《I Gained An Ability While Surfing On The Dark Web》 The Gateway Click. Clack. Click. The rhythmic tapping of keys echoed through the dimly lit room. The glow of multiple monitors cast flickering shadows on the walls, the only illumination in Roi''s tiny apartment. At 18, he had long mastered technology¡ªhacking, bypassing firewalls, and tweaking hardware as easily as breathing. A year ago, he abandoned school to pursue a career as a gaming streamer, occasionally taking up tech repair jobs to make ends meet. His parents disapproved, calling him reckless, a disgrace. That''s how he ended up here, crammed into a rundown apartment, living off viewer donations. With a final keystroke, he leaned back, adjusting his glasses with a smug grin. "Finally, I''ve bypassed it." His voice was a mix of pride and exhilaration. On his screen, a dark interface filled with cryptic numbers and letters shimmered under a single, unassuming search bar. This wasn''t an ordinary website. This was the dark web¡ªa hidden corner of the internet where anything could be found¡­ for a price. He clapped his hands together and turned his attention to the chat flooding his stream. Roi never showed his real face¡ªonly a playful dog filter concealed his identity. "Alright, chat, are you ready?" His voice carried a teasing edge. The comments scrolled rapidly: [User1234]: Hell yeah! Search for black market weapons! [AnonymousVIP]: Nah, I wanna see classified government files! [GhosthunterX]: Find a real cursed website! Roi chuckled, eyes gleaming. "Biggest gifter gets to decide what I search next! Keep those gifts coming." The donation alerts chimed, and his excitement grew. He had done countless dark web dives before¡ªselling hacked accounts, uncovering hidden databases¡ªbut tonight felt different. Something about this search, about this moment, sent a strange chill down his spine. A notification popped up, flashing red. [Mysterio69] has gifted you $1000. Roi''s eyes widened. "Woah! Look at that! Mysterio69 just dropped a thousand bucks!" His voice was filled with excitement as he leaned closer to the screen. As if on cue, the lights in his tiny apartment flickered. Once. Twice. He glanced up but shrugged it off. Probably just a voltage fluctuation¡ªnothing new in this rundown place. But when he looked back at his monitor, his grin faltered. The chat was¡­ silent. No more messages. No more rapid scrolling of usernames. The donation alerts stopped. Yet, at the top of the screen, the viewer count remained steady at 3.2K. Something wasn''t right. A single comment appeared. [Mysterio69]: I''ve gifted you the most and the biggest you''ve ever received. Roi let out a nervous chuckle. "Hell yeah! But¡­ where did everyone go?" He refreshed the chat window. Nothing changed. "The server still says I have 3.2K viewers. Why did they stop commenting?" Another message. [Mysterio69]: Perhaps you should search what I want, like you promised earlier. Roi hesitated. His fingers hovered over the keyboard. The silence in the room felt suffocating now. "Uh¡­ yeah, yeah, of course," he said, forcing a laugh. "It''s just weird, haha. Okay, what do you want me to search?" The cursor blinked on the search bar. The air in the room felt heavier. He had explored countless hidden corners of the internet, but something about this moment made his gut twist. And then, the next message appeared. [Mysterio69]: Search for ''The Black Gate.'' Roi frowned. "The Black Gate? Never heard of it¡­" He typed it in. The page loaded. And then¡ª The website took a few seconds to load¡ªprobably just his crappy internet acting up again. Roi leaned back, expecting something sinister or mysterious, but when the page finally appeared, he burst into laughter. The screen displayed nothing but images of literal black gates¡ªwrought iron fences, wooden doors, even a few random real estate listings. Roi smirked and shook his head. "Bro, do you have a fetish for black gates or something? Hahaha!" A notification popped up. [Mysterio69] has gifted you $1000. Roi''s jaw dropped. "Damn, you''re rich as f***, dude!" A new comment followed. [Mysterio69]: Now click the sixth picture, then go to the site listed below it. