This Is Really Happening

『Linking system interface…』

Gray didn't have the ease of mind to read anything right now; everything hurt, the ringing was too loud, and it felt as if he were in one of those dreams where his legs didn't move how he wanted them to.

As he tried to get to his feet a sharp pain shot up his right arm. ~I think I broke something,~ he thought to himself, trying to cough out the last of the debris trapped in his throat.

The impact from whatever had hit them flung him to the back of the class. He'd been lucky enough to have only suffered what seemed like a minor fracture in his right arm, though he could still move it well enough. However, the pain radiating from it was not something he could ignore.

Still, he seemed to be part of the lucky few. Right beside him, a girl was wedged between the floor and a large slab of concrete. A puddle of blood had formed around her mouth; he could not tell whether she was dead, or just unconscious.

However, he did not feel panicked, in fact, he felt almost nothing at all. He couldn't shake off the dream-like feeling he was experiencing, and it seemed he wasn't the only one.

Several others just stared in silence as well, as their classmates screamed and struggled to help the injured out of the rubble.

The girl who had been sitting right beside him was crying as she clutched another girl's head to her chest. The other girl wasn't moving; well, it was hard to move when half your body was missing.

He looked down at his shirt and found that it was covered in blood. Whether it was his, or someone else's, he had no idea.

"Gray, are you okay?" someone asked from behind him. Their voice was shaky, as if they were trying to stop themselves from crying. He turned and found it was Ms. Dikinya; May was on her back, unconscious.

"It must've been an earthquake," she continued, limping her way towards him. Her foot was twisted at an awkward angle, and she was sweating. Even as she looked at him, it seemed like her thoughts were far away.

She turned her attention to the corpse trapped beneath the concrete slab, before looking back at him, her eyes red and glossy.

"I hear sirens, the fire department must be on their way. We should try to move everyone outside the building. There's no telling when it'll collapse on us," she continued, her voice still shaking.

Gray just nodded as she limped past him. There was a blotch of blood staining the back of May's school shirt; a scissor marked its centre. There was too much blood; he didn't know that people could bleed so much.

The debris began to settle, and he could now see the damage more clearly.

There was less rubble on the other side of the class, and what was left of it emitted faint trails of smoke. There were no remains —desks, chairs, bodies or otherwise. It was as if that entire portion had been incinerated.

"Everyone, please head outside. The fire department will be here shortly. All those who can, help the injured outside," Ms. Dikinya shouted, already limping towards the massive hole in the wall. However Gray doubted that anyone could hear her over all the screaming.

Just then, something screeched overhead. Everyone froze.

~It's that sound again.~

The sound shook something deep within him... made his heart rattle.

"Get down," he whispered, fear stopping the words from coming out louder.

He took a panicked breath.

"Get down!" It was louder this time. He dropped to the ground, covering his head.

The sun seemed to shine brighter for a moment, before another roaring rumble shook the earth. There was an explosion nearby, and one of the police sirens that had been ringing went silent.

"Th-this isn't an earthquake!" Gray shouted, getting to his feet. He ran towards the hole and looked to the skies.

It was red, like someone had painted it with blood. Several bird-like creatures were flying above —each of them the size of a small plane— that left trails of colourful light in their flight paths.

However, those only got a second of his attention. Behind them was a massive ship that blocked half the sky. It was metallic grey and emitted smoke fumes larger than the clouds themselves. A translucent shield surrounded it, warping the light that passed through.

"What is it?" Ms. Dikinya asked, still on the ground. She was trying and failing to stand up, and a small pool of blood had begun to collect around her leg. May was right next to her, a larger pool of blood surrounding her.

"I think…" Gray whispered; before covering his mouth. Liquid acid burned at his throat, and he fought the urge to let it out. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking; it was as if he were only now realizing the depth of what was happening.

"I think... it's an alien invasion," he said finally, his breakfast gushing out of his mouth.

 『System Interface fully linked.』

 『Opening Champion Screen.』

╔═══⋆⋅☼⋅⋆═══╗

『Champion #009Z』

[Level 1:0/100]

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────

[Talent: Universal Citizen]

[Talent Rank: Unique{F}]

[Class: Universal (Special)]

[Vigour: 3]

[Agility: 3]

[Arcana: 3]

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────

[No additional skills]

─────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────

[World Ranking: 201,313,542]

╚═══⋆⋅☼⋅⋆═══╝

He stared blankly at the system interface as he wiped his mouth.

~This is really happening.~ He'd imagined that he would be more excited if something like this ever happened to him.

How wrong he was.

『New quest received: 'Guarding Duty'.』

『Protect and evacuate surviving citizens to marked location.』

A moment later, a map replaced the system interface. There were two coloured dots on it; one blue, and the other red —only the red was blinking.

『1 hour remaining…』