Dark Fantasy Normalized – Chapter 78

Something suddenly floated into my peripheral vision.

It was something that couldn’t really be explained by any concepts or phenomena of this world.

The master magicians of the Mage Tower would probably not be much different either.

If I were to ask Sir Meltas or Miss Didoa about this, the only response I’d get would be a quizzical tilt of the head.

In that regard, memories from my past life are a tremendous help.

They provide a way of thinking, perspectives, and experiences that people here could never possess.

I recognized its identity at a glance.

“A spear…?”

It was something that resembled a semi-transparent board affixed to the air.

Surely, it was a spear one would expect to see in a game.

In that moment, a flurry of thoughts rushed into my mind.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been a shock that could easily leave me in deep contemplation for days or even weeks.

This is what a spear is—a sudden arrival in life.

But—should I be glad?

Because the content that the spear implied was so significant that I could neatly forget all those thoughts.

[43:05:21:54:55]

To be honest.

Me? I’m terrible with numbers.

As a child, I almost got lost in the multiplication table, and ever since the formulas started adding convoluted languages to the mix, I had to rely on innate talent to learn them.

When viewed through the lens of my sad mathematical knowledge, it was a jumbled array of numbers showing no rules or formulas at all.

Under normal circumstances, I would never uncover the meaning contained within them in my entire life.

However—

[43:05:21:54:52]

“Whoa…”

The numbers began to change.

[43:05:21:54:47]

No.

[43:05:21:54:43]

They started to flow.

Following an honest and simple rule.

Even I, the number fool, could recognize it at a glance.

The changing array of numbers represented time.

Remaining time.

In other words, that spear was a kind of timer indicating the remaining time.

“Seconds… Minutes… Hours… Days… And… Weeks?”

According to the timer, there were about 43 weeks left until time ran out.

And—

…That was it.

The spear merely indicated the remaining time; it didn’t tell me what would happen when all that time was consumed.

That was enough to drive a person insane.

Humans are creatures that read anxiety within their limited time.

That anxiety led me to one possibility.

The most symbolic concept that limited time could represent.

“…No way.”

I desperately tried to deny that possibility, but no other possibilities sprang to mind.

Too many things had been building up recently.

A sudden manifestation of abilities.

Rapid growth.

The fatigue and pressure that accumulated because of it.

The otherworldly feeling I experienced when I overloaded.

“…This can’t be my remaining lifespan, can it?”

Right.

That makes no sense.

A spear suddenly appearing to tell me my remaining lifespan.

And that it would be less than a year.

I shook my head in disbelief, feeling as if I were trapped in a circus of happy circuits.

The happy circuits were powerful enough to send people to their doom with baseless optimism.

Just one more push, right?

Nope.

There’s no way life could go downhill, right?

Going downhill.

There’s no way I could die, right?

Death.

This time, I have great expectations of that power.

Please, save me from the horrific possibility of a short life.

So, at that moment when I was shaking off my anxiety with all sorts of random thoughts.

*

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Select a target to distribute experience points.

[Yourself] , [Faction]

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If you do not choose within the time limit, the distribution target will be selected automatically.

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…

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Experience points will be distributed automatically.

Target: Yourself

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[Your Level Has Increased]

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■Ricir

Level: 39 > 41

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[You have reached a specific level (6 ranks)]

[Benefits will be granted accordingly]

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…

…

…

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Experience points remain to be distributed.

Select a target to distribute experience points.

[Yourself] , [Faction]

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If you do not choose within the time limit, the distribution target will be selected automatically.

*

“…!”

What the hell.

It decides to show up now?

And it’s even big.

Comparable to the time of Gerhen.

It might even exceed that.

“Ugh…!”

I felt a lukewarm liquid oozing from every hole in my face.

It must be blood. My current state is a race against the clock.

But what the hell am I thinking?

In the middle of all this, the first thing I did was check the spear.

[00:00:39:02:12:54:23]

There was no need to painstakingly compare how much time had elapsed since before.

The biggest digit had outright vanished.

“Ah, damn it.”

A severe headache swept over me.

Without a doubt, this wasn’t due to overload.

It was the state of my body, all messed up from the overload.

And, as if responding to that, the timer’s time decreased.

With that, it became clear.

That spear was linked to my lifespan.

In other words.

My remaining lifespan was less than a year.

