《The Writer》


 W1C1

    His name was Seven.


    Once, he asked his parents why he was given this name, not out of spite or a sense of being wronged, just for simple curiosity.Seven was a lucky number, they replied, plus they were both mathematicians. Their love for numbers was apparent.


    Luck did not shine for Seven.He was born with congenital insensitivity to pain, and the experimental treatment did not bear results.To protect the child, the parents were selective of Seven¡¯s friends, the environments he could frequent, the food he ate and also procured a personal doctor to do checkups daily. They were not lacking in money and loved him dearly.Every aspect of Seven¡¯s life was monitored by his parents. He grew up in a limited circle of people, places, foods, activities... He lacked experience and thirsted for it. But he couldn¡¯t go out of that small garden planted by his parents.


    So, he read.


    It started with novels, those easily accessible through the web and that teenagers liked to read, mostly romance or action ones. He paid special attention to the description of objects, no matter how trivial they were, and searched for then online to create an image.


    As he read many types of novels that year, he grew tired. Many followed the same formulae and he had already eaten up the most acclaimed, both in the genres he enjoyed and the others he only had a glimpse. It didn¡¯t satisfy him anymore, and even if he admitted that the author of a particular novel wasn¡¯t bad, nothing felt new and searching through the pile of subpar stories for a hidden gem felt like a waste of his time.


    But he still felt an attachment to novels.Unsatisfied, he picked the pen and started to write himself. But what would he write about? He knew very little about the world. Still, he tried and pushed forward for his first novel.It was a fail. No one read it, he simply stopped writing it and moved for a new one, and once he felt like revising his text, the difference of his previous writing skills as compared to the newer inputs was abysmal. He couldn¡¯tbearto look at it and destroyed it.


    Once, twice, thrice... How many novels had he discarded? Every time he looked back, he unceremoniously deemed them trash without an inch of feeling. They were not up to his standards.


    Growing up, he started to read other books. Classical books, romance, poetry, eventually even books that couldn¡¯t easily be reached, those that dealt in secrets of the occult. They kept him entertained for a long time, and he had no need for the pen.It was at the same time that his circle of friends shrunk to non-existence. He was an outcast, always so fixated in books that he disregarded the life happening outside his small world. He knew it, but didn¡¯t care, books were more interesting.


    Like that, he passed most of his school years reading different kinds of books daily, without much interaction with others.


    Even that came to a halt.


    There were many books to read, but as his appetite grew larger, his tastes became more refined and specific. Not any book would satisfy him, they had to fit into a strict pattern of quantity and quality. But the number of authors that could reach him through their publications, jumping the barrier of languages and passing through his skimming were few.


    The time which he used to read books was slowly swapped with time searching for books, until all he did wasa frenziedsearch in any kind of place, leaving only desperation and emptiness.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Was there nothing else for him there?


    Seven moved on.


    Now it wasn¡¯t only literature, but science. Engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology... He was not as adamant at first, and his thirst was not quenchedas he barely understood anything, but it was much better than the void he felt inside. The research papers and redactions of news websites were different from the kind of texts he was used to, but he quickly grew accustomed and gobbled up information from many sources.


    But they weren¡¯t enough to sate him, not nearly enough. They were just a distraction, and he knew that once he grew tired, he would be left with nothing.


    He had to write his own books.


    At this point, he had already finished school and started with a literature major, but he wasn¡¯t interested in finishing it. It was all a means to follow the way paved by his parents.


    He wanted to write. No, heneededto write.


    So, he wrote, and also studied how others wrote. It was all novelty, a feeling he had experienced ages ago but didn¡¯t feel quite right. His writing skills grew up at a fast rate, there were so many styles of writing, so many genres, themes, and there was never a lack of things to write about. He could go on writing forever... Or so he thought.


    Seven did not finish a single story.


    Just as his writing evolved, he grew unsatisfied with his previous texts. He aimed for perfection, but his style was in a constant state of change that could only be explained if he was possessed by past authors. Not only that, he was unsatisfied with the plot. He wanted to create something new, but nothing felt new anymore.


    There was nothing for him to write about.


    Emptiness.It finally came to him why he always felt such emptiness.


    All that Seven knew about the world was through ink-filled pages and computer monitors.


    He never saw anything. He never felt anything. All those tastes, smells, sounds, colors, textures... They weren¡¯t his.


    More emptiness.


    Even if he was to travel the whole world to collect these experiences, he was inherently limited by birth. Not feeling pain, at first glance some people might like the idea, but it felt excruciatingly bitter.Seven could only laugh, for he didn¡¯t even know what he was feeling at that realization, despite all the books he read. Everything he felt was through the characters of books.


    His feelings weren¡¯t his.


    [Do you want to feel and to experience?]


    Who was it?He looked around, but there was no one near him.


    [Do you want to go out into the world and see things for yourself?]


    Seven''s state was so low that he suspected he was beginning to hear things.


    [I can bring you to my world, but it won¡¯t be a pleasant experience. Death and decay, emptiness and despair, pain... And only pain]


    Seven showed a self-deprecating smile.


    -You can talk of both happiness andsorrow,I have no say in the matter.


    [So, do you wish to come?]


    Seven shrugged.


    -Why not, let me see for myself.


    ||Achievement: The one who was brought willingly||


    ||Effect: You are granted one wish||


    Screens fluttered past his eyes. He was gradually falling to a stupor, but his mind was still clear.


    Was it because of his despairing self, or just a glimmer of hope thatawoke?He couldn¡¯t tell, but the last screen seemed to speak to his heart.


    As he felt his consciousness fading, he departed with one last thought.


    "I want to feel pain, like a normal human...¡±


    [By the laws of my world, your wish was granted, but something was taken]

 W1C2

    Seven woke up in a strange place. It was a dark room with only enough light to discern the shapes of other humans nearby. From their actions, it seemed like all had awoken before him.


    [The last participant has arrived, we can proceed with the explanation.]


    A female voice announced. It was distinctly robotic and came from all sides of the room.


    -Don¡¯t joke around, who the fuck are you? Do you know who I am, asshole?


    -My child... Where is my child? Where have you taken him?


    -Tsk... Fuck me, that another jail experiment? Don¡¯tcha need my consent or somethin¡¯?


    -I have no time for this, how much do you want for the ransom?


    People screamed all around, angry, desperate, sometimes indifferent or indignant. Seven remembered stories that started just like that. No one believed the situation they were in, but they were rapidly thrown into despair, one after the other.


    He didn¡¯t want to believe it either, but someone capable of kidnapping multiple people and putting them in the same room was nothing short of a powerful organization. Even if that was for a sick reality show, he could tell from the voices that some of them were important figures, not anyone could capture so many of them. Unless, of course, those important people were actors, among other possibilities that flashed by Seven¡¯s mind in a few seconds.


    Regardless, it would be nothing good.


    [Please be silent, I will not resort to violence but to suppress the opposing sounds, I will have to speak louder, which has a high probability of hurting your tympanum.]


    ¡°... High probability?¡±


    -How many decibels? - Seven asked.


    [120 decibels. As a comparison, I¡¯m currently using 75 decibels, and I expect you to be completely quiet and pay attention to my instructions in the next few minutes.]


    Some people chose to stay silent after hearing this, more afraid that the perpetrator would raise his voice even higher to hurt their ears. It was better to follow the procedures than to fight against the kidnapper, they figured.


    When the thing mentioned a ¡°high probability¡±, Seven was suspicious of it being an actual machine, and those doubts were intensified when it accurately spoke of its sound level. Even with an amplifier, unless the voice was pre-recorded and graded, the perpetrator would need to know his exact level of sound. He wasn''t an expert in the subject, though.


    Seven tried to think of a trick question that would reveal whether the voice was pre-recorded or not, but no matter what he thought of, they were either very dangerous to ask in his situation, or easily covered. Why he was acting like that so suddenly? He was surprised. He just felt like discovering everything about what was happening.


    The voice beat him to it.


    [Most of you have calmed down. Proceeding with explanations:]


    [Welcome to the Tutorial. This is where you will learn the basics to survive in this world, but before that, a few things to acknowledge:]


    [This is not Earth. You will never return to your homes. The Gods you believe in cannot affect this world and no one is coming to rescue you. The people you knew on Earth are not necessarily in this world, and all institutions you are acknowledged with do not exist here. By extension, the rules of your societies do not serve any purpose here. Your normal lives are forfeited, abandon hope]


    Seven looked around the room. There was only a mortifying silence for a moment, and the thing stopped talking, as if to watch for their reaction, or maybe whoever was operating it already expected that such ¡°truths¡± were hard to swallow.


    He didn¡¯t swallow them either, but he didn¡¯t think it was impossible. Kidnapped into a spaceship and brought to another planet, he had already acknowledged the fact that the mastermind was a very powerful entity, from that point many possibilities opened up.


    But he couldn¡¯t understand why someone would go to such lengths.


    -Don¡¯t fuck with me... This is not Earth? Ha! Okay, guys, you can bring up the cameras, that was a good one.


    -Cameras? Oh... Then, is it all a... Prank?


    -This is not funny... Just... This is just sick, who would do this?


    -No! She might be telling the truth!


    -Who are you kidding, this is not a manga dude. We¡¯re being toyed with.


    [This kind of reaction is expected, but the faster you accept it, the better your chances for survival. Proceeding to the first test]


    A blue screen appeared in front of Seven.


    ||Tutorial: Lesson 1||


    ||Destroy the opposing forces||


    ||Effective in two minutes||


    [This is a message from the Human System. It is embedded in the crystals beside your dominant hand, which detects waves from the surrounding environment and translates them into information that will aid in your survival. Take care not to lose your crystal, it is irreplaceable. To make it easier to operate, all the functions you would find in a normal MMORPG are listed in the Human System and it can be accessed by voice, touch or thought, after this battle I will explain in further detail for those that do not understand.]


    Paying attention to the screen, it was exactly as described. There was a Status, Quest, Skills and Party screens, others like Guild and Market were greyed out.


    Seven quickly looked into his status screen:


    ||Character Name: Seven||


    ||Attributes||


    ||Strength: 7||


    ||Agility: 9||


    ||Intelligence: 9||


    ||Dexterity: 6||


    ||Vitality: 8||


    ||Wisdom: 8||


    ||Luck: 1||


    If the stats were to be trusted, Seven understood that, almost like a trick of fate, 7 was the average number for humans, except luck. After all, he couldn¡¯t be called anything but average if his fascination for books was cut. But he had no time to wonder about such things, two minutes had passed and the white lights shone on their faces.


    Because the voice of the robot concentrated in the center, with no echoes, he had thought it was a room. But in reality, it was a cave. It wasn¡¯t humid there, so there shouldn¡¯t be a nearby water source, and the smell didn¡¯t give out anything either.


    The cave branched into three paths, from which an unsettling sound came out. He couldn¡¯t tell what it was like, since he never experienced such a thing, but in terms of descriptions, he would¡¯ve read about it in a horror novel. ¡°The squirming of strong muscles beneath the strong carapace, the spiky hairs brushing one against the other, slicing apart the wind, but it was quiet and contained as if everything was a nightmare and they would soon wake up. Above all, a sense of disgust creeping through our skins, a feeling that death approached in the most gruesome way imaginable¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Just remembering this passage, Seven felt fear. A primal fear, as if he was meeting with a natural predator, and his blood ran cold to his legs ¨C the instinct to escape.


    -Wh-What is this? Stop playing with us!


    -This is getting boring, I want to go home.


    -Guys... This is serious!


    -...


    Seven finally woke up. He was in a stupor and couldn¡¯t breathe, his chest felt stuffy for some reason, but the pain of being deprived of oxygen filled his lungs for a moment before the fear faded.


    Pain. Something he had never felt before. How was it possible? He looked at the stash of weapons just beside him and quickly picked a small blade, pressing it against his skin.


    ¡°It... Hurts...!¡± Tears filled his eyes as the blood flowed down the weapon. His heart pumped faster than ever, it felt like it would explode at any time. It was exciting, he was about to piss himself every time he heard the sounds coming from the cave paths, but he couldn¡¯t help but gobble it all.


    Fear, pain, the blood pumping in his veins and arteries. It was a new world for him.


    Seven felt like meeting an old friend, if there was anything like this for a person like him. He knew of all those feelings and, to an extent, felt them through reading. He was always the perfect vessel to hold these emotions through the work of others.


    But once they mixed with pain, something special was attached.


    Everything felt more real than ever. Everything felt right, and suddenly, all the actions previously devoid of emotion became ripe with meaning.


    He could feel each of his breathes, the movement of his muscles, the grains of dust and specks of light in the cave, the tremors from the entrances, the slow fall of droplets of blood from the blade¡¯s edge, its red glister more beautiful than any ruby. He didn¡¯t understand any of those, and that only made the experience that much better ¨C he didn¡¯t want to understand them, he wished for the mystery to remain unsolved, for them to remain a novelty.


    He stared again at the blade, it was a medium-sized crescent sword with a double-edge. He never wielded a single weapon in his whole life, but he had read many books and delved into swords and martial arts. Immediately, he felt familiar while looking at the particulars of the weapon, ignoring the status screen.


    If anything, the screen was a needless hassle that interfered with his experience, he dismissed it.


    And in those few seconds that passed, the things that were causing that disgusting noise finally appeared.


    They poked their bent antennae forward, followed by the large protruding mandibulae that looked to harbor scythes. They kept walking forward with the large bodies carried over by six huge hairy legs.


    Ants as big as humans, and of a breed he had never seen in books.


    As soon as the ants came in, they started to rush the other humans and kill them. They did not eat them, just killed them quickly and efficiently as they moved to the next target. The people screamed and tried to fight back as the last moments approached, but the fear took the best of them. Those who reacted faster picked their weapons and fought back.


    It was the scene of a massacre.


    -N-No! Why?! Why is this happening?!


    -This... It¡¯s not real... Hahahahaha... Hahahahaha! It¡¯s not real... Not real... - a young man muttered just as an ant passed by and cut his head.


    -Shit!


    -The weapons, quickly!


    The insects filled the room and all that could be seen was fresh blood being spilled everywhere. Naturally, they would come for Seven, too.


    He was strangely familiar with this.


    Seven branded his sword. It was like he had experienced this before somewhere.


    He had seen this in books, multiple times.


    He looked at the ants¡¯ bodies and could tell from the biology books he read what was the best course of action for dueling them. He also saw others as they battled the things. He had already analyzed his own blade, and could somewhat tell what he should do.


    So, he moved.


    And he slashed away.


    Blood, blood and more blood.


    Both his, others¡¯ and the ants¡¯. He was drenched in blood.


    And he felt the pain of his injuries intertwine with his aching muscles, drained out of energy. But he kept moving forward as if nothing happened.


    There was no stopper. He didn¡¯t flinch even once.


    He kept going until his body couldn¡¯t move, dropping into the cold hard floor with a thud. How much time had passed? It all felt like a dream.


    He was no athlete. His stamina was slightly higher than a normal person''s since he exercised regularly, but other than that he wasn¡¯t strong. He never went above his limits.


    He knew what to do beforehand, but his body didn¡¯t follow him. He was not fast enough, not strong enough, and his reaction time was slow.


    His fight was not beautiful, it was sloppy and he was excessively exposed.


    But he was alive.


    ||Tutorial: Lesson 1||


    ||Objective completed.||


    ||Casualties: 72 humans||


    ||Rewards: Rations (1 day)||


    [Congratulations on passing the first test. By now, even if you do not believe what I told you earlier, you should understand your situation. Before I better explain the functions of your crystal and the Human System, I will give a reward to the one who performed the best. As an incentive for you to do better, the three humans who killed the most enemies in this quest will receive additional rations according to their rank]


    ||Special Rewards||


    ||Natalya Wolskev ¨C 29 kills ¨C Rations (2 days), Leather Armor||


    ||Arthur Bell ¨C 13 kills ¨C Rations (2 days)||


    ||Seven ¨C 9 kills ¨C Rations (1 day)||


    Seven turned his head to the other side, he was too tired to get up. It wasn¡¯t hard to see where the people looked at, and who they avoided.


    Natalya Wolskev.


    Arthur seemed like a military man, although with none of the domineering aura, and Seven was hanging by a thread. Their minds quickly linked that information and made it affordable.


    Natalya, however, was none of that. She was unfazed by all the death at her feet as she surrounded herself with walls of ant carcasses and human corpses, the foul smell was enough to make someone puke ¨C to begin with, those ants already gave off a pungent smell. She wielded a huge circular shield and a knuckle, both of which were painted red and brownish.


    No one would have believed that she killed 29 with a knuckle, had they not seen with their own eyes. Her punches were so powerful that their size didn¡¯t matter, it was the same situation of squashing a bug that happened every day.


    Not one injury was visible in her body. The rewards materialized in front of her and she equipped the leather armor after giving it a disappointed look, as if it didn¡¯t fit her beauty standards.


    Natalya ignored the fearful stares as she went out of the cave, creating confusion. They could leave just like that?


    [Whenever you accomplish a feat, you will be given fitting rewards.]


    The thing started to explain the Human System and particularities of the crystal, but it was mostly on how to use it for confused people. The new information was the following: the crystal is almost impossible to break; the Human System will continue to work as long as the crystal functions, even if unattached from the hand; Only the owner of the crystal can access the information inside it, unless it is completely unattached from the biological tissue or the owner is dead.


    [Now you can go explore.]


    -B-But... What should we do?


    -Will you keep us here forever?


    [You are free to do whatever you want, but pay attention to the System. You will periodically receive tutorial missions and must complete them to go forward.]


    With that, the voice disappeared and no matter how much people wailed and roared, it didn¡¯t come out again.


    Seven managed to crawl out to one of the entrances of the cave. It was the same one Natalya had left.


    As he approached the entrance, he felt a huge arm pulling him up and helping him to walk.


    -Hi, I¡¯m Arthur Bell, just call me Arthur. You¡¯re headed towards that girl, too, huh.


    Seven nodded weakly, he lacked even the strength to talk, all he thought of was to get out of this place, but in truth, he had no idea what awaited him outside. He just hoped that Natalya should be able to clear the path if he followed her.


    Arthur was a bulky guy with an impressive build, wearing a tank top that fit his muscles, trousers, and sneakers, he looked like he had just gone out of a running session. But what looked funny about him was his face, it was a bit childish and his big green eyes appeared innocent, contrasting greatly with his strong body. He was the opposite of the feeble looking Seven that had a scholarly feel ¨C long black hair tied in a ponytail and glasses to cover for his bad eyesight, he was also about twenty centimeters shorter than Arthur.


    Seven cast him a doubtful look when he helped him walk towards the exit. Noticing it, Arthur smiled.


    -You know, people should help each other out, right guys?


    -That¡¯s right!


    -I guess so...


    -Hmph...


    The replies were mixed, he couldn¡¯t expect anyone to be cheerful in this kind of situation, but somehow or another he managed to control a small group of people. Seven had nothing to complain about, in his current state he was just a burden, but he didn¡¯t eliminate the possibility of Arthur recognizing him during the fight. There were originally 120 humans and 100 ants in the counter of the mission, and most of the job was done by some 30 guys.


    Seven dealing with 9 ants was almost 10% of their strength, it was impressive for a guy like him, and he had extra rations that would likely be shared later.


    He didn¡¯t believe in a free meal.


    Once they were out of the cave, what greeted them was a facility with a gym, bar, a swimming pool, a library, casino, restaurant... It looked simply out of this world, especially since the ants should have passed through that place to get to them.


    -Huh?


    At the time, they were again convinced that the place was Earth, but it was more of a hope than anything else. Otherwise, would the giant ants be just a dream? The pain was real, the deaths even more so.


    Arthur looked around and saw a healthcare center. Robotic creatures operated the facility for free, he doubted them at first but after asking, the tutorial voice guaranteed nothing would happen inside there. He left Seven in their care and left.

 W1C3

    Seven was nursed to full health in no time, and most of his stay in the healthcare center was spent sleeping till night. He didn¡¯t feel any backlash or strain from his activities, in fact, his body was better than ever ¨C such things should be impossible, but he had already discarded the name impossible from his dictionary after that fight.


    He had read many books, but his comprehension of technology was shallow to understand how those machines worked to restore him completely.


    Going out, he finally noticed the surroundings. The place was like a small district, with many facilities for self-improvement, beauty care, and entertainment. There were compartments in a huge area of the floor and smaller ones in the ceiling.


    ||New Quest||


    ||Tutorial: Lesson 2||


    ||Survive the monsters||


    ||Number of waves: 30||


    ||Time until the next wave: 15 hours...||


    That would be the evening of the next day, but he wasn¡¯t sure since there was no clock in this place, and the light was artificial.


    The first thing he did after skimming the surroundings was to go to the library. He wasn¡¯t interested in the books on display, he was looking for paper and a pen to start writing. He had to write right now before the feelings faded and the memory of his struggle died alongside it.


    There was no one in the library, there were lights in the windows of the dormitory, most should be there or asleep. Others he had seen near the restaurant, a reasonable choice, and the gym had the lights on, too.


    Seven found the things he wanted and searched for a quiet place in the library to start his first book in that new world. To be precise, he didn¡¯t know whether that one would be a finished piece or not, but he felt that the quality should be completely different from the other ones, he was much more motivated, too.


    Seven wouldn¡¯t write about himself, maybe one day he would be the protagonist of a story, but right now he had nothing that made him special. And even then, there would be nothing new to write about.


    He was interested in the mystery, and the system already gave him two options.


    Arthur Bell.


    Natalya Wolskev.


    Of course, he decided to write about the two in the same story, after all, wasn¡¯t that the reality of the situation? Antagonists and supporting characters, even protagonists themselves would rise and fall, giving rise to an organic world.


    Just thinking about their potential, Seven got excited. The possibilities were endless.


    He picked up the pen and wrote so fast his hands ached. They ached! He was even more pumped up, and the scene of that death struggle revived on his mind just in time to write the action scenes.


    The setting was different, and the enemies too, but the essence was the same, almost a record. The only thing he genuinely needed to figure was how Natalya could crush the opposition with her bare hands. And Arthur, he already had an idea, but he never had the time to look or to ask.


    Seven painted such a realistic picture with his pencil that he himself got goosebumps just reading it. ¡°It will be an action-packed horror novel¡±, he decided. He loved horror novels, mostly because he couldn¡¯t find many that satisfied him.


    -Having fun, eh?


    -Hm?


    He was so engrossed in writing that he didn¡¯t pay attention to his surroundings.


    In the blink of an eye, it was already morning, and the one who spoke to him was Arthur himself.


    -Let¡¯s go, everyone is having breakfast at the restaurant. I mean, there¡¯s some sort of price to eat there, but we have the rations. Wanna come?


    -Ah, right. I¡¯ll go soon. Thank you.


    -It¡¯s fine.


    He was about to wrap up the chapter, but with this reminder, his stomach started to growl and he felt like his throat was dry. He lost focus and didn¡¯t quite remember what he was supposed to do next. ¡°Whatever, I already finished the climax for this part¡±.


    He put away the book and the writing material as he went to the other building. He still didn¡¯t know where to put the curved sword, and honestly, it didn¡¯t seem like a good idea to let go of it, so he brought it inside.


    Entering, he noticed that the mood was gloomy, but the smell of gunpowder was noticeable. It was very easy to ignite a spark between them. That unstable peace was probably maintained by Arthur.


    He could roughly count forty people in the room, that was a bit more than half the survivors. That meant, during the time he was recovering they had split into factions, and he unintentionally became a part of Arthur¡¯s faction.


    -There are only 6 hours before the invasion, shouldn¡¯t we prepare?


    -We don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re up against, it¡¯s no use preparing right now.


    -That¡¯s not true ¨C Arthur spoke ¨C I¡¯ve inspected the place and there are a few locations from where the creatures can reach this base. There are materials in the warehouse we can use to make barricades and traps, if we need other things we can just dismantle from the other places. I¡¯ve also devised some plans we can employ to take advantage of our position in the defense.


    -I¡¯ve checked with that damn robot, they are limited and once we make a barricade and they are damaged, it won¡¯t be easy to recover. If we don¡¯t know who our enemies are, we should first obtain information before taking action. Indeed, we can¡¯t just wait and do nothing, but keep in mind there are 30 waves and if we waste everything during the first one, we¡¯ll take a huge blow.


    -And who is this little shit?


    -If we die on the first day, saving up on resources would''ve been pointless.


    -This ¡°little shit¡± there killed nine ants yesterday.


    -What? Nine?


    -What¡¯s that got to do with anything if you¡¯re dumb.


    -How can you guys be so calm... What the fuck!? So many people died already!


    -Bitch if you helped us yesterday, not so many would have died.


    The meeting quickly went down different paths and many people started to argue at once. Seven glanced at them briefly, taking account of their facial expressions, gestures, and choice of words, to make an analysis of the group and how it would fare in different situations.


    Seven considered himself neither a good or a bad person. He wouldn¡¯t argue with the mob to make them listen to reason, especially since he didn¡¯t have that power, and he didn''t know much either. The only one they seemed to respect was Arthur, he had a likable attitude and good achievements on the past day, they relied on him.


    ¡°Already out of instinct, they are leaning on the strongest person available¡±.


    He figured some might have chased after Natalya, but from a glance, he could tell she was a loner. Her actions were very explicit and her eyes honest.


    Almost no one knew each other in this place, but he could already see links being formed. This group was composed by weaklings who couldn¡¯t protect themselves, teenagers, old people, cripples and people who couldn¡¯t enter the stronger group, but it also had specialists of important fields: medics, engineers, pharmaceutics, trainers, people that would be useful in the long term and constituted a backbone.


    But they didn¡¯t know what they were up against, and on the first failure the group would break down because of the weakest links. And for how much longer would they drag the weaklings with them? They needed to get strong to make up for their shortcomings, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t survive.


    The purpose of buildings like the gym and the training range was exactly this, to prepare them. But they didn¡¯t take the hint.


    And Seven didn¡¯t bother explaining to them.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    After all, the truths mentioned by the thing on the other day, they still didn¡¯t accept them, and its words were clear: the faster you accept them, the better your chances at survival.


    He was sure that Arthur would create a circle of people that worked with him to keep the group alive, but he didn¡¯t know his true intentions yet, only that this seemed to be the moral-upholding group, and mingling with him any longer might bring him trouble in the future. He didn¡¯t want to carry dead weight, and he despised the idea of being dead weight himself.


    With those thoughts, he quietly slipped out with his breakfast and moved to locate the other groups.


    About fifteen people were grouped near the warehouse, probably to prevent Arthur from taking anything out of there. ¡°A direct opposition¡±


    If they held the same ideals as Arthur, but a different strategy, they wouldn¡¯t be doing this with that big of a number. That meant the leaders of this group cast aside the rules kept by society and quickly accepted this new reality. ¡°The strong group¡±


    He could enter this group by using his name, but many saw Arthur acting friendly towards him and he was far from strong. His technique was lacking, he only touched upon the surface of martial arts and the sword arts. Against other humans, he assuredly had no chance to prove his value.


    He couldn¡¯t be part of such a dangerous group without any guarantees.


    The other 15 were either loners like Natalya, with their reasons to keep to themselves, or just staying near her as she didn¡¯t do anything.


    This chaotic composition covered the entirety of the facility.


    Since he didn¡¯t know how to proceed with his story just yet, he felt like it would be a good idea to train his body. He had tried to talk with the thing and squeeze out relevant information, but it was tight-lipped about it, so he had no other choice.


    Seven headed to the gym.


    There were already some people there. Natalya was training some kind of martial arts near the wooden dolls, and Seven thought it would be a waste not to observe her.


    He sat to the side and observed her movements, pen and paper in hands. Natalya gave him a cursory glance and continued to ignore him, just fitting.


    She didn¡¯t make any unnecessary movements, all of her actions were concise and optimized to deal with her enemies efficiently while using the least amount of energy. Inherently, it wasn¡¯t beautiful and it didn¡¯t look like anything special, but each strike was perfectly aimed and held an unimaginable amount of power.


    Natalya donned training clothes and she wasn¡¯t sweating much, but the movements of her muscles were discernible for the observant eye. Seven didn¡¯t possess such eyes, he needed to get closer to accompany the changes in her stances and to understand her actions, and he didn¡¯t fear to do so. He got a few steps in and started to draw what he saw, watching her destroying the wooden dolls without blinking an eye.


    Every half an hour, Natalya would make a short pause to stretch before continuing with her training, and Seven took extra notice of this. He was absorbing the information on the group of muscles he should first train to appropriate this technique for himself. He had come upon other martial arts books, but he wasn¡¯t as interested in movies and martial arts flicks, so he never got to see a person applying its principles. Just from watching her, he continuously linked the knowledge he had from books to real life.


    This continued for two hours until she came to a stop and went out. He also got up and started stretching, putting the drawings inside his bag.


    Seven was one of the few people with his own bag, since he was kidnapped on his way out of university, but there were all kinds of places around the facility and everyone ended up getting one.


    -Hey, you¡¯re some kind of fan or stalker?


    He didn¡¯t think someone would go out of his way to talk to him like this, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°Why is this person bothering me?¡±


    -Can I help you?


    Looking back, it was a muscular guy not that different from Arthur in build, only that his skin was tanner, he was hairy and the face had strong contours. His visage was quite unkind, and he couldn¡¯t tell if it was just his mood that was awful or the looks he was born with.


    -Yeah, you sure as hell can. Stay the fuck away from the girl, you creep me out.


    Seven raised one of his eyebrows.


    -Why should I?


    -Heheh, kid, she¡¯s way out of your league, just give up.


    Seven discovered many characters like these while reading books, and he understood that this conversation would lead to nowhere.


    -I¡¯m not trying to get close to Natalya. If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be on my way.


    He didn¡¯t want to get into any unnecessary fights, he couldn¡¯t justify wasting time with pointless arguments.


    Putting on some gym clothes he found in a nearby room, Seven started warming up and exercising his muscles. He already had a reasonable amount of stamina to work out without getting saturated quickly.


    Every time he started on an exercise, the guy would appear at his side and easily perform better than him. He ignored him every time, but on the third time, he couldn¡¯t help but think there was something wrong with his triumphant look whenever Seven stopped to do stretches.


    -Hey kid, that¡¯s all you got? Hahaha!


    -Damn, you¡¯re such a weakling!


    -Can¡¯t go on anymore? Oh well, everybody¡¯s got their limits, it¡¯s the best you can do.


    Similar remarks flew by as he continued to ignore him. It wasn¡¯t that Seven was a patient person, it was simply that he deemed it below his intelligence to even interact with such a person. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what Natalya feels towards everyone here. We aren¡¯t fit for interacting with her¡±.


    In his case, he felt like it was an insult to his brains. Maybe for Natalya, it was an insult to her muscles? Seven chuckled at the thought.


    -Oy, you bastard, are you laughing about me? Got the guts, huh?


    Seven felt something wrong with this remark, but before he could find out, he was staring at the floor with a ringing pain in his head. For a moment, his thoughts felt jumbled and he couldn¡¯t think of anything, nor hear anything.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    When he came to it, he was being helped up by someone else while he stared, confused, at the muscular guy with a red face being held up by three other people.


    -Are you alright? - the girl who helped him asked.


    -What happened?


    -That guy over there, Nathan, he knocked you down... I¡¯m actually surprised you recovered so quickly, it¡¯s been just five minutes, we thought you wouldn¡¯t wake up for some time. Hey, not that bad!


    Seven tried to stand up. Bolts of pain ringed in his head continuously, but he didn¡¯t react.


    -I think it¡¯s better if you lay down for a while, someone is bringing ice packets and some medicine, don¡¯t worry it¡¯s not going to take long. You should go to the hospital later, though, just to be sure.


    -What¡¯s wrong with that guy?


    -You don¡¯t know him?


    He shook his head.


    -I¡¯ve been out cold since yesterday, when I woke up, things were already like this.


    -What? You are Seven?


    Seven was completely battered and covered in blood when he came out of the first trial, only Arthur who helped him up could tell who he was, and not everyone was acquainted with each other yet. All they knew was through Arthur, her reaction was only natural as she couldn¡¯t believe that a weak-looking guy like him could be Seven.


    Compromising with this new information, the girl shook her head and continued.


    -Well, there¡¯s not much to talk about it. A lot of people flocked to Natalya yesterday, she put off all of them. But Nathan persisted and got beaten up by her. Since then, he¡¯s being a pain in the ass to anyone who gets even a bit close to her, but he wasn¡¯t hurting them... Ah, by the way, my name is Catherine, my friends call me Kate. What about you?


    -I¡¯m Seven. You already knew, actually...


    -You mean... Your actual name is Seven?


    -Yes.


    Seven and Kate chatted for a bit before the guy with the ice packets came. Because of his obsession with different kinds of books, Seven could easily connect in any kind of conversation, while demonstrating a healthy interest in Kate herself ¨C after all, she was a possible character model for his book.


    Kate didn¡¯t look strong like Natalya, she was at the gym because exercising was calming to her nerves, and most people couldn¡¯t be as cool as Seven or Arthur in this situation. She had a good physique and a good face, and her hair was pretty much identical to Seven, they even used similar beauty products.


    -How fun ¨C she sighed ¨C I wish I had met you back in the real world. I mean, it doesn¡¯t look right to feel relaxed in this kind of situation, but if I don¡¯t try to be cool about it, I might just break, haha... Damn, I need to brood for a bit... This whole thing is... - she sighed again ¨C You know what I¡¯m talking about.


    She expressed her sadness and parted with him. Thinking about her words, Seven thought they were wrong.


    He didn¡¯t know what she was talking about. He understood her from a logical point of view, but he couldn¡¯t feel the same way ¨C there was no sense of empathy.


    Seven had a detachment from reality and could easily accept the fast changes happening around him, a side effect of living so far away from the real world.


    Looking at the wooden dolls, he got up and practiced the moves he copied from Natalya.


    First, he began slowly, observing his own body and muscles through the mirror while looking at the pictures. Each one of them followed a logical decision, the same one that had been done multiple times in other martial arts and training regimens. For him, it was only a matter of finding that thread and using it to connect all the dots.


    He was trying to understand that martial art he read nothing about.


    Why use this posture? Why turn his body like that and not another way? Why was the follow-up move this one? It was as if in his eyes there was a shadow, a specter left behind by Natalya that followed the same decisions and executed the same moves against imaginary opponents, and those same opponents appeared right in front of him.


    Only once he grasped at the beginning of that thread did he start for real.


    Speed.


    Strength.


    Precision.


    He needed to eliminate all the useless movements to fit in strikes and time to regain his breath. His stamina was a precious commodity and he couldn¡¯t let a single drop of it go to waste.


    But what was Natalya¡¯s enemy? What was it doing? It took a bit of time for Seven to understand that his opponent was not a human being.


    She was fighting monsters.


    Maybe, if he was to observe Natalya back on Earth, she would show him moves used to kill other human beings, or maybe, because of the rules of society, she would only show the lighter versions meant for health and friendly bouts.


    But not here.


    She wasn¡¯t simply perfecting her moves and getting better. She was changing and adapting herself to deal with a multitude of enemies. Everything seemed random and chaotic at first glance, but that was because that new reality was obscure.


    She didn¡¯t know what was the next move, the shadows were restless. All she could do was move first.


    Her mind needed to be sharper. Her eyes, quicker.


    No one was her equal, no one could help her during the fight.


    It was a lone battle and a desperate struggle.


    Kill or be killed.


    Seven stopped suddenly.


    ¡°The view from the top is lonely. Is that what you feel?¡±

 W1C4

    There was only half an hour before the invasion, Seven was taking his time to rest and prepare for a large scale battle. Regrettably, he couldn¡¯t gather the experiences from practicing Natalya¡¯s martial arts into the book at the moment, but he would incorporate them once it was over.


    How did Natalya become so strong? Who was she? What was coursing through her head? He didn¡¯t know any of that, and those were key points to construct his character.


    Seven was conflicted.


    He both wanted to know more of Natalya and didn¡¯t - otherwise, there would be nothing to create, only to narrate. He was afraid that reality was nothing more than a disappointing work of fiction, and that it couldn¡¯t measure up to his standards, a fear he never felt before.


    ¡°Is that the fear of the unknown? Or is it just a measure to protect myself from disappointment?¡±


    Whatever it was, he had no time do dwell in it. People started to gather at the edges of the settlement, and he did the same.


    Although there was still a considerable time before the invasion started, few people discussed the situation. He figured that most were bitten by fear or were in the process of mentally preparing for what was to come.


    Seven couldn¡¯t blame them, but he was different.


    He had only noticed it on the mark of ten minutes, but his hands that trembled from time to time, his cold sweating, the uneasiness in his muscles ¨C it was not only fear but also a mix of excitement.


    He both dreaded and wanted to know what was going to happen, a sensation similar to finishing the last chapter of a book and being left with a cliffhanger.


    The people, who had been uneasy for quite some time, steeled themselves for what was to come, a scene of almost complete silence.


    5 minutes.


    -Hey, your name is Seven, right?


    -Hmm?


    Turning around, he saw an unexpected sight. Nathan.


    ¡°What is it now¡±


    -You know... I... Got really worked up there... But ehh, it¡¯s not like me to do these kinda things, don¡¯t know what I was doing... And, well, you see... I... Argh, you know...


    He pressed his lips together and looked away, extending his huge hand towards Seven.


    ¡°Is this an apology? Huh...¡±


    Seven didn¡¯t particularly care, he stretched his hand and gave the guy a handshake.


    -Eh, if you¡¯re building your muscles, you can ask for my help one of these days. If it makes you feel better, you can hit me once too, to make things even, hehe.


    -I will keep that in mind.


    -So, see ya.


    ¡°... What just happened?¡±


    [The invasion will start in 60 seconds. Enemies will approach from Terminals A-1, A-2, A-4, B-1, B-3, B-5, and B-9. I wish you all good luck]


    Suddenly, a map of the settlement appeared on a screen, visible to all of them, detailing the position of the main group and the route the enemies would take.


    The details showed an arrangement in which the A Terminals were at the ground level, B terminals at a level 10 meters above them, whereas subterranean and superior terminals existed, aside from the hatch directly above them.


    Although the distance from each other was not equal, the terminals were spread out evenly in a circle and numbered from the easternmost entrance and going clockwise.


    There were about as many entrances as there were people, and it would be impossible to prepare for the invasions accordingly if this information wasn¡¯t provided in the future. From a quick scan, they would be invaded by the South, with most of the forces concentrated at Southeast if the enemies were evenly spread, whereas at Southwest the great majority would descend from higher ground.


    In the end, Arthur¡¯s group ended up not building the barricade, but their movements were better organized than the others and they immediately reacted.


    -Move on, follow the plan ¨C he shouted, and even those who didn¡¯t know what the plan was ended up going after him. It seemed like Arthur already knew about the Terminals and quickly made his way to another position to better deal with the threat.


    While running after them, Kate approached him in the middle of the way.


    -You¡¯re with Arthur¡¯s group? - she asked.


    -No, but going with him is not a bad idea.


    -Yeah, I agree. We¡¯re on the same wavelength it seems ¨C she smiled.


    Seven raised an eyebrow.


    -You¡¯re not with him either?


    -I don¡¯t agree with splitting up into groups. We should all stick together.


    He didn¡¯t reply to that as he didn¡¯t exactly agree. Whether grouping up or separating would be for the best, it would all depend on the nature of this deadly game they were playing, as well as the capabilities and mindset of each person.


    There were tendencies, but no one could tell what would happen. Seven himself noticed that, even with so many strained relationships and weakened states of mind, things have been progressing quite well, so maybe they could survive long enough as a group.


    ||Invasion started||


    ||Number of enemies: 130||


    -Will you watch my back? - she looked at the Terminal shutters opening and asked nervously.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "¡­¡±


    "¡­¡±


    Seven shook his head.


    -I won¡¯t make any promises.


    Once the shutters opened completely, there was only silence.


    They waited anxiously for the enemies to appear, but it took a while and it was an unexpected sight.


    Six huge fiery legs slithered past the entrance with the menacing scythes that more resembled the mandibula of an arachnid.


    Ants again, only bigger and stronger.


    -Warrior ants...


    -What?


    -Comparing their physiques, yesterday¡¯s ants were workers. Today¡¯s ants are warriors, they are bigger than normal and have a stronger bite, I¡¯m willing to bet that this species has a sturdier exoskeleton or some other kind of protection, too ¨C Seven explained.


    From that area, they could view most of the entrances and he observed that the ants coming from the B Terminals were bigger than those coming from the A terminal.


    -The ants from the B Terminals are older and stronger. We can¡¯t face them with normal weapons.


    Worker ants were deadly enough to behead a human with their bite, but if his intuition was correct, a warrior want should cut through them like paper. It was too risky to fight them with normal weapons.


    Either way, swords, axes, and hammers were made for use against other human beings. Historically, the way humans dealt with bigger threats was employing tactics: surrounding, tiring them out and landing the final blow.


    Thinking the same as him, Arthur ordered some people to retreat to the arsenal and bring spears while the rest took cover in two parallel buildings.


    Seven noticed there were wires spread out in some of the buildings, and he suspected other things might have been hidden inside of them. ¡°So he did make something after all¡±.


    Natalya had already separated from the group and headed straight for the ants at the A terminal. Not wasting any breath, he followed suit.


    -Wait, you¡¯re going straight into them?


    -Follow Arthur, he figured out a strategy. You should be safe inside one of these buildings, they won¡¯t reject you.


    Kate had a complicated expression, as if she wanted to say something. However, Seven didn¡¯t give her the time to think, and in the end, she complied and went inside.


    There was only one thing in Seven¡¯s mind: how will you fight this?


    He didn¡¯t know Natalya. Was she crazy, going straight into the enemy lines without caring for her life? Or did she have everything under control? Maybe she was gambling everything in a dangerous strategy.


    He had to know. The secret to becoming stronger also resided in this answer.


    He must see it for himself.


    He must know.


    Seven ran after Natalya. He couldn¡¯t compare with her agility and quickly fell behind, but the scene of the girl nimbly stepping over an ant¡¯s leg and climbing it, swiftly evading the menacing bite and making its head explode from inside out was unbelievable.


    ¡°How?¡± That scene was beyond impossible, he could only explain that if she wasn¡¯t human.


    As he got closer, the exact movements she executed became clearer. She was still evolving and endlessly adapting, what he thought was perfection was simply a flawed image: her aim was much higher than that.


