The sudden harmonic 9 am.

“Rei, did you bring it?”

“H-Here Shiara-san the 3300 yen!”

“Oh, not bad Rei, you really did bring me that entire yen I told you to bring, good thing you’re a useful retard, haha!”

“Oi, oi, Shiara-san, make him lick the floor again!”

“Yeah, make him!”

“You heard them Rei. Lick it.”

“Eh… B-But I gave you the money as you asked me, so why do I have to lick the floor again?”

“Asked you? Retard, I said you had to bring me the money or else I would fucking destroy you. What part of that did you not get? Now, lick the fucking floor already, Rei!”

“B-But why me..?”

“Because you’re a coward Rei, so fucking coward that you have no choice but to give money to me.”

“That’s right, that’s right, you coward, useless prick!”

Believe it or not, I have never done anything wrong to them, it’s been like this since the 5th grade and now it’s the 7th grade. So, why is it that I’m treated like this? Seriously, who cares, I’ll just lick the floor as he asked me. Fighting back is suicide, I will end in the hospital, besides, I’m too much of a coward to ever make a move against Shiara.

“Y-Yeah, I’ll do that!”

“Get on with it, you deepshit.”

“Hahaha, he’s really doing it, hey, take a picture, picture!”

A picture? But that will go on social media, I can’t let that happen.

“No, please don’t take a picture, I beg of you!”

“Shut the fuck up, Rei! Who the fuck gave you the permission to speak, lick the damn floor, you spineless weakling!”

Getting slapped could have been the least I would get, but I had it coming, being pushed down to the wall, while Shiara grabs my shirt up, without wasting any haste, a punch slides right into my face.

“Like that, Rei? Who’s the fucking greatest, uh!? Who is it!?”

“Y-You are Shiara, I’m so sorry!”

“You got that right!”

Somehow I thought it would end there. It didn’t. A continuous barrage of punches hit my nose to the point where it broke. Along with multiple kicks to my pelvis, I was unable to move a hitch.

“Oi, Shiara, the teachers, man! We can’t get caught, dude!”

“Tsk. Later, Rei, also bring me 1500 yen by lunchtime or else I’ll fucking break you apart.”

On top of being in the middle of the public hall of the main block, Shiara spits on me to end it off. That’s normal though.

 A weakling like me has no choice but to get along with the strong like Shiara. There’s nothing I could have done, accepting the situation as it is was the best call.

“Look at him, he’s so beat up.”

“Oh, you mean Rei? Yeah, he’s Shiara’s dog. He does anything he says, he even gets beaten up whenever he asks him to. What a loser.

It feels so bad. Receiving judgment from people that have nothing to do with it and those who just assume the situation by the eye. Still, they are right, unfortunately. Besides, I need to go to the nurse to receive treatment for my wounds.

“I’m sorry, Rei! We are closed for today!”

“… I see.”

“It’s nothing personal but it’s just that we… are having an important business here, so this place is off limits for today.”

“I understand, thank you very much.”

If my hearing doesn’t fail me, I heard a voice saying “Hewara-san, the bed is getting colder, come quickly.” It doesn’t surprise me at all; people in this school just lie to me so much it has become a habit. Also, that was a man’s voice, so there really isn’t any difficulty on guess what they were doing back there.

“I have to get back to class, though.”

Eventually entering the classroom, the stares that would surround me would be nothing new. It’s always like this, their voices are silent yet their thoughts are so loud and identical that I can take a few guesses for sure. “He got beat up again.” “Loser.” “Weakling” “Fight back for once at least, you spineless coward.” Something like that. Whatever, it’s all normalcy after all.

“Rei-kun, what… happened to your nose?”

“Ah, this? I fell down the stairs a while ago and since the nurse is closed today, I couldn’t get it healed in time, I’m sorry, sensei.”

“… I see. Be careful next time when walking into the stairs.”

“Aye.”

Lying to sensei is also something that was a daily thing. With every encounter with Shiara, there was a wound. How ridiculous.

1 pm.

Time passes eventually to the point where it would be lunchtime. Meeting up with Shiara to bring him the 1500 yen was issued by him, however, I don’t possess such yen with me right now, so I’ll just take my leave and go home for today. Skipping a class or two is alright, plus I don’t think I can take this anymore; it’s mentally draining me having to do this routine every day.

“Ah, I need to go shopping halfw-“

Something interrupted my speech. I wish I didn’t look up, but I had to. Recognizing his smell was no difficult task. Honestly, how unlucky can one get?

“Well, well, if it isn’t Rei. You got my yen?”

“S-Shiara, l-look can I give you the 1500 yen tomorrow?”

“Uh? No way in fucking hell, who do you think you are to make demands like that? Aren’t you getting a little bit out of the order, Rei!? Come with me; let’s have a talk, shall we?”

Anyone can take a wild guess at what happened next. Round 2 or rebound. Pick whichever suits you better. Normally whenever there is a second chance, the loser gets a massive turn around on the previous winner; however that was not the case. Not today.

1:30 pm.

“Bring me 3000 yen tomorrow, or else I’ll kill you for real, fucker.”

I couldn’t even reply, my mouth was so damaged just from the morning beating and now getting a beating like this? Forget that, I want to lie here but I can’t. I would, but I can’t, that’s the thing.

“Shime for topping, I suess.”

That was me trying to spell “Time for shopping, I guess.”. It was plainly obvious that talking was an issue, so getting up would be a pain in the ass too. Still, missing the daily shopping would get my mother and father mad, so I absolutely can’t miss that.

Luckily for me, I always hid extra money inside my secret pocket located in the first pocket of my jeans, so I have a few to spare which means that the shopping is possible.

1.45pm.

Roughly taking fifteen minutes to get to the store was painful. Usually getting to the store would take me about seven or eight minutes, but thanks to these injuries it took me double that time if not more.

“Welcome!”

I couldn’t speak, so I waved to the young lady on the balcony as a mean to reply back. Let’s see… Six beers and meat for my father should do the trick. As for my mother she probably wants a pack of cigarettes. Time to scan the shop for the products, then.

“Ah! I only have… 700 yen… All of that costs 900 yen, which means that I’ll have to leave aside something. Probably the pack of cigarettes honestly. No choice then…”

Directing myself to the balcony would be the next step but against all odds the products that I had in hand all fall to the floor. Bam.

“No way…”

“Mister, are you okay!?”

The reception lady comes over in my direction while sprinting. She’s seriously beautiful, but I wouldn’t stare at her for longer than 1 second since she might assume that I’m a pervert or something.

“I’m sorry, I’ll get this right away, I really am so sorry.”

“Here, let me help you.”

That was so lame. It’s not even the fact that I was helped out by a beautiful lady like her. No. The fact that I was so weak to the point where I lead such light products to fall. Just what am I doing honestly…

“Thank you, I’ll get the rest to the balcony, lady.”

“Will that be all, mister?”

“Yes.”

“Then it will be 900 yen.”

“What? But I read it was 700 yen…”

“Um… I’m sorry mister, but it’s 900 yen…”

“I see…”

Did I seriously saw the wrong price tag?

“I-If you don’t mind, I can pay for you since you seem to be out of money…”

Is she taking pity on me? Damn, am I really that weak it’s visible to this point? I’m fine with being labeled as a loser for the most part, but to a girl, I just met? You’ve got to be kidding me.

“That’s alright. I will only take what can be affordable with 700 yen. Don’t worry.”

“Eh? Are you sure, mister?”

“I am.”

“…Very well, then I will remove the pork ribs and the cigarettes.”

Father and mother will be furious, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

“Oh my! What happened to your nose, mister?!”

Shit, she noticed? Not even masking it with my clothing will do apparently.

“I fell down the stairs, thanks for the help back then, now, bye.”

“A-Aye… Bye.”

What an angel, although that thought really won’t do much good, there is no way that such a pretty lady isn’t with someone else already… Dreaming about it will do nothing in the end, besides I have to make haste or I will miss the bus to home.

2.15pm.

“I’m home.”

“Welcome home, Rei! D-Did you bring it?”

Presenting my greedy mother she starts off with a quest of greed. “It” was refereeing to the cigarettes, of course. Needless to say is, her expression would change once I delivered the truth.

Right now she’s wearing a smile. A fake one. Smiles can be easily exposed to the relevance if they are legit or not by telling truths. This scenario was no different.

“I’m sorry mother; they were out of cigarettes…”

“…Is that so? Then go buy on a different store, child.”

“B-But I don’t have…”

“You don’t have?”

“I don’t have money…”

“You…How can you be so…”

“Mother, calm down, please. You’re tired, you need to rest.”

My only choice was to try to convince my mother that she needed to do another activity to distract her from the current situation since she was about to snap by the looks of it.

“Honey. Come here.”

“What is it?”

“Rei is behaving badly, educate him!”

It didn’t work and for a worse turn, she has called him…

“Son, come here.”

“Y-Yes father.”

“What happened? Why did you make your mother angry?”

“I-I did no such thing…”

“Honey, he’s lying!”

“I’m serious, father I didn’t do anyt-

How normal is it for a father to beat his own child? Considering the global circumstances, I would say it’s quite often and the fact stands that domestic violence is arguably one of the most common activities in families, unfortunately.

Now, let’s imagine a scenario where both the father and the mother would turn their backs against their child. No, that’s wrong, they never turned their backs. It was always like this. Yes, this is the reality and so was the punch that I just received.

“Rei! How many times do I have to tell you to behave yourself like a good child and do what you are told!”

“I-I’m sorry, I will go and buy some!”

“If you don’t come back with what I asked you this morning, you are not allowed to enter this house anymore.”

“Eh, but that’s…”

“Do I have to fucking punch you once again for you to get going, Rei!?”

That’s cruel. It shouldn’t be like this. What happened to the smiles you two had not so long ago? I see… They were never there, were there?

“I will go now. I’m humbly sorry for the trouble I caused you.”

There isn’t much point into trying to talk with them like they were my parents. Make no mistake, they are biologically my parents, there isn’t a shred of doubt about that. However, does that mean that they have to act like ones?

If given the thought on this matter, there isn’t a reason for them to act like parents for me. All people that say otherwise are too blind to see the truth. The truth being; rules are the restriction that make fool’s actions seem all fine. What a lie.

2.45pm.

