Shin's eyes seemed to hold a thousand unsaid words as he walked out of the classroom, tears streaming down his face. The insults from his classmates still echoed in his mind.
He thought back to the events of the past few days – the bullying, the humiliation, the desperation. Was it possible that his subconscious had created this system as a coping mechanism?
Shin's eyes wandered around the school's courtyard, where he had wandered after class. The familiar sights and sounds seemed to grounding him, but the system's presence still lingered.
He shook his head, trying to clear the doubts. "I need to focus. I need to survive."
As Shin stood there, lost in thought, he felt an unusual sensation, like a presence watching him. He turned to face the school building, and that's when he saw the spiritual being.
The being's ethereal form seemed to blend into the shadows, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly energy. Shin felt a jolt of fear, but the being's gentle smile put him at ease.
"Who are you?" Shin asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The being's smile grew wider, its eyes glinting with amusement. "I am Death," it said, its voice low and soothing.
Shin's eyes widened in incredulity. "Death?" he repeated, his voice laced with skepticism. "You expect me to believe that?"
The being chuckled, its laughter like a gentle breeze. "I see you're a skeptic, Shin. That's...refreshing."
Shin shook his head, his eyes never leaving the being's face. "I don't believe you," he said, but Death just smiled.
As they stood there, a sudden notification appeared in front of Shin. It was a system interface, with a countdown timer ticking away.
"Warning: Game commencement in 10 minutes. Please report to Class 1-A within 10 minutes. Failure to comply will result in instant death."
Shin's eyes widened in shock, and he turned and sprinted back to his classroom. He burst through the door, slamming it shut behind him.
The classroom was empty, except for the students. The lecturer's desk was vacant, and the students seemed oblivious to the impending doom.
Akane Nakahara, Kaito Matsumoto, Ryota Ito, Sora Kawahara, and Taro Yamada were all there, their eyes gleaming with malice as they caught sight of Shin.
Kaito sneered, "Hey, Shin, I heard your uncle's death was so pathetic, even the police didn't bother investigating."
Ryota added, "Yeah, it's like he was just a disposable trash bag."
Akane chimed in, her voice sweet but poisonous, "I wonder what kind of disease your uncle had. Was it contagious?"
Shin felt a surge of anger and frustration. His face burned with rage, and his fists clenched at his sides.
Just as it seemed like Shin was about to explode, Death suddenly appeared right next to him, its eyes gleaming with mischief.
Death snapped its fingers, and the classroom's lights began to flicker wildly. The air was electric with tension as a voice boomed through the classroom.
"The games have begun, Shin," Death announced, its voice dripping with anticipation.
The system interface flickered to life before Shin, presenting him with three game options:
1. Truth or Dare
2. The Voting Game
3. Rock Paper Scissors
Shin's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with the implications of each game. He looked at Death, his voice laced with skepticism.
"Do I look like a kid to you? Stop this nonsense and leave me alone."
Death's laughter echoed through the classroom, its voice dripping with malice. "You have 30 seconds to choose, Shin. Refuse, and you'll die."
Shin's eyes darted back to the system interface, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew he had to make a choice, but which game would give him the best chance of survival?
With a deep breath, Shin made his decision. "Rock Paper Scissors."
Just then steel walls slammed shut, sealing everyone inside. The air was electric with tension as a voice boomed through the classroom.
As soon as Shin made his decision, the classroom was bathed in an eerie silence. The students who had been laughing at Shin's defiant statement just moments before were still frozen in place, their faces contorted in mocking grins. But their laughter had stopped, replaced by an unsettling stillness.
The steel walls that had slammed shut around the classroom seemed to hum with an ominous energy, casting a dark and foreboding shadow over the room. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of the unknown.
And then, a voice boomed through the classroom, its tone cold and detached. "You have 5 minutes to form groups of 5. If you are not in a group within the time limit, you will die."
The classroom remained silent for a moment, as if the students were collectively holding their breath. Then, a murmur of confusion and fear began to spread through the room.
"Guys, this is a little over the top for a prank, don't you think?" one of the students asked, her voice shaking slightly.
But to everyone's surprise, the bullies just shook their heads. "It's not us," Kaito said, his voice dripping with innocence. "We don't know what you're talking about."
The voice spoke again, its tone unchanged. "You now have 3 minutes left."
The classroom erupted into chaos, students panicking as they scrambled to form groups. Shin watched in horror as his classmates rushed around, desperate to avoid death.