The reality of this brief time swept my mind like a flood.

It was as if an overwhelming sense of powerlessness dominated my body, like I was sinking into a swamp.

“…Cough!”

But still, I have to do something.

It’s better to live at least another year than to die right now.

I gathered the mana swirling inside me into a blue breath.

“Cough-…! Huu… Ugh…! Huu…”

Doing this wasn’t something that got easier with experience.

I thought it might be less frantic than Gerhen but actually doing it was tougher than back then.

At that time, I struggled due to my lack of experience dealing with overload, while now the sheer rise in overload (the spike in magical power) was incredibly difficult to handle.

Suddenly, I felt a burning sense of injustice.

What the hell is this sudden boost?

The only significant thing I’ve done recently was normalize a desert trash demon.

And that’s what caused such a spike in my magic power?

It didn’t make sense.

Under normal circumstances, I would have thought, “Hey, my magic power increased, so that’s good!”—but knowing this process drained my remaining lifespan, what was left was pure indignation.

“Ugh…! Ugh…! Ugh…!”

How long had it passed?

The gathering of mana concluded.

What remained was a body soaked in blood and sweat, and the scenery outside my window that had already turned to dusk.

I had planned to finish preparing my move today and pay my respects to the Mage Tower folks, but all of that had gone awry.

And most importantly—

A day of my already dwindling life had been wasted meaninglessly.

“Damn…”

With a sigh that escaped my lips, I lost consciousness.

*

“Chuinni! Are you okay!? Don’t die! I would be so sad!”

“…!”

I snapped awake to the chirping sound and first checked out the window.

It was a clear morning with not a single cloud.

However, gazing at that sky, the inside of me grew darker with each passing moment.

“I had a wonderful, wonderful sleep… I just wasted a whole day…”

Is this truly the response of someone who has experienced explosive growth and greeted the morning after a restful night?

I felt a wave of misery wash over me.

Now, I would likely respond like this in any joyful situation.

The end of my life, filled with positivity and optimism, concluding in sheer cynicism.

I began to understand why old folks had such quirky personalities.

“Chuinni! Are you okay!? Are you hurt? You look like you’re bleeding and in pain!”

At that time, the chirp came from at my feet.

A little girl, seemingly made of translucent sand, looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

A Verbandes.

I patted her on the head.

“Don’t worry. I’m just a bit troubled because my remaining lifespan is less than a year.”

“Really!? That’s a relief! It’s nothing serious! Chuinni can’t be hurt! It’s hard when you’re hurt!”

“That’s quite philosophical.”

Just as I had realized why old folks had quirky personalities, I began to understand why they were so soft-hearted towards little kids.

Watching the little girl chirping away, blissfully unaware of the world’s worries, my cynical self began to feel different.

“…Right.”

I straightened my resolve.

So I don’t have much time left?

Then all the more, I need to steer clear of pessimism and embrace optimism.

There wouldn’t even be a chance to regret later.

“…”

In that instant, I felt a fullness surging within me.

Is this what enlightenment feels like?

Now I understand.

What’s important for a human isn’t to live long.

It’s about how you live.

That was the true meaning.

I looked to see my remaining lifespan, holding onto everything else while letting go of all the burdens.

To plan how to spend my remaining life in the most valuable way.

[51:01:55:42:15]

“?”

Huh?

Why is my lifespan back?

And it even increased compared to when I first saw it?

“…Good?”

I felt my lips twitching into a grin.

Right.

How I live doesn’t matter.

In the end, humans, living longer is the biggest benefit.

The saying “It’s better to roll in the mud of this life” didn’t arise for no reason.

I was filled with enthusiasm.

Planning for “how to spend my remaining life meaningfully” couldn’t compare to the pleasant delight of “how to extend my remaining life.”

I sat at my desk, reviewing my memories.

I began recording notable aspects of the process.

*

[Title: What the hell is this timer?]

Content: I pushed Kerrin and suddenly the timer pops up.

Please don’t tell me this is like I’m wearing a bomb collar around my neck?

-: Nope

-[Poster]: Phew

-: The world is doomed because of a bomb collar

-[Poster]: ?

-: When time runs out, it’s the world’s end

-[Poster]: Why suddenly, what the hell?

-[Poster]: Why is the countdown to the world’s end starting because I pushed the fate quest?

