《The Devil&#x27;s Isekai》


 A New World

    Walking in the school hallways with multiple eyes on him, as other students were gossiping, whispering to each other about an eccentric with a gloomy and sullen guy wearing the same outfit as them walking past.

    The guy is walking slowly, step by step as if his body is refusing to move, even though he was walking with his face down, staring at the floor, they could see on his face an emotionless and hopeless expression.

    He heard what people were saying about him as he passed by them, but he had no intention of caring; instead, he continued walking in the direction he had set out for himself.

    When he finally reached the destination, lies in front of him is a closed, wooden sliding door of a classroom; through the door, he could hear the sounds of chatting and laughing, and the voices were very familiar.

    But before he opens the sliding door, he takes a moment to take a deep breath and glance again at the item he prepared in his pocket.

    Screeeecchh!

    "Hey, Shuku! You''re late!"

    Out of the eight people present, one tall and slightly chubby man called his name as soon as he opened the door and they all saw him.

    "..."

    Without giving Shuku a chance to react, the guy ran over and wrapped his arm around Shuku''s neck, which he only lightly resisted.

    "What did I tell you yesterday? There will be consequences if you don''t behaveee!"

    "..."

    Shuku, still, doesn''t say a single word, however, he stopped resisting and slightly nodded his head with an emotionless face.

    The fat dude pats his shoulder and then removes his arm from Shuku''s neck.

    "That''s more like it, now, since you are here, how about you go get us some sandwiches!"

    He pushes Shuku''s chest, urging him to immediately get him a sandwich.

    And he obeyed, Shuku walks out of the classroom and shuts the sliding door behind him, and headed for the canteen, even though the chubby dude didn''t give him any money for the sandwiches.

    "Kubo! What did I tell you?"

    After Shuku left, Kubo, the chubby guy who had instructed Shuku to buy the sandwiches, was approached by a long, black-haired girl wearing the school uniform and a skirt.

    "I told you not to bully Shuku! And now you are ordering him to buy you sandwiches?!"

    With an angry expression, furrowed brown eyes, hands on her hips, and a haughty tone of criticism, Kubo could only laugh and reply wryly.

    "No, no Nozomi-chan! We are friends! He was just going to buy us breakfast! Besides he hang out with us many times, who would bully their friends?"

    "This is not the first time! I have seen you forcing Shuku to do bad things! I have seen you use violence with him and I have warned you many times that if you continue, I will report you to the teachers!"

    "Oh come on! It''s not like the end of the world if we do this or something. Besides, Shuku doesn''t resist, so why worry?"

    "He doesn''t resist because you threatened him! First Sano-kun now Shuku?! Honestly, I cannot withstand your bad behaviors anymore!"

    "OK, how about you give me a chance? I promise this is gonna be the last time!"

    "I have already heard your ''last time'' enough Kubo! As a class monitor, I do not accept bullying behaviors in the class, and I will fulfill my duty by reporting you to the teachers!"

    "What the FUCK did you say you little bitch?!"

    Kubo grabs her collar.

    "Bitch?!"

    When Kubo starts to use curse words in the conversation, other students understand that things are going out of control.

    "Woah Woah, hey! Calm down." The class''s star, Hikari Yokoyama who have blonde hair, tries to ease the situation.

    "Yeah, big bro! Chill!" His sister, Shina Kubo, from the lower classes, exclaimed.

    Masahiro, Kubo''s friend who is seated in the chair in the corner of the class, appears to be grinning despite the seeming gravity of the situation.

    "Can you repeat what you just said again?!" Kubo looks menacingly at Nozomi as he asks with a threatening attitude.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "I said I will report you to the teachers!"

    Kubo, who was already furious, had reached his breaking point and raised his fist.

    As he was about to punch Nozomi with a fist, Masahiro jumped out and stood between them.

    "Ok, things are about to go out of control, and you Nozomi, should know that fighting is against the rule."

    "Me?! He''s the one who did it first!"

    Masahiro pushes Kubo away from Nozomi in an attempt to reconcile them.

    "Ok, how about we go like this? You and Kubo will stop arguing and go back to your seats and start the lessons like always, and we will stop doing... whatever we were doing with Shuku, alright?"

    "Why should I trust you?"

    "Because that''s my promise, not Kubo''s. And I never break a promise!"

    After giving Masahiro''s offer some thought, Nozomi agreed it was a good temporary solution for the situation.

    "Fine, but this would be the last time I see you bully Shuku-kun, if I see you guys do it again, then I won''t compromise anymore."

    "That''s a correct choice." Masahiro answered.

    Then, like what they agreed on, Nozomi goes back to her seat and takes out the books, and gets ready for the class to begin.

    Meanwhile, Kubo takes Masahiro to a corner of the classroom and whispered:

    "Why did you stop me?"

    "Remember what we were doing last night?" He whispered back.

    "Oh! I see what you meant."

    "Let''s do it for real tonight."

    "Good idea, time to teach that bitch not to become cocky."

    Nobody knows what their intentions are, but based on their tone and their despicable expression, it is possible to assume that whatever they have in mind will be absolutely terrible.

    Just as their conversation has ended, Shuku came back with the sandwich in his hand.

    "Oh, you''re back, you''re lucky this time... just give me the sandwich-"

    The entire class watches in disbelief as they realize what they just saw, and fear and anxiety suddenly reappear on everyone''s faces as if a switch had been flipped.

    As soon as it went, the horrible atmosphere returned. Shuku, without warning, disdainfully threw the sandwich at Kubo''s face.

    "What the fuck did you just do?!"

    Shuku, for the first time in the day, opened his mouth. And his words are filled with anger and bitterness:

    "You know what? I have had enough of you two, this is a school but all you did was take me out in a dark corner and beat me up every single day.

    You made me go buy food for you, pay protection money for you, used me as a punching bag, and threatened me if I didn''t obey your orders."

    He paused for a moment to take a breath, then continued his denounces.

    "And I thought you could only do that far so I patiently endure it till it''s over. But no, you two not only bullied me but also harmed unrelated people, that''s when I don''t want to endure you anymore.

    All the humiliation, and pain that you caused me, today I will repay it in full. And you rotten pigs shouldn''t exist."

    Shuku''s word has left the entire classroom speechless, all the attention now points at Shuku and Kubo standing in the middle of the room.

    They were all surprised to witness Shuku confronting his bully Kubo for the first time.

    Others watch in terror as conflict is about to reach its climax.

    "What the fuck did you just say?"

    "Hey, calm down now Kubo! He''s probably joking!" Masahiro stands on the chair.

    Despite his efforts, Masahiro can''t undo what has happened.

    Kubo''s anger is at its peak, and the fist he is making is the strongest he has ever made.

    He is furious, especially after being embarrassed by Nozomi earlier and now by Shuku.

    It''s too much for him to handle, and he''s like a volcano ready to erupt, even if others try to calm him down, they won''t be able to stop the inevitable from happening.

    "OH MY GOD! SOMEBODY CALL THE TEACHER!"

    A girl screamed, despite her pleas, however, everyone is too terrified to move even an inch, hoping that they won''t be dragged into the conflict.

    "Shuku, what are you saying? Say Sorry to Kubo, NOW!!"

    Yokoyama desperately makes a final attempt to diffuse the situation, but when Shuku repeats his words, it is all for nothing.

    "Did you not listen carefully? I SAID YOU ARE A BUNCH OF PIGS WHO ONLY LIVE TO SATISFY YOUR BRAIN FULL OF SHITS!"

    It''s too late. Kubo''s eyes are now filled with pure rage and anger as he clenches his fist tighter and tighter with veins popping out of his forehead.

    And Shuku himself knows what was coming and he was ready for it.

    The terror has reached its peak as Kubo''s arm swung back, ready to deliver a fatal blow to Shuku''s face.

    "I''ll KILL YOU MOTHER FUCKER!!!!"

    As Kubo''s fist came hurtling toward Shuku''s face, the world around them seems to slow down to him, his decision right now would be the turning point of his fate, and he is sure and determined about what he was ready to do.

    Then all of a sudden...

    "What the-!"

    "Why is the floor glowing?"

    Everyone, even Kubo and Shuku, halted and looked down at the wooden floor, which had transformed into something that was emitting a blindingly bright white light.

    It''s so bright that most of them had to cover their eyes with their arms, but''s that not the only thing happening.

    "OH, MY GOD!! Our bodies are disappearing! What is happening!!!"

    They start to notice their own bodies are disintegrating into shiny particles beginning with their heads and the tip of their fingers down to their hands and going to the bottom of their feet.

    "HELP!!!"

    "I''m disappearing! HEL-"

    "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP U-"

    Asking for help in hopelessness when their bodies continue to disintegrate with no one from outside knowing anything.

    Since the disintegration started from their head, their brain was the first thing to disappear, so they lose consciousness as soon as they notice the strange phenomenon happening.

    And a few seconds later, the entire classroom became empty, nine students who were just standing in there were now evaporated into thin air.

    But that''s what outsiders would see, for the ones who are really experiencing the disintegration such as Shuku, all they could see is the blindly bright white light suddenly turning into something dark and pitch black.

    Their consciousness ceases to exist for a second, and their experience we like as if they weren''t existing at all.

    Then all of a sudden, everything came back, their vision, senses, and bodies rushing return and in front of their eyes, there is a gigantic and deep white hole.

    This hole resembles a black hole in the universe, except its white, it is so big and deep that they couldn''t see where it ends, and they both felt their bodies moving at speed faster than light but also motionless at the same time.

    But unlike a black hole, the hole they are falling into is full of light, and colorful rays of color spanning from red, green all the way to purple hit their eyes forming a rainbow spectrum halo around the bright white background.

    And in the middle of the hole they could see a pitch black point so tiny and so far away into infinity that everything seems to come out of that point, that''s the singularity.

    This experience happen for about a couple of seconds, during that time they couldn''t blink, talk, or even move at all but can still witness and feels everything.

    Until the hole starts getting brighter and brighter and the rays start getting more and more intense, the singularity suddenly moves further away from them despite they feel they are traveling even faster and more violently until they could not see anything else but just white light as if someone has taped a flashlight into their eyes.

    Then, slowly, everything came back to normal, the white light in front of their eyes began to fade away, giving back their ability to control their own bodies and their normal vision.

    For Shuku, he could see his "friends", all 8 of them with him lying on the ground, suffering from dizziness and nausea feeling after the disintegration.

    But aside from the same uniform, they were in another place, it seems like they have been teleported to somewhere else, somewhere so unfamiliar that they don''t know whether it was the same world they used to live in.

    Because hitting their eyes is a big room with white walls possibly made of made limestone or marble, on top of them is a big, shiny ceiling chandelier made of gold.

    As Shuku came to realize when his fingers touch the ground, they are lying under a red carpet that felt very comfortable, he moves his eyes to follow the red carpet trail that leads to a few small stairsteps.

    And an adult man with a brown and curvy beard sitting on a giant golden throne with a shiny diamond crown on his head and a red robe around him appeared.

    Next to him stands an old man who wears a white suit and a white robe with golden lines, he wears a big hat with the same style on top and a cross necklace, and Shuku immediately recognizes the similarity between the old man and the pope of a cult.

    ''Christianity also exists in this world?''

    But there were other people aside from his friends and the two-man he saw.

    Currently surrounding them in a circle are six soldiers who wear medieval-kind metal armor, the soldiers are pointing swords and spears at them.

    "Ehem! Greetings great heroes from another world!" The pope guy suddenly spoke up.

    "What the heck? Where are we? Who are they?"

    A classmate exclaimed, after the whole group stabilized the situation, they kept silent to listen to what the pope had to say.

    "We welcome you to the land of Apomis, you are summoned by the Great King of Apomis, King Solus! All of you here to help us save the world from the rising forces of the Demon Lord."

    "What did he say?"

    "Demon Lord?"

    "Are we reincarnated? Into another world?"

    Right at the first sentence, the pope shocked them with his earth-shaking announcement.

    They soon understand that they are no longer in their old world, they are asked to be the heroes and save a world in which they don''t even know with.

    Would this new world be an opportunity for them? Or would it turn out to be something worse?

 The Kingdom

    "I am Pope Ceptio of the Central Church. To help you, we will give you the strongest weapons, the best army, and financial support, and you could do whatever you want as long as the Demon Lord''s army is defeated!"

    The Pope just made an introduction and clarify things that are still quite confusing to and worrying to the summoned. Hikari, the class''s star and one of the brightest students, however, swiftly understood the situation and knew what he needed to do.

    "I have a question."

    He then began gathering as much information as he could.

    "Yes?"

    "Um, I understand that we were reincarnated into another world like in Anime, but just one thing confused me, why did you choose us?

    Why are we the ones getting teleported not others? What is so special about us? And why are able to understand what you say?"

    The Pope halted for a moment and clear anxiety appeared on his face.

    "Umm, to be honest, we also have no idea."

    "What?!"

    "We only follow the magic ritual that was written in the holy book, which I am holding right now, it said that the spell will teleport the ones who had the quality of a hero, who have the potential to save us from another world. And the summoned will also be given the ability to understand the native''s language, based on the Holy prophecy. I guess that''s why."

    "Prophecy?"

    "Yes! The Prophecy of the Gods! The prophecy says when devils are rising, engulfing the world in darkness and blood, the heroes shall be brought upon this world, to bring order and peace."

    "Ok, so when could we get back to our world?"

    "That actually depends on you, if you kill the demon lord a portal to your world will open I suppose."

    "Suppose?"

    "Yes, we are not so sure about it, the last time the Demon Lord was defeated was 150 years ago, back then no one have time to record everything because the demon lord''s army was about to win when they killed nearly 300 million people."

    "Oh my god..."

    "Yes, and the Legendary Hero killed him with the holy sword, but then after that, no one sees the Hero again. And right now, the Demon Lord seems to be reviving in the West of the Continent and we need the Legendary Hero to save us from him again. That''s why we summoned you, by the way, you seem to be the leader."

    "Me? Oh no no, my name is Hikari Yokoyama, you can call me Hikari, I''m not the leader and we are not warriors, just normal high school students from another world."

    "Students?! How old are you?"

    "Umm... All of us are 17, I guess..."

    "Seventeen?!"

    "Yeah, what''s wrong?"

    The Pope and the King had a brief conversation about this in private.

    "Nevermind. So, let me continue, all of you will get a room in the castle..."

    While the Pope continues his introduction about the services provided to the Heroes, the King himself was looking somewhere else. He notices a black-haired Hero who is still sitting on the ground, and he was very disturbed about the unfriendly aura he''s giving off.

    "Hey, you! The guy with a gloomy face!"

    The King points his finger at Shuku.

    "What are you trying to do? Guards! Surround him!"

    All the guards who had been resting suddenly surrounded Shuku in a circle and aimed their swords at him while everyone is still confused of what is going on, Shuku himself is the most perplexed.

    "Wait what?! What did I do?"

    "Wait! He''s one of us!" Nozomi exclaimed.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "I sensed the strong murderous smell emanating from you, do you intend to attack me? Guards! Take him to the prison and lock him up for a while."

    Following the King''s command, two guards approached Shuku and each took hold of his shoulder and his hand to arrest him.

    "Is this how you treat your heroes? I''m innocent! I swear!!"

    "Yeah! This must be a misunderstanding!"

    Despite Nozomi''s best efforts, the King insisted on his decision.

    "If you could prove that he''s innocent, I will let him out, but before that, he will spend some time in the dark prison."

    With everyone still in complete disbelief, the guards could now start escorting him to the awaiting prison beneath the Castle.

    "Hah! That''s what you deserve!"

    Before exiting the room, he heard Kubo''s laughing.

    To Shuku, this is undoubtedly the worst day of his life. Enduring endless bullying on a daily basis was already too much, but now, on his very first day after being teleported to a new world, he is distrusted by the king and falsely accused of murder in front of his friends. What had he done to deserve all of this? He thought in total despair. What bad deeds has he done to deserve a life worse than a caged animal?

    While the Guards lead him down the steps to the dungeon, he continues to reflect on his own life as the lights begin to fade and the darkness starts to rise. The only thing he could see now, away from the dazzling and opulent interior of the Castle above, was a depressing medieval cellar, built of bricks and lit by wooden torches, filled with the rotting corpses of dead animals and wetty floors.

    Finally, far at the end of the basement, he could see, "his room".

    ...

    About twenty minutes after being left alone in the dank, dark cell, the door above the steps opened again and a guard was coming down from it.

    "Hey, gloomy! The King just set you free."

    The guard said, and Shuku clicked his tongue in response.

    "If it was this fast why did you bother to put me in the first place?"

    The guard then unlock Shuku''s jail room and bring him with their swords drawn back to the King''s palace. Upon their return, everyone had already resolved their issues with the King and the Pope. Among those who were teleported with Shuku, only one openly cheered for his release.

    "Shuku-kun!"

    And also running in his direction was none other than Nozomi.

    "Are you OK?"

    "Yeah, I''m fine, thanks."

    During Shuku''s time in prison, a long discussion between his classmates and the Pope and the King took place. They exchanged a ton of new information about the world they are currently in, the obligations and benefits of their upcoming "hero" careers, and what they will be doing today, the first day.

    Nozomi was the only one who attempted to persuade the King of Shuku''s innocence at that time. She told him about Shuku''s capabilities and his circumstances, and how the fight he had with his bully Kubo at the time the teleportation took place was the cause of his frightening aura.

    And after 20 minutes, she finally gets the King to let Shuku out. But even after being shown to be innocent, the King continues to harbor suspicions and remains cautious of him.

    "Eh, hem... Now, as we discussed before, while the servants prepare the equipment to examine your magical skills, we will take a horse wagon ride around the city, to get a good view of our fantastic and glamourous capital!"

    The Pope urged everyone to move to the front gate of the Castle, where a three-horse carriage was waiting for them.

    Right when the gate is opened, they were immediately stunned by the breathtaking beauty of the city. This city they found themselves in contradicted their expectations of a medieval-level civilization because it was genuinely gorgeous and emanated an incredible sparkle and glamour.

    "This is the grand Karnes City, the capital of the main Apomis Kingdom! Now, shall we get in?"

    Houses are built out of a unique type of material that makes them glitter like diamonds. The big ocean around is sparkling like sapphire while the majestic mountains, along with the sky and clouds, form a wonderful landscape, unlike anything they have ever witnessed before.

    But they don''t have all day to admire the view, so they quickly followed instructions and climbed into the horse wagons.

    A total of nine people with the Pope following them, and there were three wagons available, so three people in each wagon. Each person chooses their own wagon, and Shuku chose to get in the same one as Nozomi, Hikari, and Pope Ceptio. As soon as he placed his foot on the wagon, the Pope gave him a concerned face.

    "Fine. If you don''t want me to go with you then I won''t."

    "No no I''m sorry, you are one of them so you can do whatever you want, I just thought that maybe, not all heroes are... you know... someone like him."

    He tilts his head at Hikari.

    "Whatever."

    Despite having some difficulties at first, things gradually settled into normal as everyone found their seats and the wagons set off towards the capital city of Karnes.

    As they traveled through the city streets, Shuku had the opportunity to observe this magnificent city up close. All the citizens are in elegant attire, with women often in vibrant and intricate dresses, while men wore sophisticated suits embellished more with shiny jewelry, even from a distance, they gave out a sense of opulence and luxury.

    Additionally, horse wagons similar to the ones they are currently in are a common means of transportation in this city and although not as luxurious as theirs, the wagons on the streets are shown to be pricey enough to scare away poor people like Shuku.

    Overall, the city appears to be quite wealthy and splendid, and the way of life of the locals can be described in some way as noble. However, one thing makes Shuku wonder.

    There is no trading, working, or any kind of commercial activities that generate money, everyone seems to be having fun and enjoying their carefree life.

    Even in his world, places like this are practically nonexistent, yet someway this "society from the Middle Ages" managed to create a place that could be compared to paradise. As he was considering this, the Pope, who rides in the same wagon as him, started explaining to him and the other two about the history and geography of this planet.

    The speech was very long but the main points were this:

    The continent where the Apomis Kingdom is located is a giant landmass surrounded by water and divided into two fairly equal parts, the West and the East based on territory.

    The West part where the Demon Lord resided 150 years ago is now a dead wasteland with nothing more than a hundred miles of deserts and dangerous wild animals.

    The East part is greener, lifer and it is where all the humans live, and is divided into two Kingdoms:

    The Apomis Kingdom occupies 30% of the territory and is located in the North of the East part while the South Apomis Kingdom which occupies the rest 70%.

    "Why the identical names?" One of them asked.

    It turns out that the Apomis Kingdom is the sole kingdom that exists on this continent. But the King split it into two separate ruling areas and his main justification was to keep any unwanted "secondary residents" such as criminals, slaves, "uncivilized," uneducated, unemployed, "un noble," and "financially unsound" people in the South Apomis Kingdom away from the gorgeous main Apomis Kingdom.

    Although two kingdoms coexist, the main Apomis Kingdom is the only one with political and military power; the ruler of the South Apomis Kingdom is merely a puppet.

    Despite the controversy around this form of government, it actually works really well because the South Apomis Kingdom lacks the resources or military strength to rebel against the main Apomis Kingdom, allowing the King to live in safety and peace with the wealthy citizens who back him. Hearing this, three of them could only sigh wearily, as expected from a medieval-level civilization.

    "How about the rest of the world?"

    Hikari questioned. However, Ceptio, the Pope, only smiled.

    "For now, that information is unnecessary, but you will soon know, all you need to focus on is defeating the Demon Lord."

 The Useless One

    "Okay, let''s focus here everyone! Make a line and we will begin to examine your magical abilities one by one."

    After exploring the city, the heroes came back to the King''s Throne room in the Castle, where the Pope was preparing the next plan on their schedule. Following instructions, they lined up. Hikari volunteered to go first, and he was followed by two girls who admired him, then came Shuku, Nozomi,... and finally, Kenji Sano, the fattest among them.

    "So what do I do?"

    In front of him sits a single-legged circular table. On top of this table, there rests a transparent sphere, elegantly positioned on a golden base, and standing beside him is the Pope, offering support for the examination.

    "Just place your hand on the Sphere."

    "OK..."

    Although Hikari has some doubts and hesitates, he still touches the Sphere with his palm. Instantly, the sphere starts emitting a bright yellow light upon contact with his skin. The Pope started reading from a paper he was holding.

    "Hikari Yokoyama, magic attribute: Yellow. Related to manipulating natural phenomena such as light, sound, thunder, etc."

    "Huh, quite strong, as expected." The King commented.

    The two girls standing behind him surrounded him with joyous celebration.

    "Hikari-kun, you''re so strong!"

    "Yeah, such great powers."

    "Thank you." He blushly smiled.

    "Next."

    As the Pope said, Hikari stepped aside to clear the path for the person next in line, one of the two girls standing behind him. The girl places her hand on the sphere, causing it to brighten, and the Pope reads the color.

    "Keiko Sasaki, magic attribute: Blue, related to manipulating objects and space."

    "Your powers are great too Sasaki-chan!" The other girl cheered.

    "I know, I know, just continues."

    And comes the next one in the line.

    "Kiryu Kuroda, magic attribute: Green, related to..."

    As they conducted the magic examination, Shuku himself was left wandering in his own mind.

    Since he was imprisoned underground, he had been thinking about his future in this world. Locked away for about 20 minutes, he had nothing to do but immerse himself in random thoughts. Even now, he continues to dwell on the questions that plagued him at that time: What should he do next?

    Specifically, how should he handle his bullies? Before being transported to this world, he had been in a fight with Kubo and decided that, for once, he would confront him fully to put an end to the mistreatment. But now, should he continue? Should he maintain his decision to give Kubo what he deserves, even though they are no longer in a state of conflict and his actions might have been driven by momentary rage? And should he continue even if he wanted to, when the people around don''t have much sympathy for him?

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    As for Kubo, Shuku can see what he''s doing from the back of the line. Both he and Masahiro are "playing around" with Sano. And "playing around" here means body shaming, humiliating, threatening, and forcing submission.

    In the past, Sano was the one that was bullied by those two due to his "unique weight," with a frequency of almost every day and everywhere. Shuku didn''t like witnessing this, however, so he approached them and asked them to stop. But that''s when they shifted their target from Sano to Shuku instead.

    Among the two bullies, Kubo was the primary instigator, taking the lead in most of the bullying, while Masahiro merely joined in for his own entertainment. And now, he must choose between remaining silent or fighting back, both have no good outcomes. It is this irresolute that leaves him pondering for minutes.

    "Shuku-kun."

    His personal thoughts began to overshadow the voices of others, masking other sounds, and disregarding everything else to completely immerse him in his world of thoughts.

    "Shuku-kun!"

    Only when Nozomi calls does he snap back to reality.

    "Huh, what?"

    "It''s your turn."

    "Oh, OK."

    Three individuals ahead of him have completed their examination, and now it''s his turn. He is well aware of what he needs to do and wastes no time hesitating.

    "Shuku Ryuu, magic attribute... ?!!"

    The Pope yelled unexpectedly, grabbing everyone''s attention when he noticed the sphere''s color: Black.

    "Wait, what''s wrong about Black?"

    Everyone has the same question, eagerly awaiting an answer. The Pope swiftly composed himself.

    "I think I should explain to all of you about this. Eh, hem! You see, in this world, everyone is born with a magic attribute that is completely random for each person. And they are categorized by the colors that the magic Sphere indicated. Red, blue, green, orange,... those are the magic attributes that allow the user to manipulate a certain aspect of the universe, such as objects, space, light, and some rare ones could even manipulate time. Like the results of the previous examinations."

    "Ok, but Black is also a color." Shuku said.

    "However, special colors like white and black, or transparent, are different.

    People who make the sphere go transparent when they touch it mean that they don''t have a magic attribute yet, but they can develop into any of those colors in the magic attribute list I''ve mentioned.

