My setting is above yours!

Chapter 102 A Cataclysmic Calamity? Whatever, I'll intervene! (4k3)

After the incarnation of [7] completely collapsed and all traces of its spirituality disappeared, Ron saw everything in front of him suddenly stop as if it had frozen.

He could see Idrila rushing towards him with worry in her eyes, and he saw the Silver Knight remove his helmet, looking at him with a strange expression, as if he wanted to ask something...

Then I saw the chaotic gray fog of Evening Bell City completely disappear as the avatar of [7] exploded, and the entire city became a ghost town, the chaotic world becoming silent and still.

Everything suddenly stopped, proving that time had frozen at this moment.

At the same time, the Dimensional Update Manual's light screen popped up in front of his eyes:
[Save file from a completed playthrough: "[Version 3.172] Evening Bell Castle Main Quest - Drama: Dragon Quest".]

[Do you want to use the [Fix] function to anchor it to a fixed [time] and use it to anchor a new world line?]

【time】?
Ron was slightly taken aback when he saw the text on the Dimensional Update Manual screen, especially the word "Moment" which was clearly highlighted in bold.

'How could it be [Moment]... Isn't this what those extraordinary beings from the [Hall of Memories] were trying to record, as mentioned in [7]'s words, when they served the Lord of [Time]?'

He had assumed that the "Fixed Image" function after completing the main storyline of "Following the Shadows" would completely replace everything that happened in Evening Bell City, but it seems to be different from what he imagined...

'What exactly is this so-called "moment"?'

Ron seemed thoughtful, then clicked on the text on the screen. Sure enough, a new description popped up next to the bolded and highlighted "Moment":
[Moment]: A "moment" that is bound to happen. Its concept can be as broad as encompassing a certain period of time in the world, or as specific as the action a person is bound to take at a certain moment… Once the [moment] is determined, it is irreversible.

Is it inevitable? Is it irreversible?
'Another example of pure, unadulterated power... No wonder it's from the Dimensional Update Manual.'

Upon seeing the introduction in the Dimensional Update Manual, Ron was immediately filled with awe.

But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.

'The Dimensional Update Manual is one thing, after all, it possesses the power to create worlds out of thin air; it's just that constructing the so-called inevitable "moment" isn't difficult to understand at all...'

'But...why are the gods of the [time] sequence also searching for so-called [moments]?'

Ron doesn't believe that the two concepts of "moment" are different.

After all, based on the information he had obtained from [7], Ron knew that this so-called [moment] was not a simple thing for the God of Time; it was one of the twelve records that required all his efforts to find...

For a deity, what they need to search for with all their might is clearly this inevitable destiny.

'Although the god of [Time] has only barely touched upon a corner of the power of the Dimensional Update Manual, he is still exhausting all his efforts to pursue the twelve [moments]. It's unknown how many [moments] he has now grasped that are bound to occur, but his power is already evident…'

'The gods of the [Potion Era] are indeed not easy to deal with.'

Ron felt a pang of emotion, but he couldn't help but smile.

These lords of all spirits who reside high above the spirit realm are indeed powerful... but so what?
In the future, he was to become a [mysterious] god and descend upon the ideal city of [7], but he was still tricked by Ron and temporarily lost the opportunity to become a god.
'Rounding it up, I could say I faced a god as a Sequence Seven cultivator and won easily...'

With that thought in mind, Ron selectively forgot about his own durability being reduced to zero, forgot about the [Trick] Seed that he couldn't take away, and forgot about the Silver Knight, the MVP with the highest output in this battle. His gaze fell on the screen of the Dimensional Update Manual.

In short, Ron is the real MVP for achieving the new ending to the main storyline of Evening Bell City!

After working so hard for so long, it's time to reap the rewards!
Clicking the "Freeze" function caused the text on the screen in front of me to melt into a pool of chaotic ink, which then twisted and swirled, spreading into fragmented images...

Finally, the image froze, settling on the very end of the play—

Above the illusory stage, an elegant and beautiful dancer in a silver-white dress plunges a spear into the old man's chest. Spirituality and divinity transform into ink, splashing across the frozen image.