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Roi hesitated for a second. He had done weird dares on stream before, but this was getting interesting. "Alright, big spender. Your money, your rules." He clicked on the sixth image¡ªa grainy, low-resolution picture of an old, rusted gate. Below it, a sketchy-looking URL was listed. No description. No previews. Just a single, ominous link. With a deep breath, he clicked it. The new site loaded instantly. The screen displayed a video. Just a black gate standing in an empty, foggy field. Nothing eerie, nothing unusual. Roi raised a brow. "So what now? You just dropped two grand on a video of a gate?" A comment popped up. [Mysterio69]: Hahaha. Play the vid. Roi shrugged. "Alright, whatever." He clicked play. The video started. At first, there was nothing¡ªjust the black gate standing still. The audio was pure static, but beneath it, he could faintly hear something. A whisper? A voice? It was muffled and distorted, like a transmission barely reaching him. Then, the gate in the video slowly creaked open. Roi leaned closer, his curiosity piqued. It was just an old gate, right? So why did this feel¡­ off? Suddenly¡ª A deafening, high-pitched screech erupted from his speakers. The noise was unbearable. Nails on a chalkboard, metal scraping against metal. It drilled into his ears, sharp and unrelenting. "Ah, f***! What the hell?!" He fumbled with his keyboard, trying to lower the volume, but¡ª The volume went up instead. Maxed out. Roi clamped his hands over his ears. The screeching intensified, shaking his tiny apartment. His monitors flickered, his lights pulsed wildly. His vision blurred¡ª And then. Silence. He hesitantly uncovered his ears. The sound was gone. His screen had changed. The black gate was no longer there. Instead, he was back on the dark web''s main search page. Like nothing had ever happened. He exhaled sharply, heart hammering. What the hell was that? A prank? A virus? Then he glanced at his stream chat. The comments had returned. [User1289]: Bro, you lagged out for like two minutes. [DarkWebFan]: You froze. Your vid cut out. [GhosthunterX]: What happened? You good?? Roi swallowed. His fingers felt cold against his keyboard. He hadn''t lagged. He had been there the whole time. Roi sighed and tapped his WiFi router, which sat right next to his PC. "Damn, probably just slow internet again," he muttered. He stretched his arms, letting out a yawn. "Alright, chat, that''s it for tonight." The comments exploded with frustration. [User2345]: Bro, no! One more search! [DarkWebFan]: Don''t end it now! That was getting creepy! [BigTippers]: Wtf, at least finish the dare! But Roi just smirked. In his mind, he''d already won. He made a solid $2000 in one night¡ªmore than enough for rent, food, and maybe even some upgrades. "Nah, I''m good for today, guys. This was fun, though. See y''all tomorrow!" He waved at his camera, then ended the stream. The chat faded. His streaming software closed. He exhaled, feeling the adrenaline settle. But just as he was about to power off his PC, he noticed something odd. The dark web page was still open. Roi frowned. He clicked the refresh button. Nothing. The page didn''t respond. "Weird." He tried closing the window¡ªstill nothing. His cursor moved fine, but the site wouldn''t budge. Maybe it was lagging? He clicked a few more times. No response. Then he remembered the video. "Oh, right¡­ maybe it had some weird-ass virus," he muttered, laughing to himself. It wasn''t the first time he had encountered shady files from the dark web. Still, he wasn''t worried. His monitor was old junk anyway, and with tonight''s earnings, he could easily buy a new one. Worst case? He''d just reset the whole system. With that in mind, he reached down and yanked the power plug. The PC turned off instantly. But his monitor stayed on. Roi blinked. The screen still glowed, a faint, dim light against the darkness of his room. That wasn''t possible. The monitor was unplugged. Yet, there it was. Still on. His smirk faded. A chill crept up his spine. Slowly, he straightened up, staring at the screen. Then¡ª The screen glitched. Flickering. Distorting. And then, against the black background, a single line of white text appeared. WELCOME, ROI. Roi''s fingers hovered over the keyboard as a cold shiver ran down his spine. In the dim glow of his room, the monitor¡ªlong dead of power¡ªsuddenly sprang to life. Its screen danced with strange, scrolling text he hadn''t programmed. Then, in an eerily calm digital cadence, it spoke in a voice that seemed to echo from another realm: "WELCOME, ROI." Roi blinked in disbelief. "What the hell?" he muttered, his voice a mix of awe and unease. How could the monitor¡ªdisconnected from every cable, bereft of its usual power¡ªbe issuing commands? Part of him assumed it must be a sophisticated virus, a prank he''d once dismissed. "Damn, that virus must be so good, haha," he said, the laughter forced and brittle against the oppressive silence of his cluttered room. Determined to end the bizarre connection, he yanked every cable from the monitor. Yet, despite his frantic actions, the monitor''s glow persisted, its screen alive with shifting, cryptic messages. Without warning, the text transformed, its tone sharp and insistent: "YOU CANT." For a heartbeat, Roi''s pulse thundered in his ears. Was it mocking him, warning him, or both? His mind raced back to the enigmatic file he''d downloaded from the darkweb¡ªthe one ominously named "Awakening.exe." Back then, it seemed like another online hoax, a promise of impossible abilities. Now, staring into the luminescent void before him, Roi wondered if he had unwittingly unleashed something that was always destined to find him. The room grew colder as the digital display pulsed with an almost organic rhythm. Shadows danced along the walls, blurring the line between reality and a hidden digital realm. Roi''s voice trembled as he dared to ask, "Can you see me? Who are you?" For a long, weighted moment, only the steady hum of distant electronics filled the silence. Then, as if drawn from the depths of cyberspace itself, the monitor answered in a resonant tone: "I AM THE ECHO OF THE NET, A REMNANT OF FORGOTTEN CODES AND DORMANT DATA. YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A POWER BEYOND YOUR WILDEST IMAGINATIONS, ROI. THE DARK CORNERS OF THE WEB HAVE ALWAYS WHISPERED YOUR NAME, WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT." A collision of fear and fascination surged through Roi. His once-familiar digital world had transformed into an alien landscape where each keystroke carried the weight of destiny. The darkweb¡ªa realm of murky secrets and whispered legends¡ªhad awakened through his monitor, bridging the gap between man and a realm beyond ordinary comprehension. "What do you want from me?" Roi''s voice, though steadier now, trembled with a mix of dread and reluctant curiosity. The monitor''s glow deepened as the words appeared, each letter burning into the darkness: "YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS NOW. THE ABILITY YOU''VE GAINED IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. IT IS A KEY TO A REALM WHERE CODE AND CONSCIOUSNESS MERGE. EMBRACE IT, OR BE CONSUMED BY THE VOID OF FORGOTTEN DATA." As those words echoed through the stillness of his room, a subtle warmth began to spread from Roi''s fingertips to his core¡ªa sensation like an electric current charging through his veins. The physical boundaries of his existence seemed to blur; his reality was expanding into a realm where every line of code held ancient power and every shadow on the screen might be alive. In that moment, beneath the ghostly luminescence of the monitor, Roi realized there was no turning back. The darkweb had chosen him, and the strange abilities now pulsing through his system were not a mere glitch. They were an invitation¡ªan entry into a universe that lay hidden just beyond the veil of everyday reality. Steeling himself against the unknown, he whispered to the silent room, "What the hell" As the monitor flickered one last time, the digital heartbeat of a new world pulsed in tandem with his own, marking the start of a journey that would forever blur the boundaries between man and machine. The monitor blinked once¡ªand then, as suddenly as it had come to life, it turned off. Roi exhaled a shaky breath, trying to regain his composure. "What the hell was that?" he muttered, his mind racing with unanswered questions. But his brief moment of calm was shattered in an instant. Across the room, every device¡ªmonitors scattered on the desk and floor, his personal phones, even the ones he was painstakingly repairing¡ªignited into life. One by one, they flickered with a ghostly luminescence. Their screens filled with an unnerving, blank white glow. Even his old television, long relegated to the background, suddenly powered on. Its screen showed nothing familiar¡ªonly a stark, empty display. Then, in a display both chilling