Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The Coliseum arena, vast and desolate, felt like a distant stage, its brutal reality a mere backdrop to the maelstrom unfolding within Kazue's mind. Her body, battered and numb, lay incapacitated on the polished stone, but her consciousness soared, caught in a terrifying slow-motion ballet. She recognized the voice speaking directly into her head; it was the same ethereal light that had offered her power, a conduit to the elements, during her desperate double combat alongside Li in the previous scenario. This perceived slowness, this agonizing extension of the present moment, was not a distortion of external reality, it was a consequence to the hyper-accelerated functioning of her brain, a desperate attempt to process the impossible onslaught of information in such a dire situation.

Kazue, in this amplified reality, responded to the voice, her will a silent question resonating through the internal void. The light spoke with an unsettling calm in Kazue's mind. It declared that it saw her now entangled in a predicament identical to her past struggles.

"Your power is insufficient."

The voice resonated, ancient and profound.

"You are in desperate need of aid, and that is precisely what I intend to bestow."

Kazue felt a chilling familiarity in its words, a profound sense of déjà vu. She had heard this offer before.

"What do you want?"

She demanded, her will a silent, sharp query. The light reiterated its previous explanation, its tone patient, yet unyielding.

"As I said before, you possess a rare and profound affinity with the elements, Kazue Rima. These elements are utterly free, unbound by earthly constraints, and you could achieve absolute dominion and control over them."

A subtle pressure built in her mind.

"If only you, too, would abandon your own self-imposed ties. The bonds you have forged with other people and your earthly memories are nothing more than pollution in your soul, impurities that shackle you, preventing your true, limitless freedom."

A profound conflict ignited within Kazue, a silent, desperate battle of wills waged in the depths of her mind. Just like the last time this insidious offer had been made, she fiercely resisted the notion of abandoning the bonds and memories she had forged in the system. These were not mere chains; they were anchors, lifelines, the very essence of her newfound existence. She railed against the light, her will screaming defiance.

"No!"

Kazue's thought was a raw, visceral cry.

"I will not abandon them! You hear me? Never!"

The light's voice, though calm, held an undeniable, relentless pressure, a weight that bore down on her will.

"You are in no condition to refuse, little one."

It insisted, its words echoing with an inescapable truth.

"Look at you. Immobile. Wounded. Your physical body is a testament to your utter helplessness."

The voice pressed, its insistence relentless.

"If you truly wish to help this 'Adam' of yours, if you wish to achieve victory now, then you must accept. You will lose your memories and your bond with him, yes…"

The light promised with a chilling clarity to its terms.

"...But I assure you, you will win this combat, just as you desire."

The choice was laid bare: sacrifice the personal, win the fight. Kazue felt a wave of crushing impotence wash over her. Hot and desperate tears welled in her eyes, blurring the edges of her internal vision. Despite her fierce inner struggle, despite the words she screamed in defiance, she knew, deep down, that she had no real choice.

Her heart ached with the agonizing truth of her predicament. She was on the precipice of acceptance, her will about to shatter under the relentless pressure, when a sudden, warm pulse ignited in her chest. A sensation unfamiliar, yet profoundly comforting, bloomed from within…. A system message, though unseen by Kazue in her internal struggle, flashed in the periphery of her perception.

In that instant, as if a dam had broken, a torrent of memories, vibrant and raw, flooded her mind. Not the fragmented, distant echoes the light had provided, but rich, living experiences from the last few months she had shared with her companions. She saw the good times: shared laughter in the lobby, quiet conversations under the simulated sky, moments of genuine camaraderie. She saw the bad: the terror of the early scenarios, the despair of defeat, the pain of injury. She remembered how they had fought together, bleeding side-by-side, losing together in bitter moments, triumphing together against impossible odds, and, most profoundly, how they had shared their deepest weaknesses and celebrated their strengths.

The final memory that solidified in her mind was the heartfelt group hug they had shared after Adam finally contacted his parents, a moment of pure, unadulterated joy and connection. These were not just memories; they were the proof of her existence, the threads of a life finally lived with purpose and belonging.

When the light, presuming her imminent acceptance, prepared to finalize its pact, Kazue merely laughed. It was a raw, difficult sound, choked with lingering pain, yet infused with a fierce, unwavering defiance.

