Chapter 20: [Hazard] - (22 Years Before the Original) Rapture Hunting, Core Extraction Labor, and......(End)

Campfire vibes have a certain way of tugging at the heartstrings.

And there, in front of that crackling fire.

"......"

"......"

Grave and I remained silent, simply staring blankly into the flames.

First and foremost, it was clear that I was in a very unfavorable position due to two specific factors.

First: Grave had found out that I lied to her.

Technically, I could have forced my way through this by stubbornly denying it or pretending to be clueless until the end.

But why would I tell the truth?

Think about it. She was a victim who had been betrayed by humans and had her skull cracked open for brain scans and endless experiments. Did I really want to lie to her again?

Getting caught had already guaranteed a drop in her trust; trying to dig a deeper hole would have been sheer madness.

To put it simply, if I kept clinging to a useless hope while watching my reputation crash, I’d end up staring into a bottomless abyss.

As the saying goes, it's better to take the beating first. So, I just admitted everything.

"......."

"....How long do you plan on staying like this?"

"....Until you ask me something?"

"Ha! Ridiculous."

Grave let out a dry laugh, clearly uncomfortable with the silence.

Even I had to admit it sounded pretty irresponsible.

However, rather than babbling out a series of excuse-laden explanations—

"I want to answer your questions honestly. If I just dump everything on you now, it'll only sound like I'm making excuses."

"So you're just going to keep your mouth shut?"

"Why? It's the truth, isn't it? You're extremely disappointed right now. Anything I say will only be taken negatively."

"......Haa....."

Grave let out a long, frustrated sigh.

Of course, I was losing my mind too.

She had already shared her own history and Cinderella's identity, yet here I was, maintaining a stubborn silence.

Grave glared at me with murderous eyes and spoke sharply, "You really are this clueless. I can overlook the Librelio situation, but I at least expected you to be the one to speak first."

"......No, I mean—it's not like I wanted to lose her..."

The second and final factor: I had let Librelio slip through my fingers.

Honestly, it was both unfair and infuriating. There were too many suspicious variables that had suddenly exploded in my face, leaving me speechless.

The Rapture Queen had been hiding and watching my fight with Librelio the whole time. Just as Librelio was on the verge of death, the Queen responded to a Calling Signal—

and successfully whisked the dying Librelio away.

I had used one of my strongest skills, [Ghost Gate Formation], to obliterate three Grave Diggers and a Rapture I suspected was Lord-class (Fingers).

I had even smashed Librelio's battered body to pieces.

But I couldn't stop that tiny, jellyfish-shaped Rapture from snatching Librelio's core and fleeing at high speed.

I was left staring at the roof like a dog that had chased a chicken only to find it gone.

"No, think about it! Usually, when Raptures use a Calling Signal, there's at least a few seconds of delay—"

"That's not the point. The point is that you lied and hid the fact that you'd lost your memory all this time."

"I'm sorry. I have no excuse."

Correction: she didn't care about Librelio. Her focus was entirely on the fact that I had lied.

As I lowered my head, I heard the distinct sound of Grave loading her weapon, the Writer's Eraser.

Clack!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Now hold on!"

"You survived attacks from a Tyrant Rapture and a Heretic. You should be able to block this level of firepower easily, shouldn't you?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Pain and weight are on completely different levels!"

"Don't worry. I know you won't die."

"You crazy bitch!"

Grave aimed the muzzle at me with a look that suggested she was genuinely prepared to shoot me dead.

Then, perhaps realizing the contradiction in her own behavior, she let out another deep sigh and sat back down.

"Haa..... Start from the beginning. Tell me everything. No more lies, just the truth."

".......Damn it.... If I tell you, you're absolutely not going to believe me."

".......Then who told you to hide it in the first place?"

Grave's interrogation was giving me a massive headache.

Did I really have to reveal my true identity? Did I have to tell her that this world was actually a 'game'?

