1 I hate it

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'I hate it.'

Watching the awkward faces of his two friends, Arthur smiled lightly. Reaching forward, he placed his hands on their heads. His soul no longer capable to even scream in pain.

"Good for you, guys." Rustling the hair of his two classmates, Arthur widened his smile. Seeing how the faces of his friends turned from awkward to joyful, he moved his hands back to their place along his waist.

"What about you, do you maybe have anyone you like? Even though I don't think I can help much…" Watching at this damned extravert pretended to look humble and unsure for a moment, Arthur barely managed to stop his fists from tightening.

'I'm too tired for this.'

Desperately cutting away at the extreme emptiness that filled him, Arthur looked at his blonde and athletic friend with a fake smile. With over two years of practice, he learned how to model his face quite a lot.

"You know I don't have time for such a thing. It's way more interesting to explore dungeons." Shaking his head in a quick denial, Arthur suddenly brought his right wrist to his eyes. Pulling the sleeve of his enhanced school uniform, he revealed an antic-looking clock.

"Oh boy, speak of the devil. Let's wrap it up for today, I have some assignments I need to attend." Standing up from the sofa, Arthur slapped his waist to tidy up his uniform. "Don't let the butterflies take over your mind though. We still have exams to attend soon. Even if you want to get into service, it's not something I will allow you to ignore."

Shedding all the sourness that the sight of his crush and his best friend becoming a couple made him create, Arthur once again looked towards the clock. Moving away from the comfy furniture, he grabbed his light backpack before waving away at his friends.

"Don't stay too long. You still owe me ten bucks for the last time. I assume you won't let it go that easily."

For the first time since the topic of their relationship came out, Arthur genuinely smiled. It seemed as if detaching himself from this earthy life allowed the young man to at least experience the basic happiness of friendship.

"Don't fret! But tomorrow, it will be Nessie shuffling the cards!" Shouting with an unusual smile of his, Brandon bid his farewells. Nessie just smiled at him gently to send their friend off. Perfectly aware of what was most likely to ensure once he would leave, Arthur felt yet another sting at his soul.

'Why the fuck am I like that?'

Moving past the empty corridors of the Perra High, Arthur asked himself. It wasn't the first time for this question to appear in his head. In fact, last two years it was the main topic of his inner debate.

'Why the fuck can't I just do whatever…'

Changing his shoes in the locker area, Arthur looked at his backpack for a moment before shuffling it in the locker. With the school basically ending within just a single month, he didn't need to bother with studying anymore. Given how his plans for life were already set, there was no need for him to overreach.

Looking at his wrist once again, Arthur's face tensed a bit.

'Only seventeen hours left, huh?'

Only upon the closer inspection could someone notice that the clock that the young man was wearing didn't seem to work at all. While its hands were moving, the didn't seem to follow any routine, clearly indicating something different from the flow of minutes and hours.

Wrapping his sleeve against his wrist once again, Arthur left the school. At this point, the only reason why he still attended the voluntary classes was to keep a small semblance of sanity. By watching others live their normal and happy life, he could somehow cheat his brain into remaining somewhat stable.

Out of the school grounds, Arthur took the turn and walked the sunny road back home. Living in the suburbs as he did, he was already used to walking the entire distance on foot. In fact, the daily commute was just a part of his daily training.

Because in the private dungeon he somehow had access to, even the tiniest difference in strength and endurance mattered.

After over an hour worth of walking, Arthur finally reached his home. With both of his parents still in the middle of their respective jobs, he simply passed through the front yard before entering the building. Even though on earth he had no more duties to attend to, Arthur was in a hurry.

Reaching his room, he quickly jumped out of all his clothes, before placing his hand on the wall opposite the doors.

"Dungeon activate."

As soon as Arthur uttered those words, the wall below his palm suddenly glowed with a pale, blue light. The next moment, this faint aura turned more vibrant, spreading out from Arthur's hand. After just a second, the light mostly faded away, leaving behind a huge triangle marked with a bright, white glow.

And behind said triangle, a dim corridor awaited the young man.

"Let's go…" Muttering to himself as he made the first step towards the abyss, Arthur didn't show any hint of hesitation or fear. Rather than that, his face was filled with resigned determination to push through any obstacle on his path.

After walking just a few meters, the young man finally reached the pile of his equipment that he left in this interplanar corridor. Donning on his set of truly enhanced leather armour and arming himself with both the sword and a crystal, violet ball.

Done with the preparations, Arthur looked to the side, finally bothering to take notice of the countless notifications flashing in the corner of his vision. No matter how many times did he discard them, they relentlessly appeared as soon as he would enter this dark place.

And one of them was always reminding him about what waited at the other end of the corridor.

"Mission: Subjigate the Rouge Valkyrie on the seventh floor of the Personal Dungeon."

"Rewards for fulfilling: five skill points"

"Penalty for failure: All those who care about you will die."

"Remaining time, sixteen hours."