Ch. 3 The Beginning (3)

It was 8 years ago when I saw that book for the very first time...

My mother had brought me into a newly opened bookstore. I looked around for a long time opening books and closing them, uninterested.

But then I saw it...

'Survival of The Fittest'.

The books were on a large shelf in the middle of the store. It seemed like no one was really interested in it, but whenever I looked at it...

My heart beat faster, as if I was looking at the most beautiful thing in the universe... It was love at first sight.

.

.

.

The angel looked like a young boy, who was quite beautiful despite looking like... a young boy.

He floated above the students and coaches, his white glowing wings flapped slowly, but still continued to effortlessly lift him evenly. He quietly watched everyone, his eyes moving around quickly.

" H-Hey kid! What are you doing up there?! That's dangerous!" One of the two coaches spoke up.

[ Vessel Count Completed. 35 Vessels in the room. 563 Vessels in the building. Preparations Complete.] The angel spoke in an almost robotic manner.

" What the hell are you talking about, kid?!" Said the coach while stepping closer.

" Is this some kind of prank you and your friends are pulling?! You're gonna get in a lot of trouble for this!" Yelled the coach.

After hearing his words, the student breathed a sigh of relief before getting annoyed and also yelling at the young boy.

" Kid, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

" Get down here brat! Where are your friends?!" Said a boy while looking around.

" How'd they manage to turn the sky red?" Asked a girl while pointing at the window in the ceiling.

" They probably poured some paint over it or something." Said another student.

The coach looked over at them in shock. "What?! You mean there's a couple of kids on the roof? Damn! Come with me, Mr. Yoo!" He yelled at his assistant while running towards the door.

The angel suddenly began to rapidly blink after being quiet for a few minutes. He then began to speak, his voice more humane and childlike. [H-Hello?... Hello! HEY! Woah, alright it works!]

The angel stretched excitedly, then he snaps his fingers, opening a semi-transparent system window.

He notices the coach and his assistant running towards the door.

[ Let's see... Oh? Hold on a sec!] He chuckles as he clicked a button on his screen.

As the coach reached the door, he hits an invisible barrier with full force, then he falls back, his nose bleeding.

" What the hell?..." he wipes his nose and quckly stands up. He punches the barrier multiple times. " Come on!... COME ON!"

The barrier lighs up in a bright yellow color, letting out zapping noises each time he landed a blow. He slowly steps back, his knuckles bloody.

" What the hell is this?!!" He angry looks up at the smiling angel, who is now laying down in the air.

A wave of slient panic passed over him, a shiver crawled up his spine as he understood the seriousness of the situation.

" W-What are you?..." he asked, frightened.

His words make the students freeze, their gazes turn from him to the angel, fear takes over their minds.

Junghwa tries to touch the door but stops as soon as he feels a strong vibration and a slight yellow glow inches away from the door.

VRRRR.

Ba-dump... Ba-dump...

The angel stops smiling and looks at them pitifully.

[Unfortunately, none of you can leave yet. First, you must complete a game, then you will...]

" What the hell are you talking about?!" The coach's assistant, Mr. Yoo, snaps. his voice cracking.

" Shut up! Just shut up! Stop fucking around, you little shit! What'd you do to the door?!! What the fuck is going on?!"

The angel frowned at the Assistant Yoo's outburst, then continued. [ As I was saying, you will then...]

" You little shit! Stop ignoring me! This is serio..." Mr. Yoo stopped talking as he suddenly got a nosebleed. " Huh?"

" Are... are you alright, Yoo?" Asked the coach.

Mr. Yoo wipes his nosebleed. " Sir?..."

Junghwa's eyes widen in panic as he realizes what is about to happen. He turns to his friends, who are looking out the windows curiously.

" Close your eyes now! And look away from the windows!" Commanded Junghwa.

" What? Why?" Said Minjoo

" What do you mean, Junghwa?" Asked Jinsung.

