Pay to win: Story of Surviving fiction

"Get up, you dumbass mage!"

The robust and commanding voice jolted Rio from the edges of unconsciousness. He cracked open one eye to see a blur of red and flames.

"I SAID WAKE UP, DUMBASS!" The shout was followed by a sharp pain in his abdomen, making Rio clutch his stomach as he gasped for air.

"Ow! What the hell?!" Rio shot up, checking frantically to ensure his organs were still intact. His gaze landed on a girl standing before him her fiery red hair cascading down like an inferno. She glared at him, her figure imposing, her presence radiating heat that made the air shimmer.

He blinked, disoriented. The aftermath of the battle came into focus: the ash where the troll once stood, the charred ground, the lingering stench of smoke. Before he could fully process it, she struck him again, sending him tumbling back to the ground.

"What did you do, mage?!" she demanded, her voice sharp and biting. "Are you part of the Aesir? A subordinate of Loki?"

"What are you talking about?" Rio wheezed, trying to shield himself. As he attempted to respond, realization struck him like a hammer: the woman was naked. Well, almost. Flames coiled around her chest and waist, forming a flickering, barely-there garment. His face turned beet red as he stammered.

"Oi, answer me!" she snapped, pointing a massive buster sword at his neck.

Before he could reply, she winced, clutching her head in visible pain. "Ugh! What the fuck?! It's like I can't even threaten you properly. What did you do to me?"

"I didn't do anything!" Rio shouted, raising his hands defensively. "I swear, I don't know what's happening! And where's that guy—the man in fire? Did he just leave after killing the troll?"

The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "It's me, you idiot!" she exclaimed, kicking him again for good measure. "I saw your hands glow before I transformed into... this!"

Rio's jaw dropped. "You're the man in fire?" He scrambled back, his mind racing. He barely remembered the name, but if she really was Surtr... wasn't Earth doomed?

[System update]

↓>F-rank (Surtr) ↓

>STR: 15 | > SEN: 18

>STA: 15 | > CHA: 50

>MGC: 25 | > WIS: 15

>INT: 12 | > LUK: 15

>Potential: SSS- rank

>Skills: Swordsmanship (F-rank), Flame manipulation (F-rank), Brawling (F-rank)

>Passive skills: Heat resistance, flame [↑resistance, heated body ↑]

"The universe is so doomed," Rio muttered, collapsing to his knees. He bowed deeply, trembling.

"Forgive me, oh great Surtr! Please don't destroy Earth! I beg of you!"

Surtr blinked at him, surprised, before scoffing. "I'm not going to do that... yet. But it seems I'm incapable of killing you. More like… I'm being manipulated to protect you and follow your orders to some extent. It's infuriating."

"What?" Rio's voice cracked as he raised his head, now eye-level with Surtr's flame-covered chest. Hesitantly, he reached out to confirm she was real.

"Don't—"

Before she could stop him, his hand came too close to her blazing chest. A searing heat made him scream, and he recoiled in pain.

"Idiot," Surtr sneered, lowering the hilt of her sword next to his head. "Try that again, and I'll burn your soul to ash. You'll beg for a quicker death."

Rio nodded furiously, clutching his burnt hand.

As Rio scrambled to his feet, panic hit him. He remembered his father. Patting his pockets, he realized his phone was missing. Desperation fueled him, and despite his worsening leg injury, he tried to run. He barely made it a few steps before collapsing.

"What are you doing?" Surtr asked, irritation lacing her tone.

"I need to find my dad!" Rio shouted, dragging himself forward on the ground.

Surtr crossed her arms. She had no reason to care, but her body refused to let him out of her sight. With a frustrated growl, she hoisted him off the ground with one hand, holding him like a kitten. "Fine. Tell me where to go."

The destruction left by the troll was worse than Rio could have imagined. Bodies were strewn across the streets, blood pooling in grotesque patterns. Buildings were reduced to rubble, and vehicles were smashed beyond recognition.

Rio couldn't hold back anymore. The sight and smell overwhelmed him, and he threw up. Surtr stood impassively, holding him steady while her sword rested on her shoulder.