In one corner of the image, there is a text description provided by the Dimensional Update Manual:
[Moment (Potion Age): Yar Austin becomes [Trick] Sequence Four "Theatrical Actor," [7]'s ascension ritual fails.]

**Note! This [moment] will become your anchor point for a "determined" moment. Enter the corresponding era, use this moment to modify the causes of the past, and fix the effects of today.**

Everything except this [moment] is based on the reality experienced by the player personally and will not change because of this [moment].

Upon seeing the text description on the Dimensional Update Manual screen, Ron's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Changing only the result, not the process... this is truly a fantastic opportunity for Ron!

It's worth noting that Ron went to great lengths and paid a considerable price to complete the main storyline of Evening Bell City and find a way to thwart [7]'s conspiracy...

For example, in the end, although he survived the final counterattack of the last incarnation [7], it does not mean that he was not harmed.

In fact, at the moment when [7] his true form descended to the mortal realm and distorted Ron's concept, Ron should have died theoretically.

He maintained his perception solely through the [Omniscient Domain - Pseudo], and his mind was not truly and completely changed. He still believed that air was water, blood was poison, and living was dying...

Otherwise, at the moment his cognition collapses, all of this will immediately become a stark reality, causing him to die completely in confusion.

Even though he eventually survived, the extraordinary power from the saint disappeared after [7] left, but it still fundamentally affected Ron's spirituality, and could very well affect his future advancement, causing him to be corrupted by the [mystery]...

Not to mention, in the end [7], she pierced Ron with silk threads, leaving him with a spiderweb mark, a mark made for him to take revenge on him in the future...

If we can change only the result and not the process, then all of this is just a trivial illusion in the "fleeting light and shadow" and will never become reality!

And that's not all, it's not just about Ron...

In [Fleeting Light], unlike in the reality she had already experienced, Idrila did not advance to the rank of "Overseer" at Sequence Seven.

If we can change only the small part of the world line related to the [moment], and even preserve Idrila's Sequence 7, then there will obviously be more security in our future adventures in the Fog City.

Only taking the benefits of the outcome, but not bearing the losses incurred in the process...

Is there anything better in the world?
Ron smirked, but quickly noticed a problem—

How should we use the term "moment"?
This isn't a setting, unlike other features from the Dimensional Update Manual that can be loaded or unloaded with a simple click on the panel...

Even now, Ron isn't sure what the "moment" should really be considered—

Items? Abilities? Or some mysterious cause and effect? ​​He scratched his head, but he knew clearly that the Dimensional Update Manual was the biggest help that had supported him to get to where he was now, and what was described in the text would inevitably be realized.

Although this "moment" is invisible and intangible, according to the description in the Dimensional Update Manual, entering the "Potion Era" will surely involve a way to activate this "moment"...

With that in mind, Ron immediately exited [Flash of Light and Shadow] and prepared to enter the "Potion Era," directly activating this [Moment] to anchor a new timeline.

However, he had only just returned to Ideal City and his cozy little dormitory, and hadn't even had a chance to enter the "Potion Era," when he suddenly felt a sense of oppression rising from the bottom of his heart.

He heard a strange wind whistling, and then a faint sound, like someone was using a claw hammer to smash hard crystal, creating cracks and shattering fragments...

He looked up and gazed out the window, only to discover that, through the increasingly thick fog, he could see fine, sticky, oily cracks appearing to be spreading across the sky.

Although the crisp tapping sound came from the distant horizon, it seemed to come from Ron's heart, striking his soul and causing his spirit to tremble wildly. He felt a sense of oppression, like prey seeing its predator, and couldn't help but frown.

'Could it be that……'

The moment this faint warning crossed his mind, a buzzing sound came to his ears, and his phone began vibrating wildly.

Upon opening the message, I discovered it was a red alert from the Moen city government and a warning notice from the patrol bureau:

[Moen City Government: Attention! Signs of an unidentified "historical void" opening have appeared. The predicted eruption point is above Tian Ting Street in District D, and it is predicted to erupt within three hours...]

[Ideal City D District General Patrol Bureau: All patrol officers are hereby notified that, regardless of whether they are currently on duty, they must immediately return to the Ideal City D District General Patrol Bureau to participate in the search and rescue emergency response work in the D District Great Hollow.]

