《Summoning Characters During the LitRPG Apocalypse! (Gacha + LitRPG Apocalypse)》 Chapter 1 I tell me, myself, that you are necessary to me. I tell you, yourself, that I am necessary to you. I will lead us to victory, and you will follow me. And this is the way it will be, forever.
¡°We are in a state of national emergency.¡± On the television screen, an old man is crying. Tears slip down his face, staining his crumpled suit. After wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, he recollects himself and continues. ¡°As you might already know, a-¡± BOOM The old man¡¯s head explodes before he finishes his sentence, making me flinch slightly. As the decapitated body collapses onto the ground, a grotesque figure limps onto the screen. The skin on its face is stretched thin, but loose on its limbs and torso. It unhinges its jaw unnaturally wide, causing the skin near the corners to tear open. ¡°XXXXXXXX XXXXXX. XXXXXXXX XXX XXXXXXX X.¡± And with that, the television powers off. After a few moments of contemplating, I push myself off the sofa, grabbing the coffee I had set off to the side. Walking towards the window closest to me, I sweep the curtains to the right with my hand. The view outside my apartment is concerning, to say the least. Twilight on earth. Blackened smoke rises from destroyed buildings, sirens reverberating throughout the air. Cars are packed bumper to bumper on the streets, a seemingly endless amount. You might be thinking that some sort of natural disaster has happened, or perhaps an alien invasion. But what¡¯s probably the case¡­ [initializing system¡­] ¡­ is a LitRPG apocalypse. You know, things like systems and overpowered hidden classes. I take a small sip of coffee, grasping the mug tightly in my hand as I observe the words. I¡¯m not afraid, but my heart is thumping erratically in my chest. Many questions arise from the fact that a holographic screen appeared out of nowhere, but they can be put aside for now. In a situation like this, it¡¯s best to remain calm. [...complete!] [Hello, user.]The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Is it referring to me? To be honest, I¡¯m lost on what to say. ¡°... Hello.¡± [Please answer the following questions! (compliance is necessary)] Following my greeting, a new screen appears. Is this some sort of test? Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like I have that much of a choice. [How was your day today?] [1. good] [2. bad] A small screen appears near my fingertips, containing two circles. It¡¯s quite the simple question, is there something more to it? Or maybe it''s just starting off easy. Whatever the case may be, I follow my gut instinct. Moving my index finger, I touch the circle containing a pulsating number one. Shortly after, the screen flickers and a new set appears. [I solve my problems through¡­] [1. strength.] [2. knowledge.] Without any hesitation, I select the second choice. I stopped trying to solve my problems through force since the time I got beat up by the girl sitting next to me in kindergarten. People call humans like me ¡®refined pacifists¡¯. [After learning a secret¡­] [1. I keep it.] [2. I use it against them.] Once again, with zero hesitation, I select the second choice. During kindergarten, once I obtained the information that the girl sitting next to me wet her bed every morning, I took advantage of it as much as possible. After having done so, I learned the greatness of information. Diplomatic studies call this kind of politics ¡®armed neutrality¡¯. [I get excited when I¡­] [1. Get hit by someone¡­!] [2. Hit someone¡­!] ??? At the sight of the absurd question, my left eye twitches slightly. The periods combined with the exclamation mark at the end of the sentence makes it uncomfortably vivid. It''s as if you¡¯re confessing your sexual desires, doesn''t it¡­! Anyways, for now, I select number 2. To be hit or to hit. I don¡¯t particularly enjoy hurting people, but if I had to choose, then it would be the latter option. I heard that there are people who feel pleasure from pain, but thankfully, I''m not a pervert. [What is your preference?] [1. Ass.] [2. Breasts.] Another completely unpredictable question has appeared, one that is somehow worse than the previous one. I nearly raise my hands and pinch myself, but I stop, realizing that would be kind of silly. After thinking for a moment, I chose number one. If you are someone with common sense, then it¡¯s only appropriate to choose number one. What is with these questions, anyways? I fill out around twenty or so questions until I reach the end of the survey. [This world will surely perish, along with humanity.] [What do you want to do?] Well, obviously I want to live. But to just live, isn¡¯t that a waste? Since the beginning, humans have always craved for something more, seeking a greater purpose in life. I raise a finger to my chin, a wistful smile on my face. Well, if I had to say¡­ ¡°I wish to live a happy life.