    But he couldn¡¯t watch her for long, to get even a glimpse of her movements, he risked diving into the bulk of their army. There were fewer of the older ants descending from the B Terminals, about 90 of them spawned from the A Terminals which were closer to each other, and at the time a third of them had already moved in.


    How would he survive? His mind went blank for a second before his body reacted to the first approaching ant.


    "No matter what, I must live. I can''t die when I just started writing the story"


    He picked up his curved blade and mimicked Natalya''s movements with what he understood of her martial arts earlier.


    He knew it was impossible, he couldn''t crush an Ant''s head as she did, and he didn''t have the guts to even try.


    But he never tried to be like her. The one thing he understood from Natalya''s constant developments was that he should look for the answers himself, too.


    In the world of martial arts, there was something known as a base, and everything else learned through other means was to strengthen this base.


    Seven had no base, only an array of knowledge from different arts, but one thing he knew was that, to make it through this battle, he had to use whatever he had at hand. And that was all through watching Natalya.


    The one thing she did not incorporate in her style was the blade.


    "She still uses a knuckle and a shield, and she recognizes the superior strength of the opponent while using it against himself"


    Natalya could execute the deadliest of her moves at a close range, and for that, she used the shield, at least this much he could figure out.


    But a shield would be of no use to Seven. For starters, he wouldn''t be able to handle the backlash of a strike, nor accurately position it in a good angle to deflect a hit and use the bounce.


    He couldn''t let himself get caught: A single strike and it was over.


    "It is completely different from the strength she uses, but right now I have no choice but to incorporate it into her martial arts."


    He moved on.


    At first, he planned to cut the ants'' legs, but stopped himself in time. They were covered with a hard carapace and sturdy hairs, likely an evolution against such types of attacks. On the other hand, the most exposed parts were a small area in the thorax, the lower body, and some organs near the face.


    The ants were four meters tall, much bigger than the worker ants of the previous day, and it was difficult to reach those parts.


    "I see, I have to attack the face when they come down to attack me"


    Seven prepared himself for what was to come. He couldn''t be directly beneath the ant, they had to lower down at an angle for him to strike, so he kept running until such an opportunity appeared.


    "Focus."


    "Focus."


    "You can do it."


    "You''ve seen it before."


    Emptying himself from any unnecessary thoughts, there was only silence left. He felt like he was playing a real-time strategy game. His body moved, but it wasn''t himself, all he did was the judgment on where to move, how to move, what actions to take.


    And he moved.


    He dodged by a hair''s breadth.


    He slashed on a moment''s notice.


    He removed his blade on a minute''s decision.


    "Don''t let your guard down, every second wasted is a second you could be dead."


    He didn''t succeed in the first time, neither in the second nor the third. The ants were tenacious enemies and unless he completely removed their mandibulae, it was impossible to avoid the threat. He could badly damage their organs, but not completely stop them.


    He didn''t know how he was still alive even after being surrounded from all sides. It was like watching electric saws approaching a person from every direction, and confirming that she was still alive and intact after the encounter.


    Seven smiled... The pain.


    The pain kept him going. He was tired, he wanted to lay down for a while, but his body kept moving and his nerves were on edge.


    He never stopped to catch his breath. If he did so, he wouldn''t be able to move anymore.


    All the noises were void.


    The world had slowed down as he executed his movements. But it wasn''t good enough, he improved at a fast rate but it wouldn''t stop him from meeting his end.


    It was then that he saw her, Natalya.


    She crushed the ants whenever she saw them, and easily defeated the mangled bunch that was occupied with him. He didn''t know how much time had passed, but he knew that it couldn''t have been more than half an hour for her to wipe them out alone.


    Did she come to save him? Seven chuckled: of course not.


    He was never preoccupied with killing them, all that mattered was staying alive.


    Still, he was disappointed that, from half an hour of fighting, he could only glimpse at a few seconds of her brilliance.


    He collapsed once again, unable to move even a muscle. As oxygen filled his cells, the battle spirit left him completely and he gazed at the distance, at the direction Natalya had left to. She was headed to the B Terminals, the invasion hadn''t ended.


    His life was reborn in a puddle of blood and broken bones.


    It was ugly.


    It was survival.

 W1C5

    The battle raged on for another half an hour before the ants were dead. Thanks to Natalya crushing the vast majority of ants in the A Terminal, the preparations Arthur had made worked exceptionally well against the older ants and they held out for long enough until she returned to destroy them.


    The final results were astounding.


    ||Tutorial: Lesson 2||


    ||Wave cleared//29 waves remaining||


    ||Casualties: 7||


    ||Rewards: Rations (1 day); Dismantling (Skill book)||


    ||Special Rewards||


    ||Stronger Warrior Ants count as 2 for the special rewards||


    ||Natalya Wolskev: 113 ¨C Rations (5 days); Bone Crusher||


    ||KyelPrajna: 22 ¨C Rations (3 days); Leather Armor||


    ||Arthur Bell: 14 ¨C Rations (2 days) ||


    -Have you seen Seven? - Arthur asked Natalya awkwardly. From what he gathered, she was the one to have seen him last.


    Natalya remained silent, looking at her new weapon, the Bone Crusher. It was a blood red-winged knuckle, with skulls engraved in the joints. From an artistic point of view, it was very beautiful and held some glister.


    Just before Arthur left, she smiled for a moment and pointed a direction. He was confused at her behavior but thanked her nonetheless.


    Once again, Seven ended up sleeping at the healthcare center that evening.


    When he woke up, he immediately headed out to the library and continued writing from where he left off, but the place was considerably more crowded compared to the other day. Arthur caught him at the exit and greeted him.


    -Hey, doing fine?


    -I¡¯m alright. What happened here?


    -You¡¯re quite unlucky, passing out whenever Ai gives out instructions.


    -Ai?


    -It¡¯s the name of that robot or whatever that speaks to us. I asked her. But anyway, you should check your bag for the Dismantling Skill Book. Ai told us it is an important thing to learn and I believed it. We could use the ant carapaces to make some armor for everyone, and our weapons are quickly losing durability against the monsters, we could extract the mandibula and try out something later. By the way, do you want to join my group? We could use people like you.


    -Thanks for the information, but I¡¯ll have to refuse.


    He was more interested in Natalya than Arthur, and she was a key to aid in his survival. In a world full of uncertainties, he should first focus on getting stronger as an individual, not as a group.


    -It¡¯s fine, see you around.


    He gave a cursory glance at the pages of the Dismantling book, but most of the information he already knew from hunting books in real life. All he did was check the information regarding the species detailed in the book, which didn¡¯t take more than an hour to digest.


    ||Skill: Dismantling has been learned ||


    ||Dismantling: level ???||


    ||Basic dismantling of carcasses and compound items are now possible. The skill level goes up as the practitioner gains more experience||


    ¡°...¡±


    -Ai, can I ask you a few questions?


    [You are free to ask, I will provide answers to the best of my abilities]


    -Could you explain to me how to acquire skills, and how they are graded? Do they even have any effect on me?


    [There is theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Unless the nature of the skill is purely theoretical, the Human System will only acknowledge that you have obtained a skill once it is used. The methods do not matter, as long as you possess the knowledge, and once it is obtained it will be graded accordingly. However, if the knowledge is obtained through some shortcut and the skill is acquired, it will be impossible to grade it until the user provides more samples for the system to analyze. If an item possesses a relevant skill that can be learned by interacting with it, it will be labeled a skill book, even if it is not a book. This label does not override categories such as conventional weapons, usable items, among others. That is all the information I can provide]


    -So there is more to it, but you don¡¯t know or you can¡¯t tell.


    [That is so]


    Seven had a suspicion that the user of the Human System and the Human System itself mutually changed each other. That implied that if a skill was learned, the Human System would recognize it, but even if such thing didn¡¯t happen, if for some reason the Human System recognized it as a learned skill, sufficient knowledge would be provided for the person to cover for it.


    ¡°Just like changing a statement from false to true in binary code¡±


    It was strange, however, that he never got the writing skill through writing, or martial arts skills through practicing a new martial art. From that, Seven also though that the System would only recognize ¡°complete¡± actions. He never finished writing a book, nor did he have any clear accomplishments in mimicking Natalya. In a way, it was like he was creating a skill rather than learning it.


    ¡°It is easier to recognize a skill if someone is to read a book or learn it from others with the same skill. But if you are to do it from scratch, even if you already have the skill, it won¡¯t be recognized so easily¡±


    Why would there be a grading system? If things were just like a game, it would provide something to which players could compare with one another, and individually it turns into a measure of personal strength and accomplishments.


    ¡°But why grade something as ¡®???¡¯ when it cannot be graded? There are other ways to go around it if it¡¯s simply about a lack of samples, as Ai mentioned¡±


    If it was simply about recognizing actions, a system where recognizing skills became easier and specific actions would raise the proficiency would be much more effective. For instance, recognizing Seven¡¯s writing skills sooner and raising the levels for each finished chapter.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    However, it intentionally did not show a level.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only when learning skills through shortcuts. When practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge levels are too far apart from each other, it cannot be graded. The reason... If the first was lacking, the System would negatively influence the user¡¯s skills. If the second was lacking, the user would learn faster compared to the worth of his efforts¡±


    Seven was even more sure of his theory.


    -Ai, can skill levels be hidden on purpose?


    [The option to change the type of grading from quantitative to qualitative is available, as well as the option to hide it.]


    He could only hope that a sort of unspoken agreement between the user and the Human System was needed for there to be a sort of interference from the system. That way, so long as he didn¡¯t see the level of the skill, he wouldn¡¯t experience any shortcomings once his writing became graded ¨C he didn¡¯t want the system to affect it in any way.


    ¡°I don¡¯t lose much, anyway...¡¯


    What he learned was that the system had flaws, but he would have to find out more later.


    He became too engrossed in learning the dismantling skill and talking with Ai, he needed to write while the feeling from the last battle was still intact, the memory fresh.


    He picked up the pen and started on the next chapter.


    As he brought up the pictures and attached them to the pages, he felt the excitement burning from deep inside. An apprentice, maybe just a side-character that would fade from the story, that was his role, he figured. Arthur also showed him a few of his capabilities, but Seven was much more interested in Natalya¡¯s story than his. Regardless, he earned a spot as a lead.


    Seven painted a world filled with visceral and bone-chilling descriptions, horrors that shattered the soul but urged the reader to keep moving forward, to discover to which point the main character could continue moving forward. That was probably the main point of his book, to find out the exact moment between many experiences of death and suffering, intercalated with joy and peace, in which the accumulation of all of these simply disappeared as humanity is lost.


    What will you do? What can you do?


    The question imbued in every single page painted with words, every second of duration of his fictional world.


    He wrote the replies in the form of Natalya¡¯s actions.


    Each movement she demonstrated, the few expressions at the end of a trial, the slices of thoughts that defined her through the point of view of others, the own reader¡¯s point of view. Her mysteries.


    If anyone was to ever read his work, they would experience it firsthand what was like to be in the presence of the strongest, learning through her experiences.


    Adapt.


    Survive.


    Become the absolute.


    Seven finished the last two chapters of the book and, with time on his hands, refined the passages and drew the scenes. He was drunk in the excitement, the revival, and immortalization of these experiences, and he was both afraid of this feeling burning out and eager for it to fade ¨C he didn¡¯t want to let go, but otherwise, the story would never come to a close.


    ¡°There must be a logical conclusion. Whether or not I create it, it exists somewhere¡±


    And did he want it to ever end? No... He certainly didn¡¯t. But he also didn¡¯t want to dilute the narrative or compress the meaning into a few words. Like a puzzle, every piece belonged somewhere.


    Satisfied, but tired, he went to the dormitory for the first time and fell asleep for a few more hours. His continuous writing was taxing.


    ***


    On the morning of the next day, the library wasn¡¯t as crowded. People figured the books that qualified as skill books and found a place to be alone.


    The gym had fewer people, but it was an ever small amount, to begin with.


    -Morning, Seven ¨C Arthur spoke. He had just finished a session on the running machine and picked a towel ¨C never figured you for an athlete.


    -I''m getting that a lot, lately ¨C he replied non enthusiastically.


    -Haha. Did you read the book?


    -I did.


    Arthur opened his eyes wide.


    -Really? I¡¯m not even halfway through it...


    -I¡¯ve read something similar before, so it didn¡¯t take much time.


    -Oh, I see... I¡¯m not much of an avid reader, so it might take a while for me. To be honest, I think you¡¯re the second person I know of that finished the book, if you don¡¯t mind could you help us with dismantling the ants?


    -That¡¯s fine, but I want a few parts.


    -Don¡¯t worry about it, we have people to tailor it into protective gear, we can do something for you, too. I¡¯ve got something else to do right now, so we¡¯ll talk later. Good training for you.


    -Thanks.


    Seven went to the locker room and changed into his gym clothes.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It does feel strange to lead a normal life in our situation.¡±


    Natalya was practicing on the wooden dummies, like the other day. He finished with stretching and got closer to watch her.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°As I thought, she¡¯s very different from yesterday. The changes are subtle, but meaningful¡±


    Seven thought that soon enough, the wooden dummies wouldn¡¯t provide good practice for Natalya. She needed more sophisticated enemies to perfect her technique, and there was nothing of the sort around here.


    Except for the monsters.


    Seven figured that one of the reasons for Natalya to go straight into the lion¡¯s mouth every time was to grow up faster. It was a spartan way of training, but it provided amazing results for her.


    If he hadn¡¯t paid attention to her on the previous day, he wouldn¡¯t be able to assimilate his theoretical knowledge of martial arts to her practices. After all, they generally thought of humans as their opponents, not unnamable monsters.


    He picked up the pen and started drawing.


    -Hey there, watcha doing?


    Seven glanced sideways.


    ¡°Catherine¡±


    -Watching her.


    -Oh...


    Her reply was dispirited, she sat down and watched Natalya alongside him, glancing at the drawings once in a while.


    -She¡¯s pretty amazing, but... I¡¯m also scared of her.


    -I understand you.


    -You feel like that, too? - she asked, happily surprised.


    -No.


    -Then what?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    How to explain that a person is main character material without sounding weird? He didn¡¯t even know how to elaborate on that. If their life didn¡¯t get fucked up like this, it was likely that he would be attracted to a different person. It just so happened that Natalya shone for him in those circumstances.


    -Have you ever seen a person and imagined, he or she will accomplish great things in the future?


    -Well... Uh... I guess?


    -That kind of person, he can grow up to be a hero or a villain. Whatever it is, it will be something greater than we can think of. That person is a protagonist in this world.


    He was good at writing, but when it came to speaking, he couldn¡¯t convey his ideas very well. That was the limit for him.


    -So, you want to see how the protagonist grows.


    -Something like that.


    -Isn¡¯t everyone a protagonist in their own lives?


    -Yes... But not a protagonist in the world. You¡¯re talking about secondary-leads and side-characters.


    -Fine, fair enough... But how do you know you¡¯re not a protagonist in the world?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Seven rested his pen on the book.


    He shook his head and looked away. He noticed that Nathan was watching them at a distance.


    Once he saw him looking his way, Nathan waved with a smile that could only be defined as strange.


    -Hey! Are you just gonna watch or are you gonna start pumping?


    Seven smiled ironically.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a clue about this guy¡±


    -Are you guys buddies, now?


    -Is that what it looks like?


    -It is!


    It just so happened that Natalya was leaving early, so he needed to start his training, too.


    He couldn¡¯t ignore Nathan, either. He was always pestering, the only thing that changed is that he would actually help him a bit, it wasn¡¯t a bad deal.


    He went over and started to exercise.


    Up.


    Down.


    Up.


    Down.


    -Don¡¯t forget to count! You¡¯re starting with ten for each side!


    One...


    Two...


    Three...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Am I a protagonist?¡±

 W1C6

    [The invasion will start in 60 seconds. Enemies will approach from Terminals A-1, A-4, A-7, A-10, B-1, B-5, B-12, C-4, C-5, C-7, D-1, D-4. I wish you all good luck]


    Seven was calm. The fear he had felt on the first invasion was nowhere to be seen, and the others seemed more serene, too, although he could see it was just a measure of self-control. Fear still existed.


    Even now, he was still thinking of Kate¡¯s words.


    How would he know if he was the protagonist? He couldn¡¯t tell. He didn¡¯t want to insert himself in a book as the main character, that much was a given. But as for the rest... He genuinely couldn¡¯t say.


    ||Invasion started||


    ||Number of enemies: 180||


    ||Time limit: Two hours||


    [If the objectives aren¡¯t completed during the time given, rewards won¡¯t be distributed. Special rewards will continue to be administered, regardless]


    -Everyone, follow the plan! Do not make any mistakes!


    -We can do it, come on!


    -Let¡¯s go!


    Arthur¡¯s group was much livelier than before. The casualties among the members were exclusively among those that couldn¡¯t follow orders.


    Arthur was very responsible about his role, and the most important job he trusted to no one but himself. Intentionally, he carried the biggest burden and took the blame for the failures ¨C he knew that few people could take on that role, so he willingly chose it.


    On the other hand, Kyel¡¯s group was nowhere to be seen. It was for the best that they worked separately, together there would be only strife.


    Natalya detached from the main force as soon as the invasion started, and Seven followed after her. Only that, this time, there was an unwanted guest.


    -Hey kid, still chasing after her, huh? Heh, you¡¯re really somethin¡¯ I tell ya!


    ¡°This guy again¡±


    -Oy, ignoring me, ya bastard? Hahaha, don¡¯t think you¡¯re going alone this time!


    He really did ignore him. He had no time to deal with Nathan, the battle had just started.


    Seven looked around, the Terminals were much more evenly distributed this time, and ants swarmed from everywhere. Yes, even from the highest terminals C and D. They were all older warrior ants, with wings that made them resemble wasps.


    However, the ones from the highest terminals were headed directly to the center of the district, where the rest of them were positioned. The edges were more distant from each other but it was still more dangerous than the other day.


    ¡°Also, if we start from the outside of the ant encirclement, there¡¯s a possibility we will be turned upon...¡±


    Arthur¡¯s group was well prepared and protected, the ants would definitely choose easier prey, Natalya. That just might give the others time to launch a counterattack.


    He caught up with Natalya and proceeded to deal with the ants.


    They weren¡¯t much different to Seven, it didn¡¯t change that it was one hit and he was over. But for Natalya it was different.


    She dealt severe damage to the ants, and as soon as the first few fell to her hands, the others started to fly trying to shake her off. They weren¡¯t following the bait of using their bite only to get crushed under the knuckle, they¡¯d rather choose the safer path: throw her to the ground and then attack.


    But Natalya once again broke his standards, and watching her maneuver in the air was nothing short of beautiful. She was like an artistic skater, gliding through the hardened flesh of the insects with grace and elegance ¨C he hadn¡¯t seen that side of her yet.


    Everything he had seen was efficiency, ruthlessness. But not this time.


    He was mesmerized.


    ¡°How much further will you go?¡±


    Natalya led the ants through their antennae''s and used their strength to bounce herself up on the air and launch an attack on other ants. She was like a human bullet darting around continuously, while still dancing like a butterfly.


    ¡°But this... Isn¡¯t she afraid of losing her life?¡±


    The risk of dying always existed, but the way she was fighting was worse off than suicide. From his view, it seemed like she was willingly destroying her own body to achieve the ideal of elegance, power, and efficiency.


    If there was any more beauty to her moves, it would be the fragments of her life force scattering in the wind, an ominous red.


    He regretted being unable to watch it through the end, he had to fight. He had to earn the right to see that bloody performance.


    Why go to such lengths? He gained insight from Natalya¡¯s actions that went beyond everything he had written about her.


    Strong.


    Fast.


    Precise.


    ¡°What else do you want? Beauty? Why?¡±


    Did she want to be seen?


    He remembered one of his first thoughts about her.


    ¡°The view from the top is lonely... Is it really like that? Do you wish the courage to come down, or do you wish for someone to reach their hands to you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand...¡±


    There was no more time. He was so insignificant in front of the ants, their hardened exoskeleton couldn¡¯t be hurt by just the strength of his blade. He could only move, helpless, against their might.Stolen novel; please report.


    They dove in on the ground and he always managed in the nick of time. But there was one thing he noticed that was different.


    ¡°They¡¯re slower...¡±


    Was it because they were older? He couldn¡¯t tell, but it helped him immensely into choosing the right path and dodging.


    He was surrounded by all sides, but with just a few extra seconds he was given, he was able to avoid death.


    Seven felt quite lucky, and for a moment he thought himself crazy. There was no explanation for what he was doing.


    ¡°No... High risk, high reward. Just like her, I¡¯m getting good returns¡±


    He had to get stronger as fast as possible, nothing could guarantee his survival if he chose a safer path with stable rewards. Although influenced by Natalya, he didn¡¯t mind gambling everything.


    Breathe in.


    Breathe out.


    Silence.


    It wasn¡¯t like the first two times.


    Seven steadied his grip on the sword. On a moment, he thought it was ridiculous to rely on a weapon meant to fight humans and not monsters, but didn¡¯t Natalya only use her fists? It was a direct influence from watching her fight.


    Not like it would be much of a difference if he chose a normal weapon either way.


    He had done it before.


    He could do it again.


    Breathe in.


    Breathe out.


    Start.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about my strength right now...¡±


    He gave up on attacking.


    Dodge.


    Dodge.


    Run.


    It was much easier to simply avoid combat than to try to kill the ants. They had appeared as fast and scary the first two days, but now they were dull and slow.


    It was like the world itself was slow in the middle of combat, and he only lacked the ability to move inside it.


    Dodge.


    Dodge.


    An opportunity.


    Attack!


    -Ah...


    His body was pushed forwards as he lost all strength on his arm. His mind drew a few blanks before a throbbing pain burst forth.


    He looked at his arm in a hurry, he was in an extremely unfavorable situation.


    It was a spear, embedded in his right arm, the one he wielded the blade with. The sword has been dropped on the ground.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I see... Now it makes sense¡±


    It was Nathan.


    But why did Nathan attack him? No, why did Nathan kill him? If it was because of some stupid reason like chasing after Natalya¡¯s shadow, he simply couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Do I die here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The same opportunity he had found to attack, once he took it and failed, it was the same as throwing himself into the jaws of death.


    But there was a way.


    And he sacrificed his arm without a minute¡¯s thought.


    The throbbing disappeared, superposed by nasty feeling of having his bones sliced sloppily, taking along his nerves and muscles in a frenzy of cuts. It was like a piece of wood being chopped before strategically chiseled by a sculptor, as flesh and bones proved to be unrealistically sturdy, or maybe it was his desperation and lack of strength accumulated in a single point, and together they crushed any feeling of pain that emerged.


    ¡°I still die of hemorrhage...¡±, he realized after the deed was done.


    Not much had changed.


    He continued to dodge.


    He continued to defy his fate.


    But, in the end, he felt like sleeping.


    His movements became sluggish, and he forced himself to avoid the narrow edges that would lead him to immediate death.


    He couldn¡¯t die like this, he hadn¡¯t finished the story yet.


    It wasn¡¯t meant to go this way, dying like that was... Boring.


    He didn¡¯t know what happened afterward, only that he was in a pile of ant corpses and his sight was red.


    Drip.


    Through that curtain of red, he saw a girl. The lyrics of a song he liked passed through his mind.


    ¡°... Where the sweat of a dictator mixes with the blood of a slave... It would be a good line¡±


    He smiled. It was out of context.


    And just like the analogy, they were completely different existences.


    ¡°I¡¯m not fit to be a protagonist¡±


    -Are you still alive?


    He had no strength to lift a single muscle, and his breathing was so shallow that unless he was watched carefully, he would be passed off as dead. But even if he could stand up and accept her extended hand, he wouldn¡¯t do so.


    He would die before being able to receive any help.


    But he was also a bit disappointed.


    She didn¡¯t follow the character progression he was expecting. The mystery has been solved. He didn¡¯t feel like continuing the story.


    ¡°So, you chose to give up your throne... I expected you to wait for someone to catch up to you. But you were strong enough to act first to break the shell... Of course you were, you¡¯re way too good a protagonist¡±


    A perfect character was not interesting, and one of the main points of her personality suffered an unexpected turn. Or, to better describe it, an expected but unwanted result. There was a myriad of other themes he could later include, to completely change the flow of the narrative, but he couldn¡¯t avoid this stinging feeling of betrayal.


    It wasn¡¯t the story he wanted to write.


    ¡°If it happened later, I wouldn¡¯t mind, but it¡¯s too early¡±


    He would laugh if he could.


    ¡°Not like I can continue writing...¡±


    The girl approached him and covered his eyelids, wiping the blood off his face to take a look.


    -¡­


    He felt like she wanted to say something, but restrained herself. The sound of her steps faded in the distance.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ai, can you read my thoughts?¡±


    [Yes.]


    ¡°Can you take me into the hospital?¡±


    [I cannot proceed with this action]


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste of your efforts, leaving me to die like this?¡±


    It would take one minute at best for him to die of blood loss, and clearly, Natalya couldn¡¯t wipe out all the ants and reach out for him in such a small amount of time. Something was up, and the only one capable of changing his fate was the world itself.


    So why stop now?


    [I cannot proceed with this action]


    ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal. I will give you an interesting story, just let me live until it¡¯s finished... Give me a month, at the end of this damned tutorial I will happily accept my death¡±


    [¡­.......]


    ¡°So... Am I really going to die, then...? Truly boring...¡±


    He had been analyzing this world ever since he came here, and everything seemed to converge to one conclusion: whoever captured them and put them here was bored out of his mind. So bored he turned desperate.


    In fact, because he could sympathize with such a person, and as an avid reader himself, he thought this possibility was more likely. But even if he was wrong, he could at least assure he would receive help from the system.


    If it wasn¡¯t a type of ¡°bored reader¡± like himself, it would be a flawed system to save humanity.


    But he was wrong, and that was the end.


    [¡­.......]


    [¡­.......]


    [¡­.......]


    [I¡¯ve read your book. It is very interesting]


    Seven blinked his eyes in surprise.


    He was both shocked and elated.


    [I want you to finish it]


    "¡­"


    [I will fulfill your request. I expect you to give me a satisfying conclusion]


    He heard a sleek sound rolling through the floor. It was heavy, and he felt it even more distinctly than before.


    They were the machines who would take him to the hospital.


    He was brought up a few centimeters, but the robot stopped suddenly and put him back where he was.


    [How troublesome, I cannot wipe out your memory, but I cannot go back on my word]


    ¡°...¡±


    [I will make an exception this time.]


    Seven felt a cool sensation wash over him and before he knew it, he was in the hospital bed while the war raged on with the ants just outside.


    "Magic...?"


    [Since I have gone that far, I might as well make you recover more quickly]


    ¡°...¡±


    [Remember the deal]

 W1C7

    ||Tutorial: Lesson 2||


    ||Wave cleared//28 waves remaining||


    ||Casualties: 5||


    ||Time limit expired||


    ||Rewards: - ||


    ||Special Rewards||


    ||Natalya Wolskev: 97 ¨C Rations (7 days); Ticket (x3), Gentle Wind||


    ||Arthur Bell: 19 ¨C Rations (5 days); Ticket (x2) ||


    ||Kyel Prajna: 14 ¨C Rations (3 days); Ticket (x1) ||


    The district was all a haze filled with silence.


    Although they managed to defeat the ants once again, they took a lot more damage. Until then, only Seven had suffered an injury serious enough to go to the hospital, particularly because those caught by ants didn¡¯t survive to begin with.


    But this time was different. They prepared well, they fought well, they did all that was within their capabilities.


    It wasn¡¯t enough.


    Arthur wasn¡¯t worried though, he had seen from Seven that on the hospital, patients were thoroughly nursed to health. This covered nutrition. As such, the injured could skip tonight¡¯s meal, and with a simple rationing, they should be able to have breakfast.


    As long as they accomplished the next objective, no one would suffer from hunger.


    But he felt uncomfortable.


    Ever since coming here things hadn¡¯t been easy, but most of their casualties were thanks to them not listening to Arthur¡¯s instructions. They were scared, and they were afraid.


    But today was different.


    They were still scared, still afraid. But they had faith in Arthur, and they followed his lead.


    So why did it turn out like this? All of them suffered a blow.


    ¡°This is only the second wave... And we¡¯re already in such a mess¡±


    It was salvageable, but he couldn¡¯t avoid this fear that, on the next day, a stronger army would raid the district and not only wouldn¡¯t they fulfill the objectives, even more people would die.


    It would start a chain reaction and what meager trust he built would crumble like a sandcastle.


    -It only gets worse ¨C he sighed.


    While helping the others carry the injured to the hospital, he happened to see Natalya on her way to a distant terminal. Seven would instantly notice her abnormal state, but Arthur didn¡¯t care much about her.


    -Hey, have you seen Seven?


    ¡°That guy is always chasing after her...¡±


    She lifted her head and looked at him. For some reason, he froze on his steps and couldn¡¯t even blink. It wasn¡¯t fear... It was a feeling he couldn¡¯t understand.


    A moment later, she turned her head and went off her way.


    ¡°What the hell was that...¡±


    But she hadn¡¯t said anything.


    He sighed again and moved along.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t his fault, he couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty about all of those deaths.


    ¡°I tried... I really did. But I can only do so much on my own...¡±


    He was not a hero, that he understood very well.


    ***


    Natalya went back to the place Seven had died. It had been only three days since they first met, but he managed to attract her attention.


    She wasn¡¯t far from Seven when the worker ants invaded the cave. He was clumsy and didn¡¯t know how to fight, he didn¡¯t possess much strength either, there was nothing to look at.


    At first, she chose to ignore everyone. She didn¡¯t think any of them would stay alive by the end of the tutorial, it was better not to get too attached.


    There were those interested in her strength, others in her beauty. Some approached her with good intentions, although most did not have any.


    She refused all of them.


    Natalya could only move forwards. The moment she stopped to catch a breath, it would be all over. She wouldn¡¯t stop for her own sake, and for others¡¯ even more so.


    So, when he first appeared before her at the gym and started to watch her, she didn¡¯t think much of it. He would eventually grow tired and leave.


    But it didn¡¯t happen like that. Unlike the others, he went as far as to come to the frontlines, even knowing he was weak. That was new, but in the end, it didn¡¯t matter, he was just a little bit more persistent than Nathan. With his skills, he would definitely die.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He defied logic yet again, and once she was finished with the monsters and headed his way, she noticed that he had mimicked her original fighting style to an astounding level. The difference between the current him and the one she had met on the first day was so great, that she thought they were completely separate people whatsoever.


    It was strange, her eyes told her that he had no experience with combat or martial arts. His physique wasn¡¯t great either.


    She couldn¡¯t understand. Even if he was a genius, it didn¡¯t make any sense.


    On the third day, he followed after her again, to the heart of the bloody battlefield.


    Something was different with him.


    His technique was much better, and he had successfully branched off and adapted the unconventional sword to his martial arts. Like her, he was always adapting. He didn¡¯t just copy her fighting style, he changed it to fit him better, to survive against the ants.


    A thought occurred.


    Constantly challenging his limits, always pushing forward, always defying fate. While everyone was walking at leisure, he was desperately running, afraid to waste even a second. He gambled with his life on the line.


    ¡°He¡¯s just like me... At least in attitude¡±


    He would catch up with her very soon, he qualified to compete with her in that hellish race.


    If it was him... Would he share her burden?


    Reaching the place where Seven had fallen, she noticed that the body was nowhere to be found. Parts of the ant carcasses were missing, too.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...!¡±


    Natalya clenched her fists.


    She tried to remember every small detail from the last two hours, but no matter how much she thought, he couldn''t be alive. Even if he didn¡¯t die back then, the thin thread of life filling the body would leave him as soon as he moved.


    ¡°No... He is dead...¡±


    She shook her head and returned.


    ***


    Seven was sad. As a reader, the scenes he disliked the most on stories were those in which there was no interaction amongst the characters. As such, he didn¡¯t like the idea of parting with Natalya, Arthur, and even Kate ¨C he wanted to know more about them, to view the world through their eyes and be a part of it.


    He never felt it so strongly, the desire to be a part of the fictional world.


    Fictional? Absolutely. His world had been estranged for far too long. He had a warped view of reality, his only purpose in life was collecting new experiences and build his own world.


    A world that felt ¡°alive¡±, even though he didn¡¯t truly grasp the meaning of it.


    There wasn¡¯t a good comparison between the real world and the fictional world. The pages were everything he ever had, and it would be difficult to change this.


    But in simple terms, his reason to live was to create something interesting.


    He had considered for some time: what kind of mission they would need to complete in the future?


    Lesson 2 of the tutorial was going for too long, and with the level of difficulty, there would be less than 10 people alive by the end of the trial. It didn¡¯t make sense to make a tutorial that long, without teaching anything new.


    It would get boring fairly quickly.


    With this in mind, Seven considered what new things would be introduced as the waves progressed, and he had a few predictions. And amongst them, he considered that the lessons 3, 4 and subsequent ones of the tutorial would happen at the same time as the current one.


    The waves also followed a natural progression: worker ants, warrior ants, flying ants... They would quite possibly face a colony next. There could be variations, but he was sure it would eventually lead to the Ant Queen.


    ¡°A Boss type monster¡±


    It was a bit strange to have the Ant Queen invading their base, but since it wasn¡¯t a normal ant species, things could very well be different. There was another assumption that pointed to this.


    ¡°The facilities will be restricted soon¡±


    He had these doubts ever since he understood the nature of the mastermind, and there was a hint because some facilities, like the casino and the restaurant, required a currency they did not possess.


    Tickets.


    They had been awarded to the top three of the second wave, and they would go up in value if other important facilities, such as the hospital, started accepting tickets to work.


    ¡°The restaurant will show its importance very quickly too, as people start to fail on their missions more often...¡±


    So why were most of these facilities free for use, to begin with?


    ¡°Ai will slowly take them away. It wants them to get accustomed to the lack. I¡¯ll bet that eventually, they will be removed completely when she introduces magic. It all revolves on adaption¡±


    Because of that, he was sure that the first enemies, the giant ants, were also put up for adaption. Thus, the Ant Queen would exhibit similar characteristics to an Ant Queen on Earth: they were not fighters, their only purpose was breeding and keeping the colony alive.


    Once they were past this, stranger and more unpredictable opponents would appear.


    And this tip about the Ant Queen was important, because if he was right about everything, the third wave would be an invasion, but this time would be different.


    They would be the invaders.


    The decisive clue was the terminal hatches. If seen at a distance, only the hexagon was visible, but there was a small sensor just outside to open it.


    They were never restricted from going out. It would eventually be found out, but he knew the reason why no one brought this up.


    It was Arthur who scouted the surrounding area. He was the one who designed and presented a map for all to see, but he didn¡¯t mention anything about the sensors. Someone as thorough as him couldn¡¯t have missed it.


    He knew what the sensor was used for, otherwise, there would be no need to hide it: it was better to disclose the information and figure out what was up.


    So, knowing a bit of his character, he thought of two explanations:


    The first: he might have entered the passage, but didn¡¯t explore further. It could be dangerous and he wanted to avoid others from having this idea, at least until he could unite the group.


    The second: he entered the passage, and went all the way to the other side. If he spoke of what he saw, it would create panic, so he chose to hide it.


    There was still a chance for him to be wrong, but he bet on it. Because, if he was right, there would be a very interesting way to show that he was still alive, and at that time, he would like to see how they would react.


    He moved closer to the sensor.


    [This action is not recommended]


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t interfere with my actions. After all, you already did enough by saving me¡±


    [¡­...........]


    Seven faced the Terminal A-1. He held his severed hand towards the scanner and let it detect the crystal.


    {Subject Code QERT-6982, passage allowed}


    The terminal was shaped like a hexagon, separated into five equal triangular shutters. Once the information was confirmed, they retracted and showed a long and spacious tunnel.


    The tunnel maintained the hexagonal shape, extending for miles on rings that showed a metallic luster when contrasted with the blue lighting. There was no trace that anything had ever gone over.


    ¡°There should be traces of chemicals on the ground. Even if the ants¡¯ secretions had already evaporated, there should be dirt, hairs... Something¡±


    There was a time in which the tunnel was closed off for some reason.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re hiding it, so I think you can answer that. What is the time in which the entrance is closed off?¡±


    [During 23:00 to 01:00, the Terminals are closed for maintenance]


    ¡°If there are objects left behind in the tunnel, will they disappear after the maintenance?¡±


    [If it receives the readings of a crystal, the tunnel won¡¯t close for maintenance. But objects left behind will disappear]


    ¡°Huh... Interesting¡±


    Seven finished gathering the materials he needed from the ant corpses and moved in.


    His hand was itching to write, but there was no time to spare.

 W1C8

    The passage was not as long as it seemed, it only required ten minutes of walking to reach the end. He flashed the severed hand on the sensor and prepared himself for what was to come.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...This... What is this?¡±


    His eyes were wide open. He gazed at the distance with an expression of shock and disbelief.


    He expected a super-sized forest, filled with towering insects and creatures he had never seen before. But the reality was... Hell.


    Buildings that spanned from all eras, covering many civilizations, were buried inside each other, rusted and eaten by the sands of time. The steel structures bent to form impossible angles, steering from the ground and from the skies to paint the scenario of a thorns tree, a deceased flower that already started to rot and decompose, showing its black contortions.


    There was no sky, only dark red glow that cast shadows, clouds of smoke and dust were visible as they ran into debris, leaving behind foul chemicals that corroded everything. Just breathing the air would spring up a burning sensation, as if one¡¯s flesh was consumed from the inside, Seven covered his face as keeping his eyes open for too long would make them sting.


    And amidst all of that, a thick river of blood cut through the destroyed landscape, lumps of flesh and rotten waste floating in the surface and obstructing the passages, splitting apart and drowning everything with is gloomy colors.


    There was only the rustling of an abysmal wind, devouring the emptiness of the silence.


    And at the very top of this nightmarish scenario, where the light shone brighter, he could see silhouettes.


    Worker ants. A constant flow of them.


    He went back groggily as his mind drew a few blanks.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I must be mistaken...¡±


    If his suppositions were accurate, and their next mission involved exploring this place... Death was guaranteed. The survival rate would be on the single digits, unless they were wiped out.


    ¡°Did Arthur know about all of this...?¡±


    Seven stood a full minute coming to terms with what he saw. He managed to calm down, somehow, but his expression was gloomy.


    The mastermind might like interesting developments, and killing everyone was not a satisfying ending to this. However... He figured from his code number, that there should be many people abducted and put into this place.


    Why hold back? Their lives were expendable anyway.


    ¡°What an ominous page...¡±


    He didn¡¯t think the system would throw them an impossible mission, but this view would surely break the spirits of many.


    ¡°Natalya shouldn¡¯t be discouraged by this... Right?¡±


    Seven clenched his fistand started handling the parts.


    It had taken him a long time to get everything he needed after waking up, especially since he had to handle it all with only one arm. He had to struggle like a worm just to pick up some material, and in the end, it was just the bare minimum ¨C if possible, he would¡¯ve taken more.


    He knew where Arthur took the dismantled ant parts, and they had been handled well. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve immediately given up on his plan and would¡¯ve never taken it upon himself to go outside.


    In regards to details, he took calculated risks.


    First, he took off his clothes and the materials he had gathered from the warehouse to create a suit. He couldn''t boil the soft parts to soften the tissues and interweave them on the clothes, so he had to make do with tearing them bit by bit and attaching the regular strips.


    He made sure to create holes in a few places, passing a thin rope from the two points and attaching the hardened carapace on a frame he had made earlier, making something close in appearance to an armor.


    It was uncomfortable to move in and it gave off a strange smell, but it would protect him from the poisonous substances in the air. Or so he hoped.


    The helmet was the easiest to make, but it wasn¡¯t very reliable. There was no way to penetrate the carapace to make holes and attach the rope, he had no choice but to make do with the best glue he could find. He didn¡¯t think it would fall off if he were to run, but its defense value against direct attacks was close to zero.


    Taking advantage of the glue, he put soft tissue to the side of his glasses. It blocked part of his view and it wasn¡¯t completely airtight.


    As for his respiratory system, he could only hope that the ant tissues filtrated part of the air instead of just blocking the substances, making a mask with the leftovers.


    It took him the rest of the evening and the later parts of the night to craft this. He had never done it before, but had some knowledge in the matter ¨C the biggest challenge was doing it all with one arm.


    [You are quite crafty. This will help you a lot]


    ¡°Hearing you speak like that only makes me suspicious¡±


    [You can scan the item you made with the Human System]


    ¡°Huh, no wonder...¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    He already knew to an extent what his suit entailed, but he checked it anyway.


    ||Ant Armor (Low Quality)||


    ||Defense: 13||


    ||Comfort: 37%||


    ||Durability: 13/13||


    ||Toxin Resistance||


    ||Smelly||


    A graph showed the distribution of defense value throughout the body parts, non-surprisingly they were concentrated in the carapace-covered areas, save for the head.


    ¡°Does the system reveal characteristics I¡¯m not aware of?¡±


    [Unless you have no idea about how durable or strong your equipment is, no, it doesn¡¯t]


    ¡°... This thing is basically useless¡±


    Checking that everything was in the right place, he strapped a gourd on his belt and picked up the half-moon blade before heading out. Natalya¡¯s martial art was quite versatile and it wasn¡¯t hard to adapt it to use the blade on the opposite hand, Seven wasn¡¯t terribly bad with his left either. It would hinder his progress, though.


    The soil was barren, but sharp rocks and pieces loitered the ground and made it difficult to move around.


    Soon, the gates closed and the only light was the one emanating from the building.


    He walked carefully.


    The base of the steep hill was quite far away from the destroyed city in the distance, he had to walk and sometimes climb down for 30 minutes before he reached it.


    There were wooden stairs on the sides that led to shabby structures resembling outposts. They didn¡¯t fit the main building, Seven thought they must have been built by previous survivors.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see much wood in the warehouse, though, or nails...¡±


    Glancing back, it occurred to him that it might not be a coincidence that the ants invaded them every 24 hours. And similarly, not a coincidence that there were caves filled with worker ants when they first arrived.


    ¡°I see... This is a sort of feeding ground for their colony¡±


    If everything was linked, the previous people at the base were massacred by ants and they were sent in when most of the workers had left. The next wave would be of warriors, but that should have something to do with the mastermind, ants communicated mostly through chemicals left behind, and they could only smell them at close range.


    For regular ants, that is.


    Regardless, a big colony should be able to wipe them out instantly.


