Sister of the Ranking 1st (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
The angrier I tried to stay calm and think, the more my rage surged. No matter how hard I tried to think of something else, the heat rising from my gut refused to settle.
If I ever meet Callie again, I’ll definitely punch her once. Even though it’ll only hurt my fist—and I’m not even sure I’d be able to land the hit at all.
“Sigh.”
Calm down. I mustn’t confuse what I’m supposed to do. Hitting someone is something I can only do if I survive first.
“…….”
The basic rule for survival was simply to stay still, remain exactly where I had synced, and wait. This rule existed because the location one landed upon syncing was always consistent.
But what about now? Was it even possible to endure in this situation—when this wasn’t a normal sync to begin with, and there wasn’t a single item around?
Just who was that man who triggered the sync?
Why did I feel familiar with him, and why did he seem to recognize me as well?
—Hey, hey! Can you hear us?
—Wave your hand if you can hear us!
—Are you hurt somewhere? You look unwell. Shall we help you?
Pretending I heard nothing, I quietly raised myself up. I needed to go somewhere else.
—He ignored us! He totally ignored us!
—Let’s tell Thorn Tree! Let’s tell Thorn Tree!
—No, how about we tell Nemue instead?
—Hey, we won’t tell on you—just play with us a little, okay? Huh?
They’d been saying “tell” this whole time, but I had no idea what exactly they intended to report.
Though formless, glowing lights like fireflies floated after me. I just kept walking diligently.
The constant sound of grass and twigs snapping, mixed with the chattering of children, rang without end. It was mentally exhausting—though I’d already been tired to begin with.
—If you keep ignoring us, we really will tell on you!
—You smell nice.
—Just play with us a little! Just a little!
There couldn’t possibly be a greater noise nuisance than this. Even a summer night plagued by mosquitoes wouldn’t be this loud.
“Even if you ask me to play, what am I supposed to…!”
Just as I finally lost my patience and tried to say something, my legs gave out. A cold presence brushed past me.
Something was passing by in the distance.
Following it, pristine frost spread over the ground. Thud, thud, thud, thud. Then came a tremendous, earth-shaking rumble.
—Shh.
—Looks like it’s angry. It’s because of the unwanted guests.
—Those people invaded our paradise and killed our friends. That’s why it’s mad.
Their voices chattered away. The ice covering the ground bloomed into flowers.
Thud—the sound ceased. Instantly, all noise stopped. Even the whispering wind fell silent.
—Who are you?
Before me stood something shaped like a white-haired girl.
And it radiated an intensely cold aura.
—……Among these unpleasant intruders, a child bearing a familiar scent has come. How did you get here?
That must be the gate’s boss monster. That was the only thought that came to mind—not even a question about why the gate’s master stood before me.
Before I could even feel fear—
—Hmm, alright. Unlike other intruders, you’re fine. So—would you like to explore the forest? Play with the children?
It felt eerie. I even wondered if all of this might just be an illusion or a dream. It was so absurd it almost made me laugh.
—Black Thorn and White Thorn are both furious, so don’t provoke them.
The girl, unconcerned by my nervous laughter, lightly floated into the air and vanished.
The noise returned.
—Nemue didn’t get mad. She was really angry earlier. Why?
—Hey, is it crying? This human is crying.
—Crying? Don’t cry. Don’t cry. It’s okay.
—Nemue isn’t angry. It’s okay! Don’t cry.
The chattering voices started babbling at me again.
Was I… crying? Tears… Ah, I really was.
I felt the dampness on my cheeks, but couldn’t control my emotions. Why was I crying? Was that boss monster really that terrifying?
I wiped the tears away with my sleeve, only for more to spill from the other eye.
Thud—!
Just as their “don’t cry” pleas began to sound familiar, a thunderous roar shook the forest. Birds fled in panic.
Something appeared beyond the trees. Or rather—just trees.
—It’s Thorn Tree!
—White Thorn Tree?
A colossal tree. Its branch-like hand gripped a massive club—a monster that was straightforward to fight yet clearly high-level and troublesome, with obvious weaknesses.
Thud—!
The reason this monster was so difficult to deal with was simple: it was just huge. And absurdly strong.
I slapped my frozen legs to get them moving and pressed myself tightly behind a nearby tree. Would this tree really hide me? Cold sweat trickled down my back.
—Do you wish to hide, little one?
At the same time, a slightly more mature voice sounded. I instinctively fell backward onto my rear, and the wind rustled around me.
It was a woman’s voice. A mature woman’s voice—clearly distinct from the children’s chattering.
Where was it coming from?
