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I Got a New Skill Every Time I Was Exiled, and After 100 Different Worlds, I Was Unmatched (Web Novel) - Chapter 385: Sometimes, I Think Having the Courage Not to Verify Things Is Necessary
Chapter 385: Sometimes, I Think Having the Courage Not to Verify Things Is Necessary
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
Even in a world like this, nearing its end, time flowed equally. And it was precisely during such moments that the passage of time made the end feel even more real.The first anomaly we noticed was the drastic reduction in the food brought by the fairies one day. Upon inquiring about the reason, it seemed that the mushrooms and fruits they gathered had stopped growing altogether.
The reason became apparent soon enough. The barrier the Demon King had erected around this forest was merely to maintain the status quo… meaning, even the power to regenerate what was lost was no longer left in this world.
Certainly, trees bore green leaves, and flowers bloomed in the grasslands. But fallen leaves never grew back, and buds never bloomed. This was not the last remaining paradise of normal activity but merely a place that had already ended, stretching the final moments to their limit. That realization hit me strongly at that moment.
Having been in this world for three months now, the meals prepared by Tia and me had become nothing but preserved foods. We had started to be more careful with our actions to minimize any damage to the current environment.
Four months passed. The fairies still frolicked around as usual, but they no longer approached us in droves as they did initially. The novelty of being outsiders had worn off, so we had become just another one among the crowd.
Only the Demon King remained as popular as ever. Aside from the difference in age, his unparalleled ability to conjure sweet treats from thin air made him especially powerful in this environment. It seemed he skillfully attracted both the hero and the God fairies with his charm and dedicated himself to daily guidance.
And so, five months passed, six months passed… a little past the scheduled time, seven months and a bit later. We finally completed all preparations and were about to embark on the final ritual.
“It’s finally time…”
“Yes, indeed.”
Tia and I were standing in the grassland where the Demon King always was. We debated whether to choose this place or the spot where we first arrived in this world, but we felt that a location with a stronger connection between the fairies and the world would result in a higher rate of success than a place where the world’s barrier was thin.
“Ed, are you ready?”
Before us stood the Demon King with fairies gleaming in gold and platinum on both shoulders. Furthermore, all the fairies had gathered around, flying around randomly, playing chase, and whatnot. Despite prior explanations, it seemed impossible for fairies to “wait quietly.” Well, it was still a relief that they could gather here at all.
“Hey, I’m all set! Though the real preparation starts now. How about you? I heard it went well, but…”
“Yeah, probably. But, you know… I can sort of… ooze something out from my body now, but I’m not sure if I can infuse it with the power of the hero or the god. I wanted to experiment…, but if I mess up and lose it, there’s no turning back.”
“Fair enough. Well, anyway, from here on out, it’s all or nothing, so don’t worry about it. Shall we get started?”
“Yeah. Then…”
The Demon King nodded and, for some reason, turned his back to me. Then, a golden fairy descended from his shoulder into the unseen distance, and he began to groan.
“Mmm, mmm…”
“Keep going!”
“Put your back into it!”
“Push it out!”
“Hey, Demon King? I have a bad feeling, or rather, a really bad image is coming to mind…”
“Don’t worry about it. Alright, there! Put more strength into your stomach!”
“Mmm, mmm…”
“Keep trying!”
“Push harder!”
“Squeeze it out!”
“Mmm, mmm… Phew.”
“Have you expelled everything? Good job… Alright, Ed, eat this.”
“Huh…?”
When I turned around, the Demon King was offering something gleaming golden on a small plate. I took it and scooped it up with my fingers, feeling its soft and slightly warm texture.
“D-Don’t worry, Ed! I’m always on your side!”
“Then why are you stepping back a bit? Well, I’ll eat it, but…”
I decided not to dwell on how this came out of the fairies and bravely put it in my mouth. And then…
“Huh, no way? It’s delicious!?”
“Ed…”
“Don’t make that face, Tia! Seriously, it’s delicious! Ah, it’s like that thing we had in Canal’s woirld, with mayo… What was it again? It’s like they enhanced the acidity and added depth to the flavor.”
“I see. So… that’s the taste of a fairy?”
