MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist

Heat stroke?

Roz pondered, though they were inside the mall where the AC was in full blast.

Something didn't add up.

Roz's attention was momentarily diverted, but then he heard screams pierce through the air. When he turned to look, he was horrified to see the woman biting off the neck of the staff member who had checked if she was alright.

His heart pounded in his chest as he observed the grotesque transformation taking place before his eyes. The veins on her skin bulged, her eyes resembling those of a mosquito, and they grew in size each second, while her mouth elongated into a sharp, pointy needle.

"What the . . ." Roz's voice trailed off, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Lira's hand tightly. "We have to get out of here. Now."

Roz desperately pulled at Lira, urging her to move, but she remained rooted to her spot, her expression one of confusion and distress.

With growing alarm, Roz looked over at her and his eyes widened in shock.

Blood oozed from Lira's ears, and nose, staining her mask. She removed her sunglasses, revealing the horror beneath, her eyes shedding blood as well.

"R-Roz . . . what's going on with me?" Lira's voice trembled with fear and confusion.

Roz was frozen in shock, unable to move or think coherently in the face of the terrifying transformation before him.

"I think . . . I think something is wrong with me . . ." Lira's words were interrupted by a violent bout of vomiting blood and thick, green saliva.

She gasped in agony as one of her eyes popped out and bulged unnaturally. "R-Roz . . . you should run . . . I can't . . . something is in my head . . . buzzing."

Lira screamed in anguish, and Roz stumbled backward, falling to the ground in shock as he witnessed the grotesque changes overtaking her. Her eyes transformed into something resembling those of a fly, but larger, much larger than her head. Her lips elongated and turned pointed, like that of a mosquito.

"L-Lira . . ." Roz's voice trailed off, rendered stupefied by the horrifying sight before him.

He snapped back to his senses when Lira roared at him to run for the last time.

Roz scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding in terror as he ran for his life.

He had only gone a short distance when something lunged at him from behind, stabbing him in the head with a sickening crunched.

=======

"Hey Nikolai! Come down here and have dinner with me!" Sumeri hollered upstairs, but there was no response.

Sumeri shrugged, deciding to leave it be, and began preparing all the takeout food on the table.

After a few minutes, she noticed that Nikolai still hadn't come down from upstairs.

"Nikolai, come down here!" Sumeri yelled again, growing increasingly frustrated.

With each passing moment of silence, Sumeri's patience wore thin. "Are you playing that game without me again?" she muttered, annoyance evident in her tone, as she stomped her way upstairs to his room.

Sumeri swung open the door, ready to scold her brother for ignoring her calls, but her words caught in her throat when she saw the scene before her.

Blood splattered across the floor, mingling with thick greenish liquid, painting a gruesome picture.

"What on earth, Nikolai?!" Sumeri's voice quivered with a mixture of shock and concern as she stepped cautiously into the room, searching frantically for her brother.

Panic began to wash over her when she couldn't find him even in his pod.

"Nikolai?!" Sumeri's voice rose in desperation as she dashed out of the room, her heart pounding with fear.

But her frantic escape was abruptly halted when she noticed something on the ceiling, just above the door frame.

Her eyes widened in horror as she took in the sight of a strange, alien-like creature. It had big, fly-like eyes and a mosquito-like mouth, perched on the ceiling like a spider, its gaze fixed on her.

The bizarre sight sent shivers down Sumeri's spine, but what truly chilled her to the bone was the fact that the creature was wearing Nikolai's clothes.

"What the fuck–!"

Sumeri's voice trailed off into a gasp of horror as the creature suddenly lunged at her, its needle-like mouth piercing her heart in a swift, deadly strike.

=======

Ragnar was engrossed in his paperwork on his laptop inside his car, completely unaware that the vehicle hadn't moved an inch.

Focused on his work, he didn't even notice the stagnant traffic until it was brought to his attention.

"Is there an accident?" Ragnar finally asked, removing his glasses and rubbing his temples in frustration.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it seems that the traffic isn't going to ease anytime soon," the driver replied from the front seat.

"Are there any alternate routes?" Ragnar inquired, hoping for a way out of the gridlock.

"All routes are congested right now," the driver explained, gesturing toward the GPS display on the screen.

Ragnar sighed heavily and leaned back against the seat, resigning himself to the fact that he was stuck in yet another long traffic jam.

With a sense of disappointment, he decided to pass the time by working, hoping to make progress and free up more time for gaming tomorrow.

Returning his focus to his laptop, Ragnar delved back into his work, determined to make the most of the situation.

However, his concentration was shattered by loud screams that pierced through the air, causing him to startle and look up in alarm.

"What's going on?" Ragnar questioned, his heart racing as he observed a flood of people rushing towards them in a frantic state of terror.

"I-I don't know, sir," the driver stammered, his voice shaking.

People stumbled over each other in their haste to escape, some even tripping over Ragnar's vehicle, but they paid no heed as they scrambled to their feet and fled.

"What are they running from?" Ragnar wondered aloud, his heart pounding in his chest with growing unease.

"S-sir," the driver's voice quivered as he pointed ahead.

Ragnar followed the driver's gaze and his blood ran cold at the sight. Amongst the terrified humans, there were strange, alien-like creatures, advancing relentlessly towards them.

Ragnar watched in horror as the creatures caught fleeing individuals and pierced them with their long, pointed mouths.

"What the hell!" Ragnar exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.

"S-sir, we need to leave!" the driver urged urgently, but Ragnar remained frozen in shock.

Without another word, the driver abandoned the car and fled for his life, leaving Ragnar alone in the vehicle.

The creatures closed in on Ragnar's car, smashing windows and seizing anyone unfortunate enough to be trapped inside, their grotesque mouths inflicting fatal wounds.

As the creatures reached his car, Ragnar realized he was trapped with no means of escape. It was too late to flee on foot.

Oddly, amidst the chaos and impending doom, Ragnar remained surprisingly calm. With trembling hands, he dialed a number on his phone.

"Sylvia . . ." he whispered as the creatures swarmed inside, their charred hands reaching for him through the shattered windows.

"Hello? Ragnar? What's that? What's that noise? Are you okay, Ragnar?!" Sylvia's voice came through the phone, laced with concern.

Ragnar pressed his lips tight, his mind racing as he struggled to find the right words.

"I . . ." he began, his voice barely above a whisper.

As he gasped for words he never anticipated uttering, a looming pointed needle pierced his chest, blood splattering across his phone.

Even as death claimed him, Ragnar remained silenced, his unspoken feelings echoing in the chilling stillness of the moment.