Chapter 119: Zane’s Mercy

Unknown Forest,

The wind howled through the forest, carrying with it the scent of damp soil and burnt wood. The trees stood silent—too silent.

Arin’s breath came out shaky as his eyes darted around the unfamiliar terrain. His clothes were torn, dirt clung to his hands, and his pulse was pounding in his ears.

And in front of him… stood Zane Creed.

A shadow in human form. Calm, unreadable. His black coat swayed lightly with the breeze as his deep violet eyes watched Arin like one observes an insect trying to crawl out of a trap.

Arin swallowed hard.

“Damn it… I only remember standing in front of him and then… blank…” he muttered to himself. “I don’t remember anything except that… thing—it said it was taking control of me.”

His thoughts spiraled. From what I can think… he must’ve defeated that creature… took control of me easily… if he wanted, he could’ve just killed me right there…

Fear crept in as he forced a trembling smile.

“P-Professor Zane… where are we…?”

Zane didn’t answer. His gaze didn’t even waver.

“T-Thank you… for saving me from that monster that took control of me… I— I didn’t… know—”

Zane blinked slowly, his mind brushing through Arin’s panicked surface thoughts.

Did he forget I can read his mind?

Finally, Zane’s calm voice cut through the silence like a blade.

“I’m not here to save you.”

Arin froze. “Wha—”

“You’ve interfered too much,” Zane said, stepping closer. His tone was still calm—too calm. “And I know what you really are, Arin. From the inside… from your soul.”

Zane’s lips curled slightly. “A middle-aged man from another world… transmigrated in a young body… and still thirsting for sixteen-year-old girls.”

“Disgusting..”

The word hit harder than any spell.

Arin’s breath caught in his throat.

H-he knows… he knows…

Zane’s smirk deepened.

“By the way…” he said casually, tilting his head. “Were there any new video games worth playing before you died?”

Arin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

He knows about video games… he knows too much… h-he’s like me…

“Not really,” Zane replied dryly, answering the thought directly.

Arin’s face went pale. “Wha—”

Zane’s smirk sharpened into something colder. “Now… let’s have some fun.”

Before Arin could even blink, Zane appeared in front of him—his movement so fast it didn’t disturb a single leaf.

A hand closed around Arin’s throat.

The pressure was unbearable. Air cut off instantly.

Zane leaned close, his expression neutral, eyes glowing faintly with violet light.

“Let’s see what kind of filth hides in that soul of yours.”

But before he could touch him—

A deafening roar tore through the silence. The ground trembled violently. The sky itself split open with a blazing streak of light descending from above.

Both of them turned slightly as a massive, burning rock—a meteor—pierced through the clouds, heading straight for their location. The air burned red, trees disintegrated in its wake.

Zane’s expression didn’t even shift.

But Arin, still dangling from his grip, managed a twisted grin despite the pain.

“Haha… you see that?” he choked out, his lips trembling but his eyes wild.

“My story skill is working! The world is saving me!”

He coughed, voice growing hoarse.

“I’ll survive this… but you won’t! You might have reincarnated here—but I’m the one who enjoys privilege!”

The meteor grew larger, closer, enough to engulf the forest in seconds.

Zane didn’t even glance at it.

Without moving his feet, he lazily raised his left palm toward the sky.

And the world froze.

The meteor—no, the entire shockwave around it—stopped dead midair, like time itself had paused for his convenience.

Arin’s grin faded instantly, replaced by sheer disbelief.

Then Zane snapped his fingers.

The meteor turned to dust—instant, silent—disintegrating into nothing but harmless specks of light.

The forest returned to calm. Not even wind dared to whisper.

Zane finally looked back at him with a small, amused smile.

“You were saying something…?”

Arin couldn’t answer. His eyes were wide, pupils trembling, as if his mind refused to process what had just happened.

Zane tilted his head slightly, eyes glowing faintly once more.

“Let’s continue, shall we?”

Zane’s hand once again glowed faintly as he raised it toward Arin’s chest, fingers shimmering with violet light.

But before he could strike—

The ground trembled violently beneath them.

Zane blinked once, exhaled in mild annoyance, and muttered,

“Not again… it’s getting annoying.”

The earth cracked open in the distance, light spilling through the fissures. Then, with a thunderous roar, a blinding white beam erupted upward, piercing the clouds.

From within that pillar of light, a silhouette slowly rose—a man with long black hair streaked with silver, a short beard, and sharp blue eyes that burned with ancient wisdom. He hovered in the air, robes fluttering with the energy of an age long gone.

His voice echoed like it carried the weight of centuries.

