4 – Assessing the Situation
I found myself in a novel. f*cking twice.
[Administrator Warp Function] – You can transfer your belongings to the desired user. The Administrator Warp Function is only available to authenticated users.
It seems to be the Administrator Warp Function. The administrator is automatically warped, and the items are incidentally taken along. Shouldn’t they have explained it like that from the beginning? I wanted to complain, but it’s my fault for using the function without any doubt when I saw the word “together.”
Even strange characters come to mind.
[You have been reincarnated in a different world. You can only use 1% of your total mana for 24 hours as a penalty.]
Most of my mana usage has been restricted. One of my biggest weapons has been tied up. But it’s okay. I can handle a sword just fine.
“Don’t I have a sword?”
Looking around, there was nothing around me. Just an empty field. Naturally, there were no rocks, trees, or swords.
“Stay calm.”
After being reincarnated, I learned and felt many things, but the most important thing is not to panic. This is not the first novel I’ve been reincarnated into, but a different world within another novel. It’s my first time entering a different world. I needed to know if my magic would work properly here and what level my power is in this place.
“I should have brought a sword…”
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have brought a weapon. But I avoided the worst-case scenario. There are positive aspects as well. First, I know exactly where I’ve been reincarnated, and second, I have read this novel that I’ve been reincarnated into.
On the other hand, there are also some negative aspects. Because it’s been so long since I read the novel, I don’t remember the details, and because of the mad murderer in front of me. I gave up searching for a weapon and spoke to the woman in front of me in a friendly manner.
“Nice to meet you, killer…?”
Even at a glance, the girl, covered in flowing blood and seemingly on the verge of death, was beautiful. Despite the dust and bloodstains all over her body, she gave off the impression of a young actress in a war movie. It was surprising to discover that killer was not a man, but the fact that this girl was a named user from the Myeolso-gal, bearing the name killer, remained unchanged. Because it was visible above her head.
[Target of Warp: killer]
I’m not sure if this is an administrator privilege, but the nickname killer is clearly written above the girl’s head.
“Is the system designed to identify who has been warped?”
I’ll have to test the details later, but for now, there was a need to control the immediate threat in front of me. In the Myeolso-gal, this girl seemed like an agitator who wrote hundreds of posts a day, but here, it was completely different. Despite being torn apart all over her body, the girl held a sharp gaze while wielding a sword or a dagger.
At this point, the situation hadn’t been properly assessed yet. It wouldn’t be right to increase the enemies.
Now is not the time to respond, but to persuade as much as possible. That is the wise choice.
“First, calm down, killer, and listen to what I have to say. I am not here to harm you. I am not one of the many assassins who have come to kill you.”
“Who are you?”
“I am the administrator of the Myeolso-novel Gallery. I’ll say it again, calm down. I came here from a faraway place to help you.”
As the girl stared intently at my mouth, she finally lowered her sword. It was then that I let out a sigh and approached her a little more. And that’s when it happened.
Swish!
The dagger thrown by the girl flew straight towards me.
“What the hell!”
Without a moment to think, I activated a defensive magic spell.
Clang!
The dagger flew away without causing any harm. Even with just 1% of my mana, I was able to easily block the attack. I collected one piece of data: with just 1% of my mana, I could defend against knives like that.
I couldn’t hide my displeasure as I spoke to killer.
“What are you doing? Did you think I was an enemy? I had no intention of attacking you.”
As soon as she heard my words, the girl raised her hand and stepped back.
“I surrender.”
I wanted to curse at this crazy bastard, but I held back. Well, there was one ominous message that had appeared.
[You are currently in a state of warping to another world. Due to low administrative authority, some of the mana and magic possessed by the player are restricted. The cooldown time for the Warp skill is 23 hours and 51 minutes.]
Not only were my mana and magic, which were essential to a magician, limited, but I also had to stay here forcibly for 23 hours in a situation where there were dozens of assassins nearby. And to make matters worse, I had to endure for about 24 hours to go back.
Even if I had a sword, it was quite burdensome to be in a confined space without any weapons. Well, wouldn’t it be an exaggeration to think that the enemy could be not just dozens, but hundreds, or even thousands? I could think that it was over the top, but in the novel I was in, the basic combat unit started from tens of thousands, so I couldn’t let my guard down here.
Even if my swordsmanship skills were excellent, it was impossible to face thousands of people with only 1% of my mana. It was also uncertain whether there was a magician with my level of skills among the opponents.
“If only there wasn’t a 1% mana restriction, I would just kill them all.”
I could use my sword skills, but it also required mana. So, to defend against the enemy’s attacks with 1% mana, shoot sword beams, and even recover my health, I had to take quite a risk. No matter how good my sword was, I would be overwhelmed by thousands of people.
Just in case, I picked up the dagger that had just fallen and took care of it. It was what the girl had thrown at me earlier.
Having a weapon was good news. It was a pity that it was short.
Trying to hide my annoyance as much as possible, I asked the girl.
“Why on earth did you do that just now? I could have died if I hadn’t blocked it. Don’t you believe that I’m the administrator? If you don’t believe it, I can write a post on the forum right now…”
Before I could finish my sentence, the girl interrupted and replied.
