Never-ending River of Time

Right after the blue screen, which resembled a video game stats screen. A strange fluffy creature that looked a lot like an alpaca appeared in the air, floating right in front of the massive grandfather clock that towered over the rest of the mall.

“&*$)&$gvfbvrvbrkjrh” When the strange creature opened his mouth, lines of pure gibberish came out. It was supposed to be some form of language. Shisui instinctively knew that, but he still couldn’t understand what was happening.

[Translator check, one, two three. Can you hear me?]

A response of "Yes" came from the crowd gathering in the mall, afraid of what was happening and following directions to keep their sanity.

Most of them got even more anxious, recognizing what had transpired was magic. A few people were slightly relieved, now that they could make sense of and fulfill the peculiar creature's command. Most of them got even more nervous, understanding what had just happened as magic.

The creature opened its mouth and spoke into the air. The effect was like that of a booming microphone. Making the ground below them vibrate by simply how loud it was, most people from what he can see plugged their ears to avoid the brunt of the soundwaves.

[Oh, I think I should introduce myself. That was pretty rude of me not to. Hello, all participants of the scenarios my name is *&)$)&Hhtgh and I’ll be your storyteller for the early scenarios.]

Eventually, the volume was lowered to an acceptable level, giving the eardrums of many people relief.

A few teens began giggling behind him. They were laughing at the awkward readjustments made. He could vaguely recognize the voice of one of his classmates among them.

Turning his eyes to the source of the laughter, the alpaca teleported to the group behind Shisui. Lowering himself to eye level before speaking in a strict tone.

[I will be forced impose a penalty on you if you laugh, young participants. Do you really want to take the risk of such an action? Can you simply not wait until the channel goes on a break to let it out.]

A single girl laughed even louder, despite the warning.

“Do you want me to believe you? ‘Oh, you’re going to be living in a video game simulation now’. Really, a flying llama who wants to tell stories of all things. What is this? 2020 called, and it wants its tropes back." The girl said. She stopped laughing but was still smiling like an absolute maniac at the end of her little speech.

In a matter of mere seconds, her head exploded, with chunks of brain and skull shooting up into the air like a gruesome science fair volcano projectgone wrong, causing a piece of her brain to splatter all over his shirt.

What the absolute hell was this? Shisui thought. His powerlessness rendered him unable to do anything but watch. He didn't interfere, because he didn't want to end up like the girl who died.

Feelings of fear and disgust course through his body, making him feel like he's going to vomit.

The voices of the people around him blended together to form background noise. Despite his best efforts, he could not make any sense of anything in his mind. Images and words rushed together, attempting to create a single thought that could help him in this situation.

Immobilized, he was trapped in his own mind.

Not that it matters anyway. Even if he did have useful information about this strange Sci-Fi occurrence, it would not have been useful if he couldn't even act on such information.

Shisui’s still grateful that for the most part, he could disguise his panic pretty well and think rationally.

(He really needs to train his body’s flight, fight, and freeze response in the future. If this continued, it would certainly lead to his death. His time as a shinobitold him that much.)

Shisui can feel the girls blood and brain fluids soak into his shirt and absorb into his skin.

He wants to rip his shirt off, but he can’t move.

All he does is stare at the girl’s lifeless body before the third-floor food court becomes absolute anarchy.

He’s been in this situation before, he’ll be fine.

[Everybody understands then?] The alpaca goblin said before smiling. It was a cruel smile, turned up too high on one side and barely present on another.

The crowd continues to remain silent scared to disobey the literal god that had killed the girl.

[Good, then let the first scenario begin!]

The creature yells before a blue screen appears before Shisui.

In a way, the blue scenario screen reminds him of an assigned mission in an RPG game. While the thought makes him laugh, it won't help him survive whatever hell is coming.

(All he knows is that the girl will be far from the last to die from this.)

The world around him erupts in madness and chaos as everybody scrambles for the exit and the elevator. A man nearly pushes him off the floor, barely able to keep himself stable by grabbing onto the rails.

People are crowding around the stairway as well. He needs to get away if he wants to get a better grasp of what was happening right now. 

The crowd pushed and shoved him, desperate for a chance to escape this hell. He was barely able to breathe in the claustrophobic atmosphere.

He emerges on the other side of the food court, the crowd disperses allowing him to get some space to think.

“It isn’t working! The elevator isn’t working!” He can hear somebody scream from the front of the crowd, banging against the hexagonal shield that was put up to prevent them from escaping.

There's a hallway leading to the bathroom at the back of that restaurant. If I could get there. I should be able to hide safely until I get a better grasp of what's happening. Running to the hallway, Shisui thought. Not daring to hide in the bathroom itself for his fear of being cornered.

Running to the hallway between the main store and the food court, he decides to hide there for a little before tackling what’s happening around him.

He stares at the blue screen again, to make sure he’s seeing this correctly.

Which leads him to the first rule of business, the rules themselves.

What are the rules to this so-called scenario and how can he break them in such a way that it warrants his passing but doesn’t go against what’s left of his morals?

Conditions: So, from what he knows, he just has to kill a living being to get past this stage.

Shisui doesn’t know what coins are. However, since they are given out as a reward to the scenario he’s inclined to believe that they are in some way or shape valuable to the system that set up the scenarios.

Categories mean that there are other scenarios other than “main”. Whatever that means, it probably means mandatory if the current scenario has anything to do with it. Assuming difficulties function the same as the letter system in this world, F should represent easy or lowest difficulty.

Which is some pretty bad news because somebody is going to die soon. He's in a mall with no apparent source of living organisms. He's not naïve, and by definition humans are organisms, so somebody must die for somebody else to clear this scenario if they couldn't find any other organism.

He can feel a headache coming on from all the noise and distress around him.

All his screen time from before the scenarios aren't helping his headache

A quick glance at his phone told him it was 12:13, suggesting he had 17 minutes left to finish the scenario, assuming it had begun at 12:00 PM.

He had to move quickly, but carefully, in order to finish within the allotted time .

The screaming around him gets even louder. He can pinpoint its source in the middle of the crowd.

True to his expectations, a flowerpot is bashed into somebody’s head. The murderer is looking around in a fit of panic, trying to regain some level of control as people try to restrain him against his will.

The thick scent of blood filled his nose from the massacre happening on the first floor, the people downstairs have already realized what this scenario entailed.

The screaming got even louder than before, if that was even possible.

He should move. Moving among the chaos will make him less noticeable.

It’s a risk, but one that is necessary; somebody will have the same idea as him and come here as well. If that happens, he’ll be cornered, which is always a badthing- no matter the circumstances.

Mentally preparing himself, Shisui forces himself into the exposed central area of the ruined food court. In order to clear this scenario in any way possible.

I found Kama.

(Sauce: Tower of God)