Daniel scrolled to the final panel of the web comic as the bus rattled along the evening road.
===========
The hero stood drenched in blood, his sword trembling in his weakened grip. His fallen companions lay scattered behind him like broken shields.
Across the shattered battlefield, the Demon King still stood, held upright by sheer will alone. Dark aura twisted the air around him like rising heat.
"Holy Sword: Heavenly Strike!"
The blade erupted with blinding radiance as the hero poured the last of his strength into the swing.
Golden light engulfed the battlefield.
When the brilliance faded, the Demon King was gone. Not even ashes remained.
The hero dropped to his knees. A faint smile touched his bloodstained lips as the strength slowly left his body.
And thus, eternal peace was achieved.
===========
'How typical. How come this web comic was so popular?'
Daniel turned off the screen and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Turning his head, he looked outside the window.
The warm amber glow of the setting sun washed over the city as the bus crawled through the evening streets.
Daniel's reflection stared back at him expressionlessly through the glass, faint and blurred by the motion of passing lights.
'I just wanted to pass the time, but now I feel like I've wasted it instead.'
He let out a soft sigh.
But then, an abrupt, agonizing pain seized his head, and he instinctively pressed his fingers to his temples. It was an intense headache that felt as if someone was hammering multiple nails into his skull mercilessly.
"Ugh! …why now, of all times?"
This sudden, intense headache wasn't anything new; it was something he suffered from regularly.
He had consulted several doctors, and all said the same thing: that these headaches were most likely caused by stress.
'Me? Stressed? What nonsense.'
To him, that seemed like no more than a guess, a shot in the dark.
However, strangely, sleeping and resting actually did help temporarily alleviate them. So despite his doubts, Daniel usually followed their advice.
Right now, though, he was on a bus. There was no way for him to rest here.
'I need to get home quickly.'
Daniel continued staring outside the window, watching as the scenery constantly slid past. After half an hour, the bus finally stopped, and Daniel turned away from the scenery outside.
This was his stop.
He got off the bus and walked at a slightly hurried pace. The lingering glow of the sun slowly faded, and the crowded streets became illuminated by city lights.
But halfway to his destination, something drew his attention.
A crowd of people was circling a part of the road, buzzing with noise that irked him somehow. Without even slowing down, Daniel briefly glanced at the scene.
A car parked awkwardly in the middle of the road, as if it had stopped there abruptly. People were gathered around in front of the car, some of them shouting in anger and panic, some seemed to be calling somewhere in a hurry. A few were even clicking photos on their phones.
It wasn't hard for him to guess what this commotion was about.
'An accident.'
He was about to turn away from the scene when his gaze landed somewhere, and abruptly, his steps came to a halt.
It was a young woman lying on the road, the crowd surrounding her. The road around her had turned a patch of red, painted in her blood.
Daniel had never seen that woman, but for some strange reason, his gaze seemed to be drawn to her.
He couldn't understand it. Was it her blood-soaked golden hair? Or was it her shining golden eyes that were slowly losing their light?
He had to admit that she was beautiful, but her beauty most certainly wasn't what drew his attention.
In the end, Daniel turned away dismissively as he continued walking.
'A foreigner, huh? Doesn't seem like she'll survive. Well, not my problem.'
After a while, he finally reached his apartment. But as he was about to open the door, someone called out to him from behind.
"Excuse me, you are the owner of this apartment, right?"
He turned around to find a middle-aged man standing behind him. He had a well-groomed appearance and a polite smile plastered on his face.
Daniel addressed him politely.
"You are correct, I am the owner. How may I help you, sir?"
The middle-aged man's smile deepened, and his tone became warmer.
"No need to be so polite, young man. The thing is, since the new year is coming, the society is planning to organise a celebration party. I'm just here to collect your contribution."
Daniel observed the man for a brief moment. Then, with an internal sigh, he simply asked.
"How much am I supposed to contribute?"
