Unknown Location.
Riku found himself in a forest filled with towering, dense trees, clearly looking lost.
"Aetherion…"
He looked around thoughtfully, then hesitated, unsure of what to do next.
"So… where the hell do I go now?"
While thinking, he gripped his spear and awkwardly practiced swinging it around.
For a moment, he seemed to forget everything else, almost enjoying himself.
"I hope I learn how to use this thing soon…"
A cool breeze swept through the forest, catching him off guard.
Then he smelled something.
"I recognize this scent…"
Before he could think further, he heard footsteps approaching.
Startled, he nearly dropped his spear, barely catching it in time.
Shit! Someone's already here!
Riku immediately hid behind a tree.
A few moments later, the footsteps stopped.
Doesn't seem like they noticed me…
Riku made to peek around the tree, but stepped on a dry branch that snapped with a sharp sound.
Fuck!
An arrow instantly shot past the tree and buried itself into the ground near his feet.
Riku went pale.
"Shit!"
He bolted without hesitation as more arrows flew past him at irregular intervals.
"Shit! Shit!" he kept cursing while running.
Riku remembered Ganesha's words—his bet on him.
For a moment, his expression became bitter, almost resigned.
Sorry, Lord Ganesha… betting on me was a terrible idea…
Riku noticed the arrows were coming from above.
From the trees!? What the hell, is it a monkey!?
Then he smelled it again.
That scent… it's stronger now…
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
He abruptly changed direction.
I need to get there! It's the only way to force them out into the open!
Riku ran as fast as he could.
Eventually, he began to see brighter light beyond the forest.
There it is!
He finally reached the sea.
Now you'll have to show yourself! There are no trees to hide in!
Right outside the forest lay a fallen tree.
Riku jumped over it while the sea wind messed up his hair.
I made i—
A sharp pain exploded through his right leg.
An arrow had grazed him.
That alone was enough to throw off his balance midair, sending him crashing badly onto the beach sand.
The moment he saw blood mixing into the sand, panic hit him.
"No… no, this is really fucking bad!"
He desperately tried to crawl farther away from the forest.
Then his attacker finally appeared.
Walking slowly toward him.
"This divine bow has two incredible skills…" said a female voice.
"One is a common skill shared by all bows: Unlimited Arrows. Just like the name says, I never run out of ammo. I only need to pull the string slightly, and an arrow appears."
The girl pulled the bowstring.
An arrow instantly formed.
"Then I just do this."
She fired.
The arrow grazed Riku's face, leaving him completely stunned.
The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"I still need to improve…"
Eventually, she stopped right in front of him, finally revealing herself completely.
It was Celia.
She had also survived the fall from the school rooftop thanks to the divine summons.
"What was I saying…? Right. The other skill of my bow. The unique one."
A glowing screen suddenly appeared beside her, displaying her stats for Riku to see.
"It's called Wild Predator. Every time I fire an arrow, I gain +5 Agility for eight seconds."
Riku stared at the skill description in surprise.
"I think this skill exists in case you miss at close range. The agility boost would let you escape melee attacks…"
A bitter smile appeared on Celia's face.
"But in my case… I used it to chase down a coward."
Riku thought for a second.
So that's why she was firing arrows randomly… she didn't care about hitting me…
"I can understand you, though."
That statement completely caught Riku off guard.
"The fear makes you do weird things… trust me, I know."
Riku remembered what happened back on Earth.
The moment he punched that boy in front of everyone.
Yeah… I know that too…
"And that's exactly why I don't want to stay on that side anymore!" Celia declared firmly.
"I don't want to be the one who's scared and running away! I want to become the one people fear!"
Something about those words felt painfully familiar to Riku.
"So I'm sorry… but my new life is going to begin with you!"
Celia prepared another arrow.
I can't run away too!
Driven by pride, Riku grabbed his spear and lunged at her.
But Celia easily dodged.
Then she slammed a lightning-fast punch into his face, stunning him instantly.
