The Regressed NoBody

The awkwardness between us hanged heavy in the air, as I took a stiff breath, carefully maneuvering into Master’s room, for some reason each step was taken with some caution in mind, taking a seat close to the old wooden table which I had remembered from my childhood, which Master had placed in here.

I slowly snapped my head all around the room—observing the old woodwork, and it was the same as I had remembered—, which was brightly illuminated by the warm sunlight. Despite coming here a week or two ago, the familiarity with the place was causing a tender feeling to bubble up inside my stomach, and my heart to flutter and feel at ease. This was the only place I had ever called home since my birth mother abandoned me as a weak, powerless child, and it still held a very deep place within my heart.

This is where I had spent most of my childhood, running and playing around in this house. Causing both Master and Fujimoto trouble along all those years.

I still remembered the day, when they had brought a cake for me as a surprise, for my supposed birthday in the past. I didn’t know the exact day I was born in my past life, but Master had made my birthday the day when he had picked me up from the streets and brought me back to his—our—house.

Despite not having many friends, Master and Fujimoto were enough for me. Caressing me, showing me warmth, love, the emotions which I had never experienced, they allowed me to feel and experience them for myself.

Putting my gratitude into words would have never been enough to display just how much I was grateful and indebted to them—they showed me familial love, cared for me like a part of their own family, something I could never return the favour for—,that I was picked up from the streets that day. That they gave so much to me, which I didn’t even deserve. A family, a bond, a promise—that I wasn’t alone in this world, that I could trust people, that even someone like me could have a family, a father, a brother—, a reason to live. A thin and sorrowful smile pulled up my lips as the old memories still vividly played inside my mind, as I straightened my gaze, looking at the old Master of mine.

Master slowly walked to the other side of the table, sitting opposite to me. I held his gaze, as I felt my eyes get heavier and that soothing emotion to make me comfortable and allowed the walls I had erected around me to crumble instantly.

His facial features were still the same. That jawline which was as sharp as a tip of a blade, those piercing and wisdom-full sapphire eyes, his long raven locks, his clear skin, and face clear of any imperfections and wrinkles, and his physique which he had built through countless battles. Everything about him was as I had remembered. I wanted to jump and dash into his arms right at this moment—something which he somewhat hated and found annoying, but never pushed me away when I did in the past—and give him the tightest hug, but, I knew that I couldn’t.

The barrier that my regression had placed between us was something I hated more than anything. I couldn’t show my love and appreciation for the one person I revered and cared for the most. The man I claimed as my father, the man who had even laid his own life down for the act of protecting me—his disciple...s-son. And I had returned that favour by allowing him to die. My jaw slackened, brows furrowing, as I remembered that crimson eyed demon killing Master in front of me that day.

I tightly clenched my fist, as my nails dug deep into my palms. Why couldn’t I have regressed back into my old body, my old life? The mystery of me finding myself in this new body was something which I have been unable to solve even until now. Just how can someone found them in someone else’s body after coming back in time. The phenomenon which had caused all of this, the answers I was looking for were yet not revealed to me—so far away.

Just what, or who had caused me to regress back in time, and why into this body? Was there some kind of higher power of authority, some greater deity out there, which no one was aware of? To dominant even the aspect of time.

In this life, I was also able to influence the wheels of time, allowing the bounds of time to stop, separating myself from the physical realm which bounded everyone in its constraints, to free myself from the very aspect of time.

But I just couldn’t come to a conclusion easily on this matter. This was something which was too subtle.

But why me? There were more competent people that were stronger than me in the past. But even they didn’t get to live long enough in that damned world. Many died, and many betrayed.

For some reason, my mind was in conflict since walking through the gates, whether I was doing the right thing or not. Telling them about the past—our past—, which had been erased from everyone’s memories, and the wheel of time which had allowed me to regress back. But for some reason, Master somehow remembered about it.

