[You have defeated a Low-Rank Naga.]
[Strength increased.]
…
[System Window – Ark]
NAME: Noah Orthar
AGE: 20
PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE:
• Innocent (Divine)
PERSONAL SKILLS:
• Gáe Bulg
STIGMA:
• Innocent Shall Receive a Second Chance (488 à 487)
OVERALL STATS:
• Stamina: E (36)
• Strength: E (23 à 24)
• Dexterity: E (28)
• Vitality: F (10)
…
Noah gasped.
The fortress.
Again.
Paimon's mocking voice still echoed in the air—
"Get along."
He felt the familiar weight of Adam on his back.
Noah clenched his jaw, steadying his breathing as he carefully lowered Adam onto his cloak. He turned to Cedric. "Watch over him." His voice was firm, but inside, his mind was racing.
He was not going to let this play out the same way.
Not this time.
Noah moved, his steps swift and precise as he made his way toward the arena. Lining its edges, old weapons lay in neat rows—dust-covered, rusted by time.
His hand reached for a spear.
This time, he gripped it tighter. He ran his fingers across its worn shaft, tracing its imperfections, its battle scars. Then, without hesitation, he kissed the cold metal.
This time, we will be one. I won't let you go again.
If the spear had a mind, it would probably be blushing from the sheer intensity of Noah's emotions.
But there was no time to dwell on sentiment.
A shift in the air pulled his attention.
Kairos.
His face twisted from relief to pure, seething rage. His gaze was locked onto one person.
Sigurd.
Noah didn't need to hear their words to know what was about to happen.
Kairos had already set his sights on revenge.
And Sigurd?
He wasted no time.
The duel was inevitable.
But Noah had no intention of being caught in the same loop again.
Gripping his spear, he turned, striding toward the battlement. He had to confirm something.
And just as he expected—
The crow is still there.
Watching him.
Waiting.
Noah narrowed his eyes. Again
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the spear at the creature.
The crow dodged.
Of course it did.
Noah didn't hesitate. As the spear curved midair, snapping back into his grip, he spun on his heel and sprinted toward the arena.
The fight was about to begin.
"Not again," he muttered under his breath.
Noah stepped forward, raising his voice just enough to be heard over the rising tension.
"Alright, let's stop this before we waste our time. Maybe instead of trying to kill each other, we should focus on exploring. Maybe, just maybe, we should actually listen to Paimon and 'get along.'"
His voice was calm, polite even, as if trying to reason with two raging beasts.
Not that he expected them to listen.
"I'm not saying you guys have to forget your grudges," he continued. "I get it. Hatred doesn't just disappear overnight. And honestly, dealing with it head-on is a solid method of healing. But maybe—just maybe—we try something revolutionary this time?"
He flashed them a half-hearted smile.
"How about we just talk?"
In his mind, he groaned.
Back in the day, we used to call this 'Talk no Jutsu.'
Predictably, no one gave a damn.
Kairos and Sigurd didn't even spare him a glance.
In perfect sync, they both dashed toward each other.
Sigh.
Noah stood there, arms crossed, watching as they clashed—again. The fight played out the same way as before, each move nearly identical. It was eerie, like watching a replay from a different angle.
A scripted battle.
A sense of déjà vu crept in, but something was different. This time, he wasn't just an observer.
He took a deep breath, shifting his grip on his spear.
No more standing around.
Just as Kairos and Sigurd lunged at each other once more, their weapons poised to clash—
Noah moved.
Fast.
The shaft of his spear struck the ground, and in a fluid motion, he swung it between them, throwing himself into the middle of their fight.
Clang!
The impact sent a sharp vibration up his arms, but his footing remained firm.
Kairos and Sigurd, caught off guard, veered off course. The force of the deflection threw them off balance, their bodies twisting midair before they stumbled across the arena floor.
Silence.
Dust settled.
For the first time since they had entered this fortress, Noah had everyone's attention.
He exhaled slowly, lowering his spear.
"Alright," he muttered, "now that I finally have your attention—"
Noah took a deep breath and shouted.
"PAIMON! Get out here!"
Silence.
Again, louder this time.
"Paimon, I know you're listening! Stop wasting time and show yourself!"
Nothing.
A few of the climbers exchanged glances, whispering among themselves.
"…Is he losing it?"
"Maybe the stress finally got to him."
Noah ignored them, crossing his arms. His patience was thin, but he needed to play this carefully.
