Chapter 333: The Unknown Skill

If the original author intended to use Sid Bloom’s ‘Sleep Powder’ to push us into a crisis and ultimately kill Karbaldr, how would the storyline unfold?

‘The first thing I need to assume is which of me or Reysir falls asleep!’

If I fall victim to the sleep powder and doze off, it’s incredibly easy to guess what kind of ending would follow.

No, I don’t even need to guess.

In the original work, when ‘Sid Bloom’ appeared back then, the original protagonist was isolated in the Demonic Realm with a supporting character just like now. The supporting character fell asleep first. And in the end, that supporting character never woke up.

Because the rear was blocked by a large, solid rock, he mistakenly concluded that as long as he blocked the attacks coming from the front, his companion behind him would be safe.

‘But… Reysir in the original novel really did his best!’

He deflected all the countless branches swinging at him and the seeds being shot out. The seeds imbued with the power of [Germination] just bounced off, but the [Seed Bombs] were different. The moment they touched his spear, they exploded, dealing a tremendous impact.

Nevertheless, he never tried to dodge them.

Because bombs are dangerous even if they only explode nearby without direct contact.

Worried that his defenseless sleeping companion behind him might get caught in the blast, he took all that risk onto his own body.

Despite such self-sacrifice, when he turned around after barely finishing the battle, battered and broken, the supporting character’s breath had long since ceased.

During the original protagonist’s grueling fight, the monster’s roots, hidden by leaves, had burrowed into the ground, passed beneath his feet, and pierced the heart of the companion lying peacefully on the floor.

Staring blankly down at the companion who lay dead, bleeding from the chest in the same position he had laid him down, the original protagonist stood there in shock, denying reality for a long time.

Then, unable to turn away from reality, he sank to the ground, blaming his own incompetence and falling into self-loathing.

‘If I fall to the sleep powder here today, something similar will happen.’

But I can’t let Reysir fall asleep either.

Even if I join forces with Yor, I can only handle about one monster at most.

Maybe not even one.

Because I lack the ‘decisive blow’ to end a monster’s life.

If I try to carry Reysir on my back and run, the monster will catch up quickly.

So in the end, I’ll have to fight.

Fighting alone is difficult enough; if I also have to protect a sleeping person, just holding out will become extremely hard.

‘I would have to hope desperately that Reysir wakes up soon, clinging to that as my only hope…’

I guarantee that in this case, Reysir would break free from sleep only when I’m on the brink of death.

That way, the author can describe the sight of me, blood-soaked, and the protagonist’s psychology witnessing it, and include a final exchange of farewells.

Thus creating a highly tragic atmosphere.

‘Since Reysir is the protagonist and won’t die, abandoning him and running away might also be an option.’

But that doesn’t guarantee my safety.

On the contrary, it’s far more dangerous.

Because there’s no need to keep me barely alive until Reysir wakes up.

[Karbaldr was eventually surrounded by a group of monsters and found dead in a gruesome state. It was an end befitting a coward who fled alone.]

…The author could simply write that, couldn’t they?

Perhaps this is exactly the development the original author desires.

If the reason the original author decided to kill Karbaldr is because of criticism that they were glorifying a bullying perpetrator character.

If they can show that everything Karbaldr displayed since the second semester of last year was all an act and pretense, and that his true nature is nothing but a cowardly, selfish villain.

Then they can escape the controversy of glorifying the perpetrator.

‘Reysir will naturally be rescued safe and sound.’

When he opens his eyes, he’ll see the familiar ceiling of his own room, not the sky covered by a gray, translucent membrane.

And he’ll be told that the monsters, having put him to sleep with the sleep powder, prioritized chasing after the moving human instead, allowing him to survive.

Then he’ll hear the news: ‘Karbaldr abandoned you and ran away, meeting a terrible end.’

The loss of another close one.

The emptiness of having such a thing happen when he only just woke up.

The helplessness of being unable to do anything despite promising to protect.

The regretful self-blame for causing this by making an unnecessary request.

The sense of betrayal from realizing that someone he trusted had abandoned him while he was defenseless.

‘All these negative emotions will consume Reysir’s heart…’

Therefore, running away while leaving the sleeping Reysir behind is undoubtedly the worst choice.

Not only am I terrified of dying, but the process is also expected to be cruel and horrible.

Moreover, the development after my death is bleak.

It’s a terrible end for both myself and the one who survives.

