Hello?
Helloooooo??
She's...really gone. What the hell?! I wanted to know who you were, a random lady in my head...oh. I was probably just losing my mind.
I shook my head and slapped my cheeks. "Now isn't the time."
"Huh?" Michael said with an odd look on his face.
I jumped on top of the display screen and threw my hands into the air, and started clapping.
"Attention everybody, attention please!" I yelled as I clapped my hands.
I silenced the surrounding area, which was filled with fighting and screaming. How wonderful I am~
Shut up.
"I know the situation seems bad, and I will admit, I too am nervous and have so many questions I would like to ask. But now isn't the time to worry over things like that!" I flung my hands out in front of me.
"And who the hell are you to give us orders, huh? Some stupid magician you are! If you're so reaaaalll with your magic and shit, why don't you make a miracle, huh!?"
A miracle? No.
"I'm sorry sir, but, unfortunately, miracles only happen to those who have been blessed by fortune, not some screw up like myself."
The crowd went silent. When you drop something like that on anybody who doesn't know you, I assume it's quite awkward to continue, nevertheless.
"Listen, time is running out fast. The timer over there is already down to 20:01--"
The second it hit 20 minutes right as I finished speaking, a giant hand fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the crowd, splattering their blood across all those around it.
People reacted differently. Some tried using magic to attack the giant hand, and the others ran away immediately.
Unfortunately, my friends belonged to the latter.
"Wait, don't run Edward, Mia, Michael!"
I chased after them, my eyes closing and I felt my body getting heavy.
What is going on..? I suppose I'm dying? At least that's how I remember...this...feeling.
"Ah! Mia, He's unconscious...oh crap, oh crap!" I exclaimed, picking up Arthur's body, which had fallen off the display board.
"The hell was he rambling about at the end? Don't run or something..? We haven't even moved." Michael said, putting Arthur's right arm over his shoulder.
Mia was freaking out. Her eyes began to water. "I-I don't know what we should do, you guys..."
"For starters, let's get away from here. That hand damn near killed us too." Michael said, sweat pouring down his face.
"Okay, good thinking." I said.
Well, we could make our way to the flag but I don't know if that would work...wait no! Why are we playing along with this game and what the fuck is going on with our world? Did that project ruin thing actually bring something...something like this?!
We walked closer to the flag nearest to us, it was the red flag.
Although, we didn't even make it a third of a mile in before a giant bug fell out the sky in front of us.
[Team event]
Difficulty: C
Objective: Slay the titan-ant
Reward: 500 gold
[Failure penalty: Death]
"Ahh!" Mia yelled.
The ant, which was roughly 30 meters tall dashed at us, the ground below it being completely destroyed.
I guess...this is it, sorry mom, sorry dad, and sorry Arthur... I am such a waste of life!
Arthur dropped out of my arm and I started to bawl like a baby.
"damnit man, am I really going to die like this..." Michael said as he fell to the ground on all fours.
"No, of course not." A man said.
I looked up and saw him soaring above us, a sword in hand. Because of the sun blaring on us I couldn't make out his face or details, but I could tell from the way he is shaped...
That this man is ultra sexy!
My mouth hung open like I was melting as I stared at him.
"Edward, quit your fan..fantasy." Mia said, her voice shaking.
The man landed in front of us and stopped the ant with a single strike of his sword. Shortly after it stopped in place, it fell apart in halves.
"Ew...why is there so much slimy stuff?" I said, backing up from the green slime that fell from the ant's brain.
The guy who saved us turned around and looked at us. "My name is Simon. Simon Choi." He held his hand out to me, a warm smile on his face.
I took his hand and as I did; I felt myself melt away. In that moment I imagined a future with him rougly forty years in the future all within a second.
I collapsed to the ground.
"Get a hold of yourself, man..." Michael said, staring down at me with pity.
I hadn't realized it but Michael had picked up Arthur and was carryin him on his back now. Thanks for sacrificng your back for my arm!
"Er, Simon, who exactly are you and how did you do that?"
"Ah, sorry, but I um, can't exactly tell you who I am. But just know I am on your side. I can help you guys get to the red flag on one condition."
Hm? This man with his long black hair that goes down to his neck, and his sharp jawline complimented by his rough eyes, is making a deal with us?!
"I am sorry we are such low sub-humans." I said, bowing on the ground.
"Haha...yeah." He replied, worried.
"What is that condition?" Arthur asked matter-a-factly, now awake.
"I see that you're awake now... it's been quite a long time, hasn't it? The clown of humanity, Arthur Ran!"
