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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Rollback
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Rollback
"...*Cough*!"
The moment I took a breath.
A cough escaped.
After spitting out a gruesome mixture of dark blood and bright red bits of viscera several times.
Finally able to breathe, we raised our head.
And we saw.
The being we had failed to destroy, despite the fierce battles, the countless sacrifices, and our desperate struggles.
An ominous presence, still reigning serenely from an impossibly high place.
It was ruin.
It was the end.
It was calamity.
The hundred cities, the last bastion of intelligent life, had all fallen.
Even our vassals, each a hero worthy of their own legend, had been struck down.
And our body, already torn to shreds, was collapsing.
Therefore.
We realized.
No, we had no choice but to realize.
"...So we failed."
[Yes.]
"A shame... We were just one step away."
The Calamity War.
The final and most terrible tribulation that would decide the fate of this world.
We had steadfastly survived the conflict that had swept through all of Odobaekryeong.
No, we had done more than just survive.
Triumph after triumph.
Victory after victory.
We won on every battlefield.
We conquered impregnable Labyrinths.
We even defeated calamity after calamity.
Our deeds were truly mythical, achievements that even legendary heroes could not accomplish without dozens of miracles and strokes of luck.
Everyone was certain.
They believed that we could defeat all calamities and save Odobaekryeong.
...Until we faced the final calamity.
"Then this is the end for me."
We let out a dry, hollow laugh.
Death was upon us, yet we felt no despair.
The shame of the Unlight family.
A leech unworthy of his bloodline.
Called the lowest and worst of incompetents.
Before meeting The Voice, we were treated like pathetic trash by everyone.
Our fiancée broke off our engagement.
We were betrayed by those we trusted.
Our life was threatened by our own siblings.
Even mocked by lowly commoners.
We had no choice but to bow our head and accept it all, just to survive.
For someone like us to awaken a hidden talent, change our destiny, and come this far was a miracle in itself.
Above all, our journey with The Voice had always been enjoyable.
The only regret was that despite so many sacrifices, we ultimately failed to overcome that calamity and stop the end.
The only disappointment was that we had failed to reach the 'finale'.
[No, not yet.]
"What do you mean?"
[Have you forgotten? That we still have one last chance.]
And that was why.
Upon hearing those unexpected words.
We paused.
"...That's your chance."
[No, it's our chance.]
"So you're going to push it onto me?"
[Because it's the best option.]
"..."
[You should know. From the very beginning, only one thing has ever mattered to us.]
We didn't answer.
Nor did we demand an answer.
We simply listened, and spoke.
[Just don't forget one thing.]
[The only one who can defeat that thing.]
[The only one who can overcome the end and reach the finale is us.]
It doesn't matter who you kill.
What sins you commit.
What madness you indulge in.
To reach this world's finale, it is not a choice, but a necessity.
And of the two of us who have inherited everything, the one who can do it is me, not himself.
As always.
Calmly.
Coolly.
The advice was delivered.
We neither affirmed nor denied it.
We simply said.
"Farewell, Voice."
[...Yes.]
My vision blurs.
My body grows cold.
My already-stopped heart melts away.
As the death I had forcibly postponed with the power of various traits approached.
With one last, hazy thought, we stared down the calamity until the very end...
[Take care of the next me.]
"I will."
—We met our second death.
......
...
...
[Bad Ending No.1 - The End That Destroys the World]
『Clear Rate — 93%』
『Achievement: Calamity Subjugation (11/12).』
『Achievement: One Step from the Finale.』
『Achievement: The Final Battle with the Last Boss.』
『Acquired one-time unique trait [Last Chance] as a special achievement reward.』
『[Last Chance] special effect activated.』
『3rd Playthrough Perks: Memory Inheritance, Unique Trait Enhancement, 2nd Playthrough Perk Inheritance, 2x EXP Gain.』
『3rd Playthrough Penalty: Acquisition and activation of all traits and perks that grant additional chances, including Regression, Possession, and Reincarnation, are disabled.』
『The last chance to save the hundred cities wandering a world eroded by the Labyrinth and brought to ruin—Last Roll Back』
...
...
......
* * *
"...That horse is well-trained, sir."
"The one that nearly crushed the Young Master's head?"
"That was because the Seventh Young Master approached it so carelessly, wasn't it?"
