New Reality

"For you to say it's hard. It must be true." Grey lowly spoke with disbelief.

Gin can't help but questioned himself, 'What the... I'm a human too. It's not like I'm a god, you know.'

Grey sighed, "Well, tell me Hyung. Why does the other method hard?"

Hearing the same disbelief tone, Gin instantly disregard it before asking a question while still looking at his front, "Hmm, identify the task given to us besides Survive?"

Grey looked at the screen in front of him and repeated the same words in a tone that only Gin could hear.

"Is it find a way out?"

"Yes."

Grey started to have doubts and asks, "But, isn't this the easiest? I mean, we just need to run in the opposite direction of the monsters. And if it isn't that, we can just find some secret door, right?"

Gin glanced half of his head as he sigh, "No, this is the hardest one between the two. I know the system is not an idiot and would let us go at the hole where no monsters are coming in. Then what, ta-da and done? No."

Gin paused, "And a secret door? Maybe there is but we will just be wasting our time, at the same time, risking our lives."

He continued inwardly, 'I'm sure the system is not a dumb shit to just let us go immediately. Tsk, the system is shit.'

] Forced Task Applied [

[Oho, you better not say that to the system kiddo.]

All of a sudden after he commented inwardly, a screen appeared in Gin's front which made him surprised.

It was a task but no context was seen. At that moment, he was confident that he knew this one, hence making him smile faintly before retorting back inwardly in sarcasm.

'Ah! Isn't this the lovely system? What, are you getting tired of me? Then, can you take me back to my world now or if you don't, don't disturb me. I have to escape some monsters.'

Cursing the screen made Gin feel good, making him wear a confident smile but it was soon stopped until the screen continued, with him reading it.

At that moment, it scared the shit out of him.

] Forced Task Applied [

[For a moment I'm not the system, trash bastard. Well, see if you can survive this. Hehehe.]

'Huh? Wait... wait... wait!' Gin said inwardly before his face was replaced with a frown, 'Then who am I talking to?!'

Gin then remember the screen had said, leading his heart to pound, 'Oy... what do you if I can survive this? Answer me! Oy...!'

Being so immersed inside his mind that only a series of his name being called, makes him wake up.

"Hyung, hyung, hyung, hyung—"

"What the… Grey?" Gin voiced out loud before he continued in an annoyed tone, "What is it? No, wait. I told you to just look, right?"

Grey didn't mind his questions before he continued with concern, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to confirm the plan and tried to call you. I keep calling you but when I turned around, I saw your face is just staring at the air. I'm sorry."

Gin nodded his head in realization before saying, "I see. Look you don't have to say sorry. It was my fault. Some bug is disturbing me so I tried to kill it. Anyway, your question, what is it?"

Grey proceeds to ask, "We're just going to run, right? Not finding some secret things?"

'What...? Just that?' Gin mused inwardly before nodding, "Yes. Yeah, your right. Just go with the plan."

The way Gin said those words made Grey form a questioning face but he decided to just do his job, by turning around and going back to watching.

Gin also goes back by doing his part before saying the last warning, "Focus your eyes and ear, Grey. If you see any kind of disturbance at the hole, just straight away tell me. Anything is good."

Although that warning was also directed at him, Gin has his focus in half. One was for the watching while the other was the screen that had just talked to him.

] 0:25 [

'Who is that… shit? The way he sends me the message is creepy.'

] 0:20 [

"Twenty seconds left, Grey. Be ready. Anything unordinary, just tell me."

"Okay, Hyung."

] 0:19 [

"Guys! We're finally going back get ready to pack your things. Those who are sleeping wake them up". A man in his mid-twenties shouted.

] 0:17 [

"Wake up! You there, why are you still sleeping? Is it comfortable there? Don't worry, we will be back in our normal lives so wake up!" A man shouted as he points his finger at the person sleeping.

] 0:15 [

Everyone was doing what they wanted, so was Gin.

But instead of doing the same thing as others like shouting, he was thinking about what the screen had told him, and not a word was missing when he remembers them.

'The monsters entering here are normal... right? It is, right? Like those goblin, skeletons... right? Please, whoever you are, answer me...'

His forehead started to sweat with faint shaking as he thought that those monsters coming in wouldn't be like what he had thought.

'It is... right? T-there is no way the system would be giving us something strong at the start... yes, there is no way...'

He felt nervous.

He felt uneasy.

] 0:13 [

"Oh wow! Am I dreaming mister?" A boy who just woke up, ask an old man, sitting next to him.

"Yes, and I think it is true. Nobody can explain why this feels so real, You too right?" The old man answered.

"Hmm… yeah. I'll tell my mom to cook me something delicious later and tell her this creepy experience later." The boy said while stretching out his hand.

He continued, "But mister, you sounded so real..."

] 0:11 [

"Honey, I'll be back soon. Just wait for me until I report the culprit who kidnapped me and bring them to jail!" The man in a tanned color skin shouted before remembering what happened before he was 'kidnapped'.

"But... If I remember correctly, I was just sleeping with my wife and my house is heavily locked..."

