I was stunned, as were the judges. I looked down at the child, who was actually me, and he looked back at me. We stared at each other, two people with the same face. It felt like looking in a mirror.

The child-me cried and asked in a hoarse voice, "Have you seen my mom?"

Before I could respond, he continued, "If not, then my dad?"

The child-me cried loudly, in pain and distress. It was heartbreaking to witness, especially because it was myself. But for some reason, I felt numb.

As I stood there, my eyes dull, I heard another sound. This time, it was mocking laughter and the sound of someone being beaten.

I turned my head and saw four people in camouflage uniforms gathered together. In the center, a boy was huddled on the ground. Amidst his cries, I could hear their cruel words.

"I punched you once and you're already on the ground? Pathetic."

"How can someone be so weak? Even a girl is stronger than you."

"He may have the highest score and the best aim, but it means nothing if he can't fight on a real battlefield."

They laughed and mocked the boy, kicking him repeatedly. He didn't fight back, just crouched there, covering his head. His body was covered in bruises, and his military uniform was torn. His eyes were lifeless.

Then, I heard another sound from the other direction.

To my left, a boy was engrossed in his computer. Notifications kept ringing, and messages appeared on the screen.

[ProPlayer09: Sorry dude, but I'm quitting the game. It sucks.]

[PrettyPretty886: There's no ending. I hate this game for tricking me into playing.]

[Chicken_Winner: It doesn't make sense anymore. I'm sorry, but I have to quit too. You should too.]

I watched as the number of players decreased rapidly until only one was left.

All of these scenes played out before me, and all of the people in them were me.

I realized that this was all part of the trial. How could I pass this test? Should I help them? Or should I kill them? Countless thoughts raced through my mind, but I couldn't find a definite answer.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I didn't know the answer yet, but my body moved on its own. I walked aimlessly, passing by the child, the boy in the military, and the boy on the computer. Finally, I stopped and saw my present self before I entered this game.

I saw myself sitting on the ground, back against the wall, head lowered, motionless.

My lips tightened, and I reached out my hand towards myself. A dagger appeared in my hand, aimed at my present self. In a cold tone, I asked, "Do you still want to live?"

I waited, minutes passing by. Finally, my present self slowly raised his head and looked at me. We locked eyes, and he spoke in a barely audible voice. He mumbled to himself, and I grew impatient. "Speak up."

My present self continued to stare at me, then closed his eyes and said, "Kill me."

Anger surged within me, and I stabbed him, the dagger barely reaching his neck. Blood dripped, but he remained motionless. I couldn't help but yell, "How long are you going to lie there like that? Isn't it pathetic?"

"But I am pathetic," my present self replied. He spoke without emotion, "I was abandoned by my family, bullied for being weak, left alone... I am just pathetic."

His words only fueled my anger. "So you're not going to do anything to change your pathetic state?"

He sighed deeply, sadness in his voice. "I'm tired."

My eyes shook, and I lowered them, biting my lip until I tasted blood. My hands trembled, and the judge grew anxious, thinking it was over. But then...

I threw the dagger away and grabbed my present self by the collar. I said, "I understand... I understand what you mean."

"It's tiring, isn't it? Reality is exhausting and challenging. That's why most people give up."

My present self listened silently. When I raised my head, he looked stunned. Instead of the anger or sadness he expected, I showed something else. My eyes narrowed, and a painful smile formed on my lips. "But I have a purpose."

My present self's eyes widened slowly. I continued, "When I played the game [Arcana: Online], I found purpose. And now, I'm in the fantasy world I've always wanted to be in."

"I have more purpose now."

"That's why I can't die. I need to live, to keep going."

"That's why--"

"--Live on"

Crack!

Suddenly, the place began to crack like glass, and my present self started to shatter.

I widened my eyes, but before he completely shattered, he smiled at me and said, "Thank you."

The entire place shattered, and my consciousness started to fade. Before I lost consciousness, I saw a familiar white aura and fainted. [Congratulations for completing the stage [Nightmare]! You have now officially entered the hidden place where the 'Core of Light' is embedded!]

…

"Z-…"

"Ze-…"

"Zero!"

I woke up abruptly, panting, and found myself staring at a stone ceiling. I rubbed my forehead and sat up, relieved to see my bag beside me. Claire was sobbing with relief.

"What happened?" I groaned, and Claire explained that I had disappeared when she saw "me" and realized we were in a test. She quickly cleared it since she knew it was a test.

I was confused. How did she clear it so easily? Even though I knew it was a test, it wasn't easy to complete. But she seemed to have no trouble at all.

A private message appeared before me. [Judge "Iris" whispers, "Shh, she doesn't know yet that her mentality level is an S-Level."]

What? How does she have such a high level? I had looked at her status, but it didn't show her mentality level. Maybe my appraisal skill needs an upgrade.

I had countless thoughts racing through my mind as I twitched my lips. I reached for my water bottle and drank from it before offering it to Claire. She resolutely refused, and I couldn't understand why, but I let it go.

Unbeknownst to me, Claire was thinking something ridiculous. 'Oh no! He's asking me to drink from the same bottle he drank from! Is he trying to have an indirect kiss? I'm going insane!'

Suddenly, I remembered something. I had accidentally revealed my secret out loud. I awkwardly asked the judge, "So, what about my [Nightmare]?"

[Judge "Ares" was angry and scoffed, "There were a lot of cut-out lines when you were speaking! I suspect it's the doing of those damn magicians!"]

I was surprised but relieved. They still didn't know that I wasn't from this universe and that their entire world was just a game.

Lost in thought, we were interrupted by a loud explosion. We turned to see a temple, and without hesitation, Claire and I nodded at each other.

We cautiously approached the temple, but suddenly stopped as we saw someone being thrown

out of the gate. It was a person!

We were startled as the person crashed into a wall but managed to stand up. He had fiery crimson hair and scarlet eyes, a unique and abnormal appearance. He held a sword and spat out blood, clearly in dismay.

As I looked at him closely, I realized he was the character of [Chicken_Winner], the rival of one of my characters.

Azazel Crimson!