Location: Holy Temple, Arthur's Private Training Room
The surroundings were made entirely of white metallic material. Every direction one looked, there was only white. The ceiling was white. The walls were white. Even the floor beneath one's feet was white.
However, despite being completely white, it wasn't the kind of white that felt warm or comforting. Instead, it carried a cold and mechanical feeling. The metallic surfaces reflected faint lights from every direction, causing the entire room to seem almost unreal.
The room itself appeared extremely durable.
In fact, the moment someone entered, they would immediately feel as though the builders had intentionally created this place to withstand impossible levels of destruction. The ceiling seemed unbreakable. The walls seemed unbreakable. The floor seemed unbreakable.
Everything silently gave off the message:
"This place will not break."
Several pieces of equipment could be found throughout the room. Various types of dumbbells were neatly organized along one side.
One pair had "1 Ton" written on both sides.
Another pair was marked with 5 tons.
Then 10 tons.
20 tons.
40 tons.
The numbers continued increasing one after another. The heavier they became, the larger they appeared. And the collection continued all the way until the final set. 350 tons. Every single dumbbell looked brand new.
There wasn't a scratch on them.
Not a speck of dust.
Not a single sign of rust.
It was almost as if nobody except a handful of monsters could even use them.
Besides the dumbbells, there was a treadmill specifically designed for superhuman training. A massive stone rested near one corner of the room. Several machines designed for leg training stood nearby. Other exercise equipment filled the remaining space. Altogether, the room looked less like a normal gym and more like a training facility designed for beings capable of destroying mountains.
This place was completely a gym.
However, because it was specially built, only Arthur and people who had received permission could enter. The strange thing was... At that moment... The room wasn't silent. A steady sound echoed through the metallic space.
Breathing.
Someone's breathing.
Heavy breathing.
Exhausted breathing.
Determined breathing.
Every few moments another sound could also be heard.
Clang.
A faint metallic impact.
Then another.
Clang.
Then another.
Clang.
The sounds repeated over and over.
Almost as if somebody were training without stopping.
Ah, yes...
Since Jack had permission to enter this place, there was only one possible explanation.
He was training.
Or perhaps...
He had already fully begun his education.
Looking toward where Jack was, the source of the sounds immediately became obvious.
Jack was doing push-ups.
Not ordinary push-ups.
His position alone would have looked insane to most people.
His legs were pointed upward while his arms carried the entirety of his body's weight. His hands were pressed firmly against the metallic floor. His muscles trembled continuously. His legs remained tightly together without leaving even the smallest gap between them. The reason was simple.
Weights rested directly on top of his feet.
As for how much weight...
Ten tons.
A total of ten tons rested above him.
Yet somehow... He continued moving.
Up.
Down.
Up.
Down.
Every push-up required monstrous strength.
Sweat continuously poured from his face. Large droplets struck the metallic floor beneath him. Some rolled across the surface.
Others shattered upon impact. His breathing grew heavier with every repetition. His arms trembled violently. The muscles throughout his body felt as though they were begging him to stop. Begging him to rest.
Begging him to collapse. But Jack had absolutely no intention of giving up.
But Jack had absolutely no intention of giving up. In fact, the look in his eyes suggested the exact opposite. It was as though he believed that stopping for even a single moment would cause him to fall behind. As though a battle were waiting for him tomorrow. As though every second mattered. As though every drop of sweat was necessary.
Every movement carried a sense of urgency.
Every breath sounded desperate.
Every repetition seemed to be fueled by pure determination.
The muscles in his shoulders burned.
His chest felt heavy.
His arms felt as though they were being torn apart from the inside.
Yet he continued. The reason he wasn't using energy was actually very simple. If he used energy, the ten tons resting on top of him would feel dramatically lighter.
Perhaps around one hundred kilograms.
Maybe even less. That was because energy wasn't only used for techniques. It wasn't only used for attacks. It wasn't only used for defense. Energy could also function as a support system. A ridiculously powerful support system. For example, if somebody couldn't lift a truck normally, they could simply reinforce themselves with energy and lift it anyway.
The difference would be enormous. That was precisely why Jack wasn't using it. Arthur's training wasn't about finding shortcuts. It was about becoming stronger. Truly stronger.
And so Jack continued relying solely on his body.
