[Day 363, two days later]

POV Tobias

The paralysis only took a few hours to wear off.

Rin, though, has disappeared without a word…

I suppose it isn’t particularly surprising. Rin always was always a loner in the story. Although, I’ve become friendly with her… well, it probably hasn’t changed her that much.

Fortunately, considering Rin didn’t take any particularly intimate actions, (I wouldn’t count stabbing me in the chest as intimate), Stanley was probably wrong about her being my girlfriend.

That’s kinda a relief… at this point, she’s only around 15 years old. I’d… well, there are several morality problems with dating her…

Mainly speaking, Rin's age.

Also, I basically consider her to be my half-daughter.

Although, I don't hate the idea.

Dating her... would feel extremely strange.

It’s also not something I want to think about right now anyway. Compared to relationships, I’ve got more important things (like surviving) to worry about.

I don’t need to add a relationship on top of my billion other problems at the moment.

I probably could follow after Rin… but, there isn’t much point. I’ll be seeing her again when the beacon lights up.

At that time, which should be soon, everyone will gather to leave this zone.

Basically, the temple with the teleportation sigil will light up with a massive beacon of light, which should last around a week. After the beacon is lit, a passage will open up into the temple.

In the temple, we’ll be able to use the teleportation sigil to leave this zone.

There’s nothing particularly stopping anyone from continuing to stay in this zone, but… at this point, I don’t think anyone will stay behind.

Most of the temples in this zone have already been looted. Also, it would kinda be pointless, anyone who's completed this zone can return here from the residential area, if they choose to.

The number of temples in future zones will continue to decline, until eventually becoming non-existent.

Instead, at the fourth zone, heritages should begin to appear. Those will be rare though, and usually are more difficult to acquire.

In other news, the world tree’s seed has completely integrated with my body.

As proof of this, on the right side of my chest, a tattoo-like green leaf has appeared. As the world tree grows with time, the tattoo should gradually grow larger and eventually grow flowers.

Through this tattoo-leaf, the world tree should absorb mana from the surroundings and turn it into nutrients.

I haven’t had the chance to test out whether it can provide enough nutrients to support my regeneration... but, it doesn’t matter… I don’t have another option.

My only option is to hope the world tree can support my regeneration… and prepare excess rations in case it cannot…

Even if it can’t support my regeneration at the moment, it might be able to in the future as the tattoo grows larger.

So... if I prepare enough rations in the meantime, I should be able to survive until then.

Anyway, I have to continue preparing the supplies to take to the next zone.

POV – Rin

Rin had been traveling through the woods, leaving behind a trail of dead monsters.

At this point, calling her rampage ‘fighting’ would seem improper… perhaps the word 'slaughter' would be the most accurate term. Nearly everything Rin had come across had been swiftly disposed of within seconds.

In fact, ever since Rin had left behind Tobias, innocent monsters had entered the receiving end of Rin’s wrath.

Anything that hadn't already run away had been hunted down and killed at this point.

A small disaster to the ecosystem of this small area... but, there wasn't much time left to stay in this zone anyway.

In two days, near sunset, the beacon will light up the sky and lead the way to the next planet.

In Rin's opinion, it's best to leave that planet as soon as possible.

It contain an extremely annoying group of meddling people and doesn't have anything that can drastically increase her strength.

Also, there are way too many loud noises and unpleasant smells on that planet for Rin’s liking anyway.

Rin already knows the way to the temple… but, she’s been delaying leaving.

Despite her rampage, she’s been keeping a relatively slow pace to see whether Tobias would follow after her.

He hasn’t.

Feeling more annoyed, Rin slashed her sword through a random tree. With a loud thud, the meter-wide tree fell into the ground.

Bird’s scattered from the noise. After a few seconds, Rin was left in dead silence.

Fine! Since Tobias isn’t coming willingly, she’ll drag him along herself.

POV Swap – Tobias

[Day 365, Two days later…]

I was preparing some supplies when I noticed, Rin was stand at the edge of the valley.

Rin! Good, looks like she came back. Nice, useful.

This makes meeting with her before leaving the zone easier.

Taking a second to focus on her, I backing up slightly… Uhhh, She’s glaring at me an expression more furious I’ve seen her before.

I can even spot her wolf ears twitching in anger.

I swear, this time, I didn’t do anything! I know that for sure! Absolutely nothing!

I wasn’t even that lost in my thoughts.

Why would she be furious with me!?

This is so unfair, I’m the one who should be angry! She’s effectively poisoned me, stabbed into me several times, and left me here alone without bothering to bandage up my wounds.

I’m not angry despite all that! So, why do you get to be furious with me?

Did my future self do something?

Damn it, I’m not him yet! This is discrimination!

Prejudice and unfair discrimination!

Ah… She’s getting closer! Slightly backing up as she gradually got closer, until I hit a wall, Owww!

Don’t hit me! That’s my ear… Stop! Owwww…

It took several apologies (for whatever future me had done) and several minutes of being roughed up… but, she finally stopped her prejudicial assault.

Rin, this abusive relationship can’t continue… Please either learn proper social skills, or stop beating me up.