    And white, are for the super rare and powerful, they are the ones who can manipulate almost everything in the universe, teleport through space, and go back in time,... because white is the combination of all colors. But there has been no record in the history of someone like that."

    He takes a breath.

    "Now for black, we call it the color of the void. Because people with Black magic attributes are known to be unable to use any kind of magic, permanently."

    Upon hearing this, Shuku felt as though the sky was collapsing on him. He already had enough issues with his bullies and the king, and now the possibility of lacking magic haunted him. Magic was deemed essential in this world, especially for a Hero destined to save the world.

    "No way. But I''m a Hero! There must be a mistake! How could someone like me doesn''t have magic? Can you double-check? Or the sphere could be broken?!"

    "I''m sorry Kid, but the magic Sphere never lies, nor it broke down, we already check it twice."

    "No way... This must be a Joke..."

    The ground seemed to crumble beneath his feet, and he was certain that this marked the worst day of his life. His titles had expanded to include being the bullied, the weakest, the hated, the suspected, and now the most useless.

    All eyes were now fixed on him, and whispers spread like wildfire among the others, discussing the supposedly most useless member of the Hero squad. Some expressed concern, some laughed, while others remained silent.

    The king''s already negative opinion of him grew even harsher, and he glared at Shuku with utmost disdain. Fear, confusion, and anxiety engulfed his mind, leaving him unable to focus on anything other than the overwhelming attention and gazes from others.

    After that, they continued examining the magical attributes of the remaining individuals. Some showed fascinating and impressive magical abilities. However, Shuku''s mind was clouded with negative thoughts that leave him with no energy to care about others.

    An hour later, the King served them a lavish feast in the Royal Dining Room, featuring a variety of delicacies such as chickens, juicy fruits, pies, meats, oysters, and anything they can think of in a fancy restaurant. But no matter how delicious these probably two-star Michelin are, Shuku didn''t have the mood to enjoy any of them. He put the food in his mouth, it tastes good, and that''s it.

    The negative thoughts from the magic examination still haunted him, making it hard to move on. He glanced around the dining table, checking if anyone was looking at him. He notices Kubo''s gang sitting next to the King and appears to be chatting with him; these suckers. Hikari is sitting between two girls, and they are also close to the King. Regardless of whatever they are doing, they are all occupied with other things and none appear to bother about Shuku.

    He was left out, eating and talking to himself in solitude. But it''s no surprise; who would want to care about someone perceived as eccentric and "parasitic" like him? Crouching on the chair, Shuku held onto his dish firmly. Little did he know that Nozomi was also worried about him.

    Another hour passed by, the dinner is finished, and each person was assigned a guard who led them to their prepared bedrooms.

    "Your room is over here."

    The guard escorted Shuku to his bedroom and then departed, leaving him alone. In an exhausted manner, he opened the door slowly.

    The room exactly matched his expectations and mental picture of a typical castle room: The bed was in the corner, and there was a bookshelf, a desk, a chest, and a window directly across from the door. He steps in, closes the door, and leaps onto the bed.

    "This is the worst day in my entire life."

    He complained.

    Strangely, his exhaustion started to fade as he began to feel the softness and comfort of this state-of-the-art luxury bed.

    "At least the bed is the only thing that makes it less bad."

    He shifted, lying on his back, placing his hands behind his head, and gazed up at the ceiling.

    "Ughh... I just want to forget all of this and sleep forever."

    "..."

    "Nope, I didn''t mean that I want to die." He corrected himself.

    "What will I gonna do from now."

    Then he shoved his face into the pillow, gripping it tightly as if he desired nothing more than to unwind and relax after a very, very long day.

    "..."

    Knock knock.

    "Shuku-kun are you asleep?"

    "Nozomi?"

    In the middle of the night, Nozomi arrived and knocked on his door.

 Make Sure He Cant Return

    Nozomi abruptly knocked on the door, waking Shuku up as he began falling asleep.

    "Yeah, it''s me, can we talk?"

    Although he wants to enjoy the bed more, he can''t keep her waiting. Thus, he gets out of bed and walks to the door.

    "Why are you here-"

    The moment he opened the door, a girl with long black graphite hair, dressed in a nightgown, stood before him, the flimsy gown reveals the round curves of her body. Her hips and chest appeared as though they were softly inflated, snugly embraced by the thin sleepwear crafted by the royal tailor. One way to describe these soft areas is that Shuku would love to shove his face in them rather than into his pillow.

    Seeing this, he was almost mesmerized, and Shuku had nearly forgotten that Nozomi was a beautiful girl he had a crush on.

    "So what''s the matter?"

    "I want to talk to you about what happened this morning."

    "Okay...?"

    "I just want to say that... don''t do that again."

    "Do what?"

    "Whatever you were attempting to do this morning when you were in a fight with Kubo. I was scared that you have given up on everything and were going to go all out with him. Especially when you say those words, I thought that things might go too far and..."

    She paused at the "and..." to avoid saying anything sensitive, but Shuku was fully aware of what would happen next.

    "I understand, I will try my best. But that doesn''t change the fact that Kubo is a total douchebag, if not me, then it''s Sano. As long as he is with us, there''s no way he would stay down-"

    "Then I will protect you! I will protect Sano-kun, and you! I will talk it out with Kubo tomorrow, and if he still doesn''t listen, then... we will quit."

    "What? Are you serious?"

    "Yes. The King can''t afford to lose three Heroes, so either we leave, or the King will force Kubo to stop all of his bad behaviors. In any way, we can expect you and Sano will not be mistreated."

    Hearing these words stunned him, but they also warmed up his cold heart a bit, as a result, he smiled.

    "You''re always that intelligent and that kind of person, Nozomi, and I''m glad I had a friend like you."

    "Thanks, Shuku..."

    "But, like the Pope says, I can''t use magic. So does it even matter whether I stay or not when I can''t help with anything?"

    Nozomi placed her hand on her chin.

    "Maybe, if you can''t be strong, how about trying to be smart?"

    "What do you mean, exactly?"

    "I mean, no matter how strong an army is, it will become meaningless if the strategist or the commander is stupid right? How about you try to become the smart one, and maybe your intelligence could be more necessary than the ability to use magic.

    You could, I don''t know, figure out how to defeat the Demon Lord and how to get us home. If you could do that, you will be a lot more helpful to us than when you have magic."

    "Ok, I will take that advice, thank you."

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    "All I wanted to say is, in our circumstance right now, we should not have a conflict with each other. We are not in our world anymore, who knows what could happen to us tomorrow, we could only depend on each other to stay safe. And I don''t want to see any of my friends in danger!"

    "..."

    Shuku is speechless; just a few minutes ago, he was desperate and tired of everything and felt as if the entire world was against him, but then Nozomi showed up, and reminded him of a friend, someone he could rely on and that he won''t have to suffer alone.

    "I understood. Anyway, I think it''s time to go to sleep."

    "Yeah, you''re right. I''m feeling sleepy too."

    Shuku was lying; he wanted to end the conversation before it became cringe because he don''t know what else to say, not because he was sleepy. He watches in silence as Nozomi begins to walk away from him. Just before she turns a corner, he calls out to her one last time.

    "Hey!"

    "Hm?"

    "Thanks for talking with me, you made my day less terrible."

    In response, Nozomi smiled: "Goodnight, Shuku-kun."

    "Goodnight."

    Then she left. Shuku closed the door and returned to his room, standing with his back against the door.

    "Man, I love her."

    He went back lying on his bed.

    "Maybe this new world isn''t so bad after all."

    At last, he can really unwind and recharge for the next day-

    Knock, knock. Once again, there''s a knock on the door.

    "Nozomi-san? I thought you went to sleep?"

    Shuku thought that Nozomi might have forgotten to tell him something, so she returned. Strangely, his question was met with a creepy quiet.

    "Nozomi?"

    Knock, knock.

    The knocking continued despite no words being spoken from outside. Shuku feels that something was wrong, and worry started to creep in. But he couldn''t stay silent any longer because whoever was outside already knew he was there, so he got out of bed and slowly approaches the door.

    He grabs the handle, spins it, and begins to pull the door open.

    "Ok, who''s out there-"

    A sparkling figure stood in front of him, his entire body clad in metal plates and armor, so Shuku couldn''t see his face but can easily recognize him as one of the King''s guards. And the guard immediately SWING the sword he was holding at Shuku as soon as he opened the door.

    "Woah, woah, hey!"

    But Shuku was fortunate enough to dodge in time and avoid death. Regardless of how it looks, the Guard appears to be serious about his actions.

    "What are you doing? I''m not a bad guy."

    Despite Shuku''s efforts to explain, the guard once again strikes Shuku with the sword.

    "I told you, I''m not a bad guy! I''m one of those heroes-"

    "GGAAHHHH!!"

    The guard charges at him and is ready to swing his sword with full force, yet Shuku evades out of the direction of the guard''s attack and reflexively pushed him back. The guard loses his balance as a result of being pushed; he continues to move inertly and ends up smashing against the window, breaking it, and falls outside.

    "Shit!!"

    Shuku rushed towards the window just as he realized what he had done.

    "AAAHHHH!!!-..."

    A piercing scream appeared followed by quiet and a pop, and Shuku was terrified when he realized what that meant.

    Looking down from the window, he sees a shiny figure lying on the ground, with red liquid coming from it.

    "He''s dead..."

    Falling from a window that was at least 10 stories high has killed the guard and blood has spilled. Everything happened so rapidly and unexpectedly, leaving Shuku shocked and bewildered without time to grasp the situation. As his mind was still processing the events, a familiar voice suddenly emerged from behind.

    "Well, well, well. Look what we just found. A murderer."

    The person Shuku despised seeing the most came and stood directly in front of his room''s open door.

    "Kubo? Why the fuck are you here?"

    "Why am I here? I''m because of you, I heard someone screaming and I was also accidentally nearby so I went in and checked, is it right, your Highness?"

    Then a man with a long silver beard and hair, the one who had previously falsely accused him of murder, appeared, followed by two guards, and standing behind Kubo.

    "Yes, it''s true, and it''s so sad to know that there''s a corrupted hero in my castle who killed my innocent and obedience guard."

    "Oh, I get it. You two both find me annoying, so you two decided to team up and get rid of me by sacrificing your own guard to set me up for a fake murder, right? Like how I was accused this morning."

    The King and Kubo remained quiet, neither confirming nor denying his theory, yet Shuku already knew that it was all their plan.

    ''I''m sorry Nozomi-san, but looks like this bastard cannot be forgiven.''

    Remembering Nozomi''s advice to move on and neglect Kubo, he concludes that there will be no peace working with this motherfucker.

    "Fine. If you hate me that much, then I will leave. You won''t see me here from tomorrow, I''ll go somewhere far away from your sight so you don''t have to worry about being annoyed."

    Both of them maintained silence with straight faces as if that was not what they wanted.

    "What? Isn''t that what you want?"

    "We just want to make sure... that you can''t come back."

    The King snaps his fingers, and the two guards behind him start approaching Shuku. One of them is holding what appears to be a huge metal ring or collar. A guard goes behind Shuku, grabs his arm and neck, and pushes him to the ground.

    "What the-?!"

    The one holding the metal collar opens it and places it around Shuku''s neck. When the metal collar is locked again, it starts to glow with a white light, and Shuku feels a surge of electricity run through his body.

    The guards then let go of Shuku and kick him to the ground.

    "What the hell is this?"

    "That is what we call, a slave collar. With this you won''t be able to resist my commands, you won''t be able to fight back, and you won''t be able to do anything but my order."

    "What?! Why? Why do I have to wear this? Why don''t you just let me leave peacefully?"

    "Because... who knows what would you do if you are free out there doing whatever you want out from my sight? If I let you free now, who knows that you won''t come back and put a knife on my neck?"

    "Why do you keep insisting that I''m a murderer?"

    Kubo smirked lightly as he observed Shuku''s suffering, his boiling rage now reached its peak and was visible in his blazing eyes.

    "You are not going away from this Kubo, others will know! They will know the truth! They will know that someone like me can''t win a trained and armed guard! And they will soon realize your wicked and corrupted side! You cannot escape this!"

    "They won''t." The King speaks with a cold voice.

    "What?"

    "Because I already make sure that none of them, will know anything. And I really started to feel sleepy. Guards, take him away."

    The two guards obeyed the order and began dragging Shuku away, locking his hands and grabbing his neck.

    "Have fun, Shuku! I hope you enjoy your new life and your new necklace!"

    As Shuku was dragged out of the room on the floor, Kubo''s sarcastic words echoed. At that moment, all he felt was the bursting hatred he held for Kubo.

    "I swear to you Kubo, that the next time we meet I''M GOING TO KILL YOU AND I WILL MAKE IT AS PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE!"

    "We''ll see about that."

    "Guards, make him silent!"

    "UGHH!! Ugh..." A guard used his hand to block his mouth while the other one knocked him unconscious.

    "Send him to the Dungeon! Maybe he''ll come in handy, and make sure that he can''t find his way back here!"

 The Blood Dungeon

    A few days later, Shuku found himself in a horse-drawn wagon in a completely unfamiliar location. He didn''t know where he was, but he could see that the place was crowded with others like him��people who had metal collars around their necks and people who didn''t even have proper clothes, other than tattered pants to cover their genitals.

    He was sure that this was the dungeon the King had mentioned, and it looked like he would be joining the slaves who worked there.

    The first day he arrived, he stood outside a large tunnel beneath rocky mountains. the tunnel served as the entrance to the underground dungeon. The following day, they moved him inside. Only when he entered and began to see the caves, the darkness, and the unsettling atmosphere it created, Shuku could truly feel the true nature of a real dungeon.

    For the past two days since he arrived, he hasn''t had any rest except for sleep, and it''s the same for the others. They''re forced to constantly work nonstop without breaks and get whipped by the ones running the place, their superiors. And these things happen everywhere; the moment he entered, descending rocky stairs and beginning to see lights from distant torches, he could see many other slaves, perhaps a hundred of them, carrying wood, and rocks, mining with pickaxes, and being whipped when their superiors feel like they aren''t working "hard enough" or are bored.

    The form of mistreatment is so awful that many slaves have died, not from the grueling labor itself, but from the injuries caused by continuously being whipped.

    "No matter where I go, there is always injustice and mistreatment. The rich and powerful think they can treat the lower class however they want."

    Shuku became extremely furious, his anger grew stronger by the second. With each heavy stuff they tossed on his back, with each cursing and whipping from the superiors, his hatred deepened.

    "They are the real devils. They are the ones who should be locked up and beaten. They are the ones who should be dead!"

    Despite being treated in the same way as other slaves, he does not feel sorry for himself; instead, he feels empathy for others and extreme anger toward those who are mistreating them in a similar way to how he was treated in the old world. And as his mind slowly became clearer, his hatred evolved into the fuel for his determination.

    ''I''ve made my decision. I''m not going to endure it like in my old world. I''m not going to stay down and let those bastards do whatever they want! I will kill the ones who bullied me. I will make them suffer until the end of time and turn their lives into a living hell.

    I swear I''m going to kill them and make them pay for what they''ve done! I''M GOING TO KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!''

    He has made the decision that even if he has to die, even if there are consequences to what he wants to do, he will kill Jiro, Kubo, and anybody else who treats him and the good people terribly. He will drag them to their deaths.

    "You''re new here, right? I''ve never seen you before."

    "Huh?"

    When Shuku stopped working, he stood still, immersed in his thoughts and staring into the distance. A man working nearby noticed this and walked over to him. Yet, Shuku was taken aback by the man''s unusual appearance, unlike anything he''d seen before. The man had silver hair down to his chin, a handsome and sharp face, and...

    "Those ears... you an elf?"

    What caught his eye were the man''s long ears, pointed sharply outward. Until now, he had almost forgotten that there were other humanoid races in this world, such as Elves, Beastmen, and many others, and he had seen quite a few of them since arriving here.

    Actually, non-human races make up more than half of the slaves who work in this dungeon, and they are everywhere around him. Although he can see their tails and ears, he is too preoccupied with his thoughts to even notice them.

    "Huh... you are the first one to have that kind of reaction seeing an elf, most people would have stayed away from me when they saw my ears."

    "Why?"

    "Wait, you don''t know?"

    "Know what? That there are also other humanoid species like elves, beastmen, etc., that exist?"

    "Yeah, but they are discriminated."

    "???"

    As their talk continues, Shuku finally remembers his mission and returns to work.

    "I thought that every human knew this, but..." The elf man adjusts his tone.

    "This continent has many humanoid species, like elves, beastmen, and probably some rarer ones, but humans are the dominant species, and they consider any other humanoid species as inferior to them. That''s why you don''t see many elves or beastmen; they are all enslaved. That''s why people stay away from me when they first see my ears, and that''s why I''m here."

    "Oh... I didn''t know that. What''s your name?"

    "Name''s Sylvar, You?"

    "I''m..." Shuku felt unsure about whether it was a good idea to reveal his real name to Sylvar. He doesn''t know if doing so would lead to any future consequences.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    "Shu. My name is Shu." So, he came up with a fake name.

    "About the inferior species thing, if it''s true, then why are there also human slaves here?"

    "You? Why are you a slave?" Sylvar asked back.

    "I was set up... betrayed."

    "So do they. Most of the human slaves I know are poor people who couldn''t afford a job, had no family, were homeless, or couldn''t pay off their debts. They get tricked by rich slave owners or are sold to slave owners."

    After a while, they finished their first morning working session and were given a break for breakfast. They sat down at a wooden table and chairs, continuing their conversation while sipping on a bowl of soup made from just water and potatoes.

    "How about you? How did you end up here? Do you have a family?" Shuku asks Sylvar.

    "I do... I have a daughter, her name is Sunela, she''s 20 years old, a cute little girl."

    "Wait, 20 years old? Cute and little?"

    "Oh, I almost forgot that human age is different from elves. Yeah, she''s 20 years old in human age, but she''s like 10 in elven age."

    "Oh... Ok. How old are you by the way?"

    "They say I looked young, like 20 or something, but I''m actually 50."

    "Wow..." Shuku couldn''t help but be amazed by things he had never seen or heard of before in his life. However, his amazement quickly gave way to a terrifying realization.

    "How about your daughter, where is she? Don''t tell me..."

    "I don''t know either, we got separated. A few weeks ago, when the King''s Knights Team raided our village in the forest and took every Elf there as slaves, I tried to distract them to give my daughter and some others a chance to run away."

    ''Those motherfuckers.'' Shuku''s thoughts after confirming that his impression of the King wasn''t based on a personal judgment.

    "Ohhh... I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked."

    "It''s okay, I wanted to talk about it, it''s been so long since I have someone to chat with that they don''t cancel me for my ears."

    "Don''t you worry about her?"

    "Yes, I do, but what can I do? If I try to run, and the superiors find out, the collar will trigger and it will move the blades inside it and cut my head off."

    Hearing this, Shuku suddenly thought about the pile of corpses in a corner of the dungeon. Both of them could see the stack of lifeless bodies from their dining table. All the corpses were identical, with their heads al cut off by something incredibly sharp and terrifyingly accurate.

    "So that''s why."

    "Yeah, unlucky morons."

    It turns out that the bodies are of those who attempted to escape, and the blades hidden in their metal collars immediately sliced off their heads. Unlucky morons, as Sylvar put it.

    "How will you gonna find her?"

    "In this circumstance, I don''t want to find her," Sylvar said without hesitation.

    "Wait, what-"

    "Don''t get me wrong. It''s true that I would love to reunite with my daughter, but then what? These things..." He pointed to the metal collar on his neck.

    "They won''t get off us unless we are dead. It means that everywhere you go with this collar on, everyone will know that you are a slave. And runaway slaves will be executed, in the worst way possible. And if I do get away, where can we go? We can''t run from humans forever when they kept expanding their territory, nor can we run to the Western area of the continent which is full of monsters."

    Sylvar relaxed his body and continued to slurp his soup.

    "All I can do now is hope that... even if she gets caught, she should be caught by a good human, someone like you. So that she won''t... you know, male slaves will be used as a labor force, and female slaves will be..."

    "OK. I get it."

    "Or she could just cut her ears, to blend in. Whatever she does, I just hope that she''ll survive, and won''t meet someone... like him."

    Shuku glanced in the direction Sylvar had pointed. There, he spotted a man in proper clothing using a whip to "discipline the lazy slaves". The slaves were being whipped so relentlessly that a few of them had fainted and begun to foam at the mouth. Nevertheless, the man continued in his punishing. Now, Shuku understands what Sylvar has been trying to convey.

    "Lunch Over! Go back to work!!"

    Both of them were startled by a loud male voice, and when they all turned around, they noticed a tall, large, muscular man standing in front of them. They both quickly get out of their chairs after hearing what their "big" superior has to say and begin to go in the direction of where they are working.

    Other slaves seated at the same table followed suit. However, one slave defied the command and stayed at the table, slurping the watery soup voraciously as if there were no tomorrow.

    "I SAID GO BACK TO WORK!"

    Even when facing a threat from the superior, the slave continued eating the soup, paying little to no attention to anything else. This annoyed him so the muscular superior kicked the slave with the bowl of soup off the table and onto the ground.

    Nevertheless, even after being kicked to the ground and with the soup spilled, the slave hurriedly made his way to the soup bowl and licked the spilled water from the ground while picking up the potato chunks full of dirt and putting them into his mouth.

    "Dirty Pig."

    The muscular superior then continues to kick the slave as if he were enjoying it. Not wanting to witness this disturbing scene any longer, Shuku and Sylvar made the decision to leave and return to their workplace.

    "What are we doing here, anyway? I''ve heard that we''re supposed to be going on some dungeon expedition, but all we''re doing is spending time building things here." Shuku asked Sylvar as they returned to work.

    "From what I know, or heard. We slaves are in charge of building a base at this level, for long-term, to provide food and shelter for the ones who will go down there to fight the monsters."

    "Okay, I understand. But when you say ''the ones who will go down there,'' you mean us, right? Why would they risk their lives if they can just let the slaves fight for them?"

    "Yeah, maybe they could, maybe they won''t, who knows. Of course, they can use slaves like us, but is it more efficient and time-saving to use an actual armed force with combat experience? By the way, fighting monsters and clearing dungeons brings them joy and glory, so why would they waste it?"

    "Yeah let''s hope so. Oh, and one thing I forgot to ask."

    "Hm?"

    "What is the thing that they are trying to get anyway? I mean what is at the end, the bottom of this dungeon that they spend so much resource and time in it?"

    Upon hearing this, Sylvar''s face immediately displayed clear concern. He glanced around to check if anyone was watching or listening, and then he pulled Shuku closer to him.

    "Listen, I would only tell this to you. OK? The superiors won''t let their slaves know about it, and I''m sure that almost no slaves in this place know what we are trying to get at the end of the dungeon." He whispers.

    "OK..."

    "Back when I was in my village, I read a book, an ancient book written by an old Elf, he was about 200 years old and died when the raid happened. The book was about the Demon Lord War 150 years ago, and it said that the dungeon we are at here is the place where the Cursed Blood Blade is kept!"

    "?" Sylvar emphasizes ''Cursed Blood Blade'' and leaves Shuku confused.

    "Yeah, of course, you don''t know!" He continues. "The Seven Cursed Blades is a legend that is kept secret from the public, even the nobles don''t know about it. Only a few, super powerful ones, like the King or the Pope, know about it. After the Demon Lord died, he still wanted to haunt this world with his dark powers, therefore he created seven weapons, or seven blades, with each one having a unique power of its own, and they will use it to control its users to continue to wreak havoc on the world.

    I couldn''t read the whole book, so I can only tell you the general abilities of them, basically these weapons will drain something from their user, it could be blood, lifespan, sanity,... in return for overwhelming power, the power to win against an army and even immortality."

    Upon hearing this, Shuku''s eyes widened as if he had finally found the solution to all of his problems.

    ''That means, if I could somehow get one of the Cursed Blades, I can, not just escape from slavery, but I could also, revenge!''

    "How about the Blood Blade, the one we are going to get?" He asked.

    "About this one, you don''t want it."

    "Why?"

    "Because this is one of the worst ones, it will drain your blood or force you to kill others to take blood, but in return, it will give you immortality, and the ability to become unstoppable."

    "Awesome."

    "You think so? I guess you are fine with it then, but even if it''s available and it can help us with our situation, we can''t even approach it, not to say about using it. We don''t know how deep this dungeon is, and we are just slaves, working our asses off to get a soup that doesn''t even fill our stomachs for a day, not to say about the monsters under there and the people who will get there before us. It could be that even before we see the Blade for real, we are already dead, so for now, the Blade is just an unreachable dream."

    "Is that so..."

    ''Dang it! I thought this was easy, but I almost forgot where I''m at, I need to somehow get that Blade, I don''t care about the Curse of draining blood, as long as there''s power for me, I will get it, but how...? How am I gonna get the things that even normal people can''t? How-''

    "RUN!! THERE''S A MONSTER!!!"

    All of a sudden, a slave yelled out to everyone around while standing on a cliff. He told everyone to escape, and then he also began running away from the cliff.

    "What the hell is he talking abou-"

    Shuku and Sylvar are still puzzled. They don''t know what the slave is talking about or why he''s so scared that he''s fleeing away. Then, slowly emerging from the cliffs, a huge hand with razor-sharp claws grasped the edge of the cliff. From just one hand, they gradually develop into a second hand, a long head, and a reddish-forked tongue sticking out.

    Finally rising from the cliff, the "monster" then showed off its full naked body.

    "Is that a..."

    And everyone is horrified by the unnatural size of the creature.

    "A Fucking Giant Lizard."

 A Promise

    "It''s... a fucking Giant Lizard."

    "RUN!!!!!"

    Once the giant lizard monster showed its entire massive body, all the slaves got scared and began to run away from it as fast as they could. Seeing everyone else start to run away Shuku couldn''t help but...

    "Do you think we should run too?"

