My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 48

 

“Formations are merely forces artificially designed and created by people, so ultimately the source of power itself is mana.”

 

And that mana originates from five branches: fire, water, earth, wind, and wood.

 

In the end, everything created through mana uses power borrowed from nature.

 

“On the other hand, as Dekan said, earth force means the inherent power that the land holds. It’s no different from nature itself.”

 

“Uh… um, yes.”

 

Dekan still seemed unable to grasp what I was trying to say.

 

“Think about it, Dekan. Is it possible to defeat nature with power borrowed from nature?”

 

“…What?”

 

“To put it metaphorically, would anything change if you poured a cup of water drawn from a well into the ocean?”

 

The same applies to formations carved into the ground.

 

“No matter how powerful the mana used, it cannot overcome the force of nature itself. Over time, the mana used in the formation will be absorbed by the earth, and eventually that part of the barrier will weaken.”

 

“I understand what you’re saying. But there’s a problem.”

 

However, Linoa Marigold, who heard my explanation, was still skeptical.

 

“The general method of breaking formations is to find weak points and destroy the formation, as you said. However, since we’re currently in a situation where the act of destroying the formation itself is dangerous, in the end-”

 

“In the end, it would just be the same as the situation from before, right?”

 

As I continued speaking as if it were obvious, Linoa Marigold nodded heavily.

 

A formation is no different from a balloon. Whether you poke a hole or tear it, you have to somehow burst it to escape.

 

Generally, the act of bursting this balloon itself is very difficult, which is why people look for weak points, but that wasn’t our problem.

 

‘With Azel here, it would burst no matter where we poke it.’

 

But this is Linoa Marigold’s misunderstanding.

 

“I’m not trying to destroy the formation, Linoa Marigold.”

 

I never once said I would destroy the formation.

 

“I’m trying to slightly modify the barrier using the weak parts of the formation.”

 

“Modify the barrier? Is that possible when you’re not the caster yourself?”

 

Surprise immediately appeared on Linoa Marigold’s face.

 

This was a statement that didn’t align with common sense in this world, so it was a natural reaction. Originally, formations could only be touched by the person who created them.

 

“I told you. I used to live quite roughly in the old days.”

 

However, for me, who had already rolled around as much as possible in the game, this level of trick was no different from a piece of cake.

 

*

 

The path to the underground was smoother than expected.

 

Even when we encountered knights of the Daegong Family, Linoa Marigold and Dekan were sufficient to handle them, so there was nothing to worry about.

 

‘If this had been a game, it would have taken another age just to reach the underground with all the hiding and running around.’

 

Power really is the best.

 

However, the only problem was the members of the Daegong Family wandering the corridors like zombies.

 

“There are more people contaminated by demonic energy than expected.”

 

“They must be the ones the Duchess encountered first while reaching where we were.”

 

The blackened wounds had already begun to rot, and the exposed skin was also turning purple.

 

Still, this wasn’t a major problem either.

 

“Azel, please.”

 

Because we had Azel with us.

 

While purifying demonic energy was impossible, Azel was fully capable of getting rid of the people themselves.

 

The invisible chains he used against Kazen instantly blew away the monsters in the corridor, so our path had no choice but to be clear.

 

‘Really the best. Isn’t this too comfortable?’

 

Since this was the first time in my life I’d experienced such a comfortable ride, I naturally couldn’t help but be excited.

 

“Azel, you’re really the best. How can a person be this cool? Did I mention this before? You’re sexiest when you’re casting magic?”

 

“…No. More than that, you know now, so please be quiet.”

 

“Why? These things need to be expressed in words to be understood. Really the best, totally cool. Azel is the sexiest in the world-”

 

“Please just be quiet.”

 

Before I knew it, the tips of Azel’s ears had turned red as a beet.

 

He didn’t seem angry, just embarrassed by my fussing, but I had no intention of stopping.

 

‘But the effect becomes more certain every time I praise him.’