"No…"

She gasped, her voice gaining strength with every syllable.

"Not now, and not ever."

Her eyes, though still swimming with tears, hardened with resolve.

"My friends… the bonds I share with them… they are the most precious thing in my life, right now. I will never abandon them, not for any power or cheap victory."

The light recoiled in surprise at her refusal. It warned her that rejecting its offer now meant she would never see it again, and her connection to the elements, her innate affinity, would be forever tainted.

"I don't care!"

Kazue retorted, her voice ringing with newfound conviction.

"I will find another way! I will forge my own path if I have to!"

The light's spectral form, flickering with what appeared to be frustration, finally dissipated, its presence vanishing from her mind.

The perception of time snapped back to normal. The chaotic roar of the Coliseum rushed back in, a jarring return to reality. Magnus's massive form was slowly approaching Kazue, his wide, unsettling smile fixed in place. He then paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as he saw her. He had expected her to remain incapacitated, but she was trembling, her body swaying, yet she was beginning to push herself up.

The man chuckled, a low, pleased sound.

"Incredible."

He boomed, his voice tinged with genuine amusement.

"To think you can still rise after what you've suffered. And to not be considered 'Critical Damage'... I must admit, girl, you're more resilient than I thought."

His gaze held a hint of grudging respect, but quickly hardened.

"However, it's illogical to continue. This is your end."

Kazue pushed herself onto trembling arms. Her body screamed in protest, every muscle aching, every nerve ending aflame with pain. Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to focus on Magnus. She looked at him, and a fierce, unyielding determination burned in her brown eyes.

"You're wrong!"

She declared, her voice raw but strong, ringing with a defiant conviction. She used a cliché, a phrase ripped from the pages of her beloved fantasy stories.

"The power of friendship conquers all! And with my friends, I can do anything!"

Her words, earnest and melodramatic, were a direct challenge to his cold, ruthless pragmatism. Magnus stared for a moment, then threw his head back and burst into thunderous laughter, a booming, unrestrained sound that filled the arena.

"The power of friendship?! Hah! You idiot girl!"

He roared, his voice laced with mocking amusement.

"There is no such thing in this system! There is no power in sentiment! You're a fool, and there's no way you can save yourself now!"

He swelled with an almost arrogant confidence, dismissing her words as childish nonsense. Finally, Magnus decided to end it. His wide, gap-toothed grin twisted into a snarl of finality. He extended his massive hands, and a potent discharge of superheated plasma, crackling with raw, blue energy, erupted from his palms using his skill [High Plasma Manipulation], a devastating torrent aimed directly at the girl.

Kazue's eyes were fixed on the incoming plasma, her body screaming in protest, responding with a desperate surge of will. She activated her [Enhanced Thunder Piercing Hand] the fastest she could. Her right gauntlet hummed to life, and a small, piercing drill of pure, crackling electricity formed at its tip. With all her remaining strength, she launched her electrified hand forward, directly impacting the oncoming plasma discharge. However, her strength and her energy were depleted while the torrent of plasma was overwhelming. It tore through her nascent electric drill with ease, pushing her violently backwards across the polished arena floor. Her brief, desperate counter was crushed by Magnus's sheer, concentrated power.

Kazue slammed against the ground, her body rolling once before coming to a stop. Her vision swam, and her limbs felt like lead, heavy and unresponsive. Yet, through the haze of pain and exhaustion, she began to push herself up again, trembling violently, her will refusing to yield. Magnus watched her, a strange look in his eyes, a flicker of genuine bewilderment.

"I don't understand."

He murmured, his voice low, almost a whisper, more to himself than to her.

"How are you not down? How can you still stand?"

Kazue, her voice barely a whisper, broken and raw from pain and exhaustion, repeated her earlier cliché, her words slurred but firm.

"The power… of friendship…"

She gasped. This time, Magnus's amusement vanished, replaced by a cold, visible annoyance. He roared in frustration, unable to comprehend her stubbornness, and launched another torrent of plasma, even larger and more concentrated than before. This time, Kazue could barely respond. She exhaled a small, desperate tornado with her [Storm Titan Howl], but her strength was so depleted that it was a mere puff of air. It failed to absorb the plasma attack and simply exploded harmlessly, pushing Kazue violently across the floor once more. She lay there, her body broken, her spirit teetering on the edge of collapse.

