The Initialization : Phase 009

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A notification bubble had blocked his vision.

Granted partial access to the 'Employees Lounge' you can only modify lockcode and temperature settings.

The room had only simple furniture such as two double decker beds on both corner sides with a simple wooden table as a centerpiece.

After setting a new lock code, Zen sat down on the lower bed on the left side corner of the room.

The black haired teen dropped his head on the pillow then looked towards the window.

A fox looked back at him.

"Hah?"

Zen blinked and squinted his eyes.

"Weird..."

He thought for sure that there was a silhouette of a fox on the other side of the window but apparently, his eyes were playing tricks on him. What's more, he wasn't absolutely sure it was a fox since he could have sworn just for a second that it has a body of a person.

His fatigue parameter must be taking it's toll on him.

"Now how should i proceed..." Zen rhetorically asked as he knitted his brows. He need to thoroughly plan his every moves now if he want to survive in this death game he caught himself in.

—What i need the most is information.

Internally deduced by the teen. Knowing how things work around in Noiz can be a key factor between life or death.

That's one of the reasons he took on the job as a worker at this inn. Crowds gather in flocks at this kinds of establishments, and whenever there's a pack of crowd, information would be an easy picking.

There also seems to be some sort of LCD screen hanging on the leftside wall by the decker bed and when Zen had clicked on the power button, a notification suddenly entered his vision.

Do you want to connect to the internet? You must pay (01) Helt per hour to gain acess. (Yes/No)

So users could actually use the internet even while their in game. Zen thought as he was tempted to use it although in the end he pressed on the 'No' button but thought of doing it later since he was tired at the moment.

Due to his death penalties, his body felt like lead and he drain more stamina so he really nitpicked on his movements. He made sure to cut down any useless actions even if it's mentally straining since it's taking awhile to getting used to.

First is his breathing technique. He felt like a sixty year old asthmatic geezer. His stamina would easily ran out even by simple task so he coordinates his breathing pattern to his movements to lessen the drain.

Second is his walking style. Lighter steps in big stride seems to be more less demanding than his usual swagger and he makes sure to keep the swaying of his arms at minimum at all times.

Third was his head movement. Whenever he looks for anything he made sure to use the full range of his vision without moving his head as much as possible.

These simple things may be inconsequential but after he got these stat demerits, these little things had saved him from being unable to move. So if he manage to fully incorporate these actions subconsciously then he can conserve more stamina. In a way he now understood the feeling of weight conscious ladies since he now periodically checks his stamina as if it is calories.

Additionally, as long as he take precaution and evade his hunters, Zen was positive that he can recover his lost stats by working here indefinitely. Hopefully, he would find a way to learn that 'Martial Art' skill since that'll be really convenient and it's essential in his fighting prowess.

"Hah, what a way to start a game." Zen sarcastically jested as he closed his eyes.

To be persecuted right off the bat like some wanted criminal is no jok—

Wait...he is a criminal.

What irony.

Nevertheless, it's better than just sitting around to rot in some cell. Zen loves challenges and the more the odds are stack against him, the more he gets excited to reverse his fate.

As sleep finally embraces Zen, a grin formed in his lips as a single idea entered his gradually fading mind.

'I will conquer this game.'

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"Damn where did she go?"

A hooded figure gradually landed atop of one of the tall buildings around Genosia. Her worn down dirty russet colored cloth that was draped all over her entire body like a coat flutters together with the wind as she moves within a shaded portion of the veranda.

She stood near one of the windows but never opted in opening it since the odds of it being open is slim anyway.

"Shit did you lost her? try looking again at that alley while i go this way."

The waist-length silver haired lady carefully looked down on the street where her pursuers scramble like rabid hyenas looking for their lost prey.

Too bad for them since unless they have high perception skill or sight enhancers, it's highly doubtful they would find her since she was three stories high above the ground.

The girl pulled back her hood and adjusted the knot on the back of her head in which ties the fox-like mask that was hiding her entire facial features.

"So have you lost thy pursuers?"Asked by an enthralling voice that echoed inside her mind.

However, the woman just silently kneel as she opened her inventory and pulled out some bottle with green liquid inside and drank it with without much hassle. Afterwards, she then pulled out a whetstone and unsheathed the Japanese long sword that was placed on a scabbard at her waist.

She then started resharpening the blade.

"How much longer thus thou are going to feign ignorance in thy plea?"

Nevertheless, the hooded maiden just continued with her task silently.

"Thus thee fair maiden had such grudge against thou?"

Finally a reaction in a form of sigh was released from the lips of the girl. She really can't concentrate with her task with him ruining her concentration with his incessant questioning inside his mind.

"Sorry but my mother told me to never speak to strangers." The girl momentarily halted her work and finally commented in blank monotonous voice. "Especially, weird talking incorporeal ones." she added.

"Blasphemy! Haven't thou heard whist thee said moments ago that I'm—"

"Look," The girl interjected. "I got alot on my plate right now so i don't really care who or what you really are, bottom line is i'm busy so look for someone else to help you with your problems."

"F-Finding aid in my quandary is not that eas—"

The girl suddenly ducked as a rumbling noise akin to a door opening was heard inside the room. She slowly sheathed her katana then pulled the hood over her head.

"Is it Hunters?"

The fox masked lady sat still for a minute as she discerns any more noises but all she perceived are rustles of the bed being sat on and nothing more.

Taking a peek inside the room through the windows, the first thing she noticed was someone looking back at her.

'Damn' The lass mentally cursed as she ducked down and prepared for an attack. However, it seems the guy inside had no intention of following through and just lied on the bed.

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'Perhaps he didn't notice me.' The girl thought as she relaxed her stance.

