NOVEL WEB Chapter 21 - Potential Existence
< Chapter 21: Potential Existence >
Knock, knock.
Is anyone there? It’s the tiger.
I was once again trapped inside an egg. I’m not some mythical figure, so why do I keep finding myself stuck in an egg?
Nevertheless, thanks to having a good guardian this time, my life inside the egg was quite comfortable. I was able to rest well while receiving good nutrition in a sunny spot. Ah, I feel a bit sorry for Brother Beak now.
“Oh my, our Ruby! Did you feel the shaking?”
It’s not Ruby, it’s Lu-deus!
I couldn’t understand Lia’s thoughts at all. Logically, the nickname for Lu-deus should be Lu or Deus, right?
Change it immediately to a word that can emphasize the power of this body! Human!
Shake, shake.
“Oh my! Good job! Oh my! So cute!”
Ah, I couldn’t even speak now. Damn, I’ll just sleep…
Anyway, I decided to check my status window on this occasion.
“A Night Tiger?”
Tigrasis had the unique features of miniaturization and magnification. Judging by the presence of both energies, it seemed that the skills I learned previously had not disappeared.
So what unique features would a Night Tiger have? I was a bit excited. Is there an overpowered skill waiting for me?
Chanting words like a spell, I opened my status window.
【Unknown Night Tiger, Lu-deus Lv.1】
– Characteristics: [Potential], [Spirituality], [■■ of ■■], [Night], [Special], [Instant Transformation], [Clue of Evolution], [Sensitivity]
Oh, I gained the characteristic [Night]. As with Spirituality before, I didn’t feel any special changes immediately. But I had a hunch.
“Maybe my body gets stronger at night, or I gain dark attribute skills?”
I quickly checked the skill window.
– Skills: [Miniaturization], [Magnification], [Infrasound Lv.2], [Predation Lv.1], [Leg Strength Enhancement Lv.2], [Smash Lv.1], [Razor Claws Lv.1], [Tree Climbing Lv.1], [Exceptional Sense of Balance Lv.1], [Flexible Body Lv.1]
…
[Tracking Lv.1], [Ambush Lv.1], [Shadow Leap Lv.1]
Wow! I acquired three new skills. Hidden options are definitely overpowered!
Tracking and Ambush were intuitive skill names. Considering my attack patterns, those two skills were bound to create great synergy.
The problem was the skill called Shadow Leap…
“I’ll have to experiment with this once I hatch.”
Being trapped in the egg, I couldn’t fully understand the value of the skill. But I felt good about it. Shadow Leap. It seemed like this skill might symbolize the Night Tiger. That was my guess.
So then…
“Ruby! Guess what happened today…”
Yeah, I’m going to sleep. See you later!… Purr, purr.
* * *
**Crack!**
“Ah, just five more minutes…”
I heard the sound of an egg cracking and opened my eyes drowsily. Only then did I realize.
Sleep is truly happiness and a panacea.
Incidentally, getting more than six hours of sleep helps improve memory and emotional stability. That’s what YouTube said in my previous life. Maybe that’s why?
After a good sleep, I felt a surge of vitality throughout my body.
**Crack, crack, crack!**
“Grrowl.”
I could feel it. An incredible wildness unlike before. Resilient muscles covering my entire body, tough skin, and even the patterns etched into my fur.
Perfect.
The harmony of those solid muscles carried the dignity of a king that made all beasts in the forest kneel before me!
That’s right.
I was no longer a ‘cub’ tiger. This body right here!
I am the Night Tiger, Lu-deus!!
“Rooaar!”
*Thump.*
Huh, I let out a loud roar, but then I heard the sound of a tiny paw breaking the egg.
What the heck! Have I been scammed again?
Raising my head in disbelief, I glared around, and my eyes met Lia’s, who was looking down at me with an eggshell on my forehead.
“…!!”
Hmm, from that look in her eyes, I could roughly understand. Ah, I hadn’t undone my Miniaturization yet.
Actually, it was probably for the best.
I instinctively felt what might happen if I undid the Miniaturization here.
Lia, who was looking at me covered in eggshells with a deeply displeased expression, trembled as the corners of her mouth twitched.
