Chapter 102: The Recollections of Isaac Adler

Chapter 102: The Recollections of Isaac Adler

Hey

Are you sure about this?

As I quietly descended the long staircase leading to the basement of the mansion, a message, scribbled in haste, emerged before my eyes.

Even after offering the best happy ending I possibly could in your current circumstance, youre really going to reject it?

.. .Yes.

It seemed that the system didnt agree with my actions, but I had already resolved myself. There was no going back now.

I dont, cant understand this.

Im not doing this because I want to be understood.

Ignoring the system window before my eyes, I walked passed it and trudged along towards my destination. Momentarily hesitating mid-air for a while, the translucent system window soon decided to follow me.

?

Sensing something odd, I turned around, only to be greeted with the sight of the translucent window pausing mid-air as my gaze landed on it. However, once I shifted my gaze to the front once more, the window started following me once more in a floating trail.

What is it?

What? I havent done anything

A memory of being stalked in the past came to his mind due to its shady actions, prompting Adler to ask in a tone that was a bit frostier than usual. Hearing his rigid voice, the floating entity displayed some words in a hastily scribbled and sloppy handwriting.

Dont follow me.

Are you really going to go down there?

How many times must I say it?

However, as I remained adamant on my choice, the system changed the color of its writing to one of blood red. A warning message. The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

If you go down, youll die

Below those words written in bloody red, an array of probabilities that I possibly could not ignore began to be listed one by one.

Warning!

Probability of being Killed 50%

Probability of being Devoured 99%

Probability of being Turned into an Experimental Subject 10%

Probability of a Life Restoration Event occurring in the Future 0.01%

The contents were goosebump-inducing, to say the least. However, from the moment I declined the surefire happy-ending route, I had already made up my mind to not be swayed by these numbers.

The probabilities you showed me were often off the mark, werent they?

It doesnt really calculate the immediate likelihood of an event. Rather, it bases it on the possibilities youll face at the very end of your road.

You have endless excuses, dont you?

You designed it that way.

As I replied to the system with a calm and cold expression on my face, it replied back in a font that seemed to be showing the resentment it felt due to my statement.

Are you sure about reviving the final boss of the game?

In a situation where youre not even forced by the duty of the sole probability of this world, are you really going to consume your one and only unique life restoration event?

Umm

The system, which had disappeared for a moment, suddenly emerged before my eyes with a glaring question. And I couldnt help but look down and sigh at the question thrown my way.

Thats the thing.

My eyes were drawn to the professor, her lifeless body cradled in my arms in a princess carry, and immediately, memories of the past began to surface in my mind one by one.

Among them, the one I most vividly recalled was the contents of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, a collection of short stories in the Sherlock Homes saga. The moment I first read through The Final Problem included in that anthology,

Theres a good reason for it.

Perhaps the decision I was about to make had already been decided from that very moment.

.

.

.

.

I was an entity of half white and half black, half good and half evil a rather dualistic being if I say so myself.

Looking at my irises which now had different colors, it seemed that I had an equal fondness for both characters. That explained why I had come to have such a disposition.

Now that I think about it, this does make me seem like a trashy bastard, right?

It sounded a bit dubious, like proudly straddling the fence, but wasnt this still better than just liking villains over heroes as my old friend did?

Hey

Scratching my head as I had those fleeting thoughts I saw that the system window, which had been spinning around me for a while already, had sent me a message with a sense of urgency in the writing.

Are you really sure you want to die instead of the final boss?

Wait, is that even allowed?

Seeing an archaic door that started coming into my view from beyond the screen, it seemed like the entity running the system had become quite desperate by now.

But why was this thing making such a fuss?

Until recently, the system had pretended to not have any self-awareness and donned a very monotone and business-like attitude when dealing with me. But why was it suddenly acting like this now?

Then who will play word chain with me?

Didnt you say that was boring?

Lost in thought and looking at the screen before me with a befuddled expression, a message soon appeared after a brief silence.

Never mind.

Do whatever you want, however you want.

With those brief words, the entity along with the system window completely vanished from my sight, drifting into the unknown void.

Somehow, I felt uneasy by its last words but there was nothing I could do about it now.

Just wait a little more, Professor.

It was time to punish the bitch who had the audacity to assassinate the Queen I swore to follow.

.

.

.

.

.

Squeak

A short while later

Bang!!!

The old basement door opened with a creak. And as soon as Adler entered through the door, a silver bullet was fired straight at him, evidently waiting for this very moment to be shot.

Fizzle

However, Adler, with a cold gaze, lightly waved his hand. And with that gesture, the bullet, blocked mid-air, quietly fell to the ground and rolled away from his sight.

Oh my. I thought you were unable to use magic currently.

Hiss

It looks like you have made some preparations of your own, this time around.

In front of Adler, who spewed out smoke tinged with a golden aura, stood a rather frail-looking woman. She had disheveled hair, was donned in a coat, and had a sickening smile on her pale lips as she looked at Adler with clear intrigue.

Dr. Frankenstein.

Welcome to my laboratory.

As Adler spoke her name, the woman, smiling brightly, spread her arms wide to both sides.

..

Behind her, in the darkness that stretched infinitely, the gleaming eyes of countless grotesque creatures began to flicker.

Why dont you come and lie down over here first?

Ill pass.

And at that moment, Adlers radiant golden aura started tinging with shades of gray and black, mixing into his very being.

I have someone I need to kill right now.