The girl's body ached with a pain she had never known, a searing agony that permeated every cell. She felt weak, terrified, the cold grip of fear tightening around her heart. She didn't want to continue the combat; she wanted to surrender, to collapse, to simply let the darkness take her. But her friends… she had to do it for them, didn't she? The thought was a frail anchor in the storm of her despair. Then, a strange pulsation ignited in her chest once more. A system message, unheard but felt, resonated deep within her being.

In that moment, at her absolute lowest, as her body screamed for release, a torrent of memories, sharp and vivid, flooded Kazue's mind. Not just the recent ones with her team, but her entire life. She saw her childhood, the cold rejection of her family, and the loneliness she experienced. She remembered the relentless bullying that had driven her to abandon her studies, to lock herself away in a tiny apartment, doing short online jobs simply to subsist on instant noodles for four agonizing years.

She remembered the system's arrival and how it had felt like a dream come true, a fantastical escape from a miserable reality. She remembered all the impossible adventures, the impossible friends she had made, the laughter, the tears, the triumphs—things she had genuinely, truly enjoyed. It was in this moment that Kazue had an epiphany... She wasn't fighting for her friends. Not truly. She was fighting for herself because she wanted to. Because this was her adventure, her story, her life. And she refused to live it, or end it, still scared, still alone, still waiting for a solitary death. If she didn't fight for herself, if she didn't claim her own worth, who would? She was eternally grateful to her teammates, and she would give anything for them, but she understood now that what she truly desired, what she truly craved, was to feel that her life had a purpose, a value… Her value.

Shouting with effort, a raw, primal cry born of pure will, Kazue slowly, shakily, pushed herself up. Tears streamed from her eyes, not from pain, but from the raw emotion of her epiphany. Magnus's patience was finally exhausted; he had already prepared his next attack, a colossal torrent of plasma. This time, he charged it through all four of his 'Thor's Lightning Rods', supercharging it, making it even more powerful and gargantuan than before. However, Kazue, seeing the incoming devastation with eyes that were blurring from exhaustion, eyes that were on the verge of closing, roared. Her voice, raw but firm, declared.

"This is my life! And my story! And no one else's!"

Immediately, several system windows, blazing with green light, began to appear directly in front of her, announcing a profound shift in her very being.

Magnus, witnessing the sudden, explosive surge of power, involuntarily recoiled, containing his previous attack. He read the system screens, his eyes wide with profound astonishment.

A Personal Skill was rare enough, but an (Aberration) type? Was that even possible? It was unreal. To see someone not only possessing such kind of skill but awakening it as their Personal Skill, in mid-combat, was unprecedented. Magnus was on the verge of launching a direct plasma ray at Kazue, intending to strike her down in the midst of her "awakening"—it would have been the easiest way to end the combat—but he hesitated.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

He lowered his hand, his initial fury replaced by a slow smile. For the first time in a very long time, Magnus felt a powerful surge of genuine curiosity. Despite being the ruthless leader of a team called "Noob Reapers" and having no qualms about killing other users, he possessed a deep, inherent respect for true strength and exceptional talent. He would not pardon her, nor would he allow her to win, but he certainly wanted to see what this girl was truly capable of with such an atypical Personal Skill. After all, a Personal Skill so unusual could only reflect a person equally strange and equally unique.

The system windows continued to cascade, announcing transformations that defied all logic.

The power surge ended abruptly, and Kazue stood motionless for a few seconds, her gaze fixed on the ground. For a brief, tense moment, even Magnus hesitated, watching her, unsure of what had transpired. Then, Kazue slowly lifted her gaze towards the sky. A wide, ear-to-ear grin split her face, and she let out a triumphant exclamation.

"Oh, it feels so good!"

She declared, her voice ringing with pure, unadulterated joy.

"I've never felt better!"

Her words were utterly baffling, given that her body was clearly still battered and wounded, yet her eyes shone with a profound, almost manic euphoria. System windows materialized directly in front of her, confirming her new state.

