Ch.6864 – Trauma

-Why is the host so scary quiet…

-crying crying crying crying crying crying

-That’s some serious emotional damage…

-Adella, even though I didn’t like you, I never wanted you to be this unhappy…

-Who called her “Cancer-della” you assholes!!!

-So we saved her and dragged her along just for her to die in Part 1 anyway

-That’s the firefly thing at the end, right?

-Don’t spoil it, read the room

-After everything’s already happened

-Why did she kill herself? Is she really dead? Really…?

The chat was in complete chaos.

Those who knew about Adella’s death from the beginning had thoroughly hidden the information.

This was the story that appears when you defeat Professor Jin Chronicle on Nightmare difficulty while bringing Adella along.

Almost no Korean streamers had gone through this storyline since they only focused on quick clears.

Having Adella in your party was always a disadvantage.

Adella’s survival had absolutely no impact on clearing the game.

This shocking ending of Part 1, revealed only by a few foreign “cat lovers” (or “cat moms”) who extremely adored Adella, was information only accessible to those who thoroughly searched through the community.

-Are you people even human?

-One thing’s for sure, the story writer isn’t human

-So THAT’S why the World of Arsheria gallery main page always shows Adella instead of Giselle or Luna…

-(crying Adella emote)

-I’ve been lurking in the forums for a month and still didn’t know this, I thought the admin was just a cat lover

-Bring my cat back to life, you bastards!!!!!

In the place where Adella’s bloodstains remained, there was now a complete “Laurel of Life.”

When NoName picked up the laurel, a different notification sound played than before.

[Laurel of Life]

[Synchronization complete.]

[May the blessing of the World Tree be with you.]

[You can now use 2nd Circle magic.]

[Level: 9 → 10]

[HP: 2400 → 3200]

…

Dead NPCs disappear cleanly once you move a certain distance away from them.

That’s precisely why NoName couldn’t leave Adella behind.

Instead, she carried the cold corpse toward the Abyss branch.

-Say something, anything…

-Is she really going to carry her all the way?

-Someone donate to comfort our host;;

-She doesn’t seem to be crying though

-She might be too shocked

-Why is this rated 15+? I’m reporting this right now

-ㄴ2222me too

[SaveMeFromGradSchool donated 50,000 won!]

-NoName, are you okay?

Despite the generous donation made out of concern, she still showed no reaction.

-Damn, that backfired!!!

-Our host is still a baby high schooler, she’s going to be traumatized

-High schooler?

-Didn’t they say she’s female? She’s really a high school girl?

-Wait, why is the building that should be there completely gone?

The Abyss branch was already completely destroyed.

There were straight gouges carved into the ground everywhere. Jin Chronicle’s doing.

Had he anticipated the invasion time as well?

It seemed he had raided the headquarters while most members were away, and encountered NoName’s group in the process.

From the ruins, Branch Director Gestalt emerged with a groan.

“NoName? Are you alright? What’s that in your arms?”

“…”

-Please say something…

-Just show him already

-I’m feeling sick, I can’t watch this…

-Just turn it off then. I’ll post a summary on the forum later

-How can I not watch this?

“No… it can’t be?”

The sound of rain falling drop by drop.

NoName had refused a coat and instead covered Adella with every piece of clothing she could.

She gently laid down the body.

As soon as the branch director confirmed through the gap, he collapsed, wailing.

“In the end… in the end… it’s my fault… my fault… I should have gone with her…”

-What happened to Leppy? She wouldn’t have followed, right?

-She was kidnapped

-Kidnapped

-The normal story is mainly about rescuing Leppy

-So she was kidnapped from this point

-No, she was originally destined to be kidnapped much later

-The host’s health is dropping in real time! She’s about to die!

-It’s the cold gauge! She’s not wearing clothes and getting rained on!

[Bbeoburi donated 10,000 won!]

-Recover your health quickly! You’ll die too at this rate!

“We vampires, you know, have the ability to see a person’s remaining lifespan.”

[HP: 110/3524(3200+324)]

“Poor Adella had barely half a year left…”

[HP: 103/3524(3200+324)]

“My abilities were insufficient, so I could only find the Laurel of Life as a means. I ignored headquarters’ instructions to just wait, all to save Adella. It was all my decision alone.”

[HP: 94/3524(3200+324)]

“I might have placed my hope in you. It felt like if we missed this chance, we’d lose her forever… I thought that if it was you, Forest Guardian, we might be able to borrow even a moment, just a brief moment…”

[HP: 80/3524(3200+324)]

“Even if she was terminally ill, she didn’t have to die like this… It’s all my fault…”

[HP: 72/3524(3200+324)]

The branch director explained to NoName the path ahead.