"So, you're saying the Young Master was so incompetent and foolish that he brought this upon himself?"
"Ahem. Well, I didn't mean to go that far..."
The woman stared coldly at the pug-nosed servant, who answered shamelessly in front of the stables filled with countless monsters, from eight-legged horses to one-eyed oxen and sprint birds. She then turned her head slightly.
"What will you do, Young Master?"
"Hm?"
Long, pointed ears.
A head dress.
A short skirt that reached her knees.
A white apron, a stark contrast to her dark skin.
And above all, an unrealistically beautiful face.
After blinking once at the dark elf, who was dressed in a truly exemplary maid outfit aside from her steel gauntlets and boots, the boy with black hair mixed with white and a simple face, Dion, tilted his head.
"Parsha?"
"Were you dozing off, by any chance?"
"Well, I feel like I just woke up from a rather long dream."
"To think you'd fall asleep with your eyes open just because you hit your head a little. At this point, I'm amazed you're still alive."
Despite the venomous words, hardly believable from a maid to her master, Dion didn't seem particularly intimidated.
He simply gazed at her for a moment before letting his eyes drift slightly downward.
"Hmm, you really do seem to be Parsha."
"...Why are you confirming that by looking at my chest instead of my face?"
"Because a face is easy to disguise, but it'd be hard to imitate your lean figure, Parsha."
"..."
Master or not, should I just smash his head in?
The Seventh Young Master Dion's personal maid, Parsha, looked at the boy with a deadpan expression that perfectly conveyed her thoughts.
Dion's foolishness was nothing new, but today he seemed particularly dazed.
First, he gets kicked by a horse and cracks his head open, then he stares at her as if he's seen an undead.
Then there was the way the coward, who always fretted over what others thought, was now acting with a nonchalance that suggested he couldn't care less about their gazes.
And Dion's strange behavior didn't end there.
"What's today's date?"
"It's the 11th."
"Not the day, the year and month."
"...Have you become a complete idiot?"
After hearing the exact date from the eyebrow-raising Parsha, Dion did some mental calculations.
"Hmm. So this is before I get my engagement broken and get kicked out."
It seemed his head really was damaged when he got hurt.
Having coolly reached this conclusion, Parsha narrowed her eyes and watched him.
Dion stood with his arms crossed, lost in his own thoughts.
Then, as if it had just occurred to him, he touched the bandage wrapped around his head and asked.
"So, what's this situation all about?"
"You don't remember? You came to the stud stable and were kicked by an eight-legged horse."
"Ah... Right, that did happen."
Dion nodded as if recalling a distant memory.
Watching him, Parsha frowned slightly, her fine eyebrows knitting together.
"I told you time and time again not to wander off alone. What did you think you'd gain by coming to the stables and getting yourself into this mess?"
"An eight-legged horse."
"...What did you say?"
"Someone told me there was a well-trained stud horse that even a non-Awakened could handle, and that if I was lucky, I might be able to get it."
"And you believed such nonsense?"
"Well, I had nothing to lose."
He never imagined he'd get into such trouble just by coming to have a look, he said with a casual shrug.
Then, Dion asked bluntly.
"On that note, what should I do?"
"About what, sir?"
"What do you think?"
As if he couldn't understand why she hadn't already answered this obvious question.
The boy gestured with his chin.
"—About what to do with this liar who swore to me that the eight-legged horse was perfectly trained and safe to approach."
"That is..."
"A liar? What kind of ridiculous accusation is that?"
Parsha frowned at the pug-nosed servant who cut her off.
For a young master of a noble house to be injured by a trained stud horse was an incident that should never have happened.
It was a matter for which even an innocent stable master could lose his head.
For a mere servant to act so brazenly was truly absurd.
But...
"You tried to tamper with the Fifth Young Master's horse without permission. If anything, you should be the one apologizing, Young Master."
'...So, it was the Fifth Young Master's prank again.'
Parsha's eyes grew cold as she understood exactly who was behind the servant, not from his words, but from his sneering expression.
Among his siblings, the Fifth Young Master, along with the Sixth Young Lady, constantly tormented Dion.
And unfortunately, with the Fifth Young Master involved, reprimanding the servant was useless.
The law of the jungle.
Survival of the fittest.
