"W-Why? Why? Why did you do that? Asshole! My sister will hate me! Give my pet back! ..."
The young girl kept yelling in fury until she noticed something — the person she was strangling had gone utterly still, like a cold, soulless corpse.
"Aahhhh!"
She screamed in terror, immediately retreating from the motionless body.
Shivering, she stared at the corpse from a short distance, then clutched her head in panic and despair.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to kill you!"
"I'm sorry."
...
"Mom, save me..."
...
As the seconds dragged on, the young girl could only whisper the word 'Mom,' as though she were the only one who could rescue her from such a nightmare.
Of course, that was impossible. Instead, something else took place.
From within the thick, dirty bushes nearby, a faint movement stirred. Gradually, the silhouette of a human form emerged more clearly.
It was a beautiful girl clad in attire resembling the younger girl's, albeit with some minor differences.
At a glance, one could tell she was more mature, though still quite young. She looked to be about 15 or 16 years old—roughly the same age as Hector. Her long blonde ponytail was wrapped around her neck to keep it from becoming a burden.
However, her eyes were strikingly unique—her right was amber like the younger girl's, but the left was deep brown.
Right now, her lovely face showed concern.
Yet, the moment she laid eyes on her sister, that concern shifted.
"Violet!" she cried out instantly and bolted toward her.
But after a few seconds, confusion slowly spread across her face as she fixed her gaze on Violet's right eye.
It was still glowing from earlier.
"Lingyan? What's going on?" she wondered.
Hearing the voice, Violet gradually settled down and glanced around as though just finding a life-saving float.
Eventually, she recognized who was speaking and let out a loud sob.
"C-Cousin! Help him! P-Please!"
***
"Fucking fate! Why do I always die such a pointless death?"
"I thought I had a second chance, but I just wasted it."
"If only I hadn't done that… I probably shouldn't have helped her."
"I was too sure of what I knew."
"Damn it!"
Sigh
"In the end, none of it matters. I just want to sleep. Goodbye, everything."
Moments later—
"Wait!... Why is my body so hot? This is annoying."
"What the hell? Can someone turn off the light? It's too damn bright."
"It's making it impossible to sleep… Damn it! Whatever."
"Ugh…"
Hector slowly opened his eyes but immediately lifted a hand to block the glare.
He grimaced.
"Too bright!"
The sunlight was overwhelming, blazing all around him.
Then, a girl's voice rang out sharply.
"You're awake?"
Hector had tried to struggle and crawl up as he turned his head toward the source of the sound.
In front of him sat a beautiful girl on a small, protruding patch of sand nearby. She resembled Violet, the one who had managed to kill him, though with a few noticeable differences.
Still, he didn't mind; he was simply relieved to know he had survived, so everything felt fine.
"Thank you for rescuing me from that damn kid."
The beautiful girl raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. Then, she leaned slightly to the left to glance at another girl beside her, exhausted and fast asleep.
"You mean this kid?" she asked softly, a slow smile spreading across her face.
Instantly, Hector shivered.
"F-Fuck! I'm sure she must be bad too. Only that would explain her sibling's foul mouth."
Even if he thought that, he didn't dare say it aloud. These girls were clearly from a prominent clan, so he asked cautiously.
"So, what do you want with me?"
It was clear he had done some terrible things involving Violet, yet somehow this beautiful girl had saved him.
Hector's face gradually twisted in worry, and he clenched his hand tightly.
"My mistake was helping that kid. No matter what, I never expected that the monster was her pet."
"Seriously, only a lunatic would carry something like that around."
"And this whole world—it was made by a madman."
"I've already let that go."
As the beautiful girl noticed Hector's worry and anger, she released a sigh of guilt.
"I'm sorry about that… so I'll take you to the arena where the challenge will take place."
As soon as Hector heard that, he froze and swallowed hard in disbelief.
"L-Lady! Thank you very much!"
Even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined he'd reach that place so easily.
His effort had been entirely worthwhile, even if it nearly cost him his life.
There, he'd finally have a chance to use everything he'd learned from the novel.
While Hector was still smiling to himself, the beautiful girl stood up and flicked Violet's forehead lightly, though with a bit of annoyance.
"Aaah!" Violet instantly woke up, holding her head from the mild pain.
"That's enough sleep… We're leaving soon."
She looked sullen and aching, but still nodded quietly.
"Sure..."
Hector also nodded while observing the scene. Clearly, he found it amusing.
"Yup, Lady, you're absolutely right!"
Then he glanced over at Violet, who didn't dare raise her head, like a child scolded by her mother.
A few seconds passed. Suddenly, Hector felt a faint, dull pain in his neck.
"Hmm..." He reached for his neck and nearly flinched—the soreness still lingered. The red mark remained, a reminder of Violet's hellish grip.
Her strength was truly terrifying.
Now, he remembered the source of her frightening power.
It was her right amber eye, known as Lingyan—a remarkable ability that enhanced the user's strength.
It was the one he longed to possess, not the useless one he currently had.
Yet, one thing was strange—her age seemed too young for someone to have awakened such a power.
She clearly held tremendous potential. Someone like her should've stood out to him, but he failed to notice.
Much of the blame lay with the lunatic author of that poorly written novel. From the chaotic mess of words, understanding anything had been a miracle.
So, he needed to ask their name. Yet, asking directly might raise suspicion.
Of course, that was the only outcome he could expect.
…
A lot of hours passed.
They had finally left the oasis far behind, at least 10 kilometers away. By that time, he had already had a few conversations with them.
After all, he'd learned their names. Contrary to his first assumptions, the blonde-haired girl, Wade Pauley, turned out to be friendly, composed, and kind, though a bit strange.
"A coin always has two surfaces, so I just do the same,"or other proverbs like that.
It exhausted him so much that he didn't want to keep talking to her. On the other hand, her cousin hadn't said a single word to him since he regained consciousness, after she had tried, and failed, to kill him.
She only threw him an occasional angry glare, as if ready to strike again anytime—were it not for her cousin's presence.
It made sense. He had, after all, killed her pet—and worse, cooked it and made her eat it. Truly horrifying for a girl her age.
Luckily for him, Wade was there. She must have done something to pull her cousin back from that shock while he was on the brink of death.
After all that had unfolded, he had finally reached his goal—gathering information about both girls—but the truth left him stunned.
Wade Pauley was one of the main characters, destined to become a powerful force in the future.
Even though she only used an enhanced coin, the blend of different elements made her ability overwhelming.
First, her coin resembled a low-tier version of a legendary one, far more powerful than any common enhanced coin.
Second, as far as he could recall, she had already unlocked its full potential during her first challenge.
That was completely insane, and he was desperate to figure out how she had done it with such ease.
If he stuck with her, he might be safe. But, like everything else, just like a coin, there were two sides.
Aside from all that, one thing still confused him.
Wade's personality didn't match the one described in the novel. He had expected her to be cold and reserved, not chatty.
And finally, there was Violet.
He knew absolutely nothing about her.
Which was just absurd.