“Gi-Chan, I think you must wait here for a while, it is too dangerous”

“If you go, I’ll go with you”

“But—!”

“Shut Up!”

It is already around 45 minute since the rain of blood started. While we are still wondering what happen in the Ippotis, we rush as fast as possible. But when we found another adventurer collapsed in the ground we approach him without second thought.

While we are looking closely, that adventurer is a girl around 15 years old. Her skin color is pale. Very pale. Her body is very thin and like she is doesn’t eat and drink anything for more than one months. Frankly speaking, she is like a skeleton with a pale skin.

Seriously… what happen with her?

“Kya!”

“Gi-Chan! What ha—!”

Suddenly I heard Gi-Chan’s scream. She scream so loud and her face suddenly turn pale. When I turn to look what happen to her, I saw Gi-Chan already fell to the ground. When I ask what happen, she only pointing her finger to the road in front of her. When I look at the direction that Gi-Chan pointing to me, I saw a very terrifying condition along the road. Along this road, every person already collapse with the same condition as the girl. Their complexion turn pale and their body shrink until they look like a skeleton or a corpse that got mummified.

It looks like they died because of a sudden shock

That’s the only conclusion that I can reach. But it is too strange if this condition occur in the same time on every person who take this road. After all, Gi-Chan and I still healthy even we stay in here for more than 25 minutes.

Trying to figure something, I observe our surrounding. From what I can see, it seems not only human but monster and animal too. They are got the same fate as the people who dead in this road with the same condition.

It is clearly not a natural phenomenon

While I’m still staying vigilante about our surrounding, finally I’m noticing something that I didn’t noticed it before.

Above us, there are a massive red magic circle appear and it seems that is the cause of this rain.

That’s why from there we arrived at this condition where I’m arguing with Gi-Chan to make her wait in here because I find it too dangerous in Ippotis if she come along with me. Not only that, I have another reason that make me insist Gi-Chan to stay here.

“Okay! Fine if you want to come along too, but can you closed your eye for a while, Gi-Chan?”

“I don’t want to close my eyes, if I do what you ask, you will just knocked me out, right?”

“Nope, I won’t do that. I only want to cast a defense magic on you, I promise!”

“Are you sure? you won’t make my consciousness out?”

“Yeah, I promise to you I won’t make your consciousness out!”

“Then…”

After Gi-Chan closed her eyes I make a shield to surrounding her body. As I promised I don’t make her consciousness out.

[Air Shield - Box]

Instead I trapped her inside my shield box. As promise, I don’t knocked her but I still make sure she won’t follow me to the Ippotis.

I’ll go for a while, Gi-Chan

After I said it in my mind, I left Gi-Chan in there. I don’t know what she says but from what I look she is angry and screaming something. What make my heart pain is… once again I make a girl cry because of my action. Really, I’m the worst.

Through the street, I can see a lot of corpse that have the same condition as the adventurer girl that I found earlier. It feels like they even didn’t know what happen to them.

What kind of monster that do this kind of thing?

Just with that thought, I feel eerie. I want to vomit right now if I can, but if I do that… I’ll loss all of my composure. That’s why I’m trying my best to hold this urge to vomit. Even my head slightly feel dizzy and my body tremble because of fear, I shouldn’t stop in here.

All of the child in the Orphanage, I hope they are still alright!

Before I entered the Gate, I resolve myself and continue to go straight to the orphanage. When the dusk bell rang with “Bang… Bang… Bang…”, unconsciously I found myself were looking on to the tower bell. In there I see a man standing alone with both of his hand spread open to his side. Even I don’t really sure, his clothes look like a ninja from my country.

Laugh out loud.

I can hear that man laughter resounding through the town. It is like the town already left with him alone standing highly above the tower bell. His laughter alone made me terrifying enough to think it is nightmare.

Who is he? What is he doing in there?

It is only natural if I ask about that kind of thing. I can guarantee if it anyone who look that ninja in my stead will think the same as me.

Wait! Isn’t it… Rozy-San in there? What is she doing looking that curiously on that ninja direction?

When I see Rozy-San beside that man, I feel a little curious too about what that man doing in there. Maybe it is thanks to my conceal ability that I use for the magic stairs that I make using air shield, that ninja didn’t notice about her presence that looking passionately in his direction.

Let try to confirm it!

I use my extra ability,

[Shield Communication]

To open a communication inside that magic stairs.

“Rozy-San, can you hear me?”

“Eh? Ah! Evrys… -San?”

From here, I can see that Rozy-San is startling because of my sudden voice and trying to search my exact location. It seems she can hear me clearly.

“Don’t worry about my location right now Rozy-San, Can you tell me what happen in here?”

“Even Evrys-Kun says that, I didn’t really know what happen in here. Just a moment ago I’m still in the Garden of Paradise and when I’m in my way to back to the castle, I see this weird man standing in the tower bell alone and suddenly grinning after muttered something.”