Actually… just simply stop beating me up.

If only Rin wasn’t so terrifying, I might be able to tell her that.

Well, actually it didn’t hurt that much... as Rin wasn’t particularly trying to hurt me.

I don’t particularly mind Rin’s complete lack of social skills. In fact, I find her personality quite adorable… which is why I wrote her that way.

But… I’m starting to get the feeling her lack of social skills is what’s leading to her to attack me. She doesn't know another way to cope with her anger...

I’m simply complaining in my head though…

If I actually said all that, it would probably lead to me getting beaten up more.

Apparently, Rin wants me to pack up and prepare to leave… but, really Rin? What did you think I was doing?

I was literally doing exactly thing before you rudely interrupted. In fact, I was almost finished. I would’ve been done by now.

Whatever… I’m almost finished anyway. Let’s just finish. It seems like Rin wants to head to start heading toward the temple early.

[Day 365, Later that night…]

I stared upward at the foreign night sky from my sleeping bag.

The temple's beacon lit up the sky at sundown.

Honestly, I don’t think anyone could miss it... even if they had wanted too.

It was literally as bright as the sun (possibly even brighter). Although, It did disappear after projecting for an hour (something that didn’t happen in my story).

It almost time for the next zone, huh… That means a whole year has passed.

Honestly, I never actually expected to live this long.

Then again, without Rin’s help I wouldn’t have survived this long.

Wrapping my hand around my sleeping-fox pendant, I began to wonder how long it actually took her to find it…

Rolling on my side, I gazed at Rin. She was sleeping in her own sleeping bag.

She seems so peaceful and content.

Clenching the fox pendant, I’ll protect you as long as I’m able Rin.

I owe you that much. Even if you hadn't saved me before as you did.

Flashback of the past year ran through my mind.

I… I’ve avoided thinking about it, but… how am I here?

This universe was a work of fiction.

It was something I had painstakingly created over several years.

It wasn’t a particularly good novel.

I mean, let’s face it.

The power system is terrible… Which resulted in only the Hell Difficulty characters mattering in the fights with monstrosities. Other difficulties were basically decoration in contrast.

On that note, Hell Difficulty characters were all completely overpowered. Each had abilities powerful enough to make the protagonist of a Wuxia novel jealous.

The story didn’t even have that great a premise.

I mean, the universe is threatened with destruction? You cannot really get more generic than that.

Nobody cares about the universe.

People only about the characters inside that universe… and since the universe contains literally all the characters, there literally no way the universe could actually be destroyed by the author…

Well… unless they did it to end the book, but… that would be really unsatisfying.

Heck, although I poured my heart and soul into Rin… But, she was a loner. One that rarely interacted with the other characters.

How could readers possibly empathize with someone like that?

When I self-published the story, it wasn’t even slightly popular… So, why and how did I suddenly arrive inside here?

It possible that my writing was merely inspired by something that was going to happen somewhere in the omniverse… and something changed that caused me to be pulled into this universe.

… but, I can’t accept that explanation.

Despite my novel being unremarkable, writing it still took years of planning.

I had to scouring over drafts, editing, rewriting, scrapping, abandoning chapters, and before publishing it.

I cannot accept that I did all of that to simply record something that was already happening elsewhere in the omniverse.

I wrote to create a unique universe that didn’t exist.

It might not have been a great novel, but… it was something I created.

Well, now I’m feeling all depressed. This is why I didn’t want to think about it to begin with.

Slowly getting out of my sleeping bag, I sat beside Rin’s sleeping bag and began slowly stroked her head.

Observing the various stars in the sky whilst I absentmindedly playing with Rin’s hair and stroking Rin’s head.

Honestly, while writing, I always imagined being able to do this.

Simply sitting down next to Rin and playing with her hair. Even chat with her.

It’s like a dream. I never actually thought I’d be able to do it.

Normally speaking, I’d consider myself quite a shy person.

I think the idea of actually meeting Rin through made me change. I’ve become more outgoing since meeting her.

I wanted to tell her everything about me.

It didn’t even matter whether she cared. I simply wanted to talk to her.

Talk to the character I’d devoted years of my life to creating.

It’s amazing to see her in person. To see this planet in person.

Sure, this planet is basically Hell… But, that doesn’t lessen the wonder and amazement of it.

Meeting Rin, Stanley, Tracy, even Hansoo it’s feels like a dream.

A very painful dream, at times… but, a dream all the same.

I know it isn’t a dream, though.

It can’t be. It’s too painful, too realistic, too unpredictable.

I felt Rin stirring and stopped stroking her head… Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Slowly standing back up, I didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Climbing one of the trees until I reached a decently sized branch, I decided to simply continue staring up at the stars.

Without light pollution, the night sky is quite beautiful. Nearly every star is visible.

In a few days, I’ll be leaving this planet.

I might never come back.

I hope I do, though.

I hope I can save this universe and come back here to look back at these stars. To simply be able to relax and look at them.

I might not be able to. I might have already messed with the timeline enough that it’s become impossible to save this universe.

But, at this moment, I hope I can.