‘No matter what I choose, can’t I change the future where I die? If so, I should at least choose the less painful path…!’

Snap out of it, Imir.

Don’t start giving up already.

Better not to think at all in times like this. If you’re swallowed by despair, you might not even see an obvious escape route.

“You look really worried…?”

Just as I was focusing on deep breaths to escape those overwhelmingly negative and ominous thoughts, Reysir approached and showed his concern.

He seemed puzzled that I wasn’t relieved but rather disturbed despite him taking down the monster without a scratch.

“No, it’s just… Um… Didn’t you say that monster has two skills: [Seed Bomb] and [Germination]? But I haven’t been able to confirm exactly what [Germination] is, so it’s bothering me…”

“Since the monster didn’t use that skill in this fight, maybe it’s not a useful ability in combat?”

“That’s ridiculous. You have a plant-based ability user as your guardian, and you say something like that?”

“Uh…? Hearing that, I feel like I’ve said something very rude to Sir Dyuf…”

“Well, you did say that, so it can’t be helped.”

“I didn’t mean it that way… Should I apologize later?”

At my remark, the protagonist of another novel looked somewhat serious, but it wasn’t a helpful direction for the current situation.

So I had to add the following:

“Why bother? Your guardian won’t even know you said that anyway. Forget about that and focus on being wary of the monster’s abilities. What if the monster didn’t use that skill because it was a ‘trump card’ it ended up dying without using?”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, that could be the case.”

The protagonist of another novel let out an exclamation of realization and agreed with me.

At least this way, he won’t completely erase the existence of the [Germination] skill from his mind.

“You said earlier that ‘[Germination] is the ability to grow seeds.’ Then the monster can likely create two types of seeds. Externally, I can’t yet tell if they differ from [Seed Bombs]… So after dodging a seed, listen for the ‘sound.’ If you don’t hear an explosion, move away immediately.”

“Because something might suddenly grow from the seed and grab me, right?”

That’s not all, but that is also possible.

I nodded to confirm and continued the precautions.

“If you manage to dodge safely… No, even if you don’t, but something grows from the seed, be sure to use [Truth-Reading Eye] to read its information. There’s no way the monster would use a skill to grow a normal plant.”

“Yeah! Got it!!”

My words were serious, and Reysir took them earnestly.

But why does this protagonist of another novel have a smile spreading across his face?

And not just any smile—it’s a warm, pleased smile.

“…Why does your face look like that?”

“So this is why you were staying quiet and not jumping into the fight earlier. You were listening deeply to what I said, even the parts I skimmed over. And you were on guard, observing to react immediately if something unexpected happened.”

It wasn’t that I was listening deeply to what Reysir said; it was because I knew Sid Bloom’s abilities from the original work.

But I couldn’t reveal that.

And saying ‘No, I was just slacking off?’ didn’t seem right either.

Still, it was true that I was staying vigilant and observing the situation carefully because I was wary of Sid Bloom’s [Germination] skill.

So instead of denying it outright, I pursed my lips with a sour expression.

“You’re really reliable. I’m so glad it’s you by my side right now.”

The protagonist of another novel spouted nonsense like this, making me feel embarrassed.

Even in a moment like this, he tries to trigger an influence event.

I don’t know what kind of person he is.

“…This doesn’t seem like the time for that kind of talk, does it?”

“Ah! Sorry. Since you ended up dragged into the Demonic Realm because of my request, you must be really upset and annoyed with this situation… I was only thinking from my perspective.”

If I reply that it’s fine and not to worry, that would be out of character.

Would Reysir feel comforted, or would his guilt grow even more and make him uneasy?

He’d misunderstand that I’m so anxious that I have to pretend to be okay even if it breaks character.

‘Wait, no? I am actually anxious, so is it even a misunderstanding?’

If it’s the truth rather than a misunderstanding, then showing it is even worse.

So I decided to act like usual.

“Hmph! As long as you know. So now tell me what you plan to do.”

“I’ll take responsibility and protect you so you can escape this place safely.”

“I meant tell me the plan, not the obvious.”

“First… we need to head toward the border of the Demonic Realm, right? Is that too obvious too…?”

It is obvious, but it doesn’t matter.

Because in this situation, falling for the original protagonist’s influence event would be no different from confirming my death.

My goal was to coax him into saying something other than influence event lines.

So instead of scolding him for stating the obvious, I gestured with my chin for him to lead the way.