[Di. . . . di . . . . di . . . .]
[Current Balance: 103.45 php]
Nathaniel couldn't help but sigh helplessly after seeing the miniscule amount of money in his bank account. The mechanical screen shining down cold light on his face. His lonely figure could be seen standing in front of the old ATM machine. The place, desolate of people.
"It's been two months. How come the stipend from the scholarship still hasn't arrived." Frustrated, he looked up to the sky, the night was devoid of stars, even the moon was hidden by the clouds. He sighed again before gazing back at the machine in front of him.
'Guess I'd have to make do with porridge again for a few days.'
His hands reached for the screen, planning to end the transaction. However, when his fingertips were mere inches away. The machine suddenly blacked out.
"Huh? . . .eh . . . EH!" Nathaniel's eyes widened in panic as he helplessly grabbed the machine. Pressing the buttons desperately, praying that it would turn on again. "No, wait! My card's still inside. Please why'd you choose to break down now ?"
The whole place was blanketed by darkness, Nathaniel's hands were trembling as he desperately pressed the buttons, the screen, even resorting to kicking the old machine. The place was dead silent with only his scuffles echoing in the dead of night.
'Please work! jusko po! I pray to all saints please -'
"Ah! Finally, it opened again!" He breathed in relief as he saw the ATM machine booting up again. With trembling hands, he hurried to retrieve his card lest it broke down again. He can't afford the trouble of going to the bank and filing for retrieval of his card.
"Hm?" Nathaniel tilted his head when he saw the interface of the screen. It displayed a loading graphics. Very different from the machine's normal loading display.
[Di . . . di . . . di . . . di]
[Current Status: One requirement is unfulfilled.]
"???"
"Huh what's this? Is there a malfunction in the system? C'mon now. Please I just want my card back." He couldn't help but lean against the machine. His hands pressing on the screen. Hoping that it would return to normal again and he'd be able to take back his card.
'I just want to go back home, eat some porridge and sleep.'
As he was listlessly hovering in front of the machine, the ground trembled. Curious, he turned his head and saw a faint light from the distance. A loud honk could be heard as it slowly approached. The light growing brighter as it drew near. Nathaniel couldn't help but think it's quite rare to see a big truck running on this road. Most have avoided taking this route since the road was damaged with uneven cement and asphalt. He shrugged his shoulders and turned back his focus on the machine again.
[Current Status: Last requirement is in progress...]
'Eh could it be that the machine is updating itself r-'
Nathaniel couldn't finish his thought when the blaring noise of the truck drew near. It's honk almost deafening with its loudness. Bright light illuminated his back and without even having enough time to process the information.
BAM!
His body suffered a hard impact! His body was sandwiched against the machine and the front of the truck. Blood could be seen trickling down his fractured body. Nathaniel's mind gone blank due to the extreme pain. He couldn't move. All he could think about is the excoriating pain and pressure of his body being crushed. His mind foggy and delirious. Black spots covering his vision as he laboriously took his breath.
Amidst this gruesome scene. The old machine stood strong and undamaged from the impact. With splashes of blood on its screen, a line of words appeared in bold fonts.
[You have successfully acquired all significant requirements and experiences to trigger the hidden role. Would you like to accept it?]
Nathaniel's eyes grew dim as he lost his consciousness, barely seeing the text with blurry and unfocused vision. His heart pumping slower and slower. He could feel his limbs slowly getting colder with the large amount of blood loss. His heart barely able to pump enough blood to support his body. Not to mention the lack of oxygen due to his difficulty of breathing with his ribs crushed.
> [ Accept ] or [ Deny ]
'Fuck! My card's still there...'
Was Nathaniel's last thought before his eyes lost its luster. The scene was dead silent again. As if it was isolated from the mundane world, leaving only the bright yellow light of the truck and the cold blue light from the machine illuminating his fractured body, forming a contrast.
[1 minute has passed. As the rule stated in the 211th section in the code of conduct, A minute without decision means accepting the offer by default.]
As if on cue the light from the truck was extinguished and at the same time, Nathaniel drew his last breath.
[Congratulations! You have successfully acquired the hidden role!]
