Here's @riojiyo131, your trusted writer.
This story is now available up to chapter 33 on my Patreon.
I will release an additional chapter every 500 Power Stones.
patreon.com/riojiyo131
-----------------
The hours passed slowly inside the supermarket.
Some Reincarnated argued among themselves, trying to decide whether they should try to leave or wait for the fog to dissipate, and thus, the completion of the Floor 2 mission. Others simply watched the covered windows, observing the fog outside as if waiting for something—or someone—to return from the mist.
That someone, of course, was Seth.
In a corner, far from the noise of the people, Atom remained seated next to KarateMaster's unconscious body.
Across from them, David Drayton was with his son, Billy, hugged to his side.
"Are you sure your friend is okay?" David asked in a tired voice.
Atom nodded, forcing a tight smile.
"Don't worry. He'll wake up soon."
"That's what you said an hour ago," the man replied. "Maybe we should see if there's a doctor among us."
Before Atom could answer, KarateMaster coughed violently. His eyes snapped open and he sat up halfway, confused.
The Broadcasting Fairy was still active, floating around him, recording everything in real time and transmitting it outside the Tower of Trials.
"What... happened?" he asked, bringing a hand to his head.
Atom sighed.
"Seth hit you. You were knocked unconscious by the impact."
KarateMaster gritted his teeth.
"Damn bastard! When I see him, I'll rip his damn face off!"
A few seconds later, his expression froze. He glanced sideways at the Broadcasting Fairy, floating next to him, and horror crossed his face.
His words had been recorded.
Seth could see them later...
The broadcast chat suddenly exploded, filling with messages:
[SolitaryWolf: HAHAHA, you got knocked out in one hit.]
[ArcLight: I can't believe this guy is Rank D. How is he still alive? Does anyone know how he passed Floor 1?]
[LunaVerde: Poor ugly thing, Seth almost killed him.]
[OverlordEX: You were lucky he didn't kill you for being so annoying. Don't be mad at him, be grateful.]
[TheWatcher: What about Seth's strategy? You fell asleep mid-mission, idiot!]
[SolitaryWolf: Better kill yourself, you have no talent for climbing the Tower of Trials. You'll probably die painfully at any moment.]
KarateMaster growled, his fists trembling with the rage bubbling inside him.
"Shut up, all of you! It wasn't my fault! That psychopath attacked me for no reason!" he shouted, his face red with anger.
"Where is that bastard?" he finally snapped, turning to Atom.
Atom looked at him seriously.
"He didn't come into the supermarket. He let the fog swallow him. The last thing we heard were the growls of creatures dying out there... and then, silence."
KarateMaster smiled spitefully.
"Hopefully, he's already dead."
David Drayton frowned upon hearing that.
"You shouldn't wish death on anyone, son. I understand you're angry but..."
KarateMaster turned to him, furious, and interrupted him
"Mind your own business, NPC!"
Billy, David's son, looked at him with fear.
"Dad, I don't like this man."
"Me neither, son, me neither..." David muttered, deciding to move away.
KarateMaster clicked his tongue and stood up, alongside Atom. Only then did he notice the windows, which were partially covered with feed sacks.
"What the hell is this?" he asked, surprised.
"You were unconscious for several hours," Atom said. "Everyone knows about the monsters now. We put up barricades to hold out, just in case."
KarateMaster's face hardened.
"Damn Seth... this is all his fault, I've lost so much valuable time..."
Suddenly, a murmur rose from the central area of the supermarket. A middle-aged woman, with a severe face and wide eyes, climbed onto a stool.
KarateMaster recognized her instantly as Mrs. Carmody, an NPC famous on the Reincarnation Space forums for her religious fanaticism and tendency to sow chaos on Floor 2 of the Tower of Trials.
"The Lord's punishment has descended upon us!" she shouted. "The fog is His judgment! The end of times has come and the sinners will be exterminated!"
Most ignored her, used to her delusions. Mrs. Carmody was famous in town for being a religious lunatic.
She had caused many problems because of it.
But the silence was broken when a young, handsome man with a charismatic smile stepped forward from behind her.
His dark hair fell over his forehead, and his gray eyes shone with an unsettling calm. He wore a military coat and spoke with a confident voice.