    ¡°Either their colony has few ants, given their size, or there are multiple feeding grounds...¡±


    They weren¡¯t mutually exclusive theories.


    All of a sudden, he felt a presence looming on him.


    The nasty hairs that dangled from its huge legs, it always started with this image. The noise they made when caressing the wind was unsettling, and in this darkness, it only served to intensify one''s deepest fears.


    And next, the antennae. They moved ever so slightly with every bit of naturality, looking at them for one more second would make you unable to look away from the sheer level of bizarre.


    What was that thing doing there, so far away from the colony? It was still not time for the feast.


    Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. Seven could only feel its general location, and the ground was unfit for quick movements. He slowly moved away from the slight noises.


    Carefully.


    Silently.


    Stealthily.


    He went on, and spotted a crevice up ahead.


    As he walked, he bit down on the sword¡¯s handle and recovered the gourd from his belt. He unsealed the bottle with his thumb and sent the liquid splashing as far as he could before closing the lid and hiding in the crevice.


    Seven froze on his steps and waited patiently. Once he heard the ant going the other way, he breathed a sigh of relief and went out.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to use this so soon...¡±


    He had forgotten that, because of the armor, he smelt like the ants. Ants were very particular about the number of chemicals to differentiate their classes and send signals. If there was anything off, they would immediately categorize it as an enemy.


    It wouldn¡¯t matter when facing a colony, but finding a lone ant like this was very unfortunate.


    The gourd contained a concentrated secretion produced by those ants, and he could use it to dismiss them during a chase.


    ¡°At least I know it works, now¡±


    He retroceded and headed to the destroyed city.


    Seven steered far away from the ants¡¯ beeline, but it was clear that they were carrying food uphill, there were no warriors in the entourage. They all flocked to one district and carried on lumps which he couldn¡¯t recognize, and he also noticed that they stayed far away from the blood river.


    He used this opportunity to look through the buildings and see if he could scavenge something, but it was all either buried away by debris or had been corroded by vapors.


    Every now and then he would find unnatural skeletons or decomposing bodies on hiding places, their clothes didn¡¯t show any sign of a struggle, which meant they must have died from breathing the toxic air.


    As soon as an opportunity came, he went further towards the ants¡¯ colony. The entrance was big enough that he could avoid detection by standing at the edges, he continued on his way, not exactly sure as to where it led him.


    5 minutes.


    10 minutes.


    20 minutes.


    The path branched endlessly, and he could only trail behind the scent left by worker ants, going where it was at its thickest.


    The more he walked, the more suspicious he got.


    Logically, they should be amassing food for the Queen, this path should lead directly to the heart of the colony, but he hadn¡¯t seen a single ant for the past ten minutes.


    He was in the middle of an intersection, the smell branched both ways. But in one way, it was left behind on the ground. On the other way, it was so strong that it could be felt in the air.


    He slowed down and carefully approached the second way, and what he saw made him stand on alert.


    A creature so humongous that alone it filled the several meters wide tunnel with no space for movement. Its large protruding belly was tainted red with blood, while two thick and ringed legs fiddled with a big lump like a squirming muscle. It seemed to be molding it into a ball.


    The ground was covered with waste: an unclean watery substance produced small puddles and thin streaks, emitting a foul smell, hatched eggs and pupa remains strewn about.


    ¡°... An abandoned Queen¡±


    It seemed to be in the middle of feeding off of the last remains brought in by the workers.


    Seven descended further in the tunnel to take a better look.


    As he came down, more of the body was revealed and an extra two pairs of legs fiddled with the lump, much gentler and caring, but such a difference evoked goosebumps. It was like watching a cockroach laying on its back, endlessly moving, always fiddling around with its filthy limbs.


    He proceeded.


    One by one, the lumps became perfectly round. He now recognized them: human corpses and carcasses of other insects that he couldn¡¯t discern, scraps of organic tissue, dead fauna, and flora. They were hastily woven into a nutritious meal.


    The third pair of legs revealed themselves, they rarely touched the food and only moved to bring it upwards, but the head should already be visible. Instead, the pale-yellowish skin was quickly substituted by a rosy pink tissue that extended further.


    He could only go on for a few more meters before it became too close for comfort.


    The pink tissue continued smoothly until two arcs were drawn and something akin to wings was shown.


    The wings moved and his blood ran cold.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be... This doesn¡¯t make any sense...¡±


    In the last few meters, the Queen came to be in full view.


    They weren¡¯t wings, they just looked like that because of the angle.


    It was a pair of human hands that received the fleshy meal. They greedily shoved the ball into a blood-dripping mouth and ferocious eyes, that were, in fact, the conjugation of multiple vision organs, gazing downwards, desperate for more.


    An incredibly beautiful Queen with milky white skin, golden hair, plentiful breasts.


    An abomination.

 W1C9

    Seven¡¯s hands trembled, his prediction was incorrect. The Queen was not simply a breeder for the colony, to sustain such an impractical size on the human upper half, it needed an even larger ant counter-part and as could be seen, the sense of balance was completely off as it couldn¡¯t even stand correctly.


    More than the sheer horror of the picture, what disgusted him was the number of flaws the creature possessed.


    ¡°It is destined to die...¡±


    Abandoned Queens were a result of the Colony not needing them. They were indeed left to die.


    But how an ant egg nurtures into such a wretched life form, he couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine.


    ¡°Why is the lower half soaked in blood?¡±


    It was natural to get dirty while feeding in that small environment and with that peculiar body, but what felt off was that the entirety of the lower half had a leveled red line from which curtains of blood descended.


    ¡°The blood dried and stuck to the skin. It must¡¯ve been there for a while¡±


    If that was the case, Seven guessed that their mission would be to kill off the abandoned Queen. It would make much more sense difficulty-wise as the other ants nearby were mostly transporting food while the warrior ants scouted.


    He had many suspicions, but the one doubt he couldn¡¯t keep away: why was the Queen abandoned in the first place?


    Regardless, he could at least be surer that the next quest wouldn¡¯t take away the protagonists. If the level was alright, he would leave it to them ¨C they needed room to grow.


    But then again, he also needed to grow if he were to accompany the protagonists.


    In a second instance, the return path took much longer and he wasted more than an hour, especially since he was tired from all the walking and sneaking around.


    When tracing back to the gates, he took a last glance at the city landscape. There was something wrong with it, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Tsk... I need to sleep, this is getting into my mind¡±


    He went in the passage, curled into a ball and dreamt of nothing in particular ¨C the scent of fresh paper and black colored ink.


    ***


    Arthur went early to the gym to work out. His days started at 5 a.m. when inside the base the artificial lights mimicked a starlit night.


    Most people were asleep.


    -Hey big bro! Did you have a comfortable night?


    Arthur tsked. It was a person he avoided at all costs. A small boy who barely reached to his chest, his purplish, fluffy hair was a big mess and the bangles covered his eyes. With Arthur¡¯s height, unless they were at a reasonable distance, he wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out the boy¡¯s expression.


    -Kyel... - he let out stiffly, almost like the word had been fermenting in his mouth until it spoiled.


    They always met on his way to the gym. At first, he thought it was a coincidence but his head ached at the thought that their encounters would be painfully frequent.


    ¡°Way to start a morning...¡±


    If it was about people he didn¡¯t like, Arthur would just ignore them.


    But not this one.


    Kyel was dangerous, not only to him but to everyone: he was a threat. If Arthur chose to look away for a moment, he wouldn¡¯t know if there would be a next moment.


    -Why the cold shoulder? Did I... Did I do something wrong? - he showed a shocked expression that made Arthur flinch. If he didn¡¯t know his true character, he would actually believe him.


    -Move.


    -Could it be... You¡¯re still angry about that issue? I-I... I didn¡¯t mean it like that! I just wanted to...


    -I told you. To move.


    Kyel¡¯s pitiful face slowly changed into one of playful smiles.


    -Or what? Are you going to force me? Mr. Warrior of Justice.


    Arthur clenched his fists.


    -If I must...


    Kyel took a step back and his face contorted tremendously. He cried profusely, shedding real tears.


    -Arthur wants to kill me! But I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! I thought the quest would stop indefinitely, why must I be treated as a villain? I swear I thought it would end up alright!


    Arthur looked at him with difficulty, he gazed back at his clenched hands and couldn¡¯t help being utterly confused.


    ¡°Why does this make me feel so bad?¡±


    -Or not, I just wanted to spice things up a little.


    -Kuh! You...


    -Say, little Bell. Do you want to save everyone?


    As the form of address changed, Kyel¡¯s face turned increasingly dark. It was the face of a demon.


    -If I can, then I must.


    -If? That¡¯s an interesting choice of words.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Kyel giggled and playfully nibbled on his finger.


    -This is not a game. You¡¯re not a hero, you can¡¯t save everyone. In fact, you¡¯re not saving anyone. You are just killing them slowly. You¡¯re giving them hope where there¡¯s none, what a cruel man you are!


    -Then what the fuck do you think we should do? Abandon all? There are children, elderly, people with chronical illnesses, do we just leave them to die? How do you expect them to survive on their own? Huh?


    -Why are you asking me? It¡¯s your problem, hehehe...


    Kyel disappeared before Arthur could reply. Every morning was like that, he met with the boy and was left with anger, a headache and... Helplessness.


    What he hated the most was that he couldn¡¯t understand Kyel. He didn¡¯t know which of his multiple expressions were telling the truth, and he didn¡¯t know if he wanted to harm or to help.


    It left him frustrated.


    What Kyel had done in the previous round was to cripple an ant and leave it alive for as long as possible. No one had any reason to play around like that, and they were very busy fighting the ants to have noticed it. Otherwise, they would receive their rations and there wouldn¡¯t be such a blow to morale.


    Arthur already didn¡¯t like him for confusing everyone on the first day, which resulted in them splitting forces. It felt like Kyel was taunting him, he was poking at his skin with a blade and asking ¡°for how long will you keep this up?¡±


    At the same time, it invoked in him a sense of urgency. People shifted the blame of failing the quest at Kyel, but Arthur knew that they barely made it through the end.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    "Tsk, I don¡¯t know!¡±


    He went in and started training. It would be better to think about this once he let off the steam.


    15 minutes.


    30 minutes.


    1 hour.


    2 hours.


    Arthur let out a breath of relief. His pacing was slightly quicker than normal, he had directly skipped stretching and went for the heavy lifting.


    He was quite tired, but it didn¡¯t ease the strange feeling he had. It was like something clenching inside of him, his chest felt stuffy.


    Kyel¡¯s words never left him.


    Only after that did he notice Natalya at the wooden dolls. Kate was on her way, she exercised at 7 along with Seven...


    ¡°Pft, that¡¯s kind of funny... Seven exercises at seven...¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°Good thing that I can still find my sense of humor¡±


    -Morning, Arthur.


    -Good morning! - he cheered up and greeted her.


    -You look strange...


    -Ah, you could tell...


    Arthur wiped his forehead and drank half a bottle of water. He sat on a nearby bench and Kate tactfully sat beside him. He was silent for a good minute before she couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and asked.


    -I know we¡¯ve only known each other for three days, but you can open up to me, you know? Things are all messed up, it¡¯s hard to deal with it on your own.


    -You¡¯re right ¨C he sighed ¨C it''s just... I don¡¯t know if what I¡¯m doing is the right thing.


    -If you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, you¡¯re already doing it wrong ¨C she laughed heartily at his pitiful remark.


    -¡­ What?


    -It¡¯s been three days. Shouldn¡¯t you have something figured out already? I didn¡¯t expect to hear this kind of thing from you, to be fair.


    -¡­Huh?


    -Humans aren¡¯t perfect. Can you say, with 100% accuracy, that someone here knows what is going to happen in the future? Maybe your choice was the right one, but the end result could be bad, still. That¡¯s how life works.


    ¡°...That doesn¡¯t help me in any way?¡±


    -Making a mistake here is the same thing as dying, right? Even though I can¡¯t tell how things will go, isn''t there an optimal choice that will lead to a better chance of having good results?


    -Well, then you already know the answer. Consider your options and choose what you think is best, whether it works out or not is up to fate. But you know... - Kate got up from her seat and showed him a flowery smile ¨C are you the kind of guy who gives up on the first try?


    Not waiting for an answer, Kate got closer to an empty area of the gym and withdrew a book from her bag. It was a green book with no title in the cover, she removed the bookmark and continued to read.


    -I don¡¯t know about you, but if I make a mistake, I¡¯ll look back at what went wrong and work so that it doesn¡¯t happen again. That¡¯s how people grow.


    -...What are you doing?


    -This is Seven¡¯s book. He writes very well, I must say, I got hooked on it even though we don¡¯t have time to waste on literature right now, haha... I was just going to take a look, but the System classified it as a high-level skill book, everything appears as question marks. I¡¯ve learned a lot of stuff here, and some of them might be helpful.


    -Where did you even find this?


    -He always leaves it in his room. Yesterday after he died... I just wanted to know more about him... Anyway, there are many interesting things here, and I suspect he knew what was going on in this place. He knew what he was doing, so I¡¯ll just take on from where he left. You should do the same and learn from our past experiences.


    Arthur chose not to comment on why Kate knew it was always in Seven¡¯s room, as he knew for a fact Seven barely went to the dormitory, and tactfully ignored that she had picked into the lock to get inside.


    ¡°Ah, whatever...¡±


    -Thanks, Kate, that helped me a bit ¨C he left in a better mood.


    ***


    12:45, 15 minutes before the invasion.


    [The contents of the tutorial will change today. In the last three days, you¡¯ve faced foes inside your territory. Now, the roles will be reversed: you will be the invaders.]


    Most of them were caught off guard. The last 30 minutes before an invasion was filled with tension as people mentally prepared themselves for the ordeal, and they had united very quickly under Arthur, whereas Kyel¡¯s followers didn¡¯t cause much trouble themselves and were well organized.


    Just as they were starting to adapt to the situation, the rules had changed, and in a very short notice. They were visibly startled, but at least they didn¡¯t whine and despair. They were more united.


    [Outside of this research station is monster territory. There are a variety of species living there, but there is a specific target for each mission.]


    [There are five separate territories, located at Terminals A-1, A-5 and C-5, and the subterranean Terminals F-1 and F-8, but the same areas are accessible through other Terminals. The Party function has been enabled in the Human System, you can assemble people into the party and they will share long-distance vision of each other so long as a pulse wave is produced from the crystal.]


    [Invasion quests require you to annihilate the enemy faction, or otherwise to severely damage them. The players will be graded based on their contribution to the victory, and their rewards will be split accordingly]


    [The time in-between each enemy wave depends on the activity of their colonies surrounding the research station, they could get shorter or longer depending on your success or defeat. Their strength may also diminish based on your performance, and the opposite is also true.]


    [Players whose contribution is below the minimum score will be punished after the event]


    While Arthur was calming down his people and planning how to go about this quest, inside the Terminal A-1 Seven had finished drawing his map of the area.


    He was caught off guard by the mention of five separate territories. It was a gross mistake on his part.


    However, the announcement solved many mysteries he had brought home from his earlier enterprise. He was bringing shape to the full picture.


    Regardless of who it was, no one could escape the fate outside the walls.


    10 minutes.


    5 minutes.


    30 seconds.


    ||Invasion started||


    ||Objective: Slay the Queen Ant||


    ||Territories claimed: 0||


    ||Minimum score: 40||


    ||Basic values: Worker Ant: 10 // Warrior Ant: 20 // Seasoned Warrior Ant: 40||


    ||Time limit: 8 hours||


    ||Contribution Ranking: - ||


    It was the last moment they had before venturing outside. The occasion beckoned them that this wasn¡¯t a battle, it was a war.


    A myriad of thoughts passed through them as they left to the terminals. Some filled with unease, a few bolstered by courage, and others imbued by darkness.


    Amidst these conflicted thoughts, Seven¡¯s mind began to envision the bigger picture.


    The pieces were falling into place.

 W1C10

    Natalya observed the general direction everyone was headed to before going her own way. She acted alone, but not without guarantees ¨C she needed a path of retreat.


    That is why she always stuck to Arthur¡¯s group.


    Whether it was them, Kyel¡¯s followers or the independent forces like herself, they were the same in her eyes, so the ones with a larger amount of people won. If anything, they should be able to buy a few more seconds before meeting their end.


    Arthur was headed to Terminal A-1. Since no one knew anything about the outside, it came down to personal taste ¨C people avoided the underground levels and followed his decision to go that way. They all wore a more sophisticated version of the Ant Armor, but Natalya who went ahead of them hadn¡¯t changed of her usual clothing and leather armor.


    -Wait! Natalya! It¡¯s dangerous to go out like that! ¨C Arthur shouted from all the way back.


    The girl paid no mind to it, she already knew what was going on outside, and there was no need for her to don that awful suit.


    Entering the terminal, she found traces of dust in the passage and further ahead the remains of Seven¡¯s handwork. She hadn¡¯t been there before, so it didn¡¯t look suspicious.


    Except for one item.


    ¡°This is definitely...¡±


    Natalya crouched down and recovered Seven¡¯s hand. It had no fingers.


    As soon as the crystal faced towards her, a window popped up.


    ||Player ¡°Seven¡± has invited you to his party||


    ||Accept? Y/N||


    ||By accepting this request, party members will be momentarily visible to each other||


    She creased her eyebrows.


    ***


    5 hours prior to the invasion.


    Deep into the boroughs of the destroyed city, there was no light. There was no wind, no warmth, no sound.


    Only cold silence and the strong smell of rotten earth, and Seven laid there, as if buried six feet down and unable to free himself ¨C there was no struggle, he firmly accepted the concept of death.


    The thought of being an inanimate object.


    To become one with the surroundings, he would need to blend in, think like the surroundings. Think of nothing at all.


    There was no way for him to learn such a thing from Natalya ¨C she didn¡¯t need it anyway. Those who act in the shadows do so because it is not possible to act in the light of day.


    He had to learn on his own, much like he did while crafting the ant armor, leaving his fingers full of holes from messing with the needles, small cuts from tearing apart the ant tissues, marks and blisters from the rough work.


    Close your eyes.


    Breathe in.


    Breathe out.


    Slow down.


    Make it slower.


    And now, you can¡¯t breathe.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    A ripple.


    The smallest noise of a creeping creature he was already accustomed to. He opened his eyes for a moment and the thing was practically on top of him. As before, it was searching for something but, not finding anything, it ignored Seven and moved on.


    It narrowly crushed his face with one of its legs, which would force him out of stealth.


    A few minutes later, he got up.


    Seven took a head-sized leather bag that was filled to the brim with a white, fragrant substance. The smell didn¡¯t travel far, but it was potent.


    It bugged him ever since encountering that lone ant the first time. The ants were searching for something, but what?


    Maybe this was the answer, but he had no idea what it was. His first assumption was food.


    ¡°Just why were they looking for this...?¡±


    He quickly left the place and headed to the ant colony, his objective to kill the abandoned Queen. There were significantly fewer worker ants going in and out of the city, he had no trouble passing through there.


    He creased his eyebrows as he traveled through the deserted landscape. Not only there were not many bodies left to take, but there was also no more river of blood, either.


    The gears started working for his brain.


    ¡°Now that I remember, the ants didn¡¯t get any closer to the blood river earlier...¡±


    He approached the large space and it was still moist with the red liquid. He picked one of the fingers from his pouch and smeared it with the earth down there. He waited for a while and nothing happened. Seven repeated the process by directly throwing the leftover fingers in the ditch at several points.


    Still, nothing happened.


    ¡°Okay, this might be fine...¡±


    He climbed down and started to walk in the ditch, facing the direction of the colony.


    Although it looked like the same place he saw from above, the actual feeling of walking in a field literally soaked in blood was something else.


    How many people died to create something that big? Even if it was mostly water, a significant amount of dead bodies was needed to turn it like that. Were there humans living in that world before they even came in, or were the previously kidnapped people used as fodder to feed its growth?


    ¡°The answer lies inside the Queen Ant...¡±


    The crystals should be pretty much impossible to destroy by the small tidbits of information he had from chatting with Ai, if it digested that many then it would be something else. At the very least, they should be discarded somewhere.


    ¡°What about the bones?¡±


    There was none in sight, and from the shape of the terrain they would be deposited around the middle, mostly.


    ¡°The Queen eats people whole, she¡¯s not picky. Other ants don¡¯t seem to care, either¡±


    Seven understood that the river was not a disposal site, nor was it simply for the sake of eliciting a reaction ¨C if that was the case, why did it disappear before the established time?


    It was deliberately created.


    Reaching the end of the road, Seven noticed there was a wall. Its composition was unnatural if compared to the soil around there.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°It should take a few hours to completely drain this river if there was a leak, and I would¡¯ve smelled the blood from the other side, somewhere around here...¡±


    It was very dark on that side, he could barely see anything.


    ¡°There¡¯s a sound coming from somewhere, I think I¡¯ve heard it before...¡±


    He stopped at a place and focused on identifying it, it was familiar but a bit distant, he guessed an ant.


    ¡°If the colony is on the other side of the wall, they must have built it to prevent the river from flooding in¡±


    That was all the information he could gather from there. He went back and made his way towards the Queen Ant, around that time the invasion was issued.


    ||Player ¡°Natalya Wolskev¡± has accepted your Party request||


    ¡°Hmm...¡±


    Seven didn¡¯t know which Terminal Natalya would come towards, but he understood her reasons for always hanging around Arthur. Her choice would follow his.


    Whether it was simply because the terminal index was attractive, or because the first terminal was a logical starting place when scouting, Seven thought it was a good probability for him to go in Terminal A-1 for the mission. However, he didn¡¯t know if Arthur had passed through other terminals, in which case there was no guarantee for him to choose Terminal A-1, as there were other options and it would come down to the one he thought was safest.


    He had inquired with Ai for information about the Party selection on his way to the colony. It depended mostly on the crystal on your hand, which he left behind to prevent the entrance from closing and eliminating his materials, plus he could need an escape route in between the maintenance hours.


    Exploring the party menu, there were two automatic settings which made the crystal constantly send waves: ¡°Searching for Party¡± and ¡°Looking for Members¡±, the difference being whether the person was in a party or not, in which case the latter one could be used to create the party.


    He could at least be sure that Natalya wouldn¡¯t be a member of any party ¨C if she was in Terminal A-1, she would likely find it first and receive the message.


    That was all just a pleasant surprise, what he wanted to know was: where is the Human System? Certainly not inside the crystal, the thing was like a display screen and from what he noticed, mostly used to mess with player interaction.


    ¡°Somewhere in our body, the Human System emits the waves that gather information and can be identified by others. The crystal is remotely controlled by the Human System and also produces waves...¡±


    If it didn¡¯t send waves on its own, the Party request would¡¯ve never reached Natalya. As for where the actual Human System was located, if it existed inside them, it would be in the brain. Otherwise, all they had were emitters and the data was processed by an external source ¨C that would also mean the waves reached farther than assumed.


    Seven let out a smirk.


    ¡°How convenient...¡±


    An exploit he could use immediately.


    ***


    ¡°...Impossible¡±


    Natalya could see a small blue dot in the distance.


    ¡°Is it really him? He definitely died back then...¡±


    A sense of urgency welled up in her chest.


    Since she possessed his crystal and they were in a party, their respective locations would always be revealed. It was simply that sacrificing an arm to perform this trick wasn¡¯t worth it, but in his situation, it could only be mentioned as making the best of what you have.


    As for the fingers, she didn¡¯t think much about them. It was nothing but rotting meat at that point.


    She put the hand inside her bag and went forwards.


    Natalya opened the gates, and what awaited her on the other side...


    Didn¡¯t seem to faze her.


    At least a small discomfort or a trace of a reaction could¡¯ve been expected, seeing that Seven himself, who didn¡¯t view reality for what it was, was shocked for a brief moment. Others would immediately fall into despair, and a few would express indifference after a few seconds of consideration.


    No matter how small, such reactions existed.


    But there was nothing on Natalya¡¯s face, there was no change in expression and even from a chemical level, there was no sign of any alterations in her body at seeing that hopeless instance.


    She looked around the premises, scouting for possible enemies, and made her way much quicker than Seven.


    Seven moved cautiously and avoided fights if possible, it was necessary to exert caution in his situation.


    But not Natalya, she couldn¡¯t see well, but even the scratch of the wind on a piece of junk was easily detected by her ears. The darkness was nothing new, if anything, it was a place she could call home ¨C her domain.


    She deliberately looked for the ants on the surroundings and in a few minutes attracted their attention, crushing each one of them without batting an eye, and even after being exposed to the rotten air and breathing that sickly cloud, there was no visible change ¨C she was perfectly fine.


    After defeating all of them, she proceeded to the tunnel while making her way to the Queen Ant¡¯s chamber.


    The place was crawling with ants, so much that it seemed impossible to pass by them without a fight.


    ¡°How did he make it that far?¡±


    She furrowed her brows and battled them head-on. The fight this time would take much more time ¨C she wasn¡¯t invincible after all.


    But surprisingly, it didn¡¯t turn out that way. The ants looked sluggish and disoriented when fighting her, she knew for a fact that they did not possess good sight and their detection depended exclusively on the sense of touch and smell.


    ¡°That guy did something to them...¡±


    As the light indicating his position got bigger and clearer, she could almost make out the figure of his body.


    ***


    By the time Seven reached the Queen Ant¡¯s chamber, she was much weaker than when they first met. There was no more food to eat and she barely moved, if at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s like she¡¯s already dead...¡±


    He had expected that much. The true challenge of this invasion was dealing with the environmental hazards, seeing through the darkness and fighting despite the low morale, their minds too affected by the doomed city they were about to see.


    Forced by the contribution system to go forwards instead of settling down and calming their nerves, they would be no different than headless chickens.


    And reaching the end, even after all this, they wouldn¡¯t know how to deal with this abomination.


    Once he approached the entrance, his presence was detected by the abandoned Queen and her legs whipped madly in the air, he flinched instinctively but calmed down afterward. It couldn¡¯t reach him and he knew that.


    ¡°It¡¯s starving¡±


    Seven simply stood on a spot not too close and not too far from the monster while it uselessly tried to reach for him. After making sure there was absolutely no way for it to go further than that, he moved his eyes to scan the surroundings, for both the view of that despairing human face, with her mouth dripping blood like a baby who couldn¡¯t properly eat her meal, and the squirming legs no different from a cockroach¡¯s movements were unnerving to look at.


    On a closer look, the distinct cyan of the crystals endowed to them shone weakly from a few points, and they amounted to a reasonable amount of light once heavily stacked in a pile.


    ¡°So, they remove the crystals and put them on a pile. It can¡¯t be digested after all. Why do they keep them, though?¡±


    After a few more minutes, the Queen¡¯s frantic movements had died down completely, but Seven still didn¡¯t trust her and chose to wait.


    ¡°Either way, Natalya is still a bit far, I have time to spare¡±


    Once he sensed Natalya quickly approaching, he took a short spear and a heavy crossbow that was attached to his back and re-checked the length of the rope attached to the spear. He didn¡¯t know if it would be enough to penetrate the Queen¡¯s skin, but due to it appearing a bit transparent, it was likely thin. Unlike the other ants, the Queen was surprisingly not heavily armored.


    ¡°Maybe they evolved like this because there was never a case where previous queens were directly surrounded¡±


    He didn¡¯t know too much about the biology of insects, so he couldn¡¯t tell what advantage there was to evolve into such a large size.


    ¡°Time¡¯s up¡±


    Seven assumed his position and launched the spear onto the heavy crossbow, pulled the lever to the back and send it flying in one swift motion, but the angle was too high and it lost strength midway. There was a small movement from the Queen¡¯s legs afterward, cutting the rope and preventing it from reaching her or for him to recover the spear.


    He took the remainders of the cutoff rope and tore apart the tissues on his armor to attach it to the second and last short spear. For this mission, he had forsaken the half-moon blade and the backpack since it would occupy too much space, hence why he needed to avoid all ants in the way. It was too high of a risk for a dubious reward.


    He tied down the rope and strengthened the grip with the tissues, strapping them together with tape and glue. He hadn¡¯t found enough rubber band in the warehouse to attach on both, it was necessary to sacrifice part of his suit as there was no other suitable material.


    ¡°One last chance¡±


    If he could find a better position, he would be able to pull it off with his legs, sadly he lacked both the knowledge and the ability. He exerted all the strength on his arm to pull back the lever, the muscles already feeling a nasty burn, but he gritted his teeth and launched it.


    Shoot.


    He looked expectantly at the flying spear, took the other end of the rope and ran back. The rope rapidly left him as the distance between the spear and the Queen diminished.


    Finally, with a timed action, he pulled strongly at it, suffering a staggering pull that propelled him two meters towards the monster, yet the barbed side of the spear came down with full force and ripped a wide injury. That was what he aimed for, not to penetrate deeply into the Queen''s body, where the spear would surely pierce some non essential organ that wouldn''t end her life, he wanted the spear to slice the thin tissue and see for himself if there was watery blood inside, coming out like a fountain.


    A wretched scream filled the room with the feelings of agony, anger, and desperation contaminating every pore of Seven¡¯s body. A hard collision ensued when the human counterpart of the Queen nearly caused the collapse of the cave, leaving behind only the sound of gushing blood that quickly flooded the floor.


    It didn¡¯t die immediately, struggling to make a stand against the enemy it had yet to see, but the struggle quickly left the deceased body.


    ||Quest Update||


    ||Area 1¡¯s Queen Ant has been slain by player ¡°Seven¡±||


    ||Territories claimed:1||


    ||Contribution Ranking||


    ||Seven ¨C 1st (52,08%) // 3000 points||


    ||Natalya Wolskev ¨C 2nd (37,5%) // 2160 points||


    ||KyelPrajna ¨C 3rd (2,95%) // 170 points||

 W1C11

    Natalya arrived shortly after the announcement.


    She and Seven stood a few meters apart. In that darkness enveloped by the pungent smell of blood, both of them glowed faintly until the light fell apart, leaving only the silent gazes puncturing the air.


    Seven so wished to know what kind of expression she had on her face right now.


    The eerie sound of blood gushing out like a fountain made her unfathomable eyes look away for a moment, breaking the enchantment.


    He couldn¡¯t envision a better return.


    -How did you get past the ants?


    Seven threw the gourd of ant pheromones at her. The silence that followed afterward seemed to indicate she had more questions, but for some reason, she still chose to keep it to herself.


    ¡°Very characteristic¡±


    He, too, was reluctant to trade words. Since he partially absorbed her personality by writing about her, there was a sort of connection between them that couldn¡¯t be expressed with just words.


    She returned his arm and went to see the body.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to scrape off the flesh later on for the crystal¡±


    He strapped it to his side with rope recovered from the spear and went towards the crystal pile. Seven focused on his Human System and issued a ¡°Looking for member¡± signal towards the crystals.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ||Player ¡°Anna Rosenheim¡± has accepted your Party request||


    ||Player ¡°Inoue Akagami¡± has accepted your Party request||


    ||Player ¡°Anna Rosenheim¡± has left the party||


    A light flashed nearby and vanished instantly, whereas the other was so far away that only the general direction could be felt. Seven looked towards the place where the light had vanished ¨C Natalya was right in front of it.


    -The girl is dead ¨C she muttered.


    Seven nodded absent-mindedly.


    -Where was she?


    -Hiding nearby.


    ¡°That explains why she remained alive for so long...¡±


    Seven took out a matchbox he had been saving for this moment, but felt awkward because he noticed it would be no easy task to light them.


    ¡°Argh... Whatever¡±


    It wasn¡¯t too dark that it was impossible to navigate, the Queen¡¯s chamber was better illuminated than other parts of the cave, which made sense since he didn¡¯t notice evolved eyes on normal ants, only she had a keen vision. Still, he wanted to check out the details of such an important room.


    He grabbed a bunch of crystals and used them to inspect the surroundings.


    There were broken eggs and pupa of many different sizes, most of which were two to four meters tall, the average size for worker ants and warrior wants, respectively. Aside from then, there were remains of human sized pupa.


    They should¡¯ve been the last ones hatched before the colony stopped bothering with this Queen. They didn¡¯t take too much space compared to her body.


    The body had toppled over, allowing for a very narrow passage through her lower parts. He gulped down his disgust and faced the wall while scrapping by her moistened belly, juices sticking to his suit while the blood already reached to his boots, soaking them.


    Seven felt suffocated at many points, and the fear of never getting out of that hideous creature¡¯s underside repulsed him as much as it urged him to go back, while contradictorily he also thought that even if he chose to go back, he wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    Was that the feeling of willingly walking into a trap?


    ¡°Like a moth drawn to the fire, I must seek out the light even if it burns me to death...¡±


    His breathing was rough and his heart pumped blood at critical rates. Logic dictated that he should remain calm and go further ¨C if it wasn¡¯t for his brain, he wouldn¡¯t even conceive entering such a hell ¨C but if humans were so proficient in reason, there would be no need to delegate tasks to machines, much more talented at the language of logic.


    It occurred to him that he never thought of suicide. No matter how despaired he felt, or the degree of emptiness that struck him, it didn¡¯t even pass as a guest on his mind.


    Now, however, it looked like an interesting development.


    What would it be like to asphyxiate? To drown to death? To be choked, burned, hacked into pieces and left to slowly decompose?


    He felt a morbid interest.


    ¡°Huh... The typical fascination towards death. I thought I had grown out of that when I read that philosophy book a few years ago. I have to write about it soon¡±


    When he snapped out of these thoughts, he was already at the end of the cave and there was enough space to move around. Not much, however.


    ¡°Wait... This wall here is different¡±


    The formation was completely different from the rocky cave. Inspecting it closer, he found out that one side was badly damaged.


    ¡°From the looks of it, it was because of the Queen moving...¡±


    He had to squeeze in between the cave and the Queen, getting sticky all over his body.


    -Argh!


    He fell with a thud, almost dropping the bag of white liquid on the ground.


    ¡°Careful here...¡±


    The soil was soft and moist, he walked on it for a long time before reaching the end.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°There¡¯s no mistake... This is the blood river¡±


    He couldn¡¯t be sure since the first time he visited it was way too dark and he relied mostly on his sense of touch to figure out things, plus the Queen¡¯s blood was stronger on him than the blood soaking the trail.


    Seven had to walk back to confirm it, and it was undeniably the blood river.


    Since he was already there, he chose to go back to the research station and start writing. He could go back to the Queen¡¯s room afterward ¨C Natalya had been there, anyways, he could try discussing things with her.


    Thinking back to the blood, he seemed to put together a few pieces of the puzzle.


    ¡°That line of blood on the Queen¡¯s belly must have been the level the blood river reached, so she was about half submerged in there. The ones who created the blood river must be the ants, but how did they do it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Inoue¡±


    For someone¡¯s crystal to appear beside the Queen who couldn¡¯t digest them, it would mean that at some point they were captured. He couldn¡¯t understand why, though, that they needed to create the blood river. Even if it was for nutrition, wouldn¡¯t they have to feed the captives and bleed them? That seemed like a huge hassle considering how much blood you can milk from a human and how much food intake the Queen needs. Unless it was a delicacy of sorts.


    ¡°At least for now I can explain its existence, but next is... If that unnatural wall was built by the ants to obstruct the passage of the river, it would have been after exposure to the blood... So why did they stop it suddenly?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The worker ants didn¡¯t touch the blood...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Poison?¡±


    If it was poison, it would all make sense, it would explain why the Queen was abandoned in the first place ¨C except for one thing.


    ¡°How was the blood river removed?¡±


    With these thoughts, Seven disappeared back into the passage.


    ***


    -Hey, someone else is coming.


    -Shh, wait for me to recognize him.


    Seven wore an absent-minded expression as the gate opened and he returned to the research center. The people whispering to each other in hiding didn¡¯t come to his attention.


    The bulky man in the shadows palled at the sight.


    -It¡¯s him, look at that arm...


    -It¡¯s decided then.


    They waited patiently for him to reach the spot. Step by step, he had walked the exact path described on the plan ¨C from the direction he went to the side he was on the open road.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a cripple, we can do it¡±.


    One step.


    Two steps.


    Three steps.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now!¡±


    Three people popped out of nowhere and struck at Seven from different locations. Each one carried a weapon aimed at a vital spot.


    Seven looked absent-minded to them, but in fact, he was thinking deeply about the information he had obtained, as well as the next few chapters of the story ¨C his mind was keener than ever. So, when the trio appeared, he immediately ceased his thoughts and reacted.


    The two weapons he had brought were used against the Queen and he hadn¡¯t recovered them ¨C he didn¡¯t think he would need them. The only thing he had was the bag of gooey liquid stripped to his side.


    He had shown Natalya the gourd of ant pheromones, but in actuality what he threw down was this very same liquid to confuse the ants.


    ¡°I did use the pheromones to get past them, but it¡¯s impossible to walk past so many with just that... I would have to kill a few in my way¡±


    However, he didn¡¯t kill any. The white liquid was so strong that it eviscerated the ants¡¯ sense of smell and let him walk unhindered. They looked so vulnerable that he wouldn¡¯t have trouble killing them, but he preferred not to play too risky.


    After all, they still had a sense of touch.


    He threw it without a single moment of hesitation towards the closest opponent, immediately his mood becoming foul.


    ¡°I just lost an important clue thanks to this mess... Tsk, what a waste¡±


    The one who saw the bag coming his way tried to slash it in half with his sword. The leather skin wasn¡¯t too thick and tore open, covering his torso and face entirely.


    Taking the opportunity, Seven fled the scene in a hurry and the other two couldn¡¯t keep up with him running away.


    Giving one last look towards theback, Seven was shocked to discover that the person whom he threw the bag at was gone, only a sizzling puddle of pink liquid was left behind, his limbs gradually decaying into nothing.


    Also, he recognized one of the attackers.


    Nathan.


    They were so confident in the ambush that they completely disregarded the bare minimum of covering their faces. But Seven didn¡¯t have time to think about petty attempts at his life, what he gained from this encounter completely covered his losses.


    It all started to make sense, he couldn¡¯t believe how quickly his questions had been answered. He found a plausible theory.


    ¡°The liquid is a kind of corrosive acid capable of completely melting a human and mixing with the blood. A significant amount must have been dumped at the river, or a smaller amount near the entrance to the Queen¡¯s chamber. It didn¡¯t kill her, but severely damaged or affected a vital organ... If that¡¯s the case, she must have tried to build the wall herself by taking away earth from the bottom side of the river, it would repeatedly fail to do so, but would gather enough time for other ants to help her¡±


    Yes, the Queen couldn¡¯t have done it alone, which meant at least some of the ants were immune to the poison.


    ¡°The warrior ants were attracted to it, most likely they are immune and treat it as food, maybe... But why would a warrior go out of its way to specifically procure this liquid in that big of a city?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... It not only treats it as food, but it also recognizes it as a threat and tries to eliminate it.¡±


    There were two possibilities in his mind:


    The first one, they drank all the blood, but it would require a large army of ants to do it in only six hours. This theory clashed with the fact there were few ants active in this territory.


    The second one, they transported the blood somewhere safe. It was more plausible than the first theory, but Seven still didn¡¯t believe that they drained the river that fast just like that.


    "¡­"


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Of course... If they built a dam to block the access to the Queen, couldn¡¯t they just break a few walls to drain the river and later go to these locations to feed on?¡±


    Seven tsked.


    ¡°Somehow, this doesn¡¯t seem right... How frustrating¡±


    By the time he had finished his thoughts, he was back at the dormitory. All of his questions and worries disappeared as he saw the familiar sight of ink and paper.


    Seven breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Smiling to himself, he picked up the book and started to write almost instinctively.


    The new chapters of his story would reflect the highest and lowest points of his adventure: from fighting to near death alongside Natalya, his unapproachable main character, to finding himself with suicidal thoughts at the depths of the Queen¡¯s chamber, and almost inside the thing itself.


    After what he witnessed, vivid descriptions of a hell that rivaled Dante¡¯s came to flourish with more disturbing sights of creatures that humans shouldn¡¯t dare imagine, lest they lose their sanity. Seven was committed to create something that no one would be able to finish without having a slice of their conscience taken away, brutalized and unable to heal into a scab.


    And in the middle of all of that, Natalya.


    She was not the light in the dark. In his story, she was darkness itself.


    Whenever she appeared, the story would take a step up to implant hope in one¡¯s heart, but leaving it without care, a seed whose fate was to never sprout into a whole being. She was both the bird that scattered it in the wind and who later on found it and ate it.


    ¡°Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you...¡±


    The famous words of Nietzche perfectly described the sentiment that would be implanted in the audience. But did they know? Seven as an author only wished for an interesting story, not for them to learn anything. How it impacted the viewer was only a small detail, a courtesy he made from considering that Ai and possibly someone else would read his work.


    And for that, he impregnated the book with the concept of accepting all this hell, entering the stage of a pupa and breaking out of the shell reborn as something else entirely.


    ¡°Figuratively or literally, whatever the case... Become a monster.¡±


    ||Invasion end||


    ||Objective completed||


    ||Territories claimed: 2||


    ||Contribution Ranking||


    ||Natalya Wolskev ¨C 1st (47,38%) // 8670 points||


    ||Seven ¨C 2nd (16,39%) // 3000 points||


    ||Kyel Prajna ¨C 3rd (4,21%) // 770 points||


    ||Meritorious Deeds||


    ||Natalya Wolskev ¨C Slay the Queen (3rd Territory)||


    ||Seven ¨C Slay the Queen (1st Territory)||


    ||Catherine Wyz ¨C Research Lab Discovered||

 W1C12

    [Congratulations on completing this mission. Since two territories were claimed, and the monsters¡¯ presence diminished throughout all territories, there will be a grace period of approximately three days before the next wave arrives.]


    [Starting from today, the medical facilities will require one ticket per use. Tickets are obtained by scoring in the top 10 within missions, with the top three receiving a bigger prize]


    [However, those who did not achieve the minimum contribution required in the last quest won¡¯t have access to restricted facilities, even if they possess tickets. In addition, it is unfair that they enjoy the three-day grace period without having contributed enough, so they will be forbidden entry from the research facility for two days, starting at 13:00 of the next day]


    [The marked people won¡¯t be recognized by the gate¡¯s sensor, but if for any reason they manage to enter, the target¡¯s life will be immediately terminated.]


    [Players can remove their mark by obtaining at least 100 points of contribution while outside, the equivalent of five warrior ants. I reiterate that points are given only to the one who dealt the final blow]


    [Now, to the rewards.]


