An Extra’s POV

"Ahh, that…"

Noah's face fell a little, and something akin to a sad smile added to his clouded countenance.

His tale wasn't particularly a sad story. Many Adventurers in the City had more tragic experiences to share.

However, for Noah, a sixteen-year-old teenager who had been living a pretty mundane life on Earth until three months ago, his story was just as heavy.

"I think… I realized that I had no other choice but to become strong." His smile broadened as he uttered those words.

Many would agree with him, but most were probably going to miss the point. No one could really understand the depths from which he uttered those words.

People desired to get stronger for various reasons.

Some wanted wealth.

'I already have more than enough money to retire to some countryside and live the rest of my life without worrying about sustenance.'

Some craved power.

'I have enough strength to be in the one percent of humans in this world.'

Some lusted after influence.

'I find attention annoying, and most of the time… I like being left alone.'

Women.

'I don't think most of them are anything special.'

Thrill.

'Nothing about fighting Monsters thrills me. It's a dangerous job.'

Noah didn't qualify for most of the reasons why most people desired to be Adventurers. He wasn't like the average Adventurers, and he didn't relate to most of the things they valued.

the ideal of freedom were lost

admired the sentiment, he found the whole thing too abstract and a

Restrictions molded society.

pretty well within the City, despite the lack of solid rules and sufficient regulations, was because there were already unspoken rules that existed within the

as they tried to deny this fact, it

outsider, Noah could see patterns in their behavior which informed him that there were unwritten regulations that

why they're

maybe the population of this city grew to an absurd degree—to the point where control became difficult—then the cracks would begin to

The status-quo

Noah chose this path—despite a lot of easier options—was due to a much more

engrained within him; to the point where he could not escape or

"I wanted to change."

was silence

Of course, no one would get it if

person. I hid behind stronger people and

the most part, he hadn't gotten rid of the latter part of his statement. He didn't think he

Less risks, more reward.

problem was with the

Noah's solemn tone oozed

moving here. Before we became friends, I used to comfort myself by thinking he was more pathetic than I was.

felt shitty or sad—that at least there was

was a reason Noah spoke in

realize that the guy was secretly a lot better than I realized. He was stronger, smarter… better. He was better than me, than most people around us." A little smirk formed

"I liked that."

what happened to this friend of yours? Why

as he rested his back on the chair that he sat on. "I wanted to run away. That guy was a

a little, and Noah did the

he was revealing so much about his past to such a stranger, but somehow…

want to

a lot safer there than

be as far away from the war

there was ridiculously high. Many would consider the quality of life incredibly low for the amount