Chapter XXVII: Redemption

Zack walked onto the streets and breathed in the air. He wasn't dying or being chased down. This was a good experience to have. He was covered in blood and he could feel it on him but with the last notification he got, it wasn't too much of a surprise. Death was numbed out for Zack. So the blood didn't feel like a big deal to him. It was like being covered in water.

The streets were empty in the middle of the daybreak and the road was clear. "Maybe this is like a sign of how I'll do." Zack thought. "Actually… maybe I should be in style here." Zack said. *!*

[Would you like to wear "Demon Massacre"?]

[Yes]

The shadows enveloped his body and the outfit was on. He could take anyone on at his current level. So being the punisher for a little didn't seem too serious. He figured to go to a warp station. Those were easy transportation. The matter of money was dire. This was something Zack considered but continued to go to. He didn't have steal, sure, but he could still get the mald to use a warp station. The brisk walk continued until he made it to the station.

He approached the warp station and saw that it was quite crowded. It wasn't crazy to Zack as he was walking for a while. He didn't have steal with him but he didn't need it. He already knew how to pickpocket, steal was just more convenient. He got 5 mald from 10 people so he didn't ruin anyone's trip as 5 mald wasn't too expensive.

He configured it to the arena and stepped onto the warp pad. The warp pad glowed and he was gone. With another glow of light, Zack was in the waiting room. There was no one waiting there to his surprise as there was at least someone there in the waiting room. The person at the desk was there awaiting a competitor. He walked over and shot his question. "I'm here to compete." Zack said. "Ok what's your name?" The woman at the desk asked.

"II, My name is II" Zack said. The person rolled her eyes and gave him a contact that Zack signed. "Ok "II", the entrance exam starts in a hour." The person said. "Wait. Wha-" Zack was cut off by the person slapping on a watch on him and warping him away. He was warped into a white room and fell in head first. There where many groups of people who saw him and laughed at the person who just came.

"Haha! He'll be the first to die!" One said. "Maybe we should warn him before he dies" Another said. Zack was frustrated at all the comments making him sound degradable but honestly he didn't care. A few weeks ago he lost his arm, had poison blood on him that felt like acid, ran for his life, and survived a run in with the death class. In any other words, he endured more that what every man, woman, and possible child had experienced combined by twenty.

The room he was in had weapon racks, countless racks of food and drink, television, timers, and was holding around 200 competitors and had space to go. The reasoning for all of this was because all these people would die soon so their last few moments should be amazing. Zack ran a little until he made it to the weapon rack. This took up some time. After looking at the weapons, he was disappointed, weapons master would grant a stat boost if he hadn't died.

He was disappointed but he still had to pick a weapon. Zack didn't want an axe because even though the system offered it to him in his previous life, he didn't want it. He was eventually split between a Shield or Guns. Shields would help him because he could use fracture but Zack knew the system wasn't letting him use it without drawback so guns would also be a good option. Zack decided to pick up both of them.

In the tournament you were allowed one weapon. That was it. So what Zack was doing was against the rules but he was not going to die for the second time. He walked into the food table and would have got a bag if he was still human as he was practically homeless then. He didn't show interest in the food and continued to walk to the TV. He did not communicate with anyone as he didn't want any connections for what was to ensue.

He sat down in the heavily crowded area watching news. What it's contents contained was about some gang breaking into banks, kidnappings, murders, and illegal substance distribution called the Oawi wings. This was odd to Zack because the area he lived in was pretty tame. No one would do a crime so this was odd. "Oawi Wings huh? I guess I can investigate that after this. I can't have crime on my streets" Zack thought.

He continued to watch the news as it just seemed like crime waves were spreading as there were two more gangs. "God's Apostles" and "The Berserkers" they were called. The Apostles were known for having killed and crucifying people or things for the god, Kena. Their goal is unknown as much as it is for the Oawi Wings. The Berserkers just did crime for no reason. They were organized but started absolute chaos for no apparent reason.

These three were causing all the damage that was happening in the area. Zack didn't care one bit. He abandoned the place he was living in for a reason. Why he was interested was because of this sudden crime wave that hit this fast. He was then thinking about the time that had to pass before the tournament. "I'd been over there for a few weeks but I needed 6 months until it was meant to start. So how did the time move to up he-" Zack was cut off by his watch.

"Attention All Contenders! In Approximately Thirty Seconds You Will Be Warped To The Field. When You Are There You May Fight Instantly. Until We Give You The Signal To Stop, Your Exam Isn't Over! We Will Start In Five… Four…. Three… Two…"

Everyone tensed up as the pressure finally hit them. As it did, around half of them shook in fear. They finally processed the seriousness. As for Zack, the moment he thought about it, he was determined. He wanted redemption for wanting to die last time. That's the only reason besides wanting to be a hero he wanted to come. He knew he wouldn't survive so he picked dying there to have a happy death on the battlefield.

He did die but he came back. Zack knew he wouldn't come back again but he should make sure he survived this time. He wasn't there to die again, he was there to become a hero. And after so long, he was going to fulfill the role.

"One!"

The watch turned green and Zack, along with every other contestant, was floating upwards while their watches needles were spinning until both needles hit 12 and they were all warped away into the battlefield. The field was miles long so it fit everyone. Everyone warped to the field and looked at each other. Someone yelled and stabbed someone's head. Everyone followed suit. Zack looked at the sight and put his shield on his back and pulled out his gun.

[You Have The Weapon "Sensed Gun"]

[Activating Crosshair…]