Chapter 30

EP.30 ■■ (4) - The Fictional Hell

I nearly jumped in surprise.

Of course, I knew that full moon would be there.

But the realism was so vivid that my heart almost stopped.

I took a deep breath to compose myself. I’m just not good with this kind of thing...

Moreover, without realizing it, a berserker’s cry escaped my lips. It didn’t match my voice at all. It felt like my emotions were just pouring out, and the AI was producing the sound on its own.

Anyway, if I had been a little slower, it would have been an irreparable situation.

Look at Professor Fernando. He’s on the brink of death!

He looks like he’s about to faint at any moment, but he’s using all his strength to stay conscious. It’s pitiful.

It would be better to calm him down and let him faint peacefully.

[...Who are you?]

The moon’s voice echoed calmly.

As expected, it’s unpleasant. Look at that neat, cold appearance. I feel like giving it a light uppercut.

This place is [Fictional Hell]. That repulsive full moon is ‘Ripa of Illusion.’

The master of this world. This world is entirely within its domain.

“Anyway, you won’t be able to distinguish my words.” (Grrrr─.)

I’m in a state where communication is impossible. I’m a zero-language berserker.

In this state, it’s difficult to have a conversation with words, and I can only engage in a conversation with my fists.

[Ah, it’s you─.]

Only then did Ripa, in the form of the moon, seem to realize that I was a demon hunter.

“Huh?” (Krrr?)

Soon, monsters began to rise from the sea.

Monsters of various shapes and sizes, dozens, hundreds, thousands─, countless numbers appeared.

Kuuuuuu─!

An earthquake occurred.

From beyond the horizon, a giant arm stretched out from the ground.

────────[Uoooooo────!!]

A giant monster climbing out of the sea. A giant with a skull mask on its face, wrapped in the Milky Way against the starry night sky.

Even from this distance, it’s clearly visible, indicating an unimaginably enormous size. It’s much smaller than the squid in the sky, though.

[Obstacle. You’re the troublesome one who hunts demons, aren’t you?]

Of course.

And you will soon be dealt with as well.

This [Fictional Hell] will soon expand to cover the Duke Hall. Before that, I must bring down that thing to prevent any other victims besides Professor Fernando.

[Ah, I wanted to meet you! I was curious about what kind of guy you are! Hahaha! I’m feeling incredibly excited now!]

“Is that so.” (Grrr─.)

[Obstacle, obstacle─! Let me play with you─!]

The full moon laughed like a child and shouted, and the monsters began to rush at me, their large mouths emitting bizarre laughter.

[Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────! Kyahahaahaha────!]

[ Fictional Creature ]

Level: 80

Race: Demon

Attribute: Darkness, Fire

Danger Level: High

Psychology: [I want to tear you apart. ]

If I get caught by those monsters, I’ll lose my mind and become a vegetable.

The strength of each individual cannot be underestimated. Since they are generated infinitely, no matter how much I fight, it will ultimately end in my defeat in a long-term battle.

If they at least gave good experience points, it might be different, but to prevent cheating in the game, they don’t give any experience points.

<Merchen’s Magic Knight> Chapter 6, Part 3, Fictional Hell. The battle to defeat Ripa of Illusion.

The player must defeat the fictional creatures to protect the students. Ripa has the students trapped and is playing a defense game against Ian and his companions.

If even one student dies, it’s game over, so I remember pouring out curses and retrying.

If you can hold out for a certain amount of time, a story cutscene will appear. This is the scene where Ian Fairytail figures out the strategy to conquer this world.

The protagonist, Ian Fairytail, struggles with his supporting characters, but with the determination to protect the students, he perseveres.

Swinging his sword, he repeats, “I can do it.”

He starts to hypnotize himself, saying, “I am strong,” “I can exert even more strength.”

But the real strong power surprises him. That’s how the real battle to defeat Ripa begins.

‘So, the strategy to conquer [Fictional Hell] is...’

‘Self-hypnosis.’ You have to become a pathological liar.

You have to confront the illusory world with illusions. If you can’t figure out this strategy, even Dorothy Heartnova at level 180 will struggle.

But if you figure it out, even Isaac, a level 51 ordinary person, or me in the [Exterminator] inactive state, can defeat it.

The key is to be able to imagine a stronger version of yourself. The more you know what will happen when you become stronger, the more effective it will be.

If you can’t properly imagine a stronger version of yourself, even if you figure out the strategy, it won’t do any good.

As a veteran of <Merchen’s Magic Knight>, I clearly understand what it means to be at the pinnacle of ice element.

In other words, I am the ultimate nemesis of Ripa.

“...”

Everything in this world is coming at me.

First, I cast [Ice Barrier] on Professor Fernando.

「Ice Barrier (Ice Attribute, ★6)」

Imagine.

‘Me becoming a munchkin.’

For a moment, I disconnected from this world.

A skill I acquired from studying while buried in my desk during my college entrance exam preparation. Disconnecting myself from the world.

I dye my own life with nihilism.

The world becomes quiet. In that silence, I reaffirm myself.

I am strong.

I am strong.

I am the strongest in this world.

[Unique Trait [Exterminator] activated!]

[Level and stats temporarily greatly increased!]

[Skill tree temporarily +10!]

