For I Am A Side Character - Zetro Translation

Duels between men were always intense in a way…

It was only natural that a man would act in a way that would shoulder his strength.

Men fought to protect…fought to prove themselves that they were worth something.

That kind of personality is usually born in a world like Atlanta. Where hunters were the norm and monsters were a chance to prove their right as a man, men who grew in this dangerous world knew just how easy they can evaluate their nature as a person who would one day face another war…

This time, it wasn’t any different.

Just like any form of duel, there was only one winner and one who lost his chance to prove his right as a man.

And now…what stood before Soril was the sight of a kneeling protagonist.

With cuts made all over his skin and clothes, Jason was found heavily breathing as he submitted to the truth that layed before him.

‘…I can’t overwhelm him.’

Soril was simply too strong.

And the sight of Soril’s image as he stood tall over Jason’s defeated figure made Jason feel a sense of shame.

Normally, in a duel, he wouldn’t be embarrassed if he loses, but now…for some reason, he stood here with guilt built under his eyes…

His expression said it all…

‘I…I am weak…’

Their bout after Jessabelle’s defeat only lasted ten minutes…ten minutes of Soril simply overwhelming Jason in every turn. Soril did not give him a chance the moment he took off the sheath of his sword. His skill and sword were nearly broken to a point where his sword was dull as a wooden sword prop.

And in his lost, he couldn’t even look Soril in the eye…

He was simply that embarrassed of his failure.

“…”

But even after his defeat, Soril didn’t admit his victory…he remained staring at Jason’s back as if he was waiting for something else to happen.

“…”

They were stuck in silence for a minute…

And even as such a time passed, Soril did not initiate in some sort of conversation.

“…” he waited for Jason to speak himself.

“…Why…why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked as he was confused about the silence brought upon his defeat.

“…Why are you kneeling down like you have already lost?” asked Soril in a cold tone.

“…I did lose…I lost to you.” he said.

“…Are you sure about that?” asked Soril.

“What else is there to comment on?…look at me. I could barely stand up with the wounds you put on my body…”

“…I simply thought that there would have been more that you could show me…was I wrong?”

“I wish there was…I truly do…but I can’t do anything…”

“Nothing?” Soril asked.

“…”

“…Nothing at all?” he asked again despite the silence brought by Jason.

“…”

seeing the pathetic nature of his grovelling form, Soril couldn’t help but involuntarily grind his teeth on how pissed off he was.

“…Why?” he asked in such a dead-pan of a tone.

“…?!” and in reaction, Jason felt shaken as if he felt the eyes of death looked down on him.

“Is it because your scared?…is it because you don’t want to feel pain?…is it because your out of options…?”

Asking these questions, Soril couldn’t help but feel doubt over Jason’s potential as the main character of this world.

Not once has he imagined for things to go this way…yet here it was. Jason grovelling like a damn bastard.

“…I…I am out of opt-”

“YOU IDIOT!!” Soril shouted his rage before Jason could state his reason…

In his scream, power overflowed out sync to his feelings, causing the ground to shake.

Then and there, Soril wanted to say just how disappointed he was to Jason. To kneel when he shouldn’t have…

It made him wonder what God would have thought of at this moment.

Would he be just as Disappointed as Soril was?

Well, that didn’t matter…

Here in now…Jason showed what no protagonist should inhibit.

[Giving up]

That simple state of mind simply showed Soril that Jason was capable of giving up…

But why?

Why did Jason give up?

Thinking hard about it, Soril decided to calm himself from his rage and think back to the things that made Jason move his will to fight forward…

Or more so yet, Soril looked into the idea of how a story should flow…

And that’s when it hit him…

‘…Incentive.’

That was his thought. That was what’s lacking to this moment.

Jason had no incentive in this duel.

Despite his own request of having to fight Soril, in the end, Jason who saw his limits, could not find it in himself to act as his usual self in a losing moment because Soril wasn’t truly a threat. He wasn’t a demon who would go out for the kill…nor was he any sort of villain for that matter that threatened the neighborhood.

Soril was simply a side character to this story.

He showed no evil intentions…and that was fit enough to not make Jason go past his own current limits.

The incentive to protect those who he loved and cared for wasn’t in this moment.