Thud—!
Before I could even process my fear of the incomprehensible situation, the booming sound urged me again. I scrambled up, hid behind the tree, and peeked out—only to see a white-trunked tree stomping away.
That thing must be at least a hundred years old—no, more like five hundred…
The tree seemed unaware of my presence and headed off, apparently following traces of the white-haired girl I’d just met.
—White Thorn Tree just met a human. That’s why it’s so furious. Don’t worry—we won’t harm you.
The voice spoke again. Only then did I understand its source.
This forest was a gate.
And gates were always dangerous places.
Even inanimate objects could be monsters, and the very ground beneath your feet might be one too.
Yes—even the tree I was hiding behind could be a monster.
—So you finally see me.
The tree spoke to me.
Shifting my gaze, I suddenly saw countless trees, birds soaring through the sky, glowing lights hiding in the grass, and a vibrant field of flowers blooming beyond.
All of it.
“Ahh… aahh…”
I collapsed right there, unconscious.
[This is the timeline separator]I awoke under a sky studded with stars like glittering jewels. As I sat up, something slid off me—it was a blanket of fallen leaves.
“…….”
I heard crickets chirping and birds singing, but nothing else. With a grimace, I brushed the leaves off.
I’m going insane. What should I do now?
Whether I moved or stayed put, it was all monsters either way—the outcome would be the same. Strangely, they showed no hostility toward me, but I still couldn’t predict what might happen.
Had War God Callie gotten caught up in this too?
Since there were supposedly other humans, it wasn’t impossible. Though that person had threatened and tried to kill me, finding them now might actually be safer.
Thump-thump. My heartbeat pounded fiercely. “I want to go home”—that thought alone ruled my mind.
♪-.
A song drifted from somewhere. Foolishly, even as I longed to run away, I followed the melody.
Hiding behind trees, entrusting my life to things that might end it.
“…….”
It felt strangely unsettling. Was this bottomless despair truly just because I wanted to escape? Or was it something else…?
♪-.
The singing grew clearer. A light appeared in the distance.
Peeking from behind the tree that divided light and shadow, I saw—
A vast lake and a girl singing upon it. Translucent children playing nearby, and behind them, two towering trees—one white, one black—standing guard.
And pale human corpses.
There were several people. Some were already dead, half-submerged in the lake, being gently stroked by the singing girl; others thrashed desperately, trying to escape the water.
A human held captive at the back screamed. He seemed to be an Awakened—one who pulled something from midair, threw it, and fled. An explosion erupted, blurring the figures in my vision.
“…….”
Of course, his escape failed. The “thing that had been human” was crushed by the tree’s massive club and collapsed, spewing blood.
At the sight before me, I turned and fled.
I ran until my breath gave out.
Everything looked like a hallucination, and the fact that nothing had harmed me felt oddly kind. Maybe, just maybe, I’d thought nothing truly bad would happen.
But this place was real.
A cruel, harsh reality.
My senses blurred. Had it not been for the voice that followed, I would’ve collapsed right there.
“I’m sure I heard something here! Ugh, I had a feeling…! Oh? Hey, over here! There’s someone! A person!”
It was a human voice.
“Hello? Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
Hearing that rough, adolescent voice, I closed my eyes.
I’m so tired… I just want to rest…
[This is the timeline separator]A faint song drifted from afar. It sounded gentle and warm like a lullaby, yet sorrowful, as if praying for something.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“…….”
“You must’ve wandered alone for days. You look awful. Here—want to try this?”
Something was held out before me—a chocolate bar, the kind you’d find at a convenience store.
“Um, you’re…?”
“Oh, that’s not a mimic monster or anything. You can eat it safely.”
“Huh?”
“It’s emergency rations I carry with me.”
Her tone was kind. I accepted the chocolate bar and just stared at it blankly for a while.
“Hey, is this person crying?”
“Guess it’s been ages since they’ve had a proper meal.”
“That’s not a meal—it’s a snack.”
“Tch, we’re already low on food, and now you’re wasting it…”
“Don’t say that. And please don’t forget this is entirely my personal supply.”
They chattered amongst themselves right in front of me. Carefully, I took a small bite of the chocolate. Its overwhelming sweetness made my throat tighten.
“Feeling a bit better?”
The woman who’d offered the food smiled. “If you want more, just say so—we’ve got other things too.” The calmer her voice, the more overwhelming my emotions became.
“Things aren’t great right now, but it’ll be okay. Eat, calm down, and we’ll talk. I’ll explain everything.”
Silently, I chewed and swallowed the chocolate. For some reason, it tasted salty.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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