Ever since the fall of the old kingdom.
These two principles were the absolute law of Odobaekryeong.
Dion, who had no maternal family and hadn't even Awakened, could say whatever he wanted, but a single word from the Fifth Young Master would make it all disappear.
"You, is your name Pug-nose?"
"...It's Koben."
"Right, Pug-nose. I want to confirm two things first. If I apologize, can we let this matter go?"
"Ahem. Well, I'm not the one to decide that, but the Fifth Young Master is a merciful person, so I'm sure he will."
"Hmm, that's a relief."
Hearing Dion's words, Parsha's eyes turned cold.
Koben, as well as the other servants, wore smirks as if they'd expected this.
Everyone knew that Dion, aware that resistance would only worsen the bullying, had no choice but to apologize and move on.
But Dion himself seemed completely unconcerned by their gazes as he continued his questions.
"And one more thing. This wasn't ordered by my brother or sister, was it?"
"Of course not."
"Really?"
"Hah, honestly... You should watch your mouth, Seventh Young Master. If you slander the Fifth Young Master, you won't get off with just a few words of apology."
"As long as my brother and sister have nothing to do with it, I'm good."
"..."
'Did this brat hit his head too hard?'
Koben was dumbfounded as the boy, far from being scared by his warning, nodded as if it were a good thing.
Dion then turned his head.
"Parsha, make him kneel."
"...What did you just say?"
"Make this Pug-nose kneel before me."
"What?"
"...Are you serious?"
"I'd like to ask you the same thing. Must I give my personal maid the same order three times?"
"..."
For a moment, she stared at Dion with eyes that openly questioned his sanity.
But after confirming the unwavering look in the boy's eyes, the dark elf maid finally took action.
*Thwack!*
"Ugh!"
It was like a flash of lightning.
One moment, Parsha seemed to sprout from behind him.
The next, Koben found himself forced to his knees, the back of his own knees kicked out from under him. He couldn't help but shout.
"What is the meaning of this—!"
"The meaning? I'm doing my brother's work for him."
"Pardon?"
"If you let someone approach Brother Ren's horse without permission, you deserve to be punished. Don't you agree?"
"Th-That's..."
"Well, don't be too scared. I share some of the blame in this, so I don't plan on giving you a heavy punishment."
"..."
"I'm quite merciful too, even if not as much as Brother Ren."
It didn't matter that he had injured him, but he had to be punished for failing to properly guard the Fifth Young Master's stud horse.
Attacked by his own logic, the servant was left speechless, his mouth agape.
Then, *swoosh*.
Dion, who had been looking around, suddenly strode forward.
Before the other servants could react, he snatched an object that was lying near the stable entrance.
From the easy-to-grip handle to the sturdy wooden shaft and the wide iron plate at its end.
A tool made with excellent functionality in every aspect.
—A shovel.
"Huh? Wait, why are you bringing that shovel over here?"
"Hold him tight, Parsha."
"..."
"H-Hey! Young Master? Seventh Young Master?"
No, surely not. He couldn't.
This timid coward couldn't possibly do it. It had to be a bluff. So there was no need to be afraid...
*CRACK!!!*
"Keuk!!!"
This must be what they mean when they say someone's eyes could pop out of their head.
The shovel, swung with a full-body motion by his slender limbs that were no thicker than a young girl's.
Koben screamed as the blade of the shovel smashed into his head.
He gritted his teeth, feeling his head ring and hot blood pour from his nose.
'This little brat, not even Awakened and half-abandoned by his family, dares! Just you wait! This debt...?'
As soon as he was free, he would run straight to the Fifth Young Master and repay this humiliation.
As Koben seethed, his eyes suddenly shot wide open.
The shovel, which he had expected to be lowered to the ground, was for some reason being lifted high again.
"W-Wai—!?"
*Thwack!*
"Gack!"
*Thwack, thwack, thwack!*
"Ack, Aaargh, Gurgle!"
Once, twice, three times.
As the shovel, swung with all the centrifugal force and weight his lacking strength could muster, repeatedly hammered his head, Koben belatedly realized something.
Dion had said he 'didn't plan on giving a heavy punishment,' but he had never specified what that light punishment would be.
And that there was not a hint of hesitation in Dion's hands as he swung the shovel.
