Chapter 16: Dimensional Rift

Sila inquired of Vivian with apparent calmness, but inside, his thoughts were in turmoil. "How could it be Livia?"

He shouted in his heart.

"Journey of Radiance." as a 2D game, featured character illustrations that bore a striking difference from reality, making it difficult for Sila to recognize most characters at first glance.

Vivian, with her unique appearance and attire, coupled with the fact that Sila had previously encountered this original female protagonist in the academy and knew her to be a genius in alchemy, allowed him to recognize her.

As for Livia, it was only after Vivian mentioned her name that Sila managed to connect her with the NPC from the game after some effort.

But...

Sila sensed something was off!

Livia was a character from another female protagonist's storyline, the one who killed Sila Leviathan in that particular route.

The catch was, the female protagonist of that storyline was Lillian Rockefeller, the twin sister of Vivian Rockefeller.

The sibling rivalry between these two was quite complex. Lillian possessed even greater talent for cultivation than Vivian, but she was born with a disability. Vivian was determined to craft legs for her sister through alchemy.

The plotlines of these two sisters intertwined, revealing the unique backdrop of the Rockefeller family...

But early in the game, the storylines of the twin beauties were quite separate.

One was at Victoria Magic Academy, while the other was in Florence, a neighboring country.

In Lillian Rockefeller's storyline, the female protagonist, inexperienced and kind-hearted, spared Sila Leviathan after thwarting his attempt to buy slaves in Florence out of pity.

As Sila Leviathan cursed and vowed revenge, he was killed on the spot by Livia, a wandering mage who had always harbored hatred for the Rockefeller family, as he fled the city.

According to the normal timeline and plot, Livia should undoubtedly still be somewhere near Florence, active as an adventurer. How could she suddenly appear at the Magic Academy?

Sila furrowed his brow.

He knew that since Livia was here and had crossed his path, the future development would undoubtedly deviate from the game's original storyline...

Sila was well aware that reality was not a game, and Livia's appearance and provocation must have an underlying logic.

He couldn't help but ponder if Livia was indeed targeting him. Was it just a coincidence that Livia killed Sila Leviathan in the game?

Sila's thoughts were in a tangled mess, but his expression remained calm and unperturbed on the surface.

Vivian didn't notice Sila's abnormality. Her expression was quite indifferent as she said, "This person has some friction with my family and even attacked my sister once."

"I originally thought he came to the Magic Academy to target me, but now it feels like you're his primary target."

With that, Vivian turned and walked away.

She didn't want to share information with Sila, a notorious playboy, but she owed him this time for the free use of the training room's enhancement resources, which had saved her one to two days of arduous training.

Therefore, Vivian offered the warning.

Sila wasn't surprised by this. The male and female protagonists in Journey of Radiance had an inexplicable aversion to the Leviathan family.

Just...

This aversion is not entirely unchangeable, as evidenced by Elina.

As Sila watched Vivian's figure gradually fade into the distance, a spark of inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.

Livia herself was not dreadful, what truly concerned him was the uncontrollable change in the game's storyline.

However, this could also be an opportunity.

"I could try to obtain some information through Livia." he mused.

"For instance, the butterfly effect of my transcendence couldn't possibly affect people in Florence. There must be someone behind Livia's appearance!"

"Moreover... perhaps I could also use this chance to get closer to Vivian." 

Sila added to himself. He recalled that in Journey of Radiance, there were two possible directions for Livia's storyline, both of which significantly boosted the male protagonist's affinity with Lillian Rockefeller.

Since Livia was now at the Magic Academy, couldn't he emulate the male protagonist's actions and use Livia to increase Vivian's affinity towards him?

Sila's eyes flickered, aware that there was no limit to the number of Soul Guardians the Leviathan family could have.

With Elina's successful experience in mind, a seemingly unrealistic idea began to take root in his heart: if he could gather all the female protagonists from Journey of Radiance, whose talents could be upgraded to S-rank, as his guardians.