“They said that but… I have no money, so how exactly am I supposed to buy them…”

One thing is for sure. If I don’t come back with the products I won’t be able to return home, so what should I do in this situation…

“Help, someone, stop that thief!”

A loud shout coming from my right was heard loud and clear, an old lady claiming that a person who was running was a thief. It wasn’t hard to believe, although, nothing could be done about it. That’s what you receive for managing a store at your age. The thief obviously got away, not to mention that I got an idea…

“Let’s give it a try.”

2.50pm.

Having nothing else to do is easily solvable by doing something else. It’s quite simple. By that logic, I enter the most nearby store, to be more precise, it’s the store that just got robbed and what I was about to do would violate any law regarding shop assaults.

“W-Welcome…”

That was perhaps the most unenthusiastic “welcome” that I have ever received in my entire life, but it was normal considering what just happened.

“Now then…”

Since it’s an old lady there should be no consequences of doing this. I grab the nearby pack of cigarettes and the pork limbs while putting them in my bag.

The bag was the exact same that I used to buy the rest of the products from the other store so it should be fine. The hard part would be how to execute the plan while escaping without being caught.

That’s right, an escape without the old lady noticing what I was doing, which was undoubtedly stealing. I don’t want to do this; this old lady has suffered a moral defeat just by being stolen by that thief so doing this is wrong. I know that. I know. Still… I have to… or else I won’t have a home to return to.

“Don’t think badly of me for this…”

A total of 10 bottles fall right down to the floor due to me dragging them down.

“H-Hey, what are you doing, young man!?”

“Woah, I’m so sorry, I’m so clumsy, I can’t believe that I did this…”

It was now or never, there wasn’t even a debate regarding this, it’s a do or die.

“Honestly… You youths are so…”

“Sorry.”

“Ah, there is no need to worry! I may be old, but I can still pull out a few tricks of my sleeve!”

Running as fast as one could, I make my way out of the store and sprint out as fast as I can.

“Hey, you! Come back here! Police! Somebody! Help me!”

It’s really unlucky honestly. The fact that that thief got away without nobody going after him but now I am being chased down, although it’s by the old lady and an old man that was also in the store.

Fuck. I didn’t want to do this, but I had no choice, why can’t you understand!? I won’t ever bother you, so let me go, please!

“Go away please!”

I’m not sure as to why I thought that shouting that would work, it wouldn’t obviously. Eventually running up to the point where both the old lady and the old man would lag behind I manage to escape. I can now return home.

“Finally… I outran them… I can now…”

“Hand over the cigarettes.”

No way. Is this really happening? After I did all of this, this happens? God, are you mocking me, damn it!? What’s worse is that the guy who is in front of me was the thief that just stole the same store I just did... So this is what they meant by karma…

“I-I can’t, sorry!”

“Don’t fuck with me kid. I have a revolver right in my pocket. Give me the damn cigarettes or I’ll fucking blow your head off!”

He’s serious, that movement he just did proves it. While emerging his hand into his pocket he secretly pulls out a revolver and threatens me.

“Be a good dog and give me what I want and nobody gets hurt!”

“A-Alright, here…”

With no choice left, I handed over my last hope, now I have no place to stay tonight.

“Hehehe… That’s a good dog, now run, go away!”

“Y-Yes…”

I don’t think I’ve ever been this much humiliated as I am being today. This is certainly a new record, that’s for sure.

4 pm.

Welcome to my life. My name is Kige Rei. I have 18 years old and I hate my life. I probably should have said this sooner since telling someone this late in the game this won’t make any difference because it’s plain as a day that my hatred for my own life is crystal clear. Regardless of hating my life, I live on. Also, to my surprise, I encountered a familiar face.

“My, my if it isn’t Rei-kun! Shiara is pretty pissed about you leaving the school like that, you should return before it’s too late.”

The familiar face was no other than Helena, in other words, Shiara’s girlfriend, or at least I think.

“Sorry… I’ll return soon…”

“Is saying sorry all you can do? Honestly, get a grip, you’re so sad.”

“Hahaha… I’m sorry…”

“You did it again! Are you the type of person who does everything that the other tells you?”

“I wonder…”

This isn’t good. Although we have never had a conversation like this, I’ve watched her, after all, this time while being bullied by Shiara, she’s the type of woman that always has evil intentions. If so, I have to get away.

“Well, I’ll be taking my leave see yo-“

“Stop.”

“Eh?”

“I have a request for you.”

A request? Just make it quick, I really am not in the mood for this anymore…

“W-What is it?”

“Before telling you the request, I should tell you something. By doing this request it will give you total freedom! The type of freedom that frees you from all sorts of restraints that you have in life! Anyone would want that, isn’t that right, Rei-kun”

“I-I guess you are right, Helena-san.”

“Then, do you want that freedom, Rei-kun?”

“Why are you asking me this, Helena-san?”

“Just give me a yes or no.”

“Well then, my answer would be… yes.”

“Is that so!? Then… end yourself.”

Eh? What was that? I must have heard the wrong words for some reason. Checking again doesn’t hurt so going with that decision isn’t too bad.

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you well, Helena-san. Could you repeat what you have just sad?”

“Hm… I guess I wasn’t very specific was I… Then, let me rephrase it, Rei-kun.”

Helena takes a huge deep breath and proceeds onward with her words.

“Kill yourself, Rei-kun.”

“Eh?”

“You heard me.”

So I wasn’t hearing things, she really did say it…

“A-Are you kidding me? Why would I kill myself?”

“I thought you would say that! Don’t worry; I have reasoning for this, really.”

“I don’t care about your stupid reasoning; it’s my life, so I have no reason to listen to you.”

“Now, now. Is there a reason as to why you should be alive in the first place?”

“Of course!”

“Then, tell me. What’s your reason for living?”

“That’s…”

I have no obligation to answer her question, but it’s not as if it’s an obligation, it’s a question, not an actual demand although it resembles it.

“Let me guess, you don’t have one. I’m going to take your silence for a no.”

“…”

“Hahaha, so I was right!”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. It just disgusts me how people like you who have no will to live just keep on living. Do you have any idea of how much of trouble you are?”

Trouble? What’s that supposed to mean? I don’t recall ever doing something to her; just what is she on about…

“…Shut up…”

Although I said that silently, it came out louder than expected.

“Rei-kun, what did you just say?”

“N-Nothing…”

“You just told me to shut up, didn’t you?”

“N-No, you’re wrong…”

“Listen here, Rei-kun. If you come by school tomorrow, I will tell Shiara to publicly humiliate you. Beat you up so hard you will end in the hospital. You should know what he’s capable of, shouldn’t you?”

“…I’m taking my leave…”

“Remember my words well, Rei-kun.”

What the hell. Why? How? Why? Why? How come? Was it me? Let’s try and ever recall the one time I tried to do something that would upset Shiara to the point where I would have to get bullied daily. Recall… No… There is nothing… So why..?

“Damn it… What the hell… am I supposed to…”

Even though my day was going horribly, there was one thing that didn’t go horrible. The weather, along with the beautiful water flowing in the river. Sitting in the river bank was probably one of the best choices one could do at this exact time.

 A river bank allows me to always remain calm since it has a peaceful air into it. The epidemic of peace. An everlasting utopia. That’s right. I’ll just remain here forever. What’s so wrong with it? Nothing.

Screw having to go to school. I’m fine here. This is where I want to be. A place where nothing can reach me. A cheerful harmony of birds singing fills up my ears in the most pleasant of ways. Even being hurt doesn’t mean you can’t smile.

“Oh well, I’ll try and sleep, this grass is clean so it doesn’t sound bad…”

An average person takes a while to sleep however; to me it’s a completely different story. Sleep is relative, so I just have to tire myself to the point where it’s not even relative anymore. I’m so tired. So tired. Can’t I take a day off? From all this torment? Is this a nightmare? If so, please end it, I don’t like it.

“S-Stop, please! Get away from me, you creep!”

“Hehe, come on… Let’s have some fun, come on, come on!”

My dreams are weird. Perhaps it’s wrong to call them dreams, they are mostly nightmares, aren’t they? Still, this one feels awfully real. A scenario where a beautiful lady is being chased by a creep. Ah, you are getting yourself into trouble lady, call the police or something or else you’re done for.

“Help! Please somebody help me, I’m going to get killed, somebody, please! Help me!”

“Kill you? God, no. I’m going to do something way more fun than that. It would be a waste to kill someone with a body like yours!”

“No!!”

This dream is getting weird. I don’t like it. Honestly, how come a dream ends up like this…? No matter, I will just wake up and stare at the bottom river. Problem solved, now back to normal.

“So weird…”

As I wake up, opening my eyes would be my first priority of course. Regardless of that task, there was one thing that I couldn’t get rid of. The voices that were supposed to be in my dream keep on getting louder. Why?

“W-What are you do-“

“Shut the fuck up already, nobody is coming to your rescue, give up already!”

The desperate man desperately blocks the lady’s speech by tapping his hand on her mouth. A smart move yet that wasn’t the most important thing that I should be looking at right now. It’s real. It wasn’t a dream. Reality speaks out loud.

“I can’t believe this… Just how… What am I supposed to do here…?”

It’s ironic. Normally this would be where the hero shines yet not in this reality of mine. There is no way for me to do anything here. I’m sorry lady; you probably deserved someone better in this situation.

A person that would come running in a flash to rescue you from that creep and then you’d be happy about it. I’m sorry. I’m humbly, deeply sorry. I’m no hero. The blood of a coward runs within me.

4.30pm.

What am I still doing in here? Why didn’t I just go away? I couldn’t bear to watch but my presence still remained in here, patiently waiting for the creep to finish his business just so I could ask the lady if she was fine.

That’s the correct thing to do, right? Ask somebody that is probably hurt and comfort that person just so they don’t feel so bad about it. That’s correct, this was the correct call.

After waiting for a brief 10 minutes I decide to patrol around. Not to my surprise, I caught a lady crying, so I went up to do the correct decision.

“L-Lady, is everything alright?”

She was crying, but it was perfectly normal. In a matter of fact, crying after getting herself done like that is probably the minimum, she must…

“Y-You… were watching?”

“Eh? N-No I was just strolling by…”

“Liar. I saw you on the north riverbank… Why didn’t you come to my rescue…”

“Y-You’re wrong, I was seriously just strolling b-“

“Liar! You damn liar! I was getting myself violated yet you… coward! Go and die!”

“W-Wait!”