But how? Why only him? Not even Han remembered, nor did Fujimoto? Then why him? Was there some point I was missing? Could my regression and meeting with him have caused some kind of effect to occur to allow him to unlock or remember about that forgotten past, those memories we shared.

But my mind would subconsciously go back to my conversation with Laurena which had occurred a few minutes ago. She mentioned how my presence—I—had been a force which somehow altered the course of time itself which was unbendable and rigid, from how it should have went. But that was absurd in itself. A nobody like me did receive a chance at a second life, but how could I be someone to even affect the course of reality itself. So far, my abilities allowed me to manipulate and influence the very aspects of time as well as space.

But the new powers I had gained have been an extreme help me to so far in my journey.

I lifted my head and looked at Master, his gaze still fixed on me, as I took another stiff breath, bringing my thoughts together.

Then would telling Master about the past, would it affect the course of the imminent future. Laurena’s words rang sharply in my mind. Reminding me of the many decisions—good or bad—I had made in the past.

No! I had already made my mind.

“Before I tell you anything, I want you to know that...,” I looked into his ocean blue eyes with a warm expression over my face. I didn’t wanted to hide this—anything from him—anymore. “Everything I am going to tell you is the truth. A truth that may sound absurd, even crass, but I want you to believe me.”

I couldn’t perfectly hold his gaze as I said the lost of my words. I was afraid, more afraid than I had ever felt in my life—both lives. What if he things I am simply spouting nonsense—lying.

But taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to begin to elaborate everything, but suddenly snapped my head to the entrance of the room, where I felt a mana signature standing behind the closed door.

Master didn’t let my odd behaviour go unnoticed.

“Takeru come in,” he muttered, looking in the same direction I was.

The sliding open with a light creak, as Fujimoto entered the room with a tray held firmly in his hands. He walked closer to table, as he gracefully laid the tray down on the wooden table.

He gave me a quick greeting and I returned back. The tray had two cups of herbal tea, and plates with dango resting over it.

“I think your conversation might take a while, so I brought some refreshments for you two,” the youth said with a bright, warm smile over his sharp face, as he placed the cups and plates in front of us.

Then taking the tray in one hand, he tried to leave, but unknowingly, I found my hand already grabbing a hold of Fujimoto's wrist.

The youth stopped and began to look at me with a confused expression. But his warm gaze never once shifted to something apprehensive or to anger.

“Is something wrong, Jiwoo-kun?” Fujimoto asked, my hand still planted over his wrist, not willing to let go.

“You should also partake in our conversation,” I finally said, letting go of his wrist as I withdrew my arm back and straightened in my place. “What I am about to disclose...is something which also concerns you as well, Fujimoto.”

He was confused, but his gaze went to Master and he nodded at him. After the affirmation from him, he took a seat over the tatami floor, both of them began to direct their intent gazes to land over me.

“You wanted to know who Shun was, right? Why you saw those memories and how I am connected to all of this?”

Master gave me a shallow nod, as I allowed my words to dissipate into the air, but just as the awkwardness of the silence began to sweep into the room, I spoke again.

“Amamiya Shun,” I said as I eased my jaw and allowed my words to roll out of mouth. “That used to be my name, that you, ‘Amamiya Akito’, had given me in my past life. I don’t know how to explain this ‘phenomenon’, but when I died, some kind of unknown phenomenon occurred which allowed me to transmigrate back to a specific point in time, and like that I found myself in this new body and life. This teen named, Seo Jiwoo.”

Just as my words left my mouth, I saw Master, a desperate frown crept up his face, awaiting answers. His eyes looked confused and anxious as to what could—would—come out of my mouth next, but already trying his best to put the pieces together by himself to comprehend my explanation, but his expression gave him away, that he was unable to perfectly catch on. Who in their right mind would outright believe that a phenomenon which could allow you to come back in time existed? It only sounded absurd.

Unless someone had an ability similar to Laurena Lianard.

