Chapter 118

  this is a fictional story by realTensai

  “Boss!”

  Three familiar voices tore through the fog clouding Alvis’ mind. He whipped his head up, and when he saw them, Lyon, Bero, Dagon, his knees almost gave out.

  Relief punched the air from his lungs.

  “You’re alive,” he breathed, a raw, broken whisper, clutching his chest as if to hold himself together. Then, finally, a smile broke across his face. “I’m glad you survived.”

  Their clothes were covered in dust and blood, whilst fresh scars ran all over their bodies. The horror embedded in their eyes spoke volumes about the catastrophe that had occurred. However, they survived this battle without lethal injuries.

  They are strong.

  Upon seeing Alvis, their faces lit up too, but only for a second. Lyon dropped his gaze to the ground. Bero's hands curled into trembling fists. Dagon shook his head once, violently, as if trying to erase the memories burning behind his eyes. Their lips quivered, guilt reminding them about the carnage they couldn’t stop, and tears of failed expectations escaped their eyes. They opened their mouths, wanting to say something as they approached Alvis with shaking steps, but they couldn’t.

  But Alvis wouldn’t let them give in to despair. He approached them, stretching his hands out to comfort them, but before he could, someone grabbed him.

  “Boss—”

  A massive hand seized Alvis by the collar, yanking him forward with brutal force.

  “Where is Mr. Woltzer?!” a muscular dwarf teacher asked Alvis the veins on his forehead bulging.

  However, when met with the teacher’s fierce gaze and incredible strength, Alvis’ eyes didn’t move. He didn’t even blink as his deep blue eyes stared at the teacher.

  Just one command, and the man’s hand would snap like a twig.

  Still, Alvis suppressed his mana which clawed for release, urging him to punish the audacity of the man who dared to lay hands on him. Yet even if you clamp a lid on a boiling pot, the steam would still find a way to escape, and it would only grow hotter.

  “Move.”

  Primal fear crept up the teacher’s spine, his hand letting go of Alvis before his brain could even comprehend why.

  “Mr. Woltzer betrayed us and is currently hiding somewhere we can’t find him.”

  “W-What?!”

  “Why did you and Mr. Woltzer just disappear? Where did you go and what happened?”

  “I already told you all you need to know,” Alvis answered, walking right past the teachers, not even looking at them.

  They wanted to stop him again, but Mrs. Zoya stopped them, just shaking her head.

  “Boss…”

  “It’s alright,” he said, patting them on their shoulders. “You’ve tried your best.”

  “But our best wasn’t good enough!” Bero shouted, tears running down his face. “No matter how much we tried to stop them, they just continued killing each other like beasts. It was as if they were possessed. And even though we were supposed to save them, all we did was save our own lives.”

  Alvis stared at the corpse field, Bero’s words replaying in his head.

  This is the hatred Mr. Woltzer talked about.

  “--- Good evening, everyone.”

  A playful voice slithered into Alvis’ ears like a snake. Every hair on his body stood on end, his instincts screaming to strangle the voice before it could speak another word.

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  “I’m truly proud of you. After all the wait, it finally happened. Drumroll, please….. I present to you the first kill.”

  Everyone’s game system opened up, but as Alvis saw what it showed, he bit his lip, blood dripping down his mouth.

  Once again, he had to see how the beam shot raced forward.

  Once again, he had to see how his earth wall crumbled, unable to stop it.

  Once again, he had to see how the demon boy’s skull shattered before he could save him. How he had screamed and begged kneeling next to the dying student.

  Once again, he saw how his uselessness caused a student’s death.

  However, everyone in the school saw the same scene. Everyone just witnessed how a schoolmate of theirs killed another. Those few people who still thought they could end this game peacefully just got their hopes crushed.

  This boy is a monster!

  Because of the voice changer, one would never guess that the priest orchestrating this madness was a boy no older than ten. Alvis couldn’t even imagine how his upbringing must have been for him to end up like this.

  “Of course, I kept my promise and granted the one who killed first his hard-earned freedom.” He showed how Max had vanished. “This is how I compensate the brave.”

  “I have even more great news. But well, I guess it’s bad news for you. Your principal, your hope, your hero, did something not so heroic. I tried warning you, I really did, but who listens to the crazy Devil Cult Priest, the supposed villain? I’ll show you what a proper villain looks like.”

