The chaos around them was evident; many people were running around like headless chickens.
"Liam, we have to hide; it's not safe to stay here."
Arlene grabbed Liam's arm, frightened, cold sweat running down her face.
Liam didn't move; he had lived through this moment too many times. He looked at Arlene.
"No, don't worry, just stay by my side."
"B-But..."
"Just stay by my side; if you run, you could die."
Arlene nods and stays by his side. He looked around, where everyone was running in fear.
Various pieces of debris from the buildings fell, crushing several people at once and splattering blood and organs everywhere.
Everything had turned into a complete disaster.
'It's about to begin.'
Liam looked up, his bored expression not changing in the slightest.
In midair, a small golden light began to form, and a rabbit dressed in an elegant suit appeared.
[&#@!&#@! ...]
[&#@!&#@!....]
The creature spoke in a different language.
Arlene, standing next to her, whispered, "It sounds like he's speaking Spanish. Should I talk to him?"
Liam looks at the creature that has just appeared; it is a stage moderator.
Its job is to ensure that the stages function correctly and can adapt to any anomalies.
They are creatures too evil to be called angels and too calm to be called demons.
Liam looks at Arlene, after looking away: "It's a bad idea, just stay still... That thing is very problematic."
She nods, swallowing dryly and gripping his arm much tighter.
"What is this?"
"Huh? Why is there suddenly a rabbit in a suit?"
[Ah, ah, now you understand me, right?] The Moderator spoke fluent English; he sighed: [This was hard for me, it seems; I didn't expect the patch to come like this].
His gaze swept over the frightened faces of everyone present, and a sadistic smile formed on his lips.
[Come on~, why the long faces? This isn't a funeral; you should be happy. But you're too shocked to react, right?]
The stage moderator snaps his fingers, and a small holographic chair appears; he sits down calmly.
[Everyone, relax in your seats and listen to me. From now on, I'm going to tell you something very important!]
'He's still as unpleasant as ever.'
This was a development Liam knew about. He wanted to put an end to it, but at this stage... it was impossible. He didn't have the strength; that was the problem with his countless regressions.
"Why do we have to listen to you? I had an appointment with my mother."
"Stop joking around and let this be a green screen or some kind of virtual reality."
'Those bastards couldn't keep quiet.'
He was tired of seeing the same situation. Can't they keep quiet in front of an unknown creature?
The Moderator's expression darkened as a murderous aura emanated from his body.
[Shut up, I'm talking!]
He moved with his rabbit's foot, and the heads of the two people exploded as if they were watermelons.
A heavy silence fell over the place; no one dared to speak; they did not want to suffer the same fate.
[Everyone, your lives have been good so far. Isn't that right?]
He waved his hand as his sadistic smile grew wider.
[But now the good times are over.]
He stands up from the holographic chair and snaps his fingers again.
[Channel #EU-20026 has been created.]
[The constellations have entered your channel.]
A small window appeared before Liam's empty eyes.
[The tutorial stage has arrived!]
+
[Tutorial scenario: Survival test]
Category: tutorial
Difficulty: F
Clear conditions: survive the monster horde.
Time limit: 30 minutes
Reward: 300 coins
Failure: ???
+
When the window appeared, screams were heard, as if the curtain had been raised.
Suddenly, monsters appeared from various directions.
Shadow Wolves killed people in the streets and tore their corpses apart.
Goblins dismembered those corpses and dragged them away.
A garbage dump of corpses, more macabre than a slaughterhouse.
The chaos intensified.
"Eu... Euaaa!"
"Kyaaaak!"
Call the police! The police!
"Let's go; this place isn't safe."
People in the streets were also running wildly and screaming.
They ran toward the nearest buildings or subway stations, toward anywhere surrounded by walls.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!"
"Damn it, someone shut that brat up!"
"The monster is looking this way!"
People were fighting each other.
"Let's go; this place isn't safe." Liam turned around and started running through the rubble, looking for a nearby store, and Arlene followed close behind.
A goblin lunged at him with a poisoned dagger. Liam kicked him in the chest, knocking him down. He grabbed the dagger and plunged it into the goblin's neck.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
[You have obtained "Broken Poisoned Dagger"]
[Items: Broken Poisoned Dagger]
Rating: F
'With this, I can get to a safe place.'
He wiped the blood from his face and saw more monsters coming his way. He twirled the dagger in his hand and lunged at them.
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
[You have killed a living being.]
[You have earned 100 coins as additional compensation.]
He cut down the monsters with ease; his movements were calculated as he slit the throats of goblins and shadow wolves.
Arlene could only watch in amazement as her boyfriend killed all the monsters without his expression changing in the slightest; it was as if they were watching a war veteran.
'Is this the Liam I know?'
She couldn't help but ask when she saw such a scene, covered in the blood of those monsters.
"What are you standing there for? We have to move before more monsters arrive."
Liam's voice snapped Arlene out of her thoughts, and she quickly ran toward him, toward safety, even though she doubted there was any left.
...
Liam and Arlene took refuge in a convenience store to stock up on supplies.
[Several constellations are impressed by your skill.]
[The "Golden Diaema" constellation has sponsored you with 100 coins.]
[The constellation "He Who Hides Beyond the Veil" wants to become your sponsor.]
'Golden Dayema, and to think that she would appear so quickly in this regression.'
Liam ignores all notifications. First, he had to change his channel's name.
[You have changed the name of channel #EU-20026 to Black Squid]
"Liam, can you tell me what's going on?"
Arlene approaches while taking a pill for her nerves; she can still hear the screams of the people in her mind.
He closes the windows, looks at his girlfriend: "I don't know, but you have to get used to it, because everyone has changed."
Arlene shuddered as she remembered the monsters killing all those people.
"S-So... Are my parents in danger?"
Her expression darkened as anxiety grew within her.
Liam looks at her indifferently and says, "I don't know. All we have to do is survive."
Arlene lowered her head, her hair covering her face, as small tears fell to the floor.
"Damn it, why did everything suddenly change?"
He comes over and hugs her, letting her cry as much as she wants, because what comes next will only make things worse.
"Are we going to die?" Arlene asked without lifting her face from his chest.
'That's what I've been looking for all this time.' Liam smiled wearily and lied.
"We will not die, unless it is your wish."
She pressed herself against his chest, wiped away her tears, and a determined expression formed on her face.
"What do I have to do to survive?"
"First, open your attribute window."
"Attribute window?"
"Yes."
Without hesitation, she did so; a look of amazement spread across her face, and she murmured, "It's like a game."
Liam did the same thing: he opened his "attribute window."
[Name: Liam Tubor.]
Age: 24.
Constellation support: None (currently, 8 constellations are interested in you).
Personal Attribute: Eternal Solitude (Legendary)
Stigma: Returner [Infinite] (Mythic)
Unique Skills: Unusual Adaptability Lvl. 3, Sea Without Light Lvl. 1
General statistics: Endurance Lvl. 1, Strength Lvl. 1, Agility Lvl. 3, Magic Power Lvl. 4
Liam closed his attribute window, his gaze fixed on the store door, as he saw some unwanted visitors arrive.
"Arlene, hide and don't come out until it's over."
She nodded immediately and hid behind the cash register.
Liam twirled the dagger several times in his hands as his expression turned cold.
[Several Constellations have entered your Black Squid channel and are interested in how you will act.]