My name is Osin Juriken, and this is the story of I, the true main character of this world.

CLANG! CLANG!

Currently, I was in a mine along with hundreds of other prisoners using pick axes to mine coal.

Ting!

A woman's pickaxe hit the stone at the wrong angle, causing it to bounce behind her, nearly hitting the armed guard. She, Yasin is a very interesting person. She may be a side character in this world, but I find her story very interesting. I tend to think about things from other people's perspectives. So, I will tell you about her past–

The guard caught the iron part of the pickaxe and then smacked her across her face.

SLAP!

My face quickly jerked to my right. Mom slapped me again, for what reason?

"What is wrong with you!" She was visibly incredibly angry. "I told you beforehand; when you enter a damn gathering of nobles, make sure you have a bright smile on your face! When you interact with others, make sure you smile; show interest in them. Do you think I like most of them? No, don't be silly. You just need to fake your emotions and expressions…"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Why… Why can't you be like your brothers and sisters? Why wouldn't you just smile? Why can't you do it for me or your father?"

She gripped my shoulders tightly and stared deep into my eyes. "I am doing this for you. So, you can be respected. So you can be looked at favorably by others."

She wanted me to promise her I would be able to fake a smile the next time. I want to make her and dad proud too, but it isn't like I don't try to do as she requests…

"I will try mom. Do you like this expression?" I gave her a gleeful smile.

However, she was disappointed. She shook her head and walked away. "A perfect mask isn't one that hides the truth, it's one that reveals it in a way that no one can see."

I… didn't understand what she meant. I never did, no matter how much she told me so.

My siblings; my sisters, and older brothers who were watching through the window were all ashamed of me.

They run to mom saying, "Are you sure she is really your daughter?"

"Indeed, mom. Maybe she is a retard?"

"Surely something is wrong with that child… and to think she is my younger sister…"

I am Yasin Newra… I am eleven years old.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I had gentle red skin and I was beautiful for someone at my age; it was obvious that I would grow into a young woman that would excel in looks even among other noble women.

Though, it didn't matter how good I would look if I couldn't fake my facial expressions; if I couldn't wear a perfect mask.

I warped my facial expression around. I frowned, grimaced, smirked, grinned, winced, flared my nostrils… I could obviously do those.

So I practiced being genuinely happy for someone. I smiled, and raised my eyebrows…

However, that only lasted for four seconds before my face reset back to its default expression…a bland bored face.

I hate this. I hate that I have to do this. I hate the nobles who look at me like I am mentally unwell. I hate my older siblings who would be more than happy for me to disappear. I hate my parents who constantly look at me in shame.

I hated all except…

"Yasin! Let's go for walks!" Except for him, my little brother, Asden.

I took in a deep breath and wiped any tears that were developing in my eyes and quickly rushed at him. I picked him up and rose him in the air.

I smiled. "You wouldn't cry if you fell this time?"

"Of course not!" He swung his head away in embarrassment.

"Oh? I hope so!" I put him down.

To be frank, I want to sit down in an empty room and disappear from the world, so that I wouldn't have to hear the voices and see the stares of anyone ever again. Though, that desire of mine was irrelevant since my desire to remain in the world for Asden was even greater.

For him, I really wanted to wear a mask of happiness.

I faked my voice, facial expression, and gestures all for him to be happy.

But, I really was happy to see him. I just didn't want to be explosive about it. Not only do I want him to be happy, but I also don't want mom to stop me from interacting with him. If he ever develops my mannerisms of not giving a convincing mask of expression, she would think it's because of me.

I gently pulled his arm as we exited the house.

The ground was covered with snow, like usual.

WHOOSH.

The wind blew intensely, covering my long hair with snow.

Sometimes, I wish we could have fur on our faces just like the rest of our bodies.

As we walked along the sidewalks, he kicked the snow in his way. "Bang bang bang!"

"Yello~! Miss Yasin and Asden!" A kid around my age with red hair waved at me, smiling intensely.

Asden noticed him and rushed towards him. "Osin!"

He jumped and hugged him.

Whatever… he was from a noble family who went broke recently. I didn't like him, he was too friendly.

