Chapter 15: Born Survivor

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Born Survivor

His body slammed against the wall of the ravine, sliding and bouncing against the hard stone over and over as he made his way toward the deep forest. His bones cracked with every impact, and his consciousness was getting closer and closer to being lost in the pain.

As he fell, Victor looked up at the sky, at those hungry eyes watching him intently from the crack in the sky. At the same time, the shadow of that monster fell over him.

The flame of anger ignited in his heart. His anger toward the gods who had put him in this stupid game, toward the beasts of this forest that wanted to kill him, but above all, his anger was directed at Ayax, who hadn’t hesitated to deceive him.

What bothered him more than anything was that he couldn’t understand the reason behind such a betrayal. What did Ayax gain by killing his potential travel companions? If he gained something from doing this, then it had to be something worthwhile.

It was always worth staining your soul with blood if the reward was huge. That thought, however, only left Victor able to let his anger burn as he fell.

An instant before hitting the ground, he stretched his hand toward the sky, as if he wanted to reach all of them and strangle them to death. That was his life; he had every right to fill himself with anger toward his detractors.

Then, he crashed into the hard ground. His mind shut down for a few brief seconds, and his field of vision became completely black. His backpack lay torn apart beside him, his body shattered.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. There was a lot of blood on the ground, and he couldn’t move. And that orc was standing before him, silently staring at him. Just like Linlin and Dorian, it seemed to be refusing to move forward, as if invisible chains were dragging it onward.

With his broken hand, Victor clenched the dirt in his palm.

"You... too..." Victor said, agonizingly.

Victor finally understood that, just like Linlin and the dwarf twins, this was a participant in this damned game who had somehow fallen under Ayax’s control.

How was that possible? Victor had already figured it out; it was that bastard’s Path.

Calmly, the orc took a step toward Victor, dragging its heavy, rusty one-edged sword behind it; it was nothing more than a massive piece of iron that could crush anyone.

’So I’m going to die again, huh...’

Although he didn’t believe this was truly the end for him. If Ayax had somehow managed to control the twins, Linlin, and this big guy, Victor had no doubt that after this, he would become that bastard’s slave too.

Just thinking about that bastard using him to obtain gacha items made his blood boil with even more rage.

’No. I’m not going to die like this. I already died as a pathetic nobody! I don’t want to die like that again!’

At least until he could be free, just as he had wished for in his previous life, he couldn’t let himself go down like this. So, with the last of his strength, he pushed his forehead against the ground and spat blood. This allowed him to get onto his knees, but he still couldn’t stand up.

The orc was one step in front of him. It was resisting the urge to raise its sword against Victor.

Victor smiled when he saw the horrible bastard resisting with all its willpower. It was admirable in a creature of that caliber, and that was something he respected. So he stood up and looked it in the eyes.

His trembling hand grabbed his knife, and he said:

"Come at me if you dare, monster."

Those words weren’t really meant for the orc, but for whoever was looking through the orc’s eyes.

Victor took a step forward, but a bestial force sent him flying into one of the trees. His dying body collapsed, and a large, horrifying wound appeared across his torso. His intestines were spilling out along with the last drops of blood.

Spending his final moments on the ground, all he could think was:

’Damn... Damn... Damn. Damn it! Damn it! DAMN YOU ALL!’

The orc raised its sword. It was the final blow, but at that exact moment, the stone in Victor’s pocket began to shine intensely. It was so bright that, even inside his pocket, its light could be compared to that of a star.

Blinded by the radiance, the orc dropped its sword and covered its eyes with both hands. At the same time, Victor read something rather amusing on his System.

[The Stone has revealed its secrets.]

[After thousands of years in confinement, the light of the one who began in darkness has wrapped you in its yoke.]

[You have obtained the ability "Born Survivor."]

[Rarity: SSR]

’How convenient...’ he thought, slowly closing his eyes.

[You have obtained the one-use item "Let’s Start Over."]

[Rarity: UR]

[The one-use item "Let’s Start Over" has been activated.]

The light intensified, turning everything visible into pure white. A deathly silence tormented the dying Victor as he floated in the whiteness.

A few seconds later, Victor lay defeated in a dark place filled with black mist that made it impossible to see anything. Only the barely tangible ground beneath him felt like it was made of cobblestones that dug painfully into his back.

His body was still shattered, but now, in his hand, was the Golden Apple he had obtained. Behind his head was his backpack, and before him was a System message. It was the same description as the apple.

[When flesh gives way and breath fades, the fruit remembers what it was like to be whole.]

God... It was so obvious that he felt embarrassed for not realizing it sooner. He weakly brought the apple to his lips and took a bite. Then, the apple vanished into sparkling dust, and Victor’s wounds began to heal as if time itself had been turned backward.

Finally, the System delivered its verdict.

[You have survived and exited the first scenario.]

[Victor Sapphire (Prime) has entered the Multiversal Ranking.]