Altering I — Ambrosya

"So it finally happened," A wry chuckle leaked out of my lips when I witnessed Virion's rage.

It happened a little differently from what I had originally written, but all the main facts were there. Jiontar was crippled while Sylfie and Virion were injured. These were two key points that I had no desire to change.

What surprised me, however, was the fact that Jiontar was a bit stronger than I expected. That, and Virion and Sylfie's injuries were drastically different from what I had set.

Jiontar originally did not have those flashy and insidious abilities. He had been mimicking Lily instead of me, and therefore his battle style was more inclined to pure skill instead of tricky techniques.

I also did not expect Sylfie to be targeted in this manner. She was originally forced into an official duel before being injured and humiliated there. Now, however, it was more of an ambush.

As for the specifics of their injuries, Sylfie was originally dealt with primarily internal injuries. Now, with Jiontar's power up, it was worse. Her skin and flesh had high-degree burns, and her insides had been mauled by the force of Jiontar's hammer.

Virion, on the other hand, had much less severe injuries. In the original storyline, Virion had overexerted himself using his [ Bloody Halo ]. In his rage, he had challenged Jiontar to a duel and overpowered the referee instructor just so that he could cripple his foe. This gave him haemorrhaging organs whenever he made use of his mana.

"Getting stabbed by an enchanted javelin and accepting some kind of poison within him is clearly much tamer." I shook my head and let out a small laugh. I then went towards Jiontar—who was still writhing in pain—and crouched down.

"H-help..!" A whimper rang in my ears, and I couldn't help but relish in his screams of pain. A certain part of my soul squirmed with delight as I watched blood continue to flow straight out of Jiontar's thigh.

"My leg! He... he cut off my leg!" Jiontar grasped at my robes, staining them with blood.

"Calm down, calm down," I said with a gentle yet amused tone, "I have a potion here. You won't be bleeding to death any time soon."

I took out a decent enough potion that I had looted from all my recent kills. I then fed it to the injured youth before me. The red liquid trickled into his mouth, and Jiontar gulped each mouthful down with avarice.

I needed Jiontar alive. After all, maiming was a punishable offence, but compared to murder? And the murder of a noble at that? It wouldn't be that bad. This entire event was my doing, and its deviation from the original plotline was my fault as well.

I had to make sure I had control over the situation.

At the same time, however, while I watched the liquid slowly drip into Jiontar's mouth, my mind wandered. I wanted to see what would happen if he really did die.

I hesitated. The dripping of red liquid halted, and I watched as Jiontar's entire body quaked, seeking aid. I ignored his pleas and put serious contemplation into my considerations.

'Should I... leave him to die?' I thought to myself while images flashed through my mind.

The repercussions, possible unintended likelihoods, and other consequences flooded my thoughts. I took one look at the events of the future and came to a simple conclusion:

Jiontar's life or death...

... should not matter to me.

And yet something within me was ringing.

A scream had rumbled from the very depths of my soul, shouting out that something would go wrong. Even though I was in possession of a memory so perfect that I could recall my entire life as if I was reliving it once more, there were still things that eluded me.

I was searching through a jungle of facts. Thousands of auxiliary chapters and information sheets, as well as world-building which had made me world-renowned. I could remember them all...

But I just didn't know which one to look for.

...Until I eventually found it—right when Jiontar's laboured gasps dragged me back into reality.

I now knew what was going to go horribly wrong, and a smile crept up my lips with uncontrollable fervour. An emotion ran through me as I gazed at Jiontar's desperate irises, gleaming with pain and suffering as he died a slow death.

It was... sadistic delight.

And I could not resist it.

As such, I stood up, relaxed and without mercy. I then took out a few of King's devices and switched them on. With a few soft tactile vibrations, the surrounding environment stirred, covering up the historical fact that I was here. I slowly disappeared from the trails and traces that meagre humans could perceive.

Then, after taking one last glance at Jiontar—whose oh-so-beautiful despair was apparent across his crumpled expression—I left.

I left with a pleasant, carefree smile on my face as death embraced a few of my own fellow students.

"It seems like your tragedy has arrived early, Jiontar."

The original storyline returned to me at this moment. Different from the earlier event's reflection, I now delved into what I had written.

The way Jiontar had met his end... I had built it upon the foundations of hope and despair.

"After all, the face-slapping reality of indifference and apathy could easily crush a soul." I chuckled, letting my footsteps disappear into the shrubbery.

Such was the lesson I had endeavoured to prove when I had written Jiontar. A lesson that I wanted my readers to realise in spite of my tendencies to relish in people's suffering.

Thus, as the groans of the dying perished into silence behind me, I immersed myself in a world of my own creation.