ABSCS 05

Chapter 05

  Turning Point

“Yus, uh, wh-what should I—”

“Cedric.”

I calmly called his name.

…There are times like this.

Moments in a long, tedious life that are incredibly intense and unforgettable—moments you can never forget no matter how much time passes.

For Cedric, this must be that moment.

And the main character of this moment… is probably me.

What I say now will determine how he grows.

In that case, the answer is obvious.

I smiled.

And then—

“Become a good adult.”

With those words, the entrance collapsed completely. From outside, I could hear Cedric screaming in anguish.

“Hoo…”

Calm down.

‘This had to happen anyway.’

If Cedric doesn’t join the hero’s party, the protagonist dies.

So he needs a moment of awakening. It’s right to help him grow—just not into a traitor like in the original.

But if I survive and return, it’ll only interfere with his growth.

‘First, I need to escape from here. Not through the entrance—some other way.’

This house has a back door.

It’s a passage usually blocked off to keep out thieves. But in an emergency like this, it could be useful.

I glanced at the status window.

[Extra Life: 100,000p]

In the worst-case scenario, I can quickly buy a skill and revive. It’s a scenario I’d prefer to avoid, though.

‘There. Found the back door.’

Fortunately, this side wasn’t yet engulfed in flames. I quickly began clearing the boxes blocking the exit.

And then—

“Aaagh!”

A burning pain seared across my eyes. I clutched my face and collapsed to the floor.

“Heuh… ah… h-hah…!”

Cold sweat poured down. Tears streamed from my eyes. I couldn’t see a thing.

Was it a spark? In my eyes?

Damn it. This is really bad.

Amid the blinding pain and total darkness, I recalled a memory from when I was Yuna.

“The left eye is completely blind. Soon the right one will follow.”

‘Shit…!’

God, this life is seriously messed up.

Grinding my teeth, I forced myself up. My legs trembled from the pain.

‘Back door… Where’s the back door?’

With no sight, I couldn’t tell directions. I groped around, trying to find the box I’d just moved.

And then—

“You bastard, swing it right!”

“I said I got it, okay?!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Someone was hacking at the back door with an axe. What the hell?

I froze, unable to grasp the situation. The axe-blows stopped, followed by heavy footsteps.

“Hey, there’s only one kid in here.”

“Grab ‘em anyway! Just look at that face—gonna fetch a high price.”

“What the…”

My mind reeled.

What did they mean by that?

Before I could even ask, a foul-smelling, massive hand clamped over my mouth and nose.

“Take a nap, kid.”

“Mmph…!”

Wait—can’t breathe… This is really—dangerous…

“Because once you wake up… it’ll be hell.”

And just like that, I lost consciousness.

✦✦✦

My head felt like it had been split open.

No—not just my head.

Pain pounded through every inch of my body like I’d been beaten with a hammer.

A groan escaped my lips.

I tried to move. My wrists and ankles were tied together.

And something rough in my mouth… must be a gag.

‘Where am I…?’

I tried to open my eyes to find out—but noticed something wrong.

‘I… I can’t see.’

Cold sweat ran down my back.

Maybe I was wearing a blindfold? But nothing was touching my face.

Even in a dark room, human eyes adjust eventually.

But this… This was total blindness. Unless…

‘Am I really blind…?’

Blind in real life. Blind in a comic-world.

I was so stunned I couldn’t even curse.

No, wait—I can’t even see how ridiculous this is.

Because I’m blind.

F***.

[A malfunction in the vaccine program has been detected.]

[Applying appropriate patch.]

[Please purchase the skill ‘Clairvoyance.’]

Just as despair began to settle in, a strange voice echoed in my mind.

‘What? The status window?’

[Correct.]

‘Clairvoyance? What happens if I buy that?’

[Just purchase it.]

A firm command.

Information about the skill appeared in my mind.

[Clairvoyance: 100,000p]

[See the world through a third eye. No matter what’s hidden, nothing is secret before you.]

It wasn’t being read—it felt like the knowledge was being etched into my brain.

‘Fine. I’ll buy it.’

[Purchase complete.]

[‘Clairvoyance’ is now active.]

As the voice faded, my surroundings lit up. I opened my eyes wide.

‘I can see again!’

Blink. Blink.

I blinked slowly—

And was shocked again.

‘Wait… what the heck…’

I could see… even with my eyes closed.

This wasn’t just clairvoyance. It was more like supernatural sight—like a god’s eye view.

Absolutely worth 100,000 points.

With my sight restored, I quickly scanned my surroundings.

‘A cabin?’

A small space like a storage room, but the rocking motion and the salty smell made it clear.

A ship.

I recalled what the men earlier had said.

“These days, Zik is desperate to buy up orphans from Kieto.”

‘So it’s a ship bound for Zik.’

The Kieto slums lie on the border between Hwa and Gong countries.

From there, a ship can take you directly to the Zik continent.

And with all the dark rumors… there’s only one likely destination.

‘A slave auction.’

The same vile facility in Zik’s Terra that the hero destroyed in the original story.

Knowing the destination gave me some peace of mind.

But of course, I had no intention of going quietly to that auction.

‘I have to escape somehow.’

It’ll take about a month to reach Zik, so there’s no need to panic yet.

‘First, let’s check my remaining points.’

Even though I was satisfied with the Clairvoyance skill, it had been a big expense. My point stash must’ve been wiped out.

Maybe 2,000 points left?

With that in mind, I opened the status window.

[Good Deed Points: 110,457]

‘Huh?’

What? Why do I have so many?

It’s even more than before.

‘Did saving the kids from the fire earn that many points?’

I stared at the window in a daze.

Sure, helping Cedric always gave more points, but…

I had a guess.

Good Deed Points accumulate based on the emotions of those you help.

The greater the emotional impact I have on someone, the more points I get.

So in other words…

‘It really was a turning point.’

If I changed the life of a major character from the original story… I must earn an absurd amount of points.

In that case, I might need to revise my plans going forward—hm?

“Hey, look. The brat’s awake.”

The trapdoor in the ceiling opened, and two men climbed down the ladder.

One walked up to me, lifted my chin, and muttered.

“Damn, kid’s actually pretty cute… huh? What’s this?”

“What now?”

“This little brat—his eyes are unfocused.”

…Excuse me?

“What’d you say?”

The other man, who was rummaging through crates, said the exact same thing I had in mind.

He marched over, grabbed my face, and grumbled.

“What the hell. We snatched a blind kid? Tch.”

“Oh, so you wanna snatch one in broad daylight instead?! Raven said no flashy moves!”

“It’s just a figure of speech, alright?”

As I nervously listened to their bickering, I froze at a single name.

Raven. The crow.

It might be a common name, but in this world, only one character is known as Raven.

One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Lord’s army—Raven the Sky Tyrant.

He’s the Lord of Plague. A powerful villain who sacrificed countless humans.

“Whatever. Raven’s about to make his move on Zik soon anyway. We just need to pocket some cash and get back to Hwa.”

My face stiffened at the word “move.”

That could mean only one thing:

A deadly plague is about to spread in Zik.