[Warrior’s Spirit equipped]

Before anyone could fully process what was happening, Aurora was making her way to the front of the bus. The skill she had gotten from the system had made her feel braver. She knew how to drive a car, so a bus shouldn’t be so different. Swallowing a lump in her throat, she looked at where the bus driver once was. To be fair, he was still there but instead of a resembling a human he looked a shriveled raisin. Closing her eyes she swiped him off his seat steadying her heart before sitting down in his place. “Everything will be fine,” she murmured more for herself than to anyone listening. With her heart racing, she gripped the wheel. Unknown to Aurora, the shriveled figure began to very slowly regain a form beside her.

Elidia, from her seat narrowed her eyes. The monster’s grotesque transformation played out in clear view, yet no one moved, however everyone’s heads turned. The passengers, closer and more capable of intervening, remained rooted in their seats as they cried in fear. “holy Shit! its moving someone do something!” A wave of contempt washed over her—how cowardly do something yourself.

The white-haired girl heard the screams and glanced behind herself. Her eyes locked onto the writhing mass on the floor only for a second before snapping back to the road. That was definitely not rigor mortise, but what could she do? If she let go of the wheel, they would all crash. Elidia’s fingers tapped impatiently against her seat. With a flick of her finger, she pulled up the menu and toyed with the Void Candy option, her eyes fixed on the ‘bus driver’ lying on the floor. Next to the shriveled driver, a shadow cast a LVL 0 within its outline. It was really just like a game, she pressed on the skill.

[Target not in reach. Cannot use VOID CANDY]

“Useless,” she muttered. Elidia reached into her bag and pulled out a gun, aiming it at the monster. The slight sways of the bus did little to unsettle her balance as she peered through the sight. Her aim was flawless—until the gun disintegrated in her hands after she squeezed the trigger.

[Warning: Unauthorized weapons are not allowed]

A scoff escaped her lips. It was just an air soft gun—was that not allowed?

All Aurora could hear were the cries echoing in the background. She wished others would lend a hand, but she understood their fear all too well. It wasn’t just them; she was terrified too. The only thing nudging her forward was the strange otherworldly support, though it didn’t exactly soothe her. Knowing something beyond her control was capable of messing with her emotions was downright scary.

The once-human passengers convulsed and contorted, morphing into grotesque monstrosities. Sinewy tendrils burst from charred flesh as their eyes drooped with the faces of horror they had before death. Jagged fangs protruded from distorted jaws. The stench of burning flesh mingled with the acrid odor of sulfur, filling the air.

Thankfully, those who had a brain had already scrambled away from their charcoal seatmates when it originally happened. Elidia rose from her seat and walked down the aisle, eyeing each person’s possessions, sizing up everyone’s gear. There was an elderly man with a staff straight out of a magical girl anime, and a child who had glowing eyes. Eventually, her eyes landed on a college boy with snot dripping down his face. “Hand it over,” she demanded, snatching a sword from the boy who looked like a light breeze could blow him over. Why couldn’t she have been given something useful like that from the start? Unfortunately, she didn’t keep it for long, hurling it forward and landing it into the deformed body of what used to be the bus driver.

“Aura,” Elidia raised her voice to be heard over the noise, “don’t look back. Keep driving until you find a safe place to pull over.” Elidia hadn’t been in the mood to die in a bus crash so her only option was to help. Aurora felt slight relief and focused on the road without the fear of being attacked from behind. Many deformed figures appeared ahead, and cars swerved manically around them. Aurora knew those drivers were experiencing the same horror they were, and her heart felt heavy knowing she couldn’t help them.

Elidia spoke coldly, “Does anyone else have something they’d like to give me? If you’re going to be useless, you might as well hand it over.” Her tone was calm, not meant to be rude, just stating the obvious. Of course, no one offered; whatever weapon they had was their only defense. An elderly interrupted her thoughts “Will this help, young lady?” Elidia glanced at the man’s shaky hand holding out the wand.

…

Elidia took the wand, inspecting it skeptically before giving the old man a curt nod. “Thanks,” she said, her voice devoid of warmth. She didn’t expect much from a staff that looked like it belonged in a costume shop. With a breath, she pointed the wand at the not yet fully formed abomination only a few seat away.

[Wand of Purification: Cast Purify? Yes/No]

The moment Elidia tapped the ‘Yes’ button, a jolt of energy pulsed through the wand before dissipating with an abrupt and disappointing fizz. A message flashed in her vision:

[Wand of Purification failed: Ineligible to use]

“Of course,” Elidia muttered, tossing the wand back to the old man, who caught it with a look of confused dismay.

