Chapter 53: Center Stage

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Center Stage

Victor managed to get a slightly better handle on the Gale Mantle after a few minutes, but he was still far from mastering it. Every time he propelled himself forward, he had to concentrate intensely to avoid smashing face-first into a wall, since it was surprisingly easy to veer off course during the burst of speed.

On the other hand, the woman and her flowery scent maintained a distance that neither seemed to shorten nor grow. In fact, they were both moving at the same speed throughout the chase, which was starting to make Victor nervous.

’When the hell is she going to get tired?! Damn it, I’m the one getting exhausted!’

[The god "Serpent That Bites Its Own Tail" suggests that you confront your enemy.]

[The god "Fisher of Opportunities" ponders while staring into the void.]

[A nameless god analyzes your next move.]

Victor didn’t have the patience to deal with those gods’ nonsense at the moment. He kept running, searching for an opportunity. It was already clear that, so far, running was the only thing he’d managed to do.

It was in situations like this that his mind worked best and fastest, so Victor considered using the flare gun to force the woman to back off. He still had three charges left, and his aim wasn’t that bad.

In any case, he secured Dragon Walker between his back and backpack before drawing the gun. It looked like a revolver, so the three remaining charges were clearly visible in its cylinder.

"Let’s see how you like this!"

He fired directly at his pursuer, but she—or at least the dark silhouette Victor could make out—swung her whip and cut the flare in half. However, that didn’t stop it from exploding in a blinding flash of light.

This caused her to fall even farther behind, much to Victor’s delight. He celebrated with a victorious grin.

He holstered the flare gun again and propelled himself toward the next street to continue his escape, but at that exact moment, he spotted another participant fighting a Golden Bone Penitent in the distance.

He figured this was his chance, so he passed close to that person: a strange man covered in thick black fur, with a tail and dog ears, as surprising as that might sound.

The dog-like man didn’t even have time to get distracted by Victor’s appearance, as his battle against the specter was intense.

If he was lucky, that woman would focus on the man instead of him, but that didn’t mean he could afford to stop. The hunt for the Penitents was still underway, so Victor quickened his pace and went looking for his next victim.

’Seriously, I never thought I’d run into so many other participants. This stupid game is reaching a scale I never imagined, and things are only going to get worse.’

That reminded him of the flashes in the sky he’d seen when he first arrived in this deadly game. If the strongest participants were powerful enough to travel between scenarios, then the future would be unpredictable once this scenario was over.

As he ran, he entered an even stranger area. He frowned when he noticed several straight lines drawn through the dust on the ground, connecting to different locations along the streets.

Victor came to an abrupt stop, because that wasn’t the only thing out of place.

"It smells like blood," he whispered.

But where exactly? Looking around, he found traces of blood everywhere. However, there came a point where the blood converged in a single place, forming a straight line that seemed to lead somewhere.

’There are plenty of dead people around here. A little blood shouldn’t worry me,’ he thought.

Unfortunately, this time, things were different. As he walked along the markings on the ground, he noticed that the buildings were gradually turning Absolute Black, while the markings grew brighter and brighter with a white glow.

It was exactly like the place where the Wendigo was hiding, only much farther away. Victor swallowed, bewildered, but an explosion behind him brought him back to reality.

’Was that... the beastman from earlier?’

Damn it, he was running out of time. He crossed the gloomy area with his expectations through the roof. Now he could understand the Serpent That Bites Its Own Tail’s feelings a little better whenever something new happened.

Black spikes rose from the ground like fingers reaching out to caress the sky. Meanwhile, the corpses of other participants lay scattered across the darkness.

Victor gripped his sword. Something was wrong with this place. He cautiously approached the black walls of the houses, but soon heard a deep whisper. It wasn’t the broken voice of a Penitent. In fact, it was a woman’s voice, one Victor felt he’d heard somewhere before.

His eyes widened in surprise.

’It’s... the voice I heard before the Morning Star event began.’

He moved forward, trying to understand the source of everything, but then his System window activated on its own and displayed a couple of messages.

[You have reached the Center of the Scenario and the origin of the Morning Star.]

[The scenario’s story resonates with your soul.]

Victor frowned. This couldn’t be possible.

[According to an ancient legend, darkness covered the world, and only a hero could save it. However, you are not that hero.]

[The scenario is searching for your role in the story.]

’A role?’

He continued walking straight through the darkness until he finally reached an open space surrounded by houses. It resembled a commercial district, with several large buildings arranged around five corners.

At its center lay the origin of the markings on the ground. Above them, as if part of a ritual, a girl lay trapped inside a floating bubble of faint white light.

Above her head was a countdown displaying the exact duration of the event.

Then, the System window displayed:

[Your role in the scenario has been chosen.]

[You have obtained the role "The Wheel of Fortune".]

[Difficulty has increased.]

[The scenario is preparing to end the event.]