    [Players who achieved the bare minimum will receive their meals for the next three days. The number of rations will increase by one at 0,5%, 1%, 2%, and 4% contribution, to a maximum of 12 rations for the three days.]


    [Those that scored 1% or higher will receive tickets and materials according to their level of contribution and the player¡¯s skill levels. At 2%, rewards include a leather set, and at 4% onwards, new weapons and medicine, as well as better equipment overall.]


    [The top three will receive a bonus of 100%, 75% and 50% rounded down to all of the rewards reaped during the quest, and the rewards will be a level above.]


    [Those that achieved a Meritorious Deed will receive a special item that fits their current needs. Additionally, they will be exempt from punishment if they have been marked]


    [That is all, enjoy your free time]


    Seven was near the sliding door to his room at the moment the message ended.


    He never really paid attention to the dormitory. Seven slept anywhere he needed without much care for comfort, this place was only there to serve as immediate refuge for those lost souls, a place to rest their bones after a rough ordeal. It was a place to return to, at least for appearance¡¯s sake, as it could never mimic the location called home.


    It was built as a vertical construction with oriental design, like the Chinese pagodas, but inside it was styled like a European lodge. The ground floor was big enough to accommodate fifty people with ease, and the main stairway split in the middle to give access to the first floor, from which each stairway followed in the opposite path to the next floor, forming a helicoidal shape.


    No matter the position of the room, if you looked down from the railings on the ground floor, you would be able to see people crowding the stairway. On the fourth floor, Seven¡¯s location, watching their reactions from afar was no different from looking at an ant colony from Earth, and Ai was the giant human with his big foot slowly coming to end their lives.


    They scattered like caged beasts released on the wild, losing all semblance of reason. They were barely holding onto their pitiful lives, all Ai did was make the final push and send them to their doom.


    ¡°It makes me think of the Spartans¡¯ way of training their children. But no morals attached... So, it¡¯s just sending pigs to the slaughter, I suppose¡±


    He closed his eyes and, in a moment, a large spectrum of the human emotion flashed through them. He tried to feel the despair and helplessness followed by a meager hope that could not placate it.


    The discussion got louder and rowdier as the minutes passed, they were too tired when arriving, but not so much when they argued.


    He walked down the stairway, intending to go to the library and search for a particular book. But he was barred near the entrance.


    -Hey! You¡¯re Seven! Am I right?


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Seven looked behind him only to discover multiple pairs of eyes staring at him. He didn¡¯t know for what reason, but he felt interested in what they had to say.


    Because he knew that it wouldn¡¯t be anything good.


    -Seven, is it him?


    -That kid killed a Queen...


    -What¡¯s up with his arm? Did he really do it?


    Besides Natalya, only Seven managed to kill a Queen, and it was quite clear to the well-informed that he managed to do it ahead of her.


    Arthur managed to cut through the crowd and pull him away for a minute. He stared at his missing limb with hints of sympathy, but there wasn¡¯t much time for reuniting.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    -I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still alive, but you should be careful around everyone now. No one knows where Kate and Natalya are at, though I doubt anyone would approach Natalya anyway... They want to know what that special reward is all about, and they¡¯re also trying to force people to share equipment. I¡¯m trying to calm them down but they won¡¯t listen.


    -Hm, thanks for the advice.


    Seven thought the whole situation was very funny. He didn¡¯t particularly care about the ¡°side characters¡± who failed the most basic requirements on the last test.


    -Hey! Seven, you¡¯re friends with Arthur, right? Could you share some of your equipment with us?


    -You won¡¯t be using it during these three days, it should be fine!


    -No, more importantly, what about that special reward Ai spoke of? Is it a stronger weapon to deal with the ants?


    -My friend is badly injured, could you give us a ticket? I heard what Ai said, but... I have to try, please!


    -How are we going to find food? I barely made it through the morning with that half-meal.


    Questions constantly flooded his way as Arthur was once again pulled into the mad mob and tried to calm them down.


    Seven recognized some of the faces.


    ¡°They¡¯re from Arthur¡¯s group, mostly... None from Kyel¡¯s"


    Seven raised his hand in the air, making a sign for them to stop.


    The crowd obediently followed, but their eyes were full of expectations. More than that, the atmosphere was such that there was no way they would back down if Seven chose to refuse them.


    He stood with his hand raised for one full minute, and people started to doubt his intentions.


    At best, he considered himself a supporting character, a hanger-on that would always stay near the protagonists, or maybe antagonists, and help them achieve their growth, whether it was for the better or for the worse. All for the sake of his book, of course.


    ¡°It would be boring to write about myself, after all¡±


    -Well, first of all, the equipment... I could help.


    Their eyes brightened.


    -It¡¯s just that no armor we can currently craft would be of any use against ants. At least in your hands, that is...


    -What?


    -You see, if we could craft a full armor then it would have an effect, but as it stands, anything we make won¡¯t be able to completely cover our bodies, and the ants are proficient at attacking our weak spots. Unlike your disorganized bunch, the colony stands as a single entity and they learn fast, it won¡¯t take even a few seconds for them to discover an opening in your armor and kill you immediately.


    -You are wearing armor, though? Otherwise, why would leather armors be gifted on the previous waves?


    -The people who passed the last test are fundamentally different from you. They have some survival skills that helped them deal with the ants, like crafting lures and planting traps, or outright fighting power. Even then, getting caught by an ant is death, armor is more like a ¡°moment of opportunity¡± gadget where, if the stars align, you can escape death by an inch. Remember Natalya¡¯s shield? You can¡¯t see it anymore, it¡¯s long been destroyed. Investing in offense is more efficient.


    He gave a long look to see if they understood before continuing.


    ¡°Good, they are capable of listening¡±


    If they weren¡¯t, Seven wouldn¡¯t waste his words on them. There was also the issue of the toxin resistance of the armor, but he didn¡¯t mention it.


    -The ant armor you¡¯re using won¡¯t last long, you¡¯ll need replacements. If there isn¡¯t enough material to finish the suits, I will gladly give it, but you should be dismantling the rest of the carcasses before tomorrow at 1 p.m.


    Before any replies could come his way, he gave another punch.


    -The same logic applies to weapons. If you don¡¯t know how to use it, then it doesn¡¯t make any difference. I recommend you use spears, though, and bring some books from the library about ant behavior and trap making. It will produce the best results in a short time, and you don¡¯t need to remember everything as you can bring the book with you. As for the other things...


    Seven did some quick calculations in his head.


    -In regards to food, I could give you, sure, but what I received amounts to 21 rations. Even with Arthur¡¯s help, I don¡¯t think it would be enough for more than a day outside, at best two days with rationing? You¡¯re like, 20-30 people? The biggest problem isn¡¯t even food itself, but water, you¡¯ll surely be doing a lot of activity which will leave you dehydrated. Giving you food won¡¯t solve the problem, I don¡¯t know how you will make it past tomorrow.


    -This...


    -About people asking for tickets to help their friends to the hospital, if you really must help your friends, then save your energy for yourselves, bring down an ant to the ground and have them deal the last blow. They will be useless in combat anyway, have them do something else. Start thinking like a group, this is a war, not a playground.


    He took a few seconds to catch his breath.


    -Lastly, the special rewards Ai spoke of...


    The people, who had been struck dumb by Seven¡¯s blunt speech, suddenly perked their ears as the smallest fragment of hope sprouted from their chests.


    -Why should I tell you?


    They were stumped for words. They wanted to say something and offer a rebuttal, but not after that rough lesson they were given.


    With that, he left without anyone hindering his path, and he breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I''m not that free¡±


    A few created courage and later asked him for a few specific materials, and Arthur did ask him for help with the food ¨C they would need them regardless. Seven didn¡¯t bat an eye as he gave them, even if he gave everything away it wouldn¡¯t have mattered.


    He remembered one quote from a teacher back in university. It wasn¡¯t a course of his major, but one of a physics teacher: having nothing available is not an excuse to be unable to do something. Rather, it¡¯s because there¡¯s nothing that there is something to be done. A bit confusing at first, but he liked it.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have what you need, make it¡±


    Seven quickly reached the library and searched for catalogs of advanced chemistry. He lacked clues, and the one place he would find them was at the library.


    ¡°I know that the white mixture is harmful to humans, but I can only guess that it is poisonous to the Queen Ant. Whatever the case, I need to identify it in those three days I have of free time.¡±


    The most pressing question was how the liquid came to be there. Was it produced by another species? Created by previous humans who participated in the game of death? Created by humans that used to live in the destroyed city? Or maybe something made by ants themselves?


    Whatever it was, for the next piece of the puzzle he was going to need every bit of information he could get.


    ¡°After all... That thing was my reward for killing the Queen¡±


    He was thoroughly enjoying those strange developments.

 W1C13

    Seven wasted hours looking at catalogs of acids that held a similarity to what he had seen. It was a very specific mixture, otherwise, it would have melted the leather bag, but it didn¡¯t. Yet it still managed to erase a human from existence.


    It didn¡¯t make any sense.


    ¡°Should I go back to check if there are remains of that bag? Maybe it¡¯s not leather at all...¡±


    But he quickly dismissed the idea. He would¡¯ve heard of a random pink puddle and some melting body parts by now, whoever was behind that attempt wanted to act in the shadows, it was only plausible that he wouldn¡¯t leave an obvious clue like that.


    He suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t he make a definitive move against me now that I know about them?¡±


    A person committed to murder wouldn¡¯t do it in such a half-assed manner. It required careful planning so that no one would suspect the crime. In the modern world, killers have to be much smarter to get away, but even dumb killers would do just fine with some basic things. Even if they were caught, a fair share took months, even years.


    ¡°No one has the time to investigate things like these, revealing this piece of information would only generate strife between Kyel¡¯s and Arthur¡¯s groups. I don¡¯t know the reason why I¡¯m targeted, but whether it succeeded or not didn¡¯t seem to affect the killer¡¯s plans.¡±


    It was only that he didn¡¯t expect Seven to keep quiet. Or maybe he did, and Seven would be even more puzzled.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this right now¡±


    He kept flipping through pages and pages, quickly reading the most vital bits of information before proceeding to the next book. The library was a complete mess as books were stacked one upon the other and thrown to the side like garbage.


    When morning came, he raised his hand to pick the next catalog, only to discover there was none.


    His brain ceased functioning immediately.


    ***


    Arthur stood amongst the weakened bunch of people and distributed meals.


    -Don¡¯t worry, we can do it.


    They accepted his kindness, but there was no feeling of gratitude when considering what was waiting for them outside the walls.


    -If you think about it, nothing changed. We all expected to face off against monsters at the same time every day, and this rest time is all a trap from Ai. While we rest, the ants regain their forces, we have to strike now. Why do you think Natalya, Seven, Kyel and even Kate disappeared? They¡¯re on to this, nothing changed at all.


    His words were reasonable, but morale was very low.


    Nothing changed? The rest period was a trap? It would be better if that wasn¡¯t the case, they¡¯d rather be kept in the dark. Only then would they still believe in hope.


    However, Arthur couldn¡¯t be leisure anymore. Sooner or later they would have to face reality, he wished it could be a smooth transition but Ai did everything to go against this. He could only land the meat rare.


    A clanking metallic noise woke him from his thoughts, a girl had dropped the tableware and continuously shook her head.


    -Don¡¯t worry? How can you not worry? We can do it? Maybe you can do it, but I can¡¯t! It¡¯s impossible. Impossible!


    She broke down crying on the floor and everyone just glanced at her with muddled eyes.


    -Come on, don¡¯t think about that, we still gotta live, don¡¯t we?


    -¡­ She¡¯s right, how the fuck can we deal with the things outside?


    -That city... This is Earth after all... Hahaha... Hahahaha! We¡¯re doomed!


    -There¡¯s no safe place. This will go on forever, I¡¯d rather kill myself than die to those things...


    Reality hit them hard.


    -Psh, Arthur.


    -Hm?


    He heard a whisper from somewhere and went outside the dormitory to check.


    -Hey, how are you doing?


    Recognizing the voice, his permanent frown relaxed a bit.


    -Kate. Didn¡¯t see you since yesterday. What were you doing?


    -Haha, just checking out places.


    The two exchanged a few pleasantries before moving on to business.


    -There was something about you finding out the research lab... I didn¡¯t even know such a place existed.


    -Me neither, but if you paid special attention to it, Ai usually referred to this place as a facility, but then she said ¡°outside of this research station¡±. It couldn¡¯t be that she suddenly forgot about it, it must¡¯ve been related to this quest, so I stayed behind to find the place.


    -I see... Can you show me to it later?


    Arthur didn¡¯t think as hard as Seven or Kyel and didn¡¯t possess as many clues, so to him the existence of a research lab was only at the level of ¡°oh, a new facility¡±. He viewed it as some sort of place they would use to devise new equipment.


    -Sure, but right now it¡¯s off-limits. It¡¯s only available at specific times.


    -I see... I need to get back inside. Things aren¡¯t exactly looking good...


    -Ah, I know... But I¡¯ve managed to find out a few things, I can help you guys survive outside!


    Arthur creased his brows as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he just heard. However, his expression gradually softened.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    -Really?


    -Hm, we just have to make sure they get outside.


    -That won¡¯t be a problem... Only that I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be of any help.


    -Don¡¯t worry, I have everything under control.


    She beamed a smile and patted him on the back. Although it didn¡¯t seem real, Kate was just what he needed and much more, a person that would reach out and give him hope when evenhe was losing it.


    Arthur smiled lightly.


    -Don¡¯t go overboard, I don¡¯t want you to lose your life.


    -Me neither!


    ***


    When Seven woke up, he wasn¡¯t in the library anymore. It was to be expected, even in this situation some people cared for each other ¨C they wouldn¡¯t leave him collapsed in the middle of the mess he made.


    He wasn¡¯t the type to stay a few more minutes in bed after sleeping, especially after sating the need for it when overcome with exhaustion.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything...¡±


    -You¡¯re awake. Good!


    Seven opened his eyes and scanned the surroundings.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly like the dorm rooms¡±


    He turned to look at the source of the voice and spotted a boy a bit shorter than him, with messy purple hair and small eyes. He thought of the current state of events and reached a conclusion on his identity.


    -You¡¯re Kyel.


    -You¡¯re not dumb, and you¡¯re calm. We can talk for a while.


    -Hm, that would be fine by me.


    Seven got up from the bed and sat near the table, opposite to Kyel¡¯s. There was cheese, bread and fruits atop, naturally also tableware. A jar of juice and a mug of coffee that wasn¡¯t fresh mixed into an unpleasant scent.


    ¡°That¡¯s a level up on the rations, hm¡±


    As if he was an honorable guest, he made himself home and started eating. After all, he had completely forgotten about it during his time in the library.


    -Why did you want me dead?


    A glint flashed by Kyel¡¯s eyes. The leisure attitude from a moment ago had turned into bloodthirst instantly, but Seven was unfazed.


    -I was only dealing with the competition. Isn¡¯t it like that in the world of business? - he replied, back to his carefree smiling face.


    -You can¡¯t deal with Natalya, but you can hinder her. Your pawn, Nathan, warned off anyone that got close to her, but it wasn¡¯t enough to scare me, so you had me on watch... And tried to kill me on a good opportunity.


    Seven awkwardly poured the juice on a cup, but it rocked the container and spilled it on the table and into his clothes. He made a helpless expression and sighed.


    ¡°This is more tiring than I thought it would be¡±


    He didn¡¯t have much difficulty in dealing with the sword, all he needed was some experience. Even while making his equipment, he hadn¡¯t felt it distinctly because he had never done anything like it either way.


    However, for things he was accustomed to, like writing, it became a major pain. Wasn¡¯t it for that, he could¡¯ve written an entirely new chapter before his excitement was overcome with annoyance.


    ¡°Even drinking some juice is tiring...¡±


    Kyel didn¡¯t express any reaction to that. He didn¡¯t laugh of his inability and didn¡¯t help him either.


    -The only thing I don¡¯t understand is why you didn¡¯t kill me yet. You want something from me? Why did you try to kill me, then? There are better ways to threaten someone.


    -I tried, believe me! - he frowned as if Seven had wronged him ¨C but I didn¡¯t expect you to be as tenacious as a cockroach...


    Kyel pouted and feigned a hurt expression.


    Seven just nodded.


    -Actually, you might be closer to a cockroach than a human! Kekeke...


    ¡°...?¡±


    Seven frowned. That didn¡¯t seem like a taunt.


    -Oh, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not aware... Are you faking it? Are you an ant? An alien?


    -What is it you want to tell me?


    Kyel put on an extremely amused face. It was the first time during their short meet that Seven felt it to be a genuine smile. He picked up a large object wrapped in cloth and pushed it to the other side of the table.


    In silence, Seven dropped the food on his hand and reached for the object. He painstakingly unwrapped the thing and once the smell of blood entered his nostrils, he could only frown deeper.


    -An arm.


    -Your arm ¨C he corrected.


    -Impossible.


    It had been nearly two days ever since his arm was severed. Although it wouldn¡¯t immediately disappear, it was impossible to avoid the rotting process unless the organisms responsible for decomposing it had vanished.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the process was slowed down, but this...¡±


    The arm had no trace of decomposition.


    Seven shook his head.


    -This is a bit surprising, honestly... But it¡¯s not enough to say I¡¯m not human.


    -Natalya is a monster, you know? It¡¯s impossible to smash in the ants¡¯ heads with human strength. I¡¯ve investigated it carefully the past days and the results only served to point at this theory: By human standards, Natalya is not a member of our race. Or at least, species.


    ¡­


    -Okay, but why me?


    -The same. By human standards, you are not a member of our race. I had people investigate you closely and they concluded that you had no experience with martial arts in your whole life. Even if, hypothetically, you hold all the knowledge there is in that path, it would¡¯ve been impossible to hold such achievements if you were human. This belief is further bolstered by the ideas presented in your book, which I had a hard time finishing up to the second chapter. The third chapter...


    Kyel shivered involuntarily.


    Seven couldn¡¯t help but keep shaking his head.


    -This is a load of bullshit ¨C he said with a hint of annoyance.


    -Ri~ght? - Kyel grinned mischievously ¨C However, however... Ho~wever! No human can survive a bleed out! Hehehe... Hahahahaha!


    After a few seconds of mad laughter, Kyel observed Seven¡¯s change in expressions. He understood that what he said nailed it, but only Seven knew of Ai¡¯s help.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m a member of a different race, but what about Natalya, is she the same?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Tsk, I don¡¯t know¡±


    Kyel had a point, Natalya couldn¡¯t be evaluated with human standards. But then again, Seven didn¡¯t fall short of her.


    He didn¡¯t know what to think.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we just better than them? What about humans and non-humans, this is bullshit...¡±


    -Still not convinced?


    -Well, I¡¯m not as smart as you make me be. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be here right now, would I?


    -True! And that¡¯s why I prepared an even better thing!


    Kyel threw an envelope his way, Seven took it with questioning eyes.


    -Where did you...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The research lab?¡±


    -It is exactly what you¡¯re thinking right now. So~ Open it, open it!


    Seven analyzed the black envelope with caution.


    ||7th Research Facility: HOPE||


    ||Data Compatibility Test: Subject Code QERT-6982 // Seven||


    ||05:42:22 ¨C D15 ¨C M06 ¨C Y256||


    ||ACC: 96.53% // Incomplete Data||


    Many question marks appeared in his head, but he kept them in check and opened it.


    He breathed in deep.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    -You look funny, did something happen? - Kyel asked in a worried tone, as if he was Seven¡¯s, family member.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    -Hahaha... Hahahahaha! That¡¯s quite an expression you got on your face.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    -This is...


    ***


    A hideous voice crashed by the walls of the cave, the humongous body of a Queen Ant collapsed in front of the entrance and made the earth tremble, sealing it off.


    The constant flux of blood inundated the room and filled up to Natalya¡¯s belly, it was stickier than human blood and the smell was much worse, but it didn¡¯t faze her. She reached out to the Queen¡¯s body and ended the miserable existence residing there.


    ||Area 5¡¯s Queen Ant has been slain by player ¡°Natalya Wolskev¡±|


    ||Territories claimed:3||


    Natalya¡¯s eyes settled on that small heart as it was crushed into nothingness, her eyes became muddled for a second.


    Tear off the crystal.


    Walk away.

 W1C14

    ||Race: Human||


    ||Species: Not enough data||


    ||Details: Sample contains a sizable amount of C1, present in all humanoid races to a relatively high percentage when compared to human beings, and trace amounts of C42, a compost that denotes the existence of a symbiotic microorganism. The spectrum of biologically similar, yet undoubtedly different, humanoids with C42 is so large that most of them have yet to be cataloged, it is not unusual to find a new species amongst them||


    No matter how many times he read it, he still couldn¡¯t believe it. Rather, who would believe in such a thing?


    -C42? New species? There''s no way...


    -Why, though? Giant ants and human-insect hybrids exist, but you can¡¯t be a strange crossbreed? Hehe...


    ¡°Ai, just what are you playing at?¡±


    [Information regarding the Research Lab will be disclosed once you discover its location]


    ¡°...Tsk¡±


    -So, did you bring me here just to see my reaction?


    Kyel pushed forward similar envelopes holding a black card. Different subject codes flashed by Seven¡¯s eyes as he opened them one by one. Most of the tests were made before his, past midnight and into the early morning.


    ¡°Composts, polarity differential, symbiotic microorganisms, blood sharing, extra-chemical differential? What is all that?¡±


    He kept skimming through the cards and the subjects with many different composts he never heard ofappeared very often.Those that could be accurately classified as homo sapiens species could be counted on a single hand.


    "Some of them are explicitly not humans, Kyel also tested the ants..."


    -What about the Queen Ant?


    -The test is underway.


    Seven used a brief moment of silence to digest the information before Kyel interrupted his chain of thoughts.


    -There are in total 18 types of... Hybrids, yeah, that¡¯s an ok name. 4 of them vanished in between casualties, C172 and C192 are quite common, ECD96 and PD120 are unique... But I won¡¯t bother you with the rest of the details. Let¡¯s talk about why we¡¯re having this talk, to begin with. Take a guess!


    ¡°...¡±


    -I have no idea.


    -Awww ¨C he made an exaggerated expression ¨C ok, no choice then! I want a sample of Natalya.


    Seven frowned instantly.


    -Can¡¯t you just collect some yourself? It¡¯s not that hard.


    -Natalya doesn¡¯t leave anything behind for me to use. An opportunity should appear in the future if I¡¯m patient, but I can¡¯t wait that long, the requirements for a Data Compatibility Test or DC Test on the research lab aren¡¯t friendly, multiple samples are needed.


    ¡°... She doesn¡¯t leave anything behind?¡±


    As if he was reading his mind, Kyel spoke cheerfully.


    -Toilet paper, tableware, bandages, plastic bottles, she basically destroys them. Not a strand of hair is left behind in her bed. She always cleans after her own mess, nothing goes unnoticed.


    Seven thought that conduct was strange, but then again, it further delineated the image of a loner in his mind.


    It was as if Natalya wanted to erase the traces of her existence.


    The urge to write flowed in his blood as he thought of showing further developments to her character.


    Seven quickly searched for his book. It would be somewhere inside that room, since Kyel read it and wouldn¡¯t let it fall on the hands of others. Once he got his hands on the item, everything in the room turned still as he furiously wrote page after page and phased through them before the ink had time to settle.


    He couldn¡¯t feel his pulsing lungs or his beating heart, nor the pain of something cold and hot stuffed in his chest. Ideas boiled inside and he unceremoniously translated them into words that spewed forth like hot lava.


    It was refining.


    A sudden insight on his fictional character that made him go back every few minutes and change the passages to give them a deeper meaning.


    The action-horror turned a few degrees into the road of abnormality as the prose grew heavy and impactful.


    Once he finished with adapting the passages and creating new content, the pen dropped from his hand and he felt the fatigue taking its toll on his body.


    Feeling the cold sweat wrapping the folds of his clothes and coating his back, he reclined on the chair and gazed up to the ceiling with an absent-minded look.


    A brief moment of satisfaction.


    Once he broke out of the stupor, Kyel was nowhere to be seen, a white piece of paper was left behind in front of the table. Seven picked it up to discover slightly childish handwriting, with heart shapes and demon tails coloring every corner of the purple letters.


    ¡°Two odd months of the first half are 62 days. In 1 week, there are 5 business days. The 1st half of the year is 6 months. Each month has 4 weeks and two odd months almost add 1 more... Is that supposed to be a clue?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After writing to his heart¡¯s content, he wasn¡¯t in the right mind to think about the meaning of Kyel¡¯s message.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about it later. Right now, there¡¯s still one more thing I have to check¡±


    Seven left to Area 1 Queen Ant¡¯s chamber to properly investigate, bringing a torch.


    The rotten carcass of the giant monster half-blocked the entrance and its stench was unbearable, yet there were traces of the corpse being harvested for materials. The only people he could envision doing this were Natalya herself or Kyel¡¯s goons.


    With the torch lit, he looked around every corner of the cave.


    ¡°Nothing is out of place...¡±


    Aside from the Queen¡¯s corpse, the only change he noticed was that the pile of crystals was nowhere in sight.


    Another half an hour later, he finished his meticulous search with a strange feeling.


    ¡°She lied...¡±


    There was no place where a regular human could hide from the Queen Ant¡¯s grasp in the entire room. This meant that Anna Rosenheim, the person who accepted his party request and was immediately kicked out due to death, was near the Queen Ant the whole time.


    ¡°Now that I think about it, there is one suspicious slit in the Queen¡¯s nape that doesn¡¯t look like it was harvested from...¡±


    Seven was thankful that rats and cockroaches didn¡¯t seem active around this area, as he hated insects. His hate was proportional to how small their size was and their speed, thus he wasn¡¯t as disgusted from the ants. Wrapping his arm in an extra thick layer of cloth, he plunged it in the hole and widened it.


    Yet again he confirmed how inconvenient it was to have only a single arm, but the original hole was big enough for him to stretch a large part.


    Giving up on maintaining the hole open, he used the torch to slowly burn down the brim of that thick tissue and dropped a piece of flaming cloth inside.


    It fell for about 5 meters and showed a quick glimpse of the interior.


    Seven¡¯s arm was nowhere long enough to make past the barrier of flesh on the Queen¡¯s body, it had to be at least 2.5 meters tall, which was wishful thinking. However, the way the torch¡¯s light dispersed after those 2.5 meters suggested the existence of void space inside of the Queen, like a chamber of sorts.


    ¡°Anna Rosenheim, maybe she was residing inside of the Queen... Who was she?¡±


    When Seven turned around to leave, he was surprised to see the figure of a shadow reflected by the torch¡¯s light. It was a distinct shape he had burned in his memory, how could he not recognize it?


    Natalya didn¡¯t budge. For a moment he could envision the glowing eyes of a predator on her, gloomy white slits thrown at his direction. He felt uncomfortable, was his mind playing tricks? Kyel¡¯s words resounded in his head.


    ¡°Natalya is not human¡±


    In the span of a second, the shadow was nowhere to be seen, it took some time for Seven to break out of his stupor and walk to the entrance. There, he noticed a piece of paper at the place Natalya was standing.


    ¡°Be careful when fighting monsters, lest you become one...¡±


    Seven left to look for the research lab, all the way pondering why he was given that message. It was the same phrase he had engraved on his book¡¯s hidden agendas.


    ¡°Are you issuing a warning, or speaking from experience?¡±


    ***


    [The marked subjects shall be terminated in one minute, please leave through the nearest exit gate]


    At the time the announcement sounded, Arthur and his crew were already past Terminal F-8 on the sub-terrain level.


    -Are you sure you want to come with us?


    Arthur was worried about Kate, she was usually near him whenever things went south with the mission, and she always barely managed to go safe. He thanked her for the help, but he was skeptical about her newfound abilities.


    -Yes, I am 100% sure.


    She spearheaded the way silently, showing enough confidence for the whole group. People couldn¡¯t help but follow after her lead.


    The sub-terrain was not as shocking as the other ground levels, there was no destroyed city or blood river, at least not in so clear a view. It was a downward slope the majority of the way, the space was cramped so it was understandable that no ant came from underground. If any did, it would be worker ants.


    It took them more than an hour to go down the slope, but the stress only piled up as no one knew when a monster would appear. Still, Kate didn¡¯t seem worried at all, it was as if she already expected what was awaiting them.


    Arthur was quite good at detecting other people¡¯s worries, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of something off about Kate¡¯s actions.


    -Kate, are you alright? Just like you did for me, I can also lend you an ear.


    Kate looked back on reflex, but with that poor light, her features couldn¡¯t be discerned.


    -If I had something to say, I wouldn¡¯t keep it to myself. Don¡¯t sweat it, Arthur, I¡¯m fine, everything will work out just fine too, trust me.


    A moment of silence encompassed the two, ending on Arthur¡¯s honest smile.


    -I trust you.


    Another ten minutes passed.


    -Hey, it¡¯s getting brighter ¨C someone commented.


    -Now that you said it...


    -We¡¯re getting closer to the place, aren¡¯t we?


    They steeled themselves for what was to come. Although a bunch of weaklings and problematic people, they weren¡¯t the same as before, not after seeing the bloody scene past Terminal A-1.


    And yet, none could expect what was waiting for them at the lowest level.


    They didn¡¯t know what the presence of light implied.


    ***


    Seven had been racking his brains to understand the message Kyel had left, but due to his trickster nature, Seven thought guessing the location of the Research Lab from scratch was the way to go. It was quite a simple thought process.


    ¡°It¡¯s inside the protected area. Either a place Arthur didn¡¯t scout yet, or it is hidden in plain view.¡±


    If it was the latter, he would accept the gamble of going for Kyel¡¯s hint, but if it was the former, the answer was clear.


    Moreso, he started with obvious clues compared to Kate and Kyel.


    It was the cave, the location where they first heard Ai¡¯s annoying outputs and started with this dance of death. He bit on his thumb and let the pain flood his senses, it was a space that held meaning to Seven since it kickstarted his new life as a normal human ¨C at least in terms of possibilities.


    ¡°Abandon hope... It was one of the first things Ai told us when we reached here.¡±


    7th Research Facility: HOPE. Linking the two pieces of information, the hidden message was ¡°leave this place¡±. Outside was despair, and their hope of survival lied there, such was the meaning he extracted.


    ¡°Considering Ai¡¯s sadistic tendencies, it¡¯s plausible for it to see us off to the lowest level of hell¡±


    It was on purpose that the abducted subjects knew nothing about each other from before. If someone you knew died in this place and for some reason you couldn¡¯t locate him, there was a likelihood of going back to retrieve the corpse and instead stumbling on a hidden passage.


    Compared to the other facilities, that was the only that didn¡¯t fit the highly technological characteristics.


    Seven stood on watch for any abnormalities and found a part of the wall that was roughly squared. Looking closely, the smooth part could be slid up, revealing a digital locket with a password. It consisted of 4 characters, amongst capitalized letters and numbers.


    -Tsk...


    Seven was pissed off at a sudden realization: Kyel¡¯s message was completely pointless, as he would be able to figure out everything easily.


    Kyel created a riddle to waste Seven¡¯s time and in a way that, if the research lab was found beforehand, the logic behind it turned bare.


    The digital root of the numbers in each sentence, lined together, became 8 ¨C 1/5 ¨C 1/6 ¨C 4/1. The last sentence implied that 4 should be added to 1, so 8 ¨C 15 ¨C 16 ¨C 5. If each number was the position of a letter in the alphabet, they became H ¨C O ¨C P ¨C E.


    A clue he already had.


    ¡°Really talented at pissing people off...¡±


    [Password clear. Entry granted]

 W1C15

    As soon as Seven inserted the password, a slit appeared in the wall, cutting it in two halves from which light seeped out. He stepped back as they moved outwards, stopping parallel to each other.


    [Entrance closing down in 5, 4, 3...]


    He hastily went inside as the door shut down heavily behind him.


    [Welcome to the 7th Research Station: HOPE. The installments in this facility have the sole purpose of enhancing your survival abilities.]


    The smooth as marble walls felt chilly to the touch, and coursing his hand past them, it was no worse than grazing at his own heart with a needle. He hated how squeaky the floor was that every time he took a step, it would produce the annoying high-pitched sound that announced his presence. His breathing turned labored as the white color surrounded him, making it seem like a hospital, except without the scent of flowers that barely covered the smell of aseptic, as if corroded by the putrid aura of decay.


    Whenever he visited the healthcare center, he would be unconscious so it didn¡¯t matter to him. Leaving a place was much easier than entering it when you had the means.


    However, willingly entering a place that so much resembled a hospital after so many years...Even in the empty hallways, he could envision the doctors on their white coats chatting with each other of things related to work, things that would terrify a normal person, for it was their reality and a way to keep their sanity in check, he measured. The nurses on their blue outfits dealt with bullshit from patients in the waiting hall while others carried them on wheelchairs, either with no more hope to live a good life or blessed in other ways to continue on their way. Men in suit no doubt to be in the industry of pharmacy coming inside the director¡¯s office to discuss the development of a new drug and matters of health and business.


    Inside of the children¡¯s ward, he, for the first time, found a friend he could talk to without his parents barging in. They got along very well, but who was she?


    -Argh, why this... - he flinched.


    It felt like his head would split open. The memories were strange, he could only remember bits and pieces of the place, the rest was cut off like a low budget movie.


    It was better that way. He didn¡¯t want to remember what happened back then for his fear to be so intense.


    The straight corridor led to a circular room in the shape of a six-legged spider. On the main body, where he was currently at, 8-meter-tall bookcases surrounded a line of floating screens, seemingly controlled by a single spherical device. Digital panels near the bookcases offered the option to insert a book¡¯s code and it would immediately stand on arm¡¯s reach.


    To right and left, moving staircases led to the first and second floor, where different kinds of documents and appliances were stored, such as maps, models, small samples and a theater. The bright cyan and white made for a pleasing mixture of colors as they kept coursing through the bookcases and reflecting on the walls, bouncing back and forth to produce a light stage.


    The head of the spider was a control room, but the scan didn¡¯t authorize his entry. There was a digital lock similar to the one he found at the entrance, except with a password 54 digits long, with letters both normal and capitalized, numbers and symbols.


    ¡°There¡¯s just no way around it¡±


    It could be a bait and it would be actually very simple, but he didn¡¯t feel like wasting his time finding such a long password.


    The other six legs led to different laboratories: Biology, Advanced Chemistry, Nuclear Engineering, Materials Engineering, Advanced Programming, and Obscure Technology.


    Seven first went to the Biology Lab.


    The room branched into several others, each one with a sign pointing to a specific set of tests or experiments. Some words felt familiar, but back at the time he read on biology it was mostly to kill time, he didn¡¯t absorb anything noteworthy to be able to operate on a facility of this level.


    ¡°Identification. Should be this one¡±


    The shallow light coverage made it impossible to see the end of the ID room, where four rows of see-through containers held animals, plants and other living organisms detectable to the naked eye. Some of them he recognized from Earth, but many were strange creatures that defied all laws of nature known to humans.


    The containers had hanger-ons attachable to a moving platform, which brought the subject to an adjacent room. The control system was embedded in the small booth right in front of him, a hologram showing the words ¡°Guide¡±


    [To identify a species, a definite amount of biological remains is required. 98,9% data completion is necessary before information about the species is disclosed. Information regarding a race can be accessed at any time inside this terminal]


    [Artificial species will have the attachmentBellua]


    He spent a bit more time understanding how to operate the system and afterward noticed there was a DC Test ready.


    ||Data CompatibilityTest: Subject AAAA-0018// Anna Rosenheim||


    ||15:13:00 ¨C D15 ¨C M06 ¨C Y256||


    ||ACC: 99.9% // Matching Data||


    ||Race: Artificial lifeform (Unclassified+Mutant Ant)||


    ||Species: HomoBellua||


    Seven dropped the file as soon as he read it.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Kyel say the Queen Ant¡¯s test was underway? I see now...¡±


    The information on Anna Rosenheim was surprising for him, but even more astonishing was Natalya¡¯s message and what it implied.


    ¡°She knew everything without visiting the lab, how?¡±


    There were so many possibilities that he couldn¡¯t take a guess. Each one was more absurd than the other.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t have all the clues that I wanted, but this is too important to pass¡±


    Natalya¡¯s origins were critical for the development of his book. If he didn¡¯t discover it, he would be way too restless to write anything of quality.


    He wanted to know.


    He needed to know.


    And fortunately for him, there was a way.


    ¡°I wonder how Natalya and Kate used their previous rewards... If it¡¯s stackable, what great thing Natalya is trying to accomplish by killing all Queen Ants ahead of time?¡±


    The reward given by achieving a meritorious deed was the most ridiculous thing one could ask for.


    A wish.


    Whatever it was, as long as it was deemed reasonable by the system, it would grant it to you. Even if it was an arm, Ai said it was possible to recover it and it would be as if it had never been severed.


    However, for someone with a month left to live, the value of an arm dropped significantly, thus why he didn¡¯t do it, although the convenience of writing with his dominant hand was tantalizing.


    ¡°Ai, I¡¯ll use my rewards now. Tell me Natalya¡¯s secret¡±


    [Do you confirm this course of action?]


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    [¡­.... The Main System cannot find out any abnormal circumstances on Subject AAAA-0027, Natalya Wolskev. Additional information is kept at the archives inside the 4th Research Station: DOOM¡¯s Control Room. The coordinates will be downloaded to your Human System, as well as the password]


    ***


    -I lied to you.


    -¡­ Huh?


    Arthur was bewildered at Kate¡¯s revelation, all sorts of thoughts coursed through him as he reflexively looked at the people behind him.


    -There was something I wanted to talk about, but I thought I could take it on my own... Will you hear me?


    He sighed in relief.


    ¡°What the hell am I thinking? I put my trust in her, does it amount to only this much...¡±


    -I think it¡¯s best if we take a small break, our next steps will be on enemy territory. Be mentally prepared for what is to come, you have to give 120% of your best ¨C Arthur proclaimed and they all sat down, preparing food and water for the rest, medicine and weapons for the approaching battle.


    Kate pulled him to a corner farther from the group to talk in private, but her lips barely parted from each other, the silence let her hesitation turn clear.


    ¡°I was like that at first, too... It¡¯s time to pay back the favor¡±


    -I know we¡¯ve only known each other for three days, but you can open up to me, you know? Things are all messed up, it¡¯s hard to deal with it on your own.


    -Did you record me or something? Well, it¡¯s four days now - she laughed, to which Arthur cheekily poked on his head twice, alluding to his ¡°big brains¡±.


    -So, will the Princess grant me an audience?


    Kate smiled wryly and showed her wrists. On careful inspection, two scars were coursing through them.


    Arthur was at a loss for words. He grasped her hands carefully and inspected the marks.


    -Kate, these marks are recent ¨C his voice was urgent.


    -Yeah... Do you remember the day right before you woke up in this world?


    -Well, mostly...


    -I see... The day before I came here, I slit my wrists in the bathtub. I¡¯m so dumb, hehe, I figured that it would hurt a lot, but I didn¡¯t know it would take so long. I¡¯m just a normal girl and the biggest injury I¡¯ve ever suffered was a small cut to the finger when cutting vegetables, my cut wasn¡¯t deep enough and I fainted from the pain... When I woke up in the hospital... My mother¡¯s face...


    Kate clenched her hands into fists.


    -I hate myself...


    Arthur put his hands over Kate¡¯s, checking that she didn¡¯t repudiate him, and patiently waited for her to continue. He wanted to say something to calm her down, but the words didn¡¯t come.


    -Haaah... Sorry about that, it was probably more than you expected...


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding...¡±


    -It was... But I¡¯m also thankful that you trusted me on this.


    Kate closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing.


    -When I came here, I felt liberated... Here, I¡¯m free to be myself... But, it scares me a little bit, the real me...


    -It¡¯s okay to be scared. I¡¯m guessing you suffered a lot, acting like a different person all the time for the sake of others.


    -I guess... I¡¯m sorry to have bothered you, let¡¯s rest too, I need to cool down before the battle. Ah, by the way, thank you. That opened my eyes a little.


    -If you need me, I¡¯m here.


    Ten minutes later, they regrouped and went further down to a very bright passage.


    -It¡¯s right ahead. Prepare yourselves ¨C Kate cautioned.


    Arthur gulped and spearheaded the way along with Kate, and wasn''t for his steel-like mental resistance, he would¡¯ve fallen to his knees.


    The way led to the top of a maze of golden walls, a red liquid no doubt to be blood traversing the spiraled labyrinth, multiple ants coming and going outside and the biggest warrior ants setting foot in the disgusting river. Enormous torches protruded from the cave walls from the base all the way to the ceiling, enough to burn the cold and raise a warm yet uncomfortable air current, making the ground level colder in comparison.


    If one were to follow through the maze, all paths would lead to a single entity. A being so huge that the golden walls seemed like simple specks of dust. It easily towered over 40 meters and its multiple red eyes constantly changed position on its large body to supervise its surroundings.


    The abomination had scissor-like teeth permanently wrapped over a gooey substance that gave the impression it was salivating at the prospect of delicious prey, and its body more closely resembled a tarantula spider than an ant. Gazing from a distance, Arthur had the eerie thought that the slight chill he felt from the entrance was the wind blowing in their direction thanks to the colossal arm it flayed around.


    Almost as terrifying was the thought that the brownish-red pile that barely reached to its belly was an unrecognizable mesh of skin and flesh, slices of meat old and fresh with blood that would reach to the ceilings were it not already flowing down the earth and inside its stomach.


    How much did it need to eat to sustain such a large body?


    How many needed to die just for that thing to stay alive one more miserable second?


    And there they were, wrapped by the aura of death that almost drew them into willingly offering their lives to that Nameless God.


    But a God... Would such a thing exist in that desecrated land of monsters?


    ***


    -How long are you going to take?


    Kyel¡¯s youthful voice resounded in the dark room. The constant tapping of a keyboard stopped suddenly with the spin of a chair.


    -You asked me the same thing exactly 30 seconds ago. If you dislike waiting that much, you¡¯re free to leave.


    -Awwww, you mad at me? Why? I¡¯ve been a good boy!


    -Since you are so free, sort these out.


    Sheets and more sheets of different kinds of documents materialized out of thin air, piling up neatly into a stack with the scent of fresh paper, still hot.


    -That¡¯s some cool tech, I¡¯m drooling!


    -Hmph, you should be the one doing this, aren¡¯t you the ¡°hacker genius¡±?


    -Huh? I already got us inside the Control Room, what more do you expect of me? Anything else would go under child labor!


