After glancing at the terrified creature, I continued running as fast as my feet could carry me. The other people were not slower than I was and most likely even more afraid.
The 16-year-old girl ran the fastest, putting on a concerned face as the rest who ran behind her hit her around. The beast was the most terrifying creature I had seen and it would explain the uncontrollable fear in the girl.
Soon, the creature continued its charge, forcing us to run faster than we thought we could. I found myself pleading for the system as a savior but I knew it wouldn't come that easily.
As the creature slashed around, the air danced to its tunes, creating air slashes with a considerable range.
'That's bad, so it can attack at long range?' My mind was filled with uncertainty as I tried to understand the situation I and the others had found ourselves in.
Eventually, the slashes injured a young adult who lagged behind us. His white cloth was stained with blood, and its back bore claw marks. He fell on the floor crying for help, but no one could see him, let alone save him.
Even though sighting him wasn't an issue, no one would be caring enough to save him at the expense of their own lives. I would be the last one to do it so I ran without a moment's worth of thought.
It bared its claws and sliced through the air, this time with both its hands. The attack caused a scream of agony from people behind me. It felt extremely scary—the thought of being injured next.
At this point, I was only hanging onto life by share luck.
I swung my arms as I dashed in an unknown direction, consumed in fear. I felt the roar of the beast grow more distant as I flung my feet around in total despair.
'Dang! What's this crap?' I was filled with agony, regret, and fear. For the first time, I had begun questioning my dream, my dream to see a Dragon.
I was following blindly in the words of a complete stranger. For all I knew, this could be a scam and we were all led to our deaths. But then again, why take care of us and go to all these extents if it was all a trick?
My head was boggled, my legs running on their own as tears began flowing down my eyes.
'It can't end here! No, it can't!' I screamed in utter despair as I stood, my legs heavier than a rock, as I cried my heart out.
'No, noo, noooo...' It was as though I had lost my mind. My feet were heavy and couldn't move, my head was heavy, my memory was foggy, and most of all my heart began racing.
The weird phenomena occurring in my body didn't distract me from the despair I was experiencing, or so I thought. I clenched my fists, as the pains in my chest grew worse. My lungs were clogged much like the time the serum was injected into my arm.
I began choking, my throat felt compressed and my blood pressure increased.
'Am I dying? Did the beast slash me?' I fell to my knees, my eyes slowly losing life as my body fell to the ground.
I took in a deep breath, hoping for my life force to return but it was to no avail. My eyes closed, and my clenched fists slowly opened.
'Am I dead?' It was my last thought just before completely losing consciousness.
[System Initiation Activated Successfully...
1% Completed.]
'Huh? Am I still alive?' I muttered as my eyes gradually opened to the same darkness. The multitude of people had caught up to me but I couldn't find the strength to continue running.
Aside from being alive, the strange mechanical voice that echoed in my head was baffling. The fear the beast had put me through crushed all my emotions and I couldn't feel the least amount of happiness.
I felt something different, it was relief.
'So I'm not dead? That's good.'
[10% Completed.] The voice resounded in my head, leaving a faint ache in my skull. I abruptly raised my hand, massaging my temples as my legs scattered around on the floor.
Somehow, I had more energy than I previously did. The strange surge was immensely questionable, but wherever the strength came from, I was all for it. Soon, I was able to lift my legs and I did just that.
The people passed by me, and the faint white circles the beast had for eyes surfaced through the darkness.
[50% Completed.]
'That was quick,' I stated as I ran with the rest, my voice shaky and unsteady.
Surprisingly, My legs could keep up and they were even faster than they once were. I soon made my way far from the beast but its constant roars didn't end.
'Aaagghh!' I heard a scream far away, and a light shone as thin as lightning.
'Is that the beast?' I questioned myself and quickly answered, 'No, the faint eye circles are just behind me, and the strange light was in front.'
I looked around, hoping I could grasp any figures thanks to the unusually bright light that emanated ahead of me. I saw a faint figure outlined by a bright orange light—the same color as the strange, thin light that materialized out of nowhere.
[70% Completed.]
'Whatever this percentage means, I hope it's something good. It said system before so I'm guessing I'll be gaining powers or something.' I continued my race to the front until I noticed something unusual which caused me to decelerate.
The figure seemed to have risen from the floor and only two things could explain it. Either he was injured by the beast previously, or he had run ahead of everyone. The latter was unlikely as I hadn't felt anyone pass me when I was on the floor, lifeless.
The former suggested that we had been running at the edge of the dome, meaning we had been running in circles. It was meaningless information at the time, but something about it sparked something within me.
As I was digesting the information received and processing it, the mechanical voice echoed again, this time accompanied by a screen.
[100% Completed.
Welcome Master Noah!]