SSEI | Chapter 1.4

The world spun. Yuan had seen plenty of surreal things so far, but this—this was the most unreal, the hardest to accept.

“Lork… Lork?”

There was no answer. Only a soft thud as a small, broken speaker tumbled from the boy’s mouth, shattered just like his head.

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Yuan staggered backward, his entire body trembling. But he barely managed a few steps before his legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the ground.

The suffocating terror and overwhelming shock gripped his chest so tightly it felt like he couldn’t breathe. The sight of his fallen comrade was too much—it was an undeniable, irreversible truth.

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He was really dead.

The panic hit him like ice water to the face.

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Until now, Yuan had been running on autopilot, never truly grasping the situation. Everyone has to die if you want to return to the real world. Someone’s already died. All of that had just been words—Lork’s explanations, distant screams, secondhand knowledge.

But now, reality had crashed down on him.

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The corpse of a friend, split open. The overwhelming stench of blood, thick enough to make his head throb.

And—

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The figure that had crept forward, closing the distance between them.

Something he couldn’t run from.

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“Lift your head. Staring at a corpse won’t change anything.”

The voice was just as monotone as before, but it carried a weight that overpowered even the instinct to flee.

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So, whether he wanted to or not—Yuan had to look up.

Even when he dragged his gaze away from the bloodied mess of a body, the world remained red. The setting sun painted everything in deep crimson. Considering how long he had been running, the sun should’ve set by now, shouldn’t it?

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Or was it because this forest existed in eternal dusk?

But regardless of how red the world was—

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The man before him was black.

If Yuan wanted to see his face, he had to tilt his head way back. Everything about him was pitch black—his shoes, his clothes, the long coat draped over his frame, even his short hair.

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Only his eyes glowed red—

As if proving that he, too, was just another part of this maddened, twisted world.

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“So,” the man muttered, staring down at Yuan, “this is your first time?”

His gaze dragged over Yuan, scanning him from head to toe.

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And while he was being scrutinized—Yuan couldn’t help but look back.

For someone who had just killed a person, the man was unsettlingly calm. His entire body was stained with blood, yet the only word Yuan could think of to describe him was pristine.

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It felt contradictory—calling someone so drenched in filth clean—but there was no other way to put it.

His presence was sharp, yet tranquil, like a monk in meditation.

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Even as Yuan trembled in terror, he had to admit—he was strikingly well-formed. His features were sculpted with a quiet elegance, his expression unreadable, as still as a lake without wind.

His lips rested in an indifferent line. The shadows of the setting sun deepened the contours of his nose and eyes. And yet—despite everything—he exuded no intimidation, only a lazy sort of detachment.

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Which made it even more terrifying.

If he had looked wild, bloodthirsty, inhuman—if he had raged like a beast or acted with cold, mechanical precision—at least Yuan could understand him.

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But he was too human.

Too casually at ease after taking a life.

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“…You… you killed him.”

The man hummed at that. “Hm?”

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“You… You killed Lork, didn’t you? W-Why did you do that…? We—we didn’t even do anything wrong.”

Yuan raised his voice on purpose, as if saying it out loud would stop him from forgetting. But it didn’t have much effect. His voice shook so badly that even to his own ears, it sounded pitiful. Instead of steeling himself or grasping the situation, he just felt ridiculous.

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He already knew the answer—this wasn’t because they had done something wrong. But even knowing that, he couldn’t just shut up and accept it. If he was going to die, he at least wanted to say something. Anything. Because dying just like this, without a word—that was just too damn unfair.

“Why, you ask? Didn’t you get any kind of explanation?”

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“I did! Something about a survival game or whatever! But… But that’s not the real reason you killed Lork, is it? I’m not an idiot! Whether you kill us or not—it doesn’t actually matter to you, does it? You act like you don’t care, but in the end, you’re planning to kill me too, aren’t you?”

The man’s brows furrowed slightly. There was no real malice in his expression, but at the same time—he didn’t deny it, either.

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Yuan kept crawling backward, putting as much distance between them as possible, pushing his accusations further.

“You even killed your own partner, didn’t you? No—wait, you left them somewhere weird, right? But if you threw them into a lake, they’d still end up dead! You didn’t just abandon them—you killed them because you wanted to!”

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“……”

“I-Isn’t there something seriously wrong with you? Be honest—you don’t actually give a damn about anything except killing people, do you?!”

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His words were a jumbled mess, stuttering and scattered with wild assumptions.

But even so—Yuan was certain.

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This guy wasn’t normal.

