The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 91

Academy’s Weapon Replicator Episode 91

Chapter 26 Sacred Forest (3)

Selena blinked with her mouth open.

“So this isn’t a forest?”

“It’s a forest. “There are plants and animals living together, lush trees, and a lake.”

“But you just said it was a dream.”

“Well, it’s a dream brought to reality.”

Magic is bringing about phenomena. In that sense, this forest is also a type of magic.

Because of this, non-magicians sometimes misunderstand magic as a ‘trick of the eye.’

If you cancel the magic, the burning flames will disappear and the frozen ice will disappear in an instant.

But burns and frostbite remain. The same goes for this forest.

The plants and animals in this forest already form an ecosystem.

Of course, it’s all a circulatory system made up of mana, but most people will barely be able to notice the difference from reality.

A dream so close to reality that most people can’t even tell the difference. There is evidence that it has been on people’s lips for decades, calling it a ‘sacred forest.’

It has already existed for too long to be considered a ‘trick of the eye.’

“Can a normal person do that?”

“I can’t. “Because Merlin is the Grand Wizard.”

“But still. Even if it were a dream, creating a world this elaborate? There must be a limit to a person’s mana, but how long can this last for decades…”

Selena’s question was valid. In fact, I didn’t think something like this would be possible for several decades. As Selena said, there is simply a limit to the total amount of human mana.

There was something I could guess about, but I saved my words for now.

“Anyway, let’s hurry. “I wasted time because you suddenly got so lazy.”

“…Just say it that way.”

Ignoring the creeping voice, I drove Cassian again.

As I was walking for a while, a thought occurred to me and I said:

“But isn’t the assassin used to torture? “You will receive training.”

“I’m used to it. That suffering and pain. The fear that penetrates all five senses. So, we are taught not to reveal information even if we cry and plead.”

“Aren’t you meant to endure the pain?”

“You fake it like that at first. It’s called training to endure pain. But it wasn’t. I’m being treated in such a way that I can’t bear the pain. Even if you cry, plead, or scream, it won’t end. However, if you leak information, the intensity becomes more severe. Then, the pain of exceeding the limit becomes embedded in your mind. Then, no matter how painful the torture is, no matter how much you cry and beg, you will not spit out information. “Because I remember the fear of that time.”

…That’s a scary story.

I had nothing more to say and just quietly looked ahead.

After a moment of silence,

“Stay.”

Selena said.

“But how did you know? That I am an assassin. “I just said I was a guard station.”

“Because what you’re doing is like an assassin.”

I don’t know about that, but I saw it as an ‘analysis’ skill.

“Is it okay for you to talk like that? How did you receive torture training? “Isn’t Hagley, your superior, angry?”

“does not matter. Mangot is an ugly place. Everyone there knows for themselves. So there is no need to hide the ugly things. “You only have to hide the things that really need to be hidden.”

“….”

I didn’t answer that further.

Mangot is a miserable place.

It is a place of refuge for people abandoned by the country, but it is also a place where anger and hatred accumulate and one day cause disaster.

It is literally a disaster. It is the ‘karma’ that the continent has committed, and Mangot is its spark.

Of course, from the gamer’s point of view, it is difficult to deal with monsters, let alone the battle of understanding, gain, and loss and complex emotions, but when they go as far as ten thousand capes, they just go crazy and jump.

That’s why I don’t want to fight. This is the heart for clearing. Because people in this world end up dying because they just fight nonsense.

Can Mangot and the continent be able to make peace? That’s one of the many things I’ve failed to do in this game that I consider the most impossible.

“…But the road continues straight from before.”

Selena said as if it were strange.

“If I follow this road all the way, will I really get to that lake?”

“no. “If you just follow along, you’ll just be lost forever.”

This forest is Merlin’s dream.

This road, which appears to be straight, is strangely twisted according to his thoughts, preventing him from reaching the lake.

That’s why Merlin retreated without hesitation when he saw me holding Mjolnir.

Rather than fighting me and seeing blood, I decided that it was more likely to prevent me from reaching the lake.

“Then what should I do? Why do we keep going down this path?”

“Because I know the way.”

This forest is actually a ‘trial’ that Aster will reach one day.

Most players know how to conquer this forest.

But in fact, it was because Aster’s level was high and he was recognized by Merlin, so Merlin provided an appropriate level of difficulty.

But as always, I am Frontier.

There’s no way Merlin would give up the lake to a guy like me who doesn’t even know where he came from.

‘but.’

It seems to me. The ‘illusion’ of this dream.

It was something I looked at as an ‘analysis’ skill, but my intuition reacted before that.

Perhaps because I had a skill called ‘weaving’ that was closer to illusion than anything else, this dream world had a strangely familiar smell to it.

“Kassian. From now on, follow my instructions.”

After speaking, I lightly grabbed the reins. Cassian slowed down slightly as if he understood. It’s such a smart horse that it can be scary sometimes.

‘…Whew.’

I focused my eyes on the scenery. First of all, the path to this straight path was the same as when playing as Aster.

