[... 100%]
[Plan Formulation Complete]
[Option 1:
Release Sylphia at the original location. Use the Disguise Mask before leaving the Absolute Dimension. Disguise her appearance as a High Elf. Exit the underground chamber stealthily while avoiding the battle between Havil Firlone and the monster. After that, continue eastward to Myrel Thalas, the land of the Wood Elves. Pretend to be a kidnapped noble child from Whilvora and ask to be escorted back.
[Risk: Getting caught by Havil due to suspicious behavior]
[Safety Probability: 60%]
[Note: Estimated time if successful: 7 days]
[Option 2:
Release Sylphia far from the village where she was enslaved. Then, continue traveling east to Myrel Thalas, pretending to be a kidnapped noble from Whilvora.
[Risk: Host consciousness will sleep for 5 days due to Spirit Force depletion]
[Safety Probability: 90%]
[Note: Estimated time if successful: 5 days]
Reyhan read the panel intently, staring at it as if he were watching the twist ending of a brutal Korean drama.
His translucent finger touched the faded outline of his mouth.
"System, why does Option 1 say Havil and the monster are still fighting? Haven't we been in the Absolute Dimension for a while?"
[Because time in the Absolute Dimension is different from real-world time. 10 days here = 1 day outside. One day in Worein = 20 hours. You've been here about 1 hour, which means only 5 minutes have passed outside.]
"...Damn, that's OP," Reyhan muttered, stunned. "But still, that option is risky."
He rested his head on one hand like a parent reluctantly letting their daughter ride off on a motorbike with some boy.
"If I fail, I won't be able to help Sylphia. I don't have a physical body, and Havil isn't someone who's easily fooled."
Then he looked at the second option.
"This one's safer, but... five days of sleep? That's not sleep, System, that's a coma."
[There are no other options! This is already the cheapest price! This ability normally costs 50 Spirit Force to activate! The System has been very generous to the Host—but instead of gratitude, all we get is haggling like a mom at a flea market…]
Reyhan rubbed his face, then closed the system panel like someone covering a talkative friend's mouth during an exam.
"Okay, okay, enough. I get it. No need to preach."
He staggered forward like an RPG character with zero mana, heading toward Sylphia, who was twirling her spear on the altar. With half his strength, he raised two fingers into the air.
"Number two," he whispered, as if surrendering to fate.
[Host's choice accepted]
[Plan Option 2 stored in the Narrative of the Wind]
And instantly—
WHOOSH—
He appeared behind Sylphia, who was still playing with her spear like a child with a new toy.
"Sweetheart," he called, patting her shoulder.
"Father's back," Sylphia replied, smiling as she put her spear away.
"Yes, Father's back," Reyhan said softly, brushing her hair. "You're not surprised?"
Sylphia giggled. "Sylphia doesn't get surprised twice~," she said, flashing a playful two-finger gesture.
"Father! Father! Father!" she squealed, bouncing up like a squirrel.
"Yes, sweetheart," Reyhan replied, smiling back.
"Guess what, Father? Sylphia can now control the Eternal Ice Curse!" she said proudly.
Reyhan paused.
'That explains why I didn't turn into an ice cube when I touched her head,' he thought.
[...]
The System stayed silent and pretended not to know anything.
"Ahem, of course Father knew," he said, hiding his left hand behind his back and covering his mouth with his right, striking a dignified pose.
"You're so cool, Father!"
Sylphia clenched her fists under her chin, eyes sparkling like a fangirl meeting her idol.
Reyhan could only respond with a tired… and resigned smile.
"Father," Sylphia said softly, looking up at him. "Then… do you already know what we're going to do next?"
Reyhan nodded with a faint smile. "I do. We're going to choose the safest way for you to return to the real world, unharmed."
Sylphia looked down, wringing her fingers nervously. "What are we going to do…?"
Reyhan stepped closer and bent down to meet her gaze.
"You'll be sent out from here, but not at the same place. It'll be far away from the village where you were enslaved. You'll head east, toward the forest near Myrel Thalas, the Wood Elf territory. There, you'll pretend to be a kidnapped noble child from Whilvora."
Sylphia lifted her head slowly. "With you, right…?"
Reyhan shook his head gently. "No. I… I can't come with you. Sending you that far will drain all my power. I'll have to sleep for five days to recover."
Tears welled up in Sylphia's eyes. She stepped back and shook her head violently. "No! I don't want to! I won't go without you! I won't!"
Reyhan took a deep breath and smiled gently. He held both of Sylphia's hands—warm and reassuring.
"But sweetheart… you know there are others like you, right? Children who were locked away, beaten, forced into submission? Do you want them to stay like that?"
Sylphia bit her lip, doubt creeping in.
"I promise I'll come back in five days. And while I'm gone…" Reyhan tapped her shoulder, "you won't be alone. Glacivale will be with you. And you're already much stronger than before."
Sylphia still looked down. But slowly, she nodded. "…Okay. But you have to promise."
Reyhan smiled, raising three fingers. "Promise. Father will come pick you up."
Sylphia wiped her tears with the back of her hand, then unfastened the item at her waist—the Disguise Mask.
"I want to look like a High Elf… like the ones from the capital," she said softly, closing her eyes.
