We were best friends since we were toddlers. For 16 years, I was the shadow that followed them. I carried their bags, finished their homework, and lived for their laughter. I thought Mitsuki, Kaiju, and Sakura were my family. I was wrong. I was never a friend; I was just a habit they were waiting to break.
The afternoon sun was warm as we walked toward the arcade, joking about high scores. Suddenly, a neon-blue circle erupted beneath our feet. Tokyo vanished in a flash of agonizing light. We landed on a floor of polished obsidian in a massive hall, standing before a King on a throne of jagged glass.
"Appraise the Saviors!" the King commanded.
The status boards appeared in the air like holograms, but the Ranking section for everyone was blank.
Name: Mitsuki | Level: 30 | Title: Hero | Rank: [LOCKED] Name: Kaiju | Level: 25 | Title: Assassin | Rank: [LOCKED] Name: Sakura | Level: 20 | Title: God Maid | Rank: [LOCKED] Name: Akira | Level: 1 | Title: Bookworm | Rank: [LOCKED]
"My King," the Royal Mage whispered, "the Appraisal Stone cannot check their Ranks yet. They must level up at least once or twice before their true potential reveals itself."
The King waved his hand dismissively. "It matters not. Look at the boy. Level 1? A 'Bookworm'? He is a parasite on this summoning. Even if he levels up, zero multiplied by anything is still zero." He looked at me with pure venom. "Guards! Throw this garbage into the S-Rank Book Dungeon."
I reached out to the three people I had spent my entire life with. "Mitsuki! Sakura! Help me! We've been together for 16 years!"
Mitsuki stepped forward, but his eyes were like ice. "The King is right, Akira. You've always been a parasite, clinging to us because you couldn't do anything yourself. We're tired of carrying the dead weight." Kaiju laughed, and Sakura turned her back. They watched in silence as a purple portal opened beneath me and I was discarded like trash.
The fall was endless. The impact with the dungeon floor knocked the air from my lungs, and the trauma of the betrayal sent me into a deep unconsciousness.
When my eyes finally snapped open, the silence of the dungeon was deafening. I lay in the dark, my school uniform torn, staring at the rusted dagger the King had tossed at me as a mockery. Memories of the last 16 years flashed through my mind—every shared meal and laugh now felt like a hot coal in my chest.
I struggled to my feet, my body trembling with a cold, murderous rage. I didn't care about the locked Ranking or the Level 1 status. All I could see were their mocking faces.
"For 16 years I was their shadow," I whispered, my voice echoing like a death knell. "And they showed me I was nothing but garbage."
I gripped the rusted hilt until my palm bled, looking up toward the ceiling as if I could see through the miles of rock.
"Enjoy the light while you can.
Because when I come back to the outside world... I will kill all of you."