Salt.

Spice.

And every meat that’s nice.

These were the perfect ingredients to make a simple but filling meal for a couple of adventurers who had a long journey ahead of them.

However, the peculiar Discount Human with no name messed it up by including something that turned the whole thing upside down.

Atrocious luck!

Irlen, Denille, Reon and Benzard had taken a single bite of the meat that had been roasted over a fire by Skullius and in the next moment, they had all felt their stomachs churn before the food even arrived to their oesophagi!

Denille spit it out and gave Skullius a rage filled gaze.

Benzard set down the meat and took a walk around the close vicinity of their camp.

Irlen sat down with a dark look in his eyes while Reon looked at Skullius with a flabbergasted expression.

How?

This bastard literally had nothing else to do other than to watch the juicy fat fall from the meat as it roasted over the fire and add the spices that he had been given!

Reon had been watching closely. Skullius followed all the steps but somehow…

Somehow!

The meat had turned bad regardless._.

Skullius grabbed a portion for himself, not bothering with these fiends that didn’t appreciate his work. He decided to try it for himself.

He took a piece of the skewered meat which belonged to a deer-like creature called the Butter Willow. The meat had been tender, giving off a scent of freshness even when the creature was being skinned.

This animal was well known all across Aigas as it was a delicacy that many wouldn’t get the chance to enjoy as it was usually found in dangerous places. By some miracle, it always managed to evade death from some powerful creatures, being allowed to roam among the territories of beasts that no one would dare to travel close to.

Unlike most people, Skullius knew that it was because of the creature’s outrageously high luck stat that it managed to survive and strangely, this trait seemed to follow all breeds of this creature.

Skullius sunk his teeth into such a creature that was roasted to perfection with a splendid choice of spices.

Contrary to the expectations of the three who were watching with keen eyes, Skullius merely chewed and chewed.

And chewed, then gulp.

He swallowed.

There was no change in his expression as it remained the same with Skullius going on to take another bite of meat without glee and without horror.

Reon slapped his forehead.

‘Does this guy not have taste buds?! Is he some country bumpkin that can tolerate anything with fat?!’ he barked in his own mind before giving up. He couldn’t even bring himself to be mad at Skullius.

He simply grabbed more portions of the remaining meat and cooked them himself, which soothed the hearts of his companions as they got to taste the full majesty of the Butter Willow after it was cooked by the right hands.

The chewy flesh whose heat from being just cooked did not take away from the experience, even enhancing the taste along with the slightly spicy aftertaste that brought out the flavour of such a humble creature.

Reon wore a satisfied look and turned to look at Skullius who had been given the entire portion of the Butter Willow he had cooked as no one wanted it. He expected the Discount Human to be yearning for his version of the meat after smelling the aroma and hearing the cheers from those that enjoyed it but…

Skullius was sitting on a log with one foot on top of the other. He was using a stack of grass to remove the remains of the meat that was stuck in his teeth without a care in the world!

Reon was infuriated. He wanted to rush up to Skullius and stuff him with the Butter Willow he had cooked then wait to see his surprised expression but he held back.

That would be unbecoming of a powerful warrior who had inherited the Imagining Technique of Swordsmanship. A technique that was capable of cutting through ethereal and real objects by weaving mana in a complex pattern only known to those that inherited the technique.

Once again, contrary to his inferences, Skullius didn’t have the ability to taste anything. When he had eaten the horrible version of the Butter Willow, he had not been able to taste it at all. It had slid down his throat and then, a strange grip held down the food, burning it up into fuel for his body!

Literally!

He had eaten to make the heaviness he felt go away and it had worked.

He had regained the feeling of normalcy and it was good, but unfortunately, after the entire fiasco with the Butter Willow meat, Skullius discovered that he had a few minutes before the Doom Factor, Disowned activated.

Benzard stood to tell everyone that it was time to move on. Soon the camp was left behind as everyone followed the man with Havana brown hair.

Skullius gulped as he felt the clock tick.

Everything that happened around him didn’t seem as vivid anymore. He was about to be erased. What else could hold a candle to that?

This time, there didn’t seem to be a miracle that would happen to save him.

So much for freedom.

So much for a long adventure with Null Life.

So much for a journey with his best pal, Red bro.

Did it all have to end here, while he was looking at the backs of the people who had treating him like garbage.

He didn’t get to kill Denille yet. To really flesh her up nice and good.

He didn’t really have a particular grudge against the others except for them wanting to kill him and all but he wanted to have an epic fight with them once he had reached a higher tier.

“Oh well…” Skullius voiced, attracting the attention of Reon whose eyes blazed a millisecond after he turned to Skullius.

[The Doom Factor ‘Disowned’ has reached its time limit]

[Assessing target’s situation…]

[You have failed to grab a hold of your own fate within the time that was given by the benevolent Voice of Worlds]

[You have failed to sustain your own existence with mana]

[Attempting mana reduction…]

[Mana insufficient]

[You shall now meet your end]

The other three in front of Reon felt something peculiar and turned, seeing Skullius’ body fall to the ground!

“What’s happening?!” Benzard yelled with wrath filling his face.

“I’m not sure… I saw mana leaking out of him and now… I think he’s dying,” said Reon as he analysed Skullius.

Benzard reached Skullius’ body and placed his hand on the chest.

“Mana is it? Let’s just supply it to him then!” the man said as he then turned to the others. “We can still save him before it’s too late!”

Irlen rushed to Benzard and placed his hand on Skullius, mana beginning to burst from his hand and into the small figure of the Discount Human.

Benzard saw that an extra pair of hands was missing while he and Irlen supplied Skullius with Onia.

“Hey, hurry up before he dies! I don’t want to lose this when I’m so close!” Benzard said as he turned to Reon and Denille who looked back at him without the slightest intention to come forward and help.

“He was right,” Denille said with a tremble in her figure as if she didn’t believe what she said and was about to say. “Eobald was right. All you want is strength. Wherever it can be found is where you are. Where your heart is. That’s why you’ll never be as good as he was…”

…!

Benzard’s face twisted into a scowl. He didn’t believe what he had just heard. Did he hear clearly? Was this bitch still defending Eobald after finding out who he was?!

“So that’s how it is, huh? Even when your lover turns out to be a psychotic maniac who wants to bring about the end of the world, you will always defend him against someone you consider to be the lesser counterpart. Now isn’t that mighty wise of you, Denille,” Benzard said with a cold tone that made Denille shiver.

“And you feel the same way too?” Benzard turned to Reon who wore his usual calm expression and nodded.

“Yes. Let this obsession end here. I’m tired. We’re all tired. People died. Let’s go home.”

Benzard looked at Irlen, asking if he felt the same way, but the burly man shook his head and resumed pumping his mana into Skullius.

“I see.”

***

Skullius felt like he had been put to rest just like the old days in Deadmanland after the last notification from the guidance field had disappeared from his vision.

Now, he found himself floating in a pitch black void with nothing of a body to be seen on him. It seemed like only his eyes existed, peering through nothing in particular.

‘Where am I?’ he thought.

He had intended to speak, but only his thoughts resounded in his mind.

‘Hmm? What’s going on?’

As if to answer his question, a figure immediately emerged from the darkness!

…!

It was terrifying!

To Skullius, it wasn’t scary because of its appearance, but because of its identity!

It was something that he knew all too well.

An overbearing presence.

A dark green skeletal structure that looked several millenia old.

A deep red socket flame that burned maliciously!

A cackle that would have made his bones quiver!

All of this appeared before Skullius and before he knew it, he voiced out a word in terror.

“…. Somanda…”