Taking advantage of the opening, she snatched the spear from his hands and threw it far away.
"Nice try… but this is where it ends for you!"
Suddenly—
A massive impact erupted from the water.
Both of them froze.
What the hell was that…? Something hit the ocean insanely fast…
Riku stared toward the sea.
"Damn goddess…" a male voice muttered from the impact point.
"Who's there!?" Celia shouted while drawing her bow.
A boy wearing a white tracksuit with the hood up emerged from the water, rubbing his head.
Then he looked around calmly.
"Where's my sword?"
Ignoring both Celia and Riku entirely, he casually started searching through the water.
Celia lost patience.
"Who the hell are you!?"
"A poor bastard like you two. Being used by gods I didn't even know existed until yesterday," he answered sarcastically.
He continued searching until he touched something beneath the water.
"Oh… there it is."
He pulled it out.
A thin, single-edged sword made of silver metal with golden reflections. An amber line ran through the center of the blade all the way to the tip, glowing faintly when held.
The golden guard curved like a crescent moon, while the white grip ended in a pommel shaped like an incomplete sun.
"So, what were we talking abou—"
He suddenly stopped.
An arrow was about to hit him directly in the face.
But an unexpected gust of wind exploded upward, throwing sand into Celia's eyes.
"What the hell!?"
The wind vanished.
Celia reopened her eyes.
The boy was gone.
Where is he…?
"You dropped this."
He was standing behind her.
Holding out the arrow she had just fired.
Riku stared in shock.
He appeared there without me seeing anything… maybe he used some kind of skill to move that fast…
Celia snapped.
"Don't treat me like I'm inferior!"
She grabbed the arrow and spun to attack him.
But the boy caught her arm with one hand, stopping her instantly.
What the hell is that strength!?
"Mind explaining the situation?" he asked calmly.
"You know… I'd like to understand why you two are fighting."
"The hell do you know about it!?" Celia shouted furiously.
She looked directly into his eyes.
Then froze.
Her pupils shrank.
Her body started trembling.
Even her breathing stopped.
The boy noticed immediately.
"No way…"
Celia remembered the eyes of the person who attacked her at school beneath the hood.
And horrifyingly enough—
They felt identical.
The eye color was different.
But the feeling was exactly the same.
The boy slowly nodded, as if he had figured everything out.
"I don't need an explanation… unfortunately, I already understand," he said quietly, bitterness hidden beneath his calm tone.
Meanwhile, Riku watched everything like a background character.
"So what are we talking about here? A collector? Or the two most sensible options... either a stalker or a murderer."
Celia reacted instantly to the last words.
He sighed.
"I'm sorry… but I have nothing to do with that. Just like this guy you were about to kill—"
"Fuck, I know that already!" Celia interrupted desperately.
"I know… but it doesn't change anything! Everything I went through! The terror I lived with every single day… I have to change…"
"So there's no fixing this then," he replied flatly.
"If I kill someone with the same eyes as him… maybe I'll finally feel better!"
Determination and madness mixed together inside her gaze.
With her free hand, Celia pulled a small knife from her boot and attacked.
But the boy dodged effortlessly, releasing her arm and retreating with terrifying speed.
This time, Celia shut her eyes beforehand, expecting more sand.
"That skill of yours won't work on me anymore!"
When the sand settled, her opponent was already far away.
Silently watching her.
Then he slowly drew his sword.
The sound of metal sliding from its sheath filled the air.
"Your logic is twisted. It was born from revenge. In another situation, I would've gladly helped you. But this tournament won't give us time for that… and that's exactly why I already hate it."
"You don't get to decide when I die!" Celia screamed as she fired another arrow.
The boy casually deflected it with his sword.
Celia immediately rushed forward, using the speed boost from her unique skill: Wild Predator.
I have eight seconds to close the distance and kill him!
But he stepped forward and raised his blade overhead.
Celia smirked confidently.
You're already preparing your move… now I know exactly how to react!
