The True and False Distinction of a Brave Person

A world terminally ill.

In the third simulated martial world, Xu Xi had once said the same.

However.

Times have changed.

The "illness" of the martial world stemmed from people, from the entirety of the Great Qian.

The "illness" of the wizarding world, however, was a true affliction of the world itself—a once normally functioning realm of the living, gradually assimilated into the Netherworld under its ceaseless pull.

A sickness deep-rooted.

A sickness bone-deep.

In the martial world, Xu Xi could lead those fighting for survival to rebel against the tyranny of the Great Qian.

But this time, Xu Xi had no solution. The resistance was overwhelming, an erosion on the scale of the world itself.

Unless.

One day in the future.

Xu Xi could break the shackles and become a legendary seventh-circle wizard.

Otherwise, the demise of this world was inevitable. All existence would be corroded by the Netherworld, losing selfhood and emotion, reduced to mindless undead.

"Servia, saving people is easy, but saving the world is hard."

Xu Xi spread his fingers, sipping from a cup of water.

To the girl who knew nothing of the wizarding world or the Netherworld, he explained the origins of this undead calamity and its inevitable conclusion.

A cataclysm beyond mortal resistance.

Perhaps in a thousand years, perhaps in a hundred.

The Netherworld’s aura would fully corrupt the wizarding world.

Then, everything familiar would vanish in an instant—whether memories between people or the weight of glorious history—all reset under the Netherworld’s tide.

"Servia, you’ve already noticed, haven’t you?"

Xu Xi looked at the girl. "This world is dying. The number of undead grows year by year. Someone like you, who often deals with them, must know this well."

"...I..."

The girl was dazed.

Her head lowered, staring at her steel-covered hands.

Hands that could wield a heavy blade now seemed feeble, trembling weakly.

"...You’re right."

"In the past, I could clear the undead alone. But these past two years, their numbers have grown, becoming harder to purge."

Servia affirmed Xu Xi’s words.

Her voice lost.

Her spirit adrift.

For as long as she could remember, Servia had upheld the spirit of knighthood, following the teachings of the Clawphire Family, protecting the people of her land.

Even after a thousand years, when none remembered Clawphire.

It never shook her resolve to guard them.

She did it willingly, wholeheartedly, shielding every defenseless commoner, believing it her duty—and a form of atonement to her parents.

But now.

A cruel truth shattered her fragile dream.

The world was dying.

The people she protected would perish with it.

Reduced to mindless undead, stripped of their past.

Could such a world still hold meaning...? Servia fell silent for a long time before asking Xu Xi again.

"Great Wizard, will the world truly die?"

Not that she distrusted Xu Xi.

But the stakes demanded certainty.

"Yes," Xu Xi nodded, meeting the earnest gaze of her skeletal face. "To us, the world seems vast and boundless, impossible to oppose."

"But in truth, the world is fragile. Against something greater, it crumbles easily."

Xu Xi mused.

On the subject of world-ending calamities.

Few could claim more experience than him.

After all, in the real world, four girls in his courtyard did this very thing daily.

"......"

Perhaps the revelation was too staggering, shattering the girl’s lifelong conviction. Her soulfire dimmed as she sat motionless, frozen in place.

Xu Xi rose to leave.

Letting her process the truth alone.

The world’s corruption posed no threat to Servia—she was already undead, immune to its influence.

Yet.

The brightest, kindest emerald of the Clawphire Family.

Would always worry for others.

"A false hero..." Recalling the girl’s self-proclaimed title, Xu Xi shook his head.

The measure of a true hero was never power.

But something deeper, unseen.

[In the quiet of night, you ponder future plans within the ruined manor, setting your course and distant goals.]

[Cultivation. Strength. The study of life and death. The exploration of souls. The pursuit of truth.]

[These are your foremost aims.]

[As you reflect, you encounter Servia Clawphire, returning from her undead purge.]

[You share a nighttime conversation.]

[As a parting gift, you reveal the truth of the world, preparing her for the coming tide.]

[The girl is left speechless, devastated by the revelation.]

[Before you, she seems broken.]

...

[The crimson moon sets; the black sun rises.]

[With the new day, you worry for Servia’s state—but her spirit proves sturdier than expected.]

[She lacks a hero’s power.]

[She lacks a hero’s holy sword.]

[Yet her will outshines any ordinary soul.]

[Servia absorbs your truth, vowing never to yield. Even as the world ends, she will guard it to the last.]

[With that, she lies upon your examination table, shedding her armor.]

[Her face turned away, too shy to meet your gaze.]

"Servia, still unaccustomed?"

"Y-yes... Apologies, I still feel embarrassed..."

[As always, you study her bones, noting the flickering of her soulfire—likely from excessive shyness.]

[You quicken the pace.]

[Letting her don her concealing armor sooner.]

"The Great Wizard is kind."

[Servia notices your consideration, bestowing upon you a 'good person' card.]

[Research. Cultivation. More research. More cultivation.]

[Time flows swiftly. Your month-long deadline arrives like a fleeting meteor.]

[After final observations, you store all data and instruments within a special creature’s stomach pouch, bidding farewell to the undead girl.]

[At parting, she makes a request.]

Whoosh—

Whoosh—

Bone wings beat as a massive skeletal bird descends, stirring gales that scatter the manor’s decay. Servia watches it, then turns to Xu Xi in his wizard robes.

"Great Wizard, may I ask one favor?"

"What is it, Servia?"

"Before you leave... could you take me into the sky? Let me see the lands of the Clawphire Family from above?"

At the gate.

From within her heavy, rusted armor, the hollow voice of the undead trembles.

Nervous.

Afraid of refusal.

"Of course. It’s nothing," Xu Xi smiles.