The more he talked, the more I understood, this guy was a complete nutcase.
Did he really come from that peaceful world? He lived a normal, boring life in every possible way, yet here he was, spouting nonsense that could rival my grandfather.
The same grandfather who once invaded the Demon Realm with his drinking buddies just because he stepped on some gum that morning.
Both these guys were completely insane.
Now I was starting to question, was I actually the transmigrator?
Adrian smirked. "Awesome, right? No one in this world has ever thought of such a method. I guarantee it."
I stared at him blankly. "That was a joke, right?"
"Not at all."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "So your grand plan to free me from fate… is this?"
"Yes."
"Start explaining the real plan now."
Adrian rolled his eyes. "I already told you, this is the real plan."
I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay calm. "There's no telling what's happening in the outside world. I don't have time for this."
"Relax, barely any time has passed out there," Adrian assured me. "And listen, I know it sounds insane, but if you pull this off, you'll be stronger than I ever was. You'll reach heights no one in this world has ever attained."
I stayed silent.
Truthfully, what he was asking me to do was impossible, but not improbable.
If I threw everything I had into this, if I put my entire existence on the line and gambled on this one final move…
Then maybe.
Just maybe.
I could pull it off.
In fact, the success rate was 50%.
Of course, I could accept Adrian's earlier offer, let him take over my body and vanish into nothingness. I could have an ordinary life, just like his old one.
The peaceful monotony of Adrian's world hadn't been unpleasant.
It had been… nice. Safe.
It would be easy to return to that.
But.
I clenched my fists.
I don't want to run away.
I don't want to be a spectator in my own story.
I want to face fate head-on, to make it powerless before me.
This isn't just about survival.
This is about living on my own terms.
Adrian grinned. "Looks like you've made up your mind."
I met his gaze. "And you figured out how I'm going to pull it off too, haven't you?"
His expression softened. "Yeah. My work here is done."
But before he could fade away, I asked one last question.
"Adrian. If I let you take over, if I simply disappear, could you win? Could you beat Thalia? Could you beat them all?"
Adrian sighed, then looked me straight in the eyes.
"The moment I transmigrated into our body, I promised myself that I would live as I pleased, with no regrets," he said.
"There's no way I'd ever lose to a mere puppet of a god."
His voice carried such unshakable conviction that the very space around us rumbled.
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
Then, his expression shifted.
"Soon, you'll remember what happened at the end of our final duel," he said.
I frowned. The memory was still a blur.
"The moment Thalia stabbed you with that dagger, she tore my influence from your soul," Adrian continued. "They all thought I was the reason you were strong. That if they killed me, you'd go back to being a worthless pseudo-heir. That you'd break and become Thalia's obedient dog."
He smirked. "And for a moment, they thought they were right. When I was ripped away, you collapsed. They thought it was over. They even started the countdown."
Adrian's smirk widened.
"But at the last second, you got back up."
A flicker of memory surfaced in my mind.
"You had no fighting knowledge, no experience, no understanding of mana. All you had was a shabby sword in your hands. And yet, you stood back up."
I remembered.
"You fell again. And you got back up again."
Each time I was struck down, my body should have stayed down.
But it didn't.
Adrian's voice grew softer.
"Her next strike damaged your mana core and severed your nerves. But you still stood up. The patron god sealed your bloodline. Even then, you kept advancing."
Something cold clenched around my heart.
"You know what finally made Thalia afraid?" Adrian asked.
I swallowed.
"It wasn't your power. It wasn't your sword."
Adrian grinned.
"It was your gaze."
I felt something within me shift.
"At that moment, she realized something," Adrian continued. "She, the Avatar of Fire, the prodigy of the Ignisborne Clan, the chosen warrior of the gods, she was fighting a man who did not know how to lose."
I remembered.
I saw it.
Thalia's hesitation.
Her fear.
And then—
"I struck her," I whispered.
Adrian nodded. "Yeah. You struck her. And only after that… did you collapse."
He placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Kid, I would've beaten them," he said. "But you—"
His grip tightened.
"You will utterly destroy them."
His form began to fade.
For the first time, he smiled—sincerely.
"Wait!" I called. "What's going to happen to you?"
Adrian chuckled. "You should know me better than that, kid. Even if I end up in hell, or even nothingness, I'll crawl my way back. Over and over again—until I return to that moment."
His figure flickered.
"I'll go home. I'll live my life without regrets."
I watched him, feeling an unfamiliar ache in my chest.
But I had made up my mind.
I straightened.
"Thank you, brother," I said softly. "I'll be fine from now on."
Adrian's grin returned. "Of course, brat. I wouldn't have it any other way."
His voice grew distant.
"Swallow it all. Vermaris, the Ignisborne Clan, the Varentheon Empire. Trample faith itself."
His smirk lingered.
"And one day, when we meet again, tell me your story."
Then, he was gone.
I woke up with tears in my eyes.
That night, an hour before midnight—
The transmigrator who had changed countless lives for the better left this world.
The seas raged.
The earth trembled.
And from the sky, a gentle rain began to fall—
As if the world itself was weeping.
For him.