"Dude, I need someone to disvirgin me now," a young man jovially muttered. Walking beside him were two other young men of the same age, adorned in winter coats since it was so cold during the night.
"I could," said the muscular one with a smile.
"Okay, when do we... what? Fuck no! I'm no gay. No way am I letting you prick me!"
The last young man slightly chuckled, looking over his shoulder to see the girl's expression behind them.
But Ivy was taking the conversation like a natural one.
"Pftt, it was a joke, Isaac. No need to be that loud. Why do you need to have sex anyway?"
"Eh? You mean you haven't seen it? The school's empiress is saying she needs a benefit relationship, but she only works with experienced fuckers, and—"
"Isaac," Izan called out, cutting Isaac halfway. "We're in the middle of the walkway. Mind reducing your voice?"
Though all Izan said was to reduce his voice, Isaac just threw the bottle in the sea—ending the virginity conversation altogether.
"Izan the fun sponge," muttered Isaac, sticking his tongue out for Izan to see.
The four of them had been childhood friends, and this was their get-together before the new year kicked in, with just a few moments left.
"I can't wait for the new year, can you?" Isaac asked, clearly the chatterbox of the group.
"What's in it?" Izan coldly asked, once again killing Isaac's conversation, before staring back at his phone, walking while reading a web novel.
After a long walk, they finally arrived at the get-together point: a roadside restaurant with umbrellas and firefly lights.
The symbol resembled that of a Chinese saying: Fireflies Restaurant. They all sat, though Izan was still engrossed in his web novel.
"What are you guys getting? I'm getting a nice shawarma with juice," said the girl, Ivy.
"Gimme the noodles. I've always wanted to taste Chinese noodles," said the muscular one.
"I'll go with Chinese noodles and shawarma with juice, hehehe," said Isaac, clearly wanting to try everything.
Now, it was Izan's turn to give his order, but he wasn't even looking at them. He was focused on his phone's screen.
---
-[Novel: Decaying Gods Of The Ruined Academy]
-[Author: Simply_Trash]
-[Current Chapter: 9999/10,000]
-[Reading Site: Web-novel]
---
Izan knew nothing of what was happening around him. He was immersed, having followed Simply_Trash's novels since year two.
But this one—this one just hooked him from the start, and he followed it all the way to chapter nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.
'Damn... This is interesting... I can't believe the last decaying god could actually—'
"Izan!" yelled the girl, knocking the reader from his thoughts. "Dude, chillax with the reading sometimes. What are you getting?"
Izan looked at his friends as if the answer was written on their faces.
"Just a bottle of water would be fine."
"Seriously? We waited all this time just to hear him order a bottle of water?" Isaac teased.
Ivy just sighed and left the boys, walking toward the chef to get the orders.
"Dude, maybe stopping for a second wouldn't hurt. You've been reading since, like, forever. And don't tell me it's still that Decaying Gods novel," said Isaac.
Izan sighed. Maybe Isaac was right, but he was close to seeing the end of the novel, and the tension wouldn't let him focus on his surroundings.
Hence, Izan tucked the phone into his winter sweater.
"Somebody stop him! He stole my purse!" a woman yelled behind them.
It wasn't long before Isaac saw the thief dash past him. Without further thought, Isaac, wanting to be the hero, quickly followed the thief.
"Isaac, don't!" yelled Izan.
He stepped on the table, rolled down, and began chasing Isaac. Ivy, on the other hand, turned around with the plate of food, only to see it was just the big guy.
Isaac chased the thief relentlessly, not wanting to let go—even if it meant pushing and shoving civilians out of his way.
Meanwhile, Izan was casually saying, "Please excuse me," "Pardon me," and "Coming through, please."
But while doing this, he noticed something. The thief wasn't just running; he had a direction—a plan that Isaac was oblivious to.
"Isaac!" yelled Izan.
He pushed every civilian out of his way. Isaac, on the other hand, was about to leap across the street when a truck came out of nowhere.
Almost running Isaac to an early grave, Izan came in and pushed Isaac aside, replacing him, the headlights blinded him and the next thing.
Bam!.. kWeuk'
Izan felt his whole body lose motion, tumbling in midair like a weighted doll, before hitting the tarred road so hard he coughed up blood.
"Jesus... Is he dead?"
"It's almost a new year, and someone's about to die?"
"I mean, it's only two minutes left for the new year!"
Isaac couldn't believe his shaky eyes. All he had wanted was to be a hero—not the cause of his best friend's death.
But Izan wasn't dead.
"Shit... Damn, he's alive."
"Incredible."
Izan gradually stood up, his face covered in blood. He could barely move but exchanged smiles with Isaac while trying to get out of the road.
"Watch out! That truck is out of its mind!"
"Evacuate!"
It was only after the light of the truck bathed him that Izan realized why everyone was suddenly running and screaming.
Incoming, was a truck losing its gears and steerings, probably a drunk truck driver.
The next thing he felt was heavy metal connecting with his ribcage—ten times harder than before. Isaac couldn't believe it. His head shook as he ran toward Izan.
But he was too late. Izan was definitely going to die this time around.
'This... It resembles the same interface.'
But as he tried to hold on to his life, he saw something both familiar and unfamiliar at the same moment.
A blue holographic interface displayed:
---
-[Name: Izan Hades]
-[Level: 01]
-[EXP: 0/100]
-[Race: ????]
-[Bind Decaying God: Hades]
-[Talent: Instant Death Skill: You can kill your opponent within a given duration by just commanding them to die.]
-[Extra Talent From Hades: Underworld Rising]
---
-[You'll now be transmigrated as a non-existent side character, as Izan Hades...]
---
...5
...4
...3
...2
...1
---
-[Warning: You do not belong in this world. Hence, the decaying gods will find you. You are simply an anomaly, an interference in their plan.]
-[You are the Extra... You are IZan Hades]
Those were the last things Izan saw before his eyes involuntarily slipped into the abyss of death's embrace.