Dancing on the golden ashes

"[HOW MAGNIFICENT... THE CHILLS THAT RAN THROUGH MY BODY AS I WATCHED THIS FIGHT! FRIENDS TURNED AGAINST FRIENDS, EAGER TO SLAUGHTER EACH OTHER AT MY COMMAND... HOW EUPHORIC!]"

I knew he was sick in the head... but this...

"[I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING… YES, I'M SICK, AND I LOVE THESE MEANINGLESS BATTLES! AND YOU, LEE GAON, ARE MY GREATEST ENTERTAINMENT IN THIS WORLD. AHHH, HOW I LONG TO SEE YOU TAKE THAT NEXT STEP IN THE FUTURE…]"

What step is he talking about? I didn't like where this was going. I couldn't understand him at all.

"[NOW... OF COURSE, I WILL REVIVE THEM. I'M EAGERLY AWAITING YOUR NEXT BATTLES. AND ONE MORE THING—THERE IS NO REWARD FOR YOU IN THIS FINAL TRIAL. IT WAS ALL FOR MY OWN ENTERTAINMENT... HA... HA... HAHAHA..."]

The creator of this world sounded like a maniac, his laughter echoing in my ears. It felt as if a disgusting bucket of sewer water had been poured over me. He was clearly mocking me and my friends—we were nothing but toys for his entertainment.

I was left standing, speechless. How is this even fair? So the only reason he made us fight was to satisfy himself? Just you wait… I'll come for your head. I'll make you pay for everything.

"Then at least tell me, what was the reason you brought us here in the first place? What kind of shitty trial was this?" I was furious, my hand clenched tightly around my weapon.

"[I HAVE MY OWN REASONS… DON'T FORGET WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO, LEE GAON. I CAN END YOU THIS VERY MOMENT]"

"Try me!" I stood my ground, refusing to show fear, especially not in front of this being. "I'm standing right here—what are you waiting for?"

Only a face-slapping silence met my challenge, and the creator's voice faded into the void. My anger only burned hotter. This bastard! Look at him... ghosting me… I'll kill you!

I looked around; the white marble arena was now stained with patches of blood in many places, and the barrier was buzzing gently, as if it were about to fall.

In the next instant, the four bodies regenerated in the blink of an eye, becoming whole again. They stood exactly where they had fallen, looking disoriented.

Malrang materialized in front of me, her massive, four-meter-tall body towering over me. She looked at me warmly; there was no hatred in her eyes—not even a hint of it. I couldn't understand why… if it were me, I would have flipped already.

To my surprise, I felt the warm, wet embrace of a massive tongue licking my face as the fox looked at me adorably.

Ma-master... I... I'm v-very happy you're o-okay..

The young girl's voice echoed in my mind again—it was Malrang. She struggled to form even a simple sentence, stuttering often, but it was already a huge step forward for a beast.

My hand reached out to her face on its own, resting gently against her. "I'm sorry..." I murmured, uncertain how to repay this kindness—it was too foreign to me.

The fox shook her head from side to side, indicating she wasn't mad at all. Suddenly, I felt my feet leave the ground as Malrang gently grabbed me by the dress with her teeth and lifted me onto her back. Her soft, fluffy purple fur enveloped me, relaxing me instantly. Even expensive hotel beds don't feel this good! My eyes gleamed with a devilish look. I want to ride this every day!

"Woo!" Malrang barked, her body igniting into flaming hellfire that, to my pleasant surprise, didn't hurt me at all. In a few quick leaps, we were already standing in front of my friends as they slowly got to their feet in front of us. I was happy to see them well, deep inside of me I felt scared they might never revive. I was slowly, unbeknownst to myself, becoming attached to this group.

The ethereal barrier had vanished completely, revealing the obliterated mountain range. Kim Seong-Hoon, Jieun, and Eun-Woo approached us, their silent stares and tense body language betraying a hint of distress. I didn't know how to talk to any of them after what had happened—I was already terrible at talking to people, and this was beyond awkward. "Umm... welcome back..." I mumbled, forcing a few words out.

They did not respond, they only stared at me, with their eyes scanning my body. The silence was awkward, I knew everybody understood why we had to fight, and all of us were forced to kill, but why were they looking at me like that?

