What followed was nothing short of a massacre.
The first one to go was Richard, tough bastard that he was. Even as one zombie chomped on his arms, he never let go of his shovel and continued to swing away. Sadly, he was reduced to screaming near the end and died in horrible pain.
The second to fall was Iron Fist. The Necromancer clearly didn't want to destroy his body; he summoned a second undead—a Death Knight, undoubtedly a C-rank at least—who quickly decapitate Iron Fist.
Watching the giant body of the man who had taken care of me for years fall with a thud felt like a spike was tearing through my heart.
I bit my lips so hard that blood was flowing, and yet all I could do was watch in horror.
It seemed like I would be next. The Necromancer stopped in front of me.
"How interesting. I can feel the strong power of the abyss coming from you, and yet you are still alive. This defies the knowledge I have accumulated."
His bony finger scratched his chin before he came to a decision.
"It seems I'll have to change my words. Cain Bishop, was it? Become my subordinate. Sell your eternal soul to me, and I shall promise you endless glory as the cornerstone of world-changing research. Of course, should you refuse, I will make sure you suffer endless torment." This was a proposal born from supreme arrogance and confidence in himself.
I narrowed my eyes at the fact that he knew my name. But his proposal drew my attention.
[The Silent Watcher wonders what choice you will make.]
Life of slavery or eternal torment. It was honestly not such a difficult choice, logically speaking.
Why was I hesitating? The answer was obvious. I should just accept and survive. Taking revenge for Iron Fist could wait.
The decision was made, and yet, as I opened my mouth, I surprised myself.
"Fuck you."
"I see that I am in the presence of a fool. Such a shame."
The Necromancer bent down and grasped my throat with his bony hands before lifting me effortlessly. I suffocated as the pressure on my windpipe increased.
"Losing the soul is a shame, but I suppose the body will be enough. I hope you are ready."
His words were calm, but behind them was a promise of pain and suffering. A hell from which no human mind could survive.
But I smiled.
"Do you…know one of the…Skill of Makers?" I gasped.
The Necromancer paused before asking, "What is it?"
"Matter conversion, bitch."
Middle finger raised as the dust settled, I gave him a savage, bloody grin.
I didn't have any more mana. My pitiful lifespan had been nearly consumed.
But so what!?
If I couldn't burn my mana or my lifespan, then I just had to burn my body.
"You're not taking me that easily… asshole…"
I knew even that would not take him down. As long as we didn't destroy what held his soul, it would all be fruitless.
But rather than living enslaved like a wise man, I would die in a blaze of glory like a fool.
The image of the seer I met this morning briefly appeared in my mind, making me smile. I couldn't help but wonder if she had foreseen this situation.
This was a question I would never be able to ask her.
"My… This was indeed unexpected." Those were the last words he uttered as my body transformed into a mini-bomb.
[The Silent Watcher cheers at the beautiful fireworks. He wonders what kind of wondrous sight you will bring next.]
Asshole until the end. I thought even as death claimed me.
***
A strange message floated in front of me;
[You have died]
I didn't know where I was, or how I was even able to see. Dead, huh? I was starting to remember. I had died fighting a Necromancer.
How anticlimactic.
Even my so-called grandiose death was nothing to the Necromancer. I doubted I managed to do any serious damage. Even if I had, he would simply regenerate his body.
At least I had made sure he wouldn't have an easy time using my body. I wished him luck trying to piece me back together.
Hahah…A bleak laugh—or what I thought was a laugh—escaped me.
Pathetic. To think I would take solace in such a useless thing.
My life was a series of failures, and my death did not seem much better.
Lowborn, bastard, incompetent, half-wit—those were the names I had been called all my life.
The label of 'failed genius' made me a figure of either jealousy or disregard, and since I had no power, I lived my life constantly having things taken away.
There was a time when I, too, had hopes for my life, I thought to myself.
If I continued to gain recognition like this, one step at a time, and kept working tirelessly, maybe one day I, too, would be acknowledged by everyone.
But that never happened. I still remember the words that sealed my fate.
—Hmm, I've never seen a mana circuit like this before. It's unsuitable for learning magic… and its instability makes it impossible for martial arts. Even becoming a D-rank Hunter will be hard.---
After my peculiar constitution was revealed, people began to give up on me. Even those who once held a sliver of expectation for me eventually left, thinking, 'Of course, that's how it is.'
Still, out of sheer stubbornness, I worked hard. I even managed to achieve some results. I could fight F-rank even as the lowest-ranked Hunter.
Sadly, it seems like in the end, they were right. To think I would die in such an unknown dungeon.
Haha, it was a shame. Helen would most likely cry and call me an idiot. Jason would most likely gloat since he lost a love rival. As for Helen's mother, the Sword Saint, perhaps she would simply shake her head in silence.
[Do you regret your decision?]
Another message, yet different from the one I had seen earlier. This one seemed familiar, but I could not remember why.
Still—regret, huh? Did I regret not choosing to sell my soul? It was a tough question. But now that I was dead and floating here, I could say with certainty I do not.
Someone once said that in their last moments, people show who they really are.
I guess that showed I was nothing but a helpless idiot, and yet I knew, even if I was presented this choice a hundred times, I would still reject it a hundred times.
Even if I were given a second chance, I would still make the same choice.
[Is that so? Then I guess you will soon have a chance.]
Haha how? I'm dying, you know?
[Poor lost hatchling. You still do not understand. For you —Death is merely an inconvenience.]
[You have Died.]
[Even in the face of Death, you did not surrender.]
[The power of your Determination reached the necessary Threshold.]
[Condition to unlock the bloodline chain fulfilled.]
[You have been deemed worthy of carrying the legacy of Ouroboros as the next Time Sovereign.]
[A Fragment of Time now awakens in you.]
[...Adaptation to the skillset for the Hatchling…]
[...Adaptation complete. The instinctual power will now appear in the form of skills to allow easier use…]
[New Class….]
[New Skills…]
[Death may be the end for some, but for you, it's just a new beginning.]
[Warning: To live is to suffer. You will walk a path twisted by Fate and Destiny, as the world itself tries to destroy your will and your resolve.
[Only when you truly give up and when your Determination withers will the sweet embrace of Death finally claim you.]
[Try again?]
[Yes or No…]
I stared blankly at the message in front of me. Everything seemed like a surreal dream, a metaphor for something trapped deep within my memory. Yet even though I realized it was a dream, I could not wake up.
Because it was not my dream.
[The Sleeping ????? stirs.]
[The Lurker at ?????. observes your choice. ]
I groaned as information rushing into my mind. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and my instincts were screaming at me.
Do not look up!
There is madness above!
So I dared not look up, even though I could feel a familiar gaze on me—that of the Silent Watcher.
Instead I focused on the choices that were presented to me.
Live again?
This was a chance few could ever obtain. But the warning made me pause. Clearly life would not be easy for me. Perhaps things would be even worse than in the past.
But…
So what?
Life had never been easy in the first place. It had been a series of struggles, where each day was a new fight to attain greater heights.
This is what made life worth living.
Any hesitation I might have had was washed away. My choice was already made.
I accept.
[Searching through the River of Time…]
The River of Time?
[...Adaptation....]
[Searching through the save files…]
Wut?
[No recent save file found.]
[Searching through the moment where Determination was put to the test.]
[...Adaptation…]
[Searching through auto-save files.]
[Auto-save file found.]
[Return by Death activated.]
[Farewell, Seed of Ouroboros. May Determination shine and pierce through predetermined Fate and Destiny.]
On those strange words, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Only, it was on the way back.