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Over the Infinite – Chapter 11 (1)

Translator: mii

Epilogue – “Resurrection”

-1-

Dark. I was drifting in the midst of darkness.

I was disappearing gradually as I gradually lost the sense of my flesh and soul, they began to dissolve within the darkness.

Just how long had I been drifting like this?

I couldn’t see anything even when I strained my eyes. I didn’t know if I still had eyes in the first place.

I couldn’t move any of my limb. I didn’t know if I still had a body in the first place.

I felt like my existence itself was disappearing, unable to do anything about it.

Was this how it felt to die?

I couldn’t even remember how I died anymore.

I couldn’t remember who I was.

Only when everything seemed to disappear, I realized 「it」 for the first time.

「It」was a vortex of power, on a scale similar to the universe.

「It」was a huge swell of the soul.

「It」was an overwhelming presence just right nearby. I would surely disappear for good if I was caught in「it」.

Even if all of my emotions had faded away, fear filled my mind.

Huge, overwhelming, and raw fear.

It was「death」itself.

Even that small recognition could smash my heart into pieces.

My soul melted down just because how near I was with it.

The faint remaining presence of「me」disappeared without sound, swallowed to death.

It happened abruptly in the midst of my fear that I couldn’t fight off.

Someone, an external power, was trying to drag me out of the vortex.

That power was so violent that it forcibly dragged out my soul that was in the midst of adapting.

Intense pain attacked me. It felt like it could tear apart my body.

It was not physical pain, but the pain that directly minced the soul itself.

I couldn’t even shout, just swallowed in the torments of storm, experiencing the feeling of being teared apart continuously.

It resembled the process of scraping up the muddy clay together, forcing it to harden, and remade it over again.

The finished「me」was severely distorted and I felt that something uncalled for was also attached in me, but this time that thing was forcibly stripped off, and I was shaped all over again.

As if becoming a factory product,「I」was completed in a mechanical manufacturing process.

Ahh, this was terrible.

What a worst feeling.

So resurrection from death was such a bad sensation like this?

-2-

When I opened my eyes, I looked up at the white pure ceiling.

「It’s the ceiling I don’t know…」

I just wanted to say that. So I said it.

Was this a hospital?

The irritating odor that smell like medicine remained the same as the one in my previous life, but the white space was different from the room I used to always stayed in Heisei Japan.

White sanitary room, white bed, and white patient clothes. The curtain for the beds partition was also white. The vase on the bedside was also white.

…Ah, did I die?

My physical condition was optimal, but I felt terrible. 

My head felt messed up and muddled, to the point that I wanted to scrape whatever was inside directly.

I felt like I had a terrible dream, but I couldn’t remember what was it about.

The last thing I saw was Chitta-san’s figure that slit my neck, and Tsuna’s face that looked at me in a daze.

Blood squirted from my neck. I couldn’t stand anymore…

…Was Tsuna killed after that?

「Haha… What a bad joke.」

It was a distasteful baptism.

Probably, no one could clear the trial dungeon for the first time. …Really, it was the worst.

But, we managed to clear it for the time being, right? I didn’t feel any real excitement on clearing the dungeon, though.

But we should be in the place where we could receive a little praise. At least,  let’s bless each other with Tsuna. …I wanted to do that.

「…What time is it now?」

It was dark outside, but how long had passed since I was dead?

Was Tsuna also being carried here?

I had a lot of questions, but I didn’t feel like moving.

My throat was still torn, and when I move, I felt like blood would come out from the wound.

Even if I didn’t touch it with my hand, I could only feel pain.

If it already hurt this much, then I wouldn’t be able to move at all if I died after being smashed into pieces, right?

「Ah, have you woken up, Yuki-san?」

The person who called me out was a young female nurse.

With just a glance at the nurse, I could immediately know that I was in the Labyrinth City.

The nurse dressed in clothes that would make me believe that I was actually in Japan. But her long ears gave it away. She was probably an elf.

