"Damn it. Have I gotten lost?"
A voice echoed through the darkness and yanked me back to life.
Pain exploded through my ribs. It was sharp and unbearable. I had no idea how long I'd been unconscious, but my body felt broken. I tried to move, nothing happened. My arms and legs refused to respond, as if they weren't mine anymore.
"Where the hell am I now?"
The voice came from above. My breath hitched.
My hands wouldn't move. The area around my body felt damp and muddy. Or perhaps it was really mud.
Oh Hell No.
I tried to turn my head. It wouldn't budge. Panic surged through me as realization settled in. I couldn't see, couldn't move properly and there was pressure everywhere.
I was buried.
I forced my hands to move and started digging. Mud filled my fingers. I clawed at it desperately, ignoring the pain tearing through my arms.
Which bastard buried me alive?!
The soil grew harder the farther I dug, my strength fading fast but stopping wasn't an option. No one accepts being six feet underground. Not like this. I sucked in a shaky breath and forced myself to calm down. My movements slowed, steadier now. With everything I had left, I shoved my arm upward.
My hand broke through.
I felt air.
"AHHHH!"
Before I could register relief, a shrill scream rang out above me. I ignored it and thrust my other hand up. The screaming only grew louder.
"What the hell is that?!"
I clawed at the mud with both hands, tearing it away in chunks. Light spilled in as an opening formed. I dragged my head through, then my shoulders, then the rest of my body, collapsing onto the ground.
"Grghhh—cough—cough!"
My lungs burned as I hacked up mud and water, gasping for breath. The world spun violently.
As I looked up, I saw a girl standing a few steps away, frozen in terror, clinging to a tree as if it might save her. Her face was pale, eyes wide, body trembling.
"What the hell are you? HUH?! A Fucking Monster?!"
I couldn't blame her. Anyone would panic after seeing a man crawl out of a grave. I tried to speak, but my throat burned. So, I crawled toward her.
"Don't-" I coughed. "Don't be afraid… I'm just-"
"Stay away!"
My vision blurred. The ground started tilting. I knew I wouldn't stay conscious much longer. If I passed out here, alone, I might not wake up ever again.
I looked at her, desperation cutting through the haze and confusion.
"Please," I whispered. "Save me."
***
[Game starting in 20 minutes… beep… beep.]
[Anomaly detected in play area.]
[Initializing analysis… beep… beep… analysis result: human DNA confirmed.]
[…Human entity unregistered… reanalysis required.]
[Overriding default parameters… assigning temporary identity… processing…]
[Identity assigned.]
[Welcome, Player 101 to THE GAME OF GODS]
I jolted awake with a sharp gasp.
The smell of smoke hit my nose. I was inside a tent, lying on a thin mattress. A lantern flickered beside me, its light shaking. A travel bag sat a little ahead, stuffed with supplies. Outside, a campfire crackled.
Where was I?
The last thing I remembered was that, I was in a grave.
And then-
My breath caught. Nothing made sense. I grabbed my head, fingers digging into my hair as panic crawled up my spine. "What the hell is this…?" I muttered, cursing under my breath. This shouldn't be happening. None of it should.
Then something else hit me. I froze.
"…Who am I?"
Those words came out broken. My chest tightened and a sob slipped out before I could stop it.
"Shit. Shit. Shit."
A blue screen flickered into existence.
[Player 101. Please move to the play area within 15 minutes.]
"Player…101?" I whispered, squinting. "Who the hell is Player 101?"
Was it talking about me?
I shot up and reached for the screen. My hand passed straight through it, throwing me off balance. I stumbled and my eyes dropped.
"...!?"
My stomach wasn't there.
A hollow cavity sat in the middle of my body, opened and rotting. I could see my own intestines, slack and exposed. My vision became blur. Nausea rolled through me. As the light flickered, I caught a glimpse of my skin that made things worse.
I raised my hand, shaking. The colour of my skin wasn't normal.
It was green.
"…Am I dead?"
My face twisted into a frown. I paced around the tent, trying to think.
