I despised losing. Dying in a simulation had always sucked, especially when it was due to a stupid error that could have been avoided. Not knowing whether this was real or not made my desire to survive all the more important—and serious.
I couldn’t fail, no matter what. I needed to know what was going on.
When I pulled apart some colorful fan-like fern leaves, I discovered a bright orange sun shining down on the lavender waves of the violet waters. The beach was covered in peach sands and white rocks on both sides. Thankfully, there were no other creatures in sight.
The nearby growl was too close for comfort, and it served as a reminder that I needed to get moving. Hopefully, by the time the cat-scorpion-spider caught up with me, I’d have found a way to defend myself.
I stumbled over the rough terrain as I got closer to the river, looking for a sharp rock or shell... My attempts to find a shallow spot in the water to cross were futile because there was no way for me to safely cross the cascading rapids over the jagged rocks. Even if there was a clearing, I couldn’t cross without fear of being attacked by another creature from below.
I dashed down the beach, following the river downstream as I frantically searched for a weapon—anything would do, it would be better than facing the creature with nothing but my bloody fists. My foot sunk into the uneven ground with every step I took, reminding me of how nonathletic I’d become since joining the team. If I made it through this tumultuous journey, I’d stop skipping gym sessions to play video games.
I pushed myself to go farther and faster, hoping that the cat-scorpion-spider would decide I wasn’t worth pursuing. As I tried to maintain my pace, my feet began to hurt and my breaths became short and shallow, turning my lungs into a pair of burning infernos.
A cascading thunderous sound grew louder as the waters turned into dangerous rapids with sharp pointy rocks jutting up from the river. I took a deep breath and slammed my feet down to a halt a few feet from the edge of the waterfall’s bank, looking up from my search for a weapon on the sandy beaches.
Bending over, I rested my arms on my knees, attempting to catch my breath and calm my racing heart while cursing myself for being so out of shape.
As the cat-spider-scorpion crawled through the brush and onto the peach-colored sands, rustling and a loud crash echoed throughout the clearing. The monstrous creature let out a deafening roar as it raised its head to the sky. Its red-glowing eyes locked on to mine and growled before charging toward me.
My eyes were drawn to a fallen limb near the jungle’s edge, one of its ends sharp and pointy, ideal for a makeshift spear. I lunged in its direction, grabbing it from the sand, and turned my back toward a sagging tree, pressing myself against it.
Growling in rage at my body’s failure, I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete another run through the jungle, not with how slow and clumsy I would be due to my tiredness. An adrenaline rush only lasted so long, and I’d been on it since the start of my final match, which seemed so long ago. My swings were already slow and sloppy, resembling that of a new player in a starting zone.
With my back to the tree, I drew the makeshift spear in front of me, pointing it at the monstrous creature, and let out the loudest growl I could muster. I’d always heard that if the prey appeared larger and more dangerous than it was, the predator would back away and leave the prey alone, believing it wasn’t worth the trouble.
I needed to become a hassle—a nuisance—something that wasn’t worth attacking or eating.
The cat-scorpion-spider hybrid ignored my display, as if it was calling my bluff, thinking I was easy prey.
I pushed my fears and doubts about why I had my cell phone and was wearing my team’s uniform to the side. Instead, I centered myself as if this were a true simulation and scanned the rampaging monster, looking for a weakness as it approached.
I could do this. I’d faced many creatures on my own, battered and under-equipped. It wasn’t any different this time. All I had to do was imagine myself solo-farming raid bosses as a challenge in my spare time.
My attention was drawn to the monster’s soft underbelly and how vulnerable it was without the protective plates that ran down its back.
If I were going to have a chance of defeating this creature, I needed to trick it in some way so that I could strike it.
As I prepared to face my fears, I pressed my back against the tree once more, feeling the rough texture of the bark through my team’s jersey sweatshirt.
The creature came to a halt, lifting its front legs as it leaned back, kicking peachy sand into the air, creating a cloud of dust that smacked into me. As it landed, its deafening roar rattled my bones and shook the even ground beneath my feet.
My eyes were burning from the dust, but I had to force myself not to wipe them. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I strained to remain vigilant, waiting for the monster’s next move.
I dodged away as the creature lunged its tail at me, barely in time to see the stinger stab the branch with a loud thunk, slicing off some strands of my long rainbow hair.
The tree shook as the creature struggled to free his tail from the thick bark. It let out a monstrous growl of frustration and crept closer, grappling the tree and trapping me with its front two pairs of legs.
As the creature roared, venom splattered onto my face, and I let out a screech. Dropping to the ground, I scrunched away from its fangs, using my momentum to thrust the makeshift spear into its underbelly.
The monster let out another roar as purple-colored blood sprayed out of its puncture and onto me. I kicked at its hind legs instinctively while rolling back and forth to avoid the others, throwing the monster off balance.
Growls of frustration echoed through its body as it attempted, but failed, to free its tail from the thick branch. Sharp cracks sliced through the air, accompanied by the sounds of the tree shaking.
The monster clung to the spear for dear life, its body sinking deeper into it as it struggled to stay upright. Its movements slowed as painful moans filled the air.
If it hadn’t been for the fact that the creature was attempting to kill me, I would have felt sorry for its predicament and attempted to save it.
Now that the monster was trapped and slowly bleeding out, I needed to get out of here before another creature noticed what had happened and decided to try for free food.