Even if his own memories were still hazy, even if he didn’t fully understand what was going on—he knew that this man’s actions were far from sane.

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But instead of getting angry, the man let out a small sigh. There was no real emotion in his face, just a hint of mild annoyance, like someone dealing with an inconvenience.

“As I thought. You weren’t given a proper explanation.”

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“I was given an explanation!”

“No. You weren’t.”

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The man shook his head, speaking in the same calm, measured tone.

“Lork is a fairly kind person, but he has a bad habit of putting off the most important details. I wouldn’t call it a mistake, exactly—but for you, it must have been confusing.”

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“W-What the hell are you even saying? No matter what kind of person Lork was, that doesn’t mean you get to kill him!”

This man had just done something horrifying—something unspeakable—and yet he was explaining things so casually, as if he were simply clearing up a misunderstanding.

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It made Yuan feel like he was losing his mind.

Maybe this was how things were supposed to be. Maybe the one trembling in fear of death was the real weirdo.

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No. No, that was ridiculous.

But just as he was reaffirming his own sanity—the man’s next words shattered it.

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“Here, it does mean that.”

His voice was still calm, unshaken, as if stating a simple fact.

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“It’s the most important thing you need to understand, and the sooner you learn it, the better.”

“…What did you just say?”

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“So cool your head first, White One. No matter how much I explain, you won’t be able to process it in a panic.”

The man’s tone was openly mocking, yet it carried the air of serious advice.

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And Yuan knew exactly what he meant by cooling his head.

A severed head wouldn’t have any blood circulating through it. It would naturally cool down.

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Annoyed by Yuan’s constant crawling away, the man took a step forward and pressed a foot down on his shoulder, pinning him in place. It wasn’t an outright attack—more like keeping a struggling animal from escaping—but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

I’m going to die.

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If this keeps up, I’m really going to die.

The primal fear overwhelmed him, rendering him unable to do anything but tremble.

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But—

‘…Am I really just gonna die like this?’

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His panicked, cornered mind scrambled for a final act of defiance.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the tentacles on his right arm writhed, as if sensing his resolve.

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The difference in power was undeniable. He was no match for this guy.

But even so—

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If he was going to die, he had to get some payback.

He couldn’t let the bastard who killed Lork walk away unscathed.

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“The weird thing is…” The man suddenly murmured, his gaze sweeping over Yuan’s face. “Have we met before somewhere? No, that wouldn’t make sense. If this is your first time, then—”

There was no time to think.

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Yuan had to act now, while the man was still idly speculating.

Going for the head or chest would be ideal, but lying on his back made the angle impossible.

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Not to mention—if he missed or the guy dodged, he’d be the one losing his head.

A better strategy would be to aim lower.

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Something unexpected. Something painful. Something memorable.

A target that wouldn’t be immediately fatal—but would guarantee lifelong suffering.

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And just like that, Yuan found the perfect target.

It was the most obvious spot from his position.

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And, thanks to his tentacles, he had proof that it was viable.

“Hope you enjoy being a eunuch, you goddamn murderer!”

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“…?!”

BOOM.

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The attack landed in an instant.

The tentacle lashed out in a relentless barrage—right at the man’s groin.

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Yuan had no idea what kind of person Lork was before, but he was absolutely certain—if Lork were here, he’d be laughing his ass off at this.

The man staggered, his balance utterly shattered.

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At the same time—

A crimson blade sliced through Yuan’s vision, splitting the world in two.

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The scenery around him seemed to tilt unnaturally, like the entire world was falling sideways.

And then—

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He realized.

It wasn’t the world tilting.

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His head had been severed.

The moment he understood that, his head was already rolling across the ground.

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‘…It landed, right?’

It did.

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Even through his fading vision, he could see the man collapsing in agony.

That was enough.

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That was a victory.

Even if his body was gone, even if the bastard somehow healed—he hoped that trauma would haunt him forever.

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As his mind turned blank, Yuan’s final thought was a simple, sincere wish—

I hope you never recover from this.

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—

Points: 190 (Lowland Clearance +100, Weapon Acquisition +50, Minor Injury to Enemy +40)
Cause of Death: Decapitated. Maybe if someone had provided immediate medical aid…?
Deaths: 1
Rank: 46th
Grade: F
Tip: For the first game, that was pretty decent! Now you just need some luck and knowledge to survive longer!

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Yuan had no idea what the strange messages flashing before his eyes meant.

Not that it mattered.

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Even if he could understand them, they were nothing more than a meaningless fever dream—

One that faded away as everything came to an end.

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