“Butchers, all of those offerings are yours.”

One by one, all of those people who cried for it fell to the ground. Those inhuman creatures saw those pigs desperately clinging to the unopened cell, their eyes shone and completely ignored the other two.

“The Minor Screening: Butchers and Pigs has been successfully cleared! Rewards are being prepared, please wait!”

Aris and Elara collapsed side by side, the blood splashed on their faces still fresh.

“I'm tired...” Aris mumbled, looking at the tab appearing on her side.

“Right, it is exhausting..” Elara closed her eyes, the fatigue overcoming them.

“Players, rewards are being given, a tab will privately appear in a short moment.” The mechanical voice greeted.

(Player: Aris Armani

Increased Stamina - Rank A

Increased Physical Strength - Rank A

Increased Endurance - Rank A

Physical Resistance Increased by 38% - Rank S

-Physical Resistance tends to deal with physical injuries. It can nullify a sharp object's attack, defending the owner from receiving fatal wounds. This reduces the pain inflicted by another party to its owner. When the level is high enough, you may find yourself not getting injuries anymore.

Heat Resistance Increased by 24% - Rank S

-Heat resistance will reduce the owner's feeling of unbearable heat. This skill would only activate once the owner experiences abnormalities in their environment, surpassing normal resistance of humans.

Mental Capacity increased by 10% - Rank SS

-The owner of this skill can partake in more mental damage without losing sanity. (It can deplete attempted mental manipulation, memory loss, gaslighting of other players and a wider view of ideas.)

‘Oh, are these the rewards?’

Scooting closer to the tab, the woman's chest almost jumped out.

“Woah!” Aris jumped to her feet looking at the skills. The other person with her flinched too hard, her body taking a screenshot. “I've got six power ups, three of them were rare. Is this how it is for the first time?”

Elara looked at her in disbelief, faking her sob, “That's not fair! At my first minor screening I've received three Rank As but no S skills, On my second, I've received only one. This is my third time and it gave an increase to my one S Skill and gave another S skill. I don't even know if there's anything higher than Rank S.”

Aris pointed out, “I've got a Rank SS.”

 “What's with this system!?” Elara shook the other person, her fingers although numb—because of the recent battles—it didn't stop her from shaking Aris, “I'm not that lucky on pulling characters in any game, now, even our skills rely on luck?”

About to comfort Elara, a loud announcement rang in their heads:

“All players had received their rewards. Minor Screening will automatically close in five minutes, please leave immediately after attending to your needs! No one would want to be forever trapped in here. May you have a good day Players, best of luck!”

A human sized portal appeared nearby, representing a bluish void. There was an insignia of knife butchers on each side. Once they had recovered their strength a little, both of them immediately left the slaughter house. Blinding light soon followed their view as soon they found themselves back to their car.

Their blood soaked garments with the Butcher's blood and sweat no longer exist yet their tiredness and own injuries remained. Elara slided to her seat deeper, reminiscing the soft cushion under her body. “Nice, we're back.”

“What day is it?” Aris asked, opening her own communicator. “Fuck! I forgot to reply!”

“To who?” Elara wanted to look over but the woman did not activate the ring. “Your boyfriend?”

“Ew.” Aris gave a dissatisfied expression.

Elara tried for the second time, “Girlfriend?”

The wavy-haired woman crossed her arms, “It's a friend asking for a meet up. I wasn't able to say my exact location.”

Elara intently glanced at Aris, sensing that there was no lies in her words. The other woman shrugged, swiping her hand at the sensor. The car's engine created a mechanical sound, “I wasn't able to chat with anyone because you almost got decapitated.”

“Thanks for that.”

“No problem,” Elara drove the car once again, this time faster. “Just chat them again, if we're unlucky enough we would trigger another Minor Screening and you'll have a signal again.”

Aris asked out of curiosity, chuckling, “Do you have a birthmark on your ass?” Elara didn't look at her, “No need to answer, I was just—”

There are sayings that bad luck comes when a person has a birthmark on their butts. Aris shook her head, expecting the latter to not answer when:

“Yeah.”

“What?!”

Silence filled the air, the former chose to continue and let the other person do what she wanted with that information.

Not long after, Aris and Elara successfully arrived at the apartment, the familiar surroundings greeting them peacefully. At the side of their eyes, they saw a few injured people exiting their own minor screening. They immediately fled away, running for their lives.

“Ah, I actually did meet her.” Aris mumbled, walking to the same hallway. The same window she used to enter the apartment still exists at the same position. “What was her name again?”

“Hesychia,” Elara kicked open the door, seeing that the inside was ransacked. “Her name is Hesychia Astrid.”

Elara immediately noticed the plugged in nebulizer and albuterol at the ground. The bubbly person immediately ran to it and checked the insides. “Hesychia used this not long ago, the insides are about to dry. One... two days ago perhaps?”

“I guarded her for ten hours after she lost consciousness,” Aris also crouched. “She's a heavy sleeper, silent as a log, I almost thought she died. Miss Stubborn might've slept longer or coincidentally, woke up after I left after a few minutes. Do you think she will immediately leave?”

