"Realms of Tentative?"
Not only Laura, but also the people in the place were equally confused by the writing that appeared on the hologram screen. Not only about the Realms of Tentative but also they were quite curious about the 100 floors to be conquered.
PING!
A holographic notification screen appeared again, showing the instructions to come to the appointed location. The screen seemed to show a map with player indicators on it.
[Announcement!]
[Please follow the directions to arrive at the destination.]
"Isn't this place in the Millennium Park area?" asked Laura.
"It seems so. We'd better do as they say if we don't want to suffer the same fate as them," Seth replied, looking at a dead woman with a hole in her head.
Seth, along with Laura and the rest of the people, began to walk out of the stadium. They stepped out, following the map's directions that kept following where the players went.
Because of the blue light from the notifications that appeared on the players' bracelets, it was quite bright with the arrival of thousands of people. They arrived after receiving similar messages asking them to visit the appointed location.
Seth arrived at the destination with people having expressions of fear and anger written all over their faces. Many of them held grudges for the alien invasion.
The man was gathered together with thousands of Chicago citizens, not fully because they were divided into several different places. There were three spots to gather the humans, one of which was in Millennium Park.
"Why are they gathering us here?" asked Laura, whispering.
Seth looked to his right and left, seeing dozens of alien soldiers lined up neatly with their weapons in hand. The current conditions were similar to a military concentration camp for war prisoners.
"They'll tell us why we must wear these bracelets," Seth said.
"Why are you so confident?" asked Laura.
"Just my guess because they keep us informed through these things," Seth replied.
He stood in the front row, the first three rows from the front. He stood with Laura, with the people who came with him lined up beside them.
After everyone was confirmed to be in the park, the tense orchestral song played again at a loud enough volume, like a war song.
A large black craft appeared at that spot –larger than the alien spherical craft and smaller than the main craft. It continued to hover over the park, making no noise of propellers or thrusters; it was so silent.
The door at the bottom of the craft opened, Seth and the others could see three people walking down. What surprised the people there was the appearance of the three persons, human form, and one of them was a woman.
Laura widened her eyes, clearly seeing that humans were working together with the aliens. This horrendous scene made the people scream, calling the three human traitors.
"We are not humans. We are aliens reflecting in human form, so you won't be afraid," replied a woman dressed in a black, open dress that showed her beautiful curves like a model.
"What do they mean?" Laura asked Seth.
One of the three people seemed to pull out a necklace that was useful for reflecting the human form to everyone. Instantly, his true body shape was clearly visible, with a creepy look that made the people in the place scared and speechless.
"That's why we use this necklace so that we can speak peacefully as if you were speaking to another human being," said the woman in black.
The alien put the necklace back on, revealing his handsome, tall human form with fair skin and black hair. His human appearance was much better than his original alien look.
"We've been watching you for thousands of years," said the woman, speaking loudly into what appeared to be a microphone.
"We sent messengers here to ensure you didn't kill each other and destroy nature. However, our hopes seem to be dashed," the woman explained.
"You keep killing each other with certain purposes in mind, ignoring that you are still one race. Do you think you are the center of the universe?" the woman asked, leaving the people before her speechless, struck by the accurate facts.
"You are wrong. Hundreds of millions of races live on their planets, but none have done as much damage as you humans!" the woman emphasized.
"To return the earth to its original form, then we have no other choice but to destroy what has the greatest potential to cause damage to nature," the woman explained.
Seth and the others continued to listen to the woman's explanation. None of them blinked their eyes for a second to miss what was happening before them. A group of superior races came and taught the humans a lesson.
"The bracelets you are wearing not only allow us to detect your presence but also to inform you about something important," said a man in a suit.
"Before you arrived at this place, you must have received information regarding the Realms of Tentative. The information is true and part of our plan," said the man.
One by one, the three aliens got a chance to speak. Slowly but surely, the people in that place began to know the purpose of their invasion: the aliens who wanted to be called Skywatchers.
"Realm of Tentative is an Augmented Reality-based game. It means that you play the game with the world as the setting," said the other man, a man dressed in a white shirt and beige pants, his hair tied up in black, his appearance and fashion style so similar to the men's style.
"There are 100 floors to conquer. The bigger the floor, the harder the game is to win. If one of you makes it to the 100th floor, then we have agreed to leave and hand over the leadership of the earth to the winner," he said, surprising many people.
"Now, you can press the circle button on your bracelet," the man said.
Seth began to press it, instantly, his status reappeared as before the time loop; only the EXP and GP were still empty.
Everyone seemed surprised by that. Some seemed enthusiastic as if they had ignored the fact that the aliens were using humans as guinea pigs through this game.
"Experience Points are earned when you successfully complete floor missions or side missions, as well as Game Points," the man said, stretching both hands forward.
"The more diligent you are in completing missions, the richer and stronger you become," said the man.
"Rich?" asked a human, confused.
"Gold or silver coins are no longer applicable, nor is your conventional money. As of today, all items can only be purchased with Game Points," he said.
"I don't fully understand what he's saying," said Laura.
"I'll explain it to you. For now, we should listen to what they have to say," Seth explained, Laura nodding her head obediently.
While everyone was listening to the aliens' explanation, a notification popped up from their bracelets. The text was clearly displayed on the holographic screen, causing everyone's attention to be drawn to their bracelets.
[Announcement!]
[The first floor has opened]
[Mandatory for all participants]
[Game: Hide and Seek]
[Game time: 00:06:00:00]
"Wh-What? Six hours?" asked Seth, surprised.
[Game rules: Don't get spotted by the enemy. Hide until the game time ends. Whoever survives until the end is eligible for a prize.]
"What will happen if we are spotted by the enemy?" asked a man standing at the front of the line.
"You will die."