Darkness covered his vision at first… then slowly pulled away. He heard nothing except a slow heavy heartbeat. Then the image appeared… the monster was right above him. Its long tongue dragged across his cheek, and its glowing eyes watched him with sick delight, as if savoring the moment he regained consciousness just to witness his own death.
Mabushi couldn't speak. Even breathing wasn't normal. His throat couldn't produce a strong sound. And when the monster raised its long claws in front of his face… he knew exactly what was coming. In a single motion… the claws sank into his shoulder. They pierced deep and hard, and his body jolted instantly, a small gasp escaping his lips.
His eyes rolled toward the ceiling while the monster pushed its claws deeper into his flesh. The pain was faint… but sharp enough to trigger one clear thought in his head:
'Of course… he won't save me.'
His fingers twitched as he stared at the monster opening its mouth, while his mind rearranged its thoughts with a shaking voice:
'Ken… all he ever heard from me were insults. All he ever saw was anger. I never gave him a single reason to hold onto me. We aren't friends… we aren't even a team. He has every right… to leave someone like me behind.'
The monster suddenly tightened its claws and lifted Mabushi upward, blood dripping slowly onto the metal floor. Another strained gasp tore out of his throat.
'An ending like this… isn't surprising.'
The monster raised its head… preparing to rip away what remained of his life. Its jaws moved closer to Mabushi's face, ready to drop him between its teeth. Mabushi didn't resist. He couldn't. And he didn't see a reason to.
'I'm trash… I've never done a single thing worth remembering. I never protected anyone. I never built anything. All I know is fighting… yelling… and nothing anyone would value.'
The monster's teeth neared his neck. Mabushi dangled from its claw, swaying weakly.
'Even now… there's not one thing… that I can say I'm proud of.'
The monster was inches away, then a sharp sound split the air like a spark. Something shot in from the side so fast Mabushi's mind couldn't process it. A streak of flame sliced the darkness. A blazing sword plunged into the monster's body, burning into bone.
The monster screamed, his body is convulsing, lifting Mabushi even higher as it thrashed. Then Ken jumped in, cutting through the joint that connected the claw to the limb. The severed claw that was gripping Mabushi let him fell, and Mabushi began to drop.
Ken leapt forward, caught Mabushi around the torso before he hit the ground, landed on one foot, and shifted Mabushi onto his shoulder.
Mabushi's body hung limp as he lifted one eyelid halfway… his vision was still blurry… but he saw one thing clearly: Ken… carrying him effortlessly while the monster roared in preparation for another attack.
'Why? Why… did he come back? I… was nothing but dead weight. I insulted him the whole time… I shouted at him, argued with him, annoyed him… I never helped him… not once. So why…?'
Trying to understand was harder than the pain itself. But Ken's mind was somewhere else entirely. His eyes were fixed on the monster dragging itself backward, growling with a low rumble.
Ken's thoughts were sharp and cold:
'A monster at this level… I could've killed it in seconds.'
He clenched his teeth:
'Why didn't I think of that? Why didn't it even cross my mind how easy it was? I could have ended this quickly, without hesitation… without making that stupid choice.'
Meanwhile, Mabushi clung to what little consciousness he had left, feeling every step Ken took.
'I… am not someone worth saving. There is no… real reason… to save someone like me.'
His thoughts wavered between awareness and darkness. Then the monster screamed again, signaling its final attack. It hurled itself forward, claws smashing into the metal floor. Ken raised his flaming sword with his free hand, Mabushi still over his shoulder. The monster leapt at him in fury.
'This system… almost tricked me.'
Ken tilted his body just enough to avoid the claw, then slashed sideways, a red spark tearing through the monster's flesh.
'It wanted me to abandon him. It wanted me to think like a machine… not like a leader.'
The monster snarled, leaping again. Ken turned his body halfway, lifting the blade at an angle. The sword passed between the monster's closing jaws.
'If I were just a player… I would've left him. If I followed logic alone… this would have ended minutes ago.'
The monster bent its legs for a third jump, but Ken didn't give it the chance. He dashed forward despite the weight on his shoulder, jumped, and dragged the blade from the monster's shoulder to its waist. Hot smoke exploded from torn flesh.
'But… a real leader doesn't abandon anyone. Even if he hates that person. Even if he's annoying… reckless… even if he causes half the problems. A real leader… doesn't throw someone away to die.'
The final strike landed. The blade pierced the monster's head and split it. Its body shuddered once… then collapsed.
Ken stood over the corpse for a few seconds, breathing heavily. Then he turned and started running again. The door was still far… just a tiny point of light at the end of the endless corridor.
But midway through his run… he stopped. Something warm was sliding down his arm. He looked at Mabushi's shoulder, blood was flowing steadily from where the claw had ripped through.
'If I ignore this… he'll bleed out.'
