The technology lab was in chaos. Keyboards clattered, shouts mingled with insults, and five screens displayed the most intense battle imaginable.
In the game, Kida couldn't take his eyes off Murd's movements. He moved with phenomenal grace, dodging and landing blows. He felt like a commoner watching his king.
"Hey, Kida!" Murd shouted. "You can come and attack me if you want. I'm getting bored with these four." Verju moved his shield with movements that made everything tremble. Huis fired arrows that seemed unstoppable, bending in the air as if they had a life of their own. Kida ran, and creating a giant typhoon, Churn charged forward with his martial arts techniques.
"Ascending Dragon Fang!" Churn roared, unleashing a brutal punch. Murd barely moved, propelling himself forward with a blast of ice beneath his feet. He glided across the field as if on skates, laughing like a maniac.
"HAHAHAHA! Damn, Churn, if your lizards actually hit hard, maybe I'd be scared." A flick of his wrist, and the ground froze instantly, halting Kida's onslaught. With a snap, he fired icy spikes that shattered Huis's arrows.
Verju tried to attack with his sword while shielding himself with his large shield, but Murd met him with a mocking smile.
"Always the same old thing, the damn shield. How boring." A burst of ice exploded beneath him, sending him flying, and in a perfect spin, he landed behind the tank. The shield shattered like glass. Verju reacted quickly and moved his sword with unexpected grace. The blade nearly caught Murd, forcing him to react. One of Huis's arrows grazed his face, drawing a trickle of blood.
—Ugh— Murd growled. Churn rushed forward, attempting to strike.
Angrily, Murd grabbed Churn's arm and quickly subdued him. Huis tried to help, but his arrow froze, and he fell. Kida summoned dozens of tornadoes, but they were swiftly quelled by a powerful blizzard that froze everything it touched, including Churn. Verju watched Murd with a mixture of admiration and rage before being frozen by the blizzard himself.
—How sad. The whole circus, and not even all of you together could kill me. Adorable trash.
His laughter echoed.
—HAHAHAHA!
He summoned dozens of swords, which he wielded with ease against Huis, Churn, Kida, and Verju until—
The server will be undergoing an update. Time remaining: 00:10
Silence fell immediately.
"What the hell?" Kida asked.
"An update? This game never gets updated," Huis said, confused.
"Shouldn't we be happy?" Verju said. "Maybe they'll add a story," he continued.
"Bah, story my ass," Murd laughed, getting up from his chair. "As long as there are more people to beat up, I'm happy. I'm going to pee." He left the classroom, leaving them talking.
Minutes later, the floor began to shake. Not in the game, but in real life. The lamps flickered, the windowpanes rattled, and a white light engulfed everything.
"What the hell is going on?!" Churn shouted, his high-pitched voice grabbing the desk, his hand in a grating way. The light intensified until it blinded them.
The earthquake stopped abruptly, leaving behind a silence so strange that even murmurs seemed out of place.
"Shit, shit, shit," Verju said with a splitting headache. "I think we should evac..." Huis started to say, but then he vomited softly.
The screams reached the room. The earthquake was of shocking magnitude, and some students fainted while others vomited violently. Windows shattered, and in a moment of pure chaos before everyone's eyes, a blue light appeared, transforming into a translucent panel suspended in the air.
[Loading CC System]
[Initiating Universal Adaptation]
[Reinforcing Organisms]
[Systems at 100%]
[Initializing]
[User Status: …]
Rank: F
Strength: —
Agility: —
Stamina: —
Perception: —
Mana: —
Charm: —
The entire classroom was speechless. No one understood.
"What the hell is this?" a boy asked, lying on the floor, fighting back vomi
"It can't be... a virtual reality program, after an earthquake?" whispered a teacher lying on the floor.
"It looks like a fucking video game..." added a girl shouting.
The screens didn't disappear. On the contrary, they gradually revealed more details.
Kida's bright red eyes almost closed in shock, but her slender body reacted violently when hers filled in:
[User Status: Kida]
Rank: F
Strength: F
Agility: F+
Stamina: F
Perception: F-
Mana: F
Charm: B
What the hell does this mean?
Beside her, Huis blinked several times, his blue pupils dilating, and he stared incredulously at the screen in front of him.
