.

"…"

After waking up, he found himself inside a hospital room with a basket of fruits beside his bed. He looked around and saw his own left arm in a casket, his chest area completely patched as if after an operation, and all over his body bandages that covered his wounds.

He looked outside the window, then at the basket of fruits.

The pain is bearable, and, based on the sun, it must be evening. The fruits in the basket are fresh, so someone must’ve brought them not long ago. Now that I think about it, just who got the time to leave me fruits?

He got up and examined his body. Since he was able to move, it meant that he must’ve slept for quite a while. Anxious that he was wasting time, he took off the perfuse and other wires from the machines that were connected to him, then tried to get up. He wanted to leave, but then a sudden sense of danger made him turn in a hurry while grabbing the metal hanger beside the door to use as a weapon.

"It seems I scared you."

A blonde woman in a white dress with golden embroidery and closed eyes while carrying an old notebook was seated on a chair inside his room. After seeing her, Darius’ blood froze as he recognized her instantly. It was the godly Scribble, but he didn’t dare call her by that name as he tried to keep his composure and just appear irritated.

"I'm pretty sure any sane person would jump at the sudden appearance of a ghost in their room… Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Who I am does not concern you. However, who you are concerns me."

"What are you talking about?"

The woman got up from her chair and walked closer to him.

"?!"

The danger bells inside his head started ringing like crazy, and he understood that if he didn’t leave from there quickly, he might risk more than just his life.

As the woman slowly approached, she said,

"You are an oddity I can’t see through. While you were asleep, I tried to examine you, but I couldn’t see anything out of the norm, yet you’re behaving outside your destined path."

"You’re freaking me out, woman."

Does this imply that she already used the laser from her eyes on me while I was sleeping? Not sure if lucky or just scary.

She took another step as she calmly spoke, her expressionless face unchanging.

"I cannot track you like any other person either. It’s as if you’re an outside element in this world’s matrix. You… Who are you, and how did you get here?"

"I have no idea what the fuck you mean!"

She reached out her hand, but unsure of what she wanted to do while his danger bell was ringing like crazy, he just swung the metal hanger that was beside his bed at her, then quickly exited the room, rushing out and running towards the building’s exit.

"…"

Although Darius bent the hanger on her arm and head, the woman only got pushed back for a bit as there were no other injuries on her body. She looked behind the door, and a frown appeared on her face.

I lost him again… He is obviously a simple human, but why can't I read his destiny or see his soul? Just what is he?... Have I been too hasty in my decision to approach him? It’s a possibility that the higher God have brought him into this world. But why…?

As a godly Scribble, she was somewhat of a god herself. And as someone who was writing inside the Akashic Book, not knowing something about the world she had under jurisdiction left her with a rare and extremely displeasing feeling of dissatisfaction.

I guess there is nothing I can do for now… The goddess Aura might be dissatisfied by this, but her actions until now might have attracted the higher God’s attention. I suppose it’s no wonder they took such severe actions… I better say nothing and just observe how things unfold.

.

If that scribble knows of my existence, then it’s just a matter of time until Aura finds me too. Damn it! It’s too soon for her to know. I shouldn’t have entered that damn hotel in the first place.

A feeling of urgency overwhelmed Darius as he stopped running because of the pain but continued to walk faster.

I took things too lightly. I forgot again that this is not my world and I should watch my behavior.

Irritated and disappointed with himself, Darius felt like he became too relaxed while underestimating how things unfolded, just like in his first life in this world. He started thinking that he’ll just repeat the same mistake if he didn’t take his act together; this fact making him grit his teeth furiously.

He went down the stairs and continued on without minding whoever appeared in his face.

I need to speed up things. I need more weapons, more materials, and more money. I need to prepare the materials for the heroes so they can build up their sets of armor. I’m in Sora Kim’s world, the Beastwoman, yes? Then I should find materials good enough so she can go to the smithy, David, for some good weapons. Next, she requires good armor. Her fighting style is that of a melee combatant in the bruiser category, so I’ll need to find some sturdy yet flexible materials, like the hydra’s scales from its wings. That would enchant her physical might. Then-

"Darius… Darius…!"

A voice resounded from behind him as he rushed forward while thinking on his own. Not paying any attention, a hand reached out to him, but out of reflex, he abruptly turned and grabbed the hand midair, his gaze sharp.

"… Darius, you’re hurting me."

"Lily…? Don’t creep behind my back."