¡± Ding! The sound of a bell chiming. No, the sound of an explosion. [Very well.] As I collapse onto the ground, my vision blurs and slowly fades to white, the ringing in my ears fading into the background. And then. Then¡­! [The tutorial shall now begin!] [Good luck, Wishmaker!] Then the strangest and longest dream began. Chapter 2 The stench of iron pierces my nose. ¡°What the¡­¡± I quickly gain my senses and instinctively take a step back. However, with a thud, my back bumps against something. A wall. I cough once, opening my eyes, but everything is pitch dark. Why am I here? How did I get here? ¡°I was in my room just a moment ago¡­ and I filled out that strange survey." Little by little, my breathing becomes calmer. There seems to be no problem with my memory. The problem is the smell. A foul nauseating smell, the smell of blood is everywhere. I wonder if it¡¯s because of shock, but I didn¡¯t realize how disgusting it smelt until now. But now that I¡¯ve realized, the smell is so intense that it¡¯s shaking my very brain. ¡°Damn¡­" Corpses are spread throughout the room. Human corpses that are swollen as if drowned, bodies with slit throats, and even bodies with limbs bent in the wrong directions. If this room was one of those modern art exhibits, then the curator would undoubtedly be an insanely perverted sadist. The fact that everything''s shrouded in darkness is my only solace. ¡°What is this¡­ the mystery of the human body?¡± I mumble underneath my breath. I need to get out of here quickly. Shifting my body, I put my left leg forward - and fall. My ankle is broken, it seems. I lift my the leg slightly, only to find the foot hanging limply. The entire bone is shattered, not something like an adorable sprain. And just like that, my fleeting dreams of escape are crushed.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Haa." Sliding downwards, I drag my back against the wall, sitting down in defeat. I can¡¯t run or walk like this, the pain is extraordinary. All I can do is sigh and think. Why was I brought here? There¡¯s plenty of people that I can think of who could want revenge against me. To be honest, it¡¯s more than plenty, which is why I washed my hands clean of everything long ago. It was at that moment I heard a scratchy voice from the farthest side of the room. ¡°I found him!" ¡°He¡¯s here! He¡¯s here!" I tilt my head upwards, my brain beginning to go cold. The tone of the voices have a vicious edge underneath, as if they''re desperately looking for something. Or someone. Don¡¯t tell me... ¡°Stay right there!" "We¡¯ll kill you if you move!" Are they after me? Around ten men come in like hungry wolves. They seem to be holding weapons in their hands, though I can''t exactly tell what they are because of the dark. Immediately, I shoot my hands into the air, a grim expression settling onto my face. ¡°Hey, I surrender!¡± Without warning, one of the men grab my head and slam it on the ground. They¡¯re being violent with me even though I surrendered. Not cool. ¡°Get down fucker!" A rock that¡¯s lying on the ground pokes my cheek. ¡°Keep your face down! Or else we¡¯ll fucking kill you!" I bite back a shout of pain, barely holding it back. Loud noises irritate kidnappers, so even if you¡¯re in pain, you must not scream. So it¡¯s best to be silent and polite. Might seem stupid, but hey, what can you do? ¡°Hoo¡­ I caught him! I captured him!" ¡°You aren¡¯t planning to take the credit all for yourself, are you?" The men start chatting loudly in excitement, so I hold my breath and listen in on their conversation. ¡°Just joking, I¡¯ll share with everyone equally." ¡°Heh, poor guy looks like a caterpillar." ¡°Let¡¯s just fucking kill him already." Someone kicks my side. It''s not a genuine hit, but more done jokingly. But regardless, that alone was pretty painful. ¡°Hey, hey. Don¡¯t you remember? We gotta bring him back to that fairy." ¡°¡­Fuck." Fairy? ...? ¡°When that fairy popped that fucker¡¯s head, I damn near pissed my pants." A roar of annoying laughter fills my ears, but I ignore it. Fairy¡­ popping heads¡­ Wait, don¡¯t tell me. I remember¡­ I remember it wasn¡¯t just a weird quiz, no, it was from the system ¡­ and the system had mentioned a tutorial... Tutorial. System. Fairy. Popping heads. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! The neurons have been activated. Okay, I¡¯m just joking, this didn¡¯t actually happen. In reality, I drew the connection instantly after I heard the word ¡®fairy¡¯. The corners of my mouth turn upwards slightly, almost unnoticeably. So this is the tutorial, huh? ¡°I know where the hidden reward is." Fine, I¡¯ll play it their way. Chapter 3 ¡°I know where the hidden reward is.¡± With a rough hand, the one that seems like the leader grabs my hair. The man has bent his body forward and is looking down at me. His entire face is covered in a brown beard, like a darkish mushroom that grew in a public bathroom that hadn¡¯t been cleaned for over 5 years. In simpler words, frighteningly dirty. ¡°The hidden reward¡­ what?" ¡°Yes, the secret hidden reward." Honestly, I just said whatever came to mind at that moment. It¡¯s a pretty common trope in LitRPG novels, a secret reward stashed away inside the tutorial. If I had answered with something along the lines of ¡®Please don¡¯t kill me!