 

The proof was that despite being embarrassed, Azel had been stepping forward more and more frequently since earlier.

 

Even when I actually stayed quiet, he would blow away a person and stare at me intently, and that sight was so cute I couldn’t stand it.

 

‘How can I endure this?’

 

It was virtually impossible. Yes, absolutely.

 

“Come on! Now shall we try breaking that wall over there too? That’s right! That’s it! Wow! Our Azel is the best!”

 

Meanwhile, behind me as I clapped and made a fuss, Dekan and Linoa Marigold whispered to each other.

 

“Is this right, Linoa Marigold? Are we allowed to be doing this?”

 

“He likes it.”

 

“No, that’s true, but… it’s a bit, how should I put it, a little awkward to just watch. Rather! Rather, it would be better if I went and rolled around instead.”

 

“Miss Elpis also looks happy, so just leave it be.”

 

Dekan seemed to be worried about his master’s dignity that was about to hit rock bottom, but Linoa Marigold was on my side as expected.

 

Anyway.

 

Thanks to Azel’s dedication, we were able to safely make it down to the underground.

 

“The power of mana here is definitely much weaker compared to other places. You said you’d modify the formation – is there anything we need to prepare separately?”

 

“No special preparations needed. The method of modifying formations isn’t as difficult as you might think.”

 

I positioned myself in front of a formation carved as close to the floor as possible and sat down.

 

“Formations are ultimately just patterns drawn with specific meanings. In other words, we just need to slightly modify the pattern to change the meaning.”

 

It was like a command concept.

 

If you derive and edit a command, the resulting output will naturally change accordingly. When you think about it, it’s a very simple rule.

 

“Meaning? To me it just looks like a meaningless drawing.”

 

But there was a reason why this method was unfamiliar in this world – generally, recognizing these patterns themselves wasn’t easy.

 

‘Honestly, I thought so too. Who would have thought that was writing?’

 

Actually, the first person to discover this method was some anonymous user in the community.

 

[Isn’t this Russian cursive?].jpg

 

According to that user, the patterns used in formations weren’t fictional patterns, but Russian cursive.

 

In other words, the type of formation changes depending on what’s written in Russian.

 

‘Developers, you crazy perverted bastards.’

 

As soon as I learned that fact, I cursed the developers first.

 

‘I was shocked that this level of freedom existed in a dating sim game.’

 

Anyway, ironically, it was the ‘Anti-Azel’ alliance that started going wild when this post belatedly gained attention.

 

-If you just draw one more line in this part here, the meaning changes to this, right? Then you can utilize formations like this too.

 

-This is escape. This is containment. Remember, you must add the line at the fourth position.

 

Since they couldn’t defeat Azel anyway, a group even formed to research formations, saying they’d at least seal him.

 

‘That was when the game had the widespread reputation of being absolutely unbeatable and people were going crazy.’

 

My expression became bitter for a moment at the unpleasant memory.

 

At this time, Dekan asked with eyes shining as if in admiration.

 

“Then do you know all the patterns and meanings carved in formations, Miss?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

‘As if.’

 

I had simply memorized everything that others had discovered wholesale.

 

However, there was no need to pass up an opportunity to show off.

 

“The formations used here in This Place mostly contain meanings of ‘closure’ and ‘blocking’. They’re faithful to their purpose as barriers. But if we modify them like this.”

 

At the same time, I added several lines to the formation carved into the floor.

 

“We can change this to ‘opening’ and ‘exchange’.”

 

“Woah-!”

 

I smiled slightly as I watched Dekan exclaim like a child.

 

“What should we do now?”

 

Linoa Marigold’s cheeks were also slightly flushed, and since the formation hadn’t shown any particular reaction yet, she seemed even more excited about the next step.

 

“Now we just need to channel a different power instead of mana.”

 

“A different power?”

 

I smiled confidently and pulled out the illusion pendant from within my robes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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