Nabil and Athoi trudged through the blood-soaked field towards the castle.
The air was thick with the stench of death, and the ground was littered with the mangled bodies of demons they had slain. Despite the grim surroundings, the silence was eerie—no more demons in sight, just the echoes of their footsteps and the distant crackling of flames.
As they walked, their conversation filled the uneasy quiet.
"I feel like I'm leveling up," Athoi remarked, her voice thoughtful, "but there's no system here, so I can't be sure."
Nabil glanced at her, intrigued. "How do you feel?"
"While I was killing those monsters, I felt something inside me change, like a surge of power. And after that, I felt stronger, faster."
"Hmm… interesting," Nabil mused. "Actually, I realized something a few moments ago too."
"What's that?" Athoi asked, curious.
"The monsters we're facing are stronger than us. Physically, at least. We're only managing to defeat them because of our tools and strategy, not because we're inherently stronger."
Athoi nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. I mean, just because I took down two dragons doesn't mean I'm more powerful than them. I had the right tools, the right armor, and the right skills. Without them, I wouldn't have stood a chance."
She glanced at Nabil's armor, noting the deep gashes and dents. "Wait… your chestplate is damaged. It doesn't look like it'll hold up much longer."
Nabil sighed, running a hand over the battered plate. "Yeah, I noticed. One of the demons nearly took me out. It snatched my diamond-enchanted sword and shield, and I was barely able to fend it off. If it wasn't for this armor, I'd be dead right now."
Athoi frowned, concern etched on her face. "That's not good. How are we going to deal with this?"
"I'm not sure," Nabil admitted. "I might just have to keep fighting in this condition and hope for the best."
Athoi stopped walking and began unbuckling her chestplate. "Let's exchange armor. I can regenerate quickly, so even if I get hurt, I'll recover. You need the protection more than I do."
Nabil shook his head, adamant. "No, Athoi, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine."
"Please, Nabil," Athoi insisted, holding out her chestplate. "At least take this. I can teleport anywhere I can see, so I'm less likely to get hit. The only thing that hinders me is smoke, but as long as I have a clear view, I'm safe."
Nabil hesitated but eventually relented. "Alright… but be careful."
"I will," Athoi reassured him, fastening his damaged chestplate onto her body. She winced slightly, adjusting to the added weight and discomfort, but quickly brushed it off. "Let's keep moving."
They continued their trek until they reached the massive doors of the castle. The structure loomed over them, its sheer size intimidating. The doors were immense, carved with intricate symbols and designs, each one as tall as a towering tree.
"Looks like we'll have to push this open," Nabil observed, eyeing the enormous doors.
"Let's try," Athoi agreed, pressing her hands against the cold, rough surface of the door. Together, they strained against the weight, their muscles burning from the effort. It took several minutes of hard pushing, but finally, the doors groaned and creaked open just a sliver.
As soon as the gap appeared, a rush of hot steam burst out, forcing them to stumble back, gasping for breath. Out of the small opening, a hand emerged—a disembodied, blood-red hand with ten long, clawed fingers. Each finger was adorned with a ring, each ring a different color. Only the fifth ring glowed, casting an eerie light on the door.
Nabil and Athoi exchanged a horrified glance. They had expected a creature, but this… this was something far worse. Just a hand, with no body or face, reaching out from the darkness.
The hand moved slowly, gripping the edge of the door and pulling it open further. The creaking of the door was drowned out by the pounding of their hearts as they stepped inside.
The interior was not what they expected. Instead of a dim, narrow hallway, they found themselves in a vast, open space filled with red sand. Massive buildings made of ancient bricks loomed around them, and in the center, a towering pyramid rose, its apex lost in the shadows above.
Around the pyramid, a village sprawled, but it was no ordinary village. Elves, their bodies bruised and broken, were being mercilessly tortured by demons. The demons, watching from the surrounding buildings, barked orders, forcing the elves to carry heavy bricks to the pyramid. The elves, their faces gaunt with hunger and despair, struggled under the weight. Those who faltered were immediately whipped or beaten, the demons showing no mercy.
One elf, a frail male, stumbled and dropped his load. Instantly, several demons descended upon him, their whips cracking through the air. The elf's screams filled the space, but they only served to amuse his tormentors. Once they had their fill of pain, the demons shoved the elf back to work, laughing as he staggered away, bleeding and broken.
Nearby, other elves were forced to eat fish bones, their mouths bleeding as the sharp edges tore into their flesh. Inside the buildings, female elves were subjected to even worse horrors—demons raped and brutalized them, turning them into demons as well, their screams echoing through the desolate space.
Nabil's stomach churned at the sight, and he gripped his sword tightly. "This… this isn't just a room. It's a nightmare."
Athoi's voice trembled as she spoke. "It's worse than we could have imagined. And if this is just one room… there are still 99 more like this?"
Nabil felt a cold wave of fear wash over him. "We'll never be able to leave this place."
"Why are you saying that now?" Nabil asked, his voice tinged with desperation.
Athoi took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Look at the size of this place. Even if we're strong enough to clear every castle and defeat the final boss, it'll take us at least 100 days to get out of here."
Nabil frowned. "How do you figure that?"
"Think about it," Athoi replied, her voice low and urgent. "If it takes us a full day to kill all the demons in this room, and there are 99 more rooms just like it, that's already 100 days. And that's assuming we don't run into any major setbacks.
