Experiencing Death

Every word that came out of Goliath's mouth was treated as a drop of honey that Arthur's mind licked clean.

With legs wobbling whenever his feet would land on the ground, and distorted breathing that would even scare away the crows, Arthur was still running. Simply, because there was recovery for a delusional person. 

He had fallen into an extreme state of delusion.

The delusion was simple. Him being able to run after walking more than 20 miles at a fast pace had become a part of what his forty percent could achieve.

And, now Goliath Goggin's had dropped more honey for Arthur's brain to chomp it down.

"Don't stop when you're tired, stop when you're done." Repeating the words that he had heard from the man himself, Arthur forcefully kept his eyes open.

( 40! )

"It's not done yet, is it? I can stop when the trial ends!" Arthur told himself as the words of Goliath Goggin's had once again inspired his soft side.

He had thought he was already hard enough after receiving the recognition of Goliath and the achievement 'Stay hard'. But, Arthur was getting to another level of being hard.

Unknowingly he was reaching the level where he would end up staying hard for eternity.

( 30! )

The countdown of his death was as close as the position where he would be along with Goliath in the next thirty seconds. That is, just a few tens of meters away.

But, Arthur didn't know. Neither did Goliath.

Looking back at Arthur, Goliath smiled and looked ahead as his eyes seemed to be shining.

"Son, I am sorry." Goliath Goggin's suddenly said words that Arthur had never heard after his father had left him.

"Yes sir!?" Arthur was shocked and wondered if he had heard right.

( 29! )

"I thought jogging at a mediocre speed would be enough to test you, a fat little boy, who is here to prove himself." Goliath told Arthur. This time his words aimed at Arthur weren't through a shout but instead it was a praiseful start.

( 28! ) 

"Son, you have splendidly exceeded my expectations. I, myself, was testing you mediocrely, when this world is one where mediocrity is often rewarded. But, after taking a look at you and your desires to achieve something here, I have decided that you shall fight for greatness!!" Goliath said and nodded his head as if he had found a worthy partner to follow him.

( 27! )

The pace of his jogging had already passed the boundary that a word 'pace' could explain. Arthur who was barely keeping up while running with his all felt a change.

Goliath's jogging increased to a speed where he was at a wall that divided jogging from running.

( 26! )

"Keep up if you can, son!" Goliath told Arthur with a belief in his voice, as if he was sure that Arthur would still be able to follow him well.

( 25! )

"Yes sir! Stay hard!" Arthur shouted but this was the weakest of his shouts till now.

With the last of his life that was left within him, Arthur forcefully stepped harder.

He didn't know where this strength within him was rising from because this was his first time being on the brink of death while following the hardest man on earth.

As he forced himself, the countdown on heaven's eye fell drastically.

( 5! )

The moment a single digit appeared on it, Arthur fell to his knees.

"Blurgh~" With an obscure fluid coming out of his mouth, Arthur's sight darkened.

Goliath glanced back and with an upset look his face hardened.

( 4! )

"You fell. Even the way you are dying is so comfortable and soft that you'll die without ever realizing your true potential." Goliath spoke to Arthur who could barely hear him as he was experiencing a condition known as MOF.

Multiple Organ Failure. 

That last step had caused his kidneys and lungs to fail in tandem. But, Arthur didn't know that.

'I can't breathe. Am i drowning? It hurts.' Arthur couldn't speak and neither could he touch himself where he was hurting the most.

Except the pain, the only thing left with him were the last words of Goliath.

'Is this what dying feels like? Am i going to die without realizing my true potential like he said?' Arthur wondered as his head felt heavy and his heart shivered.

( 3! ) 

'...' Thought vanished from his head as Arthur stomach was the first to touch the ground as he fell towards it.

( 2! )

"He will fucking get up. I know it! He can fucking do this!" Goliath who was still jogging, glanced at Arthur.

Seeing Arthur who was literally lying dead on the concrete floor, wasn't enough to shake Goliath's belief.

Indeed, he was the hardest man of Earth for a reason.

( 1! )

( The inevitable death has struck you! ) 

( The Gods of the lower heavens are dispersing! )

( The Hidden Title of Kronosia, 'The Fraudster of the Lower Heavens' has strengthened thanks to your death! ) 

( The heaven's eye will vanish in thirty seconds! ) 

Ten seconds passed since Arthur had started eating dirt off the concrete floor, or that's what Goliath wanted to believe.

Seeing how Arthur wasn't getting up with every worried glance, Goliath stopped and took a deep breath.

-inhale-

-exhale-

Ten more seconds passed just like that.

Goliath turned around and looked right at Arthur.

-inhale-

-exhale- 

Thirty seconds had passed and the script of the heaven's eye that was next to Arthur rolled inwards as it closed into a scroll.

The moment it took the shape of the scroll, it vanished upwards with the speed of light.

The heaven's eye had vanished but the belief on Goliath's face was still there.

At the same time, a car stopped next to Goggin's.

The car had a fiery logo with three words etched into the car's frame.

"Liver King Rules!"

The car window gradually lowered, revealing a man with long hair and a hairy chest.

"Goggin's, are you not running today?" The man asked Goliath who was focused on Arthur.

Glancing at the man who was talking to him, Goliath opened his mouth, "Liver King, you motherfucker. You don't me son!" 

Hearing that, the man in the car started laughing boisterously and soon drove off.

"I knew it. Hahaha~" His loud voice still echoed around Goliath even though his car was already out of sight.

Goliath raised his hand and cupped it around his mouth to shout whilst looking back at Arthur.

"Who's gonna carry the boats?" Goliath shouted and a second later, Arthur's body twitched.