As if he were beating a piece of scrap metal he intended to completely destroy.
Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, he tried to beg for mercy and forgiveness while spewing a flood of blood from his nose, but...
It was, quite literally, too late.
*CRUUUUNCH!*
An eyeball popped clean out.
A tongue lolled out from between his teeth.
And most tellingly, white fragments emerged from his shattered skull.
All of it proved that Koben had become a piece of meat, now incapable of revenge, let alone begging.
"Phew, shoveling isn't easy without being Awakened."
"..."
"Well, that won't matter from now on."
Despite being so close that blood and brain matter had splattered onto his cheek, the boy wasn't disgusted or horrified in the least.
Instead, he turned his head with a wide, beaming smile.
And to the servants, who had gathered to watch the Seventh Young Master's humiliation only to witness their colleague's execution, he said bluntly.
"You there."
"Y-Yes?"
"Go tell Brother Ren. I'm sorry for carelessly looking at his horse."
"..."
"And tell him he doesn't need to thank me for taking care of the servant who failed to properly manage his horse."
"...!"
"No answer? Does that mean you don't want to run an errand for the youngest master who gets ignored by every dog and cow?"
"N-N-No, sir! We'll deliver the message for sure!"
"Hmm, good. Then go."
"Yes, sir!"
*Scramble!*
The servants, horrified by the sight of blood and brain matter on Dion's cheek, fled in a mad dash.
It was then, as Dion watched them go with a meaningful look, that a voice reached his ears.
"...What on earth are you thinking?"
"Why? Worried Brother Ren will try to eat me alive?"
"You did this knowing that he would?"
Perhaps because she had been holding Koben down.
Parsha's previously clean maid uniform and face were now splattered with blood and brain matter as she asked coldly.
To her point, Dion replied leisurely.
"Don't worry. That Pug-nose guaranteed with his life that Ren would let this go if I just apologized, so he won't be able to do anything openly."
"He may not be able to act openly, but he can do whatever he wants behind the scenes."
Parsha said gravely.
Dion's brothers and sisters were not merciful enough to show magnanimity to a sibling who had bared his fangs.
Most importantly...
"Do you still not understand that justification means nothing in the face of overwhelming power?"
"That's why I'm telling you not to worry."
"..."
Whatever justification he had, no one would care what the not-yet-Awakened Dion had to say.
Dion smirked at the deadpan Parsha.
Then, looking at the translucent letters that had appeared when he had smashed Koben's head, he spoke leisurely.
"I've Awakened now, you see."
"...?!"
"On that note, Parsha, there's something I need to check."
『Achievement: First Kill.』
『Achievement: Cold-Blooded Execution.』
『Unique Trait [Star of Slaughter Kai (EX+)] unlocked.』
『Inherited Perk [Status Window (EX)] unlocked.』
『Inherited Perk [Class Changer (EX)] unlocked.』
『[Star of Slaughter] special effect activated.』
『Class experience greatly increased due to [Star of Slaughter]'s correction.』
『Acquired 1-Star Class [Murderer].』
『[Murderer]☆ Lv1→ Lv3』
[Star of Slaughter→Star of Slaughter Kai]
1. A certain chance to steal the class and traits of a slain target. (Theft chance ↑)
2. Growth bonus upon killing and destruction ↑ (Transcendent)
3. Growth penalty for non-lethal, non-destructive acts ↓ (Extreme)
4. All class modifiers and limits increased ↑ (Transcendent)
5. (Release condition unknown)
6. (Release condition unknown)
7. (Release condition unknown)
—This is a cursed blessing. You may become stronger than any other, but you shall never escape a life of blood and death.
[Murderer]☆
1. Anti-personnel killing bonus ↑ (Minor)
2. Evil act bonus ↑ (Negligible)
3. Interpersonal favorability penalty ↓ (Minor)
—For one who has committed murder, for whatever reason, people are no longer beings to rely on, but targets to be hunted and be hunted by.』
Confirming that the trait that had remained dormant at this point in both his first and second lives had awakened far earlier than expected.
Dion asked Parsha with a beaming smile.
"The one who poisoned my food, the one who secretly siphoned my living expenses, the one who framed me... Anyway, do you know where kids like that are right now?"
—Just how many more of his precious experience points were left in the family.