[Unique Trait [Exterminator] activated!]

[Level and stats temporarily greatly increased!]

[Skill tree temporarily +10!]

[Unique Trait [Exterminator] activated!]

[Level and stats temporarily greatly increased!]

[※ Already at maximum!]

[Skill tree temporarily +10!]

[※ Already at maximum!]

[ Status ]

Name: Isaac

Level: (200)

Gender: Male

Grade: 1

Title: Freshman

Mana: 999929 / 999999

- Mana recovery speed (EX)

- Health (EX)

- Strength (EX)

- Intelligence (C-)

- Spirit (EX)

[ Combat Ability ]

Element Series 1: Ice

- Elemental damage (EX)

- Elemental efficiency (EX)

- Elemental synergy (EX)

Element Series 2 (Locked)

[You have mastered all aspects of the ice element and reached the emperor level!]

[You have learned the passive skill [Ice Emperor]!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━「Ice Emperor (Ice Attribute, ★9)」━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The sensation of each cell is unfamiliar. I bowed my head slightly and spent a moment getting used to the unfamiliar sensation.

My skin seemed to have a higher saturation, making my body appear brighter. The hair inside my hood felt like it was standing on end, and my nerves were sharply on edge.

A gentle, pale blue coldness flowed from my entire body, and I had the feeling that I could cast the most powerful magic at any time.

My body, my entire being, felt incredibly dense and heavy, yet at the same time, light.

The passive skill, [Ice Emperor].

The effect is simple and clear.

It maximizes the output of the ice element magic I will use from now on.

“Haa.”

I took in the world rushing towards me.

A pale blue coldness flowed from my breath.

Now, I am a Super Saiyan.

* * *

Dorothy entered [Fictional Hell].

It was easy to enter the magical space. It felt like crossing into another dimension, and as she swam through the black hole-like darkness, a beautiful landscape unfolded before her eyes.

An open sea reflecting the night sky like a mirror. Abandoned buildings scattered here and there.

A night sky filled with the Milky Way and stars.

A giant squid watching from beyond the universe.

A planetary ring crossing the sky.

A full moon with a mouth large enough to cover half its body.

And.

An army of monsters charging towards Professor Fernando and the burly man in a navy blue hooded coat.

Dorothy stopped in the sky and watched the scene.

◆◆◆◆◆────

When the unique trait [All Things] activated, Dorothy confirmed the existence hidden within the burly man’s essence.

A massive lump of mana, almost infinite, with an overwhelming presence capable of swallowing everything in this world.

She would never forget where she had seen this existence.

“Isaac?”

It was Isaac, the first-year boy with silver hair.

However, his appearance was clearly not his. The burly man was a muscular monster with a hood.

‘...Magic disguise suit?’

Dorothy figured out the answer. There was no other way to explain Isaac’s extreme change in appearance except for a magic disguise suit.

But why?

The existence within Isaac’s essence had all its countless eyes glaring red, looking at something else. It seemed to completely ignore Dorothy.

All those eyes were directed at the full moon. And Dorothy, through the power of [All Things], realized that the full moon was a demon.

Only then did she understand.

The existence within Isaac’s essence was hostile to demons.

[ ■■■■■■ ■■■. ]

A life of solitude.

The existence within Isaac’s essence began to chant a spell.

As soon as the opening lines echoed, a chill ran down Dorothy’s spine.

“This is dangerous...”

Dorothy poured her maximum mana to create a powerful starlight barrier around herself.

Isaac was about to use a powerful magic that could destroy this world. It seemed he was so focused on casting the spell that he didn’t sense Dorothy’s mana.

In other words, Dorothy had to protect herself from Isaac’s magic.

There was no need to protect Fernando. Isaac had already prepared the safest method, [Ice Barrier].

[ ■■ ■■ ■ ■■ ■■ ■■■■. ]

Nothing remained by my side.

[ ■■ ■■ ■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■. ]

Nothing in my life had any meaning.

In the old days, it was said that a woman who had mastered all aspects of the ice element.

Her name, lost to time, was known as ‘Ice Emperor’ or ‘The Witch with the Scythe’.

A spell she created, imbued with her life, by a great mage who found no meaning in life.

A spell of sorrow and resentment.

In her final moments, she plunged the world into a 100-year ice age, a catastrophic disaster.

Soon, behind the berserker form of Isaac, magic circles began to manifest, one after another, like gears meshing.

[ ■■. ]

Solitude.

[ ■ ■■ ■■■■■■■. ]

You were the only one by my side.

[ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ ■■■■. ]

I did not revel in the glory of invincibility alone.

[ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■■. ]

Fame and talent had no meaning.

[ ■■■■ ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■. ]

It was only when the owl spread its wings at dusk that I realized.

The giant squid floating in the universe sensed the crisis and began to strike with its tentacles.

The vibrating air. The giant squid’s tentacle, capable of easily suppressing the army of monsters, fell with a fierce roar.

The beautiful night sky disappeared, and the surroundings were shrouded in shadows─.

[ ■■■■ ■ ■■■. ]

This world, with only you.

In the darkness, amidst the squid’s tentacles covering the world, the magic circles were irregularly etched in the air.

Behind all the magic circles, a massive magic circle, almost touching the sky, began to form.

A light shone.

Isaac extended