I gaze at the game-like panel before me, prompting for my username, when suddenly a voice erupts. "Someone's coming down!" I lift my gaze to see a figure clad in exquisite armor descending from above.
In astonishment, I watch as the being lands fully and begins to speak. "Greetings, my children. Today... Your lives have been rewritten." He spreads his arms dramatically. "You may start anew from your dull existences! This marks the birth of your new life. You hold the power to decide what to do with this second chance."
"Now, enter your username so we can commence the fun! Don't worry—you can change it later. For a price..."
My throat tightens. This echoes the mangas and anime I've devoured. I clench my fists, grit my teeth. I will play along with whatever they throw at me. Finally, I type in a name. Not "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing"—something unique, perhaps...
I enter my name: 'Dealer of Death"—the same as in every game I play.
As I survey my surroundings, I notice my friend looking visibly anxious.
"Hey, are you alright?" I ask, a strange excitement in my voice that I can't contain.
"W-Why are you so happy right now?" he stammers, then a glimmer of hope flickers in his eyes. "This is just like those games you used to obsess over..."
He smirks fiercely. "Let's do this, you damn masochist!"
He inputs his name and strikes a dramatic pose. "CALL ME 'THE MACHINE GUN'!"
I cross my arms. "You're confident, huh?" I say. "But we don't even know what "fun" that lunatic's talking about." I whip my gaze toward the figure descending earlier.
Usato begins to speak. "Maybe we should try—"
I cut him off sharply. "Are you stupid? Do you want to become an example?"
The being starts speaking again. "You may call me 'Light'. Though I doubt many of you will meet me in the future. I am a he." He shrugs. "Enjoy this while you can. Later, it won't be so easy."
With that, he ascends back into the sky. The wound closes, but an uneasy tension lingers.
"What was he talking about?" Usato begins, only to be interrupted by a loud 'ding' from everyone's panel.
I read the title: ['Survival of the Fittest'].
"Annihilate as many monsters as you can.'
"Time limit: 5 hours."
'Good luck."
"No tutorial?" I comment casually to Usato, half-joking.
Suddenly, a portal erupts, unleashing creature after creature.
"Let's go!" I seize Usato's arm, and we sprint towards the nearest building, dashing up the stairs.
On the top floor, we breathe a sigh of relief as we watch the chaos below.
"First, let's figure out this panel," I suggest, plopping down beside him.
"Good idea. I know there's an index for 'items,' categorized from 'extremely common' to 'horde-level'—or, for you, probably 'F class' to 'SSS+,'" he teases with a grin.
"I understood perfectly, Usato. Besides, I can talk to girls," I say, sticking out my tongue while scrolling through the panel.
"Sh-Shut up! I can talk to females just fine!" he retorts.
"For two seconds," I chuckle.
He sighs and stands. "We've got about four hours and thirty minutes left."
"Thinking what I am?" I ask with a smirk. "Let's go monster hunting."
We gather the best weapons we can scavenge in the office and begin our descent downstairs.
"I hope you're ready, Usato. I won't carry you through this," I say, tone determined.