As I slowly open my eyes, sunlight filters through the window, warming my face. I stretch, yawning as I get up from bed, scratching my back out of habit.
Walking into the bathroom, I glance at the mirror, and the reflection that greets me isn't the frail, defeated boy I once knew. Instead, a dark blue-haired figure stands there, hair a little longer, body a little taller. Muscles now shaped what used to be a frame of weakness, and my face had sharpened, revealing a beauty that had once been hidden under layers of self-doubt and frailty. My dark eyes, once hollow, now burned with a flicker of life. Still, somewhere in their depths, an emptiness lingered.
"Damn," I mutter to myself, "I'm not narcissistic, but... damn, am I hot."
That's the most narcissistic thing I've ever heard, a deep, amused voice echoes in my head.
It's Ego—my Uniqueness. Apparently, he has a conscience of his own. In the past two months, we've gotten closer, mostly because he won't stop talking. Can't really blame him; it's not like he has anything else to do besides keep me company.
After a quick shower, I head down to the kitchen. Sitting at the table, fork, and knife in hand, is Miss Old—my master. Despite her age, her short stature and playful demeanor make her look more like a child eagerly waiting for breakfast than the wise mentor she is.
"Boy, finally you woke up! Hurry up and cook breakfast; I'm starving here," Miss Old says with an angry scowl.
"Yes, master," I reply, grabbing my apron and tying it around my waist before starting to cook.
Miss Old has developed quite an addiction to my cooking. I remember the kitchen staff telling me I had a knack for it when I was little, and I guess they weren't lying.
I prepare a simple stew—meat, potatoes, and a blend of spices—before serving it to Miss Old. While she digs in, I start making my own meal: twenty-five steaks.
Miss Old insists that I eat a lot of meat—said it helps with muscle growth. At first, it was a struggle. I couldn't even finish a single piece of bread without memories of my past making me sick. But as I worked through my trauma, I slowly began to enjoy food again.
"So, two months have passed, huh?" Miss Old remarks, looking at me with an odd expression as I devour a massive steak in a single bite.
"Oh, yeah," I mumble, still chewing, food muffling my voice.
"You've really grown a lot," she adds, her tone shifting from casual to thoughtful as her eyes study me.
"Anyway, don't you miss your friends?" Miss Old asks, her voice suddenly softer.
The word "friends" hits me like a sharp echo from the past. Luna and Noelle immediately flash in my mind. Well, Luna is the only real friend I have left now.
As I continue eating, I can't help but wonder how Luna is doing... and then my thoughts drift to Noelle.
In an empty classroom, a group of students sat around, chatting and laughing. The sunlight streamed in lazily through the windows, casting soft shadows across the desks.
"So, Noelle, when will you finally get a boyfriend?" Lina teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
Noelle's cold stare cut through the air. "Lina, can you shut up with your useless questions?" she snapped back, her tone icy and dismissive.
Lina, a cute girl with short pink hair, flinched but smiled awkwardly. She always clung to Noelle, desperately trying to be the closest person to her.
"You've been pretty grumpy lately," Brian chimed in, his gaze lingering on Noelle with a hint of something darker—lust hidden behind a casual grin. "Still thinking about that loser?"
Noelle's eyes flicked toward him, but she said nothing, her expression unreadable.
"He's probably dead by now," Brian continued with a smirk. "Got eaten by the beasts in the Beast Zone, I bet."
Noelle doesn't say a word as she stands up.
"Hey, Noelle, where are you going?" Lina asks, rising from her seat as well.
"Let me come with you," Lina adds eagerly.
"No need," Noelle replies coldly, already halfway out the door.
Since her last encounter with Rem, Noelle hadn't spent a single day without thinking about how she treated him, consumed by regret. She hated the way she'd pushed him away, the way she let herself enjoy the attention that came with her newfound confidence. But deep down, her biggest regret was taking Rem for granted.
She had always believed he would stay by her side, no matter how she acted, no matter how distant she became. But she was wrong.
Rem was gone.
"No, he will come back," Noelle whispered to herself, almost like a mantra.
"He can't live without me. He has to come back." She repeated it in her mind over and over, trying to convince herself. But deep down, a bitter thought began to grow.
It's all that blonde bitch's fault.
"Yeah," she muttered under her breath. "She probably manipulated him, turned him against me." Noelle kept blaming Luna for Rem's sudden distance, for the way things fell apart.
As she walked through the hallway, her thoughts swirling, she suddenly spotted Luna up ahead.
Luna's eyes locked on her, full of anger and contempt. Even after everything, Noelle still surrounded herself with the people who had bullied Rem. To Luna, it was unforgivable.
The tension between them had been building for months, festering like an open wound.
"What?" Noelle said coldly, glaring at Luna.
"Nothing," Luna replied, her voice icy but calm. "Sir Adam just told me to inform you that Rem is doing fine. But I don't see why you'd care."
Noelle's expression darkened as she stepped closer to Luna, her anger bubbling to the surface.
"Hey, don't act cocky in front of me. You've only known him for a year. I've known him since we were kids."
"And yet," Luna shot back, her words sharp as a knife, "you threw him away for a little fame."
Noelle's scream echoed through the hall.
"You bitch!" she yelled, her hair flaring up like fire.
At the same moment, Luna's blue eyes began to glow, a sharp, cold light radiating from them.
They stood still, locked in a silent stare, the tension between them thick enough to cut through.
Then, the fire in Noelle's hair flickered out, and Luna's eyes dimmed back to normal.
Without another word, Noelle stormed off, anger rolling off her in waves.
Luna watched her leave, her own eyes still burning with hatred.
She couldn't understand why she cared so much about Rem. Was it love? Something else? She didn't know for sure, but what she did know was that Rem meant a lot to her.
With a quiet sigh, she turned and continued on her way, her voice barely above a whisper as she murmured, "Rem..."
…
"Should I send a letter to Luna?" Rem asked Ego as he swung his sword, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh.
"Nah, sounds like a waste of energy," Ego replied in his head.
"Everything except my training sounds like a waste of energy to you," Rem muttered with a smirk.
Suddenly, Miss Old appeared.
"Are you talking to your Uniqueness again?" she asked, eyebrow raised.
I had once told her that my Uniqueness had a conscience of its own, and to my surprise, she wasn't shocked. Apparently, I wasn't the first case. There were others with Uniqueness that had minds of their own, but it was extremely rare.
"Anyway," Miss Old continued, her tone suddenly serious. "I guess it's time for you."
I knew what that tone meant.
"It's time for you to start the real training. The real reason people come to this place."
The Beast Zone.
Beast Zones were areas where normal people couldn't survive—infested with dangerous, unnatural beasts. After the Age of Destruction Calamity, some parts of the world had become overrun with beasts that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and not just ordinary ones. These creatures were far more dangerous.
Beasts were ranked from tier 7 to tier 1, with tier 1 being the most dangerous.
The Beast Zones had once been overrun with tier 4 to tier 1 beasts. They had literally divided the continent into four parts because of it.
But that was hundreds of years ago.
Now, the outer regions of the Beast Zones were mostly filled with tier 5 to tier 3 beasts, though there were still a few tier 2 and tier 1 monsters deep inside.
And the reason I was here? This place was built near the outer layer of the Beast Zone.
That's why they called it Hell's Training—because you had to go inside the Beast Zone.
"So, it's about time, huh?" I replied, feeling a surge of heat spread through my body, excitement coursing through my veins.