Chapter 97: Returning To The Train

{Hint Prompt: The Fairy Tale World’s assigned narrative roles are dependent on the achievement, fame, influence, skills, or even birthright of an individual. However, all of those aren’t as important as what fate dictates.

There are countless ranchers and farmers like Old MacDonald, yet he was the one fated to embody the archetype of the Rancher. In other words, if one has the fate to become it, and as long as they fulfill their fate, they will be given that narrative role by the Fairy Tale World’s Will.}

[You used a hint prompt multiple times again before you concluded that the Fairy Tale World was truly bullshit.]

[’If a person isn’t fated to achieve a certain narrative role, then the chances of achieving it through hard work and talent are very low. It wasn’t as fast as the World Will deciding that such a person would be bestowed with that role.’]

[’Not only that, narrative roles are too much of a bullshit since it could literally be used to defeat the strong with the weak, depending on what role one possesses. For example, it’s common sense that a kid wouldn’t be able to kill a giant.’]

[’Yet, as long as they were named David and had a sling and stone as a weapon, then if fate decides that they’ll be the ’David’ who slays the Goliath, then they’ll definitely slay the Goliath no matter how weak they were, as long as they didn’t reject the fate they were bestowed with.’]

[’Some narrative roles could even be inherited, and some could be stolen. But those that were stolen were mostly even allowed by fate, as those that weren’t capable of stealing it weren’t fated to succeed in it to begin with.’]

[The narrative roles bestowed by the Fairy Tale World’s Will were indeed powerful. However, you weren’t that interested in it as you didn’t want to be shackled by fate to fulfill a certain role.]

[’Scarlet is a prime example of a narrative role’s downsides. According to what I discovered via Hint Prompt, her fated storyline was for her grandma to die by being eaten by a werewolf, then she’d avenge her grandma using the weapons and items she conjured from her picnic basket.’]

[’Filled with hatred for the werewolf race who caused her grandma’s death, she’ll then join and train in the Hunter Coalition with other hunters, learning how to efficiently hunt werewolves.’]

[’Then, she’ll become a ruthless hunter with the alias of Red Riding Hood, her title striking fear into any werewolf who ever heard of it, even if she wasn’t present.’]

[’However, the problem was that fate somehow branched out into a different storyline. Scarlet’s grandma wasn’t killed by werewolves but died a natural death.’]

[’Not only that, Scarlet’s grandma somehow got a hold of the Scarlet Artifact, which allowed Scarlet to become a pure-blooded moon werewolf. Those turn of events made Scarlet defy her bestowed fate and narrative role, which made the Fairy Tale World reject her existence.’]

[With Scarlet as an example, you weren’t too keen on gaining a narrative role.]

[Although you did think of ways to gain the benefits of a narrative role, yet not be constrained by the duties and downsides that came with it.]

[But to make that plan of yours a reality, you would still have to rely on World Order as well as a high power rank and spirit avatar grade.]

[’Well, it just depends on whether we’d encounter the entire fairy tale world as the entire station rather than just a small town or city within it. If that ever happens, I wouldn’t mind figuring out a way to gain a narrative role that would only bring me benefits but no downsides.’]

[’Not all narrative roles are bad, since Old MacDonald is an example of it. He became the archetypal Rancher, and the only notable downsides were that not only must he look like he fits that role, but also commit to doing ranching and farming.’]

[’Old MacDonald didn’t mind his old appearance, and he also loved ranching and farming, so the downsides weren’t truly one when that was what he planned to do anyway.’]

[’His narrative role didn’t require interacting with other narrative roles, unlike a brave knight role that had a high chance of being fated to die for his lord or princess. And even the narrative role of the princess wasn’t foolproof, as they could be the one chosen to be poisoned or locked up in a tower.’]

[’Even a lord wasn’t exempted as they could be chosen by fate to fulfill their role of being usurped or become the sacrifice of an evil witch’s thousand lives sacrifice.’]

[While you thought of that, the four of you soon returned to Zenith.]

[You dismissed your multiplication avatar as his job was done. No one had attacked the train, much to your relief, as you didn’t want to deal with those weaklings.]

[Moreover, your multiplication avatars before had already tied up all loose ends. For example, Noel was already killed, and a spirit artifact derived from his Death Knife spirit avatar was obtained.]

[Your avatars didn’t directly target him. However, the wanton plundering of your avatars caused the Spirit Avatar Master Association to send him to stop you, even explicitly commanding him to use his second spirit avatar ability to sacrifice his lifespan just to kill you.]

[However, that didn’t end up well for him as your multiplication avatar was at Peak Gold rank and your Spirit attribute was at Initial Platinum rank. Needless to say, a spirit avatar ability would mostly judge the Spirit attribute rather than the rest of the stat attributes, so Noel’s second spirit avatar ability’s judgment was based on your rank as an Initial Platinum rank.]

[A mere Mid Silver rank Spirit Avatar Master like him couldn’t do anything to an Initial Platinum rank. In the end, all his lifespan was sacrificed, yet his spirit avatar ability failed.]

[You had seen his skin wrinkled and his whitened hair fall out, his withered corpse lacking any vitality. It became a clear example of going against a Platinum rank when he was merely at Silver rank.]

[’Speaking of which, that spirit artifact obtained from Noel is quite useful.’]