“From thousands of years I lay dormant… but now, I awaken after so long…”

Zane sighed, his expression unchanging.

Arin, still held by the throat, coughed and managed to speak between desperate breaths.

“P-Please… save me… from this man… he’s a great evil…”

The old man’s eyes sharpened, locking on Zane—seeing not what was truly happening, but only the surface: a young man strangling a child.

“Thousands of years have passed,” he thundered, voice filled with righteous fury, “and yet people like you still exist! Unhand the child—or face the consequences!”

Zane tilted his head slightly, unimpressed.

“…Right.”

He let Arin drop to the ground and turned toward the floating old man.

“Ah. You are wise,” the old man said proudly, mistaking it for surrender.

But Zane simply extended his palm.

The air rippled.

The old man’s eyes widened as his body jerked forward, dragged by an unseen, irresistible force. In an instant, he was in front of Zane—within arm’s reach.

Zane’s hand clamped around his throat.

The ancient being gasped, choking as his mana flared wildly, but it was useless. His limbs trembled as lightning began to crackle from Zane’s grip, pure blue arcs dancing up his arm.

“Y-You…” he managed to choke out—before his words turned into a scream.

“Aaaahhhhhhhh!”

The lightning flared brighter—so intense that the forest flashed white. Flesh melted away. Bones turned black. In mere seconds, only a brittle skeleton remained in Zane’s grasp.

He released it. The bones hit the dirt with a hollow clatter.

Then, he turned back toward Arin—who was trembling, eyes wide, unable to breathe properly.

Zane grabbed his throat again, effortlessly lifting him back up.

Arin’s voice cracked, panic flooding his tone.

“W-Why… why isn’t my plot armor working?! Just why?! You must have a stronger skill, right?! That’s the only reason you’re winning!”

Zane chuckled, voice low and calm.

“That’s the difference between you and me…”

He leaned closer, eyes glowing faintly.

“To save yourself, you need plot armor…”

A pause. His smirk widened.

“But me? I am the plot armor.”

Arin’s eyes went wide, a tear slipping down his cheek.

Zane’s hand glowed as he thrust it straight into Arin’s chest.

No blood spilled. His hand sank in like it was passing through liquid.

Zane’s eyes narrowed.

“Got it…”

Arin’s scream tore through the forest as Zane began to pull something out.

An unimaginable pain seized Arin—like his very existence was being torn apart. He could feel something being ripped from his soul, his consciousness cracking at the edges.

Slowly, Zane drew his hand back. In his grip, a faintly glowing pearl emerged—black tendrils writhing around it, trying desperately to cling to Arin’s chest.

A shrieking, distorted sound echoed—

Kehhekkcheeeeee!

The tendrils fought back, refusing to let go, but Zane’s expression never changed. He pulled harder.

Then, with a final snap, the tendrils broke.

Arin’s body went limp. The sound stopped.

Zane looked down at the pearl in his hand, the black tendrils still twitching weakly. With a small surge of mana, blue mana fire flared from his palm—consuming the dark slime completely, leaving only the clean white pearl behind.

He dropped Arin back onto the ground.

The pain ceased, but Arin felt hollow—like something vital had been ripped away forever. His chest heaved; his eyes were empty. He didn’t even have the strength to speak.

Zane stood over him, looking down, the faint violet light in his eyes slowly fading.

Zane looked down at the trembling figure beneath him, his expression unreadable.

“Pathetic till the end…” he murmured.

Arin’s body shivered, his eyes wide and frantic.

“S–System! Do something, please!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “System!! SYSTEM!!!”

But no sound answered him. No voice. No prompt. Nothing.

Zane raised his hand, the faintly glowing pearl hovering above his palm.

“You’re looking for this…” he said calmly.

Arin froze. His breath caught as he realized what that light was—what Zane had taken.

“T–That’s… the system…” he whispered, voice trembling.

Zane didn’t respond. He only stared, his eyes glowing faintly violet in the forest’s darkness.

Arin fell to his knees, tears welling up.

“Please… have mercy… please… leave me… don’t kill me…”

Zane didn’t speak. He simply took a step forward—slow, deliberate, and heavy enough to make the air tighten around Arin.

Fear consumed him. His survival instinct kicked in, and with what little strength he had left, he turned and ran—stumbling, gasping, tripping through the trees.

Behind him, Zane followed, hands in his coat pockets, humming softly.

“Where you go, I go…

What you see, I see…”

The melody drifted through the forest, calm yet haunting.

And then—silence.

Zane’s presence vanished.

Only Arin’s desperate, pained screams echoed through the forest.

Then, slowly, even those stopped.

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