No one wanted to be the first to go.
We all just stood there, staring at the trees, maybe they would help us.
They didn't.
The red eyes stayed where they were. It was watching us, waiting for us.
"Okay," the guy in pajamas said, forcing a laugh. "So… this is like the tutorial monster, right? We beat it up, we level up, we laugh about it later."
No one laughed with him.
A girl stepped forward.
She waved her hand through the air.
"I have, like, a game menu in front of me."
She swallowed.
"I… I put points in strength. And agility."
The moment she said it, her body changed.
It didn't show much. It just felt like someone adjusted her posture.
"Oh my god," she whispered. "I feel… so much lighter."
That was all it took.
Panic broke loose.
Menus flashed open everywhere.
"I'm putting everything into strength."
"Endurance, endurance,"
"Magic? There's magic, right?"
Points vanished.
Windows closed.
And the trees finally moved.
Something stepped out.
It wasn't big, not tall, but not small.
It looked wrong.
Its limbs were bent in places they shouldn't. Skin like wet bark. A mouth that opened sideways.
The girl who spent her points screamed and charged.
She swung her fist.
It hit.
The thing recoiled.
Everyone froze.
"…It works, these monsters are weak as hell." someone whispered.
Hope surged.
Then the creature twisted.
It moved too fast.
Its arm went right through her stomach.
The sound wasn't loud, instead it made a wet sound.
She gasped and looked down, there was blood everywhere.
"Wait, wait, I,"
The system didn't wait.
1 PLAYER ELIMINATED.
Her body collapsed.
Gone.
No light. No fade.
Just dead.
Silence slammed into us hard.
The monster turned its head.
It looked at the rest of us.
It was remembering us.
"Run away," someone yelled.
We ran.
I ran with them.
I shouldn't allocate now. Not yet, not until I have enough information.
The forest surrounded us.
Branches hit my face as I ran. The roots made me stumble a little.
Behind us, we heard it
Heavy footsteps.
More than one.
The system chimed softly in my vision.
NOTICE:
1 PLAYER ELIMINATED.
My stomach dropped.
So it tracks our death.
Great.
Ahead, the trees thinned out.
In front there were ruins.
Broken stone. Old walls. A place to hide.
We bolted for it.
As I crossed the threshold, I glanced back.
The monster stopped at the clearing.
Didn't chase us.
Just watched.
Like it was letting us go.
Deep down we knew we would meet again.
I ducked behind a broken pillar, chest heaving.
Around me, the survivors huddled together.
Fewer than before.
No one spoke.
I stared at my stat window.
Ten points.
Still untouched.
End of Chapter 2.