¡¯, I¡¯d probably get beaten up. There¡¯s also the fact that they have to bring me to the ¡®fairy¡¯ for some reason, so, for now, I have to say whatever I can to gain their interest. The man looks around, before putting his face right next to mine. ¡°Well¡­ where is it?" The bait has been successfully bitten. ¡°The hidden reward is in Deksmakd." ¡°What?" ¡°Fodosl. The hidden reward is in Moekoew." I swirl my tongue around in my mouth, spitting out a foreign sounding location. Suddenly, from the right, one of the men approaches me, rearing a fist back. ¡°Do you think this is a fucking joke?!"Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Wait." The leader puts a hand up, before looking at me. Through the dim lighting, I see a flash of greed in his eyes. ¡°Ah, do you not understand me? I¡¯ll write it down." Offering to write it down, I lower my body and write on the tiled floor. I don¡¯t have any writing utensils, but there¡¯s a lot of blood. Hopefully not mine. Dipping my finger into a pool of blood, I draw a bunch of random squares and circles. After finishing, I slightly turn my vision to observe the reactions. ¡°What the¡­" One of the men reaches into his pocket, pulling out a phone. After fiddling around, the flashlight setting is turned on. ¡°What the fuck is this?" I clear my throat, trying my best to hide my smile. ¡°Gentlemen, it¡¯s only natural that you are unable to understand. This is ancient fairy language, after all." ¡°F-Fairy language¡­?" ¡°The fuck?" The men make a commotion, and before they reach the notion that they got ripped off, I speak again. ¡°In order to fully secure the hidden treasure, I had specifically used ancient fairy magic to seal it." ¡°Magic¡­" ¡°Yes, fairy magic." If it isn¡¯t obvious, this is a lie. If you''re wondering why I specifically picked fairy magic, it¡¯s because these men have already witnessed first hand the power of ¡®fairy magic¡¯. ¡°But how can you use fairy magic? Aren¡¯t you a human like us?!" One of the men pushes forward, spraying spit everywhere. ¡°Well, I¡¯m actually a servant of the fairy that you saw before." Immediately, the gazes of the men shrink, and a few even take a couple steps backwards. In their heads, they¡¯ve made a connection, a false one. ¡°So that¡¯s why she wanted us to bring you to her." The one that seems to be the leader taps his chin, pretending to make a thoughtful expression. ¡°Say¡­ Do we, uh, need to understand that ancient fairy language thing to get the hidden treasure?" ¡°Yes. Of course.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s make a deal¡­ you bring us to the hidden reward and open it, and we won¡¯t bring you to that fairy." The man smiles, putting his yellowed teeth on full display. ¡°Deal." As I say the words, I reciprocate the smile with one of my own. He¡¯s fallen for my lie nicely. ¡°I think we¡¯re going to be good friends. So, where is this hidden treasure, exactly?" ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the directions." The man grabs my arm and forces me up. A horrible pain spreads from my left ankle, and I can''t hold back my scream this time. ¡°Oh. Your leg is messed up.¡± The man clicks his tongue. ¡°New guy! Support him." ¡°Yes sir." A young man, who I assume to be the new guy, comes over to support me, slinging an arm around my shoulder. [Overcame the crisis with cunning eloquence.] [Warning. Actions taken during the tutorial will henceforth affect your stats.] Chapter 4 We walk through a hallway. Actually, it might be a stretch to call what I''m doing ¡®walking¡¯. ¡°How about just killing him now...¡± ¡°This isn''t a good idea, that fairy really wanted us to bring him to her." I can hear the men talking up ahead. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re going to discuss whether I live or die, but can you at least speak in a voice that I can¡¯t hear? It¡¯s not that hard. Tsk, no manners. ¡°Hey. Even if his leg is sprained, isn¡¯t he a bit too slow?¡± ¡°Like I said. He¡¯s probably stalling.¡± ¡­And now they¡¯re even hurting my feelings. As I awkwardly shuffle along, I take in the new environment, making sure to leave nothing out. The walls are made up of dirty, yellowed tiles, with motivational posters sporadically displayed every ten feet or so. Fluorescent lights flicker overhead, and if I squint my eyes, I can make out a signboard in the distance. Line 3, Line 4 It seems we¡¯ve been transported into a subway station. ¡°Sir Fairy Assistant, my friends are a bit impatient.¡± the leader informs me with a snicker. I lower my head at his words. ¡°I apologize. I¡¯ll try harder to walk faster.¡± ¡°A nice and fast response. That¡¯s good.