ALL NOVEL Do you know that feeling?
Suddenly, when I opened my eyes and looked around, the place I was in was no longer somewhere I recognized.
My precious people vanished in an instant, like a cruel trick.
My body that had lived until now seemed to say I had been dreaming.
At first, I wondered, “Am I going crazy?”
People often say that if someone has schizophrenia, their brain remembers nonsensical things as common sense, right?
I thought that might be true for me too.
“Oh, I must actually be a psychiatric patient, and everything until now was just my illusion.”
But there was a limit to comforting myself that way.
My memories were too detailed.
My body proved that the events in my memory weren’t delusions.
The somewhat stuffy and stale air here still lingered in my nose.
The voice of my friend, with whom I had happily conversed until yesterday, echoed in my ears.
The proud acceptance message I had worked tirelessly to achieve flashed before my eyes.
Words I couldn’t say to my parents because I was busy looking for a job still lingered on my lips.
Tears fell; my nose was dripping with snot and spit.
Sounds that couldn’t form words kept spilling out.
This situation made me want to gag.
What sin did I commit to deserve this trial?
Even if I screamed to the sky or wailed, nothing changed.
The god who brought me here haphazardly abandoned me.
Then suddenly, I thought, “Could it be that I’ve committed a great sin and am being punished?”
If not, this situation doesn’t make sense.
From that moment on, I started writing down the sins I had committed in my past life on paper.
I didn’t return items I found on the street.
I skipped classes under the pretense of being sick—little sins like that.
As I meticulously searched my memories and looked at the papers listing my sins, I rejected them.
Even after reading them thousands of times, I didn’t deserve this level of punishment.
I was furious.
I resented the god who sent me here so much.
I compromised: apparently, my sins must have seemed significant to the gods.
I fell into depression, not eating anything for a while, hoping this situation would end as if I’d wake up from a nightmare.
In the end, I accepted it.
You must want something from me, that’s why you brought me here.
However, I will not move according to your wishes.
Someday, I will send your ugly self crashing down beneath my feet.
After that, I holed up in the mountains and began wildly swinging my sword.
…
After finishing my Qi cultivation, I slowly opened my eyes.
My floating body began to slowly sink to the ground, and the next realm, which felt so close, playfully eluded my grasp.
“I’m lacking.”
It felt like I could reach it with just one more step…
I shook my head quickly, trying to clear my thoughts.
I didn’t want to experience the sensation of violently throwing up again due to unnecessary worries.
“Ha…”
I exhaled a light sigh and headed toward the hut where the Nameless was waiting.
A smile crept onto my face.
As I approached the hut, a sweet smell tickled my nose.
Sniff sniff…
“!! This smell is….”
Strawberries!
Maybe quite a bit of time had passed during my Qi cultivation, as it seemed the Nameless had gone down to the village to buy strawberries.
Saliva naturally pooled in my mouth, and the corners of my lips began to rise.
“No, no. This won’t do.”
I swallowed my saliva and forced my lips down.
How childish to feel thrilled just because he brought back some strawberries—definitely not the image of a cool master.
What I’m pursuing is not just to advance to the next realm but to appear more impressive as a master; therefore, I must hide this childishness.
I slapped my cheek—snap!—and straightened my expression.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Though my lips quivered slightly, the Nameless probably wouldn’t notice.
Creak creak—walking as silently as possible to express no joy, I reached the front of the hut.
Now, when I open this door, it will be strawberries, or rather, the Nameless.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat and made my presence known to the Nameless by the hut without having to open the door.
There were some hardships in not opening the door, though, since recently after finishing Qi cultivation and visiting without a thought, I had caught the Nameless in a compromising position.
“Hmm, the Nameless’s partner must have a tough time.”
Well, it’s not my concern.
Anyway, I felt it would be awkward to remain silent then, so I awkwardly smiled and gave a thumbs-up, resulting in the Nameless turning pale and the sparkle in his eyes fading.
I had to exert myself to dissuade the Nameless from taking drastic actions at that time.
While recalling that Nameless’s embarrassing past, he came out.