The person that called out to him was Lily, and right now she was dressed just like him in a pair of hospital pajamas. Her head was bandaged, but other than that, there were no significant injuries to her body. She massaged her wrist, then glanced perplexedly at him, some worry visible in her eyes.

"Did something happen? You passed me by like I was air. You didn’t even hear me calling for you repeatedly."

"I was deep in thought."

"Yes, I saw. Is everything alright? And shouldn’t you still be in bed? I heard from the doctor that your lungs were punctured by more broken ribs, your left arm got broken, and your nerves and brain got overcharged by the constant usage of dopamine made for mages. The doctor was afraid of feeding you any healing elixirs as they might endanger your nervous system. As an elite, don’t you know the side effects of using drugs that are for higher beings than normal humans? Darius, just what the heck's pushing you that far?"

Beyond just being worried and already straight-out irritated, Lily was unable to watch her language anymore as she questioned Darius with a deep frown on her face. Her response surprised him, and the headache made him a little irritated as well.

"And what has entered you? Not long ago, you thought I was a spy. Now, suddenly, you are worried over me? Get your act together, woman."

She was not necessarily a cold woman, but a calculative and even shrewd when necesary; able to peek inside one’s heart and soul with her gaze of a devil that made any person tremble from both excitement and fear. She knew when to use her sex appeal, when to play the fool, and when to stay composed.

Due to the fact that such a calm and collected person has shown so many emotions for someone like him, Darius started to worry whenever her spirit might actually be weaker than he expected and what they went through might’ve been too much for her.

His words made her freeze, and then her face turned dark. A weird pressure made even Darius feel somewhat threatened.

"….That’s it. You’re coming with me."

She reached out and grabbed him by the wrist, but Darius was already irritated with her as he frowned and said sternly,

"Let go."

"I said you’re coming with me."

"Stop annoying me and let go. I have other things to do."

She got annoyed beyond words and just decided to drag Darius with her, but he was just as pissed.

"Woman, just piss off already, or I’ll- Guh!"

Lily slapped Darius where the doctor had just operated on his ribs and made him bend in pain at the sudden shock. He was barely able to breathe as sweat covered his forehead. Meanwhile, Lily stared sharply at him as she dragged him by the arm, her voice stern, while not leaving any room for talking back.

"Watch your tongue, young man. One more disobedience like that, and I’ll make you eat your words again."

"…."

Unable to speak just yet because of the pain, Darius just gnashed his teeth while following Lily, holding his ribs with a white face as she dragged him by the hand.

This damn woman…! I swear I’ll pay her back one way or another…!

He never expected to meet his match, and even less for them to be a non-combatant mage.

I swear, at this moment, I’d rather face a high-rank monster than her…

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

After they finally arrived inside her room, she pulled his arm and threw him in her bed, disregarding his injuries as he barely was able to take a better position in bed, sweat filling his forehead. She then sat near the bed and started scolding him while fuming all over.

"Look at you, barely able to move, and you suddenly start talking crap about me being the weird one. I’ve never seen a more foolish and childish man than you! What, you think you’re a mage? Or a Spirit Wielder? Spirit Wielders feel no tiredness or hunger as they feed on the mana around them and heal after a severe injury in a matter of hours, while us mages are able to regenerate much quicker than a human could ever do. But you? You’re nothing but a ragged doll at this point, and boosting yourself with some drugs will only kill you faster! For a simple human, just know your place already, or you’ll only kill yourself! Seriously, you’re such a fool at times…!"

She continued on scolding him, and Darius finally turned on his back. After recovering his breathing, he felt only more and more irritated with Lily’s scolding until he snapped.

"For fuck’s sake!"

"?!"

Lily twitched after hearing him shout out so loudly then Darius’ pent-up feelings and frustrations flushed out like a geyser as he started shouting at her with a dark face.

"Do you think I like doing this? Do you think I wanna do this, ah?! Shit! If I could, I would leave it all to someone else—maybe someone more able to do all of this crap, but nobody can! Why? Because nobody went through the shit I did-!..."

"…."

Lily was left with no words for a moment by his outburst, but Darius quickly closed his mouth shut, not wishing to say anything anymore. He then sighed and tried to calm down his nerves, massaging his throbbing temples.

"As for my injuries… don’t worry. I can take a healing serum, and I’ll be back on both feet in a matter of hours."

Hearing his spiritless voice and seeing the regret for outbursting like that, Lily answered this time with a softer tone, her arms crossed underneath her chest.

"The doctors said it might harm your body if you-"

"It won’t. Although my control is weak, I can still make it so the overflowing energy won’t affect my neurons and nerves."

