The darkness enveloped my surroundings. I looked around, but there was no light to be seen. I also felt disoriented and frigid, unsure of how I ended up here. A weighty sensation burdened me, yet I couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

I had no recollection of my arrival or the reason for my desolate state. Time passed, and I attempted to take action. I tried to walk, scream, lie down, and stand up, but there was no reaction from anyone nearby.

Eventually, I sat up and concentrated on recalling what had happened before my arrival and why I felt this way. As I pondered, memories flooded my mind, including the time I strolled down the street to purchase noodles. I desired to relish the experience, but my funds were insufficient, partly due to my imprudent spending habits. It was regrettable, but that's the way it was.

I attempted to remember the events of the day as best I could, but something felt off. It was indistinct at the time, but as I thought back, it seemed strange. And then, suddenly, a scene came to mind.

As I strolled down the street, I felt a stare that made me freeze.

Instinctively, I sensed where the gaze focused on me was from. My head automatically turned towards a dark alley.

I spotted a figure. It appeared to be a girl.

But then I saw the girl suddenly raise her hand.

The light from the streetlamp illuminated what the girl was holding.

It was a firearm, made of a resplendent silver, and somewhat  recognizable to me.

The girl aiming her gun at me was somewhat unexpected.

But at the same time, I felt no fear.

Because I was going to die.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, then I blinked.

But it seemed that just blinking changed everything.

The scene before me shifted dramatically.

I was standing in a dark alley and there were many people walking down the street in front of me.

A feeling of heaviness fell upon my arm as it was raised.

In my hand was the same gun as the girl.

The familiar pistol that shone when the light from the lantern fell on it.

At that moment it was as if my mind had opened. All the memories I had created since coming into this world flooded back into my mind.

Yes, it was true, I was already aiming at people emotionlessly and about to begin a massacre.

================

My eyes opened abruptly and I sat up.

My breath caught in my throat, and the sensation of not being able to breathe made me fall into fear.

My heart was beating fast and loud. I could feel my heart pound against my chest, and a throbbing ache in my head, and everything started to spin.

Eventually, I was able to force myself to breathe.

A refreshing sensation ran through my body as I greedily inhaled and exhaled air.

As I breathed, scene by scene, I remembered everything that had happened in the hotel.

From the loss of confidence to the moment I stopped feeling anything.

The feeling of not feeling was so terrifying that I just wanted to forget it as a nightmare.

When I came out of it, I wasn't thrilled.

The first thing I felt wasn't pain or exhaustion.

It was fear.

A fear that was far more frightening than any other.

A fear of losing myself.

Everything that had made me who I was, gone.

The only thing important on my mind at that moment was progress.

But at the same time, I ceased to exist as a human being.

I writhed with my arms around my head, trying to fight this fear.

But nothing I did helped. I was powerless. I could not control my thoughts.

The memory of the state I was in kept reappearing in my mind.

And at the same time, there was only silence and an abyss welling in my soul, nothing but the sound of myself sobbing to comfort me.

It was a vicious cycle in my mind.

The more I tried to get rid of these memories, the more they swirled around in my head.

When I was at my most desperate, breathing frantically, a sharp pain engulfed my face.

My head snapped to the side, and from the impact my body tilted with inertia.

My mind froze, and it took some time for my breathing to return to normal.

Soon the searing pain spread across my cheek. I even felt my eyes water, but I endured it.

Eventually, I came to my senses and raised my head.

The interior of an apartment caught my eye, but it seemed quite old.

<<The landlord seems short on cash…>>>

My mind automatically wandered.

It was run-down, and the furnishings were dated.

The room was rather dim since the windows were draped with thick curtains.

At last, my gaze fell upon the person seated in front of me, with one leg crossed over the other on a chair.

A stunning young woman with long, curly honey-colored hair and piercing blue eyes peered up at me from beneath a plain black mask. Because she was draped in a poncho, her figure was indiscernible, leaving only her legs exposed.

All I could recall was that there was a voice before I blacked out.

And that voice was likely hers.

Although there was a searing ache on my cheek the entire time, in a way, I was grateful to her for rescuing me from my harmful thoughts.

As I looked at her, she glanced back at me.

Her blue eyes had a hint of curiosity in them, yet they were also very keen.

The stare she gave me made me feel uneasy.

And so, summoning my courage, I spoke.

