Tokkebi

[Ahem. Apologies for such an unusual entrance. Give me a second to fix something...]

The hologram flickered and vanished for a moment. The static on the radio faded away.

[Some of the "drivers" needed a quick reboot. Alright, where were we? Ah, yes. Congratulations! Your peaceful days are officially over.]

Max finally found his voice.

"Uh… could you explain that?"

[Oh? Smart little humans. Most people start screaming 'Help! Let us go!' by now. As if that would do anything.]

I had nothing to say.

Tokkebi continued.

[A long time ago, a certain Mr. N made the initial deposit to shield your planet from the Scenarios. But then he vanished, and, well, the collectors couldn't track him down. Some of you pathetic creatures managed to extend the protection for a few years with your stories and legends—one, maybe two years at best. The record holders? Einstein and Mendeleev. They each bought you an extra five years. Impressive! But guess what? That's still not enough. The free trial is over, gentlemen.]

He let that sink in before cheerfully clapping his hands together.

[Well, looks like we've got some time to spare. You get one question. I'll give you a minute to think. Tick-tock!]

Shit.

Critical thinking was not my strong suit.

Brainstorming, brainstorming… What did I need to survive? Food? Shelter? Weapons? Armor? Levels? Quests—

Wait.

Quests.

I glanced at Max and gave him a sharp nod.

"Tokkebi, give us a hint on how to complete whatever trial we're about to face as efficiently as possible."

Max stared at me like I'd grown a second head.

[Oh-ho, do we have a prophet here? Well, a promise is a promise. If I don't give you an answer, I'll get flamed in the Star Stream chat later.]

He smirked.

[Your hint? Read the instructions carefully.]

And then—he was gone.

The moment he vanished, a translucent window popped up in front of me.

CHANNEL #B1-7623 HAS OPENED

[Constellations have joined the broadcast.]

[You have received the Main Scenario.]

Main Scenario #1 – Proof of WorthCategory: Main

Difficulty: F+

Objective: Kill a living creature (one or more) and survive.

Time Limit: 30 minutes

Reward: 300 coins

Failure Penalty: Death.

You have obtained an Achievement![Lucky Bastard]

Achievement Details: Unknown.

Reward: A skill unrelated to the user's primary role.

Mechanic (F-)

Your hands are now slightly steadier when assembling, disassembling, or crafting items. Skill will evolve after successfully crafting 10 items rated "Common–" or higher.

Oh, great.

I clenched my jaw.

A Mechanic. In the goddamn apocalypse. Just what I needed.

For a second, I let myself wallow in self-pity. Then I took a deep breath.

No time to panic.

"Max, pop the trunk! I have a feeling we're about to get our asses kicked."

Max flung it open.

Inside was… booze and raw barbecue meat.

Yeah. Not exactly helpful.

But—bingo.

I grabbed the metal skewers. Sturdy. Sharp. If push came to shove, I could stab something with them.

"Got duct tape?" I asked.

Max raised an eyebrow.

"I brought umbrellas," he said. "Rip the fabric off, tape the rest together."

"I know how to make a goddamn spear, genius."

Within minutes, our makeshift weapons were done.

You have created an Artifact x2.

"Wonderwaffle" (G+)Description: The creator of this item was clearly very frustrated at the time.

Blacksmith Skill Progress: 2/10

A sharp crack rang through the air.

The barrier was breaking.

Shit. I didn't think about that.

23 minutes left on the clock…

A disturbing realization hit me.

Ever since this "System" arrived, the animals—every single one of them—had gone rabid.

A low snarl made my stomach drop.

I spun around.

The deer were watching us.

Their empty, glassy eyes locked onto ours as they pawed the ground, muscles coiled and ready to charge.

Fuck this.

"RUN!" I bellowed.

I grabbed Max by the sleeve and bolted for the woods.

Adrenaline surged through my veins. Each second stretched into eternity as I counted my steps, measuring the distance.

Almost there.

Almost—

BAM.

I slammed into an invisible wall.

What the—?!

I recoiled, stumbling back.

The barrier wasn't breaking.

At least, not this one.

Unlike the one holding the deer back, this one was still solid.

I wasn't getting out.

A cold wave of panic crashed over me.

What now?

I spun on my heel and ran back toward the car.

Survival first.

If I wasn't getting out, I had to hold the line.

Animals had instincts. They could be scared.

That's when it hit me.

"Max," I gasped, "you still smoke?"

"D-dude, I quit ages ago—"

"Do you have a lighter? Yes or no?!"

"Uh—yeah?"

Holy shit, I had never been so grateful for his nicotine addiction.

Instincts.

Fire = Fear.

I forced myself to think fast.

A while back, I convinced Max to bring a spare canister of gasoline—just in case.

Now?

It was about to be very useful.

I grabbed the canister and dumped the contents all over the ground, drawing a thick, flammable line between us and the deer.

The barrier cracked.

Twenty seconds.

Fifteen.

Ten.

I flicked the lighter.

The flame danced.

And then I dropped it.

WHOOOMPH.

A wall of fire erupted between us and the animals.

The deer skidded to a halt, their hooves scraping against the pavement.

[A certain Constellation has sponsored you 100 coins.]

I ignored the notification.

Good. That should buy us maybe ten minutes.

But what then?

And worse—how the hell were we supposed to clear the Scenario?

The instructions didn't specify what we had to kill.

Just something.

A horrifying thought clawed at the back of my mind.

Not each other. That's ridiculous. That's—

My throat felt tight.

I swallowed the lump forming in it.

Just a few hours ago, I thought this was a dream come true.

An RPG brought to life.

But games had respawns. Games had rules.

And in this world?

The rules weren't made for us.

I clenched my fists.

I was not going to die here.

Not today.

I still had friends out there.

Max looked green. His hands were shaking.

He hadn't gotten a skill. No stat boosts, no achievements—nothing.

And yet, somehow, he was still standing.