Chapter 30: Off the Script, Off the Map

The system wanted him gone.

So Kai did the one thing it didn't expect:

He went off-script.

He gathered what little they had left — food, packs, a half-functional map scroll from Lira — and headed northwest.

Straight into the blank zone.

No cities.

No quests.

No system flags.

Just white fog and the words:

"Narrative space not optimized. Proceed at your own risk."

Perfect.

[System Alert: You are leaving the Main Storyline.]

XP gain: -75%

Loot drops: Disabled

Dialogue assistance: Off

Divine monitoring: Minimal

Congratulations. You're no longer the protagonist. You're a problem.

Yulia tried to stop him.

Elira offered to follow.

Lira… just handed him a dagger, kissed his cheek, and vanished into the trees.

Only Akari said nothing — watching him go with a strange, unreadable expression.

He didn't know if they'd follow.