As Raymond closed his eyes, trying to focus and locate the source of the voice, everything turned futile. The sound seemed to have no origin—echoing from every direction.
"Damn it... I can't find where the voice is coming from," he muttered, clearly agitated.
(Hihihi—the figure's laughter grew louder)
The laughter was sharp and piercing, enough to make anyone who heard it go deaf in an instant.
"Why... why won't you open your eyes...? Are you afraid of me...? Isn't this your body...? Hihihih...!?" the voice mocked.
(Crek... crek—the dimension began to crack little by little)
Raymond had reached his limit, not knowing what solution remained to find the source of the voice. His eyes were tightly shut, but his focus kept breaking apart.
"What... what else should I do...!?" he
muttered within his mind.
The figure in front of him seemed even more delighted, its grin stretching unnaturally wide, almost reaching its ears.
"Oh...? Why are you so quiet now...? I'm getting bored waiting here...!?"
(Its voice split into multiple echoes, coming from all directions)
In Raymond's mind, only one method remained to keep his focus from collapsing—without hesitation, he bit his tongue as hard as he could to anchor himself.
"Akh..." a faint groan escaped his lips.
His hands and legs trembled violently from the pain.
"Raymond... I'm getting bored. Don't you want to play with me...!?"
A faint smile appeared on Raymond's lips.
"Finally... I found your opening, bastard...!?"
In an instant, his body moved—striking forward, then to the right, then to the left, chasing the source of the voice.
(Crakkk... crakkk—the sound of the dimension shattering like glass under immense force)
After the attack, the figure made no sound at all.
Silence filled the space.
"Is it over...?"
Raymond slowly opened his eyes.
But the moment his eyes opened, his pupils widened. His heart pounded violently.
The figure he thought had vanished... was still standing there, smiling.
"How is this possible...? Didn't I already kill it...!?"
"Hihihi... so now Raymond wants to play with me, huh...!?"
"In that case... I'll play too...!?"
Raymond shuddered as he felt the overwhelming aura emitted by the figure before him.
"Freaking... demon...!?" he muttered.
Before he could finish speaking, a barrage of attacks struck him—his face, ribs, legs—relentlessly, without pause.
His body couldn't move at all, completely overwhelmed by the speed of the attacks.
"Hihihi... let's play...!?"
"Come on...!?"
"Let's play...!?"
"Play until you die...!?" it screamed in a shrill voice.
Raymond's body finally collapsed weakly onto the ground.
"I... can't fight anymore... it's not my match...!?" he whispered faintly.
Blood flowed from all over his body—his nose was broken, his arm crushed beyond shape.
"Oh...? Why did you stop playing...?"
"I'm still bored, Raymond... hihihi...!?"
The laughter grew louder, filling Raymond's mind.
But suddenly—Raymond realized something.
"Your laughter... it's too loud, idiot...!?"
(The figure fell silent, confused)
"What are you saying...? You're going to die. Have you gone insane...?"
"Die...? Maybe... not yet...!?" Raymond replied.
With sudden force, Raymond smashed his hand into the floor of the dimension.
The surface cracked open—and inside, something was glowing.
"You're the one who's going to die, bastard...!?"
Raymond grabbed the mana stone, which radiated a bright golden light.
With his body barely standing, he smirked mockingly.
"Heh... look at this... what I found...!?"
This time, the figure in front of him went completely silent.
"What...? Are you afraid of this...?" Raymond taunted.
"Heh... you think you can threaten me with that...!?"
"Then I'll destroy this stone...!?"
For the first time, panic appeared on the figure's face.
Realizing this, Raymond pressed further.
"Alright... I'll count. 1... 2... 3... before I destroy it...!?"
"1..."
"2..."
"Stop!!"
"Stop!!" the figure screamed loudly.
"You damned creature..."
The figure lunged at Raymond again in a frenzy.
But before the attack could land—
Raymond crushed the mana stone first.
"Die... you insane demon...!?"
The dimension began to collapse.
Cracks spread everywhere.
The figure slowly started to disintegrate—but before it completely vanished, it spoke.
"The power you receive... will come with a heavy price..."
"It will consume your emotions... and take away what you hold dear..."
"And I... will continue to haunt your life... hihihi..."
The voice gradually faded away.
But in Raymond's mind, a new question emerged.
"Is what it said... true...?"
"Then... what was the point of coming this far...?"
The dimension slowly returned to its original form.
The wounds on Raymond's body healed rapidly.
"Yawn... looks like you succeeded. So, how was it...?" the woman's voice came from behind him.
Raymond immediately turned around.
"Hey! Was what that thing said true...? Why didn't you tell me... you bastard!?"
"I don't know what it was talking about," the woman replied coldly.
"But one thing is certain—everything has consequences."
"That is the unchanging law of this cruel world."
Raymond's brows furrowed, his anger rising once again.
But before he could say anything—
The dimension collapsed once more.
"Damn it! Don't just leave like that...!?"
It was already too late.
Raymond woke up from the dimension.
His body was drenched in sweat, as if he had just gone through something overwhelming.
"Damn it..."
With anger, Raymond slammed his fist onto the bed.
(Brak—the sound of the bed being struck hard)
"There's no point in doing all this... if it all ends the same anyway."
"For what...?"
In a split second, his eyes caught the broken pieces of glass on the floor.
Frustration surged as he picked one up, staring at it in silence.
His hand trembled as he held the sharp shard, his mind torn—unable to decide what he should do.
But before he could act any further, his movement stopped.
Someone had entered the tent.
An old man.
The old man looked thin, frail, and sickly. His clothes were worn out and torn in several places.
Raymond quickly threw the glass shard away.
"Hey, kid... why do you look so pale? You seem so fragile."
"I don't know what you've been through... but let me guess... is it because of a difficult decision...?"
Raymond was slightly shocked.
The old man had guessed his situation so quickly—yet he said nothing.
"Mm... I see. I was right," the old man said calmly.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, from someone who's lived long enough."
"There's a saying: whether you act or choose not to act, you will regret both."
"Because whatever you choose... it becomes a lesson."
"The real question is—are you willing to accept the consequences of living with that choice or not?"
"It's a bitter truth... but it is still the truth."
"Maybe... that can ease the discomfort in your heart, young man."
Without waiting for a reply, the old man turned and walked away.