Even though my spine chilled with every passing second, I forced myself to keep my composure in check.
Panicking wouldn't help here.
"Zero... can you tell me who's behind me?"
[I can't, Mortal! I am attached to you, remember? I can only assess what you're seeing or feeling. Outside your worldview, I cannot sense or analyze anything!]
'So ChatZero operates like that?'
That was certainly something new for me to exploit against him in the future.
The thought was little more than a distraction, a desperate attempt to keep my mind occupied while the unbound fear gnawed at me from within.
The voice I had heard definitely didn't belong to any of my companions.
Of that much, I was certain.
I had specifically instructed Aldric not to follow me, while Kaira was still asleep. As for my beasts, none of them would ever sneak up on me like this.
Which left only one obvious conclusion.
It was someone else.
Or perhaps something far beyond my imagination.
The entire thought process lasted only a few seconds as I desperately searched for an escape plan.
Before that, however, I needed to know exactly what I was dealing with.
"Gravity Field..."
The words left my lips in a soft mutter.
A second later, my vision blurred briefly before stabilizing.
The path itself couldn't have exceeded a ten-meter radius. Taking advantage of that, I directed the entirety of my Gravity Field behind me.
I deliberately refrained from increasing or decreasing the atmospheric pressure.
What if the entity behind me noticed the scheme?
That was my greatest concern.
Once the field was established, I immediately followed up.
"Gravity Sense."
The moment the words escaped my mouth, awareness spread throughout the area covered by my Gravity Field.
Every minute fluctuation.
Every subtle shift.
Every detail within the perimeter.
Everything should have become visible to me.
[Stamina: 100%... 95%... 90%... 82%]
My stamina drained like water poured onto scorching sand.
Using Gravity Field and Gravity Sense simultaneously was proving to be far more taxing than I had anticipated.
[82%... 76%... 70%... 65%]
"Do not strain yourself over something so futile. Abandon whatever scheme you're trying to pull."
I heard the warning with one ear and let it leave through the other.
What?
This thing expected me to surrender without resistance?
Keep dreaming.
Ignoring the voice entirely, I pushed my Gravity Sense to its limit and expanded it across every corner of the field.
Yet...
I sensed nothing.
No disturbance in gravity.
No movement in the air.
No displacement of mass.
Not even the faintest resistance generated by a living being's natural interaction with the world.
Nothing.
It was as though there had never been a presence behind me to begin with.
As though my Gravity Sense had betrayed me at the worst possible moment.
"Are you satisfied now? Knowing that you're so insignificant you cannot even perceive anything from me?"
The words struck harder than I expected.
I won't deny it.
I knew there were beings in this world far stronger and more mysterious than anything I could currently comprehend.
Even so, I had always believed that with enough preparation, knowledge, and clever use of my abilities, I could navigate any situation thrown my way.
I believed I could handle anything.
Not because of arrogance.
Because I trusted myself.
Yet at this moment, I was completely at the mercy of the being behind me.
I had tried turning around.
My body refused.
No matter how much I willed it, not a single muscle obeyed.
Fuck.
I should have known.
Anything capable of shaking someone like Aldric—an Elite Five-Star who remained composed under nearly every circumstance—would never be ordinary.
Another mistake.
Another lesson.
[Stamina: 50%... 45%... 39%...]
"Stubborn little thing... So you refuse to surrender your life without a fight? Is that what you're trying to convey? How courageous. I am almost impressed."
The voice continued.
Only now did I realize something.
The astonishing voice had shifted.
It now carried the unmistakable tone of a woman.
A soothing voice.
A beautiful voice.
A dangerous voice.
It was calm enough to lull one's thoughts to sleep.
Gentle enough to make resistance seem meaningless.
For a fleeting moment, I almost forgot myself.
Almost.
I should simply stop resisting.
I should surrender.
I should—
"The hour is upon me," the alluring voice whispered. "Perform ignorance. Ignorance is truly bliss."
Every word echoed directly within my mind.
"Do not try to act tough. Abandon the foolish notion of living as someone brave. Abandon those naive ideologies that demand sacrifice without guarantee."
The voice paused briefly.
"Remember this. The people of the world call those who cling to their ideals Heroes. They call them Brave."
A faint trace of ridicule slipped into her tone.
"Empty words. Empty praise."
The surrounding air grew strangely quiet.
"After all, those praised as heroes are often the first to disappear from the face of the world, leaving behind nothing but their broken ideals."
Another pause.
Then her voice softened.
"Do you know who truly prevails at the end of time?"
"Survivors."
The single word carried immense weight.
"They are the ones who exceed expectations."
"They are the ones who endure."
"They are the ones who remain."
The voice lingered within my ears.
"Remain ignorant and practice caution. Do not chase foolish ideals without first securing a path of retreat and retaliation."
The pressure around me intensified.
"If you do so, the world may call you a coward."
"The world may despise you."
"The world may condemn you."
Her voice gradually faded.
"But when everything comes to an end..."
"You will still be there."
"A Survivor."
The final word echoed through the corridor before slowly disappearing.
Then silence returned.
My body relaxed slightly.
[Stamina: 20%]
I immediately dismissed both Gravity Field and Gravity Sense.
The drain was becoming unbearable.
More importantly, my thoughts were occupied by something else entirely.
"Ignorance is bliss..."
The phrase repeated itself inside my head.
The entity had emphasized it with deliberate intent.
Almost as though it desperately wanted me to avoid digging deeper into the statue and portraits.
The voice had appeared the very moment I was about to touch the statue itself.
Was it trying to stop me?
Maybe.
But I didn't believe that was the whole story.
Every action carries multiple intentions.
Every warning hides a purpose.
And in a world governed by Instant Cards...
Goodwill was practically nonexistent.
For reasons I couldn't properly explain, a strange certainty settled within my heart.
Someday.
Somewhere.
I would meet the owner of that voice again.
And when that day arrived...
I needed to be stronger.
Strong enough that I would never again stand frozen in place.
Strong enough that I would never again be rendered helpless by another existence.
Strong enough that I would never again suffer such humiliation.