Or at least not yet…

‘…Should I really go that far?’ thought Soril as he was pondering on whether or not he should act as a villain in this moment…

If he did, Jason might be able to show his true potential…but that would lave a bad taste in his mouth.

Was it risky?

Incredibly so, but being God’s mercenary wasn’t a job without its risk…

“…Fine, lets do this then.”

So having thought hard about it, Soril decided to act based on the goal to bring out Jason’s potential birth skill.

To do that, he had to become some sort of villain. And luckily, he already had the presence of being one.

Soril knows just how incredibly terrifying he was in the eyes of those weaker than him. He knows the feeling of being overwhelmed by some rather incredible people, like his brother and master.

Simply put, if he had an opinion about how his master and brother were treating him during his time training under them, he would have labeled their process to be brutally evil. Or at least, incredibly painful.

So knowing the experience of living under the roof of the house of shadows, Soril knows just how bad he should act.

So he walked up to the kneeling Jason and he simply kicked him to the gut without mercy.

“Ghk!*”

Taking on that powerful kick, it sent Jason flying to the other end of the room.

*Boom!*

“…W-what are you doing!?” asked Jason as he felt confused by Soril’s decision to brutally beat him up.

“…” but Soril simply kept his mouth shut and his eyes sharp.

During this time, all of the class-A students were unconscious. Especially Jessabelle who didn’t stayed awake for too long because of the after-effect of her forcefully activating her birth-skill.

Right now, no one could see what Soril was about to do to Jason.

“I-I give up!” said Jason as he struggled to endure the pain of his chest from how Soril kicked him without mercy.

But in his words, Soril gripped his hand tighter than ever before and he struck Jason straight in his face.

The force of his punch was strong enough that it broke Jason’s nose.

“Khf!!” as Soril pulled his fist away, all but immediately, Jason’s nose was bleeding.

“…” and it didn’t end there.

Soril lifted Jason up from his shirt collar and he proceeded to brutally beat him with an uncountable amount of straight punches to the face.

*Thud* *Thud**Thud* *Thud**Thud* *Thud**Thud* *Th*Thud* *Thud**Thud* *Thud*

Over a hundred punches were made under a minute

And after that, Soril lets go of Jason’s pitiful sight.

“…Agh…” Jason could barely speak right to question why Soril decided to do this, and seeing him act in such a way, Soril couldn’t help but feel empathetic of how Jason was feeling at that moment.

Weak…

Ashamed…

Pathetic…

Being unable to do anything in a moment of true fear and torture, Soril knew that to Jason, it may feel like he wasn’t able to do anything.

And two choices were only left for him to answer through…

As a man, will he either fight back with nothing to prove but his anger pointed to Soril’s direction or will he simply lie down like the worthless person he was today? Give up…

Soril waited… and he spoke.

“…Neh, Jason.”

“…”

“If I was a demon in front of you right now, what would you do?” he asked.

“…” and Jason didn’t respond.

And as Soril spoke, he let out all the killing intent that he was capable of brewing by instinct.

[Ethereal will of the dark]

To him, he made it show that he was turning to a presence of evil…

“What if I showed up in front of your home and I brought out my blade to skewer your father?” he said in his ominous tone.

“…”

“…I’d walk up to your mother and pull her hair as I skewer her too.”

“…”

“And finally…If I held your sister right here right now, by her throat, can you suggest something that I can do?”

“…”

Soril lifted Jason’s head up to his face, and there he showed such a devious smile that resembled a devil.

“…what if I…”

And to pause, he leaned in to Jason’s ear and he whispered one of the most devilish acts ever known to man…

“…”

As Soril leaned back, he saw Jason’s expresion…

And expression that he too could relate..

Pure anger and pure malice…

And it was all for Soril to take in…

If his face wasn’t beat up to a point where he couldn’t speak, he would have cursed Soril then and there like a true madman would.

His eyes spoke a million intentions, all of which might make someone uncomfortable…

Seeing his reaction, Soril decided to drop Jason on the floor and he took a few steps back.

“…” and he waited…

As Jason’s eyes were filled with hate, Soril simply waited.

