READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 1 - Lightning-Fast Revenge
“The World’s Strongest Duo”
That was the title bestowed upon Zeke and me.
We were the only adventurers who had climbed to S-rank as a duo.
“Alright! Now, Zeke! Hit it with a powerful spell!”
Today, like any other day, we were challenging a dungeon that made even seasoned adventurers quake in fear—a vast, malevolent cavern illuminated by ominous dark flames.
Our opponent was Bahamut, the mightiest dragon. Even a group of A-rank adventurers wouldn’t stand a chance against it.
But Zeke and I planned to defeat it together—or so I thought.
“What the—!?”
Suddenly, glowing vines of light sprouted at my feet, entangling me.
This was Zeke’s binding magic.
“Hey, Zeke! What are you doing?!”
I turned back, shielding myself from Bahamut’s attacks with my shield.
There stood Zeke, the golden-haired mage, glaring at me with a twisted expression.
“This is your fault, Deus.”
“What are you talking about?!”
“I’ve loved Reyna for so long, but you stole her from me!”
“What…?”
Reyna was our childhood friend.
She wasn’t an adventurer; she lived as a commoner in the royal capital.
Before we set out on this mission, Reyna had proposed to me—right in front of Zeke.
“Why wasn’t it me? Why did she choose you, Deus?! I’ve been trying to win her heart for so long! Reyna is my everything, and you took her away!”
“Don’t spout nonsense! I never took anything from you!”
I was telling the truth.
There was nothing romantic between Reyna and me—not even a kiss.
So when she proposed to me, I was shocked.
Apparently, she had loved me all along.
“I loved her first! She should have been mine! You deserve to die, Deus!”
Zeke unleashed another spell.
Chains of light bound my hands and feet, immobilizing me.
In front of me loomed Bahamut.
“ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRR!!!”
Bahamut unleashed a torrent of flames toward me.
Unable to move, there was nothing I could do—
◇
“Deus! Hey, Deus!”
A voice called out, snapping me back to reality.
“Where… am I?”
I found myself in a forest.
It felt strangely nostalgic.
“What are you spacing out for?”
Someone called out again.
It was—
“Zeke?!”
“Uh… yeah? Why are you yelling all of a sudden?”
Zeke scratched his head and chuckled nervously.
(Huh? Now that I look closely…)
Zeke’s face looked younger.
And his physique seemed less developed.
“Hey, are you okay? First you’re shouting, now you’re spacing out again.”
Zeke looked at me with concern.
“Give me a moment to think.”
“Think about what?”
Ignoring Zeke’s question, I pieced together the clues—Zeke’s youthful appearance, my own body, and this forest.
(Could it be…?)
I turned to Zeke.
“Hey, Zeke, what year is it? And what’s today’s date?”
“What? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Just tell me.”
“Uh… It’s the 18th of November, Kingdom Calendar Year 208.”
“I knew it!”
As I feared, I had time-leaped into the past.
The battle against Bahamut happened on December 26th, Kingdom Calendar Year 215.
I had traveled back seven years.
Back to a time when I wasn’t even an adventurer yet.
“Wait, November 18th?”
“If you need the time too, it’s about 9:40 AM, judging by the sun’s angle.”
(This is bad…!)
November 18th, Kingdom Calendar Year 208, was the worst day of our lives.
That was the day Behemoth attacked our village.
It slaughtered the villagers—our families.
The only survivors were Zeke, Reyna, and me.
That tragedy was what drove us to become adventurers.
“Deus, what’s with that grim face? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?”
“……”
I didn’t answer and instead racked my brain at full speed.
If events followed the same path as my previous life, Behemoth would appear around 4 PM.
I had no idea where it would come from.
In my past life, Zeke and I had been climbing a cliff at the time. When we returned, unaware of what had happened, we were greeted with the horrific sight of everyone—except Reyna—slaughtered.
(What should I do? How can I stop it?)
I considered going back to the village to warn everyone to flee.
But that would only backfire.
Behemoth usually stayed deep within its dungeon. Even if I told people it would emerge on the surface, no one would believe me.
(And besides…)
I couldn’t let this bastard off the hook.
He might be my friend now, but he’s the man who would betray me in the future.
There was no way I could just let it slide.
He killed me, so I’ll kill him in return.
But—would I really get the chance?
In reality, killing someone is no simple task.
If I stabbed him with a sword, a magical investigation would reveal the truth.
The only realistic option would be to fake an accident in the dungeon.
Just like Zeke had done to me in my previous life.
But that would take over a year of careful planning.
I didn’t want to spend even a fraction of that time with him.
If possible, I’d kill him here and now.
(It’s tight on time, but this is the only way.)
I made up my mind.
“Zeke, let’s climb the cliff quickly.”
“That’s the spirit! Look at you, Deus, showing some courage for once!”
“Yeah, something like that.”
I decided to climb the cliff, just like in my previous life.
But this time, I’d move faster and with a clear purpose.
◇
By 1 PM—
“Deus, what’s with you? Aren’t you scared at all?”
“This is nothing.”
I scaled the cliff with ease.
The cliff that had seemed so daunting in my past life now felt trivial.
If anything, Zeke was the one slowing us down.
“Look at you, all grown up! The scaredy-cat’s finally manned up!”
He could talk all he wanted, but Zeke was the real coward here.
That’s why I became a front-line swordsman while he stuck to being a back-line mage.
“Phew, finally made it to the top.”
Zeke placed his right arm on a flat rock at the top of the cliff, using it to hoist himself up for the final stretch.
He was letting his guard down, feeling relief now that the end was in sight.
I didn’t miss that moment.
(Now.)
I lightly pushed Zeke’s left shoulder with my toe.
“Huh?”
It was a gentle nudge, but it was enough.
Zeke’s upper body leaned backward, pulling him away from the cliff.
“See you, Zeke.”
From this height, there was no way he would survive the fall.
“Deus!”
Zeke shouted, more in shock than anger.
“I’ll tell everyone you were attacked by a wyvern and fell to your death.”
“Why…?”
Zeke’s body disappeared into the forest far below.
The cliff was so high that I couldn’t even hear the dull thud of his body hitting the ground.
“Now, time to save the village!”
Next on the agenda: taking down Behemoth.
I wouldn’t let my parents or the villagers die.
(I don’t have my Sacred Weapon or Sphere, but…)
I’d do whatever it took.
Even if it meant sacrificing myself, I’d protect them all.
(I’ll save the village. I will!)
With that, I sprinted toward the village at full speed.