2025-10-09 17:37:59The heavy iron door groaned shut behind them, sealing with a final clang that echoed through their ’ bones. For a moment, no one spoke. The silence pressed in, broken only by ragged breathing, the shuffle of exhausted feet, and the distant hum of the system’s unseen machinery.
Then torches flickered to life along the walls, illuminating a long corridor that stretched ahead. At the far end, glowing letters hovered in the air:
[Infirmary Access – 100 Points]
[Food – 80 Points]
[Water – 100 Points]
The students froze, eyes darting between the glowing signs and each other.
“What the hell is this now?” muttered Marcus, still half-carrying Sophia, whose leg was still bent at a sick angle.
“We’ve already killed monsters, and now we’re supposed to pay for… what? For being alive?”
Sophia winced, clutching his shoulder. “Marcus… I need treatment. I can’t walk on this.”
“Treatment?” one of the boys snapped from behind. He was tall, with messy curls plastered to his forehead with sweat. His name was Jamal Brown—Ethan vaguely remembered him from the basketball court back in school. “They’re charging us to fix injuries they caused? That’s robbery!”
“They don’t care about fair,” Ethan said flatly. His sharp eyes flicked across the glowing signs. “This is a system. Cold, logical. Survival costs points. If you don’t spend them now, you might not live long enough to use them later.”
“What do you know about this delivery boy”
Oliver Grant said
“This is not the time for this shit” Marcus snapped
Lena, the pink-haired girl, crossed her arms. “And if we waste them now, we’ll never hit ten thousand points for the next level.”
The words struck a chord. Murmurs broke out, louder this time—confusion, anger, fear.
Ethan pressed his palm against his bleeding side. The cut burned with every breath, sticky warmth soaking his shirt. His first instinct was to rush straight to the infirmary. But the glowing letters made his gut twist. One hundred points—for one patch-up. He only had five hundred. Was his life worth twenty percent of his progress?
His chest tightened. Of course it is… but what if I need those points later?
---
The survivors shuffled forward cautiously until the corridor opened into a large hall that looked almost… sterile. Gleaming white walls, strange metal tables, and glowing pods lining the sides. It felt completely different from the jagged, hellish battlefield they’d just survived.
A mechanical hum filled the air. Then—
[Welcome to the Infirmary.]
The system’s voice was calm, indifferent.
[Rules: Treatment costs 100 points. Food costs 80 points. Water costs 100 points. Purchases are non-refundable. Refusal to eat or drink will not result in immediate elimination, but weakness will accumulate.]
Ethan’s breath caught. Weakness. That meant starvation and dehydration were possible here. The system wasn’t just killing them with monsters. It was draining them slowly, forcing them into impossible choices.
“Bullshit,” Jamal muttered again, clenching his fists. “We’re just university kids. You think I got money—points—to pay for this crap?”
A smaller boy nearby—short, wiry, with glasses askew—spoke up nervously. Ethan thought his name was Aaron. “We all got points from the first quest. At least five hundred. It’s enough for food and water, and treatment if you’re hurt.”
“Yeah? And what happens when they run another quest tomorrow? And the next day?” Jamal shot back. “We’ll burn through points just staying alive. You think that’s by accident? They want us desperate.”
“He’s right,” Ethan said coolly. “This isn’t about fairness. It’s about survival.
A few students gasped, others cursed under their breath.
Sophia whimpered suddenly, tears streaking her face. “Please, Marcus, I can’t—”
Marcus’s jaw tightened. He marched toward one of the glowing pods, glaring at the sign like it had personally offended him. “Fine. Take the damn points.”
The pod opened with a hiss. Sophia was guided inside, and the glowing light washed over her broken leg. A moment later, the bone snapped back into place with a sickening crack. She screamed, then gasped as the light smoothed over her skin, knitting it whole.
When the pod opened, she stepped out—shaky, pale, but healed.
“Points deducted: 100,” the system chimed.
Marcus clenched his fists. His balance sheet flashed in his vision:
[Player 390: Marcus Hale]
Points: 400
He spat on the ground. “Robbery.”
---
The others began debating in louder voices.
“Food should be free!” one girl shouted, her blond hair sticking to her tear-streaked face. “We didn’t ask to be here!”
“None of us did,” Lena said sharply. “But crying about it won’t change the rules. Spend your points smart or die.”
“That’s easy for you to say!” another boy barked. He was broad-shouldered, wearing a torn letterman jacket. Ethan recognized him—Derek, one of the football players.
“You’re not starving, you’re not bleeding out—”
“She killed her monster with her hairpin” Ethan cut in suddenly, surprising even himself. His voice was low, steady, but it carried. “We all saw it. Don’t act like she’s had it easy.”
The room fell quiet for a beat. Derek glared at him but didn’t argue.
Ethan sank against one of the cold walls, clutching his wound. His vision was blurring at the edges now. The ache spread deeper with every heartbeat. He knew he needed treatment. But the cost…
Beside him, Lena crouched. “You’re hurt worse than you’re letting on,” she said softly, though her tone wasn’t kind—just blunt.
Lena wasn't a girl that did kindness
“I can handle it,” Ethan muttered.
“You’ll bleed out before Quest Two even starts.”
Their eyes met briefly. She wasn’t challenging him. She was stating a fact.
And she was right.
Grinding his teeth, Ethan dragged himself to one of the pods. The moment he stepped inside, cold light enveloped him. Fire seared through his wound as the claws’ damage rewound itself. His flesh stitched back together in seconds, but the pain was unbearable. He screamed, fists clenched so hard his nails cut into his palms.
Then it was over. The pod hissed open. He stumbled out, panting, but the wound was gone.
[Player 382: Ethan Cole]
Points: 400
He felt weaker—but alive.
---
The hall buzzed with tension as more students argued about spending points. Some refused treatment, clutching their injuries. Others rushed for food and water like starving animals. A few, like Oliver, conserved every last point.
“Eighty points for food? A hundred for water?” Jamal barked. “What the hell—water costs more than food? This system’s rigged!”
“Maybe the water’s safer,” Aaron muttered.
“Or maybe it’s poison,” Derek shot back.
“Stop it!” a girl cried, her voice breaking. She had curly dark hair and wide brown eyes. “You’re all acting like animals already!”
“That’s because this place wants us to,” Ethan said smoothly, stepping forward. He looked around at the group, his voice calm but sharp.
“Don’t you see? The system is forcing us to fight over scraps. If we waste points, if we panic, we’ll be easy prey. We need rules. Order. Leadership.”
“Leadership?” Marcus scoffed. “You volunteering, delivery boy?“
“I’m the only one here thinking straight,” Ethan replied coldly.
The murmurs turned into shouts—some agreeing, others mocking, a few outright cursing him. The tension thickened, simmering toward violence.
Ethan stayed quiet, watching. He felt his stomach churn—not just from hunger but from dread. They weren’t just fighting monsters anymore. They were fighting each other.
---
Hours seemed to pass inside the infirmary, though time felt strange here. Some students huddled in corners, hoarding their points. Others devoured food, gulped down water, or collapsed from exhaustion.
Ethan sat near Lena, Marcus, Sophia, and Jamal. A small cluster forming without anyone quite saying it aloud.
He didn’t trust them—not even a bit. But he knew instinctively that no one could survive this game alone.
Just as his eyes were starting to close, the system’s voice boomed again:
[Reminder: To advance to the next level, each player requires 10,000 points. Current survival rate: 150/400.]
[Next Quest begins soon.]
The words froze the room. The infirmar
y no longer felt safe.
And for the first time, Ethan realized the truth:
This wasn’t just survival.
It was economics.
It was war.
It was control.
****
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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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