(Years ago before Arthur’s reincarnation)
[Sesang Elentary School]
"Hey, hey, did you hear?"
"Yeah, that boy over there doesn’t have a mom or dad."
"Does that an he’s a monster?"
"Mmm... I heard his grandma abandoned him too."
The hall of Sesang buzzed with chatter and whispers, all directed at a single figure walking through with his hands clutching his bag tightly.
’Don’t look at them.’
The child with black hair and dark eyes quickened his pace. ’Just ignore it all.’
There was no way he could argue with them to begin with.
As a child, he had never known his parents. According to his grandmother, they had died when he was young.
But he knew better.
How could he not? Neighbors and people from his grandma’s church called him cursed, since his parents had supposedly left him to "get milk."
And soon after, his grandmother abandoned him too.
’This isn’t that bad,’ he tried to reassure himself.
He was still alive, he could still eat, and his parents had left so money behind before disappearing.
’They must have loved ,’ he forced a smile as he entered his classroom.
The teacher, a young woman with brown hair and black eyes, turned to him. "Mister, are you in this class?"
The boy, barely twelve, smiled with broken teeth. "Yeah, I’m Beom-seok..." He closed his eyes, as if to keep his tears in. "Just Beom-seok."
This was the life of a young boy whose story was known to everyone.
---
"Co on! Pass the ball!" A voice shouted from the football field as the sound of sumr crickets filled the air.
The young boy, Beom-seok, watched for a mont, then lightly kicked at the air.
"Goal..." he whispered with a faint smile.
"Wow, that’s creepy as hell."
The little boy almost stumbled, his eyes darting to the school fence.
Sitting on it was a beautiful girl.
She was obviously a delinquent, that much was clear with a single glance.
But it didn’t make her any less beautiful.
His lips parted, his eyes wide. "You..."
The girl, wearing a short uniform and chewing gum, grinned. "I’m beautiful, right?"
The boy replied with a blank look. "You’ll die if you stay there."
The girl almost choked. "That’s the only thing you can say?"
Beom-seok tilted his head. "Uhmm... You’re really..." He looked away, cheeks warming. "You’re really pretty."
The girl paused for a mont, then burst into laughter. "What was that just now?"
She jumped down from the fence. "Okay, little one. From today, you’re slave number one."
"Huh?" The boy muttered. "I don’t want to be a slave."
She scoffed. "Well, that’s not up to you."
He stared at her for a mont. "Why though?"
She smirked, skipping toward him and patting his head. "Because I love cute things."
Beom-seok’s face turned red. "I’m not cute."
The girl’s eyes softened. "Cute."
She extended her hand. "Naless slave, I am Kim Mi-kyong, and from today you’re my property."
The boy stayed confused for over a minute before unknowingly nodding.
"Oh... okay."
That was where it all began.
If, at that mont, Arthur had walked away or made an excuse to leave, maybe this tragedy would never have happened.
------
(Apex Academy, Present Day)
Nathira took a deep breath and channeled mana through her body as her form began to transform into that of an ancient dragon.
"All of you, on now."
The girls turned to Arthur, who had collapsed on the floor, and lifted him onto Nathira’s back.
Alia, who was at the forefront, asked, "Unnie, what are we going to do?"
All around them was chaos. Absolute chaos.
Creatures that had long been sealed in the depths of the abyss, where the other gods had been, were now swarming the school.
And it wasn’t just the school.
The entire world seed to be under attack at the sa ti.
Elizabeth’s breath caught at the sight. "I know this is a bit cowardly, but..."
None of the others let her finish, as Isabella cut in.
"We know, you’re not a combatant."
The others nodded as Isabella continued. "You and Eira will provide support and evacuate the injured students."
Sylvia stood tall on Nathira’s golden back. "If I rember correctly, there are nine gods in total. From what we’ve seen, it looks like that girl has control over them."
Cassie edged closer to the side. "Even if the six of us fight, it won’t be enough."
Ellie tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I don’t think we need to worry about that."
The others turned to her as she continued. "Naza, Eric... even the dean and the teachers are still around."
They all looked at her.
"That’s true... isn’t it?" Sylvia asked.
Even she had grown used to the idea that teachers were useless in such monts.
"Eira, Elizabeth..." Nathira called out. "Protect Arthur. I’ll go after the demon god."
They all nodded before leaping down into the chaos below.
But as if by design, they all landed in completely different places.
Alia, who fell near the female dorms, quickly scanned her surroundings.
Before her eyes could finish a full sweep, an attack shot toward her.
She dodged swiftly, hiding behind a pile of rubble from the collapsed buildings.
The once grand dormitory was now reduced to ruins, flas consuming everything.
Alia peeked out just enough to see a strange man appear.
He had a hunched back, almost as if he were trying to pick sothing off the ground.
In his hands were dual firearms, his eyes glowing an eerie shade of green.
He spun his guns and spoke:
"Alia Val Arcain, right? Co out."
He stepped forward, and Alia suddenly felt sothing stick to her back.
"Found you."
She leapt away just as the spot exploded, debris, dust, and fire scattering like petals in the wind.
Her eyes glowed erald as she muttered with a strained smile, "Shit."
The man tilted his head even further. "You dodged that?" He grinned. "Nice."
Taking a slow step forward, he introduced himself. "I am the god of Sloth, Branch." He raised his guns. "Nice to et you."
─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───
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