---

I ran forward without any direction.

Not knowing exactly where I was heading.

The wound at my side tingled.

I had applied a makeshift bandage, but it hadn’t healed completely in just one day.

Why am I running like this?

To survive? Then why do I want to survive?

I ponder these questions that don’t seem to have answers.

When I finally reach the edge of the city, my breathless running brings me to a massive gate.

And the mysterious soldiers guarding the area.

“……”

I stopped in my tracks and hid.

Clearly, they were looking for me, as I could see the mark of the association on them.

What do I do now?

The Blue Shark had told me to enter the gate, but can I breach those soldiers?

The only thing I can trust is this little droplet.

But even that’s not perfect.

I didn’t even have the luxury of hesitation.

The soldiers were slowly advancing towards where I had hidden.

At this rate, it’s obvious I would get caught.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and charged forward recklessly.

“Target spotted!”

“Authorize fire!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of gunfire filled the surroundings.

The droplet blocked all the bullets, but it was also slowly thinning.

If this continues, I’ll disappear before I can enter the gate.

But there wasn’t anything special I could do.

Just desperately running like I am now was all I had.

I pushed myself to the limit, my legs feeling like they might shatter.

When the bullets weren’t effective, some soldiers even tried to block them with their bodies.

Fortunately, the droplet bounced off everything that approached.

But now I’ve reached my limit.

Boom!

The droplet burst, leaving me exposed.

But the gate was right in front of me.

Just a little more. Just a bit…!

Bang!

“Oof!”

I nearly fell forward but managed to steady myself.

Using whatever strength I could muster in my left leg, I limped my way forward.

Finally, my hand touched the gate.

With a bright light, I lost consciousness.

—

“Target has entered the gate.”

“Let’s wait for the association’s orders.”

“Yes. Understood.”

—

When I finally regained consciousness, I realized I had collapsed.

The immense pain in my leg.

Is this how it feels to be shot?

I thought I had a high pain tolerance, but this was unbearable.

This wasn’t the time for that.

If the soldiers follow me in, I’m dead.

I need to hide my body. But what if I get caught by a monster while moving carelessly?

No matter which way I face, I have no way to defend myself in my current state.

Now that the situation has come to this, am I left with nothing but a bleak future?

Suddenly, I felt that everything was meaningless.

I could endure the physical pain, no matter how severe.

But what would come from enduring it?

Nothing.

Ultimately, what follows pain is just more pain.

This isn’t the situation I hoped for.

I didn’t side with the monsters for this.

I thought at least I would reach the temple safely.

Why is the academy responding so aggressively?

Am I a messiah here to save the world?

What even is a messiah?

Why are the ones who just sat by in the original story now actively trying to make my life hell?

Frustration towards the world.

Deep anger.

Emptiness.

All the negative emotions I’d been forcibly suppressing rushed in like a dam breaking.

I let go of one by one.

Useless feelings.

Regrets about life.

Memories and longings I had held onto.

After all, I couldn’t escape from this place anyway.

I’d soon be dead.

Letting everything go lifted my heart.

I had nothing to hold onto, so of course, I felt light.

How foolish.

It was so simple.

I wish I had realized just how easy it was a little earlier instead of trying so hard to end it all without success.

I slowly got up.

Strangely enough, my legs didn’t hurt at all.

The scenery around that I hadn’t seen came into view.

“…Heaven?”

It was a view that seemed to invoke such delusions.

It looked just like the image of heaven one would think of.

A noble temple built on clouds.

Beautiful angel statues were everywhere, all kneeling, seemingly worshipping something.

I limped forward cautiously.

Was there a gate like this in the original story?

I couldn’t remember. If there was, I would have recalled it.

What’s strange is that I didn’t see a single monster.

Monsters don’t only exist at the gates, but there must be monsters inside the gate.

There’s only one exception.

When the mana core is about to disappear, just before the gate closes.

Is the gate closing now?

But by whom?

I don’t know.

I’m not particularly curious.

Dying of starvation because of the gate closing isn’t the worst outcome.

Having given up on hope for life, I didn’t feel any emotional highs.

I just kept walking through the temple.

The angels were still kneeling.

—

I reached the end of the temple.

There stood a giant angel statue with three pairs of wings.

An angel holding a staff and a flower, graced with a kind smile.

