"No, I can't take it anymore. What does he mean by 'whatever I want'? John Chou, that bastard—I really don't know how Sourcewell manages to get along with someone like him."
A surge of anger welled up in my chest. I had wanted to have a serious talk with John Chou, but I must have been an idiot—he brushed me off with a single 'do as you please,' and by the time I wanted to ask more, John Chou was already gone.
Under the starlit night, I was heading toward the mountaintop. Though I was deeply dissatisfied, I could only follow John Chou's instructions for now. He was so willful that he could drag everyone into his mess.
I stopped, looked up at the stars in the sky, and sighed. Once I got up there, I'd have to fight that skeleton again. This kind of battle was already enough for me. I still couldn't understand what John Chou really wanted.
I was still thinking about that double-layered dream I had during the day. I've had similar experiences before—thinking I'd woken up, but in reality, I was still trapped in the dream.
What chilled me most about last night's dream was the mass grave behind the village. I glanced back—on this mountain road, I could still see the faint glow from the village, but behind it, there were only ordinary vegetable fields, not a single grave.
"Forget it, I'll just go up first and see what happens."
Tonight will mark the fourth day. John Chou said he'd give me a week—if I still couldn't figure things out, I'd have to go back. I don't want to go back. Ever since he showed me that memory and told me everything, I've kept it all in mind. Next time, it'll be my turn.
The fruit Sourcewell left behind—I will guard it with my life. The Six Paths of Reincarnation have been reborn, and everything in the world has returned to peace. But when will that unknown war come? No one knows. Time is running out. I must pull myself together. Now, only John Chou can help me.
"So it's finally happening? Hurry up and get started, Rachel Lan. There's not much time left, and I don't have enough to waste on your daily tantrums."
I looked up at John Chou in the sky. The skeleton before me rose to its feet again, a streak of pink light flashing above my head. The moment the skeleton stood, it grabbed the beauty and charged straight at me.
I tightened my grip on the machete and started moving, slow at first, then speeding up as I neared the skeleton. Our weapons clashed again with the same force as before, sending both of us stumbling back. We rushed at each other once more, locked in a brutal exchange.
Today's fight was different from the ones before. The skeleton had me completely pinned down—its attacks were relentless. Compared to previous days, I was starting to struggle to keep up.
These past few days, I’d only used a fraction of my strength against the skeleton, always wondering how it managed to fight me with exactly the same power, even matching my moves and speed. There was almost no difference at all.
No matter what I tried, I just couldn’t break through the skeleton’s defense. Its sword blocked every attack, from every angle, with every trick I could think of.
Suddenly, I dodged a slash from the skeleton and rolled past it, swinging my machete at its ribs. There was a sharp clang. My eyes widened as the skeleton switched the beauty to its other hand and blocked my attack with ease.
I stumbled backward as the skeleton slid back, steadying itself. When I stopped moving, so did it. I stared, panting, my eyes wide with exhaustion.
"Why is this happening?"
I stared at the skeleton in silence. I’d compared its height and bones with John Chou’s before, but now I was starting to realize—the skeleton looked a lot like me.
The realization shocked me. I glanced up at John Chou—he was still watching me coldly, saying nothing. I decided to take a short break before continuing the fight.