The hum of the screens echoed in all corners of the world. The "Blue Star", the strange global chat that the system had opened for all survivors, was packed with messages. Millions of voices shared, at the same time, emotion, fear, frustration and hope.
—I wanted to be elected too! —someone complained.
—It doesn't matter, they will save us! —another answered.
—But what are those yellow hallways? It doesn't look like a fantasy world! —wrote a confused woman.
—Is it a prison? A maze? Why do walls look moldy?
Images transmitted by the system showed endless hallways, illuminated by flickering fluorescent lights, covered in yellow wallpaper stained by humidity and time. Humanity expected castles, magical kingdoms, dragons or worlds like in the movies... but what was presented before their eyes was claustrophobic, empty, disturbing.
As the masses debated, Eiden Kurozawa, now inside that stage, took a deep breath in the silence that surrounded him.
[So... this is Level 0 of the Rear.]
Ignoring for a moment the noise of the global chat, he raised his hand and invoked the system he had in mind. A translucent screen with bright white letters appeared before his eyes:
[Name: Eiden Kurozawa] Level: 1
[HP: 120/120] [SP: 60/60]
[Strength: 18] [Intelligence: 17] [Agility: 14] [Resistance: 18] [Luck: 11]
Skills:
[NONE]
Eiden smiled with satisfaction.
[High stamina, strength and intelligence from the start... perfect for a solid start. This is better than I expected.]
Before he could delve into his thoughts, a new notification flashed before him.
[Chosen player! You are entitled to an initial skill. Spin the system wheel.]
A colorful circle appeared that rotated without stopping. Eiden gritted his teeth and his hands sweated despite the calm he tried to project.
—Come on... something good, something that gives me an advantage...
The wheel spun a few more seconds and stopped. The system announced with a metallic echo in its mind:
[You have obtained the unique ability: Simulation Instinct (Rank SSS)]
Eiden's eyes widened.
[Just what I needed! This ability... is not a simple passive. With this I can simulate possibilities, analyze routes, predict results. It's like a perfected sixth sense.]
His smile was impossible to hide.
He continued walking through the endless corridors, the echo of his steps being his only companion. The rancid stench of humidity surrounded him. The rough texture of the yellow wallpaper seemed to be watching him.
In his mind, another window opened automatically:
[Backroom chat connected.]
The voices no longer came only from the outside world, but from the other chosen ones, people who, like him, had been dragged into hell itself.
—Can anyone hear me!? Please help me!—
—Where are the exits? This never ends.—
—My devices don't work! The phone... the clock... nothing has a signal, just this weird thing talking in my head.—
— So there is no connection to Blue Star? Just this internal chat?—
Eiden arched his forehead as he read the sentences running like a river uncontrollably.
[So even here, Internet Blue Star doesn't work. That means we are completely isolated... only connected through this internal chat. Good. Less distractions.]
He closed the system panel with a blink and forced himself to focus on the environment. His memory, that of his previous life, guided him.
[If I want to leave this level, I need to find the door marked with the word "EXIT"... or the Manila Room. Both are the only sure ways to move forward or endure. I can't get lost in illusions.]
The silence became heavier than usual. That's when he heard it.
A strange and grotesque sound, like wet flesh crawling against rusty metal. The noise was slowly approaching from the hallway behind him. Eiden turned his head.
His heart froze.
In the distance, moving with clumsy and unnatural movements, a figure emerged. Its body was thin like twisted bars, covered in a black, slimy substance that dripped in sizzling drops onto the ground. Cables hung from his limbs that twisted like snakes. Instead of a head, he carried a surveillance camera and his red lens flickered like a hungry eye.
It was Level 0 Entity.
[No way... I found it so quickly!]
The creature released a metallic crack and an unbearable stench came out of its body, a mixture of tar and rotting mushrooms.
[Its substance is corrosive... and those fungi are lethal. Without almond water I have no way to cure an infection. Facing it head-on is suicide.]
The entity tilted its "camera head" towards him and the red lens lit up brightly.
—¡Tsk...!
Eiden took a step back and his breathing quickened.
[There is no time to think. I can't simulate anything useful yet... the only option is to run!]
—Damn! —he shouted loudly, turning and running down the hallway.
Behind him, the entity screamed with a metallic screech that echoed through all the hallways, chasing him.
Every step Eiden took made the ground vibrate, every breath burned his lungs. The hum of fluorescent lights mixed with the screeches of the thing chasing him.
[Come on, legs, move! I can't die here, not in the damn first level!]
The hallway stretched like an endless maze and as he ran he could only think of one thing: finding the word "EXIT" before that red camera caught up with him.