Did I have to explain that my powers were actually 'game skills'?

I paused for a moment to organize my thoughts and quietly met Grave's gaze.

Anger was surging within those cold, icy blue eyes.

And yet, deep inside, I could glimpse a small shred of trust.

".....Despite having such power, you respected me and Cinderella, and you never pried into my secrets."

"Ahem. Well, that's just basic privacy."

"You made it easy to repair Cinderella, and you upgraded my body. I know I owe you a great debt, but trust is a different matter entirely."

"Mm."

"If you acted this way toward others, they would be disappointed—or in the worst case, they would become your enemy. Trust is hard to build, but it can collapse in a single instant."

Grave was being philosophical, hitting the very core of human relationships.

Her words struck me like a knife, forcing me into deep reflection.

Coming from a world of mutual exploitation and selfish materialism, her words cut deep.

With that, she closed her eyes, preparing to listen.

"Phew... alright."

Taking a deep breath, I decided not to cross the line or get too specific about the nature of 'this world.'

However, I decided to be completely honest about the world I came from and the source of my power.

"I... drifted here from another world. Basically, I'm from a parallel universe."

"I see. Die, 'human'!"

"Damn it! I knew this would happen!"

Boom!

The midnight interrogation—or rather, my 'confession'—devolved into a fistfight. It was a historic disaster.

=============

Grave thought Hook was just joking.

She thought he was just playing games and lying to her until the very end.

"Seriously! Just listen to me! This is exactly why I didn't want to say anything!"

Hook reacted defensively and irritably, kicking Grave's weapon away.

At that, Grave calmed down and glared at him.

"It was a world without Raptures or NIKKEs. A world where skyscrapers stood tall and human technology flourished—though compared to the tech here, it was primitive."

Hearing his lamenting tone, Grave finally decided to actually listen.

And so, the revelation of Hook's past and true identity continued.

"The surface wasn't conquered by Raptures; it belonged to humans. We launched satellites to develop the internet, and on the surface, people survived using medical and biotechnological advancements—though they were far behind what you have now."

".....Are you telling me there were really no NIKKEs or Raptures? That's a lie—"

"Dammit! Do you want me to flip this whole place over? I'm being dead serious, so stop ruining the mood!?"

"......."

She couldn't believe it.

No Raptures? No NIKKEs?

Such a world was beyond her comprehension.

"Of course you can't believe it. By the standards of this world, the place I lived in was basically a world of 'outdated technology.'"

"....."

"I don't know what the medical infrastructure in the Ark is like, but in my world, 'nanomachines' were considered unrealistic or 'technology of the distant future.' The civilization gap was that massive. Lifespans varied, and weapons were mostly gunpowder-based metal bullets. Railguns were only used by the most powerful nations, like the United States."

".....It's unbelievable."

"Then don't believe it! God... I'm losing my temper so much today. Anyway, the technology of NIKKEs and Raptures would be considered pure science fiction in my world."

"........"

Grave couldn't hide her bewilderment.

If Hook's words were true, then he—

"Then did you wake up in this era from the past?"

"Ah, I can see why you'd think that. Let me add one more thing: in my world, 'cold sleep' was also science fiction."

"What!?"

Grave was shocked once again.

It was only natural. To her, nanomachines, railguns, NIKKE brain technology, and cold sleep were established facts. To hear that they were all mere fantasies in his world was absurd.

The idea that technologies she could use so casually were considered 'fake science' was mind-boggling.

"That's just a surface-level explanation. When a human is frozen, cell damage occurs during thawing. Because we couldn't solve that, cold sleep was still just a research project. There might have been successes, but only with animals."

"......That actually explains it. If your technology was that far behind, it would make sense."

"Plus, nanomachine technology was struggling. Even if it existed, it would have been a tightly guarded state secret."

".....State secret?"

