And in the depths of the pain, the agony, the exhaustion, he smiled.
"This is it... this is what it's like... to be alive..."
Then, the world went dark.
Not like when death approaches. This was different. It was like sinking into a thick lake of exhaustion, muscles screaming for rest, body demanding surrender. Yuto's last thought before unconsciousness swallowed him was: *"I won..."*
Silence.
...
An indefinite amount of time passed. Minutes? Hours? Days?
The darkness began to dissolve like smoke. And in the midst of it, a soft—human—voice emerged, cutting through the emptiness.
"H-hey... are you okay?"
A girl's voice. Young. Scared. But curious.
Light footsteps echoed through the stuffy room. There was a scent of dried blood, moss, and something else... medicinal. The soft light of a healing spell flickered in her hands. Her eyes widened as she saw the mutilated body before her.
Yuto.
Bloody. Half his face purple with bruises, his jaw dislocated, his chest bandaged with makeshift straps. He was still breathing. Weakly. But he was breathing.
"Shit... you..." the girl swallowed hard. "How the hell are you still alive?"
She approached cautiously. She lightly touched his arm with two fingers. His body was hot. Feverish. But his eyes, though half-closed, moved slightly beneath his lids.
"Can you hear me? Hey? Are you listening?"
Nothing.
She bit her lower lip, looking around. The room where he'd found him looked like a rotting alleyway from hell: blood everywhere, the remains of twisted goblins, and in the center, what remained of the Goblin Boss, its head crushed and its single eye open in a final look of terror.
"...who are you?"
No answer. Only the sound of Yuto's labored breathing.
The girl clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and conjured an amber magic circle on the ground. Ancient symbols floated around her as she uttered a soft incantation, like a forgotten prayer.
—*Translatum... corphus... retinentia...*
Light enveloped Yuto's body. Slowly, he was lifted off the ground, like a broken puppet, and the girl walked toward the dungeon's exit.
...
When Yuto woke, the first sensation was discomfort. His entire body felt as if it had been run through a hydraulic press. Every inch ached, throbbed, or itched beneath rough linen bandages.
He tried to move his arm.
Nothing.
He tried to turn his neck.
Nothing either.
—...What the fuck...
His eyes opened slowly. The ceiling was made of darkened, uneven wood. A candle flickered beside the bed, casting dancing shadows on the walls. He lay on a hard mattress, but covered. Covered. With a real blanket. He was no longer naked. His clothes had been replaced with something simple but clean.
He tried to speak. Only a grunt came out.
**[Status: Immobilized]**
**[Reason: Paralysis Magic Lv. 2]**
**[Duration remaining: 03h12min]**
The blue interface projected before his eyes with the system's typical coldness.
"...Magic?" he thought, unable to pronounce the words. "Why...?"
**[You have been deemed a potential risk. Preventative paralysis applied.]**
The message flashed for a few seconds before disappearing.
But then... the system spoke.
**[Awake, finally? I thought you were going to die and make me bored again.]**
Yuto narrowed his eyes, irritated.
—...You...
**[You. Me. Us. The important thing is that you're alive, Little Executioner. And causing trouble on your first day. Not bad.]**
Yuto tried to move his head, but his body wouldn't respond. The feeling of helplessness made something old bubble up inside him: anger.
—I... I don't die that easily...
**[Clearly. He crushed the head of a goblin who looked like a clan chief with a sword made of... nothing. Literally. Congratulations, by the way. You're officially the biggest lunatic on this continent.]**
Yuto took a deep breath. Or tried to. His breathing was still painful, his chest constricted with effort. But at least he was alive.
**[Oh, and before you ask: someone saved you. A cute little girl, golden eyes, red hair, looking like she doesn't know what she's gotten herself into. She seems to have some power, too. She carried you through half a dungeon to a cabin on the outskirts. You're in good hands—at least for now.]**
Yuto didn't answer. He was processing everything.
Someone saved him.
A girl.
Why?
—...she... saw me like that?
**[With exposed bones, biting a goblin's neck, screaming like a maniac? Yes. She saw everything. She must be enchanted by your wild charm.]**
Yuto would have laughed if he could. Instead, only a hoarse sigh escaped through his teeth.
Soft footsteps echoed outside the room. Someone was climbing a wooden staircase. The doorknob creaked.
The door opened with a soft click.
It was her.
The girl.
She must have been seventeen, eighteen. She wore simple clothes, a dark cloth tunic, a headscarf that held her red hair in a makeshift bun. She carried a tray with a steaming bowl and a waterskin.
Her golden eyes gleamed when they saw Yuto awake.
"Hey... you're awake!" she whispered, as if afraid of startling him. "Are you... listening?"
Yuto blinked slowly. It was as much as he could manage.
She smiled. A smile of relief.
"That's good... I thought you were going to die. Really."
She placed the tray on a nearby table, sat beside the bed, and grabbed a damp cloth, carefully wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I'm Lianne. I found you in that cursed dungeon. I don't know how you survived, but... something told me to get you out of there."
Yuto just watched. The warmth of that presence was strange. Comforting.
Unknown.
"You don't need to talk now. You're enchanted with paralysis. I used... it was a precaution, I'm sorry." She bit her lip, a little embarrassed. "It's just... you had a strange look. A look of someone who's already dead inside..."
Yuto stared at her. Deep inside, a part of him understood perfectly what she meant.
**Sensitive, that one. Do you want to be friends? Maybe fall in love with you? Maybe even form a group of heroes? Hahaha...]**
Yuto ignored the system.
Lianne kept talking, even though she knew he couldn't answer.
"I don't know what you are. But I know you're not ordinary. Or human, perhaps. But... I'm not that ordinary either." She lowered her eyes. "So... maybe we can help each other."
She took his hand—or tried to. Her fingers were bandaged, swollen. But the gesture was real. And for a moment, that brutal world seemed a little less cold.
**[Be careful, Executioner. Feelings are the cruelest trap.]**
Yuto closed his eyes. The pain was still there. The hatred still burned. But for the first time, there was something different seeping through the chaos:
Curiosity.
Who was this girl?
And why had she, of all people, saved him?
...
The candle continued to burn, and time dragged on like mud.
But something was moving.
Inside him.
And in the world.
—…Lianne…
The word came out faintly. A whisper. Almost a thought.
But she heard it.
And smiled.