The Nameless Extra: I Proofread This World

Ruvian gave a small nod.

”But before that, could you guide me to where the Chronoseal is, and show me where I should place The Key?” he asked. ”You know... in this darkness, I can’t even see anything.”

As he spoke, he waved a hand back and forth in front of his face.

”I’m practically blind in here.”

Silence.

Then the Great Spirit suddenly blurted out.

[...Huh?]

Her voice rose in surprise.

[You cannot see?]

Ruvian raised an eyebrow.

”I mean... yeah?”

He tilted his head.

”I thought that was obvious.”

The Great Spirit fell silent once more. A few seconds later, her voice returned, still filled with disbelief.

[But... how?]

She sounded genuinely confused.

[I thought you could see me, with how you have been talking and reacting as though I was standing right in front of you.]

Ruvian shrugged.

”Well, I thought you already knew I couldn’t see anything in this darkness,” he replied. ”I was only speaking toward where I felt your presence. That’s all.”

The Great Spirit let out a long sigh. It sounded as though she had just realized a very obvious mistake.

[...I suppose that is my fault.]

A sharp snap echoed through the Sepulcher.

Snap!

The endless darkness slowly began to recede.

It did not disappear completely, but it retreated like a thick fog, allowing light to quietly spread across the realm.

Ruvian instinctively blinked. For the first time since arriving here, the world around him finally came into view.

The sky remained pitch black. The endless ground beneath his feet was just as dark. Even the distant horizon was swallowed by the same endless shade of black.

Yet somehow, everything was perfectly visible, as though daylight itself had filled the realm without changing its color.

Ruvian slowly lowered his gaze. He could clearly see his own body. The Endseeker rested quietly in his hand.

Then his eyes lifted.

Standing only a few steps away from him was a woman who looked no older than her early twenties, her figure slender, but graceful.

Long black hair flowed all the way past her waist. A thin white veil rested gently over her head, while two curled black horns rose from either side of her head, curving backward like polished obsidian.

His gaze slowly moved lower.

She wore a long dark dress that reached her ankles, the deep black fabric falling in smooth layers without a single wrinkle.

A lighter gray cloth covered her shoulders and arms. Thin black straps crossed over her collar and chest in a simple pattern, adding a strange beauty to an outfit that looked both ancient and refined.

Then his eyes met hers.

Her face was very calm. She had soft features, pale skin, and quiet gray eyes that held neither joy nor anger.

Ruvian blinked a few times.

’...So this is how the Great Spirit looks.’

The Great Spirit gently raised a hand.

[Now that you can finally see, go ahead, child,] she said, her voice calm. [Step onto the Chronoseal and place it.]

As she spoke, she pointed toward her left.

Ruvian instinctively turned to his right. His eyes immediately landed on the ancient altar.

A small circular staircase surrounded its base.

Those stairs were carved from the same black stone as the rest of the realm, leading upward toward a massive platform that towered several feet above the ground.

The altar was enormous.

If he had to compare it to something familiar, it was easily larger than ten ordinary village wells placed side by side into a single circle.

”So that’s the Chronoseal...”

Without wasting another moment, Ruvian tightened his grip around [The Endseeker] and began walking toward it.

His footsteps echoed softly across the silent realm.

Before long, both of his feet reached the top, his gaze naturally swept across the altar beneath him. The entire surface was covered in countless circular murals.

Layer after layer of strange symbols spread across the black stone endlessly.

Ruvian slowly crouched down.

His fingers hovered just above the ancient carvings without touching them. It was the Dead Runes Language.

He recognized it immediately.

The symbols were so old, so detailed, and so unbelievably complex that they looked like a puzzle no human should ever be able to solve. Even after staring at them for several long moments, he failed to understand a single character.

His lips curled into a helpless smile.

Finally, his gaze shifted toward the middle of the Chronoseal. At its exact center rested a narrow stone pedestal.

A single slot had been carved into it.

There was no doubt about it.

That place had been made for the blade in his hand.

Without another moment of hesitation, Ruvian placed [The Endseeker] into the slot. It slid in perfectly, just as he had expected.

”Now what?” Ruvian asked.

[Now turn The Key to your right.]

”Ah, alright.”

And so, Ruvian did.

The moment The Key turned ninety degrees, the ancient altar trembled. A faint radiance seeped through the narrow seams carved into its surface.

At first, it was little more than a dim glimmer, but with every passing second, the light grew stronger, spilling from every crack until the entire Chronoseal blazed with ancient brilliance.

[’The Chronoseal’ Has Acknowledged The Key.]

The realm itself began to tremble.

The endless darkness rippled like disturbed water, while an indescribable pressure descended from above.

Ruvian instinctively narrowed his eyes.

”Anyway... what’s going to happ—”

Before he could finish speaking, the radiance erupted.

The brilliant light swallowed his vision whole.

’Huh!??

He instinctively tried to shield his eyes, but before he could react any further, a solemn voice echoed from the depths of his very soul.

[’The River of Time’ Has Accepted Your Presence.]

[A Forgotten Current Has Been Chosen.]

[Bear Witness, ’Bearer of the Fable’.]

[The Fable: ’The Beginning After The End’ will now commence...]

*****

’Wait... the fable — what!?’

A moment later, the blinding radiance vanished without warning, replaced by a suffocating wave of heat that slammed into his body. Thick smoke flooded his lungs before he could even take a proper breath.

His vision spun.

For a brief moment, everything blurred together into shifting streaks of crimson and black. The ground beneath his feet was shaken violently apart.

Then, his sight slowly cleared.

A sea of fire stretched before him.

Towering buildings burned from roof to foundation. Sweltering flames climbed across the wooden and stone walls alike, devouring everything they touched.

Chunks of burning debris crashed onto the streets below, sending showers of sparks into the ash-filled sky.

The city was collapsing around him.

People ran in every direction.

Some desperately carried children in their arms, while a few others dragged their wounded family members through the streets; their terrified screams blended with the roar of the flames.

’What... the hell is this?’

BOOM!

Before his thoughts could settle, another explosion erupted somewhere in the distance.

The ground trembled beneath his feet.

A nearby building finally gave way with a deafening groan before collapsing into the street, burying everything beneath an avalanche of stone and fire.

Raising his hand, Ruvian shielded his face from the scorching wave of heat and the cloud of dust that swept toward him.

”Ruvian!!”

Someone screamed his name over the chaos.

Instinctively, he turned around.

His expression immediately changed.

”Why are you just standing there!?” the person shouted. ”Come on! We have to run!”

A single thought flashed through Ruvian’s mind.

What the hell was going on?

And more importantly... why the hell, Zian Herga—

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[Chapter 275: The Damn Protagonist Was Here?]