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.

like the ideal of freedom were lost

whole thing too abstract and a little childish. In any

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

much as they tried to deny this fact, it was

see patterns in their behavior which informed him that there

they're still

grew to an

The status-quo

so, the true reason Noah chose this path—despite a lot of easier options—was due

engrained within him; to the point where he could not

"I wanted to change."

a moment, there was silence in

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

be a very weak and cowardly person. I hid behind stronger people and always looked for ways to benefit without taking

the latter part of his statement. He didn't

Less risks, more reward.

was with

myself." Noah's solemn

a friend before moving here. Before we became friends, I used to comfort myself by thinking he was more pathetic than I was. He was average in

I felt shitty or sad—that at least there was one guy who was

reason Noah spoke in past

the guy was secretly a lot better than I realized. He was stronger, smarter… better. He was better than

"I liked that."

this friend of yours? Why did you part

the chair that he sat on. "I wanted to run away. That guy was a monster who wanted to keep getting strong, and I knew he would drag me

and Noah did the

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

didn't want

lot safer there than in the

the war as possible. If anyone could afford it, they

cost of living there was ridiculously high. Many would consider the quality of life