I never thought the teleportation rune could be destroyed.
I never thought an enemy could even destroy an item, for that matter.
In all my years of playing Serial Slain, nothing like this had ever happened. Whenever I wanted to use something like a teleportation rune, it was a free get-out-of-jail card that never failed.
But now, it was gone.
The shock from the realization caused me to pause for a while, but I quickly snapped out of it when Enzo launched another attack with his naginata.
Dammit.
I dodged and tried using a Medium Healing potion, but once again, Enzo shattered it into pieces. He was too close for me to perform any actions.
Just as Enzo tried to land a kick, I sidestepped at the last second, initiating a perfect dodge. If my timing was even a fraction of a second wrong, I would have been dead on the spot, but I managed to grant myself this short moment of reprieve from the archdemon's assault.
Utilizing the perfect dodge, I leaped away, creating a significant distance between the enemy and me. Then, I used my final Medium Healing Potion, restoring my health to sixty-three percent.
Even though the situation seemed bleak, I still had my final trump card. All this fighting had charged my Laevateinn's special attack.
I activated Silent Sting, but Enzo merely smirked.
"Cursed Grip," the archdemon said.
An ethereal hand emerged from below me and crushed my body in its fist. It was a massive hit, dropping my HP down to nineteen percent and inflicting Severe Weakness, a debuff that greatly reduced agility and strength.
Even though my Laevateinn's speed boost was active, I could barely lift a single limb, and it took all my effort just to keep my knees steady. My weapon's buff was useless if I couldn't move anywhere. It felt like three tons had just been dropped on my shoulders. Eventually, I couldn't hold myself up anymore, and I fell to the ground.
Enzo leaned over my body with a sly smile and said, "Laevateinn has a one-second delay before your speed boost can activate."
"How...do you know that?"
"Let's just say that I am quite knowledgeable on Serial Slain's mechanics."
"Wait! You don't mean—"
Enzo interrupted my sentence by saying, "I even found out that you could break other people's items if you were fast enough. How convenient is that!"
The archdemon let out a raucous laugh.
"You're...a player character!" I said.
"That's right."
With that, Enzo plunged his naginata into my heart, landing the killing blow.
In the distance, I could faintly hear Sakimi call out my name in desperation. She tried to launch spells at Enzo, but he easily deflected them.
Marigold likewise shot arrows, but a demon snuck up from behind her. Just as she kicked away the demon, another one grabbed Sakimi, pulling her off the spinebear.
Sakimi wailed as the demons took away her staff, tied her up, and tried to gag her mouth.
"No! Sakimi!" Marigold screamed.
"Teleport away!" Sakimi yelled. "Don't die! You can still make it out of—"
Before she could finish her sentence, one of the demons managed to gag her with a rope, and another one knocked the girl unconscious.
With teary eyes, Marigold took out her teleportation rune. She sat dumbfounded on top of Vortigern as the demon army converged from all sides.
By then, I was already losing consciousness.
Soon enough, my vision went black as my body disappeared from existence.
***
A pair of unknown voices echoed in the darkness.
"He died again."
"How unfortunate."
"He put so much effort into this life. Do you think he'll give up?"
"I'm sure he'll persevere."
"But I'm afraid he'll just go through more pain."
I screamed and sat up, slamming my head on the ceiling. I kept forgetting that my bunk bed was so high that I could injure myself if I wasn't careful.
As I climbed down the ladder, my mind was still fuzzy.
What happened?
What were those voices in my head?
Then, the memories came flooding in. Every moment from my past life.
I remembered adventuring with Sakimi and Marigold.
I remembered fighting the archdemon.
I remembered dying.
Shit.
I placed my hands on my head and fell to my knees.
No. It can't be!
My breathing was ragged, and I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. Even my hands were moving by themselves, threatening to tear out every hair fiber.
I...failed.
Again.
Because of me, Sakimi got captured. I hope Marigold managed to escape, but Sakimi...
What's gonna happen to her?
She's probably gonna become a slave. She's gonna get tortured. Then, she'll die a brutal death!
Just the thought of that was almost enough to make me go insane.
Enzo was another player character. That's why he knew how to destroy items and why he could take advantage of Silent Sting's one weakness.