Primeval Forest, Deadman's Trails
Orion's Calendar, 210
1:47 pm
The Primeval Forest is known to be a no-man's land. It has a large expanse known to reach four of the major kingdoms. Ordinary citizens are strictly forbidden by the Knights order to venture deep into the forest. Aside from large, towering trees and high grasses that could cover up a person, it's also notorious for it is home to extremely ferocious wild beasts and monsters.
"Hey man, are you sure that dealer won't bail on us?" A nervous voice asked.
"No way. That person already paid the downpayment of 500,000 Rehyas. He won't bail out." The man replied to his accomplice as they led a shabby wooden wagon along the trails. Each minute they went deeper and deeper inside the woods.
He turned his head and glanced inside the wagon; there lies a man with his hands and feet tied up. His eyes covered tightly with a cloth. "I don't know how this guy offended that person. He's very unfortunate don't you think?"
"It's none of our business whether he's unfortunate or not." His teammate said roughly as he whipped the horses making them move much faster.
The team of two and the wagon travelled for thirty minutes before finally reaching the agreed spot. There was a rare clearing in the middle of the primeval forest and in the middle of it was a big pit, It's depth unknown. The two arranged the wagon just a few meters away from the pit before scouting the area.
"Guess we'd have to wait. I'm going to take a quick piss over the shade. I've been holding this back since we traveled." With that, one of them run towards the bushes, leaving his accomplice shaking his head and sitting by the grass. Meanwhile, as the two took their break, The figure inside the wagon shifted slightly.
'Why is it dark? I can't move. Didn't I die?'
Confused, Nathaniel tried his best to move his body. However, the tight restraints rendered him immobile. Not to mention the immense fatigue and weakness he felt coursing through his body. He breathed heavily as he surrendered. Just the simple act of moving his body already took a great toll on him.
With his vision bound by darkness, He couldn't help but recall the death he experienced just a few moments ago. He can vividly remember the blinding light and the trucks loud honk. The force his body felt as it was crushed against that old faulty machine. It was as if he was relieving that death again. He could feel the phantom pain enveloping his body.
Nathaniel breathed deeply and heavily, his figure started trembling as his mind grew foggy. Fully occupied by his death. He couldn't help but feel dizzy and lightheaded as he breathed quickly. Hyperventilating which causes a high amount of oxygen coursing through his system.
In the midst of the chaos spiraling in his mind, a certain scene flashed in his memory. The vague words he saw on the ATM machine's screen. As if breaking through the torture and pain he felt, the blindfold against his eyes grew loose. Causing a sliver of light to shine down against his tightly shut eyes.
Gasping for breath, He slowly opened his eyes. What welcomed him was the moldy walls of the wagon. Blinking, he turned his head with difficulty. He could see the head of the horses and the vast expanse of trees beyond it.
'Huh? Where am I?'
Still confused, He forced his body to sit-up. It took him a few minutes before successfully propping himself up and leaning his back against the wood. His gaze focused on the wall in front of him, noticing some words engraved on it.
"Survive the Lampher...?" Nathaniel tilted his head as he squinted his eyes trying to read the rest of the sentence.
"Looks like someone's awake." A rough male voice sounded causing Nathaniel to turn his head towards the sound. There he saw to male, one appearing much older than the other. His eyes lit up at the sight of two human beings.
"Hello! Please help me! I don't know why I'm tied up and I don't know where I am!" Nathaniel couldn't help but get excited. Ever since he woke up, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread rising up inside him.
"Calm yo' ass down boy." The older one said.
"Sorry for overreacting. I just had a crazy experience just a few moments ago and it left me disoriented." Nathaniel took steady breaths calming himself down before facing the two guys again. "I'm Nathaniel, 19 years old. I'm currently attending my first year in college. I swear I'm not a bad person. Could you let me borrow your phone for a quick call?"
"Ravin, did the sleep dust you bought have side effects? Are you sure you bought the right thing?" The younger turned to his teammate causing the older man named Ravin to furrow his brows.
"I bought the right one Kyle. I'm not an idiot to make a beginners mistake like that." Ravin replied as he stared inquisitively at the tied-up boy in front of him. Kyle nodded thinking that they both did this kind of mission plenty of times so there's no way Ravin would mess up. He turned his gaze towards the boy blinking towards them.
"Look here boy. What's your name again?" Ravin asked. To which Nathaniel replied swiftly, stating his full name.
