Chapter 9

Yuuma could hear the frustration in Sawa’s voice. If this were the world of Actual Magic, she could have just drunk an MP potion, but there was obviously nothing like that in the real world. And while MP regeneration depended on your class and skill loadout, at low levels it was far too slow to rely upon. Yuuma could use some magic as well, but he was limited to Grasping Hand, a dark-type spell available only to Monster Tamers, and low-level utility magic. He didn’t have a single attack spell. Kenk, meanwhile, was a pure Warrior, focused entirely on physical attacks. Yuuma was about to ask his sister what they should do, but he caught himself before he could speak. Sawa’s face, in profile, looked pinched and stressed. A small bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. They were in an extreme situation, and nothing made sense. Sawa had stepped up to lead them, but she had to be just as scared inside as they were. One of her classmates had been turned into a monster, another had been brutally murdered, her best friend Nagi was missing…and horns and wings were growing out of her body. Sawa was doing her best, but Yuuma needed to stop relying on her for everything. I need to think for myself. There’s gotta be a way to defeat that thing. Sawa was right. The pinhead creature was protected by tough, ashen skin and a thick layer of fat. Smacking it with their blunt steel bars probably wasn’t going to do much damage. Usually, magic would be the solution for a creature like that; but of the three of them, Sawa was the only one who could use offensive magic, and at the moment she was out of MP, so that wasn’t an option. If they were still in the game world, now would be the time to retreat and come back later with full MP and better gear. But there were no weapon shops selling swords and spears, or item shops selling potions, in the real-world Althea. They would just have to make do with what they had here… What we have here. Yuuma had a stroke of inspiration. Even if the game system was eroding reality, it was still the real world. Which meant there were things here that they didn’t have in the game world. In a building this big, there had to be… “Sawa. Kenk. Do you think you can lure that thing around the lobby for two…no, one minute?” whispered Yuuma. Sawa gave it some thought. Two seconds later, she nodded. One more second passed, and Kenk nodded as well. “Probably. It doesn’t look very fast. Why? Do you have an idea?” asked Sawa, but there was no time for Yuuma to explain his whole plan. “Just do it; you’ll see. You too, Kenk. If it seems like you’re in trouble, use the staircase and flee back up to the second fl—” Yuuma was suddenly interrupted by a deafening screech of metal. He felt his heart almost leap out his chest. After one blow too many, the shutter had finally been torn free from the ceiling bracket and had come crashing down toward the ground. Now the only thing protecting the students in the shopping area was their makeshift barricade. It wouldn’t matter how hard they pushed back on the other side; they were just kids. One more charge from that creature, maybe two, and they were goners. “I’ll draw aggro! Kenk, you run interference from the side!” shouted Sawa. She reached down and picked up a small, oval car key fob that was lying on the ground nearby—one of the victims had probably dropped it. She hurled it at the creature. Sawa had always been better at playing catch than Yuuma. The fob flew through the air in a straight line before striking the pinhead creature dead center on the side of its head. “GWAR…?” The giant creature, which had been preparing to charge at the barricade again, stopped and groaned, turning its featureless face toward the three. “Come ’n’ get me, ya big freak!” shouted Kenk. “GWAR… GWWWARRR!” The creature instantly roared in response, out of either anger or delight. It was impossible to tell which. Ignoring the barricade in favor of its new target, it lowered its body, pointing its horned head toward them and stomping in place several times— “Yu, go!” Sawa shoved Yuuma with her left hand. Yuuma turned away, not waiting for the giant creature to charge, and began running. Behind him, he heard a ferocious roar as the earth began to tremble. Sawa! Kenk! Hang in there! Yuuma prayed silently as he sprinted toward the ticket counter. He leaped over the black counter and landed on the other side. He ran another ten meters along the inside of the curved counter before finding what he was looking for, on the wall to his right. A silver door with the words STAFF ONLY. Usually the door was magnetically locked, but with the building’s power currently out… “Come on, open…,” Yuuma whispered, pushing down on the door lever with his left hand. It turned easily, and the door swung open several centimeters. Eight seconds had passed. He could barely stop himself from charging inside, but he forced himself to stop and search for signs of life. No strange sounds or smells emanated from the doorway. Yuuma pushed the door fully open. As he did, he heard a massive roar coming from the lobby behind him. A moment later he heard Sawa shout, taunting the creature. “This way, you