"That's new."
[Grace]
Don't ring a bell. Still, never thought instaed of a prison break, someone would try break in. Honestly? Hilarious. Some madman. Madwoman. Mad-thing...
'Whatever.'
Weird enough already. And now someone else is calling me Light too.
A game-system world invaded by another system? Nah. Probably someone from outside trying to seize control.
'So... evolution, right?'
From prisoner in a low-tier artificial world, reset after reset , to a GREAT, GORGEOUS, MAGNANIMOUS pawn in someone else's grand game.
'Lovely. Fantastic. Perfect.'
And apparently it has plans for me, since I'm the only idiot left standing here. Happy birthday to me.
Let's read it again?
Name: Light.
Level: ?????
Class: [CORRUPTED DATA]
Description: A lone wolf pup found too late. The fire still burns within.
Status: Marked by [███████]
And, a tine cached my atention at the end of the shimering of runes at the end of the screen like thing?
Grace: [Survive. and scape the Prision Game]
'So, my grace like thing is survive?'
A wave of cold hit me. Not fear, I know fear. This was something older. Sharper. A chill that dug into bone. My body started shaking. I hadn't felt cold in a long time. Even someone used to dying on loop, someone who knows the system's little habits,could tell something had gone very wrong.
And something was taking action.
The sky cracked. Literally broken. Like porcelain under some unfatomable weight. And something with wings forced itself through the fractures. Completely normal. Clearly. Fantastic. My luck in action.
'Now is Grace vs Mrs. IO System?'
Prison System? Backup System? Angry Auntie Algorithm? Whatever abattle between gigants.
And the academy, yeah, something was changing there too. The air tasted wrong. My instincts screamed wrong.
'Which was worse, the thing outside, or the thing inside?'
Was there even a winner here? Nope. Not my problem. I ran. Not because I'm scare, okay, maybe a little because I'm scared — but because even a young businessman knows when to retreat from a bad deal.
...
Running blindly is stupid, but for now I'd settle for anything that isn't the auditorium's paper-thin ceiling… or a basement dungeon waiting to make me permanently dead.
After a few minutes of sprinting through empty halls, I ended up in …the girls' restroom.
No ulterior motives. It was simply the closest place with walls and no windows. I leaned against the sink, catching my breath. Lugs half empty and sweetdriping all over.
...
'Alright. Let's try something.'
I pulled up my interface.
"IO, Assistant mode."
[...]
Nothing. I tried again.
"IO?"
[...]
Dead silence.
'Urgh, my luck'
After a few more attempts, I gave up. No system. No eyes watching from every corner. Alone. Again. Crude. But bearable. It's like back then, just losing something more. Nothing new.
A creepy smile crept onto my lips, along with a trembling feeling. Relief, maybe? Anger too. But more than that, a crazy feeling of ecstasy that wrapped around every inch of my soul.
'Now I can do what I want.'
Play it safe or ignore the consequences? Screw that. Let's show the world who I am. With caution, of course.
I controlled my breathing, pulled my trembling legs together, and pushed myself up. Straightened my spine. Got ready. No fear. No anger. Nothing. Just cold, calculating loneliness. Just what I hate most about myself.
Feeling the surroundings was easy. No soul within a kilometer or so in any direction. No strange energy either. Something odd in the distance, but not close.
With steady steps, I walked to a specific locker and forced it open.
Buried among underwear, textbooks, and accessories that looked like they cost a fortune... a green-blue jian. A sword meant for ceremonial guards.
'Not that I care. Just useful.'
Not my favorite tipe, so let's keep the hipe and expectations low.
"let's get out of here."
...
Retracing my steps, I strolled through the ghost-like campus. Empty. Creepy. Not even the defense systems were working.
'Score for humanity and technology.'
Past the first courtyard. Then the second. Then the third. At the edge of the final one stood a tree. Old. Sacred, supposedly. Something lingering from before this place became a prison or a game.
'I needed to make a visit.'
Ignoring the distant sounds of battle, something that sounded like the gymnasium being torn apart. I crossed into the garden. Trespassed through the sanctuary gates. Cut a small offering into the altar for old times sake. Then I carved a hole into the tree and pulled out what was inside.
Potions. A handbook. A game relic.
The modern fortress guarded many secrets. Many I didn't know. Some I didn't dare know. This was one of the memorable ones for me. A love story. Between a stranger and a human. Heartbreaking. Not that I believe in love. But strangely, I couldn't let go of this… place. Anyway. Time to go.
...
Confidence brought me here. Waiting for a battle. Or a run for my life. But nothing seemed interested in me today.Strange.
At the heavy gate of the old metallic fortress — It wasn't even whole anymore. Looks like there were visitors. Or something tore it apart from the inside.
'An empty nightmarish tech fortress... At least not a bad sigh, right?'
If I inspected closer, I could probably tell which. But safety first. Even if this gives off the bad vibe of missing a special boss fight and a treasure trove full of mythical items.
'Now I want to go back. But… better to be an ignorant fool who survives than a hero.'
Prison Game, remember? Even if I keep lying to myself, it's better than going against someone like the thing in my dreams.
A chill ran down my spine. My whole body trembled. The confidence faded. My haggard face and dead eyes looked like they'd lost something fundamental.
'This is what I am now. Trash who forgets the past and doesn't even know who he is.'
It's funny, it makes me want to smile like the crazy man I am. The sky was still broken. Now it glowed indigo, like the end of the day was coming. Time was a mess. IO system. Dolls. Grace.
'Alone. Always alone.'
Maybe it's the world that went fucking crazy, not me.
'Fuck this world. And fuck me too.'
Let's hunt for some answers. I concentrated again and looked at the runes floating before my eyes.
"Light, Grace."
With a new fire, raging emotions and a crazy head. I headed toward the first place in my memories. A park. A dump. Simple and tragic. Someone should be waiting for me there. Always was, when this world reset. And maybe—
'Even now, I hope.'