[Time Remaining Until Floor Activation: 00:00:00]
The system pulsed.
Reality twisted.
And one by one, players were pulled into the Tower again.
[TUTORIAL FLOOR TWO: THE CRUMBLING PRISON]
Objective: Survive two hostile ambushes.
Duration: 6 hours.
Enemies: Corrupted Prisoners, Ambush Beasts
Restrictions: No skills. No teams.
The cells shift every 180 seconds. The exits do not exist.
Wang Ling opened his eyes to darkness.
The walls were rusted steel. Chains dangled from the ceiling like dead serpents. The ground was damp with blood and bile. Screams echoed through vents.
"Ah, yes. The Tower's first psychological test."
This wasn't about killing.
It was about trapping people.
Making them feel hunted. Alone. Confined.
He stepped into the corridor.
The lights flickered.
Three minutes later, the walls began to shift.
[WARNING: AMBUSH 1 BEGINNING IN 90 SECONDS]
The system's alert echoed through the prison like laughter.
Wang Ling's gaze flicked left. A corpse was dragged across the hallway by something not entirely visible. A player ran past screaming. Gunfire echoed—where had they gotten a gun?
Didn't matter.
They'd be dead by the second ambush.
"I remember this layout. It loops. It tests your sense of space."
"Every door leads back to the same pain."
📊 New System Feature Unlocked: Global Tutorial Rankings
[GLOBAL PLAYER RANKING – DAY 2]
(Updated Hourly, Based on Floor 1 and Floor 2 Partial Scores)
1. Wang Ling – ID: 00192-ZH
Tutorial Floors Cleared: 1
Enemies Eliminated: 6
Bonus Objectives: 1
Total Achievement Points: 210
Titles: First to Spill Blood, Monarch's Pressure, Those Who Die Behind Me
2. Aimee Hart – ID: 01933-UK
1 Floor Cleared, 3 Kills, 1 Assist
AP: 88
Title: Bleeding Heart
3. Saeed Rahman – ID: 01412-QA
1 Floor, 1 Kill
AP: 75
Title: Last-Breath Fighter
…
Players Remaining: 79.6 Million
(Down from 93.6 Million on Floor 1)
[NEW ACHIEVEMENT POINT SYSTEM UNLOCKED]
Earned via exceptional behavior, first-time feats, kills, speed, creativity, cruelty, or survival excellence.
Points can be exchanged post-Tutorial Phase for:
• Bonus stat crystals
• Skill catalysts
• System-locked equipment
Wang Ling nodded at the interface.
"Now we're playing for keeps."
[AMBUSH 1 TRIGGERED]
He crouched as three mutated prisoners crashed through a collapsing cell wall. Limbs too long, jaws unhinged.
One leapt.
Wang Ling stepped into its charge, grabbed its face, and drove it through the ground.
Crack.
Another swung a shiv.
He parried with a rusted pipe, then crushed the attacker's larynx with a low jab.
The last tried to run.
Wang Ling threw the pipe.
It impaled him through the spine.
[AMBUSH CLEARED – 3 KILLS CONFIRMED]
+10 Achievement Points
+1 Stat Point awarded for brutality
Unlocked Mini Title: "Cage Executioner"
Your finishing moves lower enemy morale by 15% within sight range.
[System Observation: Player Wang Ling has met 2.4x Ambush Lethality Benchmark]
"Of course I did."
As the corridor realigned for the next shift, he heard footsteps—light, cautious.
Then a figure appeared.
A girl. Mid-twenties. Pale. Wearing a torn lab coat. A former medical student?
Her hands trembled, but her eyes were alert. Not soft. Just scared.
She held a broken steel rod like a dagger.
"D-Don't come closer," she said. "I... I'm not afraid to kill you."
He didn't move.
He just looked at her.
"She's untrained. Malnourished. Still breathing. That's rare."
Potential? Maybe. Loyalty? No. But fear? That's always useful."
"What's your name?" he asked.
She blinked.
"…Yue."
"Follow me, Yue."
"Or die here."
She hesitated. Then followed.
[PLAYER WANG LING HAS FORMED AN UNOFFICIAL LINKED ENTITY – 'FOLLOWER']
Note: Follower system not permitted during Tutorial. This is a forced override due to Monarch Trait.
Follower acquired: Yue Lin (ID: 8112-ZH)
Role: Support-type
Condition: Mentally unstable
Loyalty: 17%
"So the Tower lets me cheat... because I broke it in the last life."
"Good."
[AMBUSH 2 BEGINNING IN 60 SECONDS]
Wang Ling turned to Yue.
"You'll watch. You won't interfere."
She nodded silently.
She wouldn't last five minutes without him.
But with him, she might see Day 3.
Maybe.
🩸 Ambush 2 was worse.
Two beasts this time. Not prisoners. Something... from Floor 10?
Tower invaders. Sent back in time. A test?
Didn't matter.
Wang Ling tore the first one's arm off and beat the second to death with it.
Yue vomited.
He kept walking.
[FLOOR CLEARED – 2 AMBUSHES SURVIVED]
Kills: 5
Time: 2 Hours, 19 Minutes
Bonus: Unarmed Elimination x2
+2 Level
+15 Achievement Points
Title Gained: "Unmatched in Steel"
Enemies wielding weapons are 20% slower in your presence.
[RANKINGS UPDATED]
1. Wang Ling – 270 AP
2. Aimee Hart – 100 AP
3. Saeed Rahman – 91 AP
"Too slow," he muttered.
[Floor 3 Unlocks in 24:00:00]
Objective: Escape the Maze of Skin
Hint: Not all players are enemies. Some... are bait.