Fine. If yelling didn't work—he'd try something else.
The moment Paimon finally did appear, floating lazily above them, Noah did a complete 180.
His entire demeanor changed.
His posture relaxed, his expression smoothed over, and he spoke in a voice laced with nothing but respect.
"Oh, great and wise Paimon," Noah said, bowing slightly. "I humbly ask for your guidance."
The climbers nearly stumbled from how fast he switched from rage to reverence.
Wasn't he just cursing at him a second ago?
Paimon narrowed his glowing eyes. "Hoh? Now this is new. Weren't you just screaming insults at me?"
Noah didn't even blink.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.
"…Fine. What do you want?"
"I just wanted to clarify something," Noah said, keeping his tone polite but his words sharp. "The information you provided about the trial was… lacking. Incomplete, even. And if I dare say, calling it 'information' at all would be a generous stretch."
The self-proclaimed Master of Knowledge smirked nervousely being called incomplete.
He could tell what Noah was trying to do.
But instead of getting angry, Paimon simply grinned.
"You're good," Paimon admitted. "Very good."
Then, lazily stretching his arms, he chuckled.
"Fine. Since you asked so nicely, I'll explain."
His voice carried across the fortress as all the climbers listened.
"This stage is a siege defense trial." His eyes gleamed with amusement. "Your job? Defend yourselves from the Naga army. They'll be coming in waves, and each wave will be stronger than the last."
Murmurs spread through the climbers.
Paimon continued, stretching theatrically.
"But don't worry! If you die in this trial, you won't actually die. Instead, you'll be expelled to the Neutral Floor—"
Then, for just a second—
—The world stopped.
The air grew heavy. The colors around them dulled to gray. The voices of the other climbers vanished as if the world had been muted.
And in that silence—
Paimon's lips curled into something unnatural.
His voice, distorted and too low, slipped through reality itself:
"That excludes you."
"For Orthars, death is absolute."
A single blink—
And time resumed.
The colors returned, the air lightened, and Paimon was back to his usual self, floating smugly as if nothing had happened.
"I wish you all the best of luck!" he sang.
Noah stood frozen. His mind raced.
Did… Did no one else notice that?
Before he could process it, Paimon suddenly called out—
"Oh, and Noah."
Noah snapped to attention.
Paimon's usual smirk was gone. Instead, his glowing eyes sharpened as his voice dropped into something colder.
"Never do that again."
His presence pressed against Noah like a vice.
"Next time, I will use my authority as an Administrator."
A tense silence followed.
Then—Noah exhaled.
Right. Paimon was bluffing.
Solomon's Seal prevented administrators from harming humans.
Then he let out a dry chuckle, turning away.
"Sure, sure. I'll behave."
Noah barely had a second to process his thoughts when—
YANK!
Both Sigurd and Kairos grabbed him by the collar at the same time, their combined strength nearly lifting him off the ground.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Kairos roared.
"STAY OUT OF IT!" Sigurd barked right after, their voices overlapping into one chaotic mess.
Noah, still dangling in their grip, sighed deeply. This again.
Without missing a beat, he threw his spear to the ground and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.
Then, leaning in ever so slightly, he whispered—
"Aren't we getting along well?"
The two froze.
Noah grinned, squeezing their shoulders like they were old friends.
"You're both sharing the same enemy now… or well, the same target, since I'm not really your enemy."
A moment of silence.
Then—
"LIKE HELL I'M ANYTHING LIKE HIM!" Kairos snapped.
"TCH, DON'T GROUP ME WITH THIS MURDERER!" Sigurd spat.
Oh? Noah raised a brow.
They immediately turned on each other again, pointing fingers and listing every possible flaw.
"He killed people on the 2nd floor!" Sigurd accused.
"Oh? And you didn't?! You brutally killed four climbers" Kairos fired back.
Noah simply let out a calm, steady breath.
Then, ever so gently, he patted both their shoulders.
"Me too, me too."
It was almost casual, like he was talking about the weather.
Like they were two raging volcanoes—and he was the ocean.
Noah, completely unfazed, tilted his head and smiled.
"Let's get along."
Silence.
Then, with a slightly lower, almost voice, he added—
"Or… do you want a Naga to stab you in the gut before sending you to the neutral floors?"
Their grips loosened.
Their expressions stiffened.
Noah leaned in just a little closer, voice light but dripping with meaning.
"Trust me, it's not fun."
…
[You died.]
[Innocent shall receive a second chance.]