Clearing the Game at the End of the World - Chapter 37: Eyelids (10)

Chapter 37: Eyelids (10)

Crack.

“This is all broken too. Hm. This one looks pretty good… Ah, the one there.”

As with all things in the world, things that have always been thought of as the perfect plan have problems during execution.

‘If it goes according to plan, I just need to exercise as if I will die…’

At first, it was going as planned. He was able to lift about 50 times and then groan in pain during regeneration, and when he recovered and got up, the exercise equipment felt a lot lighter, so he began to add more weight.

If there was one thing I overlooked, it was that these infections lacked the stamina I had expected. I repeated the same process for about 6 hours, and there was the same pain each time. Yet I recovered but didn’t have the strength to pick up anything.

‘It would be a stamina problem. Just because a person is strong doesn’t mean they can hold the same power again and again. Even with the help of the infection, the Mutation Blood’s unique stamina, and the mute blood, they seem to have a limit. I do not feel the muscles growing as fast as I thought.’

If there is no need to increase the exercise according to the fixed durability of 120, there should be significant growth just by lifting a 3 kg dumbbell. However, as I did it, it felt too strong, and I didn’t add any weight, not wanting to strain the body.

‘There must be something I am missing. It cannot be that such a bug is in the game… Um, the glass body is strong for pulling and pushing, so that part could be preventing the destruction of muscle cells.’

Now that time was running out, Professor was searching the mansion. He checked the bottles of different kinds of fish, seaweed, fresh-looking clams, and flour from the restaurant and put them all in a ripped-out curtain and draped them over his shoulder.

‘This reminds me of when I went farming in the early days of the Wasteland.’

The food was already gone, but windows, building materials, and vehicle parts were all difficult to get. At that time, there were a lot of people who had died, so variant 2 was everywhere. Even now, there are mutes around and several in the mansion, so it was considered to be similar.

‘If I look closely at the game itself, it is very similar to our reality: World 1’s [Black Spot Rot]—those affected by that disease turn aggressive toward other tribes; World 2’s [Undead Rebellion]—if one died from an undead, they turn into the undead and was considered an epidemic; World 3’s [Mutation Blood]—it can be called the same disease except for the actions of the pathogen.’

Was this a coincidence? Even If the world did end up like this and the only surviving game had such links to the world?

[If this is all cleared, the headquarters will invite you.]

Somehow, there seemed to be a reason why so many groups are pouring money like water to support the rankers.

While thinking, Professor constantly looked around the mansion.

-Noru_is_druig: Oh my, our Professor, you are gulping things down without making a single sound.

-Jokasss: What did I say? I told you that all the people who live alone in Wasteland are just madmen or idiots who beat men. Doesn’t the story of how he came to play the game say it? Fast hands, quick glances, and a head turn. Does he look like a normal person to you?

-takealook: It takes less than 2 minutes to go to the kitchen to check all the cupboards and get the things needed. The floor is made up of various kinds of wood and marble, but not a single sound was made.

-Soygaybar: Ah, look at how clean he moves. This is so healing.

The community members were acting as usual. It wasn’t known if they had the same knowledge I did.

“Um… Speedwagon?”

-Speedwagon: … what?

“…Nothing.”

-Speedwagon: … Riling me.

Professor held back the questions he wanted to ask, which were springing from within.

‘I shouldn’t be thinking that I am the only one who knows the secret. I am not the only one doing Realistic Mode, and someone must have gone through this.’

However, there has never been a single post in the community suggesting that GG is closely related to reality or that there is something suspicious about it.

‘It will be one of the two, either GG filters out such posts or… the group that noticed something is taking action as soon as they reach out.’

There is no way that Dome, where there is even a dedicated team for researching GG 24 hours a day, is unaware of this fact. However, the fact that Dome’s research team, which shares most of the research results on GG, is hiding this…

Professor bit his lip as he brushed away the thoughts.

‘This isn’t my concern. It is like the darkness of destruction. How do I know that? If I say I am noticing things, I will end up being the target.’

Judging from the circumstances or the exceptionally high mortality rate of GG broadcasters, the answer was to simply forget the information.

“Phew.”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

‘Mute! In the direction of the central staircase on the 1st floor!’

Swish!

At the same time as the thought came, his body moved. He tied the bundle of things he packed tightly to his body so they wouldn’t shake and lowered his body to move quietly.

From the start of the game, he was afraid of his feet being tied up at one point, and now he was almost at a crossroads. Due to his increased muscle strength, he was able to wander around the mansion without making a sound, even with his heavy weight.