Suddenly, a playful impulse arose.
“Hmm, did you solve your problem?”
“…Yes? Are you referring to my trip to the village?”
Seeing this guy nervously stutter and a faint blush on his face, I knew he understood.
I lightly patted the Nameless’s shoulder and wore a smile that looked a bit lewd.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Your master understands everything.”
“…”
The air turned eerily silent.
Huh?
“Why is there no reaction?”
Feeling a little cold, I glanced up at the Nameless.
What met my eyes was the Nameless glaring at me, his face twisted in anger.
Huh?
The Nameless stormed back inside the hut, slamming the door shut.
“Nameless?”
No response.
“…Nameless?”
I even heard the click of the lock being turned; cold sweat dripped down.
I grasped that I’d misjudged the situation and banged on the door.
“Nameless! I was wrong! I was too harsh with my joke!”
Bang bang!
“Nameless!!”
Bang bang!
After about three minutes of banging, I finally heard the Nameless’s voice from inside.
“Since it’s late, I think it’s better if I sleep and see you tomorrow.”
“What!”
What nonsense is this? The sun has just set!
“Have a good night, Master.”
“AAAAAH! I’m sorry!”
Bang bang!
“Have a good night, Master.”
Even with my desperate cries, I received the same answer from the Nameless.
For some reason, his voice sounded even more stiff.
“No way…!”
Bang bang!
“At least… at least! Please leave me some strawberries!”
This unruly disciple wouldn’t even respond to his master’s plea.
Bang bang!
“My strawberries!”
Harang cared more about strawberries than the sulking Nameless.
After standing at the door like that for another hour, I pouted my lips and spoke in a small voice.
“Well, I really did joke too much, Nameless.”
I could feel slight trembling from inside the hut, so he probably wasn’t asleep.
With a devilish smile, I said, “If you open this door, I’ll grant you a wish within reason.”
The trembling grew more pronounced inside.
Noticing that, I laughed even harder.
Of course, I had no intention of granting it.
“What do you think you’re doing, disciple, to your master!”
This was a punishment that the master was giving the disciple, and a lesson against trusting people too easily.
If I pretended to completely forget afterward, the Nameless would eventually tire out and give up.
I purposefully made my voice sound as pitiful as possible, trembling.
“So… if you come out… could you please…?”
Before long, I heard footsteps approaching the door.
“Gotcha!”
Creak- the door opened, and the Nameless peered out.
“…Is that really true?”
“Of course it is!”
I showed a genuine smile devoid of any lies.
No matter how well the Nameless usually read my thoughts, he wouldn’t see through this.
The Nameless fully emerged from the door and stared at me intensely.
Then the Nameless spoke, his voice dry.
Cold sweat dripped down.
“Master.”
“Uh… why are you calling me?”
The Nameless brought his face close to mine and locked eyes with me.
“Are you planning to use this situation to take the strawberries for yourself?”
“Hmm? Me? Absolutely not! What do you take me for?”
The Nameless gave me a suspicious look, and sweat began to pour down like a waterfall.
“Then can you swear on your honor as my master?”
“…Swear on what?”
I feigned ignorance, tilting my head back, taking a step back.
The Nameless advanced to the distance I had retreated from, as if to say, ‘Try that again,’ and it turned out he wasn’t wrong.
“What I mean is, you’ll grant me a wish.”
“A wish?”
That sounded a bit different, didn’t it?
“Didn’t you just say ‘please’?”
I felt flustered.
“Yes, you can’t mean to tell me that the master would lie to the disciple just to get a strawberry?”
“Um, no, of course not.”
The Nameless pressed me, not allowing me a moment to gather my thoughts.
“Then can you swear?”
“Of course..! What’s a little vow!”
Somehow, it felt like I was digging my own grave, and my mind spun.
“Alright, come inside. I have plenty of strawberries I bought from the village.”
“Uh, okay.”
Seeing the Nameless’s lips curling into a big smile was probably just my illusion.
Still, since the strawberries the Nameless brought were delicious, I have no regrets.