[Patrol Bureau: Attention! An unidentified "historical void" is about to erupt in District D. Ideal City is in imminent danger, but please do not panic. Cooperate with the patrol officers and evacuate the disaster area in an orderly manner.]

Please believe that Ideal City will stand forever; we are still watching over it.

But this is not the end, it's just the beginning...

Immediately afterwards, countless more messages flooded Ron's phone:

[Moen University President [Pointer] 404: This is a mass message - students, please note that the "historical void" we learned about in magic class is about to erupt. It is located in District D and, according to predictions, its scale is enough to destroy a quarter of the ideal city.]

But whether or not you're scared because of this, don't let those magicians outdo you... If you have the guts to go to disaster relief, come to the Clock Tower and sign up with me. I'll personally send you into the patrol team. If you do a good job, you'll get a thousand credits a day!
Time is limited to thirty minutes; once it's over, it's gone. That's all.

[Summer Solstice: Ron, did you see the notice? Our C-112 team also has a rescue mission. Although you're currently on special leave due to school, I'd still like you to go back to Sector D if possible...]

[Irina: The "historical void" in District D is about to erupt. [Tian Ting Media] has arranged a team to participate. If you have the opportunity, you can try to participate. I will arrange a team to take care of you.]

【…】

Immediately, everyone Ron knew was sending him messages, long strings of questions and words all concerned whether he was going to Sector D to participate in the front lines and resist the unprecedented "historical void" that would appear in Sector D.

But Ron didn't pay much attention to this messy information. Instead, he casually scrolled through it and precisely found the one he was really looking for:
[An Hui: Something's happened—Ron, something terrible has happened!!]

[Anhui: Have you seen the news? Apparently, a giant "historical void" is about to erupt in District D, and the city government has issued a red alert!]

[An Hui: That "hole" seems to be right on the horizon... You're in your dorm, right? You can see it just by sticking your head out; it takes up most of the sky, it's so scary!]

Although it was a text message on a phone, Ron could guess what kind of expression An Hui had just made, just by looking at the exclamation marks that were almost flying off the screen.

I bet she's staring at the cracks in the sky, her jaw practically agape...

As for why she came to find Ron so immediately, Ron had already anticipated it—

[An Hui: You haven't said anything. Did the patrol bureau contact you?]

[An Hui: Let me tell you, whatever you do, don't listen to them. Going to the "empty" front lines as consumables to fill in the gaps... We ordinary people really can't handle this. Even if there are tons of benefits, don't go!]

See, that's it.

This was exactly what Ron had anticipated.

Very straightforward, very unofficial, very negative...

But it can save your life.

To be honest, An Hui was absolutely right.

Although the "D Zone Hollow" is a huge crisis for Ideal City, if an ordinary person with no confidence goes there, they will only be used as consumables to fill in the gaps. The best choice is to stay in the back and save their life.

However, for Ron, this is a choice he doesn't need to make...

After all, this wasn't a choice for him!
Because the massive crisis of the "D-sector Great Void," which could have impacted Ideal City and caused its collapse, will inevitably cease to exist after Ron activates the [Moment] he painstakingly acquired...

Why should he waste his time here, making a choice between prioritizing the greater good or simply trying to survive?

However, An Hui naturally didn't have the same confidence as Ron.

It seemed that because the "D-sector Great Hollow" was truly terrifying, An Hui, unusually, became anxious and started typing in a muttering manner:
[An Hui: This "Void" is terrifying. It's an unprecedentedly large "Void." I really don't know what kind of monster is inside. Maybe I can't even defeat a Lv.5 monster...]

[An Hui: Ugh, that was really scary... I wonder how my old classmates who are still in Zone D are doing, whether they're safe now...]

Looking at An Hui's string of messages, Ron curled the corners of his lips and casually typed:
Ron: Whatever, I'll take care of it!

[An Hui: ...?]

An Hui's profile picture in the status bar is still being typed, clearly she was provoked by Ron's words and is about to launch into a long speech...

But Ron stopped looking at it and turned his attention to the Dimensional Update Manual.

The arrival of the "D-sector Great Hollow" is imminent, but just as he just told An Hui...

It's his turn to make a move!
(End of this chapter)