240th Episode. It’s Time to Invade! (1)

The moment Diora let out that roar, the sky brightened for an instant.

Originally, a downpour was supposed to occur tonight, but all the dark clouds were said to have vanished due to that explosion.

A single strike caused devastation and transformed the weather. A being of the highest class has a caliber unlike any other.

What would have happened if this had been aimed at the ground instead of the sky?

`Hmm…`

I can’t even bear to imagine. The conclusion that the entire area might have disappeared comes to mind.

Despite being terrified of such horrifying destructive power… a significant advantage arose.

That user of overwhelming firepower was none other than me.

It was as if I had now acquired the power of the highest-ranking spirit.

It’s known that even seasoned spirit sorcerers or summoners often lose their lives in the process of contracting with such high-ranking entities.

The reason is the side effects that occur during the contracting process. In other words, excessive mana consumption.

The moment that amount reaches zero, I would have departed for the afterlife as well, but it was my luck to have stacked up stat points.

So now, the knights were looking at me with astonishment.

Of course, I asked them to keep it a secret that they saw me here.

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<Secret Mission: Contract Clear!>

As this mission has been completed, you can enjoy the following benefits.

[“Last Chance” Acquired!]

──────────────────

The mission completion notification that appeared right after the contract. Since I succeeded at what was deemed impossible, I received some reward.

`Last Chance?`

I’ve played Devil Academy for a long time, but this was a reward I’ve never seen before.

It wasn’t a skill, nor an item, nor was it any kind of recipe.

──────────────────

[Last Chance]

Automatically activates under certain conditions.

You will be given another opportunity to continue.

──────────────────

The description doesn’t specify what kind of function it has.

I’m left wondering if the developers even included such a system in the first place.

Whatever it is, I hope it’s a useful function…, and I entered the ruins with my fatigued body.

“Are you alright? You look pretty pale since a while ago.”

“I’m fine.”

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -2%]

[+200 Credits]

Luska, who accompanied me, looked worried as she observed my face.

Honestly, it was to be expected. I had briefly collapsed right after Diora unleashed that destructive beam.

That one attack had completely drained my fighting ability.

Though I managed to stand, it felt like gravity had doubled with every step I took.

“It is tough, but if there’s a chance, I need to check it out.”

“You could simply rest today and come back tomorrow morning.”

Luska’s words weren’t wrong. Any lost strength would likely recover quickly after a night’s rest.

But what if some anomaly occurred in the ruins while we were away?

If Harkel or Grisha showed up while we were taking a night off, all the trouble we went through might go to waste.

Of course, my heightened sensitivity could just be making me paranoid. Even I think that my actions seem a bit reckless.

But….

“I have to go in while the door is open.”

There were no noticeable traps outside the barrier.

I walked around briefly using `Mana Eye`, but there were no intruder suppression devices or other things you’d expect to see in an exploration movie.

It was just a passageway shrouded in darkness.

“But that summoning spirit… how did you tame it? Even if I were to transfer my power to you, the contract would seem difficult.”

“I could say it’s thanks to connections.”

Aisha half-appeared and flashed a peace sign with two fingers.

It’s true that her presence provided a chance to make a contract.

“But you shouldn’t use that too often. If your mana had been even a little less, you wouldn’t have just collapsed; it would have ended there.”

In spiritology class, we often discussed high-ranking spirits.

Summoners cultivating contracts with beings like that frequently overused their spirit’s power and ended up dying from it.

If the class is high-ranking, the amount of mana they consume would be tremendous.

The same goes for summoning spirits. Diora’s destructive beam should never be unleashed unless in a dire situation.

“But I’m okay.”

“What?”

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -2%]

[+200 Credits]

“I’m fine. I’m fine. I feel great. I’m healthy enough to pierce through the sky. Got it?”

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -3%]

[+300 Credits]

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -2%]

[+200 Credits]

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -2%]

[+200 Credits]

“Haha… I got it.”

Despite my nonsense, Luska generously let it slide with a sigh.

She was probably able to understand since she became aware of the curse of the liar.

It’s likely that she’s allowing it because she has to lie from time to time.

“And about Luska’s face…”

“Hey.”

Before I could finish, Luska opened her piercing eyes and glared at me.

It felt like I was walking on thin ice under the glint of her crimson glare that seemed poised to tear me apart at any moment.

“….”

“….”

Silence.

Stillness.

I quickly spun my head around, thinking that if I spoke wrongly, I could literally get torn apart by a beast’s teeth.

That’s when I arrived at a firm answer.

“You have a really pretty face.”

“What do you mean pretty?”

“Just that.”

“Don’t brush it off, just say it quickly.”

I could feel the threat of a fist rising if I didn’t speak.

But this was my mess. So there was no choice but to resolve it with my own words.

“Prettier than Jenny.”

“R-really?”

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -8%]

[+800 Credits]

“You’re not lying, are you?”

“Uh-huh.”

[Erosion Rate Decrease: -9%]

[+900 Credits]

“Oh, got it.”

Only then did the overwhelming aura around Luska start to fade.

Strangely enough, she became sensitive about topics related to Jenny.

She was indeed a uniquely thoughtful friend.

“Is this the end?”

After walking to the end of the corridor, a gigantic door appeared before me.

Since there were no traps hidden this time, I opened the door without hesitation.

Inside were rows of shelves packed with documents made of books and paper, and magical circles of all sizes drawn on the floor and walls.

