novelraw Chapter 195
Chapter 195
Ch.195 Right Now, We’re in Hell
Captain Carlos, having succeeded in his Arctic expedition and reached safe waters, held a modest party on deck.
A maritime celebration I still remembered clearly.
Under the night sky, lanterns hung everywhere, tables laden with food.
Most of the crew already drank and laughed boisterously.
—Ha ha!
—Now I’ve got new stories to tell my kids!
—Cheers!
Selena watched them with an emotionless face—
or rather, one of visible boredom.
“Hmph… I really don’t get it. Why show me this?”
“No special reason. Just watch how happy they look.”
She frowned, dissatisfied with my answer.
“Waste of time. I’d rather watch dramas or anime.”
Addicted to modern content, Selena clearly disliked this serene scene.
Maybe because she knew it was all illusion—making full immersion impossible.
“Oh! Master Hans!”
Carlos approached, giant beer mug in hand.
“Captain Selena, care for a drink? Isn’t today wonderful?”
“No, thank you.”
“I’m fine too.”
Disappointed by our refusals, Carlos gave an awkward smile.
“Thanks to you, I returned to the Arctic and succeeded in my expedition.”
“Ah, Captain—you earned it through your own daring spirit. My presence didn’t change much.”
Truthfully, I’d handled the entire expedition—
defeated the merfolk and storms blocking our path.
Even navigated treacherous ice by signaling undead merfolk.
But boasting here felt too attention-seeking.
“Thank you for your kindness.”
His hair fluttered in the sea breeze.
“Honestly, I’d given up on the Arctic—burdened by massive debts.”
I felt a twinge of guilt—
those debts stemmed from the Hero Party’s actions.
Though I knew this was illusion…
Carlos had nearly abandoned his lifelong dream.
But thanks to me, he succeeded—so it was fine, right?
I silently absolved myself:
‘Without me, he’d never have reached the Arctic or mapped it.’
After a few words, Carlos departed.
Selena turned to me again.
“That man’s impressive—chasing Arctic exploration his whole life?”
“Right. Many failures, yet he never quit.”
In the game, Carlos was just a generic NPC ferrying players north.
But knowing this world was real made his perseverance truly admirable—
repeated failure and persistence weren’t easy.
“What do you think of Captain Carlos?”
“Huh?”
“Him—facing endless setbacks yet never giving up.”
She glanced at him drinking with crewmates.
“Not much. No special thoughts.”
But her crimson eyes flickered slightly.
“Have you ever failed in your life?”
She shook her head.
“No. Never failed once.”
“Impossible. Are you lying to me?”
Selena fell silent for a long moment.
“I… did fail once.”
Though brief, I waited quietly, letting her continue.
“Translating the Prophecy Scroll—about where divine powers slept and the Adversary.”
Her voice carried deep regret.
“I wanted to help my church. The world’s injustice killed my family and burned our orphanage. I believed the gods who brought death created this corruption.”
In truth, gods didn’t create death—
the God of Death did.
The gods, powerless to stop their beloved creations from dying,
suffered—exactly as the evil god intended.
But the Church of Death deliberately let their followers die—
to glorify their god.
“I translated much of the prophecy: ‘The Adversary shall rise, halt the King, and imprison the god in eternal darkness. For this, the gods hid their powers.’”
This prophecy differed slightly from the game’s version—
which only mentioned a hero stopping the King and god,
not hidden Concept Artifacts.
After all, players discovered those artifacts post-launch through exploration.
‘Was their location written in the scroll?’
“Of course, it was encrypted—I couldn’t decipher it.”
She turned with a bitter smile.
“But something strange happened. The church suddenly gave me the scroll to interpret. I don’t know why—but I felt honored, worked tirelessly for nearly ten years.”
Gazing at the moon, lost in memory:
“It was grueling. I wanted to meet the church’s expectations, and destroy the powers meant for the Adversary who’d oppose our god.”
Her voice trembled with shock.
“So…?”
She smiled faintly.
“Right—after about ten years, I found Equality’s temple. But when I arrived… someone had already stolen it.”