As soon as the Disguise Mask touched her skin, a golden-green light circled gently around her. Her silvery-white hair lengthened and turned into a pale gold that shimmered under the altar's light. Her ears elongated slightly, giving her the graceful look of a noble elf. Her previously blue eyes shifted into a golden hue, and her clothes slowly transformed into a soft olive and brown robe, like those of forest kingdom travelers.
The final effect was like spring magic—gentle winds lifting her hair, fading away like blossoms caught in a morning breeze.
Reyhan watched her, now fully disguised as a High Elf, and held his breath.
"Are you ready, sweetheart?" he asked softly.
Sylphia looked into his eyes, then gave a small nod. "Yes, Father." Her voice trembled, but her resolve was firm.
Reyhan smiled faintly, then bowed his head. In his heart, he spoke to the System.
'System… begin the process now. Send her to the planned location.'
[As ordered, Host. Activating Hidden Warp Channel.]
The ground beneath Sylphia lit up gently, like a magic circle carved from emerald light. The air around them began to tremble softly, as if the world was holding its breath. Particles of wind circled her feet, rising to form a small vortex, expanding like petals blooming in the wind.
The wind wrapped around Sylphia's body, forming rippling lights that made her gradually transparent. As the vortex widened, her form dissolved into the wind—like golden dust swept into another dimension.
Before vanishing completely, Sylphia looked back at her father one last time, and whispered:
"Father… don't forget the five-day promise."
Reyhan smiled, though his body was beginning to falter. "I won't."
WHUUUUSSSHH—
In an instant, the wind vortex burst silently. Only the scent of fresh dew and a faint fading light remained in the air.
Reyhan stood alone at the altar, now quiet.
Suddenly, his body grew heavy, as though every ounce of energy had been drained. His breath was labored, and his vision blurred.
[Spirit Force: 0%]
[All energy reserves expended for long-distance dimensional transfer.]
[Host will now enter recovery phase.]
[Estimated sleep time: 5 real-world days.]
[Thank you for your cooperation, Host—annoying but… decently brave.]
[Rest well.]
Reyhan let out a faint chuckle in his heart. "Annoying, huh...? Damn System..."
The world around him began to dim, like lights shutting off one by one. The sound of the wind faded into the distance... until everything dissolved into silence and darkness.
A few seconds after the teleportation...
Light slowly returned to Sylphia's vision. Her feet touched soft grass, damp with dew, and a cold wind gently blew through her blonde hair.
Before her stretched the Eastern Forest, a place still wild, untouched by civilization. Giant trees towered overhead, their massive roots piercing the ground like slumbering beasts. The leaves were a dark green, a sign of strong natural magic. Forest birds chirped in unfamiliar tones to human ears, yet oddly familiar to those of an elf.
"Eastern... Forest?" she murmured, glancing around. She took a small step forward, then paused.
"If I keep walking... I might run into monsters, right?" she muttered, poking her own cheek. "But Father said I'm strong... I have to believe it!" she said, clenching her tiny fist with determination.
She began to walk slowly, following the direction she'd been given earlier. The day was still bright, the sun at its peak, casting the trees' shadows into mosaic patterns on the ground.
"Eh... but what if the monster is really big? Huhuhu..." she whimpered, staring at the tree ahead, as if hoping there'd be a sign: "Danger → This Way."
She walked with a slight bounce in her steps, like a kitten trying to look brave. Sometimes she pretended to slash at the bushes with a twig she picked up, then giggled softly to herself. "Hyaa! Take that, evil grass!"
Time passed. The sun tilted westward. Her small stomach began to grumble.
"Grrr..." came the sound.
Sylphia stopped and looked down at her belly. "Hey! Don't be noisy! We're in a forest, you know!" she whispered, patting it gently.
After walking a few more minutes while holding her stomach, she began to look for prey. At last, her eyes locked onto a deer drinking from a small stream in the distance.
With a soft gesture, Glacivale materialized from thin air—ice-wind particles fused into a beautiful crystal spear in her hand. Its shaft was translucent, almost invisible, with a blade that radiated a chilling aura.
"Come on... don't run, okay?" she whispered.
The deer sensed her presence and bolted.
"Ahh... it ran away."
Sylphia gave chase—her steps light, almost like a dance. She threw her spear toward the deer. It only grazed its hind leg... but that was enough. Glacivale's passive effect activated instantly. The wound's edge began to freeze, spreading over the leg muscles. The deer's movement slowed drastically.
Sylphia smirked, though her face remained innocent. "Gotcha!"
Just as she prepared to leap and finish it—
SWOOSH! – THUNK!
An arrow struck the deer's neck.
"Ehhh?!" Sylphia froze. "Who just stole my prey?!"
From behind a tree emerged a boy, around eight years old, with blond hair, pale skin, and pointed ears of course. His clothes were made of bark and leaves. He was barefoot, and root-like tattoos spread from his fingertips up to his shoulders. His eyes were pitch black—the mark of a Wood Elf.
He looked at her flatly. "I killed it. It's mine."
Sylphia stood still. Her expression shifted instantly. The once cheerful and innocent look was gone—her lips pursed slightly, and her eyes stared sharply, cold as ice.
"I froze it first," she said coldly.
The boy didn't flinch. "But I made it stop breathing."
"Then let's split it," Sylphia replied
evenly, her tone soft but filled with the pressure of a child who knew all the playground rules and wouldn't hesitate to report cheating.
"…You're weird," the boy remarked.
"…So are you," Sylphia replied.