    "Yeah, we should."

    They both joined the cowardly crowd, running to the dungeon entrance in an attempt to escape.

    "Hey! Where the fuck do you think you''re going?!!!"

    One of their superiors, the one with the whip, wasn''t happy about this, so he stayed behind when the other superiors fled.

    "Go back and fight, you cowardly bunch! The treasures in this dungeon are worth a million times more than your pathetic lives!"

    In his attempt to keep control over the slaves, despite his threats, none of them paid any attention. They all continued running past him, away from the lizard. It seems like they are scared of the lizards more than him.

    "How the hell are we gonna win this motherfucker?" Shuku remarked on the boss'' "unreasonable order."

    The bosses used the whip and even brought out a sword to scare the fleeing slaves. However, no matter how much he tried, yelled, or whipped, the slaves just kept running past him. After a dozen slaves had already escaped, the superior understood that he couldn''t stop the slaves from leaving with just death threats and weapons, so he pulled out his last card from his pocket.

    "Deserters! Activate the Slave Collars!!"

    The moment he yelled, the slave collars on the necks of those within a 20-meter range from him activated.

    "Ugh!"

    Immediately, the blades in those collars started spinning inwards, cutting off the heads of nearly 10 slaves around him with haunting meat-slicing sounds.

    "OH MY GOD!!!"

    The rest of the slaves instantly halted their escape upon witnessing this.

    "Now, does anybody want to run?"

    Shuku had endured this wretched motherfucker and his kind long enough; not only did they take away their freedom, but they also destroy their hope for living. Nothing could describe his anger at this moment.

    "You-"

    "Don''t. You''ll be just like them." Sylvar extends his hand to stop Shuku.

    Forced to turn back and face a lizard monster ten times their size with bare hands, none of them made a move. Instead, they turned to talk to each other.

    "How are we gonna fight this thing?"

    "We''re all gonna die!"

    After a moment of chattering with no one making the first move and the lizards getting closer, the superior lost his patience. He whipped the ground while yelling at them.

    "SCREW THIS!!! GAAAHHHH!!!!"

    "Just go all in! It can''t attack us all at once!!"

    Being pressured from both sides, the slaves had no choice but to go all in on the monster, even without any weapons or strategy. As a result, as soon as the lizard saw the first five people coming, it opened its mouth and began to grab each of them with that big mouth the size of a bathtub, toss them up into the air, and swallow each of them, one by one.

    "My god. They are being slaughtered like ants!" Sylvar remarks as he watches the horrors in front of his eyes.

    Meanwhile, Shuku''s attention was pulled back to the superior guy with the whip and sword. He saw the superior guy smiling and smirking as the lizard devoured the slaves alive.

    ''These motherfuckers, I swear I will kill them, I swear with my own life.''

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "Hey!"

    Sylvar''s call grabs Shuku''s attention.

    "I have an idea. But it could be risky."

    "What is it?"

    "We will..."

    <hr>

    "DIE!!!"

    A while later, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to defeat the massive lizard with punches, kicks, and rocks, many more slaves had been eaten alive by it.

    Now, only 10 of them remain to face the monster barehanded. No matter how hard they punch, kick, and even bite the lizards, it seems like they''re just scratching it.

    "We can''t kill this thing!"

    Many lives were lost, yet the giant lizard sustained almost no damage. The slaves began to lose their will to fight.

    "We have to run!!"

    "But we will be killed!"

    However, they recalled that the lizard wasn''t the only threat to their lives. Right by the cave''s entrance stands a man wielding a sword and a whip, ready to slash anyone who tries to escape. To them, their human bosses are even worse monsters. Stuck in a hopeless situation, their outcomes could only be either being devoured by the lizard or getting their heads cut off by the slave collars.

    Their fate appears bleak, and they begin to lose even the will to live...

    "Hey! You big ugly lizard! Look over here!"

    Out of nowhere, a voice from the far left side of the lizard grabs their attention, and they see a guy with black hair.

    "No! Look Over Here!"

    Another voice comes from the far right side, and it appears to be an elf with grey hair. Both are yelling as loudly as possible for the lizard to hear.

    "Look here, you reptilian bitch!"

    None of them know who these two are, but they wear the same slave collars and clothes like them and appear to be doing a good job of getting the lizard distracted.

    Meanwhile, Shuku is doing his best, yelling to distract the lizards and redirect it''s attention toward him or Sylvar, as they had planned a few minutes ago.

    "We can''t kill this lizard, we don''t have any weapon that can damage it, the superiors are afraid that slaves might use the weapons against them."

    "So how are we gonna-" Sylvar interrupted him.

    "We will put it back where it came from, the cliffs. You and I will distract the lizards, we will going to piss it off and make it chase after us, then when it''s after one of us, we will be running near the cliff, and when the timing is good, the other will secretly push the lizard down the cliff."

    "Isn''t it a little... dangerous?"

    "Do you have a better idea?"

    "Nope, but I''ll believe you."

    Sylvar was surprised: "You are braver than I thought."

    "If I am going to die anyway, I''d rather die by being a hero, than by hard labor."

    And that''s what they agreed on, if they are going to be killed anyway, they rather die a heroic death than a pathetic one.

    "Yeah, that''s right! Look at me!"

    So, with nothing to lose, both of them are giving their best shot to execute their plans to win the monster.

    "No, you dumb ass! Me!"

    And their plans start to work when the lizards finally decide to chase after Sylvar.

    "Here it comes!"

    The giant lizard rushes at Sylvar with terrifying speed, leaving him no time to think about anything else. He sprints as fast as he can, so fast that he accidentally slips on the watery soup that was previously spilled on the ground.

    "Shit!"

    The soup causes him to fall to the ground, leaving him paralyzed from the impact as the lizard slowly approaches with saliva dripping from its mouth.

    "Look at me, you son of a bitch!"

    From behind, Shuku grabs and throws rocks at the lizard, attempting to lure it away from Sylvar. Even though it didn''t feel any pain, the lizard was pissed by the constant pelting of small rocks on its head.

    "That''s right! Follow me!"

    So, it turns to chase Shuku instead. He quickly gathers his strength, moving his legs, and runs as far away as possible towards the cliffs.

    "This is a bad idea!" He thinks while being chased.

    Running along the cliffs with the lizard still in pursuit, he searches for the right edge to execute the next part of their plan.

    Seconds later, he finds it��the perfect position to push the lizard down the cliff. As he gets closer to the spot, he shouts out loud.

    "Sylvar!"

    "I''m coming!!"

    Sylvar recovers from the slip and starts running toward their place while doing some sneaky tricks to avoid catching the lizard''s attention. The plan is going smoothly. Shuku easily grabs the lizard''s attention, luring it near the edge of the cliffs, and Sylvar approaches it discreetly. Then, all of a sudden...

    "It''s not looking at us! Let''s attack!"

    The other slave, unaware of their plans, suddenly sees an opportunity to push the lizards down the cliffs. Without wasting a second, they immediately charge at the lizard.

    "Charge!!"

    While screaming to boost each other''s motivation, Sylvar hears sudden noises and screams from behind. He immediately halts to stop the ones who are about to ruin their plan.

    "No, you idiots!"

    "Any moment now?!" Shuku continues running around the edge of the cliffs, keeping the lizard occupied and waiting for Sylvar.

    However, there''s a bigger problem that he needs to solve.

    "You are being too loud! Get out of there!"

    Sylvar hopelessly yells at the morons charging at the lizard with their all-or-nothing tactics. Unfortunately, his voice accidentally attracts the lizard''s attention as he needs to yell louder than the others.

    As Sylvar approaches the morons, he pushes all of them out of the way towards the lizard. The lizard, seeing this, uses its big and long tail to turn and swing it at Sylvar. The tail was supposed to hit the other slaves, but since Sylvar pushes them away, he accidentally replaces them as the target.

    The big tail hit the unlucky elf man, shot him up with high speed and force towards the wall where there''s a sharp pointy stone poked out and penetrated through his stomach.

    "SYLVAR!!!"

    Shuku instantly ditches the plan and the lizard, rushing to his new elf friend who is now bleeding heavily, with a cup-sized hole in his stomach.

    "GAAHHH!!! HELP!!!!"

    With all the distraction gone, the lizard can refocus on its main business, to digest anyone it sees. It uses its bathtub-sized mouth to grab and then raises the mouth up to use gravity and force the "meal" to move downwards to its stomach.

    "Sylvar!!"

    Meanwhile, Shuku gets to Sylvar and watches helplessly in disbelief as he keeps bleeding a pool of blood without being able to do anything to help.

    "Oh no... You''re bleeding so much..."

    Unlike Shuku, Sylvar stays calm. Breathing slowly, he grabs Shuku''s shoulder and pulls him in closer.

    "I don''t have much time left, so please, listen... to me." He speaks weakly.

    "Please, promise me, if you could find the Blood Blade... take it and use it to save my daughter... you are the only one I can trust, even though we just met... Promise me..."

    Shuku hesitates at first, but upon hearing those sincere and pleading words, he grasps Sylvar''s hand with his own and looks at him with determined eyes.

    "I Promise."

    "...Thank you..."

    Sylvar then lets go of Shuku and rests on his back.

    "She''s everything to me... please... take care... of... her..."

    Sylvar, took his last breath.

    Right now, Shuku is unsure about his feelings. Is it sadness and grief over losing a friend? Is it anger and hate towards those responsible? Or is it worrying that he won''t be able to keep the promise?

    Maybe, a little of all.

    "Such pathetic fools."

    Those words. Come straight into Shuku''s brain as soon as he hears it. The superior doesn''t even feel bad for them, instead, he looks at the slaves being devoured by the lizard with contempt and delight.

    Seeing this snaps him back to reality, and he eventually understands everything.

    It was never their fault that brought them to this situation. It never was. It''s people like him, those who mistreat others just because they have some power and money, it''s because of them that innocent people die and suffer. It''s because of them that slavery exists, and it''s because of them that Sylvar was killed.

    Now he knows where the sources of their problems are, and he knows he needs to focus on entirely eradicating them out of his life, or even out of this world if he wants to live peacefully. But right now, in this hopeless situation, he seems to have no solution. He looks around the area and looks at the superior, and then at the slaves being eaten by the lizard, and then he looks down at himself.

    At his top naked body having nothing more than a shitty cloth to cover his genitalia and a metal slave collar that the bastard King gave him.

    ...

    ''The collar that the king gave him.'' The collar that King GAVE him! Suddenly, his eyes light up like the sky as he realizes something even the superior isn''t aware of. This realization doesn''t just give him an insight, it gives him an idea.

 The Covenant

    After swallowing every single one of them, the lizard''s ravenously hungry stomach is about to be satisfied, and it begins to be slower and calmer in its slaughtering of unlucky slaves.

    However, out of almost twenty of them, only one slave is left unscratched, others have been either eaten alive, beaten, crushed to death, or got their heads sliced while attempting to escape. The last one standing is no other than Shuku himself, yet unlike others who are dreaded for their lives, Shuku approaches the lizard with no hesitation and nothing to lose.

    "Hey, Bitch! Why don''t you pick someone who can fight!"

    In response to the call, the lizard turns its head to Shuku. As it does, a rock hits its eyes, and Shuku gives the lizard a middle finger. Although the lizard doesn''t understand the meaning of the middle finger, the rock hitting its eyes really pissed it off, as a result, it began chasing after Shuku with its terrifying speed.

    "Yeah, that''s it! Come to me you big stupid reptile!!"

    And he started sprinting as fast as he could.

    Meanwhile, the superior who decided to stay to "discipline" the slaves, laughed at Shuku''s strategy, thinking that it was just another hopeless attempt to stop this cold-blooded beast. That is until...

    "Wait, where are you going?"

    Something''s off. He should be distracting the lizard or something, but why is Shuku, the desperate slave running full speed towards him, with the lizard hot on his heels?

    "Don''t run at here! Go away! GO AWAY!!"Shuku continued to dash at him, bringing the lizard behind him, even though he heard every single word, the superior received no response.

    Continuing to yell, and with Shuku still not stopping as he runs with the lizard, the superior begins to realize this is part of Shuku''s plan. It''s not about killing the lizard; it''s about getting the lizard to kill him��the one the slaves hate the most. So, he could escape with his head still attached.

    As soon as he recognized this, the superior immediately pulled out his final card, the one that always gets the job done.

    "Grrr!!! Slave Collar, Activate!"

    ...

    "Activate! I SAID ACTIVATE!!"

    He ensures his voice is loud enough for the collar to receive the signal and start spinning. Yet, despite using all his strength to scream, the thing stays motionless, and Shuku is getting closer with the lizard. Shuku himself also heard the command clearly, and he smiled slightly as he knew that his idea, had finally worked.

    "Why isn''t it working!"

    "That''s because I''m not your slave you dumbass!!"

    That''s what Shuku figured out, the slave collar only reacts and follows the commands of its master, and since the King was the one giving Shuku this "present" himself, (to make sure that he will have full control of Shuku if he is going to be revenged in the future), the collar only reacts to the King''s command.

    Understanding his master card is useless, the superior himself is now the one desperate, trying to stop Shuku from leading the giant lizard toward him.

    "Stop!! Don''t run here or I''ll kill you!"

    "You have a sword, what are so you afraid of?!"

    Negotiations have failed. The superior quickly takes out his sword and swings it at Shuku as he is just meters away. Seeing the sword coming, Shuku slides down through the superior''s crotch to get past him. His quick movement shocked the superior and temporarily paralyzed as the lizard stood on its four feet in front of him with its long mouth and tongue along with the saliva.

    With fear and anxiety filling his mind, he became immobile as the giant beast approached.

    "NO NO NO, HELP-"

    Without a second thought, the lizard just puts him in its mouth. The boss begins his journey into the lizard''s stomach, joining the unlucky slaves he had previously laughed at.

    While the lizard struggles to swallow a body full of metals, Shuku, with nothing else in his way, confidently approaches the sword that fell on the ground. As he grabs and raises the sword in the air, a sense of victory and fearlessness goes through him.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "This is so much better!"

    Now, his fear is gone with the new weapon he just gained, but he still has some skepticism about his decision to fight the lizard head-on. With his way out cleared, Shuku could just run and leave the dungeon for his life. However, he figures the lizard could follow him outside.

    So sooner or later, he''ll have to kill it, but as he thinks about it, going outside is probably even worse.

    Because Shuku is totally unfamiliar with this place, he doesn''t know where he is, where to go, and whether there are other dangerous creatures out there like this one. And what if other humans found him? What would they do to him if they found a stray slave with this obvious collar? Would they execute him for running away? Or would they just throw him back into the never-ending life of hard labor?

    Either way, there''s no good ending for him. So, he considered a lot before conducting the plan, and his decision? Is to take a bet into this thing called the Blood Blade that Sylvar told him about. This could be his only solution, betting on this legendary weapon that no one have touched or even seen before, is still better than living a certain slavery life, until he dies.

    The lizard took a while to swallow, but once it was done, Shuku was ready to make his move and decided to strike first.

    "GAAHHH!!!"

    He charged at the lizard with the sword, aiming to slice off its legs.

    SHISH!!

    The lizard, with its left leg slashed by the sharp sword, started jumping and writhing in pain. Shuku, feeling invincible, believed he could win the fight, until...

    "What... the... fuck?!"

    The slash on the lizard''s leg healed itself. Shuku stood there, shocked and bewildered, watching the wide cut slowly close up, and the blood stopped flowing in a matter of seconds.

    At that moment, he suddenly realized, he couldn''t win. Not with this sword, not in this situation, and not in this place. He should have run when he had the chance. What could he do if this beast had the magic to just heal every injury it got from him? How could he fight a monster that could kill him, but will never be killed?

    Yet, rather than being regretful of what he could have done, he needs to focus on what he can do right now, that is to fight or at least survive from this giant monster.

    Just as the lizard began to calm down when it''s wound closed, Shuku decided to charge in and do another hit.

    "Shit."

    The lizard reacted too fast; before Shuku could land another hit, it turned around, gains momentum, swing and smash its hard tail at him.

    The tail''s strong force hit Shuku on his ribs, tossing him meters away and causing him to drop the sword. As he landed, his legs ended up in the wrong posture, and the impact resulted in his leg breaking sideways.

    "AARRGGGHHHH!!!"

    After that, he rolled on the ground from the inertia for a few more rounds, ending up with a broken leg and scars and peels on his skin. Just a few seconds after landing, he didn''t feel a thing, no pain, no itch, nothing, because his body is still in shock. Only after he fully conscious of what happened to himself did an immense amount of pain and terror begin to flood in.

    "Oh my god! OH MY GOD! MY LEGS!!!"

    His leg was broken sideways, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn''t feel it, nor could he control it at all. Even the slightest movement made him feel so much pain that he wanted to scream. But that''s not all, the pain from all the peeled skin when he made contact with the rusty and stony ground is also kicking in.

    "ARGHHHH!!!!"

    The pain, combined with the broken leg and the numbness and shock his body was experiencing, rendered him almost completely immobile. As the lizard saw its prey agonizing and unable to run for his life, it approached slowly and relaxed, knowing that the dessert could no longer fight back.

    "No no NO!!! Don''t COME HERE!! GO AWAY!!!"

    His leg wouldn''t move, and even if it did, it would be incredibly painful. So, he used his also injured hands to crawl weakly away, as far from the approaching lizard as possible, trying his best to postpone his inevitable fate for as long as possible.

    "Why did it turn out this way?!! Why?! WHY?!!"

    He yelled into the empty air, with nobody there to hear his complaints. For as long as he could remember, he had always been alone since the beginning. His parents were gone when he was just a little kid, and his younger sibling was also gone a while before he got here.

    And every time he got bullied, except for Nozomi, who just tried to resolve things in a temporal way, he was by himself in every suffering and torment. Others have looked but didn''t bother to help, even if they wanted to help, they were too scared to do so. Even when he cried, no one was there to ease him. Now, as he''s about to die, there''s not a single person here to mourn, to cry, or even to pity him.

    Loneliness, fear, and anger are the only emotions he felt as death slowly approached from behind.

    "What have I done to deserve all of this?! I just wanted to live like a normal person!"

    He couldn''t understand it, and up till now, he still doesn''t get, the reason behind all of this.

    There''s a saying that goes, "You reap what you sow." But what has he sown to reap this? What bad deeds has he done in this life, or even in the life before he was born, to end up with a life that''s almost like a living hell itself? All he wanted right now was an explanation for all the terrible things fate made him endure. He wanted to know that at least his sufferings had a meaning, and if he had to die, he didn''t want it to be for nothing or something meaningless.

    Yet, the response to him was just dead silence, except for the sound of approaching footsteps that shook the ground.

    "What have I done to get this?! What have I-"

    "D??????????????????????????O??????????? ??????Y????????????????O??????????U???????????????????????? ?????????????????????W???????A?????????????????N????T?????????????? ??????????????????????P???????????????O??????W????????????????????E??????????????????R????????????????????????!?????????????????????????"

    "Huh?!"

    Suddenly, a mysterious voice emerged. Shuku was confused; he didn''t hear any sound, nor did he see anybody else around. The mysterious voice sounded distorted, eerie, and almost inaudible. He didn''t even know if it was the voice of a human.

    Somehow, he could still understand it, and it seemed like the voice was coming from nowhere but his head.

    "D??????????????????????????O??????????? ??????Y????????????????O??????????U???????????????????????? ?????????????????????W???????A?????????????????N????T?????????????? ??????????????????????P???????????????O??????W????????????????????E??????????????????R????????????????????????!?????????????????????????" It repeats.

    "Who- who is it? Who are you?!"

    "I???????????????????????? ????????????????????S????????????????????????A??????????????????????I???????????????D?????,???????????????????? ??????????????????????????DO YOU WANT POWER?!" Suddenly, the voice got clearer and clearer until it was revealed to be the voice of a man.

    As Shuku quickly grasped what the voice just said, he immediately answered it, attempting to cling to any last hopes he had.

    "YES!! ANYTHING! I will do anything if I can get out of here!"

    "EVEN IF THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES?"

    "YES! Anything!" He shouts. "I''m Tired of being weak and helpless, whatever strong powers you have, just give it to me! Give me your POWERS!!"

    ...

    "GOOD, I''LL GIVE YOU MY POWERS. IN ONE CONDITION."

    "What?"

    "MY POWERS ARE NOT FOR THE WEAK, OR THE ONES WITH TOO MUCH HUMANITY IN THEM. AND YOU, HAVE TOO MUCH HUMANITY.

    IN ORDER FOR MY POWERS TO WORK, I WILL NEED TO TAKE AWAY YOUR HUMAN PART, YOUR MORALS AND YOUR KINDNESS. IF YOU DON''T AGREE, THEN I CAN''T GIVE IT TO YOU."

    Hearing this, Shuku hesitated. Accepting the voice''s offers meant he might turn into a heartless person, caring only about himself and not others, just like his bullies. But then, he quickly remembered what landed him in this mess. Sure, the bullies were the main reason for his sufferings, but he also had some faults himself.

    Instead of finding a way out on his own, he depended on others to rescue him from the bullies. Instead of standing up and fighting back, he chose to endure the torment day by day. Rather than going all out against the bullies just once, he compromised by listening to Nozomi, and that''s what brought him to this place.

    His bullies were wrong, but he wasn''t right either. His kindness and hesitation only prolonged his suffering until this point. He had been too passive, waiting for a savior that would never come. Now, he finally understood that he''s the only one who could save himself.

    After a short moment of thinking, he made his decision.

    "Whatever! You can take away my humanity or morals, whatever! I don''t need those anyway! They never helped me in my hard times! They only make me weak and vulnerable to the stronger ones, they are the reason why I was here! Please! Just take what you want and GIVE ME MY POWERS!!"

 The Power

    "GIVE ME MY POWERS!!"

    He screams into the air as loudly as he can, accepting the offer of the mystery voice and telling it to be done as quickly as possible as the rumbling footsteps approach from behind. Then...

    "A.. white... flower?"

    All of a sudden, the mysterious voice goes quiet. Right in front of him, a white, bright, and mysteriously shiny flower pops up. Just a while ago, the ground there looked dead, but now, to his surprise, a small yet shiny white flower has sprung up. At first, he was confused, wondering what this meant and whether this was what the voice had given him. A white flower, grieving over his imminent death? Or could it be a different reason?

    Either way, he doesn''t get it. The mysterious voice left without giving any instructions about what to do with the flower. Now, Shuku is left in confusion, unsure about what to do next.

    RUMB!

    Then, as reality struck him, he was quickly pulled back to the present, with the lizard now behind him. It quickly reached down with its bathtub-sized mouth and grabbed his legs.

    "No NO!!"

    In response, he quickly crawls towards the white flower despite not knowing what to do with it yet. As he almost grabs it, he is too slow, and the lizard seizes him with its mouth and pulls him inward its mouth in the air.

    As Shuku realizes he''s headed into the lizard''s throat, he gathers all his strength for one last try. With determination, he reaches out and manages to finally reach the white flower. And pick it up as soon as the lizard starts to suck him inside, pushing Shuku down its stomach, swallowing him down the throat as the last meal of the day.

    ...

    Seeing there''s nothing else to do and the food safely in its belly, the lizard starts walking back to its home beneath the rocky cliff. Taking a break, satisfied after a day of devouring full delicious meals.

    ...

    The lizard felt a strange sensation in its stomach; it wasn''t sure if it was stomach pain or if its stomach was having trouble digesting all the food it had just consumed.

    All of a sudden, an immense amount of pain struck the lizard. It felt like it was being torn from the inside of its stomach. The lizard started jumping, rolling around, and shaking the ground, helpless to do anything to stop the pain. The intense stomach pain persisted for minutes, getting worse with each passing second. Unable to endure it any longer, the lizard decided to vomit everything inside its stomach out.

    Blarghhh...

    And as the lizard collapses in relaxation, the intense pain has finally ceased. Emerging from the vomit, is a living human, still perplexed about what just happened to himself.

    "My legs..."

    Shuku''s leg has returned to normal, and he doesn''t know how or why. All he vividly remembers is being in the lizard''s dark and wet stomach, holding the white flower in his hand. A feeling urges him to consume it. His instinct tells him to just put the flower in his mouth and swallow it, and so he does. Just seconds before reaching the stomach''s acid, Shuku bit, chewed, and swallowed every single piece of the shiny white flower.

    And as soon as he did so, a surge of electricity flowed through his mind, and instantly his pain was all gone, in replace, he felt an intense hunger to devour something immediately. A strange idea comes to his mind and he begins to eat the lizard itself, from the inside and at the same time tearing the lizard''s stomach to find his way out.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    That''s a quick recap of what happened. As Shuku finally gets himself outside, he quickly refreshes his mind and gets back to his main focus. He begins to walk on his strangely recovered legs towards the sword he dropped earlier. Grabs it, raises it at the lizard, and gets ready to charge at it for the second time.

    "Come here you son of a bitch!"

    He rushes his leg at the still-relaxing lizard, swinging the sword at its stomach to land a strike.

    SHISH!!

    The lizard, sliced in the belly, immediately stands up and starts rolling around in pain.

    "GAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

    Having learned his lesson, Shuku decides to continue attacking the lizard non-stop with each slash creating a wide and painful cut on the monster''s flesh.

    The lizard, being continuously and spontaneously sliced, can''t stop itself from jumping around and struggling in agony. After a while of attacking, Shuku begins to realize an important detail.

    "It''s not healing?!"

    The lizard''s injuries, are not healing themself. The cuts and slashes he created should be closing and healing on the lizard''s flesh by now, but strangely enough, they aren''t. Instead, blood keeps flowing out like water, and the lizard itself seems to be panicked by this too.

    Shuku pauses for a second to take a breath. As the lizard begins to calm down and notice him, he turns his back toward the cliff and immediately sprints as fast as he can towards it. As he figures it out, he realizes that following the first plan of pushing the lizard down the cliff and then running away is still better and way more efficient than risking himself by trying to kill it manually.