[User Status: Huis]
Rank: F
Strength: F
Agility: F
Stamina: F
Perception: F+
Mana: F
Charm: B
"It's impossible... but I'm reading it like it's normal." Churn leaned forward, eyeing his panel suspiciously:
[User Status: Churn]
Rank: F
Strength: F+
Agility: F
Stamina: F
Perception: F-
Mana: F
Charm: C+
Finally, Verju, more bewildered than the others, read his own seriously:
[User Status: Verju]
Rank: F
Strength: F+
Agility: F
Stamina: F+
Perception: F-
Mana: F
Charm: B+
The murmur in the classroom grew constant. No one shouted, but the uncertainty was palpable.
"Is this a simulation?"
"Yes, it's a dream. Why do we all see the same thing?"
"It can't be a coincidence..."
Then someone peered out the window. Color drained from their face.
"...This isn't our city. The world was different. Mountain ranges filled with green peaks dominated the landscape. The mountains were colossal, probably as big as Everest."
Everyone rushed to look. Where the streets and buildings should have been...
A silence of pure disbelief fell over the room, and horror and despair gripped it.
The entire school had been ripped from the Earth.
The ground stopped shaking, but the screams and despair were palpable. Outside, through the windows, there were no longer streets or buildings: only an open field and a strange sky that seemed to glow on its own.
Suddenly, a blue light flooded the hall. A voice echoed in their heads:
[Welcome, new inhabitants.]
This is the world of Circe.
May your life be fruitful.
Hundreds of floating windows appeared before each person. The students erupted in screams and whispers.
These were only seen by some, not because they didn't appear, but because despair and terror were consuming everyone. The young people ran from the hall, pushing and shoving.
The teacher tried to stop this, she screamed, but her voice was drowned out. Verju raised her long green hair, her eyes of the same color filled with determination. She began to shout and bang on the blackboard to get attention. Even with her body trembling and her chest rising and falling, she tried to help. Kida, trembling violently, watched Verju with admiration and envy. He wanted to be like her, someone capable of facing chaos, a figure worthy of admiration.
The teacher was desperate but wanted to put on a better face for her students.
But a sudden blow struck her, and she tripped. Her head suffered a heavy blow, drowned out by the students' cries of despair.
She was trampled, punched, ignored. She tried to scream, but again her cries were swallowed by the screams of others. Verju saw her and tried to reach her, pushing through as many people as she could, but she couldn't get there in time.
Her teacher had been run over by dozens of young people; probably her weight and her delicate body hadn't held up. The life had vanished from the teacher's eyes. Most realized too late, and upon seeing the body, the young people were paralyzed. Verju stared at the teacher in shock, a teacher she had always tried to support and teach, even though she didn't know her very well. The screams intensified, and everyone fell into even greater despair. Kida and Churn were still so shocked, reading the window, that they didn't notice the body lying a few meters away.
Huis was breathing rapidly, as if he couldn't breathe.
"Where are we?" he murmured. Kiba approached him, his eyes wide.
"This is the world of the God of Ascension, isn't it?"
"What? This isn't the time for jokes," Huis said, frightened, but at that moment he turned forward and saw the screen and what it said:
[Welcome, new inhabitants.] This is the world of Circe. May your life be fruitful."
"What the hell?" Huis fell to the floor, stunned after saying it.
Churn clenched his fists, trying to stay calm.
But his hands were trembling violently; he was incredulous at what was happening.
Verju looked up, trying not to see the professor's corpse anymore, and managed to read the message.
[Welcome, new inhabitants.] This is the world of Circe. May your life be fruitful.
His gaze moved quickly; his friends were there, looking at him too. They knew that name. Far from the living room, Murd went straight to the bathroom until the earthquake struck
It made him stagger, falling to the floor, and his mind began to spin. His face turned pale, and a feeling of nausea washed over him. Then a screen appeared before him.
[Welcome, new inhabitants.]
This is the world of Circe.] A blue window appeared before his eyes. Murd observed her.
[Murd's Status]
Rank: F+
Strength: F+
Agility: E
Stamina: F
Perception: F-
Mana: E+
Charm: A-
"What…" Murd said, trying to form the words. He tried to stand, but his body wouldn't obey. Murd laughed, but not with relief; fear was visible in his eyes.
***********
Verju and Kida remained silent, still in shock. Who wouldn't be? The world they used to play in was now right in front of them. "This can't be real," Verju said in a trembling voice. He didn't really believe his own words. The world felt different; a warmth filled his body. He felt his muscles stronger and more resilient. "This might be Circe," Huis thought. Churn was scared as he thought about his parents. He could know Circe, but most of the world couldn't. This game was extremely difficult.