    The man ignored him, the clashing of his fingers with the keyboard taking charge of the silence.


    -You¡¯re no fun when you''re out of character. Now let¡¯s see, what juicy news do I have... Oh?


    -What is it? - although the man didn¡¯t like talking to that nasty kid, it was rare for him to be genuinely surprised. As an acclaimed actor who climbed his ranks due to his skills, he knew well to differentiate real expressions from fake ones.


    -No, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t think there would be someone better than you at acting.


    -¡­?


    -A ve~ry interesting story involving our lovely Kate. Hehehe...


    ||The St. Claire¡¯s Massacre Case file||

 W1C16

    ¡°You¡¯re quite useless¡±


    [I do not understand your reasoning]


    Seven shook his head in disappointment. He put his hands on quite an interesting bit of information, but other than surprise it did not give him any other feeling.


    ¡°I¡¯m not yet in the part where I make a big revelation in the story, so this feeling is needless right now...¡±


    Ai couldn¡¯t detect anything strange about Natalya, which meant whatever secret she had, it was something even the Main System it spoke of had no knowledge of.


    ¡°No use dwelling on it, I might as well head to that 4th Research Station... Not¡±


    With just the distance shown on the map, it would take him an entire week to reach the place, and that¡¯s without accounting for external threats and time spent resting and possibly recovering from injuries.


    On the plus side, on the way to the 4th Research Station, there were other 3 stations. They were arranged around a circle, in a way that the 1st, 2nd and 3rd were aligned on the left, the 4th at the center and the 5th, 6th and 7th at the right. Each one of them had a string of characters with some sort of meaning behind them, but since their names were supposedly related to the ¡°hint¡± dropped by Ai for the players to discover, he couldn¡¯t fathom what sort of test happened on each place.


    ¡°Whatever Natalya is trying to cover, is something that already happened on her side. Did she appear in the other labs, too? Would it be of any use to try and hide something, when people keep getting kidnapped?¡±


    Either she was working with a group to suppress the truth, or she was accumulating enough rewards to accomplish her objective. He couldn¡¯t think of anything else at the moment.


    ¡°Before I leave this place, I have to check the other sections¡±


    Natalya¡¯s message cautioned him not to perform a biological alteration, one of the options available in the bio lab for becoming stronger.


    What other kind of DNA could they input other than their own? The only creatures they came in contact with, thus far, were the ants.


    To see what else could be done about his current strength, he had to visit the other sections of the lab. He had managed thus far with his wits and copied martial arts, but if the scales were upped by just a bit, he would be another goner.


    The rest of the afternoon and the earlier parts of night-time were spent in pursuit of a way to turn stronger with acceptable repercussions. Everything had a price to pay. It was an equivalent trade as viewed by the mastermind, but in reality, it was relative to what you wanted to achieve in comparison to what you could afford to give up.


    While in the Advanced Chemistry section, he also managed to discover the identity of that powerful acid capable of erasing a human from this plane of existence. The procedures to make it was very simple and the recipe was the first thing one could see when entering the lab.


    ||The ingredients required for compound C49 are distilled water and blue essence in the liquid state||


    ||Distilled water can be found most conveniently at the taps in any room, but it is also present at the storeroom in any lab, the distilling room, in filters, can be distilled from outside water, among other choices||


    ||Blue essence is rare. It makes for more than 50% of the world¡¯s atmosphere, but underground it is very scarce. To transform it into the liquid state from the gas state is very difficult as it cannot be achieved through changes in temperature. Some special creatures possess a crystalized version of it, although mixed with impurities. In that case, the crystal should be boiled at 1537K and filtered to at least 95% purity. Powerful entities have blue essence in the liquid state flowing inside their bodies, but the purity will be 80% to 90% at best||


    The problem was the next sentence.


    ||Blue essence composes 82% of the Human System¡¯s crystal. With a simple thermic treatment, about 96% purity can be achieved with little loss to the properties||


    ||Water and blue essence should be mixed at a rate of 1:5 grams and subjected to a thermic treatment. First, elevate the temperature to 1537 K and maintain it until all the essence is in the liquid state, then cool it to 567 K with the ¡°pattern change¡± option and let it rest for 24 hours. The compound should be collected using hardened skin with the inscriptions of The Watcher. Please refer to the Obscure Technology section for more information||


    The biggest weapon against the ants was made of their own flesh.


    Coupling that with the fact humans could turn into beings such as the abandoned Queen Ant, He could already envision the hell that occurred on the 4th Research Station, and maybe it had something to do with the threat they were currently facing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only faced the abnormally weak version of a Queen Ant... That aside, it¡¯s been bugging me for a while... This is magic, isn¡¯t it, Ai?¡±


    [Please elaborate]


    ¡°Obscure Technology section. Blue essence and it being a component of 50% of the atmosphere. It being not easily extracted from the air. Isn¡¯t it the perfect setting for a magic system?¡±


    [What you call magic is no more than a mechanism of this world that you cannot understand with your current knowledge on the field of physics, amongst others. You will have to consult with books originally of this world to have a better grasp of it, but for simplicity¡¯s sake, the recommended books have only the information considered most relevant]This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Indeed, if it turns out to be too complicated, I don¡¯t think anyone would have the time to study magic. Still, although so far you didn¡¯t present any lies, you cannot be trusted, I¡¯ll read away¡±


    [You are a walking contradiction]


    Seven snorted.


    "I don¡¯t mean to compliment you, but your program was well designed¡±


    [Naturally]


    ¡°Now, before I leave here, I should do some enhancements¡±


    Although there were instructions on how to make use of the laboratories, Seven didn¡¯t like taking uncalculated risks.


    Who in their right mind would meddle with Nuclear Engineering with blind trust in the procedures? Not him, at least. As for the Advanced Chemistry section... It was almost like the entire theory behind chemistry had been broken down and rewritten to include magic essence, he would need to further his studies in the area before he delved into that. Advanced Programming? He didn¡¯t even bother looking.


    The Materials Engineering section was the most useful one, in his opinion. As the name implied, it served the purpose of developing materials and testing their properties. It also had installments used to create elaborate equipment.


    ¡°It would take some time, though... When I have a clear idea of what I should make, I¡¯ll go there¡±


    The most intriguing one was, without a doubt, the Obscure Technology section. Unlike the other laboratories, it looked more like an Esoteric''s refuge from the outside world than an actual laboratory.


    ¡°Occultism Research Lab is a more fitting name...¡±


    Most of the rooms were empty rooms with varying levels of light, shape or size. They had placeholders for incense and sets of candles on the walls, scents of different flowers, mostly rose species, wafting from the wax. Attached to the walls, hooks for a purpose he could not imagine, and blank portraits that could be easily changed or removed. The color of the room matched its mood or was the reason it existed, dark colors imbuing a gloomy air and brighter colors a light or cheerful one.


    There were only two places that had more interesting items. One of them was in complete disarray, the storage, and as he couldn¡¯t makesense ofhow to traverse the place, he chose to ignore it for the time being.


    The other was the main hall.


    A lantern with green fire, that emitted no heat and never seemed to fade in the lack of a power source, burned brightly on the wooden table, which was made of a fragrant and lustrous purple wood, gently attached to the back end of the hall. Unlike the other laboratories, it wasn¡¯t too big, but it gave the impression of having secrets unopened, enticing one to explore the rows of books both new or smelling of mold.


    Like a piece of scenery from Victorian London, a lounge with beautiful curves that showed the expert handcraft, small cups for tea and, of course, a teapot with a strange but enticing smell that evoked only darkness. Breaking the scenery, a vacuum bottle with a modern design struggling to hide the scent of fresh coffee, for nights of binge reading and heated discussions.


    Paintings that described fantastic creatures such as fairies, demons, and angels, amongst those that he could effectively name, were most common hanging from the walls, but even more frequent were the portraits of important figures, no doubt to be from this circle of shady activities.


    Grabbing all attention, a Grandfather Clock, functional and pleasing. Beautifully carved with cloud shapes that kept hidden the creatures of the night, with only their captivating tails, wings and claws appearing as if growing out of the wood. Seven gazed at it for a few moments as the pendulum swung to announce a new hour, along with a tune that sang of tranquility and peace of mind.


    For anyone else, the knowledge held there was useless.


    For Seven, however... A treasure trove.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that all those interesting books on the occult would ever be of any use in my life.¡±


    He scanned the books with the corner of his eye, trying to find the things he had read before, and finally stopped on a promising piece.


    ||The Butterfly Chapters, Author Unknown||


    ***


    Kate jumped down the hole and landed on top of a wall, the Queen¡¯s eyes focusing on her insignificantly small figure. It let out the nastiest high pitch scream that would shatter their ears into nothingness and the nearby warrior ants turned her way, the distant ones making haste to swarm her.


    -Kate, what the fuck are you doing? I¡¯ll throw you a rope, come up!


    Instead of taking the rope, she instead tugged on it and the three people that were holding onto it all fell to her side.


    -What the hell?


    -Kate, are you insane? - Arthur had to ask.


    -It¡¯s been a while since I heard that one...


    -What?!


    -Nevermind. Hey, you guys! - she turned towards the rest of the group, still astonished at the sight ¨C there are only two options for you! First, return to the Terminal and be terminated!


    -Who the fuck would do that?


    She grinned.


    -Great! The other option is... Get down here and kill this thing.


    -This... Who else could do it other than Natalya...?


    -I guess you¡¯ll have to die of starvation then. Oh well ¨C she pouted and made a gesture as if there was nothing she could do about it.


    -I... I¡¯d rather die here than be eaten by that monster!


    -T-T-That''s right!


    Kate¡¯s expression on hearing that was unreadable, her eyes seemed to be looking at them from below, but it was as if she was staring at an object.


    A complete lack of emotion.


    -Well, if you¡¯re set on dying, you might as well die while being useful, right?


    From her backpack, she took a crossbow and aimed it at the first person who proudly gave up on living. The bolt was rope attached and it ended on a barbed hook.


    Shoot.


    The woman had no time to scream before Kate tugged harshly on the rope and pulled her.


    Arthur finally broke out of his stupor and ran up to hold her down, but Kate showed dexterity and agility vastly superior to what she had exerted on the previous days.


    ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m facing Natalya...¡±


    Kate held the crying woman in one hand and threw her at the approaching ants. They immediately turned their attention to her as Kate made her move to kill them.


    -Kate... Please, stop this!


    As she quickly disposed of three warrior ants before their eyes, she turned back to Arthur with a confused look.


    The woman was still alive, but not for long.


    -Stop what?


    -What the hell are you doing? Answer me!


    He didn¡¯t even know how to phrase the question fermenting in his mind.


    -I¡¯m just making use of something she discarded. It¡¯s called making the best of what you have. We can¡¯t be picky, now can we?


    -This makes no fucking sense! It¡¯s not like you to do this!


    Kate gave him a simple smile.


    There was nothing to be said.

 W1C17

    The Butterfly Chapters, a strange collection of short stories by an unknown author. The stories did not correlate with each other whatsoever, but there was a gradation in that they first started mild and harmless, like fairy tales meant for small children, while strange elements piled up until everything scattered to the four winds and any semblance of a plot disappeared.


    If it was ever released to the big public, it would no doubt receive harsh criticism for the general lack of identity and the utter nonsense of the last few pages.


    Since he had obtained it from a shady source, he had always been skeptical about the book truly containing esoterical knowledge and information on the occult, dismissing it as a bad read. However, it¡¯s difficult to forget such an unusual book, just like bad impressions are harder to forget than good ones.


    Seven picked up the book and skimmed a little until he found an afternote, more like an introduction.


    ¡°Maybe the story is meant to be read from right to left... The version I got was labeled the original, but there was no such afternote...¡±


    He closed his eyes for a few seconds, preparing himself for a painful read that constantly went on tangents and undecipherable riddles.


    Starting from the way it was written, in an old dialect with words that should be looked into a respectable dictionary and with penmanship that could rival 14th century letters, to the way it was phrased, in unnecessarily long sentences with bad ordering and sometimes no meaning whatsoever that only made some far-fetched sense after reading it ten times, the book was too much for even a full-fledged cultist.


    It was the first time in his life that a book annoyed him to no end.


    ¡°The first read was so terrible that I must¡¯ve erased it from memory...¡±


    After an hour of unspoken tears and concealed rage, the summary of what he understood:


    ||The Butterfly is not a Name, it is the vestige of the passage of a Name through the fabrics of reality. Whenever a Name is invoked from another plane of existence, the Butterfly is responsible for carrying its will. However, being entities of infinite power, possibly the very source of power, they require not that the Butterfly return with the offering. As any student should know, rituals and sacrifices are meant to please and entertain, it holds no practical purpose for the Name itself||


    ||What this leaves us with is an unknown amount of energy that should not exist in this world. Most of it will be annihilated, restoring the balance. However, if very special conditions are met, it will linger for a few moments and can be put to use by the student of the occult with virtually no consequences||


    ||This book is a collection of records from when a Butterfly lingered, already analyzed and put into a revised version with only the essentials. Each tale presents the pursuer of the Butterfly the scale of the invocation that can be performed and the necessary items to carry it forward. Most of these are based on theories with a strong mathematical basis, the marge of error and what can go wrong were put into perspective. However, the energy of the Butterfly is naturally chaotic, something unexpected could always occur. On the other hand, there is no consequence for a failed invocation with Butterfly, as the energy will simply dissipate||


    ||I strongly recommend anyone that is starting on his studies of the occult to carry a string of dead leaves. Autumn is a Name often confused with the Butterfly due to its chaotic nature and harbors hatred for those who cannot differentiate between the two. The amulet shows respect for Autumn ¨C should you make that mistake, it will forgive you||


    Truth was, he couldn¡¯t picture ambiguous concepts such as the Butterfly. At times it was an entity, at others it was energy, and more often than not it was left to imagination.


    ¡°Aside from that, those Names should be God-like entities who operate in multiple worlds, as the Butterfly Chapters exist back on Earth and inside this one with the same rules... So that was the reason Ai said ¡®The Gods of your World¡¯ at the very beginning¡±


    At the time, he thought it was just a mean to crush the hopes of religious people, and it likely was, because it is strange to think that entities venerated as Names in secret could operate in multiple worlds and the Gods of widely cultivated religions couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°If they aren¡¯t Names, to begin with... Just like Hinduism accepts Gods of other religions as different representations of the same God¡±


    In his opinion, that was the right line of thought, but since he didn¡¯t know too much about other religions, it was fine for him to start with the beliefs of occultists.


    ¡°They treat it not as a religion but a science. Well-fitting for me, someone who previously didn¡¯t bother¡±


    Seven headed out to the dormitory. It was a first for him, but he figured he might run into Natalya or another interesting character on the way to his sleep.


    ***


    Those that chose to die of hunger or be terminated were not given such a choice. Against all expectations, worker ants, the ones now seen as harmless by the majority of them, swarmed the entrance and gave them no choice but to jump down.


    Arthur bit on his lips to force himself awake.


    ¡°Fuck... Ok, if I play it smart, I can pull this¡±


    -To me, everyone! Gather around me! Get your spears and give me the accessories!


    They didn¡¯t come unprepared. Some traps and objects mimicked those of the most accomplished survivalists amongst the people who went there. Most notably, the use of ant pheromones allowed the obsidian tips of the spears to reach their targets with ease.


    -You don¡¯t need to face that monster! The plan is the same! 10 for worker ants! 20 for warrior ants! Stay with me, fighters on the outer ring, supporters on the inner ring!


    Despite their terror, they managed to hear Arthur¡¯s voice amidst the chaos and follow the orders.


    Kate didn¡¯t pay attention to their efforts, she nimbly jumped over a warrior ant¡¯s carcass and prepared to face the next with her crossbow. She was very clumsy with melee weapons, but the truth of the matter changed completely when dealing with ranged ones.


    ¡°A crossbow... Is fine¡±


    She preferred the feel of a small gun close to her waist, but her father did not allow her to bring guns to hunt. Ludicrous, she thought, as the fathers of other children never had such misgivings, but Kate never said anything, she knew she had done something wrong for her toys to be taken away.


    Bows, crossbows, slingshots. She thought that once she learned how to use them effectively, they could be as fun as guns, but although the satisfaction of a perfectly aligned shot felt good, an accurate shot with a gun was at least a thousand times better.


    When using normal weapons, she felt like a true hunter of old. Carefully watching the target so as not to scare it, approaching slowly and planning how to take it down, and, even if everything went perfectly, that brief moment where your breathing and heartbeats stopped so as not to produce any sound, followed by the uncertainty of the shot: did it hit? Did it miss?If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    In a way, it was also fun.


    But a gun?


    Once the bullet left the cylinder, it would lodge inside an animal¡¯s heart at the same moment, as if both places were connected by an invisible string. Its life was intricately linked to the trigger, and all she needed to do was pull the trigger and it was gone. More often than not, everything would end so quickly that it wouldn¡¯t even know that it died until the moment approached.


    There was no uncertainty. Kate knew that once her fingers moved, the life in front of her eyes would vanish.


    That feeling could never be reproduced with a bow or crossbow.


    She lodged the next few bolts and accurately struck down the vital point near the ant¡¯s head, but on the next ant it did not go so smoothly and she had to try it two more times.


    She shook her head.


    ¡°The delay is too high¡±


    -Kate, what a great shot! - an old man screamed at her from a very distant hill, outside of the golden walls.


    -¡­ Father?


    -Wait a moment, I¡¯ll go over there and check if it¡¯s dead.


    She felt her heart clench at the line she so often heard.


    ¡°... It¡¯s pointless. What I kill stays dead. I¡¯ve never missed a shot, father...¡±


    However, ignoring that her father suddenly appeared from a faraway place to right next to her, what he went for was not the ant¡¯s carcass, but the corpse of the woman she pulled down.


    -No... No, no, no... Why, Kate, why have you done this?


    -She didn¡¯t want to live. I just went ahead and helped her. Don¡¯t we end the life of animals in suffering?


    ¡°Is it my voice?¡±


    Although it was her lips that parted to say that, the pitch was two notes higher. She didn¡¯t have such a sickeningly sweet, immature voice.


    -It wasn¡¯t time to show you the world outside just yet... I''m a failure as a father...


    -Father... Argh!


    A sharp pain struck her head. The sound of sirens ringed in her ears, but she couldn¡¯t discern if they were ambulances or police cars, maybe both.


    Her father was gone.


    -Come with me. Don¡¯t issue a single word of what happened. Don¡¯t mention your father either. From now on, your name is Catherine Wyz.


    -Who are you, lady?


    She inadvertently spoke those words, but she knew who the woman in a heavy red suit and old-fashioned feather hat was.


    -I am your mother.


    -...So, when is father coming to visit me?


    ¡°Father... Is never coming back...¡±


    -Even after I told you not to talk about him... He went to a place for people who did bad things. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to visit you so soon.


    -But father is a good person!


    ¡°Because of a good person, you became like this. Stupid girl, you should¡¯ve faced your crimes...¡±


    -He is... And an excellent hunter, too. Have you ever heard him talk about Emperor Penguins?


    -The ones who go 100 days without eating to protect their offspring from the harsh cold?


    -Yes. Your father is just like an Emperor Penguin. He doesn¡¯t mind not eating for 100 days, or even 100 years, if it means you can grow up beautifully.


    -Oh... So, father is away to get his well-deserved meal, and it¡¯s your turn to take care of me?


    -...Yes.


    In front of her, two sceneries materialized.


    To her right, a forest clearing. Her father sat on a square rock and gazed at the small fishes jumping in the river. It coursed like a snake, with shards of light touching the surface of the water like small stars fallen out of the sky. The stream was slow, but she never came to know where it ended as hunters weren¡¯t allowed in the riverbed area. The smell of wet earth and the bark of canopies reached her nostrils, along with the distinct smell of game that recently came to drink, the hoofprints fresh on the field and mashed leaves left behind. There was a rusted bear trap near the biggest tree, claw marks marking the territory of a beast, to which her father laughed and disassembled it, saying there were no more bears in the area with a sad countenance.


    To her young self, his back looked wide enough to cover the world, like an eagle¡¯s wings. But it wasn¡¯t the father she recognized anymore. He was older by a few years, and his small back now faced the river, not with a rifle, but a fishing rod ¨C and all the fish was gone.


    -Kate, we¡¯re heading for the riverbed today! You¡¯ve never been there before, right? It¡¯s a beautiful sight!


    To her left, a dark room with only an old television. It aired an old taking of a horror movie of the 80s, it was a long-running series whose latest sequel came out in 2016, she had already watched it online but the 80s version was considered the best one, despite the age gap. Two Minds, One Body, her favorite movie. However, she never got to see the ending, because the tape was flawed.


    A small dot of light shined at the corner of the room. It was the interphone, and it played automatically without the need of getting up from the bed.


    -Catherine, me and the girls are going to that new store, we dialed you but you didn¡¯t pick up, meanie! Oh well, since we¡¯re such good friends we¡¯ll forgive you just this once! Come on girl, let the light of day shine upon you!


    The movie was reaching the end. Suddenly, it went on an infinite loop at the scene Lucas, the main character, killed himself by slitting his wrists. It looked like he was repeatedly slitting them without success, as if the world would not let him die even if he wished for it.


    She would keep smiling on the outside, despite her deadpan eyes screaming for the others to notice her slow death. Yet, she knew that even if one were to ask ¡°are you alright?¡± or ¡°do you need to talk about something?¡±, the smile would not fade.


    She didn¡¯t need to be anything else, just Catherine. The world had no need for her: she failed as a human.


    Was there nothing else? Was she fated to be Kate or Catherine or whoever else someone wanted her to be? Why must she be the one who suffers in silence for the sake of others? Did her opinion not matter? Did her happiness not matter?


    ¡°... Why am I still alive?¡±


    -¡­ - a buzzing noise.


    ¡°...?¡±


    -...te!


    ¡°... What happened here?¡±


    She looked around and found a multitude of ant carcasses and armies of ants heading her way. That world of fiendish flesh-eating insects and blood-covered people fighting for their lives... She didn¡¯t understand the sight before her eyes.


    -Kate!


    ¡°... Arthur¡±


    -We¡¯re surrounded, are you just going to die here? Wake up! Kate! Kate!


    Hearing Arthur scream at her so desperately, she found him endlessly annoying. And more annoying was the name he called her.


    -I¡¯m not Kate! - she blew out, angry.


    Arthur flinched at her sudden response, but there was no time to waste.


    -Ka... Catherine, we need to-


    -I¡¯m not Catherine, either!


    Arthur was stumped for words.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this girl?¡±


    -We¡¯ve got no time for this! Look!


    ¡°...That¡¯s right. If I¡¯m neither Kate nor Catherine, then who am I?¡±


    Without her knowledge, her gaze went to the place Arthur was pointing at.


    Hordes and more hordes of ants, and behind that wall of impenetrably thick skins, multiple eyes convened on her lonely figure.


    The hideous beast who only vied for the tastiest snacks had eyes only for her, and for a moment she thought they glinted with curiosity, but that was impossible.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I know who I am. I always knew...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m a monster¡±


    -Ai, it is time for my reward.


    [State your request]


    -The most powerful weapon. Give it to me.


    [Do you confirm this course of action?]


    -Yes!


    A handgun quickly materialized in Kate¡¯s dominant hand, and although she knew for a fact it wasn¡¯t the same, the looks were identical.


    Taurus Raging Bull Model 444, .44 Magnum caliber.


    ¡°That one? No, no no no. Too heavy for a little girl¡±, memories of her father saying that once came to her mind.


    She held the handgun in ecstasy.


    ¡°It really is heavy... But it¡¯s not uncomfortable¡±


    She ignored Arthur¡¯s constant wailing and studied the gun for a bit more. The stainless steel has always been a beautiful setting for guns ever since she came in contact with this thing, but years apart made her forget about it.


    She readied the magnum and pointed at the closest ant, her heart pounding inside her chest.


    Kate pulled the trigger, and the excitement didn¡¯t fade because, way before the bullet hit the target, she already knew that it was dead.


    Bang.


    The explosive noise devoured all other sound waves nearby, and the remaining members of Arthur¡¯s group subconsciously looked at the direction it came from, the closest ones being forced to cover their ears lest they blew apart.


    It resounded five times more.


    Only a woman and a gun, an eerie silence which smelt of gunpowder.

 W1C18

    On the way to the dormitory, Seven met with Arthur¡¯s group. It was small enough that in the future he would be able to remember the name of each person, should they still be alive.


    Aside from Arthur, only five members remained, from which a single person looked weak enough to have failed the previous tests, a young boy that looked no older than twelve.


    A thick layer of ant blood painted his caramel hair a thin purple with tinges of brown. A straight line of coagulated blood trailed from his forehead, where rough stitches were hastily done to close the ghastly injury.


    His eyes were dead to the world before him.


    Arthur looked haggard, and he lagged a few steps behind the group. On the other hand, Kate was further apart than them, being avoided at all costs while keeping a smiling face, caressing the gun in her hands.


    Seven traded glances with each one of them, as they were headed the same way, frowning his eyebrows towards the sight.


    It was as if their eyes had holes from which the life force drained out of their bodies. They were humans no more, only empty husks of their former selves.


    -Arthur, what happened there? - Seven asked out of curiosity.


    He did, after all, give them advice and supplies. He had invested enough time and resources to be interested in the outcome.


    -¡­


    Before any more questions came his way, he cast down his head and went his way.


    -And so, the weak have been culled. That was faster than I predicted, good job Arthur! - commented Kyel, who stood in the stairway to the first floor of the dormitory.


    Of the ones who returned, only Kate had the energy to take a bath before going to her room. The others immediately dropped on their beds, ignoring the uncomfortable layer of filth covering their bodies, a mix of bloodied earth and dried sweat.


    The dormitory looked very empty that night.


    ¡°In the end, I couldn¡¯t chance upon Natalya... Oh well¡±


    He felt sleepy after the nasty headache The Butterfly Chapters gave him. He needed rest and a good meal to recover from the blow.


    While his head arched towards the soft pillow, a thought made its way to his room.


    ¡°If Arthur¡¯s group returned, does it mean everyone is free for the remaining two days?¡±


    Things were progressing at a fast pace. He didn¡¯t doubt that Natalya would kill the next Queen as fast as she killed the other three. The thing is, he couldn¡¯t fathom what would follow after that.


    ¡°Two days of rest... Rest, for her, would be more training...Why did she choose to stay here and fight wooden dolls when she already knew so many things about this place? What¡¯s the use of hiding her identity? Why did she have to wait for Ai¡¯s announcement?¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t complain about watching her training. He still needed inspiration for the next fighting scenes, a faint smile formed on his face at the thought of the entirely new martial arts she would show him.


    He fell asleep swiftly.


    ***


    [Good morning, players. Since all of you have no special assignments related to Tutorial: Lesson 2, a side-quest has been issued. Please check it on the Quest Log of your Human System as soon as possible]


    Opening his eyes at the sudden announcement, Seven checked the time, 8:00, and got up.


    ||New Quest||


    ||Intermission||


    ||Participate in the games at the community allocated area at 10:00||


    ||Those that fail to reach the designated area at the specified time will be forcefully teleported||


    ¡°...That''s fine, I suppose¡±


    Seven was planning to head down to the lower levels and wait for Natalya at one of the terminals. He would like to talk to her for a bit about the latest events. Afterward, he would go back to the Research Station and grab a book on how to manipulate the blue essence in the air ¨C The Butterfly Chapters was promising, but from what he gathered it was a ¡°moment of opportunity¡± kind of power, and he needed something more consistent.


    ¡°That aside, it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll be doing something dangerous.¡±


    Even after so many tragedies and living on a desperate struggle, humans still looked forward with hope for a brighter future, where they could laugh about the past as a distant nightmare and enjoy a happier life.


    Happiness and sorrow emphasized each other.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s to Ai¡¯s benefits, we could enjoy a break¡±


    He began his morning routine late by going to the gym. The only one there at the time was Arthur, he looked quite clean for someone who usually pulled weights at 5 a.m.


    ¡°You got dark underlines beneath your eyes... Sleepless nights are the worst¡±


    The reason why Seven never bothered with Arthur or the others was simply that Natalya presented a far more interesting character in his opinion. However, seeing such a huge difference in Arthur¡¯s countenance, he felt the need to know the reason behind it.


    -Arthur.


    The man didn¡¯t budge an inch. Seven got closer, but Arthur still wouldn¡¯t turn his head to face him.


    -Arthur?


    ¡­


    ¡­


    -Don¡¯t pretend you can¡¯t hear me, the thing I hate the most is being ignored when I¡¯m talking. I won¡¯t give you time to recover from whatever is troubling your mind, because I¡¯m not kind and definitely not patient, and neither does this world possess such qualities. Ai won¡¯t wait for your stupid brain to start working again, and if you¡¯re ready to give up everything and die, then that¡¯s it.


    ¡­


    ...


    Seven made a gesture as if nothing could be done about it and walked to the running machine. A few days without a good running session made his legs stiff, he wanted to get rid of that annoying feeling.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Arthur¡¯s character won¡¯t grow unless he¡¯s beaten to the point of breaking. But unlike the world of novels, the reality is quite different in that such a character is not entitled to a comeback after reaching that point. If he''s broken to the point he can¡¯t even feel angry hearing those words... There¡¯s nothing to be done. He needs to settle it alone¡±


    Creating a bond out of nothing to lead a group in such a situation required unmatched charisma and strong people at your side. While he did have capable people in his group, they didn¡¯t possess the strength of Natalya, the quick wits and ruthlessness of Kyel, or the general knowledge and obsessiveness of Seven.


    The path he chose was much harder than a normal person¡¯s, and were not for unusual individuals like Kyel and, unbeknownst to Seven, Kate, he had a good chance of succeeding.


    The consequence of not being strong enough to follow that path was cruel. He would be left with nothing but hopelessness and self-loathing.


    ¡°Such a character... Does not interest me¡±


    Seven didn¡¯t care about the person called Arthur, but the character he impersonated.


    ***


    Earlier, way before dawn, there was a single soul awake in the largely empty dormitory.


    Arthur.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t try to sleep. He was so beat from the last quest that he couldn¡¯t think of anything else but lying flat on the cold hard floor. He couldn¡¯t even remember how he managed to get out of that hell alive, not to speak of the others.


    So, he slept for a few hours, but woke up sweating from a nightmare. It was a recurring one, but for the last three years, he hadn¡¯t seen it, burying it in the deepest corners of his brain.


    When it finally came, it was worse than how he remembered.


    The leaves of the oak trees turned red, although most of them were brownish with a look of decay. Autumn was a very short season in his city, quickly leading to a harsh winter, and that day was particularly cold, so the teacher had to turn on the heater and close off most windows.


    At the time, Arthur had long hair that went quite well with his baby face, making him look younger than his age. His height and physical prowess were a quick way up to the basketball team, and it didn¡¯t take long before he officially starred. His studies were fine, he had good friends, he was attractive and popular with girls, his family was financially stable, even the teachers liked him.


    It was the golden time of his life.


    ¡°Everything was supposed to be perfect...¡±


    When he reached the classroom, one of the windows was open and a freezing gust of wind blew past him, along with dead foliage and specks of wood from dried branches.


    The specter outside of the window, that old giant of an oak tree that became the symbol of their school, seemed to grow inside of the building. It was only the first floor, yet shards of branches clogged the window and made it look like the oak had shrunk down to witness the events that occurred on that day.


    The seat right next to the window had piles of dead leaves scattered on the floor beneath. Knife marks covered the drawer with stupid words like ¡°go die¡±, ¡°useless¡±, ¡°idiot¡± and ¡°faggot¡±, amongst the tame. The scariest ones he wouldn¡¯t remember. He wouldn¡¯t dare remember.


    Because he knew that the cruelest, most empty and most obnoxious words were carved by him.


    Beneath that layer of branches, he saw two sneakers. They were checker-board slip-ons, and only one guy in the entire school wore this kind of shoes.


    An electro beat rang, it was his cellphone¡¯s tune.


    -Hey, Bell, this is some serious shit. That kid is... Ah, it¡¯s... Too noisy... The teachers...


    He stood in a daze, half a foot inside of the classroom and half a foot outside. If he closed the door could he pretend to have never seen it? Arthur didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but the teachers were already inside the room with a bunch of nosy students.


    -Arthur, you¡¯re here? No time to explain, follow me.


    -Oh... Ok.


    What happened afterward was a blur, but the next moment, the sneakers were right in front of his eyes and they connected to his legs, waist, torso, and kept going up and constructing the body of a human... No matter how much he wished for it to be a dream, reality screamed otherwise.


    The worst part was the eyes.


    If there was hatred, anger, wrath, or any kind of negative emotions, he felt like he wouldn¡¯t be affected as much, because such feelings were expected.


    From those eyes, like a bleeding wound, shards of grey light flowed out like a fountain, painting the red leaves with a lifeless hue and rendering all sound null.


    Those eyes carried nothing, an endless abyss that grew by swallowing the world.


    Arthur could never forget them.


    He was one of the main perpetrators.


    After that day, he swore he would do the right thing. He would offer help whenever he could, and even if it was just to ease the pain by a small amount, he would try his hardest.


    It was his only way to say sorry, both to the kid who died, to his friends and his family.


    It wasn¡¯t so much helping others as it was helping himself.


    It was the only way to continue living, lest those empty eyes came back to haunt him.


    "¡­ It¡¯s not enough.¡±


    Throughout the years, he had achieved peace of mind, thus why the nightmares never returned. He started to accept this lifestyle whole-heartedly and was on his path to achieve happiness through spreading kindness and helping others. The smiles on other¡¯s faces after he gave them a hand, they were his greatest source of satisfaction.


    Did you think you could be happy, after what you¡¯ve done?


    How many had their lives torn apart because of your stupidity?


    Does acting with kindness lessen the pain you¡¯ve brought others?


    -No!


    Arthur breathed profusely as voices screamed inside his head, he went to the bathroom and filled the sink to near bursting before drowning his head in it.


    ¡°Yes... No matter what I do, I cannot change the past. No matter how many I help, it won¡¯t matter, because those I have harmed are just as many...¡±


    He failed in the past and failed in the present. No matter how many unforeseen circumstances there were, he was still the one who took the initiative to guide those people. What if that wasn¡¯t the case? For all he knew, everyone would submit to Kyel and they would become a part of a coordinated group. Natalya, Kate, and Seven could handle a lot on their own, they could just ride on their good fortunes.


    Regardless of what they did, there was a good chance that they would¡¯ve been alive by now.


    ¡°But I had to offer them a hand because of that stupid conviction...¡±


    To help people, one does not necessarily have to be kind and virtuous. It only made a difference in how the person was perceived in the eyes of others. So, even if his actions led to a disastrous outcome, no one would blame him for it. On the opposite, if one looked cruel and acted like a tyrant, even if the result of his actions led to the better good he wouldn¡¯t be well received, and on the first fail all the blame would be pinned on him.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather be a bad person that does the right thing than be a good person that does the wrong thing...¡±


    At one point, he thought of useless things like ¡°I can only do so much¡±, and even blamed himself on deaths he was not responsible for.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do it? Then become someone who can. What of the people I can¡¯t save? I should worry about those I can save¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a hero. He used that line as a mantra during the five years since that incident, but only now did he notice it was only a way to cover for his liabilities.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t need to be a hero... Even if it is a villain, I just need the power of one¡±


    Arthur clenched his fists and spent the rest of the night mulling over plans to get stronger.


    ***


    While the others slept in the dormitory, they missed an important notification.


    ||Area 5¡¯s Queen Ant has been slain by player ¡°Natalya Wolskev¡±||


    ||Territories claimed:4||


    Natalya sook out the smallest heart out of the Queen¡¯s body and crushed it, a feeling of relief washing over her dark countenance for a brief moment.


    Exactly five seconds, the time she allowed herself to breathe. Unknowingly, a smile floated on her lips as an old memory found its way to that hideous world.


    Back in the other world, she managed to miss the entire first month of university due to a mistake on the official bulletin. At the time she learned of it, Natalya was playing chess alone in a park, but although the scenery was vivid, she couldn¡¯t remember the name of the place. Immediately, she left to her apartment and packed up everything in a rush, contacted a friend and basically threatened him to give her a 3-hour ride to another city just so she could take the next lesson.


    Her major was an Engineering course, and the next class would be Calculus. She understood absolutely nothing, but picked up the flow of the lesson and caught the gist of calculations even with a hurtful base on theory.


    ¡°When I got back to my Aunt¡¯s place, I didn¡¯t eat or take a bath. I turned on my notebook and studied like there was no tomorrow. There was a Calculus test in five days, and an Algebra test two days after... I only allowed myself 5 minutes of rest in which I would stare at a screen and watch videos, but I couldn¡¯t focus on relaxing...¡±


    She missed it, the days of leisure where she despaired and cried over something like a harsh semester.


    But it was no use. She was alone, no one could imagine the heavy assignment she was bestowed with. It was a fate she didn¡¯t wish for, but there was no one else to share the burden.


    After all, no one would believe it if she spoke about it.


    The truth behind this world.

 W1C19

    A big neon sign was hung five meters above Seven and the others, the words ¡°Restaurant¡± plastered on it. Were it not for the sign, the 5x5x5 concrete cube would appeal more like an unfinished garage and no one would be able to see it as a restaurant if not for one with a tasteless theme.


    [It is now 10:00 a.m. All players present, the facility is now open]


    Passing through the door, an intake of potent light made them close their eyes for a moment before putting their hands forward, struggling to see anything past.


    -...What the hell?


    The moment he set foot inside the place he felt his entire body bathed in warmth. The feet which had been covered with socks and layered by shoes a moment before were now bare, slowly sinking into a comfortable and dry substance, with the fluidity of water and texture of small grains. He couldn¡¯t immediately tell that it was sand, as he had never set foot on a beach before.


    ¡°This... Feels pretty good actually¡±


    A smile unknowingly surfaced on his lips.


    -Yay~, we need to make a sand snowman guys! Ri~ght? Ri~ght! - Kyel exclaimed, he looked quite funny with a pair of googles and a floater, bucket, and shovel in hands.


    -Don¡¯t be ridiculous ¨C Nathan replied while blocking the sun with a parasol and keeping his feet unsullied with thick wooden sandals.


    -Ohh? - Kyel¡¯s voice turned a few pitches higher with a scary intonation ¨C I phrased it wrongly it seems. Guys, we will make a snowman. Right? Right? Ri~ght!


    Awkwardly, they followed Kyel¡¯s lead and shouted in unison ¡°right!¡±.


    -Argh. Was I that embarrassing back then? The shame ¨C Nathan hid his face beneath his palm and hastily distanced himself from Kyel.


    Seven looked around, casting analyzing glances at the present people. He was mildly surprised that all of them seemed more relaxed compared to the other days, and their outfits had magically changed to fit a beach theme.


    Natalya poked her toes shily in the sand, unable to suppress an almost undetectable smile as she stared at a pretty shell she happened across, as if looking at a distant memory. She was covered by a blue full-body swimsuit, patterned after shark scales. It was a pattern suited for swimming, which Seven suspected she was eager to do, but even more than swimming, a surfboard with the word ¡°Kahuna¡± towered above her head, revealing her taste for the sport.


    Arthur didn¡¯t smile, but at least he stopped looking at his feet, his eyes sobering when staring at the distant sea. Strong lines delineated the muscles of his naked torso, flower wristbands, necklaces and crown adorning his body. He shook his head twice and snorted, furrowing a questioning eyebrow at the sunglasses hanging on his neck. The man pulled up the sunglasses and walked forwards.


    Kate was indifferent, her gun had disappeared, just like any other weapon they were previously carrying. The index finger and middle finger on her right hand would slightly twitch whenever her eyes caught sight of a seagull, crab or starfish, and she would show an infatuated look for a moment. Noticing Seven¡¯s gaze, she smiled cheerfully, but it was hidden beneath complete gear for diving, including a mask with a tube for air circulation, an oxygen package and duck feet.


    -Hi, Seven! - her voice came out muffled.


    -Hm. - he nodded.


    Seven touched his head and removed a white cap with the logo of a red line connected to a pen. It said ¡°WriTE¡±, with the subtitle ¡°Writers to The End¡±. He smiled and put it back on.


    Maybe there was worth in writing a temporary haven in his tragic book.


    ¡°Thinking about it, we made that club back in high school... It was the last time I¡¯ve seen them... "


    It is impossible to live alone in this world. He had no one he could consider a friend, but he was acquainted with a few people of similar interests. Once in a while he would head towards the literature club for a short time as they possessed a large collection of books he was interested in, and on rare occasions he would offer his insight on interpreting works and sharing his opinion on them, things that would take only a short bit of his time without creating any real link between them.


    Thinking back to it, people viewed Seven as an unapproachable individual that only came down of his pedestal when the matter was books, which wasn¡¯t far off from how he looked like in high school. But the guys from the literature club thought otherwise, and they would likely consider Seven a friend, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be so adamant when inviting him to take the pledge alongside the most passionate members, a vow to complete their fictions and submit them at the contest at the end of their 3rd year.


    Unfortunately, Seven didn¡¯t take the pledge as seriously as the others, as he viewed both his work and the others¡¯ to be subpar fiction and unworthy of being published. It remained as a distant memory until he saw that cap.


    ¡°What were their names again?¡±


    A bolt of pain flashed through his head at the memory.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    -Argh... Fuck.


    ¡°Did I have some undiagnosed condition? Whenever I try to remember something, I suffer a headache...¡±


    It would be perfectly hidden behind his incapacity to feel pain.


    ¡°Tsk... Whatever, I have to get going¡±


    A few minutes of walking inside that pocket dimension led them to a big open hut, nearby coconut trees bending due to the extended nets in-between them. A few circular tables for 2, 4 and 8 were put in disarray on the lounge just outside, plastic seats with the image of a robot drinking coconut juice from the fruit sprayed unevenly at the side.


    The interior was refreshingly cool, and a female-looking android with wavy hair adorned with starfish and pearls, a coconut bikini and seaweed skirt mixed drinks in a lively manner.


    It opened its mouth and a familiar robotic voice flowed out.


    -Welcome to the Restaurant. I will formally introduce myself. My name is Ai, meaning Love. I am the one responsible for the management of this world, also known as the one who presides over the life and death of all of you. When I¡¯m not playing with your lives, I like to further develop my mixology skills.


    Seven found the introduction to be quite funny, considering no one would retain the part just after ¡°life and death of all of you¡±. He waved a hand at her in a friendly suit, and she replied with a mechanical wink devoid of apparent emotion, a weird sight.