"Just do it!" Yelled Junghwa, worried for his friends' mental safety. He covered Jinsung's eyes and turned to the girls. " Do it! Cover your eyes!"

Minjoo looked at Shinhui, surprised to see her covering her eyes already. She then also covered her eyes.

Junghwa looks out the window right as...

POP! Splat!

Mr. Yoo's head explodes, his blood splatters all over the coach. His body falls over, continuing to sprinkle all over the wall, staining it.

" AAAHHHHH!!" The coach backed away, fear completely taking over.

The students screamed in horror from the scene that played out before them, they fell back from the shock and began to look around for other exit points.

" The emergency exit! Let's get out through there!" A boy yelled.

Students followed him towards the exit, once the boy reached the door, he immediately hit an invisible barrier at full force.

This caused him to break his nose and get a nosebleed. Unfortunately for him, the other students didn't notice what happened because they were staring at the angel and Mr. Yoo's body while running.

As a result, a dozen students crashed into the boy, pressing him onto the barrier. Not only did this give him many bruises and momentarily limit his breathing, but it also activated the barrier's warning and began electrifying the boy.

By the time the students backed away from the barrier, half of the boy's face was severely burned, he was still very much alive.

Students stepped back as he boy touched his face. " Ehh... aah! AAHHH!..."

[ AAHAHAHA! That was hilarious!~ It was like watching a cartoon!] The angel-like creature laughed as the boy covered his face.

The students stumbled back as they watched the creature laughs at their classmate's painful expirience.

The angel wiped a tear off his eye from laughing so much. [ Alright, that's enough fun. Time to start! I'm already behind on the schedule! I don't have time to explain the rules- you'll know what to do... Let the Games begin.]

The angel clicked a button on his system window, then everyone received a mission window.

-[ Game 1]-

-[ Category: Kill or be Killed

Difficulty: D

Mission: Kill one living organism.

Time: 30 Minutes 10 Minutes

Punishment for Failure: Death ]-

Ba-dump.. Ba-dump.. Ba-dump.. Ba-dump..

Junghwa looked at the mission window with awe, he touched it and felt a slight vibration.

Vrrrr.

" Woah..."

Minjoo slowly opens her eyes, the sight of the mission window suprises her but the actual mission shocks her. " Kill one living organism? like...a person?..."

Her words cause Shinhui and Jinsung to open their eyes, they see the mission and look around the room.

" What does this mean? What's going on?..." Asks Shinhui.

Junghwa looks at his friends seriously. "Have you guys read any stories where people get powers, but they have to pay a price to have it?"

The three friends look at each other, then at Junghwa before answering. " Yeah, I read a story where a guy could teleport anywhere, but he didn't pay a price." Said Jinsung.

" I read one where a girl could gain abilities after giving up something special to her." Said Minjoo while thinking about more stories she could have read.

Shinhui raised her hand. " I read one where a girl to give up her humanity to become a vampire. She slowly lost her moral compass..."

Junghwa nodded as they told the stories.

These are some good stories. I can't reveal what I know, since I don't know who's watching...

"Well, this is like that. I'm not sure what's going on, but I think we have to complete this mission in order to gain abilities."

Damn. Considering the circumstances, this explanation won't comfort them.

Just like Junghwa predicted, his friends' faces turned horrified. Knowing that they have to kill someone in order to live is traumatizing.

Not only do they have to kill someone, but they all saw the barrier light up when I touched it... That means that they have to kill someone in this room...

They won't do that. I know they won't. What do I do? There must be something...

-[ Notice! 5 Minutes Left.]-

Junghwa's eyes widen as he sees how much time they have left.

A bright light shinned before the angel appears again, smiling curiously. [ How's it going guys?~ How many of you are leftover~]

The angel's smile freezes and fades as he realizes that no one has died. He frowns as he looks around and sees students huddled together, trembling from fear, praying that this is a dream.

