Andrew retreated back into the mansion and started preparing for the second game. He also kept an eye on the outside world to see how they were adapting to this new change.
Some humans considered this game as divine punishment; others cited that this was a new form of evolution and only those who adapt would survive.
But there was no denying that the world was aware of the system now, and people were slowly challenging their limits.
Andrew also spent the week training with the gun. By the end of the week, he had gotten used to the recoil and learned how to handle it quite well.
He left his mansion and headed toward the tallest tower he could find in the vicinity. He knew that he wouldn't be able to attack the system's representative from earth because of the barrier, but he still wanted to pretend he could try.
The timer continued to tick down, and as soon as it hit 0, the sky darkened before it split apart.
"Hello, my dear humans. Did you miss the game? I am the host for your second game. Let's go over the rules, shall we?"
The god who appeared this time looked very similar to the first one. But while the first one had a female appearance, this one had a male appearance and voice.
The entities of the system did not have a gender, but they pretended to appear gendered in front of their prey to make them lower their guard and create a false sense of comradeship with them.
Andrew gripped the gun tightly in his hand as he looked at the god flying above. The golden-winged creature was an eyesore for him. And Andrew was not the only one who had thoughts about attacking him.
"Everyone, are you ready? On the count of three—"
People fired missiles and other projections toward the god, but the creature only let out a sigh. With a wave of its hand, the missiles exploded way before they reached the creature.
"You all are making this much harder than it has to be. At this rate, you all will die before the next round's game is even over. Sigh, you humans need to have some patience and listen to me."
The god raised his hand again, and a sudden pressure pushed everyone down. Andrew gritted his teeth as he gripped the railing. His knees threatened to give up under the pressure as well, but his anger kept him standing.
The god giggled as he watched the humans under his feet struggle before he opened his interface as well.
"Well, since you all wasted so much time, I do not have time to explain the next game. I will simply transport you all to the game now. If you want to know the rules, read them yourselves."
The god sounded happy, and the pressure vanished… and so did the world around them. When Andrew next opened his eyes, he, along with all the other people in his vicinity, was locked inside a dark room.
"What are we doing here? What's the objective?"
"System…"
"A race to the finish…?"
Andrew quickly looked at the system screen to read through what he needed to do.
[Game objective - reach the end line within a given time limit.]
[Time Limit: 10 hours. The dungeon will explode after the time limit is up, and anything outside the finish line will be erased.]
People panicked around Andrew, and the loud noise hurt his ears. Instead of joining the panicking people, he paid attention to the map. Something about it felt… familiar to him.
He had participated in the system's game for over 1000 years, so many details were missing from his mind, but he could still recall bits and pieces of his own second round.
'Wasn't the map… similar? Then, is it possible that the finish line is in the same direction as last time?'
It would not… hurt to check this out.
"Get ready everyone. It's time for the game to start."
The god giggled before the door opened and people started to run out. Andrew allowed them to run ahead for now. He was going to use his time to start hunting.
The monsters on this side of the finish line were much more powerful compared to the other side, and he hoped to get at least 2 more units in his speed stat before making it across.
Andrew shot at the monsters that came too close to him. The gun wounds slowed the monsters down enough for him to pick them off with a blade.
Within half an hour, he had leveled up to level 7 and gotten his skill points that he invested in his speed.
[Player Name: Mark Dawson (level 7)
Title: Killer of Gods
Skills: Spell Casting Level 1
Profession: None
Strength: 4→9
Speed: 7→12
Intellect: 10
Luck: 2→5]
His current spread looked good for his level, and with help of mana boost (except his intellect; mana could not affect its source), he easily cleared any obstacle in his path.
"I should start heading back now. As much as I want to keep leveling up, I also do not want to lose my advantage."
Ranking in different stages of games provided additional resources. For his first round's win, he had gotten additional +5 stat points to put anywhere he wanted.
He had invested it in strength and speed this time.
Those +5 might not look like much, but the only way to get stat points was to either level up (which was limited) or get through special quests. And the more one leveled up, the harder it would get to level these stats.
Andrew quickly headed toward the finish line. He was starting to recall more and more of this stage as he moved around, and finally, he found the finish line. He quickly crossed it, and the system made the announcement of his triumph.
[One player has crossed the finish line.]
[Additional reward will be provided to the first 3 placements]
"Oh my—! What's that? A way to get an advantage? Won't it be a shame if the person in front of you got it?"
The god taunted humans, trying to make the situation worse. A lot of humans were likely going to fall for his taunt and cause accidents. But it no longer had anything to do with Andrew. He was going to use this time to get to level 10 as soon as he could.
________
A reminder that this will be reposted in Jan once WPC comes. This is just early access and a way for me to get feedback. For now updateds will be every other day.