After passing through extremely strict inspections, we were finally allowed inside.
"The security here is really tight, huh? Even the guards are on a completely different level."
Dex was annoyed. They had spent so much time just to get in here.
"Of course. Especially since tomorrow there will be an exhibition of extremely valuable items."
"What is it?"
They continued talking while wandering around the place, even though Dex had no idea what the purpose was.
"I'm not sure either. I heard there are many items that will be displayed."
Van explained the items they encountered in great detail, showcasing his incredibly broad knowledge.
— Why does he know all these weird things, but didn't seem foolish when we first met?
Dex muttered inwardly.
When they first met, Dex thought Van was just a handsome but dumb guy.
Continuing to wander around made Dex increasingly amazed by Van's knowledge.
The incredibly luxurious interior, combining classical style with super-advanced security, left anyone visiting for the first time utterly astonished.
— Seems like it would be interesting if I stole something here.
Ever since being in the Tower, Dex had been thinking about what to do once he got out.
Being stuck there for so long made him come up with all sorts of crazy ideas, like ways to steal and how to catch thieves. Playing so many roles in his head made Dex want to try them out.
Dex kept thinking up various plans and roles in his mind—thief, detective, wanderer, hero, knight, even starting his own organization. All of it was done in his head whenever he felt bored.
— Coincidentally, I also got some clothes from the Tower and have no money at all.
— Should I ask Van to join?
Thinking about it, he needed an assistant for his tricks.
"Van."
Van suddenly stopped, confusing Dex.
"Hey Van, what's wrong?"
Van just stood still as if hypnotized, his eyes fixated on something.
All the men around had also stopped, just like Van. Dex followed Van's gaze.
He saw an incredibly beautiful woman in the distance, staring at a blue gemstone.
Her face was like a masterpiece carved to perfection. The flow of her dress seemed to carry the essence of flowers and their fragrance.
Her beautiful eyes made the world seem dull in comparison. Even a thousand words couldn't describe her beauty.
Now Dex finally understood why Van had stopped as if hypnotized. Beauty like that could make anyone fall in love at first sight.
But behind it all, her face showed an inexplicable worry and anxiety.
The woman continued staring at the gemstone, ignoring the many eyes fixed on her.
From her attire, it seemed she was also a first-year student.
Dex kept shaking Van's shoulders, trying to snap him out of it. But no matter how hard he shook him, Van remained still.
— Damn it, he's the one who dragged me here and disturbed my rest, but now he's frozen just because of some woman?
Out of irritation, Dex finally punched Van in the face, sending him flying.
***
Dex and Van sat on a bench on the street, looking listless.
They had been kicked out immediately for causing a disturbance, thanks to Dex's hard punch that hit the building wall.
"This is all your fault. Why did you punch me?"
Van said irritably. He had been punched by Dex and then embarrassedly ejected—it was natural for him to be angry.
"You idiot, you were the one acting weird first, freezing just because you were mesmerized by some woman of unknown origin."
As Dex said this, Van remembered again and fell silent, staring upward.
From his expression, it was clear he was thinking about that woman again.
"Snap out of it, or I'll punch you again, Van."
Van snapped back to reality upon hearing Dex's threat.
"O... okay, relax, man. You don't want to get kicked out of here too, right?"
Van raised both hands warily.
"Haah, whatever, let's go back."
Dex stood up from the bench and walked away, while Van followed from behind.
On the way back, Van and everyone around once again froze in place.
Dex, knowing the cause, followed Van's gaze and, sure enough, the woman was walking gracefully.
— If I'm not mistaken, that woman's name is Rachel, right?
Dex remembered some people nearby whispering her name while chatting.
"Haah, forget it."
Ignoring Van, who was frozen stiff, Dex returned to the dorm alone.
***
Rachel sat alone, gazing at the sky. Her eyes reflected deep sorrow, as if she had done something utterly unforgivable.
"Is this how it ends?"
Memories of the world's destruction flashed through her mind—being unable to do anything and dying just like that.
Humans who lost in the arena were mercilessly slaughtered, unable to fight back.
— Even the Headmaster, the strongest in this world, lost in just one attack.
A glimpse of the moment before death crossed her mind.
"Hahaha, these bugs just keep running around."
The remaining humans tried to resist, but no matter how hard they attacked, it had no effect because of the Arena's punishment.
The losing side couldn't harm the winning side. Even though the people of their world were much weaker than those of Earth, because their representative had won the arena, they couldn't be injured.
While running, a sword from the sky pierced her chest. Lying helpless, Rachel had no talent since childhood, relying only on her family's influence. She thought she would be fine without putting in effort.
"If only I had tried harder, if only I had done my best."
Gasping for breath and in pain, her vision began to blur. Regret overwhelmed her heart.
Slowly, she closed her eyes, frustrated with herself.
Opening her eyes, Rachel woke up exactly 1001 days before the world was destroyed and the Headmaster lost in the arena.
With her memories of the future, Rachel tried everything she could.
She told the Headmaster about the enemy's strength and warned the nobles to surrender their resources to the Headmaster.
But no matter how hard she tried, Earth lost again, and the world was destroyed once more.
Rachel thought she had failed again and stabbed the sword into her chest in anger.
"What went wrong? Where did I mess up? Did I not try hard enough?"
Rachel thought it was all over. She had failed to make use of her second chance.
But when she opened her eyes again, she woke up exactly 1000 days before the world was destroyed.
And so, Rachel kept trying as hard as she could but never succeeded.
Until she woke up again exactly 1 day before the world was destroyed.
Rachel sat on a park bench, surrendering to fate while gazing at the sky. Her eyes were distant, as if she had lost everything. Her once ocean-blue eyes had lost their light.
— One more day. This should have been my last chance.
With no intention of doing anything, Rachel returned to her dorm.