Hiro the Spider
Episode 3 — Lessons in Blood
The Omega Slums were ash.
Charred steel, twitching neon, a graveyard of screams. Hiro stood in the wreckage, hoodie shredded, blood slick on his arms. His grin split his face like he hadn't just torn a skyscraper-sized beast apart with his bare hands.
Level 9. His body thrummed with new power. Faster. Stronger. Reflexes sharpened to a razor edge. The ground seemed to move slower beneath him now, every motion of the survivors around him dragging like molasses.
The HUD blinked alive above the ruins.
[Mission Complete.]
[Standby for Next Objective.]
Groans rose from the battered survivors. Some collapsed, others patched wounds with trembling hands. A handful prayed. Hiro? He leaned against a broken wall, spitting blood, laughing low.
"Fuck me… already another round? This system doesn't even buy dinner first."
⸻
The Rift
The air split open. Not a door, not a gate—a wound. Reality itself peeled back, exposing writhing colors and voices whispering in tongues nobody understood. The survivors tensed.
[Mission Queue Active.]
[New Environment Selected: Dimensional Academy Warzone.]
[Objective: Survive and Dominate. Eliminations: +1 Level. Mission Completion: +2 Levels.]
The crimson-armored heroine who'd fought beside him wiped blood from her mouth, glaring at the sky. "You've got to be kidding me. Back-to-back?"
Hiro pushed off the wall, rolling his shoulders. "Cry harder, sweetheart. Or come with me and raise hell."
She didn't answer, but she didn't walk away either.
The rift yawned wider. Hiro cracked his neck and strutted inside like he owned it.
⸻
The Battlefield
When the survivors emerged, they weren't in slums anymore.
They stood in the middle of a colossal school campus—but stretched across dimensions like a nightmare parody. Buildings floated upside-down, classrooms hung suspended in the air, staircases spiraled into voids. Banners waved over factions of heroes, villains, and anti-heroes—whole armies of students from alternate realities, all drafted into the bloodbath.
Hiro whistled. "Well, shit. Looks like homeroom's about to be lethal."
[Rules of Engagement:]
• [Kill = +1 Level.]
• [Squad Domination = +3 Levels.]
• [Mission Victory = +5 Levels.]
The HUD faded. Whispers turned to roars. The campus erupted.
The Hunt Begins
Blades clashed. Powers detonated. Lightning split the sky while firestorms melted courtyards. Classrooms exploded like bombs as warriors smashed through walls. The academy wasn't just a school anymore—it was a warzone.
Hiro grinned and sprinted headfirst into the chaos. His reflexes tore the world into frames: a villain lunging low, another swinging high. Hiro ducked under the first strike, twisted, and crushed the second's throat with a backhand. Blood sprayed like paint.
[+1 Level.]
"Level 10, baby," he snarled, cracking his knuckles.
A squad of armored heroes cornered him by a shattered cafeteria. Shields glowing, spears pointed.
"Hiro the Spider! You're marked for elimination!"
Hiro spat at the ground. "Yeah? Then line up and die slow."
He blurred into motion. He grabbed the first hero's shield, yanked him forward, and headbutted until bone snapped. He vaulted off the corpse, kicking another through the cafeteria wall. Shards of glass carved his hoodie, but his grin never faltered.
One hero managed a desperate beam strike. Hiro twisted mid-air, the blast grazing his arm. He crashed down, stomped the shooter's skull into paste, and cackled.
[+3 Levels.]
[Current Level: 13.]
⸻
Unlikely Alliance
The crimson-armored heroine landed beside him, her blade dripping blood. She didn't look happy, but she wasn't walking away either.
"You're racking kills like candy," she muttered.
"Jealous?" Hiro teased.
"Disgusted."
"Same thing."
She growled, but turned her blade outward, back to his back as another squad closed in. Together, they cut through attackers—her sword precision, his fists chaos.
At one point, she slashed an enemy down the middle, only for Hiro to stomp the twitching corpse into the dirt. "Damn, Spider, was that necessary?"
"Hell yeah," Hiro snapped. "If I don't break 'em, they'll just crawl back. I don't half-ass kills. You want mercy, find another dimension."
Despite herself, she smirked. Just a little.
⸻
The Rival
From across the battlefield, a roar shook the air. A massive figure landed—black armor jagged like a demon's spine, crimson aura seething like fire. His level number burned above his head: Level 15.
"Who the fuck is that?" Hiro muttered.
"Kael," the heroine whispered. "Top student from another branch. A monster."
Kael's eyes locked on Hiro instantly. He pointed his blade. "You. Spider-boy. I watched you kill the World Beast. That strength belongs to me."
Hiro cracked his neck, rolling his fists. "Cute intro. Now shut up and swing, dumbass."
Kael charged like a storm. The clash shook the courtyard. Kael's blade carved shockwaves, Hiro's reflexes weaving through by inches. Sparks flew as fists met steel, stone shattering with every impact.
Kael slammed Hiro through a desk, blade inches from his throat. Hiro spat blood in his face. "Missed, bitch."
He kicked upward, twisting the blade free, then smashed a headbutt into Kael's jaw. The man staggered. Hiro pounced, fists flying like a storm, knuckles cracking bone.
Kael roared, unleashing a blast of crimson energy that sent Hiro crashing through a wall. Dust filled the air.
The heroine gasped. "Hiro—"
The rubble shifted. Hiro crawled out, hoodie smoking, blood running down his temple. He spat a tooth onto the floor, grinning through red-stained teeth.
"Fuck… now that's what I'm talking about."
Cliffhanger
The HUD flickered again, casting light over the carnage:
[Special Objective: Defeat Rival Kael. Reward: +5 Levels.]
The battlefield froze around them, every survivor watching.
Kael raised his blade, aura flaring like wildfire. Hiro wiped his mouth, fists tightening. His body screamed from wounds, but the fire in his eyes burned hotter.
"Level 15, huh?" Hiro growled, voice low, cocky. "Guess I'll just have to kill my way past you."
Kael smirked, aura tearing cracks in the ground. "Try it, Spider. And die broken."
The two clashed again, the courtyard exploding in blood and fire.
To be continued…