bonehead!” They’ll be all right. Sawa and Kenk believe in me. I have to believe in them, too. Gathering his resolve, Yuuma stepped inside the room. The emergency lights in the back room were out. It was almost completely dark. Having no choice, Yuuma chanted the element word of power for light, which created a ten-second torch in his left hand. He rushed forward, gripping his steel bar tightly in his right hand. The plaque on the first door on Yuuma’s right read OFFICE—that was the wrong room. The next door was the break room—wrong again. Finally, he reached the third door. The infirmary. I knew it! As Yuuma opened the door, his light disappeared. Fortunately, the room inside was still lit by dim orange emergency lights. The empty infirmary was larger than Yuuma had expected. On the left side of the room were three beds equipped with privacy curtains. On the right were a desk and a trolley, used for examinations, and beyond that a white cabinet. Yuuma crossed the room without hesitation and opened the glass door of the cabinet. He found what he was looking for on the larger bottom shelf. Switching the iron bar to his left hand, he nabbed the white plastic container and pulled it free from the shelf. The label said it contained five liters. Yuuma wasn’t sure if that would be enough, but he had promised Sawa and Kenk that he would be back in one minute. Half of that time had already passed. If five liters weren’t enough, they would just have to find a backup plan. Yuuma rushed out of the infirmary, dangling the container behind him at arm’s length. Yuuma ran back down the dark hallway, yanking open the metal door and stumbling out into the area behind the counter. He was greeted by the sight of the giant, ashen-skinned beast charging past him, from left to right, at incredible speed. It was crouched over, the tip of its horned head pointed forward, on a direct collision course for the tiny Sawa. Her back was against the wall. She waited until just the right moment before diving to the right. Slam! With a deafening crash, the giant creature collided headfirst with the wall separating the main lobby from the elevators. Its pointed head drilled through the wall’s cosmetic plastic panels and embedded itself straight through into the underlying concrete. For a brief moment the creature seemed stuck, but it placed both hands on the wall and pulled its head free, leaving behind a gaping, thirty-centimeter-wide hole. Regardless of how much the game system might have buffed their stats, no elementary school kid’s body was going to stand up to a blow like that. Sawa quickly got back to her feet and rushed toward the center of the lobby. With great lumbering steps, the huge creature began to turn, changing directions. It crouched down, ready to charge again. Sawa’s eyes flickered in Yuuma’s direction, noticing his return. She clapped her hands together and shouted, “This way, you stupid ogre!” “GWARR!” The creature groaned and lowered its pointed head. It stamped the ground several times with its elephantine feet and began charging viciously toward her. Sawa moved backward slowly, still drawing aggro, step by nimble step. That is, until one of her feet got caught on the arm of a corpse lying on the floor. “Ah!” she yelped in surprise, falling backward and landing on her behind. The charging beast lowered its head even farther as it stampeded toward her, the tip of its head glinting darkly as it scraped along the ground. Yuuma leaped over the counter in a panic and chased after the giant creature. But it was too far away. Sawa tried to stand back up, but the claws of her boot had become tangled in the threads of the corpse’s sleeve. Sawa, get up! Run, Sawa, run! Barely five meters separated the monster from Sawa. Yuuma’s vision narrowed. His arms and legs felt numb. No, no, no! he kept shouting in his head as time slowed to a crawl. Just then— “Arrhhhh!!” A dark figure ran forward, screaming at the top of its lungs as it charged toward the creature’s right flank. It was Kenk—wielding Durendal in both hands, he struck the creature on its pointed head, just moments before Sawa would have been impaled. The metal bar made contact with a clang, sending sparks flying. Despite the pompous name Kenk had given it, Durendal was still just a hunk of metal. It bounced back easily, and Kenk was sent flying as he collided with the creature’s right shoulder. He flew through the air and landed in a heap. Kenk’s desperate blitz had not been in vain, however. The creature’s pointed horn was already as low as it could go. Thanks to Kenk’s blow, the horn struck the floor, tearing up the tiles and underlay and catching on the concrete slab below. The creature flipped head over heels, just thirty centimeters from where Sawa still lay sprawled on the ground. Its own horn became a fulcrum. It was launched into the air, passing over Sawa entirely and landing on its back behind her. The ground shook like an earthquake. Yuuma was almost thrown off his feet, but he managed to keep running. This was their last and only chance. Sawa and Kenk had risked their lives to create this opening. He couldn’t let it go to waste. It was now or never! Yuuma raced past Sawa