"Eren Brown POV"
I turned toward the monster, smiling at it…
"Come on—let's dance."
Immediately, I began drawing mana out of my body, channeling it into my spear as I stared at the monster with a grin. This was the way mana was used in this world…
Do you know what the best thing about being addicted to games—especially strategy games—is?
You encounter countless situations that require rapid planning or instinctive reactions just to survive; in most games, you find yourself in unfavorable circumstances, with enemies stronger than you.
That's why movement, dodging attacks, and striking at the right moment—this was the correct way to defeat boss-level monsters.
"Like the one standing before me."
I closed the distance at incredible speed, yellow mana surrounding both me and my spear.
I thrust forward, my strike instinctively veering to the right side of the area just above its chest.
"The Flash Strike."
It was the only skill I could reliably control without excessive strain.
The good news was that I managed to hit it; the bad news was that it looked angry—very angry.
That was obvious from the color of its eyes turning red; add to that its deafening roar, and you had the perfect picture.
I leaped away at once, only to find a crater where I had been standing moments earlier.
Sweat poured down my face as I stared at the pit; had I been a fraction of a second slower, I would have been dead by now.
"Dead… me."
I muttered as I sensed the gravity of the situation, unable to do anything but acknowledge my own stupidity.
"I don't even know where this courage comes from—but this isn't the time to think."
I jumped back and began running around the monster in circles, searching for an opening to attack.
As I ran, I noticed something: the assassins had completely disappeared from the area.
That meant one of two things—either they had fled, or someone else was fighting them in secret.
I immediately ruled out the second option; there were no fluctuations or disappearances of mana nearby.
Which meant… they had run.
Realization struck me at once.
"I'm sure they planted a bomb here."
I muttered while staring at the monster before me, realizing they were willing to sacrifice it to eliminate everyone in this place.
"Damn it."
A strange calm enveloped me, as if I were confident I would survive this situation; this was the second time it had happened since the orc incident.
You could say my confidence had reached the point where I could declare—
"I'll kill you here and now."
I muttered as mana erupted violently from my body, concentrating especially around my spear.
I had only one solution to get out of this situation.
So I took a deep breath, taking advantage of the monster keeping some distance from me.
"Now or never."
"Art of the Spear King—First Form: Thunderbolt!"
With a loud cry, I gathered the strongest strike I could unleash and charged toward the monster known as Nian…
And then, the collision occurred.
Boom.
The Art of the Spear King was overwhelming in situations like this. With a single strike, I felt my plan had succeeded.
The moment I struck him, my smile widened as I looked at him.
"I killed it."
I really did it.
I tried to pull my spear free and escape the area as quickly as possible.
But the winds do not always blow as ships desire.
Suddenly, without any warning, I felt a searing pain in my back—as if hundreds of thorns were gnawing into my bones.
I turned to find that the monster, with the very last shred of its energy, had launched a desperate attack. Because I had lowered my guard even slightly, I paid a heavy price.
"Damn you."
The burning sensation in my back made me collapse to the ground, unable to move.
"I'll survive—no matter the cost."
I muttered weakly as I crawled away from the area, hoping to reach the gate before the bomb exploded.
"These assassins… I'll repay this debt a hundredfold if I make it out alive."
I vowed to annihilate those assassins as I drew closer to the gate. From the intensity of the pain in my back, I began imagining something strange…
I mean, I could see one of the assassins ahead of me—apparently waiting at the gate. Or had he been waiting for the monster Nian to emerge?
"You… how did you get out of there?"
He shouted, shock written all over his face. It seemed he hadn't expected my escape.
"You won't live past today!"
The assassin yelled as he rushed toward me, and I had no way out of this situation.
I felt despair.
I surrendered to my fate as I watched him approach, lamenting my luck—dying without even having completed a full month in this world.
"Emily… it seems we won't meet again, not even in this life."
I waited for the killing blow—but no matter how long I waited, it never came.
I opened my eyes to a sight that stunned me; my father was standing before me, and it seemed he had dealt with that assassin. There was no trace of him—or of blood—anywhere.
"You did well, my son. You can rest now—leave the rest to your dear father."
The moment I heard those words, the very last shred of energy left my body.
A few tears even slipped from my eyes.
"Thank you."
Those were the last words I spoke before losing consciousness.
---
Somewhere in the void—literally a void, with nothing before me or behind me—
I was standing in midair, or whatever this was. I didn't know how or when I had arrived here.
I began looking around, question marks evident on my face.
But I couldn't see anything as far as the eye could reach.
Suddenly, I heard the voice of an unknown man—yet it felt familiar.
"We finally meet, Eren—the Chosen, the Reincarnated, the one with many names."
Instinctively, I raised my guard to its highest level. Ironically, I couldn't move anything except my head, so the effort was completely pointless.
"Don't be afraid. I don't intend to harm you; I merely wanted to greet you."
That was even more terrifying.
"Who are you, and how do you know who I am?"
My mind raced through possibilities—but what he said next made it stop entirely.
"You could say… I am your beloved skill—Reader's Mind."
The moment I heard that, it felt as though my mind exploded.
"I've been controlling your thoughts and emotions so you wouldn't make mistakes, die, or fail to obtain what you were meant to obtain."
He showed no expression, looking at me as if I were insignificant—like a ruler gazing down at his people from above.
"Before you say anything, I'll tell you this: from this moment on, I will disappear. The skill will remain, but I won't. The effects will be the same, but your emotions will no longer be altered—you will be in full control of them."
That was a lot to process.
"We'll meet again once you reach Rank S."
Those were the last words I heard before my vision turned pitch black.
---
After Eren was forcibly expelled from that void, the man remained standing, staring into emptiness.
Behind him appeared a stunningly beautiful woman with long red hair, looking at the figure before her.
"This won't continue like this."
He turned to her, a change in his expression.
"Sylvia, you misunderstand. This isn't a game played by one person. Preparing him for the future is my duty—our duty."