    Seeing the one that attacked it running away, the lizard instantly rolls back on its four legs and begins the chase with intense rage.

    "Huff, huff."

    Despite being the one who ran first, Shuku struggles to keep the distance due to the lizard''s terrifying speed. Yet, he still makes it to the cliff''s edge in time. Turning around and seeing the lizard about to arrive within seconds, Shuku holds the sword tightly and braces for impact.

    "GGAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

    With the lizard just a few meters away, it jumps up towards him, trying to grab him with its two front legs to stop him from running away. Immediately, Shuku swings the sword up as soon as possible and stabs deep inside the lizard''s neck. He uses the momentum from the lizard''s own movement to push the beast''s gigantic body with the sword as the fulcrum. Adding force with his legs, he kicks and throws the lizard down the cliff.

    The monster, still in shock from its first defeat, falls down the cliff towards its inevitable death where a coincidentally, deadly sharp stalagmite the size of a car awaits it down below. The sharp stalagmite penetrates through the lizard''s belly right in the middle, killing it almost instantly.

    ...

    "I... did it."

    As Shuku cleans the dust off himself and slowly stands up, he looks down the cliff at the motionless, bleeding lizard. Bewildered, he takes in the sight of the defeated monster.

    "I did it... I did it!"

    Because he has actually done it, he has finally, defeated and won over an almost undefeatable, unkillable monster, after going through hell and back.

    "Oh my god, I fucking did it!!"

    In this moment, all he feels is a powerful surge of triumph and victory. Despite losing his new friend, getting hurt, and nearly facing death, he had doubted his ability to win. The best he thought he could manage was to escape, especially after losing the lizard''s tail. Regardless of what challenges may await him in the future, and whatever hardships might follow, the priority now is to celebrate - marking his first taste of victory.

    "How do you feel that huh? You stupid ass reptile?!"

    With his new achievement, Shuku couldn''t hold himself from laughing out loud and jumping around in joy-

    "Huh?!"

    The edge he stood on, already bent heavily from all the previous weight, breaks because of his jumping during the celebration. Now, it is all gravity''s job, to pull him down from the cliffs.

    Shuku, who was just partying over the death of the lizard, is now facing his own death right in front of his eyes as he fell down from a cliff almost 50 meters high, all because of a stupid mistake he made, a mistake that anybody with a sane mind, could avoid.

    "Am I going die... like this?"

    He couldn''t believe it, all those efforts of running around, screaming, struggling, and fighting for his life over a monster, are now all gone in vain as he''s about to die a dumb death from falling. As the winds from the fall whooshing over his head with the dark rocky ground surface grew closer, Shuku reminisced about his life, about all the things he''d done, all the people he''d met, and all the pain he''d been through.

    And then he realizes, his life, was meaningless.

    ''So this is what they called life flashing before your eyes.'' He thought.

    The sudden memories vanish as quickly as they came, and Shuku is brought back to reality, facing the hard rocky surface just milliseconds before his entire body smashes brutally into the ground.

    ...

    "Ughhh..."

    He feels dizzy, his head feels senseless, his body feels motionless, his brain feels disconnected to the bones and flesh, his eyes are blurry, vividly grasping an image of the blood flowing from the giant lizard''s body just a little above.

    Slowly, his consciousness begins to fade, and his visions get blurrier and blurrier... until everything, turns black.

 Monster

    Everything turns black... or so he thought.

    What he thought was the end turned out to be just a temporary pause. Just a minute after he blacked out, he started regaining consciousness. His senses were coming back to life, and he could finally feel and move his body again. He twitched slowly, opening his eyes with a slightly blurred vision. He attempted to move his fingers, then his hand, his arm, and finally managed to get up on his back.

    "I''m... alive?"

    He wondered, feeling a bit numb and dizzy, but surprisingly, no pain at all despite experiencing a force that could kill even an elephant from a fall. His body looked and felt as if nothing had ever happened. Still uncertain about his situation, he decided to do a reality check by giving himself a hard slap in the face.

    ...

    "This is... not a dream..."

    The slap was painful. He used both of his hands to smack his cheeks, and it immediately felt hurt and uncomfortable.

    With that, he knew that everything was real. He is still alive despite receiving all the damages from the earlier battle. His body had somehow gone back to normal after being beaten up and broken multiple times. He didn''t know how this miracle was even possible. Was it the magical power that the mysterious voice offered earlier? It could be. Only after he accepted the offers and ate the mysterious white flower did he find himself gaining a strange amount of strength and the unnatural ability to heal almost any injury or damage his body got.

    For now, that hypothesis seemed to be the most logical. So, he decided to see it not as luck but as the new magical power given to him - a gift from the sky to a powerless man like him.

    "Hmm..."

    After clearing his mind, he examined the surrounding area. From where he is standing, there are swords, knives, bows,... and corpses scattered all around. It seemed like many people had come down here before, and it also appeared that many of them hadn''t come back.

    Looking around, he saw there were many options for him: A super long and sharp sword, a short but big and heavy one, or just a simple normal-sized one. Being a total newbie, he chose the third type and picked the one that felt like it would last the longest. Then there were also axes, bows, and many other types of weapons for him to loot. But he figured it would be a hassle to carry more than one weapon, so he just moved on with the one he got.

    After picking his weapon, he turned back to the giant lizard''s dead body. It was impaled by the massive stalagmite, lying dead upside down with its eyes turned white and the tongue sticking out.

    "HUGH!!!"

    He sliced the lizard''s flesh, cutting down meat the size of a box. Then he grabbed the piece of meat, penetrated a wood stick through it, gathered anything that could burn like wood, leaves, and bushes into a pile, and started smashing rocks together to try and get a spark.

    "ARGH! God dammit!"

    Since he had no experience in survival skills, minutes of constantly smashing two small rocks together without getting even the smallest ignition began to make his hands feel sore and rash. But no matter how hard it was, he needed to fill up his stomach to get the energy to do whatever he wanted after that.

    Then, after a whole 15 minutes of trying and failing, a tiny fire emerged, and smoke began to appear. Seeing this, Shuku burst into joy and happiness. All those blood and stains on his hands weren''t for nothing. He immediately got into position, surrounding the fire with his hands to cover it from the wind and blowing on it to make it bigger.

    When the flames looked big enough and could sustain as long as there was "food" fed into it, Shuku prepared his meat and put it directly into the fire.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Well, this doesn''t taste so bad."

    Unlike all the expectations he had previously about lizard meat, this one tasted not bad compared to what he had eaten throughout his life. Since it was the only decent meal he had in days, it felt amazing. He devoured the large pieces of meat, biting and chewing to the bone. After he finished, he felt so energized that he could last for days without eating.

    He took an hour break, lying down on the hard and cold rocks and just relaxing. He looked up and down, around and forward, while wandering in his mind. Perhaps this was one of the most peaceful moments he had since he got teleported to this world.

    "I guess that''s the only way then."

    As he figured out, the only possible way to get out of all of this is to keep going down, deeper into the dungeon, and try his best to find and acquire the legendary Blood Blade - the only thing that he thought could solve all his problems. Then, after getting enough break, he stood up, prepared himself, and grabbed the metal sword he had just looted earlier.

    "Here we go..."

    And began to move, continuing to walk down deep into the dungeon. Each step he took contained an indescribable amount of anxiety and uncertainty about his own fate.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "Hmm... This is scary, but it''s rather peaceful."

    That''s what he felt after walking for 30 minutes. The deeper he went, the darker it got. So, he had to take a piece of cloth he found on the way, wrap it around a big stick, light it up, and use it as a torch.

    Despite not being able to see almost anything, he could still navigate the surroundings, avoid dangerous places, and move rather safely. However, he was terribly mistaken. It''s true that the dungeon is scary, but it is not peaceful either.

    SSHHHH!!

    When he wasn''t noticing, something was lurking in the darkness around him.

    "What was that?!"

    He startled. The thing appears to be getting nearer, staying in the dark like it''s waiting for a chance to attack.

    "Shit! Why do I have to Jinx myself?!" He mutters.

    Since the thing is still stubborn and hiding in the dark, Shuku holds his sword tightly and swings the torch around to stay alert in every direction.

    "COME HERE! SON OF A BITCH!!"

    And confronts whatever monster is hiding in the darkness, head on.

    ...

    Strangely enough, after Shuku shouted into the emptiness and prepared to fight for his life, it vanished. The thing suddenly goes silent, with no more sounds or movements, as if it just disappeared into thin air.

    "Where did it go?"

    ...

    The silence continues for seconds, and the longer he waits, the more terrified he becomes. He starts looking around intensively, back and forth, trying to find the hiding monster as soon as possible-

    SHREEK!

    Shuku stops moving. He slowly looks down at his body, and the first thing he sees are three claws, each as long as a knife, piercing his stomach. Then, he turns his head back and looks behind to see a grey bear twice his size, standing there with saliva dripping from its mouth. Almost instantly, his confidence and bravery vanish, and fear and terror once again fill his mind as he understands what will happen next.

    "No! No no no!!"

    He screams and yells in hopelessness as the grey bear easily lifts him up with its triple claws already piercing through his belly. Then, it withdraws the claws and shifts to grabbing both of Shuku''s hands and legs with its large hands instead. Holding him tightly so he can''t move or use his sword, the bear moves him towards it. Slowly, it opens its mouth, full of saliva and dozens of finger-length fangs, ready to enjoy a fantastic meal after days of starvation.

    "NO NO NO NO NO NO NO-!!!!!"

    The bear takes a massive bite, instantly gobbles, and swallows half of Shuku''s stomach on the left side.

    Immediately, all the liquids and organs inside his body begin to spill out, and Shuku can smell his own blood. As a result, he faints away out of shock, terror, and pain. While the monster appears to enjoy its meal, it struggles to devour the meat in its mouth, considering all the hard bones, ribs, acid, intestines... Eventually, it decides to drop Shuku to the ground until it''s done with the swallowing.

    After being thrown to the ground, Shuku''s eaten parts begin to regenerate. His missing bones and ribs grow out, and his flesh, skin, and every missing organ that should be there all regrow and fill up the missing half within 10 seconds. With that, Shuku''s consciousness comes back to him.

    "Ugh...."

    Upon waking up, Shuku quickly grasps the situation and what just happened. He immediately understands what he has to do right now. He has to kill this beast if he wants to continue his journey. So he pushes his hands on the ground, forcing himself to stand up and reach for the sword he just dropped. As he does so, the big grey bear is still occupied with swallowing his half stomach, not bothering about the prey that it thought wouldn''t be able to escape. After all, he''s not the only one with weapons.

    But Shuku wasn''t planning to run, despite previously having doubts about his new ability to regenerate his missing body parts. Now, he is certain that whatever he does, he can''t be killed. With nothing else to lose, Shuku is ready and begins to rush towards and attack the bear with all he''s got.

 Two Beasts

    Shuku rushes at the big grey bear with the sword in hand. As he approaches, he swings the sword at the bear''s neck, aiming to finish it with one strike.

    CLASH!

    But the bear easily stops Shuku''s attack, sitting down and chilling, using its three long claws to effortlessly block the sword.

    Shuku quickly pulls out his sword and makes another strike.

    CLASH!!

    Once again, the bear effortlessly blocked his attack, yet he continued to relentlessly attack the bear swing after swing, clash after clash, each time aiming for any of the bear''s critical parts. Then, after nearly a minute of struggling, he realized he couldn''t end it in one go. The bear seemed to be almost done slurping and started to look frustrated with the constant annoyance.

    Shuku knew he had to act fast. He decided to take a risky bet. He approached the bear even closer than before, well within reach for the bear to tear his body apart with its claws. This move slightly startled the grey bear. He then executed another strike at the neck. The bear predicted where the sword would go, raised its triple claws, and intended to block it easily, just like all of his attempts before.

    However, this time, he was expecting it. Immediately, Shuku ducked his head down to avoid the claws, pulling the sword with him. As soon as he moved past the claws, he rise up again swinging the sword in another direction, catching the bear by surprise, and SLASH!

    He sliced off the bear''s left hand.

    "GARRLLLL!!!!!"

    When the bear saw its left hand and long claws fall to the ground with red blood dripping, it instantly roared in pain. Shuku sensed his first whiff of victory, but he had to stay focused on the bear as it became ferocious and launched a rage attack at him with the remaining claws on the other hand-

    CLASH!

    Shuku blocked the claws with his sword just as they were about to reach his forehead. He immediately pushed the bear''s hand with the sword and jumped back as quickly as he could. The bear got angrier and run towards Shuku with the intention of slicing his entire body in half with its claws. It swings the claws, and Shuku blocks it. It swings again, and Shuku blocks it again, and again.

    This time, he had become the one who had to defend himself. He regretted stopping for a few seconds after he sliced the bear''s first arm, and now he had to struggle to avoid and block every single one of the bear''s heavy and deadly attacks. However, despite not being able to counterattack and land another fatal strike after the first one, Shuku has been doing well in defending himself from the sharp claws and fangs of the grey bear. He and the bear chased each other around the area like cat and mouse, using all they had and doing their best to take each other''s lives.

    The fight continues for minutes, and it seems like there would be no winner until-

    DING!!

    ...

    Shuku is shocked by what has happened. His confidence once again immediately vanished as he saw what was unraveling in front of his eyes.

    His sword breaks in half.

    The sword, which had already worn out due to the environment and time, receiving heavy damage from the hard claws without any previous maintenance or sharpening, has now reached its limit.

    More than half of the sword''s blade breaks and falls to the ground, leaving him with only the grip and no more than 20cm of the blade left. His first reaction is to block the attack that is coming at him.

    CLING!

    The bear is now moving even faster as it senses it''s about to win. Without the rest of the blade, the claws are now getting even closer to him, and he could feel all the strength of the bear bearing down on him.

    Then, suddenly, the bear switched its tactic, deciding to use the claws to push Shuku instead of trying to slice him. It uses its claws to punch Shuku''s sword brutally. As a result, he spins around from the momentum, and the bear immediately sees its opportunity and-

    SLASH!!!

    Using the three long remaining claws, the bear successfully slashed Shuku in his back.

    "HUK!"

    And caused him to collapse to the ground... Suddenly, it all became silent, the bear perceived, that its prey was now lying dead on the ground holding the broken sword in his hand, the bear calmed down from the murderous rage and began approaching Shuku to check if he''s really dead or not.

    Instantly, the gray bear is shocked by what it sees. It was the first time it witnessed a human that could heal any injuries on their body back to normal. The bear recalls the previous encounter with something similar, where it almost faced death in a reptile''s stomach if not for its claws. This memory gives the bear chills and brings back flashbacks it wishes to forget.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Uncertain whether the prey is truly dead, the bear gives a kick to Shuku''s stomach.

    ...

    Still, no movement, the body shakes slightly, but then nothing more. Even though the bear inflicted a serious wound on Shuku''s back, it has completely healed. And the human appears to be either unconscious or, the bear speculates, brain-dead. Seizing the opportunity, thinking the prey might be unconscious or already "dead," the bear proceeds to continue devouring the human, hoping to alleviate the pain of losing its left arm.

    Also, the bear feels slightly relaxed as it now has access to a seemingly endless supply of food, thanks to the human''s unique ability. Using its remaining right arm, the bear grabs Shuku''s leg, lifts him into the air, and takes a look at him.

    "GRRR...." The bear growls, trying to determine if the prey is still awake, staring directly at Shuku''s closed eyes, and-

    SLASH!!!

    He was still awake! The human prey, whom the bear believed to be unconscious, was actually playing dead. When the bear brought its face close to Shuku''s, he quickly realized it, opened his eyes, and swung the sword he was holding, slashing the bear''s eyes and blinding it. The bear immediately drops Shuku, releasing him in response to the surprise attack. It begins to roar ferociously due to the intense pain in its eyes because it no longer has eyes.

    "You are just a big animal, just like them." He yells. "And I vowed that that I won''t ever stop until all of your kind are dead."

    Using the blunt, sharpless, and broken sword, Shuku has successfully inflicted a deadly damage on the bear. As he began standing up on his feet, he grips the half-broken sword tightly and ready to end this once and for all.

    The bear is now fully blind, exhausted, and crippled, and with the regeneration ability, everything is entirely in Shuku''s favor, and he can not wait, to kill this fucking bitch.

    "Huk!"

    Shuku moves away from the bear, out of the claw''s reaching range, then approaches the bear from behind and slashes at its back.

    The bear then screams even louder and moves faster, trying to catch Shuku while blinded, but every time the bear turns around, he just needs to move back in front of it and land another strike. Wherever the bear is facing, he will attack in the opposite position again and again, non-stop.

    Right now, the conflict is one-sided, as Shuku has taken on the role of the attacker, while the grey bear is hopelessly struggling to defend itself with its remaining three claws. But Shuku soon realizes, that no matter how much damage he inflicted, he cannot kill the bear, not with this sword. The bear''s body is too thick for the sword to reach its heart, and losing the long and sharp tip makes him unable to stab the bear in the first place.

    Then he considers the second option, which is to aim for the bear''s head, the only area where the sword could be lethal. If he manages to reach the head, he could behead the bear from inside its mouth, but that would mean he will be totally in reach of those claws. Again, unlike last time, he also can''t chop off the bear''s remaining arm with this shitty sword, however, out of all options available...

    "No. This is the only option available." He concludes.

    It would be quite painful, but totally doable. But to make it happen, he needs to let go of his fears and brace himself for the immense pain that would come, however, that was what he has done, many times before. So, once again, he prepares himself, for the final strike.

    "GAAHH!"

    First, he swiftly closes his distance with the bear, reaching for its leg, and slashes at both left and right shin, causing the bear to collapse on its feet.

    Next, he dashes behind the bear and quickly grabs onto its neck. He used his legs to secure the neck, even trying to strangle it, but it became evident that this approach wouldn''t work due to the thickness of the bear''s neck.

    So he does what he should have done in the first place, using the broken sword and pushing it inside the bear''s mouth. Immediately, the bear resists by using its long fangs to hold and lock the sword from moving any further. Now, the worst part of the plan has arrived. With the bear being aware of Shuku''s position, it instantly raises its right hand and thrusts its claws into his stomach.

    "HUK!"

    However, Shuku had anticipated this. As soon as the claws penetrated his stomach, he immediately grabbed its arm with the remaining free hand and try to pull the bear''s arm in deeper so that it couldn''t retract the claws, making the claws stuck in his stomach.

    With both sides tied to one another, it is now the battle of strength to determine who will prevail - the bear''s long claws or his shattered sword.

    "Die die DIE!! Compared to that lizard! You are nothing! You are just a BIG ASS BEAR!! And I''m going to kill you! I''m GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOUR KIND!!"

    He screams, using all of his strength to try to pull the sword across the bear''s mouth, competing with its massive biting power.

    The bear started out the day simply by just trying to find food to survive and now finds itself fighting for its life, it tries its best the push Shuku out, but even when he''s suffering bone-piercing pain, Shuku was ready to screw it all.

    "DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!! WHY DON''T YOU JUST DIE GOD DAMN IT!!!"

    They both grunt, yell, and scream at the top of their lungs, putting all their force and all-out strength into taking each other''s lives. Shuku is quickly using up his already depleted energy, dedicating every passing second to drag the shattered sword across the bear''s mouth.

    He pulls and pulls, the sword won''t move, but he keeps pulling, and he will continue the pulling and screaming as long as the bear''s head is still intact. However, he has no intention of prolonging this battle any longer. As soon as he hears the screeching sound from the sword frictioning with the bear''s teeth, he knows that it''s time to deliver the final blow.

    "GAAHHHH!!! JUST FUCKING DIIEEEEEE!!!!!!"

    SLASHH!!

    ...

    The entire place quickly fell silent again after the outcome of the battle was decided. Shuku fell to the ground from exhaustion, and the bear''s head was sent flying into the air, splattering blood all over the place.

    ...Almost the entire bear''s head, because the grey bear was beheaded across its mouth. However, it doesn''t matter; what has been done is done.

    As Shuku landed on the ground, the flying head following suit a moment later, he realized that he could finally rest. Even though the ground isn''t particularly comfortable, he doesn''t bother to stand up; he just simply wants to lie down and enjoy this brief moment of peace.

    "I did it! I did it again!" He shouts with joy, throwing his hands up in celebration.

    "You animals keep thinking you can always win with that aggressive mindset." He shouted arrogantly.

    At last, after going through hell and back, fighting and struggling with the beast and putting his life on the line, his efforts finally paid off. However, he was terribly wrong to think that this was over, especially when he was still inside this dungeon. And the grey bear with its deadly long claws, is just the gatekeeper, of Hell.

    GRRRR.... GRRR.... GRRRT!!!

    Because, as one growling ends, dozens of others, emerge.

 Monsters

    GRRRR.... GRRR.... GRRRT!!!

    "Huh?!" Shuku wonders as he slowly gets up.

    He looks around into the surrounding darkness and is immediately terrified by what he sees.

    One, two, three,... multiple, dozens of pairs of eyes glowing in the darkness, each staring directly at him.

    "Ohh... I guess he''s not the only huh..."

    Then, slowly, out of the darkness, those glowing eyes become clearer, and the growling becomes louder and scarier as they start to approach him. When the animals emerged from the darkness, within the range of the torchlight, he could see each and every single one of them clearly.

    "A kangaroo?"

    And the first one to walk out of the darkness is a big kangaroo with red eyes. However, unlike any kangaroos he had seen in his old world, this one had long, sharp teeth with blood mixed with saliva still dripping from its mouth. The kangaroo stared and growled at him, showing the intent to devour him to fill its empty stomach, just like the grey bear.

    Then, slowly, other monsters started showing up too. There were crocodiles, snakes, spiders, and even more kangaroos... and there were dozens of them, too many for him to count. All were wild, aggressive animals, and all of them were looking at him with the eyes of hungry predators, ready to tear his entire body apart for a meal. Immediately, Shuku grabs and holds the broken sword tightly in his hand, in an act of defense.

    Until now, he has just realized why his trip before meeting the bear was so peaceful. Since the grey bear was the one that kept other animals in their place, in the shadows. Now, with one of the apex predators gone, the monsters in this area have no reason to continue hiding. As they aggressively stare at him, he stares back at them with the same aggressive eyes, showing that he won''t back down no matter how many of them are there.

    "You guys wanted this too huh?! You also want to die like this son of a bitch?!"

    He yells while pointing the broken sword towards the body of the dead grey bear, the almost undefeatable monster that was killed in the most brutal way with his own hands. His words and voice, despite being threatening, are useless because the animals don''t understand his language. They continue to growl and approach him, thinking they have outnumbered and out-strengthened him.

    And Shuku immediately gets ready to once again fight for his life.

    "FINE! IF YOU ALL WANT TO DIE! I''LL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WANT! COME AND FIGHT ME YOU PATHETIC ANIMALS!!"

    GROWLL!!!

    ROARR!!!!

    "BRING IT IN!!!!"

    ...

    What comes after that, as he vividly remembers, were endless days of hell.

    He expected the battle with the monsters would last only minutes, but then minutes became hours, hours became days. But no matter how many of them he killed, no matter how much he massacred, butchered, or slaughtered, it wouldn''t be enough to kill all of them. He kills one, and two others take its place. He kills two, then four take their place, then five, then six, then... they just keep coming.

    So this is what happens when you kill the apex predator, the one that had been stealing food from other predators that were weaker. Now, the monsters have nothing else stopping their way to hunt all the prey they can find. The animals also started fighting each other more aggressively, but mostly, they focused on the tiny, stubborn human resisting with the tiny sword, whose blood smelled unusually delicious.

    They attack and attack, and he kills and kills. The bloodbath lasts for almost a week, and Shuku manages to survive wave after wave of bloodthirsty predators by feeding on the corpses of dead animals and drinking droplets of fresh water leaking down from the stalagmites. For almost six days, the dungeon became a place filled with the smell of blood, flesh, organs, and corpses.

    Despite the regeneration power being the main reason he is still surviving up until now, the pain he receives from the attacks is agonizing. Each bite and scratch inflicted on him is enough to make a normal person go insane. And Shuku would have to constantly fend off attacks from the hungry animals non-stop, so much so that he hasn''t slept at all because he doesn''t have the chance to, and hasn''t rested at all because he doesn''t have the time to.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    However, compared to the time before getting teleported into this world when he was still heavily bullied by his classmates, this was better. Now, he has the ability to fight back. He has the courage and the will to kill and destroy anyone or anything standing in his way.

    And as long as they keep coming, he will keep fighting. He will kill them with his sword. If it breaks, he will rip them apart with his bare hands. Because he has decided, no matter what they do to him, no matter how much pain they inflict on him, he will not stay silent and suffer anymore.

    ...

    "How many days was it? I can''t remember."

    But everything has its limits.

    "Goddamn it. I want to sleep so badly."

    Days of constantly fighting non-stop have finally drained all his strength, and now, he''s so exhausted that he couldn''t even raise his hand up straight anymore, let alone fight. However, even if he wanted to sleep so badly that he felt he could die if he could not rest, the monsters wouldn''t allow that. As they cornered him against the wall and kept their distance while waiting for an opportunity, Shuku would have to keep raising the broken sword, which is now in an even worse state, and point it at them so that the animals wouldn''t dare come close to him.

    However, he cannot keep this up any longer because he is about to reach the limit of the limit. His exhaustion has become so extreme that his hands shake intensely just from holding the weapon. As they continue to approach, he moves backward until his back finally touches the wall.

    "Shit." With this, he realized that he had finally reached the dead end of the dungeon.

    "I guess there''s nowhere left to run."

    As he was on the verge of dropping the weapon, surrendering to death, and letting go of everything, the animals suddenly began behaving strangely.

    "What...?!"