¡± He''s talking to me like I''m inferior. I have now decided. I¡¯ll definitely destroy that ugly face of his, I¡¯ll drag it through the mud. I won¡¯t go easy on him even if he begs for mercy later. Look forward to it. ¡°My friends and I have an occupational disease of sorts. We¡¯re suspicious that your honor is trying to trick us. That you¡¯re stalling for time to do something to us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± A poster directly to my left catches my eye as I respond, depicting a dancing cat with a silly phrase at the bottom: Let¡¯s get this party started! There¡¯s nothing to gain from playing fair with these kidnappers. Indeed, it¡¯s time to put on a show. ¡°I used to have friends too. They were nothing special, but they were still my precious comrades. Just like your friends are to you¡­" Tears began to fill my eyes. I have the ability to cry on command. It requires a little trick, a special move that my little sister had taught me. ¡°B-But now¡­ they¡¯re all dead¡­ that damn fairy betrayed us¡­ and now I¡¯ll never see my friends again." ¡°H-Huh?¡± The leader panicked.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°You aren¡¯t crying now, are you?¡± ¡°N-No. Cry? I would never.¡± I spoke like a child who was desperately trying to hold back his tears. ¡°It¡¯s just that amongst them, there was a girl who I was close to¡­ we went through everything, together." My pitiful wails echo throughout the hallway. ¡°After the fairy betrayed us, she held me until the very end. Even after being stabbed, even after shedding so much blood, she continued to hold me tightly to protect me from the fairy¡¯s magic. I can¡¯t forget the emotions I went through during that time no matter how hard I try¡­" ¡°¡­" ¡°She had wrapped both of her arms around me. I couldn¡¯t see a thing, but with a thud, her body shook. Thud thud, her body kept shaking. I didn¡¯t know what was happening at first, however, I soon found out that it was because of the fairy¡¯s magic arrows. Each time an arrow fell, her body would shudder. Despite that¡­" A single tear rolls down my cheek. My act is about to reach the climax. ¡°Despite all that, she was looking down at me... and smiling. She smiled until the very end. I wasn¡¯t sane. I thought I was going crazy. The most precious person in the world to me was dying in front of my very eyes¡­ dying to protect me, she was even smiling. What was I supposed to say!?¡± I reach upwards, covering my face with trembling fingers. ¡°I asked if it hurt. If she was in pain, but do you know what she told me in response?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡®Everything will be okay.¡± The air has gone still. The men had been captivated by my story at some point and are now quiet. I enjoy acting. In fact, it¡¯s probably my third favorite activity. I went through a test at one point. Go to any cafe and talk on the phone, like in those prank youtube videos. Pretend to argue with a girlfriend, when in reality, the phone isn''t even on. ¡®I¡¯ll do better from now on...'' ¡®Please! We can make this right!'' At first, the reactions from the other cafe customers had been annoyance. They were simply relaxing in a cafe and then suddenly some guy appeared and started talking loudly on his phone. Regardless, as time passed, their expressions slowly shifted. Their emotions changed. Sympathy. They had experience the same thing before. They had pleaded to a loved one at a point in their life. Feeling empathy, they finally started to treat me with pity. My kidnappers are no doubt beginning to feel the same. I¡¯m sorry to say, but they''re no match for me. Using this at my own will, I perform passionately. ¡°She told me she loved me¡­ and then she died.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Now I have nothing left¡­ except for rage. A burning rage for the fairy who I serve, and the one who killed my friends. " In this depressing atmosphere, the men start to whisper to one another. ¡°Damn¡­ poor guy¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he had such circumstances either.¡± ¡°So he suddenly lost everything. Tsk tsk¡­¡­¡± As predicted, sympathy falls upon me. There was something I didn¡¯t predict that happened too. It was a transparent screen that appeared out of thin air, similar to the ones I had used to take the quiz before I was brought here. [Your lies have captured the people!] [Affection +3] There¡¯s an affection system as well, huh. I wonder if there¡¯s a way to see the affection of a specific person, but now is not the time to test that out. ¡°I am grateful to have met you all, though.¡± I smile faintly. ¡°You didn¡¯t hand me over to that bastard of a fairy. You showed consideration to me who was seriously injured, and are even supporting me like this. This is the first time I¡¯ve met people as kind as you in my entire life¡­" Another lie. I knew from the very first moment that they would have killed me if they hadn¡¯t been ordered to bring me to the fairy. However, no human dislikes being flattered. The men awkwardly scratched their heads at my words. ¡°No, we didn¡¯t really do that much¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you cooperated so willingly.