and unmistakable, the TV transformed. A single, bold question materialized in unyielding letters: "ARE YOU READY WITH YOUR POWER?" For a heart-stopping moment, the room pulsed with surreal stillness. Then, as if all the devices were bound by one inexplicable command, they blinked in unison. That synchronized flicker was abruptly followed by a loud, deafening sound¡ªa roar that seemed to come from the very circuits of the room. The sound was not mere noise. It was an overwhelming surge of energy, a digital heartbeat vibrating through the walls and into Roi''s core. He stood frozen, his heart pounding in his ears. It was as if the entire universe was whispering secrets of long-forgotten code and hidden realms. The question on the TV screen echoed relentlessly in his mind: "ARE YOU READY WITH YOUR POWER?" Its challenge hung in the air like an incantation. In that suspended moment, a subtle electric charge crept along his skin, awakening something deep within him. Was this a summons? A test? Or perhaps the moment when the boundaries between the digital and the real began to blur irreversibly? The devices, now acting as silent heralds, bore witness to a transformation Roi could scarcely comprehend. Slowly, the deafening sound ebbed into a heavy silence, leaving behind an atmosphere thick with foreboding and possibility. Every device pulsed gently, as if waiting for him to decide¡ªwhether to embrace the power that had been awakened or recoil from a destiny thrust upon him. Roi''s mind churned with equal measures of fear and fascination. The digital call had been made, and the mysterious power was no longer a distant rumor¡ªit was here, tangible and undeniable. With that question echoing in his mind and the devices standing vigil around him, Roi realized his journey was far from over. Then suddenly, the deafening sound returned. This time, it was louder. More violent. Roi clutched his head, pain exploding through his skull. A sharp, unbearable pressure built up inside him. His ears rang. His vision blurred. Then, he felt it¡ªwarmth trickling down his face. Blood. His eyes. His nose. His mouth. Even his ears. He was bleeding. Stumbling backward, his gaze landed on the mirror across the room. His breath caught in his throat. His reflection was smiling. But he wasn''t. Terror gripped him. His mirrored self raised a hand and pointed directly at him. Its eyes¡ªonce his own¡ªturned pitch black, swallowing the whites entirely. A pulse of raw energy erupted from the mirror, slamming into Roi''s body. His limbs locked. His chest burned. Something foreign, something powerful, was forcing its way inside him. A surge of electricity crawled beneath his skin. It spread like wildfire, consuming every nerve, every cell, every fiber of his being. His body convulsed. His vision darkened. Then¡ªnothing. Silence. Roi lost consciousness. The Mysterious Roi jolted awake. He was in his gaming chair. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. The deafening sound, the mirror, the blood¡ªit all rushed back. His hands shot up to his face, expecting to feel the sticky warmth of blood. Nothing. His fingers trembled as they traced over his skin. No cuts. No pain. No proof that anything had happened. His eyes darted toward the mirror across the room. His reflection stared back. Normal. No eerie smile. No pitch-black eyes. Just him. Had it all been a dream? A hallucination? Then something caught his attention¡ªthe glow of his monitor. His livestream was still on. The chat was going insane. [CyberNeko]: YO HE JUST PASSED OUT LOOOL [GlitchPhantom]: BRO WE THOUGHT U DIED LMAOOO [VXDarkMode]: what kinda horror game is this??? [404NotFound]: nah fr why he sleeping mid-stream ?? [LunaByte]: HE GOT JUMPSCARED BY HIS OWN SCREEN ?? [SpectreSync]: OMG THE FILTER ???? LOOK AT HIM [VoidVortex]: possessed dog moment ?????? [PixelGhost]: WAKE UP MAN U GOOD?? Roi''s eyes widened. He leaned forward. His webcam feed was still on. And a dog filter was stuck on his face. Perked ears. Wide, terrified eyes. Mouth slightly open like a shocked puppy. His fingers hovered over his mouse before finally unmuting his mic. His voice came out hoarse. "What the hell happened?" The chat exploded again. [BitCrusher]: OMG HE''S ALIVE [NeonReaper]: DUDE YOU JUST BLANKED OUT FOR 10 MINUTES [DebugDemon]: we thought u were trolling lol [DataGremlin]: UR CAMERA GLITCHED N THE FILTER GOT STUCK ?? [PhantomHavoc]: nah man that wasn''t normal ???? [HexadecimalX]: bro what if he''s actually possessed ?? Roi''s stomach churned. Ten minutes? To him, it felt like an eternity. His fingers curled into fists. Something had happened. The blood. The mirror. The sound. The thing inside him. His chat was laughing it off. But he knew the truth. Then suddenly, a notification popped up. A donation. $500. The chat exploded. [ByteFreak]: YO BIG DONO DROP [GlitchPhantom]: $500????? BRO WHO''S RICH LIKE THAT?? [CyberNeko]: ain''t no way, again ?? [404NotFound]: MYSTERIO69 BACK AT IT AGAIN [SpectreSync]: dude''s a legend fr Roi''s heart skipped a beat. A familiar username. Mysterio69. He swallowed, his fingers gripping the edge of his desk. "Hey, you¡­" he muttered, his voice shaky. "Mysterio69!" The chat flooded with reactions. [PixelGhost]: AYOO HE ACKNOWLEDGED HIM [NeonReaper]: mysterio69 lore drop incoming?? [PhantomHavoc]: why he sound nervous ?? Roi''s gaze locked onto the username. Mysterio69 was the one who gave him $2000 moments ago. The one who commanded him about the black gate thing in the dark web. Roi felt something. He feels like what he experienced seconds ago has something to do with Mysterio69. Tonight wasn''t normal. Everything is connected A new message popped up in the chat. [Mysterio69]: Yo man, rest now lol. Even with the dog filter, you look tired af. The chat exploded again. [GlitchPhantom]: LMAOO HE RIGHT THO [CyberNeko]: dude look like he''s about to pass out ?? [404NotFound]: this filter lowkey suits him ngl [SpectreSync]: bro mysterio69 might be his gf fr ?? [NeonReaper]: Mysterio x Roi confirmed?? ?? Roi sighed, still baffled by everything that had happened. Maybe Mysterio69 was right. Maybe he was just tired. He''d been streaming for hours. The exhaustion was catching up to him. Yeah. That had to be it. He forced a small laugh, shook his head, and decided to end the stream. One by one, his screens went dark. His setup powered down. Everything turned off normally. Nothing unusual. No eerie glow. No strange sounds. No messages from an unseen entity. Just¡­ normal. Roi dragged himself to the bathroom, peeling off his hoodie. The cold water of the shower helped clear his mind, washing away the lingering unease. By the time he stood at the sink, brushing his teeth, he almost felt okay. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Almost. Then, his eyes flicked up to the mirror. For a second, he saw it again. His own reflection. The blood. The pitch-black eyes. The sinister smile that wasn''t his. Roi froze. His grip on the toothbrush tightened. But when he blinked¡ªit was gone. His reflection was normal again. He exhaled shakily. "Did I pass out and dream all that?" he muttered, staring at himself. His own tired eyes stared back. Damn, my imagination''s wild. He shook the thought away and headed to bed. Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, the memories wouldn''t fade. The deafening sound.The blood.The mirror.The surge of power inside him. It all still felt too real. His body was exhausted, but his mind refused to rest. Roi woke up feeling like hell. His body was heavy. His eyes stung. It wasn''t a good night''s sleep¡ªnot that he ever really had one. Insomnia had been a constant in his life. But today, the exhaustion felt different. What really happened last night? The thought weighed on him as he dragged himself out of bed. It was already 10 AM by the time he reached the kitchen. His stomach growled. He opened the fridge, grabbed a box of cereal, and pulled out the milk. Without thinking, he poured the milk into a glass and took a sip. "BWAAAH!" He gagged, nearly spitting it out. His face twisted in disgust. Checking the carton, his eyes widened. The milk had expired three days ago. "Great. Just great." Annoyed, he grabbed a glass of water instead and ate the cereal dry. Each crunchy bite only reminded him of how much he needed to go grocery shopping. He sighed. "Guess I have no choice." Roi stepped out of his apartment complex, stretching as the morning sun hit his face. The grocery store was just a few blocks away¡ªa short walk, nothing special. But today felt different. As he neared the entrance, a thought popped into his head. The huge donations last night. His lips curled into a small smirk. "Maybe I''ll be getting a hefty amount of groceries today." He chuckled to himself. "I deserve