Steam still lingered in the air as Yuuto stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Droplets of water slid down his newly blonde hair — a color that had never belonged to him before. The face reflected in the glass… was not the face of a normal high school boy he was used to seeing every morning.
"Still… can't believe it," he murmured softly, touching his own cheek. His skin felt smoother, his facial features sharper. And the eyes — green and piercing — stared back at him with a depth he didn't recognize.
"In just one night… my whole world changed," he said, his breath a mix of awe and exhaustion. "From just a regular student to… someone I don't even fully understand."
He drew in a deep breath, trying to calm the heartbeat that didn't belong to his old body. After several moments, he turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel.
"Well… it's still Saturday," he said slowly, stepping out of the bathroom. "No school. I need to take care of how I look before people start thinking I got plastic surgery overnight."
He opened his closet and pulled out his old clothes — only to frown.
"Yeah… just as I thought. All of these are too small now," he muttered, staring at what now looked like children's clothing.
Then his eyes landed on a black oversized hoodie he rarely wore. He took it, shook it out, and exhaled softly.
"Good thing I kept this one."
A few minutes later, Yuuto stood before the mirror again — now wearing the black hoodie that shadowed part of his face. The dark fabric contrasted sharply against his blonde hair, yet somehow… it felt right.
"Hmm… not bad," he said, slipping one hand into his pocket. "If I go out like this, maybe people won't notice too quickly."
He pulled the hood up, looking at his reflection one more time.
"Arthur Pendragon, huh…? I guess we're going to have to learn how to live together."
Yuuto adjusted the hood slightly, the morning light reflecting faintly from the window onto the glass.
"Arthur Pendragon, huh…? Guess we're roommates now."
He gave a faint smile, then turned toward the door — only to stop as something crossed his mind.
"Oh, right… I haven't done the daily login yet."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver flip phone — the device that now connected him to other worlds. Somehow, it felt more alive than just a piece of technology.
The screen glowed softly with a pale blue light.
"Let's see what my second login reward is," Yuuto murmured as he tapped the Chat Group icon.
A moment later, holographic text appeared in front of him:
---
[Ding]
[System: Welcome back, member Yuuto Kido.]
[Login Reward: Sin — Pride]
---
"'Pride'…?" Yuuto frowned. "The Sin of Pride? Is this a reward… or a curse?"
He stared at the text for a moment. Before he could think further, another prompt appeared:
---
Would you like to receive the reward now?
[Yes] [No]
---
Yuuto hesitated, finger hovering.
"…I should ask the others in the group first," he said quietly.
His fingertip moved toward No—
But then—
Knock. Knock.
"Huh? Who's knocking this early?" he muttered, instinctively turning his head toward the door.
And in that split-second, his finger shifted—
and pressed Yes.
"Wait—no! I didn't—!"
His protest was cut short.
A burst of black and gold light erupted from the hologram, swirling around his body like living smoke.
His chest tightened — sharp, burning — as though something inside him was being ignited and rewritten.
---
[Integrating Reward: Sin — Pride]
---
Yuuto froze.
Voices crashed through his mind — loud, powerful, overflowing with presence that did not belong to mortal men.
---
"Believe in the one who believes in you!"
A voice burning with fiery confidence, overflowing with limitless will.
Then another, detonating like thunder:
"I am the true Super Saiyan!"
Raw, overwhelming self-worth, refusing to bow to anything — even fate.
Then came a cold, merciless voice:
"True peace can only be achieved through absolute power."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Only domination.
And then—
A voice that shone like sunlight itself:
"Who dares command the sun not to shine? There is but one person in this world who can do so. And that person… is me."
And more—
more voices, more spirits, more convictions — different worlds, different lives, but all sharing one thing:
Pride.
---
Then — silence.
No light. No sound.
Yuuto stood in a vast, golden void — endless space glowing like molten metal.
And in the center of it—
A dragon.
Enormous. Radiant. Ancient.
Its scales glittered like fractured suns. Its presence warped the air itself. Its eyes — twin blazing golden stars — locked onto him.
Yuuto couldn't move.
He couldn't breathe.
The dragon roared.
It wasn't sound.
It was existence.
A declaration: I am here.
Pride without reason. Pride without justification. Pride that simply is.
The dragon raised its head— Roared again— And exploded into pure light.
The world shattered.
---
Yuuto gasped awake.
His breath trembling, sweat rolling down his temples, his hands shaking so hard he had to brace against the wall.
"Haa… haa…"
His pupils flickered with lingering gold.
"W… what was that…?" he whispered, half in fear, half in awe.
He looked at his hands — still warm, still pulsing with something that didn't belong to humans.
"That wasn't like Arthur's memories… this was different. Many voices, many beings… but all of them had the same thing—"
He swallowed.
"—Pride. Pride so intense it… burns."
The room fell silent.
Tok. Tok.
A knock came again — soft and patient.
Yuuto exhaled slowly.
His heartbeat calmed.
"…Right. I should answer."
He stood, adjusted his hoodie, and walked toward the door.
There was still a faint glimmer of gold in his eyes.
But now, he looked forward —
toward the world that had already begun to change with him.