"Listen," he said. "Mrs. Carmody is not delusional. She is God's messenger. The only one capable of saving our souls from the hell that looms over us."
Atom and KarateMaster exchanged a look.
"Who the hell is that idiot?" KarateMaster muttered.
"I saw him when we arrived," Atom replied in a low voice. "He's been with that woman ever since, whispering things to her, feeding her madness. He's not stupid. He's planning something."
The young man raised his hands.
"And I have proof!" he announced with a smile.
Jim, one of the town's mechanics, laughed from the back.
"Proof? Come on, enlightened one, show us your miracles."
Some laughed, others paid attention out of curiosity.
The young man nodded slowly and rolled up his right sleeve.
A murmur went through the place among the various Reincarnated when they saw the mark on his forearm, which marked him as Rank C.
KarateMaster turned pale.
"What...? Another Rank C?" he whispered.
Seth was supposed to be the only Rank C among all those who had decided to challenge Floor 2.
The Reincarnated—because there was no doubt he was one—smiled.
"Proof? Very well. If proof is what you want, you will have it."
He pointed his hand toward the window behind him.
"The creatures will attack soon. And when they do, only she," he pointed to Mrs. Carmody, "will be able to save you."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the place.
Then, as if the world had heard him, the window began to darken. Dozens of Scorpion Flies crowded behind the glass, moving their stingers frantically.
The screams didn't take long to start.
Jim backed away, pale. "My God..."
"Do not fear," said the Reincarnated, his voice clear over the panic. "Saint Carmody will protect you."
A dull thud echoed throughout the place. A Pterobuzzard smashed its beak against the glass, cracking it.
Then came another hit, and another.
Finally, the glass gave way.
Hysteria broke out. Scorpion Flies and Pterobuzzards burst into the supermarket, attacking uncontrollably.
"Damn it, he must have timed the moment the monsters would attack..." KarateMaster muttered, taking cover behind some shelves.
"That's what I call a prepared Reincarnated! If only you had paid attention in my classes, that idiot could have been you!" Atom complained, taking cover next to KarateMaster.
Jim, while being chased by a Scorpion Fly, shouted amidst the chaos:
"If you're sent from God, prove it, damn it!"
The Reincarnated looked at him calmly, and nodded.
"As you wish."
He turned to Mrs. Carmody.
"Do it."
She hesitated, but she knelt, closing her eyes and starting to pray between sobs.
The young man, however, raised a hand. A green card appeared between his fingers, a Barrier Card.
Atom recognized it instantly.
"It can't be... How could he afford to buy a one-hour Barrier Card?" he muttered.
Cards were uncommon to see among Reincarnated before Floor 5 due to their excessive price.
But, fortunately, after Floor 5 the drop rate increases exponentially!
This Reincarnated must have friends on the upper floors of the Tower of Trials to have obtained something like this...
The Reincarnated tore the card in two.
The card disintegrated in a small flash, and a translucent dome covered the entire supermarket.
The creatures trying to enter crashed against the barrier, being repelled by an invisible force.
The Reincarnated raised his voice:
"Saint Carmody has raised the wall of faith! No demon will touch us as long as she prays!"
With a dramatic gesture, he extended his hand. An iron sword, simple and dull, appeared in front of him.
Atom recognized it.
"An iron sword? From Minecraft?"
"Yes..." KarateMaster gritted his teeth. "This guy is crazy. He's trying to trick everyone."
But what happened next left them speechless.
The Reincarnated moved. Quickly and lethally.
In seconds, he cut a Scorpion Fly in two, pierced another, and sliced a Pterobuzzard in half, rescuing an employee named Sally just before she was hit.
The chaos ceased.
The green barrier held firm, and the creatures retreated into the fog.
Silence.
The Reincarnated took a deep breath, raising his sword to the ceiling.
"God has protected us through His Saint! Kneel and give thanks!"
And one by one, the survivors knelt beside Mrs. Carmody, with the exception of the Reincarnated, repeating her prayers between sobs of relief.
Atom and KarateMaster remained standing, motionless.
They looked at each other.
"We're screwed," they said at the same time.