¡± [Affection +4] Did their wariness go down? Compared to earlier, the amount of points that went up increased. With a tear drenched face, I grin broadly. ¡°I apologize for delaying everyone. Now, let us resume towards the hidden reward.¡± It wasn¡¯t a smile out of happiness, but a forced smile to match other people. I emphasized that feeling in order to plant the seed of guilt into them. ¡°Ehem. That, uh, there¡¯s no reason for us to deliberately hurry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The treasure isn¡¯t going to grow legs and run away.¡± There''s a saying that the scariest animal on Earth are humans, but I think opposite. Humans are animals that I can feel most reassured with. I can''t trick a bear. If I encounter a lion, I¡¯ll one hundred percent get mauled to death. But humans. Humans can be deceived. But I don¡¯t like manipulating people. It''s better to sincerely gain people¡¯s trust than through lies. That''s why I avoid using deception unless I feel like my life is in danger. It¡¯s something like being good at lying, it¡¯s not a skill worth bragging about. ¡°Ah, but.¡± If these men had not threatened my life. If they had approached me with a bit more politeness. If we had forged a genuine friendship... I would not have to bare my fangs. ¡°Everyone¡ª I¡¯m afraid the fairy is on her way to our current location.¡± Chapter 5 ¡°Everyone¡ª if we take too much time, other people may arrive.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°As you all know, the fairy wants to recapture me. She has most definitely sent another group of people since you all have taken so long.¡± The men give each other unsettled looks. In zombie movies, there¡¯s always the trope that humans are the real monsters. Even in the modern world, humans compete with other humans rigorously. A rat race. ¡°Damn it. I didn¡¯t consider that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no certainty that others will come.¡± The men start to frown. ¡°Dumbass. Just think about it, it must be true.¡± ¡°Not good. This is not ¡­ we just found this guy. Don¡¯t joke with me.¡± ¡°Shit. Like we¡¯d hand him over to a bunch of dogs.¡± I could tell they were the rough kind of group, the type of guys who had big egos. ¡°Everyone.¡± I speak in a calm voice. Their gaze naturally collects onto me. ¡°At this moment, other people may already be approaching. How about making our way to the hidden reward first? There¡¯s not a lot of time. We can discuss things while moving.¡± The men glance at each other once more and nod all together. ¡°He¡¯s right. Let¡¯s take the treasure first. Yeah!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on¡­ nothing¡¯s free in life.¡± With loud voices, the men resume their march. Good. This is enough for now. I gave them an agreeable suggestion. Their guard against me may not be completely gone, but at least they don¡¯t see me as an ¡®enemy¡¯ now. ¡°New guy, carry him on your back. That¡¯ll be faster.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± The newbie lifts me up promptly. ¡°Ah, thank you very much.¡± I suddenly ended up getting a piggy back ride, but this was much better than forcing myself to walk.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I''m required to open the treasure vault, hence giving them a reason to keep me alive. Furthermore, I was able to raise their affection towards me, giving them the false impression that I''m on their side. This is favorable. However, there are still two problems remaining. The first problem is that I have no idea where I¡¯m going. As soon as they find out that I lied, regardless of affection points or whatever, they¡¯ll murder me. The other problem is getting rid of my kidnappers. If I can''t solve these two problems then my fate will always lead to death. ¡®Inventory¡¯ I move my lips slightly and whisper. [Error! Not unlocked yet!] Without being discouraged, I keep experimenting. ¡®Item. Status... Mm. Not this either, huh.¡¯ It''s merely an assumption, but I should be able to use the windows other than just affection points. ¡¯Summon.¡¯ Bling! The sound of a cute bell rings in my head, words appearing on a transparent screen. [Hello, Wishmaker!] [Would you like to summon? (Current amount of tickets: 10)] Interesting, but not helpful. What exactly am I summoning here? I need more information. There''s no certainty in winning or losing if I proceed with summoning. Should I leave it to fate and take a gamble? To risk my life on a gamble¡­ I¡¯m all about that life. I¡¯ve made up my mind. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you all while you¡¯re busy, but I have new information.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I apologize, but the worst possible outcome has appeared¡­ the fairy, herself, is on her way to our location." ¡°¡­¡± They all freeze immediately. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Since I am a servant of the fairy, I have a mental connection with her in my head.