One second passed…

And Jason was now found standing on his two legs…

And soon enough, Soril saw flames coming out of Jason’s mouth like an exhaust from a motor.

Like a dragon filled with rage.

“SORILLLLLLLL!!!” he screamed. Despite his disfigurement, Jason spoke with blood splattering in all directions.

“…”

“YOU BASTARD!!!!”

Unconsciously, Jason was now using the flames…despite him not being able to notice it, the flames were up and about. But all of Jason’s attention was on Soril. He could not care less for any form of power he was brimming with. All he wanted to do at that moment was to tear Soril piece by piece.

Soril was successful.

The moment Jason was able bring out his power simply by rage, Soril had completed his mission. The system had informed him of his success and with that, he should have ended it there…but to Soril, he was unsure of whether or not this was enough.

“…” so he fought Jason in a logical sense.

Bringing out his sword, he dashed in forward with the attempt to bring out more of Jason’s power.

The moment they clashed swords, Soril could feel an increase of power from Jason.

But at the moment, Jason was nothing but a boy who was breathing out fire. He was not doing anything with it. Soril had to do something about it.

He had to make Jason aware that he was using his birth skill.

“Why! Why are you doing this to me!” said Jason as he angrily swung his sword filled with power. Each swing caused the winds to change.

“…” but Soril didn’t respond.

“Were you always like this?…sick…wicked….for you to say those things about my family…its like you’re a demon!” he said as he could not believe that Soril would act that way.

“…”

“I thought we were friends!” he said.

“…”

“Was I the only one who thought that was real?! Were you acting all along?!”

“…” but as Jason asked that question, Soril simply let out a calm and nuetral face.

“…Answer me!!” he shouted as he felt threatened by Soril’s silence.

And in his shout, Soril dashed in forward with his blade and he let out his killing intent even more so.

[Heavy Slash!]

One strong skill was launched to Jason’s side.

He tried to defend as fast as he could with his sword, but in return, his sword could not handle Soril’s skill and It simply broke to pieces the moment it met Soril’s heavy slash.

Jason was pushed back yet again…but despite this, he did not give in.

“AHHHHH!!!!!” Jason screamed.

Even as his blade was put to pieces, Jason decided to scream and move forward with nothing but his fist.

He let out his unanswered emotions…

Everything…

Deep inside, he wondered why Soril acted like this?

But he knew he wouldn’t be talked too.

So instead, he let out all of his emotions to his fist.

As he was getting close, Soril decided to put his sword back in his sheath. But before he could, Jason came in closer than he could have imagined and he swung his fit so hard, that it broke Soril’s sword in return. Sheath and all…

In that moment, as if Soril was placed in a slow state of motion, he saw a flame occur in Jason’s hand.

‘…His hands… they are on fire…’ Soril thought, his eyes widening at the sight of Jason’s fists engulfed in ethereal blue flames. The heat was intense, and Soril could feel the sheer power radiating from Jason’s birth skill. This was no ordinary flame; it was something far more potent, born from pure rage and the will to protect. Jason’s skill was growing.

Soril didn’t have time to fully process the implications. Jason’s flaming fist came hurtling toward him, leaving a trail of blue fire in its wake. Soril moved instinctively, raising his arms to block, but the impact was tremendous. The force of the punch sent him skidding backward, his feet digging trenches into the ground as he fought to maintain his balance.

Pain seared through Soril’s forearms, the heat from the flames scorching his skin. He gritted his teeth, suppressing the pain, and steadied himself. Jason was advancing, his eyes blazing with fury, every step leaving smoldering footprints. It seems as though the flame was also effecting his feet as well despite the lack of flames present below.

Soril had to think fast. He knew he needed to push Jason further, to see just how far his birth skill could take him. But he also needed to be careful; one wrong move and he could end up seriously injured or worse. By that, he meant Jason might go wild from not being able to control his power.

“Good,” Soril muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible over the crackling of the flames.

“That’s more like it.”

Jason roared, his voice echoing through the dungeon, and charged again. Soril sidestepped, narrowly avoiding another flaming punch, and countered with a swift kick to Jason’s side. The impact staggered Jason, but he quickly recovered, turning his momentum into a spinning backfist. Soril ducked, feeling the heat brush past his face, and retaliated with a palm strike to Jason’s chest.

