Chapter 99 : Bungee Jump - 4
Chapter 99: Bungee Jump - 4
I gathered my thoughts and spoke to my companions.
“The ominous prediction turned out to be true.”
“Huh?”
“There was a separate second-place team in this quest.”
Everyone’s eyes widened in an instant.
I reached out in thought to Jones, who was participating in the quest with that person named Karin.
[Mr. Jones.]
[Ah, yes!]
[You can check other people’s mini bulletin boards, right? What’s Karin’s current rope length?]
[Just a moment…… It says 781,650 meters.]
[Thank you.]
With a deep sigh, I shared Karin’s score.
Armelia’s complexion turned pale.
“781,650 meters? That’s about 782 kilometers?”
“Yes.”
“How is such a length even possible? Until now, the farthest long-range destination barely exceeded one kilometer.”
“……”
“Could it be that the destination distance differs for each team?”
I shook my head.
“Magireta may be trash in many ways, but……”
“Brother. I can hear you.”
“Still, she’s the kind of being who pretends to be fair. She wouldn’t set different distances for each team.”
“But in reality.”
“They say this person named Karin flew through the sky.”
I repeated the explanation I had heard from Jones.
Aina, who had been listening quietly, raised her voice.
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Aina.”
“When you jump, you’re supposed to be guided to the destination. Of course that means you should fly in a straight line there, right?”
“The phrase ‘to be guided’ means that it’s possible, not that it must be done that way.”
“Are you sure it’s okay to stay so calm? Seven hundred eighty-two kilometers? That’s already……”
She trailed off.
The way she lowered her head, it was clear she couldn’t bring herself to say the rest.
I nodded and finished the words she had left unsaid.
“It’s practically impossible for us to take first place now.”
“No, no way.”
Armelia clutched at my sleeve with trembling hands.
The others were sunk in an indescribably heavy silence.
Sienne spoke up.
“Can’t we also fly through the sky? Judging from that Karin person’s case, it shouldn’t matter how much we fly around, as long as we land at the destination in the end, right?”
“……”
“That’s right. Perhaps Sir Berseum could do something with magic……”
Berseum shook his head somberly.
His eyes were reddened, as though tears might spill any moment.
“If it were just a matter of suspending one’s body for a short time or slowing descent, that might be possible…… but a spell that allows one to freely soar through the sky is beyond me.”
“Is it because of the lack of mana, as you always say?”
“No. It’s not a matter of mana quantity. As far as I know, such magic has never existed. For humans to fly through the sky would be to deny the very nature of their race.”
“……”
“I’ve searched through every grimoire in every ruin, and I’ve never found any magic that high in level.”
Blood dripped from his lips.
He had bitten them without realizing it.
Seeing that, I was struck by the realization once again.
‘As expected, it’s impossible. For a human to fly through the sky.’
Berseum was a magician so great that he could even spy into hell itself.
He could peer into hell, a place whose very location was uncertain, yet making just one person fly was impossible.
‘How on earth did that Karin manage such a feat?’
When I came back to my senses, my companions were already slumped on the ground.
Some buried their faces in their knees and sobbed, others stared blankly at the sky.
I couldn’t bear to watch them like that any longer.
So I quickly voiced the realization I had just come to.
“It’s not over yet.”
“What?”
“There’s still hope. Everyone, please get up.”
At that, they regained a bit of energy and slowly stood.
I continued in a low voice.
“Before I explain that point, there’s one thing we need to address first—what’s happening right now.”
“Hmm. You mean the so-called ‘strike,’ right?”
“Yes. My taking first place is important, but it’s just as important that you all finish the game safely. If this strike continues, we’ll all be disqualified, and first place or not, it won’t mean anything.”
“……”
“Maybe we can solve both problems at once. Give me a moment.”
Leaving my companions, who tilted their heads in confusion, I turned around.
Then, I called out loudly to Magireta.
“Sis!”
