It was now a ruckus. No wonder why Author forced them to shut their mouths when the arrow spun, because it knew that it would be chaotic and full of questions that it won't give them a direct answer.
Author ignored them and counted. "20 ... 17 ... 14 ..."
Perhaps it was counting down in completing the process of Fortwen's brain. They also could not approach Fortwen because their feet seemed to be glued to where they were standing.
"12, 11, 10"
"Everyone, we have to fight." Firstwen's encouraging words.
"But how? We're all going to die!" Twelf panicked.
"9, 8, 7"
Second closed her eyes. She should control her panic. She may not seem like it, but her heart trembles. Must think. Just be calm. This was the Wealth Level where their intellectual skills were measured. It means not pure fighting where strength is needed, but also the brain. If the boys use their physical strength, then the girls will use their mental strength.
"We can't even move right now, and the clock's ticking!" That was Sevenzen, the boy with tanned skin and dreadlocks.
"L-Leaders, what should we do?" Twentieth was shaky, too.
"6, 5, 4,"
She can tell who's speaking with their voices while closing her eyes.
They were 21 and will fight against 11 human-looking and 1 real human with the brain of a monster. They have no weapons for defense or offense. Come to think of it, they can't do anything, but...
"Go in pairs, then scatter after the count. Run and hide as far as you can. Get something in the kitchen to protect you." She heard Third suggested.
"I don't buy this!" Sixth reacted.
"3, 2"
They were human, and they are just clones!
"One!" She boldly opened her eyes after Author's countdown.
Author's hologram went missing. The process has been completed with Fortwen and her clones. She noticed that they were now free to move. The clones' eyes were still closed while standing. She can no longer determine which of them was real because they have changed position very quickly. They all look identical to one another. The 11 clones were exact copies of the original Fortwen before she transformed with a monster brain. The only difference was that their eyes turned red, rendering them emotionless, or rather, the eyes of a monster with bloodlust.
"W-We can't open the kitchen cabinets and drawers. We can't get the knives!" Sixth exclaimed. Now, this was more problematic.
"Some of you shall go into pairs and run! The others will try to fight," Firstwen commanded them.
Some girls ran away in pairs, and some of the boys tried to keep their composure. She stared at the clones that were coming at them. They moved away from the clones.
Second learned something recently from what First said. "I waited for everyone to sleep before going here. But someone discovered it." Thanks to him, it brought her an idea.
Speaking of sleeping, the monsters were waking up gradually. Now, two monsters have opened their eyes halfway.
"Second!" Aeith shouted.
"S-Stay away from them, please," Fourth begged.
"C'mon, Fourth. Let's go while we still have time!" Fifth insisted on his sister, and they fled.
She heard a girl crying in the corner, it was Forzen. She was sitting near the kitchen alone.
"Aeith, take away Forzen here and hide!"
Aeith ran towards them. She held Forzen's hand, and she stood. "Stop crying there, cotton candy." Aeith glared at her. "Hey, Second. Don't you dare try anything that would kill ya!"
"Go on. Keep yourselves safe."
"Tell that to yourself, too!" Then they ran upstairs.
She can't promise Aeith that, so she can't say it.
For some reason, she can't take a single step away from the clones. She was overwhelmed, which kept her from moving her legs and feet. She admits that she was scared right now, but there's a hint of courage that resides within her fear. The monsters were going to run at her. She remained standing still until she felt like there was a heavy object in her right hand. It felt weird, and she was astonished by what it was.
The monsters, even Fortwen have become monsters too. All 12 of them have awakened. They moan angrily and appear gruesome.
They started attacking and chasing some of them.
"Hya!" She defended herself against the two clones approaching her with the weapon she was holding that wasn't present before.
That's right, they all automatically have weapons in their hands. Her discernment was partially correct. She predicted that Author would give them a bit of an advantage to make it fair, but she didn't know how. This game was not that unfair and unreasonable, so they were also given a weapon. Author was just calm earlier, averting their questions and worries about how to fight and survive this stage.
How did Second find out? It was Neinuko in the first stage. There was a strategy to beat the monster, so she thought that most likely, this one also had. It's not reasonable if they don't have weapons while fighting the clones in a closed area, which is the castle. There were no holes or exits for an escape, leaving them with no choice.
Second is not sure whether her weapon was a sword or a dagger. It was short to be a sword but quite long to be a dagger, with a length of about 20 inches. It was double-edged with silver metal and a sharp tip. She stared at the others, and they had two different weapons, but only one for each. Either they get a short sword or a long, slender spear. Most of them have a spear with a long, sharp tip, while the others also have a dagger like hers. Guess they were given random weapons from the two options.
"Whooo! We're going to beat them!" Ninezen shouted with amusement while raising his dagger. How can this guy be amused while they're in the middle of a clone-slash zombie fight?
Some of the boys focused more on attacking, while some of the girls volunteered to fight to oversee the defense. They were able to counter their attacks with the help of the weapons that they currently have. There were only five monsters left. She did not expect that they had already knocked down seven clone monsters.
"Stop!" Third, one of their leaders stopped them from killing the remaining five. "We don't know yet which of them is real!"
They forgot an important mission. Wrong, they shouldn't have just focused on the fight. They should have also thought about where the real Fortwen was. They were too preoccupied and focused on a minor mission rather than the major one.
They stopped and didn't know what to do, nor did she. If they don't kill them, they will kill them. They might even kill Fortwen. But what if one of the seven who died earlier was Fortwen? She noticed the remaining five clones didn't seem ordinary. They seemed to be twice as strong as the others who had already died, making them quicker and stronger than the previous seven.