He tip-toed towards me as if I was a dangerous beast. "The path seems clear. This beast known as Yasin seems to be non-threatening…" He bent his shirt collar to his mouth, acting like he had a microphone attached.

Sigh….

"Hello, Osin." I gave in to his will.

"Hah! How is your day!"

"Why do you always bother me?"

"That's a great question. I have destined you to be an excellent character in my story, you will make the main character excel!"

Here he is again with that delusional nonsense.

"And why can't I be the main character?" I asked.

He shook his head, and sighed. "Because I exist, and I shall shine the brightest! Unlike you."

And things went like that with him… but, he was the only person who ever saw the real me and never wanted me to fake who I was. I wish I could have been like that all the time. But, I had to practice my mask for my brother, I had to practice it until it was perfect.

Many years passed. There was a party being held with the royal family and other nobles.

One of the princes approached me and introduced himself, "Good night, Miss."

I had a smile on for thirty minutes, so I did like I always did, I turned towards him and clasped his hands since it was tradition. "It's nice to meet you."

He winced a bit upon seeing my expression.

"Right… but, it doesn't even look like you are looking at me…" He turned around to check to see if I was possibly looking at something; as if I could stare through him,

literally and not figuratively.

He then walked away. "How creepy…"

Ah… My eyes are a hard one to deal with. I have been told it felt like I was a robot, like I lacked emotions and simply tried to mimic it.

How disappointing…

Asden was eating some snacks when one of the five princesses approached him.

It seemed she was trying to have a conversation with him. However, he wasn't engaged in it, instead, he was searching around for someone.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards her. "I am talking to you."

"I don't care… let go of me."

She took offense. "Have you lost your mind? I am Balyunin Yunprefern. You are to show me respect, yet you act like I am an annoyance that's not worthy of your attention?"

"I said let go!" He vigorously pulled his hand back, causing her to move in his direction. Unfortunately for her, she tripped and fell.

Thud!

Damn it…The fool deserved it though. Although it doesn't matter how much she deserved it, this was just going to cause an issue…

Her older brother rushed to her aid. "Are you okay?" He helped picked her up.

She was okay, she wasn't harmed a damn bit.

Her brother stood up and slapped Asden.

Smack!

The sound of the slap reverberated throughout the room.

"I am so sorry for Asden's rudeness!" My mother apologized to him and his sister.

My father walked up to Asden. "Hurry! Apologize for your bad manners!"

"Yes! Do!" my mother egged him on.

My brother who was only the age of eleven didn't respond as they would have liked.

He laid his hand on his cheeks, shocked. His fingers shook. He saw the ugly gazes of everyone in the room, then he looked at me.

And for the first time, I was caught off guard by my brother. I didn't have my mask, so he saw my stare of anger. Sadly, he thought I was angry at him.

"I…I.." Tears ran down his face.

"Hah! Such a display from the child of the Newra family."

"A disgusting view."

"His father must be just as weak, to think he raised a son who would cry in front of a crowd."

"Utterly…Pathetic."

Many nobles made sure my brother could hear their disgust for him.

I am Yasin Newra, and only I deserve the hatred from this family; for I am only the abnormal factor in it. The only one who couldn't bend to the norms of this country.

I walked up to Uifugron, the prince who slapped my brother.

Seeing me approaching him, he asked me with anticipation, "What, you came to apologize for him?"

I smiled at him, and my eyes focused on his. At that moment, I thought I had acquired the perfect mask. I now had complete control over my entire body.

I could wear a mask that none could see through.

"Yes, I have." I clasped his hands.

His face flustered.

"Well then, you may go ahea-." It was odd, I had never seen a headless man talk before.

Swoosh…. Thud.

His body, which no longer had a head, stumbled like a puppet that had its strings cut and dropped to the ground.

An eerie silence wanted to enter the room, but I didn't allow it to.

"Hah…haha…hahahhahahahahahahahahahahhhhahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahaahahahahahahahaha!"

I always wore a mask to make others happy, but for the first time, I showed a disgusting grin… and a bitter laugh. Despite the fact I was not happy. I felt nothing after slicing his head off with my bare palms. No sadness, and no joy…

"Kill her!" Orders were given.

