A movie-like scene appeared in Kevin's mind. There he really wants to know how the hell he ended up in this absurd situation.
The scene was typical school bullying. The victim was a low presence girl who is also rather timid. The bullies like to do pranks at her, occasionally hitting her and shaming her in public. So much that she was rather too mentally disturbed.
It did not help that the adults around her were not any better. Her parents were rather too busy with their careers to notice her state. While her advisor was a licentious man, taking advantage of her time to time.
With nothing to lean on, she was fascinated with occults. Researching and practicing black magic to take her revenge. And she was very resourceful in her endeavors.
One night in her dormitory room she summoned a being. She was supposed not to summon it so early, but her bullies have killed the last reminder of her sanity that one particular morning. A small kitten she has been raising behind the school.
Slitting her wrist, she chanted a series of words. And without fear, she settled at the circle of the summoning circle she made. Not caring about the cautions her research has warned her. Firmly wishing for this school and society to go to hell for making her life so miserable.
When she was feeling faint, the candles she lit for the ceremony were blown away by a strange wind. She felt the room becoming colder. And perhaps her blood lost was too much, she did not see the appearance of what she called.
Since that night, every month on a moonless night a student will die. The school did not mind it much as the causes of death were natural. But four years later, the cause of death was becoming bizarre and oddly scary. From natural causes to suicides and finally murder. It had caused the school to be closed down ever since.
Kevin felt like crying as he has just said that he doesn't want to be in a horror themed world. And here he is on one where he might lose his life. Damn the system for trolling him.
"I want to go home!" Kevin felt like breaking down.
The classes were done and most students in the class they're in are in a hurry to go to the cafeteria. As the rest of the players did not have an idea of what will come to them, they just went along the motions. Much to Kevin's dismay and sadness.
After eating lunch Kevin did not return to the next class and instead found a place he could let out his sadness. It was not hard as he had experience of skipping classes. He is pretty much familiar with the teachers' and guards' habits, so he easily dismissed them in his mind.
He found himself behind the school where the girl in the story has hidden a kitten. There were lush tall grasses and a couple of trees all over. Quite a relaxing place actually.
Finding a pretty sturdy tree, Kevin climbed up and went on ranting to his system. He then worked on his complaint to the main system. His words going from bad to ruthless the more he gave his system a bad review.
He was stopped when he heard a feeble cry of a small kitten. It prompts him to look down from where he is to see where it came from. And thankfully his eyes were sharp, he found the small kitten among the grasses.
As he was pretty much a fan of anything furry, he quickly went down from the tree.
"Hello little guy." Kevin said as he caressed the kitten's head. "What are you doing here? Where is your momma?"
The kitten only gave him a pitiful cry. Probably too hungry or something, it was pretty sticky with him. Kevin has nothing on him, so he cannot give it any food.
"I don't have anything to give you. Can you wait for me? I can probably get something in the canteen for you." Kevin said as he stood up and went to the direction of the canteen. He vaguely remembered its location when he passed by it a while ago.
Took him a while to return, but he got a piece of dry snacks. Although not the most ideal food to give to the hungry kitten, it'll make do for now. He'll probably go to the cafeteria later and request an unsalted fish to be included in his menu. Though if he had some cat food it would have been better.
Feeding the kitten, Kevin temporarily forgot his worries for a while. Soft furry creatures are really healing. It let him forget the horrible things he will face when the evening comes.
Bored of staying out, Kevin returned to his next class. Although not the most brilliant thing to do at this time, it is more productive for him. Besides he just thinks this as a review of sorts, to make him less depressed in facing familiar subjects and problems.
Time then passed by rather leisurely afterwards. Though he took time to grill his system in between, he was now more or less accepting of the cruel reality he has to face now.
As dismissal came, the students scrabbled for their clubs and their extra curricular activities. As the players are just inserted in this world they are more or less unaffiliated to any clubs it seems. So they took this as a chance to survey the school.
Their survey may not be much of a help, but it is helpful in familiarizing them with the terrain. A thing that Kevin has done so far when he skipped two lessons earlier. But there are certainly some places he did not go earlier, so he went and checked it out.
From the story Kevin got, the school is a dormitory school. The area of their dormitory was placed on the west side of the campus. He went there and checked out their dwelling place and tried to figure out which room he will be in later.
His only relief was that he is not a girl. If he is a girl, he has the possibility of being assigned to the dead girl's room, like every cliché there is. He doesn't want to sleep in the very place the bullied girl has died.
As the sun went down, all students were ushered to go to their dormitories. It was then he and his fellow players finally got together again. And by some weird logic, the boy's dormitory has allowed the girls to come over.
At times like this Kevin has long stopped thinking. He has an existence called a system that science can't explain. So for whatever rules there is about genders and sexes, he rather not think about it.
They gathered in Jasper's room, which is also his dorm room. As the dorms were originally for four people, and most of them are assigned in the same dorm everyone has just decided to gather where most are. And besides, the young man has been acting as leader for a while now.
"So what did you guys find?" Jasper asked everyone.
"Nothing on me. I just wandered around aimlessly the whole time. Though I manage to find the dorm pretty quickly, there is nothing much on me." Kevin decided to give the results of his tour. He already has the idea of what they may encounter, but he is not telling them about. He didn't want to be exploited.
"Same here. The girls' dormitory was a little gloomy though. Other than that little info there is nothing much." Penelope said as she described the quirkness of the place she was originally assigned.
Others did say much. Like the first few who spoke up, did not have much. Their gathering was a little useless as there is nothing much to gain.
"I see. We have to wait for the story to be conveyed to us." Jasper said as he discussed them sleeping in the same room. Just in case he says that something may come up.
There was little to no objections about it. Especially the old players, each of them playing abacus in their hearts. Kevin just knew they all had some sort of plans. His guts are telling him that it is no way too good.
He did not know what sorts of things were in their minds. But he is being careful. His strange childhood has made him too aware that not all kind people are truly kind.
As he was originally an original resident in this room, Kevin took the upper deck of the bunker beds at the left side. And his dream that night was weird and oddly both peaceful and quirky.
He did not think much about it all. Attributing it to being not used to the place and the info drop he just got this morning. Not knowing that very night, above his sleeping form was a vague shadow. A shadow that will continue to hunt him down even after he leaves this world.