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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Latest Chapter
Chapter forty five: The golden hand of Marcus
THE GOLDEN HAND OF MARCUSThe eastern wing of Dorm Sector B was silent.Not the silence of fear.Not the silence of rest.A colder silence—controlled, disciplined, heavy with expectation.This was where Group One and Group Three stayed, far removed from the chaos of the other groups. Organized minds and trained bodies filled the space, and Marcus walked among them like a king among soldiers.A golden shimmer faintly trailed behind him as the door hissed shut.“Gather,” he commanded.No shout.No force.Yet they obeyed instantly.Group One lined up first:Kira… Tello… Mina… Borik… Ginny… Rafe… Oriel… Dana… Jax.Group Three followed behind them:Professor Lorne… Eira… Samir… Dr. Yana… Tian… Lani… Paz… Vanta… Ferin.Marcus surveyed them.These were his new weapons.Not chaotic, not balanced.Not unpredictable.These two groups were moldable.“Tonight,” Marcus said, voice smooth as steel, “I teach you how to win.”He stopped in front of Kira first.THE SOLDIERKira’s back straightened a
Chapter forty four: The Alignment
Dorm Sector A did not have quiet hours.Not when Group Two existed.Their section—center-left of the large shared room—was a whirlwind of clashing personalities, laughter, arguments, and general disruption. They weren’t trying to be chaotic.They were chaos.Lights flickered overhead as though afraid of them.Vivi hopped onto the nearest bunk like it was a stage.Her hair was a blur of neon streaks, and her jacket looked like it had been customized by a hyperactive graffiti artist.“ROLL CALL!” she shouted.No one had asked for it.Cole groaned, sprawled across his bed like a dying cat. “Vivi, stop screaming. My bones hurt.”“You didn’t even do anything in the trial,” Mirabel whispered from the corner, hugging her pillow.“I did mental work,” Cole said defensively. “It’s exhausting being annoyed by everyone.”Riff bobbed his head to the beat leaking from his headphones. “We fought a giant lightning wolf. The beat was sick.”Kai stretched lazily, muscles flexing under sun-kissed skin.
Chapter forty four: The Alignment
Dorm Sector A did not have quiet hours.Not when Group Two existed.Their section—center-left of the large shared room—was a whirlwind of clashing personalities, laughter, arguments, and general disruption. They weren’t trying to be chaotic.They were chaos.Lights flickered overhead as though afraid of them.Vivi hopped onto the nearest bunk like it was a stage.Her hair was a blur of neon streaks, and her jacket looked like it had been customized by a hyperactive graffiti artist.“ROLL CALL!” she shouted.No one had asked for it.Cole groaned, sprawled across his bed like a dying cat. “Vivi, stop screaming. My bones hurt.”“You didn’t even do anything in the trial,” Mirabel whispered from the corner, hugging her pillow.“I did mental work,” Cole said defensively. “It’s exhausting being annoyed by everyone.”Riff bobbed his head to the beat leaking from his headphones. “We fought a giant lightning wolf. The beat was sick.”Kai stretched lazily, muscles flexing under sun-kissed skin.
Chapter forty three: The Alliance
Dorm Sector A did not sleep.Not really.Even after most lights dimmed and the glowing cubes softened into a gentle blue haze, the room buzzed with restless energy. People shifted in bunks, whispered quietly, argued in hushed voices, or paced the metal floors.But Group Four…Group Four was awake on purpose.They had claimed a section of the upper level, the beds clustered around them in uneven patterns like a chaotic nest. Their presence radiated a strange, unpredictable aura—half danger, half excitement, entirely impossible to ignore.Rook, their unofficial leader, sat on the edge of his bunk sharpening a long, curved blade. His red streaked hair caught the dim blue light, making him look like he glowed.Pixie twirled her pink bat—bright, neon, chipped, and decorated with stickers. Every spin made the metal whistle. “Rook, tell me why we’re awake,” she demanded. “Because if it’s for something boring, I’m smacking you.”“You smack everyone,” Ash muttered from his bunk, hidden behind
Chapter forty two: Bunk Assignments
The arena dimmed slowly as the platforms rose, lifting the exhausted players from the simulation floors. The violet sky lost its glow, replaced by a pale, cold blue that rippled like water disturbed by an unseen hand. Trial One was over—but the system wasn’t giving them rest without rules.Marcus reappeared on a balcony of hovering obsidian, hands folded behind his back, Master Level aura dripping from him like golden smoke.Every group froze.> “Players,” Marcus announced, voice cold and precise, “you will now be assigned living quarters. Rest is earned—but it is also monitored.”A shiver ran through the gathered fifty.Sky muttered under his breath, “Monitored? Of course it is. Can’t even sleep in peace here.”Claire elbowed him gently. “Be serious.”Ethan’s gaze never left Marcus.He didn’t trust anything about this so called supervisor.Marcus lifted a hand, and two large holographic maps formed in the air—floating blueprints of two massive communal halls.One hall labeled:Dorm S
Chapter forty one: The first trial
The arena vibrated. The violet sky pulsed as if alive, reflecting the tension below. Ethan, Sky, and Claire watched from Group Five’s platform, each pulse of light sending tiny shivers through their bodies.A chime echoed through the system.> “TRIAL ONE — COMBAT SIMULATION INITIATED.”The floating platforms shifted, rotating slowly to face the center of the arena. A low hum filled the air. Then, from the center, a pillar of light shot upward and split, forming five separate arenas, each unique, isolated, and immense.The system’s voice continued:> “Each group will face a singular simulated adversary. Survival depends on coordination, strength, and ingenuity. Failure is not optional.”Ethan’s jaw tightened. He could feel the familiar cold edge of anticipation cutting through his veins.Sky muttered, almost under his breath, “Not optional… That doesn’t sound fun at all.”Claire gave him a side glance. “Sky, focus.”The platforms descended slightly, placing Group Five onto the arena fl
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