Kazue began to move, her body swaying with an almost euphoric lightness, as if she were made of plastic. Despite her clearly injured state, her movements were fluid, impossibly graceful, utterly detached from the pain that should have wracked her. Magnus, and indeed all the spectators in the skyboxes, watched in utter horror as Kazue began to perform what looked like stretches, flexing her body in unnatural ways, twisting her torso at impossible angles, even turning her head completely around as if she were an owl, all with a wide, joyous grin.

It was a truly horrifying spectacle, a grotesque ballet of impossible contortion. Then, another screen appeared, explaining her new, terrifying reality.

Kazue began to move as if she were a cartoon character, her limbs stretching, bending, and snapping back into place with impossible elasticity. Her body seemed like a living, breathing caricature, utterly unbound by the laws of conventional physics. Magnus, unable to bear the bizarre spectacle, roared in frustration.

"Okay, show me what that bizarre power can do!"

He bellowed, launching the potent torrent of plasma that he was holding back, a blazing blue stream of raw energy that Kazue did not react to; her wide, joyous grin never faltered, and she appeared poised to take the plasma head-on. But then, just before impact, her body moved… She ducked with an abnormal, instantaneous speed, bending her spine in such a bizarre and unnatural way that the plasma torrent passed harmlessly over her head, missing her by inches. Once the danger had passed, her body snapped back to its normal, unbent posture with a cartoonish "boing".

"Exercise sure is good for the body!"

She chirped cheerfully, her voice utterly devoid of strain. Magnus stared, momentarily nonplussed, but quickly regained his composure. He roared and launched into an assault with his full repertoire of skills, determined to break her.

Kazue began to dodge absolutely every skill the man launched at her in increasingly bizarre and comical ways. She would leap impossibly high into the air, moving with exaggerated, floating grace to avoid a burst of solar flares. She would perform a perfect moonwalk, gliding backward across the arena floor, while a freezing aura froze the space where she had been standing. She bent sideways at a ninety-degree angle to avoid a lot of phantom blades, her body flattening against itself with a soft, cartoonish sound. She would stretch her arm to deflect a wave of Arcane Rune traps, her limb elongating absurdly before snapping back. All the while, she advanced rapidly towards Magnus, her wide, joyful grin never fading, a relentless, unbreakable force of pure, unadulterated amusement.

At one point, a direct plasma ray, aimed precisely at her chest, veered sharply, arcing away from her body as if it simply "didn't want" to hit her, a testament to her new skill, [One With the Elements]. Throughout it all, Kazue was clearly having the time of her life, feeling no pain, no fatigue, and lost in the sheer joy of her newfound, impossible abilities.

When she was finally at close range, Kazue wound up her right arm and launched a punch with her 'Enhanced Steamgear Knuckle', imbuing it with crackling electricity. But this time, instead of a small drill of electricity, a colossal electric drill, as massive as a truck, formed at its tip. Its shadow completely enveloped Magnus, a terrifying vortex of pure, raw electrical power.

Magnus reacted desperately, his eyes wide with genuine shock. He raised his black sword, the 'Nullheart Blade', covering it in Void Ki to defend against the impossible attack. His sword glowed, its dark energy clashing violently with the immense electric drill, managing to stop the enormous electric attack. The dark blade trembled under the strain, and dissipated it with immense effort. But that brief moment of desperate defense was all Kazue needed. Behind the dissipating electric energy, her body appeared, still grinning from ear to ear, and with her 'Atomclad Fist' glowing red-hot, she grabbed Magnus's face directly.

The man screamed in pain as the scorching heat of her red-hot gauntlet seared his skin. He tried to grab Kazue's arm to pull her off, but when he seized it, he felt as if he were clutching a handful of sand; her arm compressed, bending impossibly as he tried to exert force. Immediately after, without releasing his face, the girl stretched her arm in a grotesque, caricaturesque manner, like a rubber band elongating impossibly. While laughing joyfully in a pure, unhinged sound, she lifted the colossal body of Magnus high into the air.

