I opened my eyes. Looking around there were many people around me
'Just what in the hell happened?'
I was just in my room a moment ago, reading a webcomic through my computer. Now here I am, stuck with a bunch of people in a white like room.
Most of them are foreigners. I can't even understand what they say, they were speaking in many different languages. I held my head, as pain suddenly sparked into my head. The pain goes on for a few seconds.
The voice around me became more clear. I can slowly understand what they were talking about.
'The fuck is happening to me.'
"Hello, can everyone hear me?"
I looked at the direction the voice came from. Flying high above the ground, a figure dressed in a white suit, wearing a face mask.
'What the fuck?'
Since when did he get there? I didn't even realize he was there. People around me were also shocked.
"Oh my, I apologize for scaring all of you." The man said, while scanning around. His voice was deep.
"W-Who are you?!"
"Where is this place?!"
"Were you the one who brought us here?"
People began questioning him. I also wanted to ask a question. But seeing him, I decided not to say a word. My body was trembling, sweat dripping from my face. My guts are telling me.
'That man is dangerous!'
The man landed his gaze on the people who were asking him.
"Well, that's a secret."
Well no shit he isn't going to answer all those questions.
"Anyway." the man said while clapping his hand. "All of you were brought here for just one reason."
"To test whether you are qualified."
Qualified? For what?
Suddenly something appeared before me. It was a blue screen, filled with sentences.
[Pick your starting equipment.]
[1. Sword.]
[2. Spear.]
[3. Bow and arrow.]
'What the fuck? Are we going to face a trial or something?'
I looked at the panel in front of me carefully. This situation looks just like one of the webcomics I read.
[You have chosen Sword.]
I decided to pick Sword as my weapon. Quickly, it slowly materialize right before my face. I grabbed it as it float mid air.
Obviously, I'm not confident in using a spear. And I never used a bow as well. Reading webcomics all the time, Sword is really familiar to me.
Suddenly, I heard a snap.
"Everyone, take a look at your status window."
Another panel appeared right in front of me. Wow this really is like inside a webcomic.
[Displaying Lukas Weiss Status.]
[Class : None]
[Title : None]
[Strength : 12]
[Durability : 8]
[Agility : 10]
[Intelligence : 26]
[Magic : 1]
[Perception : 16]
[Skill : Hidden Mask, Emotion Reading.]
[Note : Average human.]
I looked at the panel. Curiously, I touched the Skill category.
'This should work right?'
As expected, another panel appeared.
[Displaying Skill Information.]
[Skill : Hidden Mask.]
[Your status will be hidden from other people, altering it when other people try to look into it. And your face is easily forgettable.]
[Skill : Emotion Reading.]
[You can read emotion from a living being.]
'Not bad.'
These 2 skills are definitely valuable.
"i forgot to mention, you can always look into your status window. Just think about it and it will appear." The man said. He looked at the watch in his right hand. "It's time."
The man clapped his hand once again. Another panel popped up right before me.
[Trial : The One Who Qualified]
[Difficulty : Easy]
[Objective : Survive through the trials.]
[Rewards : Qualification to step into Erzania]
[Failure : Death]
[Time Limit : 6 days]
'As I expected.'
Failure in surviving means death.
'How pitiful.' I reminded myself. I always dreamed of being inside this kind of scenario when I was reading a webcomic with this kind of setting back then. But now, it's real.
I used to laugh at how people died in the webcomic I read. Now I'm facing the same situation as those people. Sweat dripping, body trembling, even my hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Yes, this feeling. A panel popped up right in front of me. I stared at the panel.
[Activating 'Emotion Reading' on 'Lukas Weiss']
[Target is expressing 'Fear']
Yeah, I'm truly afraid. This kind of feeling, is truly shitty.
"Now then. Best of luck to all of you."
In a blink of an eye, the white room was changed into a forest. The people around me disappeared. I was here all alone in the middle of a forest.
"Fucking shit."
Couldn't that bastard have picked a better spawnpoint for me? I let out a sigh.
"Well then, time to do some exploring."
***
I explored the forest, once in a while hiding within the bushes. While hiding I spotted many kind of creatures that didn't appear on Earth, obviously.
Creature with green skin, always walking with 3-4 of the same species, a goblin.
Rabbit standing with both legs, reaching 2 meters tall, with sharp claws on both of its hands. I decided to call it Clawbit.
Boar that moves by slithering using its body, with a horn on his head. I called it Slithering Boar.
And there were still many more. I can't help but be frightened seeing those things. But there was still one thing left.
[Time limit : 6 days.]
I smiled widely looking at the panel.
'FUCKING SHIT.'
How am I going to get food?! Those creatures can easily kill me. I cursed at the difficulty of the trial. I have no experience with hunting after all. And yet they want me to survive for 6 days.
'Easy difficulty my ass.'
Just where is the 'easy' statement in this trial? Well yeah, maybe it's easy if I got some fighting skill or whatever. But this?!
[Skill : Hidden Mask, Emotion Reading.]
'Haaa…' i let out my frustration as my hand held my head high.
I was hiding in a bush, since there were 3 goblins near me. I have been following this one group for some time. They were using their spear to hunt fish within the lakes.
'...surviving within 6 days, seems like an unreachable dream.'
Krahhhh!
'Huh, what happened?'
I took a peek. Blood was pouring on the ground, beneath one of the goblin's bodies. An arrow was stuck on to its head.
Tak!
Another one falls onto another goblin. The last goblin quickly ran away, leaving its friend's body.
'Holy shit.'
I waited for some time, because I knew. Someone was definitely going to pick up those goblin's bodies. There was no way they would leave something valuable just like that. It's a food to survive, after all.
Slowly a figure approached the goblin body. A girl wearing a school uniform, her black hair reaching her shoulder. With a bow clinging on to her back. She approached the dead goblin. She grabbed the arrow on the goblin's head and quickly snatched it.
'A high schooler?'
There was no hesitation within her movement. She just snatched it off another living being head. Dangerous, truly dangerous.
'I better get out of here. Can't be near a crazy person.'
I slowly moved my body, not wanting to make a sound.
Creak!
I look at the branch I stepped on. Sweat flew down from my face. Slowly falling to the ground.
'For fuck's sake.'
The girl, hearing the sound, became alerted and got into a firing position.
"Who's there?" She asked. I didn't answer her. Please just go away. Take those goblin body and go away like a good girl, yeah?
Tak!
An arrow was stuck on to a tree beside me. I slowly turned my head to the left. Looking at the arrow.
"Get out! I know you are there!"
'Fucking shit.'
"I'll count to three."
What?
"One."
There's no way you're shooting an innocent bush right?
"Two."
What did the bush do to you that you want to shoot it?!
"Thr-"
"Yes, I'm here."
I slowly got out from the bush, holding my hand up. She aimed her bow at me.
'DAMN IT!'
"You, have you been there the whole time?"
"No, I just got here."
Her gaze landed upon my face. Her expression tells me 'Who are you trying to fool?'
Alright, I know I'm a bad liar. But you don't have to rub it in my face.
"You, put down your sword slowly." She said as she aimed her bow at me.
What? You're looting me?
"Cmon, I don't have all day."
"Alright, alright."
I slowly put down my sword on the ground. There, you happy little shit?
"Take 5 steps to the back."
"Alright."
Yeah there's no communicating with a crazy girl. As I took a step back, she slowly moved forward. Picking up my sword that's on the ground.
"Follow me." She said as she placed the sword on her waist.
'What will happen to me now?'