Nothing else, no assistance, no tricks, no shortcuts.
Just raw physical effort. The metallic floor beneath him reflected his exhausted face. Sweat continued dripping from his chin. His breathing became increasingly rough. Yet the counting never stopped.
"743..."
His body rose.
Then lowered.
"744..."
Another repetition.
"745..."
Another.
"746..."
Another.
Each number sounded heavier than the last. Each repetition looked slower than the previous one.
Yet somehow...
He kept going.
The fact that he had already reached this number was unbelievable by itself. Most people would've collapsed long ago. Most people would've given up hundreds of repetitions earlier. Jack kept going. Standing several meters behind him were two individuals silently observing. One was a tall woman. The other was a dwarf man. To put it simply... They were Jack's instructors.
Nora Redgrave.
Bob Sonofbob.
Arthur had personally selected both of them.
Not because they were available.
Not because they were convenient.
But because he believed they were the most suitable people for the job. People capable of bringing out Jack's full potential. People capable of turning talent into power. Nora specialized in energy control. She was responsible for helping Jack use energy more efficiently. She was also responsible for increasing his physical abilities.
Meanwhile, Bob handled a completely different aspect of training.
Combat, reflexes, adaptability, battle experience. The reason was simple. No battle ever followed a perfect script. Unexpected situations appeared constantly. Plans failed.
Conditions changed, enemies cheated, luck interfered.
Anything could happen.
Because of that, Bob's fighting style was infamous.
Nobody could properly predict it.
Nobody could properly understand it.
Sometimes even Bob himself seemed to fight according to whatever idea entered his head at that exact moment. It was bizarre.
It was chaotic. And somehow...
It worked.
Thanks to these two instructors, Jack's path toward becoming stronger would be far more efficient.
Not easier, never easier, just more efficient.
At that moment, Jack continued moving.
"791..."
His arms shook violently.
"792..."
Sweat splashed onto the floor.
"793..."
His breathing became harsher.
"794..."
The muscles throughout his body screamed in protest.
"795..."
Even lifting himself a few centimeters looked difficult.
"796..."
The veins across his arms became increasingly visible.
"797..."
His elbows trembled.
"798..."
His shoulders felt ready to collapse.
"799..."
And finally...
The number that caught Nora's attention.
Jack was approaching his 800th push-up.
The moment she noticed this...
She moved, without warning, without hesitation, without saying a single word.
She stepped directly onto the weights resting on top of Jack's feet.
Immediately, the pressure increased, dramatically.
The final stretch of the exercise suddenly transformed into the most difficult part.
Jack felt it instantly.
Every muscle in his body reacted. His arms nearly buckled beneath the additional weight. His breathing faltered. His entire body shook. The difference was obvious. And Nora remained standing there. Completely calm.
As though she were intentionally making the situation worse.
Which, in reality...
She was.
Jack immediately began struggling even more. His arms were reaching their absolute limit. The point where strength no longer mattered. The point where only willpower remained. His legs trembled beneath the pressure.
If they continued supporting this much weight for too long, they would begin suffering damage.
Sweat poured down his face faster than before. His vision became blurry, his hearing became dull.
The room itself almost seemed distant.
His arms looked like they were still performing push-ups.
But that wasn't really what was happening anymore.
The truth was much worse.
His body was beginning to collapse, slowly, relentlessly. Gravity was winning. His arms no longer possessed enough strength.
Centimeter by centimeter...
He began sinking toward the floor. His eyes nearly closed.
Darkness started creeping into his vision.
His consciousness became unstable.
He was on the verge of fainting, completely out of breath, his lungs burned, his chest hurt.
His heartbeat thundered inside his ears.
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
The sound resembled a drum being struck repeatedly.
Over and over again.
He was that close to his limit.
That close to collapsing, that close to losing.
And just as Jack was about to fall... Nora suddenly shouted.
Nora (Seriously): IF YOU PASS OUT AND FALL! YOU WILL NEVER, EVER GROW STRONGER! YOU'LL STAY WEAK FOREVER! IS THAT REALLY WHAT YOU WANT, BRAT!?
Nora's voice exploded throughout the training room. The sound echoed against the metallic walls. It bounced off the ceiling. It spread through the entire room. For a brief moment, it almost seemed louder than Jack's own heartbeat.