-: It’s not that the countdown starts due to fate, but the setting that you’ve gotten closer to your fate, and so you can feel it now~

-[Poster]: I’ve got only 30 weeks left, is there no way to extend it?

-: If there was, this game would have a happy ending, right? Haha

-: Either you can’t clear the final area within the time limit and face a terrible ending VS you clear the final area within the time limit and at least face a less terrible ending

-[Poster]: Damn it

*

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Experience points will be distributed automatically.

Target: Yourself

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*

I had a breakthrough.

I discovered what could be considered the most crucial ‘mechanism for extending lifespan’ in planning how to extend my remaining life.

I have no clue what this is about, but thanks to another unexpected spike in mana, it found me at just the right time.

One more overload.

One more surge in magical power.

[53:01:55:42:15]

And yet again, an extension of lifespan.

Thus, it was revealed that my remaining lifespan was tied to my magical power.

Unstable mana causing overload shortens lifespan, but purified mana that becomes part of the body actually extends lifespan.

What a straightforward mechanism it was.

And also a desperate one.

Just yesterday.

When I was still at the 5th rank, I had 43 weeks left in my lifespan.

Now, having reached the threshold of the 6th rank thanks to repeated mana surges, my lifespan stood at 53 weeks.

The infamous wall of the 6th rank is a barrier many devote their lives to unable to cross.

And now, having crossed that barrier, the mere extension of life by 10 weeks felt absurdly inefficient.

…But.

As people often mention, my physique is somewhat abnormal.

Magic power increases when I normalize evil energies or villains.

And also, for reasons unknown, intermittent surges of magical power occur.

I am the human who almost died several times due to a surplus of magic power.

So, perhaps it’s possible.

‘Living until I can doodle on the wall…!’

Remaining lifespan—now only 53 weeks.

About a year.

I still have a long road ahead.

I’m the kind of messy human who wouldn’t be satisfied until I see a grandchild, let alone a great-grandchild on my deathbed.

If possible, I want to try for longevity through the power of mana.

So—I needed to get moving.

I immediately stood up from my seat.

‘Normalization… Normalize them for me…’

I set out to seek targets for normalization.

*

Humans, it’s said, cannot appreciate the things they take for granted.

I began to understand what that meant.

‘Where are you, my evil sorcerers…?’

Targets for normalization.

Evil villains.

Until now, they had smoothly rolled in to be normalized and dumped their magical power, so it always felt like a mere inconvenience.

I thought that if I just intended, I could achieve my dreams of extending my life easily, but perhaps that was my arrogance.

In the past few days, I’d been busily wandering around Bondales, searching for those “alien energies.”

But I had achieved nothing.

Thinking back, it’s a given.

If there were evil sorcerers scattered throughout the city, this world would have long since faced extinction.

This world was peaceful.

Desperately so.

“Sigh…”

Returning to my dwelling today without any success.

‘What day is it…’

Checking the calendar, I realized that in two days, I had promised to leave the Mage Tower.

This is troublesome.

Before going back to being a freelancer, I wanted to achieve some sort of results before that.

Now that I had to balance (my professional activities) with this endeavor, the future seemed pitch black.

‘…Come to think of it, this is infuriating.’

A surge of pent-up resentment welled inside me.

I glared at that spear.

In truth, I had desperately wanted that spear.

I used to have thoughts just like the protagonists of reincarnation stories, hoping to gain a status screen and prosperity.

But reality turned out to be devoid of such things.

I tried to shout out of hope, but unsurprisingly, nothing happened.

At that time, I resigned myself to never having a system or a status screen in my life and completely forgot about their existence.

But now, it suddenly appears to tell me my remaining lifespan and forces me to toil like a dog.

‘If you’re going to do that, at least provide some other functions.’

Pouting my lip in a joyless way, memories arose.

-Status screen…!?

When I first regained memories of my past life, that was the first thing I had shouted.

…Perhaps, in some language which constituted those past life memories.

“…”

Could it be?

No way.

A single thought suddenly sprang to mind.

I cautiously translated that thought into action.

“Status screen…?”

I pronounced that phrase in the language of this world.

“Ah.”

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■Ricir

Level: 41

Race: Human

Type: ???

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“Don’t mess with me.”

I had messed up the language settings.

Thus, amid the haze of consciousness—

“…Huh?”

Some information caught my eye.

“…What rank is a level 53?”

My party members seemed strange.