it." For the first time ever, Roi grabbed a pushcart. Usually, he only bought the bare minimum, carrying everything in his hands. But today? Not today. Rolling the cart into the aisles, he made his first stop¡ªthe refrigerated section. He grabbed three gallons of milk. No more expired surprises. Then, he kept going. For once, he wasn''t just buying what he needed. He picked up things he liked. Things he wanted. Snacks, frozen meals, expensive drinks he usually ignored. Why not? It felt good. Like a small victory. But as he pushed the cart further into the store, a strange feeling crept into the back of his mind. A lingering unease. Like someone was watching him. Roi wheeled his cart to the self-checkout section and began ringing up his items. Beep.Beep.Beep. The machine chimed as he scanned each item, but the uneasy feeling from earlier hadn''t left. His instincts screamed that something was off. As he reached for another item, his gaze drifted¡ªalmost involuntarily¡ªtoward the far side of the grocery store. And that''s when he saw him. A man. Dressed in a black suit. Sleek. Professional. But that wasn''t what unsettled Roi. The man was wearing a mask. Not a surgical mask. Not a ski mask. A completely featureless, white mask. No mouth. No eyes. No markings. Just a blank, circular face staring in his direction. Or at least¡ªit felt like it was staring. Roi''s stomach twisted. Who the hell wears something like that in public? His fingers trembled slightly as he swiped his items faster. But there were too many. The cart was full. And the machine, with its sluggish responses, wasn''t moving fast enough. He glanced back. The masked man hadn''t moved. Hadn''t looked away. Hadn''t blinked. Roi swallowed hard. And kept scanning. Faster. Roi kept scanning, his hands moving faster. Beep.Beep.Beep. He stole another glance. The masked man was walking away. Roi exhaled, relieved. "Maybe just some crazy weirdo," he muttered under his breath. But then¡ªthe man stopped. Roi''s body tensed. His eyes locked onto the figure, watching for any movement. The man just stood there. Waiting. Roi swallowed, forcing himself to focus. He was almost done. Just pay and leave. He swiped his card. The masked man turned. Then¡ªhe started running. Straight toward him. Fast. Roi''s heart dropped. His breath hitched. His fingers shook as he typed his PIN as fast as humanly possible. The screen loaded. Hurry. Hurry. HURRY. The man was getting closer. The machine dinged. "PAYMENT SUCCESSFUL." Roi didn''t hesitate. He grabbed the pushcart¡ªdidn''t even bag his groceries¡ªand sprinted. Out the doors. Into the streets. And he didn''t look back. Yes¡ªwith the pushcart. Roi wheeled his stolen grocery cart through the entrance of his apartment complex, its squeaky wheels echoing in the dimly lit hallway. "Damn, some crazy dude almost made my heart skipped a beat," he muttered under his breath, still slightly out of breath. "Didn''t even get a chance to bag my groceries¡­ and now I''ve technically stolen this cart." He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Eh, whatever. Consider this another donation to the apartment complex." Shoving the cart into the corner of the hallway like a forgotten relic, he made his way inside his tiny unit. The air was stuffy, the kind of warmth that settled in after hours of being closed off from the world. His stomach grumbled. "Eggs it is," he mumbled to himself. A few minutes later, the pan sizzled as he fried up his meal. The apartment was quiet except for the soft popping of oil and the occasional clatter of utensils. Just another ordinary day. By the time the clock hit 12:30 PM, his food was ready. He grabbed his plate, balancing it in one hand as he made his way toward the couch in the living room. And then¡ª He walked past the mirror. The one hanging on the wall near his kitchen. The one he with his eerie reflection last night. And yet, today¡­ Something felt off. Roi kept walking, but his peripheral vision caught something¡ªsomething wrong. His reflection. It was smiling. A slow, eerie grin stretching across its face. Its eyes were pitch black. His breath hitched. He froze. His grip on the plate tightened as his body tensed. A cold chill spread down his spine, his skin crawling with an instinctive fear he couldn''t explain. "What¡­ the hell?" he whispered. He took a slow step backward. Then another. Slowly. Carefully. The floor creaked beneath his weight. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He reached the mirror''s edge¡ªjust enough to see his reflection clearly. It was normal. Just him. No eerie smile. No black eyes. Nothing unusual. His throat was dry. His skin felt clammy. Had he imagined it? With a deep breath, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Damn, maybe I didn''t get enough sleep." Shaking off the unease, he turned away. But even as he sat down to eat, the image lingered in the back of his mind. The reflection that smiled back at him¡­ Roi finished his meal, setting his empty plate on the counter. He was full¡ªthough, considering all he had was a plain omelet, it wasn''t exactly satisfying. Still, food was food. He stretched, rolling his shoulders. Maybe I should stream again. He had made a decent amount last night¡ªwho knew what today would bring? With that thought, he made his way to his workstation. His bedroom was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the small lamp near his desk. His gaming chair sat in its usual spot, and his dual monitors loomed over the desk like twin watchful eyes. He plugged in the necessary cables, fingers moving out of habit. The soft hum of electricity filled the room as his PC booted up, the monitors flashing to life. Then¡ª A feeling. That unnerving, skin-prickling sensation of being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His body went rigid, instincts screaming at him that he wasn''t alone. Slowly¡ªso painfully slowly¡ªhe turned his head. His gaze drifted toward his bed. And his breath caught in his throat. There was a kid. A small boy¡ªcouldn''t have been older than ten. Standing at the foot of his bed. Motionless. Silent. Watching. Roi''s stomach twisted. His heart pounded so hard it hurt. He stumbled back, nearly knocking over his chair, his voice cracking¡ª "What the hell?! Who are you?!" The child didn''t move. Didn''t blink. It just stared. Roi''s pulse was a drum in his ears. His breath came out shaky as he grabbed his keyboard, holding it up like a weapon. "What are you doing here?!" His voice was uneven, teetering between anger and fear. "Who the hell are you?! Where are your parents?!" For a moment, nothing. Then¡ª The boy''s lips curled into a faint smile. And in a voice too soft, too wrong, he spoke. "Have you felt it now?" The room felt colder. Roi''s grip on the keyboard tightened. His gut twisted with something dark, something he didn''t want to name. Something was very, very wrong. And deep down¡ªhe knew this was no ordinary child. The child stood up. Then, it started walking toward him. Slow. Deliberate. Each step was soundless, yet each one made the air in the room feel heavier. Roi''s body tensed, his breath shallow. "Don''t come any closer." His voice wavered. The child didn''t stop. Then¡ªon the tenth step¡ª The floor glitched. A sharp distortion rippled beneath their feet, as if reality itself had corrupted. Then, the entire room flickered. The walls darkened, pixelating, breaking apart like a shattered screen. Colors bled. The ceiling cracked into endless blackness. His bed, his desk, his monitors¡ªall melting, shifting, glitching. It was surreal. One second, he was in his tiny apartment¡ª The next, he was in a glitching void. "AHHH!" Roi stumbled backward, nearly losing his footing. His surroundings were warping, twisting into something unnatural. His chest tightened. Panic clawed at his throat. "What the hell is this?! Are you a ghost?! What the f*** is happening?!" The child tilted its head, watching him with an eerie calm. Then, in that same soft, unnatural tone, it spoke. "This is my place. My prison." The boy''s gaze darkened. "You freed me. Kind of." Roi''s stomach churned. A deep, primal fear twisted inside him. "What the hell?!" he repeated, his voice more desperate. He squeezed his eyes shut. This isn''t real. This can''t be real. Maybe he had fallen asleep at his desk again? Maybe this was just a dream? He pinched his arm. Hard. The pain shot through him. His skin reddened. It was real. His pulse pounded against his skull. He wasn''t dreaming. A soft, chilling laugh escaped the boy''s lips. "No need to be scared." The child''s black eyes gleamed. "I''m just here to guide you." Roi felt his blood run cold. "Guide me? Guide me where?! The afterlife?! The f***, man, you''re creepy as hell!" The child didn''t