And at that moment...
Jack was on the verge of fainting. His consciousness drifted in and out. His vision had become blurry. Dark spots appeared at the edges of his sight. His body felt unbelievably heavy. His arms felt as though they no longer belonged to him.
Every muscle screamed in pain. Every nerve burned. Every breath hurt. His body wanted to stop. It wanted to collapse. It wanted to rest. But Nora's words continued echoing inside his mind.
"You'll stay weak forever."
Weak.
That single word struck him harder than any physical attack.
Weak.
The same word repeated itself over and over inside his head.
Weak
Weak
Weak
Jack's teeth slowly clenched together.
Then they clenched harder.
And harder.
The force became so great that it almost felt as though his teeth might crack. The muscles in his jaw tightened. His entire face trembled. His eyes were ready to close. Ready to surrender. Ready to give up. And then...
They opened.
Suddenly.
Violently.
His eyes became slightly bloodshot. The exhaustion was still there. The pain was still there. The pressure was still there.
But something else appeared as well.
Determination.
A fierce determination.
The kind that refused to accept defeat.
The kind that refused to fall. His eyes resembled those of an eagle.
Sharp
Focused
Unwilling to look away from its target.
Then Jack screamed.
Not because he wanted to. Not because he was trying to intimidate anyone. He screamed because every part of his body was being pushed beyond its limits.
Jack: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
The sound filled the room.
Jack: HAAAAAA!!!
It was as though his body had somehow found strength that shouldn't have existed.
As though pure willpower had forced life back into muscles that were already finished.
His arms began moving
Slowly
Painfully
But they moved
The veins running across his arms bulged dramatically.
They became so visible that it felt as though someone could place a hand against them and actually feel the blood rushing beneath his skin. His shoulders shook violently. His elbows trembled. The muscles in his chest burned. His entire body seemed moments away from tearing itself apart.
Yet he continued
Upward
Little by little
Centimeter by centimeter. Every movement felt impossible. Every movement felt painful. Every movement felt wrong. But he kept going.
Jack continued pushing upward with every bit of strength he possessed. Everything he had. Everything he could give. Everything that remained inside his exhausted body.
Meanwhile...
Nora remained standing on top of the weights.
Watching
Waiting
Testing him
And when she noticed him continuing to rise... She increased the pressure. Even more... The additional force pushed downward. Trying to stop him. Trying to force him back toward the floor. Trying to crush what little strength he had left. But it wasn't enough. Jack continued rising.
Slowly
Painfully
Relentlessly
The muscles in his arms felt as though they were being ripped apart.
His breathing became completely irregular.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
Sweat poured from him like rain. Droplets struck the floor one after another. His vision blurred again.
Yet he kept moving.
Higher
Higher
Higher
Until finally...
The impossible happened. Jack successfully completed his 800th push-up.
For a brief moment...
Silence filled the room.
Not because nothing was happening. But because even the observers could recognize what had just occurred. Jack had reached a level that should have been impossible for him. Nora immediately stepped off the weights. The moment her feet touched the floor again, a black chain suddenly emerged from behind her.
The chain moved like a living creature.
Dark
Smooth
Fast
It wrapped itself around the massive weights resting on top of Jack's feet.
One after another.
Without damaging anything.
Without making unnecessary movements.
The chain lifted the weights effortlessly. Then placed them on the floor. The heavy impacts echoed through the room. Yet despite the weight being removed...
Jack didn't move. At all. He remained completely frozen. Still holding the same position. Still suspended there.
As though somebody had turned him into a statue.
The reason was simple.
He had exceeded his limits far too much.
Far beyond what his body could comfortably handle. Far beyond what most people would survive. His muscles had reached complete exhaustion.
His body simply stopped responding.
He was stuck.
Completely stuck.
For a few seconds, nobody moved. Then Bob finally stood up. The dwarf calmly walked toward Jack. His footsteps echoed lightly against the metallic floor.
Step
Step
Step
Eventually he arrived behind him.
Bob looked at Jack's frozen body. Then looked at Nora. Then back at Jack. A few seconds passed.
And without warning... Bob jumped. Only slightly. Just enough to reach approximately the level of Jack's hips.
Then...
He kicked him.
A perfectly casual kick.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing dramatic.
Just a kick.
