Defeat

"I was overconfident… Dammit…"

Neo's eyes reddened.

He didn't feel afraid of death or the pain.

However, the crushing defeat left a scar on him.

There was not a single thing he could do.

He was put down with an overwhelming difference.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

He muttered while hiding his face.

"Why?"

Why was he so overconfident?

Was it because he defeated the Death skill?

Or was it because he saved Elizabeth?

Maybe, it was because he had the support of two of the strongest beings?

"Shit."

He felt like shit.

Did he really achieve anything after coming to this world?

He thought everything would go his way since he knew the future and had the bloodline of Hades.

But when it actually mattered, he couldn't put up a fight at all.

Loser.

Pathetic.

Mediocre.

He didn't change after coming to this world.

Neo removed his hand and stared at the ceiling.

Now what?

What should a loser like him do?

Return to the Underworld?

Neo would be killed.

He should act like the loser he was and keep hiding in the world of living.

With the knowledge of the future, he could protect his life if he lived while keeping his head down.

"…I'm… not doing that…"

Even if his choice would lead to his death.

Neo clenched his fists.

His nails dug into his palm until they bled.

[Warning! You've left the Quest area!]

[Please return!]

[Warning! If the User does not return to the Quest area in 10 days, the Quest will be forfeited!]

Neo stared at the screen.

Ten days…

He could ignore the Quest.

At best, he would lose the Holy Affinity.

But how many times would he accept defeat?

It's difficult right now, I should retreat, I can try again.

If he thought like that once, he would do it again and again in the future.

That was how he became a loser in his past world.

Neo clenched his fists.

Ten days…

He would become strong enough to crush the Gremlins in ten days.

Even if he had to die for it.

Neo would achieve it. Drowned in his thoughts, he didn't realize he was being influenced by Darkness. His mind and emotions were in shamble after having been ripped apart piece by piece, then eaten alive. Darkness heightened those emotions and turned his mind into a mess.

"Neo? What happened?"

Amelia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He turned around to hide his face.

"Nothing, I just woke up."

Contrary to the usual, Amelia did not stop talking.

"Did you have a nightmare? You are shivering."

He… was trembling?

Why?

Was it because he was afraid of the pain?

His body shivered unconsciously when he thought about the brutal death.

…Pathetic.

Even after dying multiple times, he was afraid of pain.

Neo bit his lips.

When he didn't answer, Amelia continued,

"It's okay if you are afraid. Everyone has times when they encounter difficulties. You can tell me."

A trickle of blood flowed from Neo's lips.

He opened his mouth to speak, to ask for help, but he abruptly stopped.

Ask for help?

What would that do?

He would only become more pathetic.

"It's just cold," he said as he suppressed the tremors in his voice. "I'm sleepy. Don't talk to me anymore."

"…Okay." Amelia continued. "But you can always talk to me if you are having a hard time."

Neo didn't understand why Amelia was talking the way she was.

He didn't want to understand anything right now.

His mind was occupied with his own problems.

The mental exhaustion from using Darkness and everything else he went through in Underworld made it difficult for him to keep his eyes open.

He fell asleep.

"Neo?"

Amelia raised her upper body from the bed.

She leaned closer to his face and noticed the blood flowing out of his lips.

"Why won't you ask for help? Even if I can't do anything, I can hear you out at least."

Revealing a weakness would help him reduce the burden on his heart.

But Neo had closed off his heart.

He would rather suffer alone than ask for help.

Amelia could not do anything but wait for him.

She wiped the blood from his lips and covered him with a blanket.

"Sleep well," she said to Neo.

That night, Amelia could not sleep at all.

…

Neo woke up when he heard the knocks on the door.

He felt refreshed.

"Young Master, may I come in?"

"Yeah."

He noticed the blanket.

"When did I use this?"

Yawning, he was about to get off the bed until he noticed Amelia holding his hand in her sleep.

Before Neo could open her grip, the butler entered the room.

"Please get ready, Young Master. The Lord has called for you."

"I will get ready soon."

While he spoke with a serious expression, he was trying to get Amelia to open her hand.

Why was this woman's grip so powerful?!

The butler ignored his actions and he was thankful for it.

He would've died from embarrassment otherwise.

"Yawn, Neo, you are awake?"

Amelia rubbed her eyes and removed the strand of hair on her face.

Half asleep, she looked at her hand which held Neo's hand, looked up at Neo, then back at their hands.

"Ah!"

Her face turned beet red as she let go.

"Good morning, Miss Amelia," the butler greeted her.

"G-good morning."

"I will be waiting for you two outside. Please get ready."

It didn't take long for them to freshen up.

They left the room and had breakfast.

After filling their stomachs, the butler took them to Henry's room.

The butler knocked on the door.

"Master, I've brought Young Master and Miss Amelia."

"Come inside."

They entered the room.

Henry sat across the table and calmly sipped tea.

"Sit," he said.

Neo and Amelia followed his words.

Amelia felt awkward in front of Henry's piercing gaze.

Neo, however, did not feel any pressure.

'He knows I lied yesterday,' Neo thought.

It was easy to confirm the pregnancy with the methods available in this world.

Henry must've used one of them.

He was probably letting Amelia live as he didn't want to antagonize Neo or maybe he had other intentions.

Neo wasn't interested in knowing the reason.

As long as Amelia was safe until Elizabeth returned, his job was done.

"Bring it."

The butler placed a suitcase on the table at Henry's command.

"What's this?" Neo asked.

"Your gift for passing the Demigod Academy's exam," Henry said.