[PoV: Varro Lazas]
[29 - 8 - 2138]
Perhaps this is the last time I'll get to live in peace with the remainder of the loan I can't repay. Eating a plate of steak and a cup of coffee at a restaurant. Though simple, the price was anything but.
I bought this food and drink for a total of 250 Hast.
With that same 250 Hast, I could have stretched my survival for six to nine months.
Even so, I'd just keep getting warning notices from the financial loan agency for not repaying my debt fast enough.
So that's why... after I finish my meal here, I'll kill myself with the regret I've been tightly locking away.
The restaurant was spacious, air freshener scenting the entire place, hanging lights everywhere, illuminating every corner of the room, and the wooden tables looked neat with their clean tablecloths.
It looked luxurious, but this was merely a 2-star restaurant in the heart of this suffering city.
My right hand cut the meat with a knife, while the other held a silver fork that promptly stabbed the piece of meat, and I ate it.
It tasted good. The meat was tender, juicy. It had been so long since I'd eaten meat like this; the last time I ate fried chicken was eight years ago.
After finishing my meal, my hands let go of the knife and fork. Then I continued by drinking a cup of bitter coffee; the taste felt foreign on my tongue, unaccustomed to such luxurious food. I was used to eating a piece of bread and drinking tap water.
The world doesn't care about us.
No, I shouldn't blame the world.
The ones to blame are the people who create suffering on this land; those who only care about themselves and those who suck up to them.
My meal was finished, and I went to the cashier to pay the bill through an electronic device—a Smartwatch—with various uses as a digital medium for Media, Communication, etc. Examples are E-Bank and E-Money.
Meanwhile, the people and the cashier stared at me in disgust because of the ruined face I had and my stinking body, even though the room was scented.
Yeah, I can't hate them for being disgusted by me. After all, it's because I didn't bother to shower for this; it's pointless anyway. I'll die today without anyone knowing.
I'm tired. I've spent 39 years living in this world, only to suffer.
As my steps took me toward the glass door. The door automatically detected movement and then opened with a soft hiss.
The highway and sidewalk were shrouded in the darkness of night, illuminated by blue-red-white neon lights accompanied by a rusty metallic smell, and filled with metal junk in the alleys and building corners. Meanwhile, hologram lamps displayed the achievements of artists from the noble circles and advertisements for what looked like expensive goods.
As I was walking, a luxury car sped down this highway. Its window was down, revealing an ideal-looking girl, maybe around 18 years old. She had a great body proportion, a sharp gaze, and a graceful, captivating demeanor. Her eyes and hair were silver. I didn't need to wonder who she was, as only one noble family had that kind of hereditary genetics—the Arius Family.
If only I had been born a member of a noble family...
I surely wouldn't have to worry about anything.
...How great, you and your wishful thinking, Varro.
Alright, our destination now is the bridg—
*Klang!*
A hard blow hit my head; it felt like a metal pipe. My body fell weakly, helpless, my vision blurred, and I could feel blood pouring from my head.
"Hey, looks like you just had a fancy dinner, huh?"
"Pay your debt first, you scum! Because of you, our Boss is getting pissed and told us to deal with you ASAP. But seems like your money's already gone. If this is how it is, we should've just killed you!"
Debt collectors? Ha, ha, ha... damn.
My body was in so much pain. They seemed to be trying to kill me with those iron pipes and sell my organs.
People around were watching us, and some were ignoring it. After all, this was a common occurrence, and it was happening to me.
Maybe... this is better. I'll be with you all soon. Mom, Dad, little sister.
One of them raised his pipe-wielding hand, intending to smash my skull.
But as the pipe moved, the surroundings began to feel strange. All movement started to stop.
Slowly, my body began to rise, using my hands as support to push myself up. And as I weakly sat up, my eyes were fixed on my surroundings.
What is actually happening?
The world had stopped.
But I could still move.
The iron pipe that should have shattered my skull hung in the air, motionless. The debt collector's face was frozen in a sadistic expression, his eyes bulging, his lips hardened in a vicious smile cut off mid-way.
The city's noise—the roar of vehicle engines, the footsteps of passersby, even the night wind—all of it was gone. Only an oppressive silence remained.
I groaned, my trembling hand touching my wounded head.
"You should be dead."
The voice appeared suddenly, echoing inside my head. Not through my ears, but stabbing directly into my consciousness.
I turned to the side, and there stood a man.
Or, at least, something shaped like a man.
He was over two meters tall, his form seemed indistinct, like smoke, yet his body was a bright bluish color. His face... there wasn't one. Just two pale white orbs of light that might have been his eyes. And every time he spoke, his mouth would open, and it glowed.
"Varro Lazas," his voice again, cold and flat.
I tried to stand, but my knees trembled. "Who... who are you?"
"I am something beyond your comprehension. But you may call me 'Attendant'."
"Attendant of what?"
"Cosmic Attendant."
"Cosmic Attendant? What do you mean?"
The blue points of light narrowed, as if reluctant to tell. "That..."
I stared at him intently, utterly confused by what was happening now, and my curiosity began to creep in.
"Huuft~" His mouth quirking into a small smirk. He looked down, as if recalling something unpleasant.
I didn't understand. Did he know me? And do I know him?
"Then, allow me to show you the details."
He raised his hand and then snapped his fingers. He brought me to a different place, no, this felt like a different world.
Right now, my sight was unchanged, frozen. Trembling.
What world is this actually...? This is insane!
A blood-red sky was visible along with gray mist. The ground I was standing on felt like a writhing mass of flesh, as if it had a consciousness of its own.
And in the sky above, there were tentacles—an infinite number of them—the tentacles pierced through the mist. Trying to crush the habitats of living things and turn them into living lumps of meat.
Then, countless abstract, pale yellow eyes revealed themselves in the reddish sky, squirming uncontrollably.
Right now, I felt something that surpassed any feeling or emotion I was experiencing. Even fear. Horror. Madness. Gluttony. Chaos. Ruin. Evil. No words could define this "thing."
.....