CHAPTER 2
A groaning sound echoed in the background. Yuta, clearly in pain, muttered, "What a bastard of a goddess."
"But by the way... where am I?"
He looked around.
"This place... it must be the Abyss. The one no one comes out from, huh?"
His eyes narrowed with grim resolve.
"I must survive no matter what. Only then can I kill the goddess who banished me here."
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MEANWHILE
Back in the respective rooms of the twenty students from Yuta's class, Rika and Lancaster could be seen in conversation. Lancaster tried to console her.
"Stop crying," he urged.
But Rika, tears flowing, replied, "Why did they betray Yuta like that?"
Suddenly, a door creaked open, and Shiro stepped into the room.
"It is because Yuta is someone not worthy of being saved," he declared.
Astonished and bewildered, Rika grabbed Shiro by the collar.
"Explain!" she demanded.
Shiro's response was cold and concise.
"It is obvious. Someone who has been used as a stepping stone for others will always be needed. And seemingly, Yuta fit the bill perfectly."
With no strength left in her, a sobbing Rika slumped to the floor.
"How can you be so cruel? So evil?" she asked.
But Shiro questioned her in return.
"Why then could you not save him?"
He paused for a moment.
"I'm not saying that what we did wasn't wrong. But I intend to return home at any cost. So I prefer that no one stands in my way."
He closed the door behind him and walked away, muttering under his breath:
"Don't you dare die, Yuta."
Lancaster watched silently. Shiro's words lingered.
Rika, still on the floor, whispered to herself, questioning her own resolve.
"Why couldn't I save him?
It might as well be my fault that he is dead.
BUT...
With this in my heart, I now have an unfound determination.
So that no one else dies—
I will protect this class with everything I've got."
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Back in the Abyss, Yuta shouted in frustration.
"WHAT DO I DO?!"
No food. No water.
He had been wandering aimlessly for the past three hours.
"I've gathered some intel on this so-called Abyss. From what I've seen, this place really is a place of no return. I've counted no less than thirteen skeletons. I've collected notes left behind by those who once lived here."
Each note bore one clear message:
"THIS PLACE IS HELL."
"HELP ME!"
"I haven't seen any monsters, ghouls, or whatever lives here. But I won't lie—I don't even know what I can use. My class is still listed as '???'. I don't know what its attributes are yet. I'm sure that bastard of a goddess has already told the others their hidden skills.
So what do I do now?"
He glanced forward.
"I just have to advance, right?"
Before him stood a door, engraved with ominous words:
"Those who seek revenge must first throw away their humanity."
"I don't know what that means," Yuta muttered, "but I couldn't care less."
He stepped through the door.
A white bunny stood inside.
Yuta blinked. "How cute. And this place is called the Abyss? What an insult."
But to his horror, the bunny began multiplying—splitting into several duplicates. Without warning, they charged. Their small bodies tore through him, slicing away skin.
He screamed.
He was eaten alive.
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BUT—
Yuta reappeared.
Back at the start.
He was trembling. Screaming. Eyes wide with terror. The only words coming from his mouth were:
"Help... Help... Help..."
Then he looked up.
At the sign again:
"Those who seek revenge must throw away their humanity."
Seeing the message once more threw him into a despair deeper than anything he had ever known.
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ELSEWHERE
Rena stood speaking with someone.
"I hope the candidate has arrived at the Abyss," she said.
"Yes, he has," the unknown figure replied. "The test has begun."
But the person asked, "What do you intend to do with him?"
With an evil smirk, Rena replied, "Nothing. Just a forsaken soul by the gods."
But in her inner thoughts, she whispered:
Experiment 1007—Yuta Kurohane.
"I hope you don't fail like the rest. Become the Demon King... the evil that must be slain for peace in Arthemya.
DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.
Become a wild beast—worthy of sacrifice!"