6. Initial Phase (1)

The morning came as beautiful and bright as usual but the world wasn't the same anymore. Jay was awake and feeling better so we decided to get out of the building. It will be a fool's choice to stay cooped-up in that place thinking they'd be safe there. The world now was better suited to the word 'apocalyptic'. The cusp of the system was not a fancy one but bitter to the end and so will be the rest.

As we moved down the floors, we met others who survived the carnage caused by the quest. Everyone in this building were likely given the same quest as ours. Dr. Ankar had his own party when I saw him walk out the crushed glass doors. I bet that group's full of destructively-curious people. Knowing how he'd be experimenting on humans, I can bet he's going to emerge as one of the best healers or assassins in the near-future.

The citizens who couldn't get used to the system's morph into reality were all either dead or about to die in the next few quests. There's only so many people who can survive without a system here.

Outside the building entrance, a person without a mic, their voice as loud as a speaker blasting, was speaking to the public. We stood behind the people at the very back and observed the scene.

"The world is dying. The gods have abandoned our world. We're left to fend for ourselves and I too have lost someone just like everyone else. Despite the losses, I am the people's prophet. I am by your side. Please follow me everyone, for a safe journey to paradise," he said.

What is this? The 15th Century? He has to be desperate for support to be using such methods to entice people into joining him. I bet nobody's going to give a shit—

"Should we join them?" asked Jay. The prophet by then was handing out resources to the people gathering around the make-do podium.

Ok, I'll take that back. Everybody is going to give a shit to this trash talk because there's no other source of hope in an unknown place. A city so familiar yet so mysterious since the system initialised.

"No, we're not joining an idiot like that," I said dumbly out loud and then I felt a lot of gazes on me. I guess I shouldn't have put it like that in a crowd of fanatics, dancing to the prophet's tunes. A cult, no matter what kind, will always be destructive with so many brainwashed members.

"Who did you call an idiot?" Asked a woman with voice as sharp as knives pointing at my neck. That's a quick move. I held my breath as the tip of her knife started to dig into my skin slightly.

I couldn't talk out of fear of getting the blade struck into my neck. I pushed Jay out of the crowd surrounding me and another person who was taken in by the prophet's words held Jay by his shoulders and checked for injuries. I observed the crowd encircling me and closing in, there was no opening to flee. The knives that were pointed at me were all the same, were those given by the prophet? How did he manage to get his hands on so many knives?

The woman urged me for an answer with an underlying message to apologize, "Don't think you can escape after insulting the great being," she said.

The great being? My ass.

I slowly put both my hands up in the air as a sign of resignation but with everyone's attention on my hands, I kicked the woman's leg sideways and grabbed her dominant hand holding the knife. Holding her hostage in a choke-hold but also getting my neck mildly cut in the process, the blood flowed down on her hair and forehead as she started to realise that she cut someone. The blood dripping down my neck gave everybody else a reality check of how real this is.

"You all better stay still if you don't want her neck snapped," I announced.

She let go of the knife as a result of pain and weakness of getting her hand twisted at her back and something clouding her eyes evaporated. This hints at everyone holding the knife being puppets of the prophet. The difference in her presence was quite clear.

"Don't talk," I whispered in her ear and she shut her mouth immediately. She was overcome by fear and started trembling. I can bet 1000c she thinks I'm an asshole, which I proudly am.

"Make way and let's make a trade. I return her to you and you return that kid to me," I tried to negotiate. The knife is the prophet's medium to take control of them and I cannot fight so many. The moment she heard my words from above her head, her body shook. I know how it might sound to her. Right after getting out of the prophet's spell, she's being thrown under the bus once more.

The people started getting away from me and soon formed a bigger circle around me than before as the commotion started to get noticed by the prophet. After a considerable distance was made, I stepped on the knife.

"Please help me," she slowly whispered, "I don't want to be under his skill again"

"No can do, sorry," I tightened my arm around her neck. I flung the knife in the air and kicked it towards the crowd. It struck someone on the thigh as the crowd started getting massively distracted by the action.

