Something had changed… He felt an energy that had completely eluded him moments before. He opened his eyes and froze in horror. He stood face to face with the same man who, just a minute ago, had stabbed him in the stomach, killing him. Edo went pale. His heart pounded wildly.
"What's going on? Am I dreaming? I was dead!" he thought frantically, trying to comprehend the absurdity of the situation. But before he could make sense of it, the man interrupted his thoughts, speaking the exact same words as before:
"I don't know you, and frankly, I don't give a damn. I don't care about my enemy's background or their excuses. All you need to know is that you're going to pay dearly."
Edo had heard those words before. He had never experienced such a strong feeling of déjà vu. His heart raced faster, and his stomach knotted with anxiety. "What does this mean? This has already happened!" he thought, realizing something was very wrong.
He began recalling what had happened earlier. He knew the man would attack soon, and if he reacted the same way as before, he'd break his arm again. He looked at the attacker and saw exactly what he expected—the man was charging at him with the knife in hand. This time, Edo was ready. He made a swift, light dodge, perfectly evading the attack. His movements were smooth and precise, and moments later, he struck the man's hand with such force that the knife flew out, landing at the other end of the room.
"YOU BASTARD!" the man shouted in fury.
Suddenly, Edo felt a sharp pain in his right eye. Instinctively, he grabbed his head as his vision began to blur. For a moment, he saw nothing but strange symbols that formed into coherent text. He understood it instantly, even though he had never seen anything like it before. Above the man, floating in the air, appeared text written in a language Edo knew well:
~|Chance of death - Medium around 31%|~
~|Cause – Suffocation|~
"What does this mean? Why is my right eye showing me this?!" he thought frantically. "medium chance of death? Around 31%?Suffocation? What kind of absurdity is this?!"
He didn't have much time to ponder, as the man lunged at him again, screaming:
"I'll kill you, you hear?!"
Edo swung, hitting the man square in the face with his fist. He put all his strength into the punch, but… nothing happened. The man didn't flinch, not even a scratch. Edo quickly jumped back, assuming a defensive stance.
"How is that possible? I hit him with everything I had!" he muttered to himself, trying to devise a plan. "This guy is unbelievably tough... I need to come up with something, but what?" His thoughts were a mess. He remembered the strange text he had seen with his right eye. "Is this some kind of power I got upon entering this world? But why does it hurt so much? And what about my left eye? Why does that hurt sometimes too? What the hell is going on?!"
Suddenly, he felt a familiar pain in his left eye, the same sharp sensation that had struck him earlier in the fight. The pain was so intense it nearly threw him off balance.
"Damn it, my left eye is hurting again... What does this mean?!" he screamed in his mind, struggling with the sudden torment.
"Listen, kid! Your punches don't affect me! You might as well just let me finish you off!" the man bellowed, leaping at him.
Edo tried to dodge, but he was too slow. The man was faster than he had expected. He struck hard, grabbing Edo by the throat and starting to choke him. Edo felt his strength draining away. His energy was fading, and oxygen was no longer reaching his lungs.
"I'm dying... again... It feels just as hopeless as before. I can't do anything. This feeling of helplessness is unbearable..." Edo thought, feeling himself black out.
"It's over. That's what happens to idiots who mess with me!" the man shouted triumphantly, tightening his grip even more.
Edo watched as his world darkened. He had no strength left to fight. He felt death approaching with every passing second until he finally lost consciousness. He died a second time. However, even though he should have been dead, he suddenly felt himself coming back to life, his body once again filling with energy. He instantly opened his eyes and... saw exactly the same scene he had witnessed just a minute ago.
""Listen, kid! Your punches don't affect me! You might as well just let me finish you off!"the man repeated the same words.
Edo felt his stomach twist in confusion. "Again?! What's going on here?!" Despite the terror, he knew what he had to do. When the man lunged at him, Edo took the opportunity. He slid under the man's legs, dodging the attack, then quickly pulled out his headphones from his jacket. He jumped onto the man's back, wrapped the headphones around his neck, and began to choke him with them. Though the headphones were usually an annoying accessory, now they were his only hope.
The man fought back with all his might, struggling fiercely, but Edo held on. The choking became more effective, and the man, growing weaker, gasped for air.
"You filthy demon!" the man growled before losing consciousness and collapsing to the ground.
Edo panted heavily, trying to catch his breath. He did it—he had won a fight that had seemed impossible to win. He stood up and looked at the headphones that had saved him.
"Maybe these headphones aren't so bad after all," he said to himself with a slight smile. He raised his hand in a victory gesture.