It looked as if it had once been dedicated to studying some form of magic. It resembled a secret research facility rather than mere ruins.

“No abnormalities here either.”

“What is all this?”

Luska examined the bookshelves while looking around.

Even a novice like Luska could clearly tell this was a classified research facility.

It had the feel of a secret lab one might find in a horror game’s mansion basement, though it felt oddly different.

There were no overtly inhumane signs of biological experiments or anything of that sort.

However, I could tell the grim nature of the research by reading the writing on the high wall directly in front of me.

“Destruction God.”

“What?”

“It’s a ritual to summon that indescribable evil god to this land.”

As Aisha recited, Luska reacted.

And simply by seeing those words, I could infer their meaning.

The final chapter of Chapter 6. The words that arose when Makia crossed the line to summon the Destruction God.

It seemed the idea of summoning the Destruction God was acquired from Grisha.

This document was unmistakably proof of that research, and Aisha appeared to know it because she inherited her father’s insight.

“Destruction God? What is that…?”

Since I had never heard of it in class, Luska couldn’t possibly know.

But just hearing the term Destruction God gave her a foreboding expression.

“Destruction God Endless. Once summoned, it doesn’t stop until everything is destroyed. In mythology, it’s described as a natural disaster that no one can stop.”

A summoned Endless moves through the medium that is Makia, who had formed a contract 300 years ago.

To be precise, it would follow the Demon King Makia.

However, the route for summoning him was currently cut off.

The most important medium, Makia, was restrained, making it impossible.

“Oh, there’s some recently written data here. Yellow Tower Lord… There’s no doubt it’s my father’s handwriting.”

“What?”

“It seems the planned course of action has changed due to the completion of his suicide mission.”

Just like the same bloodline, Aisha seemed specialized in finding Grisha’s traces.

I checked that content alongside Aisha.

Upon confirming the content, I narrowed my brow.

After managing to thoroughly restrain the medium Makia, the document contained information about discovering a new medium.

*

“Long time no see.”

“….”

“Is the tea not to your taste?”

In a certain mansion in Silver Town.

The lady of the house, Skilla Crawler, served tea to her guest.

Grisha, who had arrived as a guest, gazed down at the tea with a pitiful expression.

Then he spoke.

“Has it been a few decades?”

“….”

“It was when our hometown burned down and vanished, right?”

It had now turned into a gemstone mining site.

There was no joy as the lush forest that once flourished had now been transformed into a place fulfilling human greed.

“At that time, humans invaded under the pretense of saving a girl. It was so sudden that we had no time to investigate, but now I understand well.”

“….”

That girl was none other than the housewife sitting before him.

Skilla herself felt a sense of guilt remaining from that day, so it wasn’t the most welcoming conversation.

With the party directly involved coming to bring up that painful past, Skilla made a presumption and said:

“You’re certainly holding a grudge against me.”

“….”

“Surviving alone isn’t enough; you must be thinking I’m completely settled with a family now.”

From a different perspective, Skilla could be seen as the root of the village’s destruction at that time.

It was true that her friend Aisha had cried until the earth swallowed her when she learned that her friend had died.

But….

“There’s no point in blaming you now. After all, it was bound to perish, so it just fulfilled its fate.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Literally. Do you know what our clan has worshipped?”

The memories of living in the Elf Forest still lingered vividly.

There was a strong sense that a certain tribe had been dedicated to protecting something.

They would collectively perform rituals in front of a gigantic tree that appeared sacred.

“The World Tree, right?”

“The Sacred Tree… We initially thought that as well. We worshipped that tree without even knowing what it truly was.”

The truth was revealed when the forest burned down and that so-called World Tree was destroyed.

At that time, Grisha had desperately approached the tree to protect it.

But the tree had already burned and ultimately collapsed.

Since humans were hot on their heels, a last-ditch effort had to be made. However, Grisha was miraculously able to survive.

“It was at that time that something strange embedded itself within me.”

It seemed the World Tree had rewarded Grisha for worshipping it until the end.

But it wasn’t a sacred tree known as the World Tree.

“Destruction God Endless. Have you ever heard of that name?”

“Yes?”

“Well, that’s to be expected. Our tribe had no idea at all.”

What resided within the World Tree was the essence of a powerful evil god.

What they had revered as a divine tree turned out to be a demon’s tree.

By the time they realized that, it was too late.

The essence of the Destruction God had already begun to take root within Grisha, the last survivor.

“Until now, the rituals we performed in front of the World Tree were not for the revival of our tribe. In fact…”

They were rituals aimed at sealing the essence of the Destruction God.

Though Grisha only realized this late, he had already been consumed by that essence and wreaked havoc around him.

Thus, he was reborn as something else.

The friendly chief of the Elf tribe was gone, replaced by a puppet that merely acted according to the essence’s will.

“That’s why… I possess no humanity now.”

“What’s the goal?”

“It’s obvious.”

To bring the essence known as Endless into this land.

It didn’t matter what form it took; as long as there was a medium, it was fine.

“The original medium was that Emperor… but now that it’s come to this, other mediums must be used.”

“Who is that…?”

A chilling aura emanated from Grisha.

A displeasing voice flowed from his lips.

“If it’s someone of the same bloodline as the Emperor… would you suspect it?”

“….”

“Well, you wouldn’t know. You don’t even know where your family’s lineage truly began.”

That ominous aura released a powerful mana that spread out in waves.

The frame holding a family photo of the Crawlers cracked.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.