"Virgil!" I screamed. "You scumbag! You made the archdemon a player character!"
Silence.
She didn't respond.
In the end, the outburst was pointless. I didn't fail because Enzo was a player character.
I failed because I underestimated him.
I failed because I was too weak.
I failed because I wasn't prepared.
I failed because I'm naive.
I'm a failure.
A stupid fucking failure.
I sat up and placed my head on my knees. I tried taking a deep breath, but the hurricane of emotions only intensified within my body. After a few seconds, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I got up and slammed my fist on the bunk bed.
Then, I grabbed the ladder and threw it across the room, shattering it into a dozen pieces. I slammed my fists on the walls, tossed aside desks, and broke the beds in half.
I heard footsteps outside my door, but nobody knocked. They just left.
Even though I managed to let out most of my emotions, my rage was still overflowing. I only stood amidst the destruction, breathing heavily. I didn't know how much time I spend just standing, but when my breathing finally calmed down, I sat and put my hands on my face as tears spilled out.
How many times have I cried in this game? I've lost count.
Am I a crybaby?
Who knows...
I've always been told that men weren't supposed to cry, but I couldn't help it.
When I spent time with the people here, I felt so alive. Serial Slain was the one place that I made amazing friends.
But I lost them.
Just like how I lost Ayame.
Once again, it was all my fault.
I'm a stupid, worthless, arrogant, goddam, shitheaded, fucking failure.
***
This time, it was my youngest sister who died in my place. If I recalled correctly, her name was Joyce. Now, my family only included my father, my younger brother, and my eldest younger sister.
When I attended Joyce's funeral, I didn't cry. I had already shed all my tears long ago.
For some reason, the other people in my family didn't say anything to me.
Maybe they didn't care.
Yes. That's right.
I wasn't even their real son.
This was just a game, so there was no point in caring.
If I cried for the dead again, it would just be pointless.
Pointless...
Just like all my efforts thus far.
I thought that I could finally challenge the archdemon, but in the end, I wasn't nearly ready enough. After putting all my work into getting stronger gear, fighting with Sakimi, and recruiting Marigold, all my progress had been taken away from me for the second time.
When the funeral ended, I visited the small wooden bridge again. It didn't have a good view since the water was all murky, but nature gave me a certain calmness. Because of that, I decided to name this place Solace Bridge. It was the first thing that came to mind.
"You had a good run," Virgil's voice reverberated in my head.
"Shut up. I don't need your consolation."
"Is this a bad time to speak with you?"
"Tch. Sorry. I'm not in a good mood."
"I thought that I could make you feel better. I'm your guide, remember?"
"Is that so? Well, for a guide, you aren't doing very much guiding."
"That's true," Virgil said. "You must have the power to face your own inferno."
"If you're just gonna watch, then there's no point in speaking to me right now," I snapped.
"But there is a reason for me to speak to you."
"And that is?"
"To let you know that Sakimi and Marigold are still alive."
I should have been jumping for joy, but my expression remained cold and lifeless.
"I see," I replied, giving a thoughtless answer. I didn't know what to do with my emotions anymore. Have I turned into an empty shell?
"Come on, Claudia. You should cheer up. If you don't, you'll become a basic protagonist that doesn't have a personality."
I sighed. "Fine."
"Good. Now, give me a good, hearty laugh!"
"I don't feel like laughing."
"That's fine, even if you force it. It'll help you heal your soul."
"Ugh. If you say so."
I pried my mouth open to form a fake smile and shoved the air out of my lungs, making the most appalling sound I've ever heard. It was miles away from being a laugh.
"Ahahahah!" Virgil exclaimed. "You sound like a dying pig!"
I sighed again.
"Man, there really is no helping you, Claudia. You're still feeling down?"
"Yeah."
"Well, you'll get over it eventually."
"I hope."
Then, Virgil said, "I'll be going now, so I'll leave you with a few pieces of advice: remember to follow your mind, remember that logic is king, and remember that you mustn't lose sight of yourself and your goal. Until we meet again, good luck."
Her voice disappeared, leaving me to stand on Solace Bridge as the muddy water churned below the wooden planks.