like this before, beyond the Wall."