Chapter 2 : Rain

As the sun begins to set on the utopian mainland, the sky transforms into a stunning canvas of warm oranges, pinks, and purples. The air is still and peaceful, with only the occasional sound of a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves of nearby trees.

As the day winds down, Four men who were with Hestia eventually left her alone in the alley. They left her with trauma, fear, and a tightness in her chest.

Her eyes were dull as she lay on the filthy floor surrounded by disgusting fluids. She couldn't even cry. Beside her was a 10-pound note stuffed in a plastic bottle, given by the group of men earlier. Hestia stared at the money with feelings of resentment, frustration, and other negative emotions. But on the other hand, she saw it as an opportunity to provide her little brother with a package of food for the next three days.

"A clean bottle to get a drink, and money to buy three loaves of bread for three days. I can survive with just a bite. At least my little brother can eat his fill. Ahhhh, I can't wait to give him food and see his happy face," said Hestia. There was no expression that could be described, just emptiness.

"I can still feed my little brother. At least I can keep that promise. Right, Mom?" With the remainder of her strength, Hestia slowly got up, took the bottle, and put on the clothes that were torn in several places. She limped out of the alley.

As she prepared to leave the place, one of the men who had been knocked unconscious by a blow to the head began to open his eyes. He saw the girl who had become a victim of their scheme walking away in a pitiful state. "Wait, this is my fault. Let me help you," he said.

Hestia turned her face, her empty expression briefly visible and making the man feel sorry for her. But soon her expression changed to warmth and a thin smile. "Thank you for standing up for me. I hope your wound isn't too bad." And with that, Hestia left the alley, leaving the man feeling guilty.

------------------------------------

With a striking appearance, once again Hestia became the center of attention on the streets of London. Although the fate that the girl had experienced was evident, not a single person cared about her. Everyone focused on their own tasks and didn't want to get involved with a lowly creature who had no connection to them.

Hestia walked with her head down, tightly holding money in her right hand and an empty bottle in her left. Slowly, she searched for a water tap to fill the bottle.

Near a street crossing, the girl found an unoccupied water tap. She had to tiptoe a bit to turn the tap and fill the bottle's opening. Despite the presence of steps provided for children, the girl didn't want to dirty any public spaces.

Glancing across the street, Hestia saw a woman giving testimony in the form of small pieces of bread to people on the sidewalk. Next to her, a sign reading 'Buy 5 breads for only 10 pounds' was displayed prominently.

"The bread looks big. It should be enough for five days," she thought.

While waiting for the traffic light to turn red, Hestia stood with a group of people next to the zebra crossing. She paid no mind to the disgusted glances of those around her. Her only goal was to buy the bread.

Crossing the road, Hestia finally reached the shop. A female employee was still distributing her testimonies to the people there.

Hestia slowly approached the woman, "Excuse me. I want to buy the bread that's on sale." She leaned on the counter, holding out the money.

Feeling indifferent to the money the girl held, the woman took a small piece of bread that served as a testimonial item, walked away from Hestia, and discarded the bread on the ground. She tried to make Hestia go away.

"I have money. I just want to buy that bread."

"I don't want this shop to suffer a bad fate by allowing you to buy this bread. '10 pounds'? I don't even know where you got that money. Did you sell yourself, girl?" the employee said with a disgusted tone.

"I didn't—" Hestia's eyes welled up.

"You should be ashamed, little girl. Selling yourself for 10 pounds. Your parents have truly raised you poorly," the employee continued.

Hestia was momentarily stunned. The girl was accustomed to being belittled by others, but when someone criticized her parents, she was left speechless.

"Excuse me, I would like to buy ten loaves of bread," on the other side, a teenage boy in his mid-teens purchased bread from the same place. The boy wore ordinary clothes for everyday wear. And the employee served him normally.

A stark difference in treatment that proved justice had been completely shattered.

Hestia was filled with anger, but she couldn't express her emotions. She could only clench her fists tightly.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Unexpectedly, the boy who bought the bread spoke to Hestia. Speaking as if they were friends.

Startled, Hestia stepped back from the boy, recalling the unpleasant treatment she had experienced earlier.

"Relax, I have no ill intentions towards you." The boy gave a warm smile. Lifting a paper bag containing the bread, he offered it to Hestia. "For you. You need it more."

Hestia hesitantly took the bag. It seemed to be filled with many loaves of bread. "One... two... three... ten. Th-there are so many." Hestia stammered.

The kind boy chuckled upon hearing Hestia's exclamation. Without much thought he opened his jacket. A leather jacket that seemed quite expensive. "Look at those shabby clothes. Aren't you cold, huh?"

"I... I have to get used to it. My younger brother needs clothes more than I do."

"Well then, here, I'll give this to you, little girl." The man put his jacket on Hestia.

"T-Thank you."

"You're welco--"

*Crack *Whosssh

Before he could finish his sentence, a giant iron chunk fell from the sky at high speed, crushing the young man's body flat on the ground.

The strong wind caused by the iron's acceleration also blew Hestia's body backward. Fortunately, none of the debris hit her.

It all happened so quickly. Hestia, who had just felt warmth, was suddenly rendered speechless.

Shortly after, another large chunk fell, this time hitting the woman holding the stand and the entire shop behind her.

The traffic came to an immediate halt. People froze as if time had stopped. More chunks fell one by one, crashing onto the surface like a symphony of destruction.

"What... What is that thing up there?"

One of the residents looked up in despair. Hestia, stunned, also turned her gaze upward as a large shadow slowly covered the entire city.

"A spaceship? Why is it so massive? Does it belong to humans?"

Then, another iron chunk fell, hitting a car on the street next to Hestia and causing a massive explosion.

The chunk had some sort of glass attached to it, like a lifeboat.

Hestia watched as the chunk slowly opened its attached glass.

Inside, there was a creature resembling a human with facial features and hands, but it had pink skin and green hair and stood over 10 feet tall, emerging from the chunk.

Everyone in the area, including Hestia, suddenly received a notification from a system within them.

***

-Condition fulfilled = Interacting with beings from another world.

-System upgraded = Acquired skill = Instant language learning.

-System upgraded = Updating world conditions. Earth is now included in the universal combat game list. GPS to Earth is accessible to all races.

-The universal combat game begins. Earth's inhabitants, humans, enter the game.

***

Everyone fell silent as the alien creature began to speak, and everyone could understand what it was saying.

"Run! Hertigon is coming! You all in danger!"