In my long life, I have seen and gone through many things.
Back in my days as a human, fear would grip me, leaving me cowering in a corner every time the choice boiled down to dying, killing, or turning my weapons on the innocent. I was too feeble to defy the System in my current state. Survival demanded compliance, and so I yielded to its whims.
Initially, I made the mistake of forming bonds with individuals in my Trials, only to witness them ruthlessly slaughtered before my eyes.
Ahh... how many times has my sanity been shattered, all to satisfy the whims of the System?
Even as I kept going, kept growing my strength past all limitations. Even when a single finger was enough to wipe a city from the map, I was still not able to smile at all.
Whenever I glanced over my shoulder, it awaited me. The colossal sea of corpses, voices pleading for mercy, cries for salvation...
Initially, the fear it struck in me was so profound that I'd instinctively shut out any perception of what lay behind me.
Once in my life, I met someone who was decently strong to pierce past my defenses, forcing me to turn my head to face my back after who knows how long.
"...Y-You monster!"
Such words trembled forth, a feeble utterance borne of pure terror.
Yes, that's how I used to be...
Those were the only thoughts I could muster as I tore their head from their body, the blood splattering all over my clothes as I didn't mind at all.
[Congratulations. You have completed your 37th...]
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[Congratulations. You have completed your 41st...]
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[Congratulations. You have completed your 49th...]
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[You have completed your 50th Trial of --]
[Rating: Perfect+++]
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[Your alignment has been confirmed to be: ---]
[The Demons will welcome you in their ranks]
[You will be the -- Pawn]
[The Original Demon, Baal, is smiling at you]
[The Demon, Asmodeous, is looking at you in contempt]
[The Demon --]
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"Shut up, flies"
Every prompt surrounding me vanished in an instant, my teeth clenched in frustration.
Yeah, ultimately, I was nothing more than a pawn. All this strength I wielded amounted to nothing.
I couldn't transcend the boundaries of being a mere pawn, after all.
Nor could I in the days to come.
---
I continued living that way for countless years. Occasionally, I crossed paths with other Trial Takers.
Every time I saw one, a burning rage bubbled within me.
You all, harboring dreams of being reborn in a world of your choice, living carefree lives, are yet unaware of the harsh reality.
You don't realize the System, the entity you put your trust in, is a merciless force, exploiting you for its hidden agenda, discarding you when you cease to serve its purpose.
Some of the so-called geniuses believed that exploiting Fairness alone would be sufficient to defy the System.
In my eyes, they were the epitome of foolishness. Do they really think the System is that naive?
It possesses the cunning to handle all of you disposable pawns.
If you, the supposedly intelligent ones, could grasp that reality, don't assume the rest of the lot is brain-dead or something.
I, too, manipulated Fairness on numerous occasions. But ponder this, did I ever escape the role of being a mere pawn in the end?
These insignificant beings should be extinguished before they can evolve into potent pawns of the System...
Yet, regrettably, I lacked the power to eradicate them. No matter how vehemently I resisted the System, my fate remained entwined with it even more tightly.
While my Talents offered some aid in defying it, they proved impotent when the System invoked Fairness to serve its purposes, and not just that
Fairness is among the most potent concepts to exploit, given its susceptibility to manipulation, yet it's just one of many.
Entities like Gabriel can be coerced into aligning with the System's agenda under specific circumstances.
Despite the System lacking absolute control over Entities currently, it's only a matter of time...
---
I continued to fulfill my Trials, in accordance with the System's Will, until I reached the 75th Trial.
Curiously, the tasks for this Trial appeared somewhat straightforward. What caught my attention was a specific note appended just after the Trial description:
[Note: The First Trial Taker is dangerous. Ensure he is broken as soon as possible]
Dangerous?
Also, First Trial taker?
The System dispatched someone of my caliber to deal with a kid still wet behind his ears? What is it even thinking?
I stood there in utter bewilderment, my expression momentarily shattered before I discreetly coughed to regain my composure.
In an instant, I extended my awareness across the entire world. It was a relatively small one compared to the expansive realms I had traversed before.
Someone of my stature can discern the System's imprint on Trial Takers, provided they aren't actively concealing it. However, for a First Trial Taker, oblivious to such complexities, detecting the System's presence was knowledge they weren't even privy to, yet.
Identifying my target, I resolved to attend to my other assignments while maintaining a watchful eye on him. Given my restriction from using physical strength, the only avenue left to inflict harm was through emotional manipulation. However, I had no intention of donning a façade of someone from this world. It seemed more efficient to exploit his attachments by using someone close to him...
---
Author's Note:
I decided to post special chapters at the end of the volume, so that it will be easier to read them while keeping a sequential order!
For patrons, this is but half of the special chapter they have already read. The other half will be posted later!
For them, the special chapter Yor Forger - Loops is available to read!
It depicts what happens to Yor Forger in the first and the second loop. There is also a clear explanation why I didn't give Yor Forger's POV on more loops.
Still, I would like to thank Cosmic_Horror for being the one behind the idea!
I, of course, will also thank them under the proper chapter they inspired me to write!
Also, on Patreon, more pics of Luna!