"Hey, I get it. You're pretty disoriented due to nervousness and fear. But I want you to know that your name is Xael, okay? Not Nathaniel. Also, we don't know any phones or whatever you've been spouting about earlier. We..." Kyle pointed himself and Ravin before continuing. "We were the ones who tied you up and brought you here in the Primeval Forest. Well, we were paid a hefty sum to do this so no hard feelings 'kay."
"Eh?" Nathaniel couldn't help but utter blankly as he stared at the first two person he saw when he woke up. His mind running on high speed, considering whether he's being pranked or he's dreaming. But his gut feeling and the pain he felt from the bindings says otherwise. "What are you talking about - "
He paused mid-sentence when he saw words slowly being appearing on Ravins old white shirt. This was simply unscientific! It was as if an invisible hand was writing down on the guy's clothes. The two guys in front of him questioningly stared at Nathaniel. Wondering why he's so focused on Ravin's shirt.
With his body trembling, he stared fixedly towards Ravin's shirt. "Di-Did you guys see that?"
"I think this guy has gone mad. Or maybe he was already crazy to begin with." Kyle muttered under his breath as he stared at Ravin's clean shirt that Nathaniel was pointing at.
"I am not crazy I swear! Someone wrote on Ravin's shirt!" He couldn't help but exclaim as He stared on the complete sentence that appeared on the shirt. It was a familiar one. The same as the one he saw on the wall. Written in the same bold font.
[Survive the Lampher Beast's Attack]
His eyes went wide as he glanced past Ravin and Kyle's head. Dread filled his mind as shivers run down his spine. Behind the two was an enormous beast almost 8 ft tall. Its mouth hung open, displaying rows of sharp teeth with saliva dripping down. It's eyes glowing red, showing madness and hunger. Its body was covered in scales as it stood on two legs with feathered wings spread behind it's back.
'No way, what's that thing? since when did it appear there?' Nathaniel thought to himself. With a swift motion it moved while the two was unaware.
SPLAT!
Nathaniel stared in horror as blood splashed against his face, dripping down his chin and unto his clothes. Ravin's eyes widened as he turned towards his left where Kyle was, his eyes met with the Lamper Beasts eyes. Kyle's body was convulsing as his blood splattered down on the ground. His hand reaching for his head. Which was inside the Lampher beast's mouth.
The shock made them both slow to react. Their minds still processing the sudden turn of events. The Lampher beast forcefully clenched its jaws. A crack could be heard and after that, the beast made a swallowing motion. It leaned back as it licked the blood off its lips. Kyle's headless body fell to the ground with a thud.
"K-Kyle? KYLE!" Ravin broke off from his stupor. He unsheathed his sword as he shouted with rage. "You fucking monster! I'm gonna kill you!"
With a roar he attacked the Lampher beast. Both engaging in a tough battle. Taking advantage of the situation, Nathaniel took notice of the kitchen knife which was on Kyle's bag. With a sense of urgency, he pushed his body outside the wagon causing for him to fall to the ground. He inched closer to Kyle's decapitated body like a worm. With baited breaths he grabbed the kitchen knife and started slicing the thick rope binding his feet. He didn't know whether he should be thankful that they tied his hands in front of him.
With gritted teeth, He hastened the sawing action of his hands. His body taut with intense anxiety and fear. With the beast and Ravin fighting in his peripheral version he breathed quickly. Focusing his strength on his hand.
"C'mon slice through faster." He whispered anxiously in his head. A few minutes later he finally cut the last thread of the rope.
Almost breathing a sigh of relief his attention was caught by the reflection on the knife he was holding. He blinked and tilted it facing his back. After realizing what was approaching him at high speed, Nathaniel immediately rolled to the side causing the Lampher beast to miss him and fly against the tree. It collided against the large tree with a loud bang.
With rapid breathing he stood up and there he saw was Ravin. Leaning against a tree all battered up and bloody. He couldn't determine whether that guy's dead or if he's still alive. With curses running through his mind. He turned his head towards the disoriented Lampher beast's direction. One of its feet got stuck on the tree. With adrenaline coursing through his body. He immediately grabbed Kyle's satchel and dashed madly towards the forest. Leaving the clearing and planning to get to somewhere safe.