Chapter 15: The Reason I Chose to Fish
Why was I fishing?
I knew it already drew attention from the instructors.
I knew it made me look strange, careless, maybe even arrogant.
So why?
Did I want attention?
No.
Was I treating this entrance exam like a vacation?
No.
Then maybe…
I really was crazy.
But the truth was none of those things.
The real reason was much more sorrowful.
During the past few months of training in the Cool Forest, something inside me had quietly changed.
At first, I didn't notice it.
I thought it was just growth—strength, mana, discipline.
But it wasn't only that.
It was emotions.
Memories.
Pain.
At some point, I stopped feeling like a soul merely wearing another body.
I had merged with him.
Not just his muscles or instincts—but everything he once carried.
His happiness.
His loneliness.
His sorrow.
And now, those feelings lived inside me as if they were always mine.
I lost my parents once.
That pain nearly destroyed me.
But now—
Now I had lost three parents.
Not one.
Not two.
Three.
The parents of my previous life.
And the mother of this body.
Three people who once loved "me," even if that "me" was different back then.
Can you imagine that pain?
Losing one parent already leaves a hole that never fully heals.
Losing two makes the world feel empty.
But losing three…
It felt like something was constantly crushing my chest, making it hard to breathe.
That was why I was fishing.
This body's original owner used to fishing with his mother.
She would sit beside him, gently correcting his grip, smiling whenever he caught even the smallest fish.
I didn't have her memories clearly.
But I felt the warmth.
The calm.
The simple happiness.
So I sat here, holding a fishing rod, pretending—just for a little while—that nothing had changed.
That she was still beside me.
That I wasn't alone.
"Hah…"
A shaky breath escaped my lips.
They always say smiling people are the happiest.
That's a lie.
Never believe a smiling person too easily.
Most of them are just better at hiding their pain.
Tears slipped down my face, dropping silently into the lake.
I didn't wipe them away.
I didn't care.
For the first time since coming to this world, I allowed myself to break.
My shoulders trembled.
My grip loosened, the fishing rod almost slipping from my hands.
The world blurred.
I cried.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just quiet, broken sobs that came from somewhere deep inside my chest.
Time lost meaning.
Minutes passed.
Maybe more.
I cried until my eyes burned and my chest hurt.
Until the pain inside me felt just a little lighter.
---
Inside the Observation Chamber
"Why is he crying?"
Julian Narrow frowned, staring at the floating screen.
"Is he some kind of lunatic?"
Before anyone could respond—
"Shut up, Julian."
Madam Scarlet's voice was sharp.
Cold.
Final.
Julian stiffened, his mouth snapping shut.
Her eyes remained fixed on the screen, her expression unreadable.
---
Back on the Island
I wiped my face with my sleeve and took a deep breath.
"…Enough."
I stood up, exhaling slowly.
The lake was calm again, as if nothing had happened.
Then—
"Oi, crybaby!"
A loud, rough voice shattered the silence.
I turned.
A group of students stood several meters away, weapons drawn, sneering openly.
"Didn't expect to see someone sobbing during the entrance exam," one of them laughed.
"You gonna drown yourself next?"
Another cracked his knuckles.
"Easy points. Looks like you're already broken."
Something inside me snapped.
The warmth.
The sadness.
The grief.
All of it compressed into a single, burning emotion.
Anger.
My mana surged.
Heat rippled through the air.
Flames flickered faintly around my clenched fists.
I slowly lifted my head.
Golden eyes glowed beneath my sunglasses.
"…You picked the wrong moment," I said quietly.
The sea behind me steamed.
The calm beach turned heavy with pressure.
I wasn't angry because they interrupted my fishing.
I wasn't angry because they mocked me.
I was angry because they dared to intrude on a moment meant for the dead.
For memories.
For pain.
Nero Crimsonflare was no longer crying.
He was on fire.