After that, we still have to find the remaining four crystals."
She paused, her eyes dark with worry. "Even if we manage all of that, we won't be able to leave the first continent before 365 days have passed.
And that's just the beginning. There are nine more continents, 45 more dimensions, and who knows how many other challenges waiting for us. How are we supposed to do this?"
Nabil placed a hand on Athoi's shoulder, his voice calm yet firm. "Athoi, calm down. Don't overthink it. We'll do our best to get through this as quickly as possible and stay alive. We just have to believe in ourselves."
Athoi let out a dry laugh, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Look who's talking. You've already said before that you lost hope of survival a long time ago."
Nabil sighed, his gaze distant for a moment before locking back onto hers. "That was different. Back then, I was alone. But now, I have you with me. I can't afford to lose hope anymore. If I can't make it back to Earth, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you do. I promised that."
Athoi looked away, her expression clouded with something Nabil couldn't quite place. "What is it?" he asked, sensing her hesitation.
"Nothing... Just thinking," she replied, brushing off his concern. "Let's move. We'll give it our all."
Unbeknownst to them, a white creature stood silently beside them, invisible to their eyes. It observed with a contemplative gaze. "I didn't alter Athoi or her personality as per the Watcher's suggestion. She remains true to herself, though I've shown them glimpses of alternate timelines to test their perception. They caught onto the subtle changes, thankfully."
The creature's thoughts continued, "Still, this is the real Athoi, from the original timeline I showed them. There are differences, albeit small. Yet, no matter the variation, fate always steers toward the same conclusion, and the game ends the same way... I despise that predictability. This time, I want to see something different."
With a final glance at Nabil and Athoi, the creature vanished, reappearing in a frigid, icy region where Yamin, Jennifer, and a young man with light blue hair and matching blue eyes stood. As the entity melded back into the surroundings, it became one with the chilling atmosphere.
Yamin stood face-to-face with the blue-haired boy, Jennifer lingering behind him. Yamin's black armor shimmered faintly, speckled with white dots resembling distant stars, while his glowing white sword radiated an ominous light. Jennifer, clad in ruby armor, was unarmed, her diamond sword lying discarded on the frozen ground.
The blue-haired boy, perched precariously at the edge of a towering mountain, clutched a diamond sword, his diamond armor gleaming under the cold light.
Tears streamed down Jennifer's face as she pleaded, "Please, forgive him. Don't kill him... Please."
Yamin's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Forgive him? After you two plotted to kill me? You must be joking. But you… you're my sexy little toy, so I'll spare you."
The boy, Alex, glared at Yamin, his voice laced with rage. "After everything you've done to her, I can't let you live."
Yamin chuckled darkly, his gaze drifting to the precarious position Alex was in. "Alex, take a good look at where you're standing. You've got almost no ground beneath your feet, and yet you still talk about killing me? How amusing."
Desperation flashed in Jennifer's eyes as she picked up her sword and charged at Yamin. In one swift motion, Yamin turned and sliced through her waist, his blade effortlessly cleaving through the ruby armor. Her body crumbled to the ground in two bloodied halves.
"NO!" Alex roared in fury, rushing at Yamin with his sword. The blade struck Yamin's armor, but instead of cutting through, it shattered into pieces.
Yamin seized Alex by the throat, lifting him off the ground. As Alex struggled, Yamin reached into his inventory, pulling out a red potion, which he then tossed onto Jennifer's bisected body. Her wounds began to close, the severed halves of her body reattaching as the potion worked its magic.
Drawing on his abilities, Alex summoned water from the sea below, shaping it into a massive dragon. The watery beast roared to life, its powerful spray slamming into Yamin's face with enough force to cause damage.
Yamin merely grinned, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. With a snap of his fingers, the water dragon froze in midair, turning into an icy statue. Jennifer, regaining consciousness, gasped at the sight.
"Before I kill you, there's something you should know about your precious Jennifer," Yamin sneered, tightening his grip on Alex's throat.
" Stop " Screamed Jennifer with tears in her face.
"Your girlfriend, she's been spreading her legs for half the boys in our batch and the senior batch. I've got names, if you're interested—Yoshiko, Jemmy, Alfard, Utso, Henry... and plenty more."
Alex's face twisted in shock. "Is this true, Jennifer?"
Jennifer, her eyes wide with terror, tried to protest, but Yamin cut her off. "Oh, and when I made her an offer, she told me I was too short and some other bullshit. Isn't that rich?"
With a vicious grin, Yamin drove his sword into Alex's chest. "And you were trying to save that bitch from me? Now you're gonna die, and she's still alive."
"No…!" Jennifer's scream echoed through the icy air as Yamin pulled out a green potion and forced it down Alex's throat. Then, with a final, brutal strike, he stabbed Alex through the head, ending his life.
<10 billion coins added>
<617 million coins added>
Yamin glanced down at Alex's lifeless body as the fallen player's items scattered across the ground.
A chest materialized beside Yamin, its lid snapping open as it absorbed the loot with mechanical hands.
Turning his attention to Jennifer, Yamin smirked, his tone dripping with contempt. "Come on, bitch. Let's get back to the cave. I'm not done destroying that pretty little pussy of yours."
As he dragged Jennifer away, Yamin's thoughts churned with dark satisfaction. "These fools think they ended up in this world by accident, but they have no idea I chose who came and who didn't. And they'll never know I'm the contracted main character. The main character never dies."