They left me.
The thought drummed through my skull as I stumbled through the dense forest of Floor 43, my legs aching with every step. The twisted trees loomed overhead, their gnarled branches stretching like claws toward the murky, blood-red sky. Shadows moved within the underbrush—silent predators watching me. Somewhere in the distance, the roar of the monster echoed, shaking the ground beneath me.
I clutched my side, warm blood seeping through my fingers. The wound wasn't fatal yet, but it slowed me. I leaned against a tree, gasping for air, and cursed the names of the people I once called my friends.
Rian, the strategist. Always calm, always with a plan. A plan to stab me in the back.
Kira, the healer. Her gentle smiles had hidden the lies behind her eyes.
And Kellen, the leader. The one who made the call to leave me behind.
I thought we were a team. We fought side by side, climbed the Tower together, shared meals and dreams around the campfire. But when the boss on Floor 43 revealed the chest containing its treasure—a relic of immense power—their loyalty shattered.
"You've always been the weakest, Dinl," Kellen had said, his voice cold and detached. "You understand, don't you?"
No, I didn't.
They ran, taking the relic with them. Left me to die at the hands of the floor guardian.
A piercing howl cut through the air, jolting me back to the present. The monster was close now. Its glowing eyes appeared between the trees, a sickly green against the darkness. I tightened my grip on the shattered remains of my sword. It wouldn't do much against the beast, but I refused to die without a fight.
The creature lunged. I barely had time to roll aside, its claws tearing through the tree where I'd been leaning. Splinters rained down as I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding.
"You think this is the end?" I snarled through gritted teeth. The monster's eyes glinted with a cruel intelligence, as if mocking me.
It pounced again, faster this time. My blade met its hide with a desperate swing, but the steel shattered on impact. Claws raked across my chest, and I screamed, collapsing to the forest floor. Pain radiated through every nerve in my body.
As the creature loomed over me, its maw wide and dripping with saliva, I felt an overwhelming surge of regret.
I had trusted them. I had believed in them.
But that trust had cost me my life.
"Next time..." I whispered, choking on blood. "Next time, I won't be so naive."
The monster struck, and everything went black.
I awoke gasping, my body drenched in sweat. Cold tile pressed against my back, and I blinked up at a fluorescent light. My heart thundered as I sat up, disoriented.
Where was I?
A voice—a painfully familiar voice—cut through the fog. "Dinl, what gave you the audacity to fight us?"
I turned my head. There he was. Jingsu, the middle school bully, standing over me with his gang of lackeys snickering behind him. My head swam. This was impossible. I hadn't seen Jingsu since I was thirteen.
But as my hand touched the ground and I looked at my reflection in a glass window, the truth hit me like a punch to the gut.
I wasn't seventeen anymore.
I was back.
Back in the past, before the Tower. Before the betrayals.
My chest tightened. If this was real—if I had truly been given a second chance—then this time, I would do things differently.
This time, I would become strong enough that no one could betray me again.