"Just as I thought," Sho laughed
"You were able to damage me, so I'll consider this your win," she sighed
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Her words didn't make sense. She had been toying with us the entire time, and now, after all our effort, she was conceding?
We came close—so close—but her barrier was always there, a shield that kept us at bay.
"You know what I hate the most?" Sho began, standing over our bodies, her voice cold and unforgiving.
"Weakness ?" Reyna mumbled, struggling to get to her feet.
"No!"
Sho stood in the quiet aftermath of the battle, her voice low but trembling with emotion.
"I hate this world. I hate this place. I hate everything,"
Sho spits, her voice trembling with anger. "I hate every NPC, every item, every form of magic. I hate the 100 floors, the monsters, the bosses, everything, everything about this world. I hate what it takes to survive here. "
"I hate the player killers the most," she continues, her voice hardening further.
"Those who prey on others for sport, as if this isn't already enough. They're the worst of us, and their guilds make everything worse. How are we supposed to escape this nightmare when people like them turn survival into a bloodbath? "
"I hate how people treat me. I hate how they look at me. I hate every interaction. Every interaction someone expects something from me—whether it's money, a favor, items…
"I hate having to put on an act," Sho says, her fists clenching. "I hate pretending to be someone I'm not, just to fit their expectations. I hate how they see me."
"All they see is a top player, the strongest. The Undisputed. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be given this much mana. A warrior, a killer, a tool for destruction... it's not who I wanted to be, and yet, here I am.
"That's what I hate most about this world. It takes from you. It takes from you the ability to choose, the freedom to decide what you want to be."
"I fight for humanity, for the hope that one day, we can escape this wretched tree and find something better. But I don't even know if I'll live to see that vision. Every day is a gamble, every battle another step closer to dying for nothing.
And yet… I keep fighting. Because what else is there to do? What else is there to do but hope, even if I hate that too?"
"You need to be strong," she said, turning away from us.
"You need to be like me, because if you don't, you'll die."
Her voice softened, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "I hope to see you at the top. Maybe you'll hate it just as much as I do."
Sho was engulfed in a bright red light, and shortly after, she disappeared.
As the rest of G2 regained consciousness, a small smile formed on my face. We had won—by technicality, perhaps, but we had won, and that was enough.
Tenshi was the last to regain her senses, but before she did, I stood up.
"Teleport," I began, but Reyna interrupted me.
"Hold on," she said, looking at me with a serious expression. "Are you sure you want to rush off? Why don't you join our guild?"
"Are you sure? I didn't really do much," I asked, my voice tinged with doubt.
"We could always use an enchanter," Reyna said with a smile, her expression warm yet calculating.
I opened my mouth to argue but stopped when I saw the look on Reyna's face. She was right.
When Tenshi awoke, Reyna wasted no time briefing her on the situation. She explained how I had joined their guilds and the circumstances surrounding it, but Tenshi had only one response.
Tenshi remained unmoved, her gaze steady, piercing through the air around her as she spoke. "I'll leave this decision and its consequences to you."
Reyna's voice was firm but fair. "There will be a one-week assessment phase. If, after that time, none of us think you're useful, you won't be affiliated with us in any manner."
"Thank you!" I shouted, leaping from the ground
"Meet us at 23'rd in one week from now," Viri added.