"I wasn’t talking only about your brain…"

She couldn’t help sighing while shaking her head.

That serum’s only used by mages and Soul Wielders as they suffer no side effects. Humans, on the other hand, will risk having their cells weakened the more they consume them, ending up aging a few years after one use.

She knew that even if she said anything, Darius wouldn’t listen to her, but she still couldn’t comprehend why he was doing all of this, his words from before resounding in her head once again.

"Mr. Darius, just what do you know that nobody does? What is that... you went through?"

"…."

She knew that to acquire the mad guts and ability to confront a hydra with just a knife and a gun without dying, jump off a 10-story building, and get rid of miasma from inside the body required more than just physical might and combat ability as a simple human. Rather, it required a shrewd mind, crazy instincts, a lot of smarts, rare pieces of information, and a truckload of madness. And to get all of the before-said traits, one needs to go through experiences worth a lifetime. And since Darius was no older than 24 after both lives, the accumulated burdens must’ve affected his mind as well, probably not remaining too sane in the head either.

In Lily’s case, who was able to see through a person’s aura, that moment when Darius snapped, she was able to see a color that resembled too well with the large pillar of light in the middle of the Danger Zone. That accentuated and blinding purple, combined with a bright infernal red of madness and a pure black shade of gloom, the aura itself was as if it smeared through the colors of Hell, making Lily unable to understand just how a human can hide such ridiculous feelings inside and just how much more he is hiding.

He’s at the point where the one he fears the most is himself. I saw many strong men with strong muscles, but I always thought Darius’ body seemed different. I guess it’s also because of the tension within himself, his body being like a rock most of the time caused by the stress he's sensing, except when he’s fighting.

At Lily’s question, Darius decided to keep quiet, his long hair hiding his gaze from her as if voluntarily. Seeing him keep quiet, Lily thought of trying something out as she reached out to his hand.

"Darius, I want to help you-"

"No need to worry; I won’t die. I know what you’re thinking, Lily. You see me as a great asset for the human coalition and a possible chance for the military to power up, and you’re afraid that someone with such great combat skills and knowledge, willing to train others, won’t appear again. But don’t you worry, I have the same goal; I won’t die until I’m sure that humanity will gain the needed power to fight back without any more useless sacrifices."

He evaded her touch, and after hearing his cold voice, Lily remained momentarily still, thinking that it was best to retreat for the moment.

"Darius, what you said is true... I do see you as a great asset for the military, but I also see you as more than that. You’re not an object. I’m sorry if that’s what I made you think… Do you hate me?"

"If I say yes, will you stop approaching me?"

He glanced at her with tired eyes, and she was surprised to see how he was no longer able to control his emotions, his aura now showing what he was feeling. And right now, he had no wish to say what he was saying.

"You are destined to become the Iron Rose of the human coalition. You are destined for much more greatness than this, Lily. Approaching me will do you no good. Just focus on your things while I focus on mine. We are nothing more than business partners."

She gazed at him with a complicated gaze, unsure how to react. In the end, she sighed and gently patted his shoulder.

"Normally, I would have left you alone. But I can tell you’re not sincere with yourself, Darius."

Darius’ heart jumped when he heard that, and Lily was able to see how he felt, both reassured and worried, obviously not wishing for her to see inside of him anymore.

She chuckled lightly, then sat near him, and with a gentle touch, she caressed his cheek.

"I know you don’t want me to leave you. And I know you’re just forcing yourself to say all of that. And I wish to know: What are you going so far for? I see fear in you, so who are you afraid of? Is it my background? Maybe the monsters? The actual position of humanity? The future? Or is it… yourself?"

"…"

Hm? There’s no change in his aura.

Nothing of what she said seemed to have caused a reaction within Darius, making Lily suspect that he might’ve gotten back under control.

"What I’m afraid of…? You sure you wanna know?"

However, the next moment, Darius touched her wrist and reached closer to her face, his words making her open her eyes wide in shock. His eyes were deep, and Lily felt like a deep purple abyss was engulfing her. She felt a slight sense of panic and retracted her hand instinctively from his.

"Ah…"

She became aware of what she just did, and although she felt bad for retreating like that from Darius, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything anymore. His gaze from just now made her feel like trembling.

That gaze… I saw it before... It was like that one Demonic Wielder from back when I was still a colonel. But… why does Darius have the same gaze? He’s… just a normal human…

Darius’ words resounded once again in her head: "…nobody went through the shit I did!" Although not fully, something made her understand that maybe Darius’ past was much more difficult than she could imagine, and maybe he went through things she couldn’t even think of.

