The Dreamer's POV

<Day 5 of the Tutorial>

[12:03 AM, Thursday 4th of May, 2024]

~SQUELCH~

The unoccupied hand of the terrifying Demon reached for Lisa's mouth and instantly tore out her tongue with its sharp claws.

"Guuuuaaarrrghhhh!!!" Her voice escaped in a massive scream, her eyes widening as she watched the Demon devour her tongue with a grin of satisfaction on its face.

[SYSTEM WARNING]

<Your Life Force Has Dropped Below 5 Percent.>

{You will soon die…}

'N-no! Not like this. I can't die like this...' Lisa watched the monster lick it's lips.

'Somebody... anybody... S-save me! Please! Save m-m-mee... p-plea—!"

~CRUNCH!~

This time, the creature decapitated her, severing her head from the rest of her shaking body.

At that moment, Lisa's sensations ran wild, but it only briefly lasted. In no time at all, her body expired, spurting out blood from her unoccupied neck.

'A-aahh...'

Perhaps it was due to her <Authority>, but Lisa's mind seemed to drag on despite her well-concluded death.

The image of a certain young man flashed in her mind.

'M-Mikey...'

She couldn't hear anything or anyone. Not even the 'Guiding Thought' that had always helped her.

It was just perpetual darkness, and yet the only person that appeared in her mind at that moment was the innocent person she had doomed to die.

'S-sorry...' Her thoughts echoed in the void as her mind faded into oblivion.

'I'm so sorry...'

At that moment, Lisa officially died.

******

"Urgh... you're too noisy..."

Jake was a very deep sleeper. He needed a lot of nudges to wake up every day, and if he didn't get them, he could sleep till afternoon without feeling any different.

Needless to say, waking up at midnight, even with bloodcurdling screams piercing the air, was too much to ask of him.

Even as multiple Demons feasted on Lisa's body on the same bed where he slept, he only stirred and muttered unintelligible words.

Even as the screams of his other comrades, the girls in his Harem, lunged forth, he could hardly hear anything.

That is, until...

"H-huh...? What's going on?" He muttered, rubbing his crotch while groaning.

He felt an odd sensation in his nether regions.

"Who's touching me there?"

He was extremely sensitive in that location, so there was no way he wouldn't notice.

"Hmmm?" He opened his eyes slowly, slurring slowly as he looked with interest.

However, at that moment... it was too late for him.

~CRUNCH~

In that window, something was severed from his body.

It was called many things by many people.

Some called it a 'Holy Blade', some called it a mere 'Stick', a couple called it a 'Machine Gun'. There were several more iconic names, but Jake couldn't of any of them right now.

The shocking sensation and horrific sight of watching it get torn off from him sent him into a loud frenzy.

"MYYYYYY DIIIIIIIICCCCCCKKKKKK!!!"

Tears of pain burst from his eyes, and his body throbbed in inexplicable pain.

"Haaa.... Arrhhhhhh....Kurghhhhhh!!!" Drool filled his mouth and mucus flowed from his nose.

However, it wasn't until his body acclimated a little from the pain that he was able to completely make sense of the situation.

"A-ahh... ahhh...?!"

The piercing gazes of the Demons all around the room gathered on him.

"A...ahhh....?"

To his left was a bloody mess of what was meant to be Lisa.

He could see a piece of her eyeball beside him, as well as the pool of blood that had already stained him beyond redemption.

"A-ahh... g-girls...?" His whisper wounded more like a pathetic croak as he watched the Demons close in on him

"Girls... help me!"

He couldn't have known at that time, but the girls he was begging for were already being devoured by the Demons.

Their screams had been ignored by his blissful sleep, and even the ruckus created by their <Authority> didn't even wake him up.

"G-GIRLS!!!" At this point, his bellow peaked across the room, and his tone was a mesh of desperation and entitlement.

Why weren't they coming? They should have all gathered by now to save him!

He was the Hero!

The protagonist!

The Harem master!

The one who would triumph this Tutorial with the highest score and lowest danger.

He was the one who would rise to become the chosen one and lead this world in the dark times to come.

"GIRLS SAVE ME! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL?!!!"

Perhaps he had forgotten what he told them. The lingering voice of the last surviving girl in the room whispered it loud enough for Jake to hear.

".... You said... you would... protect... us..."

The echo of despair field the room, sounding as hollow as one could imagine, before the vocal cords of the girl in question was crushed, and the Demons continued to feast on her.

"Haa... haa....?!"

This wasn't right. It didn't feel right to Jake.

"Why me? Not me! I'm the Hero! I'm the protagonist! I'm the—!!!"

~SQUELCH!~

~CRUNCH~

~SLURP!~

[SYSTEM WARNING]

<Your Life Force Has Dropped Below 5 Percent.>

{You will soon die…}

'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!' His hollow thoughts echoed, desperation burned into his terrified face.

"ARRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH—" Jake's annoying screech was silenced by a Demon that twisted his neck, sending his weak body to instant death.

In the end, he couldn't do anything without the girls. The reality of the situation was simple.

Jake wasn't special.

Without capable people around him, he was worthless.

It was unfortunate that the imbecile never learned such an important lesson while he was still alive.

And now, even in death... he still couldn't fact the reality.

'W-why... m-me...?'

And so, Jake died a pitiful, painful death as well.

All five friends perished in that room, a fate they deserved more than most who suffered the same fate all over the world thanks to the Tutorial.

Alas, the Demons had a wonderful feast that early morning.

It wasn't every day they got easy access to free food.

~CRUNCH!~

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading!

Tragedy strikes... and in a sweet way.