Chapter 1. Purgatory (1)

I was still in a daze after hearing the man’s words when the long-haired woman walked up and smiled at me with an amiable look on her face.

“You’re Alexander, right? Don’t worry, come with me.”

I looked at her from inside the weird mix of a construction, my mind still somewhat blank. Her smile appeared to be genuine and she even extended her hand towards me encouragingly, but for some reason, I couldn’t help but feel distrustful of her. Was it because I had seen far too many people who smiled at me and talked with me nicely only to snicker and scorn me after I was gone? Either that or it was my imagination acting up as admittedly, I wasn’t in the best state of mind at the moment.

“Hurry up.”

The middle-aged man reprimanded me sternly but unlike before, he didn’t yell at me. To the contrary, I noticed that he was looking at me with a sense of pity in his eyes as if he was looking at a poor dog that was deemed too dangerous and was to be put down. Truth to be told, this was the kind of a gaze which I hated being looked at with the most. It always made my insides churn.

“Eh, didn’t I already die once? I hope that this time, too, it will be painless.”

I told myself and walked out of the object, then approached the smiling long-haired woman. My legs felt weak and I could tell that I was trembling slightly, while my face was undoubtedly pale-white. Yeah, no matter how I reassured myself, it still was scary to think about dying. Yet, when I looked up, my thoughts wandered in somewhat different of a way, thus allowing me to calm down.

By the looks of it, both the woman and the middle-aged man were surprised. I wondered if it was because I didn’t panic entirely nor did I start crying, and when I thought so, I started feeling better about myself. I knew it was stupid since I was actually a twenty-three years old man at heart while the one they were impressed with was the me in the body of an eight-year-old, but I didn’t care. At the very least, those silly thoughts allowed me to stop shaking like a scared puppy.

“Come, we will wait to the side.”

The woman spoke to me gently. I wondered, was there a point to be nice to someone who was about to be killed? Why was she even there?

“I’ll explain everything to you and if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them.”

Ah. By the looks of it, I wouldn’t be kept in the dark at least. I nodded and after a second or two, I followed behind the woman.

It wasn’t really my intention, but as I walked, I saw the petrified expressions on the faces of the two hundred plus kids who were waiting in the line. Maybe I was a bad person, but that sight calmed me down further. Knowing that I wasn’t the only one afraid was soothing in the weirdest of ways.

“First, let me ask you.”

The woman brought up the moment we found ourselves in a dim-lit corner of the hall.

“Have you learned anything about the Scourge Class?”

That was probably something they were required to ask everyone, or so I thought. However, even if it was a common knowledge in this world, I had no idea what being a Scourge Class entailed, so I shook my head in response.

Contrary to my expectations, the woman didn’t look surprised this time and started explaining with that standard, amiable smile of hers.

“They really didn’t pay much mind to your education back at the orphanage, huh?”

Huh, so it looked like I was actually an orphan in this world? I felt bad and good about it at the same time. Still, knowing that I wouldn’t be worrying or causing trouble to anyone was a relief in its own way.

“Then let me tell you that despite what Ulm said, it’s wrong to say that you will be disposed of.”

Oh? That certainly piqued my interest.

“You will be detained with the other kids who were misfortunate enough to awaken a Scourge Class and you’re going to be rehabilitated.”

“The place you will be going to might have a scary name, Purgatory, but it’s for your own good. Isn’t it better than if you lost control and hurt people around you?”

“So, don’t think about it too much. Just give your best once you are there and enjoy every day to its fullest.”

Mhm, that definitely didn’t sound like the death sentence I imagined. However, I wasn’t a kid, so before I rejoiced, I looked the woman in the eye and asked.

“How many people are rehabilitated there? Is it hard?”

