Facing the fear. [1]
He entered the factory ground area and looked around but found no one. He thought about checking his status screen but saw only the target number screen: <7/34>.
He pondered this and entered the building area, where he found Jacob's thugs capturing people and putting them in a room. He even saw his friend Evan among them and realized that the dream world was made of his memories. However, he still couldn't understand where he had seen the seven assassins he killed, so he put that thought aside for a moment.
'I have to cover my face. I can't let my friend see this side of me, even in the dream world,' he thought, feeling a bit scared. If he lost control again and started acting like a maniac, his friend wouldn't be able to recognize him.
He tore apart his T-shirt and wore it as a mask.
He then took out the set of daggers he had taken from Agent 7. He could have taken other weapons from the agents, but he liked these daggers a lot. He didn't understand why, but they suited his taste perfectly.
He was ready to wreak havoc on the gang, but he stopped and thought about the possibility of the thugs using the kidnapped people as human shields. How would he save them then? He dropped the plan for a straightforward attack and looked around for a bit, his brain sparking a brand-new idea.
"Well, sorry Aiden, you really were a genius," he thought, realizing his plan was almost identical to Aiden's.
He looked around and found some pebbles on the ground. He collected them all, then looked at his clothes and even removed his mask, as he wouldn't need it right now.
He put the mask in his pocket and looked toward the thugs' area, spotting a single thug standing a little apart from the others.
He throws one pebble toward him and wait util he looked at him and start running in the opposite direction like a kidnapped guy is running away.
"Huh, how did that guy get away?" thought the thug who had been hit. After shouting to his comrade, he ran in that direction but found no one. He continued deeper until he caught a glimpse of the man's clothing and chuckled at the man's foolishness.
He stealthily approached, ready to pounce, but found only a piece of cloth hanging on a cardboard box.
As he was getting up, a shadow loomed behind him. Before he could turn around, something sharp pierced his back, and he fell to the ground, overwhelmed by pain and the weight of his assailant.
He tried to scream, but his mouth was swiftly covered, and all he could see was darkness overtaking his vision as he slipped into eternal slumber.
The perpetrator, Rey, stood emotionless, observing the body, waiting for something. And the thing he wanted finally come in front of him. The status screen.
<8/34>
He was finally on the right track. After checking everything, he looked at the body, hid it beside the cardboard boxes, and covered it with them.
He heard a noise and saw two thugs approaching. He quickly concealed himself from their view and waited for the opportune moment to strike.
The thugs advanced carelessly, shouting the name of the thug Rey had killed, but there was no response. Suddenly, one of them noticed blood spilled on the ground and alerted the other. But before they could flee, someone was already behind them. With swift precision, they were all sent into eternal sleep, unable to see the face of their assailant.
New changes happened in target number: <10/34>.
He swiftly conceals their bodies and begins to retreat, aiming to entice more. As time progresses, the number of thugs diminishes rapidly, and in nearly an hour, only two remain. Rey, who has been waiting for the opportune moment to strike, watches his screen intently.
<29/34>
If someone ventures in the direction where Rey killed his first prey, they will find areas saturated with blood. He hunted them so meticulously that nothing was found except for a few drops of blood on the ground, as if they had been deliberately sprinkled there.
All the bodies were concealed in a random location, and each face bore an expression of shock and pain, as they had not known who had killed them.
He was contemplating their demise when one of the guards realized that his comrades were absent, leaving just him and his colleague to guard the door of the room where the hostages were being held.
He urged his friend to check on them, suggesting they might have left to attend a party. After a moment's hesitation, his friend consented and departed to locate everyone.
He began his search, heading towards the junkyard area. He walked until he noticed drops of blood on the ground.
Panic set in as he considered the possibility that if one of them had harmed the hostages, their fate was sealed. Yet, it didn't occur to him that the blood might belong to one of his comrades. He continued his search but found no one.
As he moved through an area, a sudden chill ran through him; he felt as if a predator's eyes were upon him, ready to devour him.
He scanned the surroundings but saw no one. He was about to dismiss it as a false alarm when he spotted a hand on the ground. The rest of the body was obscured behind machinery, and he steeled himself to investigate.
With cautious steps and a gun in hand, he approached. With each step closer, his heartbeat quickened.
He steeled himself and advanced swiftly towards the body, expecting it to react as if someone were jumping on him, but there was no response. When he looked closer, he realized the soul had departed from the body of his comrade, whose face was etched with pain and shock.
He attempted to rouse him, but it was too late; his comrade was gone. As he prepared to stand and notify his friend, his gaze caught something in the distance, causing his phone to slip from his grasp. Although the call had already connected and his friend's voice inquired anxiously about the situation, he remained silent, his eyes fixated, his body unresponsive to his own commands, and his pants dampened by the horrifying scene unfolding before him.
Before him stood a small mound, not of garbage or earth, but composed of the bodies of thugs. A youth, seemingly seventeen or eighteen years old, gazed emotionlessly at him, clutching a unique dagger that bore the appearance of a game texture. Yet, the thug who witnessed this scene felt as though he was standing before a grave entity, a manifestation of death poised to consume him whole. The boy's eyes were filled with an all-consuming darkness, promising eternal oblivion.
Rey, oblivious, had a system notification flashing before him, yet he did not respond, his mind preoccupied elsewhere.
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< Error the law of host is trying to merge with host emotion. Please stop yourself to stop this as host body is not ready for it. You may die.>
<6...5...4...3...2...1...0.>
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"Oh boy, it seems our little Rey possesses something so special that even the laws are losing control trying to seize it, huh?" remarked someone as his image materialized in the sky above the factory. It was Aiden, the relic spirit, known for creating this world.
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What happens next is uncertain: will Rey be killed again, thereby restarting the world, or will he finally break free from this death loop? Only destiny or the author—I—knows. So, stay tuned.