Chapter 196: Probing Two Death Flags

“Okay…”

Cillian took a huge, nervous breath as he sat on his bed in a position that felt comfortable to him.

It was already nighttime, and Cillian would try probing two Death Flags to ensure a safe trip during the upcoming exploration. He would base his decision on the results, determining whether he should proceed or not.

He wanted to see if the deaths of Aster and Darwin would appear at that place, as that would mean exploring it would be filled with danger.

Even though Cillian was a thrill-seeker who loved involving himself in non-boring events, he knew he had to tread carefully for now.

It wasn’t the time yet to make a desperate choice when one wasn’t necessary. He was still in the initial stages of planning how to expose Xesie to the world by finding concrete proof.

While he was still searching for ways to do it, Cillian could take things easy, but he couldn’t remain too passive either.

It wasn’t as if Xesie was his only worry for now.

“I don’t understand why you’re calling me in the middle of the night when I’m about to rest, but this better be worth it. All I have to do is watch, right?”

Darwin said, watching Cillian with a rather confused expression. He had been woken up suddenly and was now seeing Cillian dressed in pajamas.

If Cillian wasn’t wearing a serious face, Darwin would’ve already flipped and made him pay for waking him up like this.

“Come on, you don’t need to lie. You’re someone who’s having trouble sleeping, aren’t you?”

Cillian answered differently, rather than answering his question.

‘Is it that noticeable?’

Darwin indeed had trouble sleeping. He didn’t know when this had started, but the reason for it should have been the same: the Shepherds and the students who were probably haunting his mind. Or maybe he was aware but wasn’t willing to accept the fact.

In the end, no one should underestimate how PTSD could affect someone.

‘…’

Darwin could only remain silent when Cillian got him just by looking at him. He didn’t understand when Cillian had started observing him so closely, but he remained silent and didn’t let him confirm his suspicions.

‘Those green eyes say a lot.’

Cillian mused inwardly as he sighed.

Cillian’s reason was valid, as his reason for calling out to him in the middle of the night was different from what he had said.

Death Flag Probe.

It was because every time he used this skill of his, he came to realize that he was vulnerable to physical attacks while inside these scenes. For that reason, in case Xesie and the Shepherds made an attack on the academy, Darwin would be there to protect him.

Then, Cillian completely ignored the crazy principal as he began to focus on himself. He took a glance at his two sleeping friends in the room before taking another breath.

‘Three Death Flags to probe each.’

Cillian was planning on seeing three possible death outcomes for both Darwin and Aster. He just needed confirmation of whether the trip to the sewers would show up in those possibilities.

Then, he’d end it.

Any more than that would be very bad.

‘Please show me an event in the sewers. Fuck, this is going to be painful.’

Cillian cursed before gritting his teeth.

“Death Flag Probe.”

Soon, bunch of screens displayed all over Cillian’s front.

[Death Flag Probe Activated!]

[Using Nearby Presence…]

[Detecting Death Flags…]

[Death Flags x1]

[Using Possibility Flags]

[Detecting Death Flags…]

[One Death Flag in Cillian Sparrow’s vision]

[Using Flag Mark]

[Detecting Death Flags…]

[Death Flag x3]

[Marked Flags: Aster Densworth, Fergus Viola, Darwin Moose]

[Who do you want to probe the deaths of these people?]

“Darwin Moose.”

Cillian didn’t know if Darwin heard him and somehow commented about it as he focused his eyes on the front, where another screen appeared in front of him.

[Do you want to probe Darwin Moose’s deaths?]

[Yes] [No]

Cillian’s heart pounded.

But he didn’t hesitate any longer as a smile formed on his lips.

“Yes.”

[Death Flag Probing will begin in 3 seconds.]

The painful scenes of experiencing their possible deaths would happen again, and this time, he would be viewing it from two people’s perspectives.

The countdown slowly went down until the next scene appeared in front of him.

[Death Flag Probe has started]

[Death Flag Probe #1]

What would the probe show about Darwin’s death?