My mother begged for my life to be spared, and my father was willing to trade his own life. Of course, that wasn't the reason I wasn't killed on the spot. The Newra family was the only wealthy family that genuinely supported the royal family when the country was nearly bankrupt, which resulted in horrible conditions in the empire. All the citizens that inhabited this country wanted the royal family to be executed, but the Newra family prevented protests from escalating through the use of their political, economical and social influences. Due to that reason, the emperor and empress had so much respect for the Newra family that they were given many privileges. This was the sole reason for my life being spared. Instead, I was sentenced to life of forced labour.

Soon after, I met Osin in the labour camps. He said those words, "A main character requires an important tragic character in his story so that he can shine the brightest; so I came here to meet you."

And that's her story.

"It's lunch break for y'all useless bugs! Make sure to eat so y'all can have enough energy to work to your bones!" The guards exclaimed.

I moved towards Yasin and asked, "Are you okay?"

I normally hate asking that question especially when it's apparent they ain't, but, it was the mannerism of this country.

She answered, "Between the sexual abuse, constant verbal abuse and the harsh beatings, a slap to the face is minuscule."

Her face had a deep cut from the slap and blood was flowing down her face to her neck.

I touched her face. She didn't flinch a bit.

"I told you, I am okay." She removed my hand from her face.

"You are faking again."

She gave a little laugh as if what I said was silly. "No, I am not."

Sigh… Why can't she stop lying…

The guards were talking among each other, making remarks about Yasin.

"She looks pretty good bruh, especially her tail… so damn fat."

"Yeah, her body is good alright, it feels better than it looks."

"Ghahahahh!"

"You are taking a risk with your job bro, but I can't blame you, she is already an object of the state anyway."

"I am sayyingggg. Like, if I got a car in front of me and it looks pretty good, you bet I am going to test drive it."

"You guys are sick in the head."

"Ugah ugga Booga. Shut the hell up."

I am the main character of the world. That has been something I have said since I was a child, for that's what I was told. However, a true MC would protect those around him, wouldn't he?

I have tried to stand up for her many times before, but it only ever ended up in me getting beaten up. After it happened many times, she demanded I stop.

BOOM!

BANG!

THUD! THUD!

THUMP!

Massive explosions and heavy sounds echoed outside of the mine.

The ground and walls shook violently.

A few guards checked their walkie-talkies and responded in shock to what they were told. "A damn wave?!"

He shouted to all the guards, "A damn wave is going on! Let's leave!"

"Huh? But. We haven't got our damn hero yet!"

"Nothing we can do about it! The ritual kept failing!"

They run out. However one stopped to ask, "What about the prisoners!"

"Hell with them! Worry about your life!"

A wave here, huh? Is this the third wave to have happened? Maybe getting imprisoned wasn't the best decision. How will I become a hero? Sigh. Whatever, all things are to be done with moderation.

"Yo, Yasin, we have to leave!"

She stared at my chains and asked, "How? our ankles are chained up. We can't even use our stances. There is nothing we can do."

Of course, that didn't stop the other prisoners from running awkwardly with their chained-cuffed legs.

"Like, I am going to stay here and die!"

"Wait for me!"

"Tell those guards to come back and free us!"

"Bloody hell!"

I gripped my pickaxe. "Yeah, Yeah, like this!"

I took a deep breath and with deadly speed, I hit her chains with the pickaxe

CLANG!

The chains were strong, causing the pickaxe to kick back. However, that didn't stop me. I kept repeating my actions.

After ten strikes it became dented, and then after twenty-five strikes, the chained cuffed was heavily deformed.

Huff…Huff. "You know, this is making me question if we shouldn't try to flee despite being chained."

She shook her head. "No, we would be easy pickings for the monsters if we were to do that."

"Trueee." I went back to work on her chains.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

My arm became tired and my entire body was sweating.

"I think…that's good enough." She inspected her chains and then with a kicking motion, shattered the chains.

BOOM!

RUMBLE.

Explosions and violent shaking were still going on.

Thud thud thud.

