To Register as a Player

"What? What? What? What is that!?"

I push Alex out of the way, so I can read the damn message on the display. It seems that everyone can see the display despite it is my Quest Window. Since it appears like I have requested, the System must have been fully integrated into this universe.

While I do want to have a look at my status immediately, I refrain from doing so. I prefer not to reveal sensitive information to others, including my best friend. It is not a good thing, as there are things on my profile that can be used against me.

"Quest," Alex calls out and finds nothing happens. "What? C'mon Quest!? Show yourself!"

It appears that the System has not registered Alex as a player yet. It has not registered anyone besides me. To become a player, one must prove themselves in the face of adversity, and this is all a test.

A test with deadly consequences. Either survive and ascend or die. One or the other.

"Quest…" Alice mutters softly. She is just curious. Harry and the other two are the same, and they find the same result as Alex. They are not players yet.

"Hey Zander. How did you open that?" Alex questions and jabs at the window. "What does it say?"

I eye Alex before sighing. He cannot read what is on the display because the text is in Runic. It shouldn't have been in Runic, but since it is, I guess the Rulers are artificially increasing the difficult, not that it's not fucking difficult before. Barely a handful of people survive the first time.

How many will survive this time around?

"It said to fight," I tell Alex and everyone presence. "Fight and Survive and Ascend. Let's go before the fogs find its way into the building."

I then continue towards the cafeteria. The others follow, asking more questions of their own. The kind that I do not want to answer until I am sure of what is happening. As I head down the stair to the lower level, I take out my phone and begin to dial.

"When did you get your phone back?"

"I got it back the moment I beat the shit out of Bruce," I response. "And I am not calling the cops since they will have the same problems on their hands. Besides, I am sure the whole city is calling them right now."

"Mum. Sorry to bother you again, but please don't talk, just listen," I tell my mother. "There are toxic fumes everywhere right now, so close all the window and stay in the house, but not in the bathroom or the kitchen. Not anywhere with a lot of water."

"Toxic fumes!? What do you mean toxic fumes? Where are you right now? Oh God. Please be alright," my mother is being a mother, and I do miss that very much.

"I'm fine, mum. Just take care of yourself until I get home," I assure my mother again and again before she eventually promised me to stay put in the house. It is safer there than wandering outside or trying to get to the school.

"YouYou'reprobably all alarmed, and you should be," I tell the others. "It is not exactly toxic fumes, but it is close to it. Just don't breathe too much of it or you will find yourself as monster."