Muttered something?

“Did you hear what that man said?”

“I’m not really sure but it is something like… ‘Steal’ and… ‘Blood’… something like that, Evrys-Kun”

“Steal and blood?”

“Ah! One more thing that I remember is… after he said that, he spread open his arm and suddenly a massive red magic circle appear above this town and the rain fall until now.”

“Rain of… blood?”

I muttered that word before I aware about it. About the rain that still falling until this moment in this town. The rain of blood.

Man Standing alone while laughing… Steal and blood… people died because of sudden shock… all of their complexion turn pale… rain of blood… isn’t all of it linked together?

Even I didn’t want to admit this fact but, I can only say that this massive scale of death because of sudden shock is the cause of his course of action.

But what is his intention? …and why is Rozy-San still safe even she is in here for a long time? Is the effect didn’t affect my magic stairs that I make from my magic shield?

A lot of question appears inside my head one after another but I can’t figure anything except that conclusion I made a moment ago and there is still one more thing that bothered me from the first time after I have arrived in Ippotis from my dungeon quest. I have a gist about my last question but I still not sure about that.

“Even I don’t really want to say it, but I think you shouldn’t leave that magic stairs for a while, Rozy-San… because it is too dangerous outside”

“But… I’m worried about the condition inside the castle”

What should I do… if this goes on, I can’t do anything to protect her because of the distance we have now between me and Rozy-San. my shield range is around 500 meters and the maximum distance is around 1000 meters after I’m using it.

“Then, wait for a moment, I’ll try to cast my shield on you when I already reach the minimum distance.”

“Um! I’ll wait for you… please be careful, Evrys-San”

“Thank you Rozy-San”

I stealthily approach the tower bell. To cast my shield without that ninja man finding me out I must reach the bottom of the tower to meet the minimum require distance to cast it.

This itchy feeling again… suddenly come from my right hand, seriously what is this?

I feel my right hand slightly burn but it didn’t hurt at all. I don’t really know what happen but I’m already feeling it for a while. Maybe because I hide it with my black gloves that I didn’t figure what happen to my right hand. Trying my best to ignore that itchy feeling, I carefully approach the bottom of the tower bell.

Around me there is no sound that I can heard except the laughing of the ninja man and the sound of the rain of blood. Even I already in here for several minutes, I still can’t get accustomed to it.

“Are you perhaps… a candidate?”

“Wha—!”

Suddenly I can hear a man’s voice come from behind me. Without any sound, he suddenly appear behind me. The man thrust his sword in his hand to my back. Thanks for my passive skill [Auto Defense] that my cheat ability granted, I can successfully defend against that sure kill technique of him.

As a result of his attack, I flung away to the house in front of me. This alone make me realize how strong he put his own strength to that one thrust to pierce my body.

“Ahaha~ I see, I see… so you choose that kind of ability huh… Ahaha~ it is interesting just by thinking that my attack will penetrated your barrier… it is already enough to stimulate my son in here… ahaha~”

“Ugh!”

While I’m trying to standing, I can hear what that man say clearly. What make me disgust about him is the fact that he grab his crotch with his right hand and lick his left finger that still hold a sword like a bitch that trying to seduce me. Seriously… a crazy person appeared in front of me.

Wait… is he said ‘Candidate’? that means?!

“Are you… a Cheater?”

“What are you saying? It is obvious just by looking at your emblem! …Ah! From what you conduct, I see… it seems this is the first time you face another candidate, huh? Ahahahaha~ if it like that… I think it is my luck!”

After heard what he say, without any hesitation I took off my glove that hide my right hand. There I can see that my emblem is radiating a dazzling white light.

“That White light are telling you that our condition is normal. It means we stand in equal footing. Not advantage nor disadvantage. Just a normal condition.”

Is he figure my location because of this emblem?

“Are you telling me, you massacre all of the people in this country just to lure me out?”

“HUH? What are you talking about? Meet you in here is just an extra reward for me!”

Is he mean… there is another intention that make him do a massacre?

While I’m still thinking about that, I figure the location of his emblem. Even it look like he is fooling himself but the left side of his forehead is shining and I can barely see his emblem from here. He is—

“Ahahaha~ It is cool right?! Even we still 10 years old, we can already massacre a country alone… ah! It is make me remember about some stupid candidate that got killed 3 years ago. Because of him, I think some of the other candidate already figuring the loopholes in the rules that Mogu made and starting to move to carry some plan to hunt the other candidate before they turn 15 years old.”

“What… are you—”

“—Isn’t it right? After all if you want to blame someone, then blame the guy that kill the first candidate that make us figure the loopholes or maybe you can blame the very first guy that stupid enough to blurted his extreme plan all of sudden in that white room, right? Ahahaha~”

This guy… is crazy!

—A Cheater candidate who wield “5♠” emblem and the culprit who start this Bloody massacre in this Ippotis kingdom.