Even after reaching the end of the gate, I couldn’t see a monster, nor a mana core.

Naturally, there were no people either. I didn’t really care about that.

Right now, I just wanted to rest peacefully.

I didn’t want to continue in this harsh world.

I collapsed in front of the statue and closed my eyes.

That’s enough. I’ve had enough.

Let it all come to an end.

—

“There you are.”

A voice shattered the stillness of the temple.

When I opened my eyes, a sacred black sword was right in front of me, and it looked quite familiar.

So was its wielder.

Why is he here?

“Han Si-hyun.”

“Yu Hana. So, you’re not going to run anymore? I didn’t expect to find you napping here.”

Han Si-hyun had a lot of people behind him.

There were soldiers with guns and academy students in uniforms.

Most of the students were wearing student council armbands.

“How about giving us a word?”

“……”

I didn’t have anything to say.

I just wished they would kill me quickly.

Han Si-hyun chewed on his lip and mumbled.

“Even until the end. You refuse to apologize.”

I see.

This kid isn’t here for the greater cause of slaying monsters.

It’s merely a personal vendetta of a younger sibling who almost lost an older sister.

Of course, I should be sorry to the student council president.

Setting aside the vice principal’s scheming, I really did stab her myself.

Had I stabbed just a little deeper, or let it fester a little longer, she might have died.

But I couldn’t say I was sorry.

No, I didn’t want to.

I’m the one who’s suffering.

I’m the one who’s suffering the most.

Without knowing anything.

As if deceived by the vice principal.

It was just like last time.

She doesn’t care about the wounds I received; only her own pain matters.

Not just Han Si-hyun.

Everyone in this world is the same.

I’m no different.

So I don’t want this anymore.

This annoying world.

After all, it’s just a fake world created.

It’s all just shadows from a novel.

Am I supposed to be the savior who saves the world?

Then I won’t save anyone.

I just want everyone to perish together.

Me. The world. Everything.

“Goodbye.”

In the moment Han Si-hyun swung his sword.

“Stop!!”

Someone shouted desperately from behind.

Again, it was Kim Shinwoo.

—

“Stop!!”

Everyone’s attention turned to the boy’s shout.

He had followed us this far, but he could no longer hide.

The commander was furious at his subordinate’s unexpected action.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

“Shut up. Mind your own business?”

From the side, a rebellious voice was heard.

Yeon Hwa, throwing off her mask, glared at Si-hyun with a dissatisfied expression.

“Ungrateful brat. Do you want to live like this?”

“What are you talking about? I’m just trying to defeat the monsters. And I’ve never received any gratitude.”

“Bullshit! Who stopped you from being expelled!? She personally begged the class to gather petitions to stop you! Is that wrong!?”

“……”

The conversation didn’t continue.

The commander, having grasped the situation, gave orders to his subordinates.

“An enemy! Attack! Kill on sight!”

“Someone likes to kill.”

Flames erupted from Yeon Hwa’s entire body.

The fire grew larger and spread across the temple floor without stopping.

Only right next to her and near Hana did the flames not touch.

Si-hyun frowned at the flame, as he narrowly avoided it, being right in front of Hana.

“Do you realize what this means?”

“Hmm? Of course. It’s pest extermination.”

“……”

Eventually, Shinwoo and Valentina also threw off their masks and uniforms.

Valentina glared at Si-hyun and said.

“I don’t like thugs, but I completely agree with what you just said. Are you really fighting for a greater cause?”

“…What does that change? The fact remains that the monster I tried to kill was still trying to kill my sister. What more do you need? That’s enough.”

I can fully understand her feelings.

Shinwoo, with a sorrowful look in his eyes, desperately tried to convince her one last time.

“I get it. But at least, can’t you ask for a reason? You can still decide afterward. There might be something you’ve misinterpreted or a reason you had to. So please…”

Si-hyun hesitated for a moment but shook his head.

“It’s already too late. Yu Hana will die here.”

“That brat, just listening to you…!”

“Wait! Hana has disappeared!”

“What?!”

Hana vanished.

The flames that had been blocking the enemies suddenly became just a curtain.

Where did she go? Where is she?!

Yeon Hwa hurriedly extinguished the flames and finally found the girl.

Yu Hana, pierced by a spear held by a lavender-haired girl.

Red blood poured down to the floor.