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Arc I Chapter 5

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"So, this is the status screen?" I murmured, a grin playing on my lips at the unexpected usefulness of my gamer side. It amused me to witness how my gaming instincts were proving beneficial in this peculiar situation.

Double-checking reality is a good habit, but ignoring hard evidence in front of you is unwise.

Amidst the bizarre occurrences in this fantasy-like reality, a peculiar thought crossed my mind, "Can a five-sided square even theoretically exist? What about a species of zebra with missiles on its shoulders?"

Despite the whimsical ideas that popped into my head, the pressing issue still loomed before me.

"How can I escape this place?"

The concern weighed heavily on me, urging me to find a way out as soon as possible. I cared little for the memories that had played moments ago, or admiring the body I now possessed, or even the three rectangles right in front of my face.

Because I could sense it – my time here was running out, and a feeling of existential dread began to sprout within the recesses of both my mind and body. It was as if my very being was put on the line for execution.

"What exactly is this fear?" With a single thought, I removed the hovering panels, and soon after, a small square with an eye icon on it emerged, accompanied by a small exclamation point, signaling its importance and urging me to click it.

With no alternative, I pressed my right index finger on it. As I did, the existential dread within me swelled exponentially, absorbing the message displayed on the panel.

I dropped to my knees, still staring at the last two rows that shook me to the core. My eyes couldn't leave those two rows. An unimaginable feeling beyond the prospect of death consumed me slowly. The remaining strength I had seemed to dissipate into the air, bidding me farewell, signaling that I had no chance, and...

...

Please no... Tears streamed down my cheeks continuously like a fountain.

Death might be a thing, hell or heaven, but ceasing to exist?! That's... terrifying and... unfair!

My whole body trembled, and even my inner being quivered. I had less and less time remaining!

By unraveling the answer? What was supposed to mean?!

You mean only one will be exempted?! Huh?! That's outrageous!

Quattuorvigintillion, basically one followed by 75 zeroes, and Nonvigintillion is one followed by 90 zeroes.

How can I maintain my sanity just looking at these ridiculous numbers?! The number of contenders I have is basically the same as the atoms in the entire observable universe?!

And only one will win? So outrageous! With that number, do you bet I can fight against God-like entities?!

The spark of hope I had from the beginning is now getting smaller to an infinitesimal size.

"..."

I stared into the candle, attempting to process the overwhelming flood of thoughts in my mind.

I have no chance. No...

It's do or cease to exist!

This is my final battle, for know how many lives I live... I should give it my all.

I stood up, determined, brushing off the distracting notifications that bothered me. Even though things seemed really tough, I kept a strong resolve in my eyes. A serious message kept reminding me of bad consequences.

I wondered, "Figuring out the answer? And if there's an answer, what's the question?" Getting away seemed too simple; the real key was understanding the clue.

I got stuck in my thoughts. What was the mysterious 'answer'? I thought about going back to memories of someone important. There was a lifeless body next to me, a quiet friend in this confusing journey.

I started thinking about 'Echoes.' What were they – a skill or something else? I suddenly realized that they were like a special power, a kind of magic. In this strange world, echoes were like skills or abilities, a natural talent in people. Shared memories provided information, but even without them, I felt like straying from the escape plan wasn't an option.

I thought about the unique challenges and how this world matched with what I knew about modern Earth. The game-like elements, the influence of the body I was in, and the strange library book hinted that this reality was made for me. Despite my initial inclination towards darkness, this body resisted, leading me away from doing bad things.

Thinking of the library book as a migraine showed how intense my thoughts were, like the time I spent reading a lot of light novels.

With a cautious optimism, I hoped my observations and deductions about the nature of the answer were correct. To validate my hypotheses, I initiated Plan A.