Finally, Kim Seong-Hoon broke the awkward silence. "What exactly happened to you?" He looked at me as if trying to search my soul. His eyes blazed with golden light, inspecting me. His face was full or worry and curiosity.

"What do you mean?" I asked, though I suspected this was about the mysterious darkness within me. Still, if it wasn't, I'd rather avoid that topic altogether.

"You know exactly what he meant, Gaon." Eun-Woo stepped forward, his stance firm, leaving no room for me to dodge the question.

"Big Sister Gaon, please, tell us. We're worried about you. You were... uncanny, and that's why we're concerned. If you hide this from us..." I could see the fear in her eyes. So, she's afraid of me—afraid I might turn and kill them all. I see... Perhaps it was a mistake to travel with others. I'm destined to be alone.

"Why? Are you all afraid of me now? So what if there's something inside me, messing with my mind—that's my concern." I felt betrayed once again. Why does nobody understand me? Am I really such an evil person? What did I do to deserve this—to be toyed with by everyone I meet? It's infuriating. Why me? Why...?

"N-No, that's not what this is about!" Kim Seong-Hoon protested. "We would never—"

"Enough!" I screamed, my voice echoing. I felt sick to my stomach watching him say that with a faint flicker of fear in his eyes. "This was a mistake… This party was a big mistake. I hope to never see any of you again. Maybe then you won't have to fear me—such an evil being..."

"Big sis, no, that's—!" Kang Eun-Woo extended his arm, stopping Kim Seong-Hoon.

"No, brother. Let her be," he whispered. "If she doesn't want to be honest with us, then this is for the best." His words reached me clearly, each one stabbing painfully into my heart.

"Let's go, Malrang..." I patted her, signaling to leave. But she didn't move. "Are you siding with them now? Are you also afraid I'd kill you?" Don't tell me—even Malrang…

No, m-master! Y-your heart is pure... I-I know that better than anyone.

"Then let's go." Malrang turned, though reluctantly, and we sped off into the distance. Just as we left, I heard Park Jieun's voice calling out, faint and desperate.

"Big sister Gaon, wait! I... I didn't mean it!" I didn't look back, didn't respond. A single tear slid down my cheek, severing the last connection between us.

[Your party status has been restored]

The system message popped into my head, stabbing me even deeper. Did he really need to wait for this moment? To break me even further?

Leave the party... I made my decision. If they couldn't support me, if they couldn't truly be there, then I didn't need this. Our friendship was over.

{Confirm your decision:] [-Y/N-]

With a heavy heart, I thought, Yes...

[Your party has been disbanded]

"Return us to the World of No End, creator..." My tone was cold. I could feel Malrang tremble as she carried me away from the others.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"[WELL, WELL, WELL… THAT WAS UNEXPECTED, A MARVELOUS TWIST OF FATE, VERY INTERESTING. FINE, I'LL RETURN YOU TO MY WORLD FIRST. IT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO... HAHAHA!]"

His mocking tone cut me like a blade. I decided to ignore it. I had no energy left to argue with the maniac behind all this.

My body was quickly wrapped in a cocoon of white light. I lost all my senses, and in the mere time it took to blink, I found myself back in front of the massive lizard's corpse, still fresh as if no time had passed in this world while I was in the trial.

"Woo..." Malrang whimpered softly, clearly shaken by the recent falling out.

I patted her head gently. "It's okay, we don't need them… They don't see me the way you do. Sometimes it's better to let go. If someone's afraid of you, it's not easy to change their mind—and I don't want to try. I'm tired, Malrang. Let's just grow stronger together, you and me. I'll miss them, I will… but..." I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away.

Y-yes, ma-master! Her words were cheerful yet tinged with sadness.

[You may now use Soul Harvest]

Ah, right... I'd almost forgotten about that.

With a single thought, a darkness orb rose from the lizard's corpse and flew into my mouth. Not bad… I guess lizards are pretty delicious.

"Let's go," I said, patting Malrang.

"Woo!"

But I couldn't help wondering… why was Soul Harvest unusable in the trial area? That place was too mysterious—and far too suspicious.

A fox and a girl, once again, left on our own—just the way we started.

What I didn't know at the time was that only a few steps away, a group of three stood silently. Shrouded in a mysterious, invisible barrier, no sound escaped… but they could hear me. Every single word.