An Extra’s POV

Back then, Noah had three choices.

Stay and hide.

Run and escape.

Charge and fight.

His instinct had been to hide, and his next thought was to run as fast as he could—as far away as he could.

But… he wasn't listening.

'I-if I can win. Then… I can try, right?'

His entire being despised violence. He wasn't very strong too, and his Skills were mostly useful for evasion and defense.

Yet… why did he want to fight?

'Ahh…' He realized it at that moment. '… Is this your doing, Rey?'

Noah realized how dissatisfied he felt—with himself, and with the scene playing out in front of him.

He had felt this way throughout his journey away from the Capital.

Despite that gnawing feeling, he constantly told himself that he made the right choice leaving his only friend behind so he could run away from responsibility.

However, when he stood there, hidden from everything in the world, Noah was finally able to confront himself.

'I don't like this… this version of me.'

The time he had the most fun, and felt most fulfilled, was when he was pretending to be some kind of powerful subordinate of Ralyks.

He liked the way people looked at him. Their respect, admiration, their fear… it made him feel warm inside.

It wasn't even like he sought their validation.

He wanted his own.

decided to fight." Noah shrugged smiled, narrating the experience as if it was no big

charged at the first Monster and gave his all into generating the perfect

all the Skills in his arsenal to fight, and he pushed himself a lot

"Faster."

He hastened his movements.

"Stronger."

strengthened his muscles and

"Smarter."

and came up

"Better!"

process—over and over again—until he

changed a bit of myself that day. I was able to become a little like the man I pretended to be." Noah laughed as he

of them was a little too generous. If I could defeat Monsters that Adventurers couldn't, then it was possible

of the people he saved, there was no need for him to

had become an

one of the most influential

trying out new things, exploring everything

after day, I keep changing in hopes that one day… I will become like that ideal image I pretended to

errand boy of

he heard that comparison. Jet's words weren't wrong, but they didn't properly embody what

better human being. Someone stronger, smarter,

wanted to be

for the long story,

*********

'The hell…?'

was shocked by how much Noah had matured as a person. 'So his change was

a way, he

personal growth, he couldn't help but feel challenged in a sense. Perhaps he didn't want to get left behind, or he felt like he wasn't as mature as his friend

didn't understand it himself, but he felt a

is

no one wished for their friends

and Rey was the embodiment

change. That was a pretty

about his tone