The Last Player: When the Game Became Reality

Something in the Dark

"Ethan!"

His mother's voice came from behind the bedroom door.

Ethan ran toward it.

Another impact shook the frame.

BOOM!

"Mom!"

"I'm here!"

His father shouted something, but the sound was drowned out by another crash.

Ethan grabbed the doorknob.

It was freezing.

He pulled.

The door opened halfway before something struck it from the other side.

Ethan stepped back.

His heart hammered against his chest.

"Stay away from the door!"

"What is it?" his mother cried.

"I don't know!"

That was the problem.

He didn't know.

After fifteen years of playing Eternal Ascension of Tower, Ethan had learned to recognize almost everything.

The sounds of monsters.

The warning signs of bosses.

The difference between an ordinary dungeon and a hidden dungeon.

But whatever was inside this room—

he had never encountered it.

He looked at his status.

[LEVEL: 6]

[CLASS: NONE]

[SKILLS: NONE]

Not enough.

He looked around.

A chair.

A lamp.

The metal pipe.

That was all.

Another impact.

The door opened slightly.

Ethan saw something through the gap.

A hand.

Pale.

Too long.

Its fingers curled around the edge of the door.

Ethan froze.

The hand slowly moved.

Five fingers.

Human-looking.

But the nails were black.

"Ethan..."

His mother whispered his name.

He stepped forward.

"Get away from them."

The hand stopped.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a voice came from inside.

"Ethan."

He froze.

It was his father's voice.

"Ethan, come here."

His father was already inside the room.

Ethan's eyes widened.

The thing was imitating him.

He stepped backward.

"Mom, don't answer it."

Silence.

Then the voice came again.

"Ethan..."

This time, it sounded like his mother.

"Please."

Ethan tightened his grip on the pipe.

His mind raced.

A monster capable of imitating voices.

He knew creatures like that.

But they didn't appear until much higher floors.

Not here.

Not on Floor 1.

Something was wrong with the world.

The creature suddenly laughed.

Not his father's voice.

Not his mother's.

Something distorted.

Something ancient.

The bedroom door exploded outward.

Ethan threw himself aside.

The creature rushed through the doorway.

It was tall.

Far too tall.

Its body was covered by a black, almost transparent skin.

Its face had no eyes.

Only a thin mouth.

Ethan's instincts screamed at him.

He opened the status window.

[ERROR]

[TARGET INFORMATION UNAVAILABLE.]

Ethan's expression changed.

Even the system couldn't identify it.

The creature turned toward him.

Its mouth opened.

"Ethan Vale."

Hearing his full name made his stomach drop.

The creature smiled.

"Finally."

Ethan attacked.

The metal pipe struck its shoulder.

CRACK!

The creature didn't move.

It grabbed Ethan by the throat.

His feet left the ground.

He tried to breathe.

Nothing.

The creature leaned closer.

"You shouldn't be here."

Ethan struggled.

"Who... are... you?"

The creature's mouth widened.

"We have been waiting."

Then something flashed.

A pale blue light struck the creature.

It released Ethan.

He fell onto the floor.

Mina stood in the hallway.

Her hands were glowing.

"Get away from him!"

The creature turned.

Mina raised both hands.

A burst of light exploded through the room.

The creature was thrown backward.

Ethan coughed and grabbed his throat.

"Mina!"

She ran toward him.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded.

"Take my parents and get outside."

"What about you?"

"I'll hold it."

"You can't!"

"I know."

Ethan looked at the creature.

It was already standing.

His pipe was useless.

Mina's healing abilities wouldn't be enough.

They were both too weak.

Then Ethan noticed something.

The creature wasn't attacking.

It was staring at him.

Almost...

studying him.

Ethan slowly stood.

"Why are you here?"

The creature tilted its head.

"You don't remember."

"Remember what?"

"The first time."

Ethan frowned.

"The first time what?"

The creature raised one hand.

The room suddenly became colder.

"You climbed."

Ethan's eyes widened.

"Who are you?"

The creature whispered:

"Ask the Tower."

Then its body began breaking apart.

Black particles drifted into the air.

Ethan rushed forward.

"Wait!"

The creature disappeared.

Silence returned.

A blue window appeared.

[SPECIAL ENCOUNTER COMPLETED.]

[REWARD: NONE.]

Ethan stared at the message.

"No."

Another window appeared.

[HIDDEN POTENTIAL ANALYSIS: 3%]

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

The creature had triggered it.

Not a monster kill.

Not experience.

Something else.

A memory?

A choice?

Recognition?

He didn't know.

