Scene opens.
Darkness.
Complete.
Cold air. Damp stone. A metallic scent… iron? Blood?
Suddenly—
Thud!
Shoyo hits the ground with a grunt.
> "Ugh… what the— ? Where—where am I now?"
The panel flashes red in the void before him:
🟥 Penalty Room Initiated
> Location: [FLOOR -1: The Forgotten Trial]
Objective: Survive for 1 hour.
Enemies will spawn shortly.
Reward: 100 EXP
Failure: Death.
Shoyo stares blankly, heart pounding.
> "Wait wait wait—what the heck is a Penalty Room?! I didn't even press anything!?"
He stands up, brushing dust off his white joggers. His compression shirt clings tight to his round torso, sweat beading already.
Suddenly—
CLANK…CLANK…CLANK…
Chains dragging. Something's coming.
The space brightens slightly—red torches ignite on the walls. Shoyo's face reflects the light, eyes wide.
From the shadows emerge three figures, crawling, snarling.
Humanoid, but wrong. Their faces twisted, like corrupted versions of people. Glitched voices whisper from their mouths like broken radios.
> "WhAt… iS… lEveL…?"
Shoyo instinctively steps back, then remembers—
> "Right! My weapon—!"
He slams his hand into the air. SHHNK!
The Inverted Spear of Heaven appears instantly in his hand, light pulsing from the blade.
> "Let's just hope this isn't for show…"
[COMBAT BEGINS]
Shoyo lunges awkwardly. He's heavy, slow—but he's smart. Years of playing games taught him to observe patterns.
He lets one enemy lunge—ducks instinctively—and rams the dagger-spear upward.
[CRITICAL HIT]
The creature screeches and explodes into light fragments. The others rush. Shoyo stumbles, gets scratched across his arm—blood.
> "Tch! These creeps are faster than they look…"
But with grit, he adapts. Roll, parry, stab.
One by one, the monsters vanish.
Timer: 00:00:03… 2… 1…
A panel appears:
✅ Penalty Survived
> +100 EXP
Player Level Up!
You are now Level 2.
Minor stat increase granted.
Shoyo pants heavily, sweat dripping.
> "Dang… if that's just a penalty, what kind of nightmare is waiting inside the tower?"
Suddenly, the space begins to dissolve. He floats—
A voice echoes:
___________________________
> "Welcome, Player Shoyo, to the SKYREALM"
___________________________
[ You have 89 days remaining... To Clear the First Floor]
[END OF CHAPTER 3]