Or so he thought. But the fox's blood also seemed to fix that issue.
Rin was no longer losing blood—something had stopped the bleeding.
At the same time, he felt his strength growing. Newly found power surged through him. It was a weird sensation, like fire coursing through his veins, heating his body. The fox's blood wasn't just helping him—it was merging with him.
It felt incredible. His deathly condition seemed to have taken a one-eighty.
For a moment, Rin thought luck changed sides. Maybe he would survive.
But it came with a price. As the blood repaired his nerves, the pain returned—sharper, clearer. It was excruciating, something far worse than death.
"AUGHHH!!!"
Before, his pain receptors were overloaded—limiting the amount he could feel—but now that was no longer the case. His body burned, unadjusted to the foreign substance trying to take control. It was a war. Every cell in his body was scorched and healed and scorched again. Even being dipped into lava was incomparable.
Rin foamed out the mouth, his body grew tense. Breathing seemed like an impossible task.
He couldn't hold back anymore. The pain climbed from his shoulders to his chest, down to his legs, then upward—into his head. His brain boiled as the blood invaded. He let his voice out.
"AUUUHHHH!"
Agony. Agony unmatched even when he was getting his arms torn off piece by piece.
His muffled screams could be heard from under the half-eaten corpse, alerting monsters nearby, but Rin no longer cared. He didn't have the capacity to care. Only pain existed in his mind—every other thought interrupted by it.
His body convulsed. Hair turned white from the roots up, bleached by the mutating blood. Every part of him was changing.
He wasn't Rin anymore. Not fully.
He bit his tongue hard enough to slice it open. His legs thrashed around—still pinned by the giant body.
For ten unending minutes, his world was nothing but pain. Time lost meaning. Each thought crumbled; every breath choked. Even blinking was impossible. His muscles seized, flailing in violent spasms as blood pumped through them. Scorch. Heal. Scorch again. His consciousness wavered—drifting toward sleep, only to be waken by another wave of agony.
Finally, he passed out for the last time, eyes wide open and tears still falling.
***
Today marked the third day—the third day after Rin's fall.
The class had taken it hard.
From the start, everyone thought of this as a game. They were in a foreign world—much more dangerous than their own, but none of them truly thought that they would die. Rin's death was a wakeup call. This was real.
Even worse, he died protecting them from their own naïveté. He could've survived, he wouldn't have been in the range of the spells, but he held back the boss while the others retreated.
Everyone blamed themselves, even those that hadn't been with him. Eris especially.
She had been right next to him when he fell. She saw his shocked face as the ground beneath him crumbled. She saw him looking for a hold. Looking for help. But no one could.
Ever since then, she hadn't left her bed for anything. Her appearance was disheveled from the lack of care. Even food was left untouched.
Curled into a fetal position, her black hair masked her sunken eyes.
"Why...? Why'd it have to be him?"
Her voice cracked, exhausted from days of crying.
"Eris..."
Another girl sat beside her. Eira. Her sister.
Eira had run out of comforting words long ago. Now, she just held her. Their foreheads touching.
"...It's not your fault."
Eris looked up, eyes trembling.
"B-But I promised..."
*
The night before the tenth floor raid.
Eris, in a simple robe, knocked on Rin's door.
Soft footsteps came from behind. Then a click. The door opened revealing a highschooler with black hair and black eyes. He looked surprised, but it quickly melted.
"Hey Eris!"
He smiled, happy to see her despite it almost being midnight.
Eris stood in place, drawing her courage. Then she asked.
"Can... can I come in?"
His expression turned to surprise once more before he nodded and stepped aside.
He sat down, motioning for her to do the same. Eris decline—shaking her head.
He raised a brow in confusion.
"What is it—"
"I don't want you going into the labyrinth tomorrow."
She blurted out, interrupting him.
He froze, making sure he heard right before replying. Was she worried for him?
"...Why not?"
Eris looked at the ground, holding her wrist.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"..."
Rin didn't answer at first. He just watched her.
"Please, Rin..."
She looked back up at him, hoping for him to stay.
"Thank you, Eris. That means a lot."
"So—"
"But I'm going."
Her shoulders fell.
"Eris, I know I'm not strong. I'll probably get hurt. But I want to help... I want to get us home."
"But what if something happens?"
"Then you can protect me."
He smiled gently.
Eris didn't want him to go. He wasn't a fighter. There was no need for him to train with them—but looking at him, she could see he was determined. She didn't want to, but she knew she had no right forcing him to stay.
"You—You have to stay back, then."
"It's a promise."
*
The night repeated in her mind. She couldn't get rid of it.
She pressed her face into Eira's shoulder, sobbing quietly even when no tears could come.
"…Why?"
It shouldn't have been him.