I didn’t do it quite on purpose, but I guess I got used to asking questions with similar wording to the ones used to describe something to me. Was it because my mom used to accuse me of not listening if I replied with simple ‘yes’, ‘yeah’ or with a simple nod? I had such silly and relaxed thoughts since the smile didn’t disappear from the woman’s face even after I asked what I did, but her answer stunned me.

“I guess you are thinking about it in a little wrong of a way, Alexander. You see, full rehabilitation of a Scourge Class is impossible. That’s why certain Classes were verified as Scourge-type, you know?”

“You were really unlucky, but there’s nothing anyone can do about it. So, the best advice I can offer you is to try and enjoy yourself as much as possible.”

Okay, this was getting progressively worse the more I learned about what awaited me. I had a feeling I would regret it, but I asked one more question regardless.

“Is this Purgatory really not a bad place? How long can people verified as a Scourge Class live there?”

“It’s a good place for those verified as a Scourge-Class. On average, they can live there for about three years I suppose? Still, it’s longer than you’d be able to live on the outside.”

“As for how long you will live exactly, it depends on the type of your Class, but sooner or later every Scourge-Class goes out of control and either self-destructs or attacks everyone around them and gets killed. There’s no helping it, so as I said, you should do your best to enjoy the time you have left.”

… that’s it. This woman wasn’t good at her job at all! Wasn’t she supposed to reassure the kids who were undergoing the mental trauma of being declared a Scourge Class? If I wasn’t an adult, I would have broken down and started crying immediately! Hell, I feel like crying even now!

My last hope was that my Class was one of those that allowed you to live longer. Also, she didn’t really answer whether the Purgatory was a good or a bad place, did she? She just dodged the question. I could pester her about it, but I didn’t feel like doing that. I will learn once I arrive there anyway… and I had a feeling that the longer I didn’t know, the happier I would be.

After I decided to stop talking and fell silent, I noticed that the woman was glancing at me curiously. Was she surprised that I wasn’t making a fuss? It was likely just that, since after seeing me look up at her she smiled at me, nodded and looked away. Hrm, maybe her job wasn’t to console the unlucky kids, but to explain the basics to them and if necessary, keep them under control?

I mean, I was in a world where both array formations and sci-fi-like technology coexisted, so even though this woman looked weak and fragile, she could very well be capable of snapping my eight years old body in a half with a flick of her finger. Suddenly, I started feeling even better about my choice not to stubbornly ask her about the Purgatory.

“Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.”

The sentence wasn’t all that loud, but the familiar words spoken by the middle-aged man drew my attention. I wasn’t the only one, huh?

Ah, the boy inside that machine started screaming and thrashing about. After a few more seconds, he ran out of that thing, ran past the middle-aged man and started escaping, The man didn’t even try to stop him… the kid is dashing past the rest of the boys and girls… huh?

The slight movement in the corner of my eye, akin to a cluster of moving shadows, drew my attention so I turned my head to the left.

“Weren’t there two women a second ago?”

I asked myself, but a dull thud of a body falling down made me look back in the direction of the kid. I saw the boy fall on his butt and roll over on his back; it looked like he had been pushed by something or as if he had crashed against a spongy, invisible wall and ended up blown away. However, when the kid rolled on his side and grabbed his stomach with both of his hands, then started coughing, what must have happened became clear, especially with the figure of a short-haired woman standing near him.

“That was the first warning.”

“If you cause a disturbance again, you will be punished more harshly.”

“The third time, you will be killed.”

The cold words of the woman disillusioned me whether I liked it or not. The woman who was ‘taking care’ of me was nice, but that was definitely only because I didn’t attempt to do anything stupid and didn’t make much of a scene. This other boy was less lucky; he wasn’t able to keep his composure and now, was lying on the cold floor while struggling to breathe and coughing up blood.

The ‘Scourge Class’… no wonder. From the moment we were found out to be of that Class, it was just like that middle-aged man said, we became disposable.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Well, at least they aren’t killing us immediately.”

