Chapter 112

"I'm sorry."

A voice whispered softly, breaking through the heavy silence.

How many times had he seen this scene?

The Prophet’s vision blurred as a faint image flickered before his eyes.

A blood-red sky, the academy buildings reduced to rubble without a trace, and the corpses scattered amidst the debris, layered like dust.

It was a world on the brink of destruction.

"In the end... we failed to stop the apocalypse."

The boy standing beside him muttered.

He was in a wretched state as well.

The once-neat suit he wore was now torn and tattered, and his golden hair—once shining brilliantly—was drenched in blood.

The narrow eyes, once his defining feature, were now wide open, revealing his pupils.

"Headmaster."

The weary boy called out to the Prophet.

His legs wobbled, unsteady.

For a moment, the serpent swayed, but he quickly regained his balance and turned to face the old man, a bitter smile spreading across his lips.

The growing darkness in his complexion hinted at a farewell.

Blood dripped from his lips as they moved slightly.

"But there’s one last move left."

With difficulty, he raised a trembling finger to point at the sky.

Beyond the crimson backdrop, the final [calamity] revealed its presence.

The serpent spoke.

"From here on, I’ll go alone. It’s the only way to protect this world."

A statement of resolve, born of sacrifice.

The Prophet couldn’t stop him.

He could only ask quietly:

What should he tell the children who would be left behind?

The boy smiled faintly.

"Who knows... Whatever hidden truths may exist, the fact remains that I’m a traitor."

"I don’t want to leave any excuses behind. That would only make things more complicated."

"I’ve decided to set aside my worries about them now."

"They’re strong. I’m sure they’ll overcome it."

A conclusion no one would recognize.

The serpent bore the weight of the world.

As he passed by the Prophet, only the sound of cold wind followed his steps.

The boy added his words to the wind like a harmony.

"Headmaster... I’ll leave a different future to you."

Step, step, step—.

Leaving an incomprehensible request behind, the serpent walked toward the eye of the storm.

The Prophet stood still, watching his retreating figure.@@@@

His hand reached out reflexively, but the boy disappeared, just out of reach.

Only winter remained in the empty backdrop.

Whoooosh—.

The old man stood there for a long time.

If they’re going to make a character who can’t even talk properly, what’s the point of the whole prophet thing?

I don’t know what the developers were thinking when they created this character.

If the Emperor’s problem is his garbage personality,

then this guy’s problem is that his entire design is fundamentally garbage.

[Now this is what I call “World’s Most Useless Prophet”]

-> Haha, he just knows the future but does nothing with it.

[I’m new, but what does it mean that he’s a “prophet”?]

-> It’s literal. He’s a prophet. Some transcendent figure who can see the future because he surpassed worldly boundaries.

-> ??? Doesn’t seem like he does much with that power.

-> That’s because of the restriction placed on him.

-> Restriction?

-> Think of it as the price for his power.

[So, what’s the restriction on the Headmaster?]

-> He can’t interfere with the future he sees. If he reveals or distorts fate, he takes on the burden of the world’s karma and ceases to exist.

-> That’s just plain trash, isn’t it?

-> There’s a reason people call him a useless character, lol.

-> What’s the point of a future-seeing character who can’t interfere or reveal anything?

-> Well, at least he sees the future. Have a cup of tea.

[Not all endings have been revealed yet. There was a hint from the devs about a hidden ending, and some think the Headmaster might play a key role there.]

-> That’s the most plausible theory.

-> Speaking of which, has anyone actually seen the hidden ending?

-> Nope, not that I know of.

-> Even the guide experts couldn’t figure it out.

-> If even they can’t find it, maybe it just doesn’t exist. Damn.

As you can see,

The elder before me hadn’t chosen silence of his own volition.

He remained quiet because he had no other choice.

Should he divulge even a fragment of his prophecy, the backlash from his restriction would undoubtedly tear his aging body apart.

It wasn’t a risk worth taking, not for a mere handful of words.

Losing such a symbolic figure would be too great a cost.

Still,

It wasn’t as though there were no solutions.

There were always alternative paths.

"Headmaster."

The same held true in the original story.

The Prophet of the Apocalypse.

While no question could be answered directly under normal circumstances, there was a way to temporarily bypass those restrictions.

The method was to offer a Mythic-tier item as a sacrifice.

The principle was simple.

The Restriction.

It was the world’s warning not to deviate from providence, with a commensurate price to be paid if defied.

For the Headmaster, whose abilities were so immense, the cost was just as severe:

The complete erasure of his existence.

This was the reason he couldn’t reveal his prophecies.

But what if that cost could be redirected?

"I’m already aware of the restriction."

The penalty could be shifted elsewhere.

Specifically, the cost of breaking the restriction could be transferred to a surrogate—an offering of a [Mythic Relic].

These items, referred to as "Mythic-tier items" in the original, were relics imbued with divinity, created during the continent’s inception and imbued with sacred power throughout history.

They were recognized as fragments of the world itself, and among the rarest of treasures.

‘They’re not legendary for nothing.’

For a brief moment, these relics could bear the cost.

When presented to the Prophet, he could temporarily shed part of his restriction, allowing a brief exchange of information.

Of course,

This wasn’t a particularly popular mechanic among players.

The items were considered too valuable to waste.

The odds of obtaining a Mythic-tier item were slim—maybe once every 100 playthroughs, if you were lucky.

Using such a rare item for a few cryptic words seemed like a poor trade-off.

Naturally, the item would be destroyed immediately after use, leaving no chance of recovery.

And the Prophet’s answers weren’t even clear or detailed—just vague, twisted hints that left players frustrated.

It was understandable why most preferred to use the relics elsewhere.

‘But.’

My situation was different.