“Kyah! H-he really broke out of the egg…!!”
*Click, click!*
She let out a shriek and brought a suspiciously glowing crystal ball close to me.
What the, there’s a camera here too?!
Lia kept snapping pictures and shrieking while recording my appearance.
“Fer!”
“Grrowl!”
Seeing Fergreet me happily, it seemed I hadn’t turned into something scary. Well, that’s a relief for now.
“Chomp, chomp, chomp!”
“Hey! Ruby! Can I examine this eggshell?!”
“Grrowl!”
“Thank you!”
I nodded roughly and started stretching my body. I wanted to check out my newfound strength as soon as possible!
The best way would be to try hunting, right?
One, two! One, two!
I loosened up my body lightly!
Just as I was about to leap out the window,
“My goodness! Lu-deus……!”
“Gya-rung?”
“Perurururu!”
I felt Lia and Eryllion’s wide eyes staring at me.
What? Is there some eggshell stuck on me?
Lia, after several attempts to speak, showed me the inside of the eggshell I had just broken out of with trembling hands.
Inside, a strange symbol was engraved.
“Grr?”
“Do, do you see this? Have you seen this before?! Ruby! It’s important, so tell me properly!”
At Lia’s urging, I stared blankly at the symbol.
A trident was stuck under a black moon.
Blood-like substance flowed around the trident, making it look, well.
Hmm, it definitely looked like a devil’s mark.
…No!! Why is this here!!
“Gyaaah!”
“Ruby! You know about this! Really! How did this…!”
“Fer?”
I looked up at the sky blankly.
The constellations weren’t visible yet as the darkness hadn’t settled.
But among those constellations, there surely was a mark like this.
Yes. I knew this mark.
Through my growth, I had witnessed the history of the Continent of Aiden, and I had seen this mark etched across the continent.
This mark clearly symbolized the ‘Demon King.’
It was then that I recalled the crimson letters that had appeared before my eyes.
「The ‘Followers of Darkness’ have recognized your existence.」
「The dark pursuit begins.」
So that’s what it meant.
But why is Lia so shocked by this mark?
Could she know what the ‘dark pursuit’ is? Perhaps.
She is a mage from the Tower of Knowledge after all.
But… something seems off?
“Gya-rung.”
I looked at Lia and Eryllion’s faces.
They were terrified.
As soon as they saw the mark on my egg, their faces turned pale.
They looked as if they were facing something they absolutely shouldn’t.
Is it really that surprising?
For now, I decided to find out what the mark meant.
“Gya-rung?!”
* * *
I struggled to explain my situation in short words.
Lia and Fer seemed to roughly understand that I had met the Demon King in a dream.
“…So, this mark means…”
In a word, it was like a murder notice.
“After mysterious deaths, this mark was always found.”
The problem was that its success rate was almost 100 percent.
No one knew when or how they would die.
Usually, the body was found first, and then this mark was discovered.
But the bigger problem was this.
“So, this, this actually exists?”
In fact, all the stories Lia told were based on ‘records.’
They were regarded as one of the seven great mysteries, handed down like legends from ancient times.
In other words, the discovery of this mark meant.
“It means that the followers of the Demon King really exist.”
It revealed that the mysterious legend was ‘true.’
And that their forces would someday come to kill me.
In short,
“…The Demon King is on the verge of resurrection.”
It meant the Continent of Aiden was on the brink of destruction.
“No, no way… The Demon King really exists…?”
“Fe, Fer…!”
I shrugged as I looked at the two seized by fear.
What, you’re just realizing this now?!
I’ve known this for a while.
What would you have done without me? Ha ha ha!
I wanted to laugh and say that, but.
“De, Demon King. What do we do? What should we do…”
“Fer, Ferur!”
I frowned, realizing their situation was more serious than I thought.
What’s wrong with you two?
Excuse me? I’m the one with the mark.
“Grr.”
“Ru, Ruby! Wh-what do we do? It’ll be okay. I’ll protect you! It’ll be okay.”
“Ferururu!”
Lia, with a pale face, hugged me tightly.
