After that, a virtual spinning wheel appeared before him. However, it wasn't normal.
It's… made of flesh?
The wheel was made entirely of rotten flesh, while the pointer was made of bones. Each of the twenty sections had something scribbled on it, but before Zaen could read it, more words appeared before him.
[You're in the presence of an anomalous entity.]
[Sanity: 107/110]
What the hell?
Just looking at the wheel caused him to drop his sanity. But wasn't it supposed to be his gift? Why is it affecting him then?
[You're in the presence of an anomalous entity.]
[Sanity: 105/110]
"Fuck, close this!"
[Entity: OB-126 ⟨Fortune Wheel⟩ cannot be closed without spending all spin point(s).]
"Spin it then!"
With a whirl, the wheel turned. Zaen didn't want his sanity to drop further, so he shut his eyes until the spinning sound stopped.
[Congratulations!]
[You've earned Slayer Weapon #532: Throwing Knives x20.]
[Beep-Boop! Only Slayer weapons can harm anomalies.]
[Beep-Boop! Sometimes a particular weapon is required to slay an anomaly.]
With the last announcement, the wheel disappeared from his sight, but it had done a number on his sanity.
This thing hasn't even begun, and it's already down below a hundred. We're off to a great start!
Out of nowhere, twenty small knives appeared in Zaen's hand. However, he was the only one with a strange item.
Shyra had a large bottle filled with water. Hina got some sandwiches made of God knows what.
Harris had a watch, and since none of theirs worked, it was the only watch they could use to keep track of time. As for Rouland, he got a grapple hook.
Without saying a word, Rouland extended his hand towards Zaen.
"…?"
"The knives, give me some."
"Do you even know how to use them?"
"Just give it to me!"
Saying so, Rouland immediately tried taking them from Zaen. The latter didn't hesitate and kicked him.
Rouland stumbled backwards, glaring at Zaen, and was about to lunge again when Harris grabbed him.
"Stop it!" he yelled, dragging him away. "This is not the time or place to fight!"
"Let me go! That bastard kicked me—"
Rouland was hell bent on throwing hands but froze in fear when something whizzed past his head. With a clang, the throwing knife hit the opposite wall.
Zaen stood there, his hand raised over his head, ready to throw another knife.
"Zaen, that's enough!" Shyra jumped in, clinging to his arm while Hina stood in between.
However, he ignored both of them and kept staring at Rouland.
"One of us has spent the better part of his year learning about weapons," he said. "And it's definitely not you. So either shut up, or the next knife wouldn't miss."
Rouland grunted, shoving Harris back. They didn't know whether Zaen was being serious or not, but Rouland knew better than to mess around.
Harris pulled the knife out and gave it back to Zaen. Slowly, things calmed down, but thanks to Rouland, a better part of the thirty-minute preparation time was gone.
"Let's look around," Zaen said, pocketing the knives. "There should be a file of some sort here—"
"Found it!" Hina shouted, waving a half-burned folder in her hand.
Rouland asked for the file, but she gave it to Zaen instead. He wanted to react, but under Zaen's glare, he could only stand back and watch.
At the front, there was a strange insignia. Two birds were intertwined, looking in opposite directions with F.O.R.C.E. written on top and 1738 on the bottom.
"F.O.R.C.E.?" Zaen mumbled. "What is that?"
"Perhaps an asset of the game?"
"Could be."
Upon opening it, he noticed it was a data entry, written in English, by a human. At least it should be one.
⟨Codename: Endless⟩
⟨Designation: HX-167⟩
⟨Game format: Hide and seek⟩
⟨Warning: Participants are urged to keep moving in silence. Do not stay in one place for more than an hour. The entity can smell you and will appear without fail.⟩
⟨Caution: Do not confront the anomaly. Do not look at it. Just turn and run. Once it's on your trail, it won't stop chasing you unless someone is sacrificed.⟩
⟨Weakness: Do not try to—⟩
The rest of the folder was burned. Other than on the first page, there wasn't much information, as it seemed someone had torn off the other pages.
[Host conditions met. Hunter Game Simulator starting...]
[Startup complete.]
[Final reminder: All effects are based on reality. Please try your best to ensure your personal safety while playing the game. Have fun. Beep-Boop!]
[Let the hunt begin!]
The group didn't even get the time to discuss when they heard strange animal-like growls from outside.
Zaen gestured for everyone to cover their mouths as he inched close to the window. After removing the curtains, he saw something that could only be described as a monster.
It was an ash-skinned creature that looked almost human, yet it had undeniable beast-like features, like long canines that protruded from the mouth like a saber-tooth tiger.
The body was mostly covered in blood and ash, with parts of flesh rotting away and falling apart from the body. The ghoul also had claws in place of fingers, which once again were similar to those of the feline species.
[Your sanity has dropped!]
[Sanity: 104/110]
Just one look at the creature took off six points, double the amount the wheel had. All the sanity he had recovered was gone in an instant.
Still, for the sake of learning more about the creature, he stood there, watching it.
My God… there's more of them!
Two more creatures appeared, raising their noses in the air. The next moment, their heads snapped towards Zaen, staring right at him.
[Your stealth is high enough for the ghouls not to notice you from a distance.]
A text appeared in front of Zaen's eyes, followed by another one.
[A ghoul has caught on to your smell.]
The three creatures immediately lunged at the building. Their claws ripped into the walls as they began climbing to the window.
"Shit! Run!"