[Sorry for making that wait longer than one second. I got held up in the stands...]
"Uh, what is going on?"
I swiped to the right and opened my menu.
Special Event location: [Circus]
"Woah so this is the circus!"
I looked around me and studied my surroundings...it was just all so dark that I couldn't see anything.
[I don't know why you're so excited, you can't even see anything, my dear.]
"Yes, why is that?"
[Mmmm, because you aren't ready to be here. I had to pull some strings to even allow you to speak with me in the outside, let alone in the Circus.]
Pull some strings? What does she mean? No, this is a good time for my questions to be answered.
"I need to ask a few things, but first, can I trust you?"
[I can assure you that I am not your enemy, whether I am your ally or not, is dependant on your actions, love.]
She talks like a mother, it's scary, frankly.
"Okay, what is this whole game shit going on?"
[Language. I don't like hearing that sort of talk... but this game isn't just a mere "game". You see, the magic institution opened a portal that you could say was like opening the gates of hell and unleashing it on earth.]
She moved her legs around and dropped a cigarette to the ground. It didn't go out when it touched the ground.
"I see."
[I should also mention a few things you are likely to ask. Are you dead? No. Why can't you use the game's magic system? No clue! It's just how they chose it I guess. Oh and, yes, the circus wasn't a mistake. You will be able to access it when you are level 99, that is also when you will be able to talk with me once again.]
That is a lot to take in.
"Okay, thank you." I said, scratching my head.
Suddenly, before she spoke again I was ripped out of the circus and fell through a hole, no a square room, a pyramid? Hexagon? Rectangle..?
I can't sense the direction of where I'm going, how I'm moving or what is moving me.
What the hell is this place?
...
Ah, the earth's light sure is bright.
"What is that condition?"
"I see that you're awake now... it's been quite a long time, hasn't it? The clown of humanity, Arthur Ran!"
Clown of humanity? Does this guy know about the circus?!
"Yes I suppose I am." I said, pushing myself out of their arms.
"Now, tell me what that condition is."
He chuckled at me and put his hair up in a bun before replying. The scent in the air was gross, it smelled like iron and sewage.
"You all will serve under me as part of my faction. I will be the king, and you all will be the roles chosen to fit you that I see fit."
"Can I trust in your strength? I don't exactly like gambling."
"Oh really now, clown?"
"Yes, really now."
I walked up to him and got in his face, our eyes locked. Damn his expression is so dumb.
Damn his expression is actually hilarious!
We both cracked up laughing at eachother.
"Oh--oh man you should see your face right now!"
"Right back at you, clown!"
I wiped away my tears and stretched for a second. I hopped up on the tree next to us and looked as far as I can see.
"Yeah, I guess we weren't the only ones who found that event. So at least we know we aren't alone in this world."
I swiped to the right and looked at my menu.
[Player count: 2,015,203,974]
[Player count:
[Player count: 2,014,108,918]
Holy shit...it dropped that much in a few seconds?
"Er, guys, the 'player count' is dropping crazy fast...how are so many people dying to that ant?"
The guy below us whose name I have yet to learn sighed and then laughed at me.
"You do realize that not everyone got this punk ant' right? Some people might've got a dragon or a beast lord. Be grateful!"
"Oh, shut up."
"Don't you dare disrespect Simon, Arthur!"
...
How the hell does Edward have a headband on that says '#1 Simon Choi fan for life.'
"Yeah, you have...you have issues, Edward."
Edward looked defeated.
"So, I am very flattered by that uh, headband you have but do you mind getting rid of it?"
Within a second Edward had already discarded it and sat in a criss crossed position on the floor, in the sewage like fluid.
"Yeah...anyways, we need to discuss our plan of how we're going to get to the flag. We need to cross the lakes after all." Michael said, opening his menu and flipping to the mini map.
"Look." He added, showing it to us.
He was right, we would need to cross 19 miles of water, on top of that the water isn't just some low few feet, if it was then it would be doable to cross...but no this water was hundreds of feet deep.
"Could we make a boat?" Mia asked.
"I guess but, we only have two days. Our best bet would be to go around it, at least, that's what I think." I said.
"Now if you guys were on your own, that would be the case..." Simon said as he walked away and approached the edge of the bridge."
"But you have me, and with my plan, I can assure you that we will make it to the flag with an extra day to spare."
"So confident in your abilities... what can you do?"
Simon chanted something in, I think, Korean? I couldn't tell, but if I had to guess, then I'd say Korean. The water near the edge of the bridge began to bubble and soon after a giant serpent like create sprung out of the water. It had fins running down its spine and its scales were a dark blue.