and Kenk on their left and made a beeline for the creature while it was still trying to get up. He took the white plastic container he was carrying and shoved it forcefully into the creature’s twenty-centimeter-wide mouth. “MWRMPH!” With a muffled roar, the creature bit down on the container with incredible force. The container began to crumple. Yuuma dragged Sawa back to her feet and retreated in Kenk’s direction. He could see at a glance that his sister wasn’t hurt. Kenk didn’t appear to be bleeding, either. Sawa and Kenk had stalled the creature for a full minute, just like they had promised. Now it was Yuuma’s turn. The ashen-skinned creature used its stubby arms to lift itself to its feet. With more stamping of its massive legs, it began to change directions again. If they had still been in the game and had a way to attack properly, the slow speed at which the creature turned would have clearly been its weak point. All they could do now, however, was watch on in useless silence. “Yu, what was in that container…?” Sawa asked, her voice raspy. “Five liters of rubbing alcohol,” Yuuma whispered back. Sawa’s red-tinted eyes grew wide and then narrowed again in understanding. “In place of magic… Of course! But how are you going to ignite it?” Yuuma’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Sawa was right. Alcohol was an accelerant. But you still needed a source of flame in order to light it on fire. But Yuuma didn’t have a lighter, and he was pretty sure Sawa and Kenk wouldn’t have one, either. Maybe he could strike his steel bar against another piece of metal to make a spark. But the creature was over two meters tall. Yuuma probably wouldn’t be able reach the creature’s mouth, even if he stood on his toes. And it wasn’t like the creature was going to just sit still and let him try. Yuuma froze. Sawa sighed quietly, standing next to him. “You didn’t think of that, did you…?” she muttered. “If we can distract it for another minute, I think I should have enough MP to fire off a single Flame Arrow by then.” But Yuuma had a different idea. He remembered something he had seen just a few seconds earlier. He formulated a new plan. “I’ve got an idea first…,” he whispered. “If it doesn’t work, then we can try your magic.” “An idea…?” Sawa repeated doubtfully. Yuuma glanced at Sawa and at Kenk, who was still sprawled out on the floor. He switched the steel pipe from his left hand to his right. Meanwhile, the creature’s jaws and teeth had finally crushed through the plastic container in its mouth. Clear liquid spilled out, half of it pouring toward the back of its throat, the other half spewing out the front. “RRAWWRWRR!” The creature whipped about in a rage, getting alcohol all over the place, even on its own head. Now! Brandishing his right arm high in the air, Yuuma threw the metal bar at the creature’s head as hard as he could. The tip of the creature’s head gleamed like rusted iron. The metal bar spun until it made impact; a few meager white sparks flew through the air, just like when Kenk had struck the creature with Durendal earlier. With the mist the creature had created from biting down on the container, it was more than enough to ignite the alcohol. Fwoosh! The creature’s entire upper body burst into flames. The dark lobby was suddenly lit up brightly by the flames, which burned blue like the alcohol burners from science class. The creature moaned and howled as it waved its arms about, but the fire continued to burn. A blue gauge appeared above the creature’s head. Its HP bar. Its monster name, Conehead Bruiser, was displayed beneath the HP bar, as well as the symbol for the Burned status ailment. Apparently, HP bars appeared only if you attacked or took damage from a creature yourself. Yuuma’s steel bar had bounced off the creature and landed nearby. He picked it up and retreated several steps. The creature’s upper body was now enveloped in flames, and a column of fire escaped its mouth—apparently the alcohol it had swallowed had also ignited. Its HP bar was decreasing much more slowly than Yuuma would have expected, however. In all likelihood, it wasn’t that the fire damage was low, but rather that its HP was extremely high, just like Sawa had conjectured. It would have taken several castings of Flame Arrow to defeat the beast. Unlike magic fire, however, which disappeared after several seconds, five liters of rubbing alcohol weren’t going to burn away so easily. The creature’s ashen skin finally began to blacken, like charcoal, in places. The stench was horrendous. Yuuma covered his nose with his left hand. The creature’s burnt skin began to slough off, revealing new flames—not blue like the alcohol fires, but crimson red. Its thick layers of fat must have begun to catch fire. “AGRH! GWRAWR…!” The creature writhed in agony, its screams horrendous. Its HP bar began depleting rapidly now that its own fat and flesh had started to burn. The bar turned yellow, indicating that half its HP was gone. “I know it’s just a monster…but it almost seems like a real creature…,” muttered Kenk, who was still lying on the floor. “That’s because it is real,” Sawa said quietly. “It’s not just some 3D object in a