The mine was even starting to collapse, with the ceiling breaking apart.

Yasin took in a deep breath and slammed my chains using her foot.

If I remember right, she was level 47, as a result, her chains were of far greater quality than mine.

Snap.

My chains broke after her sixth kick.

"Got them iron legs, huh." I made a light joke.

"Mhm."

We immediately ran out.

Above me, a massive piece of the earth came descending!

In a split second, Yasin grabbed me by my hand and dashed on the walls and ran on it!

What, she can defy gravity now? Is this through the uses of those stances of influence? Hmmm, doesn't seem so. Maybe she is really just that fast!

We rushed out of the mine.

It didn't take long for the entire thing to collapse.

RUMBLE.

Damn, the entire sky was red and it had weird twirling orange stuff in the sky. But that wasn't anything worrisome compared to what was going on.

"ARGHH!

"Help me!"

In front of us was a hell zone… There were massive monsters thrice the size of elephants. They had humanoid bodies but with comically massive limbs and ridiculously long necks. Their faces were constantly warping between terror, joy, fear, and sadness.

It cried. "Arghhhhh. Waaahhhhh— kuuuuu!" The cries were like sonic attacks; sonic attacks that were composed of the cries of hundreds of babies. To make it worse, it felt as if each cry were on a different layer, all having a second delay from each other.

It cried as it launched itself onto people, using its mass to flatten them.

SPLAT!

Then like a baby, it struggled and cried to push itself off the ground. "Arghhhh Wahhhh–

kuiiiiiii."

Then there were other monsters flying in the sky, they looked like stingrays. Though, there was an eerie difference in them; they had eyes all over their bodies which elongated and ensnared their victims before eating them.

"Wuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" Chilly ghost-like high-pitch reverberations brought great fear into me.

My fingers trembled, and I was struggling to even stand. I wanted to run, no, I needed to run! This place was the devil's playground!

I wanted to save them! I, I really wanted to save the people here, but I couldn't!

"Hk-." I turned toward Yasin.

I thought I heard something from her, but what I did see surprised me. Her face was twitching.

"Let's go!" We ran.

Damn it! I want the Holy grenade hero to show up and lay nothing but destruction on those freaks!

"Wuiiiiiiiiiii!" The weird stingrays shot slime from their eyeballs at prisoners.

"Aughhh!" The prisoners screamed in pain as their bodies melted. The slime was acidic.

There were guards wielding guns who shot at the monsters.

"Kuui!"

Surprisingly, the bullets were somewhat effective. It was damaging them at least. However, the guards were greatly outnumbered.

The weird long necks monsters aimed at the guards pouncing at them. "Argh argh argh Wa-wa-wa— KUUUUUUUUIII!"

There was a guard per twenty prisoners, and there were only 244 of us in that mine today.

"Hell…" A guard who was leaning on a house coughed up blood.

That's right, this place had a village. Before the mine was found, a village was built here.

As a result, guards and prisoners weren't the only ones being hunted down. It was the villagers too.

I walked up to him. "I assume you want assistance?"

He was confused. "Huh? Why help me?"

"Because as the star of the world, I will determine how the story of this world will play out."

"Wha…?"

I picked him up and his rifle. "Try to survive the loss of blood."

I have no idea how to use a gun. Nevertheless, it mostly involved pulling the trigger.

Yasin had one of the stingrays in her hands which she ripped into two.

It screeched with the little life it had remaining, "CUIIIIII…"

She got damaged; her legs were dyed with her blood.

"Huff…" She then released a huff and immediately straightened her posture to act like she wasn't harmed.

"Yasin, can you walk?"

"Of course." She made steps towards me, but her movements were weak.

I walked towards her. "You are going to need to get on my back."

"Why would I need to."

"Because, you can try to hide your pain as much as possible, but I can see through the bullshit."

Ting… ting…

What's that metallic sound?

I looked behind Yasin and it was a high-grenade… Shi—

BOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion blasted us through a house, destroying it in the process.

Ugh… my body hurts. It hurts to breathe…

In front of me was Yasin, her skin had burns and grenade fragments in it. She had moved in the way to protect me.