Damn it! I couldn't think of anything.
I dropped onto the rocky floor and dragged a hand through my hair. The confusion pressed so hard it almost made me cry. But I stayed quiet. I didn't scream. Nor I shout.
I glanced toward the tent opening. What if someone was outside? What if they wanted to hurt me? If I was already dead… could I even be hurt?
Slowly, I crawled closer and leaned forward, peeking out.
A campfire flickered nearby. Nothing else.
My frown deepened.
I rolled back in to the tent and walked toward the supply bag. With hesitation, I opened it and found a mirror. I picked it up and stared. A green face. Red eyes. Blonde hair. None of it was mine. Even if I had lost my memories, that much I was sure of.
"Screw it," I muttered.
I rummaged through the bag and found a dagger. For my own safety, I grabbed it. Then it hit me. I was naked. I fumbled through the bag again and pulled out a black cloak, wrapping it around myself.
Somehow, I had the feeling the girl had left it for me. She was probably losing her shit, then she must've thought, Screw it! I'll leave this monster to its fate. Still, I wondered why she was dumb enough to leave a dagger to a moving rotting corpse? Was she stupid? Because if it was me, I would be setting that thing on fire. But in this situation, that thing was me.
I was acting like a ungrateful piece of shit.
The screen flickered again. Words burned into my vision:
[Player 101. Please reach the play area within 10 minutes.]
I clenched my fists. What the hell is this Play area? Why am I a fucking Player in this so called game?
Another message blinked, colder this time:
[Floor 11 is now preparing to start.]
[Failure to reach the play area in time will result in immediate elimination.]
I pursed my lips, staring at the red warning screen. A thousand thoughts juggled in my mind but one thing was clear. Whatever this "play area" was, it might hold all the answers I was looking for.
The message screen hung in the air. Then a thought struck me; Can it listen me?
I lifted my hand and pointed at it. "Where the hell is this play area?"
Nothing happened.
"Right...It's just a screen-"
[Replying to Player 101.]
[Initiating map system...Beep...Beep]
"Since you can listen to me, then maybe you can do me the honor of telling me what the hell you actually are?"
[Beep...Please follow the golden diamond.]
It ignored me.
Light warped, then snapped into shape.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
A golden diamond floated in front of my face, rotating lazily before moving on. It headed straight out of the tent.
"Hey! Wait!", I yelled behind it.
I pulled my hood up and followed quickly.
The air outside was dry. Dust stuck to my boots. The ground had nothing, no vegetation or green, it was simply just rock. The sky was stormy, dark clouds hanging heavy overhead.
My grip tightened around my sleeve. I looked around. Then I looked again.
No one was around.
"…Shit," I muttered. "Am I really alone here? And where the hell did that girl go?"
The diamond didn't care. It kept floating ahead, turning where the path curved. I followed, barely noticing the ground sloping upward.
Then I stopped.
I was standing at the edge of a cliff.
I leaned forward and looked down. My breath caught in my throat.
Below me was a wide, flat rocky land. People were scattered across it. Fifty… maybe sixty. From up here, they were too far away to make out clearly, just shapes moving against the ground.
My lips twitched.
"Huh. Living Beings," I said. "What a pleasant surprise."
However, I wasn't dumb enough to just walk down there. I was already a dead man, thanks to the whole missing-stomach situation. So I was not going to put myself in a weird situation with other breathing things.
And those people below? Yeah, no. They could be monsters for all I cared.
Unfortunately, the glowing diamond drifting down didn't give me a choice.
"Oh hell no...."
No way, I have to go down there! I gritted my teeth in frustration, then I finally made a difficult decision.
"Fuck it-"
I quickly started down the slope. Stones slipped under my boots, dust kicking up with every step. When I finally reached the plain, I slowed.
[Player Successfully Reached The Play Area]
[Deactivating Maps Function]
Suddenly, a bunch of eyes landed on me. Like, all of them. Whispers started creeping around.
"Who the hell is he?"
"No idea… never seen him before."