“You picked me up from these same streets, brought me to your house, fed me and treated me like a part of my family,” I explained farther, as my eyes drifted to Fujimoto, whose expression had turned flummoxed. For the first time, the warm expression over his face had vanished and he looked at me with squinted eyes and quivering brows and a hardened and confused expression—something I had rarely seen him make.

“But...but that is absurd,” Master impatiently said. His voice loud and blunt, his facade of solemnity crumbling. “What you have told us right now, does matches some of the description of my memories—the dream I saw—, bu—but, its hard to believe that you had been the person I had seen,” Master paused, taking a long moment to ponder over his thoughts, he gently massaged his forehead, then again continued. “No, it does makes sense to some point, why I felt so awfully familiar with you—someone I had never met before in my life, but felt like I already knew you—, shared some kind of bond, some connection with you.”

“So please, tell us everything,” Master muttered after a moment.

So I explained.

I swallowed hard as I began to tell them everything that I had experienced in my past with an excruciating amount of detail to make sure they knew I wasn’t making any of it up, as I left nothing behind. How Master had found me, brought me back to his house, how Fujimoto took care of me all of those years like family, even the tiny little detail about their personality and the things they liked and disliked.

My gaze would drift from time toward Fujimoto as I explained, his expression was hardening the more I explained about the past. The confusion over his face widened as the more he heard me, but he didn’t say anything to interrupt me.

Then I went on to tell them how I had learned the ‘crescent moon style’ from Master under his tutelage at a young age, also describing how the sword art worked to them, to make the stem of doubt to disappear in their mind even more. Their expressions took a very sharp turn upon the mention of that sword art which Master had created, put all of his dedication and many years of his life, which was still a secret to the world, only known by a few, including us three present.

Apprehensive, Master asked me a few questions here and there to clarify and ease his doubts which were forming through our conversation, alas his face expressionless, but Fujimoto stayed silent and still. His expression turning more and more grim as time passed, as the frown over his face widened.

The hardest part for me to cover and explain was my time at war. My jaw clenched tightly, as my breathing heaved, and my heart throbbed loudly inside my chest unlike I had experienced before.

The expression on Master and Fujimoto’s face turned grim and frantic, as I told them about how I had joined the war, fought against the army of demons, witnessed Master’s death on the battlefield—how he had died fighting a crimson eyed demon, protecting me.

Master jolted up from his place, as he threw a barrage of questions at me, regarding his final moments I mentioned, but, he soon enough settled down and placed his hand over his forehead, as I went on.

After that I continued on with how I had kept fighting in the war, the relationships and bonds I gained and lost in the war.

I didn’t know long had it been since I had started explaining about everything, but it was evident by the slight pangs of hunger I felt in my stomach and the setting sun outside that it had been a few hours at best.

Then after I finished my explanation as I described to them my final moments, how I had died at the hands of the demon king, with all the moments I could remember, how I felt, how I perceived my final moments, and how I had been enveloped by that strange beam and beckon of light which guided me to this new body, this new life.

I breathed heavily, as I took a hold of the cup of tea, as I smelled the fragrant aroma of the rich herbal tea, I took a sip, as the cold tea swam down my throat and into my metabolism.

A heavy and suffocating silence had descended over the room, as we all grappled and struggled over our own thoughts and questions.

‘Was it a mistake to tell them everything?’

I was now somewhat regretting telling them everything. How would they perceive me now? Will they accept me as to whom I used to be? Will the already widened gap between us widen even more after our conversation?

I grappled over my thoughts, as the callused nudging of time began to bite away at my mind. But then I realised that I was frowning.

My head was bent down, as I looked at my clenched fists.

No! Telling them everything might have been the right thing. I knew that shouldering all of these thoughts alone and allowing myself to return to my old ways was not the answer I was seeking. And I needed to make my dues clear before going to the dungeon trials. Laurena had also told me something important and I knew since regressing back in time that I needed to change my methods of doing things, to become the better and kinder person I needed to—wanted to become. Protecting my loved ones, that was the one reason I still fought for.

So this would mark as the first step, the foundation of the start of my new journey. A new beginning.