After confirming that the guy was asleep, the masked women leaned her back on the shaded portion of the wall right under the window and sat with her right knee bent.

Unfastening the tie that holds her fox mask together, the girl let out a sigh as she looked to the username that is hovering on top of her head.

«3SI73»

The silver haired elf mused that she had come a long ways considering how she was before. Back when she was still a naive girl who didn't knew anything and was reliant of others just to survive.

It seems that fatigue had finally taken it's toll on her since no matter how hard she fight it, her eyelids seemed to have grown a mind of their own and wanted to fold.

As her mind gradually fades away, she couldn't help but to reminiscence on her past life before all of this virtual insanity.

Five months ago one can say that she was just your average typical girl.

The kind of typical girl who have their own set of similarly typical friends who talks about typical girly topics such as the latest fashion or the hottest boy bands. Enrolled in a typical high school and graduated with typical grades.

Such is her typical life five months ago.

Just your average girl having typical aspirations in a typical life.

However her typical world was shattered one night on a not so typical incident.

Three months ago on a Friday night, she was involved in some 'incident' at her new university. Her mind seems hazy on what happened at that night for it still brings trauma whenever she recalls what happened to that night but as a result of that incident, she was falsely charged with murder.

She pleaded and beg for the jury to understand that she had done it on self defense but it was all in vain. Perhaps it's because the one she 'murdered' came from a well known family or perhaps some other not so typical factor came into her case but in the end she was found guilty.

Thus her typical life started to became...abnormal.

Alone and afraid, she was brought into this not so typical facility to be confined. At first she thought that she would be in an average cell but the abnormalities started when they were brought to the lowest level of the facility.

There were ten of them initially. Ten seemingly typical inmates in an abnormal surroundings.

Why did she called it abnormal?

Well for starters, dozens of gaming pods loiter around the floor which makes it more like a gaming station rather than a prison cell.

Some guy in a lab coat wearing an abnormal expression explained to them that they have to play some virtual game where they would actually feel the exact feeling of real death. It seems really scary even more for her since she was just your typical girl but they have no option to decline since basically, they were at this guys mercy.

Hence, reluctantly she played this game the guy called NOIZ.

It was hell.

She didn't know how to explain the situation except it was an absolute hell on earth.

If there was an actual place called hell, chances are they are probably in it now. They were all killed and butchered like some poultry animals the moment they started the game.

If that's not cruel enough, the people whom they call themselves as hunters started killing them off again and again just as they started reviving them again and again.

It was an endless cycle of pain and suffering.

It seems death in any kind of world whether it's a fantasy or a real one is the same.

One would say that being killed off again and again would make a person numb of pain but it isn't true—at least for her that is.

Every death whether it's her first one or the latest felt equally painful.

Both felt equally humiliating.

Why is this happening to me?

Why is there no one that would save me?

Why does god let this evil people do as they pleased?

Why am I suffering like these?

What did i do wrong?

She kept repeating those questions in her mind as the tear soaked girl ran from her pursuers who seemed looks like a pack of laughing demons as they chased off a helpless 'rabbit' such as herself.

She got the answer to all her questions after her sixty fifth death.

"God saves no one. the only one that could save you is yourself."

The silver haired lass muttered silently to herself while looking up to the sky as if testing gods divine retribution.

A predatory look was seen from the first time in the female face.

She was the only one left active out of the original ten inmates that started together with her about half a month ago. It turns out seven of them had committed group suicide. One of the nurses told her when she finally dived off one Saturday. They decided to do a mass suicide and kill themselves off rather than play the game and be killed repeatedly.

The other two? they were transferred to a mental institution.

She had finally got it.

—How stupid.

Her typical peaceful world outside was the abnormal one.

And this abnormal world she was now in is the typical one.

Humans by nature are abnormal beings.

That's the only logical explanation she could come up with in response to the abnormalities in her life.

On why she was falsely charged of murder even if she was the victim in the first place.

On why she was sentenced to life imprisonment.

On why the real criminals for the crime she was wrongly accused was still free.

On why she was stuck on this endless cycle of death.

On why that existence known as 'God' wouldn't act to save her.

Did it matter if such omnipotent being exist anyway?

It's not like she became an atheist.

If she was asked if she acknowledge the existence of god, then chances are she would say that he probably does.

But if she was asked if she believes in him then her answer would definitely be no.

For acknowledgement is different than belief.

For her, God is just like the sun.

It's just there, the absolute giver of life. An omnipotent being that is way above anyone else that it won't bother with problems of lesser beings.

Or perhaps it already gave up on humanity?

Just look around the world, cruelty and crime are always the top headlines. Violence and murder under the guise of games are the favorite past time of people especially the younger generations.

All the clues were there in her surroundings.

She just pretended to be blind to all of it. However her eyes had now finally been opened. The naive rabbit is finally awoken to the true harsh reality.

Humans by nature are abnormal beings.

Though it isn't really a bad thing since,

Abnormality is also synonymous to evolution.

And the naive rabbit must evolve to survive in this typically cruel world.

A mask store caught the rabbit's attention–or more specifically one of the mask at the store caught the silver haired girl's attention.

A mask of a fox.

Yes, that's the kind of creature she must strive to become.

As cunning and tricky as a fox.

The girl eyed the owner of the store. He was an elderly man who seems to have a back problem and on the verge of dozing off.

The silver haired lass tried to calm her raging nerves.

She had never tried stealing before in her life. Matter of fact, this is probably her first real crime by her own volition.

She closed her eyes.

'Calm down. Calm down.'

She kept repeating the phrase like a mantra to expel all her doubts.

Finally the mask owner had succumbed to slumber.

'It's time!'

With a determined look, the naive silver haired rabbit took the first step towards evolution.