[Nightmare]

—20 days later.—

[Name: Helix Hellsworth Margrave]

[Age: 18]

[Level: 1]

[Defense: 0] (+ 250)

[Strength: 16]

[Stamina: 14]

[Agility: 17]

[SP: 75]

[Nightmare: [Nightmare] Level 1.

Skills:

[Nightmare]: 50% SP: Summons a non-lethal illusion of the enemy's greatest known fear.

[Nightmare Hallucination]: (?) > 75 SP: Uses [Nightmare] skill but is visible to user and victim(s).

[All other skills and derivatives are locked. Requirements for unlocking unknown.]

—

,m "Why does everything in this world have to be cliche?" Helix sighed.

"Helix! You don't have to do this!"

"We don't care! We promise. It's not worth your life!"

"Someone stop this!"

"I finally get women to look at me, and it's when I'm about to die." Helix chuckled bitterly.

The women in the arena were in a desperate frenzy, trying to stop the current event.

Many were pleading and crying, while others watched him with smirks on their faces.

Most men stared at Helix with neutral expressions that hid their secret excitement.

"Stay out of this! He's already made his choice!" A young man gruffed in front of Helix.

He had a sword at his waist and was eager to draw.

"I'm never going to forgive you, Phillip!" A woman cried.

"We hate you! You're the worst!"

"Go die already!"

Phillip's face flushed with anger, and he stared at Helix.

Brutal killing intent radiated from his body, and Helix swore it was slightly visible.

"Unfortunately, that's not happening today, bitch!" He roared.

"Try surviving the gallows when we expose what you've done!" A woman screamed.

Helix scanned the crowd of people circling him.

Charlotte was gazing at Phillip with masterfully hidden bloodlust in her eyes.

Her stylish pink glasses [framed] her subtle yet powerful golden hazel eyes that blended into her medium-length blond hair.

David was shaking while looking at the ground.

Lina wore a face laced with conflicted guilt.

A group of women Knights was in the stands consoling Emelia.

The young woman was dragged away by the guards because she wouldn't stop trying to enter the circle.

One of the women consoling her had dark brown hair and beautiful tan eyes.

Her name was Riley, and she was a quiet, caring person.

However, bloodlust oozed from her pours every time she turned away from Emelia.

A beautiful redhead named Marie was single-handedly threatening a group of four men who were shaking in fear.

She had sharp, light green eyes and a slender body.

A young man named Atlas was sitting in the stands on the opposite side of Emelia.

He had his elbow on his leg and his chin on his hand.

Atlas wore a bored expression.

His eyes were covered by the characteristic blue-tinted sunglasses he wore every day.

There was a silver dangle earring with a blue gemstone in his left ear.

Helix chuckled when he saw the man.

"You could fool just about anyone." He muttered while sending him a mocking smile.

"Hey! Stop laughing, you creepy freak!" Phillip yelled while pointing a shining short sword at Helix.

"You're not supposed to laugh when you're about to die!"

He had medium-length, silky silver hair and red eyes.

He was slender, but he had refined features.

Helix sighed.

"Then what am I supposed to do right now?" Helix asked with an exasperated expression.

"I-I don't know, you freak!

People about to die look angry or afraid!" Phillip replied with an awkward voice.

"My apologies, I didn't know." Helix sighed.

After saying those words, Helix's eyes steeled, and he sent a piercing gaze into Phillip's soul.

Phillip shuttered reflexively when he saw Helix's eyes, causing many to laugh in bewilderment.

"I can't wait until you find all of the surprises I left for you, Phillip." Helix said with a murderous gaze.

"You may think you hid your tracks, but you're about to find out how transparent you were.

Even if I die today, my actions will brutally maim your reputation and murder your spirit.

You're going to wish that you were dead, Phillip.

Your friends, loved ones, and connections will abandon you.

Women will never look at you.

And when you're broken and alone, the only thing you're going to think about is my face.

The person that destroyed your life beyond repair because of a simple mistake you made." Helix declared with a frigid tone.

The circle fell silent, and everyone looked at Helix with bated breath.

Phillips started shaking, and he looked at the cold expressions of half his peers.

Helix sighed.

"Tell me, Phillip. How did I do?

Was that angry and vengeful enough?" Helix asked with a mocking tone.

"I'll gladly accept feedback to improve my final words."

After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd detonated into laughter.

Phillip stared at everyone with disbelief before processing what had happened.

"You don't need feedback, you noob!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"There's no point in giving you my game guide because you won't need it in ten minutes!"

Helix looked at Phillip with bewilderment in his eyes.

"What type of game guides are you reading?

I know you don't read dating sim guides, but I didn't think you played games that give walkthroughs on how to die with style." Helix said with wide eyes.

The crowd burst into laughter again.

While many men and women were still angry and crying, they couldn't help it.

Phillip flushed with murderous rage.

"You're cocky for a Level 1 noob with no stats.

I'd consider that freaky Nightmare of yours was powerful if you didn't have guards watching you!" Phillip laughed.

"I know you're a simp, but I didn't think you were stupid enough to willingly die for your simphood."

The women in the audience sneered while many of the men chuckled.

However, Helix didn't react and stood in the arena, staring at Phillip with a mocking smile.

"W-Why are you smiling like that, noob!?"

Helix sighed in exasperation.

"God…. you're like a broken record." He said with an annoyed expression.

"I'm just appalled by your ignorance."

Seeing Helix shake his head pushed Phillip closer to the edge.

"I'm ignorant? [I'm] ignorant!?

About what, huh!? Enlighten me!" He snorted with a murderous gaze.

"Where do I even begin?" Helix chuckled.

"First off, if you think treating women with respect makes you a simp, you're going to die a virgin."

Before Phillip could reply, Helix made a stop sign with his hand.

"Yeah, yeah. We all get it.

According to you, I have about five minutes to live.

I don't have time to argue over undeserved technical realities." Helix declared.

The crowd erupted into laughter.

"So let me finish answering your question.

Second off, even if I'm a proud simp, I can't express my simphood if I'm dead.

If you think I willingly signed up for a deathmatch with the expectation to die, you're an idiot." Helix chuckled.

The crowd fell silent.

No one could believe what they had just heard.

That was especially true for Macron, who had been staring at Helix with pity-filled eyes for the last thirty minutes.

"Lastly, and most importantly, if you're trying to kill me to get a chance with the ladies…." Helix prefaced with an amused expression.

"You're a walking lobotomy that smokes meth and snorts red koolaid to get your red dye 40 high."

Helix burst into laughter and started wiping tears from his eyes.

The crowd erupted with laughter, and the audience started gossiping in a frenzy.

Helix sarcastically gawked at Phillip's petrified appearance with a befuddled expression.

"What? Don't you get it?

After what you've done and what you're doing, neither you nor your friends will have a chance with those women.

They'll tell every new person they meet to stay away from you." He said with a merciless smile.

"However! All the other boys smart enough to hide their excitement [will] have a chance.

You're ensuring all the men get a chance but you and your friends.

Do you know what they call someone like you, Phillip?" Helix asked.

The crowd fell silent with anticipation.

"W-What do they call me? Huh?" Phillip snorted while dripping with cold sweat.

"A sacrifice." Helix declared with a bloodthirsty gaze.

—

[A/N: Warning. If skipping ahead and working backward to figure out what happened disturbs you, you [won't] like this novel. You've been warned.

I chose this format to speed up Helix's road to power without sacrificing precious moments or important details. It's for your entertainment. #forced2forcedevelopment]

Disclaimer: Grammatical mistakes and minor inconsistencies = more content.