She gazed at him once again, and seeing his dark face, she understood that she was in no place to scold or even say anything to him, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Sigh~… You’re… really a fool…"

She sighed while holding onto her own arm bitterly, but Darius said nothing as he continued to remain silent. Seeing him so closed up inside and surrounded by walls, Lily couldn’t help shaking her head.

He’s standing on a thin line of reason while struggling not to fall into madness. This confirms it. What he fears isn’t an external power... but himself…

She was still unaware of many things, but she understood that whatever Darius was doing was like a form of repentance. For what? Nobody knew, and this only made Lily more frustrated.

At first, Lily thought of tying a closer relationship with Darius because he seemed to be someone she was unable to read and proved to be a challenge to her and also a possible danger. But now she quickly wishes to do so for another reason, more personal.

In the end, she just sighed, and with an unusually soft voice, she gently held his hand and spoke.

"For some reason, I don’t want to see you in pain anymore than this, Darius. So be sure to take care of yourself, yes? Promise me."

"…"

Old and weird conflicted feelings inside his once frozen heart started to resurface. Darius sighed, and as if unable to speak, he scratched his head frustrated, and just lightly nodded his head once.

"Thank you."

She smiled softly, then lightly kissed his cheek. She left the room for a bit to get something to eat from the nearby stand, only to come back to an empty bed.

Sigh~… What a stubborn man...

She couldn’t even bring herself to feel anger as she only sighed, feeling petty for the man who had no mercy on himself.

.

"Guh!"

He groaned while trying to walk properly, his wound at his ribs continuing to sting after each step.

Damn stubborn woman…

He felt a wave of anger after remembering the slap he got at his injury from Lily, but that same anger would suddenly evaporate the moment he remembered her beautiful smile and eyes, together with the soft kiss on his cheek.

Sigh~, I said it right; she’s way too perfect for her own good.

Darius was still surprised by how understanding she was after his outburst; in truth, he was actually expecting her to only leave him and completely lose interest in him. But, trying to no longer think about her, he just focused on his tasks.

I must have a few cash still deposited. My clothes must’ve been discarded, so I got to change clothes as well.

The first stop Darius made was to the deposit to take out some cash and clothes.

Because of the pain, he had a hard time changing clothes inside the small changing rooms presented inside the deposit company.

Shaking his head from the headache, he then went out to his next destination and entered a drugstore. From there, he brought another dopamine, two quarter-energy pills, and two healing serums. The serum was made like the energy pills: the mana was gathered and liquefied, then introduced in a type of container that would be able to keep the liquid contained inside without evaporating or disintegrating into the mana. However, unlike the normal energy pills, the healing serum transmuted the mana inside in a way so it could heal injuries from the most severe, such as fractured bones and torn flesh, to the ugliest internal injuries, such as punctured organs or severe poisoning. If the cut was clean and one acted quickly enough, even a severed limb could still be reattached. It was a wonder drug, but the price was just as wonderful.

"The total will be 20.000 rozoni sir."

"Of course."

Although he made over a million rozoni at this point from all the hunting, the fact that he fought with monsters again while saving hundreds of people on his own without getting a rozon left Darius with a grunt in his stomach.

I nearly sacrificed myself and fought dozens of monsters and a fucking hydra in order to waste money on drugs. Even worse, I lost my gun, my knife got busted, I completely wrecked a nice pair of clothes, and I also have a humongous hospital bill on my name. For what? A fucking oral agreement with Lily about buying some videos. Fucking great!

The gun was about 200 + 100 for the ammo and magazines, the clothes 100, the knife another 1000 since it was a plasma knife, and the hospital bill was about 5000. In total, 6.400 rozoni were wasted, together with a rising frustration in his chest from continuously thinking about it.

It wasn’t that much, but the money needed for all the tools and materials to create his tools and his laboratory wasn’t even halfway enough, while time was also not on his side; about half a month has passed since he was passed out for quite a bit in the hospital.

"Fuuuu~ck…"

He sighed deeply, and in anger, he also let out a curse. Trying to just not mind it anymore, he went to a nearby clothes shop and brought himself some simple clothes, then went right to a weapons’ market.

I’ll need to make another trip towards that damn Danger Zone land, but to be sure that I’ll be able to defeat them by not wasting that many explosives, it’s time to get the heavy weaponry.