She ran off. I’m not sure what I was expecting. Ah, I get it. Under the chance that I was seen as someone who truly was just strolling by, I would have been fine and the chances of me comforting that lady might have been high.

That was not the case, though. I was seen. I suppose I had this coming. Also, I was told to die. That’s the second person on the same day that tells me to die. I’m starting to think that it’s not such a bad idea.

5 pm.

“Alright, I’m here…”

To fully explain where I was… Well, it was a normal bridge. No, I’m wrong. It wasn’t quite normal. It was the Kyoto Bridge, the bridge that is 100 meters tall. At the bottom lies the Ryaku Lake. The lake has a 30-meter profundity, so the moment one gets there… Yes, there is no going back, unless it’s by swimming. Luckily for me, I can’t swim.

“It’s time then… I hope the next world treats me better than this one…”

The time has come, now I just have to get myself on the Bridge’s border and jump off. Easy. It’s so easy, isn’t it? Yes, it is. Then why am I…

“C-Come on, this isn’t the time to be joking around body, just g-get on with it…”

The truth is, when it comes to suicide, nobody wants to truly do it. It’s a horrifying experience to go through. To end your life is almost as similar as when you start a game and you achieve very high progress yet by your own choice you choose to cut all that progress.

 Ah, but wait. That doesn’t apply to me. So it’s fine. I didn’t do any progress after all. If I had to say, I was stuck at a point and I could never go any further.

“Alright, I’m going to do it, it will be quick, I just have to close my eyes and I will be gone in seconds. That’s right. No fear, let’s do this!”

As a way to gather all my wits, I put myself on the tip of the bridge while many people watch me from the sideline.

Some from their cars which are in the middle of the road or some that are just strolling by. I don’t care though. It will be all over for me, so me getting viewed by some strangers is completely partial.

“One, two, th-“

No way. No way, no way. This is impossible, I can’t do it. How do people even suicide without facing this immense fear!? It’s not possible, I’ll just think better about th-

“Eh?”

It failed to alert me, but I accidentally tripped, so as we speak, I’m currently falling over.

“Um, isn’t that the mister from earlier what is he doing there… W-Wait, he’s falling!”

Not so far away, the voice from the beautiful lady from which I bought some products earlier wouldn’t reach my ears, but I could see her. She was there. How pathetic, to kill myself in front of her. It doesn’t matter anymore, this is… the end.

“Goodbye, world.”

They say that life flashes before your eyes when you die. However… How come that isn’t happening? Who cares, it’s probably just a rumor anyways because all I could see was a dark blue vast water space.

“Kyaa! It’s a suicide!”

“Dear God…”

Why are they even saying that? I don’t know any of you and you don’t know me. So shut up. Shut the hell up. Were all of you that caring? No, you weren’t. You didn’t even stop me from jumping, so really… just… shut up…

“Hey... Hey, wake up; this is no time to be sleeping.”

My consciousness is finally backed into it. It worked. It really worked; I have regressed into another world. Yes! So the suicide wasn’t in vain, now it’s time for me to enjoy this new life.

“Hmm…”

“So you are awake, get up already, I’ve been calling you out for 5 minutes already, I know you aren’t dead, so come on…”

“Where am I..?”

“You’re up. About time. Um, you are in the borderline.”

“Borderline..?”

What is this “borderline”? Where is my new world? A new world isn’t a fully white room, right? So how come I am in one right now?

“Say, is this your first time here?”

First time here? What’s that supposed to mean?

“Uh, I believe so…”

“S-Seriously… Oh no…Well then… Here is a question for you, what do you want to do from now on?”

“From now on?”

I’m totally clueless about the situation, wasn’t I supposed to be transported to a new world? And how come there is only a voice speaking… Is this God? It’s not even a person but only a voice? Perhaps I’m not worthy of being in its presence uh…

“For you to have reached the borderline, it means that you have most likely died, right? No, you one hundred percent died, that’s for sure. So, let me rephrase my question… What were you expecting to find or be in when you died?”

“A new world, I think.”

Just like that, a simple answer came out flying out of my mouth, there were no doubts, I desired a completely new and different world from my previous one.

“Hahaha!! That’s what they all say; you really aren’t any different, in the end!”

Uh? Why is God laughing? Did I say something funny...?

“Hey God, why are you laughing?”

“I’m not God. My name is Galatea. Also, don’t question me, you peasant.”

“…Is that so… But what did you mean by “That’s what they all say..?” Is that really a common wish among the dead?”

“Yes. You have no idea how many people like you simply end their lives to supposedly embrace this “new world”. Well, you’ll find out what I mean soon enough. Also, nice to meet you, Rei-kun. We will be together from now on, whether you like it or not.”

Uh? I have no idea what this Galatea is going on about…

“Ah, I forgot to mention. You want to be in a new world, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then, sign up the contract in your hands, would you?”

“Eh? What contr-“

Apparently, this Galatea has divine powers or something, that’s the only logical explanation since a huge metallic piece of paper just fell in my hands.

“By signing up the contract, you really will be taken into a… well, new world…”

“Really!? Then, I’ll sign up then.”

Wait, something is wrong. It’s not something, it’s some things by the looks of it. Two things to be more precise. One, why was Galatea so reluctant to say those words just a moment ago? It’s like she’s… hiding something…

Also, secondly, there is no pen. No matter the circumstance signing up a contract requires you to fill up your name in the name space. I see the name space, but not the pen…

“Um, Galat-“

“Ah, one more thing. Be sure to read the contract fully without missing anything. Otherwise, it might lead to unpleasant misunderstandings and such.”

The contract is way too long for me to read it. You can’t expect me or anyone to have the patience to read this essay. I’ll just pretend I have already read it instead.

“Already done.”

“W-What!? N-No way, you can read that fast?”

“That’s right, but Galatea, listen… How would you sign this contract?”

The option to make that question a question that would force her indirect correct answer wasn’t a bad move, but still, her being aware of my real intention would be crucial, that being, knowing how to sign the contract.

Having no remorse towards this creature just makes it all the easier, if by some chance that remorse would exist then it would be troublesome, however, utilizing every opportunity that falls in the palm of my hand to become a new being in this new world is an obligatory mission on my part.

“Don’t be so impatient. I was right about getting on that part.”

Her sudden shrug facial expression turned into a full serious expression on her part, which could mean that she was about to deliver a very great deal of serious information on her steed.

“The contract is signed with blood.”

That’s it? What sort of second rate type of information is that? Knowing that can only get me so far. To ensure more certainty within this contract signing up deal, there is a strong necessity to confirm a few things first.

“I have three questions, is it fine with you if you answer them?”

Boldly stating those words might have not been the most correct move, regardless of whether or not it was the correct move, there is something that only the current me could determine as a truthful truth.

Humans or any type of creatures capable of feeling emotions all want to feel a certain type of affection. To feel that affection there is one method that is the most efficient when it comes to that.

Of course, knowing this could only come from the very fact that not so long ago, all that I’ve been doing was creating affection towards the same type of people who share that same characteristic.

“That’s bold of you, asking me, of all people the permission to grant you such a difficult and primordial task!”

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It seems that I’m dealing with the easiest type of beings there is, a selfless child at its most accurate form. Very well, this should be a wrap.

“I’m sorry. It was pure bad manners on my part to boldly ask you to grant me such a task. Let me rephrase what I just said moments ago.”

Taking a deep breath here might seem unnecessary, but it won’t be for naught. Galatea will see that my truest effort is being put on the line and will consider my question, hopefully.

“My Goddess, could you grant me the wish to become worthy of your listening, please?”

Alright! This should do the trick. There is no doubt about this. Certainty will reach me.

“…”

…It’s been 30 seconds. Galatea, this is awkward, please break this silence. What is something that was said by my part that caused this abrupt silence? Perhaps it was my fault for being too formal. Still, that’s not the most problematic part here. This room is white yet that’s all there is to it. It holds no objects, it holds… nothing. My body weight, however, is completely light; it’s as if weight doesn’t apply itself in this room.

 Wait, is it even alright to call this a room? The idea of me calling this a room comes from the simplistic assumption that this is a finite space hence the room assumption, but what if this is a… infinite space? No way, no way. How can that be?

“How…”

She’s back. Using this chance is my only hope because for some reason it feels as if Galatea could leave this place at any time now.

“Hey, you’re back to speaking again, my Goddess!”

Dropping the formality here is supposedly way too early, so using the persistence on my part could be the right decision.

“…”

Unfortunately, we are back to this silence. This dreadful and awkward silence that resemble a powerful impermanence. No choice then, this is shameful, but trying to randomly talk to this voice might be it.

Besides, I’m used to being in a shameful spot, so if by some chance there is a moment where it resembles the embodiment of embarrassment, the only thing that needs to be done is to recall what I truly am. A damned, shameful excuse of a weakling.

“Why did you go silent, my Goddess? Was it my words that disturbed you?”

How’s that!? Keeping up this formal pressure must be doing something, right!? Again, once again.

“It’s just you and me here, right? I don’t mind. I will be here for as long as it takes, so take your time and come up with an answer, Goddess Galatea.”

This isn’t enough it seems, since the silence still prologues, it’s time to unleash my ultimate weapon, this will be a definitive hit.

“I know this is sudden, but I have come up with a song. However, it’s not just any song. No, it’s a song in honor towards the most beautiful and greatest Goddess of all, Galatea!”

Saying that singing a song is a total embarrassment would not be an understatement, because that’s just the truth. First things first, addressing the closure to this silence can only be done by putting myself in a position where that condition can be met.

“Here we go… One, two, th-“

“Stop it already!”

It worked. I’m grateful that this possible embarrassing development led to a conclusion. To my bad luck, that was not the conclusion.

 A brimful yet shining-like portal was being opened within the supposed room that I was in. What was more interesting was that a girl was going through that portal.

 Long light purple hair with two golden bracelets on her wrist. That’s right, it was a she all along, but that was easy to determine because the voice that was speaking to me moments ago was without a doubt of a female.

Plus, her clothes are absolutely out of this world, a white skirt that somehow shines? This confirms it; this is beyond my casual reality.

“Do you have any idea how annoying you are?!”

“I’m sorry; it’s just that you wouldn’t talk so I had to conduct a few secondary maneuvers. I meant no harm; I just need you to tell me how to sign up this contract, that’s all.”