[Mental Load increased by 2%]

[Mental Load: 2%]

The instant Cillian blinked, the situation instantly changed.

‘Darwin found himself tied in chains as he hung in the air, his legs and arms spread wide apart from each other as the chains provided enough support to keep him suspended.

‘Where am I?’

‘Darwin’ looked around as he tried to find clues about his current whereabouts. What he needed to find was a physical indication that he was in a sewer.

Dirty, dark, and with a bad smell should be enough to give him a clue, since he could still use his senses to feel, hear, and see his surroundings while having full freedom to act.

How was he able to feel the pain through the probes if his five senses and abilities did not work here?

However, his thoughts immediately snapped when a pillar of fire brushed past his side, targeting another chained individual in the air.

It came from above.

‘Darwin’ immediately widened his eyes and looked to the side. He used this chance to look around carefully since the wave of fire had burst out of nowhere, providing some sort of light.

The place was large but wasn’t that dark when lit up. ‘Darwin’ didn’t know if this was the sewer he was looking for, but it didn’t look like one. There was no water he could see and no paths that could lead anywhere.

Lastly, he tried to look upwards, but the chains didn’t allow him to do so.

“Darwin!”

[Death Flag]

Hearing the voice calling him from the side, Cillian, who was currently inside Darwin’s body, quickly darted his eyes to the side.

Then, he saw it.

Meister’s body, which had no limbs left, called out to him with a war cry. Just like him, he was also chained, dangling and waving his body around endlessly.

Soon, the light that the wave of fire had provided disappeared. But this didn’t stop Meister from shouting as ‘Darwin’ remained looking at where he had seen him.

“Think of a way out, Darwin! Fuck, what are you doing?! We entrusted ourselves to follow you! What happened to that ‘time’?! I thought it was perfect!”

‘That time? What time?’

[Mental Load increased by 1%]

‘Darwin’ quickly digested the information he had gathered from Meister’s words.

He didn’t understand it.

He tried jogging through the memories of the body he was currently possessing, but as if the probe didn’t allow it, ‘Darwin’ could only lament the fact that it wasn’t something he could do and click his tongue.

‘Another flaw of this ability.’

The past two Death Flag Probes didn’t show this flaw to him. Well, how could he have had time to study this ability when he was peeking through the deaths and experiencing these events himself?

“Darwin! Do something! We’re about to die by that thing—”

Whoosh—!

Soon, the same wave of fire came down from above again as it continued pouring toward Meister, burning him to death.

Then, all the shouting ceased to exist.

The fire provided him with light once more, making ‘Darwin’ look around again, except above.

‘I need to see it… What is that thing that is able to cast that pillar of fire twice in a row as if it were nothing…’

‘Darwin’ gritted his teeth as he knew the pain he was about to feel was going to be much stronger since he was going to force himself to die.

Then, he did.

His eyes turned bloodshot before he forced his neck to snap upward.

‘Who are you—’

Once his eyes caught the view from above, ‘Darwin’ continued staring at that ‘thing’ that poured down the pillar of fire as if it were child’s play.

The pillar of fire soon ceased to exist.

That ‘thing’ started looking toward him.

The question wasn’t a ‘who’ in the first place.

‘What is that thing?’

A pair of big, reddish eyes stared down at him while it was coiled up in the circular ceiling above, maintaining a certain distance from him.

Then, it slowly opened its mouth.

‘Ah…’

There was no way ‘Darwin’ wouldn’t know what it was once he was able to keep his thoughts from working.

[Mental Load increased by 2%]

Why wouldn’t he know about it when Cillian had read countless descriptions of them through webnovels?

Soon, the same pillar of fire came crashing down on him, burning him to death.

[Mental Load increased by 5%]

‘Darwin’ started smiling as he felt every bit of skin on his body melting away.

Darwin’s first Death Flag possibility was…

‘…a dragon.’

[Mental Load increased by 1%]

Soon, he was burned to death.

sorry for the bad release rate, i’m currently taking midterms and had to study and write at the same time. *cough* my bad my bad