step
step
step
A rhythmic set of footsteps could be heard, echoing as I was walking around Gardenia High School aimlessly, realizing that there was no immediate threat.
'To beat your enemy you first have to understand it'
Gardenia High School as a whole was a completely different structure than my school
'I need to learn the layout of this school, I might also stumble upon something that could help me in the future by doing this as well'
It wasn't a terrible plan in my opinion.
'I have to make sure I memorize every classroom number too'
Memorizing every Classroom number in Gardenia High School Is a must.
'My next class is supposed to be in classroom 3'
It was on the first floor of the building somewhat close to the cafeteria.
"The structure resembles more of a European school now"
Previously, the school building looked shockingly similar to a Japanese high school
Though it looked unmaintained and wrecked
"Perhaps it was what Gardenia originally looked like?"
There wasn't anyone saying that they couldn't renovate and make the building more modern
If that were to be the case
"Just how old is Gardenia?"
It couldn't just have suddenly been created out of thin air
It must have existed in the world for a very long time
I kept such curiosities locked deep away in my mind, until when there would be a time in the future to confirm them
'The cafeteria was the most surprising thing I saw in the whole building'
The cafeteria was not like any ordinary cafeteria at a school. There were three different cafeteria on each floor of the building selling different food and snacks, The School did also have a basement but
'That place was just a giant restroom'
There were in total of three floors In the School building and a basement
'I know there is a lot of us...but three different cafeterias? Isn't that a little too much'
About three minutes have passed since the bell first rang and classes ended
'I have about....two minutes left'
I started camping and stood close to classroom 3 not wanting to risk anything after I had a general Idea of where everything was.
'The pitch black lines grew thicker but they aren't reacting to anything or pulsing'
The Sludges seemed to move around aimlessly ignoring me, of course I also ignored them and just walked past them.
Well most of them were slumped over the floor curled up
What I'm really worried about however ever since coming here is
'Those humanoid like creatures'
Their body structure were basically Identical and the same as a human's
'Just what are those things?'
The pitch black lines were particularly thick around them, but after classes ended I couldn't find a single one of them anywhere no matter how hard I looked around.
"Well I also just didn't have enough time"
'Should I try to find one of them?'
I wouldn't be gaining anything from the interaction itself after all
'I would just be putting myself in harm's way for no reason '
It wasn't worth the risk, not by a mile. Of course I could accidentally come across them but trying to intentionally find them seemed like the worst thing I should be doing right now
Trrrr~ Trrrr~
A rhythmic ringing echoed throughout the entire School at that moment.
I closed my eyes knowing that It was the school bells and waited until something happened and when I opened my eyes again.
'I'm back'
I found myself back, sitting In classroom 3 as if I had always been there.
"Hmmm...."
I thought and contemplated hard on what this could mean.
'It's different from the trial, It also doesn't seem like I will need to walk to my classes anymore since I'm teleporting to my class every time the bell rings'
That's the only thing I could comment on, though I was slightly mad about it
'I thought I made a discovery, but in the end it meant nothing'
Just a few days ago I had been running like a maniac through the ruined hallways of a ruined school, trying desperately to reach some safe zone only to now experience that there isn't any need to run like crazy when you just teleport to it
'It didn't just renovate I guess'
This made me wonder even more on why the trial was necessary in the first place when the school Itself was completely different than the one in the trial. The two structures were different fundamentally after all
"This isn't going to flow without anything happening right?"
I had prepared myself for anything that might happen but I hadn't anticipated that nothing would, It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, having nothing happen does mean that my life Isn't in danger but the feeling of nothing happening when something should be happening Is more frightening than anything.
It was like a bear going Inside a cave and a person following it Inside of the cave expecting something to happen to you, but nothing was happening to you when you should have been In danger.
I grew even more restless when nothing was happening even after 5 hours of waiting, expecting something to happen.
"..."
Standing outside of the classroom I stood there for what felt like forever.
'Something is going to happen'
Six hours, Six hours have passed without anything happening, I had also checked on the Sludges during that time but they were strangely timid, same as the first hour
Creaaaak~
The door creaked as I tugged and pulled it, stepping outside of the building.
When four hours of nothing happening had first passed, I couldn't take it and went to the courtyard, but even then nothing had happened and was just sent to class, the same happening with the next hour as well
I walked around aimlessly, waiting for recess to end and for me to go home.
I was the only one walking outside in the courtyard of the school, the other Sludges were all Inside
'Can they not go outside?'
I thought back to the trial realizing that the Sludges there also never went outside until I opened the door, but even when I now opened the door. None of them had left
'Why was that?'
I didn't know, no matter how many times I kept racking my head for theories The only credible one was that they just couldn't leave the building unless all classes ended, this was my best guess.
"Hmm"
As my body drew closer towards the other end of the School building I made an honest comment about it.
'I didn't notice it before but this place Is actually kind of huge'
I reached for the door and opened with seemingly no fear in my eyes, even my body stopped trembling as I walked towards the stairs with no goal in my mind, I turned my head to the right to see if there was anything noteworth-
"?!"
Immediately, I got surprised and almost jumped by the sight of corpses of sludges littering the once clean floor with bright red blood.
"..."
I didn't look twice
My feet moved on their own and up the stairs not wanting to have anything to do with the situation
Grasp
"!!!"
Something cold yet warm grabbed my shoulders with Intense force and its nails started to dig into my flesh at the same time.
I tried to desperately break free from its grasp but-
"Kugh!"
It only started gripping me even harder and even more than before, almost as if telling me that my efforts to escape its grasp were futile.
A searing pain was felt throughout my shoulders making me move even more erratically than before, desperate to escape as I knew that my life was In danger.
I bit down my lip so hard not wanting to let out a scream that blood started flowing out of my lip.
'Damn it! Damn it! Shit!'
I cursed as my body started trembling and my heart started beating louder and louder by the second Increasing In Intensity but, I also saw the pitch black lines were dead silent at my situation.
I didn't have any time to worry why my ability to sense Imminent threat aiming to take my life wasn't working, The only thing I knew was that I did the one thing the letter told me not do and blindly believed my ability would sense the danger and allow me to avoid it ahead of time
[...]
the sludge kept looking at me with a curious face until it opened It's mouth and said something that made my brain stop working for a little while and stay in a dazed like state.
[Friend?]
It said to me whilst tilting it's head with curiosity in Its hoarse but bleeding voice