“Shut up! I told you already, it’s with blood, but first! You asked me if I could answer a few of your questions, didn’t you?”

She’s right there, also, she’s too close, too close. This is bad, I’m not good at dealing with girls, especially charming ones. Galatea was no different, she was undoubtedly charming, but that’s irrelevant now.

 What drives me is to seek the other horizon, the gateway towards this new world. Love and anything else can come later, so I’ll have to sacrifice my inner shyness to get through this phase. With that said, backing down here is not an option, besides, what could go wrong?

“That’s right. If you could answer me a few questions first, then that would be amazing.”

“Y-You have a lot of nerve to make yourself so high in front of a Goddess like me. You’re the first one to ever make an entrance with such confidence like that. Very well, I will answer any of your questions as a reward, but only if you answer mine after another. Let’s say, you ask me a question. I will give you the answer if I can and then I will ask a question and you will do the same. Do you agree?”

That’s fair and honestly; it helps me a lot more than it does to her. It’s beyond me how someone like me can have any supposed answer to a being which is probably beyond my comprehension.

“Um, that’s fine, if you’re okay with it, then I am indifferent on that matter.”

“That’s great! By the way, since we are going to be talking for a while, do you want something to eat or drink?”

A supposed self-proclaimed Goddess went from calling me annoying to asking me if I want to eat or drink. There is only one logical explanation for this. This is all a dream.

 That must be it. It just wouldn’t make any sense how someone’s life could go so horribly wrong where he has to kill himself to possibly attempt to resolve his own life issue.

It’s all a dream. A very long dream where I meet a girl out of self-interest. If that’s the case, then living this dream might not be such a bad idea, after all.

“Since this is a dream anything goes, right? Then, I would like a simple bread with butter to eat and cold coffee to drink.”

“A dream? Are you an idiot? This is reality… Also, I don’t know how to make that, so I will give you my favorite, which is… ration.”

“So you’re saying that you can’t do a simple thing such as grabbing a knife and spreading butter on bread’s surface? Aye, this is a dream indeed, there is no way that a self-proclaimed Goddess wouldn’t be able to do anything that simple, after all, Goddesses are perfect, haha!”

“Don’t laugh at me! It’s the truth, but if you think that you can easily mock me, then you are wrong, behold!”

“Sure thing, do your be-“

Wait, is this real? How come? What just happened? Wishing to describe such a scenario would be correct, but to my surprise that was not possible. A table along with two chairs suddenly appeared in the air, almost as if it was pure magic. Ah, this is a dream, so anything goes.

“How was that!?”

“Haha, if you’re expecting praise, then you are a fool! This is a dream, hence the reason as to why you are capable of doing that!”

“Hah!? What are you on about! I keep telling you, this is no dream! What I just did was something that even a beginner could do… Ah, but I guess since you have no knowledge about the outside dimensions then you would assume that this is unreal… I see. So that’s why you think this is a dream! Shall I slap you to see if this is a dream or not?”

A slap should do. She’s right. How come this idea didn’t come flowing right into my mind sooner…

“If you don’t mind… Please, slap me!”

As soon as those words came out from my mouth, she begins to draw distance. In all seriousness, that was absolutely what people would call a “Creepy moment”.

“G-Get away from me!”

“W-Why though!? It’s just a slap! I’m serious, look I’ll even stop moving and close my eyes!”

There is nothing wrong now. Neither being able to move nor having the ability to produce a single gaze should do. Now, onward with the slap.

“…Are you sure you want this? I’ll have you know, my slaps are quite strong! A slap from me is the equivalent of a level 2 attack!”

“Galatea, that’s enough. Deliver me your divine slap already. Don’t worry about hurting me; nothing can hurt me at this point.”

“That’s what a masochistic creep would say, you know that, right!?”

Did she just ask me if I was aware of what I just said? She probably has no idea what type of person she’s at this very moment. That’s for the best, honestly. But still…

“I am not a masochist, all I want is to confirm if this is real or n-“

Good heavens, what was that? A truck? No, an airplane? Whatever just hit me had the strength of a thousand tanks.

“Argh!!!!”

“I told you that it would hurt, also come to the table or else the rations are going to get cold.”

This isn’t a dream... After all, getting slapped has a minimum damage weight; even so, it’s pretty obvious the slap itself was real. Man, what a shameful act. Eventually, my body converted its own direction towards the table where Galatea was standing still and probably waiting for me.

“Comfortable isn’t it?”

“…I guess.”

“Help yourself, that ration is delicious, not to mention that the coffee is amazing!”

“Is that so? Then, I wi-“

What the hell is this! It’s so horrible! How can food taste this badly?! Did she… That grin. There is no doubt here, she somehow produced this, that’s why she’s grinning, which means that somehow this is her own cooking..? Regardless, upsetting her is a very bad move. The slap mark still has not left my face, if one tries to make her mad then there is no telling what might happen!

“It’s…”

“I-It’s!?”

It’s no use; there is no betraying those eyes. The eye of someone who wants praise so badly is what’s in front of me. Nevertheless, her eyes are something else, instead of being light purple they are dark purple, that’s not something that you can gaze at normally, is there?

“It’s delicious…”

“I-I see, that’s to be expected, haha!”

If by some odd chance this is considered “good food” under any circumstance, then all hope is lost.

“Why so silent? Were my rations all that amazing!?”

Galatea’s retorts almost made me want to spill out the beans however, there were more important matters to form place right now.

“Galatea, I will begin, okay?”

“That’s fine, go ahead.”

The atmosphere transforms into a serious one in a blink of an eye. That’s to be expected.

“Where am I?”

It might have been too clear that this question would be the first thing coming out from my mouth, but it had to be asked, just what the hell is this place…

“This place doesn’t have a name. It’s a simple infinite space where all endless matter lives in. It has no place and is treated as a boundary gate for the upcoming dead forms that come from other dimensions while they wait to receive guidance.”

Great, to make one question and receive an answer. That’s the ideal type of conclusion one would end up wanting from a simple conversation. To treat this conversation that was about to extend itself would be a fool’s errand.

Convincing myself that the first part of the question was already answered truthfully wasn’t the hard part since there are a lot of theories behind death and such. Also, it was never my honest interest to explore the theories and such.

It’s bothersome, not to mention a waste of time since the correspondences would always get nowhere in the end.

Now, what truly got me curious was the part where she said “dimensions”… Perhaps asking her wouldn’t be much of a bad idea, would it…

“Um, Galatea can I ju-“

“Wait. It’s my turn, remember?”

My own self-awareness about the deal wasn’t off or anything. When trying to achieve something, to take advantage of something is common sense yet this was my own fault here.

“Ah, s-sorry, go ahead this time!”

“How did you know that I was a Goddess?”

This is troublesome. It’s crystal clear that she wants a definitive answer as to why my knowledge about her being a supposed goddess exists in the first place. Truth to be told, there was no such knowledge. When the word “Goddess” flew from my mouth, what was being meant during that moment was nothing more than overlooked praise? Either way, the lie or the truth. Normally, telling the truth in any sort of circumstance would be the correct choice since society says so, but not here. There was nothing chaining me down. Freedom at its best. Lie it is.

“I based my assumption of you being a Goddess under these three main points. First, since you are the one to meet me afterlife, it’s fair to assume that the person I would meet would be divine. Second, you have shown me something that a normal being wouldn’t be able to do without being special. Lastly, you are… gorgeous so you ought to be a Goddess.”

What a bad wrapped lie honestly. There is no actual way of me knowing that Galatea was a supposed Goddess in the first place.

 Having called her a self-proclaimed Goddess already gave that away, so my lie should be visible to the eye. On a second note, adding that last compliment might have just done the trick.

“…”

Not this again. This awkward silence, it appears it’s her trait or something, every time something goes against her expectations she makes a weird huge silent pause.

 However, this time around, I’ve come up with a strategy. How will you react when I completely stare at you while you’re embarrassed, I wonder?

“…”

Is she really this shy? Good grief…

“Galatea, I really want to ask you more questions, so could yo-“

“Silence! Don’t interrupt me while I’m reflecting!”

There it is. The expected wild payback. It’s no use hiding it though; it’s perfectly visible to my eye that you are blushing. Honestly, what a cutie. However, this really isn’t the time. You leave me with no choice once again, uh?

“Galatea, do you like songs?”

“Don’t you dare!”

She got that, impressive.

“Is it alright if I continue or was my answer insufficient?”

“W-Well, y-you’ll have to tell me more about your answer later in details, but you may go on!”

I have no idea what type of Goddess she is, but if she is the Goddess of Tsunderes, then that would fit her perfectly.

“You said that I would need blood to sign this contract, but how exactly does that work?”

Within the answer to this question would lay a bigger answer to me than the actual answer that will be put at stake here towards the former question right now. That being; what lies beyond from here on!

“Oh, that? It’s quite simple you see. I will need you to close your eyes for five seconds though.”

Whatever, it’s not like she’s going to kiss me or anything. That doesn’t fit her usual pattern behavior.

“I see. Then, I will wait five seconds.”

“T-That’s great, and then if you don’t mind, I will close the contract, Rei-kun.”

It’s been on my mind all this time, but how the hell does she even know my name? Is there some sort of system which immediately tells her about it? It’s unfathomable to me…

“…”

The first second goes in a breeze, although my hearing catches the sound of her chair being moved back. That’s normal since she has to get up. Now, to direct herself here it would take at least one or two seconds.

It probably took only one second since her scent is smell-able at this distance, meaning that she is perfectly close to me. That’s two seconds down, ultimately meaning that there are only three seconds left.

“D-Don’t move your mouth, okay?”

“Eh? What are you planning to d-“

Five seconds down. The last three that still remained not so long ago have faded into oblivion. That reason being, my sudden abruptness towards what might have been on my mind these last few seconds.

“D-Done…”

There goes my first kiss, although losing it to a beautiful girl like her is already a dream to many, but why did she do that in the first place?

“…Why did you… kiss me?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I need your blood to sign the contract since it’s not you who signs up the contract. I sign it, since the moment you sign it, you become my target and I become your mascot. As the last heads up, I advise you to quickly level up, just so you don’t end up here once again. In other words, good luck Rei-kun. I’ll see you on the other side.”

Huh? What is that all supposed to mean? What about my… No good… My consciousness… It’s not responding…Not again, damn it…

Ryaku Lake Bay, 10 pm.