“You don’t have to shout that loud. I can hear you just fine.”
“I wanted everyone else to hear too. Everyone, please pay attention!”
By then, the tension between the upper and lower ranks had grown so severe that it wouldn’t have been surprising if fists started flying any moment.
But when I shouted, their quarrel stopped.
Perhaps because I had volunteered to jump first—twice—some level of authority had naturally formed around me.
“W-what is it, Mr. Mason?”
“Everyone, please focus on my conversation with Magireta for a moment.”
“Y-yes.”
“Good. Then, Sis, I have a question.”
Magireta nodded briskly.
I continued.
“Among the participants playing in other locations, there’s someone freely flying in the sky, right? Their rope length should already be around 782 kilometers.”
“I won’t even bother asking how you found that out. So what about it?”
“The fact that such a method is possible means you don’t necessarily have to fly in a straight line toward the destination.”
“Yeah, that’s right. As long as the final landing point is the destination.”
“And the destination can only be set within the zones where light shines, correct?”
Rule number five.
5. Before jumping, each person sets their desired ‘destination.’ The destination can only be set within a zone where light is emitted.
Magireta asked with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you asking something you already know?”
“Doesn’t that mean we can go anywhere as long as there’s light? Not just the three visible destinations ahead of us.”
Everyone’s mouths fell open in unison.
Magireta hesitated for a moment before replying.
“Well…… according to the rules, yes, it’s possible. There’s no statement saying you have to choose a visible destination.”
“……”
“But as you can see, the world is shrouded in darkness. How would you even know where light still exists in this world?”
“……”
“Don’t go randomly picking any area and insisting it’s your destination. If there’s no light in the place you designate, then it isn’t a destination.”
That made sense.
I had no intention of pulling such nonsense anyway.
But—
“There are a few places that are definitely shining with light.”
“And where would those be?”
“The area near the diving platform where we’ve been jumping.”
“……!”
“On the first night, the second night—we saw lights from close, mid, and long ranges, remember?”
“……”
“Did you erase those lights…… by any chance?”
I asked with anxious anticipation.
I tried to act composed, but my mouth was completely dry.
Cold sweat seemed to run down my back.
Stay calm. It’ll be fine.
I recalled the conversation from the first day.
When I had asked for the time, Magireta had answered, “It’s one in the afternoon.”
Even though it was supposed to be daylight, our surroundings had been pitch-black, so I’d asked:
“As expected, this darkness isn’t natural, is it?”
What had Magireta replied then?
—That’s right. With my omnipotence, I blocked all light beneath the diving platform. The only light you can see is the ‘destination.’ It’s a light that never goes out, a radiant and beautiful symbol of hope.
A light that never goes out.
Just because the location had changed didn’t mean the lights from our previous bungee jumps would’ve disappeared.
Didn’t she say they symbolized hope?
Then please, don’t tell me they’re gone. Let them still be there!
After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Magireta finally gave her answer.
“Hehe. Of course, they’re still right where they were.”
“……!”
“I told you—they’re lights that never go out, symbols of hope. I can’t just take back my words so easily.”
At that moment, I heard Armelia’s trembling voice from behind me.
“Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.”
I turned to my companions.
Their eyes were all filled with tears.
After comforting them for a while, I spoke up.
“Who has a map?”
“I do.”
Armelia wiped her eyes and took out a map.
I looked over it, checking the destinations beyond the diving platform.
“Can you tell where we are now? Using those visible destinations as reference.”
“This is the Mogiren Territory.”
“Mogiren…….”
“That’s where the Tower of Knowledge is—the place where we had our third quest.”
I nodded.
Benjamin, having calmed down a bit, spoke evenly.
“So, as expected, the game locations seem to be the same places as past quests. Since today is the third day, we’ve returned to where the Third Quest took place.”
“That’s right. And I think I understand now why Magireta chose this setup.”
“Pardon?”