Could he, with the nourishment from numerous S-rank talents, break through the ceiling set by Gandarniel in the Post-God Era...

And become an existence beyond S-rank?

The more Sila pondered, the more excited he became, his ambition igniting like a blazing flame within him.

Thus, he decided to speak up, "Vivian, I have a plan."

"One that can avenge your sister."

…

The first part of his sentence was like a gentle breeze, not stopping Vivian's movements.

But the second part was like a thunderclap, causing the seemingly petite young girl to abruptly halt in her tracks.

The next second, she appeared like a ghost before Sila, holding a pure gold weapon shaped like a flintlock pistol, which had somehow materialized in her hand and was now steadily pressed against Sila's forehead.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Vivian's voice carried a hint of fear and a strong sense of vigilance.

Sila quickly raised his hands in a gesture of harmless intent and said, "I have some private information about Livia and your family's disputes."

"She once attempted to assassinate your sister Lillian Rockefeller, right?"

"Wow, that's the alchemical gun 'Seed of Firefly'! Many expert alchemists couldn't even complete such a masterpiece. With your current abilities, relying on this thing to kill Livia is indeed reliable."

Sila wasn't sure about Vivian's attitude towards Livia, but in the original storyline, if Livia's incident were delayed until after the Rockefeller sisters reunited...

Vivian would indeed attempt the assassination.

Sila's casual threat caused a visible change in Vivian's expression.

Instantly, the smile on the young boy's lips became incredibly sincere.

"Even if you successfully assassinate Livia within the academy, murdering a fellow student could lead to your execution." he said.

"At best, you'd be expelled."

"You bear the responsibility of revitalizing your family. Is it worth it for such a person?"

With his forehead pressing against the pure gold gun, Sila stepped forward.

Vivian lost her earlier momentum and retreated step by step, until finally she was cornered by Sila. He leaned one hand against the wall, completing a wall-hugging maneuver: "A gun that dares not be fired is just scrap metal."

His smile was warm.

As he pressed closer, Vivian trembled and slowly lowered the 'Seed of Firefly'. She asked, "And you? What's your plan to deal with her?"

It was obvious that the young girl had implicitly agreed to this request for cooperation.

Sila wore an expression of anticipation.

If anyone else had a gun pointed at his head, he wouldn't dare to act so "cool".

The key was that he knew the female protagonists in Journey of Radiance extremely well.

Elina was a powder keg that could explode and blow up everything around her with just a spark. Vivian's path of alchemy represented efficiency, stability, and precision.

The charm of the girl before him was that she would always make the most advantageous choice. Vivian's intention to assassinate Livia meant she was prepared for expulsion.

She would never fire a gun in public.

Sila took a step forward and proactively grasped Vivian's pale hand. The young girl tried in vain to pull away.

Sila seized the moment to speak, diverting Vivian's attention: "Livia's target is me. He definitely won't pass up the opportunity to kill me."

"Even if you were acting in self-defense, the academy won't believe that Livia truly intended to kill you. You'd still face punishment." Vivian retorted instantly, forgetting to withdraw her hand.

Sila nodded seriously, agreeing, while subtly toying with Vivian's right hand, savoring its smooth, jade-like texture.

He dared not provoke Elina too much, but Vivian had practically handed herself to him on a silver platter.

As the notorious playboy of Victoria Magic Academy, would Sila let such an opportunity slip away?

Just as Vivian's cheeks began to blush and she prepared to reprimand the person before her.

Sila timely added another chip to the table: "Exactly. What I need to do isn't convince others that I was forced to counterattack and kill Livia. I just need to make him disappear."

"Make her vanish with me, in a place where no information can escape."

"If you can keep it hidden from the dean of the academy, it's worth a try." Vivian said, her expression shifting from disdain to astonishment in an instant. "Are you suggesting... the Dimensional Rift?"