The everlasting silence that consumed Ryaku’s lake was forever a beautiful moment. With nothing to break its silence, it would be a place where treasured memories could be achieved by anyone.

Yet amidst such regularity laid an irregularity within, an irregularity so big that the current reality in which countless people lived in could be shattered in half with just a few actions by him.

 However, despite all sorts of possibilities lying within his grasp, he opts not to do so and instead proceeds to continuously mourn about stupid things.

That’s right; this is the view of a stupid man who for reasons unknown just happened to be strolling by at Ryaku’s lake bay at a very late time at night.

“Let’s see… No irregularities here. That’s great, now I can finally leave this dimension once and for all! How many days has it been here? Four? Five? Regardless of the number, it will be like a month or two when I return to my homeland…”

With the age of thirty-one and an above height like body, the middle-aged man who supposedly is getting older keeps on strolling by the bay while searching for something at an incredibly desperate rate.

“Where is this low life force coming from exactly?”

Having said such words may have cost him what was in his former best interest since he had to throw away the booze that he was carrying with.

 In all seriousness, the black-haired man hastily moves his right hand to the left and immediately moves it to the right thus making a very technological map appear right away in front of his own eyes.

“Four Mud Hellhounds as well huh? That’s really awkward, they are normally only attracted to low-level objects, but like, really low-level objects! Besides, they are only 3 kilometers from here… What to do… To use my speed or not… Well, speed it is.”

Utilizing his right hand again, he moves it not to the left this time but on his upper direction where it appeared twelve slots.

 What would appear something unreal to others is something very casual to him hence his normal and relaxed tone while doing such actions. Clicking on the second slot, five new options appear right in front of him.

On the first slot, there was an option with the name of “Dextral Wings”. Following that was the second slot with the given name of “Sinistral Wyvern Flight”. Next up, right on the third slot the name “Topologikal White Glider” would show up as a choice as well.

 Almost on the way to the end, the fourth had the name of “Ancalagon Dragon Fang Mask”. Lastly, the fifth slot resembled the name “Zu Babylonian mode”.

Many, but many would dream of having just one of those high-value objects for multiples of reasons.

Be it for battle, or for money, they had their own share of purposes. Not to this man at least, he only saw them as battle accessories and nothing more. That could very well be as to why he made the following decision.

“This is overkill and boring, tsk. Oi, Apsu.”

Contradicting the man’s calling, a huge silence is issued right away, but the man had no intention of keeping it up.

“Apsu! You third rate damned mascot, don’t ignore me!”

Appealing to his calling a human-like creature appears right in front of the man, but instead of appearing right on the grass ground, this creature appeared flying.

“You’re so loud, Tiddal! Why won’t you let me rest for just a bit more…?”

“Oh, I’m so sorry your mighty majesty, I will let you rest right aw- Like hell I will! Do your work already!! Teleport me to the map’s location, will you!?”

“Always so moody, it’s no wonder that you are all alone!”

To his best appearance, wearing a black suit with red shoes, the man Tiddal appeared to many a lady killer, although that would be a clear mistake.

The truth is, Tiddal is extremely bad at talking with other people.

Not because he has a problem with his social skills, nevertheless it’s all due to his rotten personality or so he thinks.

Still, there was a bigger problem at hand; the current Apsu was being stared down by what it would appear to be a famine monster awaiting to eat his prey alive.

“Eek! I-I’m so sorry!! I won’t state another fact about your social life anymore! Have mercy on this plebian!”

Apsu was only making this worse, to his luck however Tiddal just wanted to get the current issue done with and not engage on a pointless, potential fight.

“Apsu, please.”

“Aye, Aye. Brace yourself tight, Tiddal.”

In a sudden flash, both the middle-aged man named Tiddal and what it would appear to be a male subject too at his young teenage age, made their own way towards the map’s location by utilizing Apsu’s ability, teleportation.

Ryaku City, Lapaluzza Cafe, 10:15 pm.

“Isn’t the sky beautiful tonight, Ayane?”

“That’s right! It’s so beautiful; you can see all sorts of stars tonight! Thanks for bringing me here today, Michino!”

My name is Michino Isukiru. Today, I’ve gathered all my guts and asked the girl I love with all my heart out. It’s today or no day. The confession that lies within my dormant heart will be delivered today without failure… is what I wish to say.

To tell the truth, here, the fact that she might reject me scares me so much that confessing might just not be the correct choice here.

Yes, there is nothing wrong with not confessing, right!? The time that I and Ayane have together to spend is so much anyways. Taking it slow is the right choice, yep.

“Hey, Michino… I have something to tell you…”

“Oh, what is it? You want something to drink? I’ll order it for you! Waite-“

“No, that’s not it. It’s just that… I’m moving to another country in a few days…”

W-W-W-W-What!? This can’t be real. This is a dream, someone get me out of this dream, no, nightmare! Divide me down and erase my existence from this nightmare, because being in it is so absurdly dark!!

“B-But why?”

“My parents are moving out for a business trip, so I’m forced to come along, you see.”

“I-Is that so…”

This is not good. At this rate, she will leave and my ambition will be for naught. Think, think! What could be the only possible way for me to make her change her mind about this? Me begging for her to stay? No, that would be pathetic as hell. Let’s see, let’s see… Kidnapping her and take her to my home? No!!! What the hell is that idea!? What’s wrong with me! This means… There’s no choice then… it must be a… love confession!!

“Michino? What’s wrong? You’re quiet all the sudden… Was what I said that much of a surprise to you?”

Please, oh Gods of love bless me with all your strength and might for this upcoming brief moment where my fate is decided!

“Ayane!”

W-What?!”

Damn, she’s nervous… Is my sudden rushed development making this all the more awkward? That’s normal, isn’t it? Still, there is no other route, is there?

“I’ll be blunt here, for a long time I’v-“

“Waaaaahhhh!! Get out of the way if you don’t want to die!”

Not now imaginary voices, go play to another zone of my brain because this is a very crucial momen-

“Kyaaa!! What is that!?”

“Uh? What do you mean?”

“Look! There!”

Ayane points with her finger to the sky where it is seen two male boys, one that looked like he was screaming while the other boy, no, calling him a boy would be a crime honestly. A middle-aged man with a calm expression lands on the ground of the cafe ground.

“Apsu, this isn’t the right place you airhead! You were supposed to teleport us to the map location, not the opposite way, you dumbass!!”

“What do you mean, I did teleport you to the right pl- Oh, you’re right! Not bad Tiddal!”

“Are you mocking me you damned mascot!? On with it!”

“Aye, Aye! Up we go! Bye humans!”

W-What just happened? Two people just vanished out of simple thin air… How is that even possible? Ah, that’s right…

“Ayane!”

Huh? Where did she go? She’s nowhere to be sighted! No, no, no! Just when my confession was finally slipping through! Don’t tell me that she… Did she got kidnapped by those two strangers? That might be true, I was busy looking at them rather than looking at Ayane which could mean that they somehow kidnapped her through secondary methods, after all, they were flying, so it’s not impossible…

“Those bastards… Give Ayane back!!”

Ayane had long escaped in reality, due to her being afraid she ran immediately after seeing the two male subjects, so she was never kidnapped thus leading Michino into believing that she was actually kidnapped.

Ryaku Lake Bay East Side 10:20 pm.

“Is this it, Tiddal?”

“Yes, good job. Now return, Apsu.”

“Yay, more sleep for me!”

“Tsk, lazy bastard…”

The Ryaku Lake Bay remained silent just like the normal bay did. All that could ever be gazed at was the beautiful yet dark ocean along with the sand.

Furthermore, the stars upon the sky were a rare sight, but not to Tiddal, the man who could very well gaze upon scenarios like this as many times as he would wish in other dimensions.

There was, however, one last importance that he made sure to not overlook. Four mud hellhounds which represented the shape of starving dogs waiting to devour their appetizer.

Assembled with multiple dark characteristics along their bodies, only their heads had a different color, that being red. Ultimately, their intentions were as clear as a sunny day, they were making their way towards a low-level life force.

“Level 4, huh? To think that someone of my level would waste his time on something as irrelevant as this… Honestly, if the King saw me, he would laugh his ass off.”

Noticing his presence, the mud hellhounds direct their all their might towards Tiddal. However, even through all this, Tiddal does not flatter; in fact, he decides to fight this off as he starts to run to the hounds.

“Astria, come!”

Very much like the time when Tiddal summoned Apsu, a new being comes into play, this time it was a girl though. She had a very long white hair along with crescent moon like purses on her wrists.

“Oh my, what could my master want with me at this time of the night? Could it be that you want to have…”

“Astria, we never have nor will we have what you are thinking. So do me a favor and transform yourself, they are coming for me, after all.”

“But master, do you really need to take care of this yourself? You could just summon Apsu or order me to dispose of these low-level creatures, no?”

“There’s no need for that. I can take care of myself anyways; besides Apsu needs his daily resting since his teleportation abilities put a heavy toll on him.”

“I see. But still, let me take care of these creatures, Master Tiddal! And then we can… you know…”

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Astria, transform, Scythe mode!”

“W-Wait, master we can talk later ri-“

Quickly getting her speech taken away, Astria transforms herself into a gigantic scythe. Although Tiddal would very much like to invest his interest on what Astria was going on about, there were other matters to attend first, mainly the mud hellhounds who were rapidly charging at him with ferocious speed.

“This will be fast and quick.”

Swinging his scythe fully to the left, Tiddal makes a stance where his lower body is fully prepared to unleash a frontal attack, furthermore with the way he is holding the scythe, he was preparing himself to release a full force swing, but he didn’t have to. After all, the creatures that he was about to engage with him on combat were nowhere near his level.

“Yazata’s dark impulse!!!”

The legendary shout that the man who stood up against the four mud hellhounds was nothing more than a simple war cry, but in the eyes of many others, it could be seen as a totally cool moment or a heroic one.

“Astria, you may return now.”

“Amazing master! You totally showed them who's boss!”

“Spare me the sarcasm part; are there any more dimensional rift creatures inside this dimension?”

“B-But master! I wasn’t being sarcastic! You were truly awesome out there! Ah, there are no more inside this dimension…”

“Is that so? Then let’s go home, shall we?”

“Yes, Master! But… There is a life force nearby…”

“That’s normal, Astria. There are life forces everywhere since dimensions normally have living creatures thus implying that life forces are essential and omnipresent. I thought you knew that.”