"This can't be real." Kida managed to regain some composure, followed by Verju. The shock was passing, but the worry for her family remained.
Hours later, the sound of falling water was the only thing that filled the room. Verju and Churn, though no longer as affected, remained silent. The sound of the water stopped, and Kida frowned. "The water's gone," Kida said as she put the bottle in her backpack, which already contained almost a dozen containers.
Sounds of conversations could be heard outside, and the group went out to see what was happening. "We must separate the food and water!" shouted a young teacher. "Yes, it's extremely important. We have to divide the food until we know what's going on."
The group, made up of dozens of students from all grades and led by two teachers, walked toward the cafeteria.
The children followed them; there was nothing wrong with that, in fact, a little food would be good for them.
Upon arriving at the dining hall, the elderly professor tried to open the door, his face turning pale.
The dining hall was wrecked; all the chairs were broken, and the cushions were ripped out. Everything was chaos. The shock was so contagious that Churn, Kida, Verju, and Huis were stunned.
A maximum of eight hours had passed, and someone had already done a lot.
The professor ran to the kitchen and the storeroom, his body nearly collapsing. Someone had stolen more than 50% of the food.
The group was in chaos, arguing amongst themselves. The students fought, ignoring that there was only one key available. Fights and insults erupted until a student shouted, "How could they have gotten in if I had the key?" The student fell silent and looked at the professor. Some students followed them, while others continued fighting. They began approaching the professor, insulting and confronting him. "Why are you looking at me? I didn't do anything," he said, but no one heard him.
A desperate student ran toward him and attacked him. The professor fell to the floor in fright. The students followed, and the professor was attacked from all sides until he collapsed, unconscious with multiple injuries. Chaos had erupted. A huge fight had broken out, and the cafeteria was a war zone.
"Shit, let's get out of here!" Huis said as he ran. Kida ran alongside him, followed by the others.
"We have to stop this!" Verju shouted. "And how will you do that?" Kida asked as she left.
A sharp thud echoed through the room. "Like this," Verju whispered. Everyone turned to look at the deep crater he had left in the wall.
"Everyone, please calm down. Fighting won't do any good." "Do you really think the professor stole all this?" Verju asked.
"He could steal it all if he wanted, but no, he called us all together so we could share the food, and you come and attack him because someone stole the food? Snap out of it!" he shouted.
"You're acting like animals," Verju said before leaving, his expression a mixture of pity and disappointment. Those words had awakened everyone present. Less than 10 hours ago, they had been quietly listening to the professors, respecting their words and actions, but now they were acting aggressively and stupidly. Verju's words made everyone stop. His words felt different; they lingered in the minds of those present. Inside, these words grew and became a seed of respect and admiration.
"You really took care of things over there." "No?" Huis said, looking at Verju.
"It was what I had to do. They're scared, we're scared. We have to stay together and calm," he replied.
********
"GUYS!" a faint shout could be heard.
Turning around, they saw Murd. His purple eyes were almost closed, and his lips curved slightly, as if he wanted to smile, but something in his eyes prevented it.
"Hey, Murd," Churn tried to say, but was interrupted by him. "Follow me," Murd said as he walked away.
"Hey, Murd, everything alright?" Churn exclaimed, quickening his pace to catch up. Murd continued walking without saying anything.
"Hey, we were taken to another world, we haven't seen each other in eight hours, and you haven't told us anything. We just want to know if you're okay," Huis added.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Murd replied, "I'm just a little tired."
"How are you handling it?" Huis asked sympathetically.
"Fine, fine," Murd responded, but his voice faltered at the end of the sentence.
"But—" Verju tried to speak, but was interrupted again. "We're here," Murd said. A hallway filled with broken chairs and tables lay before them.
"Follow me," Murd said as he moved a couple of tables. Somewhat surprised, they entered, and a short tunnel appeared before them.
"You did this in eight hours?" Huis asked.
"Yes, but I think I'm going to have to rest a lot," he said as his arms trembled with pain. After reaching the end of the tunnel, they emerged and found themselves at the end of the hallway. A window illuminated the small space. The boys stood up, somewhat dazed by the new brightness, but... They stood up and remained completely silent.