As the countdown continued, the classroom descended into chaos. Students were screaming, crying, and begging for mercy.
Hina an ignorant girl who was sitted all this time, stood up. "This is ridiculous," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "I'm not going to play along with this stupid game.", but everyone seemed to ignore her
Death's whisper echoed in Shin's ear, its voice dripping with malevolent glee. "You'd better hurry, Shin. Time's running out. And don't think you're exempt from the game, Shin. You have to play too."
Shin's eyes widened in terror as he realized he was not immune to the game. He began to frantically search for a group, his heart racing with fear.
But as he approached each group, they turned him away. "No, we don't want you," one of them sneered. "You're a loser, Shin."
Shin's eyes stung with tears as he was rejected by group after group. He felt like he was all alone, like no one wanted him.
Just when he thought all hope was lost, he heard a gentle voice calling out to him. "Shin, over here!"
He turned to see the class representative, Kaida, waving at him. Kaida was the only person in the class who had ever treated Shin with kindness, who had ever looked at him like he was a normal human being.
Kaida's long, curly brown hair bounced as she smiled at Shin, her bright green eyes shining with warmth. "Come join us, Shin!" she called out, her voice like a lifeline to Shin's desperate soul.
Shin's heart leapt with hope as he rushed towards Kaida's group, his eyes fixed on her smiling face.
The countdown reached 10 seconds, a group of students who were missing only one person to complete their group of 5 began to beg Hina to join them.
"Please, Hina, join us!" one of them pleaded, her voice shaking with fear. "We'll do anything, just please don't leave us to die!"
But Hina just laughed, her eyes glinting with amusement. "You think I'm scared of this game?" she sneered. "I'm not going to play along with this ridiculousness."
The group continued to beg her, but Hina just laughed louder, her voice echoing through the classroom.
And then, the countdown reached 0.
Hina's laughter suddenly stopped, and she looked up at the ceiling with a look of confusion. And then, her body began to contort and twist, her limbs elongating and merging with each other in ways that seemed impossible.
Her skin turned a sickly shade of green, and her eyes bulged out of their sockets. She tried to scream, but her voice was muffled by some unseen force.
The classroom was silent, the only sound the sickening crunch of Hina's bones as her body continued to contort and twist.
And then, in an instant, Hina's body exploded, showering the classroom in a mess of blood, brains, and shattered skull fragments.
The classroom erupted into chaos, students screaming and crying as they stumbled backward in horror. Shin's eyes were fixed on Hina's lifeless body, his mind reeling with terror.
The voice spoke again, its tone cold and detached. "As I said, if you are not in a group, you will die."
The classroom was a scene of utter chaos, students panicking as they tried to process what had just happened. Shin's heart was racing, his mind reeling with fear.
As the classroom erupted into chaos after Hina's gruesome death, the four students who had failed to form a group were consumed by a sense of desperation and terror.
One of them, a tall and lanky boy named Ken, tried to plead with the class representative to kick Shin out of the group and let him join, but the class representative ignored him it was now too late. The voice announced that the time was up, and the four students were engulfed in a blinding flash of light.
When the light faded, Ken's body was seen contorting in ways that seemed humanly impossible, his limbs twisting and merging with each other like a macabre puzzle. His screams were muffled by some unseen force, and his eyes bulged out of their sockets as his body began to stretch and expand like a balloon.
Next to him, a petite girl named Liya was seen vomiting blood and bile as her body began to dissolve into a puddle of liquid flesh. Her eyes were frozen in a permanent scream, and her skin was covered in suppurating sores that seemed to spread and multiply before the very eyes of the horrified students.
Across the room, a burly boy named Jin was seen being lifted off the ground by an unseen force, his body suspended in mid-air as he thrashed and screamed in agony. His eyes were black as coal, and his skin was covered in dark, swirling patterns that seemed to pulse with a malevolent energy.
Finally, a quiet and a reserved girl was seen simply... disappearing. One moment she was standing there, frozen in terror, and the next she was gone, leaving behind only a faint whisper of her presence. It was as if she had been erased from existence itself.
The classroom was silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the traumatized students.
He looked at Death, who was laughing maniacally, its eyes gleaming with malevolent joy. Shin knew that he had to accept the reality of the situation. This was not a dream, and he was not immune to the game.
Shin's eyes dropped to the floor, his mind consumed by regret. He had chosen to play the game, and now he was trapped in this living nightmare.