Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Groselle!”
Frunziar, who was closest to the giant, rushed to Groselle and caught him. Then, he slowly released his grip and stood up, as though he had just experienced a confusing dream.
Siatas tore out of Mobet’s arms, and ignoring the pain all over her body, she ran to Groselle’s side with the aid of the wind.
She bent down and carefully observed for a moment. Then, she nudged the giant and hysterically shouted, “Wake up! Wake up!
“It’s time for us to leave!”
Her voice softened into silence.
Mobet stood by the side, seeing the giant unable to maintain his body as it wavered. Finally, it fell to the ground with a thud.
He fell silent for a few seconds before exhaling.
At that moment, Anderson and Edwina had already run to Snowman. One used a flame, while the other mimicked holy light to quickly defrost him. As Klein was nearby, he directly arrived by Groselle’s side.
His Spirit Body Threads vision told him that the giant was dead. Only his spirit lingered, but it was beginning to scatter. This made his Damage Transfer powers completely useless.
From the moment Groselle ignited the light of dawn and engaged the frost dragon in a second battle, he must have prepared himself for death… Klein fell silent.
Mobet glanced at him and said with a rueful smile, “To be frank, I’ve not seen many giants. Most of my impression of them had come from books, teachers, and parents. I always thought that this race was cruel and violent, unintelligent creatures who were closer to monsters. However, Groselle wasn’t like that. He was frank, honest, and optimistic. Although he might appear rather silly, he knew better than anyone what was right and wrong.
“He told me that this was because he wasn’t one of those ancient giants. He wasn’t even a second or third generation giant… The cruel and violent giants similarly had the ability to reproduce and give birth. As for their descendants, there would be more rational ones appearing from time to time. These descendants would reproduce and have more descendants, allowing the entire giant race to escape from the confines of being monsters.
“Hehe, I don’t know if I should believe him, but his existence has proven the possibility…”
As Mobet said that, he suddenly paused as though immersed in his memories.
At that moment, Edwina and Anderson helped Snowman, whose body was still a little stiff, walk over. The ascetic struggled as he walked to Groselle’s side.
Looking at the tightly closed single eye, Snowman gestured the sign of the cross on his chest. He half-closed his eyes as he whispered a prayer:
“Father of all things, the great source of everything, here lies an honest and pure soul… May he enter ‘Your’ kingdom and receive eternal redemption…”
Siatas opened her mouth as though she wanted to say that Groselle’s faith was in Giant King Aurmir, but she ultimately chose to keep silent. She watched in silence as Snowman completed the prayer.
“We have to leave as quickly as possible. No one knows how long this door will remain open!” the Elvish Songster said as she surveyed the surroundings. Her sorrow and pain left her rather quick-tempered.
She looked down at the giant and added in a heavy voice, “We can’t let Groselle’s soul dissipate in this illusory world. We have to bring him back to reality!”
“Alright,” Mobet immediately agreed. Klein and company didn’t object either.
Edwina turned her head and shouted at the mountain cave of ice and snow.
“Danitz, you can come out now.”
At that moment, Siatas’s eyes darted around as though she had recalled something. She turned her head and said to Klein, “Do you have a pen and paper?”
“Yes.” Klein took out the fountain pen and notes he brought around with him. This was a professional trait of being a Seer.
Siatas received it and began scribbling on it. She didn’t stop, even when Danitz ran out of the cave.
Danitz kept silent. He was also in low spirits as well, lacking the joy and excitement he should have with the pending departure from this book world.
Finally, Siatas stopped writing and handed the paper and pen to Klein.
“The formula you wanted.”
Aren’t we completing the trade only after leaving? Klein mumbled silently in puzzlement. He received the pen and the Ocean Songster potion formula.
As though sensing his puzzlement, Siatas turned her head and looked at Groselle. She said with a heavy voice, “We are now companions.”
So you can give me the potion formula directly? Klein put the items away and nodded indiscernibly.
“I’ll give you the wine cup after we leave.”
Siatas didn’t respond. Instead, she nudged Mobet.
“Bring Groselle along.”
Mobet looked down at his body which wasn’t too muscular and his sharp, curvy leather boots. He gave a bitter smile of helplessness and walked to Groselle’s thigh.
Frunziar silently followed as he bent down to embrace the giant’s left shoulder.
Anderson looked around and tsked.
“All of you are injured or weak. Let me do it.”
He then lifted up Groselle’s other shoulder.
Klein was just about to help with the other thigh when Danitz rushed over to take the spot.
Upon seeing this, he stopped in his tracks. He then watched Anderson and company lift Groselle as they walked towards the illusory snow-laden door.
Klein; Edwina; Siatas, who stumbled as she walked; and Snowman silently followed beside them before they arrived at the exit formed from Ulyssan’s corpse.