"Yeah. To elaborate, humanity wasn't gathered in one place like the Ark. People lived across continents in systems called 'nations,' divided by ethnicity."

".......I have some vague historical knowledge of that."

"Great. I can skip that part then."

Hook explained as best as he could, but Grave still struggled to fully believe him.

However, some of his descriptions aligned with the knowledge she had recovered from her time as a scientist.

The concept of 'nations' matched her historical data, and his explanations for the lack of advanced technology were logically consistent.

But—

"Then what exactly is that 'power' you use? Don't tell me that's a lie too—"

"If I tell you that, you'll actually kill me. Even if I'm honest, you'll have no choice but to kill me."

She was most curious about the impossible power that tore Raptures apart, and his refusal to explain it only deepened her suspicion.

When she pressed him, Hook grabbed the back of his neck, looking completely lost for words, and insisted she would kill him.

At this absurd reaction, Grave stopped trying to believe him and instead began to see Hook as a delusional patient.

"....Fine. Tell me."

"......"

"Are you not going to say it?"

"......Damn it..... You won't believe me anyway....."

"Just say it. At this point, nothing can surprise me or make me disbelieve anymore."

Coming from another world, possessing power that could shred Raptures—her common sense and knowledge were already being demolished.

If this continued and she actually suffered a thought conversion, she was prepared to kill Hook for real.

After a brief silence—

"This power I showed you... it's actually a 'skill' from a 'game.'"

"........Tch."

"Hyaaaaaah! I knew it! Look at that! You're treating me like a psycho!"

"Do you honestly think that's realistic? Even with my memory damage, how could you say something so insane—"

"Then is the fact that I smash Raptures to pieces realistic!? Just believe me already!"

"Shut up, you lunatic!"

The second fist-interrogation broke out.

=============

"*Sniff*."

"Stop sniffling so disgustingly. It makes me want to beat you for real."

"You crazy bitch! I told you everything, so why are you treating me like a mental patient!?"

By the time they finished brawling, the night had grown deep.

Hook had told Grave everything—except for the fact that this world was the game world of 'Goddess of Victory: NIKKE.'

He told her he was originally an ordinary human from another world.

He told her his powers were skills from a character in a game called 'Maple Story.'

He had confessed every single detail to Grave.

But—

"I may have memory damage, but you're an even bigger 'lunatic' than I am."

"Then how do you explain this power? If I lied... yeah, that's my fault... If I'd just come clean from the start, none of this would have happened."

"If you'd told me from the start, I would have fired a Seven Dwarfs right into your skull."

"You say such terrifying things so casually. *Sigh*."

Whether she liked it or not, Hook had tearfully revealed the truth.

And while Grave continued to treat him like a madman on the surface, deep down, she had begun to believe in the power that defied all common sense.

"Hoo... still... I can understand it to some extent. Probably... even now, no one would have any reason to believe you."

"......Damn it."

"If you have any common sense, you know that your claims—especially regarding that power—sound like utterly absurd delusions, right?"

"I know that!"

Seeing him shout so pitifully, she found him pathetic, yet it somehow made her feel at ease.

In truth, Grave's disappointment wasn't just about the hidden past; she had been hurt that he hadn't trusted her enough to tell her.

Of course, the initial lie about the memory loss was unforgivable.

But she could now 'understand' why Hook felt he had to lie.

After all, based on everything he'd said, anyone else would have either dismissed him or locked him in a psychiatric ward.

The reason she decided to trust Hook anyway was—

"One last question, 'superhuman.'

".....Me?"

"Helping me and Cinderella is extremely dangerous. As you saw with Librelio, Heretics recognize one another."

He had achieved what she couldn't do alone. He had healed Cinderella and handed her a miracle—a hope she thought was gone forever.

"You've already clashed with a Heretic, so from now on, whether you like it or not, you have to help us. If you make a mistake, you could die."

She couldn't forget the look of genuine pain and sadness on his face when he heard about her and Cinderella.