‘After all, cats and wild animals weigh over 250 kg. The point is that the center of gravity of the body shouldn’t move too much and the body should be lowered, and the body has the strength to support the smooth movement.’

Professor, who often moved this way in real life, recalled how much stamina is required for stealth movement and began to feel the utility of the muscles.

-Highwaynachoman: Professor, what are you looking for? Seeing that there are rooms that we have never touched before, is there any goal?

“Of course. I looked around and found that the mutes had almost been smashed up and there was nothing to save. Still, shouldn’t we stop by the room of the Count?”

Actually, I was looking forward to going upstairs. Like the Area 45 bomb shelter, if it is the Count’s mansion, I can pick whatever I can get my hands on, and everything will be of value. If I put it in my inventory of 4 slots, it would last me a long time.

But when I got up to it, wasn’t the level of the mansion almost destroyed? On the first and second floors, almost all of the outer walls were blown off, so one could feel the outside, and the hallway inside was smashed as huge mutes came crashing in. And then there is soot everywhere, indicating that fire was used.

“Still, the 3rd floor looks like it’s still holding on to its shape. Umm, this?”

A door with colorful reliefs opened up to the side, unlike other doors.

Thud!

“Uh… locked?”

Professor looked around for a moment to see if there were any mutes and then twisted the lock.

Crack!

“Ah! It is open!”

Professor dropped the broken handle, opened the door, and entered the Count’s room. The Count’s room was really… beyond his imagination.

“Wow….”

-Soygaybar: wow…

-Jokasss: Yiaah…

-Numb3rtree: Huu…

-Speedwagon: Fucking Shit.

It was clean. It was a room with nothing left, which could probably be called the monk’s residence and not the Count’s. Except for the soft carpet on the floor, nothing was there. On the walls, there were signs of paintings being hung at one point.

“Did he take them all despite the situation?”

This is absurd. Judging from what Roman said, the situation of the mages was dire. Then, while the other mages were fighting the mutes, they made their servants move up and take the valuables.

“This is… a not-so-dignified look, but in a way, it should be said he is acting like a true noble…”

Professor, who once again suppressed the recognition of a true noble hitting rock bottom, searched the empty room in despair. He searched just in case he would find something.

The only thing that remained was research records that were charred.

“The mage left the most important research books alone and took what could make money. Mage Isaac, why did you only come up now to live up to your name?”

At a glance, it looked more like the personal records of the Count rather than research records.

A familiar name came into the Professor’s eyes as he was looking through it, wondering if it would be similar to the records in the basement.

===

Subject No.15: Professor. From a fallen noble family. A situation where the infection was spreading throughout the body and could not be healed with holy power. It has unique features. If we use the research results, they could be useful. He is from a low-level mercenary guild that is almost disbanding. Even if he dies while being researched, there is no need to check for treatment methods….

===

“If you really met me, I am going to kill you.”

It is a bit irritating when such contents come up like this.

===

… and Charlotte de Agat seems closer to him than I thought. The third visit today. Refusing visitation for treatment is an excuse that has its limits. I guess I need to contact the tower and take action.

===

“Well, it seems like this academy has a bigger influence on the political world than I thought. To the extent of being able to exert influence on the first knight of the Kingdom…”

This was information worth remembering. The fact that Reed Flow Academy is tethered to the political nobles of the Kingdom. Judging from the experiments, I think the academy is quite passionate about performing experiments on people.

In order to cover up such things, it would be better to join hands with those in power.

===

A call came from the scout unit outside the city. After the news of the mutes moving again, the crystal ball’s signal got cut off, so it seems like they are approaching faster than expected.

This is a chance. Even in this dire moment, the nobles of the capital are babbling about the need to cut the research budget and give more power to the academy. What if Turan got captured? Would they be able to speak the same if the mute was right in front of them?

Those little pigs should feel more threatened. Just as the influence of the academy grew when Molludic Castle fell, giving these people a little more shock would allow the academy to establish itself as the political and magical center of the Rodrik Kingdom. Turan, who has lost all of its troops, can be handed over in return. Just to instill awareness in the nobles, it would be worth it.

===

This is a bit serious…

“Even the nobles of the Rodrik Kingdom have rotted up as much as they can. In the current situation, the one who wants to reduce the research cost of mutes or the one who casts aside the city by using civilians as food for the mutes and wants the research cost to increase. It will be easier if Rodrik can hold on. I don’t know if it can survive until the start of the final scene.”

I knew that Count Mandalius was bad, but this says he is trash. He received constant warning signs, but he decided to blow up an entire city for the sake of increasing the academy’s power.

