I dashed against one of the closest Longclaws. It turned, slashing at me, and I stepped back just enough to dodge. I couldn’t catch it unaware, but I’m becoming used to my body again, and ready to try some new things. I felt as if I had to reset my top tier character in a VRMMORPG, adjusting to being a noob.
After the first attack missed, the Longclaw continued with the next slash. I slide enough to dodge the upcoming claw, the air pressure from the strike lifting my hair in the wind. I landed in front of the demon, holding its arm with my left hand, putting my entire weight behind my center of gravity in a throw.
It’s wasn’t as heavy as I expected, and my movement went swiftly, the Longclaw landing through the window of a nearby classroom, far enough for it not to be a threat for now. My earlier days of training at the [Northern Old Earth Army] taught us how to use your opponent’s strength against them, so that novices could react when cornered. I have the strength, and can’t damage them with regular strikes. Throws were an efficient way of buying time, even though very tiring and risky to someone inexperienced.
Experience? That I didn’t lack.
“Soojin, run!” I grabbed the frightened woman by the hand, rushing back through the opening.
“Uh??” Her face flushed and showed confusion, but didn’t put up any resistance. The students behind her were still getting slaughtered, but now a path opened for them to run away at least.
“Save us, AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRG-”
Save them?
I wish I could, but now was not the time to play the hero. Jiwan and the Class Rep didn’t follow me, but waited, ready to run. They were adapting better than I thought. Maybe because I wasn’t running away and crying my eyes out this life around, they were also keeping their wits. Keeping a logical mind and making excellent decisions were important for survival.
What could I do if they ran straight into a pack of those things?
We ran out of the campus, far away from that mess. The Nova College campus was in a prominent position in the city, covering a vast area. It was a relief that our classrooms were in the first block, or we wouldn’t have been able to come this way.
This part of the city seemed deserted if compared with the bustling campus, but not for a good reason. Those who were not “accepted” into this world and passed away disappeared into nothingness. Those who were accepted, but couldn’t handle the difficulties of New Qi, had difficulty breathing and died in their own homes or outside streets. A few mindless Longclaws roamed, but without people, they soon left for crowded places.
Our bodies couldn’t take it anymore without a break. I scanned around for enemies, but there was nothing in sight. We took refuge in a small but hard to find alley.
“It seems we can rest here for now, but be careful.”
I wasn’t wrong. Something on the campus caused the Longclaws to flock there. As soon as we got out, things became much quieter, but I knew it was also a matter of time before those things crawled everywhere.
“No more, no more…” The Class Rep gasped for air. She was in the worst shape out of us. I wasn’t much better off than her in the past, but now I surpassed even Jiwan, an athlete, although for unknown reasons.
“What do we do now? And when will you let go of her hand?” Jiwan paid me back from the comment at the pool.
I couldn’t help but shudder, as I had been holding Soojin’s hand all this time. I thought about impending death and how I would escape her fury, but turning around, all I saw was a beautiful young woman’s shy face looking down at the ground.
Uh? Soojin wasn’t cursing or kicking my ass for grabbing her hand? Was this the end of the world again?
“S-soojin… I-I can explain…” I might be a warrior, but even warriors have things they fear. They trained me to survive powerful and dangerous enemies, but the Northern Old Earth Army also had one saying:
“We can teach you to survive the anger of a thousand demons, but never the commander’s wrath.”
“Umm… I’m Sooyeon… Soojin is my sister…” She looked up and smiled.
“… Sooyeon?”
My mind wandered to the memories of my other life. Soojin was in her full black crystal armor, sitting atop a pile of Ath’Taren corpses, drinking alcohol from the New World straight from the bottle. Her beautiful face, now marred by time and scars, contained an alluring authority that could even command the Heavens itself.
*
“Ah, nothing like alcohol after a slaughter!” She finished drinking, tossing the bottle back into her mystique inventory and taking another one out.
“Commander, you shouldn’t drink during work,” I said with a playful smile. I also had many scars, and the suffering of a lifetime made me serious and pessimistic. Yet she always brought out the best in me.
“Shut up, work’s done. What are you, my mother?”
Her face darkened as memories of her family surfaced. The undefeatable goddess of war only showed a bit of weakness when thinking of them, and only in front of me.
“Do you miss your family?” She asked me with a nostalgic look.
“Of course.”
My family lived way up north in another city. They probably never made it out and died on the Timeless First Day. I had no way to be sure. I used my contacts to search for them, but it was in vain.
“What a silly question, my bad. I miss my sister the most. We’re twins, you know? We were apart when everything happened. Maybe she’d be alive if we were together…”
She drank again, with a beautiful but somber look.