As a player, as you walk this path, Merlin will give you various hints, but you have to find them on your own.

The ‘Analysis’ skill does not select any target. As long as the world itself can be specified, ‘analysis’ is also possible.

Until now, the analysis has read additional explanations to me like the description of an item.

Merlin’s ‘dream’ is clearly similar to Frontier’s ‘weaving’. Frontier will be able to reveal the reality of this dream.

Finally,

“──That’s it.”

This analyzed dream world came into view. Just as a weapon made through weaving is completed by tying together thin threads, this dream was also made up of numerous strands of thread.

I led Cassian into the revealed world of illusion.

“…Come this way.”

I pulled the reins to the left. There was no road, just dense trees. But Cassian was not afraid and followed my instructions and shaved his head.

In an instant, those dense trees split apart. And this was transformed as if it were the original road.

As if correcting an error, as if completing a picture that had not been drawn in a hurry, as if discovering a hidden space behind the stage curtain.

“Ugh, I’m dizzy.”

Selena said. This scene is definitely not only bizarre but also dizzying. It feels like I’m seeing a bug in the game right before my eyes.

I continued to lead Cassian. Every time I turned, the trees parted and a path was revealed. We were definitely heading towards the lake.

“But Lord Soga.”

“I’ve said this several times, but call me Frontier.”

“I heard you like it when I call you Sogaju.”

“You can think of all the information Mangot has about me as just rubbish.”

“Jjirashi?”

“It’s disgusting.”

Selena didn’t respond to me. Instead, I felt Selena’s hair on my back. He probably nodded.

“Then, Mr. Frontier.”

“why?”

“If this is Merlin’s dream, wouldn’t he be able to change the location of the lake at will? So, even if you find the right path like this, it won’t be difficult to get there…” It

was a pretty plausible thought.

Did you think about it until you realized that this was a dream? Selena adapted faster than I expected.

But that guess was wrong.

“It is impossible to move the location of the lake.”

“Why?”

“Because the lake is real.”

“…ah.”

Everything I see around me right now is Merlin’s dream.

The lake is real.

In other words, Merlin designed this dream for that one lake.

Kugugu─

At that time, the appearance of the trees changed strangely.

The once ordinary landscape became distorted, and the trees recklessly increased their size and stretched out their branches. The thick stem was twisted, and the gap between the cracks seemed to smile like the corners of a human mouth.

“Uh, Mr. Frontier…?”

Selena let out an anxious voice.

“Merlin is sure.”

“What?”

“We know exactly the way.” “It’s impossible to make people lose their way.”

So, I plan to push through once again. But this time, I hid myself and was relatively safe.

The trees had already swelled their bodies so much that they had become shadows. In a forest that suddenly becomes dark, huge trees look down with their bent backs.

“…This is a dream, so wouldn’t it be okay if I got hit?”

“what do you think about it? “What do you think if you get hit?”

“I think it’s going to be really painful.”

I nodded.

“As long as I can’t get away from those thoughts, it will hurt like hell.”

“Damn,” Selena muttered, then put her hand into her arms and took out a needle.

It’s good that the cowardice is disappearing, but it felt like manners are disappearing along with it.

* * *

Merlin stood in front of the lake.

He could feel everything in this forest. Even the slightest breath of a small bird.

The Frontier was already approaching. They tried to block it using trees, but it was only a matter of time before it got here.

[…What should I do?]

That self-talk had some resonance. It wasn’t just a muttering alone.

[What are you so worried about?]

The water in the center of the lake that Merlin was looking at surged.

A woman appeared in the place where it poured again, and her appearance was very similar to Merlin, who had emerged from the ground.

[I can no longer protect the lake.]

Merlin said.

[It’s okay.]

The lake woman answered.

[Whoever reaches this place will gain nothing.]

The Lady of the Lake laughed.

[Abusive behavior only leads to death.]

That was then.

Doo doo doo doo A sound that was familiar to both Merlin and the lake woman was getting closer.

It’s the sound of horses’ hooves.

Passyuk!

As expected, it was Frontier who came out of the grass.

His clothes were torn and tattered here and there, as if he had been in quite a fierce battle on the way there. But there didn’t seem to be any serious injuries.

“Hehe hehe…”

On the other hand, the woman riding behind her was in more danger of death.

“Hey, what’s hanging down? arrived.”

Frontier scolded the woman behind her.

“That’s cowardly. “He takes almost no damage and has to fight while avoiding me.”

“It’s an illusion, so if you know it accurately, you won’t be harmed.”

“I thought about it too? “It’s an illusion, it’s fake, I kept repeating that and believing it, so why did I get beaten up?”

“It’s not about believing, it’s about knowing.”

Merlin listened to their conversation in silence and raised his eyebrows.

Illusion? No damage?

So the reason Frontier is fine now is because he saw through the ‘dream’?

…That can’t be possible.

“ah.”

Only then did Frontier discover Merlin. I also looked at the woman in the lake.

“We meet again, Lord Merlin. and.”

Frondier looked at the woman and smiled deeply.

“I’ve been looking for it for a while. ‘Witch of the Lake’.”