“Master…”

“What?”

“Are you dumb?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?! I explained it to you that a life force here is completely natural, didn’t I? What’s so dumb about that?”

“You’re so cute when you get frustrated, Tiddal.”

“You’re charm does not work on me. Anyways, what did you mean with that, Astria?”

“How rude. What I meant was that this life force is not the average one. It’s most likely a dead…target?”

“Oi, Oi, a dead target? Are you sure about that?”

“Isn’t that why the mud hellhounds were here in the first place?”

The two talkative beings were having a long conversation about the reason as to why the hellhounds were there in the first place and possibly concerning the possibility of a dead target lying around there.

“That could be true. After all, mud hellhounds are the type of creatures to feast upon targets that come to any type of dimension after they receive their supposed mascot. It wouldn’t be a surprise if there just happened to be one around here somewhere. I see you do have a point. Nice one, Astria!”

“W-Well, I’m thankful for your praise, Master…”

“Don’t be shy, aren’t you the one who is always the one to stir up the gears first? Plus, let’s get this done with, where is the dead target?”

“A-Aye, I will present you the map right away!”

“No, just give me the direction, let’s not waste any more time.”

“The dead target is a little far still, about 500 meters going north.”

“I understand. Astria, revert.”

With Astria reverting back to an unknown place, the middle-aged man begins to adventure through his main screen, just like he did earlier. In fact, he even goes to the same section, where there were five slots.

“Sinistral Wyvern Flight, on!!!”

Given the name of Sinistral Wyvern Flight, it was a power-up boost that lasted for a great deal of sixty seconds, that being exactly one minute. It functions as it equips to the target who owns it by giving it wyvern like wings.

 Not to mention that it can travel 100 miles per hour. Still, that was incredibly partial regarding of the case, because that would only be the case if the Sinistral Wyvern Flight was at level 1. By leveling the SWF, it can extend to longer than 100 miles an hour.

 Plus, it enhances the body of the target with Wyvern like abilities. However, they come at a great cost; it can only be used for sixty seconds and once a day.

 Regardless of its consequences, there is barely anything that can match it, when it comes to speed. Furthermore, it has superb combat abilities.

 Tiddal, the one who has the command of the fantastic maneuver called Sinistral Wyvern Flight, uses it to go straight towards the direction of the supposed dead target.

Needless to say is, by the time that he was there, the time gap between the departure and the arrival were practically nonexistence, since it took no longer than two or three seconds.

“Sinistral Wyvern flight, off.”

Taking off his wyvern like body parts and traits with a simple switch off, Tiddal starts by investigating the area.

The area itself was nothing like the previous ones, where multiple layers of sand and the visible ocean could be witnessed thus leading to the conclusion that he was no longer inside the bay but what it would appear to be a hidden temple.

Covered with rocks and a simple long stair that would conclude onto something, Tiddal climbs the stairs slowly and slowly.

“This is it, isn’t it, Astria?”

An often forgotten factor about mascots is that they have the ability to use telepathy with their targets whenever their target requires it, but they cannot engage in this telepathy on their own.

“That’s correct, Master.”

“I see.”

Finally having reached the top of the staircases, what could be boldly gazed at was a black haired boy who was lying on top of the altar unconsciously.

 A boy who looked like he was going through his final adolescent years mysteriously lying around proposed many questions of mystery.

 As always, Tiddal by no means wanted to wait, so he did the one thing he thought would be completely accurate in any type of scenario where he didn’t know the answer.

 Lifting up his arm while raising his hand towards down direction and then right to the center ultimately turning his hand towards the left, a new page of skills were open.

 This time around, 20 layers were opened, but he went with the first one instead which went by the name of “Analyzing Index I”.

 Inside of that skill box were three options. The first being “Bunseki”, the second “Mahi” while the last was “Ekisu”.

“Bunseki, activate!”

Extending his palm towards the upper horizon, Tiddal places his hand on the boy’s head, mainly where his brain was localized, as a way to extract some type of information from what it would seem.

“Now, let’s see what you’re made off… Level 1...!? Could this guy be a complete… No, he must be stronger with his status and skills, right? Status… Attack: zero. Defense: Zero. Strength: Zero… Oh no… This guy is a complete failure, it’s no wonder Mud Hellhounds were all over him, and after all, he’s a freebie! It makes complete sense now.”

As the man states out his utter disappointment, the screen in front of him that was showing him the boy’s status gets completely turned off by Tiddal as he makes his stride towards a new decision.

“Etana, open the portal. We’re leaving.”

“Yes, sir. If I may ask, what took you so long? Aren’t you needed on the other side?”

Introducing himself like that comes Tiddal’s third mascot named “Etana”, the divine gate opener, which in any case would allow its owner to create portal breaches that connect any reality space to another dimension’s reality space, be it different or the same it wouldn’t matter since it can be both. However, unlike Apsu or Astria, this mascot had a less youthful appearance to his physical kit, as he was certainly older. One that would be worthy of the alias “Old man”.

“Nothing special, really. I managed to scout some pretty interesting things while journeying this dimension, that’s for sure. I even thought of conquering it, but it’s not even worth the effort. It’s better to just leave it, besides, my original goal was to simply fulfill my duty or else the King would get mad. That should be the gist of it, correct?” Says Tiddal as a mean to confirm if his duties had been fulfilled or not.

“That’s correct, Master Tiddal. By having cleared most creatures that we’re endangering the reality of this dimension, I’m sure the King will be happy. However, if I’m allowed to pose a counter-argument… What will you do about that dead target, Master Tiddal? Not reporting a missing detail to the King would be a mistake, would it not?” Replies Etana while enforcing Tiddal’s judgment.

“I see your point. Still, don’t you think it’s incorrect to just kill a dead target, just like that?”

“Sir, I’m in no such position as to judge what’s right or wrong, but I believe that the person here who is, is you, Master Tiddal.”

Already knowing that Etana’s answer would probably be the wisest of all possible answers, Tiddal couldn’t help but give a gigantic sigh as a way to express his easy prediction.

“I figured that much… Say, hypothetically, but just hypothetically… would I be a bad teacher? Asks Tiddal in doubt to Etana.

“Shouldn’t all the rest of the mascots participate in this as well? I believe that everyone’s replies could give a far better insight than my simplistic reply since I’m limited to myself and myself alone.”

“That’s was a little deep. Regardless, I only took three mascots along my journey to this dimension, so it will just be you, Apsu and Astria.” Declares Tiddal to Etana.

As a mean to confirm Tiddal’s declaration, Etana nodes in response.

“Apsu, Astria, come here for a second, will you?” Says Tiddal to both of his mascots.

“Waaaahhhh!! You’re so evil Tiddal!! My sleep, give it back, now!!”

“What is it, my master? How may I serve you?”

From a complete children like type of whining to a much disciplined entry, both of his mascots make their way to the current reality. And so, Tiddal issues the question that he has been meaning to propose for the last few seconds.

“This won’t take long. Since all three of you are present now, I’ll ask it away. Do you think that I would be a good teacher?”

An awkward silence is then posed, but for multiple reasons. To start off, Etana was saving his saying for last, so it would be extremely natural for him to not be the first one to talk.

Apsu was in the middle of thinking whether this question was a joke or was it an actual question with a seed of seriousness in it.

Ultimately, Astria wondered what type of reply would be the best in this regard to satisfy Tiddal.

The silence prologues itself rapidly. It was no longer a battle to see who would answer first, but a battle to see who would answer first; it wouldn’t be long before Tiddal notices their intentions.

“Hey… I’ve asked you three a simple question... Yet you are taking more than thirty or so seconds to give me an answer… Don’t tell me that you people are…”

It was inevitable; Apsu, Astria, and Etana were both way too embarrassed and focused on not answering first.

“…You idiots. Fine, elimination it is! Apsu, give me an answer!!” Orders Tiddal towards Apsu.

Having heard his name loud and clear, Apsu gives a jump up due to being scared of answering, but that reason as for why he was afraid of answering that question would soon vanish since it was undoubtedly his turn to attend Tiddal’s mighty interrogation.

“E-Err… Isn’t it too late to make jokes like that, master?”

“Whatever could you possibly be implying?” Interrogates Tiddal towards Apsu in an aggressive tone.

“Y-you see, since I haven’t slept quite well, my answer might not be at its highest of all peaks, so it would be wise to not trust my answer here!”

Tiddal felt that something was wrong. No. His feeling that something was wrong was unnecessary because it was clear that Apsu was not giving a straight answer for some reason.

“Apsu.”

“A-Aye, sir!?”

“I’ll feed you to a high leveled boss later on if you don’t give me a straight answer right now.”

Opposing to Tiddal’s expectations, Apsu does not fret and makes his stance with a high confident argument.

“Ha! You think low of me, Tiddal! No mere boss is a match for me! With my teleportation skills, I can escape any attack at any time! You were a fool to think you could win this one, Tiddal!!”

Laughing a little bit loud while maliciously grinning through his teeth, Tiddal prepares to release his powerful counter-argument. Still, Apsu maintains a fierce stance towards Tiddal even after shooting a barrage of denies against his Master.

“You’re the fool, Apsu. Mere boss? Who said it would be a mere boss. I’m talking about the underground arena ones; do you really think you can survive for a second there?”

“…”

“Silence again? Are you sure about that, Apsu? Very well th-“

Before being able to finish off his sentence, Apsu quickly interrupts Tiddal with a quick remark which was bound to happen in any case.

“W-Wait!! I’ll answer!! Anything but that, please!”

“Good boy, Apsu, now, give me the answer!”

Surprisingly enough, the young mascot didn’t even have to think about this. A swift and sharp reply came flying out of his mouth at a very fast pace. To the point where he didn’t even pay attention to the fact that he was being laughed at by Astria and Etana. The simultaneous laughs from Astria and Etana were due to Apsu being the first one to talk. As expected, their battles were quite intense, even their most stupid ones.

“You would suck. No, you already do. Please don’t. Whatever the case, just don’t. You would be doing a great favor honestly. One so great you wouldn’t even notice just how great it would be. If there should ever be a day where you would teach someone then it would be the end of all dimensions. I don’t want to die, so please, no. There! I gave you my answer! Now can I go back to m- GAH!”

