Struggling to Survive in Hell Difficulty

Chapter 73.

"...I ended up dying in the end, huh..."

When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the familiar black space. I had no idea whether my decision to block the projectile had saved Muriel or not, but it was obvious that I had failed the Quest, as there was no prompt to revive anymore.

With no other Adventurers alive in Proteus, I had a feeling I would need to find and get to the second town, as Proteus would be destroyed because of the Quest failure. If that was the case, then I would have to find a new town as a new base of operation as I tried to grind myself to a higher level.

Sighing at that, I tried to open the system setting, trying to log out from the game. 

...however, my every attempt to open the system was met with non-responsiveness. No system messages could be pulled, no settings and options appeared even as I gestured, regardless of every input and every command I could think of, the expected outcomes remained painfully absent.

Just a persistent darkness remained around me, as if I was locked in here.

"...does this mean the Quest is still ongoing... or maybe because Muriel are still down there, fighting against Be-Li?"

"I am truly grateful that she is."

The unexpected yet familiar voice made me flinch as I turned my attention to the source. While shrouded in complete darkness, I felt a mysterious fluctuation as though the inky shadows themselves were coming to life. Somewhere in the distance, an unseen entity seemed to be amassing, taking form in this very absence of light.

As the swirling mass grew bigger... no, closer towards me, I could faintly hear subdued footsteps. A presence could be felt from the unclear haze, steadily drifting closer, advancing towards me through the darkness.

And when the person got closer to me, I could finally see the figure behind the silhouette... and I could feel my heart clenching tightly in response.

"...hello, the one controlling the person named Regias Vitoru."

"......Be-Li......"

What stood in front of me was not the bizarre, distorted-looking Be-Li that I had seen in Proteus, but one that was similar to when I first saw him near the Mayor's house.

Back then, his body had been covered in a large cloak, as if trying to hide his physique from view. But this time, his robes of deep, shadowy hues that seemed to flutter with each step forward he took, looking not much different than a warlock in any games I played. His body and limbs, no longer chained by something, emanated some aura of mysticism that I could not really explain.

Yet for some reason, his eyes emanated a dark, eerie radiance that looked like they would suck the soul out of me.

"Unfortunately, that is not my name. Both Be-Li and Bailey are names arbitrarily decided for me without my consent."

"......"

"Well, I guess that is not much different from you... don't you think so as well, Rudi Wijaya?"

"...! How did you-"

"No, that is also not your real name. It is... right. Ardian Adiwijaya, isn't it?"

At this point, I could only widen my eyes in shock.

Back when I decided to live alone for my job, I had used a different name for the sake of not troubling my parents with my issues. I had been using that fake name as I applied for many things, including when I registered and used my account when playing any VR game accounts and buying this FIS-HE as well. I did not exactly hide my real name with that much protection, but it would not be easy for any random people to just find out my identity that easily.