Chapter 36 - BE3: Dust with Light

Chapter 36: Chapter 35: BE3: Dust with LightSu Ming’an’s fingers immediately pressed against his temples.

The pain of death overwhelmed him in an instant.

Upon loading the save and opening his eyes,

he saw the armor-clad girl standing in front of him, sword in hand, her back to him, draped in the brilliant glow of the setting sun.

"Yuanyuan has become the Queen."

Su Ming’an’s gaze flickered briefly, and he already had a premonition in his heart.

The loading point after his death was random; he had no idea which moment in time he would return to after dying—but this time, the frozen moment in time was one where Yuanyuan had already become the "Queen." Perhaps this was the key to the plot, the reason the time froze at this save point.

He thought for a moment—this save point was very disadvantageous for him.

If he let Yuanyuan stand behind him, the attacks from the Tower would still target her. If he dragged out time...until his Blue Energy recovered enough to release a third Cloning, there was still a time limit. If he directed the Cloning not to chase Eni but to attack the Tower, he would die the next moment, and it would still be a loss.

It seemed he was walking on a path with endless possibilities, but each one led to an inevitable end. On this path that seemed filled with light, he saw the inevitable "tomorrow’s end" in which she would surely die.

He suddenly realized—perhaps the ability to load after death didn’t mean being absolutely invincible; it wasn’t a cheat code that could level every challenge. It wasn’t a golden finger allowing him to dominate games across worlds, but it meant taking on a kind of responsibility that couldn’t be shirked.

To others, death signified the end of everything, freedom from burden. But for him...the word "release" never had that meaning.

Right now, he seemed to be facing the first consequences of failure.

Even though he was confident he would make it to the end, the sacrifices along the way wouldn’t be small.

Yuanyuan’s gaze seemed as eternal as ever, calm as the most tranquil and pristine lakes of the North Country’s Polar Region, never once showing sorrow for her inevitable end.

When she was afraid, she would slowly pull up her cat-ear hat and cover herself as if it would make her absolutely safe.

But now she only held her sword, looking in his direction, her figure rigidly upright.

"It’s okay," Yuanyuan said, "In the future, you will meet a brand new me."

She moved to draw closer, and although the Rules prohibited her from moving, she could reach out with her arms.

She placed her hands on Su Ming’an’s shoulders in an extremely reluctant pose and embraced him.

Her motion was gentle and slow, less of an embrace and more like a restrained farewell. It contained not an intricate web of affection, but rather a kind of trust one might find between companions in soul.

"It’s okay," she spoke lightly, "Death is not true death, it’s just part of the experience. When I return to the Main God Space and become an observer, in the next World, I will still choose to join the instance, hoping to help you again."

She picked up the Snow of Khaione in her hand and gently placed it in his right palm.

Behind her, a blue halo shone upon her lightly fluttering hair, emanating a pure and captivating beauty.

She looked at the man before her.

To this day, she couldn’t grasp what kind of emotions she harbored...though she knew it wasn’t love, not what she felt for him, nor what he felt for her.

It was the trust built on a shared journey, the peace of the heart in the attraction of opposites, or maybe the camaraderie of childhood friends... But that wasn’t important. Because on that day long past during a bright childhood, when he reached out his hand to pull her from the mire of domestic abuse—

—he became her "Light."

She knew she was not good at talking, was reclusive and only cared for swords, not things that girls should like. But he understood. He could play with her those intriguing new games she had never seen before.

The pixelated games were difficult; she couldn’t beat the creatures that moved erratically. The ten-person games were hard; she could only shrink at the base of the tower and watch him slaughtering his way to victory. Also tough were the flying games...she always crashed to her death, but every time she did, she’d see him swoop down to rescue her. Then there was that twelve-person game filled with deception...she wasn’t good with words, often suspected by others, but trusting him was never wrong...

She always lost, but she liked watching him win—including now.

Games where lives were wagered, naturally, were the same.

"...I want you to win," she said. "You said it before, didn’t you? ’If all people are vessels lost at sea, I hope... you can become their guiding beacon, the person under the central spotlight—the eternal and stable Lighthouse.’ I was poisoned from the start, and you saved me with the antidote, so now I repay you— you must go on."

Su Ming’an gazed into her eyes, ascertaining the determination in her gaze.

He should perhaps count himself fortunate, for having chosen to bring along this luck buff at that time, not letting her wander alone.

Suddenly, he remembered the origin of this apocalyptic instance.

—The chosen "Mushroom" cultivators, and the people saved by these sacrifices.

As they are swept along, people believe that sacrifices are inevitable, and the greater good far outweighs the lesser.

And when sacrifice has not yet befallen them, people only see a bright future.—

In that moment, his usually placid heart experienced some ripples.

Like the first time he learned of the Perfect Pass results, filled with the fearlessness of youth and the uncertainty of the path ahead.

He raised his sword, and flame burst forth in an instant.

Yuanyuan’s usually dull eyes finally showed a few strands of genuine smiles.

Her figure gradually rose, her bent fingers gently gliding across his face, tracing his eyebrows and eyes with her warm fingertips ever so gently. Then, she leaned forward in mid-air, pressing a kiss on her own finger with restraint and devotion.

"To victory with flying colors, my Number One Player," her tone was fervent and moving.

The fingertip on her lips disappeared.

Her figure rose higher and higher, like a newly risen star. The bright red flames swirled around her, like a pair of wings spreading open, carrying her towards the heaven.

"Whoosh—!"

The next moment, that extremely dazzling light fell.

The figure gradually vanished.

And finally, disappeared completely.

Su Ming’an felt a brightness in front of him, his head and face splashed with light.

A sensation of weightlessness surged in his chest, almost causing him to lose his balance, but he quickly opened his eyes, as if bracing himself against the sudden weight on his shoulders.

Through somewhat hazy vision, he held her sword, looking forward with an unafraid stance.

The opponent’s blue halo was now before his eyes.

He heard the system’s prompt.