I pulled my hood down harder. My stomach twisted...hypothetically. Not because of hunger, but because I had no clue what to do next.
I took a quick glance of faces around me. Thank the gods, they were slightly annoying humans. Not monsters like I expected.
The screen flickered and then fully became visible.
[All players have entered the play area… Initializing Floor 10 calculation.]
[…Beep… Beep… 73/100… Error detected… Recalculating…]
[Calculation complete. 73/101 players survived. Congratulations for clearing floor 11, survivors.]
"HUH?!" The shout sliced through the murmurs, and suddenly the whole place buzzed with confusion.
"What the hell?!" someone yelled from behind me, voice sharp, almost cracking. "I thought there were only a hundred players! Who the hell is player 101?!"
I turned, squinting against the dim light. A boy about my age stormed toward the main screen. His black hair stuck out in chaotic spikes, and a deep scar cut across his cheek, twisting with his scowl. He jabbed a finger at the floating text, his voice trembling with both fury and disbelief.
The murmurs swelled behind him, a low tide of whispers, gasps, and confusion filled the area.
[Replying to Player 67. Player 101 joined the game 20 minutes ago.]
Everyone went silent.
"Is that even possible…?" someone muttered.
"Where did he even come from?"
"Huh.. Wait. Is that...him?" A finger was pointed towards me.
The air slowly shifted. I felt it before I saw it.
Heads turned one by one. Eyes locked onto me like I'd been dragged under a spotlight I didn't ask for. They were filled with curiosity while some were outright hostile.
I stiffened.
I pulled my hood lower, shoulders curling in on themselves. It felt like being stared at through glass. Like an exhibit. I kept my eyes down, wishing that the ground would crack open and swallow me whole.
I had no such luck because everyone's attention was on me now.
Whoosh.
A hand grabbed my collar, yanking me up. My head snapped forward, eyes locking with his.
It was Player 67, the boy who had shouted a moment ago. His gaze filled with red.
"Tell me,… where the hell did you- Huh…?"
He froze.
Probably noticing the sickly green tint of my face, his anger faltered. His eyes widened. Slowly, almost like he didn't trust himself, he let go.
His jaw dropped. Words caught somewhere between disbelief and fear.
"Who… no. What… the hell are you?"
If only I knew that.
"His skin… green? Is he even alive?" someone hissed beside me, eyes wide.
Before I could think, Player 67's hand slammed onto my collar. Heat and rage burning in his gaze."Where did you come from?! There's no way you're human! What the hell even are you?!"
Pressure bit into my neck. I rasped, "Let go."
It was supposed to be polite. It didn't sound polite. More sounded like a command.
Shit.
He clicked his tongue, fury twisting his features. Player 67 raised his hand, ready to slam it on my face.
I didn't gave him a chance. I quickly ducked. My fist clenched. And then-
Boom!
A shockwave ripped through the air. He was slammed into the cliff behind him, rocks spraying everywhere. A jagged hole tore through the wall. He groaned, sliding down like a broken puppet.
I staggered back, heart hammering. Something was ringing in my ears. My fist tingled. My stomach slowly dropped.
Did I… actually just do that?
The crowd went silent. A few gasps, some muttered curses. Eyes darted between me and the mess of rocks and dust Player 67 had become.
Player 67 groaned, half-standing, rage in his eyes and pain on his face. "You piece of shit-"
[Players, Floor 11 Is About To Initiate. Please Stand By]
"What?! Not now, Not before I teach that monster a fucking lesson!",Player 67 shouted, his fingers pointing towards me.
[Transmitting in 3....]
Player 67 glared at me, then dragged his thumb across his neck. I swallowed hard.
[...2...]
Everything around me turned blinding white, and I felt myself lifted off the ground, drifting alongside everyone else as the world blurred into a whirlwind of light.
[...1...]
My body twisted uncontrollably, spiraling like a whirlpool as I was drawn toward a dark void ahead.
[Transmission finished!]
[Players. Welcome To Floor 11!]
TO BE CONTINUED...