Chapter 255: Reading the Truth

‘It is certainly a welcome thing that someone who can act according to their own will to some extent, without being completely controlled by the original author, possesses such high stats… but it makes me feel uneasy.’

He was reliable, but on the other hand, it was concerning.

If the original work had been an OP power trip story, it would have been different.

In the angst genre, having high stats for a protagonist meant that the enemies they had to face were equally strong.

‘I suppose it’s a relief that the odds of the original author wiping out the entire Awakened Special Class all at once are slim.’

If everyone died at once, it would be difficult to give each supporting character’s death a proper narrative.

While it might shock the readers, it isn’t easy to draw them in or leave a lasting impression that way.

Moreover, since the Awakened Special Class was created with much effort, if everyone except Reysir died, that setting could no longer be maintained.

But above all else…

‘Author Senna seemed to prefer a progression where Reysir slowly breaks down, carving the death of each and every supporting character into his mind!’

So, at the very least, a monster so monstrously strong that there was no hope of victory wouldn’t suddenly pop out.

She would likely adjust the balance so that only one person is severely injured or killed in each battle.

To do that, the supporting characters would naturally have to be at a level where they could somehow put up a fight.

‘I guess I should consider it a good thing that Reysir is exceptionally strong…?’

As I reached this conclusion and tried to shake off my anxiety, I felt a gaze staring intently at my face.

“Why…”

“Don’t compare my stats to yours. As you know, I reached this level because I’ve been training desperately since I was young. For someone our age, your stats are actually quite decent. Your defense is on the lower side, but you can cover that through evasion. You have the skills for it, don’t you?”

Before I could even finish asking why he was looking at me like that, he suddenly began rattling off words as if to comfort me.

Since I had been lost in thought with a serious expression after seeing his stats, he must have mistakenly thought I was disappointed in myself because my stats seemed so meager compared to his.

It was an absurd assumption.

I already knew that Reysir was the original protagonist.

I knew very well that he was far stronger than others and that I could never become stronger than him.

‘But just like always, I can’t exactly be honest about why I reacted that way… I have no choice but to let it slide without correcting his misunderstanding.’

“Hmph… Enough of that. Just write down your skill descriptions.”

“Right, okay. I already shared the description for the ‘Lightning’ trait skills during Professor Radvicin’s lecture, so I don’t need to write those, right?”

I gave a light nod.

Seeing this, Reysir wrote the following on the whiteboard.

[Truth-Reading Eye] — (EX)

: An ability to see through the logic of the world and reveal the hidden essence.

: Can read information about the target.

“Originally, it only said this. Besides, the rank was so unusual that I never even thought about increasing my proficiency by using it here and there. And… personally, this skill felt a bit unsettling and scary to me. It is an ability I obtained after ‘that incident,’ after all… Moreover, Lord Dyuf repeatedly warned me that I should never let anyone else know about it.”

He could have just written the information visible now.

Yet, he went out of his way to write the previous description and say such things.

I wondered if he was trying to show off that he was revealing information about the skill to me, even though his patron had told him to keep it hidden.

“For someone who says it’s unsettling and scary, you seem to use it quite well without much hesitation…”

“Haha. It’s been a while since I got it, and nothing has happened since then. I suppose I’ve just gotten used to it.”

Reysir replied with an awkward smile.

Then, he erased part of what he had just written and added more sentences to complete the following:

==========

[Truth-Reading Eye] — (EX)

: An ability to see through the logic of the world and reveal the hidden essence.

: He who reads the truth shall one day face the truth of the world; let those who are not prepared close their eyes.

Stage 1. Can read information about the target.

Stage 2. Gain control over the skill.
==========

Except for the fact that the descriptions for Stage 3 and beyond were missing due to low proficiency, it was exactly the same as what I had read many times in the original novel.

However, the way I felt about it had changed significantly.

When I first read the skill description as a reader, I thought it was an amazing skill that could uncover the secrets of the world, including the Demonic Realm.

‘Now… how should I put it… It feels like I’m looking at an exaggerated, false advertisement.’

In the parts I had read, none of the major lore regarding the Demonic Realm had been solved.

All the original protagonist had read with his [Truth-Reading Eye] was information about people, monsters, and various tools.

‘And I just confirmed that he read the descriptions of the skills Yor and I possess incorrectly!’

The sentence about facing the truth of the world and checking one’s resolve seemed utterly pathetic.

It felt like he was just putting on airs.

But since Reysir didn’t know he had read incorrect descriptions, his feelings on the matter were bound to be different from mine.

“Karbaldr. What do you think about this part?”

Reysir spoke as he underlined the sentence I had just felt was pretentious.

It seemed he had mentioned it being unsettling earlier because he felt uneasy due to this very sentence.