The result, however, was immediate.
Jack's body lost all stability. The moment the kick landed... He crashed face-first into the floor.
BAM
The impact echoed throughout the room. And the instant he hit the ground...
His consciousness disappeared.
Completely.
He passed out.
Just like that.
Gone, motionless and unconscious.
Bob landed back on the ground. As though nothing unusual had happened. Then he casually walked away. Leaving Jack lying there. Still unconscious. Still face-down on the floor. Still completely exhausted. Bob eventually reached the area where Nora was standing beside a large barrel.
Without hesitation, he sat down. Then grabbed the barrel. Lifted it. And began drinking directly from it. The sound could clearly be heard.
Gulp
Gulp
Gulp
Gulp
The liquid disappeared rapidly. As though the barrel contained water rather than alcohol.
Eventually Bob lowered it. Placed it beside himself. Then casually punched his stomach twice.
Once.
Twice.
His cheeks puffed outward.
And then...
BBBBBUUUUUUUURRRRRRRPPPPPPPP!!!
An unbelievably loud burp exploded throughout the training room. The sound echoed from wall to wall.
Even the metallic surfaces seemed to carry the noise farther. Nora slowly shook her head. The expression on her face practically said:
"Classic Bob."
The echo of Bob's burp continued bouncing around the training room for several more seconds before finally fading away.
Silence returned. Well... As much silence as possible with Bob sitting there beside a barrel of alcohol.
Nora continued staring at him.
Her expression remained completely unchanged. She didn't look surprised. She didn't look annoyed.
In fact, she looked exactly like somebody who had witnessed this exact scene hundreds of times before.
Which was probably true. Bob casually wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Then adjusted his sitting position slightly. The barrel remained beside him. His posture was relaxed.
Completely relaxed. As though they hadn't just pushed a student to the point of unconsciousness. As though nothing unusual had happened.
Finally, Bob glanced toward Nora.
Then spoke.
Bob: You wouldn't expect me to say this, but... I think you went a little too far.
For a moment...
Nora simply stared at him. The statement itself sounded ridiculous coming from Bob. Out of all people. The man who regularly solved problems by hitting them. The man who believed pain was one of the best teachers.
The man currently drinking alcohol from a barrel. That man was telling somebody else they had gone too far. The irony was almost impressive. Nora slowly turned her head toward him.
Because Bob was significantly shorter than her, the sight was unintentionally amusing. Nora didn't need to look up.
She didn't even need to look straight ahead. She had to look downward. Directly downward. Almost vertically. Only then could she properly meet his eyes. After a few seconds, she finally spoke.
Nora: You know something? You're one of the last people I'd expect to hear that from.
Bob's expression immediately changed. He looked slightly offended. Not very offended. Just enough to show he disliked the comment.
Bob: Damn witch...
He muttered the insult almost automatically. As though it were a habit. Then he continued.
Bob: But the kid was supposed to finish those last push-ups with ten tons.
Bob pointed toward the weights that had been removed earlier.
Bob: Instead, he finished them with forty-two tons.
He paused briefly. Then shook his head.
Bob: That's basically like telling a newborn baby to start walking.
The comparison wasn't entirely inaccurate.
In fact, it might have been generous. The amount of pressure Jack had been enduring near the end was absurd. Most fighters would've collapsed long before reaching that point. Many experienced warriors would've considered the training excessive. Yet Jack had somehow completed it.
Nora listened quietly.
Then she shifted her gaze away from Bob and stared forward. Her eyes moved toward the unconscious Jack lying on the floor.
A faint grin slowly appeared on her face. Not a large grin. Just a small one. The kind that appeared when somebody was quietly impressed.
Nora: Then you should've noticed it even better than I did.
Bob raised an eyebrow. Nora crossed her arms.
Nora: This kid's body is pretty special.
Bob glanced toward Jack again.
The unconscious teenager wasn't moving. His chest slowly rose and fell. His breathing was stable. Exhausted. But stable. Bob remained silent for a few moments. Then he reached for his barrel once again.
He lifted it... Took another drink... Several large gulps later, he lowered it again.
Bob: If I had that level of physical growth, I'd probably be one of the Ten Kings right now.
The statement wasn't arrogance. It was simply a fact.