¡± I tap my index finger on my temple as the group opens their eyes wide in panic. ¡°I-Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ and she¡¯s coming from one of those lines.¡± I point my finger at the branching path we had stopped at, the left hallway leading to Line 3, and the one on the right leading to Line 4. ¡°¡­which one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t detect from that far." After hearing my words, the men split into two groups: people who wanted to stay here and fight the fairy, and people who wanted to escape. ¡°We could win if we hold out in this hallway!¡± ¡°Are you insane. That fairy will kill us all... ¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to fight, then leave me out. I not suicidal, I¡¯ll get out on my own.¡± As the men argued, I carefully observed the leader. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose, his forehead creased with tension. ¡°Ah, excuse me?" I call out to the leader, putting on a serious expression. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know¡­" He walks towards me, and I gesture for him to lean forwards with my hand before whispering into his ear. After listening to my words, his expression hardens as he calls out to the rest of the group. ¡°Attention!¡± The men turn to stare at him. ¡°We¡¯re retreating.¡± ¡°But boss!¡± ¡°Stop dreaming. You¡¯ll die without being able to do anything.¡± ¡°¡­but boss. There¡¯s no guarantee that things will go well if we escape.¡± A man with a scar running across his face steps forwards. From my previous observations, he seemed smarter than the rest of the group. ¡°What are you going to do if we meet the fairy? We could at least try and kill her all together here, but there¡¯s no answer if we meet her out there.¡± ¡°I know, you bastard. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll split up and go down those two separate paths.¡± The leader folds his arms and nods toward the branching path. Excellent. ¡°¡­¡­captain. Surely you don¡¯t mean.¡± ¡°Yeah. One of the two groups will meet the fairy no matter what. However, oppositely, the other groups will live.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do that!¡± The man with the scar retorts loudly. He must be seriously enraged because the veins on his neck are visible. The other men complained as well, saying things like ¡°That¡¯s not right!¡± and ¡°We¡¯d rather all die together!¡±. ¡°You guys all have a family, right? Man¡¯s pride? That¡¯s good. Companionship? That¡¯s also nice. But what¡¯s the point of worrying about all that if we end up dead, huh? Who¡¯s going to take responsiblity of your families?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What about your kids? What about your families?" A complicated silence fell upon them. ¡°At least one of us must survive¡­" Wow¡­ bravo. I resisted the urge to start clapping at the leader¡¯s performance, I can practically hear his actual thoughts in his head. Please die, my close comrades. So that way, I can live. But let¡¯s make one thing clear, though. I¡¯m one hundred percent better than him at acting. No, one hundred and twenty percent. Chapter 6 The men pat each other''s shoulders lightly before departing down either one of the paths. "Go and die, you dogs." "We''ll be the ones to live, dumbass." The men swearing at each other was simply a coping method. They knew that if their farewells were heavy then their feet would be heavy as well. The man with the scar turned his head towards our group. The original leader went down the path opposite to ours, so I suppose he''s the new leader now. "We should get going as well." "Yeah." I was on the back of the new guy again. "..." Tense footsteps echo throughout the hallway. Not a single person said a word, the shadow of people wavering like puppets as we traversed. When the original leader suggested to divide into two groups, I honestly wanted to jump and run around in joy. Five men is much more manageable than ten men. How foolish. The original leader suggested to split up in order to raise his chances of survival as much as possible, however, he was mistaken from the premise. He completely believed the false words of mine. Are they being careless, or did I really appear to be that pitiful? If it''s the latter, then that''s a relief. It''s proof that my acting skills aren''t rusty yet. The price to pay for being careless shall be huge. The longer we walk, the farther the distance between the groups. My kidnappers have no means of communication whatsoever. Even if a massacre was to occur. ''Summon'' I speak inside my head. [Would you like to summon?(Current amount of tickets: 10)]] [Summon 1x] [Summon 10x (+1 free)] For a slight moment. Probably for only an instant, but I hesitate. These men trust me, and by doing so, they have not only lowered their fighting prowess, but they are mentally unprepared as well. The perfect moment for a surprise attack. But the reason for why I''m hesitating, who knows.