] 0:09 [

"Hyung…" Grey spoke in a low voice, directly towards the person on his back.

"Yeah?"

"..."

Sensing Grey became silent as he said that, Gin decided to ask first, "What is it, big guy?"

Grey calmed down a bit before saying, "If what they said is correct and that the government kidnapped us and forced us to do this. Whatever their reason for doing this, I'll report them first and after... can we meet up."

] 0:07 [

'Do you really buy that thought?' Gin mused inwardly.

Gin didn't want to believe those people's bullshit if the only result was him being hesitant. He let go of the logical things first and focus on another aspect so that it will not lead him to his death.

Although he didn't want to believe them, he knew to himself that he wanted it to happen.

There was a clear difference between the two.

Waking up normally, cooks his sister some breakfast, goes to work and sleeps after the day. Marrying a beautiful woman and dying at old age.

That was what everyone was believing but he wanted them badly.

Although it's a boring plan, at least he was happy about it and could do those normal things.

'If this is some kind of prank or any sort, whether it's illusion or kidnapping by the government which is absurd…'

] 0:05 [

'Let me believe one last time, that this isn't… real.'

"Sure."

] 0:03 [

That only lasted for a second when—.

"Ahhh!! Why! Why! Why!" A woman screamed.

"What's wrong dear?" A lady beside her asked in a calm tone, only to see the woman have nasty cuts on her arms.

—When I heard someone scream.

"I accidentally hurt myself with this knife and I got hurt!" The woman loudly spoke with her hands shaking as she holds the knife.

"Then, I hurt myself again and again..."

Tears started to form at the edge of her eyes.

] 0:01 [

"Dear, why would you hurt yourself. Sigh." The lady sighed while attracting the attention of the crowd.

"Let me help you. Can someone bring me some bandages?" The lady asked and someone swiftly handed a bandage at her.

"Here lady." A girl said while looking at the woman with a frightful expression.

] 0:00 [

Ting!

[Task] [Survive or Find a way out]

[...]

[Start]

[Time: 90:24:60:59] [58] [57…]

Seeing that everything he wanted to happen wasn't happening, Gin closed his eyes for a moment.

"Tsk." Gin clicked his tongue before opening his eyes next, "Grey, use your senses to the fullest. See if there is anything on your side. I'll inform you if there is something on mine."

Grey bit his lips, realizing what had just happened before he answered, "Yes… Hyung."

"Don't worry, I'm here," Gin reassured as he glanced, patting Grey's back before he came back on concentrating.

Tak!

"No! You don't understand!" The woman shouted that the people inside the cave turned their heads at her.

She continued with a cry, "Why would I hurt myself, huh?! If this is VR like that old man said, then...! Explain why am I hurt?! It was only supposed to be 'Virtual Reality'! Tell me!"

Thus, the people nearby started to murmur to themselves as they gaze at the woman crying.

Step!

It was a faint sound yet a step was heard, resonating at one of the holes.

Gin wasn't sure where the hole was hence he waited for it to come, by focusing his attention on the hole on his side.

"Hyung…"

"Shh… I know. I hear it too, so quiet." Gin swiftly quieted down Grey, who sounded scared.

Step!

"Why don't you understand me! Why would I say some pointless stuff, huh! What we are facing is re-reality! It's real dammit! Uwah!" The woman started to cry more.

'A New Reality.'

Thump!

The fainting steps become stomping.

It was getting louder but it was still unknown where the hole was it belong to, at the same time, the people even started to noticed the weirdness of the situation.

"Why am I not back? Why?!"

"Where is that man that said this is just a test?!"

"Wahhh! Mom wahh!"

"Fuck, Grab a weapon, everyone! At least the one that is familiar to you!"

Gin rubbed his ears in annoyance, hearing the people's voices before he mused inwardly, 'You all... can you just die?'

As he moved his gaze from the crowd, Gin saw a familiar figure standing calmly amidst the chaos happening from everyone.

'Isn't he the man I saw earlier—!'

Step!

It was at that moment that his thoughts stop its thinking, after clearly hearing the thumping sound stopping.

"…"

It was quiet but chilly.

Gin keep his calm and focus while staying alert.

"Did you hear it stopping, Grey? Tsk, I could feel that they're coming to this side. Just be ready and I'll inform you to run there."

"..."

"Grey? Hey, are you listening?"

Grey didn't answer. He was eerily quiet.

"..."

Gin slightly formed a frown as he decided to turn around to face his direction, but stop when he noticed that the crowd had also fallen silent.

He looked at their faces but all of them are having one expression.

They looked terrified.

Gin hurriedly asked, "Oy Grey, what's on your side? They all seemed to be looking at it. Grey? Grey—"

Grey interrupted, "Hy-Hyung…"

He paused, "W-what in the w-world is that?"

His voice was shaky and that was when Gin decided to turn around and looked at the hole where Grey is currently looking.

At that moment, Gin froze on the spot.

His eyes were glued at the thing he is seeing.

It was his first time seeing something like this. He felt like he was on a verge of throwing up.

His face that had a serious expression a while ago, turned into shock, that turned into disbelief, that turned into fear.