“Don’t say stuff like that! Besides, fairies don’t do that! They just twisted the hero substance out of a part of their body!”
While protesting against Tia’s subtle expression, I thoroughly licked up about a tablespoon’s worth of it. Then, from the depths of my body, I could feel the power of the hero welling up, as I had felt before.
“Oh…”
“How is it, Ed?”
“It’s fine, it worked. But I don’t think it’ll last long.”
“I see, understood. Then let’s prepare the next one right away.”
In this dying world, the “power of the hero” imbued in the fragile fairies as a countermeasure against the harmless Demon King was quite limited in terms of sheer power. Upon hearing my words, the Demon King rejoiced but immediately turned his back and began preparing for the power of the god.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Here, take… it… huff…”
“Keep going!”
“Push it out forcefully!”
“Hey, Ed…”
“Don’t say it! I didn’t hear anything! I didn’t hear a thing!”
Blocking out the cheers of the lively fairies once again, I quietly awaited the finished product. Before long, a plate with something white and shining on it was presented.
“Alright, Ed. Eat up!”
“I’m gonna eat it, alright! Let’s see… Ow!”
Scooping it up with a bit of desperation, I felt a sharp tingling pain in my fingers. I knew what this was. It was the same pain I felt when I sealed the fragment of a god inside me.
“I see, it’s coming… Ugh!”
However, it wasn’t unbearable. Despite the tingling sensation in my fingers, when I put it in my mouth, what I felt on my tongue was an intense spiciness. Despite supposed to be cold, it felt scalding hot, more painful than spicy. I felt like gagging, but I forced myself to swallow it down.
“Ugh… Ugh… Ugh…”
“Ed, are you okay?! Should I massage your back?”
“Nah, I’m fine… Just a little more… Just one more scoop…”
Although the quantity was the same, I struggled much more to finish it. As I ate, I felt a tingling pain spreading throughout my body, gradually growing stronger, possibly in response to the hero’s power.
“Damn, this one’s a bit tough… But now, with the power of the Demon King…”
“Indeed. Ed, this one.”
Finally, the Demon King handed me a brown, sticky substance he had conjured up, and I grabbed it and stuffed it into my mouth. It didn’t taste like anything, which made it the hardest to eat in a way, but I had no time to complain.
By the way, The reason I absorbed the power of the Demon King of this world, not the one within me, was because I thought that would have a higher affinity with the other powers. The fact that I was consuming and recovering power differently from usual was part of that. I don’t know how much significance this act holds, but it’s a matter of sentimentality.
“Almost… the final one!”
“Gah gah gah!”
The more I consumed, the more rapidly the Demon King’s power within me weakened. The barrier protecting the forest had already disappeared, and the collapsing that had been held back was gradually approaching us, instinctively urging us to “run away now!”
But I couldn’t run away. I am End Roll, Demon King Of The End! The decision to end this world rests solely on my will!!!
“This is it… the last one!”
“Gahh… Ngh! Alright, I’ve eaten it all!”
The Demon King, whose originally green complexion had turned jet black, collapsed on the spot while panting heavily. But at the same time, all the powers gathered within me, and the powers of the hero and the god, which had been raging, were gradually suppressed by the Demon King’s power.
It’s a three-way harmony. Amplifying and suppressing each other, the scorching heat circulated throughout my body. Perhaps the fragile human body couldn’t withstand that power, as blood gushed from numerous parts of my body, and the intense headache conveyed that my brain was physically boiling.
Oh, this is death. I’ve used the [Blood Engine] before, so I remember this state. This reaction, much more intense than before, I won’t last ten minutes, let alone ten seconds…
“Aaahhhhh!!!!”
With a roar, my body burst open as if shedding old clothes. Thus, the old me died, but within the rain of blood and flesh, there was a new body for the new me.
“Hah, hahaha! Success! I have ascended to a ‘higher being’! What do you say, Tia, with this—”
“Ed? Um, I was really worried, and there’s a lot I want to say, but…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Well… first, I think you should put some clothes on.”
“………… R-right.”
Turning her face away slightly, Tia offered me a piece of cloth, which I wrapped around my waist for the time being.
