Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster

Chapter 172: The Foreshadowing

The moment the being uttered those words, Zafira lunged forward, nearly toppling over.

It seemed like it had unfrozen her time, and instead of attacking the being again, Zafira took a deep breath, walked toward one of the throne room pillars, and sat against it.

“So what now?” Zafira asked, throwing her sword across the room as she glared at the being. “You told me to kill them, so I did. When are you going to finally fulfill your end of the bargain?”

“You should know better than that, Zafira Sutekh,” the being said as it leaned back in her throne. “You were given the quest to eliminate a few low-level factions. So tell me, do you think it’s an equal exchange from my position?”

“You made the promise,” Zafira said with a frown. “If I deal with all your problems on this continent, you’ll bring him back.”

“And I already told you, I couldn’t find him anywhere,” the being replied. “He’s neither dead nor alive. He’s somewhere, and also nowhere.”

Before she could protest, the being raised its arm, freezing her time again.

“Now, onto the other matters…” the being trailed off and stood up from the throne before slowly approaching her. “I believe I’ve tasked you with eliminating a few merchants and rulers, yes?”

Since she was frozen, she couldn’t reply, only glare at the being in her immobilized state.

Still, the being had more things to say.

“Just because your mama and papa happen to be the ones on the list doesn’t give you an excuse to disobey my quests,” the being added coldly. “You and the players are all the same. But at least their shells provide sufficient nourishment for us. You, on the other hand? You’re a loose end.”

Having said that, the being waved its arm and unfroze Zafira.

She didn’t rise from the ground, only let out a sigh as she punched the pillar she leaned against.

“You’ve given me no reason to continue the quest… You can’t find Rael. You can’t do anything for me. Equal exchange or not, you already broke it. You promised something and gave me nothing.”

The being scoffed as it approached the window and placed its completely white hand on it, looking outside.

“The world is beautiful, but it is also ugly,” it said, turning to face Zafira again. “I want to get rid of the ugly. And you? You were desperate enough to ally with me when I was the one responsible for getting him into that mess.”

“You…” Zafira’s frown deepened, yet just as she was about to continue, the being interjected.

“You’re expendable,” the being stated plainly. “He, on the other hand, is a special specimen. I will do everything in my power to find him and nurture him, to cure him of the impurities the monsters of the Depths have inflicted on him.”

Just as Zafira was about to speak again, the being simply raised its finger, shushing her.

“I’ve had enough of your inconsistencies, Zafira Sutekh. From this moment onward, we’re done,” the being said before slashing the finger horizontally and making a portal manifest.

“I’ll be heading out now. I’ll find a replacement for you, just as I’ve done with every apostle before you…” the being trailed off as a wide black grin appeared on its previously featureless face.

“Till next time, Zafira Sutekh.”

With that, the being vanished, leaving Zafira with her hand stretched out, reaching for seemingly nothing.

But then, she clenched her hand, bringing it back as tears began to stream down her face.

“Why…” she muttered. “…Why did you have to accept the—”

<Mono, the Monochrome Butterfly, has exhausted the last of its lifespan!>

Rael finally snapped out of it as he stared at Zafira’s frozen figure.

Her tears hovered in midair, and as much as he wanted to reach out and comfort her, he wasn’t able to.

And soon, his vision shifted, this time a bit more forcefully, as he practically felt his organs rearrange themselves.

But not even a moment later, he found himself lying on a couple dozen rocks as he overlooked the entrance of the dungeon he was just in.

Yet that very same entrance suddenly warped, sending out an array of colors similar to the butterfly, and in the same instant, closing.

Rael’s eyes widened as he frantically looked around, searching for Zafira.

But thankfully, she lay peacefully beside him, with her arms loosely wrapped around his waist.

Just as he thought that was the last of the surprises, another batch of pop-ups appeared.

<Dun##ERROR>

Rael took a deep breath as he groggily stood up, lifted Zafira, and began once again carrying her in a princess carry.

He walked toward the cave’s exit. In the meantime, he decided to view the message from the Ancient Mindweaver, who was none other than Evelyn, the older sister of Beatrice.

<Ding!>

<You’ve unlocked an encoded message!>

[—As a courtesy of you sparing my sister, I decided it is wise to help you. What you saw just now was the direct future which would play out if you choose to follow your current path. However, I’ve also given you enough hints to figure out the identities of the ones responsible. You might know them. They’re the beings who helped create your ‘game’ Sketa Online. Anyways, I can’t send too large of a message, but just know one thing: When the sun merges with the moon, a calamity will descend that will leave you no choice but to sacrifice yourself. Avoid it, and I shall reward you handsomely… Goodbye, Rael Sutekh, and I wish you the best of luck.]

Rael stared blankly at the air, absorbing all the information he just read with trembling hands.

A calamity, sun merging with the moon, the ‘developers,’ and even his sacrifice.

All that would lead to the outcome he had seen earlier, with Zafira having no choice but to kill people in order to bring him back.

He continued walking in silence as he reached the top of the cave. The light finally hit him, but all it illuminated was a frown.

However, as he felt Zafira squirm in his arms, almost as if she was waking up, he immediately replaced that frown with a smile.

He gently brushed her hair back, and then glanced toward the shocked barbarians in the distance before slowly walking toward them.

Rael maintained the silence with his domineering presence alone as he arrived before Nyzzara, and simply nodded at her.

“Lead the way to your tribe. No more bullshit.”