SURVIVAL 25: POINT OF VIEWS PART 2

I was holding a sword when the two of them attacked me. I was attacking unreluctantly and defending myself with great agility.

"You are now in Phantom Street." First informed me while still running. This is the so-called Phantom Street, the notorious place of Zarod’s nest.

I twitched when I saw someone approaching with a flying sharp metal thing. My right arm is wounded. I ran while the three of them chased me.

"There's another riddle," First reported. "It says: 'You shall know the spell to defeat the weaklings'”

"Is there a clue?”

"Yes, 'Landmarks'”

These clones are not like the first ones we fought. They’re stronger and faster.

"Hmp,” he scoffed. “I really meant for you to kill the thirteen first because they are useless to me, but those two? Don't ever underestimate them," Zarod retorted arrogantly. He is standing on a branch of a tree, watching me fight hard with the two.

I looked and saw Merlion! If my memory serves me right it was the Big Ben, Eifel Tower, Pyramids, Great Wall, Leaning Tower, and Merlion.

"There's next: 'Letter capitals of the landmarks'”

England, France, Egypt, China, Italy, and Singapore.

"A dialogue box appeared. It says, 'Riddle solved. Now, what spell did the system choose for the player to use? If answered wrong, the wrong spell will take a perilous effect.'

There are three choices:

1 - es piartiel duobolyu

2 - jiyu owkyu eksey

3 - ee efeesi ayes”

What language is that? Even First got confused.

"Argh!" My left leg got hit.

"Second!”

That said, the letter capitals of the places. London, Paris? But it says ‘letters’. England is E, France - F, Egypt - E, China - C, Italy – I, and Singapore - S ... Hmm...

“There could be a relation about how it is pronounced,” what First said gave me an idea.

"The third one.”

E/F/E/C/I/S - ee/ef/ee/si/ay/es - ee efeesi ayes

"Great! Now, cast the third spell.”

I took a deep breath. "ee efeesi ayes!" And the magic that made my sword shine.

"Now, attack! That sword has increased its power abilities.”

"Hya!” I shouted.

I commenced and clashed on the two that gave me a chance to give them a clean cut. The small fries turned to ashes.

"Spectacular!" Zarod seems to be very entertained.

I aimed my sharper and more powerful sword at him. Zarod preceded me in attacking which made me shocked. My right cheek is bleeding. I fight him with my improved sword even though his weapon is just his fingernails.

"Second, there's another riddle. 'You shall know the weak point to defeat your opponent'”

"Clue?" We have a chance to beat Zarod!

"Only one clue but it's a long one. 'Know its strengths in English. Picture the two figures. The top will always be on top. The bottom is its weakness.'”

"Unfortunately, there are no choices.” First ended.

Be calm. First is again in control while I am again solving the riddle.

‘Know its strengths’. Zarod's strength is his deadly stare, and his fingernails are his weapon.

'In English', eyes and nails.

‘Picture the two figures’, and because there’s exactly two because it said ‘two figures’, I imagined an eye and a fingernail.

‘The top will always be on top. The bottom is its weakness’

"Ahhh!" I screamed.

His sharp nails touched the side of my stomach. First bought some sort of a medical or healing element from my inventory that would temporarily numb my body that have been injured. But in return, my speed will decrease.

“45% left. Hang in there, Second. You’ll nail this!” First is cheering me on.

Eyes, nails, eyes, nails... ah! There are two meanings of nails in English. My eyes widened to a figure I have made.

SIXZEN'S / YRIEL EVIREZ’ POV

"Wha!" I-I'm really scared here in the virtual world I entered. "Ah, Mommy!"

"Sh*t! Would you please drop your childish acts? You’re slowing us down.”

"S-Sorry"

Alexus scolds me. I got partnered up with Ninth and his real name is Alexus. I can't blame him whenever he gets angry and yells at me because I'm really a coward.

"Enter that tunnel," he commanded me.

"W-What?”

"I said, now!”

I closed my eyes when he shouted at me.

Okay, Yriel, you should do this.

"Duck!" I heard an explosion. "Run and get out of there! You'll be covered in concrete!” he shouted.

I instantly run because of great panic. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel and made it come out. The whole tunnel has collapsed because of the explosion. I may have escaped being trapped in that tunnel but now I’m facing an enemy.

"I'll use your trump card. You will now face that creep.”

"Huh? But isn't the trump card important? Besides, I don’t think I-”

"Shut up! You already did nothing for us to win. Now, fight!”

My body moved on its own and I was seen fighting a huge robot. He used electricity which is my power because the robot is made of steel, but it also looks powerful.

I didn't know that the game I chose, 'The Elemental Wielding', was dangerous.

If I could... I would take away all the ugly things in me and leave all the good, if any.

I am the only child of a happy and peaceful family. We are neither rich nor poor. I don't have too many problems in life not until Mom and Dad died in a fire that started in the neighborhood. They were trapped and died. I was the only one who survived.

