Chapter 14: George Arteo
by AfuhfuihgsThe first main episode, <Signs of the Rift>.
I completed it with a perfect clear—without any casualties.
Sure, I used a cheat, but who wouldn’t in a life-or-death situation?
Plus, I perfectly hid my identity using the Disguiser’s Mask, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
“Now, let’s check the loot.”
I have no idea which demon came out of the rift.
I was completely unconscious during the whole ordeal.
Honestly, I don’t expect any major changes.
Still, it’s worth checking.
“Status window.”
———————————————————
[ Status ]
Name: Luke Richter
Lv: 43
Gender: Male
Mana: 6,850
< Synchronization Rate: 5.1% >
————————————————————
The familiar status window appeared before me.
But the numbers were anything but familiar, and I was stunned.
“Huh…?”
What the…
Did I just gain 20 levels from sleeping?
What the hell did I do to gain that much experience?
It makes sense when you think about it.
The higher your level, the more experience you need to level up.
When I was at level 1, killing one demon was enough to level up like crazy.
But once you’re past level 20, even killing a single demon doesn’t yield such drastic level-ups.
To gain that many levels, it’s like I must have soloed a field boss or something.
…What the hell happened while I was sleeping?
‘This is frustrating as hell.’
I need to understand the skill better to devise a strategy.
But this damn skill has way too little information.
I stood there for a while, staring at the status window, when suddenly a new message appeared.
[ You have cleared the first main episode! ]
[ Some functions have been unlocked! ]
“What now?”
Some functions unlocked?
Does that mean some features were locked until now?
No matter how much I think back, there’s no hidden feature like this in Eterna Online.
Could this be a singularity caused by the game becoming reality?
[ Synchronization Rate has reached 5%! ]
[ Achievement reward unlocked! ]
Oh, I get it now.
In Eterna Online, there’s an achievement system for specific skills.
Right now, it’s probably related to the passive skill <Sleepwalking>.
That damn special stat, Synchronization Rate, must be the condition to unlock the achievement.
——————————————————————
[ Reward ]
— #1 Synchronization Rate 5% achieved: Complete
— #2 Synchronization Rate 10% achieved: Incomplete
— #3 Synchronization Rate 20% achieved: Incomplete
— #11 Synchronization Rate 100% achieved: Incomplete
———————————————————————
A total of 11 achievement categories.
It seems like a reward is given every time a condition is met.
“Finally…!”
So even Sleepwalking can have achievements.
I had completely given up on it because it’s a passive skill.
This hopeless skill might finally prove useful.
[ #1 ]
— Once per day, you can access the memories from your sleep state.
— Once accessed, the memory cannot be re-accessed.
A skill to recall sleep memories?
This… this is huge.
If I can check what my body did while I was unconscious, it’s as good as having a reliable source of information.
I might finally understand what happened during the first main episode.
“Alright, let’s test it out.”
I took a deep breath and activated the new function.
[ You are now accessing your sleep memories from the previous state. ]
[ Warning: Once accessed, the memory cannot be replayed. ]
The screen before me flickered, and my vision distorted as if being sucked into a vortex.
And then, the memories began to play…
Memories? Viewing memories?
Could it mean seeing what happened after I fell asleep?
There’s no need to hesitate.
This perk is invaluable in my current situation.
“This is a must.”
The skill Sleepwalking activates the dormant unconscious.
Finally, I have a chance to glimpse what that so-called “unconscious” state actually does.
————————————————-
— Memory #1: Tutorial
— Memory #2: Practical Exam
— Memory #3: Signs of the Rift
—————————————————-
The choice is obvious.
With trembling fingers, I selected the third memory.
What the hell did I do to level up from 23 to 43 in one go?
And what kind of state was I in during Sleepwalking?
It’s finally time to solve these two mysteries.
——————————————————-
[ Memory #3 ]
— Viewing progress: 0%
— Time limit: 10 minutes
——————————————————–
Flash—!!
A bright white light erupted from the status window in front of me.
My consciousness blurred.
Viewing the memory wasn’t anything special.
It was literally just watching my memory.
One unique feature was that I could move around within my memory with my own consciousness.
Of course, I couldn’t influence anything within the dream.
But being able to roam around inside a dream is a huge advantage.
Unlike a limited perspective, I could view the memory from an observer’s point of view.
The only downside was that the area I could move within was limited.
“That’s insane…!”