Thanks to the ’empathy’ skill she instinctively activated, I became acutely aware of the fear she was feeling.
‘I see.’
In this worldview, ‘gods’ are absolute beings.
There were even orders that exercised divine power directly, so their reverence or fear of gods was beyond what a modern person like me could imagine.
‘This is not good.’
I gazed blankly at Lia.
【Cordelia Beatrice von Bloodmoon of Fate Lv.15】
-Traits: [Potential Existence], [Salvation or Destruction]
Her traits were fluctuating wildly.
Only then did I faintly grasp what the trait ‘Potential Existence’ meant.
‘Does it mean it’s not yet complete?’
Lia was a member of the hero’s party, but she was still just an inexperienced child.
The trait ‘Salvation or Destruction’ wasn’t a term distinguishing between good and evil.
It meant she could either become a savior or her trait could be destroyed.
‘Damn.’
Only then did I realize the difference in perception.
Is this the difference between a person who has experienced omnipotence and one who hasn’t?
When describing gods, we often say they are ‘omniscient and omnipotent.’
Beings who know everything and have the power to control everything.
Gods.
People refer to the abilities of gods as ‘miracles.’
When we encounter beings who perform such miracles, it reminds us how insignificant we are.
Like now.
“Kraaaah!”
A scream tore through the air.
At the same time, Raymond, Lia’s bodyguard knight, swiftly stepped in front of us.
With a cold, composed expression, I watched the chaos unfolding before my eyes.
‘So this is what the dark pursuit meant.’
Boom! A deafening explosion shook the manor as if it would collapse.
“Escort the lady!!”
Raymond’s thunderous shout echoed, and Bloodmoon’s soldiers bravely drew their swords to fend off the attacking monsters.
“Ru, Ruby! Eryllion!”
“Ferurur!”
Lia held me and Eryllion tightly, trembling.
The scene unfolding before us was beyond what a 15-year-old noble girl could handle.
“Kaaaah!”
“Kyiek!”
“Hold the line! We endure until the knights arrive!”
The garden, once a playground for animals, was now drenched in monster blood, with screams and explosions everywhere.
Something was off.
It hadn’t been long since the mark appeared.
How could they invade so quickly? Then, a thought flashed through my mind.
‘No way…?’
I turned to look at Lia.
I had my doubts, but it was indeed there.
The black moon and trident engraved on Lia’s trembling nape caught my eye.
Somehow, the brand marking her as a ‘target’ of pursuit had been stamped on her neck too.
‘……Omniscience.’
Only then did I understand the fear these people had towards their gods.
‘He already knew.’
He knew Lia was a candidate for the hero’s party.
He was truly the omniscient and omnipotent ‘Demon God.’
And he was our opponent.
“Sol, please. Please.”
I finally realized why Lia was floundering in panic.
It was a hopeless situation.
How was I supposed to defend against an attack with no prior warning?
At the very least, I needed time to level up!
I looked up at the sky.
I could faintly feel the gaze.
So, you were watching all along, huh?
“This, this is…!”
“Ricardo. Stop!”
The soldiers guarding Lia finally noticed the brand on her neck and gasped in shock.
Most of them, like Lia and Eryllion, fell into panic.
But there were those who reacted differently.
“Get a hold of yourselves!”
Knight Raymond.
Having already cut down a monster, he appeared and shouted with eyes ablaze.
“What are you doing!! Hold out until the knights arrive! Stand up! We haven’t lost yet!”
Seeing the burning conviction in his eyes, I realized something.
The reason for my existence here.
Yes. I thought this was a fantasy, but it’s an apocalypse.
I couldn’t afford to tremble and fall into panic myself.
I realized what I needed to do now.
“Grr!”
The Demon King was omniscient and omnipotent, but not complete.
If his power was whole, he wouldn’t have just sent monsters.
In that case, there was only one thing to do now.
I shook off Lia’s arm and dashed toward Knight Raymond.
“Ru, Ruby!”
“Ferur!!”
Watch closely, kid.
I’m not just Ruby, but the Night Tiger, Lu-deus!
「Darkness descended, the moon set, and judgment was rendered.」
– Report on the Apocalypse, from the Tower of Knowledge –