Chapter 12: A Walking Source of Danger
1085words
I became a walking, extremely toxic source of pollution. A mobile, death-spreading natural disaster.
My consciousness was being rapidly extracted, and the power in my body was draining away as quickly as a punctured balloon. I could clearly see that the mark on my brow—the one symbolizing my status as an instructor at the Royal Magic Academy, which had once shimmered with a gentle silver light—was now being corroded by darkness at a visibly alarming rate. The silver light struggled desperately against the oppressive black mist, but ultimately extinguished completely, becoming dim and lightless, like cold, dead ashes.
【System Notice: You are deeply affected by the 'Severe Poison' status, HP continuously decreasing, all attributes reduced by 90%. Your physical defense and magic resistance have dropped to zero. Estimated survival time remaining: 10 minutes.】
"Ten minutes..." I looked at the teary-eyed little Frederick in front of me, thinking self-mockingly, "Five minutes less than before. It seems my 'contamination' ability is even more powerful than what the system estimated. I hope my luck is better this time, with no more unexpected twists, and I can get a one-way ticket straight back to that modern world with WiFi, takeout, and soda. The first thing I'll do when I get back is order a double cheese Hawaiian pizza with a whole roasted chicken..."
That small face just inches away from me, filled with shock and panic. Frey-Derek's eyes were bloodshot, with large teardrops falling like unstrung pearls from his sapphire-like eyes, rolling down his dust-covered cheeks, leaving clear tear tracks. Yet he bit his lip firmly, stubbornly not making the slightest sound, only staring at me intently with a look of pain and despair that I had never seen before, as if trying to engrave my image into his soul.
His little hands were trembling, as if trying to use his insignificant body heat to hold onto my rapidly fading life.
My expression was somewhat complicated. To be honest, although this kid was so mischievous that he could give someone a heart attack, after spending so much time together, it would be a lie to say there were no feelings at all. He was like a fierce yet clingy little kitten, always scratching your heart with his soft paws when you least expect it.
I wanted to reach out, like usual, to pat his head or pinch his exceptionally soft cheeks, to tell him not to cry, that this was just part of the game's storyline, that I was just "logging off to go home."
However, when I tried to lift my arm, I was horrified to discover that my body no longer obeyed me at all. My limbs had become as heavy as if they were filled with lead. Except for my eyeballs, which could still move with difficulty, I could hardly make any movements. I could only watch helplessly as those ominous black fumes billowed more violently from my body.
"I'm now filled with poison, basically a living biochemical weapon. I'd better not harm anyone else." I weakly gave up my final farewell gesture, but the panic in my heart continued to grow. This was completely different from what I had imagined "game character death" would be like! Something wasn't right—this was too bizarre, almost like a game had custom-designed an enhanced version of a death ceremony just for me!
My consciousness began to blur, and everything in my vision turned into shaking, mottled patches of color. The distant farmlands, the villages at the foot of the mountain, and the wisps of cooking smoke rising in the evening all merged in my eyes into a chaotic impressionist painting being devoured by darkness.
At this moment, a shrill scream filled with pain and fear faintly came from the direction of the village below, carried by the wind. That sound was mixed with men's angry roars, women's crying, children's screams, and the miserable wails of cattle and sheep before their deaths.
[System Notification: The nearby area 'Tranquil Valley' has been severely contaminated by your 'Toxic Aura'. All unprotected creatures in the area will continuously suffer high poison damage and rapid health decline. The area is estimated to become a dead zone within ten minutes.]
That line of cold system prompt, like ice from the nine hells, instantly froze me out of my beautiful dream of "going home."
My heart, at that moment, was violently seized by an enormous emotion called "guilt" and "fear" and "absurdity."
For the sake of "going home," to complete this damned "plot death," I personally directed this death scene. But my death was exploited by the game system. It used this death to distort and modify the power, and is now bringing an unwarranted disaster to this real world. Those villagers, they aren't infinitely respawning, faceless NPCs from a game! They are real people with flesh and blood who cry and laugh! They have their own families, their own lives, they've done nothing wrong, yet because of my selfishness, they are about to lose everything!
This realization branded my soul like a red-hot iron. I always thought I was just a passerby, a player, but only at this moment did I truly understand that I had long become a part of this world. Every choice I make brings real, irreversible consequences.
For a vague possibility of "going home," what stupid things have I done!
"No... don't..." I used the last bit of strength in my body to squeeze weak, desperate syllables from my throat. I wanted to stop the poisonous mist, I wanted to take it all back, but there was nothing I could do.
I could only feel my life force ebbing away, feel the tiny body in my arms trembling violently because of my "death." I could only listen to the gradually clearer wails in the distance, like sounds from hell.
Endless regret flooded over me like a tidal wave, completely submerging me. If time could flow backward, I would never make the same choice.
My consciousness finally sank into endless darkness amid Frederick's heart-wrenching, uncontainable cries.