"Welcome to Clawnfang Mountain, or Ironstay, or Knightcrawl," Murd said in a serious voice, completely disagreeing with what he was saying. Huis was stunned; his hands trembled at the sheer size of the mountain. Kida narrowed her eyes with a hint of defiance. Verju admired the mountain's grandeur. Churn gazed at the mountain with a strange attraction. Only one thing was present in all of them: how small they were. They felt like nothing, just a speck of dust in a vast universe, or rather, two.
This feeling gradually faded until Murd, in a tired voice, said,
"We're most likely on Clawnfang. The wind is quite strong; perhaps we're in the zone of this element. Hmm, I think I was 30 km from Greystone."
"Clawnfang," Verju said. "I still can't believe it."
"We're really in that shitty game..." Kida said. "I think it's too early to say, but if we're in Clawfang, doesn't that mean we're close to him?" Churn asked.
"Yes, we're quite close to the mountain, so the Ancient Knight should be near here," Murd replied.
"WHAT?!" Huis shouted. "It hasn't even been 24 hours and you're already thinking about a boss? We don't know how to use mana, we don't have any manuals or guides for it, and on top of that, we have no idea if this is really like the game," he added.
Everyone stared at Huis. They knew he was right, but who wouldn't think about that if their favorite game, the one they'd dedicated almost half their lives to, became their reality?
"This is what most of us have dreamed of at some point," Churn said.
"To gain power, to use mana, to destroy mountains with a single blow, to master all the elements—everything we've ever imagined can become a reality," Churn continued, raising his voice, clearly showing his excitement.
Huis stared at Churn with a thoughtful expression. "I've dreamed of a world like this dozens of times, because I'm scared now," Huis thought.
Huis remained silent, lost in his strange thoughts.
Until he said in a melancholic voice, "I want to see my family. I don't know if they were transported here or stayed on Earth. I'm afraid I'll never see them again."
The pressure in the room suddenly increased. The fantasy of this world had made everyone forget everything else. They all had incredible families who supported them. The possibility of never seeing them again had arrived and was affecting everyone quickly.
"If we want to see them again, we must first be strong enough to survive in this shitty world," Murd said with a strange determination. After this,
Murd went into another room, suddenly breaking the tension. Huis was still somewhat scared, but what Murd and Churn had talked about flooded his mind. He knew he could be afraid, he could not want to do it, but he couldn't not try, couldn't not give everything for the people who gave everything for him.
"Hey Murd, where are you going?" Verju asked, stunned. There were dozens of food items scattered all over the room.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't have time to organize it," Murd said wearily.
"You took the food?" Verju asked angrily. "You have no idea the trouble you caused. A teacher was even beaten up because of what you did."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Murd said calmly. "I was kind, though. I left them everything I could grow," he added.
"Well, at least we have food," Kida said, approaching. "Hey, that's MY food. Yours is over there," Murd said, looking at him defiantly.
"Murd, this is wrong," Verju said, somewhat angrily. "I know, but my survival is my priority. You can give them your share of the food if you want," Murd replied, throwing himself onto some books.
********
"The days have passed, and strangely, not everyone is crazy," Kida thought.
As she watched, everyone organized themselves in a strange, far from perfect way. In fact, she thought she saw some people taking potatoes. —She sighed—
"Everyone, please help gather the soil!" shouted a middle-aged teacher, carrying three buckets of dirt.
Other students followed, trying to help. They were trying to create a small garden. If in three days, completely ordinary people were creating a garden… "It seems most have adapted well," said Verju, approaching Kida.
Kida looked at him and replied, "Not everyone." Her gaze shifted to a group of people who, more than haggard, seemed empty.
"Don't judge them," Churn said. "He's human. In fact, we're the weird ones, transported to another world and acting like nothing happened," he continued, looking at the group. "It's probably because we're so addicted to science fiction."
"Yeah, maybe," added Murd, who had arrived and joined the group. "Although we probably have an important role or something significant," he continued, all eyes turning to him.
"Think about it, we're transmigrated into a game with 700 players a year, all while we were logged in, don't you think?" Murd said.
The looks became heavy but understanding. Most suspected something. They were young, but not stupid; they had read enough novels to notice so many coincidences.
"Still, we shouldn't get too confident. We're in Circe. The weakest boss could probably kill us in one hit," Murd said, laughing and trying to lift spirits.
"Yeah…" Kida said.