Aurora kept her focus on the chaotic road, hands white-knuckled around the steering wheel. The bus barreled forward, narrowly avoiding the mangled remnants of other vehicles and the twisted creatures now littering the streets. While observing Elidia standing steadily in the aisle, one might assume the bus was stable. However, with Aurora’s lack of bus-driving experience, the reality was quite different. Passengers found themselves sliding around, desperately clutching their seats. If the monsters didn’t pose a threat, the tumultuous ride certainly did.

Elidia’s eyes darted around, noting the various passengers still clutching their own devices. There were only four dead passengers left, so only four potential monsters. They all had that same app, each showing a different class and set of skills. The realization hit her: everyone here had a role to play, a potential weapon. Why did she have to help them when they were provided the same resources? Everything she had done had been completely unsuccessful; it’s not like she didn’t make an attempt. This was her cue to give up. So she did. Elidia glanced back at the passengers and walked to the front of the bus, stepping over the body with a sword protruding out of it, stationing herself behind the driver’s seat. She had no intention of safeguarding everyone, only Aura. After all, if she crashed, it would make Elidia suffer the same fate.

Elidia, now standing directly behind Aurora, kept her gaze locked on the road ahead. The bus was a lumbering beast compared to the smaller cars zipping around, but Aurora handled it with surprising skill. Elidia couldn’t help but watch.

“Aura, We need to get off the main road,” Elidia instructed. Her voice was calm, commanding.

Aurora nodded, not daring to take her eyes off the road. “I’ve been trying but there is no safe turns up ahead” she replied, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. Elidia knew Aurora was right, the road had turned into a one way only and not by design. “drive through the walking trail coming up” Elidia said without further explanation. “what?” Aurora inquired however Elidia left it at that, she already gave her input no need to offer more. 

If it were anyone else, Aurora might have dismissed it as a joke. But knowing the seriousness of this girl, she couldn’t help but pay attention as she sharply turned the bus, causing it to lurch as it departed from the main road and crashed through a large chain fence. The sound of metal scraping against the bus echoed as it squeezed its way into a narrower, less populated walking path Aurora couldn’t shake the thought that this had to be incredibly illegal.

Elidia didn’t waver as she turned around and observed the passengers. To her surprise, the creatures had been taken care of by them. She was half expecting everyone to be dead when she turned around, but from the looks of it, two of the teenagers threw the bodies out the window before they could fully mutate. The bus rumbled on, its passengers now strangely calm. Elidia’s eyes flitted from one face to another, noting the exhaustion etched in every line, the residue of fear still lingering in their eyes.

As the bus rolled to a stop, Elidia leaned back, letting Aurora take the lead. As she stood up, Elidia’s eyes could see the slight trembling in her legs due to her being close. The girl with long white lashes spoke with a smile, “Everyone, everything is going to be okay! We are getting out here.” Elidia’s mind wandered as she heard Aurora preach words of comfort; she was not soothed by such ramblings. Without complaint, everyone got off the bus besides Elidia, who just watched until she was the last one on. She walked over to the body on the floor. She tapped on the screen, bringing up her stats and skills once more.

[Skills]

Void Snack (1 MP)

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What did ‘Void Snack’ even mean? Now she had time to find out. As she tapped on ‘Void Snack,’ a small window popped up:

[Would you like to use VOID SNACK on player167789 YES/NO]

Elidia’s eyes narrowed. Not even a name, but a number—how undignified.

She clicked on yes.

Instantly, her surroundings transformed into a monochromatic world devoid of shading. Even the figure in front of her was reduced to a featureless black mass, save for a small, luminous white orb at its center. Was she supposed to grab that…how? Elidia, despite not being able to see the body she was about to dissect, hardened her stomach as she reached to pull apart the flesh. She couldn’t see the details, but she could surely feel it, and unease washed over her.

As she retrieved the white orb, her vision swiftly normalized. Colors flooded back into her sight, revealing the orb's true nature: not white, but a profound, obsidian black, the darkest she had ever seen. The hand grasping the orb appeared coated in a murky, bluish-black substance, a detail she chose to swiftly overlook.

[Would you like to consume void candy?]

This time even she felt a little hesitant, she could admit that she had some issues however this was crossing a weird line. despite that she plopped the orb in her mouth as a sound of a small gasp came from behind her.

Aurora stood there wide eyed and unblinking

It really wasn’t what it looked like… she thought before correcting herself well actually wasn’t it exactly what it looked like?