"Hmm?"

After exiting the classroom, leaving the unconscious students behind, Sheila decided to probe more around her school as she didn't want to let her enemies go, if any still around the school premise. It never hurts to be on the safe side, with that mind, Sheila keep her disguise on and move only within the shadow.

During her search for any hidden enemies, she overhears a commotion in the hallway with her sharp hearing while she was distance away from the location. While thinking her cautiousness paid off, she immediately head to the scene. However, she soon realized her thinking was wrong when she saw a familiar face at the center of the scene.

***

Luke POV

"...what?"

Looking at the spacious land around me, I'm amazed. At one moment, I was in the school hallways, but then I suddenly find myself here after answering yes to the monotone voice in my head. It was instantaneously, I had no time to react before then.

"Ouch!" I immediately groan when I feel pain from the pinch I just did to myself.

I just saw my friend's death, making a deal with devil, then find myself in unknown land. I would have been crazy if I didn't question the absurdity of the situation. It would make sense if it was all a dream, but the pain I felt throw me off the grip. Hell, it still hurt.

Now that I believe the situation is as real as it can gets, I starts to look around in wariness. If what the devil said to be right, there should be monster out here.

First of all, I don't have anything on me that could potentially use as a weapon. But I do have a few things in my pocket, smartphone being one of them. What do I do with it? Throw it at them? Sorry, my phone's brand isn't the brick one, NAKIO. If I did that, it would be my heart that get smashed into oblivion.

Wallet is a must, after all, I was on my way to cafeteria before the whole things occured. But it is useless right now. If what I believe to be right, I don't think monster would want to steal money from me, they aren't bandit. So that left me with a pen.

I tried imagining myself using the pen to pierce a goblin's head, but all I could see at the end is me getting beaten to death. There's no chance of me winning at all.

So yeah, nope. I don't need to think further to realized I'm completely helpless if a monster appeared right in front of me right now.

I need to retreat for now, I'll return once I find myself a weapon or something.

"...but how do I leave?"

Just as the words escaped from my mouth, the same monotone voice that I heard previously suddenly spoken in my head, shocking me the second times.

[Do you wish to leave the Trial Tower? Yes/No]

I immediately answered it without a second thought, and then I found myself back in the hallways. I breathe a sigh of relief when I didn't see anyone around or I wouldn't know how to answer them. From now on, I should only enter and leave the place when no one's around, I walks back to my classroom with that thought in mind.

I don't have any appetite to eat anymore after what I had just experienced. The classroom should be empty since it's lunch time still, it should be a good place for me to calm my mind from all the mess. But before I could get far, a thought crossed my mind as I immediately turn and run back to where I came from.

When I got back to the same place, I starts to look around, yet nothing was found. It was the corpse of my friends, it's missing, not even a drop of blood remained on the floor. I was sure that it was there when I was saved by the devil, but now it's gone.

Did someone passed through here and picked up the bodies away from the eyes of the students as to not scare them or something? If that's the case, there should be a blood trail at the very least, but there's no such indication of that happening anywhere.

I should have look after them, but I was distracted by the allure the devil shown me. Now I can't even told their parent that their kids is dead since I have no evidence. I would just became a suspect for their kidnapping if I tell the truth to them. I'm such a 'good' friend, aren't I?

With a depressing thought in my head, I didn't notice that a small group made up three students were coming closer right behind me with a grin on their face. When I noticed their presence a few meters away, it's already too late.

"Yo, what are you doing here? Where is your other idiotic friends that's always with you?" Said one of the students with provoking look on his face. The student to his left couldn't help but snickers at his words.

"They must have left him since he's so lame." Answered the other students to the right before the three of them laugh out loud at their own joke.

"Well, they are still stupid even without you. Hahaha!"

With just those words alone, one can tell what kind of person these three really are. For some unknown reasons, these three always likes to pick on me and my friends. None of us knows each other before high school.

If it was before, I would just ignore them and move on. These type of people aren't worth wasting time for. But today, today of all days, they decided to insulted me and my friends that isn't in this world anymore. If it was me alone, I wouldn't care nor bother with them, but they dare to say that to my friends! My only friends!

"Huh? What are you staring at?"

"Whoa, would you look at him? He's about to cry. Man, you really need to hold back your stinky mouth. After all, we don't want him telling his mama and papa. Hahaha!"

"You bastard!" With angry shouted, I recklessly charge at them before throwing a straight punch at their leader of the group, sending him flying into a distance. While they were surprised at my sudden and unexpected movement, I took the chance and send a powerful kick to the lackey on the left, right into his stomach. When I saw an incoming punch to my right from the last standing lackey, I crouch down and slip him with a kick before jumping on him, and starts throwing punch after punch to his face. All of that happened within few seconds!

Or at least that's what I imagined it to be, but in reality...

"Hah, take this!"

"Taste my heavenly kick!"

"Super inferno Punch!"

I couldn't even swing my fist before I was hit on the face as I fell flat to the ground. I have never been into a fight in my entire life, and neither am I fit. It was given that I got thrashed the moment they realized I was going to attack them.

"Hah, look at this guy. He dares to stare back despite being this weak."

"I know right? Hup!"

"Know your effing place, trash!"

This was the second time that I desperately long for strength. If I have the strength to back me up, it wouldn't be me on the floor but them. I wouldn't suffer at that time, and neither will I be in the future. It was then that I remembered the devil once said, the card in my pocket is the key for it, does that mean I could get stronger by defeating the monster in the Trial Tower like in the game I played? If that's the case...

With a goal sets in my mind, I continues glaring at the three while they keep on thrashing me as they pleased. Just you wait, soon, it would your turn. And trust me, it would be ugly, much more than what I experience right now. Everything, I'll return back triple the pain I suffered.

"Stop!"

Just as I thought they were going to continue until I pass out, I heard a voice filled with concern and anger in the distance. While thinking who was the idiot wannabe hero, I slowly peek from the cover of my hand and were surprised at the finding.

It was a familiar face, it's none other than my classroom's monitor, Syahira.