I told myself so in order to keep my nerves under control. My current goal should probably be to enjoy the rest of my life as best as I could as that woman said… only, I was having serious trouble believing that a place called Purgatory was a geriatric resort for the Scourge-Class children. It would be great if the Purgatory turned out to be a comfortable place where, within reasonable limits, we could play games or do whatever for as long as we had left, but I doubted the reality was as nice.

After this small incident, the testing proceeded without further emergencies. The boy who had been hit in the stomach was brought over by the short-haired woman, but unlike me, he didn’t ask any questions. When I glanced at him, I noticed that his eyes were like those of a dead fish; lifeless and without any hope. I felt bad for him, but I wasn’t about to risk walking up to him to chat in my fear of offending one of those three women. What could I say? I might be an adult at heart, but I was as scared of pain and death as anyone else.

With nothing better to do, I focused on listening to the words the middle-aged man would occasionally speak.

“Class: Guardian.”

“Class: Higher Vampire. Aren’t you a lucky one?”

“Class: Flamelord.”

“Class: Soul Master of Ultimate Ice. Congratulations.”

“Class: Qi Master.”

“Class: Technomancer. Remember to stop by the office later with your parents."

“Class: Divine Archer. Congratulations.”

“Class: Cultivator. Work hard.”

“Class: Lower Soul Master.”

“Class: Elementalist. Congratulations.”

The more I listened, the more curious I became. I already guessed that this world was a strange one where things like cultivation and technology coexisted, but judging from the Classes those kids were awakening, I could see that it wasn’t limited to just that. There were some typical Classes among them, but at the same time, there were some very unique ones. For one instance, there were at least two or three ones that I could connect with the stories I had read in the past. I enjoyed those novels greatly, so my memory of them wasn’t vague at all. Had I been the one who awakened such a Class, then my life here would be simple given the cheat-like knowledge I had. Alas…

“Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.”

Oh, this time it was a girl. I wondered what Class she had to be declared as Scourge? And what was the Class of that boy’s from before? I remember seeing that my Class was named Soul Devourer, but where the rest of the information should have been were only rows of question marks. Was it because of that machine-like thing wasn’t strong enough to read that deep into one’s potential or was it because Scourge Classes naturally obstructed any deep intrusions?

Seeing that the third of the women proceeded to lead the girl over without any further trouble, I once again lost myself in my own thoughts.

The Classes from this world were so novel-like and so familiar to me… I would feel stupid if I tried and nothing happened, but I still closed my eyes and thought silently.

“Character Widow.”

“…”

I felt my cheeks blushing from embarrassment as seconds passed and nothing appeared before my eyes. Was it stupid to feel embarrassed when I should be so nervous about going to that place called Purgatory? Perhaps, but in my opinion, it was better not to worry about things you couldn’t do anything about.

Anyway, I wasn’t about to give up so easily. I concentrated on the ‘me within’ or whatever could it be. Weirdly enough, I actually felt something there, something that wasn’t present when I did the same silly things back in my past life. I tried reaching out to it and the moment I grabbed ahold of that thing with my mind, something showed up before my closed eyes.

Name: Alexander

Age: 8

Level: 1

Race: Human

Class: Soul Devourer

(???)

(???)

(???)

… It looked like the only new thing I could confirm was that I was still a human. On the side note, the number of question marks didn’t decrease even though one more line of information was revealed to me. Did it mean that there were multiple batches of information still waiting to be discovered?

“Class type: Scourge. To be disposed of.”

I opened my eyes the moment I heard the already scarily-familiar phrase being spoken. Once again, the one with a Scourge Class was a boy, so as far as the ratio went it was 3:1. However, most of the kids had been tested by this point, so I doubted that anything would change unless someone was really unlucky. After all, out of two hundred plus kids, only four had the misfortune to turn out to be a Scourge Class.

“So they take turns.”

