"Hahaha... hahaha… HAHAHAHAHA!" Sho laughed. "Just as I expected."
"We damaged you," I called out. "We win."
"You WERE able to damage me. So I'll consider this your win," she sighed
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Her words didn't make sense. She had been toying with us the entire time, and now, after all our effort, she was conceding?
We came close but her barrier was always there, a shield that kept us at bay.
"You know what I hate the most?" Sho began, standing over our bodies, her voice cold and unforgiving.
"Weakness?" Reyna mumbled, struggling to get to her feet.
"No!"
Sho stood in the quiet aftermath of the battle, her voice low but trembling with emotion.
"I hate this world! I hate this place! I hate everything!" Sho spits, her voice trembling with rage. "I hate every NPC! Every item! Every form of magic! I hate the hundred floors, the monsters, the bosses … everything! Everything about this world makes me sick!"
Her voice sharpens. "I hate what it takes to survive here!"
"I hate player killers the most!" she shouts.
"Those who hunt others for sport, like this nightmare isn't already enough! They're the worst of us! Their guilds poison everything! How are we supposed to escape this hell when they turn survival into a bloodbath?!"
"I hate how people treat me! I hate how they look at me! I hate every interaction!" Sho's fists tremble now. "Every time, someone wants something ! Money, favors, items … always something!"
"Even you, child," Sho says, looking at me. "You called me an angel. Someone so much higher than you could ever be. Why is that?"
Her voice begins to crack, and she almost starts crying.
"My life on Earth was fine. Things were good. What did I do to deserve this? What did humanity do?"
"I hate putting on an act!" she sighs. "I hate pretending to be someone I'm not just to meet their expectations. I hate how they see me."
"All they see is a top player! The strongest! The Undisputed! The Child of Whisira" Her voice cracks for a moment. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask to be handed this much mana. A warrior, a killer, a tool for destruction… that's not who I wanted to be.
"I had goals!" she screams, tears filling her eyes. "I had dreams. I wanted to become an architect. I was studying hard. I was doing everything I could to accomplish them, and just like that, a green light ruined everything. I was dropped into a world."
"I remember it like it was yesterday. Me, my mom, my dad, and my sister were driving to visit colleges for my sister. A green light appeared, and then I was dropped into the First Floor. I still haven't found..." She stops herself.
"And that's what I hate most about this world!" she screams. "It takes from you! It steals your choices! It strips away your freedom to decide who you want to be!"
Her voice softens, but the bitterness lingers.
"I fight for humanity. For the hope that one day we can escape this cursed tree and find something better. But I don't even know if I'll live long enough to see that day. Every battle is a gamble. Every step forward feels like a step closer to dying for nothing."
She looks away, voice barely above a whisper.
"And yet… I keep fighting. Because what else is there to do? What else is there to do but hope … even if I hate that too?"
"You need to be strong," she said, turning away from us.
"You need to be like me, because if you don't, you'll die."
Her voice softened, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "I hope to see you at the top of this cursed tree. Maybe you'll hate it just as much as I do by then."
Sho was engulfed in a bright red light, and shortly after, she disappeared.
Reyna and I remain quiet for a moment, neither of us saying anything. We're both wondering why Sho told us all of this.
It's true. I never played the game, but from what I know and what I've heard, it makes sense why she'd be worried about reaching all 100 floors. Even if it takes one year per floor on average, that means 100 years.
As the rest of G2 regained consciousness, a small smile formed on my face. We had won. And that was enough.
Tenshi was the last to regain her senses, but before she did, I stood up.
"Telepor," I began, but Reyna interrupted me.
"Hold on," she said, looking at me with a serious expression. "Are you sure you want to rush off? Why don't you join our guild?"
"Are you sure? I didn't really do much," I asked, my voice tinged with doubt.
"We could always use an enchanter," Reyna said with a smile, her expression warm yet calculating.
I opened my mouth to argue but stopped when I saw the look on Reyna's face. She was right.
When Tenshi awoke, Reyna wasted no time briefing her on the situation. She explained how I had joined their guilds and the circumstances surrounding it, but Tenshi had only one response.
Tenshi remained unmoved, her gaze steady, piercing through the air around her as she spoke. "I'll leave this decision and its consequences to you."
Reyna's voice was firm but fair. "There will be a one-week assessment phase. If, after that time, none of us think you're useful, you won't be affiliated with us in any manner."
"Thank you!" I shouted, leaping from the ground
"Meet us at 23'rd in one week from now," Viri added.