"JAY! Make an illusion, EXCLUDING ME THIS TIME," but as all things go awry, this too was the same. In this world, this is the price of trying to save someone who unwillingly belongs to another's territory but I don't regret it. Who knows, it might just go the way I want it to. The only way to do what you want is to be unwaveringly strong but until then, time to work, my lovely braincells.

A staff was pointed at my back. It stung like a bee but not sharp enough. Nevertheless, I turned around with a tear on my shirt at the back. Facing the prophet, eye to eye.

The woman in my arm was trembling under the prophet's gaze as he seemed to have realised she wasn't under his skill anymore.

"Why are you doing this? We, as humans, need to be united to face this disaster," he said. The amount of bullshit he spout, I had enough of it for the entire week.

"You can't blind me," I said, trying to mimic his way of talking and it's absolutely cringe. I was beside myself with cringe.

Peek!

[Name: Shittij Lapit]

[Age: 26]

[Attribute: Fraudster(lv.3)]

[Exclusive skills: Crowd control(lv.2)]

[Overall stats: Strength (lv.2), Agility (lv.1), Physique (lv.1), Magic (lv.2), Dexterity (lv.2)]

[Overall Rating: C]

[Remarks: An egoistic piece of shit who likes manipulating people into trouble. Warning: A high functioning Narcissist.]

Oh my. He's such an overhyped person around here. C? That's the lowest I've come across until now. His stats aren't great either and a trashy personality to boot. His wits work fine though, the choice he made of making a cult army at the very start to protect himself was smart and the speed at which he took action as well as adapted to the system is remarkable. Still, Trash is Trash.

His name literally has the word 'Shit' in it. It can't be anymore obvious. I started to regret the thought that he might've successfully extracted the power from the meteor 4 days ago. He's a fraud through and through.

Jay looked shaken and panicky after he was unable to cast his illusions in first attempt. He kept trying but separating from me was harder than I could imagine for him. How could I forget he's nothing but a kid who had a system thrown to his face out of nowhere.

'Take your time, I'll figure something out until then,' I looked at him but I wonder if he could understand what my look meant. I tried to smile at him since smiles are said to assure scared children. Tears started pouring out of his eyes instead. What did I do wrong!?

"Wow, you made him cry with just a look," she whispered hesitantly.

I tightened my loosened arm around her neck and pulled her up to the point she had to stand on her tip toes, with a painfully choked expression to support her head on my shoulders, "You better shut up," I said. I will deny it for the rest of my life that I am, infact, embarrassed.

The whispers between us enraged the prophet, "How dare you try to harm one of my own in front of me? Are you challenging my authority?"

"No—," I said. Jay's presence started exuding at that moment and I knew his illusions were about to kick in, "You know what? You're ugly as fuck and your breath stinks. Your authority means jackshit to me and I don't care. She's coming with me by the way," I finished.

The prophet's face was dumbfounded. A few veins popped up and he was seething with internalised rage, "You can't. She's my—" he stopped.

I glanced at the scared woman trying to bury her face in my hand, going as far as twisting her own neck to it's limitations to avoid facing the prophet. There seems to be a backstory I'm unaware of. Not like it'll be uncommon with the new meetings I'm about to welcome in this world.

I covered her face with my hand, "Oh and she hates you so bye," I said and Jay's illusions started to take affect at the right time. Everyone in our surroundings were frozen in place. Their faces depicting utter horror and their screams seemed to be held in. No voice came out of their mouths. The prophet too was sucked into his abyssal illusions.

"Let's leave," I said but unfortunately this person in my arm was inside the illusion too. I put her arm around my shoulder and dragged her out of the crowd where I saw Jay wiping his snot nosed face.

"Stop crying," I put my other free hand on his head.

"I– I thought— you looked like you were going to sacrifice yourself because I couldn't get my skill to work on time," he sobbed as he walked alongside me.

I noticed my reflection on the car window and realised, that's right. I tried to smile but I'm incapable of expressing or feeling many emotions that I've become unaware of. I guess it is inconvenient.

[You have recovered 0.1% emotions]

Hmm?

"Don't look so scary," He said, clutching my hand.

I couldn't really respond. Just looked ahead on the cracked roads and busted vehicles, trying to ignore his hopeful gaze.