Ken dropped to one knee immediately, laying Mabushi on the floor with care. He grabbed Mabushi's kimono and tore a strip from it. He folded the fabric and pressed it against the wound firmly, holding it down to stop the bleeding.
Mabushi opened his eyes a little… and whispered with a fractured voice:
"Y-you… idiot… why… did you save me?"
He struggled for breath, then added:
"You could've… just let me… go to hell…"
Ken pressed the cloth harder. Mabushi lifted his head slightly and coughed, a burning cough that tore through his chest and released white steam.
"Damn… you… Ken… even the way you save people is rude…"
He coughed again, harder this time. Ken raised a brow coldly, still applying pressure:
"Is that your way of thanking?"
Mabushi stared at him with half-dead eyes and muttered:
"No one… told you… to come back…"
Ken answered without hesitation, tightening the cloth:
"I didn't come back for you."
Mabushi let out a faint broken laugh, a dying sort of sarcasm:
"Of course… o-of course you didn't… you arrogant jerk…"
He turned his eyes away, as if trying to hide his weakness even while bleeding out:
"But… it doesn't change… that you're a fool… for saving… someone like me."
Ken's reply was sharp and quiet, steady as steel:
"Shut up before the wound opens again, idiot."
Mabushi fell silent… closed his eyes for a moment, as if surrendering to the dizziness… but his mouth whispered a tiny word, barely audible:
"Thanks… bastard."
Ken froze for a second, then finished tying the cloth. He lifted Mabushi again, placed him back on his shoulder, and began running once more. The door was still just a tiny point at the end of an infinite line.
'At this rate… I won't make it in time. My speed is down… and the weight is slowing me more than I expected.'
Ken's breath grew heavier. He could feel time slipping away. A warning rose in his mind:
'If the timer ends now… there will be no victory. No survival.'
He kept running until the light above flickered. A red mark glowed on the floor in front of him. Then a wide metal gap opened on the right, expanding like a station gate. Ken stopped for a moment, tense from the sudden shock.
A mechanical voice echoed:
"Contestant Ken: as a reward for passing the first deception test… the support station has been unlocked."
A metal platform rose from the ground, displaying the message:
[Reward: High-Speed Transport Bike + Small First-Aid Box]
A bike appeared before him, built with a simple mechanical design, black metal frame, large wheels, and a small fuel tank. Behind it… a wooden box fixed tightly in place, sized to carry exactly one person.
Ken hurried to place Mabushi inside the rear box, then leapt onto the bike without hesitation. His grip trembled slightly from exhaustion, sweat trailing down his arms. He twisted the handle… and the bike shot forward with force.
Huff… huff… huff.
His chest burned. His throat felt dry. It was as if he'd been running for an hour… not minutes. In the back, Mabushi noticed the first-aid box beside him. He reached out with extreme difficulty and opened it. Inside was a single bottle of water. He looked at it, then at Ken's heaving back as he drove.
Mabushi raised the bottle and said in a strained voice:
"Take it…"
Ken shifted his gaze slightly backward and replied, tired yet steady:
"Put it back. Your condition is worse. You drink it."
Mabushi spoke weakly, but his annoyance was clear:
"Y-you… idiot… you'll collapse before the gate… if you don't drink."
Ken answered bluntly:
"I'm fine."
But his body was shaking. Mabushi lifted the bottle with more force and shouted:
"No, you're not! Drink it… or we'll both die!"
Then muttered under his breath:
"You stupid… just drink it."
It was the only way he could offer help without admitting it. Ken suddenly slowed the bike… then came to a complete stop. He climbed off and walked to the back. He reached out and took the bottle from Mabushi's hand… and for a moment, Mabushi genuinely thought Ken had finally given in.
Mabushi relaxed, resting his head against the box with a relieved sigh:
"Finally… you get i—"
But Ken opened the bottle… then without warning, shoved it into Mabushi's mouth.
Mabushi's eyes widened in pure shock:
"W-Wha—?!"
The water surged into his mouth so fast he started coughing instantly.
"Mmm!! Gah! Stop—!"
His hands flailed in the air in a ridiculous way as he tried to block Ken's hand… but Ken stood firm as iron, squeezing the bottle until the last drop.
Ken said in an icy tone:
"Close your mouth and drink."
"Ughh!!… I'm choking, you basta— cough cough!!"
"Doesn't matter. Drink."
Mabushi swallowed a large gulp against his will, then another, then a third. Water spilled over his lips, cheeks, and chin as he writhed, until the bottle was completely empty.
Ken yanked it from between his teeth. Mabushi kept coughing and gasping… his face turned bright red.
"You… maniac… cough…"
Ken turned away calmly, returned to the front of the bike, sat down, and gripped the handles. He twisted the fuel… and the bike shot forward again. Mabushi stared at Ken's back, unable to grasp what had just happened, while the gate ahead drew closer and closer.