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.

ideal of freedom

he admired the sentiment, he found the whole thing too abstract and a little childish. In any pragmatic setting, there had

Restrictions molded society.

only reason why the Adventurers were still coexisting 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 Adventurer

much as they tried to deny

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

why they're still

city grew to an absurd degree—to the point where control

The status-quo would

a lot of easier options—was due to

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

"I wanted to change."

was silence in

inquisitive voice caused Noah to smile even more. Of course, no one would get it if he just

used to be a very weak and cowardly person. I hid behind stronger people

part of his statement. He didn't think he needed to, considering how that was the

Less risks, more reward.

was with

think I hated myself." Noah's solemn tone oozed

to comfort myself by thinking he was more pathetic than I was. He was average in every way, and I always told

at least there was one

a reason Noah spoke in past

smarter… better. He was better than me, than most people around us." A

"I liked that."

what happened to this friend of yours? Why did you part

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

little, and Noah did the

past to such a stranger, but somehow… he felt like going

didn't want

Capital and initially wanted to travel South, since things are a lot safer there than in

was no surprise, considering how most people wanted to be as far away from the war as possible. If anyone could

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