2025-10-09 17:41:49The blue glow faded from the rest chamber. Survivors blinked, squinting as the lantens twisted, reshaping into a massive black arena. The walls towered high, slick and seamless, impossible to climb. The air was heavy with the stench of ash and iron.
Then the voice came. Cold. Merciless.
[Quest Three: Trial of Pairs]
Stage One: Select a partner.
Stage Two: Battle another pair.
Victory Reward: 3,000 Points.
Bonus: Eliminating an opposing player grants 2000 Points.
Failure: Death.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Students exchanged wide, terrified glances. Murmurs broke into shouts.
“What the hell? Fight each other?”
“They want us to kill each other?!”
“No—I can’t—I can’t do this—”
But the system wasn’t interested in their protests. A countdown appeared in the air.
[Partner Selection: 3:00 minutes remaining.]
Chaos exploded.
—
Marcus immediately grabbed a trembling boy by the arm. “You. You’re with me.”
“No—please—I can’t fight—”
“Then you’ll die,” Marcus snapped, dragging him forward.
Lena’s gaze darted across the arena, then landed on Kyra. Without hesitation, she stepped closer. “You and me?”
Kyra smirked faintly, though her eyes were sharp. “Wouldn’t dream of anyone else.”
Oliver looked around frantically. “Wait—wait—someone, anyone—”
Ethan’s mind spun. Partner battles. One pair against another. A system designed to pit them directly against each other. It wasn’t random survival anymore—it was blood sport.
He clenched his jaw and scanned the panicking faces. If he picked wrong, he’d die.
“Ethan!”
He turned. It was Sophia Kane—the cheerleader, limping from her still-weak leg but standing firm, desperate eyes locked on him. “Please. Partner with me. I don’t want to die alone.”
His chest tightened. Sophia had mocked him in school, sneered at him. But here… she was just another terrified player, begging to live.
The timer ticked.
[0:15 seconds.]
Ethan grabbed her hand. “Fine. Stay close. Don’t do anything reckless.”
The screen flared.
[Pair Confirmed: Player 382 – Ethan Cole & Player 275 – Sophia Kane.]
Across the arena, other pairs locked in. Some by choice. Some by panic. Some by force.
[Pairing Complete.]
The floor split. Platforms rose from the black stone, pushing pairs into isolated cages of shimmering light. Ethan’s stomach dropped as he realized what was happening—these weren’t random battles. The system would choose who fought who.
The voice rang out again.
[Stage Two: Begin.]
The light around Marcus's cage and the trembling boy he held __connor dissolved
Their opponents were Oliver and a cheerleader __Agnes
“Marcus__man don't do this” Oliver begged
Marcus charged at him with his stone and they both fought
Marcus straddled Oliver and pointed the sharp edge of the stone to his throat
“I'm sorry man” Marcus said
Oliver begged but the stone hit him hard, he gurgled on his own blood
{Player 58 Oliver Grant, Eliminated]
[Marcus Hale and Connor Williams winners +3000 points]
Marcus smiled
He had
1600 points before, now 4600 and after killing Oliver he had +2000 points total
6600 points ,
He tuned to the cheerleader who was shaken and lying on the ground scared
“I would have killed you but you're a pretty little thing” he said
And tuned to Connor and jabbed the sharp edge in his neck
[Player Connor Williams eliminated, +2000 points to Marcus Hale]
***
—
The light around Ethan and Sophia’s cage dissolved.
And across from them—two figures stood waiting.
Lena. And Kyra.
Ethan’s gut clenched. Not them. Not Lena. She’d helped him. Kyra, too—she’d fought hard. They didn’t deserve this.
Sophia’s breath came in sharp gasps. “Oh my god. Oh my god. We’re dead. We’re dead.”
Ethan’s mind spun like wildfire. 3,000 points for a win. 2000 for a kill. Enough to catapult someone ahead. Enough to spark madness.
Lena’s jaw was set tight, eyes fixed on him. Kyra twirled a scavenged blade she’d strapped to her hip, her expression unreadable.
The system’s chime cracked the silence.
[Fight.]
—
They lunged at the same time.
Kyra was a predator—fast, sharp, relentless. She came at Ethan with a knife slash that whistled past his ribs, forcing him to stumble back. Sophia screamed and swung a broken pole wildly, barely fending off Lena’s strike.