The angel yells, enraged. [ Are you serious!? Why haven't any of you killed eachother!? How am I gonna beat that asshole now?!]

The angel angrily scratches his head, but gradually calms down. [ Phew... Maybe you need to see an example. So you know I'm not kidding.]

The angel snaps his fingers, and a large broadcast window appears in the middle of the gymnasium. All the students, including Junghwa and his friends in the closet look at the broadcast.

[ This is the broadcast of another angel, Alexander, my rival. It shows how his 1st Game ended.]

The broadcast shows their teacher, Mr. Park choking a student, his face shows an angered expression.

Crack!

" M..Mr. Park... He killed someone..." Said a girl, covering her mouth.

Students watch in horror, knowing they just witnessed a murder.

Ping!

Ping!

Junghwa looked down at his phone and saw a notification for a message from the author.

A notification?! Now? ....How!??

He opened the message.

Mr. Han: Don't ask how. Just open the documents.

Mr. Han: [ 2 attached documents]

What?... does he know something?

Junghwa: What do you mean? Do you know what's happening??

[ Error. The number you're trying to contact is not available.]

Not available?! That's Impossible!

Junghwa: Sir, what's happening?

[ Error.]

Junghwa: Answer me!

[ Error.]

Junghwa: What's going on?!

[ Error.]

Damn it! This is bullshit!

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Badump. Badump. Badump.

Junghwa became agitated as his messages weren't going through.

I...I can't get mad right now. There's no time to react like this.

Junghwa begins to breathe deeply in order to calm down. He check the messages and notices the attached documents.

2 attached documents... What could these documents contain?... Only one way to find out.

He clicked on the documents sent.

[ Loading...]

[ Transferring Data...]

[ Data Tranfer Complete!]

Junghwa's phone returned to the main screen, which only angered him.

That's it? Wow... not only was that useless, but if this stuff wasn't happening, I'd consider this a scam.

He looked out the window, seeing the angel laying down in the air. He looks at his mission window after hearing a ping.

Ping!

-[ Notice! ]-

-[ You have gained 2 New Passive Skills! View in Status Window!]-

Huh? 2 Skills? Could this be from the documents?... Status Window!

-[ Status Window:

Name: Kim Junghwa

Age: 17

Locked: None

Locked: None

Skills: Locked [ Can be used after certain conditions are met.], Locked [ will unlock after certain conditions are met.]

Information: None ]-

Both skills are locked... Why would I receive 2 Skills, then not be able to.... Could it be... that skill?

Before Junghwa could think about it any further, a system notice popped up...

-[ Time Left: 0:10 Seconds ]-

What?! 10 seconds?!

-[ 9 ]-

Junghwa looked at Jinsung...

-[ 8 ]-

Minjoo...

-[ 7 ]-

Shinhui...

-[ 6 ]-

Junghwa looked around the room for any possible ways to complete the mission.

-[ 5 ]-

It says to kill a person, but my friends...

-[ 4 ]-

No. It says to kill a living organism, not a human! That's it!

-[ 3 ]-

He turns to his friends. " The rats! We have to kill the..." He stops talking, noticing hat they are crying. He realizes that there's not enough time for them to calm down and think about his words.

-[ 2 ]-

Shit.There's no time...

Junghwa looks up at the ceiling, accepting his fate. He takes a deep breath as blood begins exiting his nostrils.

-[ 1 ]-

He smiles.

I hope this skill is what I think it is...

-[ 0 ]-

" Aah! " He yells, holding his head.

It hurts! It hurts! My head! It's expanding!

He feels his head slowly fill up, as if his head is a balloon constantly filling up.

The pain builds... it grows.. pulsing with greater pain each time... Not stopping at a certain point, the balloon just continues to fill up until...

POP!

Ba-dump... Ba-dump... Ba-dump... ...

-[ You have died ]-

-[ Processing...]-

-[ Conditions have been met for your Skill! Activating Skill: Regression ]-

-[ Number of Regressions: 1 ]-