Darkness.
Silence.
Only the sound of my breathing… and my voice talking to no one but myself.
I don't know how long I've been here.Hours? Days? It feels like years—like time itself is mocking me.
I thought I was ready for this
.But ready for what, exactly?
My will wavers.My chest feels heavy.
All I want… is to go home.
But—
Can that wish alone carry me to the end?
I've always been nothing more than an NPC—someone without weight or worth. A face in the crowd.
Discarded by my peers. Forgotten by those who summoned me.
Trash.The worst of the worst.
"Why do you tell yourself that?"
The voice is sharp. Close. Familiar in a way that makes my skin prickle.
"You're the one who chose this path."
"…Who are you?"
"I am you," it says plainly. "The part you've kept locked away. The real you—a fragment of your soul."
My stomach tightens.
I didn't even know such a part of me existed.
"Why not quit? End it all. Just die… and everyone will finally be at peace."
The words are too calm. Too certain.
And yet… curiosity slips its hooks into me.
"…WHO ARE YOU?"
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Meanwhile — Arthemya
The clash of swords cuts through the air. Sparks flash in the sunlight, ringing metal echoing in the training grounds.
I stand apart, watching the goddess RENA speak with her soldiers.
Her presence commands the space—until her eyes suddenly flick toward me.She turns. She waves.
Caught off guard, I awkwardly wave back.
A tap on my shoulder.I turn.
Rika.
"Oh… it's you," I say. "What do you want?"
Her expression is steady, almost defiant."Shiro… I understand what you said. It was the truth. I haven't forgiven you—but I've decided to protect this whole class."
Her words stun me. I'd always thought of her as a people pleaser. But now she's standing up for even those who pushed HIM into hell.
"Have you told the male representative the plan?" I ask.
She freezes. "…I forgot! I'll go now!"
I smirk. "What a pain of a leader."
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But…
The unease gnaws at me.
My S-Class status had revealed a rare skill—Insight—letting me see my surroundings down to the tiniest detail.
It's incredible… but it drains my stamina like blood from an open wound. If I want to wield it well, I'll have to grow much stronger.
I've learned much about my classmates through it. Weaknesses. Strengths. Secrets.
But when I look at YUTA… and RENA…
Nothing.
No readings.
Only emptiness.
And that emptiness makes my instincts tighten.
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The Voice in the Dark
"…WHO ARE YOU?" I demand again.
"I told you. I'm you. The part you pretend doesn't exist.
"A slow, mocking chuckle. "You'll get your revenge… but you'll die before you even reach the second step. What a coward."
"…What do you want from me?"
"Accept me. We are one."
"I don't even know you."
"You do. I've been there in every laugh, every tear, every time you clenched your fists. While you smiled and played the fool… I told you the truth. But you ignored me."
"If I accepted you… what would change?"
The laughter stops. The tone sharpens.
"Everything. You will cut away the chains of living for others. You will stop pretending. You will break free."
The memory flashes in my mind—the First Door's words:
If you want revenge… throw away your humanity.
"…So you're my emotion. Apathy."
"Exactly."
"And Empathy?"
"Either shattered… or locked away forever."
Sweat runs down my cheek.
Empathy—the warmth that made me human.
Apathy—the cold fire that could burn the world.
A demon.
No—my demon.
"Yes," the voice whispers like a grin. "Negative emotions are devils that live in the human heart. Choose, Yuta. Accept me… and I will make you unstoppable."
They laughed at me.
Talked behind my back.
Rena. My classmates.
They made me into a joke.
Not anymore.
My resolve hardens.
Kill Rena. Go home.
If I must stop being human… then so be it.
I reach out.
I accept.
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Yuta's Return but something changed
My eyes snap open.
The heaviness in my chest is gone.
The opinions of others—gone.
My status plate pulses with power—Kyofu no Ora.
An aura that forces those around me to their knees, feeding my magic with their fear.
Black flames coil at my fingertips. Hungry. Waiting.
I step through the gate.
No harmless beasts.
No bunnies.
Only humans.
…My classmates.
"That's a foul play," I murmur, "but… what do I care?"
I take a step.
They drop to their knees.
"Hono."
The flames erupt.
They scream. They vanish into ash.
I walk away without a backward glance.
It's done.On to the next.
At the finish line, a young girl stands.
Her eyes glimmer as she watches me approach.
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"He's coming. The undead will soon arrive. Let me welcome… the fearsome Undead King."