Unforeseen Encounters

. . . Who's pointing a sniper at me?

I said as I turned to face the sniper aiming for my head, giving him the Johan Liebert treatment.

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--Sniper POV--

I am [unnamed character], one of the best snipers in the world. There is not one mission I have failed until now. I even scored a perfect headshot from 400 meters away. People say I play Call of Duty in real life.

I've been hired again. The man called himself Author and offered me almost double my usual fee. He also mentioned something about giving me my own POV, but that didn't seem to matter much.

He wanted me to assassinate Ryomen Sukuna, a noble kid with a reputation for being both trash and lazy, while some called him the devil. This sheer contrast in opinions piqued my interest, so I accepted the job.

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Sitting between trees, [unnamed character] aimed at the head of Sukuna, perfectly still, readying himself to shoot, but suddenly, Sukuna stopped his punching and grinned.

He slowly turned his head and stared directly at the sniper.

'He . . . knew?'

'No, it's impossible, I made no sound'

A sudden feeling of unease washed over me. I decided to suspend the assassination for now and quickly tried to walk away.

"I messed up, I only have a day to–"

As I attempted to retreat, a sudden chill ran down my spine. The air around me seemed to grow heavier, and an unnatural silence enveloped the forest. My instincts screamed at me to run, but my legs felt like they were stuck in mud.

Just as I managed to take a few steps back, an invisible force seized me. My body stiffened, and I felt an intense pressure compressing me from all sides. Panic surged through my veins as I struggled against the unseen grip, but it was futile.

"What's happening?" I thought frantically. "How is he doing this?"

A sharp, excruciating pain shot through my body, and I felt my flesh and bones being sliced with precision. The agony was beyond anything I had ever experienced. It felt like a thousand razor blades were simultaneously carving through my skin, muscle, and bones.

My vision blurred as my eyes were filled with tears of pain. I could see the world fracturing around me, my perspective splitting into chaotic, distorted images. Each fragment of my body seemed to be suspended in mid-air, isolated from the rest, yet still agonizingly connected by the unbearable pain.

As my consciousness began to fade, I experienced a strange detachment from my body. It was as if I were an observer, watching in horror as my form was dissected into countless cubes. I could feel each piece, every nerve ending still firing signals of torment to my mind.

The pain was overwhelming, but even more terrifying was the sense of helplessness. There was no escape, no way to fight back. My identity, my very being, was being methodically dismantled. The world around me dimmed, the colors fading into a dull gray, and the sounds of the forest grew distant.

In those final moments, my thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear, regret, and disbelief. How had I underestimated this target so completely? The thought that crossed my mind was a chilling realization:

"This is the end."

The final thought I had in my life was:

"I hope he doesn't try to take revenge on this kid"

And then, everything went black.

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--Sukuna POV--

Dismantle is overpowered, I bet I could one shot D-Rank monsters now.

Well, that was what he deserved for trying that on me.

Well now that I completed the quest I should go rest.

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I was really angry, of course I was completely indifferent from the outside, but I was just told that I would not be needed to take the first 4 exams as I was recommended into the school, and will be automatically entered into the top 500 from the combat sector who will take the 5th test.

'THIS SUCKS, I wanted some fun and test some abilities bruh, I was just made to skip out on all the fun.' I thought as I was looking at the examinees fighting the artificially-made monsters.

I had an unforeseen encounter with two important people, who were both the other recommended students, sitting beside me.

But more importantly, they both were part of the main cast.

First, a high noble, Alexia Hadrion.

As the only daughter of the Hadrion family, one of the most prestigious noble houses, she carried the weight of her lineage with a certain mature grace. With her blue hair, a trademark of the Hadrion bloodline, Alexia exuded an air of beauty and grace that turned heads wherever she went.

The second one, Anny Leonheart, the princess of England.

She had long blonde hair that seemed to glow in the bright light of the room. This hair only emphasized her deep blue eyes that sparkled like a clear sky even more.

Her striking appearance was enough to attract gazes from both genders. But, under the beautiful exterior, there was a young woman trying to fulfil the expectations placed on her.

Born into royalty, Anny's life was one of privilege and responsibility from the very start. Her education was unparalleled, covering everything from politics to combat training. The best tutors and scholars of the kingdom were at her disposal, creating her into a future queen capable of leading with wisdom and strength.

Born to lead the country, this responsibility weighed down on her quite a bit, but she still faced all the challenges with an iron heart, while also maintaining her personal life with her close friends.

She was quite famous all around the world, breaking the stereotypes of princesses, she came up as a strong fighter.

Anny had the demeanor and grace of a princess, while also being cold-blooded and cunning when needed, sometimes even being childish when talking to her friends.

I saw her walking together while talking with Alexia.

It is good that they have already met, same as the original story.

Alexia was . . . shaking and sweating for some reason, since she is a main cast, she will definitely get into the Academy, she need not fear so much.

After all, she has plot armor.

Well, who cares, let's rest for a bit.

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--Alexia POV--

Entering the room, my heartbeat froze as I saw who was sitting there

It was him, Sukuna

A few years ago...

Being the only daughter of a high noble wasn't easy. The constant attention from suitors had exhausted me, so I decided to retreat and talk to my friends.

As I was chatting with them, a drunken noble started disrespecting two others nearby.

"Aren't they the Ryomen family?" one of my friends whispered.

"Yes, they are. Did you know they're World Nobles?" another friend replied.

"A World Noble? That drunkard really messed up now," I remarked.

"But the current heads of the Ryomen family are said to be forgiving and calm, so he might get out safely," a friend added.

The heads of the Ryomen family, Sukuna's parents, were visibly annoyed but remained silent, trying to ignore the drunk man's provocations.

Sukuna's father was visibly angry, while his mother appeared more composed but still clearly irritated.

The party members surrounding tried to get the drunk man out of there, but failed as he pushed them away.

Suddenly, the sound of tapping shoes filled the room. The heir of the Ryomen family, Ryomen Sukuna, approached.

He was often called trash and sloth due to his perceived laziness and lack of mana.

A few of my friends giggled, expecting Sukuna to embarrass himself as he stepped forward to defend his parents.

Sukuna walked up to the drunk noble and simply stared at him. The noble, now even more enraged, began to spew insults at him.

Then, something unexpected happened. Sukuna's apathetic expression twisted into a condescending, evil, and malicious grin that sent shivers down everyone's spines. The atmosphere grew heavy as Sukuna released an intense aura.

Some of my friends fainted, and I fell to my knees, feeling dizzy.

'What is this guy? How can he have such an aura when I can barely chant basic spells?' I thought, hyperventilating.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I heard Sukuna speak.

"You dare disrespect my family?"

"Since killing you here would cause problems, I'm forgiving you this once."

"Don't you ever try to speak ill of my parents again."

"Know your place."

"Foolish insect."

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--Anny POV--

I sat on a chair in the room with another boy, who had a bored expression on his face as he looked at me and her. Then he looked away and closed his eyes.

'He seems quite weird'

As I was about to pull Alexia into a chair I saw her staring at the boy, as cold sweat ran down her forehead, and her hands slowly started shaking.

I knew of the confidence and composure Alexia has had during various kinds of situations, but I had never seen her so frightened and helpless.

She seemed like a fox cornered by a lion, completely defeated, and without a chance of escaping.

Without saying a word, she silently went to sit next to him, still shaking.

'I have to keep an eye on this boy.' I thought.