In a completely devastated city; corpses were scattered everywhere; blood flooded the ground in enormous quantities; the earth had turned the color of blood, as if it were a lake reflecting the sunset….
Four people stood facing one another….
Three on one side, showing signs of exhaustion and injuries, all of them gasping for breath….
And one on the opposite side, who did not appear as severely injured as the three facing him...
"Damn it, even after reaching this point, we still can't take him down."
One of the three spoke…
"What are we supposed to do in this situation; everyone is dead, we sacrificed everything precious, and still we can't bring him down; will everyone's sacrifice be in vain?"
Another said, clutching his head and screaming like a madman….
"I have no choice but to do this."
Said the third of the trio as he soared into the sky with wings that looked to be in a miserable state, screaming incomprehensible words…
Suddenly, a blinding light appeared and swallowed everyone who had been standing in that place.
....
{Eren Brown POV}
I opened my eyes weakly, the sensation of seeing light again burning them…
I slowly turned my head as my eyes began to adjust to the intense light; the first thing I noticed was that I was in a room that felt somewhat familiar to me…
I tried to get up very slowly, which proved to be a failed idea…
"Argh."
A groan escaped my lips; a burning pain spread throughout my entire body. I tried to examine myself, only to find medical bandages wrapped around my shoulder and across my chest…
"Where am I?"
I said in a frightened voice as I remembered fighting that red-haired man…
My thoughts began to race until I heard a voice that sounded familiar to me; more specifically, familiar to the owner of this body…
"You finally woke up."
A stunningly beautiful girl approached me, with black hair flowing down her back and crystal-blue eyes; she was looking at me with clear concern in her beautiful eyes…
"Mai."
The name slipped from my mouth without thinking; longing and regret could be felt in my voice….
Suddenly, the girl hugged me tightly as she began to cry.
"You idiot; how did you hurt yourself this badly?"
Pain could be heard in her voice; I even felt that I should apologize to her….
After she let go of me, she spoke in a somewhat serious tone.
"What happened, and how did your power increase like this? Rank E… no, E+."
I was shocked by her words; I mean, you can't describe someone's rank like that as if it were the most obvious thing in the world…
But then I remembered that this girl's eyes were not ordinary.
She possessed a unique B-rank skill called [Emperor's Eye]; one of the best multi-functional eye abilities mentioned in the novel. It allows her to roughly determine a person's rank, and also lets her predict the person's next move when she focuses on muscle movements, almost as if she can see the future—no, she doesn't actually see the future; imagination has no limits…..
"A lot happened, and I got into some trouble due to my somewhat bad luck, hahaha."
I laughed lightly, feeling a bit nervous as I placed my hand behind my head, because this girl put me in a rather awkward position….
Sigh "Well, it doesn't seem like you want to reveal what happened to you; don't worry, I won't ask until you tell me yourself."
She looked a little sad….
"But please tell me if you're in danger; aren't we childhood friends?"
Friends; that word echoed strangely in my mind. I had always been alone in my world, and I don't remember ever having someone I could call a friend…
"I'm really sorry; for causing you trouble."
I lowered my head slightly; it was worth noting that I noticed a faint frown forming on Mai's face, but her usual expression quickly returned….
"All right, all right. Rest a little, and we'll talk later about what happened; it looks like you've been through a lot."
Her gaze wandered over my entire body, searching for another injury she might have missed, or something like that….
After reassuring herself, she stood up from her seat and said:
"I'll go get you some food; you were unconscious for three days, so you must be hungry."
The moment she said that, I grabbed her by the shoulders and asked in a slightly loud voice…
"What's today's date?"
"The eighth of February."
She replied with slight doubt, clearly surprised…
As soon as she said that, my body relaxed, because my parents hadn't returned yet…
"Thank you."
I muttered as I leaned back, breathing a sigh of relief; that meant I still had a full day before they came back….
"I'll be back soon."
Mai reassured me as she headed outside. I returned to bed and began thinking about everything that had happened…
"S-rank luck is truly different from anything else."
Memories of my survival—everything that had happened over the past few days—came flooding back to me…
But what should I do from now on? It seems I've become a major variable in this story; by killing the red-haired man, I changed about half of the third arc of the novel….
"Man, who cares; I'll prepare for whatever comes next."
I was trying to raise my spirits a little, though it didn't seem to be working….
"Mai Fuji."
I thought about my childhood friend whom I hadn't seen in three years; Eren used to contact her from time to time, even telling her his rank and boasting every time they spoke….
"What an idiot."
I felt embarrassed imagining what Eren's expression would be if he knew that Mai was currently at rank D….
"Here, eat this."
Mai's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as she placed a bowl of soup and some water on the table in front of me…
"It's still hot~"
She said with a smile that nearly made my heart fall out of my chest….