As he was hoisted aloft, Magnus managed to launch a torrent of solar fire from his free hand, and an abyssal cold blast from his other, aiming both at Kazue. But again, the girl's body contorted in a comical, impossible way. She bent backward, forward, and sideways simultaneously, her form twisting like a pretzel, allowing both the fire and the ice to pass harmlessly by her, without touching her. The display was horrifying, yet bizarrely amusing.

The subsequent impact was immense, shattering the polished arena floor as Kazue slammed Magnus against it. She released him, and he lay there, his face red from the burn and his massive body aching. He rose slowly, pain etched on his face, but clearly filled with an even deeper fury. The combat resumed with renewed intensity, but it continued to follow Kazue's bizarre, cartoonish pattern. She landed several more impacts, her movements impossibly fluid and comedic, yet devastatingly effective. She would use her long, stretching arms to slap Magnus from across the arena, or her body would flatten into a pancake to evade a sweeping blow, only to pop back into shape with a spring-like sound. At one point, a direct solar flare from Magnus arced towards her, but just before impact, it visibly redirected itself, swerving away as if it simply "didn't want" to hit her.

Throughout it all, Kazue was having the time of her life, her wide, joyous grin never fading, her eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated glee, completely immersed in the chaotic, exhilarating joy of her newfound powers.

In the skybox, Angela, Katya, and Drake watched what was unfolding below without being able to process it. Their expressions were a mixture of utter disbelief and wide-eyed stupefaction. They had no words to describe the impossible spectacle. Angela's mouth hung slightly open, her mind completely overwhelmed. Katya's eyes were wide, her worry replaced by sheer, dumbfounded amazement. Drake simply stared, his jaw slack, unable to comprehend the sheer absurdity and power on display. The only one who didn't seem surprised was Moyan. He watched the combat with a serene, almost proud expression, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips.

Back in the arena, Magnus was finally panting heavily, his massive chest heaving with exertion. He wasn't critically injured, but the cumulative exhaustion from his prolonged battle with Drake, combined with this absurd, impossible fight with Kazue, was clearly taking its toll. His movements were becoming slower, while Kazue, however, seemed utterly relaxed, floating casually in mid-air, then slowly descending, as if taking a nap on an invisible cloud, clearly controlling her own weight.

"Incredible."

Magnus rasped, his voice strained, yet filled with a profound, almost bewildered awe.

"It's truly incredible how a single skill can change the entire tide of a combat so completely."

He looked at Kazue, his wide, unsettling smile softening slightly, a glint of genuine admiration in his eyes.

"I offered the blond to join my team, you know?"

The man said, recalling his previous attempt to recruit Drake,

"But now, I offer the same to you... Join the 'Noob Reapers'. We could conquer the system together."

Kazue responded with a string of happy, nonsensical gibberish, her mind still fully immersed in her own reality. Magnus sighed, a low chuckle escaping him.

"I understand you're not in a state to reply properly right now. That skill, while powerful, clearly controls you more than you control it."

He murmured, a rare display of patience.

"But I will make sure to find you again, later, to reiterate the offer."

He then, however, shifted his gaze, his eyes hardening slightly.

"And I don't know if you can understand this, but I advise you: when this is all over, train that Personal Skill as much as you possibly can. That kind of power, unchecked, will eventually take its toll."

As if on cue, the moment Magnus's warning left his lips, Kazue felt an immediate, sharp pain in her chest. Her breath hitched, her wide, joyous grin faltered, then slowly vanished. The profound sense of well-being, the blissful euphoria of her [Crazy Protagonist Mindset] began to recede. Her mental clarity, her normal perception of reality, slowly returned, and with it, the agonizing pain of her battered body flooded her senses. The sheer vital energy consumption of her Personal Skill was finally catching up to her, exacerbated by the severe injuries she had sustained before its activation.

Magnus, seeing her sudden decline, just as he had predicted, activated his skill of illusion and invisibility. He created a false body, a perfect duplicate that remained standing in the arena, exploiting Kazue's now-failing senses. He then became invisible, waiting silently to the side. He offered a final, triumphant declaration.

"My victory is assured, you can rest now."

He boomed, his voice echoing from the illusory body, and then, he launched a colossal torrent of plasma, supercharged even further by passing through his lightning rods, directly at Kazue.