"Ah, there she is, Maruda!!" Simon yelled as he ran to Maruda.
The giant serpent bent over and rubbed its nose on Simon's entire body. It breathed once, lightly at that, and Simon got flung back roughly twenty meters.
"Damn that hurt!"
"Way to go, Simon!" Edward said, his fists clenched as tears dramatically fell from his face.
"How the hell are you doing that?" I said matter-a-factly. To which everyone ignored as if I was invisible.
"We are going to ride in Marudas mouth across the water, then travel the rest of the distance on foot. Which is about another 14 miles, I believe."
I tilted my head at Simon's idea.
"Wait, you want us to get in the mouth of that thing..." I said, pointing up at Maruda.
"And ride in its mouth while we are hundreds of feet under the surface?"
Simon struck a pose, his right hand on his forehead and his left hand clenching his right elbow, his legs spread and slightly bent...
"Absolutely."
"So, are you above the age of twelve?" I asked.
"I'm twenty-five, you jerk!" He clenched his fist in my face as he spoke.
"Yeah, you tell him, Simon!" Edward was holding his arms up and pointing into the sky with both of his ring fingers.
"Shut up Edward!" Both Mia and I exclaimed.
"Anyway, let's just trust him on this one, seriously." Edward said, his tone no longer sounding fan boyish.
"Alright, but if we end up as sea food I'm blaming it on you in hell."
We all laughed together over nothing serious as we entered Maruda's mouth. It was disgusting inside.
So much so that Mia was puking almost the entire time we rode in there.
Getting out of Maruda's mouth was like being born from your mother.
"Eugh...I am never, ever, getting into another animal's mouth." Mia said, falling over as she got out.
"Neither." I said.
The other three had already started walking up the hill since they got tired of waiting for us.
"Hey, are you okay, Mia?"
"Of course I am! Perfectly fine, even." She said, giving me a thumbs up and an over exageratted smile.
"You don't need to hide anything from me. I get that it's scary, I mean we're quite literally inside of a video game right now. I just seriously want to know if you're okay."
Mia dropped her hands and fell forward, landing in my arms.
"Instead of me answering that with words, can you just take this as your answer?" She said, sniffling.
"Just tell me when you're ready."
I picked her up and put her on my back, and caught up with the group.
It's been about ten miles now.
So, I guess you can open the menu by using your eyes alone. I figured that out on accident by imbuing magic into my eyes and looking around.
Oh, speaking of magic, I need to make sure it is still 'the same' magic I know of.
[New passive talent]
Hm? I clicked the notification.
Contents:
Pages unlocked:
[Stats]
[Skills]
Artur Ran, Special Player #1, you have unlocked a new passive talent!
[The loneliest magician in the universe]
Basic stats: -10
Magic quality: -10
Trickery: +50
Trickery? What kind of category is that? I clicked 'trickery' to open to its synopsis page.
[Sub stat: Trickery]
Synopsis: Trickery encompasses a spectrum of skills that revolve around cunning, deception, and the art of misdirection. This sub-stat allows you to weave illusions and manipulate perceptions.
Current [Trickery] Level: 50
Skills:
[Smoke vanish]
Level: 1
Skill Description: When Arthur was a magician, he would exit the stage using smoke canisters and then disappear while the smoke covers him. His knowledge created this skill.
[Floating Object Distraction]
Level: 1
Skill description: Arthur used invisible string to make it seem like items in his performances were floating. This skill has two forms: one allows him to offensively use thin invisible strings, the other allows him to cause objects to float with his mind.
[Image Misdirection]
Level: 1
Skill description: Arthur used to use mirrors to give the illusion that there were more than one of him on stage, he can create up to three clones of himself, each are equal in stats to Arthur.
Woah...I have three skills already and they're all pretty useful.
Though...my magic quality did just take a dunk for this.
"Hey guys, bad news!" Simon exclaimed, grabbing at his sword.
"Aw shit..." Edward whispered, clenching his fist.
I looked past the two of them and saw what had them so worried. It was a group of people, from the amount I can see, it's about twenty...well, that is just perfect, ain't it?
I walked in front of Edward and put Mia in his hands.
"Don't drop her, Edward."
"I know! B-but what are you doing?! You can't fight that many people!"
I turned around and sprung a rose out of my hand and handed it to Edward.
"It's no biggie. Just watch me, bud."
I walked up to Simon and grabbed his shoulder and nodded. He nodded back at me and ran the other way, taking the other three with him.
"Alright you fucks, let's have at it!" I exclaimed, pulling my tophat down.
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