'Who was that guy?' I said, enraged.
The bruise on my arm began bleeding profusely but fortunately, the pain wasn't excruciating. I turned aggressively, my fists clenched and ready for a battle.
The beast immediately fell to the ground, its eyes dimmed and its bright light faded.
'Hey, watch it!' I yelled as everyone turned towards the boy who had a rather ominous glow.
He stood, emotionless, and casually wiping off the sweat on his face. His aura was immense towering almost as high as the dome itself. Its width was also commendable, although considerably thinner than its height.
At the moment, he looked like a burning fire of white and black flames. The two colors mixed, presenting a grey color.
Everyone stood stunned, weakened, and hot. They all sat on the floor and a huge thud echoed. Dust was lifted and the groans of the others were loud and agonizing.
'When do you think they will open the dome's doors? I mean, we've all been granted a system, right?' Carl said, slowly walking up to me as his white hair flowed down his head.
'The man mentioned a 3-hour limit. Let's just hope that it's been three hours already because, at this rate, we'll all suffocate here.' I responded, kindly arranging his messy hair.
As fatigue rolled in, I found myself on the floor still gazing at the 16-year-old boy who just stood, his Aura Shield still active. No one knew how to deactivate it and it was slowly depleting our mana.
But the boy's case was different; his Aura Shield was large, suggesting that it consumed a lot of mana, and the unusual spear that he seemed to have conjured up must have taken a lot of mana as well.
Although he stole my kill, his prowess in utilizing the system's skills and abilities was remarkable and his large Aura Shield implied that he was strong.
'Ah, it's so hot in here. I'm gonna die.' I said jokingly as Carl still stared at the boy.
'Hey, don't get carried away by him. Don't you want to be stronger than him? There's no use in admiring him like that,' I sighed while standing up once again, 'Look at yourself, you're such a weirdo.'
Carl's expression quickly evolved, as he wound his arms ready for a punch. We weren't friends yet, but we were not enemies either—somewhere in between.
The doors to the room gradually opened, and the entirety of the crowd raced towards it with the little strength they had left. I ran as well while Carl, still angry, chased me in an attempt to get revenge.
As I ran, those in front stopped suddenly and I forced myself to the front and was immediately greeted by the same man. He looked happy and satisfied as he led us outside.
'Ouch!' Everyone screamed, blinded by the intense sunlight of the sun. After a few minutes, I stared at the sky, overjoyed by its beauty. The darkness in the dome had brought nothing but sorrow, and, if possible, I wouldn't revisit such a gloomy place.
We walked for a few minutes to our dorms as I looked around, still in search of any residents. But, as usual, everywhere was as quiet as an abandoned building. I then shifted my gaze to the man in front who led us to the dormitory.
Everyone was tired and staggering, shoving their feet on the floor as they walked. I seemed to have lost Carl and his orange-colored Aura Shield was nowhere to be found. My fatigue shrouded my thoughts as I shrugged off his disappearances.
Soon, my eyes began closing. Although my Aura Shield was outshone by the sun's intensity, I could still feel it drastically depleting my Mana.
'How do I even turn this off?' I muttered, desperate, tired, hungry, and thirsty. Mana was somehow tied to my physical capabilities which contradicted what the previous boy had said concerning Mana.
It didn't just affect magical skills and abilities, but once it was depleted, fatigue would settle and sometimes, hunger based on what I was experiencing.
As I drowned in a luxurious thought of food and rest, a thought crossed my mind, and I immediately signaled the man, questioning him.
'Sir!' I called, but he didn't respond. Perhaps, he couldn't hear me or my voice was too soft to be heard. 'Sir?' I called once more in a higher and more questionable tone.
'Yes?' he replied.
'You said realms are like different worlds. If that's the case, how come the realm assumed the shape of the dome? I figured it out as we somehow ran around the dome; in a circle.'
He suddenly stopped, his muscular arms twisted and he turned. He looked into my eyes and his facial expression gradually eased.
'Hmm?' He chuckled, but it soon burst into laughter, which left everyone confused. 'You're a smart one. You somehow managed to figure it out,' he continued, his voice deviating from its original deep, scary voice.
I didn't know his name, and referring to him had begun bothering me. His reply wasn't straight and in no way, answered my question. In an attempt to change the topic, I forced a smile and asked him.
'What's your name?' I looked tired and my fatigue was evident in my voice—shaky and soft.
'Oh, that. You'll get to know it soon. I promised you a gruesome training, right? You'll find out when you truly experience hell,' he said, his voice thickening.
Everyone felt shocked although too tired to express it. A few of us had already passed out on the way and upon realizing that, I tried telling the man.
He brought out two cans without labels. They looked suspicious and the fact he held them was questionable. He began spraying the unusual gaseous substance but before I could react, I had breathed in a considerable amount of it.
I fell to the ground, back-first and tired. My vision faded and I stared lifelessly at the sky.