Bob had trained countless people. He had seen countless warriors. He understood talent better than most. And what Jack possessed was unusual. Very unusual. Bob leaned back slightly. Then continued.
Bob: Not to mention...
His gaze drifted toward the ceiling.
Bob: He took a ton of hits from that immortal witch.
Bob scratched his cheek.
Bob: Got seriously injured.
He lifted one finger.
Bob: Then Liberty took over his body.
A second finger.
Bob: And somehow he still managed to deal with the immortal witch.
A third finger.
Bob: Honestly, that whole situation was ridiculous.
Nora immediately understood what Bob was trying to say. Because she had been thinking something similar herself. Most people would've died. Not nearly died. Actually died. Jack hadn't. Instead... He had somehow become stronger afterward.
Nora stretched her arms slightly. Her joints cracked softly. Then she let out a long breath.
Nora: Aaah...
She looked toward Jack again.
Nora: After that battle, his physical strength increased tremendously.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Nora: It's like his body built a completely new and stronger wall.
The comparison was accurate. Before the battle, there had been limits.
After the battle...
Those limits had changed. The damage he suffered had forced his body to adapt.
To rebuild itself. To evolve.
And the result was obvious. Bob quietly listened. Then took another drink. A long one.
The barrel tilted upward. More alcohol disappeared. Everything remained peaceful for several moments.
Then...
Bzzzt.
A vibration... Bob stopped drinking.
Bzzzt.
Another vibration. The sound came from his pocket. Bob blinked. Then casually continued drinking while reaching into his pocket with his free hand. His movements looked completely natural.
As though multitasking between alcohol and communication was something he did every day.
Which it probably was.
After a moment, he pulled out his phone. The screen glowed faintly. Bob unlocked it. Entered his password. Then looked at the notification. His eyes scanned the message.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then...
A grin slowly spread across his face. A very noticeable grin. The kind of grin that immediately suggested trouble. Or entertainment.
Possibly both, still drinking from his barrel, Bob tilted the phone toward Nora.
Because his right hand was occupied by the barrel, he ended up showing it from an awkwardly low angle.
The entire sight looked ridiculous. Eventually he lowered the barrel. Placed it beside himself. Then finally spoke.
Bob: Arthur destroyed a city.
A brief pause followed.
Then Bob added:
Bob: And on top of that, thousands of people died from a single attack.
The moment those words left his mouth...
Nora froze.
Completely.
The stretching stopped immediately. The relaxed atmosphere disappeared. Her eyes widened. And before Bob could even react...
She snatched the phone straight out of his hand. Nora snatched the phone from Bob's hand so quickly that even Bob blinked in surprise. For a brief moment, he simply stared at his now-empty hand.
Then he looked toward Nora. Then toward the phone. Then back toward Nora again.
Bob: You know, asking is usually considered polite.
Nora completely ignored him.
Her attention was already focused on the screen. The moment she began reading, the relaxed expression she had been wearing disappeared. Her eyes moved rapidly across the text.
Line after line. Word after word. The more she read, the more serious her expression became.
Meanwhile, Bob simply shrugged.
Since the phone was gone, there was only one thing left for him to do. He picked up the barrel again... And drank.
Gulp... Gulp... Gulp...
Several seconds passed. Neither of them spoke. Only the sound of Bob drinking echoed softly through the room. Eventually Bob lowered the barrel. Then he began talking.
Bob: While we were here teaching around noon, Arthur went demon hunting last night.
Nora continued reading. Bob glanced toward the unconscious Jack. Then back toward Nora.
Bob: Specifically, there were three major threats.
He paused briefly.
Bob: Three really nasty ones.
The room remained silent except for his voice. Bob leaned against the barrel.
Bob: And each one of those threats normally requires at least two Kings working together just to fight one of them.
His tone remained casual. But the meaning behind the words was not.
The Ten Kings weren't weak.
Far from it.
Each one stood at the very top of the world. Each one represented power beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Yet even they would need help against enemies like those.
Bob scratched the side of his face.
Bob: Their leader is on a completely different level, but...
Before he could finish...
Nora responded automatically. She hadn't even looked up from the phone.
Nora: We're talking about Arthur.
Her eyes continued scanning the report.
Nora: Even if all of them were forty times stronger, they still couldn't do anything to him.
Bob nodded.