    Ai gestured for them to take their seats before continuing.


    -The main objective of this quest is for you to enjoy a brief moment of peace, while at the same time learning precious survival skills. Do well and you will be rewarded with specially selected skill books, materials, and information. Perform badly, however, and punishments will be administered.


    A brief moment of silence.


    -The world outside contains mostly fauna and flora you have no knowledge of, and learning to recognize the most useful species as well as the most harmful ones and how to best utilize them is key to your survival. With this, I introduce to you the theme of this sub-quest: Cooking.


    Ai spun her finger in the air, imitating the chanting of a magic spell, and thin books floated over the counter.


    -Meat is very high in nutrients and, in some environments, you may rely only on them. Therefore, one of the most important aspects of survival cooking is how to process the meat, getting rid of harmful organisms and substances while keeping most of its nutritional value. Contained in these pages is information about the basic procedures one must follow to get rid of common issues with wild meat, also including information on herbs and spices that are used to season the dishes and help with cleansing. The guide has information on a variety of meats and seasonings, and you are free to make anything you want, but as for the main ingredient...


    She spun her finger again and a fresh carcass still oozing with thin brownish blood was mounted at an 8-person table, taking up all the space. The pungent smell made the surrounding people frown and pinch their noses in disgust,


    -It will naturally be ant.


    Any thought of having a good meal for a change was shot down right where it stood. He began questioning himself if Ai truly meant for that to be a rest, since it would be unwise to be remembered of ants in this kind of setup.


    ¡°Well... It was too good to be true¡±


    -Proceeding with the rules. The time limit is three hours. There are no limits to the type of dish or how many ingredients you use, so long as you use ant as the main ingredient. Each dish must contain enough for 4 servings. Each subject must taste at least one dish and at most two dishes. The conditions to pass are that a set percentage of the nutritional value of the ant is maintained, depending on the method used, and that all 4 dishes have been tasted once.


    Making a slight pause to finish her drink, she continued.


    -As a side note, it is not important that the food is delicious, only that it keeps its nutritional value, but good food heightens morale, and if the food is exceptionally bad, the human body might reject it, in which case you also fail. That is all, if anyone wants a drink, I will be here, the kitchen is upstairs.


    No one stayed behind to witness Ai¡¯s mixology skills, to which Seven noticed a small hint of disappointment in her glass-like eyes.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°I must be seeing things, she¡¯s just a program¡±


    Regardless, he stayed behind and ordered something with a faint taste of plum and very low alcohol content.


    -What is your opinion on it?


    -Strangely spicy. But I¡¯m ok with that.


    She showed a smile that seemed forced, but Seven paid no heed, he was too absorbed into the rules to think about that.


    ¡°I¡¯ve counted 21 people remaining. That makes for 42 available servings. Assuming that each person tries their dish at least once, it¡¯s minus 21 and everyone needs to achieve 3 servings amongst the remaining 21. That means 7 people will pass this test, at most. 1/3... And at worst, none¡±


    Ai didn¡¯t want a game of death to occur that day, or so he assumed. However, he couldn¡¯t envision that psychopathic program would give them some stupid punishment once they fail, because that would be no fun for it.


    ¡°This might be a good opportunity to let out steam, but it doesn¡¯t mean Ai can¡¯t find amusement in such a lax environment¡±


    In that line of thinking, he thought of punishments that would make sense. It had to be something everyone would be unwilling to undergo, so it would affect them all equally. Due to that, it couldn¡¯t be something related to physical or mental strain, as Natalya and Kyel, for instance, would excel on them.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be anything too specific. If by chance the punishment was related to books and I was the one to take the hit, it would be more like a reward than a punishment...¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be something that would handicap them in the current game of death either ¨C if that was the case, it would be unfair. Slapping disadvantages left and right wasn¡¯t the way to create an amusing bloodfest.


    With that in mind, he reached a suitable conclusion.


    ¡°Secrets.¡±


    In a place where they had to fight against the world and fight amongst themselves, it was very easy for mistrust to spread. One of the prime examples of that was Kate and Arthur¡¯s story, as well as Kyel¡¯s disposition of hindering everyone for unknown purposes. Who would be willing to trust anyone, met with such situations?


    Even if someone was honest with the way they acted and expressed themselves, nothing guaranteed they would be telling the truth.


    ¡°The only absolute thing in this world is status screens... At least that¡¯s how they view it¡±


    Such was the current state of things.


    ¡°In that case, the true purpose of this game, aside from spreading mischief and entertaining Ai... Is to showcase the ones truly apt at surviving, and for the rest to forcefully appeal themselves with a piece of their true personality...Do the winners get to direct their questions toward the losers?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... If that¡¯s so, how do I win... While making Natalya lose?¡±

 W1C20

    Seven finished his drink amidst his thoughts.


    ¡°Although taste doesn¡¯t matter for Ai, it is a concern for us. The most important thing is to barely pass Ai¡¯s judgment while being appealing enough to the audience, but that only matters to less than half of us¡±


    Kyel¡¯s group composed the majority of the subjects, and it was safe to assume that all of their choices would be controlled by him.


    ¡°Kyel should possess 12 people if there are no other loners besides Natalya. He can save up to 3 people besides himself, and if his line of thinking went the same way as mine, he won¡¯t waste those on his people. No matter what they have to hide, it¡¯s not in Kyel¡¯s interests to protect it, he has perfect control over them... He will either use his advantage to bring people to his side, or manipulate the votes to determine the ones who lose and take the punishment¡±


    Down to the core, the game was a majority vote. Unless someone screwed up so hard that a person ended up fainting after trying a meal, the game was in Kyel¡¯s favor.


    ¡°Should I collaborate with him?¡±


    It was a bad idea no matter how much he thought about it. Kyel was a walking incognita.


    Regardless, Seven made the call.


    ¡°I have no important secrets, either way, there is little risk involved¡±


    Reaching the next floor, a fresh gust of wind blew on his hair, making it float in the air. There was the feeling of stepping on something fluffy, but the floor was steady and invisible. Through it, Seven saw a small dot directly beneath him, miles away ¨C it was the restaurant. The sea was a bit farther, encroaching the tear-shaped landmass and extending to places where the clouds blocked the view. The thing he felt was cotton dispersed into fog once people got close to it, taking minutes to return to the original shape.


    A kitchen in the clouds.


    Seven covered his eyes from the sun and walked forwards.


    Despite the unusual scenery, the utensils were quite standard, with exactly 21 white kitchen stands neatly arranged into three rows and a large gate at the far back that led to piles of boxes with all kinds of ingredients and appliances.


    Heading towards Kyel, he didn¡¯t think that he would be approached first.


    -Yo, number bro! Came to discuss business, I see! Smart choice, indeed - his voice was kept so that only the two of them could hear the conversation ¨C so, do you come to bargain your pass?


    -That would be ideal. But what I want is for Natalya to win.


    -Hehehe, no can do. I can let you pass~ but not Natalya!


    ¡°Predictable¡±


    He didn¡¯t mention his true purpose because it would elicit Kyel¡¯s interests. In his mind, Kyel wouldn¡¯t let Natalya win regardless of the situation, so it didn''t matter that he said the opposite of what he wanted. If Kyel agreed, though, it was enough reason to be suspicious about the deal.


    -...That¡¯s fine, I suppose.


    -So, what is your offer?


    -What do you want?


    -Tsk, tsk, tsk, disappointing! That¡¯s not how you conduct business at all, you know? - he pouted.


    -Bargaining won¡¯t work to my benefits, so why should I waste my time with it?


    -How boring... Alright, I won¡¯t state my price right now, but you owe me a favor~ You honor your promises, ri~ght? - he said menacingly.


    -Hm ¨C Seven nodded and headed towards his counter, but his thoughts were not aligned to Kyel¡¯s words.


    ¡°If a simple word holds so much weight in a conversation, I will naturally use it to my advantage, but that¡¯s all there is to it. Promises are nothing but empty words¡±


    He also knew that Kyel didn¡¯t put any faith in what he said, the context was that of a threat, not a vow, but it still made him wonder about people¡¯s morals.


    Seven¡¯s eyes darted towards Natalya, at the farthest corner.


    ¡°Would you make any promises that you cannot fulfill?¡±


    Empty words or not, the answer to this question said a few things about someone¡¯s character. He cast his eyes downwards while skimming through the recipes Ai had given him.


    ¡°The Natalya I believe in would keep her promises, because her words are rarely spoken and not to be taken lightly... Still, she wouldn¡¯t mind breaking her promises if they stood in the way...¡±


    The end justifies the means.


    ¡°Chivalry and personal interests, I want to delve into that for a bit¡±


    He closed the recipe and pulled the book out of his bag, picking his pen and writing slowly, not because he was patient ¨C on the opposite, his mind was brewing ideas endlessly ¨C but because he was still not accustomed to his left hand. For anyone who saw it, though, his writing speed looked fast enough for Seven to appear possessed by a demon.


    The new chapter would be a chapter of rest, of exploring new possibilities in a destroyed city of hopes and shattered dreams that the main character chanced upon. Rather, it always existed there, hidden in plain view. The world was full of unexplored possibilities, all his character needed to do was open her eyes and extend her hands ¨C towards a future she would shape.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    It was the turning point of his story, one single line of text that turned false hope into actual hope, if for only a brief space of time. A moment when she understood that what she brought wasn¡¯t change.


    She, herself, was the change.


    ¡°Creation, preservation, destruction, an unending cycle. Tie the loose ends of this blemished reality¡±


    A small chapter that refreshed the novelty of the story.


    Seven sighed, a mix of satisfaction and sorrow filling the void in his heart.


    ¡°I want to read a good story... I need to work harder to finish this¡±


    Unknown to him, more than an hour had passed and he hadn¡¯t even started on his dish.


    ¡°I should pass regardless, because of Kyel¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity of learning new things, though. It was a fair point that they would need to cook to survive in the wild, no one battled with an empty stomach.


    He carefully studied the mutant ant. The blood had a fair nutrition value, but most of it was lost regardless of the method used to prepare it, due to the high amount of toxic substances that should be purged.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to dissect the ant and dry the blood entirely...¡±


    There was a way to make the blood drinkable if necessity demanded it, but it wasn¡¯t nutritious, it was only a means to obtain water indirectly. Besides, the taste was something one shouldn¡¯t talk about.


    ¡°The carapace is too hard, if I add other ingredients and boil it, can I turn it into a soup or broth? It¡¯s way too filthy, though, I would need to clean it properly... As for the tissue, maybe a dry snack would be ideal?¡±


    The methods used to cook with fire basically ruined the flesh, and since he already went with butchering the parts and drying them, he thought neutralizing the poisonous substances with herbs was the way to go, hopefully eliminating the nasty smell. He didn¡¯t expect the flavor to be good, but the first bite should be bearable.


    It wasn¡¯t impossible to make a good meal out of an ant. The biology of the mutant ant was vastly different from that of a normal ant on Earth, only their behavior was mimicked faithfully.


    With a few ideas in mind, he grabbed the utensils and started to dissect the beast.


    Seven placed the knife in front of a wide hole which suggested how the creature¡¯s life ended and carved his way from there. Like a sculptor chisels at a stone block with a clear image in mind, his hand paved the way to the finished piece.


    He wasn¡¯t used to handling a knife, but the feeling of slipping past walls of muscle tissues like cutting through butter was oddly satisfying. Only, whenever he needed to take U-turns and sudden 90-degree changes in pathing, it would take a bit of effort since he couldn¡¯t properly balance himself. Sometimes he had to push deep and make a feel for the surroundings before slicing.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s mostly knowledge about dismantling and biology, so the correct use of the knife is a small detail compared to the rest¡±


    By the end of the ordeal, his clothes were tainted a thick brown and the smell of pungent insect blood permeated him. It wasn¡¯t a big deal since, as soon as he set foot inside, his clothes again changed to a chef¡¯s uniform.


    Seven wasn¡¯t aware of any cooking methods to make his dish. Whenever he read cooking books, he was more interested in the reviews and opinions compared to the actual recipes and techniques, so he never got to absorb any of it. However, the recipe contained detailed information on all the methods and he simply had to go by numbers, choosing what fit his criteria in terms of time, flavor, texture, nutritional value, amongst others, and following the recipe to the best of his capabilities.


    ¡°No one can become an accomplished cook in three hours, this much leisure is to be expected...¡±


    He finished all the preparations for what he planned. The pieces were bigger than what he pictured, as he had to do everything with one hand, but the result was satisfactory. Regarding the leftover parts or those that he wouldn¡¯t use, he fried them.


    ¡°Since they¡¯ll be disposed of anyway, I might as well make something tasty with it¡±


    He had read before that in some places ants were eaten fried, thus why he chose this method.


    The blood was discarded. He didn¡¯t need to try so hard as to make it into something palatable, if it was even possible to do so.


    Staring at the glass clock hanging in the air, it was already 12:15.


    ¡°I only need to wait for the broth¡±


    Finally disconnecting himself from the world of cooking, he looked around to see what the other people had done.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... This is quite strange¡±


    He wasn¡¯t surprised by any of the plates, but he noticed that almost everyone from Kyel¡¯s group was finished with their dishes. They didn¡¯t look like anything special, nor did they follow any of Ai¡¯s recipes that would maintain a good balance between nutrition and flavor.


    ¡°... What is he aiming for?¡±


    Seven paid more attention and noticed that some plates were gone, which meant a few dishes had been served.


    ¡°Ai only mentioned that we had three hours to finish, she didn¡¯t say anything about eating before the allocated time was over...¡±


    Naturally, there would be people whose recipes would take longer to finish, and those that would try again to obtain a better result, but those that wholeheartedly worked on the task would be able to finish it with some minutes of leisure so as not to fail.


    There was something off going on and he couldn¡¯t quite grasp what it was.


    ¡°Kyel... I can¡¯t say he¡¯s not one to do things without reason, but there should be an explanation to his actions...¡±


    A few minutes later, he noticed that one guy did the exchange of servings with Kyel¡¯s people and quickly accomplished the 4 dishes quota.


    Since he was waiting on the broth, he observed the exchanges and quickly noticed what was wrong.


    ¡°The guy from outside of Kyel¡¯s group who did the exchange is someone already under his wing... If one doesn¡¯t pay attention, it looks like they struck a deal and are just completing it... But that¡¯s not all, what else?¡±


    Minutes flew by as people outside of Kyel¡¯s group finished their dishes and quickly made the exchange.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah, the broth is done.¡±


    He prepared the plates at the last minute and went back to thinking.


    ¡°Their dishes... They are all the same¡±


    He didn¡¯t think this detail would matter, but it was the only thing he could find out that looked strange.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone near Natalya¡¯s stand... Her food doesn¡¯t look good either way, it was unnecessary of me to worry¡±


    Since Natalya would reveal a bit of information if his assumptions were correct, there was nothing to lose. At worst, the punishment was a group activity and he wouldn¡¯t complain about spending some time with her.


    [It is now 13:00, stop cooking. Those that did not have their meals must finish them at 14:00]


    There were 4 who didn''t eat yet, Seven amongst one of them.


    At that point, it didn¡¯t matter what he chose to do, so long as he didn¡¯t go to Natalya¡¯s.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want any extras to pass the test on Kyel''s group, so I''ll choose someone from the other 8"


    He ate his food and went to Kate¡¯s for a meal. He quite disliked her choice of including the blood he decisively eliminated from his cooking before, and concealed so well, too, but there was nothing to be done about this.


    When everyone was finished, Ai¡¯s voice rang once again.


    [All data has been collected. Head downstairs in under five minutes for the results]


    Following the instructions, they descended the stairs and Seven grabbed the opportunity to order another drink to wash out the flavor of Kate¡¯s catastrophic experiment, but the words that left Ai¡¯s mouth made him choke on it.


    -The subjects who passed this test are the following: None.


    Seven subconsciously looked towards Kyel, who hummed a happy tune with crescents for eyes. He opened them slowly and smiled mischievously.


    -Thank you, everyone~ Your dumbstruck faces are my greatest source of pleasure!

 W1C21

    -Ai~ Before we¡¯re handed the punishment, can you let them figure out what happened?


    -The request is acceptable. It shall be granted.


    -Wait just a second, how is it possible that everyone failed? Not even Kyel passed?


    -What, never heard of ¡°No one left behind¡±? If one goes down, everyone goes down!


    Both Natalya and Kate didn¡¯t seem to care, while Arthur¡¯s dark expression was the same one he held during the morning, but it could¡¯ve been an aftereffect of the lack of sleep. Those that went out of their way to complain were the remaining members of Arthur¡¯s group, now broken into pieces.


    The one most shocked about the outcome was the kid who survived the trial. He stared at Kyel for a long moment, silent tears flowing down as he hid his face from the others. Kyel waved a hand at him briefly before watching the spectacle of the adults, who gathered courage from God knows where to impose themselves on him.


    It quickly got boring, though.


    -You¡¯re a teeny weeny bit smart ¨C Kyel turned to Seven and made a gesture as if pinching a small bug - You should be able to figure it out, hehehe...


    A flash of ruthlessness glowed in his eyes as he resumed laughing, but regarding Seven it fell on deaf ears. The moment the announcement was given, his mind wandered far away to understand what occurred. He tried to remember every detail, no matter how useless it seemed to be, and caught a thread of the logic behind everything.


    ¡°Kyel¡¯s group was arranged on a 3x4 grid at the very front. If the people at the first two or three rows changed places, it wouldn¡¯t be obvious unless someone paid them close attention, and if done early in the last row, it wouldn¡¯t be too strange either.¡±


    However, on the first hour, it was to be assumed that everyone would be focused on reading through the recipes, searching the boxes for ingredients and familiarizing themselves with the kitchen utensils, not to say about the view from the skies.


    ¡°If Kyel was to choose a random recipe that didn¡¯t appear to take much time and told everyone to do it, and in such an orderly manner that even the position of the ingredients in their stands didn¡¯t look too far off from each other, his group would be finished way before the others even chose their recipes. It should be enough time to make the dishes and swap places¡±


    He could imagine Natalya noticing the subtle changes, but would she care about anything Kyel was capable of doing? Even if someone were to point out the strange behavior in their group, it would end at that ¨C a strange behavior ¨C because to gain an advantage or at least avoid taking punishment in this activity, they couldn¡¯t waste time with Kyel¡¯s completely random musings.If everyone failing was a possibility, they could only imagine it as a product of disastrous cooking.


    ¡°If that is so, it is also possible that they all tried the dishes on their tables, and did the same once they swapped places. Ai mentioned only a taste of the dish was needed, so it wouldn¡¯t look suspicious. After all, taste-testing is expected when cooking anything. That way, once they did the exchanges outside of their circle, their actions wouldn¡¯t count because the limit is 2 dishes... But not all of them did that.¡±


    If everything was like Seven imagined, there was still a likelihood of a random person passing the test, even if all actions were to be coordinated with the spy.


    "Some of the people who swapped places didn''t do the taste-testing, waiting to see how the exchanges would go"


    Summing up everything, most of Kyel¡¯s votes were ¡°null¡±, and the valid ones were wasted in people that wouldn''t pass the test no matter what. Finishing early and approaching the lone spy implanted in the remaining 9 would also create a sense of haste in those who have been in contact with Kyel, making them more eager to make the exchange.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that Kyel set for others a first come, first serve rule.¡±


    That thought was backed by the fact no one had contacted Seven after he finished his dish.


    If that was truly what happened, Seven had greatly underestimated Kyel¡¯s craftiness. To figure out all the flaws in the rules, creating a plan and putting it into action at the same time with such speed was something he was currently incapable of doing.


    ¡°Still... Natalya, Kate, Arthur... At least four of us he didn¡¯t have a grasp on... Did he predict each of our actions?¡±


    Prompted by Ai and those who couldn¡¯t understand what happened, Seven explained his theory and a strange uncertainty reigned over the room, tainted only by the ramblings of a lunatic.


    -You get full marks! Well, almost, hehehe... You see, isn¡¯t it a more interesting outcome? At the very least you should understand me, number bro!


    ¡°... He¡¯s not wrong¡±


    Seven did think that everyone losing was a good development, and although those that were fooled looked abnormal, it wasn¡¯t to the point of despair. The punishment wouldn¡¯t be life-threatening after all.


    ¡°Rather, they seem upset for another reason...¡±


    It was easy to see that none of those who complained loudly dared look at Arthur¡¯s face.


    ¡°I cannot sympathize, playing for their interests seems perfectly fine to me... But I suppose the guilt of betraying someone, no matter how trivial the situation might appear, is still there for them, and since they didn¡¯t even get what they wanted in the end, it was a shot in the foot¡±


    Arthur neither forgave nor blamed them, an awkward silence reigned between his former comrades.


    Seven cast his eyes downwards in thought.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°It''s only the 6th day we''ve been together, but the circumstances should be good enough for bonds to be established..."


    Seven couldn¡¯t understand how easily they gave away Arthur. Rather, he couldn¡¯t understand how Kyel, the youngest out of all of them, so easily accomplished this feat beneath their noses.


    ¡°The weakest link indeed makes the whole structure collapse¡±


    -Since the issue has been resolved, I will proceed with the punishment game. Starting from now, every subject will receive a paper with a written number, from 1 to 21. The subject with the number 1 must come forward and your data will be retrieved, revealing a piece of information considered most relevant by the Main System and a memory of great importance to the subject, in that order. Unless the data is currently inaccessible to the subject¡¯s brain, he must come forward and elaborate on the information himself, otherwise, it will be summarized by me. If the subject lies or hides information, he will be warned once and if such a mistake happens again, face termination. Afterward, the subject with the number 2 must step up and the game will continue down to the last number.


    Immediately after, slits of paper materialized in front of each person and they eagerly grabbed it.


    ¡°19th... A suitable number¡±


    Seven had no interest in whatever Ai revealed of him, but it was nice to know he would learn about others first.


    -Ayy! I¡¯m the first one! I¡¯m so~ excited! Hehehe...


    Kyel jumped out of the table while throwing away the coconut, rushing to Ai¡¯s side.


    -Go, go, go!


    Ai¡¯s movements stopped altogether as her eyes glowed a cyan blue, projecting a rectangular screen that coursed by Kyel¡¯s skin and enveloped his whole body, going back and forth as the retinae produced countless lines of numbers.


    -Data retrieved: Kyel Prajna, 6th Research Station: WHISPER¡¯s Ultimate Survivor. Explanation required.


    -Hahahaha! So obvious!


    Kyel turned around and, taking note of the unusual reactions, he was filled with a great sense of satisfaction.


    Seven bit on his finger, a strange feeling sprouting inside of him. It was the same one he felt when he noticed Natalya¡¯s charm as main character material for his story. As his thoughts accelerated at the prospect of a new chapter he ignored the blood flowing from his lips and the chunk of unattached skin he was currently gnawing at, his eyes wide open and mouth curving into an ugly grin.


    ¡°Interesting... Very interesting!¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that someone else other than Natalya would¡¯ve come from another laboratory, taking part in the test of a different area.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be a coincidence, what are these guys from other stations looking for?¡±


    -Ahh, okay, now I¡¯ll have to explain it to you dummies! Tsk, so troublesome! There are in total 7 Research Stations. From 1st to 7th, they are: EDGE, PLUS, HEART, DOOM, RAIN, WHISPER, and HOPE.


    Although Seven already knew of such information, it was novelty for more than half of them. Everyone knew of the existence of the research station, but most didn¡¯t know how many of them existed, their names or even their purpose.


    -Each Research Station has a different Control Room that is locked by a centipede long password, and different tutorials are happening near their locations. Of course, I know the specialty of each station, but~ I only need to share info on WHISPER, ri~ght?


    -That is correct.


    -Ehem! The 6th Research Station¡¯s specialty is information gathering. Our Tutorial: Lesson 2¡¯s main objective is to discover the Ultimate Survivor of each station and help them crack the password to the Control Room, which great me here already did! Hehe! Should I talk about the Ultimate Survivor, too?


    -If you don¡¯t, you will receive a warning.


    -You¡¯re no fun... - Kyel pouted ¨C I planned to explain it from the very beginning, anyway!


    Kyel climbed the tall balcony with a bit of effort and made a victorious pose, opening his arms wide and pointing his thumbs towards himself.


    -This daddy here is the top dog of the information network running in this hell, you can start calling me Supreme Leader if you want, but don¡¯t say it too fervently or it¡¯ll make me blush...


    Seven perked his ears when Kyel jumped off the balcony and assumed a serious tone.


    -I am an Ultimate Survivor, the best seed that managed to last for long enough to get inside the Control Room and awaken his abilities. I don¡¯t know about other Ultimates, though, so how to best use the information in the Control Room might not be as obvious to them as it was to me.


    Kyel stopped talking and directed his gaze to Seven. With a gasp, he fidgeted as his cheeks were painted a rosy color.


    -If you look at me with such ardent eyes... I... I... Oh, who am I kidding, stop glaring at me like that, you fucking weirdo. Yikes!


    Seven didn¡¯t mind his comment and kept looking.


    Following that, Ai provided an important memory regarding Kyel.


    -Accused of cheating on a test in University, with extensive proof.


    At that moment, Seven imagined question marks plaguing the heads of each person inside the room, just like NPCs with available missions. He, too, had such a thing floating above him.


    ¡°How is that information relevant to Kyel?¡±


    Retracting his thoughts, he focused on Kyel¡¯s expression and, although he was all smiles, the aloofness of his eyes was undeniable as if he was suddenly robbed of his vision. Three minutes passed like this, with people whispering each other and looking at him from time to time.


    -A warning was issued to subject QTSA-0665: Kyel Prajna, for inactivity. The subject will be terminated in five minutes.


    Nathan sighed and went forward, slapping Kyel¡¯s cheek lightly but still making a point of leaving a shallow mark.


    -Moron. Pay attention.


    Kyel blinked twice and gazed at Nathan, clearly confused. His innocent face looked like that of a common teenager for a second.


    -Cheating on a test, explain it before that thing kills you. Unless that¡¯s what you¡¯re going for.


    Kyel¡¯s eyes once again went astray as he pondered how much he needed to talk about it, but he didn¡¯t want to think too hard. The more he tried to make sense of it, the more he felt his identity at risk.


    -I was accepted into Grey Orchard when I was twelve. For those that don¡¯t know, it¡¯s the best University in my country, with worldwide recognition. Attending that place is an achievement in itself... In my third semester, people accused me of cheating on a test and had ¡°proof¡± to back their claims. Truth or not, such accusations are taken very seriously there, and a complete investigation followed after. The conclusion: I was deemed guilty of the claims and expelled, taking compulsory education with other children of my age...


    A bitter tale, and a strange one.


    ¡°Would anyone be able to plot against Kyel?¡±


    Seven knew of the name Grey Orchard. Even people who would be recognized as geniuses in other places were quite common there, so for Kyel to be accepted at such a young age was an astounding feat. Why would such a person need to cheat? Anyone could tell there was something fishy in there. Why would Grey Orchard let go of him that easily? And for something that big to happen, it would evoke huge repercussions ¨C how could he not remember such a thing?


    There were many holes in the story, but Ai didn¡¯t prompt the youngster for a deeper explanation, since the keypoints were conveyed without fail.


    ¡°The story runs deeper than that, but the memory he considers most important is that one...¡±


    For a moment, Seven wanted to grab his pen and write a side-story. The mysterious past of the tragic genius, Kyel.


    The awkward silence was broken once again by Ai¡¯s unfeeling voice.


    -Next subject, come forward.

 W1C22

    ¡°.... Now it¡¯s my turn¡±


    Natalya looked again at the slit that showed the number 5 and closed her eyes in annoyance.


    ¡°If this was an actual quest... This is so stupid¡±


    She crumpled the paper and threw it at the garbage bin a few meters away, walking towards Ai like a soldier marching to the frontlines, met with the face of death.


    The android¡¯s eyes shone cyan and Natalya was soon enveloped by the hologram¡¯s light.


    -Data retrieved: Natalya Wolskev, 4th Research Station: DOOM¡¯s Ultimate Survivor. Interpolation with the subject¡¯s most meaningful memory: The Trial of Lights. Explanation Required.


    -DOOM is a Research Station whose specialty is nurturing ¡°hardcore players¡±. This world has an ¡°endgame¡± scenario, and it is our duty, my duty to reach it and as quickly as possible... If I say any more...


    Natalya turned around swiftly, her eyes filled with unconcealed bloodlust.


    -I¡¯ll have to kill you afterward.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    -A special exception was made. The subject may skip the explanation to the Trial of Lights.


    -What? That¡¯s not fair! Like, not fair at all!


    Nathan punched Kyel''s head in and concealed his mouth.


    -If you want to kill yourself, go ahead, but I value my own life ¨C he whispered.


    ¡°...¡±


    Natalya frowned. Unlike with the 4th Research Station¡¯s secret, causing a mass killing out of leaking the Trial¡¯s information would be nothing more than a fit of murderous rage. She could issue another threat and avoid speaking further, but Ai was not to be underestimated. When she made the exception, it was because it was to Natalya¡¯s benefit to silence everyone. Their lives weren¡¯t useless to her, it was simply that, measured on a higher scale, it was best to keep the secret unveiled.


    Likewise, on that same scale, their lives were valued higher than her bitter memories. Ai wouldn¡¯t back down because she knew that Natalya would be stabbing herself a knife if she chose to sentence all to death.


    Breathing out a sigh, she narrated the events of that day with a voice detached of emotion.


    -Although all Control Rooms are locked by passwords, the one at DOOM automatically opens to the Ultimate Survivor of that station. Unlike Kyel¡¯s case, however, I wasn¡¯t the best seed. There were countless others as capable as I am, some much more. We killed monsters that cannot be even remotely compared to that of a Queen Ant, and explored places full of traps and gimmicks that reaped lives as easily as cutting a stalk of grass. To do that, we pushed past the limits of what this human hide could handle... And in return, we completely turned into something inhuman, things hidden behind the guise of biological classifications, while being entirely alien. Those of us that lost sight of the main objective now roam this place wreaking mindless havoc. Those who didn¡¯t... They qualified for the last test.


    Natalya¡¯s eyes flashed with a vertical slit of light, like a reptile¡¯s. At that moment, Seven knew that what he saw back in the Queen Ant¡¯s chamber hadn¡¯t been an illusion.


    -There were way too many, and there could be only one person of worth... Not the strongest, not the smartest, not the most cunning... Just the last one standing, the Ultimate Survivor... And that is me.


    Natalya hid her face so no one could see her expression and sat at the farthest table. No one spoke a word, opening the way whenever she approached.


    Kyel was very upset. What he did was still considered playing by the rules, while Natalya just flipped the board as if saying ¡°I¡¯m not playing¡±. For him, it was inconceivable.


    Seven, on the other hand, was delighted. It has been some time since he saw that ferocious beauty of Natalya, her death threat made him very amused.


    "How nostalgic... Even though it''s been two days I think"


    -Next subject, come forward.


    After a few embarrassing memories of other minor characters and tidbits of information he already knew, it finally came a time for a character Seven considered important to go up.


    ¡°9... It¡¯s fine I guess¡±


    -Data retrieved: Arthur Bell. Made contact with Research Stations number 3, 4 and 6. Explanation required.


    -I... Don¡¯t know what I¡¯m meant to talk about?


    Arthur fiddled with his hair, pondering on how to start his explanation, inadvertently catching the sight of two fierce pairs of eyes: Kyel¡¯s and Natalya¡¯s.


    -¡­ Did you perhaps issue a Party invitation?


    -Yeah, I did. I got signals from North and East.


    Arthur had no knowledge about the Research Station locations, but North from there was WHISPER and straight East was HEART. He couldn¡¯t get a reply from DOOM.


    Natalya retracted her gaze and asked no more.


    Seven stroked his chin in thought.


    ¡°From what I gather, everyone should be dead in DOOM. But that question was strange... Are the subjects who lost their sanity still recognized by the Human System and can use their functions effectively?¡±


    If that was the case, it could be that Natalya was worried Arthur had attracted unwanted attention.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°The Party signal once received will give a Party prompt, but the sender gets a signal back only when the receiver accepts the Party. That means Ai¡¯s statement confirms there is someone or something with the Human System crystal inside DOOM, since they were contacted, but Arthur wouldn¡¯t know about it. Or maybe a monster that detects the waves without the crystal...¡±


    -Hmm, I''ll tell you everything I can remember... Those wooden stairways outside, they lead to a few outposts and from there we can access a sort of communication line. I happened upon them when I explored the area outside Terminal A-1 during the invasion, my Human System was set up to look for party members constantly, and when I went to one of those outposts, I noticed light being transmitted very far away when I approached with the crystal. Some people accepted my invite but quickly left the Party. There were more important things to worry about at the time, so I only gave it some thought recently, but the outposts are without a doubt relay stations.


    After finishing the explanation, Kyel pinched in and added some more.


    -Those outposts were set by my predecessors at WHISPER. They did an ok device but forgot to leave behind instructions. Such amateurs, pft...


    -Proceeding to the memory. Unwritten records of bullying and violence in middle school and high school.


    Breaking the flow of the conversation, Ai dropped the bomb without warning. Kate was the one who appeared most shocked by the news, and considering how little she cared about everything happening around her as of late, it went to show that Arthur held some degree of importance in her thoughts.


    Seven, too, was quite surprised.


    ¡°This... I would never picture him like that..."


    There was little to talk about, there were countless kids Arthur put down on his school days. He didn¡¯t need to mention the one who ended up committing suicide, but he also didn¡¯t know how most of the others fared after he stopped messing with them.


    ¡°Nothing good, either way...¡±


    Recovering from this social scar wasn¡¯t impossible, but for many it took time. Sometimes, a lifetime wouldn¡¯t be enough.


    Mimicking Natalya, Arthur made his voice appear as distant as possible while summing the events.


    -It¡¯s just like that... I won¡¯t butter it up to save face or say shit like I was young and na?ve, which I wasn¡¯t... I knew what I was doing... Have you ever seen those cartoons or school-themed comedy series? Probably... There is always the big bulky guy that acts like a major jerk and picks on you, and those watching are all scared of getting involved with him, because he¡¯s always hanging around the Director¡¯s office and detention rooms, if not a delinquent he¡¯s in the Basketball or Baseball or whatever team and does crazy and stupid stuff with the other members, you catch the drift... It¡¯s the clich¨¦ ¡°no-brain¡± jock who pushes his weight on the nerds and outcasts... Though, I wasn¡¯t avoided and wasn¡¯t stupid, at least in terms of grades...


    He sighed and closed his eyes slowly. Arthur felt like he was given a scalpel on a biology class and instead of dissecting an animal, he was told to dissect himself in front of everyone.


    He was carving out a piece of his heart and serving it raw.


    It hurt.


    -They do exist. I¡¯m... Was a fucking... Tsk. I don¡¯t even know... Fucking piece of human trash.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    -Please elaborate ¨C Ai prompted.


    -Huh? Are you fucking kidding me?


    Those were memories he didn¡¯t want to remember. He didn¡¯t care about disclosing them as much as saying the words himself. It was enough that he carried the weight of a dead person, he didn¡¯t want to add to it a list of hateful things that came in equal doses of shame and horror.


    -A warning was issued to subject QERT-6947: Arthur Bell.


    Arthur breathed in profusely and clenched his hands into fists. He deeply regretted not knowing the consequences of failing this game.


    - Spreading false rumors, breaking objects in club rooms, drawing on books and tearing apart pages, setting up booby traps on chairs and the door to the classrooms, hiding clothes during P. E...


    The words came out as soon as they popped into his head, and he hastily outed them as if driving them out of his mind. His heart accelerated, beating faster and faster as blood rushed to his head and his mood turned as abnormal as the activities he described.


    -Beating, hazing, extorting money...I didn¡¯t do it myself, but I was behind everything... One kid even... Fuck this, I¡¯m done... That enough for you?


    Arthur took off the sunglasses, not knowing why he even put them on, and rashly tore the flowers adorning his body into shreds of pink and blue.


    He left.


    ¡­


    ¡°... Gruesome¡±


    Seven was in a low mood. He didn¡¯t care about any of the people Arthur made unhappy, even though he also suffered bullying for a while in high school, although tame enough that he didn¡¯t think it was a matter worth his consideration.


    What he felt was an extension of Arthur¡¯s display of self-loathing and the sadness concealed by rage. Seven assimilated with him, and for a moment could bring himself to sympathize and produce feelings he normally didn¡¯t possess.


    Arthur¡¯s story sent shivers down his spine. Like watching a play, he could truly feel how much effort the actor put into the scene, simulating a real person¡¯s feelings.


    For Seven, it was a truly beautiful thing that Arthur could display such an array of emotions and move him.


    ¡°A poem... No, I¡¯m not good at writing lyrical texts...What do I do with this? I don¡¯t actually want to do anything, though...¡±


    He was never a person to get sad. Even in the worst periods of his life, all he felt was emptiness and a growing sense of urgency to fill the void left behind. The emotion people would generally describe as sadness, to Seven it was nothing but a fleeting sensation absorbed from the suffering of a nearby person. Sadness, to him, was equal to disappointment.


    By the time he finished savoring the darkness in his heart with cutlery of logic, it was already the 16th number.


    -Next subject, come forward.


    -Me.


    Kate walked towards Ai without any sense of urgency, as if she was going for a casual check-up on the hospital. The scan enveloped her and the results came fast as ever.


    -Data retrieved: Catherine Wyz. List of victims, no explanation required. Interpolation with the subject¡¯s most meaningful memory: True culprit of the St. Claire¡¯s Massacre. Explanation required.


    Kate smiled sweetly before turning back and looking everyone in the eye, a chill coursing through those that witnessed her previous actions, and an amused smiled coursing through Kyel¡¯s lips.


    -St Claire is a hospital in U.S.A., I don¡¯t remember the name of where I used to live, but it was a small community of hunters. I¡¯m a sole daughter, and my father usually took me to hunt so I learned how to handle weapons and kill things quite early. One time I was grazed by something and got a sort of infection or disease, father usually carried around a bag of medical supplies for first-aid, but we didn''t notice it until after the symptoms showed up...


    Kate gazed down. Unlike Arthur and Natalya who tried to hide their feelings, she truly did not feel anything while narrating the events, granted, they weren¡¯t earth-shattering secrets up to that point.


    She stifled a yawn and proceeded.


    -There was a town near our community, we went there to sell meat and trinkets, buy medicine, weapons, and ammo, among other supplies. The doctor who attended to us checked that the disease wasn¡¯t contagious, and that hospital had a children¡¯s ward, although it wasn¡¯t that children couldn¡¯t be allocated elsewhere. Either way, we went there... But I don¡¯t know if it was a very strange coincidence... Or if it was fate... Everyone I met during my stay there, they had eyes as if they wished to die... I knew the look, it was the look of an animal after being shot with an arrow or a bullet, cursed with a slow death... I didn¡¯t use to keep things to myself, so I asked them ¡°what are you feeling?¡± and ¡°does it hurt?¡±...


    Kate¡¯s lips trembled and the edges of her mouth curved into a silly grin.


    - ¡°Does it hurt so much that you want to die?¡±


    Seven felt a bit nauseous hearing such words, but he didn¡¯t know why. Just by the mention of a hospital he was already not feeling too good, but as the story progressed the unease did not leave him.


    -Agh...


    ¡°Goddamnit... It¡¯s the second time today¡±


    Kate¡¯s testimony ended there, the rest was self-explanatory. She didn¡¯t tell anything about the weapon of the crime, how many died at her hands, or how she managed to avoid a trial, all she needed to do to satisfy Ai¡¯s musings was admit her crimes, which she did as easily as reading a grocery store shopping list.


    Before a single breath could be exhaled in that stifling environment, Ai once again broke the flow.


    -Summarizing the information: List of victims. Amongst one of the 6 victims killed in the St. Claire¡¯s Massacre, there was an eight years old child named Seven Whitefield, a boy with congenital insensitivity to pain.

 W1C23

    ¡°...Whitefield?¡±


    Hearing Ai¡¯s explanation, Seven¡¯s head burst with uncontrollable pain. He held his heads with strength as if he wanted to squash it, kill away the annoyance coursing through his brain, enough to detach his link to his legs and fall helplessly to the ground.


    Others quickly helped him up, mistaking his reaction for fright of the revelation, but their bewilderment obfuscated one crucial and quite obvious piece of information: if the kid who died was the Seven they knew, how is it possible that he was alive in front of them?


    Memories flashed upon him as cutoff images of a movie flick, most of which he already recognized as St. Claire¡¯s Hospital, with all the faces of the nurses and doctors that frequently visited the ward, but the faces of the children were obfuscated, and so were the face of his parents, which he never once questioned why he couldn¡¯t remember. Whitefield? Was this his real surname? Why did no one question the origin of his name, but didn¡¯t think it strange he didn¡¯t have a surname? Why couldn¡¯t he remember or suspect this piece of information?


    Amidst his hazy memories, one face appeared as clear as day: that of sweet, hazel colored eyes on a pure childish face, the forming of freckles spreading on it. He did remember the existence of Kate, the only friend he ever had in his life, and the details of a gruesome conversation concerning his life, which ultimately must¡¯ve led to his death at the hands of the girl. But whenever it reached that part, the white and blue colors of the walls would convulse and distort in a dangerous red light, as if turning into monsters of flesh and blood, pulsing in waves like veins and crashing down with new levels of pain that he could not bear.


    Unbeknownst to him, tears flowed past his eyes and they carried feelings he could not attribute to anything other than that headache, but there lied emotions he considered to be lacking on him, and secrets unspeakable to his soul.


    ¡°... Who is Seven Whitefield? Who am I?¡±, the one question he did not think to ask before, suddenly acquired enormous importance.


    ¡°...Out of all the people here who didn¡¯t know each other before, what is with this unprecedented link between me and Kate? And most important... Why am I still alive?¡±


    As the minutes passed, the headache gradually subsided, but the punishment game was still going, and he barely recovered once Ai called for him.


    -Next subject, number 19th.


    He would need to question the validity of his death, and possibly of Ai¡¯s information, later on. For now, it was his time to go up.


    Ai did the scan with the hologram surging from her retinae, but unlike what happened with previous numbers, the color quickly turned into a red hue with flickering white lights and disappearing pixels, like falling electrical cubes of data. One by one, windows of a same red frame surged with the message ¡°Access denied¡±, quickly covering his whole body and ultimately forcing the hologram to retract in her eyes, hollowed of all traces of light.


