Kyron barely dodged the blood spikes, rolling aside just in time. His chest heaved as he looked up.
Perched on a tree branch, the Smiler stared down at him, a cruel grin stretching across its pale face. It wore a scarf, a cap, and black clothes that somehow gave it a sinister, yet stylish presence. Blood dripped from its hands as it formed another attack.
"Hey, kid," it taunted, voice sharp and mocking. "You just barely dodged that, didn't you? Pathetic."
Kyron froze for a second. It… it can talk? And create spikes from its own blood? This is one of those Laughter Skills the old man warned me about… smart Smilers. Dangerous… but I can't back down now.
"Oi! You weird, ugly-haired Smiler!" Kyron shouted, letting his anger boil over. "If you're manly enough, face me head-on!"
The Smiler's grin widened. In response, a fresh barrage of blood spikes shot toward him. Kyron leapt, shouting:
"Anger Emotion: Bird Style — Flame Rush!"
He charged forward, flames trailing behind him, but the Smiler blocked the attack with a single spike, as large as a sword. Kyron stumbled back, stunned. No… my attack got blocked?
A swift kick from the Smiler sent him crashing into a tree. Pain flared through his body, but he smirked, gripping his sword tightly. "I don't care how strong you are. I am Kyron, and I will end you, Smilers!"
The Smiler laughed, crimson aura flickering around its form. "You think courage wins battles? We don't believe in miracles!"
It lunged, blood spikes flying like deadly arrows. Kyron clashed with it repeatedly, the metal of his blade screeching against the jagged blood. Each strike forced sparks of anger and power into the forest air.
He punched the Smiler in the face, then followed with a heavy kick, sending it crashing into a tree. The creature quickly rose, unleashing another relentless barrage of spikes. Kyron dodged most, but one grazed his leg, drawing blood.
Not now… how much more can my leg take? he thought, wincing.
The Smiler sneered, slashing its arm open to reveal its glowing organs, then instantly regenerating. "Humans are weak. Even a spike can wound you. We live forever, and you waste your lives chasing emotions and so-called 'humanity.' You're a joke."
Kyron's eyes flared. "We don't need immortality! We live, we die, and that's enough. You cling to lies and fake smiles because you're afraid of truth!"
He tightened his grip on his sword. "Anger Emotion: Bird Style — Flame Rush!" Flames blazed around him as he surged forward, following up with Flame Slash, nearly severing the Smiler's head. The Smiler staggered back but kicked him away, its fear visible now.
Kyron taunted, smirking despite the pain. "Looks like your superiority isn't working."
The Smiler's aura flared crimson. "Then I will end you!" It raised a blood spike, charging at him. Kyron's own aura ignited, flames forming a fiery bird around him.
"Bird Dash!" he roared.
Blood Strike! the Smiler shouted.
They collided in a burst of fire and blood, the nearby trees igniting in sparks. Smoke thickened, choking the air. When it cleared, Kyron's blade rested on the Smiler's neck.
The creature screamed, "No! Why? How? I was superior! Stronger!" Its body began to disintegrate into ashes, and in that final moment
The forest around Kyron seemed to grow silent as the Smiler's ashes flickered, and in that quiet, a vision unfolded.
A small, dimly lit village, nestled in a valley surrounded by jagged cliffs. Children's laughter had once filled the air, but now a haunting stillness lingered. In the middle of a modest home, a boy knelt, trembling, tears streaking his dirt-smudged face.
"Useless! Worthless! Look at your brothers, Yong! Why can't you even hunt a single deer?"
The words cut sharper than any blade. Xu Yonging flinched as his father's hand struck him across the back, the sting leaving a red mark on his thin frame. His brothers watched silently, faces a mixture of shame and superiority. Yong's small chest heaved as he tried to steady his sobs.
Every day had been like this. Every day, he had been reminded that he was weaker, slower, inferior. Muscle mass never came to him as it did to his brothers. No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to grow as expected. His mind refused to accept the constant barrage of disappointment.
"I… I'm trying…" Yong whispered, almost to himself. But his voice was swallowed by his father's booming rage. "Trying? Trying doesn't make you strong! You're a burden! You've been a burden since the day you were born!"
Nights were no refuge. The boy would lie awake on a straw mat, listening to the wind howl through broken shutters, imagining himself disappearing, vanishing from the world. But even in his darkest moments, he could not find peace. Every morning brought fresh torment, fresh reminders that he was unwanted.
And then, tragedy struck. Raiders—creatures unlike any human—descended on the village. Superior beings, relentless and inhuman, tearing through every home. Screams of panic and terror filled the air as Xu Yonging watched, helpless, as the only life he had known was obliterated. He ran through the burning streets, carrying the memory of every insult, every strike, every mocking glance. His small frame barely avoided the claws and teeth of the monsters that hunted his people.
Exhausted, bleeding, broken, Yong collapsed at the edge of the village. He thought his life had ended, that he would die alone and forgotten. And then, a figure appeared—a man in a black coat and suit, hat low, face shadowed. His presence was unnerving, yet there was a calmness to him, a promise in his voice.
"You've suffered enough," the man said, extending his hands. "Rejected by your family… abandoned by your village… you have no one left. I can give you what no human can: eternal happiness, power, superiority. Follow me."
Yong's mind recoiled. Why would I trust a stranger? But the promise of release from pain, the chance to never be weak again, clawed at him. Every insult, every blow, every loss surged within him as a single, desperate thought: I just want to be strong… I just want to be enough.
And so, he accepted.
The transformation was excruciating. Pain ripped through his body as his human limitations were stripped away. Muscles twisted unnaturally, his bones reshaping, senses heightening beyond normal bounds. His mind expanded, absorbing memories and experiences that weren't his own. And when it ended, he was no longer Xu Yonging, the boy everyone had scorned. He was a Smiler—a superior being, immortal, unbreakable.
He looked down at his hands, now capable of creating weapons from his own blood, capable of regenerating instantly, capable of laughing at human frailty. And a part of him smiled—a cruel, eternal smile. He had gained power, but at what cost? Humanity, compassion, and mortality were gone.
"I regret nothing," he whispered to the empty forest of his mind. "No human could have given me this… and I am happy. I am superior. I am eternal."
Yet, beneath that smile, there remained the shadow of the boy who had been beaten and forgotten, who's life ended before it even started
Kyron exhaled, lowering his blade. "Your life was filled with pain, but the people you killed will never forgive you. May your soul find peace."
He sliced off one of Xu's fingers before the rest of the body vanished into ash. Controlling his tears, Kyron prayed silently to Lord Buddha.
Then, wiping his sword, he pressed onward into the forest. Two days remained, and the exam was far from over.
TO BE CONTINUED