Already knowing that this would happen, Astria gave a gaze that could imply the following words “You fool” while Etana also propose a similar sight with the words “You brought this upon yourself” just as soon as Tiddal laid down his hand in a chopped form on Apsu’s head giving him a direct hit for that negative yet truthful rant.

“Astria, next.”

Hastily moving on, Tiddal rushes his decision to seek Astria’s answer. Unlike Apsu, Astria has a more matured mentality so inside Tiddal’s expectations she was bound to give a more complete and truthful answer in comparison to Apsu.

“Before giving my answer, I have to ask this. Master, are you opened to criticism or do you want an answer that will satisfy your enormous ego only?”

From the looks of the given situation, the man doing the interrogation was clearly about to snap, but to maturely look like a person that is capable of accepting any challenge incoming his way, he held on to that raw rage emotion and lingered on.

“My ego is not big, that’s just your imagination. However, yes, I am most likely opened to criticism. Go ahead, I’m ready.”

“Well then… Just so you know, if it’s possible, don’t hate me after this, I would hate myself.”

“On with it, let’s not get emotional, shall we?”

Apsu’s thoughts were the exact following: “But you just did!!” Thoughts aside, Astria took a deep breath before beginning her upcoming critic.

“To teach means to give a part of yourself to the one that is being taught and honestly, seeing what you have to offer to anyone out there is just hilarious.

The poor soul that gets taught by you would have to receive what you have to offer, so let’s face the reality here. What would that person get?

 A tyrant like personality tutor who only cares about war and nothing else, plus he can’t ever take a hint. The absolute worse at taking advices. A drunkard who doesn’t know how to get the better out of the people around him.

 Not to mention that he is easily offended and emotional most of the cases, so the answer is not difficult. You would absolutely blow at teaching. If there was ever a definition of bad teaching, the name Tiddal would appear in it, that’s for sure.

 Ah, but don’t worry, I love you very much, so go out with me tonight, okay?” Finishes Astria.

“Astria.

Three things.

First, that confession was not so bad, I see that you have made some progress, not bad, but that’s as far is it goes a simple and nothing beyond the normal “Not bad”.

Second, that was too long; don’t make my ears bear through that, please.

Third, you will be suspended for a month due to constant lie telling, furthermore, that critic was an outrageous atrocity, I am nothing like that and anyone can see that, isn’t that right, Apsu?”

Sweating massive droplets from both Astria’s intense glaring and Tiddal’s heavy aggressive voice tone, Apsu, who is currently in a very tough spot, gives off his confirmation seal.

“Y-Yeah, Tidal-sama banzai!!”

Creating a different route in this conversation, Astria, still not feeling like she had said it all, gives her last words in a very desperate manner and form while hoping that they would reach Tiddal’s ears.

“B-But Master, you said you were opened to criticism! Don’t suspend me please, I promise that I will be a good girl from now on, just please don’t suspend me!! Also, seriously will you go out with m-“

Not feeling like hearing her last word, Tiddal immediately calls out to Etana.

“Etana, open up a portal to Selkitat.”

“Right away, sir.”

“Astria, get going.”

While totally not regarding her superficial feelings, Tiddal handles off that order to Astria. In which case, her suspension could be worse and extended to a longer period if she disobeyed, so instead of arguing with him, she simply went on with it, which was smart yet sad for her.

“…Yes.”

Entering the shining glowing portal leaves off the beautiful long white haired mascot in a massive disappointment. The closure could be seen at last.

“Etana, what’s your answer?”

“May I pose a question before giving you my answer?”

“Permission granted.”

“For what purpose do you suddenly want to teach?”

That question resonated sense in all directions. To interrogate the intentions of a desire seeker is the most optimal route there is. There would be nothing wrong with this in all circumstances as it is. However, Tiddal felt as if that answer could be troublesome, nevertheless, he opted not to tell the full truth yet gave his answer melancholically anyway.

“I’m bored, I suppose?”

“Then, in that case, I think that teaching someone could very well relief that boredom if done the way the teacher wants.”

Of course, that was not Tiddal’s true answer, regardless of that, he still gave an answer that was neither a lie nor the truth. The gap that lies within the lie and the truth is a simple convenience which implies something that is neither true or false; nothingness.

“Is that so… Then it’s decided. You see that dead target over there? I’m going to make him my disciple. I’m too strong and none can really oppose me anymore. So taking someone as weak as him would make the perfect disciple for me, wouldn’t it?”

“I can’t agree with that. A dead target should be killed for obvious reasons, keeping it alive would endanger the dimension’s reality, plus it’s your duty to kill dead targets master.”

“That’s true. Keeping one alive is already dangerous enough; however, just what if it can be something more? What if, it could become so great that it would rise up against the media? How shocking and interesting would that be? Still, it’s a primal Index violation, this is seriously dangerous.”

Amidst this mini-conversation, Apsu, who unlike Astria was still there marking his presence through his own silence. To Apsu, the current conversation seemed quite bizarre since he couldn’t completely understand most of what both Tiddal and Etana were talking about in the first place. Nevertheless, his curiosity was at its peak, so without any further wasting on the clock, he makes a movement out of his best interest.

“Um, what’s so wrong about the dead target? Isn’t he just another one like us?”

“You idiot. Haven’t you wondered how these creatures come to play? Etana, explain it to him please.”

Disregarding Apsu’s words, Tiddal orders Etana to give a full explanation to the current matter.

“Apsu-kun, all creatures that have levels and such that aren’t mascots or targets are monsters who were all made of previous humans that have died in that dimension’s reality. Let’s say that you die inside this dimension’s reality. You will be given a week to level up. If you don’t level up, you will turn into a monster. Of course, leveling up a level in a week is pretty easy, but it gets gradually more difficult since the time to level up on the upcoming levels gets shorter and such, which makes you more vulnerable to becoming a monster yourself. That’s how monsters appear in all sorts of dimensions; it’s simply life recycling itself.”

After giving that long explicit explanation, Tiddal decides to add a few more points to it.

“That’s not all there is to it. There are special conditions regarding each target. Normally, there are three types of targets. The first being the alive one, the second is the dead one and the third lastly is an evolved target.

A target which is alive and has been contracted is only obligated to level up once a month, plus their level up timings after that do not get longer. Furthermore, once you hit level 25 as a live target, you do not have to level up anymore.

 It’s a pretty easy life as a live target, honestly. The same can’t be said for a dead target. Aside from Etana’s already made up points, I will add up this.

Dead targets, if by some ridiculous odd chance, were contracted by a God or a Goddess, have all their leveling status reduced to zero along with their battle status as well. Even more so, their leveling time is halved compared to a normal dead target.

 This is to say, if as a dead target it would eventually be required to level up within two weeks, it would be cut in half, thus one week and so on.

It’s pretty horrible, regardless. This is not all, but all the other traits are completely partial effects that aren’t that relevant anyway. These are the main points, Apsu.”

Many would be overjoyed by listening to this very insightful explanation. It contains high regarded points considering many factors, still, to young Apsu, it was nothing more than a simple vomit, except to him it was a vomit of words. It’s as if those words were spilled to him so fast that his brain couldn’t process whatever came after the first sentence, even so, Tiddal was fully aware of that.

“Any questions, Apsu?”

“Yeah… I have one, I think. Why exactly are you going to, um, teach a dead target!? Isn’t that taboo!?”

“Didn’t I already tell you why? I’m bored. This is my way of relieving my boredom. I’m perfectly aware that it is taboo to not kill a dead target on sight, still, it can only be confirmed a taboo if there are any witnesses.”

“Aren’t we witness, though?” Quickly replies Apsu.

“Correct, and that’s why I have a favor to ask both of you. Apsu, Etana. Keep this is a secret at all costs. What we are doing here today is taboo, and I will take full responsibility for it. You will not receive any punishment in which case if this wrong.”

With a sharp glance, Etana steps forward and forms his doubt which would be delivered to Tiddal.

“Master Tiddal, was that why you had Astria escape to our homeland?”

“So you noticed, huh? Yeah, you know how she is. Despite her given playful personality, she is strict in these cases. I should tell you both this but, that interrogation was nothing more than a mean to draw her away. It’s not as if I don’t trust her, but I simply needed to resolve this, you see.” Explains Tiddal to Apsu and Etana.

“I see now. I, by no means alone, shall oppose you, Master Tiddal if this is what you so desire, after all, I am a mere mascot, it’s not up to me to decide your decisions.” Ensures Etana.

“Thank you for your comprehension. Now then… Apsu, what will you do?”

The possible problem that would be obvious here in the first place was that a taboo was about to be committed; the allowing of the existence of a dead target.

An unforgivable crime towards the primal Index of the Selkitat. Should this be violated, terrible consequences were to be followed, but the truth is…

 There is nothing that says that one can’t do it, the major problem is that if that taboo was reported to an Index authority, then the taboo committer would be subjected towards those consequences while receiving supreme judgment.

Totally disregarding those consequences, the brave or maybe suicidal man, Tiddal, made this choice today while being fully aware of the possible upcoming jeopardy.

 Already having eliminated an essential witness, only two would last in this scenario. Although one had already confirmed his loyalty, the last one to stand would be the young mascot, Apsu.

Time was on the clock, Apsu had to make a call. A lot of things were to be considered by him. What he would exactly gain from this and what he would lose from this?

If he was caught in the future for being a culprit of a taboo action he would also get judged. No, that’s wrong. Tiddal had already said that he would receive all the blame on his own.

 Still, would that really cut it? He had no idea of actually knowing it, to be precise. As it stands, he has a lot more to lose than to actually win from this.

“It seems that you are taking your sweet time again. Let me tell you something in advance. I will give you both a chance to be my main mascots in the Forbidden Arena Chariot Events once. What do you think?”

His eyes which were suddenly deep dark suddenly gained a brand new light blue shine. Apsu’s enthusiasm towards Tiddal had completely changed; it’s as if it went from black to white, a complete reverse.

“Yeah! I’m in!!”

“Great. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to do this, don’t hate me for this.”

“Do what, Tiddal?” Quickly asks Apsu.

“Do you two swear for my life that you will never ever betray me?”

Rare sights like this weren’t viewed that much nowadays. A way to make someone truly loyal is to test their fidelity. Tiddal had no doubt in his own methods, after all.

“What a stupid question, Tiddal. My life was already yours long ago!” Implies Apsu.

“I agree with Apsu here, our lives were already yours the moment we became your mascots, so there isn’t exactly any possible room for doubt here.” Adds Etana.