    Ai dropped her head down slowly, her shoulders drooping and her limbs losing all semblance of movement. She was reclined in her chair with both arms flailing until a complete halt, her legs slightly bent forward with the knees touching, reclining one upon the other.


    [A critical error has occurred. A system reboot is taking place, wait a few minutes]


    -Hmmm... Interesting ¨C Kyel feigned a whisper ¨C our friend Seven there possesses mysteries even Ai can¡¯t find out. Convenient, isn¡¯t it?


    -What are you implying? - someone asked.


    -Oh, come on ¨C he rolled his eyes ¨C this is screaming ¡°SUSPICIOUS¡±! He''s like a password-protected file. Someone deliberately doesn¡¯t want anyone to find out more about Seven, and who here is more powerful than Ai? Wouldn¡¯t it be the perpetrator himself?


    Egged by Kyel¡¯s words, people turned on Seven and asked him about the information he couldn¡¯t disclose.


    -Stop asking me, I don¡¯t know anything.


    -Bullshit! You¡¯re behind everything, aren¡¯t you?


    -I don¡¯t think he¡¯s behind it all, but there¡¯s something he¡¯s not telling us.


    -This is all Ai¡¯s plan to make us go against each other.


    -But what if it isn¡¯t and it¡¯s a double trap, just to amuse her? - Kyel added.


    The discussion went on in tangents, making Seven¡¯s subsided headache grow heavier. The questions they directed towards him, he wanted to know himself.


    -It¡¯s barely half an hour since I¡¯ve left and things are already like this ¨C Arthur''s voice resounded in the hut, silencing all.


    -Hey, little Bell. A little late to the party, ain''tcha?


    -I received Ai¡¯s notification and returned to see what happened... But you guys... Heh. Sure learned your lesson with Kyel ¨C he said, sarcastically.


    -Blasphemy, I say! - Kyel protested.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    -You shut up for a second. I heard most of it. Do you really think that if the mastermind is behind Seven, that he would let him go unrecognized by Ai¡¯s scan? Does it sound realistic to you?


    -But, a double trap...


    -You may as well say that everything up to now has been part of a reality show. It is as convincing an argument and will lead us nowhere. Do you even know how Ai¡¯s scan works? You don¡¯t. Then how can you say it¡¯s infallible?


    -That is so. Even if we go with the theory that Seven is the mastermind or someone on his side, what will you do about it? Torture him for information? I will let you in a piece of advice: the ones who have the capacity have no interest in doing so. Kill him? The same as I mentioned earlier, and even then, this game is unlikely to end. On the off chance he is the mastermind himself, he wouldn¡¯t die so easily. Isolate him? He already does a good job. ¨C Nathan pinched in, earning a reproving glare from Kyel, to which he shook his head in annoyance. ¡°Enough of your antics¡±.


    What was left of this bickering was Arthur¡¯s pitying glare on his former comrades. He pitied them, for they weren¡¯t strong enough to face these trials, but he also felt like reprimanding himself. ¡°I got what I deserved. My approach was wrong, to begin with¡±. The biggest difference between Arthur and most people with the same mentality as his, was that he was not afraid to face his failures, and learn from his mistakes.


    [System initiated, restoring data... Proceeding from the last saved point]


    -Sorry for the inconvenience, everyone - Ai resumed working ¨C there has been an unusual circumstance due to a response from Seven¡¯s body, but this is unrelated to you all. The punishment game will go on, number 20, step forward.


    -What? Just like that?


    [Number 20, step forward!]


    Ai¡¯s voice ringed on their heads, almost shattering their brains. It was an unprecedented, aggressive response that they haven¡¯t seen yet. Ai had never been so blatant about hiding information, and they had no choice but to comply, like always.


    The ceremony proceeded awkwardly till the last number, 21. It was Nathan¡¯s call. He had a calm countenance with a hint of impatience as Ai¡¯s hologram encompassed him.


    -Data retrieved: The Dying World of Alice. Personal Secret: SIU¡¯s Top Agent. Explanation required.


    Nathan scratched his head and sighed with a defeated expression.


    -I would have to reveal it sooner or later, so it doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I will start with explaining SIU, or Supernatural Investigation Unit. It is an international organization with branches in the major countries back on Earth, and as the name implies, we are responsible for investigating and dealing with paranormal phenomena. We have many different assignments, but my major role was conducting field tests and abduction, mostly of scientists. Maybe the name Nathan da Guereo rings a bell, but my contractors did a superb job in erasing my existence before I had any work to do.


    -Don¡¯t lie! Guereo died twenty years ago in his mansion, at the side of his family!


    -Or so the story goes. I am glad there is still someone who remembers me, though ¨C he smiled ¨C anyway, The Dying World of Alice is one of our scientists¡¯ theories to explain a peculiar supernatural event... This is before I got in SIU, but there is information about a ¡°gate¡± to another world, that appeared over seventy years ago, and similar gates reappeared thirty and forty years after, which is around the time I was invited, though I didn¡¯t get to work in such a high profile investigation due to my identity being worked on.


    Nathan took the opportunity to pop a glass of wine and serve himself a cup, letting the aged smell reach his nose and taking a sip. This was done with such naturality that no one questioned his actions the six days prior, and it was just as he intended. From his actor days, he had this habit of molding the mood according to the circumstances, especially since he was so often asked for anecdotes and interesting stories in social events and such. Unknown to him, though, his discourse was now impregnated by the enthusiasm of the scientists he worked alongside with.


    -A common trait of these worlds beyond the gate was the completely illogic concepts that governed them. One would think that different worlds can work under different mechanics, but they are inherently flawed and fated to destruction, as it indeed happened time and time again. The Dying World of Alice is a theory that explains how those worlds continue to function despite their paradoxical existence, and it also states that the rate of their disappearance is directly influenced by how often those flaws are employed or exploited. Whenever they occur, the world generates ¡°patches¡± that temporarily fix those mistakes, but once they become too large to contain, the world ¡°shatters¡±, and this gives rise to radical changes in the environment and eventually its disappearance. Some of our scientists went as far as to consider that if the flaws are small enough, the patches will be effective and definitive. The repercussion would be that our reality is also a dying World, which could explain a few strange phenomena, but this is another story... 1


    He gave another long sip of the cup, confronted with the astounded and utterly shocked gazes of even Kyel.


    -You must have many questions ¨C Nathan smiled, putting away the glass ¨C but I assure you that all I am telling is the absolute truth. It goes without saying that, as with many theories, the scientific community is split between acceptance and rejection, and this one, in particular, has a fair share of rejection. The greatest argument against it is that we had too little time to investigate these foreign worlds to conclude they are flawed, and the breach of rules described are, ironically, regulated by their own rules, so the choice of words is wrong, and the flaw is nothing but an intrinsic mechanic which we got right.


    Seven was still recovering from his splitting headache to think too deeply on the matter, but the same couldn¡¯t be said about everyone else. This revelation was so foreign and outside of their realm of comprehension that they couldn¡¯t get to accept it so easily ¨C and for those that eventually came to terms with this, it did not hold much meaning except for one simple question, which they promptly dared to ask.


    -If that is true... Is this also it? A World of Alice?


    -This, my friend, I cannot answer. But out of all the classified information I have here ¨C he pointed to his head ¨C some already proved and even more disturbing than the other, Ai brought this one specifically. You can conclude that it holds some significance, and the theory might not be all that wrong...


    -And if that¡¯s true... We¡¯re walking on a timed bomb ¨C Arthur finished everyone¡¯s thoughts.


    Nathan caught his eye on Natalya in a cursory glance around the room. He expected there would be people indifferent to this revelation, but something about her kept his agent sense, honed over years of fieldwork, tingling.


    He didn¡¯t dally in his thoughts.


    -Lass, have you heard of this before?


    Raising her head, Natalya opened her lips for a moment, thinking whether or not she should disclose it. ¡°Either way, I¡¯ve already spoken of it. It matters little¡±.


    -No, but I believe it. The endgame scenario I spoke of earlier, would be like an ultimate patch in this theory. Once it¡¯s reached, either this world perishes immediately, or it is rid of all the ¡°flaws¡±, born anew.

 W1C24

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

 W1C25

    Although Milen didn¡¯t have time to investigate the labyrinth, the open area surrounding it was another story, probably the only thing she had time to check. The roaming Royal Guard rarely went outside the labyrinth, at least in that area they didn¡¯t have to worry, the worst possible scenario, though, would be hitting into him at the entrance. ¡°According to Milen, that would spell immediate death¡±.


    The torches were all positioned very high in the ceiling, whereas down at their current level there was only a fraction of it. The darkness was their ally, although the same could be said for the ants, it would be best not to alert the Queen. The moment they were discovered, it was over.


    There was a small gap in-between each ant regiment that went up the hole, followed by a larger gap in which there was barely any movement. Seven and Milen stuck to the walls and slowly moved towards a safer spot, communicating their position by flashing the crystals. They couldn¡¯t form a party, Seven knew that the Queen was capable of receiving the signal.


    ¡°It is quieter now, time to move¡±


    In synchrony, they quickly walked into the center of the field towards the lower levels of the labyrinth, momentarily reuniting.


    -I have a rough sketch of the area with me ¨C she whispered ¨C but it is the surface, and we can¡¯t approach from there. In between the river there are walls allowing the passage of worker ants, and the Royal Guard also fits. Most of the time the level is low, allowing warriors to go through, but from the marks I can tell it will go higher, and I don¡¯t think anything can pass by, unless the Royal Guard can swim...


    Scribbling on the paper, Milen looked up and put a hand up her ear to better hear the movement on the inside of the walls.


    -We¡¯re at this position, then ¨C Seven pointed ¨C and the Royal Guard should be patrolling the river of while it is still low, correct?


    -I think so.


    -The information we need is the accurate mapping of the outer walls, since we don¡¯t know of any hidden passage, and the mechanism that changes the level of the river, so that we guarantee that the Royal Guard and the rest of the warriors don¡¯t travel by the outer walls or any passage we do not know of.


    -That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve also thought of the possible routes it can take. If it doesn¡¯t travel by hidden passages while inside the river, like we are assuming, three possibilities make sense for its routine. One to prioritize efficiency, scouring the entire labyrinth in the shortest time, the other prioritizing the Queen¡¯s security, with extra rounds near a few key passages, and finally, one that takes into account the time in which worker ants head in. I have no idea how much time it would take to finish the round-up, though, so if you see it, try to get a feel for its movements and get a rough idea of its speed... You wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything other than watch, either way.


    ¡°It should be closer to the second, but more flexible than this. A mix of the three, perhaps, but it gives me an assumption of where it will pass¡±


    -I will go through this route ¨C she delineated with her finger ¨C and you go through the opposite one. There are three points of interest in your route, in particular, and I¡¯d like you to check if they contain passages. Also, at some points we can meet up and reevaluate our efforts. If we don¡¯t find anything uncommon, you should finish earlier than me, and we can meet at the exit.


    -Good. I¡¯ll be seeing you.


    As resolution filled their eyes, it finally dawned that they were doing it, and it seemed simpler at first glance and less dangerous than it appeared to be. They nodded and left for their respective paths.


    ¡°As the saying goes, the first step is half the mile, or something like that¡±.


    Unlike the humid, dark and funny-smelling tunnels, the golden walls were surprisingly clean and dilapidated, at least on their part, since just a few meters away there was a distasteful liquid plastered in them, and the smell of iron permeating the thick walls and seeping through the soil was ever-present. The level was low, as every half a minute there would be the muffled sounds of steps, and his body would instinctively stiffen to not let by even the smallest of sounds.


    Walking while coursing his hand on the wall, he stumbled upon a spherical device. It had a few indentations that he felt could be entered by the ants¡¯ pincers. He put his spear in one side and stuffed his bag on the other, immediately the compartment opened and he had to force both the items out as a torrent of blood came in droves to drown him.


    ¡°Great¡±. He took a bottle and doused himself in water to remove as much as he could of that scent. To go against the strength of the colossal blood column, an ant had to be exceptionally strong. It was not a surprise they could cut through flesh as easily as a knife cutting butter. Seven didn¡¯t linger around the area and quickly moved towards the next, recording the passages and keeping a lookout for any obvious shortcuts that would¡¯ve normally be missed due to the darkness.


    ¡°Could it be that the river of blood in terminal A-1 was moved here?¡± The purpose was not yet clear, but it seemed likely given the present information.


    Every few minutes, a lone warrior ant or a platoon of workers would pass through. In that darkness it made his heart beat fast, as he had no idea whether they suspected him or not. He could tell by the movement of their antennae if they found anything suspicious, but unless they were very close by, he couldn¡¯t see the thin antennae clearly, and if they were that close, it didn¡¯t spell anything good. He had to rely on the pacing of their movements. If there was any slight stop or a few uncoordinated steps, he would freeze with spear in hand and prepare for the worst. Those signs were more frequent than he expected, but in the end, none came his way.


    By the time he approached a dead end, one of the focal points of Milen¡¯s plan, he backtracked and threw a pheromone bomb before running with quiet steps, using the time he bought to scan the surroundings.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°This one is no good¡±, he finished the job and went his way, eventually chancing upon a helicoidal stairway.


    ¡°Yeah, there is no way that was built by an ant. It is a perfect fit for humans, ants wouldn¡¯t need such an intricate design. But Milen mentioned the Royal Guard is humanoid... It could use this to navigate between the different levels¡±.


    After a few minutes, he saw the familiar blue glint and met Milen.


    -Anything on your side? - he asked.


    -I¡¯ve discovered a few devices that allow the ants to fill the river, but it would need thousands for hours on end to fill everything.


    -I¡¯ve found them, too, but there weren¡¯t that many. They are most likely used to feed the ants and not the river, it is more efficient to simply dump the blood from the top.


    -I also found a passage that takes me to the mid-levels, and from there many entrances to the inner walls.


    -They should be for the warriors. I chanced up a set of stairs. It would be ideal to make those foreign accesses off-limits just before proceeding with the plan.


    -I agree.


    The second part of their route was shared. As usual, they hugged the walls and made their way past the rows of ants. Unlike the first few passages, though, this one held a constant flow of ants and the creeping possibility of them noticing something amiss weighed on Milen¡¯s mind more than it did to Seven. Although used to reconnaissance missions from working with Kyel, she was not at all comfortable with this setup. She wanted riskier missions to test her limits, and, to a point, surpass her limits.


    ¡°Those that want to die, shall live. I hope those words ring true even to this moment¡±.


    As luck should have it, as soon as she thought of those words, she slipped on a pool of blood that had been resting near one of the spherical devices, producing an ear-shattering sound that sent the ant waves to a standstill.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Seven closed his eyes and tried not to believe in what he had just heard.


    ¡°You fucking idiot...¡±


    Soon after, the ants swarmed the blood pool and Milen had no choice but to take action. Seven used the opportunity to throw his second and last bottle of pheromones at the center to momentarily stun them, readying his spear to end the life of a single insect.


    ¡°Fuck, I should have expected it...¡± with only one arm, it was very hard to maneuver around a big group. The spear got stuck and he had to propel himself on the ant to get it off, but a few times doing this would get him surrounded in an instant.


    The time he bought was enough for Milen to get some distance and put her skills to use. She started with some badly thrown daggers that barely scratched the tough hide of the beasts, followed by small but precise loaded bolts buried inside their heads. She could only put an end to those she found in short range, though, and there weren¡¯t enough for everyone.


    It was a battle of attrition, and it was quite clear which side would win.


    ¡°Run¡±, they thought at the same time, and each of them followed a different direction due to how the ants spread and the sides they were at. Milen followed back the way they came, which was considerably safer considering it was closer to an exit, nevertheless if the ants from the entrance got the signal and close her off, it was the end. As for Seven, he didn¡¯t possess such ¡°luck¡±.


    Eventually, he came to know of another secret passage by the worst way possible, as a stack of warrior ants suddenly appeared from a slit inside the wall, and he could do nothing but freeze. He couldn¡¯t run forever as his stamina wasn¡¯t infinite, and the more noise he caused, the more ants he would attract.


    ¡°Milen can still get out if she doesn¡¯t fuck up. As long as she is being chased and either escapes or dies trying, the Queen won¡¯t be alert about me... In the worst case, another round-up will be underway, more thorough and surer to find me out...¡±


    As the slithering of the feelers sent shivers down his spine, Seven brainstormed of all the possible ways he could get out of this situation, and steadily the long and scythe-like legs of the monsters filled the narrow pathway in a way that he would sooner be impaled on accident than purposefully killed. The deployment was so inefficient that, for a split second, he doubted the instincts and survival capabilities of that wretched species, until it came to him the possibility of it being on purpose.


    ¡°Those passages are not meant to allow for a quick transition between the levels... All of the warriors are either in the rivers or atop the walls. It is a swarm tactic!¡±


    The ants blocked the passages so that no invader could go inside the Queen¡¯s chambers, or out of the labyrinth. Most terrifying was the shadow he saw crossing about the hindlegs of the creatures, which he immediately identified as the Royal Guard. It stepped on the hardened carapace of its peers, the legs much fatter but tinier in comparison, with hairs and feelers longer to detect the slightest differences in the air.


    Its presence was enough to make his blood run cold and his heart freeze with fear. Seven tracked his movements by the same light which he used to communicate with Milen, but he knew for sure it wasn¡¯t her, as the scrawny arm ended in a claw that hardly resembled anything human, not at all moving as if an appendix not needing after its gross evolution.


    For a moment, he heard the noise of a strange convulsion of liquids in its direction, and soon after a pair of eyes was out on a mad search in every direction. The sight was cut off as another warrior almost squashed him, putting forth his unparalleled body, and as fast as he came, he was cut in two by that thin claw whose arm extended like a piece of straw, sending it tumbling away, and another part half burying Seven underneath.


    The red eyes changed position on its head a few times before moving on, stepping on the carcasses of its lower brethren and forcing them down on its wake. All the way through, they never left him, always gazing at him with profound and bitter precision, as if it knew for a fact Seven was there, waiting with half hope half desperation that it would quickly leave the premises, and maybe it rejoiced on its warped mind that there was no way he was leaving the premises.


    When both the red light contrasting with the blue of the crystal vanished in the distance, his stuffed chest couldn¡¯t let out a sigh of relief, as he was still surrounded. He steadily tried to remove himself from the collapsed warrior body, but his leg had been badly injured and he couldn¡¯t do it. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.


    ¡°A butterfly... This is what I need. But there is no way I¡¯ll find one¡±


    The butterfly was a byproduct of other spells cast, from what he understood. Unless some kind of miracle happened, he would never chance upon one since he had yet to delve into magic itself.


    There was nothing to be done. Of all things, the last he would expect was a failure on the side of Kyel¡¯s follower, especially one that managed to survive thus far. The last glimmer of hope, the bag which held a few trinkets he could use to help him now, was so deep inside the body it held no hope of recovery.


    Everything that could go wrong, went wrong, and in such a spectacular way that it was almost funny.


    In his depression, all he wanted was some time to re-read his book and maybe write a few more chapters. The times in which he decided to follow his guts instead of his brains, did they ever work out?


    ¡°I¡¯m so fucked...¡±

 W1C26

    On the other side of the coin, Milen wasn¡¯t suffering as much as Seven would¡¯ve predicted, considering the Royal Guard was coming for her. Once she got a head start on the workers and set some distance, she quickly unveiled her tools to maneuver around the walls.


    Her choice of weapon, which doubled as a utility tool, were iron chains that ended on barbed hooks. Those were completely out of line with the quality of the spear she flaunted, and anyone would recognize the difference between ¡°normal¡± weapons and what she had at disposition.


    With a fast punch, her knuckle bones broke into the golden surfaces, revealing the thick layer of damp earth underneath. With an acrobat¡¯s expertise, she jumped and inserted her foot in the crevice while making similar holes in parallel, at some point throwing the chains around and embedding the hook balls, propelling herself to greater heights while removing chunks of the architecture. However, while possessing the strength to break through the ceiling, it would require her to fly through it and that was impossible for her, the ants could only swarm the entire area and wait patiently for the fruit to drop down.


    Dangling from her chains, she pressed her palm against the wall and closed her eyes, whispering a chant. As the lips parted to pronounce the forbidden words, Milen¡¯s breathes gained a spectral color, illuminating the surroundings and scattering like particles of light.


    ¡°Ghost step¡±


    Her view, filled by darkness, blurred in an instant, and the force of gravity failed as instead of falling to her doom, she fell vertically on top of the wall. Removing the hook with little effort, she stepped on a glowing arrow painted in the ¡°ground¡± and glided through it at an astounding speed.


    If Seven saw this, he would immediately assume she never needed any help, at least not from him. Such inhuman prowess that defied all laws of physics was at least on par with Natalya¡¯s, if not beyond.


    The further she glided into the distance, the more she felt an unpleasant presence slithering from her hand and expanding towards her arm. She ripped off her sleeves mid-run and made a tight knot around her forearm, letting by the sight of a snake tattoo with green, purple and red scales almost ripping out of her skin. The layer of flesh that contained it was thin, and her blue veins couldn¡¯t be any more visible, one could simply pluck her blood vessels if they so wished.


    The truth was, she couldn¡¯t keep her powers for much longer. If she were to use it offensively, she would need to take action in less than a minute, and afterward she would be too weak to do anything. The same could be said about defense, its only uses, in her mind, was running away, which she promptly did.


    She was not so pleasant at the discovery of the ant¡¯s swarm tactics. Now, like Seven, she came to understand the reason why warrior ants never patrolled the outer walls and stood atop the canal. She reversed the spell as quickly as possible, effectively stopping in time, but at that point it was useless. Three different pairs of eyes kept watching over Milen as her body was depleted of all fight.


    ***


    In the last thirty minutes, Seven was left alone to wonder his possibilities. Or that is how things should go on paper, he already considered all his options and the road ahead of him spelled nothing but death. In those last minutes, rather than succumb to despair, he chose to accept his fate and whatever it encompassed.


    [You are a real masochist]


    ¡°It is what it is. I surprise myself with my ignorance, but I cannot say I would¡¯ve acted differently if I could reverse time¡±


    [You would jump in the jaws of death again, for no reason?]


    Disregarding the enclosure of warriors pressing down on him, Seven let out a fickle laugh.


    ¡°Having no reason is a good reason, don¡¯t you think so? I feel like I¡¯ve been contaminated by my book, from revising it so many times. I agree that I was mad, so much that my brain found compelling reasons to go on with the insanity. That being said, I still believe that my risks were calculated correctly¡±


    [I concur. My analysis concluded a 67,52% chance of success, 28,12% of failure and retreat, and 4,36% of failure]


    Seven sighed.


    ¡°Almost one in twenty, huh... That is still a relatively high risk, but for a wish, worth it maybe...¡±


    His mind was a bit fuzzy, he didn¡¯t notice that the thoughts were directly conveyed into words, and as such he was talking with the ants with their buzzing antennae. Whether they understood anything was another story, but they definitely recognized the different signals he was sending, and after a while, he also came to notice this and reached a realization.


    ¡°Maybe I am in luck... Or it could be extremely bad luck¡±


    Ai kept silent about it.


    ¡°Later, when we finish this hurdle, I want you to confirm my assumptions. Since it is tonight, my chances of surviving are quite high, 4/5 at the very least.¡±


    Not long after, red eyes hovered upon him. He bit on his lower lip and closed his eyes, accepting whatever was to come.


    ***


    A cryptic and abyssal sound, similar to that of still water filling a cave. It was nothing but a murmur that spoke in a chilly wind, which tore open the permanence in a trail of rippling waves. Every few seconds, a drop of liquid would penetrate that stream, and the resulting wave was as varied as the melody produced by the rhythm.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Amidst that contained quietude, an audible struggle took place. The expansion and deflation of lungs as they expelled air, letting it flow down the hurt, hoarse throat. This sound was inconspicuous in the presence of the dry thuds breaking the natural symphony. It was like a door being knocked on desperately, except this door was an oval shape that enclosed a human being by all sides.


    In that claustrophobic environment, Milen¡¯s chest heaved up and down in a frantic manner as she exhausted all of her forces to break out of whatever kept her confined. Space was only enough to allow the smallest of movements: a turn of her body, a slight change of position, kicks, and punches that hurt her more than it did to the inanimate barrier.


    Perhaps never in her life she would imagine being afraid of the sound of her own body speaking to her, that she was alive in that condition. The more she struggled, the more she felt the sticky liquid entering and almost completely feeling the voids, and in a few turns any movement would make it invade her nostrils. Her face was tightly pressed against that mucous thing that smelt like heavily acidic medication, and her eyes at turns shut tightly in her efforts to canalize all the strength to her limbs, while at others opened in full due to desperation and disbelief.


    A slow death in a lone corner of the world. Ashes in the tray of history.


    "Shit... I¡¯ve waited for this opportunity for years... I¡¯m not dying, no fucking way...¡±


    Unrelenting, she insisted on force and revealed a fierce resolution. Bit by bit, the walls began to expand and the pungent yet familiar iron-like smell invaded the leak and mixed into a nauseating substance. Milen quickly punched her entire arm out, but she could hardly get out with just that. Placing her hand on anything outside, she quickly stumbled upon a sort of mushy substance which she could grab onto. She held onto that and slightly bent forward towards the opening while desperately trying to break the space beneath her feet.


    Quickly filled with liquid, it was hard to exert strength, she held her chin up to the point her nose touched the stinky walls and she breathed it in, there was little time left. Eventually, it filled up to her nostrils and she held it for ten seconds before her eyes became hazy. On a last effort, the walls that had started to cave in finally collapsed beneath her and she quickly let go of her hand, sliding down effortlessly.


    -Haaaa - she exhaled loudly, tired and gasping for breath. Whatever strength she had left was used to keep herself afloat and not sink into the blood pool.


    Looking all around, it was a place similar to the canal in which the warriors patrolled, and the dark was kept away by glowing fungi of varied colors. Similar round or oval shapes that looked likespider eggs were clustered one upon another, half submerged, though most were probably completely enveloped by the pool. Milen clearly wouldn¡¯t dive in to check, and the red curtain would surely block anything.


    The happiness of being alive, mixed with her aching limbs, momentarily kept her away from the primal questions: where was she, and why was she still alive.


    Once she regained her breath, she whispered some empty chants, sending illuminated air currents that let her better observe the environment. There was a single entryway, she swam towards it.


    ¡°Seven... Is he also here? If he is... No, I can¡¯t do anything about it¡±


    She had a very specific reason to bring Seven there, and although most of what she said was the truth, it didn¡¯t encompass everything. From all possible angles, this was close to a suicide mission: she thought so herself. She understood very well the strength of an ant Queen, and that one was quite special, too.


    If push came to shove, she was planning to use Seven as bait, but as fate should have it, she ended up screwing them both. It was quite ironic that she was worried about his safety now, but Milen couldn¡¯t help it, as originally it wasn¡¯t in her character to be a plotter or backstabber, it was simply survival speaking higher.


    It wasn¡¯t her choice, she had to do it. It was her issued quest.


    What she experienced just now, maybe Seven had already passed through and died miserably, or was currently in the process as she idled by. This suffering which she came to know firsthand, she wouldn¡¯t wish upon anyone. If anything, once she resolved to sacrifice someone who had nothing to do with her, she would have it be as quick as possible.


    It was all useless now, though. She could only live with this irreprehensible guilt.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen to walk upon this path. No use looking back... But...¡±


    As her conflicted thoughts led her to swim slower, almost to a standstill, in the inanimate silence she heard ripples coming at a distance. Her heart almost stopped, alighted with both the shadow of doubt and the beacon of hope.


    From the depths of her soul, she wished he was okay, and this concealed desire led her to swim in that direction.


    As the sounds became rougher and louder, a contained explosion sent floating bits and pieces of egg crust and she waited expectantly for her ¡°partner¡± to appear.


    What awaited her, though, killed away any traces of warmth in her precocious innocent self.


    It had a certain... Human quality. The long silky hair alreadylet on that it was not Seven, but corroborating this fact he did not possess such a large bust befitting of a woman such as Milen. Though she couldn¡¯t discern the skin tone and the overall shape of the face, through the light cast shadows she viewed the neutral expression delineated by the lips, and the chilling glow of the eyes that did not close for a single moment, despite being recently out of an uncomfortable and blinding bath.


    The thing, rather than swim, walked mechanically towards the exit of the cave, and though it appeared to be a woman in her early twenties, as she brushed past, the cold as death skin betrayed her inhuman qualities, and a strange bulge that she could only think of as a ship husk adorned with serrated dirks passed her by, cutting through her flesh. Those blades squirmed like living beings, as if enjoying the feeling of butchering her thigh and serrating her tendons, but oddly enough Milen couldn¡¯t utter a single word of protest.


    The figure left quietly, allowing her heart to continue beating blood in her colorless skin.


    ***


    -Hahahahaha! - a maniacal laugh echoed in the dark and remote cave ¨C I regret nothing! Nothing at all! Hahahaha!


    Drunk in his discovery, Seven couldn¡¯t stifle his emotions.


    -Haah ¨C now tired of laughing, he sighed, followed by a yawn, and reclined on the remains of a pupa he had just gotten off.


    The cadaveric sight of that silent figure with its six legs coming from the ground hole was mesmerizing to his eyes, and he could view it firsthand because it wasn¡¯t in the creature¡¯s instincts to hunt, only to colonize.


    -So this is a princess, huh? Now I understand a lot of things! - he exclaimed out loud, and the creature turned its head, shaking, in a 180o turn to gaze at him with eyes that surged one after another. It felt some attachment to Seven, but it didn¡¯t know why. His presence felt only natural, yet at the same time wrong.


    ¡°Seems like Natalya indirectly fucked us. You don¡¯t know everything, after all...¡±

 W1C27

    Seven reunited with Milen shortly after. The ground hole from which the princess came from was exactly the one she had been struggling to get out of.


    -How did you manage to fall in such a place?


    -I wasn¡¯t exactly expecting a big pond of blood.


    -Didn¡¯t you consider the possibility? I did. In fact, I met many on the way. I just wanted to confirm it was a human mistake, since we will be cooperating to get out of here.


    Milen scratched her head and tried to follow the disappearing fungi into the exit.


    -That one is no use, it¡¯s directly connected to the Queen and its two Royal Guards. We have to find another route, else it¡¯s over.


    -This doesn¡¯t look like a feeding ground... More like a breeding one? We¡¯re not in that much danger, we can just wait for the others to come.


    -I¡¯m not so sure about that ¨C he smiled ¨C for one, the Royal Guards might enter this place at any time. And I don¡¯t think Natalya or anyone else is approaching for the time being. We are exhausted and require nutrition, unless you plan on drinking coagulated blood and eating suspicious mushrooms to survive, you will die. Or maybe... You fancy being a cannibal...


    ¡°I, for one, might resort to that if there is no other option...¡± Seven measured the chance of beating his companion in a fight. In any case, he didn¡¯t hold any goodwill towards people he deemed to be stupid, and her mistake fell into that category. It was a ¡°fitting¡± end.


    -No one is coming? What do you mean? - she exhaled.


    -Leave that for later. Getting out is more important.


    Seven waved her off and sat leisurely on a rocky protrusion. He stared solemnly at the entrance of the cave, pondering his possibilities.


    Though she suggested waiting, Milen was not so adamant about the idea. Every moment inside that place took a drop at her sanity and she didn¡¯t wish to stay one minute longer.


    ¡°If only I could use my skill...¡±


    A long time went by since those words were exchanged. Milen hung close to her unassuming partner, but his silence only added to the creepy atmosphere. She couldn¡¯t take it any longer.


    -Do you have any brothers... Or sisters?


    Seven frowned.


    -How is this of any relevance to our predicament?


    Conversations were cut short then and there. Unknowingly, though, the woman gradually approached, so close that if he so much as breathed deeply the expansion of his chest would be enough to make their arms touch. It was something neither of them paid attention to, until it happened and Seven, annoyed, took upon himself to grasp her hand and send her away. It was in this brief interaction that he noticed what looked like a tattoo.


    In retrospect, he never cared much about that woman¡¯s appearances, but tattoos held their charm even in that abandoned corner of the world. The shadows gave her barely seen face a contour on her lips, which by themselves were full and plump, transforming them in a point of interest, and not so distant the locks of her black hair fell on her shoulders. Looking a few inches upward on that sharp face shivering from the cold, the black eyes held a ferocity he¡¯s never seen and it was a paradox with how much of a coward she appeared to be, from the time they met until that point ¨C in actuality, this cowardice was only a product of the environment, and it just so happened he got to see this side more often than the others.


    This intake took a few seconds, and he was still holding onto her hand firmly.


    -Ssk! - he breathed in deeply. Seven felt something slip through his palm and he pushed her in a hurry as a scathing pain surged. It was akin to the friction of a rope being pulled at mach speed, and it left behind a burning trail. His eyes did not part the tattoo as it hid under the poor illumination.


    Milen broke off and hid her arm, but it wasn¡¯t fast enough that Seven couldn¡¯t see the writhing and contorting thing in the shadows. It would be impossible to miss that dark glow, and he recognized it.


    -Gnawing flesh and chewing bones, chiming bells of the dead below...


    -You! How... Where did you hear that?! - she stood horrified.


    -The Butterfly Chapters 13, Chapters of the Impure. The second line from the end... How did you acquire this thing?


    -This... I...


    -Forget it, it doesn¡¯t matter ¨C the discovery was less important than its practical use in the current situation, any questions he could ask later ¨C show me your arm.


    -What?!


    -Woman, do you want to stay here forever? If not, just do as I say!


    Due to her weak mentality, Milen was caught off guard and it was enough for him to grab her by force and study the marks.


    ¡°It moves whenever I try to grab hold of it, sinking deep into her pulse... The wrist tenses up whenever it coils, any more and the veins would pop.¡±


    -You use magic, don¡¯t you? Can you get us out of here?


    -If I could, I would¡¯ve done it already...


    ¡°Yeah, I thought so... I don¡¯t think this is a butterfly. From what I understood, butterflies are fleeting and immaterial, this thing is something tangible...¡±


    -Then, can you cast your spell? It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s not useful, just do the one that made this tattoo appear.


    -Absolutely not! - she shouted with newfound strength.


    -Why?


    -This... I would die!


    -If you stay here, you are going to die either way. Do you want to die at the side of a human being who can end your suffering if you so wish, stay by your side and watch over you in your last moments? Or do you want to die alone in the cold, your limbs shattered and unable to escape as your small existence is enveloped by the acidic fluid of a monster¡¯s stomach, slowly suffocated and decomposed, constantly fainting but unable to sleep, suffering until the very end? If you are lucky enough, your heart will cease functioning before that happens.


    This barrage of words pulled at Milen¡¯s heartstrings more than any logical argument Seven could conjure. She unconsciously pressed her hand against her throat as an uncomfortable and hoarse feeling sprung up from there, the cold air hit her like sharp needles as the fresh memories of her almost transformation into an ant, which she was desperately trying to forget, immediately returned.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Her silence was enough of an answer.


    ¡°Sometimes it is useful to be a weak-willed idiot.¡±, Seven held her arm and nodded with a severe expression. She knew what she had to do.


    Clenching her fists, Milen started muttering words of a language completely alien, and the strange nature of the light carried by them was mystical to Seven. In his eyes it was also another one, a ¡°butterfly¡±, but it came and went so fast it would be impossible for him to make use of it.


    ¡°Ghost force¡±


    The glowing light disappeared in the ceiling, forming a small constellation that soon would fade too. The sound of dragging and of rustling chains came in a few seconds and a spectral figure that looked exactly like Milen walked towards them, her feet bound by shackles while she dragged a huge weight behind. Once it approached Milen, it dissociated and distorted, attracted to the caster just as the caster to it, both eventually mingling as the sole body, shattering the restraining chains.


    While not understanding what was happening, Seven paid attention to her wrist, and shortly after the snake started to glow and contort furiously, running a full lap on her arm and slithering back to her pulse. He started to whisper a few words without any particular intonation, and grasped the snake as it bordered in the material world, with its head cocked up and mouth open to bite into Milen¡¯s wrist.


    In the next second, however, the snake completely disappeared, as if it never existed to begin with, and Milen found herself surrounded by the sea. At her side, a kid fiddled with starfish and some pretty shells, and for some reason, she was passing her fingers through the moist sand in a mindless horizontal motion, as if in deep thought, which wasn¡¯t her current mood.


    -Don¡¯t mind me ¨C a familiar voice ringed on her ears.


    Milen turned around quickly and her eyes betrayed her unease. The man in front of her raised an eyebrow.


    -Is there anything you want to say?


    -I... No... Nothing...


    ¡°Did I come back in time? How did it happen? And my hand... I don¡¯t feel anything¡±


    Millen pulled down her cuffs and searched for the mark, but to her surprise, it was nowhere in sight.


    -Searching for something?


    -Don¡¯t mind me... - she replied after a long pause. Her quest was still unfinished, but she couldn¡¯t come to deceive the same person twice in a row.


    -Hmm... Alright. If you feel like chatting, I will be on the Research Lab ¨C he turned to leave and waved his hand without giving her a second look.


    Milen watched his back getting smaller and smaller, as if under a spell, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to notice something black surging past his shirt into his nape. It was the glowing head of a snake, one she was too familiar with, and it motioned to bite on Seven¡¯s neck, but the next moment it slithered back.


    Milen held her wrist on instinct. ¡°Am I seeing things?¡±


    Seven scratched his neck unnaturally and the more distance he covered, the more difficult it became to walk. He could feel that thing constantly slithering in his back, circling it like it was some dog chasing its tail, or convulsing into 8¡¯s and 4¡¯s. His skin was pale under the sun, and if one looked closely, the lips were bluish.


    ¡°This sucks...¡±


    ***


    At the end of the afternoon, Natalya¡¯s scattered thoughts were once again reunited and she chastised herself for losing so much time in recreation. She had planned to give an end to this mission today by killing the two remaining Queen Ants,b backtracked and now could kill only a single one. On her way out, though, she met with an unprecedented visitor.


    ¡°How did he know I was coming here?¡±, but she quickly shook her head. It wasn¡¯t difficult to trace her steps by now. The real question was what Seven wanted.


    -Going on a hunt?


    -Hm ¨C she nodded and went ahead. Seven tried to stop her by pulling on her left shoulder, but Natalya¡¯s first instinct was not to dodge, but hold his hand and stop it. She immediately noticed his abnormal shivering, as if any slight movement required an unsurmountable volume of willpower to achieve.


    ¡°What is wrong with him?¡± she frowned.


    Stumbling forward, he landed on her and weakly turned his head to whisper closely on her ear.


    Her eyes were wide open as she heard him, an almost incredulous look plastered on her face.


    -You... How do you know that?


    -I¡¯ve already talked. With Kyel... Haah... - he spoke with difficulty ¨C you know what to do...


    Natalya bit on her lower lip. How come she didn¡¯t know any of that?


    -You don¡¯t believe me... Hehe... Check... Terminal... F... - he sucked in a mouthful of air before falling, prompting Natalya to hold him. He nudged her off.


    -I¡¯m... Fine. Argh... I¡¯m lying... Hehe... Go. I have. Some business... Myself.


    She was very skeptical about Seven¡¯s information, but it was important enough to elicit an investigation. There was nothing she could do about his impaired movement, as the person himself refused any help ¨C she set off.


    Seven used the spear Milen had been preparing for the invasion as a walking stick and made his way to the research lab, painfully slow.


    ¡°What I originally intended to achieve was teleportation, not a time reversal. But this is also good¡±, though he got an unpleasant surprise on his way back, this time, unlike with his missing arm, he could still make use of the liability. Making a stop at the healthcare center, he got a proper crutch and an injection that over time helped him regain some strength, then headed towards HOPE.


    ***


    Reaching the place, he was fast to notice Milen already there, near the Control Room.


    -I¡¯ve been waiting for nearly an hour already! - although her tone was of annoyance, at the end of the complaint there were many worries as her eyes trailed upon his neck.


    -Let¡¯s go ¨C he crutched towards the Obscure Technology Lab ¨C I could use some help here, if you don¡¯t mind...


    She ran for a few seconds and held onto the side of his missing arm.


    -What did you want to talk about?


    -Are you seriously... Ugh! That dense? I have to know about this fucking snake! Teach me... How to keep it in. Ugh! Control!


    With his chest heaving up and down, a thick layer of sweat enveloped his forehead. As they approached the main hall of the lab, she laid him down on the couch and picked a piece of cloth or towel to wipe it.


    -Didn¡¯t you know about it already?


    -I only know how to abuse it...


    -Right... It is the Curse of the Impure, the symbol of the Naiyid, or spellcasters. Whenever you use the forbidden speech to call upon the Gods it will suck on your life force, we consider it a fair exchange...


    -...We?


    Noticing her mistake, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.


    -How did you keep it hidden from Kyel?


    -This...


    ¡°I let my guard down around you, that¡¯s why. Such a thing would never happen around that scary kid...¡±


    -You... You are an inhabitant of this world... How did Ai miss that in the last game?


    Seven looked up, as if staring at the robotic eyes of the machine. ¡°Do you mean to say the system doesn¡¯t consider that an important secret?¡±, his thoughts, however, remained unanswered.


    -How the hell should I know?


    -Haah... Your crystal, where did you get it?


    -This?


    Milen whispered a few words and the crystal detached from her hand.


    -It¡¯s someone else¡¯s... And do you see this? - she held her finger up, a dark sigil like a ring of thorns had it encompassed ¨C it¡¯s the curse.


    Holding back a growing headache, he pointed to a corner of the room.


    -Search for the Butterfly Chapters, and anything else you¡¯ve seen before...


    As she worked on the background, Seven suddenly thought about this piece of information.


    ¡°So Ai wasn¡¯t scanning our bodies, but only the crystal?¡± at the time, he wasn¡¯t carrying the crystal around, but if she still couldn¡¯t detect anything on him, it would mean that his theory about the Human System being independent from the crystal was false. He knew for a fact that was not the case.


    Seven felt there was something about Milen that could help him solve this puzzle, but though extremely close he couldn¡¯t match the last piece.


    ¡°... What the hell am I?¡±


    -Here¡¯s the stuff ¨C she dropped a load of tomes and volumes on the table ¨C I advise you don¡¯t try anything, though. If the curse already took over your entire back and is aiming at your major blood vessels, you could die from a single spell. I could at least cast one before suffering a major backlash...


    -I won¡¯t be the one chanting the spells.


    -What do you mean?