    The monsters abruptly halted their advance, and stranger, they began retreating back into the darkness while keeping their eyes fixed on him. The crocodiles, the spiders, the bloody kangaroo... all slowly moved backward away from him as if they were terrified of something. Then, he turned around, and it turned out that the wall on which his back had leaned against was not a wall, but rather... "A Gate?"

    It seems that the moment he made contact with the closed gate, something inside the gate, or perhaps the gate itself, silently threatened the monsters, telling them to back off. Whatever it is, it is just a hypothesis. Right now, all he wanted was to lie down and take a nap. With the monsters retreated into darkness, his back felt comfortable as it no longer needed to hold up his body, his hands felt at ease as they no longer had to hold the weapon, and his eyes felt relieved as they no longer needed to stay open.

    So, with no distractions or threats lingering, Shuku lays down on the hard and cold ground, closes his eyes, and falls into a deep sleep.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    "Ahhhh-hhaaaaaa..."

    Shuku, after replenishing his depleted energy with a long sleep, yawns as he finally wakes up. Feeling refreshed, rested, and clear-headed, he gets up on his back and sits on the ground while still feeling slightly sleepy.

    In this dark dungeon with no light, he can''t figure out how many hours he''s been asleep. His guess is somewhere between 10 to 12 hours, but regardless of the duration, what matters is that he''s now fully awake and his energy has been recharged enough for him to continue his journey.

    He stretches his arm, leg, and neck, then slowly stands up while grabbing the "durable" broken sword that has been accompanying him for a whole week. Then, as he stands before the stone Gate, the one that seems to be scaring all the monsters away, and the one that has been protecting his sleep for hours, he feels worried.

    The Gate appears incredibly huge, as wide as a bus and as tall as a small building. The fact that all the monsters were terrified to approach it makes him feel uneasy. Suddenly, as he looks up at the gate and notices something, he takes a few steps back to get a clearer look in the darkness.

    Strangely enough, the Gate seems to be emitting its own light, though it''s only enough to see without torches. However, what immediately captures his attention is the giant symbol sculpted on the Gate.

    "An... upside down... star?"

    The Gate is engraved with the symbol of an upside-down star, or a pentagram with a circle surrounding it. This symbol makes Shuku even more scared than before because, as he remembers, an upside-down star is the symbol of Satan. A symbol that signifies evil, representing devils and monsters in his old world. He doesn''t know if the symbol holds the same meaning in this world or not, but considering the existence of a church in this world and putting it into context with the area where this symbol is sculpted, it''s likely that it carries the same meaning.

    Only now does Shuku realize that whatever is inside this Gate at the end of the dungeon could be something worse than all the monsters he has fought before. It could be an undefeatable monster, the final boss of the dungeon, or it could also be the legendary Blood Blade that Sylvar has told him about.

    Whatever it is, he cannot afford to go back now, and he doesn''t intend to. He has vowed to make all the people who mistreated him pay heavily. He has sworn to never back down, never give up, and never surrender to anyone or anything anymore.

    So, as he prepares himself by doing a warm-up and taking a deep breath while still feeling scared, he walks toward the gate. Slowly, he pushes it open, ready to face whatever is inside.

 The Blood Blade

    With the massive stone gate swinging open, he cautiously steps inside, staying alert, gripping the broken sword tightly, and prepared to fight if necessary.

    ...

    Contrary to his expectations, the room seems to be cold and lifeless, looking more like a cave within a cave. Inside the gate, the space expands significantly, almost twice as tall as the outside, and everything, from the ceiling to the floor and walls, consists entirely of stone and rocks. Despite the massiveness of the surroundings, Shuku''s focus is immediately drawn to an object situated at the far end of the room.

    A grey stone pedestal stands in the center of the flat floor.

    "Is that..."

    And embedded deeply within the pedestal is a blood-red sword, with an upside-down star symbol at its center. With the Blade''s appearance, Shuku immediately realizes what it is, it''s the thing that he has been going to hell for, it''s the thing that he and all the slaves in this dungeon died for, and the thing that he is coming for.

    "So that is the legendary Blood Blade that Sylvar told." Without hesitation, Shuku throws away his fractured, unrecognizable sword to the ground, because he has now found his new weapon, his new ally, and his new partner.

    Striding toward the stone pedestal with unwavering confidence, Shuku feels as if this is the reward he rightfully deserves after fighting for nearly six hellish days. Yet, even in this moment of joy, he remains vigilant, keeping his alert high.

    ''This place is scaringly quiet.''

    As he ascends the small steps leading to the blood-red sword atop the stone pedestal, with the legendary Blood Blade now within his arm''s reach and no obstacles in his path, Shuku feels his anxiety gradually dissipate, replaced by a sense of triumph. Then, slowly but surely, he grabs the sword''s grip firmly with both his hands and begins to pull it out of the pedestal.

    "Huh, it''s easier than I thought-"

    SHEEK!

    As soon as he started the pulling, the Blood Blade mysteriously morphs, forming sharp, jagged edges along its grip causing Shuku''s hands to immediately start bleeding.

    "Ugh-!! Why do I have to Jinx myself?"

    Then, feeling that something is wrong, he quickly releases the Blade, realizing that something strange is happening to him, to his body. He feels like his blood is flowing in the wrong direction, urging him to step back from the pedestal and the sword as far as he can.

    It didn''t take long for Shuku to grasp why the Blood Blade earned its name. The blade has the power to manipulate the blood of any living being it touches, bending it to its will and shaping it as desired. As soon as Shuku''s hands were cut by the Blood Blade, and his blood touched it, this event occurred. Instantly, he is thrown backward onto the ground by the force of his own blood.

    He rolled on the ground until he finally came to a stop, and then his regenerative and healing abilities kicked in.

    "Y??????????????????O?????????U??????????????? ?????????????????A????????????????????R???????????????E??????????????? ??????????????????????????N???????????????????O??????T????????????????????? ??????????????????????W????????????O???????????R???????????????????????????????T?????????????????H????????????????????Y???????????????????????.????????????????"

    ...

    Suddenly, a mysterious voice emerged, much like before. Shuku couldn''t see or sense the speaker; the voice seemed to speak directly into his head, just like the previous encounter with the giant lizard, it was the same voice.

    "That voice... is it the same one as before?"

    "Y??????????????????O??????????????????????????????U???????????? ???????????????????A???????????????????R?????????E???????????????? ?????????????????????????N????????????O????????????????????T?????????????????????? WORTHY." Gradually, the voice became clearer and more serene.

    "What?!"

    Then, finally, he could hear and understand everything the voice was saying clearly.

    "YOU ARE TOO WEAK."

    Immediately, Shuku felt irritated by what the voice had told him.

    "Seriously?! I came all the way down here, just to be refused by a damn sword?!"

    He quickly realized that despite the similar sound of the voice to the one he''d heard before, the tone and content of the speech made it clear that this was not the same person speaking. No, it wasn''t even a person; it was the Blood Blade itself speaking to him. Inside the room, there was nothing else present except for Shuku and the Blood Blade, which seemed to possess consciousness and was the one that had thrown him away with its blood power earlier.

    That''s it, it''s the sword itself that is the final obstacle in this entire dungeon.

    "Oh hell no. You''re coming with me, I''m going to claim you no matter what. I''m been to hell long enough not to be called weak by a fucking arrogant sword."

    "YOU ARE NOT WORTHY." The sword repeated its message, further irritating Shuku.

    "Just shut up and obey me!!"

    He rushes at the sword once again, attempting to touch it a second time, only to be instantly thrown away by his own blood as soon as he makes contact with the Blade. This time, he was thrown even harder and farther than before, rolling like a wheel before finally coming to a stop at the gate.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Urgh..."

    Despite being beaten for the second time, Shuku hadn''t decided to quit just yet, or more precisely, he couldn''t.

    "Fine! Just tell me, why?! Haven''t I been suffering enough? Haven''t I fought enough? Haven''t I been tough enough for you?! What else do you even want?!"

    He says as he struggles to get back on his feet again, determined to continue attempting to reach for the sword.

    "I''m not coming back out there just to be a slave again, I''m going to get you or I''ll die right here, right now!!"

    Responding to his determination, the Blood Blade suddenly liquifies itself into real blood and shoots two small blood projectiles at him at high speed. The two blood shots are too fast; each hits his shoulders before he even knows it. Two long, sharp blood sticks penetrate through his shoulders, making contact with his own blood. Immediately, the Blood Blade could control Shuku''s blood, even from a distance.

    It commands his blood to pull his own body down to the ground and immobilize him, leaving Shuku unable to do anything but struggle in pain.

    "ARGHH!!!"

    "YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF GIVING ME WHAT I NEED." The Blood Blade continues.

    Locked to the ground by his own body, Shuku found himself unable to move anything except his mouth.

    "Then what do you need? Tell me!" He yells out, and in response, a firm voice replies.

    "BLOOD."

    "... Blood??" Shuku is confused.

    "I NEED BLOOD, ALL OF THEM!"

    Now, as he thinks about it, he realizes that at its core, the Blood Blade is just blood, magical blood that could think for itself like a living being. So it is understandable if it needed more blood to expand and reproduce.

    ''That makes sense.'' He thinks.

    Then the Blood Blade continued to crush him down on the ground using his own blood, which was now under its command, trying to kill him slowly.

    "Ughh-!!!"

    "YOU ARE UNWORTHY, INCAPABLE AND YOUR HESITATION AND MERCINESS ONLY MAKE YOU WEAKER." The Blood Blade continues to humiliate him, using words it felt were fitting to describe him.

    And as Shuku hears these words while being pushed down on the ground, he feels a sense of irony. The insult words felt exactly the same as the ones his bully used to tell him, which made him realize something.

    All this time, he had been pulled down, insulted, beaten, and ruled over by a powerful tyranny that told him he was incapable, and incompetent compared to them, and that he could never win or defeat them, no matter how hard he tried. And the Blood Blade is no different, just a bully in the shape of a sword, a great evil power similar to the ones he had vowed to destroy ever since he came to this world.

    "Fine! You want Blood? I''ll give you blood, I''ll give you as much blood as you want to."

    If the Blood Blade has eyes, it witnesses in shock as Shuku stands up again on his feet, resisting all the force and pain inflicted on him by the Blood Blade. Each movement is agonizing, with his own blood as his enemy, attacking him from the inside, trying to stop him from moving any closer toward the Blade''s Pedestal.

    The regeneration ability, as he perceives it, is more than just regenerating his lost body parts; it can and will keep him alive no matter how messed up and terrible his body becomes��a curse and a gift at the same time. With the help of this ability, Shuku continues to move forward toward the Blade, even if his body is torn apart, even if he is stabbed a thousand times, beaten a thousand times, crushed a thousand times, and defeated a thousand times.

    He is unable to give up and unwilling to do so because he understands that if he wants to defeat his enemies, he will have to become a hundred times stronger than them.

    "I''m going to drain every single living being if I have to, I will take away all their blood as much as you ask for! I''ll feed you so much blood that you would beg me to stop!!" He shouts at the Blade.

    "YOU- YOU ARE LYING! NO ONE HAS BEEN CAPABLE OF THAT BEFORE-"

    "You won''t know if you don''t try!" Shuku replies.

    The Blood Blade now loses its calm as it sees someone who could resist its power for the first time, someone with the capability to kill hundreds of beasts in the dungeon all by himself, endure agonizing injuries, and still stays alive to fight for days, and even survive to reach this place.

    "YOU- ARE YOU-!"

    Only when Shuku stands once again right in front of it after being thrown away numerous times and climbing high stairs steps while being heavily and painfully attacked by the blood in his body does the Blade realize how foolish it was to underestimate this human. And even more foolish of the Blade to think that he was the first with these capabilities.

    "So just SHUP UP AND BECOME MINE!!!"

    Shuku resists the force inflicted on his own body and grabs the Blood Blade again, this time ensuring no cuts are made. He immediately pulls it out of the pedestal with full force and strength.

    "GAAAHHH!!!"

    The Blood Blade itself is also resisting Shuku; the more he tries to pull it out, the more force it pushes against his body. It''s now a battle of strength and endurance between a sword and a human, with Shuku attempting to claim ownership of the sword while the sword tries to stop him with its magical power.

    As soon as the sword begins to flinch and shake, signaling that it''s finally unstuck from the pedestal''s insides, Shuku instantly increases his pulling force to the maximum, exceeding the limit of his body.

    "GGGAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!"

    And pulls the Blood Blade out of the stone pedestal.

    "Haa... Haa..."

    Shuku immediately falls to the ground from exhaustion as soon as the Blood Blade is secured in his hand. But then he quickly stands up because staying in this dungeon for too long makes him feel unsafe from just relaxing.

    But as seconds pass and the Blood Blade seems to no longer resist, and his own body feels normal, he instinctively sighs in relief. Then he raises the Blade higher in the air while holding the grip to have a better look at it.

    "Damn, this thing looks really high quality."

    That''s what he thinks after seeing how straight, sharp, and shiny this sword, which people call legendary, is compared to the bent, rusty, and crippled sword he had to live with for the whole past week.

    "VERY WELL THEN!" Suddenly, Shuku is startled by the Blood Blade''s voice.

    "I SHALL GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE YOURSELF, I SHALL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SHOW THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF GIVING ME BLOOD, WORTHY OF MY POWER, AND WORTHY TO BE MY OWNER."

    "Huh... Now you''re talking-"

    SHREEK!

    ...

    The Blood Blade moves its tip towards his chest and penetrates itself inside Shuku''s heart. Then it gradually moves in deeper and deeper until it finally pierces through his body.

    "Ughh..."

    Shuku suddenly feels a strange feeling of tiredness, dizziness, and total darkening of his eyes. Quickly enough, he starts to lose control of his body as consciousness begins to fade away strangely. He sways for a few seconds then begins to roll down the stairs as he falls, landing on the ground after several rolls. However, he doesn''t feel the presence of the Blood Blade anymore. If it''s penetrated his body, he should feel its impact when he fell, yet, the Blood Blade seems to have vanished.

    Then suddenly, he hears the babbling sound of water breaking in from outside the room and glimpses the stone walls around being broken by the waters, with sunlight streaming in, before finally being drowned in the flood and falling unconscious.

 The Slave Arena

    ...

    Slowly, his eyes reopen after a long sleep. Strangely, his body feels weird. His blood rushes, his mind is dizzy, his memory blurry, and his irises resemble the symbol of an upside-down star with a blood-red color behind it. As soon as he''s fully awake, both of his eyes display these two symbols, then return to their normal brown iris and black pupil as usual.

    "I''m... still alive?"

    The first thing he sees when he wakes up is a ceiling of white cloth and a wooden floor. The whole thing is moving up and down, bumping every second, accompanied by the clip-clop sounds of horses, and around him are a bunch of half-naked men staring.

    "Hey guys! This motherfucker awake!" A man within the curious crowd speaks.

    "Who the hell are you?!" Quickly enough, Shuku realizes he''s in a locked moving horse wagon with seven other men, ranging from teenagers to old folks.

    "Rise and shine, babey!" Another half-naked man pokes his nose.

    "What the?!" Shuku immediately sits up. "Where am I?"

    "..."

    Nobody cared to answer his question. Most of them return to their seats on the moving horse wagon after their curiosity has been fulfilled, which is to check if he''s dead or not. Shuku then quickly calms himself. "You guys... are slaves?" He asks as he recognizes the slave collars on their necks.

    "Are you any different?" A middle-aged man, or slave with a long beard, replied.

    "Who are you? Why am I here? Why are we locked up in a wagon?"

    "You don''t know anything? I thought all slaves knew what would happen if they ran away."

    "What?!"

    "Just freaking tell him," Another middle-aged slave, this one with no beard, nudges the long-bearded man sitting next to him.

    "Huh?"

    While Shuku is still confused, the long-bearded man begins his lecture after he sighs in annoyance:

    "When a slave like us escapes from our master, or a stray slave without a master, we''re given a special reward for our actions. We''re given a chance to fight for our lives. They throw us in an arena and let us fight with monsters, beasts, and other humans with better weapons than us, or they let us fight each other until there''s only one survivor left."

    "But... how did they find me?"

    "..." The long-bearded man is tired of talking, so the beardless one speaks for him.

    "We didn''t find you; our ''escorters'' or the guards found you lying on the ground next to a lake while they were moving us. They thought you were dead, but after double-checking, they found your heart still beating. The collar on your neck told them that you''re a slave, so they just threw you in with us."

    ''A Lake...''

    As the memories began to come back, his visions of the dark dungeon, the battle with the monsters, and the Blood Blade, then the flood coming after that, started to show up again. Even though it''s vivid, he still generally remembers what happened. As he thinks about the Blood Blade, he feels a tingling in his eyes and a strange sensation of power as the Red Upside Down star symbol flickers in his iris before returning to normal a second later.

    "I''m Shuku, by the way. What''s your name?" Shuku asks the bearded man.

    "Name? What name?"

    "What do you mean? Everybody has a name."

    "Ever since I became a slave, my owner called me #39. Nobody cares about the name of a slave and I have been a slave for too long to even remember what''s my real name."

    "Oh... Okay..."

    They all fall into an awkward silence...

    "So... from what you mentioned earlier, we are moving into an arena or something, right?"

    "Yeah, that''s where we are going. We are heading to the Slave Arena. Oh and by the way, forget my sarcasm for calling it an opportunity."

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    "Why?!"

    "Because nobody can live there for more than a day. If you somehow survive the first fight, they just throw you in with stronger and more fearsome opponents, again and again, until you are dead."

    "Some slaves are battle-hardened and can put up a good fight, but eventually, they die of exhaustion or starvation. Some entertain the crowd so much that they are kept alive and fed as long as they can keep entertaining the blood-hungry public, but those are just exceptions."

    Hearing all this new information, Shuku is a bit shocked because all his beliefs about this world have changed; it has become worse. A place where mistreatment, insults, and beatings are normal if you have nothing in your hands. It''s totally different from what that lying king told them, a world that is hell for the vulnerable and poor, and heaven for the rich and wealthy.

    "What''s the point of this, aside from entertainment, of course? Why do they bother spending effort and money on these kinds of events?"

    "Because people are willing to spend a ton of money to see a bloodbath. Thousands of people spend hundreds of gold coins just to get a seat in that arena to watch slaves get ripped apart by monsters, beheaded by their ''heroic'' knights, while they scream in agony before they die."

    "In other words, a public execution."

    "A very profitable one."

    "..."

    Despite having all his questions answered, there is still one strange thing that he''s wondering about.

    "Why aren''t you guys... scared?" That is why these men seem so relaxed despite what is about to happen to them.

    "Scared?!"

    "We''re heading towards our death, why don''t you guys feel scared?"

    "What''s the point of being scared?"

    "..."

    "Well, unlike those guys." The bearded man points at the other slaves who are cowering in a corner of the wagon, uncertain and worried about their fate.

    "When you''ve lived a life that was hell itself... death seems to be a gift instead of a punishment."

    He pauses for a moment before continuing to speak.

    "My wife was raped and died from her master''s abuse, my parents were burnt alive for resisting the nobles, and my son... gone with my wife in her stomach. And my entire life as a slave is just about being beaten and working until my bones break. So why bother living when you have nothing else to live for?"

    "... Maybe... I still have one regret. I wish I could strangle that motherfucker who raped my wife to death first. How about you? You seem to have many things to live for."

    "Me?!" Shuku is surprised, but as he thinks about it, he struggles to come up with a decent answer: "I... don''t know either. All the closest people to me are gone, and my only goal now is to kill the ones who made me into this. Other than that, I don''t know what else to live for."

    "Hmm... that''s the right mindset..."

    "Alright, it''s time, you pigs!"

    "For someone who is about to die."

    The bearded man quickly ends his sentence as soon as the guards tell them to come out, indicating that they have arrived.

    "Hurry up, we don''t have much time!" The guards continues to urge them, with the sword in his hand, the slaves all rushing down the wagon in fear.

    As they are guided by the guards toward their waiting room, Shuku, and the others can''t help but admire the high quality of the walls and the aesthetic and opulent feeling of the arena.

    Minutes later, they arrive at their waiting room, although it looks more like a massive prison than a room. A guard takes out his keychain and unlocks the cell door, then yells and forces all the slaves, including Shuku, to move inside the dark and wet cell. Then, after all the slaves are inside the cell, the guard locks up the cell door once again and quickly leaves, leaving the slaves all by themselves.

    "What is this place?"

    As no guards are around, the slaves begin to look and explore the big cell room. As they move further into the room, they see a big gate at the end, illuminated by sunlight, and on the ground are:

    "Swords, spears, knives,... all broken."

    It seems like this place is where the slaves prepare and pick their best-fitting weapons before moving into the arena. However, this is just his speculation. Only when another guard walked to the cell and began explaining to the slaves, were all their questions answered.

    "You all will have 10 minutes to prepare, pick the weapon you deem fit, and get ready to be in the arena. But don''t even bother, ''cause all of you would die anyway."

    After filling the slaves with more anxiety and hopelessness, the guard left. Despite being demoralized, the slaves still began scouting around and picking their desired weapons. But no matter what weapon they chose, whether swords or spears, it would easily break in half upon first impact, so most of them opted for a durable weapon over the one they liked.

    It takes some of them a couple of minutes to find their partner. Some others are fighting each other over a good weapon they just found. As for Shuku, despite initially going for a sword, something in his mind tells him to take a small knife instead.

    "Do you think we can survive?"

    He heard two young slaves talking to each other and couldn''t help but feel pity for them.

    "Alright! It''s time to come out you pigs!"

    Finally, after 10 minutes of preparation, their judgment time has come. All the slaves gathered at the big gate at the end of the room as it slowly opens...

    GREEKKK...

    The loud sounds of the gate combined with the blinding sunlight quickly hit their eyes after being in darkness for too long. As they move out of the cell and into the open air, slowly their eyes readapt to the bright sky, returning to clear vision. Their ears return to normal, immediately hear the yelling of the crowd.

    "BOO!!"

    "BOO!!"

    Thousands of people, mostly from the middle class up, sit scattered around the seats in this Greek-like arena, the size of a football field. They yell and insult the slaves with the most vulgar words they can think of while throwing their trash at them.

    "Beg for mercy while you fight for your life!"

    "Dirty slaves, be grateful that you will be killed by our great knights!"

    "Your only purpose in this world is to entertain us!!"

    Hearing these words, the slaves are even more demoralized and more accepting of their inevitable fate rather than trying to survive. However, among all of them, only Shuku is now more determined and motivated by those insults.

    ''You know what? I have been hesitant about killing anyone other than the ones who turned me into this, but now... I know what I will do.''

    Suddenly, a horn echoes around the entire arena, and the yelling crowd immediately falls silent. Next, a man''s voice speaks through the speaker.

    "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! ARE YOU READY FOR A MASSACRE?!"

 Massacre

    "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ARE YOU READY FOR A MASSACRE?!"

    "YEAH!!!!" The excited crowd instantly yelled and cheered at the announcer''s statement.

    "WELL THEN, I GUESS YOU ALREADY KNOW EVERYTHING, SO I WON''T NEED TO REINTRODUCE. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET''S DIVE RIGHT INTO TODAY''S BATTLE THEME! WHICH IS...?"

    "THE VICTORY AGAINST EVIL!!!" They yelled in unison.

    "THAT''S RIGHT!! TODAY WE CELEBRATE 150 YEARS SINCE THE HORRIBLE DEMON LORD WAS DEFEATED BY OUR GREAT HEROES! 150 YEARS SINCE THE END OF EVIL AND THE DAWN OF OUR GLORIOUS AGE! AND WITH THAT THEME SET FOR TODAY, ON THE LEFT SIDE OF OUR ARENA, LET''S WELCOME THE ANTAGONISTS!!!"

    The announcer, standing on a high pedestal, pointed to his left, where the slaves had just walked out of their waiting rooms and were now standing in the middle of the arena.

    "BOOOO!!!!!"

    "BOOOO!!!!!"

    And immediately, the audience continues their disdain and discouragement towards the pathetic slaves.

    "AND ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ARENA, HERE ARE THE HEROES WHO WILL DEFEAT THE ANTAGONISTS TODAY, THE HOLY KNIGHTS FROM THE CENTRAL CHURCH!!"

    "WOOOO!!!!"

    As soon as the announcer moves and points to his right towards the knights already in the arena before the slaves, the crowd instantly changes their attitude, cheering enthusiastically. Quickly, the announcer waves his hand up and down to order the people to stay silent. "BUT THAT''S NOT ALL." He continues his speech.

    "TODAY WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST, ONLY FOR THIS SPECIAL OCCASION. CAN YOU GUESS WHO THAT IS?"

    "Yeah!!!" The audience immediately understands themselves.

    "THAT''S RIGHT! PLEASE WELCOME OUR WONDERFUL KNIGHT, THE GREAT AND HOLY, THE ONE AND ONLY, SIRRR GALLAHANNN!!!"

    "YEAH!!!!!"

    A man in shiny armor, without a helmet, rides out on his horse, clip-clopping slowly into the arena with his hands spread out as he is welcomed and cheered by the audience.

    "Gallahan! Gallahan! Gallahan!!"

    The crowd resumes calling and yelling his name in unison as they see their idol finally show up.

    "Greetings!" As soon as he speaks his first words, the audience instantly shushes each other into silence.

    "Ladies and gentlemen! What a pleasure to be here today! As you all know, today we celebrate 150 years since the purge and extermination of evil from this beautiful world.

    That''s why today, we''re glad to bring you a show to demonstrate how evil was purged centuries ago! I guess you can''t wait to see it, right? Without further ado, let''s start the show!"

    "YEEEAAAHHHHHH!!!!"

    "ALL RIGHT, SIT TIGHT, SIT TIGHT, EVERYONE!" The announcer tries to maintain order among the crowd, then continues.

    "DUE TO THE REQUEST FROM SIR GALLAHAN, WE''RE GOING TO START TODAY''S SHOW IN THREE..."