I thought to myself when the long-haired woman by my side headed towards the machine and promptly brought the boy over. I didn’t pay much attention to how the other two kids looked, but I couldn’t help noticing how the originally medium-long, blond hair of that boy was growing a few blood-red strands here and there. Was this the result of his Class? So, that machine didn’t just read one’s innate Class but also helped him awaken his abilities?

Just like the other two kids, the golden-haired boy didn’t ask any question either. The knowledge of what happens to one once he is deemed a Scourge Class should be common knowledge in this world, so I no longer pondered too much over this matter.

Coincidentally, just a moment later, the last of the kids was tested and as I expected, the boy wasn’t in the unlucky group.

“Liana, we are leaving them with you.”

“Let’s go drinking once you’ve delivered them to the Purgatory~”

The short-haired woman declared simply, while the other long-haired one spoke with a smile. Then, the two of them led the entire group of two hundred plus kids out of the hall.

On the side note, the middle-aged man left as the last one, though it probably wasn’t anything important to take notice of.

“Stay where you are. We will leave once everything on the outside has calmed down.”

The long-haired woman said with a slight smile. I nodded, causing her smile to grow a little wider. The other three kids, however, didn’t react in any way, looking thoroughly dejected.

The woman didn’t pay much attention to any of us though as she retreated to under the wall and leaned against it. She crossed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes, looking as if she was intending to take a nap.

“It’s going to take a while then, huh.”

I thought to myself. I knew I had a habit of speaking some of my thoughts out loud, but given the situation, I consciously stopped it from acting up.

“What do I do?”

I couldn’t quite decide what I wanted to do. I could sit down somewhere and rest, but that seemed like a huge waste of time. I was in a tight spot, but I had been transported… or rather, most likely reincarnated into a different world with magic and cultivation. Wasn’t that what I always dreamed of? Maybe I would kick the bucket soon, but I wasn’t planning to spend those days depressed and weeping into a pillow.

Hrm. Maybe this woman was better at her job than I gave her credit to. Definitely, I preferred her blunt attitude compared to fake sympathy and lies about how everything was going to be all right. What she said about focusing on having a good time, it was just the right advice for the spot we had found ourselves in. That being said…

“Hrm, his hair isn’t turning blood-red anymore? Only four or five strands changed, huh. I wonder what Class does he have?”

Since the last boy was also brought over by the same long-haired woman, I was naturally a bit more curious about him. Moreover, he was standing quite close to me, unlike the other two who were keeping their distance. The boy was clenching his hands and looking down at his feet, so I could observe him for a bit without making it awkward.

Now that I took a better look, the kid was certainly the type to grow to be extremely handsome. I bet he would have already been very popular in the elementary school had he attended one in my old world. His clothes also appeared to be of much higher quality than the ones I was wearing, though they weren’t all that extravagant. My best guess would be that the boy’s parents were nobles or were very rich if I were to judge them by a fantasy world's standards.

“He started trembling.”

I mused a bit helplessly. I had been shaking quite badly too, but I have had more than enough time to compose myself. And well, I wasn’t really an eight-year-old like him.

“It really must suck for those three. I at least had a pleasant twenty-three years of my life before, but to them, their lives were only starting and now, they are over.”

I sighed quietly. I wasn’t the most social or empathetic person, but for some reason, I just couldn’t bear to stand there and do nothing while this blonde kid was shaking all over. He was clenching his fists so hard that his fingers had gone white, too. However, what should I do? Try talking to him? Would that even work? What would I say to begin with? To be honest, I had no idea what to do.

I pondered over this problem for a moment before coming to a conclusion… or rather, before I stopped trying to reach any kind of a sensible conclusion.

Was it because I gave up on thinking or was it because my mind became more child-like once I found myself in the body of an eight-year-old me? Once I stopped trying to plan out what I would say and do, I simply approached the golden-haired boy. He didn’t seem to notice me though, so without thinking, I reached out with my hand and held him by the wrist.

