The Anomaly's Path

The Demon King swung his sword.

Crash!

The screen went black, like glass exploding outward.

For a moment, I just stood there. Half-naked—yeah, I wasn’t wearing a shirt, so what?—staring at what used to be my monitor.

”...What the hell just happened?!”

The thing lay on the floor, cracked open and dead. Spiderwebs of broken glass reflected the dim light of my room.

I stepped closer. Stupidly hopeful. Maybe—just maybe—it still worked.

However...

The screen was completely destroyed.

”Dammit...”

My computer. I hadn’t even finished paying it off yet.

”...Good. Just great.”

First, a game character tries to crawl out of my screen. And now my screen broke too.

”Fuck.”

I let out a long breath and started cleaning up the mess. Or at least what could be cleaned.

Clink. Crunch.

Glass scraped against glass as I swept it into a pile. It took me some time to clean this mess. After cleaning up I sat on my chair.

”Haaa...” I rubbed my face. ”Today’s a terrible day.”

I leaned back for a second.

Then—

Grrrlll

My stomach growled.

...Right. I haven’t eaten anything because of that stupid game. I picked up my phone, planning to order something cheap. Then a notification popped up.

It was from... Mom.

I froze. I stared at the screen longer than I should have before opening it.

Are you coming tomorrow? It’s your 22nd birthday.

It’s been years since we saw you.

We don’t want anything from you.

...Just come back home.

She really hadn’t changed. Always like that. Never asking for much.

”Haaa...”

I sighed again, longer this time. I locked my phone without replying. Not because I didn’t care. Because I cared too much.

I pulled on a shirt, grabbed my apartment keys, and shoved my phone into my pocket.

I lived alone in this apartment, so it wasn’t like anyone would complain about the noise. Neighbors? Probably.

But honestly—who cared.

I glanced at the broken monitor one last time. The cracked screen stared back at me, lifeless. I blinked, then turned away.

”...Yeah. Figures.”

I turned around and left the apartment.

___

As I walked toward the store, my thoughts drifted back toward what just happened.

More specifically, to what the Abyss King said:

Ah... so you are here.

”...What does he even mean by that?”

I sighed again.

”Tch. This is driving me crazy.”

He didn’t feel like a normal character. He felt real. Especially the way he looked at me—it felt like he’d finally found something he’d been missing.

There’s no way. He’s just a game character. Right?

...Yeah. No way.

The Hero Chronicles had the most cliché story ever. A hero chosen by a goddess. Fate. Destiny. Demon King.

Boring? Right.

But if you’re wondering why I’m still playing a cliché game...

It’s simple. Because of this game’s difficulty.

What made this game famous was its difficulty. This game almost killed everyone. Every character either had a tragic backstory or they died in a very tragic way.

And the Abyss King?

He was straight-up unfair. No one had ever beaten him. Everyone tried. Everyone failed. I was just another unlucky idiot.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even realize when I’d reached the store. I grabbed some instant noodles and an energy drink.

At the counter stood an old lady.

Ms. Ana.

I approached the counter and said, ”Hello, Ms. Ana. Still lively as ever, huh?”

”Hoho... look who’s here,” she replied with a smile.

She was one of the first people I met after moving here. She helped me out a lot. Even gave me a part-time job when I needed one. She’s one of the kindest person I know.

”Just felt like eating something,” I said, handing her the items.

She picked up the items, checked the price, and gave them back to me. ”Here you go.”

I paid her, picked up the bag, and looked at Ms. Ana and said with a small smile, ”Well then, thank you. Let’s meet again, Ms. Ana.”

”Make sure you come back again,” she said.

Then I turned and left the store.

That’s when I heard it—a noise. I turned to my right. It was dark out, so I could barely see clearly. But I knew something wrong was going on.

I didn’t realize it, but my feet carried me toward the alley. My feet stopped there.

Three men were trying to force themselves on a girl. She looked around my age—maybe younger.

...Those fuckers.

Listen, I wasn’t a hero. I wanted to help her—but could I? It’s true I knew how to fight a little, but I’d only ever fought kids around my age. And it had been years since I fought anyone. Not to mention, they looked strong.

Was I being a coward? Yeah, I know. I was always a coward.

So I just stood there, about to turn and leave—

That’s when my eyes met hers.

She was crying. Tears streamed down her face.

But more than that—

Hope.

I saw hope in her eyes. Like she thought I could help her.

”...Why are you looking at me like that?” I muttered.

She believed in me. I clenched my teeth. My hands were shaking.

”Fuck... what am I even doing? I’m gonna regret this.”

I wasn’t a hero.

But I wasn’t scum either.

I couldn’t walk away after that look. My feet moved on their own toward the alley. I didn’t tell them to.

One of the men noticed me and sneered. ”Oi, kid. This ain’t your business. Get lost.”

I shrugged. ”Wanted to. Guess I can’t.”

They laughed.

The one in front—probably the leader—stepped closer. ”Playing hero, huh? Let’s see what you’ve got.”

...Ah. Crap.

Here we go. He lunged at me.

Whoosh!

His fist flew toward my face. I barely dodged. Too slow.

Thud!

My elbow slammed into his ribs. The impact rattled my arm—but he staggered back, coughing. Pain shot up my forearm. I hissed.

Fuck, that hurt.

Another one rushed at me from the side. I panicked—moved on instinct.

oh crap!

Crack!

I blocked his punch with my arm and drove my knee into his stomach.

”Gah—!”

My breathing was already off. But before I could reset—

Shhk—!

Something sharp burned across my back.

”...Ah.”

A knife. The shock hit first. Then the pain. My legs nearly gave out. So this is what being rusty gets you. I grabbed his wrist on instinct and smashed my forehead into his face. My head rang.

Thud!

He dropped, unconscious.

But my body wasn’t good either. I felt lightheaded—like I’d lost too much blood. The girl ran toward me, screaming something—but my ears were ringing. I couldn’t hear a word.

My knees buckled. I fell to the ground and my vision started to blur.

Guess this is it.

”...So this is how I die.”

Honestly? Not bad.

Better than the worthless life I’d lived.

At least I did something right at the end.

Maybe I can die now.

...Or so I thought.