‘Personally, I think the original author just wrote something that sounded plausible to make it look cool…’

Knowing that saying such a thing would only make me look like a strange person, I pretended to be deep in thought with a serious expression before speaking in a cautious tone.

“First of all, it seems certain that as you work hard to increase the skill’s proficiency, you’ll be able to read more than you can now. ‘One day’ refers to the future, and currently, you can’t read information that could be called the ‘truth of the world.'”

“Then what about the sentence ‘let those who are not prepared close their eyes’?”

“It probably means that among the things you’ll be able to read later, there might be truths that are better left unknown, so you should keep that in mind. If you feel you cannot handle the ‘truth of the world,’ it’s a warning to refrain from using the skill.”

“Is that what it means after all?”

The protagonist of another novel nodded his head, indicating that he had been thinking the same thing.

It seemed he had asked me to verify if his thoughts were correct.

I showed a slightly bitter expression because it was so ridiculous, but Reysir didn’t even look at my face and suddenly turned his gaze to the surrounding bookshelves.

“I still ‘lack the authority’ to read information about the Special Character Novels. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we consider it almost certain that the Special Character Novels are related to the ‘truth of the world’?”

Since the Special Character Novels were webnovels existing outside of this world, and “Nas-e,” which comprised this world, was also one of those webnovels…

I nodded my head, agreeing with the undeniable truth.

“They’re likely related in one way or another.”

“If that is so—”

Reysir didn’t jump straight to the main point.

He let the first few words hang in the air first.

He then stared directly at me with his eyes that glowed in gold and silver as he continued.

“Karbaldr, won’t you continue reading the Special Character Novels with me and explore the truths of this world?”

He spoke grandly, even setting the mood, but…

He was essentially just asking to keep reading the Special Character Novels with him and chat about them.

“Even if you didn’t say that, I intended to come and read the novels here whenever I had free time. I’m personally interested in them.”

“Even though you might learn truths that are better left unknown, truths you might not be able to handle?”

The protagonist of the original novel quoted what I had just said, throwing a question that sounded like a warning.

Even though I was the one who already knew the truths of this world related to the Special Character Novels, making it more appropriate for me to ask such a question.

It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped me.

“If you’re that scared, then you can quit.”

“No, I want to know too.”

“Then stop wasting time and finish what you were doing.”

“Okay.”

The serious and heavy atmosphere lifted from Reysir’s face, replaced by his usual faint smile.

It seemed he liked the fact that my attitude hadn’t changed even though the truth about the Special Character Novels not being ordinary books had been revealed.

‘Just how desperate was he for someone to share his hobby with…’

Without knowing I was thinking this, Reysir worked hard to transcribe the general skills he had learned and their descriptions onto the whiteboard.

The descriptions were too obvious, so if I were to list them by name and rank, they were as follows:

1. [Spearmanship] — (S)

2. [Martial Arts] — (A)

3. [Dagger Arts] — (E)

“Didn’t you just start learning Dagger Arts this semester? How is the rank already ‘E’ LF?”

“I practiced a bit during the break. By myself.”

“……”

As I’ve mentioned several times, and as you readers know, my [Dagger Arts] rank is currently ‘E.’

But to think he reached the same rank as me just by practicing a little on his own during the break.

Knowing that the opponent is the original protagonist with protagonist’s luck, it wasn’t that I felt wronged.

However…

‘It’s a little… no, it’s very embarrassing.’

The reason was that I suddenly remembered the sparring match I had with Skadi in chapters 207 and 208.

At the time, Skadi had praised my skills, saying I was the only one who received a perfect score last semester.

I couldn’t help but wonder what Reysir had thought while watching my Dagger Arts skills, which were no different from his.

Even though I knew his personality wouldn’t lead him to mock me, I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

Whether this inner turmoil showed on my face or not, the protagonist of another novel spoke up in a consoling tone.

“But it seems like these skill ranks aren’t a clear indicator of actual skill.

No matter how well you can hit a target with a dagger, it’s useless if the angle and timing of the throw are off, right?”

“……”

“In an actual battle, things like split-second judgment and adaptability—senses—have a big impact.

So it’s common to show skills above or below your rank.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true…”

“So, if we’re talking purely about Dagger Arts skill, I think you’re far superior to me.”

Since physical ability was also one of the elements that allowed one to perform beyond their rank…

If I were to actually duel Reysir with daggers, it would be my certain defeat.

Despite knowing that, my heart softened a bit, and because of that, I felt embarrassed in a different sense than before.

“H-Hmph… Did you think saying that would make me happy?”

I spoke up to prove that I wasn’t swayed by his words.

But after saying it… it felt very… specific.

I felt it myself, so imagine how it felt to the listener.

“Pfft!”

Reysir tried his best to hold back his laughter by covering his mouth with his palm.

Shame washed over me along with regret, and without realizing it, I dropped my gaze, looking around for a hole to hide in.