The System

He was teleported in a crouched position, his hands overhead trying to enclose his body in safety under his arms.

He slowly removed his arms and sighted down different individuals as confused and frightened as he was.

They were all previously relieved from surprise, or still in a state of shock. Levi looked upwards, and to his surprise, the sky was white, and all previous events were discontinued.

"I think this is another world," he thought while standing upright and facing other individuals.

They looked as young as he was, as though they were all his age or slightly older or younger than him.

"Was this all a coincidence? Why do they all look like my age mates?"

He walked further, attempting to approach one of the individuals and converse with them. The void was filled with both girls and boys, and Levi planned to converse with a reasonable amount of them.

Whilst walking, a strange voice resonated, as though automated. He looked around, and following him were all other individuals who had been transported to the strange white world.

Although they searched the entire area they could, they still failed to find the source. Suddenly, a holographic presentation appeared on the walls.

It read,

[Waiting Room]

[Waiting Members: 23207]

[Total Members: 23207]

[Mission: ___]

The individuals stood confused, but before they could utter any word, the text changed and read,

[Goal: Kill 200 demons]

A few seconds later, the automated voice emerged once more, and they individually received a message,

[System activated: Kill To Survive

[Initiating system . . .]

"So, I've been given a system to survive? I'll have to defeat 200 demons, but where exactly are they?"

He extended his arm to the individual before him, but before contact, the world seemed to have a glitch.

His position changed, leaving him in thought. The glitch fazed him, but he pressed forward. He suddenly got transported into the normal world.

The sky still shone red, but the earthquake had ceased. He leaped in joy but immediately got struck with a thought.

"I guess, the demons are in this world, that's why the sky turned red. If so, I'll have to seek sustenance and run home for shelter," he continued, "... I think I'll have enough to survive then," he thought.

He rushed to the nearest store and raided it.

"Is this theft? Nah, I'm borrowing. The guy may not be alive now, considering he's well above my age so he couldn't have gotten transported, and isn't in this neighborhood by what I've observed."

Quickly, he ran home, shut the door, and enclosed himself in his little room. He shut the windows and rested on his bed. He couldn't tell the time, as the red hues had enveloped the sky.

He grabbed his blanket, spread it over himself, and laid his head on his pillow.

"I'll start killing the demons tomorrow."

"Now that I think of it, how will I do it?" He asked, already closing his eyes.

The red sky dimmed, permitting sleep, and Levi immediately fell deep into slumber.

***

He opened his eyes and slowly lifted his torso from the bed. Its comfort drew Levi nearer and forced him to succumb to it. It's soft foam kept sinking Levi into it.

"No, I have to wake up!"

He stood from the bed and staggered to the bathroom. The lights shone on his face reflecting it on the mirror.

He blinked and sheltered his eyes from the sudden light. He rubbed them, and slowly lifted his eyelids, and then he saw himself.

"What's this?"

He raised his arm and saw a weird wristband that clung fiercely to his wrist. It was dark grey, smooth, and relaxing just to touch.

Although its looks and texture were relaxing, it still made Levi wonder.

What could it be for? Where did it come from?

He got plunged into a trance, forced to ponder upon the wristband, eventually losing control over his mind.

Suddenly, a strange voice similar to the voice in the Waiting Room resonated. He immediately rushed out of the bathroom and checked on his room.

The doors were locked, windows shut, and curtains closed, shielding the interior from external view.

He walked back into the bathroom and proceeded to stare at his wristband while thinking of the voice.

"Where did that voice come from?" He asked, but there wasn't anyone to answer him.

Whilst fully immersed into thoughts once more, the voice emerged, but clearer, and communicating meaning. He walked up to the faucet, held water in his cupped palms, and splashed it on his face.

"I need to cleanse myself. Why am I hearing things?" He said, still confused.

[Goal: Kill 200 demons

Completion: Life

Incompletion: Death

Deadline: 5 days]

The text came like a holographic projection, more like he was in VR. He wondered how and when technology had improved, but thought more on the meaning of the text.

It was clear, but with Levi's slow processing power, he found it hard to decipher and understand. Only 2 minutes later the meaning presented itself to Levi.

"Oh! No! So, if I don't kill 200 demons within 5 days, I'll die? How do I even kill them, where are they?"

He quickly ran out of the bathroom, slid the door lock, and hit the door open. He braced himself for what he was to face and bravely ran to the door of the house.

He tried his best to gather courage, but the flickering light bulbs and bolts of lightning accompanied by loud bangs of thunder, weighed him down.

"Ah, I'll die either way."

There was no way out for Levi, as he would die 5 days after if he stayed inactive, or die if he ended up getting eaten or destroyed by a demon.

"How do they look? Hunched with ugly faces? No, large with broad wings that spread out? I guess so," he thought while walking down the ghost-quiet street.

Bright flashes occasionally lit up the sky, but there wasn't any drop of rain, which proved weird. Levi continued his search for a demon.