Immediately... Without hesitation. Because he agreed completely. There wasn't even a need to argue.
Arthur existed in an entirely different category. The difference between him and everyone else was absurd.
Unfair.
Almost impossible to measure. Both Nora and Bob understood just how dangerous those threats actually were.
Most people would panic if they heard those demons had appeared. Most organizations would mobilize their strongest fighters. Entire armies would prepare for battle.
But compared to Arthur... Those threats meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.
If the power of the Ten Kings were represented by the size of an ordinary human being...
Then Arthur wasn't another human.
Arthur was the Sun itself. The difference was that ridiculous.
That overwhelming... That impossible.
No matter how talented someone was... No matter how powerful they became... Comparing them to Arthur always felt meaningless. Because Arthur wasn't merely stronger. He existed on another scale entirely. Bob slowly exhaled.
Bob: Honestly, whenever I think about it, it sounds stupid.
Nora finally looked up from the phone.
Bob continued.
Bob: If another lunatic appeared with power equal to Arthur's...
He pointed upward.
Bob: And those two started fighting...
Bob laughed slightly.
Not because it was funny. Because the thought itself was absurd.
Bob: They probably wouldn't just destroy the world.
A brief pause followed.
Bob: They'd erase the entire Solar System.
Silence filled the room again. Neither of them doubted that statement. Not even slightly. That was exactly how dangerous someone like Arthur truly was.
And because of that...
A special threat classification had been created. One reserved for disasters beyond imagination. One reserved for things humanity could not realistically stop. One reserved for the absolute worst-case scenario.
Its name was simple.
"Absolute Apocalypse Level" Just hearing those words was enough to make most people uncomfortable.
Fortunately...
Nothing had ever truly reached that level. At least not yet. Nora lowered the phone slightly. Her eyes narrowed.
Then she continued reading. Now, if someone were wondering exactly what had happened with Arthur...
The answer was straightforward.
Arthur had destroyed a city. And much more beyond it. The scale of destruction had been enormous. Far larger than anyone wanted. Far larger than Arthur himself had intended.
Because of that, he immediately sought out somebody capable of strengthening the world's defenses. That person was Rick Deathclaw. The moment Arthur realized what had happened, he went directly to Rick and explained everything.
No excuses... No lies... No attempts to hide the truth. Just the facts.
Then the news began spreading.
Fast... Very fast... By the following morning, practically everyone knew about it. The incident became impossible to ignore.
And because of that...
Arthur and Rick immediately organized a public announcement. The crowd that gathered was enormous. Thousands upon thousands of people arrived.
Many were angry. Many were grieving. Many wanted answers. Many wanted somebody to blame. Rick had stood before all of them. And he had spoken. Nora quietly reread the transcript displayed on the phone.
Rick: We understand why all of you came here today and why you're looking at us with hatred...
Nora's eyes continued moving down the screen.
Rick: No.
Rick: Arthur understands why.
The room remained silent. Even Bob stopped drinking for a moment.
Rick: Arthur had gone out searching for these newly appeared demons.
Rick: Less than ten minutes later, he found them.
Rick: He immediately launched an attack to eliminate them.
Nora continued reading.
Rick: However, they escaped unharmed using a special device.
Rick: As a result, the attack failed.
Rick: And its effects struck the city instead.
Rick: The lives of our innocent citizens were lost because of that.
Rick: For this reason, both as a Guardian and as an individual, I sincerely apologize.
Rick: Arthur himself is deeply disappointed by what happened and offers his most sincere apologies as well.
Rick: We hope that one day you can forgive both Arthur and us.
The room remained quiet after Nora finished reading.
A long silence followed. Neither Nora nor Bob said anything immediately. Because there wasn't much to say. The situation was terrible.
But at the same time...
Everyone involved knew Arthur hadn't intended it.
That was what made it complicated. Eventually Bob broke the silence.
Bob: So...
He grabbed the barrel again.
Bob: In the end, Arthur wasn't punished.
Nora nodded slightly. Bob took another drink.
Bob: Makes sense.
Nora lowered the phone completely. Bob continued.
Bob: Instead, they officially decided he should personally finish dealing with those demons.
Nora folded her arms.
Nora: Which means those demons are probably having the worst week of their lives.
Bob laughed. A genuine laugh this time.