“I can tell if the other person is lying by listening to their words. I believe that you are the administrator because it turned out to be true. But the fact that you came to help me was a lie. Approaching secretly and hiding your intentions are all enemy tactics.”
As soon as the girl replied, I sighed.
That’s the correct answer. From the beginning, I didn’t come to save her. Killer was selected for the event, so I just wanted to throw two elixirs and be done with it. And then, wasn’t I somehow warped without even realizing it? I didn’t come voluntarily, I was dragged here. So, it must have been judged that the statement of coming to save her was a lie.
Since it was revealed that the statement of coming to save her was a lie, it seemed that she had concluded that I came to kill her.
“Why are there such extreme people?”
I let out a sigh and restrained myself from arguing. There were not just one or two things I wanted to point out.
“Ha…”
When I saw the girl, she was huddled in a corner like a wounded hedgehog. As I silently stared at the killer, she responded as if defending herself.
“It could be a lie that I came to save you, but it could also mean that I came to harm you. I’m injured right now, and if I don’t respond quickly, I could die. That’s why…”
“Why are you explaining so kindly now?”
“It was a lie that I came to save you, but it was true when I said I wouldn’t harm you just now. So, my misunderstanding was correct.”
She preemptively attacked me with a dagger, and even though I was injured, I responded that I didn’t come to harm her. It revealed that the person who was attacked by a surprise attack had no ill intentions, and if that was true, she must have had a serious misunderstanding.
“Ha… Fine, let me understand.”
The post that killer had made came to mind. The words that countless assassins were targeting her. It felt like a scream mixed with a desire to live echoing in my ears. I erased my personal grudge against killer and analyzed the situation calmly.
“Quick judgment and cold-heartedness, huh. That’s why she survived for a year.”
When I judged her as an enemy, I immediately aimed for her vital spot and attacked. When I judged her not to be an enemy, I raised my white flag and expressed that there was no ill intention, even clearly explaining the reason for my actions.
Of course, I felt unjust, but well, it’s relatively good in this f*cked-up world.
“Let’s just let it go this time. I also think I’m at fault.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Damn it…”
I couldn’t figure out how to use that ability, but it bothered me a lot. The girl seemed pathologically sensitive to lies. So, I decided to be honest and exclude empty words.
“Ha… Of course, I don’t think I’m at fault. I thought you were a madman when you threw the dagger as soon as I saw you. But I really have no intention of being hostile towards you. I didn’t come here because I wanted to. So, I’ll just waste a little time and leave.”
“…”
Finally, the girl tore her clothes and applied pressure to her wounds again, speaking quietly.
“How long will it take for you to leave?”
“About 23 hours and 52 minutes… Why?”
From Noble mtl dot com
I tried to be as specific as possible with the time. I didn’t want to lie again by speaking vaguely.
“You can’t hold out for much longer. They’re closing in on us with their encirclement. Even if we tried our best to hide our presence, we would be exposed within 12 hours at most.”
The girl rummaged through her belongings and soon handed me a single poisoned dart.
“It’s a paralyzing venom that won’t cause any harm to your life. If you happen to encounter enemies, stab yourself with this and pretend to be unconscious. They might just pass by, thinking that someone has already dealt with me.”
Her kindness was appreciated, but it seemed unrealistic.
“If I wear a suspicious magician’s robe and collapse here after being hit by a poison dart, wouldn’t they be suspicious and kill me first?”
The girl nodded.
“You’d most likely be killed, over 95% chance. But that’s the best way to survive. There’s nowhere to escape from here.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“…I’ll just die like this.”
“But you said you want to live.”
“When did I say that?”
“Weren’t you the one who posted hundreds of messages on the community saying that you want to live?”
“That was when there was a possibility… There’s no way for a wizard and an injured assassin to survive here.”
“But you’re a great wizard, aren’t you? You just blocked the surprise attack earlier, didn’t you?”
“It’s a confined space, a limited place for using magic. I don’t have any proper weapons, and on the other hand, the enemy has the advantage in numbers, terrain, and resources.”
It was true. Since I warped to this place earlier, my mana level has become incredibly weak, far from being called a grand magician. I don’t even have a common wand, let alone any magical orbs that amplify mana. All I have is a shabby robe and the dagger I just obtained. Honestly, I didn’t want to risk my life trying to save someone I didn’t even know while not knowing the size of the enemy forces.
I pondered on what I should do. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time.
Tap, tap, tap.
I could hear someone urgently running from a distance.
“Damn it… The sound of conversation was too loud.”
The girl hastily raised her weapon, and the sound of footsteps grew closer.
Finally, a man covered in black armor appeared before her. As soon as he saw me and the killer, he opened his mouth to shout.
“Enemies here…”
In that moment.
“Acceleration.”
I swiftly threw the venomous dart that the killer had given me with all my might, and accelerated it with a small amount of mana. Its power was even greater than I had anticipated.
Thunk!
The man, who was hit directly in the temple by the dart, fell to the ground without a chance to utter a sound. The girl next to him blinked her eyes and looked at me with a dazed expression.
“How did you just… do that? You’re supposed to be a magician…”
I interrupted her words and spoke.
“Let’s move for now. If you want to survive.”