Sniff~ Sniff~
The first thing I noticed was a familiar smell—one I'd never liked. Ammonia, rotten fish, and something sour stung my nose.
I was surprised to realize my eyes could see millions of colors, not a blurry view or just black and white like an animal's eyes.
"This?"
It turned out I was lying on wet, cold ground. A rough surface pressed against my cheek. Was the floor made of broken bricks? Or just gravel?
I sat up.
In disbelief, I looked down at my hands.
They weren't transparent, had no claws, and no fins.
Instead, there was white skin with tiny pores and fingerprints on each finger that I could move one by one.
"I… have a human body?"
My breath came in shallow gasps. My heart was pounding too fast. Not out of fear. But because I was too happy. The hope of becoming human, which I once considered poison, had now turned sweet.
I stood up.
My feet touched the wet, dirty pavement. Barefoot, a chill spread across the soles of my feet. I lifted my left foot, then my right, then took a small hop. Two legs that could run. Two hands that could strike. No wheelchair. No paralyzed body that could only surrender.
'Everything is normal. No disability.'
I almost laughed. But I managed to hold back, so only hot air escaped my mouth.
'Focus.'
I look around.
A narrow alley. Tall brick walls covered in moss on both sides. The sky above is just a thin orange line—sunrise or sunset?
Not far from me was a stainless steel trash can. I approached it and wiped its surface to see my reflection.
I stared at my reflection.
A stranger's face stared back at me. Tangled black hair, almost covering my eyes. Pale skin with a small scar on my cheekbone. Chapped lips. Dark brown eyes with dark circles beneath them.
"So this is me now."
Thanks to my pitiful state, my face looks absolutely hideous. It's perfect for an extra character.
"But I'm alive."
I rub my face, trying to recall if there's a character in the game who looks just like me.
None.
"So, I really am an extra character, huh?"
Another question popped into my head.
Even if I'm just an extra, shouldn't I have my own identity?
[The restriction on skill usage has been lifted.]
[You have successfully awakened.]
Is the "awakened" mentioned in that notification the same kind of awakening that happens to humans in the game The Bad Ending is The Only Route?!
[Status window unlocked.]
"Ah, right."
I remember in the game, everyone who's awakened can see their own information.
I don't know if this will be the same as the settings in the game, but if I've become one of the people who've been awakened, then I should be able to see my personal information.
I spoke the keyword commonly used in the game.
"Status window."
[Name - Scorn Rothfield (Hums)
Age: 18
Title: Extra
-Stats-
Strength: E
Speed: E
Intelligence: E
Mana: E
-Skills-
Inventory (Lv. 1), Sixth Sense (Lv. 1), Chloromancy (Lv. 1), Stealth (Lv. 1), Immunity (Lv. 1), Compound Eye (Lv. 1), Strength Up (Lv. 1), Blood Memory (Lv. 1), Skill Set: ??? (locked)
Current Points: 0]
I stared at the list of my skills.
Each skill is etched into my memory. The inventory from my first death as a seahorse. Immunity from death as a cockroach. The Sixth Sense from a rabbit, Blood Memory, and so on from—
"Compared to the number of reincarnation cycles I've gone through, the skills I've gathered are actually very few. Moreover, no new skills as a reward from the Awakened?"
But I'm quite satisfied because my fate is better than that of most awakened people in this world who only receive a single skill.
What matters—I'm curious about the past memories of this body's previous owner.
I bit the tip of my finger until blood dripped. Then I sucked it in.
[Blood Memory - Activated.]
Memories flowed like a flood.
Scorn Rothfield. He was a poor nobleman's son from a baronial family living on the outskirts of the Solaria Kingdom. To avoid being sold by his family, he boldly set off for the capital of the Solaria Kingdom, Storm City.
Unlike the small floating island where he was raised, Storm City was the capital of the Kingdom of Solaria, a place where people gathered. As a result, he became a vagrant who could only survive by scavenging leftovers from the trash.
'I know how much you suffered.'
I took a deep breath.
The last fragment of memory I received was of this body's owner collapsing in the trash. Starved to death. That was Scorn's fate. Before I eventually entered his body.
I clenched my fists.
The death of this body's owner involved someone else's interference.
"Hey, you bastard!"
I turned my head.
Just as I'd mentioned them, the people I was referring to immediately approached me.
Two men walked into the alley. Their clothes were ragged. Their faces were dirty. Their eyes were repulsive, like those of the thugs who used to bully me on Earth—eyes that knew their victim couldn't fight back.
"You're awake, huh? Good. If you'd still been sleeping here, I was planning to cut you to pieces."
The bald man shoved my shoulder.
My body took a step back. My legs were still unsteady, but I didn't fall.
"We thought you were dead, Scorn. Turns out you're still alive. Pay your debt first."
'Debt?'
I sifted through the memories I'd just retrieved.
Oh.
Scorn had once borrowed money from these thugs to buy food. But the interest had ballooned. He could never pay it back. And every time he ran into them, he'd get beaten up. Even though the principal debt had already been paid off.
'So the cycle is the same. In any world, the weak will always be oppressed.'
"I don't have any money," I said flatly.
"Let's see if you can still say you don't have any money after feeling our punches."
The bald man stepped forward. His hand grabbed the collar of my shirt.
[Sixth Sense - Activated.]
The tension in his body as his fist flew toward my face suddenly became palpable. Just by looking into his eyes, I could guess the direction of his punch.
I shifted my body to the left. His hand missed.
He was surprised.
I was surprised too.
'Is this… the Sixth Sense skill?'
The bald man snorted in annoyance. "Daring to fight back?"
His fist swung toward my stomach instead.
[Strength Up - Activated.]
I felt my muscles tense—not like a massive surge of energy, just a little—maybe 10 or 20 percent stronger than usual.
But it was enough to save me.
I blocked his punch with my palm, just holding it back. But the bald man staggered backward, his eyes wide.
"You—"
"I might not be able to take revenge on the thugs on Earth. But at least, I don't have to be a victim anymore."
"W-What did you say?"
I didn't wait for them to get ready.
I intended to attack, but my legs and arms, already trembling from the previous confrontation, stopped me.
'I have to get out of here fast.'
I grabbed the lid of the nearest trash can and swung it at the bald thug. He fell. While his friend was still stunned, not expecting me to fight back, I lifted the trash can with all my strength and threw it at him.
That was the opening I needed.
I ran away from them, not looking back.
"Don't let us meet again. Or I'll kill you later."
I walked through the dark alleys.
Growl!
My stomach growled.
Besides finding food, I also had to figure out how I could survive in this world.
'Is there a safe place to escape to?'
No.
Every place ends up destroyed when the main characters get a bad ending.
'No.'
If I go with the flow, I'll surely end up dying as a minor character.
I've died countless times.
Not anymore.
"I'll create my own happy ending."
Right after I said those words—
[Ding!]
[Resolution detected.]
[Happy Ending Point system has been unlocked.]
[Current Points: 10]
[Points can be used to:
Increase skill levels
Improve physical stats
Unlock ???]
[You can earn Happy Ending Points by performing actions that bring you closer to a happy ending.]
'What—'
The morning sunlight greeted me as I managed to emerge from the dark alley.
'Actions that bring me closer to a happy ending? Does destroying the protagonists' routes count as an action that brings me closer to a happy ending?'
To test it out, I knew exactly where I had to go.
One of the game's first events was about to begin. The awakening of one of the main characters.
It looks like I'll have to mess up that event?!