2025-10-09 17:36:38Ethan’s breath fogged in the chill air as he staggered backward, eyes wide at the grotesque scene. The red sky bled into jagged black clouds, and the ground beneath him pulsed faintly, veins of molten fire glowing between cracks in the stone.
The roar still echoed in his bones.
And then—screaming.
His head was pounding
He was having a panic attack
When he heard a loud piercing scream
It sounded like
Sophia Kane the cheerleader
He turned back , heart thundering, to see other figures scattered across the plain. Students. The same ones who had laughed at him minutes ago. Marcus, pale-faced and furious. Two girls clutching each other. A handful of others stumbling around, shouting in panic.
Sophia fell with her leg bent at an awkward angle
She was screaming
Marcus rushed to her
“Calm down Sophia" he said
“It hurts” she cried
“This—this has to be some VR trick!” one of the other girls cried, pounding her fists against the ground. “It’s fake, it’s just—just graphics!”
Blood trickled down her knuckles where the stone tore her skin. The look on her face when she saw real flesh split open said otherwise.
Ethan’s stomach knotted. We’re really here.
The air hummed. A system chime cut through the chaos.
[Quest Initialized.]
Blue text hovered before their eyes, too large and bright to ignore.
Quest 1: The First Hunt.
Objective: Slay one monster.
Reward: 500–1,000 points (based on performance).
Failure: Death.
The words pulsed, final and merciless.
“What the hell do you mean failure equals death?” a girl shrieked. “It’s a bug—it has to be—”
Her voice died when the shadows moved.
Shapes detached themselves from the horizon, lurching forward on distorted limbs. The creatures weren’t human, weren’t animal. Their bodies were stretched too long, with glistening carapaces and dripping maws filled with teeth that gleamed like knives.
The closest one let out a shrill, bone-rattling screech.
Panic erupted. Students scattered, screaming, tripping over one another. Marcus cursed loudly, dragging a chair leg he must have found nearby like it was a weapon.
Ethan’s whole body froze. Every instinct screamed at him to run. But where? The red horizon stretched endlessly in all directions. There was no exit, no safe zone.
The monsters were faster.
One lunged.
It barreled into a boy near Ethan, claws slicing through flesh. The boy’s scream cut off instantly as blood sprayed across the stone. His body twitched, and then—
[Player 58 Eliminated.]
The words flashed coldly in the air, indifferent. The boy’s body dissolved into ash.
Ethan gagged, bile rising in his throat. This is real. We can die here.
Another creature skittered toward him. Instinct took over. He stumbled backward, eyes darting for anything, anything to use as a weapon. His hands closed around a jagged stone.
The monster lunged. Ethan swung.
The impact shuddered through his arm as the rock cracked against its skull. The creature shrieked, claws raking his side. Pain exploded white-hot, forcing a scream from his throat.
He staggered, blood dripping down his side. The monster snarled, staggering but not dead.
Ethan’s chest heaved. His vision blurred. If I don’t kill it—I die.
He forced his shaking legs to move. Another swing. Harder. Harder.
The stone smashed into the monster’s head again. Once. Twice. A sickening crunch echoed across the plain. The creature collapsed in a spray of black ichor, twitching once before going still.
Ethan kept on hitting and hitting and hitting till he felt his hands go limp and.
Ethan fell to his knees beside the corpse, gasping, his arms trembling with exhaustion and terror. His lungs burned. His whole body shook.
Then—
[ Player 382 Quest Completed.]
A new screen filled his vision.
Player 382: Ethan Cole
Points Earned: 500
Level: Beginner
Life Saves: 1
Ethan’s breath caught. His first points. Real. Tangible.
The fuck was going on
But when he looked up,
The room was chaos.
Marcus swung his chair leg wildly, bashing another monster to death, his face twisted in rage.
[Player 390 Quest completed]
Player 390: Marcus Hale
Level: Beginner
Points: 500
Life saves: 1
A girl screamed as claws dragged her down. The words [Player Eliminated] blinked again and again in the air.
The red sky shook with roars. More monsters emerged from the shadows, dozens of them. The “first hunt” wasn’t over for everyone.
Ethan staggered to his feet, clutching his side where blood seeped hot and sticky. His whole body screamed to curl up, to hide, to pretend this wasn’t happening.
The monsters avoided Ethan and Marcus
Ethan looked around and saw a pink haired girl in pig tails
Struggling with a monster
She had her hand wrapped around its neck while it screeched and clawed at her
Ethan rushed to her side and grabbed the monsters claws, the girl brought out a pin from her hair and stabbed the monster in its neck
Repeatedly
Till the monster dissolved to ash
[Player 150 Quest completed]
Player 150: Lena Rivers
Level: Beginner
Points: 500
Life saves : 1
The girl pushed the monster away from her body and looked at Ethan
“Thank you” she said
“It's fine” Ethan said and sat down, watching the other players kill their monster
Just then the whole room went pitch black
“I hope this is me waking up from my nightmare” The girl said
[Congrats on completing your first Quest, 400 players were admitted into the game
150players are left
Congrats on your Victory
You can use your points to go to the infirmary and treat your wounds
But remember
To go to the next level you need a total of 10,000 points
Life saves can be used to save your life and wake you when you have died
But each player can only have three lifesaves for the three levels and nine quests.
Happy surviving
And welcome to The deadly game system]
The lights turned back on and all the dead bodies were gone
Ethan looked around and saw
Marcus Hale, Oliver Grant and even Sophia had survived
Everyone was murmuring
Ethan looked around
“I don't want to be in this fucking game” a boy yelled from behind
[Player 13, do you wish to leave the game?] The Ai voice asked
“Yes I do” the boy said again
[You will be eliminated from the game then]
Just then an arrow shot right into the boy's head and he fell to the ground
Everyone gasped
Ethan looked shocked , his eyes widened
A door opened
Everyone looked at the door
“Is this another trap?“ the pink hair girl asked
“Only one way to find out" Ethan said
****
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Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
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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