Turmoil (3)

The vibrations penetrated the fourth underground level. The tremors struck not only the ground but also the air, and the sound of waves from afar made it feel as if they were standing on an open coastal cliff. The earth trembled in the underground corridor, merging with the chaotic sound of the surface water, resembling the roar of a wild beast.

Simultaneously, Leonardo and Vittorio's heads turned in the same direction, a shared movement among those who sensed the same type of foreboding presence. The epicentre was at the centre of the labyrinth—the divine spring.

I stood firm on the quaking ground, feeling the tremors through my legs as I closed my eyes. This was a moment to steel myself for the scenario that was about to unfold.

'There can be no mistakes.'

This scene had already reset several times.

***

As I left the inn, I grabbed the crossbow.

My mind was racing with thoughts about Vittorio's safety, who had been taken underground, and how to address the suspicions that Leonardo was starting to make so obvious.

[Scenario Area Access Granted: Entering .]

However, the moment I set foot in the underground labyrinth, a sharp pain struck, vaporizing all my complicated thoughts from my mind in an instant.

'Ugh!'

The source of the pain was my right arm. It was a sharp agony that I could not dismiss as mere anxiety. My skin split open, ripe and overly so, like the cracked skin of a fruit, and I could vividly feel the warm blood flowing from the gash.

"Huff."

Suddenly, I felt completely drained. My limbs felt as heavy as lead, and air rushed out of my lungs as if I had been holding my breath for too long. Unexpectedly, my knees buckled, and my body wavered. Fortunately, I didn't fall flat on my face; instead, I bumped my shoulder against the wall of the passage. Leonardo, who was pulling the coffin ahead, rushed over in surprise.

"What's wrong…?"

He quickly reached out to help me. Not giving him a chance, I straightened up right away and waved my hand dismissively, signaling that I was fine. I didn't want him to catch a whiff of the blood. At least the musty smell of the underground passage somewhat masked the scent.

"Don't worry about it; just keep going. The floor is slippery with all this moss. I just slipped for a moment."

It was a flimsy excuse. Leonardo glanced down and noted that the floor wasn't covered in moss to that extent, but instead of pressing further, he spoke calmly.

"If you're not feeling well, just say so. I can go on my own."

"Leave them to the young master alone? You wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm perfectly fine, so let's hurry. Come on, let's go."

I appreciated his concern, but I really wished he would disregard my condition for now. As I urged him on, pushing against his back, Leonardo turned around several times but eventually continued walking. Following behind him, I had no way to roll up my sleeve to avoid Leonardo's keen senses, so I reached under my collar with my fingertips to check the wound.

The scar that should have been <Ò.L / F.O> caught on my fingertips. I traced my fingers over the hard scab, feeling the fresh skin slowly emerging beneath it. There it was—the beginning marked as <Ò.L> and the conclusion as . 

However, the part that connected them had changed.

<Ò.L //// F.O>

'It has increased.'

The number of notches had grown. I could sense it through the sharp pain triggered the moment my fingers made contact. Clearly, the gap between Ò.L and F.O had widened, but now it was tightly packed with new marks, making it impossible not to notice. Once again, I had unwittingly caused some kind of change.

It was a 'reset.'

With a sense of frustration bubbling inside me and no outlet for it, I bit my cheek and rummaged through my recent memories.

'The moment the pain suddenly began.'

The instant I stepped back into the underground labyrinth, the pain that had previously been absent surged forth. The searing discomfort flared up, making it easy to deduce the cause.

'…Is the entrance to the underground labyrinth a reset point? It seems that even a reset has a sort of restart point.'

If I think of a reset as a concept where a scene is problematic and needs to be reshot, it becomes understandable. It would be absurd to say that if a setting error occurs during the filming of a movie or drama, they would reshoot all the previously aired or recorded scenes from the beginning. 

Therefore, the moment I suddenly felt the pain is likely the optimized starting point for a reshoot and the branching point of this reset. I speculate that the subsequent scenes are being reshot starting from the entry point of the underground labyrinth because something went wrong. And the increased number of notches. This is clearly… a count.

Since they are bundled with diagonal bars, there's no room for confusion. Ever since my grandmother taught me to count in fives by bundling them like this when I was a child, it has been a unified symbol with a single meaning for me. Now, considering the state of the wounds, the second notch feels like a scab has formed, or that the bleeding has stopped, but the final line that crosses it is still damp and fresh, as if it has just been drawn.

'This wasn't drawn in one go. The second, third, and fourth were drawn at different times.'

