Ding!
[ The statue of "Anino (shadow)" has already been awakened, and the trial for survival has already started.
Goal: Survive until dawn or kill the Anino.
Trial Difficulty: Low-F Grade.
Number of Participants: 15/15 ]
In an instant, after the notification appeared in front of all players within the grocery store.
The light, illuminating the whole place, suddenly began to flicker eerily.
Wind, carrying unprecedented coldness beyond norms, swept across the place, causing the temperature within to drop drastically, creating a faint fog that lightly diminished the visibility of the place.
Additionally, the shadows present around seemed to come to life as they began twisting creepily under the illumination of the dim light, making people nearby step back in fright.
However, after a minute of the bizarre movement, the shadows inexplicably calm down, returning to their previous stillness as if everything that had just occurred was a product of their imagination.
But, despite this, the players around still feel heaviness on their being, especially Naib since he still had no idea what kind of entity an Anino is despite reading the book of knowledge throughout.
"Anino? That entity who was related to shadows?"
While people around remain in their place, carefully surveying the surroundings, looking for traces of the abomination, a thin woman with bones almost showing on her pale skin and holding a flashlight in her hand suddenly speaks in confusion...
As if remembering something, she carefully looks at her shadow below before trembling with fright.
"Hey, you! What's wrong? Do you know what entity we are facing?"
Despite the thin woman being at the back of the group, standing away from the dim light, the people around still noticed her trembling body, instantly catching their attention.
Thinking that the woman knows something, the people around immediately asked with excitement, not caring whether the woman was trembling in fright as they pressured her to answer.
"I... I think I've heard of it before... Anino, basically they are..."
However, while the woman was speaking, the excited expression of the people around her was suddenly replaced by confusion before eventually turning into panic and terror.
Their eyes are not staring at her; instead, they seem to be looking at her back, giving the thin woman a sense of dread.
Sure enough, beyond the woman, the group suddenly beholds a black entity appearing out of nowhere.
Surprisingly, the entity's stature was similar to the thin woman's, as if the two were twins!
Other than the entity's being completely black, akin to a shadow, the figure of the entity was simply a complete copy of the thin woman!
"This is bad; look behind your..."
Awakening from fright, a man in the short distance was about to remind the other party when suddenly, the black entity, seemingly made of pure shadow, held the thin woman's head!
Then, without further ado, under the terrified gaze of the players around and the fearful look in the thin woman's eyes, the shadow twisted the woman's head 180 degrees, creating a crisp sound of breaking bones that echoed throughout the building.
Cra-crack!
"Cough, cough, this..."
With eyes filled with tears, the terrified eyes of the thin woman meet the shadow behind her, coughing terrifiedly as her vision goes black!
Ding!
[ Number of Participants 14/15 ]
"She's de-dead?!"
"Quick, attack!"
Amidst the terrified gaze of the people around, Roy and another man, the two that Naib's group had met when they just arrived in this place, burst forth with speed.
With light shimmering on their palms, the two hurriedly attack the shadows beyond the corpse of the thin woman!
Eyes ferocious as they swung their shoulder with force!
But...
Clang!
Under the two's confused gaze, the Anino's body suddenly morphs.
With eyes curling up, as if mocking the two for their futile attack, the Anino's body suddenly evaporated, dispersing within the shadows around in a matter of seconds, causing the attack of the two to miss their target!
"This! Don't get near the shadows! That entity could hide within the shadows!"
Instantly understanding the ability of the shadow, Hans, who was observing everything unfold, commanded the players around him before distancing himself from the eerie shadows around.
Unfortunately, despite hurriedly informing the people around, there's still someone who reacted slowly.
Kekeke~
Sure enough, with an eerie laugh echoing through the first floor of the grocery store, a black figure, made of pure shadow, suddenly materialized behind the old man in the distance.
Similar to what it had done to the thin woman before, the Anino grasped the man's head tightly, grinning from ear to ear as it was about to twist off the old man's head — planning to reduce the players again!
Cracked~
But, before the shadow could put force on its hands...
On the left hand of the old man, a sudden light flashed by, followed by the sudden appearance of a small, soft marble that was emitting a warm glow.
Then, without further ado, putting force through his old hands, the marble shattered like a fragile glass.
Like an omnidirectional flashlight, a bright glow burst forth through the cracked marble, shrouding the distance of 5 meters in an instant, including the Anino's shadowy body behind him!
Screech!
Caught off guard, the Anino releases a deafening screech of pure agony. Its shadow body, as if being splashed by acid, suddenly releases dark smoke after the light touches its skin!
"Quick, kill it!"
Seeing that the shadow was in pain, its pure abyssal body showing signs of paleness, the people around sprinted toward the entity, not letting the opportunity slip under their watch.
However, before they could cover half of the distance, the light emitted by the cracked marble receded. Due to that, the warm glow in the surrounding area also reverts to normal, descending the place into a dim atmosphere once again.
Kekeke~
Without the obstruction of the warm light, the Anino's pale body, signifying that the damage it took was not small, hurriedly fused into the surrounding darkness, making the people around halt their movement as they immediately stayed under the protection of the dim light coming from the bulb above them.