The girl, now only semi-conscious and with her body screaming in protest, managed to force a small, pained smile back onto her lips. She felt as if she had just woken from a long, incredibly vivid dream. She understood, with a dawning clarity, that she had little time left. Her strength was gone. But it didn't matter.

"I'll take you with me then!"

She gasped, her voice raw, yet filled with a fierce, unwavering resolve.

"This is my moment to shine!"

She accumulated electric energy in her trembling hands, her final act of defiance. The energy grew rapidly, enveloping her entire body, and then exploded outwards in a blinding aura. Just before Magnus's amplified plasma torrent could hit her, Kazue's energy was unleashed, taking the form of a monstrous electric dragon.

The monstrous electric dragon roared, its colossal form a vibrant current of pure power, its jaws opening wide. It lunged forward, directly engulfing Magnus's supercharged plasma torrent, devouring it whole, utterly destroying the attack. The dragon then surged onward, unerringly striking the 'Thor's Lightning Rods' that studded the arena. One by one, they shattered on impact, each destruction causing the dragon to grow larger, more powerful, absorbing their residual energy.

Magnus, still invisible, had his eyes wide with profound disbelief, not believing it. How was she capable of wielding such power?! The electric dragon, now a colossal force of nature, finally impacted against Magnus's false body, disintegrating it in a blinding flash of elemental fury. But then, to the utter surprise of the invisible man, the dragon did not stop. It turned, its massive head swiveling, its glowing eyes fixed directly on his hidden form, as if it could see him through his invisibility.

Kazue, with her voice a raw gasp and her strength rapidly abandoning her, spoke with final, desperate clarity.

"Nothing… escapes my eyes!"

She declared, her pupils transforming into perfect, glowing bullseyes, tracking his every movement. Magnus roared.

"This is ridiculous!"

He tried to unleash more defensive skills but the colossal dragon absorbed them all, consuming his energy, rendering his defenses useless. He knew a direct impact would be catastrophic, lethal even, so he acted immediately. Magnus quickly raised his arms and concentrated, his face contorted in desperation. Two system windows materialized before him, blazing with green text.

The electric dragon slammed into Magnus with an immense elemental explosion that consumed the arena. After the blinding flash and the dissipating smoke, the man was still there, standing, and miraculously unharmed, but panting heavily, his massive chest heaving. He roared, then, with a low chuckle, he launched another plasma torrent towards the sky, which arced and then redirected itself, heading directly towards Kazue. The girl could no longer move; her skill's effect had almost completely ended, and her body was as useless as it had been before her awakening. Yet, she managed a small, pained smile, which grew into a soft laugh. Magnus, watching, demanded.

"What's so funny?"

Kazue, her voice raspy, replied.

"I almost… almost beat you.."

She coughed, a thin trail of blood escaping her lips.

"But it doesn't matter. I'll leave… on my own terms!"

With a final act of defiant will, Kazue crossed her arms over her chest and waited just as the plasma torrent slammed into her. She did not scream, receiving the direct impact without losing her pained smile, and when the light and force had passed, her body showed severe burns, and her eyes were totally white… However, she was still standing, her arms still crossed as a silent, unyielding monument to her own conviction.

Kazue's body began to dissolve rapidly, fading into shimmering particles of light, and was instantly teleported from the arena. She reappeared in the skybox beside her teammates, her form lying on the plush seating, perfectly healed of all physical wounds but clearly unconscious. Everyone rushed to her side.

Magnus, panting heavily, his face still streaked with sweat, smiled. His usual malicious grin now held a certain light, a spark of genuine excitement and satisfaction. He threw his head back and laughed, a booming sound that filled the Coliseum.

"Yes, you did... I even wasted such a rare and powerful Plot Device, yet... I didn't expect to be having so much fun with this damned wager!"

He boomed.

"But I can't wait to finish it! Not only will I win the mechanical bird with an S-rank soul, but now I have my sights set on two more users with potential that has truly caught my attention! I won't let them go easily after beating them! One way or another, I'll make them join me!"

In the skybox, while everyone was preoccupied with attending to the unconscious Kazue, Moyan Varrick quietly looked towards the arena. His gaze focused on Magnus, his eyes now cold and utterly serious, a sharp contrast to his usual charismatic smile.