  The screen crackled.

  Mr. Woltzer drove his claws into a teacher’s chest. Blood sprayed. Another tried to shield herself, only to be torn down in one brutal swipe. His eyes were hollow. Dead. As if nothing remained of the man who once preached peace.

  “Elric!” Alvis shouted, unable to keep his rage in.

  Alvis’ heartbeat skyrocketed just thinking about the impact these scenes would have on the students. In the first run, just hearing about Mr. Woltzer disappearing had been enough to commence the killing. So what would seeing him kill do….?

  “Unbelievable, right? How could he? The one who always told you not to kill did it himself. This game is cruel, you can’t trust anyone. Mr. Woltzer is currently hiding somewhere to avoid the consequences of his actions. I could tell you where he is, but as the game master, I have to stay impartial. I’m sorry. But I can tell you that searching for him will be a waste of time. Instead, you should prepare yourself for the battles that are about to happen. If you don’t, you might end up like this.”

  Once again, the scene on the systems changed, but this time it was the finishing blow. Alvis could see himself, the three first years, and the teachers who stood next to him, yet they were at the sideline. What Elric wanted the students to see was something different.

  Corpses.

  Layered upon corpses.

  Twisted bodies. Hollow faces frozen mid-scream. Guts tangled with limbs. Eyes staring at nothing, accusing everyone who was still alive.

  They were displayed in the highest resolution, making it impossible to miss even the minor details of some corpses having their heads crushed, some missing their eyes, arms, or legs, or how some had been trampled on, their flesh a fine paste merging with the red and yellowish ground.

  “Be ready, because now the game truly begins!”

  The broadcast ended, yet the insanity began.

  “Damn it! Shit! Shit! Damn it!” A teacher next to Alvis crashed out, pulling his hair as he cursed the world. Many teachers followed his lead, but some didn’t and instead just lost their strength and gave in to despair.

  Lyon, Dagon, and Bero stared at Alvis, as even the teachers became unreliable. Their innocent eyes filled with fear made Alvis’ heart twist, because even he didn’t know what to do. It was his third run, yet the difficulty just seemed to increase. Even though he had told Mr. Woltzer that he would show him that it was possible to create his ideal world without the Devil, Alvis couldn’t envision a future where the students would set aside their hatred after everything they had just seen. As soon as the next morning would come the massacre and battle for quests would start. This time even more intense than it ever was in the first run.

  The first priority is to save as many students as possible.

  Alvis’ brain still worked, insanity being something he had long accustomed to.

  He knew that there were still enough students who didn’t want to participate in this game, but now found themselves with no other choice. The student council and Alvis’ classmates were the best examples. If they could find more of these students and team up with them, it would be a great asset.

  All of this for the sole purpose of keeping the casualties as low as possible. Alvis had long realized that he couldn’t save everyone, the corpses before him being the proof. However, that didn’t mean he would stop trying. Because he already knew how to end this game.

  Break the barrier!

  Even Mr. Woltzer had mentioned that the way to end this game was to get Elise to break the barrier trapping everyone in the first place. So all of Alvis’ efforts had to go to Elise.

  Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He took it out and saw the message.

  Lia: We need to talk. Let’s have an emergency student council meeting.

  Alvis grabbed his chest, his heart twisting and turning as if someone was stabbing it over and over again. He could see Lia’s hollow eyes and hear her hollow voice blaming him for Maya’s death and how she knew that he had some kind of special ability.

  I don’t know if I could face her right now.

  Still, upon trembling lips and a hurting heart, Alvis suppressed these feelings and locked them away.

  Now isn’t the time for this.

  He sent her an answer, agreeing with her proposal. Alvis wanted to rush to Elise as every second wasted was a second someone could die, but he still chose to deal with the student council first. He had to inform them about his plan, and whilst he would be occupied with Elise, they were the only ones he could count on to keep the chaos in check. After all, he didn’t know how long it would take Elise to break the barrier, and leaving the student council without instructions could lead to a catastrophe too bad to save.

  Alvis put his phone away and gathered his thoughts with one final deep breath in and out.

  There is no way back now. I have to make it in this run.

  “Lyon, Dagon, Bero, let’s go put an end to this madness.”