“I wanted to tell you guys everything the moment I had first met you both again,” I paused, lifting my head and turning to look at both of them, but the sorrow and guilt within me made me unable to. “But then again, I think you both would have found it extremely weird and perplexing that someone came up to you all of sudden and said they had regressed back in time and they used to be a member of your family,” I exclaimed with a dry chuckle, with my face solemn, rubbing the back of my neck, as I read their facial expressions.

Master had put on a complicated expression over his face, which caused my heart to be pinched and painfully throb. But just as I turned my head toward Fujimoto, I saw a tear drop trickle down the side of the youth’s cheek. He clasped his hands tightly as he brought them close to his mouth to cover it, his breath quivering as he inched closer to me.

His trembling hands held on to mine gently, as his emerald eyes bore into mine. A stream of tears rolling uncontrollably down his face as he looked at me with the same warmth and concern he used to when I was still just a mere, weak boy. There were no words spoken between us—I think there was not a need for— , but only his gaze was enough to reassure me.

Unknowingly, the emotions I had tried to hold back and supress, burst forth with uncontrolled intensity. My mind still fought those emotions, trying to supress the emotions in my heart which was fluttering to no end, but, unbeknownst to me, I felt a warm sensation trickle down my face, as I touched my cheek and saw tears had starting trickling down my face.

My heart throbbed uncontrollably, as I felt short for breath. The firmness of Fujimoto’s hands increased around my hand, as he spoke in a low, yet warm and clear voice.

“Welcome home, Shun,” just as those words left his mouth, I felt some emotion, a sensation I had almost forgotten wash over me, reminding me of my time with them.

Those were just some simple words, but they held a much bigger and deeper meaning for me. Something I was so desperate to hear again.

I was home. My home.

Tears kept streaming down my face, as I bowed my head, as my tears spilled on the tatami floor. Weak quivering noises escaped my mouth as we both wept holding on to each other. All those hardships and trials I had faced, had led me to this moment, and I was glad that I was given this chance, this opportunity to redeem myself, to ask for forgiveness.

“You have been through so much. I am sorry you had to endure so much pain and hardships all alone,” Fujimoto muttered, his eyes seemed as if he believed each word I had spoken. That each words was true, not one word of lie laced in them.

“No, I'm sorry. I allowed you both to die. I-I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t protect you, I'm sorry, Fujimoto, Master. It was all my fault for not being able to protect you two. For not being strong enough."

Fujimoto’s hand rested over my shoulder, gently, telling me that I wasn’t alone, like old times.

“Thanks you for telling us everything,” Master said from my side. As a concerned expression displayed over his face. “I know it was also hard for you to tell us everything—reveal everything about your, our past—, but it might take us some time to fully accept and swallow what you have told us, but, we will try our best. We just...need some time to do so.”

I nodded back at him, as Fujimoto wiped the tears from my eyes, giving me a bright, gentle, but concerned smile. Slowly my lips also tucked into a gentle smile, like old times.

“Thank you,” I responded, letting the heaviness of my emotions and thoughts to ease.

***

As I put my shoes on, I walked into the yard led to by the engawa which connected the yard to the room. Master and Fujimoto standing behind me.

The sun had almost set, as the twilight sky beckoned for the arrival of the warm, but cool night. I twirled, as I matched Master and Fujimoto’s gaze.

“Thank you very much for everything. For taking care of me,” I exclaimed with a gratified tone, as I bowed my head respectfully. Then as I unbent, I saw their bright faces. “And thank you for making me the man I am toady. For raising me.”

“Jiwoo—oh sorry, I meant Shun,” Fujimoto said.

“Call me however you want,” I said with a bright smile.

“Then...Jiwoo-kun, thank you for trusting in us and telling us the truth. And if you ever need help or a place to come back to, we will always be here for you and welcome you with open arms. Its just ahh,” he trailed off, awkwardly looking at me. “It’s just kinda hard to believe and put our head around this whole time regression thing.”

