The tension in the clearing was thick, but it shattered the moment familiar faces spotted each other. Shouts erupted—some filled with relief, others tinged with disbelief.
"Harry? Tim? You guys made it!"
Sam, one of Harry's classmates, stumbled forward. His clothes were torn, his face streaked with dirt, but despite everything, he managed a shaky grin.
Harry waved lazily, his knife dangling from his hand. "Yeah, still breathing. For now."
Sam wasn't alone.
More students hurried over from different groups, their expressions wavering between exhaustion and relief. Some were on the verge of tears, others barely standing upright.
"Oh my god, it's really you guys!" a girl gasped, eyes glistening.
"What happened to you?" Harry asked, his tone casual, though his sharp gaze flicked between them, cataloging their injuries, their fear.
"We… we were running," Sam muttered, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting something to burst from the trees. "Those monsters were…" He swallowed. "Scary."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, no shit."
Before he could press further, movement in the clearing caught his attention. Three figures stood slightly apart from the rest—postured, serious, carrying themselves with confidence, as if they had taken the role of leaders without waiting for permission.
Harry sighed inwardly. Great. The 'time-limited main characters' have arrived.
"Here we go."
Tim, standing beside him, gave a weak chuckle.
The first to speak was that broad-shouldered man, he adjusted his collar before addressing the others, his voice rough and a bit arrogant.
"I am Kyle," he introduced himself with a slow, deliberate nod. "My group was forced into a defensive retreat. The creatures were…" He paused, as if searching for the most eloquent way to describe them. "…big. Those beasts attacking without notice. It was chaos, really." He scoffed lightly. "But I managed to lead my team to safety."
Harry almost snorted. "Yeah, you did. By running at the front."
The next to speak was a short-haired woman. Her arms were crossed her stance firm. Unlike Kyle's rehearsed grandeur, she radiated raw, practical energy.
"Jess," she said curtly. "My group ran into monkey-like monsters. Bigger than humans. Fast, smart. They used the trees like a damn jungle gym." Her lips pressed into a thin line. "We lost some people."
A grim silence followed.
The last of the trio was a wiry man with a spear in hand. His expression was calm, measured—like someone who had seen too much already.
"Darrow," he said simply. "We were hunted by Grimlings. Flying goblin-like things. They'd dive at us, pick us off one by one." His grip on the spear tightened. "We barely survived."
Harry exhaled through his nose. Flying goblins, killer monkeys, and whatever the hell chased us… What kind of twisted zoo is this?
Sam, still standing beside him, nodded grimly. "It's true. Miss Jess saved most of us."
Harry tilted his head. "Wow, actual praise. High bar to clear, huh?"
Tim elbowed him lightly. "You're making jokes again."
"What else am I supposed to do? Cry?" Harry shot back.
The so-called 'leaders' continued their discussion, their voices overlapping as they debated the next move.
Harry, only half-listening, scanned the crowd. His gaze landed on Megan—one of their classmates from Darrow's group—standing slightly apart, hugging her arms.
"Megan!" he called, waving her over.
She startled, then hurried to his side, relief clear in her face. "Harry, you… you made it."
"Barely," he replied. "Grimlings, huh? Sounds scary..."
She shuddered. "It was."
Before he could pry for details, Jess's sharp voice cut through the chatter.
"Alright, listen up! We don't have time for reunions. Those monsters are still out there. We need to move. Now."
Darrow nodded. "The fourth direction is our only option. The other three are blocked."
Kyle scoffed. "Tch. So we're being herded like cattle. Unacceptable."
Jess shot him a glare. "Then feel free to stay behind, Mr.Leader."
Kyle opened his mouth—probably to deliver some condescending remark—but thought better of it.
"Stick together," Jess ordered. "We'll move fast and rest when it's safe. Keep your weapons ready. No one wanders off."
The group set into motion, pushing deeper into the unknown.
The trek was exhausting. The only sounds were footsteps, ragged breathing, and the occasional rustling from unseen things in the distance.
"Do you think they'll follow us?" Tim muttered.
Harry didn't answer immediately. His grip on his knife tightened. "Let's just hope they're too busy smashing trees to notice us."
"Haha." Tim laughed dryly.
The eerie feeling of being watched never left him.
After what felt like an eternity, Jess finally called for a break. The moment she did, the group collapsed onto the forest floor, drained.
People pulled out their rations, the sound of wrappers crinkling and water bottles unscrewing breaking the silence.
Harry leaned against a tree, stretching his aching legs. "This… is going to be a long day."
Tim flopped beside him, groaning. "So. Do you have a plan?"
Harry glanced at the so-called 'leaders'—huddled together, whispering strategies. He exhaled. "No idea. But I'm guessing it involves more running."
Tim groaned louder. "Urgh… Just what I needed."
Harry smirked, but the amusement faded quickly. His mind was still racing.
He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.
First, let's recall those system messages…
So far, he'd received only a few:
- Stamina decreasing
- Health slightly lowered
- Willpower +1
- Wisdom +1
"If there are stats, then…"
As a fantasy nerd, Harry knew where this was going. If there were stats, there had to be a status window too.
The problem? Figuring out how to open it. Different stories had different activation methods—was it voice-activated? Thought-triggered? Did he have to scream Open Sesame like an idiot?
Tim glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "What are you mumbling about?"
"Nothing important," Harry lied, waving him off.
Tim shrugged and went back to gulping down water.
Harry focused again.
"Alright, let's try the basics," he murmured. "Open Status. Open Stats. Display Info."
Nothing.
He frowned. "Stats Display. Personal Info. Character Sheet."
Still nothing.
Harry rubbed his chin. "Maybe… I have to think it instead?"
He closed his eyes.
[Show Status]
For a moment—nothing.
Then, something flickered.
A translucent interface shimmered into existence, jagged and cracked like fractured glass, its edges pulsing faintly with dim blue light.
_______ ___ __
[ Personal Fragment ]
Name: Harry
Health: 88% (Condition: Minor fatigue and soreness)
Stamina: 64% (Condition: Tired)
Core Attributes:
• Willpower: 9
• Wisdom: 11
End Points: 5
________ ___ _
Harry blinked. "Whoa… that actually worked?"
Tim leaned over. "What worked?"
Harry ignored him, eyes glued to the interface. Unlike any game or novel he'd seen, the screen looked… broken, almost incomplete.
'Personal Fragment'…? That's different.
His gaze lingered on the numbers. Small, but a start.
And judging by the system's silence on other stats, he had a guess.
"This is one of those self-discovery systems, huh?"
That meant only one thing—if he wanted to see his full stats, he had to earn them.
Just like he did with the willpower and wisdom stat.