A Friend

"Pathetic,"

It was not difficult to guess that the person Alex was referring to was none other than himself, it's even easier to understand why he was referring to himself as pathetic, all because of his weakness, his helplessness.

The last strike, calling it a fluke, would be not far from the truth.

Just imagine if the boss of Blessed Land hadn't put his guard down, the result would be quite different.

"Ah," sighing in the state, he got ready to face incoming danger as he knew the events were far from over.

In this critical phase, he had deciphered a very important thing that was a result of his Divination, allowing him to witness future events that could harm his life. It isn't only that; the flashes also serve as a guide.

The only requirement is that he has to decipher all of that on his own and find any possible way of survival.

When he performed the invocation ritual, in that moment of enlightenment, he instinctively used Divination on his own body and had three flashes.

One was a large aquatic creature, a representation of the boss of Blessed, an octopus-headed adversary.

Second, two white bullets, meaning there are two dangers and a way to deal with them. The first way was to learn the critical strict technique, although he didn't know what the other way was.

The last flash contained small fish; this is the one that is to worry about.

The land beneath him shook with immense intensity like an earthquake had descended inside the domes, as the place where the altar used to be and the same place where the boss had made an opening cracked.

Surrounding that hole multiple cracks started spreading, widening the gap further and further, becoming a door to the ocean below.

Multiple Stage 5 sharks emerged from it, directly entering the dome, continuously jumping up and down and moving toward Steve's injured body.

Their main goal was to consume the artefact and ascend to the next stage of evolution. It was an instinctive reaction, so most of these sharks marched toward him;

The artefact is their main dish. Of course, they couldn't say no to a healthy dessert like Steve and Alex.

Thub thub thub, jumping up and down...

"Hahahaha."

Alex heard another laugh inside the dome, a helpless chuckle; it was Steve's voice. After laughing for two, or three seconds, he said, "That was good, wasn't it?"

"Indeed," Alex answered. Although he can't move his limbs, he can very well talk.

Both Steve and Alex were facing each other opposite each other, taking aid from opposite walls.

"Now then, how can I let you die when you have protected me?"

Steve said and stood up with the help of the wall. His one shoulder was armless; his abdomen had a large hole, while his left hand held the artefact. That too was covering his abdomen, trying to ease the pain.

Steve walked forward with irregular steps, losing his balance with each step.

"You know there is an orphanage named Rising Sun. This is where I am from; it's pretty well known in the Yellow Ocean."

"The naming sense is quite chuunibyou-like as if a 5-year-old has named it," Alex didn't have the strength to stand up, as most of his bones were crushed;

"Well, when you walk out from here, give them a visit. Tell them to change it."

"What are you trying to do?"

But Alex stopped; he didn't have to ask more as Steve had reached the hole where multiple sharks were jumping out. The gap had transformed into a fountain where, instead of water, multiple sharks were coming out.

They didn't walk any further toward Steve, but if time was allowed to pass, it would be not too late for them to enter this place, filling it completely.

Suddenly, one of the sharks leapt onto Steve, landing near the leg quickly, munching on the flesh, and biting his already wounded body.

More and more jumped up, marking each part of his body as their dessert to eat.

Steve's hand was up, pointing toward the ceiling of the dome, avoiding any shark that could catch the artefact before any shark could catch it; he moved his mouth up, opening it wide.

And then he dropped the artefact in his mouth.

Waiting for some seconds to swallow it, he allowed all the creatures to cover his body in every possible way.

From Alex's vision now, the sight in front of him looked like a small mountain of sharks. His eyes widened, his heart beating with a lot of intensity; he never imagined this would be the way Alex could survive.

A gulped sound echoed as Alex knew what is the cause of this.

It was Steve, whose entire figure was covered in the veil of sharks, head to toe.

Alex remembered the time they had spent together; it was not much but all and everything was memorable.

The time when Steve mistook him for having a bad stomach, the sight when they reached Mia and registered themselves.

The moment when they first held the gun and tested the bulletproofs of the armour, the tasks they achieved and fulfilled together, the sight of hunting fish, to all the points to currently where Steve had stood up to save him, who was passed out because of the sheer impact of the boss's strike.

"No, no!" Alex started to search for any solution, a way that could save his first true friend in this world, in this foreign land.

Nothing came into his mind as his knowledge was too shallow and little. Anyways, one thing repeated.

Devoured pathway...

It was simple; whenever someone attempted to use it, he consumed the artefact and creature rich in Spirituality.

This is the only way for animals to evolve.

If a human attempted to use it, his body would be blasted apart and reduced to meat pulp.

But there is still a chance, a chance one in a millionth.

Where a human can survive the weight and adapt to devoured pathways.

Alex, unaware of his feelings, wanted Steve to survive, as the journey they had gone through in the past two days had unknowingly broken his social barrier. That was the only obstacle for Alex to make a friend.

And right now, that has been broken by Steve, who now is his first friend in this world.

Alas, it was too late, wasn't it?

—BoOoOoOOOOOOOoooooom.