Yet, my chest was bleeding? And hurting so bad? Why is that?

"Don't move…Osin."

"Why…?" Was I more harmed than I thought?

I moved my hands to my chest, there was a tiny hole in it.

Oh, I got a fragment through my chest.

"Cough cough!" I spat out blood.

Am I going to die like this? I can't die. If I were to die, who would save her? Who would help all the people in this world? I… Why did I want to help the people of the world? I was supposed to enjoy everything the world had to offer. Yet for some reason, I met her and fell for her… I didn't want to be a hero, I didn't want to save people. I wanted to do anything that would make her reveal her true nature to me like before. I wanted to see a genuine expression from her so badly…

She held my hands and kissed my forehead which was a tradition for when a comrade was going to die.

She had a bright smile. "Don't worry, you will survive."

THUD.

THUD.

THUMP.

THUMP.

Many of the monsters made thunderous footsteps around us.

"Argh! Wahhhhh! Auhhhhhh— KUIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

They all made the same disgusting sounds.

Even as doom approaches, she can maintain such a lie… I don't want a lie.

"For the first time in forever, Please, let me see your true face."

To me, the decade-plus ago when I actually saw it was a millennial.

"I…" I knew what she was going to say, that she wasn't faking it.

She continued after her pause. "I don't know how to do that. I don't know what's my true expression. I can only do this… to soothe you."

Oh… She went so long faking, she forgot how to be real? That's disappointing…

"Cough! Before coming to this world, I hated everything and in turn, everything hated me. No one did anything for me. I wanted people to change how they were for me. But, I don't want that from you, because your expressions are too obviously fake."

I touched her face with my bloodied fingers. "To wear a proper mask you must make your expression convincing and realistic."

My hand lost the little energy it had and collapsed. "Yasin, if you can't show me a true expression, then at least show me a perfect mask."

She said nothing, but soon after her face contorted with rage and sorrow.

"Yo-you… fool! Don't req-request such things from me! Don't act like this is your last moment in the world! Yo-you have to sta-stand by m-my side ti-till I die!" She gripped my shirt as she cried profusely. Even snort ran down her nose.

She… was an ugly crier. Yet, her emotions were beautiful, like a blossoming flower among waste.

My vision dimmed. In my last moments, all I could think was that she was amazing. Yes, indeed, a perfect deceiving mask is one that makes it impossible for someone to know if a mask is even being worn.

From afar, a beam of light shined so bright not even the snow could prevent me from seeing it. It was approaching me.

Ah… I did say I was the main character after all. However, I have determined something. "Yasin, you shall shine a bit. I have given you the title of the main character; until I return to claim my crown. Now…shine bright."

POV: Yasin.

The light in his eyes was disappearing, but the smile he had remained.

Main character…? Even in death, he talked about such silly things. He really was crazy. But this crazy person was someone who always stood by my side and for that, I will be eternally grateful to him. The best person in the world was you.

I stood up, picked up a piece of glass and looked at my face through the reflection.

I saw the horror in my eyes and my grieving expression... And I found joy in it.

Yes, this was a perfect mask: a mask that deceives others into believing you truly are the person you present as.

A perfect mask isn't one that hides the truth, it's one that reveals it in a way that no one can see. I finally understood what mom meant by that.

Then Osin's smile slowly died along with the light in his eyes.

My eyes immediately stopped producing tears and my expression of sorrow disappeared.

My dear best friend, I will make sure your body is preserved…

The snow began to pile on my hair and his body.

THUMP!

On the near building, a weird spider monster landed. It had living lion heads all over its body.

"ROARRRRRRRRR." All the heads over its limbs tried to threaten me.

I stared at it then flourished my fingers.

"Do you like this mask?"

It pulled its four legs back and then thrust them with lighting-like speed at my head.

THUD!

A second before it could impale my face, a bright light slammed into my head.

My head leaned back from the impact.

Ah...that hurt.

I touched my face, it felt like a literal mask was attached to it.

Oh, I was chosen as a hero; the vassal mask hero.

Osin was right. "Haha… I truly am the main character of this world. And with that… I shall begin my story by killing you!"