At last, Anas emerged from that drowning sensation and, as usual, opened his eyes in the same room.
The same smell.The same walls.And the same everything.
He placed his hand on his head for a moment because of a slight pain.
He tried to sit on the edge of the bed that creaked under his weight, but it felt as if rust had settled into his limbs.
Pain spread through his entire body.Very painful.
His eyes closed involuntarily.
His muscles screamed with every movement he made, making even sitting feel like hard labor. Strangely, he was more aware of his body than usual, to the point that he could feel every movement, no matter how small.
With great effort, he finally sat up.
He released a quiet sigh, rested his arms on his knees, and lifted his head to face Priscilla, who was sitting in her usual place on his desk.
They exchanged looks for a moment before Anas broke the silence.
"So… what exactly was I paying the price for a moment ago?"
"It's a secret," Priscilla said while placing her index finger on her lips.
"When will I wake up?"
"I don't know. But it will be soon."
Priscilla fell silent for a moment.
"Don't you want to rest a little? That was exhausting in every sense."
Anas looked at the white-haired girl for a moment and said, "As long as I didn't die, it's nothing."
A feeling of satisfaction passed through him.
He had learned a lot… perhaps far more than the pain he felt.
What he gained was something that would normally require paying a heavy price.
He had experienced two real battles in succession, and in the second one he had been an observer, which allowed him to realize a fatal flaw.
He thinks too much before acting.
"Looks like the road is still long."
A faint smile appeared on Anas's face as he drifted in thought for a moment.
Then a white curtain seemed to cover the space before him, and Priscilla's smiling face appeared again.
"You're smiling? I haven't seen your smile since… I don't know when. Does this mean you discovered something?"
"Yes."
The smile disappeared from his face for a moment.
He raised his head and looked directly into Priscilla's red eyes.
"If not for luck, and the fact that my mind never stops working, I might already be among the dead."
Priscilla stared into Anas's dark-leaning eyes for a moment, then stood up, making her look down at him.
"Yes. But don't forget that luck is not something given the way people think. It is a mixture of surrounding factors—"
Anas interrupted her.
"And your ability to notice and exploit those factors to turn the balance in your favor."
Priscilla's smile widened, revealing her sharp teeth.
She spun once, her hair moving with the motion.
Then—
she threw herself into Anas's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.
And she began to laugh.
Her laughter sounded like small bells filling the room.
"Don't you want to know your reward yet? I'm sure you'll like it! Come on! Come on! Say yes! Say yes!"
Anas stared at Priscilla for a long moment, but her smile never left her face.
He sighed.
"I don't know why I chose you. You're extremely annoying."
Priscilla laughed.
"Hahaha~"
"You're very funny, Anas. But… (she smiles with a sly expression) do you know that you would have died if you hadn't chosen me?"
"Yes. I know."
"Do you think I forgot the wound in my head before I met you for the first time? I was already on the edge of death."
He looked at the ceiling for a moment.
He imagined what would have happened if he had not chosen Priscilla, the one who granted him the ability to accelerate natural healing.
He would be dead now.
Perhaps monsters would have torn him apart and eaten him without leaving even his bones as proof that he once existed.
But there was no time to think about what did not happen.
He knew that his body was now in the hands of…
Wait.
He still had not found a name for them.
Hmm… for now, I will consider them allies.
But even if they were allies, he hated owing anyone anything.
He placed his hand over his face and sighed again, this time in exhaustion.
It's unlikely they left me. The last thing I saw was that idiot girl. It seems I owe her if they didn't abandon me.
He hated that he might owe someone.
And not just anyone.
A noble.
This is extremely annoying!
His situation could hardly become worse than this.
Most people would start begging for some solution to appear.
But he hated even begging or asking something from anyone other than himself.
Still, this was the last thing he would worry about now.
He decided to leave everything to its proper time.
Now…
he finally remembered what Priscilla said about the reward.
Curiosity stirred inside him.
What would he receive after his impressive performance in that strange trial?
"Priscilla."
Priscilla had already been staring at him the entire time.
"Hii~ I know what you want. Finally you want your reward, right? Right?"
She stood up from his lap and opened her mouth slightly, revealing her teeth.
They were no less sharp than the monster's teeth.
Crack
Priscilla bit her own hand.
A liquid began to flow.
Red.
So red that it almost looked black.
Her blood.
Drops of blood began falling… then the bleeding intensified.
The blood flowed onto the floor before Anas.
He tilted his head slightly, trying to understand what was happening, though deep inside he already seemed to understand.
Suddenly—
instead of continuing to flow across the floor, the blood began to rise.
At first randomly, then with increasing order.
It formed three shapes floating before Priscilla.
The blood twisted and shaped itself slowly, like molten metal.
Three forms appeared.
The first was a trident-like spear.
The central prong was pointed like an arrowhead, while the two side prongs curved slightly inward toward the center.
The spear was nearly two meters long.
Its crimson surface resembled serpent skin and ended with a sharp spike.
The second was a short sword.
The material seemed to absorb light itself.
Its handle was wrapped in dark bands with a strange guard shaped like the letter V attached to the blade.
The blade measured about fifty centimeters.
At its center was an engraving resembling a heart with a closed eye.
Red decorations lined the middle.
The blade was double-edged and slightly diamond-shaped without growing thick.
The pommel formed a diamond shape with a red four-pointed star inside.
The third was a massive axe.
Its blade resembled a dragon's wing.
Its handle looked like a dragon's neck covered with scales.
The entire weapon burned with an explosive red color.
It looked imposing.
"Choose one!"
Priscilla spoke in an excited tone.
Then she quickly added, her voice suddenly serious:
"But… choose wisely."
For a moment she stared directly into Anas's eyes.
Then the serious expression vanished as if it had never existed.
And she began jumping again.
"Come on! Choose! Choose! Choose!"
Anas ignored her jumping.
What caught his attention was something else.
Priscilla's hand looked completely unharmed, as if it had never been bitten.
But…
he already knew this was not the real world.
He was inside his own mind.
And Priscilla was not an ordinary being.
In fact, he didn't even know why he could feel pain.
Wasn't this inside his mind?
This is annoying.
Anas was irritated because even attempting to stand caused severe pain.
He could feel his muscles contracting just to perform a simple action like standing, as if he had run for an entire day without stopping.
It seems only those who lose something realize its value.
Because we move without pain every day, we forget how wonderful it is to move freely.
When will my wounds heal?
Many thoughts filled his mind as he walked toward the weapons.
His eyes examined them one by one.
Instinctively, Anas understood all the information about each weapon.
It seemed those pieces of information were what Priscilla had used to create them.
He stared at the weapons for a moment.
Then he began thinking.
Which weapon suited him the most?
Weapons are a reflection of their owner's way of thinking.
He might not get another chance to choose.
So he had to take this opportunity to its limit.
Which choice is the wisest?