[The tutorial has ended. The starting point will open soon. Please beware of the magical beasts' attack.]
"Damn you…"
Suddenly, I heard the angry voice of a burly man who looked to be in his forties. He was wearing a black jacket and gloves, his face etched with irritation.
"I'm not playing your stupid game. Get me out of here, or you'll wish you were never born!"
[John Maxwell, you are accused of assaulting your girlfriend and beating her, which led to her suicide. However, you managed to evade the police.]
"You… how do you know that…?"
The man looked shocked, though it made sense that whoever brought us here would know the crimes of everyone they brought.
[Criminals of the inhumane level and above are individuals who have committed heinous acts that qualify them as 'deserving of death.' Therefore, all of you are guilty.]
[However, the Rehabilitation Program was created to give you a chance to change. Become better, or remain the worst.]
After the mechanical voice finished speaking, everyone in this dark prison fell silent for a few seconds.
It was chaotic.
I glanced at my Status Window again.
[Name - Gusto Kriminell]
[Title - None]
[Age - 15]
[Class - None]
[Stats]
[Strength - F]
[Agility - F]
[Endurance - D]
[Magic - 0]
[Destiny Power - None]
'Endurance is the highest stat I have, but my strength and agility are extremely low. I wonder if I'm the only one here with F-rank stats. That would be a disaster.' I felt nervous at the possibility.
'Magic is the only thing measured in numbers. It seems magic works differently from other skills. Since everyone here is an ordinary human, I can assume no one has magic right now.'
'But damn, why aren't there stats for intelligence or luck? Luck and intelligence are crucial for survival, but I can't upgrade them?'
As I felt disappointed about the lack of intelligence and luck stats, one thing led to another, and I heard the sound of unknown beasts from outside the starting point.
I saw terrified people rushing toward the walls, while others prepared as if determined to at least protect themselves. It was the same for me.
There were enough weapons, so I immediately ran and grabbed a shield. I didn't want to risk fighting the beasts up close with swords, spears could easily be lost, and bows and arrows required precision and skill. So, the shield was the best choice for me.
'What should I do?'
'What should I do?'
My mind was racing.
Clearly, I wasn't the only one panicking. Screams echoed from everywhere as the roars of the beasts and the sense of being trapped in an enclosed space struck fear into many.
"Please, save us!"
"Please, let us out. Please…"
"Stop messing around and open the door! I'll sue you all! Do you hear me? Hurry up and open the door!"
"Sob, sob… please save us. Please…"
"I'm calling the police! The police!"
"Grab a weapon! Don't you hear the noise coming from outside? Grab a weapon!"
"You! Pick up a weapon! Come on, do it! All of you, grab a weapon quickly. Hurry!"
"Why are you doing this, you bastards? Stop causing trouble and end this ridiculous joke!"
"It's not a joke! Haven't you seen the Status Window? Hurry up and get a weapon! Do you think this is a prank?"
Who would've thought I'd see dangerous criminals crying and trembling in fear, unable to think calmly in such a tough situation?
A tall man grabbed a sharp sword and shouted desperately, urging others to arm themselves and prepare. He was a bit more aggressive than the rest.
When I looked at him, for some reason, my fear suddenly vanished, and I focused on him.
He was a tall, muscular man with a round face and small features. He looked massive and tall, yet not overweight. His body seemed covered in muscle. Judging by his build, he must've been in his thirties at least, but based on his youthful facial features, he couldn't have been older than his early twenties.
This guy must've gone to the gym a lot to get such a well-proportioned body. He probably knew a bit about fighting. He seemed like he'd be useful as a warrior and a human shield.
After analyzing the man, I felt like I'd completed some kind of task and started focusing on the sounds again.
'What was that? Is this my Observation talent?' I wondered to myself.
I've always thought about multiple things at once, making it hard to focus on one thing, especially in a situation like this where my life was at stake.
Yet, it felt like everything else became unimportant when I focused on that person.
It seems Observation doesn't just help me think more deeply—it also helps me focus better.
If I acted friendly now, he'd definitely be wary of me. I needed to use a shield first and stand by his side. He surely needed a defender, and indeed, when I showed I'd fight with a shield, he spoke as if pleased to see me.
"Are you going to fight too, kid?"
"Yeah. I think it's the best thing to do. It sounds like something's out there… Better to do something than stand around doing nothing."
"Man, you look like a student, but you've got some guts. I'm Daniel."
"Thanks. Nice to meet you, Daniel. I'm Gusto. Let's get ready."
He seemed satisfied; a simple conversation like that was effective.
Working with a criminal was undoubtedly a bad idea in normal circumstances, but I had nothing to lose here.
He probably accepted me because I was just a young student, which made him less worried about me doing something bad to him. Or maybe he saw I had no ill intentions. It seemed he thought having an ally was better than nothing, and my carrying only a shield lowered his guard even more.
It looks like we're each other's shields.
Daniel addressed the group again. "Nothing will change if you keep denying this situation. Shouldn't we first deal with the problem we're about to face? The beasts are roaring outside. Whether this is real, a hidden camera prank, or a dream, we have to do something. Everyone, grab a weapon. We need to fight back."
"Stop joking!"
"It's not a joke. I don't want to joke like this either, and I wish it was a prank. Please, everyone, grab a weapon. If it's a prank, we'll deal with it."
There needed to be a good number of people capable of fighting since we didn't know the number or type of beasts outside.
Someone spoke up.
"Fine, let's grab a weapon. It's better to deal with this first and then assess the situation. We were told we can win, so I'm sure of it."
