Chapter 5: Completely Clear This Hopeless Cycle
Rast sat back down in his seat, returning to his previous expression.
As if the distorted, hideous corpse nearby that could not find rest did not exist at all.
He shrugged his shoulders: “Of course I know that I am a living human being, no need for Miss Hiltina to emphasize it again.”
Hiltina, a name Rast had heard from the Masked Woman.
The serious expression on Hiltina’s delicate face showed no signs of lightening due to Rast’s teasing.
Even after confirming that Rast was not a projection but a human, the mysteries surrounding him had not diminished; instead, they had increased.
The Night World was exceptionally dangerous.
Even with credentials and favored by the Lord of Silence, Night Travelers could only stay in it for a very short time each time.
Yet Rast, who knew nothing about the Night World and credentials, had managed to survive for so long in the Night World in a human body. This was clearly not something that could be explained by simply wandering into the Night World.
Moreover, he had also used abilities resembling the Tower Sequence.
According to Hiltina, this Sequence had long since been lost in the present world, with only fragmentary records surviving in various historical documents.
“When a person possesses a long, almost endless time, they will naturally think of doing some whimsical things, like developing superpowers.”
“Although there are no flashy magic or peak combat energy in Deep Blue Harbor… I actually managed to create some things.”
Rast looked at the silver-white pistol in his hand.
“That thing from earlier, as you put it, would be the so-called Sequence Long Scale.”
“Using that kind of ability is not easy for me; at the very beginning, it could only be triggered with a very slim chance when I was truly on the brink of d*ath.”
“Later, through many improvements and practice, I could actively activate it through self-hypnosis.”
Rast’s earlier action of pointing the g*n at his temple and pulling the trigger was not for show.
Rather, it was because this action was a mental suggestion set by Rast for himself.
At the moment the trigger was pulled, the self named Rast in his subconscious was indeed killed once.
Hiltina remained silent.
Though she had also stepped into the Sequence Long Scale, it was after relying on complete extraordinary knowledge, gained through long-term study and training.
To research and establish a brand new Sequence purely from scratch without relying on any knowledge inheritance… This was simply unheard of.
Hiltina had speculated whether Rast, like that dancer of the Shadow Sequence, had used some special means to track her into the Night World, and that so-called time loop was merely a trick to deceive her.
But Hiltina subconsciously denied this speculation.
The other person appeared too familiar with this world, unlike her and that dancer, who were out-of-place outsiders.
Rather, it was as if he had genuinely lived in this small port town for a long time.
…
“Compared to all this.”
“If my guess is correct, at the same time you entered Deep Blue Harbor, you should have also received some demand or a forced task from the Night World, right?”
“After all, the entity that created the Night World, whether it be the Lord of Silence or not, must have some purpose.”
Hiltina nodded slightly.
“That’s right.”
“The task I accepted from the Night World this time is to survive in Deep Blue Harbor until 7 PM on October 9th.”
Hiltina looked up at the clock on the wall; it was 1 AM on October 9th.
“Compared to other Night World echoes I’ve experienced, this task requirement is extremely simple.”
“That indicates that, aside from the mutual slaughter among Night Travelers, there must also be some kind of danger or disaster lurking here…”
“Surviving in Deep Blue Harbor until 7 PM tonight is no easy task.”
She had chosen to enter this hotel to gather intelligence precisely to investigate the potential dangers.
But unexpectedly, the clientele of this hotel was somewhat different.
Rast glanced at Hiltina; “Is there no detailed record of Deep Blue Harbor’s history in your world?”
“No.”
Hiltina shook her head.
“The historical records of the present world show a gap known as the ‘Pale Era’ that exists a thousand years back.”
“Before the ‘Pale Era,’ history concerning past civilizations and eras seems to be shrouded in a layer of fog, making it impossible to trace.”
“All understanding of the pre-gap history in the present world comes from the exploration of the Night World.”
“I only know that Deep Blue Harbor was annihilated by a secret Divine Descent.”
“And a few weeks after the collapse of Deep Blue Harbor, a plague called the ‘Iron Cross’ swept across half the continent from its origin.”
“As for the specific details of that Divine Descent and the subsequent plague, no records exist in the information that have circulated from the Night World.”
She looked at Rast, her heart filled with vague speculation: “What you mean is…”
“It seems that the Night World is not very friendly to you so-called worshippers of the Lord of Silence.”
Rast shook his head.
“Unfortunately, the Divine Descent you mentioned happened at dusk on October 9th.”
“That is at 6:30 PM, which is still seventeen hours from now.”
“That has been my past, the endpoint of every repeated cycle of today.”
“In other words—”
“If you want to survive in Deep Blue Harbor until 7 PM tonight, you will have to face a fully revived Ancient Evil God.”
Hiltina’s hazel eyes constricted slightly.
The Night World recorded different historical periods, a multitude of echoes from various epochs, spanning a vast timeline.
In different Night World echoes, the forms of civilizations, cultures, and thriving extraordinary systems varied.
However, regardless of the era, historical epoch, or language—
The meaning represented by the term Deity was the same.
Hiltina did not believe that before a revived Ancient Evil God, her fate would differ in any way from those projection natives of Deep Blue Harbor that were obliterated by the aftermath of the Divine Descent.
She had also not expected that within this ancient entrance to the Night World discovered from some ancient ruins, which had been sealed for so long…
There lurked such a perilous, life-or-d*ath risk, no, a risk of certain doom.
“It seems we have a common goal, which also lays the foundation for cooperation.”
“The credential you mentioned, which allows the holder to become a Night Traveler and enter the Night World freely, should also be with that dead woman from earlier.”
“Then let’s make a deal.”
Rast stood up again, looking at Hiltina in front of him.
“I will help you complete the task from the Night World and let you live until 7 PM tonight.”
“And in exchange.”
He paused slightly, speaking word by word.
“I need you to assist me.”
“To completely clear this endless, hopeless Deep Blue Harbor…”
“Once and for all.”
(End of Chapter)