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. If I summon¡­ whatever that¡¯ll be summoned, I¡¯ll be crossing the Rubicon River. For my kidnappers to die or for myself to die. Only one of the two futures existed. There''s no going back. ¡®Summon ten.¡¯ The inside of my mouth feels dry as I whisper the words. [Summoning!] On the transparent screen, a scantily clad fairy dances up and down, shaking two maracas in her hands. [First time bonus applied! A C-class companion has been guaranteed~] With a burst of confetti, a list appears on the right side of my vision. [Farmer (F)] [Farmer (F)] [Villager (F)] [Miner (E)] [Farmer (F)] [Villager (F)] [Knight (C)] [Villager (F)] [Villager (F)] [Farmer (F)] [Villager (F)] The dancing fairy sticks her tongue out before fading away into nothingness, and at the same moment, the floor beneath us shines blindingly bright. "H-Huuh?" "What''s going on!?" My kidnappers panic. The light causes the entire hallway to be lit up entirely for a brief second. The moment they were distracted, I bared my teeth. Cruuunch The sound of cartilage being... well, crunched. With my teeth, I bite down on the ear of the new guy carrying me. The man cries out and flails his body. I, who was on his back, fall onto the floor. I had already braced myself, so the impact wasn''t too big. "J-Jack!? What happened! What''s wrong!?" "Guh, ah, ear! My ear!!" With a fearful voice, I point behind us. "Everyone! Behind you! Look behind you!" From the dust, eleven figures emerge. "Um... what...?" Instead of whatever I was expecting, there was a man with a straw hat scratching his cheek, a confused smile on his face. The rest of the people that seemed to have been summoned by me looked equally confused as well, bewildered expressions painting their faces. At least they¡¯re human. I guess. One of the newly summoned people steps forward, a woman with ashen hair and thick goggles perched upon her head. In her right hand is a hammer, though it doesn''t exactly seem like a weapon. "Hey, where are we?" She points the hammer at the man with the scar. [You must give orders to your companions! ???? ¡¥???¡¥?? )?] It would be a lot more helpful if this was mentioned earlier, but whatever. I open my mouth to give a command, but the sensation of something being off washes down my spine. In a split-second, I do a headcount of the ¡®companions¡¯ that were summoned. Wasn¡¯t there eleven? Why are they''re only ten? Wait... I snap my head to the right. A blur of silver and gray rushes past me, a cape fluttering with the wind like a comet. Schwip In a clean arc, an armored figure decapitates one of my kidnappers. I¡¯ll follow their lead, then. ''Kill them all.'' Immediately, the confused summoned raise their weapons, mostly pitchforks, and charge at my kidnappers. "M-My God..." "Get ready!" Nevertheless, despite the confusion, the man with the scar gave orders to the kidnappers. I should probably join in too. "Mmmm...!?" I jump onto the back of the new guy again, covering his mouth. The man opens his eyes widely. His eyes looked like they were shouting, ''What are you doing!?'' He had a dagger on his hip that I had been eyeing since the beginning. Pulling his dagger out, I brought it down on his throat. Once, twice, thrice, and finally for the fourth time. I didn''t give him a single chance to resist. "Euh, pbb... huppbb..." The newbie screams, but the sound is muffled by my hand making it only sound like a moan. Soon the groans became bright red blood and drenched my hand stickily. "Uuh...eub..." I silently stare down at the new guy''s eyes. After eight seconds, his body goes limp. But I don''t have time to get sentimental, the situation is still out of my control. Chapter 7 The other kidnappers have no idea that the newbie was murdered right behind them. Thus, I have committed my first murder, but I don''t have time to get sentimental. I immediately hide the dagger in my clothes and turn my head. ¡°GAHHH!¡± The man with the scar swings his sword awkwardly, slicing a gruesome gash into one of the farmers. The situation was dire. There were already four corpses sprawled across the ground, and they all seemed to be allies that I had summoned. In comparison, there were still three kidnappers standing in varying degrees of condition. Something¡¯s off. Quickly, I examined one of the farmers. The farmer rushed towards one of the kidnappers, and almost comically, impaled himself on an extended blade. [Reminder! You must give extremely specific commands to low rank companions! ?(^?^ )? ¡ä-] I nearly bite back a curse at the sight of the system¡¯s remark. If the information is to be believed, then the people I had summoned can''t make intelligent decisions after being given commands. I really feel like this sort of information should be given beforehand. Suddenly, the armored figure that I had summoned reappeared, a tattered cape flickering behind it. And as if celebrating the fact that it had reappeared, it raised its head and let out a long roar. The ceiling of the hallway shook, making the fluorescent lights overhead shatter, plunging everything into darkness. [Knight (C) has used Roar (D)! Fear has been applied to all enemies!] I raised a hand to my head, covering my ears from the deafening sound. Judging by the knight¡¯s performance before, when it had decapitated one of the kidnappers in a single stroke, and its skill usage now, does that mean higher ranked companions have more autonomy? I¡¯ll have to test this later. Anyways, it truly was a fearsome sight. The knight¡¯s back was arched back, its metal gauntlets stained with blood curled into sharp claws. A long cape the color of night swirled behind it, like a shadow kneeling before its master. