Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Deciding not to stray too far from the bus, I take a good look at the people surrounding me. There are 24 of us. 23 if I'm not counting myself. There are 15 males and 9 females of all ages. The youngest one is a little girl next to the girl who looks like she's perpetually annoyed.

"Does it look like Earth to you!?" I overhear from the crowd as a 50-year-old man points towards the second, rather questionable sun. I can see spit flying out of his mouth and veins popping up on his forehead. "We can't just bloody sit here and wait for the police." When he starts shouting, no one tries to calm him down, and it even appears that some of them agree with him. "We should look around first, maybe climb on some trees or something."

I can't help but roll my eyes as I stop listening to him.

We're surrounded by trees in all directions. They look ordinary. Like the trees you'd find on Earth...

I stop my thoughts.

Earth.

I think about it.

Did I already determine that we aren't on Earth anymore?

It appears so.

After pondering for a bit longer, I come up with a few options, each more ludicrous than the last:

First, someone kidnapped us. Put us to sleep, perhaps with the help of some gas sedative filling up the bus. Afterward, they waited until morning and then let us wake up in the middle of the forest while somehow faking the second sun.

I find this option highly improbable as I don't remember falling asleep. Sure, I was sleepy but I didn't fall asleep. The only thing I recall is a flash, us falling down together with the bus, and then just being here. There are no empty spots in my memory, and I don't feel as if anything is missing.

Second, I am dead. The flash I saw is either us crashing into something, maybe an explosion. Perhaps I got shot through the window. It would mean that this is some weird kind of afterlife.

I also find this option improbable, not to mention utterly depressing.

Third, I fell asleep, and this is a dream.

I pinch my forearm with my nails as hard as I can until blood starts flowing out of the wound I created. The pain feels way too real, and I'm now mildly annoyed at myself.

Fourth, some kind of convoluted prank.

I think about it for a minute and, after I can't come up with a way they would pull it off or why they would even bother, I nearly dismiss it. It still lingers, though, because honestly, who knows what people are capable of these days? I once again look towards the passengers. They're still "discussing." I slowly glance over every one of them, but no one looks high profile, important enough, or rich enough for such a waste of resources.

I don't completely scratch out this option, but it's also highly improbable.

Fifth, we really are on another planet.

The main reason is this bloody orange thing in the sky.

The probably-sun.

I just can't find anything fake about it. Not a single thing.

Of course, you would expect higher temperatures, but with the first sun looking slightly smaller and the second one looking weaker, it might balance out. I don't know to be honest. My knowledge about this kind of stuff is pretty much just the basics.

I sigh.

Then I hear one of the schoolgirls screaming and pointing towards the forest.

I follow the direction she is pointing towards and notice a wolf standing on the edge of the forest.

Well...

The beast's brown fur is matted with dried blood. Missing an ear and bearing a gruesome scar on its snout.

It fixes its unnerving gaze on the terrified girl, eyes glowing with an eerie light.

This massive creature is tall enough for its eyes to be at the same height as mine.

It growls and takes a menacing step towards us. A huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange text hovering above its head.

[Wolf - lvl 2]

Yeah, nope. I am out.

Thank you and fuck you, whoever is responsible for this monstrosity.

I am already on my way back inside the bus even before the wolf takes the first step.

"Appraise," I say.

Nothing.

"Shut the fuck up with your mumbling!" one of the men yells at me.

"Shut the..." I start, but then I realize that a few people are watching me like I've gone crazy.

For a second I look around. Some of the passengers already have some kind of "weapon" in their hands, like a glass bottle, a piece of glass from the window, a purse, a messenger bag, or another piece of iron pipe from the bus.

The wolf is already two meters away from us. We can hear it sniffing and I can see drool dropping from its massive maw.

I go back to my thing, ignoring the other passengers.

"Skill window," I say.

Nothing.

"Skill," I say.

Nothing.

"Skills," I say.

Nothing.

"Status window," I say.

Nothing.

I hear screams and see a wolf's massive head behind one of the unbroken windows. Everyone is trying to get as far away as they can, shaking, screaming, and crying while waving their makeshift weapons and trying to look as dangerous as they can.

"Status," I say.

Before I have a chance to say another word, a golden see-through window pops up in front of my face.

[Name: Nathaniel Gwyn]

Difficulty:Hell

Floor: 1

Time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 36m 12s

Lvl 0

Strength: 6

Dexterity: 7

Constitution: 3

Mana: 1

[Primary Class: Unavailable]

[Sub-class: Unavailable]

Skills:

Focus - lvl 1

Mana manipulation - lvl 1

[Skill Points: 0]

[Stat Points: 0]

It's interesting, but useless at the moment.

The window disappears when it decides to do so and then the window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass and trying to bite an older woman nearby. Fortunately, it only bites off part of her sweater and the fabric tears as the wolf tries to pull her outside. The woman falls down while screaming.