    As the announcer''s countdown echoed throughout the arena from the loud magic speakers, the minds of the slaves were filled with fear and anxiety.

    "Are we going to die?" A slave asks the others.

    "TWO..."

    "Yeah..." Another answered.

    "ONE!!!"

    "Hyahh!!"

    As soon as the countdown reached one, the knights immediately kicked their horses, urging and forcing them to charge toward the slaves as fast as possible. They drew their shining long blades from their hips, ready to engage.

    "Let''s go, my boys! Bring the audience the best show of their lives!" Gallahan yelled at the knights moving behind him.

    As the knights closed in on the slaves, they prepared to fight for their lives, taking defensive positions despite their inferior weapons. Their hearts raced and their faces grew sweaty as the knights approached with their long swords. But then:

    "Where are they going?!"

    The knights suddenly split into two groups, moving in different directions to surround the slaves in a circle. They kept moving, shrinking the circle''s radius as they circled the terrified men. This leaves the slaves confused, spreading their attention thin and making them careless as the knights move all around them.

    One slave can''t keep up with the horses circling him. Distracted, he lets his guard down at an unfortunate moment.

    "Behind you!"

    "Huh- ARK!!" He is slashed in the back and instantly collapses, blood spilling on the ground.

    "YEAH!!" The crowd cheers at the knights for the first kill of the show. In response to the audience''s enthusiasm, the knights tighten the circle even more and begin the massacre to satisfy the crowd''s bloodthirst.

    SHREEK!!

    Within 10 seconds after the first kill, the second slave is slain by the blades of the holy knights.

    "NO, NO, GO AWAY!! GO AWAY!!! ACK!!"

    Then comes the third.

    "GAHHH!!!"

    Then the fourth. After just two minutes, the number of slaves alive is half the original number. The slaves try to fight back with the weapons they picked up earlier, but it''s all useless. Most of their weapons break upon impact with the knights'' well-maintained swords, and the slaves have no fighting skills to put up a real fight.

    "Save me..."

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Amid the chaos, Shuku is left bewildered by the noise and madness all around him. The terrifying sounds of meat being slashed and the voices of the hopeless slaves crying for help as they die in front of him are traumatizing. The slaves know that the weapons given to them are just for show; they already understand that this is their inevitable end.

    "Don''t, please, spare me! I would do anything��!" A kid, realizing he can''t fight back, decides to drop his sword and run, trying to outrun the horses on his own two feet.

    "Yeah, run as fast as you can!" Gallahan, feeling the thrill and adrenaline of the chase, smiles as he closes in on the limping slave. He slashes the kid''s head off his body.

    "I DON''T WANT TO DIE!! I DON''T WANT TO DIE!! I DON''T WANT TO DIE!! PLEASE, SPARE ME! I''LL DO ANYTHING��!" Another slave, too terrified to even fight or flee, drops his weapon, kneels, and begs the knight in front of him for mercy. Yet, the slave''s sincere plea is met with the knight''s cold eyes and the shining blade slicing his chest in half.

    "So... this is how it is, huh..." Knowing his time has come, the middle-aged slave who spoke to Shuku earlier talks to himself in his final moments as a knight rushes toward him.

    Strangely, he feels no fear despite death approaching. Instead, he senses a peace finally arriving after what feels like an almost eternal hell. As he prepares to meet the knight''s holy sword, his attention shifts slightly toward Shuku. A knight sneaks up behind the kid, poised to strike. For reasons unknown, the man instinctively yells at him.

    "Kid!! Watch your back!!"

    "Huh??"

    Shuku turns his head at the sound of the voice, only to see the blades coming at him with maximum speed.

    SHREEK!!

    ...

    Shuku''s head is sent flying through the air as a knight beheads him. The entire audience watches in excitement as his head lands on the ground a second later, rolling a few more times before finally coming to a stop, blood spilling everywhere. His headless body collapses a few seconds later, the metal slave collar rolling on the ground since his neck is gone. This leaves the middle-aged slave as the last one standing in the arena. Just, not for long.

    "ARGLL!!!"

    After witnessing Shuku''s death in shock, the man is quickly slain by the knight who is coming at him. A swift slash to the stomach kills him instantly, and he falls to the ground, joining his nine fallen colleagues.

    "YEAH!!!"

    Immediately, as the final ''antagonist'' falls, the audience stands up, celebrating and yelling his name.

    "GALLAHAN! GALLAHAN! GALLAHAN!!"

    "GALLAHAN! GALLAHAN! GALLAHAN!!"

    Throughout the entire arena, Gallahan''s name echoes. He slowly moves to the center of the arena, raising his arms to welcome the warm cheers from the audience.

    "YEEEAAAHHH!!!"

    The crowd goes wild as Gallahan responds to their cheers, jumping and shouting in joy. He strokes his hair and lifts his head.

    "Phew... What a great show! Did you all have fun��"

    "I LOVE YOU, GALLAHAN!" A girl yells.

    "Thank you, thank you, beautiful lady! I love you too! So, did you all have fun?!"

    "YEEAAHH!!!" The crowd shouts in unison.

    "Gallahan! Gallahan! Gallahan!"

    "Thank you, thank you! You guys are truly the best, thank you��"

    "Is that all you got?"

    "!?!!"

    "What the?"

    Suddenly, a voice emerges in the arena, grabbing all the knights'' attention. Despite not being loud, it''s clear enough for Gallahan to hear over the crowd''s yelling.

    "Who''s that?!" He asks. The audience, puzzled by what''s happening, stops yelling and watches in curiosity.

    Instinctively, Gallahan turns toward the direction of the voice. Strangely, he can''t see who''s speaking, but the voice seems to come from one of the slaves'' dead bodies.

    "I thought you knights were strong, but it turns out you''re even weaker than the monsters in that dungeon. Pathetic," The mysterious voice continues.

    "Who''s that?! Who''s speaking?!"

    As the voice continues, Gallahan becomes more confused and worried, his instincts telling him something isn''t quite right.

    "All you do is enslave the poor and vulnerable, feeding on the suffering of others, yet you call us evil."

    Finally, after the voice speaks for the third time, Gallahan and the others locate its origin. All six knights turn their heads toward the bodiless head of a teenage slave lying on the ground, his face turned back to them.

    "Now that I know, I don''t need to hesitate anymore."

    All the knights are shocked and terrified at what they see: the mouth of the head is moving when it should be dead. And what comes next horrifies the knights and the entire audience.

    "Hey, is that?!"

    "What''s going on?!"

    "His... the slave''s head! It''s moving!"

    "His body, it''s moving on its own!"

    "UNBELIEVABLE! THE SLAVE WHO WAS BEHEADED IS STILL ALIVE AND MOVING!"

    The announcer''s voice echoes throughout the arena, drawing the attention of any distracted audience members to the separated head and body of Shuku. Fear and anxiety skyrocket as they witness something unprecedented: a human still alive after being beheaded. The head shakes around the body, blood still leaking from the neck, trying to get up on its own.

    The body and the head are not far apart, but the distance is enough to make him struggle to put his head back on until...

    "Oh my god!!"

    "What in the hell is that thing?!"

    The blood leaking from the body finally reaches the detached head. Immediately, the blood stops being liquid and turns into a dense, sticky slime, tightening and forming a strong connection between the head and the body. Slowly, the blood tightens even more, hardening the connection and pulling the head toward the body.

    "OH MY GOD!!"

    "He''s... he''s a monster!!!"

    As the head drags along the ground toward the body, now standing on its own, people scream and panic at what they''re seeing. But the most shocked are Gallahan and his knights, witnessing it up close. In the entire known human history, no one has ever reattached their head after being beheaded, let alone a slave with almost no significant magical abilities. Unless, this human is not human.

    As the head is delivered by his blood, he grabs it and places it back on his neck, making minor adjustments to fit perfectly as if it never left his body. The slave takes nearly thirty seconds to reattach his head, giving the knights enough time to calm themselves and prepare to engage what they now consider, a real threat.

    "Now that I know, I don''t need to be nice to any of you. Oh, and by the way... thanks a lot for taking this annoying collar off my head." Shuku says, holding up the now useless metal slave collar and breaking his neck left and right with a sinister grin.

    "As expected, you and your kind are really the devils! Everyone!!" Gallahan attempts to grab the audience''s attention.

    "Please watch as we purge this devil that has finally shown his true nature. We will show the monsters that we humans will always win, no matter what! Are you with me?!"

    "..."

    "YEAH!!!" The crowd is hesitant and worried at first, but believing in their knights, they eventually follow him.

    With everyone in the arena on their side, yelling and cheering, the knights, especially Gallahan, feel their morale boosted. They are now confident they will defeat Shuku, no matter what. Only...

    "Now, it''s my turn." Shuku says as he drops the metal collar to the ground and grabs the knife he picked up earlier.

    ''What is he planning to do?'' Gallahan wonders, staring at the slave in confusion. Shuku then moves toward the body of the middle-aged slave who chatted with him earlier, stepping in his blood. He raises his right arm sideways, grips the knife firmly in his left hand, and slices across his right forearm.

    Instantly, blood begins to flow like water, streaming down from his forearm to his hand as he lowers it again. Right now, the knights and the audience are more bewildered than ever, wondering what this "devil," they assume, is actually trying to do. Only when the blood from the forearm drops and mixes with the blood of the other slaves on the ground do their confusion turn into shock and terror.

    "What the fuck?! What in the actual fuck?!!"

    The blood flowing from Shuku''s right arm stops dripping down like normal liquid. Instead, it starts levitating mid-air from the tip of his middle finger, spinning around while more blood rises from the ground, moving up Shuku''s leg, and supplying the blood on his right arm. Slowly, the blood begins to solidify and forms a red tube as he opens his hand, creating a handle he can grip. As more blood flows, the tip of the red tube starts to shape into an upside-down star, with two more red tubes extending from the star''s left and right.

    Finally, he raises the sword''s handle sideways, and the blood around him flies towards the star, spinning around it as the blade begins to form. To everyone''s amazement and shock, the blood continues to build up, forming the rest of the blade from bottom to top. Now, he finally understands where the Blood Blade has gone after he achieved it in the dungeon.

    The Blood Blade didn''t disappear; it hid itself inside his body, merging with and becoming his own blood. Only when he cut himself did the blood come out and act on his command, truly, a Blade made out of blood.

    As the Blood Blade finishes transforming, using the blood of the dead slaves around him, Shuku swings it down and points it at the ground, keeping his eyes locked on the knights.

    "Now, I''ll show you what a real battle looks like."

 Blood Massacre

    "I''ll show you what a real battle looks like." Shuku declares, standing firm with the Blood Blade in his right hand, ready to face all seven knights alone.

    "Bring it on, you devil!" Gallahan shouts, his voice full of defiance. "Come on, knights! Let''s slay this monster!"

    "YES, SIR!"

    "YES, SIR!!"

    The knights respond to their leader''s call with unwavering trust and enthusiasm.

    "MOVE!"

    At Gallahan''s command, the attack begins. He and his four knights spur their horses forward, swords raised, ready to cut Shuku to pieces.

    "Surround him and don''t let him escape!"

    Obeying Gallahan, the four knights split into two groups and encircle Shuku in a tight circle.

    "Why would I?" Shuku stands calmly, watching the knights circle him with unshakable confidence.

    As they close in, the knights believe they''ve distracted him enough. One knight makes the first move, approaching Shuku swiftly from behind.

    "Same old trick."

    SLASH!

    Shuku spins as soon as he hears the gallop of the horse. He leaps up, swings his sword to avoid the horse, and cleaves through the knight''s chest. The metal armor clangs before the blade slices through, cutting the knight in two with a shriek before he has a chance to react. The horse bolts past Shuku, unaware that its rider is in two pieces. The knight''s lower half stays on the horse''s back, while the top half collapses to the ground, spilling guts, heart, organs, and blood in a gruesome mess.

    "One down." Shuku murmurs, returning to his previous stance as if nothing has happened.

    "Oh my God..." An onlooker exclaims, witnessing a royal knight being brutally murdered for the first time.

    "Who''s next?!" Shuku taunts, daring the remaining knights.

    After what they''ve just seen, the knights'' earlier confidence vanishes. This man has just killed and sliced a knight in heavy metal armor clean in half, now standing there as if it were nothing. If he can keep regenerating or reviving like he did before, what chance do they have? Realizing this with the horrifying scene unfolding before them, the knights begin to falter��

    "Keep attacking! Don''t be afraid! We''re stronger, and we outnumber him! He was just lucky!"

    But then, Gallahan, their leader, quickly shouts at them, urging them to stop being cowards.

    "You two! Attack together!"

    He commands the two knights on his left and right to continue their assault on Shuku.

    "... YES, SIR!"

    Though initially hesitant, the two knights charge forward, putting their lives and faith in their great leader. They dash toward Shuku, swords raised, ready to slice him into three. Instead of approaching from behind like the unfortunate knight before, they decide to face Shuku head-on, attacking from opposite directions to strike him down simultaneously.

    "Oh, new tactics." Shuku observes as the knights advance from both the front and behind.

    As they close the distance, Shuku quickly reads their movements.

    "Too slow."

    SLASH!!

    Shuku lunges at the knight in front as he finally arrives, thrusting the Blood Blade straight into the knight''s chest. Extending the blade with more of his blood, he drives it through the knight''s heart, knocking him off his horse. Then, he slices across the knight''s chest and shoulder.

    "DAMN IT!"

    The remaining knight, stunned by the sudden death of his partner, curses his fate as he realizes he is now alone. Just as Shuku turns his attention to him, the knight seizes the moment. Swiftly approaching on his horse, he swings his sword the instant Shuku is within range.

    SWOOSH!

    But Shuku, as quick as the wind turns and clashes the Blood Blade against the knight''s sword, deflecting it upward and away from his head. As the blade glides along the knight''s arm to his shoulder, Shuku seizes the opportunity and slices off the knight''s right arm.

    "ARRGHH!!!!!"

    The knight tumbles off his horse from the sudden retaliation, the agony of losing his arm overwhelming him. As he writhes on the ground, consumed by unbearable pain, Shuku slowly walks toward him, unhurried and deliberate. The last thing the knight sees is Shuku''s disdainful gaze before Shuku smirks scornfully and drives the Blood Blade into his neck, ending his suffering as quickly as it began.

    "..."

    Silence once again falls over the arena. Any hope of victory over this evil vanishes as quickly as it had appeared. Yet one man, amidst the despairing onlookers, still clings to the idea of killing this devil.

    "Keep attacking!" He shouts, rallying his remaining three knights, who are now paralyzed with fear, to confront Shuku.

    The knights, hearing the command, stare at Gallahan in confusion and terror. It''s understandable; they''ve never been trained for real combat, nor do they know anything about battle strategies or tactics. All they''ve ever learned is how to stand still, look impressive in their armor, and march in perfect synchronization before the kings and nobles, shouting their country''s name like robots. They''ve never been taught how to fight real threats or handle situations like this.

    So it''s no surprise they''re paralyzed with fear when faced with true danger��a man with combat experience who can slice through metal armor and seems practically immortal.

    "I SAID, KEEP ATTACKING!" Gallahan yells again. This time, despite their overwhelming fear, the knights shout at each other, trying to muster the courage to act.

    "YES, SIR!" They shout, rushing at Shuku all at once.

    SLASH!

    As soon as they arrive, Shuku brutally butchers them one by one with his Blood Blade.

    "ARGH!"

    A knight screams as Shuku slashes his neck from behind. Another doesn''t even have time to scream before Shuku swiftly slices through his stomach as he passes by.

    "My God..."

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    The audience, seated high above the arena, watches in bewilderment, shock, disbelief, and terror as their once-mighty knights are slaughtered like animals. Despite all three knights charging at Shuku simultaneously, he handles them with the same ease as the previous victims. Though it might have taken longer if they had kept running around, Shuku dispatches them effortlessly.

    As he enjoys his "fun" with the three hopeless knights, who can''t even manage to scratch him, a voice echoes from behind.

    "You''re not killing any more of my men!"

    Gallahan, having finally decided to stop watching and issue orders, charges directly at Shuku on his horse. His declaration rings out loudly, heard by both the audience and the knight-slayer. But Shuku ignores him, continuing to slice the throat of a knight whose head he holds. The final scream of the last knight fuels Gallahan''s rage. His anger peaks as he kicks his horse, urging it to run faster. In his mind, he vows to slay Shuku no matter what.

    "I''m going to slay you, you devil! And you will rot in hell after I send you to meet your friends!"

    By the time Gallahan finishes his sentence, Shuku has already taken down all three knights. He stands tall and unshakable, facing Gallahan with absolute fearlessness.

    "Gallahan, we believe in you!!"

    Opposite him, the lone mass killer stands firm on the ground, while Gallahan, on his horse, is surrounded by fans and supporters, all shouting his name, cheering him on, and hoping he will win at any cost. Hearing the crowd''s cheers, Gallahan feels a surge of confidence and urges his horse to go faster and faster.

    "GRRRR!!!!!"

    Gallahan raises his sword and screams as he charges at Shuku with all his might, determined to end this once and for all. As Shuku comes within range of his sword, he��

    SLASH!!!

    ...

    ...

    ...

    The entire arena falls into stunned silence, unable to comprehend what just happened. The movements were too fast, everything unfolding too quickly for anyone to fully grasp. As Gallahan prepares to swing his sword, Shuku uses an ancient technique to leap forward, aiming to cut him down just as he did with the other knights.

    But Gallahan''s quick reflexes kick in, and he raises his sword, positioning it in front of the Blood Blade to block Shuku''s strike. What he anticipates as a successful defense turns into a catastrophe. Despite its hardness, sharpness, and fine craftsmanship, the metal sword is no match for the Legendary Blood Blade, whose sharpness rivals that of a single red blood cell.

    The Blood Blade slices effortlessly through the metal sword and then cuts horizontally across Gallahan''s chest. Mere milliseconds later, it cleaves him in half. The tremendous force of the Blade propels Gallahan''s upper body into the air. Blood and organs spill out, raining down to the ground, creating a horrific mess on the arena floor.

    The horse continues to gallop forward, oblivious to the change in weight.

    "What just happened?"

    "Did they all just get killed?"

    Everything happens so quickly that their eyes can''t keep up with the fight. As soon as it ends, the audience is left stunned and speechless for a full minute. Shuku, having cleared the final obstacle, calmly holds the Blood Blade and returns to the ground. He then turns his head to gaze up at the blinding sunlight.

    "This can''t be real! There''s no way this is happening!"

    "Maybe they''re just acting."

    As the shock fades, fear begins to creep into the minds of the observers. They start to realize the terrifying reality, every knight who was supposed to protect them lies dead, killed in the most brutal ways imaginable.

    "Let''s get out of here!"

    "Yeah, let''s go! This is a disaster."

    Everyone begins to move, thousands of people now rushing to escape the arena through the gates surrounding the seating area. In the chaos, they start pushing and shouting at each other, desperate to evacuate as quickly as possible.

    "EVERYONE, PLEASE DON''T PANIC!"

    Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the Announcer grabs the mic, trying to restore order, knowing it''s the only thing he can do.

    "THIS IS JUST A MINOR ISSUE! WE HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND EXIT THE ARENA SLOWLY THROUGH THE GATES FOR YOUR SAFETY!"

    "Who said you could leave?"

    Suddenly, Shuku''s voice cut through the chaos, drawing the arena''s gaze to him. As he advanced, his steps echoed over the pools of blood and lifeless bodies he had left in his wake.

    "Why leave? You were having so much fun earlier. This isn''t even the main show yet."

    Fear rippled through the crowd. Shuku''s menacing presence and deadly power left them paralyzed, unsure of what horrors might come next. The crowd near the evacuation line, driven by panic, began to echo his words, spreading the terror. Chaos erupted as people shoved and clawed their way toward the dwindling exits.

    "DON''T WORRY, EVERYONE! OUR REMAINING KNIGHTS ARE COMING TO DEAL WITH THE THREAT. HE CAN''T ESCAPE WITH ALL THE GATES CLOSED!"

    "Oh, now you''re scared." Shuku sneered in response to the announcer''s words.

    "PLEASE STAY CALM AND EXIT SLOWLY THROUGH THE DOORS��"

    "I SAID, WHO ALLOWED YOU TO LEAVE?!"

    Shuku roars, his fury erupting as he manipulates the blood of the fallen knights. With a violent thrust of his will, he launches the blood as deadly spikes, aiming at every gate where the terrified masses scramble to escape.

    "What the��?!"

    The spikes shoot through the air at sonic speed, reaching the gates over 100 meters away in an instant. As each blood spike pierces its target, it liquefies, transforming into locks that seal the gates shut.

    "AAAHHHH!"

    Panic grips the crowd as the tension reaches its peak. They realize the man standing below, glaring up at them with a horrifying red upside-down star and pure hatred in his eyes, has no intention of letting them leave peacefully.

    "Hurry! Help me open this door!"

    The men snap out of their panic and refocus on forcing the gates open, abandoning the futile screams and chaos that consume the women.

    "Come on! Open it!"

    Despite their combined strength, pushing, kicking, hitting the wooden gates, even trying to break them upon repair��the gates remain unmoved. As the gates start to show signs of breaking, the blood spikes suddenly react, extending their branches and stabbing through the stomachs of those trying to breach the gates.

    "Oh my GOD!!!"

    A man, impaled by the blood spikes, collapses as his wife and child rush to him, crying. The blood spikes, sensing no further attempts to break the gates, retract their branches, and tighten their grip on the gates.

    "This is insane!"

    "It''s blood! Real blood!"

    Others examine the blood spikes closely, horrified to realize that they are real blood controlled by a man with the magical power to manipulate it. Knowing they can''t force the gate open, everyone turns to face the man blocking their escape.

    "The fun has just begun." Shuku murmurs, sending the crowd''s terror to new heights with his next move.

    "Oh my God!"

    "What is he doing?!"

    Shuku manipulates the remaining blood on the ground, transforming it into floating liquids. The blood splits and forms a Giant Blood Circular Saw, a Blood Katana, a Blood Mace, and a Blood Axe, each with two more copies. As the dozen blood weapons float menacingly in the air, the people in the arena instantly understand what''s coming next.

    "Shit! RUN!"

    "Everyone, run!"

    And each of them tells everyone else to start running for their lives as the Blood Weapons begin flying toward them. With subsonic speed, each Blood weapon spins and hurls itself at the fleeing crowd. As they reach their targets, the real bloodbath begins.

    "ARGH!"

    One by one, and flesh by flesh, the Blood weapons whirl and slash at every human in sight without mercy. They spread out in 360 degrees, targeting the masses and cutting down those closest to them. As each weapon slices through a victim, it immediately targets the next person nearby. They continue this relentless cycle, moving from one prey to the next, spinning and slicing until no one is left alive.

    Quickly, the arena that was once alive with laughter and celebration is now consumed by terror, screams, and the hopeless cries of a thousand people trapped in the scythes of death.

    "NO! NO! GET AWAY!"

    "IT''S COMING!"

    A group of people tries to escape the chaos, desperately distancing themselves from the Blood Circular Saw. Their hopes shatter instantly as the saw, moving nearly at the speed of sound, rips through dozens of bodies behind it and slices through each person with the ruthless precision of a storm.

    "HELP! HELP!"

    Another group, including men, women, and children, cries out as they try to flee along the rows of seats. They are brutally cut down by the spinning Blood Axe and Blood Katana closing in from both sides, trapping them. In just five seconds, with a flurry of slashing sounds, the axe and katana duo decapitates all 15 people, leaving behind only scattered organs and headless bodies.

    Within 40 seconds of the massacre beginning, the arena is drenched in blood cascading down the stairs, piled with dead bodies and severed limbs rolling down. The air is thick with the terrified screams of those still waiting their turn to be slaughtered.

    "Heh... Ha ha ha! Laugh! Why aren''t you laughing? You were laughing before��what changed? Come on, laugh! Keep laughing!"

    Despite the carnage and bloodshed he orchestrates, Shuku feels no guilt or remorse. Instead, he revels in the horrific scene, his face twisted with satisfaction and a dangerous sense of power.

    "I said, KEEP LAUGHING!"

    Infuriated by the "audience''s" hypocrisy, Shuku seizes control of the blood weapons himself, accelerating the massacre and slaughtering the last 200 people. As the brutality intensifies and the arena fills with the screams of women and the pleas for help from men, Shuku ignores them, shouting and berating them instead.

    "You can''t laugh now, can you? It''s easy to laugh when someone else is dying. But now it''s your turn, and all you can do is run and cower in fear."

    His voice echoes through the arena, but no one hears him. They are either being ground alive, sawed alive, sliced alive, or fleeing in terror. As the screams and slashing sounds of the "purge" reach a crescendo, Shuku looks up at the sky, overwhelmed by a profound sense of satisfaction.

    "Hek... ha ha ha! Ha Ha Ha! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!"

 Archnemesis

    The capital of the Apomis Kingdom, Karnes, serves as the residence of the King and the headquarters of the Central Church. It is home to the wealthiest and most powerful people, as well as gifted magic users. The city bustles with nobles and deeply religious citizens, all loyal to both the King and their God. In the main street at the city''s center, a large crowd gathers around a big man on horseback, dressed in shiny golden armor. A golden axe rests on his back as he rides through the street, flanked by knight guards. He waves and smiles at the people, who cheer his name.

    "Kubo! Kubo! Kubo!"

    From the old to the young, the rich to the wealthier, everyone pours into the streets to witness his third public appearance as a hero from the Otherworld Hero Squad.

    "Sir Kubo!"

    "Sir Kubo!"

    The fans are wild, pushing past the guards just to get within a meter of him. The excitement isn''t because Kubo is extraordinary, but because he''s the only hero from the squad who leaves the castle to meet the people. The others remain inside, practicing their skills.

    "Sir Kubo, can I hug you?!"

    "Get off him!!"

