"I'll punish your parents."

  ***

  The underground remained dim and silent long after Soraya's footsteps faded into the distance. The echoes of her final words still lingered in the air like an aftertaste of judgment.

  Even after hearing her say she'd punish his parents, Logan didn't move. He didn't flinch. There was no spark of fear or concern in his face. Not for them.

  He felt… nothing.

  Or maybe not nothing. Something different. Something quieter — heavier.

  Soraya and Afraan disappeared into the darkness beyond the corridor, their presence swallowed by the shadows. Tap... tap... tap... The rhythmic sound of Soraya's heels was the last thing that reached him before the silence returned.

  Then, finally, Logan's eyes began to tremble. Tears welled up and spilled silently down his bruised cheeks. He wasn't crying out of fear, or regret, or pain.

  It was relief.

  For the first time in his life, he felt like a chain had been broken — like he'd finally been freed from a burden he'd carried since childhood.

  A faint smile, twisted and weary, appeared on his face. His tears fell to the cold concrete floor with a soft drop... drop...

  "...So, this is how it ends," he whispered to no one.

  ***

  A week passed.

  In the other world, Johan Navraan continued his daily training.

  Beyond the boundary of his small house, countless monsters crawled and roamed — their growls echoing faintly through the thick, distorted air.

  Johan collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving. "Huff... huff..."

  Sweat dripped from his chin as he raised an arm to block the glaring sun. "With this... one week of training... is finally complete."

  He sat up slowly, placing a hand over his chest. "I can feel it. I've become much stronger than before."

  Standing, Johan turned his gaze toward the dense forest beyond the boundary wall. The air shimmered faintly, distorted by the miasma of monsters.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Can I hunt those monsters now?" he murmured, eyes narrowing with anticipation.

  There were a total of seven orcs, crawling from the forest's edge with their crude greataxes glinting in the dim light.

  Johan drew his sword from the system inventory and stepped past the boundary, confidence burning in his chest. It was time to show off — just a little.

  The orcs snarled and drooled like starving dogs who'd just spotted fresh meat.

  Cracking his neck, Johan lifted his sword. "Alright, let's make this quick—"

  The orcs looked at each other. Then, as if they'd rehearsed it, all seven roared and charged straight at him.

  Johan froze mid-step, eyes wide.

  "Holy—SHIT!"

  He didn't even think — his instincts screamed run! and that's exactly what he did.

  He sprinted forward, flailing his sword more for moral support than strategy.

  "What the hell is going on? Why are they all attacking me at once?!"

  [Ding!]

  A blue screen popped up in front of Johan as he ran for his life.

  [Who told you to show off?]

  [After exposing yourself like that, you expect them to fight one at a time?]

  [Wake up! They're monsters — not humans.]

  Johan, still sprinting with seven orcs hot on his heels, yelled furiously, "If you're not gonna give me an idea, then shut up!"

  [I was going to give you some advice.]

  [But…]

  Johan's expression twisted into distressed shock. "Huh?"

  [It seems the host isn't very grateful towards the system.]

  [So forget about getting any help from me.]

  The notification window vanished with a smug ping!

  Johan screamed, "Oh come on! Don't act like a drama queen now!"

  He kept running — legs burning, breath ragged — crashing through bushes and hopping over roots like a panicked marathoner with a death wish.

  "Man," he muttered between gasps, "What a creepy system!"

  A loud whoosh! sounded behind him as an axe flew past his ear, close enough to shave a strand of hair.

  "Hey! Watch the hair, you overgrown lizard!"

  He turned his head for just a second—bad idea. His foot caught on a root.

  Time slowed.

  Johan's arms flailed.

  The world spun.

  Then—THUD!

  He faceplanted straight into the dirt, sliding a few feet like a discarded potato sack.

  The first orc roared in triumph and swung its greataxe downward—Only for Johan's sword, still in his hand, to jab upward purely by accident and stab the orc right through the chest.

  Silence.

  Johan blinked, still half-buried in the ground.

  The orc toppled over beside him with a heavy thud.

  For a long, awkward second, neither the system nor the other orcs made a sound.

  Finally, Johan lifted his head just enough to mumble,"…Yeah. Totally planned that. I'm really a genius."

  [Genius my ass.]

  [It was totally luck.]

  "Shut up!"

  [If I were you, I wouldn't let my guard down at a moment like this.]

  Johan blinked. "What do you mea—"

  WHAM!

  One of the orcs swung its greataxe without warning. Johan barely had time to raise his sword—steel clashed against steel, sparks flying.

  "Shit!" he grunted, the impact rattling through his arms.

  He pushed the blade back, stumbling a step, only to realize—five more orcs had already surrounded him.

  Their snarls filled the air, low and guttural, closing in from every side.

  Johan forced a trembling smile. "He… hehe… I'm f*cked."