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. This was a monster. This was a demon. It looked so much different from humans and that atrocious outer appearance was enough to plant fear into the hearts of humans. ¡°Hiiiik¡­¡­!¡± The kidnappers shrunk back. One man¡¯s arms were trembling so much that he dropped his sword. Since the overhead lights had been shattered, the hallway had returned back to being dark¡ªraising the men''s fears to no limit. The emergency lights had been activated by now, emitting a ominous red glow, giving only slight glimpses of the knight stained in blood. I assume these kidnappers lived normal lives before this. These people have now realized what it means to put their lives on the line. ¡°E-Euuuuh¡­¡­¡± The three kidnappers gathered together. This was an instinct implanted into humans, to unite together with their comrades when facing a beast. However, in this situation that instinct had made them commit a grave mistake. ¡°...¡± Slowly, the knight approached the men. If the kidnappers had spread out instead of grouping together, then they may have been able to ambush the knight. But these men lacked experience. Like a tank, the knight advanced towards the men. Its metal boots came down with a thud and shook the ground. The tremors violently jolted the darkness. The men could do nothing but hold up their wooden shields. Their entire body had become rigid. They should probably be complimented for not having run away on the spot. ¡°T-This person is dead!¡± I intensely shook the already disordered men by another level. I was holding up the new guy¡¯s chest and shouting. ¡°He suddenly fell! It¡¯s magic! The fairy is here! The fairy!¡± ¡°What¡­¡­¡± With the presence of the ¡°fairy¡± added into the mix, the concentration of the kidnappers were shaken. However, faltering for even a second while a foe was right in front of you, that was more than enough time to bring about a tragic end. The men¡¯s attention was dispersed. Aiming for that chance, the knight lunged forward. The target was the man with the scar. As the leader of the unit, when he had heard that the new guy had died, he had turned this way for a brief second. The knight¡¯s sword shattered his skull just like that. There wasn¡¯t even a shout. His skull was crushed and he was met with instant death. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­ uh, aah?¡± One step late, the survivors reacted. Honestly, to say that it was a proper reaction was miserable. One kidnapper, as if giving up on all hope, fell to his knees. The other kidnapper, on the other hand, decided to escape. Tossing away his sword, he got rid of anything that was weighing him down and ran. It¡¯d be troubling if I missed one person here. ¡°This way! Run this way!¡± ¡°Uh, ah! Aah!¡± Giving me an obscure response, the man ran towards me. It was like the behavior unconsciously taken by people during a fire. When told to escape this way, they ran towards that direction recklessly. I pulled the man close and whispered. ¡°Calm your breathing. If we stay by this wall, then you¡¯ll be safe. You can believe me.¡± "O-Okay. I understand.¡± ¡°Now, follow after me and breathe slowly. One. Two. Hoo.¡± ¡°Hoo¡­¡­ hooo.¡± ¡°Good. That¡¯s it. Inhale and exhale slowly.¡± The man settled his breathing. I grabbed his hand tightly. It was a well-known fact that people became relaxed when a professional grabbed their hand during a crisis. ¡°One¡­¡­¡± The adventurer breathed while following my command. I stealthily pulled out the dagger. ¡°Two¡­¡­¡± It was at the moment he was going to breathe out. With the blade, I slit his throat. Calm breathing could never come out of his mouth ever again. Blood filled his throat and his breathing couldn¡¯t become words. The only sound to come out were gurgles and coughs. Shortly after, the man met death. At about the same time the man stopped breathing in my arms, the knight had executed the other remaining person. It was a gruesome conclusion. ¡°¡­¡­Hoo.¡± I sat back against the cave wall. Exhaustion weighed down on my entire body. The heat had yet to subside. I didn¡¯t know that warmth could be so unpleasant. On the other hand, the cold coming off the wall was good. It was the perfect temperature for me right now. Half the temperature. Half. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s not over yet.¡± I muttered to myself. If you don¡¯t want your crime to be caught, end what you¡¯ve started.