The angel's face was covered by a white hood that fell in light pleats over his shoulders, completely masking his forehead and barely revealing his features. His eyes glowed from beneath the shadow of the hood, and upon hearing Karl's words, they widened slightly, revealing a spark of curiosity. While he still hovered high above, his motionless body exuded a calm yet imposing presence, and a faint smile played on his lips.
"Now here is an... interesting insect." His voice, soft and strangely steady, resonated through the air like a murmur infiltrating every corner of the space.
The angel did not answer Karl's question directly. Instead, he began to detail the rules and the progression of the game. According to him, there were several spheres—over ten thousand—each containing a large number of participants who had to pass a tutorial before they could advance. He explained that each sphere corresponded to a specific region, identifiable by a unique number. The sphere Karl was in was number nine hundred and sixty. Participants were required to pass through this tutorial to obtain the official title of Player. The angel insisted that the next stage would only be revealed to those who succeeded, emphasizing that no one could discover further information before completing this first trial. The tension in the air rose slightly as everyone processed this information.
The tutorial, the angel explained, consisted of hunting and killing four Level 2 monsters within a time limit of five hours. Participants could form groups to help one another, but the number of monsters to eliminate would increase by two for each additional member. In other words, a group of two had to hunt ten monsters instead of eight. Each Level 2 monster was worth six points, a crucial detail for the remainder of the game. The rules seemed simple at first, but their complexity soon became apparent to the participants, who realized they would need to combine strategy, speed, and precision to hope for success.
As the angel continued his explanation, murmurs began to rise around him. Questions tinged with fear and hesitation flew in all directions; participants wondered what they would use to hunt these monsters. No one dared to ask the angel directly, fearing they would end up like the man executed earlier, whose body was no longer visible. The angel, having listened attentively, told them they must speak the word "Shop" to access an interface where they could spend the one hundred points granted to them as a starting balance.
However, once the Shop was opened, they would not be able to reopen it until they had finished the tutorial. It was therefore advised to use the entirety of the one hundred points during this first stage. He also specified that while the current zone was temporarily safe, this security was only partial and limited in time: they had one hour to prepare. Once that hour elapsed, if they had not begun to hunt, the monsters themselves would come to track them down.
Karl stared at the angel, listening intently as the creature finished its explanations. Then, almost abruptly, the angel disappeared, leaving behind a heavy and burdensome silence. The atmosphere shifted instantly: participants reacted in their own ways. Various noises erupted from all sides: some whispered fearfully, others seemed furious, and still others observed the scene with a strange, almost detached calm. In this kind of situation, only the weakest seemed truly vulnerable, unable to hide their terror. On-site, a few men took the initiative to organize, forming groups and leading others, while some began to plan their strategies, showing they were taking the game very seriously.
At the same time, Karl had isolated himself in a quiet, distinct space, totally separated from the tumult around him. He spoke in a low voice:
"Shop."
A perfectly organized interface opened before him. Only the weapons section was accessible; the other categories remained hidden. For now, it was only possible to buy weapons. Karl clicked the section, discovering several categories: swords, spears, daggers, and other arms. He browsed each category carefully, examining the weapons one by one; every weapon was F-rank. His gaze stopped on a short chain with a blade fixed to its end. The weapon cost twenty points and its durability was fifty, but it was difficult to handle. He then went to the sword category and bought a longsword costing sixty points, with a durability of twenty-four. He had only twenty points left and chose a dagger with a durability of ten, worth fifteen points. Having no other weapon costing five points, he closed the shop. He tried to reopen it, but nothing happened.
"That's cute," he murmured.
Karl entered the forest. He had only walked for a few minutes when two silhouettes appeared behind him. One of the boys said, approaching:
"I told you... he's been doing weird things since the angel disappeared."
Karl stopped and watched, curious.
"Mm-hmm," he replied simply.
"Karl Wenger, the Wenger loser. You're not lucky... Let's see what you bought... Oh, only a sword. It seems a loser stays a loser, no matter where he goes. To make us leave you alone, give us that sword. It'll be better in the hands of people like us, don't you think?"
One of the boys seemed to be the same age as Karl, while the one speaking was at least two years older. He approached Karl, and the latter tilted his head slightly to the right, responding in a calm and curious tone:
"Why would I do that?"
The boy, surprised, looked at Karl for a moment before laughing fiercely. He grabbed Karl's sword and turned to his friend, laughing mockingly:
"He thought he had a choice, hahaha!"
His friend managed a sympathetic smile, but it vanished instantly, replaced by an expression of terror. The boy holding the sword noticed the change on his friend's face.
"Huh?"
He turned to look at the situation and saw Karl's back moving away. The trails of blood on the ground revealed what had just happened. He looked down and realized his arm was gone. His eyes went blank, and his skin turned deathly pale.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!" he screamed, horrified, seeing his arm carried away by Karl.
His friend could only stumble back before falling on his backside.
"Who... who is this guy?" he whispered, still trembling.