Bab 35: EARLY STAGE OF BEING A MONSTER..

Axel's eyes held a cold and dispassionate gaze as he regarded the people before him as mere objects to be destroyed. His expression was set in a stony mask, and his movements were slow and deliberate, as if he was savoring the moment before the kill. His eyes burned like twin embers with an unquenchable rage, and as he stood up from the chair, the room seemed to grow darker, the shadows closing in around him. The only sound was the steady, rhythmic beating of his heart, like the drumbeat of death.

The red glow of his eyes was otherworldly, like the flickering flames of hell, and they seemed to pulse with a power that was almost tangible. They held a strange kind of magnetism, drawing the people in despite their fear. As they gazed into those eyes, they saw something that chilled them to the bone - a desire to destroy, a lust for violence and death. It was as if those eyes were a window into the darkest corners of the human soul.

Ave was the one sitting closest to Axel, and she was the first target of his destructive intentions. His teeth had turned into sharp, dangerous fangs, and as he let out a loud growl, fear sent shivers down the spines of the players. However, just as he jumps towards Ave to attack, with his sharp claws and fangs, he lost consciousness as he fell to the ground and transformed back into his human form.

The once noisy room soon turned quiet, the growling sound of death was over making the players to be curious as to what was happening around them. They all opened their eyes simultaneously and saw Axel lying on the floor in front of Ave. The scales on his skin, as well as the sharp claws and fangs, had disappeared. He was once again the Axel they recognized - a human Axel, not a monster.

"Axel!" Ave called with a trembling voice, tears rolling down her cheeks as she ran to him, placing his head in her lap and softly caressing his cheeks.

"Are you dumb? What if he wakes up and kills you?" Logan yelled, standing up in tension. Ave chose to ignore him, prompting Logan to mutter "Dumbass" before sitting back on the sofa.

"What will happen to Axel now? He killed the fourth pawn but he had to be turned into a monster as a reward," said Rosa, tears rolling down her cheeks as she fixed her gaze on both Axel and Ave, who was busy cuddling him close to her chest.

Ding!

(Axel now has both human and monster blood running in him. He'll have to fight the urge to kill by himself, as he's still in the early stages of being a monster. He could try to balance the urges of both a monster and a human, becoming aware of his actions.)

(But once he reaches the late stage, he'll become a full monster, unable to recognize even his closest friends and seeing everything as prey to be feasted on.)

"Darn it!" Florence cursed bitterly, gritting her teeth in anger. "Just when is this hell of a game going to end?"

"We've killed four pawns. Now we only have four more pawns to kill, two knights and rooks, and two queens and kings,"explained Rosa, with a serious expression. "We have to clear the game before facing the king, who is the game master of this world." She added, her speech directed to the players, but her gaze lost in space.

"How can we be sure that there won't be a round two of this game?" asked Florence, her tone serious, catching the attention of the other players, including Ave, who raised her gaze from Axel, now fixed on Florence. "I mean, there are a total of sixteen pawns in a chess game. What if there's a round two? What will we do then?" She added making her words sank deep into the hearts of the other players, as they all had a sad expression on their faces in an instant.

"That's true! What if this game never ends? Are we going to continue playing forever?" asked Rosa, a tear escaping from her eyes. She wiped it away and sniffed, "I'm sorry."

"We don't know yet. But we shouldn't give up. The living are the only ones who can see the end of this game. Once you're dead, it's game over for you," said Lionel, his words making the players shift their gazes to him. "So live!" he added, his voice strong and determined, while the other players nodded in agreement.

Ding!

The players soon shifted their gazes from Lionel to read the words on the system.

(You will be informed when the fifth game is about to start. Until then, have fun.)

"Have fun?" Logan said with a smirk "There's nothing fun about this game world. And we'll be told when the fifth game is going to start?" he asked, his expression bewildered and shocked, as if he had just processed that information from the system, his eyes wide and his body tense.

"That's true. How can we prepare when we don't even know the exact day the fifth game will start?" Rosa chimed in, gazing into space, waiting for the beep sound of the system, but the system had already disappeared.

"The system is insane, to be honest. Logan groaned in frustration. Let's relax for tonight and discuss more about it tomorrow," suggested Logan, his gaze directed at the players, who all nodded in agreement.

The players soon retired for the night, taking spots on the floor in the big living room as no one was in the mood for a room tour, and besides they prefer sleeping in the sitting room all together. Ave slept beside Axel after covering him with a blanket, while the others slept beside each other, each with a blanket over them.

In the middle of the night, Axel awoke with a thirst for blood and a desire to feast on the people around him. His eyes glowed red with anger and violence, and his sharp claws and fangs were ready to tear flesh. The players were unaware of the danger that lurked within their midst as they slept peacefully, unaware of the impending threat.

The words "Eat them" kept echoing in his head, as if someone else was in control of his body. Axel's gaze fell upon Ave, who was sleeping peacefully. He could hear the sound of blood in her heart, the rhythm of her heartbeat. The urge to kill them all grew stronger as he listened to the increasing heartbeats of everyone around him.