"Oh! Not too much," The man answered kindly. "Only around a thousand. You can contribute more if you want, but no one is forcing you."
'You speak as if that's only a small amount.'
But Daniel didn't feel like dealing with this person right now. He was still suffering from the lingering pain of that headache, and the noise of car and bus horns had made it worse.
It felt like someone had twisted a knife in a deep wound, widening it. He just wanted to sleep right now.
Daniel began to rummage through his pockets so that he could give the man money and go inside.
But as he continued searching, a question left his mouth, almost unintentionally.
"By the way, sir, do you know my name?"
The man's smile turned slightly awkward.
"Well… that's… umm…"
Daniel's hand paused. He raised his head as the polite expression slowly faded from his face.
'It's probably due to the aftereffects of that headache. It's making me unusually irritated.'
But despite knowing that, he couldn't stop himself. When he spoke, his tone was blunt, lacking any politeness present before.
"Sir, I am not interested in this party. Since I'm not going to attend, I don't really need to contribute, right?"
The man seemed briefly taken aback by Daniel's blunt tone, but he quickly fixed his expression as he spoke in words dripping with kindness.
"Young man, that's not how the world works. This apartment complex is one giant community, formed by the collective of everyone living here. As part of this community, you will have to contribute just like the rest. It's your duty."
Daniel stared directly into the man's eyes, his face now expressionless and detached.
"Community? A collective? You don't even know my name, and neither do I know yours. This is just an apartment complex, and we are the owners of our apartments. Besides that, we are strangers."
He took a step closer.
"You people decided to create this community on your own. You didn't ask me to join, and neither did I agree, yet now I'm somehow part of it when you all need something from me?"
For a moment, both of them stood still as sweat began to form on the man's forehead. Daniel turned away as he reached out for his apartment's door. But his hand stopped midway as a buzz of loud whispers entered his ears.
"How rude, who knew that our neighbour would be so shameless?"
"You're right. Did you hear him speak? I wouldn't want my kids growing up to become like him."
They were women living in the apartment next to his. They seemed to have witnessed the scene and were now gossiping.
Yet the moment their eyes met Daniel's, they instantly shut their mouths and lowered their gaze, as if on instinct.
Daniel went inside his apartment and changed into comfortable clothes. He wanted to go to sleep right this instant, but he seemed to have worked up quite an appetite.
He ate the leftovers from breakfast.
'I'll leave the dishes for later.'
He then collapsed on the bed and pulled a blanket over himself. Within moments, his eyes turned heavy, and he drifted off to sleep.
***
After sleeping for an unknown period, Daniel slowly began waking up. His thoughts were still sluggish as he tried rubbing his eyes.
'Uh?'
But as he tried to move his hand, something felt… off.
His body did not respond the way he expected. It was a weird feeling, as if his body had become significantly heavier.
It felt as though weights had been attached to his limbs. Moving them even slightly took significant effort.
He couldn't even properly turn his head.
A faint frown touched his face.
'Am I… sick, perhaps? But why, though?'
He didn't remember doing anything that could get him sick. He even ate a meal, as opposed to sleeping with an empty stomach.
'Was it because of the headaches? I doubt it.'
The headaches had never affected him physically in any way. At least, that's what the tests said. That was also why doctors didn't know the exact cause of the headaches, since he appeared completely fine during check-ups.
It was weird, given the intensity of pain accompanied by those headaches.
He shook off the thoughts as his drowsiness completely faded.
Slowly, Daniel opened his eyes, but the view before him froze him. He could only stare.
The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.
It rose high overhead, far higher than his apartment's ceiling should. Smooth marble stretched outward in flawless symmetry, intricate patterns carved into its surface. At the center hung a crystal chandelier that cast a soft, dim glow across the room.
The light shimmered against polished surfaces that reflected it gently.
A ceiling so grand that it was hard to believe that it could belong to any building in reality.
'...What?'