“Anything you wanna add?” I sarcastically said, pointing my gaze towards Master.

Fujimoto snapped his head toward him, as he went into deep thought.

“If you really do know the crescent moon style, like you said you do, then you better show it to me the next time you come back. I wanna know just how strong my disciple is to have fought even the all powerful demon king.” He finished with his arms crossed and a smug over his face just like old times.

“Seriously, you were always like that,” I said with a knowing look with my tone exaggerated, as I shot him a smirk. “And you better not give Fujimoto a hard time, considering that he even has to remind you to take daily baths, unless you forget.”

“Pfft.” Fujimoto giggled as he covered his mouth with his hand, glancing between me and Master.

“You know, I think you should take a lesson or two over delicacy from him, Aki-san. Sometimes it becomes hard even for me to deal with you,” Fujimoto said with an exaggerated tone as he sighed.

Master raised a brow defensively under the accusations, as he exchanged glances between me and Fujimoto. But a smile replaced his face a moment later, as he spoke.

“Shun, wherever you are going, take care of yourself. And remember you better not get your ass kicked by some random demon out there, being my disciple and all, or how that works now in this...life.”

I was caught off guard by Master’s words, as I looked at him with my eyes wide. Those were the exact same words he had said to me once in the past. But just as he finished his sentence, I had already reached out and activated my ability.

The bright tendrils of black arched and coiled around me, as my vision darkened and drained, as the pathways opened themselves to me allowing me to ride those currents, as the last thing I saw was Master smiling at me, and Fujimoto waving a hand at me in goodbye.

Just as I rode the streams of energy, I felt a nudging push from the pathways as they directed me to the location I wished to reach. As the tendrils sparked in and out, arching all across my body, the dim-light which they emanated slightly brightened my surroundings, as I found myself appearing and standing in front of an apartment complex, where mine and Jihye’s house was.

I quickly went up the complex and reached my house.

I withdrew the spare key which Jihye had given me, as I tried to unlock the door but it was already unlocked. But without giving it much thought, I pulled the door open, and entered the apartment.

The door shut closed between me, as I walked through the corridor and into the living room, dust had accumulated here as the apartment was unattended for several days. The lights were on, and I felt a rich floral scent of coffee beans in the air.

My eyes drifted across the room scanning each and everything, as I saw someone sitting on the seat near the dinning table, sipping a cup of coffee he had prepared for himself.

“Took you long enough,” he said as he looked at me with an annoying sneer, with his eyes grumpy.

“Yeah, had to deal with something important. Don’t have as much free time as I used to,” I replied taking a seat opposite to him.

“So what’s the uptake on the situation Salvador?” I asked, as he placed the cup of coffee down on the table and pushed the yellow file which lay beside him.

I took the file from him as I opened it and began to read through the contents mentioned. The more I read through the documents the more I was left dumbfounded by how much detail he had put into his work of gathering as accurate information on the task given to him.

“Salvador this is brilliant,” I said, reading through the last of the details, and closing the file whilst placing it down on the table.

“I know, I know, I am the best the world has to offer,” my partner said with a wry grin plastered across his pale face, as he flicked his fingers through his dark hair. “No need to tell me something so obvious which I am already aware of.”

“Why aren’t you saying something?” He quickly added, as I went quiet for a moment, regarding him with a weird expression, brows raised.

“Well, you were the one who didn’t wanted to hear his own name being revered,” I said with a raise of a brow, as I looked straight into my partner's eyes with a grin arching my face.

He crossed his arms, as he scowled, speaking grumpily. “Is that how you’re supposed to act toward someone who you have been slaving for the last three, almost four months? Ahhh, what a pitiful man you truly are Salvador. No one knows what I had to go through to obtain that much information about that presumed dead person. Oh heavens pity me, old Salvador, for thee is mistreated.”

His comical act continued as he threw his arms up in the air in a mocking jubilant prayer to the heavens, but my mind went back to file he had prepared, about the person I had assigned him to find information about a few months ago.