I became an orphan when I was 8 . A social welfare worker took me in because we have no relatives to take care of me. I grew up until I left there when I was 12, when a relative I didn’t know took me. I stopped studying for a while and worked for them to compensate them for taking me in. I became a maid, a helper, and a farmer.

I saved up my money so I can support myself for the next academic year. I hope to get a financial grant again for college, just like I did in high school. My relative told me to move out after I graduated from high school. I have worked hard for the past four years.

The lives of my 23 friends that I made here cannot be compared to the lives of my parents but it’s not reasonable to sacrifice them over my parents.

"Hey, what are you crying about? Are you just going to stare?" I heard Alexus’ irritated voice.

"S-Sorry, I'm not crying anymore.”

The nth planet’s games have taught us to hurt and kill one another but the only thing I want to kill are the flaws in me and let alone the flawless things remain.

NINTH'S / ALEXUS PAVETT’S POV

D*mn! What a crybaby! Sh*t always happens. I don't know why she’s getting on my nerves. How can you not get angry when weight is pulling you away from winning?

This girl, Sixzen, was wicked that tricked our team like Sectwen in the water category. She annoys me now that this is not the Sixzen that I want to play this game with. It must be her memories acting up.

"Get up! I'm going to use that firepower when that thing is ready.” I commanded her. She’s testing my patience.

I also don’t like her for choosing this crappy game. If only I could choose, I would play 'The Zombie Catastrophe'. I heckin' love bloody and spine-chilling wars. This one's cheap, I can’t feel the thrill of it. She's the only one who's thrilled because she's scared of every move I make her do... which reminds me of someone.

I have a little sister, she's 11. She's afraid of almost everything. I always make fun of her because I want to see her cry and scream. Even though she has grown, she's still very childish, and I love teasing her because of that.

One day, parents' meeting. I didn't expect my naughty little sister to come.

"Alexy!" Ah, here we go again. Her and her endearment—no, this is how she teases me because she wishes to have an older sister rather than an older brother.

She ran closer to me. Mom is still in the meeting, so she went out to meet me.

"Brother, this is your card. Look, you have a lot of bad grades.”

I ran so fast that she could no longer follow me. I crossed the road to the school. I looked at my back, and she was still on the other side of the road.

“Oh, what’s wrong, little sis? Can’t cross the road, eh?” I made fun of her.

“Brother Alexy, help me here!” After all the mockery that she did to me…

“Help yourself there! You’re no longer a kid. You should be able to cross.” I turned my back on her and grabbed some street food in front of me when I heard a sudden crash. She died.

Not all jokes are funny; there are jokes that can hurt someone even if they meant nothing to you.

"Ahhh!” She’s screaming again.

My trance returned when I saw Sixzen's life percentage is only 5%! Oh crap! How long did I space out? I already used the trump card. She is bleeding severely, and her clothes are torn.

"Game over," the game system spoke. No! This is not happening!

D*mn it! We lost the game!

"Alexus..." Sixzen is still speaking. "Sorry. I’m sorry. Because of me...w-we…”

She's crying again... Why is she such a crybaby? Will crying solve anything? What’s wrong with her? N-No, what’s wrong with me?

Sh*t! I felt a wet substance on my left cheek.

Is that why I've been angry with her? Because I see my little sister in her?

I’m pissed because I can’t even recognize the person who reminded me of my dearest sister.

I slammed the table in front of me. I saw Sixzen’s virtual body is now lifeless. I killed her... I also killed Sixzen. History heckin' repeated itself.

When I heard Sixzen apologize to me, it was like my little sister was speaking to me to finally forgive myself. Forgive me, little sis. I bet you’re making fun of me from heaven while watching me look pathetic. I’m sorry too, Sixzen. My unnecessary emotions have eaten me up.

“You did well, Yriel.” I whispered.

The world is cruel enough, and I made it crueler for my sister. So, I’ll join her instead. I now finally face my retribution.

SECOND'S / HEAVIEN'S POV

I already know the answer!

"The neck or the nape! That's his weakness," I whispered with confidence to First.

He immediately controlled me, and we targeted Zarod’s neck or nape.

The eye is like a person's head. And then instead of fingernails as one of Zarod’s strong points, it is nail as in construction nails. The nail’s horizontal one or the head of the nail is a person’s shoulder. The vertical one or the shank is the neck or nape. 'The bottom is its weakness', so the vertical is the weakness because that is the bottom.

We continue to attack and Zarod dodges.

"13%!" First stated the percentage.

"Argh!”

W-We hit him in the nape! He sat down and lay down on the ground. He was coughing up blood and was very weak. I supported him to lie down properly.

"Do you know why?" My attention returned to what he had asked. He turned his gaze around, looking above. "Because life here is boring. I'm just a virtual human. I was just made to be a game character. I murder because we weren't real, and we were just made for fun. So, when I found out that there was a real person who’s going to play, my excitement can’t contain that I nearly killed you right away. I want to know what it feels like to be a real person.”

So, that’s what he feels and thinks about us.

He disappeared from the world of the virtual game when his body glitched. The structures, establishments, houses, trees, animals, and cars are starting to fade.