Thump Thump Thump

Shu heard his heart beating loudly.

He was in a place he never saw before, and on both sides were people he didn't know but felt like they were his friends.

On one side was a girl with black hair and green eyes looking at him. She had three sheathed swords tied to her belt. And she was rather short.

On his other side, there was a black-haired guy with blue eyes. The guy created a sword out of thin air and pointed it at the distance.

Shu looked in the distance and saw something which his mind couldn't grasp at all. It was chaos incarnate.

When he saw the unfathomable thing, Shu's eyes opened widely, and he breathed heavily... It was just a dream... But it felt so real.

He looked around his room and had one thing that bewildered him more than the dream, was his room always this yellow?

His room was full of golden light that he couldn't guess its source, but he decided to let it go.

He sat in bed for a bit before remembering what day it was.

This was his death day!

He attempted to hurriedly dress up, but his shirt got caught on his fox ears, and the pants were caught by his fox tail.

Shual Adom was a red-haired fox beastman. He had orange hair, fox years, and a fox tail.

********

Shu went down the stairs, sat excitedly by the dinner table, and waited for his stepfather.

His stepfather, George Adom, is the strongest mortal in all seven realms.

In this world, a mortal can only live as long as his strength allows it. The maximum amount of years a mortal can live is three hundred.

George was at the age of two hundred and seventy.

A person's strength is only determined by his potential and hard work. For example, Shu was supposed to die the same year he was born because he supposedly had zero potential for growth. The only reason he is still alive is that the demon god, Danniel, pitied him, and each year he gives him an exact training schedule that he has to uphold, or he will die.

This year is no different, and by the end of the meal, he would be taken to talk with the demon god.

It took him a while, but George finally came out of the kitchen with many dishes. Shu stared at the food, and drool started spilling from his mouth.

George looked at Shu, and it seemed something was melancholic about Shu's expression.

"Hey, Shu, ain't ya happy?"

George asked.

"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be happy when he gets to eat one of your meals, Dad."

Shu answered and started digging into the food.

They both started eating and enjoyed the meal and then Shu started feeling fuzzy.

George, who was all too familiar with the process of entering the realm of the gods, looked at his son with a worried look.

"Goodbye, Shu. Have a good luck in the tournament. Tell Danny that I said hi."

George said, and then he heard a voice.

"So you know that this is how he is going to pay his debt. Why don't you try to stop it? Aren't you worried?"

The voice asked.

"Of course, I'm worried, but he needs to grow, and I know that the training you gave him was way more complicated than a one-year's worth of strength. Are YOU sure he can be the competitor who will give you the win?"

George asked the voice.

"Don't worry. Who do you think I am? Danniel. The best planner through all the realms! As for your question... There is something I need him for as the demon god. I already got all the permissions to use him ready. So all I still need for this plan is god's prophesy."

The voice said while laughing.

God's prophesy?! This was one of the many gifts given to mortals by the gods. Among these "gifts of god," god's prophesy was a gift that even George had never heard of, and if there is something this old man knew after his many years of experience in fighting- If you never heard of the gift, there is a reason why the gods kept it away from you.

"Is that why you asked me to raise and train him? For that tournament?"

George asked. Memories of his younger days, when he competed in the tournament, ran through his mind. He was always suspicious Shu had an extraordinary power this person wanted to exploit, but he couldn't question someone he owed so much to.

"Yes, he will be my trump card, that I will hide between my three hundred champions. Let the others be damned! I'll win again this time!."

The voices laughed crazily.

"Oh, he is waking up. Goodbye."

Danniel said, and as if he hung up on a call, his voice immediately disappeared.

Transmitting his voice like that... and without even mentioning his name... does he have no manners?

George thought to himself.

********

"Mister Danniel, were you talking to someone?"

Shu asked.

He looked at the white-haired man with two goat horns. One of Danniel's horns was broken, and Shu once asked him about it, Danniel told him that he had broken it in a duel against his uncle, but for some reason, Shu thought that was a lie.

"Just a bit of divine bureaucracy, don't worry about it. And didn't I tell you to call me Danny?"

Danniel asked.

"Sorry, demon god, sir."

Shu said and bowed in respect as an apology.

"You are doing this on purpose..."

Danniel said and stared at Shu with suspicion. His purple eyes glowed as if piercing Shu's soul to find the truth.

"I do my best."

The young beastman smirked mischievously.

Shu answered and confirmed the god's theory.

"What is that old man teaching you?"

Danniel asked, not aiming for an answer.

Shu chuckled to himself.

Danniel, the demon god, looked at the red-haired young man with pity. No one will play him like that with no retribution.

"Through the training George gave you, you received about... fifteen more years to live, and you will use them to pay your debt."

Danniel said. He sat in a chair facing Shu's chair, and the sight of the latter's confusion was too amusing to pass, but all things need to end.

"What do you mean?"

Shu asked.

"You fight others, you get to wish for more years to live... It's a win-win. Just win the tournament."

Danniel shrugged his question off.

"Tournament?"

Shu was still too confused to understand what was happening.

"Yeah, a big one, against other Realms."

Danniel chuckled to himself.

"REALMS???"

Shu asked. He was starting to feel great pressure sucking him into the floor.

"Yea, there are six realms, six gods, you will get it in time."

Danniel said shortly.

"OK. Bye."

Danniel waved his hand as Shu got sucked through the floor.

"Come on, man! Can't you even warn me?!"

Shu screamed as he fell to the land below. On the horizon, he saw buildings and sights that he had never seen before, and he felt it.

The call of adventure! Or was it just that feeling you get when you finally pay off your debt...