Through simple reasoning, I was able to grasp the meaning.

'The reset has occurred a total of four times.'

Given the subtle time differences felt in each wound, it is certain that the resets have happened repeatedly. Moreover, this feeling of my body being limp hinted at a fatigue that had accumulated unbeknownst to me, akin to the sensation of having pulled several all-nighters.

I was experiencing the dull, heavy sensation of my brain's synapses flickering, constantly dropping voltage. Even the brief moment of darkness when I blinked felt like an eternal slumber, familiar with the weight of fatigue. Insomnia had long been my companion, so I recognized this feeling better than anyone else.

In contrast, Leonardo, who walked ahead, appeared to be full of energy. Given his brisk pace while dragging his coffin, the notion that he looked tired was simply out of the question. He often glanced back at me, and when he did, I would hide my arms behind my back and gesture for him to continue on.

'It seems like Leonardo is affected by the reset. Even though a reset occurred, I'm left with these scars. Considering the overwhelming fatigue I feel right now… it appears that while the memories and bodies of other characters rewind, I do not.'

Perhaps this was why my body felt so heavy and sluggish. While other characters returned to their lively states after experiencing the reset four times, I had not reverted in that way, leaving me with all the accumulated fatigue. Maybe it's because I'm not actually a character within this world. Just as they couldn't mimic me, I was merely an outsider who had suddenly intruded into this realm.

However, the doubt remains as to why the reset keeps repeating. If I can't understand the reason behind it, how many more times will I have to repeat certain segments of this scenario? Am I merely being worn down in this endless cycle, subjected to the will of a narrative that yearns to shape and lead the direction of this world until it is satisfied?

It truly feels like being trapped in an eternal labyrinth. I shook off the sudden wave of fear and hastily redirected my thoughts elsewhere.

'By the way, what the hell? Who carved such deep wounds? I nearly screamed in pain.'

I couldn't comprehend what past me had been thinking to inflict such a harsh injury. The pain was sharp enough that I could instantly notice it.

Ah, perhaps that's why it was so deep. The last time during the initial <Ò.L / F.O> incident, the wound hadn't been as deep, resulting in less pain and a delayed realization. This suggests that the current situation demands immediate judgment. The fact that the reset has occurred four times adds to this unease.

When I first carved this wound, the marks seemed to symbolize "overlapping thoughts and fade-outs in this role," but now, given the circumstances, it seems that the scars are being reused to apply the concept of repetition to the count. I suppose that could be considered resourceful.

But still, what could it be? What exactly triggered the four resets?

I forced my bleary eyes to stay open and focused straight ahead. A translucent window, visible only to me, overlapped with the broad back of the quietly swaying Leonardo.

The scenario notebook hovered in the air, indifferent to my fatigue and pain, like a lofty entity that knew nothing of my struggles.

Take 1. In the 4th level of the Sinistra Underground Labyrinth (Night/Inside). Count Bermont pressures the street urchin Vittorio while waiting for Leonardo and his companions. Vittorio maintains a silent attitude despite the violence accompanying the interrogation.

Street Urchin Vittorio: "(Inner voice, sounding weary) Since I was captured, the others must be safe by now. They shouldn't come here. There's something strange about this place… It feels wrong."

Determining that extracting information from the street urchin Vittorio would be difficult, Count Bermont finishes preparing for an ambush while waiting for Leonardo.

Take 2. In the 4th level of the Sinistra Underground Labyrinth (Night/Inside). Leonardo arrives at the centre of the underground maze. He heavily places down the coffin and faces Count Bermont. Vittorio lies unconscious in front of the divine root.

Leonardo: "(Inner voice, with a tone laced with discomfort) This feeling is unmistakable. The seal…"

Count Bermont, unconcerned by the vibrations, urges the transaction of the corpses.

Count Bermont: "It's a trade."

Immediately, the underground chamber trembles violently, and cracks appear in the seal.

Main Characters: Leonardo, Vittorio, Count Bermont

Scenario Clear Condition: [Leonardo rescues Vittorio and escapes the underground maze.]

The stage of the scenario being set in the 4th underground level was already unsettling. The prime suspect I had been considering in relation to the resets, Orlie, isn't even making an appearance in this scenario. That means there must be another reason behind this reset.

Amidst all the confusion, a sudden wave of fatigue hit me, making my tired mind spin. I felt desperately sleep-deprived.

In this fourth repeated loop, just how many days have I been awake?

And how much longer can I endure?

[ A sub-quest has been triggered!]