"Did you save me?"

There was no response.

She didn't reply; she simply gazed at me, observing me as I recalled that I hadn't retrieved my weapon.

My eyes instinctively scanned the area, attempting to locate it.

After all, I had paid a hefty sum for it.

As I searched for it, a surprisingly soft voice called out to me.

"Are you seeking this?"

Her words caused me to look back over at her.

She was holding the firearm in her hand.

The weapon was poised as if she was extending it to me.

So I reached out to grasp it on impulse and uttered simultaneously,

"Yes! Thank yo–"

I hadn't finished speaking when the gun was already pointed at me, perilously close to my forehead.

I didn't respond at all.

It appeared quicker than Vanessa's maximum speed, and the points I had allocated to my Dexterity didn’t even come close to helping me see this girl’s motions.

Stunned, I continued to observe her actions.

After a few moments, she moved, placing the firearm on a small chair, and began to speak.

"Mmm, intriguing… I've seen your battles with those demons. You were more like a heartless, robotic killing machine than a human, unlike what you are like now.

So..."

As she uttered the last words, she leaned toward me.

"How genuine is this facade of yours?"

The question reminded me of that coldblooded feeling again, but it didn't matter now.

I rose from the bed I was lying on, somewhat sore but still determined to leave.

She didn't respond to my movements, and given her demeanor so far, I assumed that if she wanted to kill me, she could have easily done it already, so I decided to take action.

Under her watchful gaze, I took a step closer, grasped the firearm lightly, and turned to depart. I paused for a moment and looked back at her.

"I don't know your name, but since you rescued me and also healed me, I would like to know what you want in return."

While I waited for her answer, I mentally opened my inventory, which contained many new cells of items, and observed it out of the corner of my eye. My main concern was to simply return the favor with money.

This seemed to be the best solution.

As I looked at the cell containing my cash, I was stunned.

[149700❡]

I was quite taken aback.

I had no idea how many level 5 and higher demons I had killed, but the fact that I had accumulated this much money from their loot was astounding.

Or perhaps I was reacting in such a manner because I had never seen such a large sum of money in my previous life.

At that point, the stranger spoke again, diverting my attention.

"What are you thinking about?"

She was still seated in the same posture as before, not appearing to move.

"Um...nothing, so what do you want? Money?"

"No, I have a request, but I would like to speak to you about something first."

Her response was unexpected.

As she spoke, she stood up and advanced towards me.

"So, judging from your battle, it looks like you're not using magic...and after examining your condition, I find that you possess very little magical energy. I’m curious–how did you become so physically formidable? Or have you been this way since you were a child?"

Her inquiry made me vigilant.

There appeared to be some things about this game’s norms I wasn't familiar with.

So what she said made me skeptical.

"What do you mean?"

This query made me want to learn as much as possible, because I didn't know what type of person I was dealing with.

"I mean exactly what I said, how did you enhance your physical performance so much? Did you use mystical artifacts or have you been like this since you were a child?"

While gazing at her for a few seconds, I pondered what the answer would be.

Since I didn't know who she was or if she could verify any information about me, I couldn't deceive her.

After all, she confirmed she had already seen my face, unlike how I had never seen hers before.

If I said I had been like this since I was a child, it might be uncovered.

There was only one thing to do.

"I'm sorry, but why should I disclose this to you? Even though I'm grateful that you saved and cured me, that doesn't give you the right to pry into other people's secrets, does it?"

<<It’s a little rude, but judging by her demeanor, she clearly doesn’t want to kill me.

So it’s worth a shot.>>

"So what was that ‘request’ you were talking about?"

I asked her, attempting to change the topic.

Even though she didn't want any money, I could always refuse her solicitation.

After a moment of silence, she turned and strode towards the window and began to speak.

"Judging by what I’ve seen of your power, you can handle demons. And like this hotel, I found another refuge."

<<From what she says, it’s a good place to farm…but there’s an issue.

She’s stronger than me. Way stronger.

If she’s talking about it, that means the max level of the demons there are probably much higher than those of the hotel.>>

"I can tell what you’re thinking, listen to the end. If you agree, I will teach you how to use magical energy. Even though you only have a little of it, adding magic capabilities to your arsenal will be of great use to you."

She carefully watched me with those sharp blue eyes of hers as she spoke.

"Well? Would you like to hear the rest?"