2 Prologue - JENOVA

It's has been a few days since Takumi's initial panic when he found out that he is alone in this world. What he found was there never comes the night time.

All the foods he found on the first day at all those restaurants are still the same, just like how they first served. It's funny how it seems time stopped for everything except him, how he still feels hungry and all.

After a few days of doing nothing but walking around the city and coming to every library in this city searching for interesting books, and yet Takumi felt like that alone isn't enough to distract him from this reality.

And so he starts to train his body, he honestly didn't like moving his body that much. He had no athletic ability, and he never really took part in any sports activity. However, there's no point to use that kind of excuse like a little child even if his body returns to that of a teenager, besides with the current situation what can he do? he can feel his sanity slowly leaving him if he didn't do anything at all.

Besides, I can't be sure if I will always stay alone in this world, who can say that maybe in the upcoming weeks, months, or even years there won't be a monsters or any kind of abominations suddenly showed up and I can't do anything about it

'It will be my first time going to the gym after so long huh...'

After deciding his course of action, Takumi sighed and stood up from his current position inside the Tokonosu Library and after investing half a day searching for any kind of information on how to train the muscles, he walks his way to one of the gyms in this city, and numerous workout machines greeted Takumi.

"Well... here I'am"

Takumi, who now had a little bit of motivation approached the bike that would burn his body fat. At least it's a start, let's take a small baby step.

So since that day, Satoru Takumi went to the gym every day without any complaint for 4 years.

"Huh... I can't believe it's already that long huh when you do it every day now it's make it not much different from studying for 4 years" said Takumi while he keeps bench pressing, he doesn't really care now how much weight it is after doing it so many times, as long as he start to feel the weight he will be happy enough

For 4 years Takumi keeps training all day, with consuming sufficient nutrition, his body now looked like a health trainer that appeared on TVs.

[Well, aren't you bored doing the same things over and over again for 4 years?]

"Well it's not my fault I'm in this situation though"

And there's another matter too, after over half a year from the start of his isolation, he starting to hear a female voice inside his head. though he never really think too much of it. It just seems that he already starting to lose his sanity that he starts hearing a voice inside his and talking to that very same voice.

And after 1 more year of going to the gym, he starts to feel sick and tired of going to the gym every day.

"I think I should learn some martial arts"

[I Agree, and while you at it, you can learning some weaponry too you know]

"Do you really think I should learn how to use weapons though?'

[Of course, you never know what happen in the future]

"Eh, alright I don't have anything to do so why not. I don't know how, but electricity is still working and a few years ago the internet start working again, so I can searching for some videos on youtube or something"

Takumi stopped his workout and heaved out a sigh, he stood up and goes to the gym's bathroom to take a bath

"What do you think I should start with?"

[Taekwondo, Karate, Judo, Vale Tudo, Pencak Silat, Boxing, Muay Thai, Spearmanship, Swordsmanship, Archery, Marksmanship,-]

"You just saying every known martial art!"

[So what? you don't have anything better to do anyway]

And I never even see a real Vale Tudo in the first place- Takumi, who can only sigh at his imaginary friend's input. And besides, she's right, he doesn't have anything better to do besides working out every day. Might as well doing something new.

For a few years, he was really sad and lonely. Huh funny how the loner starting to feel lonely- but overtimes he got used to it, it's surprising that human adaptation ability is so amazing.

And so Takumi sat down in front of his laptop and searching for every information and tutorial on martial arts, sure it's difficult especially when he trying to learn so many at the same time. But he had all the time in this world.

for 3 years of continuation of trial and error, Takumi keeps training without stopping. In some martial arts, he barely succeeded in grabbing the edge, but in others, he trains harder than the others, like taekwondo.

In contrast, there was some progress in spearmanship, swordsmanship, archery, marksmanship, and knife handling.

'Martial arts, in the end, is the same as studying.'

Even something undoable would become doable when repeated a lot. it was the same with studying, with that belief led him higher.

Takumi, who barely succeeded in grabbing the edge of martial arts, started looking for books and videos more enthusiastically and got more absorbed in his training. And there was some progress.

While researching martial arts books and videos, and putting a lot of effort to learn. Takumi slowly, very slowly felt like he making progress.

Swordsmanship, Spearmanship, and Knife handling- he started considering the body movement rather than just stabbing and swinging. pre-attack movement, post-attack movement, movement to enhance attack power. And his eye direction developed.

After another 7 years, Takumi's body, which developed unilaterally, developed in a more battle-oriented way due to the martial arts training.

[You know, if I don't know any better, I would think you're eating some kind of drug]

"What are you taking my efforts as?"