[HP: 48/3524(3200+324)]

Since the group that stole the laurel was the Imperial family, he informed her of several suspected subordinate organizations.

[HP: 23/3524(3200+324)]

He also told her that Leppy had been kidnapped. It was probably their doing.

Daniel had apparently left again to retrieve her.

[HP: 10/3524(3200+324)]

[HP: 6/3524(3200+324)]

[HP: 3/3524(3200+324)]

[HP: 1/3524(3200+324)]

[HP: 0/3524(3200+324)]

[YOU DIED]

[All stats will be readjusted]

[Current penalty(1): -15%]

[NoName(NoName)]

[World of Arsheria – Priest Nightmare 10/10/10]

[Broadcast time – 3:10:49]

[Viewers – 4043]

* * *

“Alperion and Ciciella will wait with six members at the academy’s east gate. And NoName, I won’t assign you a difficult mission. You’re still a rookie and haven’t been with our Abyss for long. You understand, right?”

“…”

“Hmm, seems like I need to elaborate. It’s a very simple task. Go to the academy’s back gate, draw the soldiers’ attention, and run away.”

The system presented me with another annoying choice.

[That sounds reasonable, I’ll accept. / Is that the best plan a baldy like you could come up with?]

-Such a shame, she actually cleared it all

-Is 10/10/10 the first clear of Part 1?

-She died before reaching the Part 2 checkpoint though

-Beating the boss is basically clearing it

-By that logic, she’s been setting first clear records since Valum

-That’s true

-How long has it been since a white knight appeared in the story scene?

-After watching ACK tournaments all the time, it’s nice to see story content again

[Operation time exceeded.]

[▶Is that the best plan a baldy like you could come up with?]

“Baldy? Ahem! Ahem! I’ve spent over two months planning this operation…! Anyway, you’ll go with Adella tonight. It’s a simple diversion, easy right?”

Branch Director Gestalt kept clearing his throat and deliberately avoiding eye contact.

At the end of the director’s pointing finger stood a cat-kin with a prim expression.

“I and Daniel will go around explaining the detailed operations to each team. In the meantime, why don’t you introduce yourselves?”

Adella, just like before, went to her room even before the operation meeting ended.

It was to finish the beer she had hidden in her room before the branch director arrived.

There was nothing more to see.

I immediately went up the stairs.

Room 302.

I knocked on the door but opened it without waiting for an answer.

The door wasn’t even locked to begin with.

“Huh?”

It was the same.

Just like before, Adella was sitting on the bed with a draft beer glass, unable to get her bearings.

[Wolmot donated 2,000 won!]

-Why don’t we just reset and start over from the beginning?

“Adella.”

“…”

“Adella.”

“Huh…?”

At Adella’s faint response, my body froze without me realizing it.

Something felt off. I frowned trying to find the source of this strange feeling, but nothing came to mind.

“Oh. It’s you. You found me really quickly? Did the meeting end early?”

Gulp, gulp.

Only after emptying the remaining glass did she get up.

“Hic! Nyaaaaaaah! Haaa, Forest Guardian, what’s your name?”

After stretching fully, she threw the same question at me as in the first playthrough.

Here, I said,

“NoName.”

And you answered,

“Whoever named you gave you a really crappy name.”

It was exactly the same.

But what was this strange feeling?

Adella casually picked her nose and blew on her finger.

Her expression didn’t contain any of the seriousness from before.

The fact that the Adella from the first playthrough was dead hit me again.

Did I fail? Me?

No.

No, I didn’t do anything wrong.

Not a single thing,

I didn’t do anything wrong.

I can’t do anything wrong.

Because I have to be perfect.

My obsessive-compulsive disorder kicks in again.

Setting aside the sorrow of having to say goodbye to a life, I hated myself for being more outraged at the fact that I wasn’t perfect.

Adella sat back on the bed and started nodding off.

Feeling sorry for her, I tried to pat her head.

“Nyaa? What? Were you just trying to touch my head?”

She flinched. Before I could even touch her hair, Adella ducked her head in alarm.

With her face already red from alcohol, she scolded me.

“We cat-kin have very sensitive ears, so you can’t just casually pat us like that! It’s rude, rude!”

Yes, I could find the source of the strange feeling.

Before, even when I thrust my fist right in front of her face, she clearly treated me like an invisible ghost.

We were in the same space, but our conversations often missed each other.

So I roughly assumed it was just the limitation of AI.

But somehow, the Adella of the second playthrough had become more human than the Adella of the first.