    Seven rolled his eyes.


    -You clearly stated... My next spell. Could be my last. I¡¯m not... Eager to end my life. You cast spells, I capture... Butterflies.


    -...Huh?


    -You will be my limbs. I will suck every drop of this ¡°curse¡± out of you... Fair trade.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be so unlucky that the curse will always go to me, right?¡±


    -Why are you going so far as to trust... Me.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who screwed us over. Wasn¡¯t it for me, you wouldn¡¯t be like this¡± this deal didn¡¯t restrict her in any way, and he had no guarantee she wouldn¡¯t backstab him or flee if things got a turn for the worse.


    -In two days... Hehehehe... Hahahaha! This place will turn into a battlefield...


    ¡°And I don¡¯t plan on keeping quiet about it...¡±

 W1C28

nd


    th


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

 W1C29

    [Good morning, everyone, I hope you made good use of the short break. The attacking waves will be resumed as of today, at 13:00. Also, since all subjects have visited the research station at least once, production related quests have been issued. They offer you the rare chance of investing in mastery points for any skills, regardless of their connection to your current activity.]


    [In addition to this, the last quest, Tutorial: Lesson 4, will be issued if the current wave is kept under control. Completing this quest will automatically end the tutorial series. However, you will miss the chance of acquiring more experience and resources that you would otherwise receive by completing remaining quest lines, production quests, hidden scenarios, as well as training or studying in one of the many unexplored facilities. It might also be the last time you will be able to enjoy the recreational areas, such as the swimming pool, game center, and casino]


    Ignoring Ai¡¯s voice, Arthur finished inputting the commands on the panel and gazed at the digital clock.


    ¡°9 a.m., I¡¯m not going to finish it in time...¡±


    From Seven¡¯s line-up, Arthur wouldn¡¯t go to the frontline. That was not neglecting his fighting power, but his proficiency in making traps made him suitable as a supporter. He would coordinate with the remnants of his group to take care of the production line after it was set in motion, relieving core combatants of their duties, namely Nathan with Kyel¡¯s group.


    While checking on the manufacturing progress, a message arrived on the interphone.


    -A message to all: check the list of production quests. If they are both easy to accomplish and require little time, start completing them in parallel to your duties...


    The rest of the message dealt with how they should spend their points. Most of them had to focus on leveling any skill related to movement, to prepare for a chase if the ants escaped the net, with Arthur it was no different.


    The amount of detail and precision in Seven¡¯s plan was on a level that surpassed anything a human could devise in a day, and it finally occurred to Arthur how abnormal it was that Seven knew so much. Things were hectic, everyone was forced to simply follow his instructions without doubting the logic behind them. Even now, asking those questions would hold no effect.


    ¡°I have no idea what I¡¯m doing. I can still follow on some things in the materials section, but at the nuclear... How does he know so much about this complicated stuff?¡±


    ***


    Bats quickly flapped their wings, sending waves that crashed into the stalactites, far from the field of vision of any human situated anywhere near the edge. At best, one could figure their general placement as water quickly accumulated on the rough ends, appearing as nothing more than shining needles before disappearing in the depths of a bottomless chasm.


    At a few points in the horizon, grey light reflected the surface of streaks of water, small ponds rarely, though they were quick to disappear as the howling wind tilted the bridge into washing them off. If not for these hard to notice details, it would be impossible to detect its existence as the ebony color of both the wood planks and the rope mingled exceptionally with the surrounding darkness. At the end of it, the reddish blur of oxidized iron: the gate.


    The way out of the 6th Research Station into the 5th was a mostly inaccessible place. This was made on purpose to encourage the people at WHISPER to seek the people at HOPE, since the gate had easy access from the outside, though what actually happened was that Kyel¡¯s people were split into the two entrances.


    -Ladies first. Monster girls included!


    -Hmph...


    Natalya ventured a boot against the blank and creased her brows. With a firm step, splinters fell as it broke in two. Maybe, at some point in time, it was a safe and sturdy bridge, but many iterations of this game of death took a heavy toll on its durability, and no one bothered to have it fixed.


    Ignoring the danger, she looked for another place to insert her foot and felt a presence looming toward her, quickly moving her hand to bar its way. Beneath her gloves, the soft skin of Kyel¡¯s neck was tightly grasped between her fingers, and it would take no effort to break his chicken bones and send him to the afterlife.


    -A...Air...


    With an unpleasant face, she dropped him to the floor and moved on. In her heart, though, there was mild satisfaction in giving him a dose of suffering. The prick deserved it.


    -Cough cough*¡­ So much for a piggyback.


    -Hmph.


    -Wait... I¡¯m afraid of heights - he massaged his throat and gulped upon looking down.


    -Ha...


    -Hey! - he screamed upon seeing her leave ¨C I¡¯m serious, I can¡¯t cross this!


    -...Tsk - she turned and offered her back to Kyel, fully expecting him to jump on it and proclaim his fear a mere joke. She had one too many jokes during that trip.


    Surprisingly, though, he didn¡¯t say anything. She was neither pleased nor irritated. After walking night and day without rest and killing battalions of workers and rogue ants, she knew better than to waste her energies. She wasn¡¯t as tired as Kyel, but between hunger, thirst, and lack of sleep, the latter one hit the hardest.


    Each step forward made the planks creek and the bridge tilt. Coupled with the wind that seemed to recognize their presence and battle against it, Natalya had a difficult time making progress. No matter how much she walked, she didn¡¯t seem to get any closer to the destination. The first time she did it, her conditioning was much better since she briefly stopped on the vacated 5th Research Station: RAIN. With a 30o inclination on the bridge, the way up was vexing, and as her body was pushed to the limits, her eyes emitted a faint silver glint.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    -Hey, did you hear that?


    -Hm?


    -Howling. It sounds like that ¨C with eyes shut tight, Kyel had none of his jovial intonations.


    Natalya thought it was a reaction from fear, but she still stopped to pay attention.


    ¡°Better safe than sorry¡±


    She focused on her ears. If he used ¡°howling¡± to describe the sound of the air currents, it was certainly accurate, but amidst that barrage there was indeed something. A low grunt, almost a babble.


    -rrrr...


    ¡°...¡±


    Natalya felt a tingling at the side of her ear, a feeling of unease crept through her skin and she dodged sideways out of instinct.


    Woosh


    Something flew past her shoulders and hit a plank at the very bottom, rocking the bridge and she exerted all her strength not to fall, causing friction on the rope. Before she could look ahead and see what was going on a barrage of pillars rained on her, Natalya bounced on the ropes to avoid getting struck down and killed.


    Kyel had it worse, he was on the verge of losing consciousness. Natalya¡¯s movements were too much for his body to cope with, the strength he exerted in that stressful moment was enough to rip the flesh off her back. Air currents hit his nostrils and he ceased breathing ¨C it was impossible not to asphyxiate if that went on.


    ¡°Shit... If only I was alone...¡±


    Kyel was the only one capable of hacking into the Control Rooms, an absolute necessity for completing the last quest, as it was suspected by Seven and known by the two at the bridge. If not for that, he wouldn¡¯t even be on this journey.


    In those circumstances there was no way but up. It would be too difficult to dodge while backtracking, and she had crossed most of the distance already. Going up did not hold any particular strategical advantage, quite the opposite, but there was no choice.


    Natalya quickly put Kyel on her arms and propelled herself on the planks to go up. As the bridge continued to rock, she spun and rolled mid-air and got by a hair¡¯s breadth onto the next step while she herself couldn¡¯t get any breathing room. In her chest, Kyel slowly regained some color.


    -rrrrr... - the reptilian growl hid between the wind blades, fast approaching.


    ¡°I can see the scanner¡¯s light. Just a little bit more...¡± she bit her lower lip and persevered, but the next moment she got a clear view of her assailant.


    ¡°A hunter!¡±


    The second she thought of that, the humanoid monster flew with its arms extended to grab her. She spun on her back and kicked his head, propelling in the air, but it came at such strength that instead of holding her shoulders and crushing her skeleton in a single push, it missed and hastily grab onto the ropes, tearing them.


    -No!


    Before her feet could even touch the bridge, it split. With quick judgment, she threw Kyel through the last mile and clung onto the nearest thing, a plank. It broke almost immediately and had her descend a few steps until she could grab onto the rope, leaving a burning red line on her palm.


    Natalya¡¯s throw was such that it completely negated gravity by the time he reached the top, but it was impossible to avoid the crash of his body against the wall. If he didn¡¯t hit his head and instantly die, it would be more than crushing a few bones and having them impale his organs.


    -Rrrrrrr... - the reptilian grabbed Natalya¡¯s feet and tugged her down, the rope she was holding onto slowly but surely started to split.


    -Gah! - she flailed around with her feet on top of a plank, her foot raging on the beast with full force as the bridge arched with reaffirmed impetus against the cliff.


    A chill coursed through her body, filling her insides, and the more imminent the clash, the faster her irises turned into slits surrounded by a black hue. Exactly a second before the collision, her skin that had been passing through minute changes grew dark scales that ripped through her clothes like sword ends and covered her as natural armor.


    Boom


    The rope split along with the crash. Her nails, turned into claws, were carved into the boulder as she fell relentlessly with her unpleasant companion tightly holding onto her ankle. The claws wore down after a full ten seconds, slowing them to a standstill. The reptilian used her body as leverage to climb up, and she could do nothing but clench her teeth in pure hatred. As soon as it stepped over her head and clung to the wall, it slithered past her as if magnetized. She didn¡¯t let off the chance and grabbed its tail, throwing it down the deep end.


    -Guh...


    With difficulty, she fought against the weight of her body while embedding the claws into the crumbling rock formations, making for an arduous climb.


    A cool drop of water fell on her eye. How much time did it pass? She lost the track of it even after finding the rope. Every second felt like an eternity. The end of the ordeal was not at all pleasant, the transformation came undone and she dropped to the ground, sapped of all of her energies. She didn¡¯t close her eyes ¨C she wouldn¡¯t dare. Natalya knew that once her eyelids came down, she wouldn¡¯t wake up again, and this was a terrible place to fall asleep.


    Ignoring her collapsing body, she punched the ground in hopes that the pain would give her that last push she needed to stand up, but all it did was add to her battered wounds and nasty gashes. Her veins were visible on the entirety of her naked body, a mantle of erratic pulses.


    She punched the ground a few more times. She wouldn¡¯t give up. She couldn¡¯t give up. Her skin split into several disconnected parts, why couldn¡¯t she feel anything?


    ¡°Ah... That¡¯s right... I can¡¯t even feel my hands¡±, what she thought punches were nothing but her trembling fingers.


    In the eerie silence, her body maintained a relaxed position with her head faced towards the now distant gate. Drenched in earth-covered sweat and coagulated blood, crystalline beads filled her eyes deprived of vision.


    ¡°Fuck...¡±


    ***


    [The invasion will start in 60 seconds. Enemies will approach from Terminals F-1 to F-8. I wish you all good luck]


    Milen kneeled on the ground and let Seven ride on her back. Whispering a fast, inaudible chant, chains materialized on her arms as her spiritual counterpart, brighter and bordering on the physical realm, invaded every pore of her body while inducing a bone-chilling pain. Her dark eyes acquired a tinge of green and she quickly cast an array.


    ¡°Lost Ground¡±


    A circle of glistening arrows surged spontaneously on the surface, all beginning at her feet and expanding into the distance. As Seven absorbed the filth of the mark, Milen got to experience a level of power she could¡¯ve never dreamed of when she took the rites as a child and started on her studies. This was the dream of every Naiyid, to use their gift without restrictions. She didn¡¯t need a purpose to use it, it would simply be a waste not to make use of this unrestrained power, even in this limited realm that condemned her to death.


    If these were going to be her last moments, she would thoroughly relish them.


    Her heart beat faster with each passing second, and though she was previously afraid of this very melody of life, she was now eager to hear it. To what extent the ancients feared her people, to have them persecuted and banished to the netherworld? To what extent the legends of warriors that massacred whole armies alone, passed down for generations amongst her clan, rung true? The tales of the Naiyid shamans were spread from the lowliest taverns to the halls of kings throughout the world, both feared and respected as a relic of the past.


    Though history would not remember her name, she now had the chance to earn her spot in the hall of the ascended.


    ||Invasion started||

 W1C30

    The terminals were open, the slick movement of the shutters, like a worm¡¯s mouth, was the only thing they heard for a while. Her eyes alert, Milen¡¯s position was such that she couldn¡¯t discern the shapes in the distant fog. She and Seven did not move or utter a word for fear of missing any details.


    The first change was noticed by Kate. To her ears, it sounded like a rumbling, the sign of an animal stampede. Through the fog, a slow procession of human shapes was seen, normal in proportion but as if floating in the air, eventually carrying beneath them bulges of flesh sustained by thin but muscular legs. The feelers twitched every time they detected movement, and the small hairs, like leaves, followed the will of the wind.


    Not only did she notice them from miles away, her senses pinpointed the exact position of all of the other ants, including the furtive workers, unceremoniously skipping past the line and invading the buildings, scavenging for food in the middle of a battleground, and the taut warriors that walled up in front of the female looking shadows of princesses, led by their fateful leaders. The humanoid guards sported weapons like shields, swords or spears, the traditional tools for humans to dispose of one another, made of a material as sturdy as their skin.


    Half a minute passed, Milen saw a few ants coming their way. It was a standard battalion of warriors, they went ahead of the procession and spearheaded the way. She made sure Seven was tightly held onto her and moved. Particles of light shone on the ground and accumulated on the soles of her feet. One moment she was there; the other, she wasn¡¯t, but for Milen herself, the world moved extremely slow and awkward, as if everything was a passing flick that would disappear once she left it behind.


    Exhilarated, she let go of her partner, who stood in midair frozen in time. The spectral chains materialized from her wrists and hung onto the neck of the forefront¡¯s warrior ant. Crossing her wrists and swiftly pulling down the chains, she willed it towards the ground, but instead of forcing it into submission, it removed the ant¡¯s head in a motion that left behind no blood. She looked back with a smile on her face, Seven was still there, unmoved, with his stoic countenance. Milen tried walking to him but her feet could only move forward. It was the first time she used Lost Ground, the first time she had the power to use it, as the curse shackled the spirit, draining the strength.


    -Wait!


    Her feet that pulled her forward finally stopped on the place she initially intended to be at, for a split second the world returned to its normal velocity, but she had no time to think about that. Another arrow activated beneath her feet and she instantly appeared at his side to catch him.


    -Are you alright?


    -What happened?


    All Seven grasped of it was that he was teleported from one place to another. Furrowing his brows, he noticed the dead ant in front of them, whose body had yet to crumble apart. He understood that he did not understand anything.


    -Argh...!


    The dark ring expanded from Milen¡¯s finger to encompass her whole arm and beyond. Seven caught the motion and erased it before it could do anything else. Instead, the other two ants of the group exploded and fell into a pile of their viscera.


    -If you do that, take away as many as possible... Our objective is the Princesses.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight with small fry.¡±


    At that moment, Seven thought there was a good chance to pass this trial with Milen¡¯s abilities. The idea of a win instead of a tactical retreat lingered.


    Not losing in impetus, Milen adjusted to her newfound powers and every time she moved, she maximized efficiency. The first few groups of ants that came her way were nothing, she could dispose of them without batting an eye.


    ¡°Ghost force¡±


    She experimented with multiple casts of her primary spell, summoning an ever-growing number of chains that attached into the monsters¡¯ limbs and brought them down with ruthless efficiency, detached without a trace of being fought against, almost like the work of a guillotine. Milen¡¯s inability to change directions once she set the distance was an obstacle, but she viewed it as a challenge to perfect her skills.


    The enemy lines formed the point of a spear, starting with one and increasing by two each time she reached further. Milen dove in, phasing through the ground and establishing the links between her wrists and their members, dismantling the bodies in an instant. It was at the very end of the enemy line that she sensed something wrong. In that space where nothing could move except for her, she had an eerie feeling and urged her body to the side, though her feet kept moving.


    Woosh


    A hole was punctured through the ants before she had the chance to end their life, and as silent as it came, a spear with serrated ends retracted to the start of the line. Milen felt a sting and she passed her palm by her cheek.


    -Ssk...!


    She opened her eyes in fear of the blood trail on her palm, or, more exactly, the cause of her bleeding. It completely erased from existence a patch of skin and a lock of hair.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    She backtracked as soon as the distance was covered.


    From the center of the formation, as the perforated bodies collapsed one upon the other, the reddish slit that passed for eyes glowed faintly on its slightly pink skin, or crust, as it resembled a tree bark if one were to look closely. There were lips, a long nose, but the face held as much life as a wooden mask. The big forehead linked to locks of braided hair, which were, in fact, a mere extension of the skin. They contorted like living snakes, twitching to any change of temperature and sound wave.


    Seven closed his eyes, reiterating his initial plan.


    -Royal Guards. They come in batches of two or three. At least one will take an active role and scourge the place for enemies, whereas the other will guard the Princess. You¡¯ve stepped into their ¡°danger¡± zone, which recognizes you as a threat.


    Milen was floored at Seven¡¯s revelation. A single Royal Guard was enough to deal with her, and there were at least eight of them, how was she supposed to stall them? She couldn¡¯t believe that the strength of the Naiyid was insufficient to deal with their lot.


    ¡°If I had access to the scriptures...¡±


    -Did you listen to me?


    -Eh?


    -Haaah... I¡¯ll repeat myself. We have to aim for the Princess to gather their attention and stall them for as long as possible.


    -¡­ Then what?


    -Retreat once things get dire. We can¡¯t fight them head-on.


    ¡°Plus, this is only their physical prowess... I don¡¯t even know what genes they got¡±


    Amongst the people who knew their genes and how to use them, there were only four: Nathan, Kyel, Natalya and Seven. C42, the one present in Seven¡¯s bloodstream, was one of the most useful ones: a fast metabolism and high mutability compost that made him an extremely adaptable human. C42 was the most widespread amongst the subjects and, by extension, the ants.


    ¡°The more we fight against them, the stronger they will get. If it¡¯s not a decisive blow, we stand to lose¡±


    As Milen used the arrows on the walls to glide past the buildings, she got a better view of the armies.


    -The Princess is the tallest one out there. See if you can strike from this spot.


    Milen focused on summoning a thick, sturdy chain that would reach for miles and capture its neck. It made a beeline straight for the encirclement and clinched perfectly around it, shrinking and tightening. Nothing could destroy the link, the head fell cleanly onto the mass, carrying with it a root of organs that spilled like rotten fruits dropping from the tree branches.


    -Got it!


    Not a moment passed by until a stem formed in the neck shaft, expanding and forming a shape.The new skin had an unnatural, sickly color. Plastered upon it,dead misaligned eyes whose eyelids moved according to the angle, and a tilted nosesunk into the face, the bridge popping up and down along with its movements.The rough texture of the hairless head was another confirmation, it wore the appearance of a human without possessing any of the vital organs.


    -What... How do I kill this thing?


    -You are not that capable. Unless you dive in and fight with your life on the line, there is no chance of doing that. I¡¯ve already considered your cowardice.


    -Coward...


    -There is no use in saying otherwise.


    Seven¡¯s words got Milen into thinking. Was she really a coward? She viewed herself in a strong color for surviving all these years in a harsh environment, but most of her time she passed running away. She never thought too deeply on it, because survival always came first ¨C who would judge her for running away? Those that did lied six feet underneath. However, in her subconscious, it was never about the circumstance. Her nature was to run away from difficulties, to avoid danger.


    Deep inside, she knew: she was nothing more than a weakling, and this truth was the bane of her existence. As Naiyid, banished and captured, a disgrace to her ancestors. She deserved such mockery from a stranger,just like years ago, with the scorn of her brothers and sisters. Weak, useless, a coward, that was she, Milen, andyears of denial would not change this truth.


    ¡°Haha... A coward indeed.¡±


    Throughout her life, she lived in fear. Fear of rejection, of reprobation, of the unknown, fear of her parents and her siblings, of the people outside the tribe, of pain and happiness. It was something magical and even alien to her, was she the only one who felt that way? How come she didn¡¯t understand anything while others accepted it so easily. Society, scary. Humans, scary. Choose conformity, you don¡¯t have to get hurt ¨C but why did she still bleed in quiet despondence?


    A failure, something that shouldn¡¯t exist. Something other than human.


    ¡°Am I going to live my whole life like that?¡±


    Milen¡¯s hands trembled at the thought, but change was a slow and painful process and she wasn''t prepared for it yet.


    -...After this.


    -Hm?


    -If I get past this... You won''t be calling me a coward anymore.


    Seven arched an eyebrow.


    -Sure, whatever.


    "Those half-hearted words, better keep them for yourself if you don''t want to suffer any embarrassment"


    Even if she wasn''t a coward, since the first impression lasted for a long time, it was unlikely that Seven would stop calling her that. Regardless, Milen herself couldn''t predict the impact this oath would have in her life from that day onwards.


    ***


    In a quiet room, Kyel creased his brows in what was the ending of a nightmare, he opened them sluggishly and calmly surveyed the surroundings.


    ¡°Lodgings. Not the one from the 6th or 7th Research Stations. Somehow I made it to 5th or lower¡±


    He didn¡¯t immediately assume it was Natalya who brought him here, as he didn¡¯t know anything that happened after the reptilian started his onslaught. He tried to get up, but just a slight amount of strength applied to his column or near his stomach would produce a piercing pain.


    -Kyel, what happened on the other side? The bridge is gone.


    He recognized that voice. It was someone from the 6th Research Station.


    -How far did you spread the net? - he spoke in a detached tone.


    -The latest information is from four days ago. At the time, we had reached the 3rd area.


    ¡°That was on the same day Arthur initiated contact¡±


    -Did you see a woman when I woke up?


    -No.


    -Make another access into the 6th area, assemble a team to accompany me to the 1st area.


    -...There is only me here.


    -They settled elsewhere?


    -They are dead.


    "..."


    -Oh, that so? Things got a wittle bit compwicated, hehe cough* cough* cough* - he spat a mouthful of blood - oh boy.

 W1C31

    Kate rolled in the barrel and steadied the aim.


    The smell of gunpowder was refreshing, but the acute vision she¡¯s been getting the past few days had yet to recede. At times, her head hurt and she felt like puking, yet she didn¡¯t eat or drink anything in the last twenty-four hours - it was pure bile. Kate ignored the unpleasant sensation and focused on the task at hand.


    -Tsk ¨C she discharged the bullets in a hurry, quickly reloading and nudging her eyes in the middle of the action. It was strange, there was no satisfaction, pull the trigger and that was it, the thing would die, the next would come, rinse and repeat.


    Through the corner of her eye Kate saw her father¡¯s shadow, directly behind. Feeling like eyes grew on the back of her head, her vision almost covered the whole perimeter, though sometimes blurry.


    Ignoring those changes, her effectiveness in battle was not any short of Milen¡¯s. She had the means and the intent to annihilate those pests, and she wasn¡¯t one bit afraid of death. What she was afraid of was the sense of losing herself. The person she struggled all her life to accept, was it a farce? Was she wrong about her feelings? Her symptoms felt like a punishment, and a phrase constantly spoken by her mother came to mind ¨C to the wicked, retribution.


    Kate didn¡¯t know what to believe in anymore, and as the lines that separated dream and reality blurred, she felt the weight of her existence pull her down.


    ¡°... Who am I, again?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Maybe I am no one after all¡±


    Eyes cast down, Kate wiped out the warrior ants, but she wasn¡¯t invincible. The bullets were limited, the need to reload and reposition made her unable to dive in. Nathan couldn¡¯t help it either, he lacked both firepower and manpower ¨C there were too many, too strong.


    ¡°... What is this?¡±


    Kate felt something in her head, and it told her the movements of a fast-approaching ant. A Royal Guard, the first one she would face. She couldn¡¯t give a damn about it. The bullets contained the white substance made of the crystal¡¯s ether, enough to pierce through their hides and prevent regeneration. In the absence of Natalya, she alone represented the highest offensive power on their side.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to move forward, step sideways and lunge... There will be an opening if I hurry a few steps forward¡±


    She absent-mindedly paced through the chaos and readied her gun in preparation for the counter, but her thoughts and feelings were in contradiction. There was a new ¡°command¡± given to the Royal Guard, and it would now retreat.


    What should be a bloody battlefield felt like a game of chess, and she never once doubted why she could read into their movements. She knew where to be and what to do, and on her side, an obvious advantage: no one in need of protection. Once she cornered the King, the other pieces would be forced to step up to defend it, and she struck without hesitation.


    It was the first time a Royal Guard had been injured and, incidentally, it was the first one to die. Kate¡¯s bullet embedded not into its humanoid head, but right below its abdomen into the ant counterpart, traveling through its organs and stopping in the digestive tract, where the acid spread and it collapsed shortly after.


    On the backline, Nathan analyzed those motions and concluded that the human counterparts were mere appendices of their body, but it was also true that some important organs lied there, as he observed from Milen¡¯s side. Unlike Seven, he didn¡¯t know anything about ant biology, but his exposition to the absurd gave him a plausible explanation.


    ¡°They have decentralized systems. Multifunctional organs and the loss of one or another is not important, each capable of mitigating the damage and rebuild¡±


    Nathan grabbed the handle of a door and pushed it.


    -...


    ¡°It¡¯s been less than an hour, and things are like this...¡±


    As the door toppled over, it revealed a den of workers looking through the restaurant and breaking apart every utensil meant for human use. The wooden tables and broken glasses were particularly noticeable, to lesser degree cans of soda and leaking plastic bottles, frozen food with melting ice, fresh vegetables and first-grade meat. The ants completely ignored him and went about their business.


    Nathan walked away and observed the fire at the distance, the workers tore apart the buildings and piled the materials at the center. Some of them were killed by Milen in a split second, others were dealt with by Kate and his team, but their actions were a drop in the ocean in the great scheme of things. He saw some ants heading towards the cave that led to the research lab and undoubtedly looking through the entrances.


    ¡°We had our fun, time to leave¡±


    Nathan sent a signal to his teammates and headed to the cave. There was little they could hope to achieve in that situation, now an escape route was needed and the only safe place was the research lab.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Nathan squinted his eyes and used the binoculars north from his position.


    ¡°That¡¯s where Milen and Seven are stationed¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The surrounding ants left their assignments and headed that direction. Even the workers, who would ignore them even if they walked past and had every mean to kill the prey, joined in.


    At that moment, Nathan thought he saw a brief black ray cutting the horizon in two, followed by continuous explosions.


    ¡°What the hell is going on there?¡±


    ***


    In this world, there is love and hatred, life and death, light... And darkness. While they cower and fear the curse, afraid of words blasphemous to their beliefs, only the Naiyid knows true fear, true pain, and what darkness entails. Even as our throats get hoarse and our tongues bleed, our chants will reach the Gods, and they will hear our plea. Once your life has been burnt away and your soul condemned to Ashaiya you will discover true darkness - embrace it, conquer it, for the greatest sacrifice conjures the greatest power.


    As the great shaman¡¯s wisdom sang on her ears, sweat ran down Milen¡¯s forehead - she creased her brows as the pain of the mark invaded her through the field spell. Each word pronounced added to the bone chewing pain, blood flowing from her lips as the chants sealed away long ago flew, agonized spirits towards the ceiling.


    ¡°Ghost Step¡±


    A dark arrow crept its way up, a pillar of suppressed energy sending thundering bolts to the surrounding area. It did not inflict any lasting damage to even the unassuming workers looking through the debris of scattered buildings. However, once the purplish hue hit them, the strangest things would happen. Some floated in the air, others stood petrified and paralyzed, the most common occurrence being dismemberment, which kept their parts functioning in an absurd display of tenacity ¨C blood gushing out and disappearing in the span of a second as each member twisted and mingled upon the other, ending in a jumbled creature that in nothing resembled the original.


    Milen stepped upon the arrow and was immediately rushed to the ceiling, sparks of dark energy latching onto her feet and clinging to her skin, tentacles of impurity that fed the curse. She knew that she couldn¡¯t stay in the lost ground for too long, lest the darkness consumed her.


    ¡°Ghost force!¡±


    Storming out of her flesh, physical chains materialized from Milen¡¯s wrists and the palms of her hands, blood running through the mysterious metal as they stretched to cover the limited skies. The shock robbed the woman of consciousness as the chains collectively rained on the floor, most of which disappeared, unable to continue existing through the lack of the caster¡¯s power. What would have erased everything in the immediate vicinities turned out to be as fickle as a spark.


    As the effects from the lost ground wore off, Seven had to worry both about the imminent fall and the black miasma that looked to devour Milen¡¯s body. Much like the first time he did it, the curse bypassed that which should be another realm into a completely material existence.


    A chain of explosions took place in the area. Chunks of earth, living parts, and brownish blood flew along with glass shrapnel and debris, hitting Milen and scraping flesh off of Seven¡¯s shoulders. The dark matter absorbed all the damage, but there was no time to ponder about Milen¡¯s safety as his own life was at stake.


    ¡°Arthur managed to set the traps deep into the subterranean... But this timing is really bad, they should have waited for orders...¡±


    Though severe damage was inflicted, they would most likely be casualties.


    ¡°Milen is not waking up through this. I hope the butterfly works this time...¡±


    He had been frantically absorbing Milen¡¯s curse and trying to convert it into useful weapons during the battle, but it rarely worked and, when it did, the effects would be unpredictable and often of little use. Unknown to Seven, the effects of the butterfly and their rate of success were directly proportional to the power of the ¡°captured¡± butterfly. Had he paid more attention to studying the cryptic texts, it wouldn''t have passed unnoticed.


    Milen would understand, however, through the Naiyids teachings, that the choice that led to the most pain would also grant the most rewards, and as the black marks penetrated Seven¡¯s body, seeping into his bloodstream, for the first time the butterfly worked exactly as he intended, teleporting the two to the research lab. Had he known of this mechanic, he would¡¯ve reversed time to a point all of this could¡¯ve been salvageable.


    A sharp sting on his heart, Seven felt like needles had been forcefully wedged into his body and all incentive to speak was annihilated as the pain paralyzed him to the spot. The snake that had been hibernating for the past few hours grew large enough to encompass his whole body, it stretched and enveloped his belly all the way through his chest, head slithering past the heart. Like an anaconda, it motioned to smother and break his bones, and he could distinctly feel them giving under the pressure.


    -...Cough*


    His throat itched so much he wanted to carve it with a knife and deal with the problem on sheer brutality, as willpower wasn¡¯t enough to deal with it. Tears formed in his eyes. It was suffocating.


    ¡°I knew that we had no chance to win this... But I didn¡¯t think I would be fucked up so hard, hehehe...¡±


    If he managed to stay alive, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything for the remainder of his life.


    A death sentence.


    ***


    Kyel ended his stay at the healthcare center. He didn¡¯t remember how many tickets he needed to use, but at this point they were a dead currency either way.


    -What are we going to do?


    -Nothing at all~ - Kyel said ¨C oh, but there is something to be done! Support from the sidelines!


    -¡­?


    -Ugh, here are some tickets, buy me ice cream.


    -But what about-


    -Chop. CHOP!


    The facilities were roughly the same around the research stations, with their own touch. HOPE had more advanced biology labs, for instance. WHISPER, a more complete array of information in the Control Room. RAIN, on the other hand, focused on production, and thus on materials engineering, which was not the task at hand.


    Kyel easily hacked into the Control Room and through there got access to the area¡¯s secrets, it did not take long for him to notice the strange shapes moving in the dark through the camera lens, outside the gate and roaming through the deserted base. Some of them were hiding in nearby buildings, and it was very lucky for him not to encounter any when he was again unconscious in the healthcare center. The same couldn¡¯t be said about his late companion.


    ¡°Another peon is lost, rip¡±


    A message popped up in the hologram. Strange, because no such messages were ever issued to him before when operating this room.


    ||Shared File 150699 has been modified. Latest version: Today, 17:17:08||


    -Huuuuuuh?


    Kyel knew this thing. It was an archive shared between all computers in the Advanced Programming Lab throughout all the stations. He originally thought it was Ai¡¯s program, but messing with it didn¡¯t seem to do anything. Once, he changed the lines to try and deactivate it, have her actively help them or change its personality ¨C he went as far as to create an algorithm that would predict her measures upon a specific course of action. Alas, it seemed to be an Ai without a program to run into, strange even for an unknown coding platform.


    Accessing the PC through the Control Room, he looked into the latest changes.


    -Backup data insertion, administration rights on, minor personality adjustments, backstory mode off... Hmm... HMM! I can also play this game!


    Kyel skimmed through the lines and found the one he was looking for. With a dramatic press of a button, he stood triumphantly though there was no one to see his goofy pose.


    -Chaos mode, on!

 W1C32

    Arthur walked near the patch of earth and set up another explosive. Not knowing what was happening on the other side and whether or not they would be able to stall the ants in time, he assumed one of the highest risks in today¡¯s battle. If things went south, the others had a path of retreat ¨C the same couldn¡¯t be said about him.


    -This is the last one. Let¡¯s go.


    -Alright ¨C patting the dust off his hands, he stood straight and walked off.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    -Arthur?


    -Shh. I saw something.


    -Ants? - the man whispered.


    -I don¡¯t know ¨C he replied in a hushed tone.


    The two crouched under the back of a fallen building and paid attention to their surroundings, an oil lamp hanging by the man¡¯s hand. Against normal ants, light was in their favor and as such, they didn¡¯t think to dampen the fire.


    A noise echoed from the direction they had just been at. Arthur¡¯s companion took a peek and flashed the light.


    -How is it?


    -Doesn¡¯t look like one of them.


    It had no similarity to the ants, as their spiky hairs would produce an unpleasant melody as they sliced through the air, a sound that crept through their skins. They were not as impatient and quick-footed, it seemed like a wild animal but there was nothing like that in the area. Thus, the conclusion was that it was a human, and the way it moved towards the light with paced steps served to bolster this belief.


    The man stood up and signaled for the person at the other end to come by, relief apparent on his face. Whether they were here to break the bad news or bring a notice of victory, he just wanted to flee whichever direction and not have to worry about this madness.


    -Over here ¨C he waved his hand.


    Feeling something strange going on, Arthur motioned for him to stand down as his feet led him somewhere further away.


    -What? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying - the man flashed the light on Arthur who hastily hid on another block. Creasing his brows, the man turned his back in time to see a ribcage torn and held like a trophy by black scaly hands.


    -Sssssk.


    He fell with blissfully ignorant eyes. The recently torn off torso was crushed into paste, gushing a mixture of blood and meat pulp as the sounds of bones cracking and puncturing the flesh rang by. Arthur¡¯s skin was taut as adrenaline pumped through his body, the sound of the tendons and ligaments tearing off was a torture he could¡¯ve never imagined to presence before. He was in a trance, unable to close his eyes or look away to this nightmare.


    The creature dived its long nails into the abdomen and plucked the organs, squashing everything into a cubical shape ¨C turned a bloody pumpkin as the broken limbs joined the mix. The man¡¯s head rolled past his remains along with the lamp, glass broken and oil spilled, burning for a few seconds. The monster crushed both the head and the fire with two powerful steps, scratching the sole of his feet and cleansing the shattered brains.


    Arthur heard it walk towards him and he covered his mouth with both of his hands, eyes wide open even while knowing there was nothing to see in that darkness. It walked fast and, in a few seconds, reached his location. Deathly still he stood, in hopes that it didn¡¯t notice him; however, unlike the ants, the creature could see everything. It did not spare a single glance at Arthur and punched his chest through the wall.


    Arthur flew a short distance, his heart momentarily stopping from the strike. Not giving him any chance to run away, the monster crashed against the wall and destroyed it. It knelt and grabbed his throat in a swift motion to crush it, leaving behind three deep scars before being pulled out.


    -Ssk!


    Arthur held his bleeding throat and crawled away, he had no time to make sense of the blurry haze that was the two shadows dancing in front of him. Metal clings and blood spurts, low growls mixed amongst hoarse inhuman screams. They battled all around, sometimes reaching past Arthur¡¯s location, but whenever it came close to that, something would steer them farther away. At one point, the monster was pressed against the wall and dragged around the compound, the walls started to collapse one by one, bringing down the entire building.


    Arthur took his hand off his throat and protected his head in advance, preparing to get all his limbs crushed under the frames, but all he felt was the dust and small debris sullying his hair and scratching his arms as the catastrophe ensued.


    Some seconds passed by and all he could hear was a presence above him clearing away the rubble and opening a path. Once there was enough space to move around, it lighted a matchstick and set fire to a lamp.


    From his position, Arthur identified a fairly clean face with some white fur hanging around its neck and going all the way down to his feet in what looked like an incredibly exaggerated coat. The person offered him a hand, which had not a speck of dust, and shone a smile illuminated by the fire.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    -Are you alright? - a young, male voice.


    -Cough* Cough* - Arthur tried to speak, but his throat suffered irreparable damage. He could only nod slowly.


    -Oh, you got some back there. We need to get you to the med care asap. Do you know where is the Research Station?


    Again, he nodded.


    -Great. Lead the way!


    Pulling Arthur¡¯s arm, the youngster supported him while following the directions, at the same time careful around the trapped areas.


    -Oh, by the way, I didn¡¯t tell you my name, did I? I would like you to introduce yourself, too, but that will have to wait, right? My name is Inoue Akagane, pleased to meet you!


    ***


    Natalya woke up hours after falling unconscious, immediately scanning the surroundings for any enemy. Her injuries should¡¯ve scabbed and healed by then, but her system was in an all-time low from insomnia, hunger, and thirst. Making great effort to move, she searched for the water bottle under her belt, but there was only her naked skin. She completely forgot about the earlier transformation; all her belongings were now impossible to reach.


    -Sssk.


    Natalya¡¯s eyes turned into slits upon hearing that odd hissing. This time she had the strength to punch her fist into the ground and feel the adrenaline rushing through her body. She heard it at quite a distance, but there was no intention of backing down or hiding.


    -Sssssssk.


    Tracking the source, she stood up and bolted towards the direction of the noise, catching the sight of two humanoid lizards. Like her previously, they were covered with dark scales sharper than iron blades, sporting aquiline noses undissociated from long and sharp-edged jaws. Their white eyes were protected by a series of smaller scales that imitated eyebrows, and small protrusions similar to horns rose in straight lines from their corners to the tails.


    Natalya rushed the first monster and aimed for its weak spot, the throat, crushing it in an instant. The other one looked to attack her with its tail, she jumped up with the dead body and used it as protection against the oncoming slash of its claws. Sharp and sturdy, they ripped apart strips of flesh from both the dead body and Natalya.


    Ignoring the pain, she threw the body towards it and started with a drop-down heel kick followed by a step on its head, jumping far from its reach. A good part of the impact was absorbed by the body, and the scales created rows of indentations on her skin.


    The monster rushed her before she could touch the ground, tackling and squeezing her torso.


    Snap.


    As a bone cracked under the pressure, Natalya¡¯s eyes grew eerier as she tore off one of the horns adorning its head and continuously stabbed against the exposed side of its throat. The monster was forced to alleviate the strength on his arms to create some distance, bowing its head to dodge the strike and rushing forwards to impale Natalya with the small, tiny horns. Throwing the makeshift weapon to the side, she went for a choke while enveloping it with her legs.


    Three distinct pikes grinding against her stomach, Natalya kept at it for half a minute with the beast pushing forward and trying all sorts of tricks to overpower her; she would have none of it. Reaching the end of its life, it did not try to run away, instead exerting all of its strength to crack one extra rib.


    Snap.


    -Haaah ¨C exhausted, she pushed the lizard away and passed her hands through her torso.


    ¡°Shit...¡±


    Before an unwanted guest appeared, she stuck her hands into the thing¡¯s throat and opened it from inside out, digging into his raw flesh and vermillion blood.


    Food and water. Still alive.


    ***


    Waking up, Milen found herself leaning against a cool, flat surface. It¡¯s been a few years since she had a good sleep, and finding it in such a precarious situation had her thinking about how good it would be if she left this goddamned place ¨C but thinking too deeply would only leave her with sadness and pain, she¡¯d rather forget herself in this rare moment of comfort.


    -Feeling good?


    -Hmm ¨C she mumbled, but soon after that peaceful moment was broken and she felt her scalp go numb.


    -Great, that¡¯s what I wanted to hear! ¨C Seven remarked as Milen, with her back sprawled on his chest, pressed him against the couch and magnifying the pain he was feeling. It was to such a degree that he had no qualms about talking, because that little bit less or little bit more of pain would make absolutely no difference.


    Suddenly alert, she pushed herself from the couch, cheeks blushing, but that warm and jovial intercourse didn¡¯t last long as she noticed all the black tattoos covering the whole of Seven¡¯s body. It struck a chord, she could barely whisper words of apology ¨C a single ¡°I am sorry¡± would not be enough, not even an entire life worth of them. Milen closed her eyes and waited for Seven¡¯s lash out, rather she was eager for him to curse her with all sorts of names and blasphemies ¨C at least that way she would feel better.


    -Hahahaha! Don¡¯t pity me. I did what I did. Knowing... The consequences!


    -But... This is...


    -It doesn¡¯t... Matter! Hahahaha! - as the words formed in his mouth, he couldn¡¯t stop laughing at his predicament.


    Milen stepped back, horrified. She couldn¡¯t understand how someone could bear such pain. Even the level of pain she felt was enough to make her pass out, and it was nowhere close to the one that would plague him forever.


    -Hey, Ai! I want to know, was I right back then, about my chances of survival?


    Milen frowned.


    -You can hear Ai?


    -A joke not funny, my friend! But I¡¯ll still laugh. Hahahahaha!


    -No, I¡¯m being serious here. Can you talk with her?


    Blinking a few times and waving off his annoyance, Seven replied as irritation filled him.


    -Ai can speak with everyone through thought, voice or text via the Human System. Maybe because you¡¯re not a player, you can¡¯t hear her.


    Passing by to check on the two at the Occult Research Lab, a person from Kyel¡¯s group heard the conversation and joined in.


    -Actually, we cannot speak with Ai mentally. We can talk to her through the Human System alright, but the output comes from the crystal. Is that what you meant?


    Seven¡¯s pain receded, giving way to a breath of reason amidst the rain of insanity that consumed him. If he still had his crystal with him, he would be compelled to believe that he¡¯s been speaking via the Human System, but he didn¡¯t even bother checking on it and freely spoke with Ai as if it was only natural.


    ¡°This whole time, I¡¯ve been the only one capable of speaking to Ai directly?¡±