“Magireta was hoping someone would realize what I just did—that you don’t have to pick one of the three visible destinations. You can also jump toward the destinations near the places we jumped the previous nights.”
“……”
“But if the diving platforms were randomly placed anywhere across the continent, what use would that realization be?”
We wouldn’t know where we were.
Nor where we had jumped from the previous nights.
Which meant we couldn’t possibly estimate the distance between here and there.
If so, we’d have no idea how much our rope length could increase.
To avoid unnecessary risk, people would probably just pick one of the visible destinations instead.
‘Then it wouldn’t have been any fun.’
That was why Magireta had deliberately chosen the past quest sites as the game locations.
It was her way of giving us a hint.
I looked over the map.
“Mogiren Territory is here. And the place we jumped from last night was… Mr. Benjamin?”
“The Akrad Jungle. It’s as remote as the Bucklet Forest where you were, Mr. Mason.”
“In that case… ohh.”
An exclamation escaped me before I realized it.
The distance marked between the two regions on the map exceeded roughly 1,000 kilometers.
It was enough to surpass that person Karin’s record.
At that moment, Berseum spoke up.
“That’s truly fortunate. Though, even so.”
“Sir?”
“We still have one remaining problem, don’t we? The so-called strike.”
“Right. That’s the very reason I drew everyone’s attention in the first place.”
“What are you planning to do?”
Instead of answering, I turned to the ordinary participants.
“Have you followed the conversation so far?”
“Ah, yes. Somehow.”
“Then you understand now that there’s no longer any reason for us to fight among ourselves.”
“……?”
“There’s no need to bicker over whether to pick a close-range or long-range destination. We now have more than 1,000 kilometers to spare.”
At those words, the participants’ expressions changed.
I continued speaking.
“As of now, the difference between me, in first place, and Mr. Parkna in thirtieth place is less than a kilometer. But now, we have a margin of 1,000 kilometers.”
“……”
“Don’t you see what that means? All our previous scores have effectively become meaningless.”
At that, the lower-ranked participants’ faces brightened.
Conversely, the upper-ranked participants’ faces were filled with anger.
A man who had been in tenth place shouted.
“Wait a moment. Why are you saying that? What you just said puts people like me—the upper ranks—at a disadvantage!”
“It doesn’t put you at a disadvantage. We’re simply back to square one.”
“No, but still!”
“I understand it feels unfair, but there’s no helping it. If we just sit around doing nothing until dawn, we’ll all be disqualified.”
Perhaps at a loss for words, the man mouthed something silently.
“Even so……”
“Unless we resort to forcing people to jump through violence or threats, persuasion is the only way left. And persuasion always requires offering a carrot. More importantly—”
“……”
“I, the one in first place, am giving up all the advantage I’ve built up so far. Isn’t it strange that you, in tenth place, are the one complaining?”
At that, the man bowed his head deeply.
He was effectively representing the upper-ranked participants.
Understanding dawned on the faces of those in the top fifty percent.
That side was settled, at least.
Then I turned my gaze to the lower-ranked fifty percent, who were smiling with relief.
“You all understand what a great opportunity you’ve just been given, don’t you?”
“O-of course.”
“Of course, my proposal wasn’t made purely out of goodwill. In the end, I did it to survive myself. But regardless of the reason, I’ve opened a path for you to live as well.”
“We understand that. Truly, thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re thankful. So then—”
I lowered my voice.
“Don’t ever start another strike like this again.”
“……”
“There are still four bungee jumps left. Within the next two or three, the divide between upper and lower ranks will resurface again. But when that happens, I won’t tolerate another strike.”
“R-right.”
They blushed and bowed their heads.
That should about settle things.
I turned back to my companions.
All of them were staring at me intently.
“……? What’s wrong?”
“Hmm. Mason.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You could have been born a royal yourself.”
“……”
“No, wait. That would make you my sibling… That would be troublesome.”
What exactly would be so troublesome about that?