"You're right!"
"Let's fight!"
Of course, no one was used to fighting, but people started picking up weapons. Some did it because others were, and some did it to protect themselves.
The atmosphere got better.
'Not bad.'
This mood wasn't bad.
"You guys should grab a weapon too."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not asking you to fight, but we don't know what's going to happen, so you should at least have a weapon. You can't expect someone to protect you. This is reality."
"Oh. Alright…"
I'm sure they understood what Daniel said. They looked reluctant as they picked up weapons, but that didn't matter.
Of course, there were still some annoying people lingering in the back, but I couldn't say that outright in a place like this. I swallowed hard and waited for the enemies to approach.
Can we win?
It was almost impossible, but maybe we could get through it.
Many of us might die, but this prison must be of great importance. We had to protect it.
The atmosphere was terrifying, and everyone seemed ready to fight. Their eyes were filled with a desire to live.
"We can do this."
[The starting point will open shortly. Five, four, three, two, one.]
[The starting point is now open. I wish you all the best of luck.]
But it was my mistake to think we could do something—that we could win—and that if we held on, a miracle would happen.
"Kyaah!"
It wasn't the stone gate in front of us that opened, but the one behind us. As soon as it opened, a wolf-like beast with red eyes and dark black fur rushed in at incredible speed, brutally biting the head of a woman in the back, splattering her blood on everyone around.
Before the others could react in horror, beasts charged in from all directions.
"Aaah! Save me!"
"Run, everyone!"
'Damn it!'
In an instant, the base was filled with screams.
It was hell.
Daniel was the first to shout that we should fight, but he probably never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that we'd be fighting beasts like these. He stood frozen, staring at the battle unfolding before him with his sword in hand.
We were ordinary people. Some might have carried knives before, being criminals, and some might have even killed someone, but none had ever wielded a sword. To make matters worse, most of us weren't used to fighting. We couldn't handle a situation like this. No one could believe the reality before them.
"Damn it."
My legs and the hand holding the shield were trembling, but I gritted my teeth and raised the shield to block one of the wolves. Luckily, Daniel quickly lunged forward and severed the wolf's head.
Seeing the wolf's corpse, Daniel paused, lost in thought for a moment, as if deeply contemplating something.
"Daniel, what are you doing? Do you want to die?"
Daniel snapped out of his daze at my voice and quickly adjusted his stance.
Even I was scared, but there was no time for fear. With the help of my Observation talent, focusing on survival was much easier.
I pushed the beasts back with my shield. Though I wasn't very strong and couldn't push them far, with Daniel's help, keeping them at bay and killing them was much easier.
The formation collapsed instantly, making it impossible to distinguish between allies and beasts. Some even started running toward open areas.
"I need to run."
Staying here meant I'd die.
'Death.'
Certain annihilation.
"I'm going to die."
I didn't have time to waste thinking about anything else.
"Run!"
"Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"Daniel! Run! Don't you hear me?!"
I shouted at Daniel. He must have regained his senses, as he immediately raised his sword and started running. I threw myself through the narrow gap to escape.
'Oh!'
As I moved, I remembered the supplies.
They were relatively close.
I needed to grab them because I didn't know if there were other shelters besides this base.
"Man! Where?!"
"Grab the water!"
"Alright!"
Amid the cacophony of sounds, I could clearly distinguish the screams.
I made eye contact with a man who'd been bitten on the shoulder by a wolf.
"S-Save me…"
It was the same man whose heinous past deeds the mechanical voice had revealed.
"…Damn it."
I hesitated for a moment, but my hands, gripping the spear, betrayed his hopes. The man's eyes filled with despair, but I didn't look at him. After grabbing three leather bags from the ground, I looked back and saw the beast charging at the man, attacking him.
The sight of the man being torn apart was one of the most gruesome things I'd ever seen.
'I'm sorry.'
After muttering an apology that would never be answered, I immediately turned away.
But thinking about it, did he really deserve to be saved?
Did he even deserve an apology?
He was a vile criminal who committed heinous acts. Was not saving him a wise decision?
"Kid!"
When I turned my attention to where Daniel was shouting, I saw a beast charging toward me.
"Sh—"
Stab!
"Roar!"
A spear suddenly flew from somewhere and pierced the beast's head. I considered myself lucky in that moment.
I thought I made eye contact with the man who threw the spear, but I didn't have the luxury of examining his appearance closely. Still, I was sure of one thing: I felt something strange.
'What was that?'
That man didn't seem terrified or trembling with fear. He looked desperate but also confident.
Was I seeing things?
As I passed by him, I saw Daniel waiting for me, holding his sword.
"Did you get the water?!"
I didn't hear his response, but seeing the leather bag in his right hand, it seemed he'd grabbed it. He was good at following orders.
It took only a moment for us to escape to an open area.
I saw people being surrounded as they ran, and others who couldn't escape at all. When I looked back, I saw no beasts following us. They were focused on the prey inside the base.
It seemed the people inside were resisting, as I heard screams from everywhere, but I covered my eyes and pretended not to hear anything.
"Save me!"
"Fight back!"
"Roar!"
"Kyaah!"
"Please, save me. Sob, sob… Save me. Sob…"
"Aaah!"
Seeing the corpses, I could only look away quickly.
I didn't know what I was supposed to feel—sadness for those who died? Even though they were criminals?
"We couldn't do anything. We couldn't do anything…"
"There was nothing we could do in this situation."
But if I had the ability, would I have saved them?