"Pathetic. Are all humans this weak?" she muttered.

"Why does it feel like I've been shackled to an infant?" she muttered under her breath, her flames flickering erratically as if mirroring her frustration. Despite her scornful words, her grip on Rio was steady, almost protective.

As they moved through the debris, faint snickering began to echo around them. The sound grew louder, surrounding them on all sides.

"Goblins," Surtr said, her tone cold and serious.

Almost thirty of the green humanoids emerged, their grotesque faces sneering. They carried makeshift weapons rusted blades, brittle crossbows, splintered clubs.

Surtr set Rio down and readied her buster sword, her hand running along its edge to ignite it in flames. "Stay behind me, mage."

The goblins didn't hesitate. They charged, their high-pitched laughter grating against Rio's ears.

Surtr moved like a storm. Her sword cleaved through the first wave, her flames reducing their bodies to ash. But they kept coming, swarming her, their sheer numbers threatening to overwhelm even her immense power.

One goblin broke through, scuttling toward Rio with a rusted dagger in hand. Surtr, occupied with the mob, didn't notice.

Rio froze. His body refused to move, fear locking him in place.

The goblin was almost on him when he spotted a brick nearby. Driven by desperation, he grabbed it and swung with all his strength. The goblin crumpled, but Rio didn't stop. He bashed it again and again, its blood and brain matter splattering across his face.

Rio stared at the brick in his bloodied hands, his chest heaving. He wanted to vomit, but the crawling goblins around him left no room for weakness. His grip tightened. "I won't die here," he muttered, his voice shaking but firm.

By the time Surtr turned, the remaining goblins lay in smoldering heaps, and Rio was covered in gore, clutching the brick with shaking hands.

"You're a mess," Surtr said, but there was a glimmer of something akin to approval in her fiery eyes.

"That was... not completely useless," Surtr said, glancing at Rio as he wiped goblin blood off his face.

"Thanks, I think," Rio muttered, but there was a flicker of pride in his voice.

After resting briefly, Surtr carried Rio again, her wounds already healing from her passive flames. They reached Rio's house after nearly an hour of walking.

As soon as they arrived, Rio slipped from her grasp and limped inside. The sight froze him in place.

His house had been ransacked, blood smearing the floor, claw marks gouging the walls. Goblin footprints led toward his room.

"Dad…"

He pushed through the door, and his heart sank. Blood was everywhere. Slash marks and claw gouges covered the room. He collapsed, tears streaming down his face.

Surtr placed a hand on his shoulder, her flames subdued. "There's another trail leading to the kitchen."

The blood trail led to the kitchen, each step tightening the knot in Rio's stomach. He hesitated before pushing the door open, half-expecting to find his father's lifeless body. Instead, his eyes landed on a tray of food and a folded note, his father's familiar handwriting scrawled across it. His legs gave out, relief and dread tangling in his chest.

The note

"My son, you must be worried about me, but I'm fine... just a few bruises that all, I had worse don't worry. If you're reading this, eat the food I left you. Then, go to your grandma's house and ask for the 'contingency' I'll be waiting for you. Don't make your old man wait.

-Dad

"Grandma's house? What the hell is this 'contingency'?" Rio muttered.

Surtr raised an eyebrow. "Sounds important. Maybe you're not just some random weakling after all."

"Contingency..." Rio whispered, frowning. He vaguely remembered his father mentioning the word once during an argument with his grandmother, but the details were hazy. Surtr's eyes narrowed.

"This 'contingency' of yours... it reeks of preparation. Your father knows more than he lets on." Rio didn't dwell in it any further and opened the tray of food.

The tray of food revealed a small feast. Rio's father had even included a second plate.

Surtr stared at the spread, her eyes wide with something close to childlike wonder. "What is this?"

Rio handed her a plate, too numb to care about her flames. They sat and ate in silence, the destruction outside momentarily forgotten.

But as Rio chewed, the word "contingency" echoed in his mind, carrying with it a strange and foreboding weight.