    An overly excited fan pushes the guard so much that he reaches out and touches Kubo''s armor. Instantly, the knight guard beside him steps in front of the fan and threatens him.

    "Whoa, whoa�� easy with my fans, man." Kubo says, urging the guard to be gentle as he grabs the overly excited fan in a black jacket and pushes him away from Kubo as far as possible.

    Once Kubo ensures that his fan isn''t hurt, he turns back to continue meeting with others. He feels comfortable allowing people to get close enough to touch him because it makes him feel needed and loved, even though he has never done anything for them.

    "Huh�� this is the life. No school, no teachers, no adults telling me what to do." He thinks as he gazes at the clear blue sky and breathes in deeply, savoring the relaxation.

    "Just me, my loyal fans, money, fame, women�� everything I''ve ever wanted. Ahhh�� Isekai really is the best!"

    ...

    "Huh?!"

    As he continues to enjoy the ride, with people rushing toward him, he turns around to see the crowd he has passed. A small piece of paper stuck between his armor, between his pants and the top of his suit, catches his attention.

    "What the hell is this?" He wonders as he pulls out the small white piece of paper, the size of a note.

    "Is it his?!"

    He immediately thinks it must be the black-jacketed guy from before, the only one who got close enough to touch him. He takes the note and slowly unfolds it on the horse''s back.

    "REMEMBER ME? BITCH!"

    Kubo is stunned by the note''s first words. He instantly realizes this is a threat from someone who knows him. But who? Who in this world knows him and hates him? Shock is just the initial reaction; as Kubo reads the next line, fear and chills run down his spine.

    "I''m still alive�� and free."

    It isn''t until he reads the second line that he realizes the note is written in Japanese, a language only he and his classmates, or heroes, understand. This means the person who wrote it is someone else who was summoned along with the other heroes. Now he finally understands who wrote this note to him. This, is someone from his world, the only one among the summoned who was exiled into slavery and had their freedom stripped away, the only one who vowed to kill him in the most painful way possible once he is free.

    "Shuku?!"

    He instantly raises his head and scouts the area, looking left and right, trying to find the black-jacketed guy from before, the one who handed him the note-

    "Shuku..."

    And also the person who wrote it. As Kubo gazes toward outside the crowd, he spots the man in the black jacket with a hood, walking along the path parallel to his horse, matching his speed. The man slowly reaches up, pulls down his hood, and reveals who he is.

    ''No, NO!!''

    The man finally removes his cover, confirming Kubo''s worst fear, that he, Shuku Ryuu is indeed free. He silently walks behind the crowd alongside Kubo, smiling and waving at him to pisses him off.

    "SHUKU!!!!" Kubo rages internally, grinding his teeth as his anger explodes while still smiling and keeping this a secret from the thousands of people around him. "Shuku, you piece of shit! You''re such a pain in the ass!"

    Shuku continues to wave and smile at him scornfully, as if mocking him, pissing him off more with every second he keeps smiling. Suddenly, Shuku stops smiling and opens his right hand, pointing at it, signaling Kubo to read the lines below the note.

    "Meet me in the desert just outside the walls near this town, if you''re not scared. I''ll be wearing black. See you soon, Kubo."

    As Kubo finishes the final line of the note, his anger flares from the insult.

    "Scared?!! Me, scared?!! You''ve got to be joking! What makes you think I''m scared of you? Knowing that you''re free drives me crazy! I don''t care how you got out; I''ll either enslave you again or kill you. People like you are an eyesore. I swear, you''ll never see daylight ever again!"

    After making up his mind, he looks up to find Shuku, just to know that he''s already long gone, silently disappearing into the alleys as Kubo was reading the note, getting ready at the place he told Kubo to go. Tearing the note into pieces, Kubo looks ahead with clear determination and commitment.

    "I''ll come after this parade ends. Make sure you''re there. I''ll finish this once and for all."

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    A while later, in the vast desert of shifting sands, strong winds blow the sand into waves that seem intent on burning the eyes of anyone who looks at them. He sits atop a pile of scorching sand, wearing the black hooded jacket he found in the arena, waiting patiently for his expected opponent to arrive.

    Beneath the scorching sunlight and on the blistering sand, he remains calm and composed, as if nothing disturbs him. His head is bowed, eyes fixed on the ground, while thoughts swirl in his mind. He would continue doing so for a few more minutes if the sound of a galloping horse didn''t interrupt him. As the horse''s gallop catch his attention, he raises his head to see the man he is supposed to meet.

    "Well, well, well. Look who it is, my old friend, Shuku."

    Kubo, the summoned "hero" in golden armor, says as he stops the horse in front of Shuku and quickly dismounts. Hearing this, a slight smile appears on Shuku''s lips, and he stands up, empty-handed.

    "Long time no see, Kubo." Shuku greets him back. "It looks like they''ve been feeding you well." He comments, noticing Kubo''s slightly enlarged belly since their last met.

    As he continues to look, he can''t help but notice the shine of the golden full-body armor that Kubo is wearing. "And look at that flashy armor. They sure know how to equip you. What''s that cord thing on your shoulder?" Shuku gestures toward the golden ornamental cord hanging from Kubo''s right shoulder to his chest. Kubo glances down at it and chuckles.

    "Oh, this? It''s called an aiguillette. It''s a decoration for noble, heroic people, like me."

    Shuku smirks at this. "Is that so? It looks like it would make a nice trophy for me..." He pulls out his knife. "After I kill you."

    "Whoa, whoa!" Feeling frightened by Shuku''s aggressive behavior, Kubo quickly raises both hands toward him, signaling him to calm down as he begins to explain himself.

    "Why are you angry with me? Wasn''t it the king who enslaved you and sent you away? I''m innocent, right? If you have something to say to him, just tell me, and I''ll pass it along." Upon hearing this, Shuku slightly lowers the knife but doesn''t intend to back down. Instead, he stands tall and continues to threaten Kubo.

    "What makes you think you can come back?"

    "What makes you think you can win?"

    "..." Kubo''s response leaves Shuku speechless, and he continues to speak.

    "I don''t know how you escaped that collar, but you don''t have any magical powers like the rest of us. How do you plan to defeat me with my��" Kubo stops abruptly, not wanting to reveal the secret, instead allowing Shuku to figure it out for himself.

    "I think you know my ability, don''t you?"

    "... Alchemy, right?"

    It takes him a while to remember the day they first arrived, when their magical abilities were being examined. Shuku wasn''t focused on the others; he was preoccupied with something more important. Still, he faintly hears the Pope reading the names of each classmate''s magical ability, and he realizes that Kubo''s magical ability is alchemy.

    "That''s right. My gift from when we were first teleported here, the power to turn anything I touch into gold. Everything you see? I turned it into gold. From metal to gold, even this axe looks better now that it''s golden."

    Kubo pulls out the giant golden axe from behind his back, perfectly sized and weighted for his grip and body. It turns out that the full-body armor he wears, the golden saddle on his horse, and the golden axe were all made by him, as he transformed them from ordinary iron into gold. As he continues to show off his golden axe to Shuku, admiring the shine and beauty of his own creation, Kubo keeps up the trash talk.

    "My sister says I''m like King Midas. You hear that? A king from history! I could turn you into a lifeless, golden statue. What magic do you have against me?"

    "Seems like you don''t know much about the myth of Midas, huh?" Shuku quickly replies.

    "What do you mean?"

    Shuku pauses for a moment, hesitating about whether to prolong the pointless conversation since it makes him uncomfortable, but he decides to continue anyway.

    "King Midas believed his power was a gift, but it was actually a curse. Everything he touched turned into worthless gold, and everyone he loved became lifeless golden statues. In the end, he was left alone, filled with regret, living a miserable life."

    "But I can control my power. I can decide what turns to gold and what doesn''t. How is that a curse? Oh, by the way, want to hear something interesting?"

    "..." Shuku stays silent.

    "I know why you didn''t get any magical ability when they tested you. Want to know the reason?"

    "..." Shuku continues to stare at Kubo in silence.

    "The truth is... magicless people are really common in this world. About 70% of the population has no magic. Hundreds of years ago, the Demon Lord wiped out almost all humans with magical powers, hoarding the magical energy for himself and nearly erasing magic from the world. It was only after the Holy Hero killed the Demon Lord that human magic survived... or so the Pope tells me.

    So the reason you don''t have magic isn''t because you''re cursed or anything. You''re just unlucky, a normal person among a group of Heroes! Did you hear that? You were sent away as a slave just because you happened to be like the majority. The King could''ve kept you as a servant, but he suspected you because of your attitude, and you went through all that for no real reason!"

    Kubo laughs and giggles, feeling pity for Shuku. On the other hand, Shuku says nothing as Kubo places the golden axe on his back and begins to walk around him.

    "Honestly, I almost feel sorry for you. You suffered for nothing, and now you''re going to die for nothing, by my hand. Because unlike you, I''m not cursed at all."

    "If there are no curses for you, then I''ll be one!"

    "Talk all you want, but without magic, don''t even dream of landing a punch on me."

    "... That''s where you''re wrong."

    "... Huh?" Kubo looks confused.

    "Sorry to let you down, Kubo, but luck''s not with you this time." Shuku says, then raises his right arm outward and brings his black knife toward it.

    "What are you even talking about? You really think that little knife can beat my axe��"

    SHEEK!!

    Shuku stabs his arm, dragging the blade down and creating a deep cut from his wrist to his hand. Blood shoots out like water.

    "What the fuck?!"

    Shuku''s self harm action, as he assume, let Kubo completely stunned, his mind racing in shock, confusion, and horror. It''s the reaction anyone would have, no one just do something like that to themselves. But despite the gruesome act, Shuku doesn''t even flinch. No scream, no cry of pain. Instead, he clicks his tongue and grits his teeth as he drags the knife through his arm. And what happens next, it''s enough to make Kubo piss his pants.

    After making a long enough cut for blood to pour out, Shuku puts the knife back in his pocket and swings his arm down. But the blood doesn''t splatter or drip. Instead, it flows in a controlled, circular motion around his arm, gathering in the center of his hand.

    "What the FUCK?!"

    As Shuku''s irises shift from brown to a deep blood-red, marked by a black upside-down star symbol, the blood on his hand begins to levitate. It spins around, quickly forming a sword that takes shape from the handle to the razor-sharp tip in just five seconds. Familiar with the Blood Blade, Shuku can summon it a bit faster than before, but he knows he still needs more practice to summon it as quickly as possible. He then observes the sword''s width.

    ''It''s smaller than before, probably because I didn''t have enough blood, but it''s still enough, for him.''

    The Blood Blade in Shuku''s hand is noticeably thinner and shorter than when he last used it at the Slave Arena. Back then, he had used someone else''s blood to form it. This time, it''s his own, making the blade smaller and leaving his body slightly thinner and paler as his blood drains out.

    Yet, the blade''s reduced size doesn''t concern him. After all, the Blood Blade is just one of his many abilities. With Kubo still frozen in shock, Shuku raises the crimson blade and points it directly at him.

    "I''m going to pay you back, Kubo. A thousand times worse than anything you''ve done to me."

    "Urgh!" Kubo growls, shaking his head to snap out of his shock. "So damn annoying! I''ll kill you and end these pathetic tricks!"

    In a flash, he grabs his golden axe and charges at Shuku with full speed. Shuku, unfazed, shifts into a battle-ready stance, prepared for the fight.

    "Bring it on!"

 Does This Day Ever Come to Your Mind?

    Shuku and Kubo are locked in a fierce battle, each determined to kill the other, even at the cost of their own life, especially for what Shuku wants.

    "GRRAHHHH!!!"

    Kubo roars as he charges at Shuku, wielding his massive golden axe. He pulls it back, using its weight to pick up speed, then swings it down with all his might as he closes in.

    SWOOSH!

    Shuku, moving like the wind, easily dodges the slash Kubo expects to land. He narrowly avoids the axe just before it strikes, successfully evading Kubo''s deadly blow for the first time.

    "HURKK!!"

    Kubo refuses to relent. He won''t let Shuku escape, or survive, not after everything that''s happened today. Silently, he vows to end this nuisance''s life once and for all.

    SWOOSH!!

    Kubo swings his axe with all his speed, but Shuku dodges again, ducking low at the last second.

    "HAWKK!!!"

    Determined not to give Shuku a chance to counterattack, Kubo pulls his golden axe back as quickly as he can. Though Kubo''s movements are slower, Shuku hesitates, choosing not to strike, at least, not yet.

    SWOOSH!!

    SWOOSH!!

    Instead, Kubo and Shuku are locked in an almost endless cycle of swinging and dodging. Shuku''s skill is the main reason he''s been able to dodge every attack so far, but the terrain and the slippery sands also play a role. Kubo''s precision suffers because of it. Shuku, having studied the environment before the fight, uses it to his advantage, moving effortlessly to avoid Kubo''s strikes.

    While Kubo struggles to keep his axe steady, desperately trying to land even a single hit, Shuku continues to evade each attempt with ease, staying out of danger. During their exchange, Shuku begins tapping different parts of Kubo''s armor, the back, the legs, the arms, using the tip and edge of his <b>Blood Blade</b>, all without Kubo noticing. It seems like Shuku is testing something, studying how the armor reacts.

    Each time Kubo swings at him, Shuku dodges and taps the armor again, repeating the motion so often that Kubo starts to feel more irritated and angry than fearful. "Stop fucking moving!" Kubo yells. Though it''s unreasonable to ask someone you''re trying to kill to stop dodging, Shuku surprisingly listens. He halts, standing still at a safe distance from Kubo.

    "Hah... hah... hah..." Kubo pants, his breath ragged as he pauses, the weight of his axe heavy in his hands after countless failed strikes. He drops his gaze to the ground for a brief moment, desperate to steady himself. But in doing so, he forgets to keep his eyes on Shuku. When his head snaps back up-

    "?!?!"

    Shuku is gone. The spot where he stood just seconds ago is now empty. A chill runs down Kubo''s spine as unease grips him. Instinctively, he whirls to guard his exposed flank- And there Shuku is.

    SWOOSH!!

    The moment Kubo spins around, his eyes widen at the sight of Shuku''s crimson <b>Blood Blade</b> slicing through the air toward him. In a blur, Shuku has closed the gap, launching his first counterattack with deadly precision. Kubo''s mind races. He knows he won''t have time to lift his axe or dodge with his heavy frame. Desperation forces his hand, literally.

    GLING!!

    He catches the <b>Blood Blade</b> with his bare left hand. The instant his palm meets the blade, a golden sheen begins spreading from the point of contact, overtaking the crimson metal. Both of them freeze, stunned by the unexpected transformation.

    The goldenization spreads with alarming speed, consuming the blade in moments. To Kubo''s astonishment, he discovers he can manipulate the gold itself, reshaping and dulling its edges so it no longer poses a threat. Shuku, sensing the danger, acts swiftly. Before the transformation can fully take hold, he unleashes a sudden burst of force, shattering the <b>Blood Blade</b> into fragments. The crimson shards scatter as Shuku leaps backward, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Kubo.

    As the broken pieces clatter to the ground, Shuku steadies himself, regaining his stance at a safe range. But Kubo, now gripping the largest golden fragment, casually slams it into the ground with a resounding clang. He looks up, meeting Shuku''s wary gaze, and smirks.

    "I told you, didn''t I? You can''t beat me, no matter how many magic tricks you pull."

    Kubo''s voice carries a mix of triumph and mockery, but Shuku remains silent, his expression unreadable. He stands upright now, his grip on the shattered remains of the <b>Blood Blade</b> loose, almost casual. His eyes stay fixed on Kubo, and slowly, a faint, knowing smile creeps across his face.

    ''So, that''s how it works,'' He thinks to himself.

    Kubo scowls, his irritation growing. "What''s so funny?"

    "Nothing." Shuku says, his smile widening into something sharper, almost taunting. "I just find it amusing."

    "What?" Kubo snaps, his frown deepening.

    Shuku replies smoothly. "You''re so confident... even though you''re a hundred times slower and weaker than every monster in that dungeon you threw me into. Not just weaker, pathetic." He pauses, his grin turning sly. "And kind of cute."

    "What the hell did you just say?" Kubo growls, his anger flaring.

    Shuku''s voice drops to a chilling cold. "You know what?" He begins. "The moment you and the king enslaved me that night, I made you my greatest enemy. My only goal became to defeat and kill you, slowly, painfully, even if it meant my life was the price. But now..." He grimaces, as though the weight of his words has suddenly caught up to him.

    "But I don''t feel that anger anymore. After everything I''ve been through, all the monsters I''ve fought, and the hell I''ve endured, you''re nothing. You don''t even come close to being a threat. Honestly, I just think you''re pathetic. A funny, weak, wimpy little kid. All you have to show is your strength, bullying others to make yourself look tough in front of girls. I actually feel sorry for you, Kubo."

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "What the fuck did you just say?" Kubo growls, his fists tightening as his fury boils over.

    Shuku''s voice remains calm, but it cuts through the air with a sharp edge. "... Just give up, Kubo. You''re not even worth killing." He shrugs slightly, resting the shattered blade on his shoulder in a relaxed stance. "If you surrender now, I''ll give you a chance to live. Go back to your pathetic life, pretending to be tough when you''ve got nothing to prove. I don''t care. I''ve lost interest in avenging myself on you, for now."

    "Do you seriously think you can fucking kill me?" Kubo spits, his anger flaring once again.

    Shuku''s gaze doesn''t waver. "You have two choices," he says coolly. "Drop all your weapons and money and leave. I''ll spare you. Or, I''ll do what I promised. You''ll get a death worse than anything you can imagine. The choice is yours."

    "STOP FUCKING MESSING AROUND WITH ME!! YOU''RE THE ONE WHO SHOWS OFF WHEN YOU HAVE NO POWER!!! I''LL KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!!" Kubo yells, his rage spilling over as he charges forward. He tightens his grip on his golden axe and lunges at Shuku, faster and more determined this time after catching his breath. His plan is simple: strike before Shuku has a chance to react.

    "Well, if that''s your choice." Shuku mutters.

    SWOOSH!

    Like the wind, Shuku sidesteps to the left, narrowly avoiding Kubo''s swing. He moves with the same effortless grace as before, still clutching his broken sword.

    SWOOSH!

    SWOOSH!

    Each of Kubo''s strikes cuts through empty air as Shuku continues to evade him with ease. As Kubo presses forward, relentlessly swinging his golden axe, Shuku''s smirk deepens, laced with disdain. The gap between them shrinks to the point where a fistfight seems plausible, yet Kubo''s strikes continue to miss their mark.

    "..."

    After effortlessly dodging for a while, Shuku decides it''s time to end this. He senses Kubo''s growing fatigue, his movements slowing ever so slightly. Patiently waiting for the perfect opening, Shuku spots his chance as Kubo raises the axe high for a powerful overhead strike.

    "HYAK!"

    In a blink, Shuku sidesteps the descending axe, effortlessly positioning himself beside Kubo. His <b>Blood Blade</b> ripples as he channels more of his life force into it, extending its length and sharpening its edge to a deadly precision.

    SLASH!!

    With a swift and devastating upward swing, Shuku severs Kubo''s right arm in a single motion. The blade, impossibly sharp after its transformation, slices effortlessly through Kubo''s armor and thick flesh as if it were nothing more than paper. The dismembered arm spins through the air before hitting the ground, while blood gushes from the wound in a torrential spray.

    "HUAK!! GAAHHH!!!"

    Kubo''s scream tears through the battlefield as the reality of his loss crashes down on him. Just moments ago, his arm had been whole and functional. Now, the searing pain floods his senses, overwhelming him with unbearable agony.

    "Aaaaaaaargh! Ahh! Aaaaaugh!"

    Kubo collapses to the ground, writhing in sheer agony as tears stream down his face. The pain is beyond anything he''s ever endured, an unbearable torment that feels etched into his very soul. The sickly, metallic stench of his blood fills his nostrils, and the nauseating sound of it pooling on the ground echoes in his ears��a horror he knows will haunt his nightmares forever, if he ever manages to survive.

    Shuku looms over him, towering like a shadow of despair, his expression void of pity or remorse. His cold, disdainful eyes bore into Kubo, and a twisted smile of satisfaction spreads across his face.

    "That''s all it takes? Just one little injury, and you''re screaming like a little girl? How cute." Shuku sneers. "This is nothing��a mere fraction of what I endured. My arms, legs, and everything else have been torn off so many times I''ve lost count. Actually, I''d laugh if someone could manage to make me feel that again."

    "WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! ARRGHH!! YOU WON''T ESCAPE THIS!! MY MEN AND OTHERS WILL COME FOR YOU AND KILL YOU!!! ARRGGHH!!"

    Shuku chuckles, his voice cold and unconcerned. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But just so you know, we''re in a desert�� somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Even if you tried to run, your big body would only slow you down. So let me ask you again��what makes you think you can make it back?" He leans in closer, his gaze sharp and menacing, as he reminds Kubo of the question he had left unanswered earlier.

    "..." Kubo is silent, his breath ragged with pain, unable to respond. Shuku''s grin widens as he continues, his voice dripping with cruel satisfaction.

    "You can''t answer, can you? How does it feel, huh? The kid you used to beat up after school, the one you stole money from for snacks, the one you ordered around every single day, whose life you ruined, and who you dismissed as a scaredy-cat��now comes back to bite you, and it''s going to hurt. How does it feel?!"

    Shuku now holds the upper hand. He knows that no matter what Kubo does, death will come at his hands. But before that, Shuku plans to make Kubo suffer a thousand times more. He starts by reminding Kubo of the actions that led him here.

    "Huh, how does it feel? Did you ever think this day would come when you were beating and tormenting others? Huh? Answer me." Shuku says, tilting his head and locking eyes with Kubo. Kubo trembles, sweat dripping down his face, as the <b>Blood Blade</b> rests at his neck, ready to strike at any moment.

    "I... I..." Kubo stammers.

    "Huh?!" Shuku leans in closer.

    "I... arrghh... will come back... after I take your head."

    "??!"

    Shuku''s instincts flare, sensing danger. Just as he is caught off guard, Kubo, with his remaining arm, scoops up sand from the ground and hurls it into Shuku''s eyes in a sudden counterattack.

    "Argkk!!"

    Blinded and extremely irritated by the sudden, dirty attack, Shuku leaps back, trying to escape the sand assault. He rubs his eyes desperately, hoping to clear the sand and ease the irritation, but tears spill from his eyes in response to the pain. Despite his speed, it takes Shuku at least a minute to regain clear vision after the surprise attack. That brief moment is enough for Kubo to recover, quickly getting to his feet and rushing toward his golden axe.

    By the time Shuku''s vision clears slightly, Kubo has already seized his axe and is charging toward him, preparing a deadly swing.

    SWOOSH!

    The axe swings dangerously close, but Shuku manages to dodge it, as he always does. Even though the length of Kubo''s axe, combined with his strong arms, is enough to reach him before he can escape to a safe distance, Shuku''s reflexes remain sharp.

    CLANG!

    In an instant, Shuku raises the <b>Blood Blade</b> to block the incoming axe with a loud clash, stopping the massive golden weapon just before it can slice him in half. His eyes, still red and irritated from the sand, remain wide open as he parries the blow. What Shuku thought would be an easy move and a simple victory, however, turns out to be a fatal mistake as he underestimated the sneakiness of Kubo.

    "HUK!!"

    As the <b>Blood Blade</b> and the golden axe lock in a struggle of strength, Kubo makes a surprising move. He shifts toward Shuku and grabs the <b>Blood Blade</b>, having never aimed to strike with the axe in the first place. His true goal was always the <b>Blood Blade</b>. Once Shuku loses his main weapon, Kubo believes the battle will tip in his favor.

    As soon as Kubo''s hand touches the <b>Blood Blade</b>, it begins transforming into gold at an incredible speed. Within seconds, almost half of the blade turns golden. Having trained his reflexes through countless life-and-death situations, Shuku reacts instantly. He clicks his tongue and breaks the sword into a smaller piece, as half of it has already turned into unusable gold. With swift precision, he pulls the blade out of Kubo''s grip.

    The once long, sharp, and formidable <b>Blood Blade</b> is now reduced to a small knife, its blood content barely enough to make it effective. But that''s exactly what comes to Shuku''s mind. If Kubo refuses to surrender and beg for his life, then Shuku won''t back down or hesitate. As soon as he commands the broken <b>Blood Blade</b> to transform into a blood knife, he springs into action.

    SHEEK!

    And drives the <b>Blood Knife</b> deep into Kubo''s forearm with merciless force, shocking Kubo to his core. Kubo screams in pain, fear, and terror, helpless against the attack. Without hesitation, Shuku drops down, grabbing Kubo''s wrist to prevent him from using his ability. With his other hand, he pulls and slices through the remaining arm, using pure physical strength to rip it off, his bloodshot eyes burning with rage and determination.

    "STOP!! STOP!! PLEASE, STOP!!!"

    Kubo begs, his eyes wide with fear as he looks up at Shuku. But Shuku''s cold, blood-red eyes, marked with star symbols, show no sign of slowing down. There is no mercy in his gaze��only the intent to drag Kubo through the depths of hell, to show him the heartless eye of the devil that he himself has helped create.

    "HUAAAHHHH!!!"

    SHREEK!!!

    With a final, decisive strike, Shuku cuts off Kubo''s remaining arm, leaving him completely armless and unable to fight back.

 Revenge

    SHREEK!!!

    With one final, decisive strike, Shuku cuts off Kubo''s remaining arm, leaving him defenseless and unable to fight back. As Kubo watches in horror, the pain of his severed arm hits him instantly, the agony overwhelming as it flies through the air.

    "HUH-AAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

    He collapses onto the sandy ground. The golden axe, still gripping his severed arm, lands beside him after a brief flight. His eyes, wide with terror and pain, are bloodshot. Sitting armless and vulnerable, blood pours from his shoulders as Kubo stares at Shuku Ryuu.