But he was certain about one thing.

The creature had known him.

________________________________________

His parents were shaken but unharmed.

Mina helped Ethan inspect the room.

There were deep scratches across the floor.

The wall had been damaged.

But there was no blood.

No body.

No trace of the creature.

Only one thing remained.

A small black mark on the floor.

A circle.

Inside it—

a tower.

Ethan crouched beside it.

His fingers hovered above the symbol.

The moment he touched it—

his vision disappeared.

________________________________________

He was standing somewhere else.

A vast white room.

No walls.

No ceiling.

No floor.

Just endless white.

Ethan looked around.

"Where am I?"

A voice answered.

"You don't belong here yet."

Ethan turned.

Nobody was there.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

Then another voice.

"Not yet."

The world shattered.

Ethan suddenly opened his eyes.

He was back in his bedroom.

Mina was shaking his shoulder.

"Ethan!"

He gasped.

"What happened?"

"You collapsed."

"How long?"

"Maybe ten seconds."

Ethan looked at the black symbol.

It was gone.

He slowly stood.

Mina stared at him.

"What did you see?"

Ethan hesitated.

"Nothing."

She knew he was lying.

But she didn't press him.

________________________________________

The following morning, Ethan made a decision.

He couldn't continue blindly.

He needed information.

The Hunter Association registration center was opening that day.

He and Mina would go.

Not because Ethan wanted a rank.

Not because he wanted recognition.

He wanted to know what the system considered him.

And more importantly—

he wanted to know what it was hiding.

________________________________________

The registration center was already crowded when they arrived.

Hundreds of people stood in line.

Some were former players.

Others had never played the game before.

Everyone wanted answers.

A large sign hung above the entrance.

HUNTER ASSOCIATION

AWAKENED REGISTRATION

RANK ASSESSMENT

Ethan stared at it.

He remembered the original game.

There had never been a Hunter Association.

This was something new.

A government employee stood at the entrance.

"Next!"

A young man stepped forward.

The examiner placed a crystal against his hand.

The crystal glowed.

[RANK: E]

The crowd murmured.

The young man smiled proudly.

"Next."

Another person.

[RANK: D]

More people gathered around.

The system was already creating a hierarchy.

Ethan watched carefully.

Then he noticed something.

The examiner wasn't using the game's original ranking method.

The crystal was measuring something else.

Potential.

Not current strength.

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

So this is how they're doing it.

Mina stepped forward.

The crystal glowed brightly.

The examiner looked surprised.

[RANK: C]

People around them began whispering.

"A C-rank already?"

"What's her class?"

"Healer."

Ethan smiled.

"Congratulations."

Mina looked embarrassed.

"You're next."

Ethan stepped forward.

He placed his hand against the crystal.

Nothing happened.

The examiner frowned.

"Try again."

Ethan did.

Still nothing.

The crystal remained completely black.

The examiner looked at him.

"Are you awakened?"

"Yes."

"Class?"

"None."

"Level?"

"Six."

The examiner sighed.

"Then you're probably not compatible with the assessment crystal."

Someone nearby laughed.

"Level six? What a weakling."

Another person whispered:

"Why even bother registering?"

Ethan ignored them.

The examiner marked something on the form.

[RANK: UNREGISTERED]

Ethan stepped away.

Mina looked angry.

"That's unfair."

"It's fine."

"But—"

"It's fine."

He wasn't angry.

He was actually relieved.

Nobody knew what he was.

Nobody could measure him.

Nobody cared about him.

For now, that was exactly what Ethan wanted.

But as he walked away, the crystal behind him suddenly flickered.

The examiner turned.

"What?"

The crystal cracked.

A thin line appeared across its surface.

Then another.

CRACK.

The entire crystal shattered.

Everyone went silent.

Ethan stopped walking.

The examiner stared at the broken pieces.

A blue message appeared above the remains.

[ERROR.]

[TARGET CANNOT BE MEASURED.]

The examiner's face went pale.

Ethan slowly turned around.

For one brief second, another message appeared.

Only he could see it.

[HIDDEN POTENTIAL ANALYSIS: 4%]

Then it vanished.

Ethan said nothing.

He simply walked away.

But from the back of the registration hall, a man in a dark coat watched him carefully.

The man looked down at a small device in his hand.

A single name appeared on its screen.

ETHAN VALE

Beneath it:

[UNKNOWN CLASS]

[UNKNOWN POTENTIAL]

[THREAT LEVEL: UNDETERMINED]

The man smiled.

"After all these years..."

He closed the device.

"...we finally found him."