"Is this a prank?"

A floating book just chased me, there were rooms which were bloodied, battered and with broken stuff where not a single person who used to occupy them once now present then now finally this message. All of these facts individually were enough to make the premise for the start of B-grade horror story and combined together perhaps something more.

While I did not know how to handle the book or the many rooms I knew how to deal with this message and disprove it. Standing up I walked over to the window pane and put my palm on the glass.

Then I pushed once. Nothing happened.

So I gave it push a few more times and the same outcome repeated.

A cold sweat had started to form on my back so I strongly tapped on the glass yet nothing other than a hollow sound came out of it while the touch had the same kind of feeling like that time I touched one of those large-sized aquarium glass.

Staggering a few steps back I fell on my bed from where I read what was next on my smartphone.

The first three words written on it were absurd to me so I said them outloud before reading the rest.

"'Please not worry'. How could I not!?"

Please not worry or shout as you are reading a pre-written message

'Oh, I highly doubt that'

This natural disaster has been put at bay by the blessing of the Divine [Manifester of Games] amongst those who are saved and which are not the students of various colleges are simply transported to the closest safe location with the necessary and some deeply personal amenities, meanwhile those who are yet unmolded by any field and are at the age to be responsible over yourselves will provided with scenarios in which you must complete missions to repay this life debt. Until the completion of all those missions you will keep the epithet of a Participant

If there was any one fact that ran true throughout the world it was that there are no free lunches and this message very much proved it true basically serving as a notification for forced enlistment.

So I asked the foremost question there in my mind.

"How many missions do I have to complete?"

Expecting to hear a large number I waited with growing nervousness as the last few messages disappeared and new words appeared on the smartphone.

Starting words made me slightly relieved.

'That's less than I expected'

Two missions. With that number multiplying into double each time you fail. Are you ready to begin?

'Maybe the first ones are going to be difficult'

Not seeing any point on delaying it since I was already stuck with it, I agreed.

"Yeah, let's do-"

Loud knocks began to come from outside reminding me of the floating book which I had left outside so I put the smartphone aside and stared at the door for a long moment.

Seeing that how each knock had such a heavy impact which could dislodge the door I put my focus at the closest problem and searched around to finally settle for my study table as a means to defend, just a rectangular shaped wooden one with metal legs and of a size that can be taken vertically through the door while wide enough to shield me but not so heavy that it can't be carried or pushed forward.

Pushing aside all the items that were on top to the bed I picked it up by the legs and held by keeping in front of me around when the knocks had already stopped only for the door to soon open gently.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

A waft of blood then invaded from outside where a grey furred wolf was at the boundary of doorway while being just barely capable of fitting through and taking a crouching position having started to growl from there. The pace of my breathing quickened as I stared back to it's cold predatory eyes.

My smartphone again rang on the bed from where it sent a flash of light directly into my eyes as messages just like in the smartphone now started to appear in the corner of my eye.

Preview scenario has started

Mission : Inexperienced hunter

A Grey Wolf has invaded your hostel premises and seeks to hunt everyone who is here.

Objective : Deal a fatal wound to it before you are get into a fatal condition.

Time left : 8 seconds

The message was read by me instantly and only the fact that it was somehow present there in my eyes that it took me three long seconds to read it slowly where the timer went down to 5 and after looking at the wolf frozen in place I moved my feet into taking the best possible action for me at that I could take at that very moment.

'Let's see who is hunted!'

With that line of thought I used the table less like a makeshift shield and more like a full on battering ram, running with it full force towards this four legged intruder of other people's personal spaces.

The growls came out of it as the timer ended which quickly became into full blown barks and then shifted into whimpers while the table had already smashed on it's face for the single but long second all through which the wolf was unable to move, kept unmoving by the some mystical force that kept it there for four seconds before the timer had finally reached zero.

Combined action from all that force the wolf got thrown at a distance in the hallway along with the table which I decided to let go and skid away.

When the adrenaline rush died down I winced after looking at the dented table behind which the wolf would be.

'Did this wolf enter everybody else's room too? Then it must have made all that mess in the other rooms. I can't show it any mercy'

As I cautiously leaned forward while trying to catch a better look at the back of the table some movements came to my notice that were occurring and grew more as the table started to rise while two beastly hands grabbed it from both different ends and tore it apart spreading out with the splinters which showered around barely some distance away from me.

The figure that came out from under it had the same grey fur and wolf face albeit a bit larger with bruises and scratches that were all healing at a rapid pace in front me.

Everything else was a different about this creature starting from the look it's eyes to the rest of it's body which had completely transformed into a humanoid one with a ton of muscles and ton of more fur.

Earlier I might have fooled myself about dealing with such a creature but seeing from up close made me feel the futility of it.

[This scenario due to it's special circumstances would be considered forfeited if you fall down]

My legs were shaking so much that they should have already given up and have let me fall.

'Then why am I putting strength them to keep standing and not giving up like how I am asked to?'

The answer to that was so simple that I did not have to say it but I did so anyway.

"I am neither fragile enough to give up nor am I strong enough to carry such a regret"

As it got ready jump in order to rip me apart I pushed myself to jump sideways did a a chain came from behind it and wrapped both it's legs and neck keeping it still while it kept trying to bare it's teeth and claws at me and then dragged backwards right into a hole that was not before while I had run through the hallway.

The wolf-no, Werewolf got dragged into it and the hole quickly closed as I fell back to my knees heavily breathing, gasping for air only began to move and wipe away some tears when I heard the message ring coming off from the smartphone.

Congratulations! The preview has ended

You have successfully completed the mission!

Rewards : none

Participants get no rewards until they complete the required numbers of missions

The final line was somehow funny to me especially when I had not even consider any boon out of this situation.

'Wow, so just a job with no pay. Guess I'm once more doing an internship'

Main scenario has now started

Mission : A full Moon's view.

Every tall buildings in your vicinity has either fully sunk or broken down while leaving this place as the only one where the moon can be viewed from the closest.

A Werewolf, one cursed by the Guardian of Moon, has sought out to seek this place as a platform to return back to it's home and thus intends to reach over there while finishing the prey it could not hunt earlier.

Objective : Stop the Werewolf permanently from reaching the top floor.

Time : 11 hours, 58 minutes, 23 seconds

At the sight of this objective I pulled my hands close to my head and exhaled deeply while gritting my teeth and suppressed every single curse word I knew where a single one slipped for them all.

"Curses"