Shoujo Hater-Chapter 68 - 63: Was It Real or Fake?

Cough… Cough.

The sound of continuous coughing echoed beside the damaged mountain on the massive hill.

It was none other than Lin, hacking up snow.

After a long time had passed, Lin finally startled awake, coughing the last of the snow from his mouth.

The forced blessing had been canceled, and his eyes and hair had returned to normal, with only a few changes remaining. The upper part of his hair bore two colors, white and gray. One was caused by the blessing, the other by continuous trauma, while most of his hair remained black.

With everything else gone, only overwhelming pain remained.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

My back and every part of my body are broken.

I hate this pain.

Lin tried to use his blue eyes, only for them to shut off as massive pain surged inside him and blood started dripping from his nose.

I can't use anything now.

How the hell am I supposed to escape?

In that state, Lin could walk or run, but without putting much pressure on his body. That was under two conditions. He could not use mana, and he could not use any strong skill.

What do I do now if I face anything again?

Let me think of something else.

Lin ignored the pain.

As he tried to put his hands into his pockets, a habit he always had, he realized his lower clothes had no pockets. His frustration deepened.

Accepting it for now, he placed both hands behind his back and walked toward Isphyrlya's body. As he approached, he tightened his thread around the dagger, pulling it back into his hand while checking his surroundings.

He saw that Isphyrlya had been pierced by massive spikes, her eyes tightly closed.

He broke the snow surrounding her and tilted her onto her back, then dragged her body out and threw it onto the ground.

Returning to her side, he bent down to check her heart. It had already melted.

Lin flipped her body over and removed the snowy spikes embedded in it. Then he sat on her broken head, staring ahead with unfocused eyes.

A strange feeling rose within him.

Lin hated failure. Even though he had won and achieved his goal, he despised victories gained through luck or extreme difficulty.

He wanted everything to pass smoothly. He wanted to win without suffering even the slightest damage.

At that moment, Lin stood up.

A massive punch slammed into the mountain behind him.

His eyes widened as madness filled his gaze.

Punch after punch followed, shaking the mountain violently.

I failed to conquer this bitch.

Damn it, I didn't calculate that she had a second heart.

Damn.

Damn!

I would have died if I hadn't adapted.

He redirected his punches, smashing them into his own face as he spoke to himself.

Reflected in the shattered snowy glass beneath him, Lin muttered like a madman.

You bastard. This could have cost me my life.

Another punch landed.

Another.

And another.

Until his lips bled.

A tear slipped down his face. In that moment, Lin's weakness revealed itself.

The punches were not punishment.

They were not self destruction.

They were memory.

Something he needed to remember forever.

So he could survive again.

Those punches erased any happiness from defeating a dragon.

But they sharpened his awareness.

Damn it, he muttered as he cried.

Is living really this painful?

I don't have anyone now.

Where are you, Joseph?

Your friend needs you.

His tears broke free as he whispered the name of his best friend, the only family he had ever known.

He did not know where Joseph was, or whether he was alive or dead.

In his past world, after all his memories, Joseph was the only family he had.

His parents were fake ones.

Even though he treated them with respect, they never truly cared for him.

To them, he was an object meant only to score high marks.

A usable tool, discarded whenever convenient.

He was thankful he never lacked money to study or eat. Even so, he was never treated like a human being. He gave them respect, but that respect vanished the moment they abandoned him willingly, or perhaps the moment they themselves were brainwashed. Yet he held no particular feelings toward them.

They carved a path for him to follow.

Jin followed it, not out of hatred or kindness.

He simply did.

Even then, he did not care.

He knew the education system was a lie, something designed to enslave students and drain money from others. He knew an average person could learn everything taught in school and university in less than five years.

As for Jin, by the age of fifteen, he had already reached a professor level of knowledge in many fields. Not because he was gifted, but because of boredom. He read endlessly across poetry, science, mathematics, philosophy, and history.

Most of it began because of his repetitive dreams, which pushed him toward biology and physics theory. Yet the more knowledge he gained, the more bored he became.

Still, he avoided showing it.

He understood what real life was and what it truly meant.

There was one thing he was absolutely certain of.

Laws were made for the poor.

He had long understood how disgusting humanity could be at its core.

But he never wanted to play the hero.

Jin was not foolish enough to solve the problems of others.

Now, he treated people as strangers.

Jin had always felt that he did not belong with them, or anywhere else.

He felt no attachment to anything.

He did not even know why.

Was it because his memories were messed up?

Was it because of brainwashing?

Was it because of his repetitive dream?

But Jin was sure of one thing.

His life was completely messed up.

Not out of hatred, nor out of kindness. Even so, he followed the path carved for him.

And now, in this world, he was forced to face many things he both knew and did not know.

He had nothing.

No mother.

No father.

No sister.

Now, Lin had no bond with anyone.

He was completely alone.

In that terrifying world bound by curses.

No recourse.

No money.

No real power.

He was less than an ant.

Tears welled in Lin's eyes as he bowed his head, the hollowness starting to consume him again.

"In a falling bridge, we can't look back until we reach its end."

"Keep up, my Jin."

"I am proud of you."

"Wait a minute."

"That's not my true character," Joseph's illusion muttered.

"Here's something better."

"Keep fucking life until it gives birth to your dream, Jin."

Lin raised his head toward the voice.

Joseph's illusion stood before him, smiling.

Joseph turned and walked away, his left hand in his pocket. He closed his right hand, raised it, and gave a thumbs up as he faded into nothingness.

Lin tried to move, but the illusion had already vanished.

Leaving behind a smile.

Not a sad smile.

A genuine one.

A smile of hope.

It brought Lin back to life as he cried.

That was all he needed to escape this place.

"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

A roar burst from Lin's mouth, as if it erased everything.

His tears stopped.

Only calmness remained.

Sometimes, a human carrying too much can only scream into the air, releasing struggle, hatred, and misery. Holding such things for too long destroys the mind and soul.

Every human has burdens they cannot share.

Sometimes, a scream is enough.

It was enough for him.

Lin stood up.

Brushed the snow from his back.

Then grabbed Isphyrlya's corpse by the hair, realizing he could still use it.

He searched for a path downward from the hill.

As he walked, his expression remained calm.

After finding a way down, a chilling sensation crept up his spine.

He turned.

The snowy ground was being devoured by massive black matter.

That meant one thing.

The fight between Escanor and the monster had ended.

Nivara was being consumed.

I know. I know.

There's no rest for me, even while escaping.

Someone definitely cursed me with bad luck.

Think. Think.

I can slide from here using my legs, like Shadow the Hedgehog.

Nah, I'll fall like a cannonball.

Lin clenched his teeth, thinking rapidly.

Then, in an instant, an idea struck him.

His eyebrows twitched.

Without hesitation, he shoved Isphyrlya's body in front of him.

He severed her remaining arm with his dagger and clenched it tightly.

Placing his left leg on top of her body, he raised his right leg and leapt from the mountain, using her corpse as a skateboard.

"Hoooooooooooo!"

---

Reader's Archive:

Isphyrlya's corpse was suitable for skating for two reasons.

First, her body was already frozen due to her soul mirror.

Second, Lin was pouring energy into it, linking her body as he absorbed mana from it.