    The one he had mistreated so terribly in the past, the one he had taken advantage of, the one whose life he had destroyed, now stands before him. Holding the <b>Blood Red Knife</b> in his right hand, Shuku stares back at him with a scornful gaze, having come for his long-awaited revenge.

    Only now does Kubo realize his fatal mistake��underestimating Shuku. He had thought the man in front of him was the same weak, vulnerable kid he had bullied just a week ago. But now, as he fully grasps the difference in power, strength, and abilities between them, he sees the monster he has created. Instinctively, every fiber of his being screams at him, to run.

    ...

    As Kubo slowly stands, no longer screaming in agony, Shuku watches in bewilderment. He wonders what trick or attack Kubo might attempt next, now that both of his arms are gone. But whatever Kubo tries, Shuku is confident��overly confident��that it will be his final move.

    ...

    THUD!!

    To Shuku''s surprise, losing his arms doesn''t leave Kubo completely defenseless. He still has his legs, and it''s with his right leg that Kubo lands a surprise kick to Shuku''s stomach. The force sends Shuku flying back, and he spits from the sharp pain. As soon as Kubo pushes the danger far enough, he uses every bit of strength and power left in his legs to run.

    "HUK HUK HUK!!" He grunts, sprinting for his life, desperate to reach his golden-armored horse, just 20 meters away. He needs to escape from this maniac as fast as possible.

    But being armless makes running a struggle, no matter how much strength he has left. Without his heavy arms to help balance his body, he fights to stay steady. Soon, he''ll have trouble climbing onto the horse, which he''s only been riding for less than a week. But Kubo won''t have the chance to worry about any of that. After being kicked away, Shuku, accustomed to being thrown aside like a rock, immediately rolls on the ground and is back on his feet the moment he lands.

    In the blink of an eye, Shuku finds the perfect tool to stop Kubo''s escape. He thins his <b>Blood Knife</b> even further, transforming it into something resembling a long, minuscule rope. Spinning it around, he concentrates the mass into a large blood lump before using all his strength to hurl it at Kubo.

    The <b>Blood Rope</b>, controlled by Shuku''s will, moves on its own, independent of his own actions. It slithers through the air, sneaking between Kubo''s legs while he''s still running in panic. The rope wraps around his left leg and yanks him down to the ground.

    THUD!!

    With his leg suddenly yanked back by the rope, Kubo trips pitifully on the sand. His face and stomach hit the hot ground, sand flying into his mouth as he struggles to lift himself, trying to spit out the gritty, tasteless mess.

    "Haaa!! HAAA!!!"

    But above all, he fights to crawl, roll, and drag his body forward as far as he can. Now, he knows that without his arms and with the rope still holding his leg, there''s no way he can climb back onto the horse. So, he does what any instinctive animal would do when it faces a predator it cannot escape: keeps crawling and begins to beg for mercy.

    As Shuku walks slowly toward the crippled Kubo, who struggles to crawl through the sand and dirt, his hands grip the <b>Blood Rope</b>, which thickens as it collects Kubo''s blood with every step. Each step pulls Kubo closer, second by second, while Shuku''s face remains emotionless. His eyes stay fixed on his prey, and his grip tightens on the rope, the adrenaline building within him.

    "HAK!! HAAAA!!!"

    The closer Shuku gets, the more terrified Kubo becomes. With each step Shuku takes, Kubo crawls desperately, inching further away, his mind focused solely on fleeing. He ignores the fact that his enemy has been behind him for moments, inching closer with each passing second. Without wasting a second, Shuku raises both hands high into the air. The <b>Blood Rope</b> liquefies once again, releasing Kubo''s leg and flowing back up to Shuku''s hands. Within five seconds, it forms a sharp, red, single-edged blade.

    SHREEK!!!

    With a swift motion, Shuku slices off Kubo''s right leg.

    "GRAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

    Kubo''s scream echoes across the desert, filled with pain and terror, as his severed leg drops lifeless to the ground. Blood spurts chaotically from the gaping wound. Despite the unbearable pain, he keeps crawling forward, hopelessly dragging his body through the sand, desperated to delay his inevitable death for as long as possible, his body scraping against the rough sands with a harsh CREESH sound as he forces himself onward.

    "��"

    Seeing the pathetic and unpleasant sight before him, Shuku pauses, allowing Kubo a few moments to crawl. The stench of blood in the air and the horrific sight of Kubo would traumatize any normal person, shaking their moral sense to its core.

    However, to Shuku, nothing is brutal enough to terrify him, nothing horrific enough to send shivers down his spine or even raise a hint of goosebumps. The horrors he endured in the dungeon have numbed his senses to the point that scenes like this feel as normal as seeing trees in a forest.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "..."

    After a brief pause, Shuku lets Kubo crawl a meter ahead before slowly walking toward him, closing the gap quickly. As he reaches the bloody, limbless Kubo, whose single remaining leg struggles weakly to carry him, Shuku stands over him. In no time at all, Shuku delivers what he had promised.

    ... SHREEK!!!

    With another swift swing, Shuku chops off Kubo''s last leg, leaving him completely limbless. Kubo''s final chance to escape, if there was any, is gone.

    "GAAAAAAAAAAaaaaahhhhhhh...." Kubo''s agonized and terrified scream echoes, mingling with the haunting sound of his body parts being sliced apart. The memory will torment him forever, but as the seconds pass, his voice weakens. Exhaustion takes over, his body drained from blood loss and the battle''s toll. The overwhelming pain numbs his senses, and he becomes too tired to scream, his voice fading into desperate, hollow gasps.

    Seeing this, Shuku shows no satisfaction or joy. Instead, he is filled with fury and anger. Kubo should have screamed more than Shuku expected. He should have been writhing helplessly on the ground, yelling in pain, unable to control his body. But after losing his last limb, Kubo just lies there, motionless, as though he were already dead. Shuku can still feel his breath, realizing that Kubo might have blacked out from the sheer agony he endured.

    "Wake up." Shuku calls, his voice laced with frustration.

    "..."

    There is no response, only silence. This is not what Shuku wanted. It is not what he had expected. He wanted Kubo to continue fearing, to scream at the top of his lungs from the pain, to writhe like an animal trying to escape its inevitable death. But instead, what he got was disappointing. Frustrated, Shuku drops the <b>Blood Blade</b> to the ground and decides to take matters into his own bare hands.

    "WAKE UP!!" He shouts, his voice echoing with fury.

    Using his foot, he pushes Kubo onto his side, rolling him onto his back to expose his face and the bulging belly under the golden armor. Without hesitation, Shuku sits across Kubo''s stomach, pinning him down with his weight.

    THWACK! THWACK!

    Shuku begins pounding Kubo''s face with his bare fists, each blow landing with unrelenting force.

    "I SAID WAKE UP!!!"

    THWACK! THWACK!

    Shuku''s fists continue to rain down, driven by pure rage and the need for a reaction he cannot seem to provoke. Each blow to Kubo''s face lands with crushing force, threatening to shatter his skull and break his teeth. Yet, as much damage as he inflicts, Shuku''s own hands begin to bleed and bruise from the relentless assault. Still, he does not stop.

    Instead, his fury intensifies. Shuku punches harder and faster, his movements fueled by unyielding anger. Kubo''s face becomes grotesquely bruised, his skin pale and swollen, his cheeks and features distorted under the relentless beating. Blood streams from his face, splattering onto Shuku''s hands with every swing. Through this brutal torture, Shuku sends a clear, merciless message��no forgiveness, no mercy will be granted.

    Yet, with every punch he throws, Shuku feels an unexpected and growing disappointment. The man he had built up as his archnemesis��the one he had sworn to take down, no matter the cost��turns out to be not just weak but utterly pathetic and pitiful. The more he strikes Kubo''s soft, bloated face, the more hollow the victory begins to feel.

    Each punch brings back memories Shuku cannot suppress. It reminds him of the days in high school, only months ago, when everything had changed. He recalls the moment he stood up to Kubo and his gang to protect a classmate, taking their place as the target of relentless bullying. That decision, noble as it was, had marked the beginning of his descent into a life filled with suffering and torment.

    Now, as Shuku''s fists pound Kubo''s battered face, the act feels less like the justice he imagined and more like a haunting echo of those unbearable days, a vicious cycle he cannot escape.

    Each blow takes him back to every bruise, every punch, every cruel beating that Kubo himself inflicted on him. Every day, whether during breaks or after school, Kubo and his gang would find a reason to order him around. Shuku became their unwilling servant, forced to do their homework or participate in cruel pranks on others, even when he despised it. Even when classmates tried to intervene, it made no difference, Kubo always found a way to assert his dominance, reveling in the twisted entertainment of having a "slave."

    And if Shuku dared to resist, if he ever spoke up, disobeyed, or stood his ground, Kubo ensured he''d pay the price. The memory of those harsh Taekwondo kicks still lingered. Kubo, self-taught from YouTube, had treated Shuku as his personal sandbag, testing every martial arts technique with ruthless glee. For Kubo, it was all a game; for Shuku, it was torment.

    Now, with each strike he delivers, Shuku feels the weight of those memories. Every punch is more than just a blow to Kubo''s face, it''s an eruption of months of bottled-up humiliation and relentless suffering. Kubo had "geniusly" ensured his torment was invisible to the outside world. He targeted hidden spots, Shuku''s stomach, legs, and even his crotch, places concealed by clothing so no one could see the bruises and scars. From the outside, Shuku Ryuu always appeared cheerful, his constant smile masking the pain beneath.

    The teachers remained oblivious to the truth, blind to what was happening under their noses. Shuku''s classmates, though aware, were too afraid to intervene, terrified of becoming Kubo''s next victim. Even his friends, those closest to him, were either too unanimous or indifferent to notice his suffering.

    For months, Shuku endured this hellish life as both a slave and a human punching bag. The injuries, beatings, and pain he had accumulated over that time far outweighed the punishment he was now inflicting on Kubo. Each strike was a grim reminder of the scars etched on his body and soul.

    As he relived the torment Kubo had subjected him to, Shuku''s fists didn''t stop, even as Kubo''s face became a grotesque, unrecognizable mess. The brutal torture continued relentlessly, and Shuku resolved not to stop, even if it meant Kubo''s death. But then, amidst the chaos, Kubo''s bloodied lips parted, and a faint sound escaped. Shuku paused, leaning in closer, his ears straining to catch the broken words.

    "... Please... spare... me..."

    "..."

    For a moment, the world fell silent. That was it. Those were the words Shuku had waited so long to hear. The voice of his enemy, once proud and merciless, now trembling, defeated, and pleading for mercy. The man who had stripped Shuku of his dignity, his pride, and his hope was now begging to be spared��desperate to live just one more day.

    It was everything Shuku had dreamed of achieving since stepping into this new world. Kubo''s surrender was his ultimate victory. Though it had come quicker and less satisfying than he had imagined, Shuku had achieved his goal. He had finally claimed the revenge he had been yearning for.

    And now, with the final piece of his vengeance in place, Shuku stops punching entirely. His left hand clamps tightly around Kubo''s neck, holding him firmly in place. Meanwhile, his right hand begins to summon his <b>Blood Skill</b>, pulling the blood from the <b>Blood Blade</b> lying on the ground.

    Within five seconds, the blood rises, spiraling through the air and condensing into a sharp, deadly icepick in his grasp. The crimson weapon gleams menacingly in the dim light, its lethal intent unmistakable. Shuku grips it tightly, his resolve solidifying as he prepares to end the pathetic life of Hotaru Kubo once and for all.

    As Shuku grips the <b>Blood Icepick</b>, a slight tremble runs through his hands, but it''s not out of doubt��it''s the weight of what he is about to do. But in the end, there is no hesitation.

    SHEEK!!!

    With one swift, powerful thrust, he drives the icepick into Kubo''s forehead. It penetrates with ease, and within seconds, Kubo''s body falls limp, his suffering finally coming to an end. The life drains from him, leaving only silence in its wake.

 A New Beginning

    "..."

    SHEEK!

    Shuku yanks the <b>Blood Icepick</b> from Kubo''s forehead, the sound echoing just as it did when it first pierced his skull. Blood spurts from the gaping wound, splattering across his lifeless face. A long silence follows. Kubo''s body remains still, cold, unresponsive. His vacant eyes stare, unblinking. For a full minute, nothing moves. Given the sheer length of the Icepick, Shuku is certain. His enemy is dead. He has to be.

    Just to be sure, Shuku lightly slaps Kubo''s cheek a few times, watching for any sign of life. His gaze lingers on the shattered skull, searching for anything unusual. Nothing. No movement. No hint of regeneration or healing. Unlike him, Kubo has no second chances. Satisfied, Shuku rises to his feet, spits on the corpse with disdain, and steps away.

    "..."

    Even though he got what he wanted, something still feels missing, something to mark the occasion. As a little souvenir, Shuku glances around to make sure no one is watching. Once he confirms he is alone, he kneels down and starts looting Kubo. He searches the pockets of Kubo''s armor, then moves to his chest plate, and finally checks any other possible hiding spots. It is a struggle. Kubo''s massive body and heavy armor make it difficult to reach inside and turn him over. But in the end, the search goes smoothly.

    The battle turns out to be quite profitable. Shuku finds about 50 gold coins, though not directly on Kubo''s body. Instead, he discovers a pouch filled with gold attached to the horse Kubo rode to this place. Kubo himself has nothing on him except bloodstained clothes and heavy golden armor. For someone like him, it was a smart choice. Carrying unnecessary items into a fight would only get in his way. Instead, all his belongings, including maps, food, and money, are stored on the horse.

    Although the golden armor seems valuable since it is real gold, Shuku does not think taking it would be a good idea. The first problem is the size. The armor was made to fit Kubo''s massive and obese body, not someone as slim and slightly malnourished as Shuku. Selling it could be another option, but that would also be a bad idea. The armor''s sheer size would make it difficult to carry alone through miles of desert to reach a civilized city. Even if he managed to do that, there was no guarantee that greedy opportunists would not try to steal his loot.

    There is also the issue of finding a buyer. Something this valuable, stained with blood that would be hard to clean without raising suspicion, would make anyone question its origin. A man like Shuku, slim, dirty, and poor-looking, selling such a prized item would only raise doubts. Simply put, there are too many issues with looting the golden armor. The problems it creates far outweigh the rewards it offers. So, it is a no for him... however...

    "Maybe this one."

    Shuku decides to take something else, an item Kubo called the Aiguilette, a golden cord that runs from his right shoulder to his chest. It looks detachable, so Shuku grips it tightly and yanks with force. With little effort, it snaps free from the armor.

    This golden aiguilette is the only loot he takes directly from Kubo''s body. He is not sure what to do with it yet. Maybe he will sell it for some cash, or perhaps keep it as a trophy. For now, he tucks it safely into his pocket, and also...

    "Oh! I almost forgot the axe."

    The golden axe, the weapon Kubo used to fight him, is by far the best loot from this battle. It is heavy but manageable, made of gold, and completely unstained. A perfect item to sell to resellers, with no question about it. After finishing his search and preparations, Shuku grabs the golden double-headed axe, mounts Kubo''s golden horse after stripping it of all unnecessary gold, and starts riding. Though he taught himself to ride a few days ago, he still has a long way to go before mastering it.

    After the horse has walked a few meters, Shuku pauses and looks back one last time. His eyes linger on the lifeless corpse of Hotaru Kubo, the man who made his life miserable. He takes in the sight, locking it in his memory.

    "..."

    He smiles. Then, sensing it is time, he turns away and rides off before anyone arrives. He flicks the reins, urging the horse to go as fast as possible, heading south toward what he hopes is a civilized city. From what he remembers, the Pope mentioned that the continent has only two kingdoms: South Apomis and North Apomis, also called Main Apomis or simply Apomis. North Apomis is where they, the so-called "heroes," were summoned. It is the kingdom Kubo belonged to, the one that protected him, the same place where the king stripped Shuku of his dignity and human rights.

    Within just a few days, North Apomis had already left a terrible impression on him. Despite having a few people there he considered friends, returning was out of the question, especially now. The Apomis King despised him, and he had just brutally killed one of the kingdom''s beloved otherworldly heroes.

    So, even though he has no idea what awaits him in South Apomis or what hardships and challenges may come, he knows one thing. Maybe, just maybe, his future lies there. Kubo''s death marks the end of Shuku''s weak and vulnerable days, but his journey is far from over. His revenge has only just begun.

    ...

    10 Days Later

    ...

    Mildura City �C The southernmost beach city of South Apomis

    An apartment receptionist sits behind the front desk in the main hall, illuminated by dim sunlight during the day. She reads her book while waiting for any customers to walk in and rent an apartment. Since the apartments operate on a monthly rental basis, most tenants focus on their own jobs and barely acknowledge her presence. Her only real duty is to assist new customers in getting their rooms, along with cleaning the hall during her free time, which happens to be most of the time.

    However, her usual quiet and uneventful routine is disrupted by the sound of the door opening. A young man, dressed in tattered black clothes, steps inside the building. As he scans the room, his eyes land on an average-looking girl with short pink hair, wearing what looks like an office uniform. She sits at the desk positioned at the center of the room. Without hesitation, he walks straight toward her.

    "Umm... is there a room available?"

    His voice carries a hint of shyness as he speaks to the receptionist, a total stranger. Seeing a new tenant for the first time in a whole week, she instantly drops her book and stands up, ready to do her job.

    "Yes. And how long will you be staying?"

    "About... a couple of months, maybe longer, I guess..." he replies uncertainly.

    "Well then, what kind of room would you like? Cheap, medium, or extravagant?"

    "Could you... give me the details of each?"

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "The cheap tier is the smallest one we have. It includes a bedroom and a toilet. Costs around 1,000 dollars a month or about 40 dollars per day."

    "Dollars? You mean Apomis dollars?"

    "... Yes?" she answers, slightly confused.

    "K. What about the next one?"

    "The medium tier costs around 3,000 dollars a month. It includes a bedroom, a small kitchen, and a quality toilet."

    "Quality?"

    "Yes, sir. The medium-tier bathrooms are bigger, with better water flow and improved sanitation. The extravagant tier is similar to the medium tier but more spacious, with better lighting, higher-quality clothes and bedsheets. In short, it is a room fit for nobles. So, which one would you like?"

    "Which would you suggest?"

    "If you are on a budget, then the cheap tier is your best option. If you want to live more comfortably and luxuriously, then the extravagant tier is the way to go. Otherwise, the medium tier is the best choice for average workers like you and me. So, which one will it be, sir?"

    "Hmm... Can I switch room tiers even if the rent period for that month is not over?"

    "Unfortunately, no, sir."

    "Ok."

    The man pauses, deep in thought, brainstorming the best way to spend his hard-earned loot wisely.

    ''I have enough money to stay in the cheap tier for four months. Forty gold coins, each worth about 100 dollars, should cover it. But I don''t want to live in an uncomfortable or messy room for an entire month. I could spend 3,000 dollars on the medium tier, but that would leave me with only 1,000 dollars... I could sell the golden axe. It should be worth at least 10,000 dollars... but should I risk it?''

    "..."

    The receptionist stares at him, visibly bored as she waits for his decision. She is familiar with this situation, having dealt with many customers just like him, people who come to her apartment complex with a limited budget but still want to live comfortably. That is one of the reasons why they limit the apartment options to just three tiers.

    "... I ..." The receptionist''s eyes widen as the man finally speaks, as if he has made his decision.

    "I... will take the medium tier, please."

    As soon as the words leave his mouth, his face twists into a grimace, already regretting the decision and the fact that he just spent more than half of his budget.

    "Alright, sir. Would you like a room on the lowest floor or a higher one?"

    "Does it cost extra?"

    "No, sir."

    "Okay. Do the higher-floor rooms have windows or balconies?"

    "Yes... sir. Do you not want a room with windows or something?"

    "No, I just wanted to make sure..." As he answers, the receptionist gives him a puzzled look, clearly confused by his concern.

    "Just in case, could I ask you something?"

    "??? Yeah?"

    "Are you... a manhunter?"

    "A what?"

    "Manhunter. Are you a manhunter?"

    "Manhunter?"

    "You''re not? I thought only manhunters would be cautious about something like that. Anyway, since you''re not one, I guess there are no precautions or warnings I need to give you." As the receptionist jots down notes in her notebook, the man finds himself puzzled by her words.

    "Alright then, a medium room on a high floor with windows. That will be 3,000 dollars for the first month. Please pay within the next 30 days, and the deposit is 500 dollars, sir."

    "..."

    The young man stares at her, waiting for her to finish, not realizing she has already completed her statement. In response, she looks back at him, slightly awkward.

    "That''s 500 dollars for the deposit, sir."

    "Oh, you mean right now?"

    "Yes, sir."

    "Wait a second." He bows down, opens his large black bag, and takes out his gold pouch for the payment.

    "Here you go." He takes out five gold coins, each equivalent to 100 Apomis dollars, he places them on the table. The receptionist quickly collects them, slipping them under the desk before resuming her note-taking.

    While she writes, the man takes a moment to look around the interior. Despite being built mostly from wood and brick, the place feels surprisingly cozy and welcoming. The professionally designed furniture, warm atmosphere, and soft, dim lighting contrast with the brightness outside, making the space feel calm and peaceful.

    ''Well, they say this is one of the best places in the city, after all.''

    "Okay, sir. I just need your name, and we''ll complete the check-in."

    "My name? Oh yeah, it''s..."

    He hesitates for a moment, debating whether he should use his real name. By now, word of what he did might be spreading, and if people recognized him, he could be in danger. But as he glances at the pink-haired receptionist and her professional demeanor, something about her makes him feel like he can trust her. He just hopes she doesn''t recognize him, at least not yet.

    "My name... is Shuku Ryuu."

    "Okay then, Mister Shuku."

    She bows slightly and writes his name on the metallic key she had set aside earlier, showing no sign of recognition. Shuku watches closely, then exhales in relief. It seems the news has not spread this far yet. Once she finishes, she puts down her pen and hands him the key.

    "Alright, Mister Shuku, here is your key. Your room number is 17, located on the third floor. You can use the stairs on the left to get there. If you encounter any problems during your stay, you can call me or any other employee for assistance. Welcome to Le Lumi��re, sir. I hope you enjoy your time here."

    Shuku is slightly taken aback by the professionalism and warmth of the service. In his mind, he silently thanks the strangers on the street who recommended this place. But appreciation aside, he wants to get to his room as soon as possible. After ten days of surviving on only five hours of sleep per night, resting on wet forest soil and the harsh, dusty sands of the desert, he desperately needs a real bed.

    Without further ado, he grabs his pack and tucks his pouch away.

    "Thank you," he says before heading up the stairs.

    "You are welcome, sir," the receptionist replies.

    ...

    ...

    "Ahhh..." As soon as Shuku unlocks his room, unpacks his belongings, and checks the bathroom, he immediately jumps onto the bed. He stretches his muscles and buries his face into the soft pillow.

    "So good. Guess I didn''t make the wrong decision."

    He is a little surprised by how comfortable the room is. If the medium-tier room is this good, with warm running water, a clean atmosphere, and well-crafted furniture, he can only imagine how incredible the extravagant tier must be. Though the thought crosses his mind, he quickly pushes it aside. Right now, all he wants is to enjoy the comfort he has finally found. After almost a month without sleeping in a proper bed, this moment feels like pure bliss.

    "..."

    After a few minutes of relaxation, he turns onto his back, staring at the ceiling as new thoughts creep into his mind.

    "I need to get a job." And so, he decides he needs to find a job.

    With only 1,000 dollars left to last him the month, reality starts to sink in. Nearly 1,000 dollars had already been spent on travel and food just to get here from the desert near North Apomis'' southern border. Another 3,000 is about to disappear for rent. Living in a city is far more expensive than he expected, and if he doesn''t start earning soon, he could end up homeless next month.

    "What was it the receptionist said? Manhunter?"

    That word lingers in his mind. His first thought is to recall the way she said it. ''Manhunter... like an assassin? Hunting people for money? And she sounded like it was normal here. Is that really a thing?''

    Too many questions flood his exhausted brain, but he has no energy to dwell on them for long. There are still 30 days until his first rent is due, and at least 60 before the next. Plenty of time to figure out a way to make a living. For now, all he wants is sleep.

    He tries to drift off, but his mind refuses to settle. Even on the most comfortable bed he has had in weeks, something keeps him awake, something that still lingers in the back of his thoughts.

    "Should I try to get back to my old world?"

    The thought crosses his mind. After all, this world is hostile to him. Dangerous monsters, medieval laws and customs, and enemies lurking in every shadow. On top of that, the lack of modern conveniences makes daily life much harder than what he was used to. But after a brief moment of reflection, he arrives at a conclusion.

    "... No. There''s nothing left for me there."

    Even though his old world was more comfortable, unless someone handed him a way back, he wouldn''t even try. What awaited him there was loneliness and despair. No parents. No siblings. No one he was close to. Nothing to return to.

    And here, in this new world, he had something that made staying worthwhile. Revenge. A place where he could hunt down those who wronged him, erase them without consequence, and finally take control of his own fate. Back there, he was vulnerable and weak, dependent, easy prey, and utterly hopeless. But here, even if life wasn''t comfortable, he was untouchable. Invincible. At least to his enemies. No one could bully or mistreat him anymore.

    Why should he return to a place where he had nothing left?

    "Maybe I''ll change my mind someday. But for now, just forget it."

    With his decision made, Shuku let out a deep breath, sank into the bed, and drifted into a long, well-earned sleep, pushing aside any worries that might come for him later.

    ------------------------- Author''s Note -------------------------

    To make things simpler for both myself and the readers, the currency in this novel will be called the Apomis Dollar, with a value equivalent to the US Dollar in real life.

    I''m doing this because it''s easier to understand and manage rather than creating an entirely new fictional currency with its own value system, which isn''t the main focus here.