At that moment, Klein surveyed the area and discovered that the light blue blood that flowed out from the King of the North had vanished. It was as though it had never existed.
Indeed, it’s a conjured monster that’s almost real… Klein walked behind as he watched Edwina take a few steps forward as she bent her back, placing her palms on the door.
Then, Vice Admiral Iceberg exerted her strength and pushed open the snow-laden door.
Silently, everyone saw everything disappear after turning illusory then transparent.
Rows of brownish-yellow bookshelves quickly appeared before their eyes, along with the orange-yellow sun which had just set below the horizon and a desk with a fountain pen, ink bottle, and paper.
This was Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina’s cabin!
Klein quickly placed the middle of the table in his sights. Sitting on it was a book filled with yellowish-brown goatskin.
The book flipped to the end as a result of a formless wind. Klein and company then saw the epilogue.
“With the help of the crazy adventurer and the strongest adventurer, Groselle fulfilled his promise. He led his teammates and slayed the King of the North, but he also ended up sleeping forever in the Nation of Frost.”
“It didn’t even give our ending… Siatas, where do you plan on heading to next?” Mobet released Groselle’s thigh as he turned his head to ask the Elvish Songster.
Siatas’s eyes seemed to glaze over for a few seconds before she firmly said, “Seek out my race…”
Just as she said that, she suddenly saw Mobet’s flaxen-colored hair rapidly turn white. His originally smooth face had obvious wrinkles.
In just a second, Mobet was dying of old age.
Siatas’s heart tightened. Just as she was about to lunge forward, she was surprised to realize that she had lost the strength in her legs at some point in time.
With a thud, she fell to the ground and realized that the back of her hands were covered in the aged spots of an elder.
She instantly understood what was happening as tears immediately flowed down her face. She struggled as she attempted to crawl towards Mobet.
Mobet had similarly slumped to the ground as he crawled towards her while extending his right palm.
Siatas reached out her right palm and grabbed the wrinkled and thin hand.
They raised their heads with great difficulty as their pupils reflected one another.
The corners of their mouths curled up simultaneously before loosening weakly. Their eyelids drooped down and blocked out the light.
Klein, Edwina, Anderson, and Danitz failed to react in time to such changes. They had no idea what they could do as they helplessly watched Groselle’s corpse rapidly rot as his flesh and blood evaporated, leaving his skeleton and Beyonder characteristic. As for Mobet, Siatas, Snowman, and Frunziar, they aged in seconds before breathing their last breath and repeating whatever had happened to Groselle’s corpse.
Their clothes had either disappeared or turned to dust. Their souls dispersed at extraordinary speeds before they were gone.
“Even the one who lived inside the book for the shortest time had been there for 165 years…” Edwina muttered softly as she turned her head to look at that bones which faced the sea and sun.
It was none other than Disciplinary Paladin Frunziar. He was sitting on a chair looking west—where Backlund was.
Snowman was seated cross-legged to the side. His corpse maintained the posture of praying.
That’s right. They’ve lived in the book world for centuries or millennia. With the rules of the outside world, as non-demigods, they should’ve died long ago… I should’ve realized this… Why wasn’t I wary of this point at all? Could it be… Klein suddenly recalled the psychological influence on Mobet, Groselle, and company as he began having an idea.
He once again looked down at the book bound by goatskin. He believed that it had many, many more secrets.
“This fellow is rather interesting. He died just like that…” Anderson looked at Mobet’s corpse as he smirked.
At that moment, all the Beyonder characteristics had slowly condensed. However, Frunziar didn’t produce anything similar to that. Edwina observed for a moment before softly saying, “The potion he consumed was illusory, likewise for the strength he obtained. It’s just like that frost dragon.”
It was likely conjured in the book world. It was almost real… Klein sighed silently. He was momentarily at a loss for words, so all he could do was maintain Gehrman Sparrow’s silence.
In the next ten minutes, no one spoke in the captain’s cabin of the Golden Dream until the four Beyonder characteristics took form.
One of them was the size of a fist resembling a heart; it was covered with holes as it shimmered with the light of dawn. Another resembled a jellyfish; its translucent exterior seemed to contain azure-blue seawater, and inside it were vortices that were occasionally stirred by hurricanes or flashing silver lightning while emitting a faint, ethereal song. Another was a pure, bright crystal that exuded holiness. The last was a baby’s palm with five thin stretched-out fingers as it kept changing colors due to the environment.
“Sigh, we can’t just keep watching like this.” Finally, Anderson broke the silence. “Let’s split the Beyonder characteristics.”
Just as Edwina’s light-blue eyes were dyed with pangs of fire, the hunter shrugged and said with a wry smile, “I believe that they’ll have wishes such as this, as we were companions who fought together.”