This instantly caused the boy to snap out of his thoughts as he raised his head and looked at me in confusion and shock.

“Yo, calmed down a little?”

I asked with a smile, looking the boy in the eye. By the way, his eyes were azure-blue and seemed to be shining almost like precious diamonds. In my world, I’ve only seen eyes like that in people who liked to wear contact lenses, so I naturally took notice of it. Still, the glittering part might be due to the tears that gathered in the boy’s eyes, but they looked amazing regardless. Yup, just like I had thought, this kid would have surely been a popular one anywhere he went.

The golden-haired boy looked at me for a moment, his expression frozen. Was he that startled? Still, I could feel that his body relaxed a little and stopped shaking. The fist I was holding onto loosened a little, allowing my hand to sink into a somewhat awkward half-handshake position. I wanted to reassure the boy in some way, but to my surprise, he suddenly tore his hand away from mine, then shakily took a few steps back.

“Don’t touch me!”

He yelled at me, making me worry if the long-haired woman wasn’t going to get angry. I didn’t want to be hit, but at the same time, I pushed those worries away and focused on the matter at hand.

‘Don’t touch me’, eh? At first, the idea that he didn’t want to be touched by someone of low birth crossed my mind, but once I realized that he had a terrified look on his face, I understood that it wasn’t it.

“Why?”

I asked straightforwardly. I kind of had a hunch that there was no point in overcomplicating our conversation at this point.

“Because…”

A flustered look flashed past the boy’s face, but he closed his mouth as if he changed his mind about what to say.

“Don’t you know it’s dangerous? Just don’t touch me.”

In the end, he still snarled back at me, but I could tell that he didn’t mean it in a bad way. He really appeared to be worried that he was going to do something to me.

“Is it because of your Class?”

I asked with a playful, slightly sarcastic smile. My attitude must have shocked the boy as he looked at me as if I was crazy. I didn’t mind though.

“Aren’t we all in the same spot? What’s the point in being scared of each other?”

I asked innocently. Logically speaking, there were many reasons to be wary of one another, but what was logical about this situation we had found ourselves in?

The ridiculous question appeared to have thrown the golden-haired boy off, too. He stared at me for a few seconds, speechless, before speaking up in a self-mocking, dejected tone.

“What’s the point of being scared? What if I told you that my Class is a Blood Thrall, eh? Are you still not scared to touch me?”

Whoa. I couldn’t be sure, but this Class was probably quite frightening as the other two kids, who until now had been listening in without a word, showed horrified expressions and edged backward by a few meters. The golden-haired boy didn’t fail to notice it either; he snorted and looked back at me, seemingly waiting for me to do the same.

Still, despite the way this kid acted, I could see that he was scared and confused. I knew those emotions all too well as I had spent most of my early childhood school years alone, without ever playing with the other kids in my class. I was nervous to speak to them since I was scared of being rejected and because of it, whenever one of them approached me and tried to have a chat, I would tell them to go away and while refusing to listen to what they were saying. It was stupid, but I guess I was more scared of being rejected than of staying alone.

“I’m not scared.”

I said with a smile and soon, saw the eyes of the golden-haired boy widen. I chuckled a little and walked up to him, then grabbed his right hand in the same way I did before. The boy was so startled, though, that he didn’t resist and allowed me to raise his hand up in a clumsy handshake.

“I’m Alexander. I hope we get along.”

I said lightheartedly. Blood Thrall? He was probably the lowest-ranked kind of a vampire based on the settings from various stories I remembered. His fate wasn’t an enviable one and he could potentially turn anyone he bit into another Blood Thrall, but I didn’t care. Wasn’t I something called a Soul Devourer? We were all freaks here, so I intended to follow my new mantra.

Do my best and enjoy every day to its fullest.

“I…”

“I’m Michael.”

The golden-haired boy replied after a few seconds. I chuckled again and gave him an amused smile and finally, I received a slight smile in response.