When he turned to me, I was surprised.

His body and face were riddled with scars. His sharp eyes looked straight at me. He judged me with his cloudy eyes that were as deep as an abyss.

“So you have been defeated on your second day after getting the skill. Talk about weak. You sure are a Loser.” He ridiculed me, as he smirked.

I was frustrated, so I raised my voice.

“What do you know!?”

The unknown man acted as if he knew me.

“I know.” Answered the man, his smirk still on his face, “I know all about you.”

He took a step forward to me. An eerie smile crept upon his face as he took another step forward.

“Who are you?” I asked the most important question, “Where am I?”

As if I was a cornered rat, I looked around in panic. The man kept walking towards me.

I took a step backward. Sweat began to form on my forehead, I was scared.

I felt like a cornered rat as the man kept walking toward me.

Sweat began forming on my forehead, I took a step back as I looked around in panic. I was scared.

“You asked me who I am?” His steps were steady, his arms spread as he slowly walked to me.

I took another step back, trying to get away from the man.

He grinned, “Surely you know better.”

To be honest, I recognised the man somewhere in my mind. He felt familiar, but I was confused.

‘I just met him, but I knew him? What did he mean?’

The man walked until he stopped in front of me. His eyes peered into mine, and he said.

“I am your trainer. This is your world. I welcome you, Loser, I will enjoy watching your struggle in this place.”

His answer left me confused. He was my trainer? Ah, I wouldn’t be able to leave this place until I defeat someone who defeated me, right?

‘Then, where is Rena? Is she in this world too?’

That was my biggest question, as well as my biggest worry. I lied to her about my lack of skill. If she knew that I had a skill, I wouldn’t be able to guess her reaction.

The man who saw my confused expression took a step back and turned around happily. His movements were smooth as if he was dancing.

I used this chance to recover from my surprise, and I did succeed. I was able to recover faster than I thought, then the man stopped moving.

“So, have you calmed down?”

He looked at me, his neck tilting to the right. His smile was creeping me out.

I forced myself to nod, and he clapped his hands.

Clap Clap Clap!

“Wonderful! Then how about I explain to you how things work in this world? Follow me.”

After saying his piece, he turned around and walked toward the tree.

Without any choice given to me, I followed the man cautiously. Although it was a world that I’d suspected to be a part of my skill, I was still unfamiliar with the man.

I’d rather not put my guard down around him, at least until I knew his intention.

The man stopped in front of the tree and sat on one of its roots.

“So, where should I start?” The man looked at me, still smiling, “Ah, you can sit here.” He pointed at the root in front of him.

Following his instruction, I sat down and glared at him, observing him carefully. My eyes were hidden by my hair, he wouldn't notice me glaring at him.

However, he did notice it. No, he just grinned while looking straight into my eyes.

The man shrugged his shoulders, seemingly amused with my glare.

“Don’t be like that, I am here to help you. You can drop your act in front of me.”

I slicked my hair back with my right hand and said.

“I don’t trust you.”

My tone was lower than before. I dropped my act. The act that I put on to keep myself away from the boys, the act that I put on to keep Rena safe.

The act of a Loser that was afraid to tackle the world. It was an act that I kept on all the time to remind myself that I was a Loser.

‘How did he know that I was acting?’

“Now that’s some good eyes. It’s better if you always act like this instead of getting flustered all the time. Hahahaha.”

The man who called himself a trainer laughed.

It was a mystery for me, why did the man laugh at my real self.

“Cut the crap, you said that you will tell me about this world?”

I relaxed my sitting posture. My physical condition was a mess because I never exercised. The man didn’t look too strong, only intimidating, so even if he was planning something, I was confident that I could beat him even with my weak body.

“Ah, yes. This world is created by your skill, Loser’s Struggle.” The man spread his arms.

“I had expected that much. Tell me something new.” I urged him with an impatient tone.

“Don’t be so impatient, we have all the time we need in this place. When you entered this place, the real world’s time stopped. Or rather, this world has a different concept of time. So when you are done with this world, you will be sent back right at the moment of your defeat. In your case, it was after you got kicked by that girl. Hahahaha, that was really funny!”

The man laughed loudly while holding his stomach.

“So, how do I leave this world? It is written in the description that I need to defeat an opponent that defeated me. But…”

“You don’t see that girl? It’s because I am the one who holds the authority of the trial.”

“Trial?”

A new word that was unfamiliar to me and wasn’t written on the description of my skill.

“Yes, a trial. The trial is simple, you just need to defeat your opponent. However, this time your opponent won’t hold themselves back like what they did in the real world.”

That was bad. I gaped and my eyes widened.

“Kukuku, don’t be afraid. As I said, I am your trainer. First things first, do you understand what I have explained so far?”

“Yes.” I nodded my head at the man.

It seemed that he could be trusted, but I shouldn’t let my guard down around him for now, at least.

He stood up and dusted his butt before looking straight into my eyes.

“Well then, shall we begin the first trial?”

He said and snapped his finger.

Click!

Grumble!

There was a sound of earth moving in the distance. I looked at the source of the sound and saw the white ground moving strangely and slowly forming a familiar shape.

The white ground wriggled around and began to change its shape into a human shape. Then it gained color to be more human-like, and finally it looked like a real human, complete with clothes.

I couldn’t believe what I saw. It happened in less than 10 seconds.

From the flat white ground in the distance, now someone was standing there – Someone very familiar to me.

“Now then, let’s see the extent of your capabilities.” The man who called himself my trainer pushed me from behind.

Now I was facing Rena who defeated me right before I entered this strange space – a strange world.

“Now, try to struggle more to achieve greatness, Loser!” Shouted my Trainer.