[Local Event Triggered]
[Countdown: 4:59]
Victor stood frozen for a few moments before pulling himself together.
Melissa and Anna had shaken off their moment of sentimentality — they knew now wasn't the time for that.
« Let's regroup with the others. »
The three took off running toward the supermarket's main aisle, where Mary and Daniel were already gathered, concern written all over their faces.
The blonde spoke first.
« You guys got that notification too? Does anyone know what's going on here? »
Her eyes lingered on Victor as she asked her second question. She'd known the others long enough to be sure none of them had ever seen anything like this before.
She could only hope that the strangely powerful boy had an answer.
Victor hesitated for a moment. He had no idea what these so-called "local events" were. Beelzebub apparently hadn't considered it necessary to tell him anything about them.
« I haven't experienced this exact thing before, but… »
All heads turned toward him, listening closely.
« I entered one of those cubes and— »
« What?! »
« You're kidding me ?! »
Mary and Daniel's shocked outbursts cut him off, while the sisters just looked utterly confused.
« Shut up and listen. »
He hated being interrupted — mostly because it forced him to repeat himself, something he despised.
The two fell silent, holding back their questions for now.
« I don't know if they all work the same way, but the cubes are basically trials, with rules dictated by… someone. I suspect this is a similar situation. »
He paused for a moment.
« But I could be wrong. The cube usually transports you somewhere else entirely, adapting the environment to fit the trial's needs. In this case, we haven't moved at all. »
After a moment of thought, Melissa finally spoke up, brushing a strand of brown hair behind her ear.
« Events like this show up a lot in games — especially RPGs and MMOs. Most of the time, they're short, random challenges that appear somewhere on the map. »
Victor tilted his head slightly, frowning.
« RPG? MMO? What are you even talking about? »
The brunette sighed, rubbing her temples.
« Seriously? You don't know what those are? They're types of video games — you know, the ones with the same kind of skills, levels, and classes we've been dealing with. »
Victor glanced around at the others. None of them looked particularly surprised by Melissa's words.
« You're telling me we're in a video game? Really? »
The young woman rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.
« Of course not. But come on — all this is way too similar to be just a coincidence, that's all I'm saying. »
Mary cut in sharply.
« This isn't the time for your crazy theories, Melissa. We've got less than three minutes left to act. »
Melissa pouted but stayed quiet — she knew the blonde was right.
Daniel spoke next, his hand absently caressing the handle of his heavy lumberjack's axe.
« Act how, exactly? We've got no idea what's coming. »
Mary replied firmly.
« If we were given a countdown, there's a reason for it — whatever it is. »
A short silence followed. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
Whatever this timer meant, it wasn't good.
Only two minutes remained.
« Maybe we're supposed to hide? »
Everyone turned to Anna, waiting for her to explain.
« If you think about it, there's not much reason to give us time unless that's it. If it were some kind of puzzle or combat trial, there wouldn't be any need for a countdown. »
They all nodded, seeming convinced — except Victor, who immediately countered.
« Unlikely. »
Now all eyes were on him.
« Whatever the point of these trials or events is, there's one thing I'm sure of. »
Mary and Daniel listened closely. They had at least some idea of what those cubes were, and what kind of things happened inside them.
« He wants blood. Lots of it. »
Daniel frowned, his gruff voice echoing in the now-darkening hall.
« He? Who the hell are you talking about? »
Victor shrugged casually.
« Doesn't matter right now. We need to focus on what's coming. »
He wasn't about to tell them that everything they were experiencing was likely some kind of "entertainment" orchestrated by an incomprehensible being.
No normal human mind could handle that kind of truth — not yet, anyway.
Once everyone got used to this new reality, that would be another story.
For now, telling them would do no good.
[0:59]
Time was running out.
Mary paced back and forth, restless.
« Any other ideas? Anyone? »
Only silence answered her.
How could they possibly guess something they had no clues about?
It was hopeless.
Finally, the countdown reached its end.
[0:00]
[Participants confirmed : 6]
[Forfeit penalty : None]
[Local Event Initiated]
[Night of the Consumers]
[Objectives]
– [Survive for 2 hours]
– [Defeat 5 waves]
[Optional Objective]
– [Find and eliminate the Invader]
The group was suddenly plunged into complete darkness. Night had fallen in an instant.
Outside, the phenomenon was visible in full, a vast black dome now covered the entire shopping mall, not a single ray of sunlight able to pierce it.
Luckily, their heightened perception allowed them to see a few meters ahead, despite the total absence of light that now enveloped everything.
But none of them were thinking about that — all eyes were still fixed on the messages that had flashed before them.
Victor was the first to snap out of it, glancing around urgently.
« We can't stay here — we need to find a safe spot! »
He barely had time to finish before a faint violet glow began to spread around them. Several strange, arcane-looking circles materialized on the floor, glowing eerily in the dark.
Almost instantly, guttural, wet growls filled the air.
Disjointed silhouettes with rotting flesh and a nauseating stench began crawling out of the summoning circles, as if climbing from the depths of some abyss.
Victor saw them clearly — their black skin sagging loosely, hanging like oversized sacks of meat, their organs exposed, their cloudy, lifeless eyes staring blankly.
They were vaguely humanoid only in shape. Everything else about them screamed "wrong".
Daniel, still injured from the previous day, tightened his grip on the axe with his rough, calloused hands.
« Please tell me I'm dreaming… »
The creatures kept spilling from the glowing circles — from a few dozen to over a hundred within seconds — draining the color from everyone's faces.
Mary shouted as she charged toward the nearest one.
« To the armory! Move! »
The others nodded in unison.
It was the only thing that made sense.
Victor could have reached it easily with his speed, but he wasn't about to abandon the others — not yet, anyway.
He dashed after the blonde, slashing at every creature she couldn't take down herself, combining his exceptional agility with the crude precision of his hunting knife.
The decayed monsters rushed at them mindlessly, trying to bite or claw at anything that moved.
For the next few minutes, the air was filled with nothing but guttural moans and the wet sound of steel cutting through flesh and bone.
Everyone fought with desperate fury. The sisters moved as one, their strikes perfectly synchronized, their rhythm unbroken.
Daniel fought with raw power, swinging his axe despite the pain that tore through his chest with every motion, cleaving bodies apart with monstrous strength.
Victor handled those that slipped past the others or caught them off guard.
He could have unleashed his full strength and wiped them out alone — but that would have been stupid.
The event required them to survive two hours. If he exhausted himself now, it would be the same as signing his own death warrant.
He would conserve his energy, let the others handle most of the fighting, and step in only when necessary.
The group seemed to understand his strategy and didn't complain about his limited involvement.
Bit by bit, they carved their way through the seemingly endless horde.
After several grueling minutes, they finally reached the armory.
Victor slammed the metal grate down with a loud crash, blocking the creatures that still clawed and snarled just beyond it.
That would have to do.
At least for now.