Bob: Worst week?
He shook his head.
Bob: Worst existence.
Nora couldn't really disagree. Because once Arthur decided to hunt someone... Things rarely ended well for the target. Very rarely. And so... That was how the situation had progressed.
Meanwhile...
Several meters away... Jack remained completely unconscious.
Still lying on the floor. Completely unaware that the discussion had shifted from his training...
To Arthur accidentally destroying a city. Jack... Yet remained unconscious.
Completely motionless. The rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that he was still sleeping peacefully.
Meanwhile, Nora and Bob had moved him out of the training room and into Arthur's house so he could recover properly.
Five full hours of treatment had already passed. A technique user specialized in healing had been called specifically to make sure Jack wouldn't suffer any lasting damage from pushing himself so far beyond his limits.
The treatment had consumed a considerable amount of energy. Even the healer had looked exhausted afterward.
But the results were undeniable. Jack's torn muscles had recovered. The damage throughout his body had been repaired. His exhausted nervous system had stabilized.
And most importantly... Nothing permanent remained. After confirming that Jack would be fine, the healer had left.
Then evening arrived. The sky outside slowly darkened. The atmosphere throughout Arthur's residence became calmer.
And eventually...
Jack woke up.
The first thing he shouted was:
Jack: THERE'S STILL TIME BEFORE I DIE!
The sudden scream echoed through the room. Bob nearly spat out his drink. Nora almost dropped her glass. For a brief moment both of them simply stared at him. Meanwhile Jack quickly sat upright. His eyes darted around the room.
Left, right, forward and backward. Only after realizing where he was did he finally calm down. Then he noticed something. Bob and Nora were staring directly at him.
Jack immediately froze. A few seconds passed. The silence became increasingly awkward. Then his face slowly turned red.
Jack: Sorry...
Nora looked toward Bob.
Bob looked toward Nora. The two exchanged a glance. A silent glance. One that lasted only a second.
Then...
Both of them completely lost it.
Nora & Bob: HAHAHAHAHA!
The laughter echoed throughout the room. Jack's face became even redder.
Jack: What's so funny!?
That only made things worse. Bob nearly fell off his chair laughing. Nora covered her mouth but couldn't stop laughing either.
Jack stared at them in disbelief.
Jack: Seriously!?
More laughter.
Jack: I almost died!
Even more laughter.
Jack: WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING!?
Bob finally managed to speak between laughs.
Bob: The first thing...
He laughed again.
Bob: The first thing you said after waking up...
Another laugh interrupted him, Bob pointed toward Jack.
Bob: Was... "There's still time before I die!" dumbass
Nora immediately started laughing harder again. Jack slowly realized how ridiculous it sounded.
Unfortunately...
That realization only made him more embarrassed. His face became bright red. Without saying another word, he grabbed a pillow.
Then shoved his face directly into it.
Bob and Nora continued laughing. The room felt strangely warm, comfortable and peaceful. And laughing because Nora and Bob were drunk
It was the sort of atmosphere that rarely existed around warriors. Especially people who constantly risked their lives.
For a brief moment...
Neither training nor danger mattered. Neither demons nor battles mattered. They were simply enjoying a ridiculous moment together.
However...
Far away from that warmth...
Far away from that laughter...
Far away from that peace...
Deep within Jack's subconscious...
There was only darkness.
Endless darkness.
No walls... No floor... No ceiling... No light... Nothing... An empty void stretching endlessly in every direction.
And within that darkness...
There were eyes, two crimson eyes. Bright enough to illuminate parts of the void around them.
Cold, terrifying, watching and waiting.
The owner of those eyes remained completely hidden. Only the eyes themselves could be seen.
Nothing else. No face. No body. Only those glowing crimson eyes.
...Liberty.
Silently observing... Watching everything. Watching Jack, watching Nora and watching Bob. Watching the pathetic little scene unfold. Several moments passed.
Then Liberty finally spoke, his voice echoed through the endless darkness.
Liberty: What a disgusting sight...
Silence followed. The crimson eyes remained open for several seconds longer. Unmoving, expressionless, Then... Slowly... The eyes began to close, the crimson glow faded, little by little, until finally... The eyes disappeared completely. And once they were gone... Only darkness remained, nothing else, just darkness.