game. At least, not right now… But I have a feeling that only applies while it’s still alive.” “What’s that supposed to mean…?” Yuuma asked. His question, however, was drowned out by the sound the giant creature—the Conehead Bruiser—made as it collapsed. The Bruiser’s HP bar dipped past 20 percent, turning red. Nearly all the skin on its upper body had been burned to shreds, and the flames from its burning fat stretched three to four meters high into the air. Yuuma began to worry that the lobby itself might catch on fire. Just then— A distorted alarm suddenly began blaring. Several jets of high-pressured water appeared from the ceiling, hosing down the creature with pinpoint accuracy. The building’s fire system had kicked in and activated the sprinkler system. Yuuma froze. He hadn’t been expecting that. His vision was soon obscured by billowing white smoke. The flames quickly began to shrink, hidden by the smoke. The Bruiser’s HP bar, however, remained clearly visible. About one-tenth of its hit points still remained. Now what? Do we whittle it down with physical attacks? Or should we find more alcohol and light it on fire again once the sprinklers stop? Yuuma hesitated. It was only for a second or two. But long enough to be fatal. “GWWRAARR!” With an angry roar, a massive hand shot out from the smoke, grabbing Yuuma around the chest in its iron grip. “Yu!!” “Yuumy!!” He heard Sawa and Kenk shout from somewhere behind him. He twisted around as far as he could and reached out desperately. Their fingertips nearly touched, they were just centimeters away, when— Yuuma was swung upward with so much sudden force that the blood drained from his head. “GWARRRR!” With a triumphant roar, the Bruiser, which had now gotten back to its feet, lifted Yuuma like a trophy. The fire had already gone out, but the sprinklers continued to spray. Pressurized jets pummeled Yuuma’s head and shoulders. “Aghh!” An instinctive scream escaped his lips. But the real danger wasn’t from above—it was from below. “GWRAA…” The charred Bruiser opened its mouth, which was located at the base of its pointed head. At first the opening seemed too small. It was only twenty centimeters wide. But with a series of disgusting pops and ratcheting noises, the mouth grew larger, soon stretching to three times its size. This can’t be happening. A shudder ran down Yuuma’s spine. A moment later, the monster let go. Yuuma’s bottom half disappeared inside the creature’s mouth, which gaped open like a bottomless pit. A row of misshapen teeth, each as large as a child’s fist, began to close shut around Yuuma like a guillotine— K-klang! With a metallic sound, the creature’s teeth stopped just moments before they would have gnawed Yuuma in half. Yuuma had moved almost entirely by instinct, wedging the steel bar he was carrying in between the creature’s upper and lower jaws. “GWAWRR!” The creature screamed in rage. Yuuma’s body vibrated with the force of its roar. Sparks appeared in intervals as the creature’s teeth scraped against the steel. Yuuma stared on in shock as the five-centimeter-wide, six-millimeter-thick bar of steel began to buckle in the middle. “Yu, hurry! Run!!” Kenk shouted. But Yuuma had already been pushing on the outside of the Bruiser’s jaws with both hands, desperately trying to work his lower half free. It was no good. His legs were trapped in the creature’s blubbery, undulating flesh. He couldn’t get free. As Yuuma struggled, the steel bar continued to bend. Before long, the edges of the creature’s teeth were in contact with Yuuma’s stomach and back. “Agh…!” Yuuma’s stomach twisted in knots from pure terror. He clutched desperately at the creature’s mouth, trying to pry its jaws open. But even pushing with all his strength, Yuuma just continued to sink farther down, centimeter by terrifying centimeter. The steel bar buckled between the creature’s viselike teeth. “Yu!” “Yuumy, don’t give up!!” Yuuma could hear a dull thudding. Kenk and Sawa were beating on the creature’s leg. The Bruiser, however, barely seemed to notice. It remained stubbornly focused on biting through the steel bar in its teeth. Yuuma started registering the pain in his midsection. Less than fifteen centimeters were now separating the creature’s top and bottom teeth. Another ten seconds and the creature would break through his skin. Another twenty and it would split him in two. In the virtual world, even after the most gruesome death, avatars would just disappear in a flash of particle effects as the user respawned immediately at the last hub or waypoint. But this was the real world. Once Yuuma’s guts were torn out and scattered across the floor, there would be no coming back. Just like the adults whose bodies now littered the lobby floor. Or like Yukihisa Miura, whose life had come to an end in the playroom upstairs. “Ah…! Ahhhh…!” Yuuma began screaming, overcome by fear. The HP bar above Yuuma’s head began to shrink. He could feel the muscles in his stomach and back being crushed, his internal organs being compressed. “Ah…! Ah…! Ahhhhhh…!!” His own screams sounded like they belonged to someone else. There was a sharp cinching noise as the steel bar bent. And then all went black.