"Huh?"

  "Hey, Yuri. What's going on? You really owe us an expnation."

  Sophia seemed stunned, unable to process my words, while Theo gave me a serious gaze.

  Our party had only been active for three months.

  Of course, we were all still F-rank adventurers—the lowest rank. Though Theo would soon rise like a comet in the adventuring world.

  In the original story, Yuri, driven by jealousy, would nitpick Theo’s fws and force him out of the party.

  But this time, I deliberately chose to leave instead.

  Well, acting alone would be more convenient, and Theo would undoubtedly grow stronger without me around.

  It might deviate from the original game’s strory , but it’ll be fine. Theo’s strong enough to handle it.

  "I’m not on your level. In other words, I’d just be dead weight." "That’s not true!" "Exactly! Why would you say that?!"

  Both Theo and Sophia immediately rejected my words. They genuinely believed in me—their kindness was evident.

  But for me—Yuri—there was indeed a problem.

  "No, it’s the truth. Given the nature of my skills, I’d just cause trouble for you two, wouldn’t I?" "...! That’s..." "..."

  Theo and Sophia were good people.

  They’d faced my so-called "cursed skill" head-on, but the truth was, it was far more problematic than they realized.

  Theo and I were por opposites. Theo specialized in light magic, and Sophia excelled in healing.

  As for me? I wielded dark-attribute abilities.

  Skill affinities were innate—unchangeable.

  Talent could be both a blessing and a curse.

  For Theo and Sophia, their skills were blessings. For me, they were a curse.

  This was something I had no choice but to accept.

  "Dark-attribute abilities. And my unique passive skill attracts monsters. Theo, you said it’d give you more chances to fight, but who knows what dangers we might face? Someone unstable like me should be removed. It’s the logical choice." "But we’ve been friends since childhood! We made a promise, remember? To become great adventurers someday...!" "Yeah. But walking the same path is dangerous. Theo, Sophia—you’re good people. That’s why you should follow the righteous path. With me around, it’d just turn crooked. I’ll keep my promise too—just in my own way. Someday, when we’re both accomplished adventurers, we’ll meet again." "...So your mind’s made up?" "Yeah."

  Theo’s eyes pleaded with me. Sophia’s tears glistened faintly.

  We’d always been together. Ever since we were saved by adventurers as kids after being attacked by monsters.

  That experience made us swear an oath—to become great adventurers who could protect others, just like those who saved us.

  But we shouldn’t walk the same path.

  Because I knew the future, I chose to leave them.

  It wasn’t like I wanted to go. The days I spent with them were irrepceable.

  But precisely because of that—to prevent that tragic war, and to survive—I decided to walk alone.

  "Yuri. Let’s make a promise. That someday, we’ll meet again. By then, we’ll both be S-rank adventurers." "Yeah. Of course."

  Theo wiped his tears and held out his hand. I gripped it tightly.

  You’ll face countless hardships ahead, but I know you’ll be fine.

  After all, Theo has irrepceable comrades by his side.

  "Yuri..." "Sophia. Don’t look so down. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again." "But..."

  She was still crying. Sophia was like a saint—always kind, even to someone like me.

  As the main heroine, Sophia was destined to end up with Theo.

  In the original story, our love triangle would’ve twisted into something ugly, but I genuinely wished them happiness. I wouldn’t get in their way.

  "It’s fine. I’ll come back stronger. So, take care of Theo for me. This guy’s surprisingly absentminded sometimes." "...Right. Okay. It’s a promise." "Yeah."

  Sophia and I linked pinkies. Theo muttered, "The 'absentminded' part was unnecessary." The banter made me a little sad—soon, even this would be gone.

  "Alright, I’m off." "Take care, Yuri." "Yuri! I believe we’ll meet again!" "Yeah."

  With a casual wave, I left the adventurer’s guild.

  I didn’t look back. Not even once.

  ---

  "Alright, first—to the kingdom."

  I walked alone along a beast-trodden path toward the kingdom. It’d be a long trek, but that was fine. Hiring a carriage would cost money I didn’t have.

  "My immediate goal is—well, getting stronger, for now."

  The final war Theo would face was called *The Stelr Descent War*—a conflict between the Kingdom of Levaris and the Ragnas Empire that would engulf the world.

  Theo would fight for Levaris and emerge victorious—but in that war, I was fated to die shielding him.

  Prevent the war entirely. Or, if it happens, gain enough strength to survive.

  That was my goal. Fortunately, I knew the true nature of Lucas’s abilities.

  Though it was a curse, if mastered, it could surpass even Theo’s power.

  Grow stronger while eliminating the seeds of war. That summed it up, right?

  The war was still two years away. No need to rush just yet.

  "Hm?"

  As I walked, lost in thought, I suddenly noticed Red Wolves—fire-attribute monsters—gathering around me. Ferocious beasts that attacked with fireballs.

  Thanks to my skill—but well, they’d make good practice dummies.

  I quickly readied myself.

  "Alright, let’s try this out."

  In this world, two types of abilities existed: magic and skills.

  Mages, as the name implied, were those who wielded magic—maniputing magical formue to manifest spells.

  Skills, on the other hand, were abilities enhanced by traits, experience, or technique. Combat skills like physical reinforcement, or crafting skills for certain professions.

  They also required mana but didn’t need magical formue, allowing instant activation. However, unlike magic, they couldn’t produce complex phenomena.

  Think of them as single-purpose abilities that could be used quickly.

  *Grrrrrr...*

  The Red Wolves encircled me, waiting for an opening to strike.

  In the silence, only their growls and pawsteps could be heard.

  *Growl—!!!*

  Then, they lunged. Fireballs spewed from their maws, raining down on me—

  But I faced them with pure physical reinforcement, no magic.

  I dodged the fireballs by leaping upward, then drove my fist into a wolf mid-air.

  *Yelp—!!!*

  From there, I swiftly struck the remaining wolves in rapid succession.

  Yuri was a character designed as Theo’s counterpart—his potential was immense.

  Before long, the Red Wolves fled in fear.

  "Welp, that’s that. I’ll test magic next time."

  Few could wield both magic and skills. Though both used mana, they were entirely different disciplines.

  This was where innate talent mattered.

  And so, I resumed my journey.

  My combat prowess was solid. With steady effort, I could grow even stronger.

  "Besides, that other thing shouldn’t be a problem."

  That being the death fg tied to romance. Well, that’d work itself out.

  All I had to do was avoid getting involved with any of the heroines, right?

  Easy. If I stayed out of romantic entanglements, there’d be no issues.

  Or so I thought at the time.

  But in the future, that very romance fg would become my biggest problem.

  Who would I end up with? Not knowing would lead to immense struggles.

  That I’d be proposed to by multiple heroines?

  Back then, I never could’ve imagined it—not even in my wildest dreams.