The screen before her took the shape of a rectangular box, resembling a web browser. The top bar was lined with the main menu items – Base Stats, Attributes, Skills and Spells, Inventory, Map, Data Bank, and Guide. She quickly flipped through the contents of the tab to get an idea of what each contained.

  She could hear the glass creek, sounding like it was ready to shatter at any minute. It was a miracle that the glass held up for so long.

  ‘All the numbers are well and good. But how the hell do I fight?’ Uruvi had some experience in self-defense. A year ago, her company, or rather their marketing head, had arranged for self-defense classes for all the women in the marketing team. As it happened, she was a part of the marketing team. Although reluctant at first, she ended up having a good time learning to defend herself. But those classes taught her only the basics and focused mainly on defense.

  She tapped on the Guide tab and was greeted by a cute robot face with two horns. Beneath it was written – ‘How can I help you?’ There was no bar to type in a question. ‘I guess I ask.’

  “How do I fight?” she asked out loud.

  A tiny arm appeared before the robot’s face, making a tick as its eyes rolled to the top. The words beneath it changed to – ‘Thinking’.

  As the face returned to normal, it began to speak in a very monotonous and robotic tone. “You currently have no skills equipped, nor any available. However, you have experience in beginner-level self-defense. All contestants are also given basic combat skills by default. Use a weapon of your choice to fight your way through the enemies.”

  “Are you kidding me?” she whispered under her breath. “How do I acquire skills?” she asked.

  “You can acquire skills by leveling up and earning skill points.”

  “Great… so I am left to figure this out on my own… what weapon do I pick?” she asked.

  “Any object can act as a weapon. Its attack power may vary depending on what it is.”

  She looked up and saw a broom sitting in front of her. She quickly reached out and grabbed it. “Can this be a weapon?”

  The screen switched to Inventory, and her equipped weapon now read – Broom [Blunt Weapon] (+6 Attack). Things began to click into place in her mind.

  She looked around the closet, which was filled with janitor’s equipment. Her eyes were drawn towards a metal pole mop. ‘Steel is better than wood, right?’ She dropped the broom and grabbed onto it, and the weapon slot changed to – Mop [Blunt Weapon] (+5 Attack).

  ‘What the hell? How did the attack drop?’ She shook the pole and it bent easily. ‘I guess it is flimsy.’

  She switched back to the broom and took a deep breath. “No way out. Must fight… Let’s do this…” she told herself and pushed the door open. White light flooded the tiny space as she crawled out of it, before standing up.

  She looked past the cabins and saw the monster banging its head against the glass door like a maniac. ‘Man, you are really weak!’

  Her eyes shifted to her screen, which she switched to guide. “Hey robot… what is that?” she asked.

  “Name – Pisacha. A meat-devouring creature that grows in strength with the amount of meat consumed. It deals physical damage. It has no specific weakness.”

  “Meat devouring? Sheesh!” Uruvi said. ‘But it looks sluggish… and weak… maybe it hasn’t eaten anyone yet.’

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  The entire glass divider shook violently. She could see small cracks on the edges, where it met the metal frame. ‘Time is short. Must work fast.’ She turned her attention towards the cubicles, scouring through them for anything that could replace her broom. Most of them were filled with laptops and stationery items. She began picking them up one by one and found none of them to even register as weapons.

  She let out a grunt, frustrated at the lack of choices. She looked at the broom and said, “guess it is just you and me.”

  Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of a black jacket sitting on one of the chairs. She quickly picked it up and wore it. Her Armor changed to - Plain T-Shirt and Jeans (+10 Defense), Black Bike Jacket (+5 Defense). It wasn’t much, but it was still progress. She wondered if she could just stack as many clothes as she could to stack defense.

  She turned towards the door where the monster appeared to be wailing. She held the broom with both her hands, its head facing towards the ceiling. Shivers crawled up her skin, making her jitter. She took a moment to slow her breathing before taking a step towards the door.

  The monster seemed to have noticed her as it returned to attacking the door, trying to tear it down, but to no avail.

  A giant number ‘1’ appeared on the monster, with a red bar beneath it.

  “I guess that is the monster’s level and health bar?” she said out loud. The robot did not react. “Robot?”

  “Yes. Every enemy is marked by their level and health bar. Additional bars, such as a stamina bar, may appear when applicable,” said the voice.

  ‘Right. Mission seems straightforward. Get that thing down to zero.’

  The desks she had stacked in front of it seemed to have done their job well. But now they stood in her way. She reached out to the first and moved it out of the way. The door jerked open, creating a small gap that the monster used to poke its hand.

  A sly grin appeared on her face. She put both her hands on the remaining two desks and, mustering all her strength, she pushed the desks back against the door. The door slammed shut, slicing off the monster’s hand, which fell to the floor as the monster staggered back, wailing. She saw the opening she needed.

  She quickly pulled the desks out of her way before reaching out to the door and opening it. Thrusting the broom forward, she charged at the monster, letting out an angry roar. The head slammed into the belly of the monster, knocking it down onto the floor. She climbed on it and brought the broom head down onto the monster. She repeatedly smacked the monster in the head with the broom, letting out a cry with each hit. Her eyes shifted to its health bar that was slowly depleting.

  ‘It is working! It is working!’

  Suddenly, the bar glowed red, taking her attention away from the monster. The monster swung its intact arm wildly, nearly knocking the broom out of her hands. She quickly staggered back, letting the monster back on its feet.

  “Fuck!” she cursed out loud. ‘That thing is more of a distraction!’

  The monster let out a cry before charging at her once again. It swung its arm around, trying to scratch her. Uruvi tried to block the attack with her broom, but instead found it safer to just jump back. She found herself being pushed back, past the door. ‘No… can’t let myself get cornered…’

  She rotated the pole, bringing the bottom end of the broom up, smacking the monster’s face with it. She followed it up by thrusting it forward, hitting it right in the mouth. The monster staggered back, but its teeth quickly latched onto the broom’s end as its tongue began to wrap around it.

  Uruvi tightened her grip and swung the pole to her left, using herself as the pivot. The creature stumbled forward before smashing into the glass divider, which finally gave up. A loud crash filled the silent floor as shards of glass rained down over them.

  Neither of them let the broom go, instead playing a tug of war with it. “Come on! Let go of it, you bastard!” The monster's grip proved to be too strong as the broom refused to budge.

  “Fine! Take it!” she shouted and thrust the broom forward. She put her entire body weight behind it, running the monster back until it smashed into the wall next to the elevator. The head of the monster cracked open, and a split appeared over its mouth.

  The grip on the broom finally loosened, letting her pull it back. She spun the broom around, smashing its head with the broom’s head. The monster fell onto the floor, wailing.

  A flurry of hits rained down on it until the last portion of the health bar disappeared, and the monster finally stopped moving.

  She watched it with bated breath, praying it would not move. The creature began to slowly turn into dust. Her eyes shifted to her screen, upon which her empty experience bar began to fill up. It reached about ten percent before the bar stopped moving.

  Uruvi let out a loud cry. For the first time in a very long time, she felt alive. She was breathless, her muscles ached, her heart was restless, but she felt amazing. She paused, letting herself take the moment in before exhaling. “Oh yeah. This is the therapy I needed.”