And that was—

“Emily Osbern, the only child of Victor and Samantha Osbern,” I said. “Thought to have been killed in a sudden tragic accident many years ago alongside her father and mother. But—”

“But she survived and the person who gave the order to murder her family and her is unaware of this fact that Victor’s daughter is still alive,” Salvador finished for me, as he snapped his fingers and pointed one at me.

“So what do you want to do now after having confirmed this, Emily person, is still alive?” Salvador asked suddenly, withdrawing a few more files and documents from the brown leather bag which lay on the seat next to him.

“We need to bring her over to our side, at any cost,” I said crossing my arms, and reclining into my seat, pointing at Salvador. “And you will have to do most of the work, being the brilliant and extraordinary broker.” I finished with a mischievous expression, as I swear I saw Salvador shudder in his seat.

With a long and exaggerated sigh, he looked at me as if I was the devil. “I already knew I had to do most of the freaking work, while you enjoyed your merry, happy-go-lucky time at the best institution in the world.” He shrugged, as he scoffed with a scowl.

“I’ll be damned if I had the time to,” I said in a whisper, more to myself than to Salvador, looking blankly up at the ceiling

“What was that?” He asked, but I shook my head.

“I’ll be going away for a while, I don’t exactly know where, so I need you to take care of the things here while I am gone,” I said, as I withdrew a pile of documents and files from the system inventory and laid them in front of Salvador.

“And is this supposed to be a farewell gift for me, Boss,” Salvador scoffed as I saw a vein on his forehead constrict in annoyance, his eyes squinted into sharp slits. “And you don’t even have a damn idea where you are going. And how long is that while of yours?”

A thin smile pulled up my lips as I looked at my partner. “I...don’t know. I could be gone for weeks, maybe a few months at best or—”

“Years perhaps!” Salvador grunted as he took a hold of a piece of paper on the table, and began reading through the contents labelled over it.

“Maybe,” I answered hesitant, not knowing what else to say.

With another sigh, he spoke. “Okay fine! I'll try to make due with what I can. But what’s with all these documents you have provided me, containing the information of these certain individuals?” Salvador asked with a raise of a brow.

I quickly withdrew a black card from the inventory and threw it in Salvador’s direction. He effortlessly caught it and began to observe the reflective and clear surface of the black card.

“This card has all the money I got after selling the items I found in the dungeon I was stuck inside. And the price was pretty decent,” I shot him a smirk as I continued. “That black file resting on top of all the others is the one which has the location and owner ship documents of the warehouse I bought a few days ago, to be our base of operation.”

I directed my gaze at the pile of documents which lay beside Salvador. “And those are the individual you have to recruit in the mean time I am gone. They have a lot of potential.”

“What am I now? Your personally recruited babysitter? Seriously I don’t get paid enough to do this shit.”

“Oh, that might be an appropriate nickname for you,” I said with a grin, massaging my chin. “But, thanks,” I returned, as I got up from my seat. “Yeah, and there is a file with the information about a kid named Koji. He will be arriving in Korea shortly and at the address of the warehouse, take care of the kid for me, will ya.”

Salvador deeply exhaled as his brows furrowed and he shot me a sneer as his nose wrinkled. “Do I even have a saying in this?”

"Nope!" I muttered.

“Do you have what I asked for?” I suddenly asked, as Salvador pointed towards the couches with a shrug.

“Its lying on the couch over there.”

I walked closer to the couch and took a hold of the item wrapped in a piece of dark silk. Unwrapping the cloth, I took a hold of a sword which had a shiny black surface.

Unsheathing the sword, I looked at the blade which reflected my eyes in it. Its handle had a dull obsidian colour same with the sheath, with a red thread attached to its pommel. The blade was shiny and pointy at the end. I spun the sword in my hand as I thrust it forward for a practice swing. Then channelling my mana inside me, I willed it toward the sword and coated it with the outmost amount of mana I could. The sword shimmered with a brilliant light, as the space around it cracked and began to become heavy, but it held out under the full force of the manipulation of my mana.