I ate the soup in silence; it was truly delicious. I remembered that, in the novel, she had a hobby of cooking…
"Now that you're done, let's talk a bit."
She took the bowl away, set it aside, and looked directly into my eyes…
"What happened, and why are you in this village?"
Concern was clearly noticeable in her tone…
What happened to not asking and respecting privacy…
I thought as I answered her:
"Well, I was there for training; I ran into an injured killer, and when he saw me, he tried to kill me. So we fought, and when I got close to killing him, his body suddenly swelled up and exploded; it seems he wanted to take me with him."
I mixed lies with truth so she wouldn't suspect anything…
Do you know the best way to lie? To blend some truths with the lie so it becomes believable—and it seemed my plan worked, because she appeared to believe what I said…
"But that still doesn't explain why you were in the village."
That was a painful question; my mind raced as I searched for a way out of this predicament…
"Well, I was..."
Ring
Suddenly, her phone rang, cutting the conversation short…
She took it out of her bag and started talking…
"What is it... really... okay, I'll come now."
She hung up, and a frown formed on her face…
"We'll continue this conversation soon…. I'm sorry, but I can't stay now; I'm in the middle of a mission. You can stay in this house or go back to your own, but I advise you to wait until tomorrow so your wounds can fully heal."
"That's fine… and thank you for everything you've done for me."
I thanked her from the bottom of my heart, bowing my head slightly.
"All right, we'll meet at the academy, and we'll continue our little talk there~"
She stood up and was already at the door of the room…
"See you soon, Eren."
As soon as she left and silence filled the place, I began removing the bandages from my body; it was worth noting that I realized my body was truly muscular…
I even had six-pack abs—something I had dreamed of in my previous world…..
I slapped my face with both hands and hurried to leave, planning to return to the city before my parents came back…..
"Damn it, I'm late."
I thought about how to get home before they arrived…
I quickly cleaned up the place and rushed out…
And so I did.
I walked quickly, recalling the way to the train station, which—luckily—was close by…
The moment I reached the station and bought a ticket to the city, I breathed a sigh of relief and finally felt at ease…
"It seems I really succeeded."
In a moment of clarity, I thought about everything I had done since arriving in this world…
My lips couldn't help but curl slightly as I smiled brightly…
I muttered softly…
"Status."
Name: Eren Brown
Gender: Human (Half-Dragon)
Talent: EX
Rank: E+
Strength: E+
Mana: E
Endurance: E+
Intelligence: D-
Magic: E+
Luck: S
Art: Flash Strike Art (Two Stars)
An art that allows spear strikes to be 90% faster and stronger for critical hits.
Spear King Art (Five Stars)
The strongest spear art in human history; you are the first and last heir of this art.
First Style of the Spear King, consisting of five forms.
Current mastery rate: 10%
Skills:
Reader's Mind (EX)
Helps you think five times faster than normal, making time seem as if it slows down; resists all types of mental attacks and is unaffected by the author's abilities.
Dragon's Presence (S) (Passive)
Most creatures and monsters fear you and instinctively avoid you. You can emit a mysterious pressure that affects all creatures equal to or lower than your rank.
Bonds:
Dragon Egg (Unknown)
?????
The first thing I noticed was that my mastery rate of the art had increased significantly…
It seems my attack on that man improved my understanding of the spear…..
The second thing I noticed was that my magic had increased to E+; something I hadn't noticed before due to being preoccupied with matters of life and death….
"At least my magic is higher than the novel's protagonist at this moment."
A smile formed on my lips as I thought about how I had managed to surpass that monster in something….
By the way, magic refers to the actual ability to use magic, which means I have talent, because at first it only increases with one's innate gift…
After that, hard work begins. So it seems magic is one of my strong points…
"We've arrived, sir."
The train attendant's voice pulled me out of my thoughts…
As soon as I got off the train, I rushed home, hoping my parents hadn't returned yet….
Moving through the city's buildings, noticing the vast difference between the city and the village…
I quickly approached my house…
But when I reached my home and opened the door, I sighed in relief…
"It seems they're not here."
I said with a smile on my face.
"Who's not here?"
I heard a woman's voice echoing in my ears a thousand times; it was my dear mother…
"Where were you, Eren?"
One hand rested on my shoulder, and the smile I saw felt more terrifying than that orc—though I would never say that, of course…
I knew I had messed things up…
.....
In a fairly wide space that resembled a training ground, a young man with dark blue hair and red eyes stood…
He was swinging his sword with all his strength, muttering words in a low, barely audible voice...
"Mother, sister, I will definitely avenge you."
This blue-haired young man was the original protagonist of the novel…
(Ren Foster)