[Main Scenario #1 – Proof of Value]
Category: Main
Difficulty: F
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living things.
Time Limit: 30 minutes
Compensation: 300 coins
Failure: Death
I stared at the screen, unblinking.
Now, this…
The situation was kind of similar to those fictional novels.
My mind had a hard time accepting this.
I slowly extended my hand toward the screen: it moved.
For someone like me who spends the better part of his day reading fantasy-type stuff, it shouldn't be unacceptable. I would assume it's more acceptable that I immediately start acting toward fulfilling system quests, if I were to base my situation on those web novels.
But
It seems reality is sure different from what I tend to imagine.
Just being drenched in blood, the smell,
It is too much.
But now,
Here. I have to kill to survive.
The idea of it is gut-wrenching, repulsive,
I have always fantasized in my head, killing thousands upon thousands of enemies and doing bloody battles. Walking by mountains built with corpses, being drenched in blood
Yet now, just watching the headless corpses, blood dripping from them, creating a bloody puddle
My limbs felt heavy; my breath felt shallow.
No matter how much I breathe, I am just unable to satisfy myself.
...
I don't know how long had passed.
An eerie silence settled in the class.
Few of students crouched on the ground, weeping with their hands on their mouth.
Sometimes sounds of muffled weeping echoed.
Even the slightest sound caused everyone to flinch.
Many didn't even dare to move, frozen like a statue.
If not for their eyelids fluttering every few seconds, I would mistake them for corpses.
Seconds ticking by turned into minutes.
[Can't you, useless creatures, not even kill?
Maybe I need to give some form of motivation?]
At its sudden voice
Everyone sharply turned their heads toward it; some creaking sounds echoed.
But none paid mind to the creak-like sound, because we were more worried about what 'more motivation' entailed.
As the creature snaps its fingers, a few blue interfaces opened around it. In the displayed bloody carnage, some showed killing one another with knives; others showed people getting strangled.
[I guess I gave too much time, everyone acts at the last 5 minutes….let's do this]
Clear Conditions: Kill one or more living things.
Time Limit: 30 minutes > 5 minutes
4:59 > 4:47
Seeing the timer running out
My heart started pounding fiercely against my chest.
Using a desk as support, I struggle to get up as my legs still refuse to cooperate.
An icy feeling enveloped my back.
I failed to react in time as I wasn't able to turn completely when someone rammed headfirst into my stomach.
As I was flung across, toppling the desk I was leaning on,
The back of my head may have hit another desk because sharp pain shoots through my head. At the intense pain, my eyes close tight; in agony, I curl up unconsciously immediately.
My vision got blurry.
My head is dizzy.
An unbearable ringing in the ear,
My head felt like it was splitting on
I gasp for air, struggling to take air back in.
I couldn't even breathe or scream; the hit pushed every bit of air out of my lungs.
I could barely see anything. I try to get up only to fall again.
Trying to gather my bearings, I try again—
Suddenly… I am on the floor.
I felt a heavy weight on my stomach.
A sudden tight pressure surfaced from the side of my neck; my neck felt like it was being squeezed shut.
My neck felt like it was on fire.
With my blurry vision I couldn't make out his face, but I could make out a silhouette of someone on top of me.
I grab his forearms, trying to pry his grasp from my neck. But to no avail.
Tears welled up, streaming down my face.
'It hurts. Stop, please, I want to breathe.'
My mouth repeatedly opened and closed, gaping like a fish out of the water.
I clawed at his hands, chest… desperately trying to loosen his grip. My arms flail around wildly, hitting his chest, arms…
I reach for his neck, trying to grip it but ...couldn't.
My legs kicked and thrashed in the air, heels striking the floor repeatedly.
I spasm under him…
But nothing
I jerked my head left and right.
Still nothing
My heart …
Beating in my chest like a drum
Its beat echoed loudly in my ear.
I felt like I was going to die.
My blurry vision was getting narrower, dimmer.
'I don't want to die.'
I look towards others, desperate….
…
Nothing
They are standing there.
Looking at me with wide eyes, some panicked, eyes filled with fear.
But they didn't help.
Some looked away when our eyes met.
..
My vision kept flickering; my body was starting to go numb.
From what I could make out of what he was saying was along the line of "I am sorry; I want to live" and kept repeating
As my body started to go limp,
Even flaring my arms was getting difficult.
'Is this the end?'
'I don't … No...maybe it's better this way.
'Maybe I can be with them now.'
As I resign myself to my fate
The surroundings felt distant.
My mind felt light as a feather.
As I accepted death, the image of my parents surfaced in front of my eyes.
Those happy days,
Our laughter
That peace, when we were together
That wonderful dream, the greatest magic,
That symphony
Where is it now?
Then flushed the image of that day.
The burning flames
The image kept flashing before me.
….
'I can't die, not yet, not here,
I haven't even fulfilled my promise to them'
[You have obtained an exclusive attribute.]