The strike landed, but Jason seemed almost impervious to the pain.

“…?!” Soril knew then that the flames were also now effecting Jason’s endurance. And not just that, he was now starting to see that not only was it improving his strength but it was also healing his injuries. The blue flames had the apparent affinity for healing.

As Soril was distracted by this power, Jason suddenly grabbed Soril’s wrist with his flaming hand, the fire licking at Soril’s skin. Soril hissed in pain but didn’t back down. He twisted his wrist free and delivered a powerful knee strike to Jason’s abdomen.

In that moment, Soril had a chance to think for himself.

‘…I felt the burn?’ this was strange for Soril since even with Jessabelle’s flames, he barely felt any sort of pain because of the body of the dark, yet with Jason, it was incredibly hot. The blue flames were truly incredible.

As Jason gasped, the air forced from his lungs, but the flames didn’t waver. If anything, they seemed to burn brighter, fueled by his anger and determination. He lashed out with a series of rapid punches, each one a blazing blur. Soril moved with fluid grace, blocking and deflecting as best he could, but the heat and intensity were relentless.

Soril knew he couldn’t keep this up for long. He needed to end the fight before Jason’s rage consumed him entirely. He feinted to the left, drawing Jason in, then pivoted and struck with all his might, aiming for a nerve point just below Jason’s armpit.

The move was precise and powerful. Jason’s arm went limp, the flames flickering out momentarily. Soril seized the opportunity, delivering a spinning kick to Jason’s other side, sending him crashing to the ground. Jason layed there, gasping for breath, the flames around his hands slowly dying out.

Soril stood over him. He looked down at Jason, seeing not a defeated opponent, but a young man who had finally tapped into his true potential.

“That’s enough,” Soril said, his voice firm but not unkind.

“!?” Finally, Jason heard his voice again. And yet this time, it felt less cruel.

Jason’s eyes were filled with a mix of anger, pain, and something else—perhaps it was faith…hope maybe. Yet he stayed vigilant with the fight draining out of him as exhaustion took over.

“Why… why did you do that?” Jason asked, his voice hoarse and trembling.

“…Those flames.” as Soril pointed to the dying flames on Jason’s body, Jason finally took notice of them.

‘!??!”

He was shocked.

“What is this?” asked Jason as he couldn’t figure out what was happening to his body.

“Your Birth Skill probably…” said Soril as he gave a hint to the panicking Jason.

“…My birth skill?” he asked.

“…” after saying that, Soril turned his back and started walking out.

That was all he needed to say.

He knows that Jason wasn’t that stupid, so doing just this much might be able to bring out his power.

“Wait!” but before he could leave, Jason called out to him again.

But Soril didn’t stop and only raised his middle finger in response to Jason’s plea for answers.

Soril’s raised middle finger was both a dismissal and a challenge. It spoke volumes without saying a word, a stark reminder that Jason had a long way to go.

Jason, still kneeling, watched Soril’s retreating figure. The flames on his body flickered and waned, a symbol of his own wavering resolve. But there was something in Soril’s words and actions that ignited a new fire within him—a fire that wouldn’t be so easily extinguished.

“Birth Skill…” Jason whispered to himself, his mind racing. He had heard about Birth Skills, unique abilities that were said to be ingrained in one’s very being from birth, but he had never thought he possessed one. The realization that he might have untapped potential was both thrilling and terrifying.

It made him think back to the past…to the flames he used against the demon. Was that and this…similar?

As he asked himself these questions, slowly he rose to his feet, the weight of exhaustion still heavy on his shoulders. His body ached, and every breath was a reminder of his defeat, but his spirit was far from broken. Jason clenched his fists, feeling a surge of determination.

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, his eyes fixed on the path Soril had taken. “I’ll get stronger. I’ll prove myself.”

With a newfound resolve, Jason began to walk back towards the place where his classmates were gathered. Each step was painful, but with every stride, he felt a little stronger, a little more determined. He knew that the path ahead would be difficult, filled with more battles and challenges, but he was ready to face them.

Not long after he was put near his friends, he too collapsed like a log.

On that day, the entire Class-A group was wiped out in the first activity.