The boy quietly exhaled.
"Glimmer of Light!"
The sword released a slash of pure light.
The attack tore directly across Celia's chest, opening a deep wound.
She collapsed instantly.
Riku tore off part of his shirt and tried to stop the bleeding.
"He's insanely strong… who the hell is this guy?" he thought.
"W-Was that… your sword's skill?" Celia asked weakly.
Blood slowly spread across the sand.
The boy's footsteps echoed heavily as he approached.
Like the ticking of a clock.
Time was running out.
"Yeah. That was one of my divine weapon's unique skills: Glimmer of Light. I can store light inside the blade and release it as slashes," he explained calmly.
Celia tried several times to stand up.
Her body no longer responded.
She was losing too much blood.
"There's no point forcing yourself. You'll only suffer more."
The boy gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Earlier… you said that in another situation, you would've helped me. Was that true? Or were you just trying to comfort me?"
"As long as my own life isn't threatened, I want to help people. So yes… in another situation, I really would've helped you."
"You always sound so calm… honestly, I wish I'd been someone confident like you."
After carefully turning her over, the boy sat beside her.
"Everything comes with a downside. I'm no exception."
Celia struggled more and more to keep her eyes open.
"Did I… just throw away my second chance…?" she whispered weakly.
"That depends on you. I can't answer that for you. Are you satisfied?"
Celia thought about it.
"…I think so. Even if I probably looked completely insane…"
"A little. But I still think you were strong."
Celia was left speechless by the compliment.
"Really…" she smiled weakly. "I'm glad…"
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
And never opened them again.
The boy let out a long sigh.
A glowing notification appeared beside his stats screen.
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 2!]
[You have 3 attribute points available.]
He clenched his fists.
"Fuck…"
He stood up and looked toward Riku.
"Hey, you."
Riku's heart skipped a beat.
"Help me give this girl a proper burial."
[Several moments later.]
After burying Celia, Riku began praying.
The hooded boy silently watched him.
Once the prayers ended, Riku stood back up.
"You're not praying?"
"Not really the type to believe in that stuff," he answered dryly.
"Even after literally meeting gods?"
"Especially after that."
Riku lowered his head uncertainly.
"So… what are you going to do with me now?"
"Nothing. I'm not some monster who kills people randomly."
He slowly began walking back toward the forest.
"Thank you!" Riku shouted.
"I didn't do anything worth thanking me for. I killed a scared and confused girl."
"But you saved my life—"
Riku tried to take a step forward, but pain shot through his injured leg.
"Don't push yourself too hard. You should stay hidden until you recover."
The boy was about to disappear into the forest.
"Wait… can I ask you one more thing?"
That made him stop.
"Yeah. What is it?"
"Have you killed before?"
He slowly turned around.
For a moment, he hesitated.
"No."
"Then how are you not disturbed after doing something like that?"
"Who says I'm not? Bragi said one true thing: we need to get used to situations like this as fast as possible."
Riku looked discouraged.
"I don't think I could ever get used to killing people…"
"But nobody asked you to. I'm talking about learning to live with the sin."
Riku slowly stood up and looked at him.
"…You're right."
The boy nodded and prepared to leave again.
"What's your name?"
Finally, he lowered his hood.
The sea breeze brushed through his short dark hair.
His hazel eyes, mixed with shades of green and brown, immediately drew attention.
There was something unusual about his mere presence.
"My name is Riccardo Aliberti. What about you?"
"Inari Riku!"
The sun was beginning to set beyond the endless sea.
Riccardo turned and resumed walking toward the forest.
"Try not to die before we meet again!" Riku shouted.
Riccardo smiled faintly.
"Sure. Same to you."
Then he disappeared into the darkness of the forest.
Riku turned toward the sunset.
I'll do everything I can to become someone who doesn't live only with regrets!
He picked up his spear and started walking along the shore.
For me, this tournament marks the beginning of a second life…
But it's not just me.