The clash rang through the arena—steel against stone, screams against silence.
Ethan’s heart thundered. He parried Kyra’s strike with a jagged rock, sparks flying, arms trembling from the impact. She was strong, faster than him. If she landed a clean hit, he was done.
“Think, Ethan,” he hissed to himself.
He ducked, narrowly avoiding a blade to the throat, and rammed his shoulder into Kyra’s stomach. She stumbled but didn’t fall, snarling as she slashed again. The blade nicked his arm, hot blood trickling down.
Sophia shrieked as Lena knocked her pole aside, slamming her fist into Sophia’s jaw. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she crashed to the floor, coughing.
“No!” Ethan’s cry tore out of him.
He shoved Kyra back and scrambled to cover Sophia. “Get up!” he shouted, yanking her to her feet.
Lena hesitated—just for a second, her expression torn. “Ethan—don’t make me—”
The hesitation was all Kyra needed. “Don’t hold back!” she barked, slamming her blade into Ethan’s side.
Pain exploded through him. He screamed, dropping to one knee.
Sophia wailed, swinging her pole blindly. It cracked across Kyra’s face, drawing blood.
The arena was chaos—grunts, shrieks, the splatter of blood against stone.
—
And then Lena’s voice cut through, raw and breaking.
“STOP! Damn it, stop!”
Everyone froze for a heartbeat.
Her chest heaved, eyes wet. “This isn’t survival—it’s slaughter! Don’t you see what they’re making us into?!”
The system didn’t care.
[Warning: Hesitation in combat will result in forced elimination.]
A glowing red target appeared over Lena’s head.
Her face broke in despair. She barely had time to whisper, “I’m sorry.”
The arrow came from nowhere, striking her through the chest.
Her body crumpled, dissolving to ash.
[Player 150 Eliminated.]
Kyra screamed—raw, guttural, animal. She dropped to her knees where Lena had fallen, fists slamming the stone until they bled.
Ethan staggered, blood soaking his shirt, staring in horror. His chest felt like it was splitting in two. Lena—gone. Just like that.
Sophia sobbed behind him, clutching his arm.
The system chimed coldly:
[Pair Eliminated. Victory: Ethan Cole & Sophia Kane.]
[Points Earned: +3,000.]
Ethan’s vision swam. The world tilted. He wanted to vomit. Victory? This was victory?
Kyra rose slowly, her eyes burning through him. “You’ll pay for this,” she whispered, her voice a blade itself.
And then the light swallowed her, dragging her away to the next arena.
—
The survivors were herded back into the center arena, broken, bleeding, hollow-eyed. Bodies missing. Voices silenced forever.
The system voice boomed once more:
[Congratulations. Beginner Levelpart one Cleared.]
[Players Remaining: 92.]
[Prepare for part 2]
Ethan’s hands trembled.
His points counter blinked—5,500. More than most. Enough to buy food, water, healing. Enough to keep him alive.
But none of it mattered.
Not with Lena’s last broken look burned into his skull.
****
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Chapter Ten: The blood forest
The players heard the voice [Intermediate Level – Quest One Initiated.]Objective: Survive the Blood Forest for six hours.Conditions: The forest itself is alive. The predators inside are endless.Special Note: Skills must be tested. Only those who adapt advance.The chamber door shuddered open, spilling red light into the bunk room. A hot, metallic smell rolled through—like iron left too long in the sun. Marcus stretched with a cocky smirk“Finally. A proper hunt.”No one answered. Their silence was the silence of the broken—thirty faces, hollow-eyed, all thinking the same thing: not again.They stepped through, one by one.The Blood Forest towered above them, its trees black and slick, as if grown from dried gore. The leaves weren’t leaves at all but jagged crimson shards that rustled with an awful whisper. The ground squelched when stepped on, soft like mud.Claire gagged. “This place is—”“disgusting?” Naomi said, finishing for her. Her voice was calm, steady, but her gaze swept
Chapter nine: The choice
The chamber smelled faintly of ozone, like the air before a lightning strike. As the thirty survivors shuffled into the new room, the walls pulsed with three towering icons—Combat, Regeneration, and Utility—each a column of light that hummed softly. Above them, in letters that shimmered and refused to be ignored, the system announced in its unblinking voice:[Intermediate Level Skill Allocation]Choose one path: Combat / Regeneration / Utility.Selections are permanent.Target for Mastery: 20,000 points to reach Master Level.Choose wisely.People stared, jaws slack, fingers twitching. This time the system didn’t offer weapons or trinkets. It offered identity: what they would become in this game.Marcus was already grinning like a man who’d found his prize. “Ah — power,” he said, as if the idea of Combat had been waiting under his pillow. He stepped forward at once, shadowing the Combat column with a swagger that made a few people try to laugh and a few more scowl.“Maybe I’ll take Re