“I can imagine it despite not seeing it. That frivolous mage, who was quietly doing research in the Tower, and when two cities flew down in front of him, suddenly gets treated like an important person and is given the title of nobility, and his eyes are filled with greed.”

Professor also read the records behind it. Research about himself, organizing valuables in advance, making a dramatic escape because if he seemed safe and unhurt, people would doubt him, and setting fire to the mansion to destroy evidence.

‘If Roman wasn’t there, I would have died.’

Now it was obvious why the fire didn’t spread. It was because of the water mage, who was fascinated with water, so there must have been water all over the place. Every vase, the air being humid, everything. And could such a house be burnt then?

Professor carefully folded the records of the Count and put them into the inventory. He couldn’t find as many valuables as he expected, but it seemed like he found something more useful than those.

Tuk.

“Nice. There is no problem then.”

Professor pulled his arm back and pushed it ahead at the wall quickly.

Tak!

He felt a little numb. However, there was no functional abnormality.

“Nice. It is holding on. Then a little more…”

Professor pulled his arms out once more and punched the wall as if hitting someone.

Puak!

Crack!

“Ah! this. Not this much.”

It has been 8 days since he began to train in the basement. The Professor, who finished today’s workout a little earlier, was testing the exact strength of his body.

Crack!

He put his broken bones back into place and mumbled.

“If the strength I produce now is out of 100, is it 6 or 7? I think this is the only shock I can withstand.”

-Highwaynachoman: How much exactly is that?

“Um… if I had to compare it, it would be to the body of an elderly person with osteoporosis in their 70s?”

The increased durability caused by the infection could be felt clearly. Now, if he walked carefully, he wouldn’t have any major problems in his daily life.

“It is durable. Next is strength…”

Well. Can I try this out?

In the past 8 days, Professor’s body has undergone dramatic changes. At some point, he was 20 cm taller and well over 210 cm, and he was much larger than before. With muscles now attached, the growth of muscle strength started to stagnate at some point, so he was trying to check the level he had gotten to.

[Do you still have the habit of harming yourself? Keke. Even if you try gently, there will be problems. Wouldn’t it hurt a lot if you hit with full power? Do you enjoy pain?]

A disgusting scent and an even more disgusting voice.

’… I think you promised to shut up if I win.’

[I have been silent for the last 5 days. I never set a deadline.]

Another chance. The guy who seemed like a dead mouse was now back to talking with Professor.

[Is it really necessary to accumulate power like that? If an enemy comes out, you will know.]

‘But what if the enemy is stronger than me? If you know my strength, you know when to react or retreat for me, and that too had to be something I needed to encounter in a moment.’

[Well, what an expert! After all, what you only know and what you experience are actually different!]

The [Weak Mentality] improved, but this guy was still getting on my nerves.

‘Ignore him. He doesn’t exist. There is nothing he can do; my body is under control.’

“Ugh!”

After clearing his throat, Professor swung his fist against the wall.

Kwaang!

“Kuaak!”

A shock that shook the entire underground. Immediately after the blow, Professor felt pain and looked at the wall, which had shattered as if a bomb had hit it. And his hand was torn from the shoulder, so he could guess how much of a reaction this was.

“… Strong?”

-Soygaybar: Is this some joke? [Insane!]

‘Ah, please.’

In front of Professor was a man waving his hands in excitement.

‘Hey parasite. If you live in someone else’s body, can you just stay still?’

[But it is fun! A guy whose arms fall down every time he hits! There has never been such an unusual existence in my memory! Interesting! The way you see the world, the struggle, the experience you feel—they are all new to me! Ah, I want to move too. Can you lend your body for just one day? Please, I will use it well and return it! You get to use it now, right?]

’…Disgusting brat.’

He didn’t give up, seeing how he was acting like they were close friends.

“I need to get rid of you somehow… Should I think it’s similar to being possessed? Shall I go to a temple and bring talismans?”

Professor raised his arm and looked at it a few times, thinking it would be faster to make a new arm than attach it, so he threw his arm into the bathtub.

“Ugh. Fishy!”

The bathtub was filled with the fresh blood of mute, just like the first day he came. Two days ago, the rotting smell began to come from the solution, and after throwing it away, he went out at night to kidnap some level 8 mutes who were wandering alone.

“The results of the experiment and the way I felt when I got the mute. One thing is certain.”

[What is?]

At the parasite’s question, Professor frowned as he said,

“This body has no choice but to be raised as a grappler.”

Professor was recalling what happened last night when he found a mute and reflexively broke its neck instead of using the weapon he had prepared.