Stars

The mechanical ringing continued to echo clearly in the silence of his home.

"Ah, again..."

He wasn't afraid that this sound might attract monsters. In fact, it was something only he could hear.

Finlay slowly looked into the space in front of him.

Illuminating his face with a gentle light, a series of messages floated in the air.

[The process of merging the host with the current body has begun]

[Error. The difference in age and body condition is too great]

[Canceling the merger...]

"Damn, is there any way to diminish this backlighting? I'm gonna go blind."

Finally, the messages quietly disappeared as before, leaving him once again in the darkness of his home.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been a long time since those unfriendly messages had stirred emotions in him like when he first saw them.

At first they had been his hope, then it had become the cause of his anger and irritation, and now all that was left in him was indifference and mockery of these messages and his past self.

He had long ago clearly realized this.

In this world devoid of the Sun, there was no place for any light.

The endless monster Hordes and the Eternal Night that had descended upon this world was the only thing that awaited the living beings in it.

Was it one of the Bad Endings of this game world? Or several of them at once?

He didn't know. But if there's one thing he's learned during his time here, it's that this is not a place where hope can exist.

Even normal time telling was impossible without the light of the sun and moon here, not letting him know how much time he had already spent in this world.

Morning, afternoon, evening, night – everything turned into one endless night.

The week he'd spent here was only his guess. Perhaps it was actually a month, a year, or an eternity.

And his main problem in this world wasn't even the lack of a cheat system or the Sun, it was his body.

"Haha..."

Finlay raised his hand and looked at the many scars on it. Some were old, some were newer, but they all combined to create a grotesque appearance. And it wasn't limited to his arms – his entire body was in a similar condition.

The 'body condition' the system was talking about was most likely about this.

Not sure how by the standards of his past world, but here, where every bush was trying to kill you, his weak body was at rock bottom. Stronger than the bushes, though.

Feeling that there was no strength left in his body even to rise, he simply stared up at the night sky visible through the holes in the roof.

A smile slowly appeared on his dry lips. If there was anything in the midst of this eternal darkness that would not let him give up until the very end, it was them.

Stars.

The last source of light in this world. Shining high in the sky, they have more than once given him the strength to take another step in this grim world or helped him find his way home after a hunt.

There were three in total.

...At least, that's how it was yesterday.

Right now only a single star was in the sky, and even it flickered faintly, as if preparing to fade out at any moment.

"I've outlasted two stars… I can definitely, definitely be proud of myself…"

The world seemed to be dying with him.

"...At least I won't be so lonely."

Though, if he could, Finlay would want those stars to live a little longer.

Knock knock.

A brief knock on the door interrupted the flow of his thoughts.

"Mr. Finlay resides at this place?"

And the melodious voice that followed finally brought him to his senses.

Finlay's eyes narrowed.

"Human…no, Monster?"

Perhaps it was one of the nightmarish monsters that lure their preys out with their enchanting voice before slaying them.

Was it a survival instinct?

The strength he thought he didn't have left in his body allowed him to rise from the bed and slowly move towards the door.

He had nothing left to lose. If he wasn't devoured today, it would be tomorrow or a week from now, what difference did it make?

On his way out, Finlay deftly hid the rusty knife in his clothes. Although he had nothing to lose, he wasn't going to give up so easily.

"At the very least I'm going to put that knife in their throat... or whatever the monster has in its place."

Finally, his tired body reached the door and he opened it without hesitation.