[So how many years do you think you spend learning martial arts?]

"Don't know, since the sun never goes down. Give or take 14 years? I already stop counting"

[You do know that you can't know how much your techniques worked, what's wrong and should be fixed without fighting a real opponent? those sandbags and beanbags can only do much]

"How the hell am I suppose to do that? there's no one here!"

On the 14th years of his awakening and bickering with his imaginary friend and 10 years of training martial arts. Takumi thought that he can proudly say that he is confident in his technique and won't lose to any fight - if it was him from his previous life come into a fight, he would spit on his enemy and run away as fast as possible to the nearest police station.

After another 6 years of waiting, there's no change at all, no matter how long he waited, humanity didn't come back

After countless years of dedicating himself to training in martial arts, he decided to gain more real experience fighting against living creatures.

"My swordsmanship and taekwondo are still extremely sloppy!"

[I'm sure if someone heard you, they will do everything they can to beat you to death]

Takumi who screaming about how his martial arts is still sloppy, screaming while kicking a bear's head to oblivion while talking with his imaginary friend that he decided to call Yen for some reason.

Now, Takumi's punches and kicks flowed with a fighting spirit that even can kill a bear, much less a human. Takumi himself thought that he had no talent in regards to martial arts, but his hard work of 16 years was amazing.

"You know Yen, I never really think it that much, but I can't remember anything from my old life now"

[It's alright, you have a new beginning]

"Hell, I feel like I was living here alone in the first place, that all the things that happen in my past life was my delusion"

[Now aren't you just being pitiful Takun]

"don't say such things!"

He look at the bear he just killed and just sighed before walking away

"I'm tired of training martial arts, I want to do something else Yen"

[Well you do know you can't neglect your martial arts, who know what will appear in this world]

"I know *sigh, besides why you keep insisting something will even appear"

[Why can't I? Just go read some books or something]

"Good idea"

Martial arts is important especially if this world is really from High school of the Dead, but reading helps to build the foundation for one's action and reasoning.

Takumi, after setting his mind on something, immediately running toward the nearest library and shut himself inside straight away. And he listens to his imaginary friend's Yen input and trained his swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, taekwondo, and judo which he starts training seriously a few years ago for 3 hours each a day, but he invested the rest of the time solely on reading.

Honestly, he doesn't really care anymore how this world work, why all those foods in the restaurant still steaming and warm even after all this year, how electricity and internet still working, and why the sun is still glaring at him up at the sky. the only ones that seem moving were him and all those animals.

His preferences at first leaned towards novels, but he got fed up after reading those for about 3 years, so he moves onto agriculture, business management, psychology, and other humanities-related books, and languages.

After few years passed, Takumi who was now hooked to reading, move his interest onto history, physic, chemistry, art, geography - he read every single book existing in the library and stores that he can reach.

For 275 years.

[Are you really alright?]

"ya v poryadke ne volnuysya!"

[You're speaking in Russian right now, and why are you here anyway]

Satoru Takumi, who has spent 298 years since his awakening alone with nothing but his imaginary friend Yen.

Over the years using all of his knowledge of Geography, he has been go all over the places in search for countless books, he kept moving without rest as if he would die the moment he stopped doing somethings

"I finish all of iiiitttttttt!!"

[Congratulations Takun~ it's take a pretty long time to come to this point huh]

Takumi who was shouting at the top of his lungs inside, inside of the British Library, immediately walk outside and sat down on a bench and look at the sky while muttered

"Now what..."

[Now it's time]

Takumi who was wondering what he should do now while looking at the sun, suddenly surprised when he heard Yen's voice

"Yen? Time? Time for what?"

[It's time for the truth Takun]

He can only feel goosebump, truth? what truth- and as if responding to his thought. The sky cracks. And from those gaps creatures that can only be called monsters rushing through.

And suddenly in front of his eyes showed up a blue screen

[THE FINAL PHASE OF YOUR QUEST

-PROVE YOUR WORTH-

HAS STARTED

KILL AS MANY ENEMY AS YOU CAN AND SURVIVE UNTIL THE TIMER REACH ITS LIMIT

TIME LEFT: 2 YEARS

REWARD: RETURN TO THE WORLD, ?, ?.

FAIL: DEATH]

What- Takumi who's confused with everything can only look at the screen in front of him with a gaped mouth, but before he can do anything. Yen's voice broke him from his confused state

[The truth of your 300 years isolation]

With Yen's voice, the monster on the sky start falling down to the ground while some with wings still flying up above, and as with her next words

[I'am JENOVA]

All the monsters rush at him