Chapter eight: The bunkers of survivors
The light shifted, and the chamber revealed itself fully. Rows of steel-framed bunk beds lined the room. Along the far wall stood machines—food dispensers glowing with holographic menus. Another corner shimmered with showers and sinks. Cabinets brimmed with towels, soap, and strange bottles labeled only with system symbols.It looked… almost normal. Almost safe. But the smell of blood was still in everyone’s noses, the screams still echoing in their ears.The silence stretched, broken only by the shuffle of exhausted feet.Then someone sobbed.A boy collapsed onto his knees, burying his face in his hands. Others followed—crying, cursing, whispering prayers. No one celebrated. Thirty out of four hundred. The truth crushed down on them all.Ethan stood still, his hands trembling. He looked down at them—blood under his nails, streaks dried on his skin. He rubbed them together hard, as if he could erase what he had done. But it clung, sticky in his mind.Aaron’s eyes staring up at him.Ky
Chapter seven: The final Culling
The arena was silent, suffocating, waiting for the next cruelty. The players stood trembling, bloodied, still reeling from the forced battles. The walls groaned, shifting, until the black stone field stretched wide like an endless battlefield.The voice came, sharp and merciless:[Quest Three – Part II: The Final Culling.]Objective: Kill.Requirement: Earn 10,000 points in thirty minutes.Reward: Advancement to Intermediate Level.Failure: Elimination.The air thickened with dread. Students gasped, sobbed, cursed.“No… no, they can’t make us…”“This is murder! We’re not—”The countdown began.[30:00]And then chaos erupted.—Screams tore through the field as desperate players turned on each other. Makeshift weapons clashed—blades scavenged from fallen monsters, rocks, pipes. Flesh split, blood sprayed, bodies crumpled. The system chimed relentlessly:[Player Eliminated.][Player Eliminated.]Each death was a number, a cold notification. Each scream was a reminder of the horror.Etha
Chapter six: The Partner's blade
The blue glow faded from the rest chamber. Survivors blinked, squinting as the lantens twisted, reshaping into a massive black arena. The walls towered high, slick and seamless, impossible to climb. The air was heavy with the stench of ash and iron.Then the voice came. Cold. Merciless.[Quest Three: Trial of Pairs]Stage One: Select a partner.Stage Two: Battle another pair.Victory Reward: 3,000 Points.Bonus: Eliminating an opposing player grants 2000 Points.Failure: Death.The silence that followed was deafening.Students exchanged wide, terrified glances. Murmurs broke into shouts.“What the hell? Fight each other?”“They want us to kill each other?!”“No—I can’t—I can’t do this—”But the system wasn’t interested in their protests. A countdown appeared in the air.[Partner Selection: 3:00 minutes remaining.]Chaos exploded.—Marcus immediately grabbed a trembling boy by the arm. “You. You’re with me.”“No—please—I can’t fight—”“Then you’ll die,” Marcus snapped, dragging him fo
Chapter five: The hidden Chest
The survivors stumbled out of the clearing, their bodies trembling, their clothes scorched and smeared with ash. The glowing doorway faded behind them, sealing the Night of Shadows away.What greeted them was not another nightmare, but a vast chamber carved of smooth black stone. Strange lights flickered faintly on the walls, pulsing with blue light, almost like veins. The ground was even, the air warmer. At the center lay something completely unexpected—mats, water jugs, and sealed ration packs stacked neatly in a pile.The system voice chimed in.[Interlude Chamber – Level One]Time Allocation: 2 Hours Rest.Combat Suspended. Recovery Recommended.For the first time since the game began, there was silence. No snarls in the dark, no dripping blood, no countdown in their ears. Just the faint hum of the chamber.Some collapsed immediately, gulping down water until their throats burned. Others tore into the ration packs—dense bars that tasted of chalk but felt like heaven after fear and
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