“It’s not your fault. You did your best to survive, commander. We all did. It’s not like we had these powers before. If we did…” I sighed.
“I know. But…” She ground her teeth, closing her fist so tightly I thought it would bleed, “I will kill all those demon bastards. All of them. That’s the only way my family will rest in peace.”
“You bet I’ll help, commander.”
I had my account to settle with them. I might not show it right now, but the raging fury inside of me would never calm down.
“You’re a good guy, little Zen. I would introduce you to my sister. You’re the first guy I would. Be grateful!” She said with a bright smile.
“Eh, I’d rather date you, commander!”
“You’re ten years too early, kid!” She got up to hit me, but I already ran away.
*
Soojin’s twin sister, Sooyeon!
How foolish of me. Soojin was a pro gamer, and at an event in another city tonight. That’s how she escaped this calamity. It’s not like it was safe over there, but anywhere further from those ruthless Ath’Taren had higher chances of survival, at least during the Timeless First Day.
“You’re… my sister’s boyfriend…?” Soojin asked me with a serious face.
I almost choked. “She’d kill me if you say that!”
“You’re right, she would, haha.”
“Umm, sorry to bother you two lovebirds, but, you know, hell took over? Killing monsters with long claws? Helloo?” a funny-looking dude next to Sooyeon chimed in. It was the first time I noticed his presence. I guess he ran behind us when I saved her.
“Ben, you escaped too?” Sooyeon said.
“I was running with you guys all this time…” He had a displeased look.
Sorry buddy, but who the hell would look at you with the Class Rep and Sooyeon here, while chased by killing monsters with long claws?
“What are we going to do?” Jiwan asked me.
“Shouldn’t we warn the police?” The Class Rep added in.
“Yeah!” Ben agreed.
“There’s no point, and no going back. Everything is different now. We need to get out of the city, to the south.” I said.
“How do you know that?” Ben side-eyed me.
“It’s hard to explain. The army, the police… they can’t kill those things. We need to run, not hide.”
Jiwan, the Class Rep, and even Sooyeon were inclined to believe me, even if it seemed crazy. After all, monsters roamed about right now. Ben still side-eyed me, even raising the corner of his mouth a bit in displeasure. I couldn’t blame him as I wouldn’t have believed it myself.
“I have to find my mother and little sister!” Sooyeon shouted. “I can’t leave without them…”
I remembered the Class Rep being an orphan. She said nothing about finding someone, either.
“My family..!” Jiwan shouted.
Shit. How can I convince people to forget about their family and run? Should I just ditch them and save myself?
I couldn’t do it. They have to survive, especially Sooyeon and Jiwan. I owed the commander too much, and I liked my dumb friend. He got into trouble more than once to help me, even though I had nothing to give him in return.
“No, let’s run south. I hate doing this, but… we’ll be safe if we reach Sonis City.”
“How do you know that?!” Ben shouted, glaring at me.
“I just do. You need to trust me,” I said, looking at Jiwan and Sooyeon.
“Zen, you know I do, but my family…” Jiwan clenched his first.
“They’re too up north. There’s nothing you can do to help. You will only get yourself killed! I’m taking you with me, even if I have to knock you out and drag your sorry ass all the way out of the city myself, got it!?”
Jiwan was taken aback. He never saw me like this. He was still about to retort when the Class Rep chipped in.
“He’s right. We’re just students. What can we do against those things? What if your family runs south to find you, but you go north? I would be dead if it wasn’t for you, and we’d be dead if it wasn’t for him… I think we should trust him…”
Jiwan, this bastard. I only had to look at his face to know he would listen to her right away. I raised one of my eyebrows, surprised as I thought about the Class Rep as an extra so far, but her rationality through all this mess was commendable. Her ability to rope Jiwan in was useful.
“My house is close, I can’t go without them…”
I could see in Sooyeon’s eyes that stubbornness ran in the family. She wouldn’t change her mind like Jiwan, and since her family was close by, it would be hard to disagree.
“We should go to the police. What are you all talking about? They have guns. They will kill those things. It’s the safest place. I’m not going anywhere else!” Ben shouted at everyone, and I saw he almost changed their minds.
“Shut up. Just go. You can go to hell for all I care. I don’t even know you!” I snapped. I don’t need someone making their resolution waver. This was a battle for survival.
Ben froze. The Class Rep, Sooyeon and Jiwan stared at me with open eyes.
Should I look for Soojin’s family? If they were alive, I couldn’t face her without at least trying to save them. Or should I just ditch everyone?
My survival rate would be much higher if I did. I am no saint, but…
Shit. That wasn’t an option.
Commander, you better be grateful!