With a content nod, I sheathed the sword and once again looked at Salvador. “Thanks for having it made in such a short time.”

“You better be. The guy who made it asked for a shit ton of money for making that sword on such a short notice.”

After exiting the dungeon, Ryuya had given me one of the two lance like spikes which grew out of the Basilisk’s head, and a few of its scales. And I had sent those items straight to Salvador a few days back, to have a new and more sturdy sword forged for me as soon as possible, which could withstand the rebound and of me using the crescent moon style, as well as the full and outmost circulation of my mana.

I placed the sword into the inventory as I matched Salvador’s gaze.

“Then goodbye Salvador,” I said, as he stood from his seat and walked closer to me.

He maneuvered his hand at me and I took it.

“You better come back in one piece, Jiwoo,” Salvador muttered holding my gaze.

“Yeah, I promise I will.”

***

After saying my goodbyes with Salvador, I had left the apartment and returned to the central hospital and was now by Jihye’s side.

Her sight each time filled with an uncontained guilt and sorrow, making a bad taste to appear at the back of my mouth.

I needed to be strong, for Jihye’s sake, and more so for my own.

The tribulations awaiting me wouldn’t be easy. But who could blame someone for fearing the unknown.

Yet, only the most brave and stead fast people would dive into the unknown and make a path forward.

My fingers touched Jihye’s cheek, as I gently brushed my hand across her forehead and hair. The low beeping of the monitor showed her vital stats which were normal for now. But I don’t know what could happen.

How many years would she have left to live? I needed to retrieve a cure for her as soon as possible.

I clenched my teeth, as I allowed my held breath to escape me. Then replacing the frown over my face with a very bright smile, may it had been forced, I wanted to leave her side in this way, not with a disheartened or gloomy atmosphere around me.

“I’ll be back Jihye. I’ll be back before you even get to snap your fingers.”

I inched closer to my sister, as I caressed her glossy hair gently and gave her a peck on her head.

Jihye was my sister. Even if I had only known her for half a year, and lived with the facade of her brother, I had perfectly came to accept the fact that she was my family now. At first spending time with her sort of left me awkward, but those were the moments I had learned to grow fond of. And I could do anything for her.

I walked closer to the door, as looked above my shoulder and back at my sister one last time.

As I steeled my resolve, I opened the door and exited. Then soon after, I reached for the elevator.

Entering, I pressed on the panel for the rooftop. After a short ascend, I exited the elevator and stepped on to the roof.

The night had enveloped the wide sky, as countless stars glittered the sky, everywhere my gaze sweeped to.

I walked closer to the railings, as I stood there for a moment, basking underneath the moonlight and enjoying the cold breeze and warmth offered by the night.

Soon the interface appeared in front of my eyes, as I looked at a window which opened simultaneously with it.

『DOES THE HOST WISH TO INITIATE THE DUNGEON TRIALS?』

『YES』 『NO』

Without a moment of hesitation, I brought my finger close to the window and pressed it against the hard surface of the window hovering in the air.

After giving my affirmation, the window from in front of me dissolved becoming clusters of shiny motes of light, as I felt a nudging push in the atmospheric mana around me.

It converged in front of me, as the fabric of space began distorting and ripples formed in the air in front of me. The mana tightly held its shape and began to mould a black oval shaped portal in front of me.

It took a few more seconds for the mana to sustain itself, allowing the rippling and unstable portal to become more stable. The bright shine it released brightened my surrounding area as I vividly saw lightning spark and jump all around the distorted cracks in the space in front of me.

I felt each foot fall grow heavy as I marched toward the portal. My face solemn and eyes determined, as I looked at the rippling portal sway my clothes and hair slightly.

This is it.

“Farewell,” just as those words escaped my mouth, I walked into the embrace of the portal as I found myself be enveloped by a bright blinding light which made me lose focus and touch of my senses.