The entity stared at Seb in curiosity.
It was as if an interesting 'ant' had been placed in front of him.
Seb on the other hand only felt pure terror.
Just being in the presence of the entity seemed to suppress his existence.
It was different from the case with the shooter.
In the shooter's case, it was Seb's body that was reacting in fear while he could use his mind to fight back to a certain extent.
In this entity's case, however…
His entire existence was being suppressed.
Whether it was his mind, body or soul.
"So… now that you have summoned me here… how do you want to do this?"
Unlike the previous enemies Seb had fought, this one was aware of the true nature of the space they were in.
'A tutorial scenario'
Which means… this being would most likely exist outside the loops.
This meant that even if he tried to fight against the being…
Both will remember everything that happened.
The entity ignored the chaos brewing within Seb's mind before continuing.
"Well… as you are now… it will be impossible for you to defeat my current incarnation."
Seb just sighed in defeat and asked the entity instead
"You tell me… what do you want from me?"
"Smart kid! Well since you managed to summon me that means you have potential… it also means that you aren't ready for surviving in Purgatory."
"What do you mean?"
"The purpose of this tutorial isn't to torture you, it's to make sure you are prepared to survive in Purgatory."
"Well… in which case, shouldn't I be rewarded for killing the scenario boss?"
"Which you will be… once you finish the tutorial that is."
"Then why did you get summoned instead?"
"Well let's just say there are two ways for you to clear the tutorial from now on."
The entity raised two of its fingers in the air to elaborate on its point.
"The first method is to clear the tutorial like you were 'supposed to' in the first place."
"The second method is to defeat my incarnation. If you manage to somehow defeat me. It means that even without clearing the tutorial in the intended manner, you can manage to survive in there."
*Splatter*
The entity then made its second finger explode and the blood merged back into its body.
"The second method is of course, impossible. That means you just need to suck it up and clear the tutorial the proper way"
Seb couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
He knew that he couldn't defeat the entity in front of him, but that was no excuse to be so damn condescending and rub it into his chest!
"I have tried everything! What do you even want me to do! This is just torture!"
His chest heaved up and down as he started to yell out his frustrations at the entity.
What's the worst that could happen anyway.
Get killed?
Been there! Done that!
Even if it was of the permanent type, Seb wasn't sure if he even cared anymore.
"I stay in the damned classroom, I die!"
"I try to run away, I die!"
"I try to hide, I die!"
"I fight back, I die!"
"I somehow win, now you come to kill me!"
The entity just smirked at Seb's outburst.
"How funny… why do you waste your time running around like a monkey when the answer has always been in front of you? Didn't you get a warning that the scenario will just keep getting harder?"
"You-"
"Listen, I will give you a hint because I find this situation really funny. The main purpose of the tutorial is to help you survive in Purgatory…"
"…"
"To be more precise, it's to give you something that's essential for your survival over there"
"What?"
"Control over your primary trait that has been condensed using your fatal flaw."
"How do I do that?"
"You already know how. You always did."
"…"
"Just Remember"
Sebastian was convinced that the Entity was just trolling him at this point.
It wasn't enough to cockblock him just before the victory.
He could just kill him and be on with it but NO.
That sunnuvabich had to toy with him thoroughly before doing so.
"If you aren't satisfied you can just defeat me."
"…"
"Come on you don't need to make such a long face"
"…"
"Listen, if you do manage to defeat me you get to skip the other two phases of the tutorial directly"
"…" There were TWO MORE!
"I can give you a handicap if you want… I will just use one hand."
After saying that, the entity just sucked the blood that was forming on of its arms back into the body. As a result, the rest of the body swelled a little in volume.
"Just kill me already…."
If Seb had decided to give the f*cker some benefit of doubt previously, he was now 100% sure that the hidden boss was just trolling him.
"Well… I was hoping to be able to have some fun before leaving… but oh well. Off you go!"
*SNAP!*
The entity snapped the fingers of its only remaining arm, all the blood flowing through Seb's veins was instantly brought under the entity's control.
He made all of it rush into Seb's head before-
*BOOM!*
His head exploded violently, leaving behind a geyser of blood sprouting from his neck.
*SNAP!*
The entity snapped once again.
Its body stopped being held in place, releasing a flood of blood flowing down the corridors.
----------------------
[Attempt 5: Failure]
[Completion Rate: 0%]
[Reason for Failure: Death]
[This is your 6th attempt]
The ever misleading set of words lay written on the board.
Reason for Failure: Death...
Didn't that mean he just had to survive in order to win?
Seb thus tried his best to survive.
Thinking that, as long as he avoided death, he would manage to clear the tutorial.
However as if to mock these very thoughts, the more Seb tried to escape his fate the closer he was sent toward the maws of death.
Seb had long given up on his life in reality.
The solitude had driven him crazy.
The feeling of being alone in the middle of a bustling city is one of the most soul-crushing experiences a person could go through.
Being surrounded by thousands of people, but not a single one who can understand you.
Watching as people pass by, cars rush by, and the lights blot out the night sky.
In every single moment and every single interaction, you are constantly reminded of your own loneliness.
In the end, you realise that this world wasn't meant for you.
That you are in the wrong place, at the wrong time, among the wrong people.
And there is no way for you to know what is the right answer.
The invitation card to a place where Seb could start afresh was exactly what he was looking for.
He didn't want to let go of his life just yet.
He wanted to hold onto it to his last breath.
To find a new place, a new crowd.
Somewhere he could live, where he could be himself, where he would be accepted.
Even... even if that place was hell itself.
The messages made him feel, that maybe he should try living.
Alas, he had been wrong.
In order to live... he first had to die.
Somewhere deep within Seb's mind, the last thread snapped...
Releasing into the open, the darkness that once lay sealed within.