“Is that so? I see. I guess I’m a truly lucky individual huh? Thank you for this, also tell Astria that I’ll repay to her later.” Says Tiddal.

All the preparations were done. The taboo clearing was simple, just like that. To make sure that there were no outside witnesses, the leading man resorted to a secure method.

 Firstly, he swung his right hand up to the left and then to the center while finishing off with a swing to the top.

 Thirty slots could be sighted; however, Tiddal simply went with the third slot. By clicking it with his index right finger. There, it could be seen three options. However, for reasons unknown, only the first one could be used.

It just so happens that it was that one he wanted to use in the first place. Codenamed: “Ikarus Dominance Stare” gives the user the ability to see anything, ignoring any type of effect to hide a presence for thirty seconds.

“Tiddal, why are you going to use that?” Curiously asks Apsu.

“Just to be sure. It would be rather anticlimactic to casually be spied on, after having said all that.” Clarifies Tiddal.

“Ah, that makes sense… But wouldn’t it have made more sense to use it earlier?”

“Very true, however, purposely baiting a hungry prey is just one of my favorite hobbies, so I was perfectly aware of what you just said. Now, let’s see if there is somebody with a fucking death wish laying around here somewhere. Ikarus Dominance Stare, activate!!!!”

After having scouted every direction possible with the Ikarus Dominance Stare, Tiddal deactivates it after 10 seconds, with a shallow expression implying sadness.

“…What a disappointment, nobody wants to die tonight, huh?”

“Isn’t that how it should be, Master Tiddal?” Truthfully says Etana.

“I suppose that’s what it’s labeled as a correct mindset, isn’t it? Well, Etana, get going to Selkitat with Apsu, I’ll handle it from here.” Orders Tiddal.

“Very well, Master Tiddal. Apsu-kun, let’s go. I’ll cook you your favorite meal when we get to Selkitat.”

“Yay! I can’t wait to eat fried shrimp! Let’s go, let’s go!!” Hastily declares Apsu.

“Now then, best of luck with your endeavor, Master Tiddal. See you soon.”

Etana then starts to open up a portal to get to the Dimension of Selkitat, but before he is able to fully depart along with Apsu, Tiddal gives off his final words.

“Apsu, Etana, listen well to what I’m about to say. If I don’t come back to in less than two weeks, then it means that it was a success. In a possible case where I don’t return after two weeks then it means that it’s either a huge success or a possible failure. Either way, if the King begins to question my whereabouts, simply tell him that I went to check on other dimensions that were in danger.” States Tiddal.

One thing was to go missing and not returning, which would be completely unlikely since Tiddal was a man of power thus making it unlikely for him to ever fall under such case. Another would be to ensure that his plan would go off. There was, nonetheless, a lot of risk and probability of failure in this, since he has no idea how to approach the dead target, anyway.

“Understood, we will do just that. Return as soon as possible though. It won’t be for long before Astria begins to cry for you. Plus, I’m sure you will achieve success with this bargain. Bye, then.” Gently finishes Etana.

“Bye-Bye, Tiddal!” Happily waves Apsu.

Unlike Apsu or Etana, Tiddal chooses to give a cold silence on his stead as he sees them leave off. It was time for the upcoming main task. Tiddal decides to check the dead target once again, to make amends easier.

“Bunseki, activate.”

The following stats would appear in a huge screen right in front of Tiddal’s eyes:

Name: Kige Rei

Level: 1

Attack: 0

Defense: 0

Intelligence: 0

Evasion: 0

Accuracy: 0

Speed: 0

Cooldown: 0

Lethality: 0

Spirit: 0

Tenacity: 0

Strength: 0

Velocity: 0

“That’s all the basic skills there are at a beginners level. But, it’s so strange. No target should have a complete 0 in all their abilities… This poor guy must be the victim of a forbidden contract with a God/Goddess. This means…”

As explained earlier, only the so fortunate targets are either the alive targets or the evolved ones, regardless, to be an evolved target it’s necessary to go through certain stages, but this solely confirms it.

There is no such thing as a target that has a zero at every status. It’s impossible according to common sense. The Index dictates that a target will have its previous life’s qualities transformed into status.

 Let’s say, if for instance in your previous life you were a very successful martial artist. Most of the points that are attributed to all sorts of targets would benefit that supposed target a lot. It’s a way of rewarding the targets that were dead.

 Alive targets get the same however, it’s halved so that there is a fair boundary here, since evolving inside a dimension’s reality and a dimension itself is possible. Although to make things even fairer, an alive target can only level up one time per two months.

 Still, this just makes no sense. It’s sincerely impossible for someone to have all their status at zero, as I thought; this is without a doubt, the work of a forbidden contract.

“Kige Rei, uh? He’s totally emerged in his own slumber, isn’t he? Oi, God or Goddess, I know you’re there. If you don’t come out and have a talk with me, then I will kill your target. You have been warned.”

It should be around midnight around this dimension. Looking at this simple altar along with some significant statues around it, it’s really empty. Nothing more than a simple huge stairway, but the view from here is amazing. No time for views, though. It’s time to put in some threatening levels into play.

“I will count until three. If by my count you don’t come out, I will kill your target!”

You can’t fool me, whoever you are. You can’t survive without your host. You may be a God or a Goddess yet you’re just like a parasite; you can’t survive without your host and your host cannot survive without the parasite.

“One.”

“Two”

Well then, looks like I’m returning home sooner than I originally imagined.

“Thr-“

“Stop!”

The resemblance of a teenage girl appeared right up on my front, entering through a portal similar to Etana’s, yet it had more shine, if not more elegance. I’ve got to warn him, that he has competition. Wearing a white skirt and gold bracelets on her wrist, that for sure is like a Goddess. They love to wear themselves pretty. Engaging now would be ideal.

“So it’s a Goddess.” I claim

“Who are you? Identify yourself!”

So she asks. However, it’s the opposite here. For starters, let’s see if you really are a Goddess and that this isn’t simply a truly bizarre coincidence.

“Sorry. Don’t have time to chit-chat. Bunseki, activate.”

“On top of ignoring me, you try to get a hold of my status? How stagnant. I will have you know that I’m a true Goddess.”

“Figures. It would work if you weren’t one. Well, it will still work, not this one, though.”

“Huh? What are you on about?”

Shut up for a second, annoying creature. Are you really that desperate to get your status recognized? I was planning on unraveling them anyways. Looks like I’ll need to access a certain skill of mine. By moving my hand towards the left three times consecutively and then following it up three times as well on the upper direction, there is a hidden lock. The Immortal Killer weapons. But, just a simple one will do. Accessing the first slot and then choosing the second option is the killer move here.

“Thanatos Eye, activate!”

“I told you already, it’s meaningless! See? You’re a dumb, ignorant, fool!”

Good thing forbidden artifacts can only be achieved through literal hell grinding and fighting, otherwise, they wouldn’t be worth the risk. Thanatos Eye just so happens to be those types of artifacts. The type of artifact which exists only in a singular form.

 Normally, many types of artifacts can exist in a random number of existences per dimension, but artifacts like this only exist in one dimension and only there.

 Once conquered, it will not replicate. It allows me to gather the complete status of any person it stares at its target. It doesn’t matter if you are a Goddess or not, it will give me any type of information.

If I wanted I could even search her memories with this, but it has a price. For every time Thanatos Eye is used, 5 years of my life are taken away from my life span. I’ve used it twice, so there goes a decade.

Now then, it’s time to make my leave for today with a finishing mark.

“If, by some chance, Rei wants to survive in this new world, then tell him to come to me. I will make him the strongest target there is. Mark my words, Galatea.”

“H-H-How do you… How do you know my name?”

“That’s meaningless now. Have these. These are called teleportation particles. Use them to teleport wherever you so want. I advise you to use them to teleport Rei to his home. It shouldn’t be far from here, you can tell, right? You are his mascot, after all.”

“I won’t thank you for these. This is merely a duty that a low life form like you has to do to get a Goddess like me in a good mood. Very well, as a reward, I shall tell Rei, once he wakes up.”

So damn arrogant. And I thought I was something else. All these Gods and Goddesses are so damn proud of their powers that they put themselves on such a high self territory.

 No matter though, as long as she does her part, I’ll do mine. I’ve given her the teleportation particles. That should suffice. Besides, this might just be more successful than I thought.

 Just a gut feeling, but maybe all of his status turning zero might have not just been a coincidence. Maybe he truly was a failure at everything he did. Oh well, I’ll find out soon enough.

“Wait, life form.”

She’s pretty gutsy, pushing her luck against me. That’s to be expected since my attitude is similar to a pacifist right now. My desires will not conflict with my goal. That’s the one key rule to victory. Although, I suppose I can hear her out.

“What is it?” I ask

“I don’t know...” She implies

“You don’t know what exactly?”

“How to take Rei to his home.”

Is she seriously this clueless? How can a Goddess be this dumb at her job? It’s like being the queen of her Kingdom and enjoying your luxury as you may yet you complicate for whatever reason. Perhaps, she’s an inexperienced Goddess. That would explain it. Giving her some indications would be the best anyways.

“I see. Apply your palm on his head, where the brain is located. You should see a flashback inside your mind. That will tell you where his house is since it’s most likely inside his memory. It’s a Goddess power only. Didn’t you know that?”

“O-O-Of course I knew! I was simply testing your common sense! Don’t get too confident just because you just happened to hit the right answer at the right time. It’s called a coincidence.”

She’s frying my brain cells for dinner. Somebody help.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, but please take my offering serious and tell Rei what I told you, when he wakes up, please.” I implore

“I hear you, peasant. Don’t’ beg so much, it’s disgusting. Also, just as the last warning. If you ever attempt to kill Rei again, I will personally deal with you, in other words, dispose of you.”

Now that was more like it. One could even see the bloodlust in her eyes, she’s damn loyal. What a lucky guy you are, Rei. Except not really, but in a sense you are, although you really are not.

“My bad. I overextended my limits. I will take my leave for today. See this as a way of me apologizing. Also, only let him visit this outside boundary whenever he is ready to go to me. Otherwise, he will die. Bye then.”

I’m surprised that she didn’t retort with one of her catch lines. That’s a relief; she most likely understood that my information was the very truth. From here on, it will all be something new. Remarkable experiences will open new horizons of possibilities. Yes, this is where it all begins.