A chill ran down my spine.
I’d assumed only I knew the Concept Artifacts’ locations…
‘Was it hidden in the prophecy all along?’
After arriving here, I’d immediately reclaimed those artifacts—
their power defied common sense.
If someone used them to kill the Emperor or Hero Party, chaos would erupt.
“I was furious. It meant the Adversary had appeared— my decade of effort, wasted.”
She looked at me incredulously.
“So I investigated the thief—and heard some fool brought hundreds: cooks, mercenaries, even luggage handlers—easily found it?”
“Oh…”
Right.
When hunting Concept Artifacts,
I’d hated inconvenience—so I’d traveled with chefs, bodyguards, porters, and carriages in lavish style.
By then, my wealth surpassed most nobles.
“That’s how I learned of Baron Hans of Pisa.
Later, I tried finding other divine powers—but someone had already looted them all.”
“Ha ha…”
—Zap.
“Hmph. Don’t laugh. Just thinking about it makes me furious.”
I forced an awkward smile at her sharp glare.
“Anyway, I crossed to the New Continent in anger—
the Old Continent seemed fully claimed by you.
We met, and I kept failing to kill you. Ugh, remembering your smug face back then infuriates me.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“How could you punch a woman in the stomach? You’re a barbarian.”
“You weren’t exactly ordinary.”
—Zap.
Though her crimson eyes turned fierce, I stood firm.
Without Concept Artifacts, I’d lose 1v1 against Selena.
I couldn’t sword-fight, cast magic, or use divine power.
A modern average guy beating a sword-and-magic-trained woman?
Absurd.
Punching or stabbing her gut was my only survival chance.
“Anyway, I failed repeatedly—recovering Equality and killing you.”
“Then how did you fall for me?”
“At first, I truly hated you. But… I don’t even know myself?”
“Right? But failing wasn’t bad—we met, after all.”
She looked exasperated.
“That’s how it works?”
“Isn’t it? Life’s unpredictable. You were angry and frustrated then—but now you’ve met me.”
It felt oddly self-congratulatory—
like bragging about my own greatness.
But honestly, wasn’t I decent?
Wealthy, all Concept Artifacts in hand—
though surrounded by dangerous women.
Ah… but seducing Selena here might get me killed by the Hero Party.
The atmosphere was already icy—
a strange tension flowed among them.
Suddenly, I pictured it: surrounded by the Hero Party and Selena, each holding a knife to my throat.
No!
I couldn’t let the world end with me dead!
Originally, I’d planned to hide in Icira’s lair for protection—
but with her gone, that was impossible.
‘What do I do?’
“Hans, you look unwell.”
She placed a hand on my forehead.
“Are you sick?”
“No, not at all.”
I forced a smile.
But what about the Demon King and Gates of Hell—besides Roy?
In-game, only players and party members could cross the Gates.
No other beings traversed them.
But this was another reality.
Rumor said the Demon King had long awaited the Gates’ opening—
since Hell’s mobs were content for players who’d beaten the King of the Dead, especially loot-obsessed ones.
If these monsters escaped… the game would truly end.
Hell’s Four Heavenly Kings or Succubus Queen could easily steamroll Auros Auripex from the base game.
Even as Dragon War’s final boss, Auros couldn’t beat Roy—
so how could he handle Hell-tier powerhouses?
It’d be a one-second wipe.
Having relied on Auros’ help, I hoped he’d survive.
Dragons, absent in the original ‘King of the Dead’ route, were unusually involved this time—likely because this was reality.
“Grr…”
“What are you thinking, Hans?”
“Oh… just about outside affairs.”
She looked puzzled.
“Outside? Why?”
“We can’t know what the Demon King’s doing while we’re here.”
Selena blinked blankly, then waved her hand with a smile.
“Huh? The Demon King? Isn’t he dead?”
“You don’t know what’s happening outside?”
She nodded.
“Yeah—I’m here. I don’t know outside events.”
Perhaps due to surrendering bodily control, she didn’t even know our location. I explained:
“Right now, we’re in Hell.”
“What? Hell?”
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