Gzztttt!
In the blink of an eye—and with a sensation I couldn't quite place—I found myself in a cave, lying flat on a massive, cold slab of rock.
Drip.
Drop.
Drip.
Drop.
The rhythmic sound of water hitting stone echoed around me, accompanied by the eerie, almost sentient silence that filled the rest. Creepy background noises. The kind you don't question—because you already know.
The Game had begun.
"Sigh..." I actually sighed. Then, gritting my teeth, I forced myself upright, every movement a reluctant rebellion against the pain.
Crap.
It felt like getting dragged into this place had left a few souvenirs—a brutal, full-body souvenir from a sledgehammer marriage to my joints. Every tendon screamed. Every limb resisted.
"Haaah... haaah..." I panted, one shaky hand slapping against the rough, grimy wall for balance.
"Fucking hell… how am I supposed to move like this?" I hissed, jaw tight as I staggered. My teeth clenched harder.
What in the absolute fuck happened?
A few minutes ago, I was fine.
Now? I could barely stand.
Suddenly-
[Dear User]
An interface flickered to life before my eyes. My brows furrowed instinctively.
Shit. The real horror was starting.
[Welcome to the first phase of the trial.]
"Phase?" I muttered. That sounded… off. Trials, not phases. Right? Was this some kind of pre-trial?
No, that bastard only mentioned "trials." Nothing about phases.
[The first three stages are known as the Initiation Phase. This is where the unworthy are purged. Most Gods don't bother sponsoring participants until after this phase—sponsorship before or during is considered a waste of divine resources. The first trial of the Initiation Phase is the 'Free-for-All' in the Realm of Chaos: Haznabaal.]
A low growl.
Grrrr!
My head shot up.
...Huh?
For a moment, it felt like something was crawling across my scalp. But all I saw above me was a jagged, stone ceiling.
Still, I narrowed my eyes.
Better paranoid than dead.
Turning away from where I thought I heard it, I started moving—slowly, painfully—tracing the wall like it was my only friend. Each step was a prayer against slipping, my footing unsure.
The interface followed, staying fixed in my line of sight.
[In this world, you'll be assigned a status that reveals only your "light" and the current population of your section. Sections are groups you've been slotted into. Given the irrational number of participants—over one billion—the system has divided them into multiple zones. You are in Group 8: a collection of one million players who, like you, have sponsors. The first trial ends when only 500,000 of you remain.]
"A billion?" I muttered, my frown deepening.
A billion souls in this game… and barely any ever make it past the seventh trial?
Fuck me sideways.
The whole thing's as rigged as my life in the devices of fate.
Maybe the reward for winning is so unbelievable that it pushes people forward.
But from the very beginning… we were all just entertainment for the gods. They never took us seriously. Just pointed their fingers at souls like ours, laughing and betting on who'd survive the highest trials.
No one actually believes someone will win the goddamn trials—not even the gods. Even they know their game is rigged.
You can't win.
Just like that bastard said, this is their domain. With a flick of their finger, the odds are stacked violently against you.
It was never a game.
It's a slaughterhouse.
You either die trying… or try dying.
…If that makes any damn sense.
Sighs.
[First Trial: The Wails of the Woeful]
Objective: Survive until the population count drops to half.
Note: Everything in this world possesses a Light Count. Light is what keeps the Woeful at bay. Once your Light Count drops to 0 or goes negative, the Woeful will rise and drag your soul into the Realm of the Damned—the Neitherrealm.
Wow. A one-way ticket to hell. Should've just fucked me to death instead.
[Everything within this realm possesses light, and all strive to obtain more.]
Huh.
It's really hammering in the idea of everything.
Not just players, then?
Animals?
Plants?
Even... inanimate objects?
With that thought, I tilted my gaze to the wall I was using for support.
Looked normal to me.
[You can kill players to acquire their light. Once slain, their soul will be damned. You can also steal light from the creatures that dwell within this realm. However, the amount of light they carry is dependent on their tier. Higher-tier creatures hold more light, but engaging them is not advised— even a mid-tier one could prove fatal to most players.
There will be a day-night cycle. By all means, avoid the rays of the Illuminum. They condemn all, even the Woeful.]
I glanced upward.
A cave?
Looks like I started out underground.
That might actually be a blessing in disguise. If the sun destroys everything, then spawning under it would be instant death. But that wouldn't be fair, right?
If this is the beginning, the game wouldn't just screw players like that.
Everyone must've spawned somewhere hidden from the sun.
Which means—
Gzzzzzzzz!
Damn it.
That sound again.
I turned.
Pitch black.
The tunnel behind me stretched deeper into darkness.
But ahead wasn't much better. I couldn't see a damn thing.
I'm trapped.
Still, I pressed on.
I had to find safer ground—only then could I stop and think clearly about the situation.
Right now, I might as well be walking into the jaws of death.
[Say "Status" to view your current stats.]
I stayed silent. Let the interface fade like the rest.
"Ugh," I groaned, continuing my slow, cautious steps.
Gzzzzzzzz!
This time it was ahead.
I froze.
Frowned.
The sound was coming from deeper in the tunnel.
Shit.
I looked around again.
That's when I noticed them.
Glowing stones.
Subtle, but definitely there.
Embedded in the cave walls at irregular intervals were glowing blue rocks.
I turned to the wall I'd been leaning against.
Some stones were within reach.
So, I reached.
"Argh!"
The moment I touched it, a jolt surged through my entire body. It was like being struck by lightning.
My knees buckled.
I clenched my jaw, gripping the rock with both hands.
The pain didn't stop—it only got worse.
My hands went numb.
It felt like I was being electrocuted by a live wire.
My thoughts blurred, my vision dimmed.
Still, I didn't let go.
I should've.
But I didn't.
I could feel it.
The rock—it was coming loose.
"COME ON, YOU PIECE OF TRASH!"
I summoned every last ounce of strength, yanking harder until it felt like my soul was leaving my body.
Am I dying?
Fuck.
"ARGHHHHHHHHH!"
With a roar that echoed like thunder—probably a dumb move—I tore the damn thing free and collapsed to the ground.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
I lay there, flat on my back, one hand on my chest, trying to stabilize my breathing.
Eventually, I raised the glowing rock and inspected it.
"What... what the hell?"
It was dimmer now, noticeably.
But that wasn't the real problem.
This was:
[WARNING! WARNING!! WARNING!!!
Critical Light Consumption!
Light: 400 / 1000]
OH.
FUCK.
...
A/N- Even a single powestone matters.