「It seems like this is the first time you experienced death, so I believe you haven’t understood the situation yet, but this is a hospital.

You died in the dungeon and had been transferred here. Is your consciousness clear?」

「…Yes. I generally understand.」

「Some people are confused at their fi sy time, so please rest here slowly until you calmed down.

If it’s absolutely necessary, we will prescribe a tranquilizer if requested.

Your luggages and other items are in the basket beside you, so please make sure to take it out with you when you are discharged from the hospital.」

Looking beside the bed, there was a basket with my luggage. It seemed like the weapons, equipment, and items I obtained in the dungeon were still there.

If I didn’t remember wrong wrong, they did say that we wouldn’t lost any items in the trial dungeon.

「Err…, what about the hospital feels and procedures…」

「It’s free since it’s death in a dungeon attack. You don’t need to fill any procedures as you’re a registered adventurers, so you can return home after you calmed down.

Just take your time, you can stay here tonight.

If there’s anything, please sound the buzzer at your bedside and a doctor will come immediately.」

The nurse wished me well before going to some place.

I was neither injured or sick, but her reaction was so dry to someone who just died before. I wanted her to be kinder.

This might be something natural in the Labyrinth City.

「Ahh…」

I put my upper body on the bed.

…I see, so this was death.

This was indeed hard. It was awful. The commemorative exam was ridiculous.

This was the wall that adventurer must overcome. So this was the absolute condition to continue, huh?

Obviously, people who weren’t prepared for this could never get over this repeatedly.

Since we would taste it over and over again, this was definitely a difficult precondition, just like Chitta-san said. It wasn’t surprising that people would lose their heart over this.

Even so, I didn’t intend to give up in this kind of place.

I threw everything away to fulfill my wish. There was no option to toss all of my will here.

I… I’m fine. I can do this.

「I wonder if Tsuna is fine.」

He wouldn’t lose his heart over this, right… no, he wouldn’t.

This was only my hunch, but even if he was facing death, Tsuna would act nonchalantly.

He would wake up, change his clothes, and leave the hospital as if nothing happened. I couldn’t imagine him moping around after facing this burden.

Rather, it was more likely that he would jump up and hit Chitta-san, and make fun of her「nya」.

「Did you call me?」

「Uhyeoh!!」

I was suddenly called out, making me let out a strange voice.

Looking up, I saw a familiar figure. Although his equipment was tattered, it was my partner who captured the dungeon with me.

Just by recognizing that figure made me feel a little relieved. I felt that my messed up mental state had calmed down.

「Did you call my name?」

「Ah, nu uh. It’s nothing.」

「That’s fine, but are you okay? You have a bad complexion. …Is it natural since you faced death?」

「No, I’m not sick. …I just feel terrible.」

「I see.」

Just like that, Tsuna sat on the chair beside the bed.

Even though I died first, Tsuna already looked lively and healthy

This mentality of my partner really stood up among everyone.

Really, just what kind of mental structure was that? I often said that I wanted to look into his head, but if I actually could, I didn’t really want to see it.

「Can I ask what happened after that?」

「Nn? Ah, well. …After the cat ears beheaded you, it became an one-on-one situation with her. Intermediate rank adventurer sure is strong.」　

「That’s right. The status and skills she showed to us at the beginning were completely different from ours. My knifes were also blocked by her wall of HP.」

Her HP and defense barrier were too thick, and it felt like we didn’t do any damage to her.

It’s like she’s even stronger than that Minotaur. Was this the difference in our level?

「No, you penetrated through her wall of HP. Her HP didn’t decrease at all, though. But that cat ears was surprised.」

「Eh… I see. I feel like I’m amazing, eh. Even if it was completely instantaneous.」

「You are, you definitely are. You know, my attacks wouldn’t penetrate through her at all. But I managed to damage her by cutting my flesh and severing my bones.」

No, he was definitely more amazing than me.

…Maybe since the enemy wasn’t flying, Tsuna could strike her? I couldn’t see her at all, though.