"Lets run through my options"
"Either I run through without dropping the rocks, the system won't kill me, but I'll be getting chased until the end of time"
"I drop the rocks, and the system gives me a heart attack"
"Or I drop the rocks and I live"
"Option 1 might prolong my life. True. But it doesn't give me hope. I want to fight against the thing I hate the most. Being given a list of rules. Being told to run around a maze like a scared mouse till I collapse. Nope, not me. I refuse to lie down and take it."
"Maybe nothing I did: these preparations and tests will help me survive; it may have even doomed me."
"But, it was fun."
Hoku exhales and picks up a pebble from the pile he had gathered.
First, he bent his leg. His stance low and precise.
He aims at the formation.
And...He throws.
0 . 1
It cuts through the air and strikes the top of the right rock.
The formation wobbles.
Hoku's breath paused. He tensed, getting ready for the sprint of his life.
It doesn't fall.
Unphased, Hoku prepared, knowing the final boss wouldn't be easy.
He picks up another pebble from the pile.
getting ready, mimicking the pitcher's stance, fully targeting the bottom part of the top stone.
He tries again.
No luck.
"This is pretty hard, huh?"
He tries again. Nope.
And again. Almost.
And again. Missed.
And again and again and again and again.
"Well, shit". Hoku figured that if he had failed, the rock formation would fall before he could enter the opening. Not this. "Should I realign it?" He says with disappointment.
"Ughhhh."
He tries throwing another pebble.
And another.
And another.
And another.
An-
BANG!!!
All of a sudden, an explosion erupts from behind him.
But that doesn't matter. Hoku pays it no attention, as the formation finally started to shake
He runs to the exit point. Skipping over all the buds on the floor.
Suddenly, the stones came crashing right towards Hoku's head.
He dropped low, stone tearing at his side, as the momentum carried him just far enough, letting the rocks slam into the ground right behind him.
His pace slows, entering the new area, when suddenly:
[You Have Defeated A Trivial Unbound: Singing Bud]
[You Have Defeated A Trivial Unbound: Singing Bud]
[You Have Defeated A Trivial Unbound: Singing Bud]
Hoku just about gets ready to weep.
[You Gained 3 EXP]
[15 Credits Have Been Added To Your System]
"Only 3?"
[!Warning Combat Without Alphasuit Detected!]
[Penalty Issued]
[Penalty Issued]
[Penalty Issued]
Hoku lay face down on the cold cave floor. He felt like shit, but that was only temporary; it couldn't kill the utter satisfaction he felt after his triumphant victory. But the battle wasn't done. He still had to face the second phase. The buds that were latching on to him like a bunch of clingy, screaming children.
Whatever lay past the stones no longer concerned him as long as he could get rid of the stragglers.
So he rose once again and attentively arranged the little buds in a square formation on the floor.
There were 38 in total, all bouncing and singing.
Hoku scanned his new area. He was in a tight space. The wall in front of him was about 20 meters away, most likely leading to another bend.
There were no stones or pebbles that could help him.
"38."
"This isn't gonna be nice," Hoku sighed.
"I could just leave them here."
"But that explosion was something serious; that big bastard could definitely break through those rocks."
"If the singing in the last room dies down, they may eventually call him here, making all my work be for nothing."
"Or if I take them into the next room, they'll just trigger the other buds to start singing."
Hoku looked down at the buds like a disappointed father.
He scratches his head.
"Does the system only recognise entities?"
"I wonder if friendly fire exists"
He bent down to pick up one of the singing buds.
Then, he threw it.
They are surprisingly throwable. Not lightly falling like a parachute, but instead, smashing into...
Another bud.
...
...
...
"Oh?"
A maniacal grin grows on his face.
"Your honour, I'm innocent!" Hoku proclaimed, eagerly swaying his legs like a golfer, his ruler firmly in his hands. 10 buds lined up beside him with the remaining 27 singing in the square.
He centred his stance, and in a moment's instant, he swung at the first bud in the line with all the force he could manage.
It bounces into the square, ricocheting around, knocking into several unsuspecting singers. All the buds it hit went limp and melted away, until it finally hit the cave wall, joining its brothers.
Hoku smiled at how many he got.
He peered deviously at the next in line and recentred his form. The buds continued to fly around until only 3 were left.
Hoku perfectly aligned his shot with the last two buds in the misshapen square. He raised his ruler high, then swung.
And like that, the game was over.
He sighed in relief, wiping his brow.
He couldn't help but feel the highest form of joy in this hopeless world. This was the first time in his life that he had been physically rewarded for his hard work. Hoku was safe at last and finally had the ability to hear his own thoughts again.
Or so he thought.
All the sounds from past the stone had more or less calmed down, but strangely enough, he still heard a song; it wasn't like the choir, though. It was sombre and lonely. it reminded him of the start. The mistake. His first kill. That's when he felt it.
He kneeled down, inspected his leg, and there it was. Holding onto the inside of his drying pants was a single singing bud.
He gently pulled it off, held it up to his face and stared at it with a look of ambivalence. "It's you," he stated. The bud looked back with contempt. Then it stopped singing.
[You Have Defeated A Trivial Unbound: Bud Conductor]
[You Gained 10 EXP Points]
[Congratulations You Levelled Up]
[You Are Now Level 3]
[12 Credits Have Been Added To Your System]
[!Warning Combat Without Alphasuit Detected!]
[Penalty Issued]