...
"The Herrscher of Delusion... So that guy created this entire world? Where is she? I'll go beat her up right now!"
"This world was not created by the Herrscher. In fact, the so-called Herrscher of Delusion is merely an abstract state. Its sole Authority is the ability to anchor a target's condition into their most stubborn, inescapable delusion.
"It grants the target an unshakeable obsession, then bestows upon them delusional, reality-bending powers to match. From that moment on, the target's path toward their obsession becomes completely smooth and utterly unopposed.
"Ultimately, drowning in an endless loop of positive feedback, they confidently stray from the right path, marching steadfastly toward their own destruction."
"...Are you saying... Shu is the target it chose?"
"My brother is the one chosen by Delusion. And the choice he made was to completely imprison himself."
"...What?"
"This is the most stubborn aspect of my brother. He used the power he already possessed to forge an absolute cage, completely isolating himself from the world.
"He is acutely aware of his own state and exactly what he is capable of doing. Fortunately, sealing himself away was also part of his obsession, so he willingly locked himself inside.
"And this world is the Cocoon my brother wove for himself."
...
"Are we really going to hike to the top in one go?!" This was the first time Shu had voiced such a clear, direct objection to Kiana.
Compared to Shu, who was traveling light with nothing but a cheap wooden trekking pole, Kiana was fully kitted out.
The backpack Shu normally carried was now strapped to Kiana. It held water, snacks, umbrellas in case it rained, and various other hiking supplies.
Basically, every single ounce of weight—necessary or otherwise—was currently on Kiana's shoulders.
"Yup!" Kiana nodded with absolute, brazen confidence. Seeing the look on her face, Shu found himself literally unable to formulate a counterargument.
What could he even say? Kiana was carrying all the gear, yet she was the one proposing they sprint to the summit!
He didn't dare utter a single complaint. He couldn't even pull out the classic "everyone's fitness levels are different" excuse.
"Well..." Shu started hesitantly. "Actually, I think that people's physical limits..."
"If you get tired, I'll just carry you on my back!" Kiana declared, planting her hands proudly on her hips. She didn't even have a trekking pole. Was hiking really that difficult?
Shu: "..."
I'd rather grit my teeth and drag myself to the top.
Leaving aside the fact that Kiana would absolutely, 100% make good on her promise and piggyback him all the way up... if he actually let her do that, how could he ever show his face again?
He'd have to just yeet himself off the summit to save face.
"Fine..."
The mountain they were climbing was famous for "curing stubbornness." Even at midnight, the trail was packed with people eager to night-hike to the peak and catch the sunrise.
Fortunately, it wasn't a major holiday, so the crowds were somewhat manageable.
After quickly scanning the QR code at the ticket gate and stepping onto the first flight of stairs, Shu planted his cheap wooden pole firmly onto the ground and took a deep breath.
Bring it on!
It's just a mountain—!
Shu had fully expected to collapse halfway up. Judging by the online reviews—and the sheer, terrifying verticality when looking up from the base—he thought this was going to be a burden his fragile body couldn't bear.
But as it turned out... climbing the mountain wasn't quite as agonizing as he'd imagined.
Perhaps he'd accidentally conflated "hiking stairs" with "free solo rock climbing" in his head. The two activities required vastly different levels of exhaustion. By plugging the wrong data into his mental calculations, his expectations had been way off.
Hiking... or at least the specific mountain he and Kiana were currently tackling... was essentially just an incredibly long staircase.
Sure, the stairs twisted and turned a thousand times, alternating between gentle slopes and brutal inclines, but at the end of the day, it was just a staircase. It only required the mechanical repetition of putting one foot in front of the other.
It was just a billion steps long. Nothing crazy.
Anyway, Shu honestly felt it wasn't as hard as he'd hyped it up to be.
During the first stretch of the ascent, he had been hyper-focused on controlling his footwork, terrified of messing up his rhythm and doubling his stamina drain.
But Kiana just dragged him along at a blistering pace, literally not stopping for a single second. Gradually, Shu stopped worrying about his rhythm and focused entirely on one single objective—
Keep moving forward.
Kiana glanced back at him, slightly spooked by how dead silent he'd become.
Bro... did you just enter the Zone while climbing stairs?!
Well, this was perfect. Now Kiana didn't dare say a word either.
Endurance activities like long-distance running and climbing required a steady rhythm. If you broke that rhythm, you'd get cramps and side stitches.
And if that happened, she really would have to carry Shu up the mountain! And Shu's pride would never recover from that!
Even though the trail wasn't packed today, if someone actually saw a girl carrying a guy up the mountain, someone was definitely going to record it...
In fact, Kiana had already spotted some weirdo holding up a phone on a selfie stick, aggressively speed-walking up the stairs while live-streaming!
Is that guy insane?! Who livestreams a night hike?!
There really were all sorts of eccentric people in the world... Kiana marveled internally before returning her focus to dragging Shu up the mountain.
It was a proven fact that as long as you found the right rhythm, endurance running and hiking were a breeze. However, it was also a proven fact that maintaining that rhythm indefinitely was basically impossible.
Human stamina has its limits. As they passed yet another mid-mountain "supply station" for the umpteenth time, Shu's flawless flow state suddenly shattered.
"How the hell is there a Mixue Ice Cream & Tea up here?!" The very first thing Shu did after breaking his focus was utter a shocked, scathing review of the budget milk tea franchise perched halfway up the cliff.
A second later, the delayed exhaustion hit him like a truck. It was as if fatigue had been camping out all night like a squad of mobsters, waiting for the exact moment Shu dropped his guard to yell "JUMP HIM!" and beat his nervous system black and blue.
And then there was the freezing wind. The wind howling across the middle of the mountain was bone-chillingly sharp. The moment it hit his sweat-soaked skin, the biting cold made him shudder uncontrollably.
Sensing the sudden shift in his demeanor, Kiana—who had been openly drooling over the snack stalls—whipped her head around to look at him.
Shu instantly understood.
"Just buy some," Shu said, silently pulling out his phone and pointing at the stalls. "How much do you want?"
Kiana's eyes lit up. She wasn't going to be polite. Grabbing his hand, she practically dragged him to the nearest counter and threw up five fingers.
"I'll take five—five grilled sausages!"
She had wanted to say fifty, but she knew the vendor might think she was trying to start trouble, so she quickly amended it to five.
Whatever, it was just a quick snack to satisfy her craving. Five was fine...
The vendor swiftly bagged up the five sausages. Shu scanned the code to pay, took the bag, and handed it over. Kiana eagerly snatched one and took a massive, satisfied bite.
Shu was completely wiped out. For the first time, he voluntarily reached into the bag, pulled out a sausage, and stuffed it into his mouth.
That was close. My energy bar almost hit zero.