[Skill Continuation Lv1 activates]
My soul felt as though it were burning.
A surge of strength filled my body.
I regained the ability to move my body, barely but responsive.
My hands scramble around for anything.
As I searched, my hand came in contact with something hard.
It felt sharp from the touch.
I quickly grab hold of it.
Without thinking much, I close my eyes as I thrust towards his neck with all the strength I could muster.
Once
Twice
Trice
...
I don't know how many times or for how long I stabbed, but I did not stop.
Gradually I felt his grip becoming light, losing all tightness as I felt his head hitting my chest.
I felt warm liquid all over my face and especially around my chest.
I slowly open my eyes, opening my mouth to grasp a mouthful of air.
My body is shaking.
'I am alive.'
Tears welled up in my eyes.
As I was about to let out a sigh of relief
My breath stopped in my throat.
On top of me lies my assaulter's body.
He was my desk mate.
His lifeless eyes staring back at me,
It hit me like a bucket of cold water to the stomach.
His neck riddled with stab marks
Blood is pouring freely out of them, onto my chest.
I stare at my hand, the hand which grasps a scissor dyed red with blood.
His blood.
My body started shaking profusely.
In his lifeless eyes I see my own reflection.
A white-haired boy staring with his face covered in blood.
His prominent feature would be his two blood-red eyes sparkling like jewels.
I stare at his lifeless body.
I felt a strong urge to vomit. To deny that I killed him, yet it's obvious I did it.
I know I did the right thing—right?
It should not be my fault.
No
It's not my fault.
He attacked me.
I had to kill him; I want to live too.
As if to strengthen my resolve—
The holographic screen appeared.
[You have achieved the 'First Kill' achievement!]
[100 coins have been earned as additional compensation.]
'Yeah, that's right. I have the right to live too.'
'To live, I need to kill.'
with shaky hands I unconsciously tighten my grip on the scissors.
The blue interface appears again.
[Two minutes remaining]
As is, this has marked an inaudible gunshot; the surroundings erupted into chaos.
Students are going after one another; the ones who used to study together and once laughed together now face against one another.
I slowly get up on my feet.
I observe the chaos.
[Your understanding of the situation increases due to the influence of your exclusive attribute and skill.]
I observed everything.
Their movement,
How they clawed at each other. Some were punching it out. In the corner I see a group ganging up on a poor fella.
I felt disgust at their ferocity.
How they can lose all reason like animals
A few hours ago they were law-abiding individuals, now biting and clawing at one another.
'So was I, no?'
My eyes shift towards the bloody scissors that I hold.
But I am not dying here.
I will make it out.
Alive
And for that, if I need to kill, I will
[Exclusive Attributes active]
[Due to 1 of your exclusive attributes, your resolve strengthens you.]
I felt my fear, hesitation, and guilt subside.
My body felt stronger.
The mind felt clearer, more active.
The world felt different.
I looked around me; everything's the same, yet I felt different.
Like those protagonists
Everything felt like a—
novel
While I was having my monologue
From the corner of my eye,
I see a boy run toward me; from his body language, I could tell he wants to tackle me.
Maybe he thought I was easy prey, as I was almost strangled to death or just gone mad.
I see no other reason to charge at someone with a weapon while one is unarmed.
I don't know what changed within me, but I felt calm at his charge, and even plans surfaced in my mind on how I could maybe counter him.
As he got close to committing to his tackle
…
I simply side-stepped.
I watched how he face-planted into the wall.
I didn't give him time to recover; I got on top of him and stabbed him repeatedly in his neck till he stopped twitching.
I got off him and looked around; the fights were still ongoing, and none seemed to be successful at killing someone.
Just seconds ago I felt scared of killing.
Now?
Nothing?
Odd, but my thought didn't linger on it; I don't have the luxury to.
An idea popped in my head.
The white creature had said to prove our worth and gave the quest to kill
This felt awfully similar to those novels where players are asked to hunt for class selection.
I look around; everyone is busy trying to kill.
Can I kill them all?
I look at the time—not enough and not the wisest idea.
I noticed a duo; one was strangling the other. A wild idea surfaced in me.
I split my scissors into two blades.
I slowly approach the one from behind and in a swift motion stab the one strangling in the neck.
He quickly turned around to attack me, but in a second he went limp.
I didn't let the one getting strangled recover either.
A swift death for him too
I looked at the clock. Time is slowly ticking by.
I picked off a few others like that duo.
35 seconds ... 30 seconds ... 25 seconds ...
As time ticked down, they became more hectic.
I wanted to kill more, but my body felt weak.
I look at my arm.
Shaking
Guilt begins to surface, but I try and dismiss it.
The world changed.
And if I want to live, I have to too.
But my shaking hand was proof of how unsuccessful I was at dismissing the guilt, but it didn't consume me.
I think
Slowly the timer approached zero.
15 seconds ...10 seconds ...5 seconds ...0 seconds
[The given time has run out.]