And I saw it.
This crazy bastard firing off a 9-star magic spell.
It’s a good thing I used it within the Domain.
If I had recklessly fired a 9-star spell anywhere near the academy?
Forget the episode—everyone would have died together, and the game would have been over.
“And on top of that, Bride appeared?”
The identity of the demon that emerged from the rift.
Bride, the Blasphemer.
A mid-game boss monster appearing in the very first episode?
“F*ck.”
Now everything fits together like puzzle pieces.
And then, a realization struck me.
“I’m screwed.”
I thought just using Sleepwalking would solve everything.
But it turns out, this whole thing is a complete landmine.
So, when I sleep, I unknowingly go around casting 9-star spells?
Just thinking about it gives me chills.
Now that I think about it, how am I supposed to sleep from now on?
This definitely requires more experimentation.
Looks like I’m not getting any sleep tonight.
Of course, increasing the synchronization rate might provide a solution.
But to increase the synchronization rate, I have to sleep.
Basically, I’m stuck in a cursed dilemma—unable to do anything about it.
“……”
There’s no choice.
For now, I’m sealing this.
A few days later.
The academy officially announced a statement regarding the recent incident.
The appearance of a rift after hundreds of years.
The forgotten existence of the Conclave.
Stella publicly revealed all of these top-secret matters without hesitation.
Naturally, the academy was thrown into chaos over this unprecedented event.
On the bulletin board located in the lecture hall building, the detailed investigation results were posted prominently.
A powerful demon had appeared and was defeated.
And the natural question arose:
Who defeated the demon?
‘That was almost troublesome.’
The Belkin Empire, the magical city of Arcania, the Orkin Principality…
Even the Holy Empire sent investigation teams, but they found nothing.
With Stella stubbornly lying down and pretending to know nothing, what could they do?
After a long investigation, they eventually returned empty-handed.
Meanwhile, rumors began to spread quietly among the students.
“They say a student took down the demon that invaded.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“But there are witness accounts. Some say they saw a student wearing a weird mask nearby. Rumors don’t just spread for no reason, right?”
“Stop talking nonsense and just eat.”
Academy Cafeteria
The chatter from a group of students sitting across from me was annoyingly clear.
I pricked up my ears out of curiosity.
“Luke Richter, it’s you, right?”
“Cough!”
Aisha shot me a suspicious look.
“You were the only one missing that night. Did you know the location of the rift beforehand?”
“Are you planning to become a novelist or something?”
“N-novelist?!”
I had forgotten.
Aisha was still keeping an eye on me.
Honestly, it felt more like cute stalking than actual surveillance.
She was probably just playing detective in her own way, letting her imagination run wild.
“So, the Magic Tower had already predicted the signs of the rift, right?”
“Nope.”
“How far does the Magic Tower’s intelligence reach…?”
“Oh, please.”
Aisha murmured in admiration.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
With that serious expression, it’s hard to openly mock her.
‘It should be starting soon…’
Second Main Episode: Intervention of the Holy Empire
The Intervention of the Holy Empire literally begins with the intervention of the Holy Empire.
By now, the Holy Empire must be in complete chaos over the disappearance of Saint Odette.
To them, a saint is the being closest to God.
With their object of worship suddenly gone, they’re bound to be in a state of emergency.
‘Eventually, the Holy Empire will find out that the saint’s last known location was at the academy.’
The academy is a neutral zone directly managed by Stella, the Witch of the Apocalypse.
No matter how powerful the Holy Empire is, they can’t take any reckless actions without Stella’s permission.
In the end, the Holy Empire, unable to endure any longer, will send a bishop disguised as a student to infiltrate the academy, triggering the next part of the story.
It’s the branching point where the Holy Empire starts meddling in the academy’s affairs.
“Luke.”
“Yeah?”
“That person behind you… Do you know them?”
At her words, I quickly turned around.
At the same time, a familiar face came into view.
“Haha, nice to meet you. You must be Luke Richter.”
Silvery hair that glowed under the light.
A three-parted fringe straight out of a comic book.
A sneaky smile reminiscent of a snake.
And eyes that always seemed closed.
George Arrote.
The main villain of the second episode.
“My name is George Arrote.”
His voice was light to the point of being frivolous.
It was obvious why he was approaching me out of the blue.
He wanted to use me to naturally get closer to Odette.
“Would it be alright if I joined you?”
“……”
The second episode has begun.
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