...Miss Stubborn?

“Depends,” Elara stood up and checked the surroundings, letting the remark slip. “one thing is for sure, if she will leave... there's something that will clue us in to her. Let's look around.”

Aris agreed on this plan and splitted up. Today was January 16, five in the morning. The sun was just about to rise yet they already started doing noises. When the wavy-haired person was looking around, she was able to spot her own letter crumpled on the ground. Gods might've smiled because after bending down, she noticed a paper sticking at the bottom of the table.

The woman called, pulling the paper. “I've found something.”

Elara's footsteps were heard, nearing her spot. Soon, the other person looked over, “Oh.”

“Wow, Hesy's handwriting is messy.” Aris commented.

Hearing the nickname coming from the other person's mouth, Elara chuckled. “Hesy can mimic people's handwriting as long as she has been acquainted with them for long enough. This... this is my handwriting.”

“Oh.” Aris blinked, “...we both write like shit.”

“Woah, you too?” Elara mused, looking at the paper intently. “It's a way of confirming who left this for us. It’s really Hesy.”

“Smart.” Aris said, reading the letter out loud. “‘I'll be staying at the university for three days. Meet me there.’ What a short message, is she naturally a snobber?”

“Of course not,” Elara chuckled. “She's pretty sweet and takes effort to cherish people around her.”

Hearing these words describing “Hesychia Astrid” didn't match the impression she left on the latter. In Aris’ eyes, Hesychia wanted her gone every single second when they were together.

She blinked in distraught, “Really?”

“Yes, Hesy is too careful to show who she truly is, she acts aloof and cold but is actually worried for you.” Aris wanted to ask more things that made her curious and interested yet the other woman skillfully took the paper from her hand, distracting her thoughts. “There's a number four. It must mean that there’s four papers hidden in total. The other three might be the clue to her exact location.”

January 16, 3031. 5:30 AM. Campus Library.

After waking up, Hesychia Astrid left another note with a clue for her friends at this new hideout, in case they solved the riddle she left behind at her apartment. 

She had only gotten three to four hours of sleep, disturbed by noises, yet she hadn’t wanted to fall into a deep sleep. She needed rest after a long day but couldn't fully relax. Hesychia slung her backpack over her shoulder. Her footsteps echoed in the barren room, empty and quiet. Instead of preparing for work and study as usual, she decided to go for a decent meal. A short walk took her to a nearby convenience store, a wreck of an establishment near the university.

Inside, the refrigerators were emptied haphazardly. Hesychia realized the world was on the brink of collapse—food shortages, the fall of industrial supply, and an impending power crisis. She grabbed some reheatable food: a rice meal and a breakfast combo. The store’s microwave beeped to life when she set the timer for five minutes. After drilling a hole in the cover of the plastic container, she placed it inside and turned her attention to a power outlet nearby. The wires were messy, but she found what she needed and set her device on the side.

The streets were eerily silent. After the first screening, 7.9 billion people remained, yet no one was in sight. The minor screening had kept the streets empty. Hesychia once enjoyed this stillness, but now it felt unnerving, stretching on for too long.

Ting!

The microwave finished its cycle, and Hesychia used a tissue to carefully pull the hot container out. She tore off the lid and scooped the rice onto a plastic spoon, feeling a small surge of happiness as she ate. “Ah, it's so nice to be alive when you have food.”

Her hunger satisfied, she wandered around, eventually finding herself at her old high school. The buildings were quiet, abandoned. She entered the first building and took the stairs to the highest floor.

Inside, she found the backstage area, where she grabbed a wig and tied her hair up. It was easier to disguise her appearance this way than using alteration chips, though she missed Artemis’ more advanced methods. The wig felt secure, and she adjusted it for comfort.

Hesychia slid down the railing from the second floor, pausing when she noticed her black shoelaces were untied. She bent down to fix them, tapping the heels against the floor as a test. Suddenly, a wave of anxiety gripped her chest. It felt as though someone was watching, following her quietly. She scanned the hallway but saw no one. The feeling faded as quickly as it had come, and she hurried her steps.

By six, the streets began to stir. People were emerging, panic evident in their faces as they ran in all directions. The minor screenings had activated around this area, and Hesychia observed, keeping her distance. She slid on a facemask, making herself unrecognizable, and entered another store to buy random glasses, which she put on immediately.

Returning to the university an hour later, she scanned the hallway. She had set traps to check if anyone had entered her hideout. As she approached the old library, she noticed something off—there was a small paper on the doorknob, shifted slightly from where she’d left it. With her sharp senses, Hesychia could tell it had been moved.

She paused for a moment, the small knife hidden in her sleeve slipping into her grip. She stood still, listening closely. The faint sound of footsteps echoed from inside, quiet and deliberate. She counted silently. One... no, two people are inside. They were moving carefully, too cautiously for normal people.

Hesychia almost turned away but froze when a gust of wind sliced past her shoulder. An arm reached through the window, attacking her. Her heart skipped a beat. They don’t want to let go of me.