This is a joke to you?

"Is this all just a game to them?" he muttered to himself, his voice trembling with anger. "Am I really just a toy for these so-called 'eternal entities'? Is my pain and fear just another spectacle for them to enjoy and mock?"

The system remained silent in response to Harley's angry outburst, as if it hadn't heard him or didn't care to respond. Harley clenched his jaw, a mixture of emotions - anger, helplessness, and defiance - coursing through him. "I won't be just a puppet for their amusement," he whispered through gritted teeth, his determination rising.

As Harley scanned the chat screen, one comment in particular caught his eye. A user named 'Rising in the Dawn' had mockingly referred to him as 'a dog' who didn't know how to behave in front of its owner. The remark stung, as if Harley's situation wasn't demeaning enough.

Harley felt his anger rise at the degrading comment. He clenched his fists, his emotions boiling over. "A dog, huh?" he muttered to himself, his voice a low growl. "Is that what they see me as? Just a compliant pet, following the commands of its master?"

Harley took a deep breath, trying to keep his anger in check. With a tone as cold as ice, he directed his words towards the chat audience. "I am no one's dog," he stated simply, his voice firm and resolute.

The chat fell silent for a moment as if everyone was taken aback by Harley's directness and the icy edge in his voice. Even the system seemed to pause, as if waiting for a response.

Despite Harley's firm assertion, one user, presumably 'Rising in the Dawn,' continued to speak condescendingly.

"A mere mortal trying to act up?" they wrote in the chat, a tone of mockery in their words. "How cute. A little puppy trying to bark at its owner."

Harley's frustration and anger reached a boiling point, the chat audience's continued mockery pushing him to the edge. "Do whatever you want!" he shouted aloud, his voice echoing in the car. "You can mock me, insult me, laugh at me all you want!"

He let out a low, angry breath, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "After all, I'm just a lowly mortal, right? A mere plaything in your 'grand scheme'. Go ahead, laugh at my pain. Go on."

Harley's voice grew fiercer as his anger and desperation took hold. "You all just sit there, don't you?" he sneered, addressing the chat users. "Enjoying the chaos, watching humans die without a care in the world. But I bet you've never experienced death yourselves, have you? I bet you've never known the fear of mortality."

"Well, let me tell you something," Harley continued, his words laced with defiance. "You might think you're untouchable, above us humans. But we all bleed the same. And death doesn't care how many eternities you've lived."

Harley's voice was firm and resolute, his anger fueling his determination. "So go ahead," he almost growled, "Keep mocking me. Keep laughing at my pain. But remember this - we humans are survivors. And when the dust settles, we'll still be here, standing tall. And you? You'll just be memories, lost to the ages."

Harley's gaze shifted to the user named 'Wise Old Man', whose comment stood out in the chat. The username seemed to exude an air of wisdom and experience, starkly contrasting with the mockery and insults from the other users.

Seeing this, Harley's heartrate slowed slightly, his anger slightly quelled at the sight of someone apparently on his side.

Harley read the comment from 'Wise Old Man', his eyes narrowing slightly in a mix of surprise and hope. "Young man is true indeed," the comment read. For a moment, Harley wasn't sure how to respond to the unexpected but appreciated support.

He hesitated, but then he replied, "Finally, someone with a bit of sense in this chat," his tone less harsh than before. "At least someone understands what this means for us humans, instead of just mocking our struggle."

Harley raised an eyebrow as he read the further comment from 'Wise Old Man' in the chat. "The young ones in the chat don't know how to behave," the user wrote, "unlike some of us who are experienced."

This added a new layer of understanding. So the one person in the chat who seemingly supported him was an older, more experienced individual. The realization made Harley feel slightly less alone in this strange ordeal.

Harley watched the chat as the mocking user spoke up again, this time taking aim at 'Wise Old Man'. Despite his relief at seeing support, Harley braced himself for another round of insults.

The user, still condescending, wrote, "Oh, here comes the old man to lecture us. What would a geriatric know about the world anyway?"

Harley felt his anger return, though now it was mixed with protectiveness of his unexpected advocate. He clenched his jaw, his annoyance at the continued mockery bubbling under the surface.

Harley's surprise was evident as he read the screen. The mocking user who had just been hurling insults was suddenly banned. It appeared that the system was swift in handling problematic chatters.

"So they could control chat behavior after all," Harley muttered, his tone just shy of being sarcastic.

The system's voice chimed in once again, its tone neutral and devoid of emotion. "Harley, I apologize for the previous comments and the disruption they caused."

Despite its mechanical voice, the system seemed to be taking responsibility for the disruption, which was a little surprising to Harley.

Harley's eyes widened as the system's interface appeared again, this time showing a series of stats, skills, and an inventory screen that looked like something straight out of a video game.

"What the-" Harley muttered, bewildered by the sight but also intrigued.

The system began to explain, its neutral voice continuing to drone on.

"The stats, skills, and inventory you see on the screen are a part of the system's interface for managing your survival and abilities," it explained. "You have access to these as part of the experiment."

"These stats will show your current physical and mental state, such as your health, stamina, and mental resilience," the system continued. "Skills are abilities you can develop and use to aid your survival, such as combat skills, crafting, or even survival-related knowledge."

"As to the inventory," the system continued, "it will list the items and resources you find and collect throughout the experiment. The items' use and function will primarily depend on your own creativity and the resources available to you."

end of chapter ten-

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