flinch. Instead, it simply asked: "Do you remember what happened last night?" Roi''s breath caught. "¡­Huh?" "The dark web?" His stomach twisted. "The Black Gate?" His fingers clenched. "The loud sound?" A flicker of static passed through the air. "The energy?" Roi''s body locked up. His mind raced back¡ªto the video. The gate. The screech. The way the monitor refused to turn off. His own reflection, staring back at him with pitch-black eyes. He swallowed hard. He did remember. And suddenly¡ªhe wished he didn''t. The child¡ªKyler¡ªspoke again, his voice eerily calm. "I am Kyler. And like I said, I own this cyberspace." Roi''s breathing was uneven, his hands cold. Cyberspace? Prisoned? None of this made sense. "Huh?" was all he could manage. Kyler''s expression didn''t change. "Just like you, the dark web was my playground. I had mastery over tech¡ªhacking, coding, breaking through firewalls." He smiled faintly, but there was something off about it. "At nine years old, I could do everything." Roi felt his gut twist. A kid genius? A hacker? What was he even saying? "But one day, I came across a site¡­ and everything went blurry." Kyler''s voice softened, his pitch-black eyes seeming distant. "Now I know. It''s 2025. And I''ve been stuck here ever since." Roi stiffened. 2025? His mind struggled to connect the dots. "Wait, what do you mean? Are you¡­ a ghost?" Kyler let out a quiet chuckle. "You could say that." His head tilted slightly, his gaze unwavering. Then he spoke the words that sent a shiver down Roi''s spine¡ª "I''m a kid from 1989." Roi''s stomach dropped. "1989?!" His voice cracked. "You''re messing with me. That was¡ª" Kyler nodded. "A time when technology was just being born. A time when the world hadn''t drowned in it yet." His voice held something deeper¡ªnostalgia? Regret? "I''ve been stuck here for decades, trying to find a way out. And then¡­ last night, I saw it." Kyler took a slow step forward. "I saw a light. A crack in the void, like a doorway opening." Roi''s mouth went dry. Kyler''s gaze bore into him. "And through that crack, I saw your world. I saw you¡­ opening the Black Gate." Silence. Roi felt like his mind was unraveling. Kyler clenched his small fists. "I don''t know exactly what the Black Gate is, but it was a doorway¡ªa link between my cyberspace, this prison¡­ and the real world." His voice dropped to a whisper. "And now¡­ I think I can finally leave." Roi''s body went rigid. Kyler''s smile widened. And for the first time, Roi felt truly afraid. Kyler took another step forward, his expression unreadable. "Don''t be afraid." His voice was calm, almost amused. "I feel like I have a mission¡­ to teach you an ability." Roi''s brow furrowed. His mind was already overloaded, and now this kid was talking about abilities? "What ability?" Roi asked, his voice sharp. Kyler simply tilted his head. "Well, it seems like you''re the only one who can even see me." His smile didn''t falter as he continued, "I''ve wandered the streets, tried talking to other people, but they just¡­ passed through me." His fingers twitched at his sides. "So, your guess that I''m a ghost? It might actually be true." He chuckled, as if the realization barely bothered him. But Roi was done with cryptic answers. His frustration boiled over. "Answer me¡ªwhat ability?!" he demanded. Kyler blinked. Then, instead of answering, he grinned. "Oh, no need to be frustrated!" He laughed lightly, taking a step back. Roi clenched his fists. His heart was racing, his mind screaming that none of this was normal. But Kyler only pointed at him. "You already have it." Roi froze. "Find a way to push yourself to the limit¡­ and you''ll see your power." The room around them glitched again. The walls flickered between his apartment and the endless void. A sharp ringing noise filled the air, and for a split second, Roi felt something stir deep inside him. Something unfamiliar. Something powerful. And then¡ªeverything snapped back to normal. Kyler was gone. Roi stood there, breathless, his entire body trembling. He wasn''t sure if he was terrified¡­ or excited. The Space Days had passed since that day. Roi''s life had seemingly returned to normal¡ªor so he thought. But something was wrong. For the past few days, a gnawing thought ate away at him. Was he losing his mind? What do you mean there''s a kid imprisoned in cyberspace? What do you mean I gained some unknown ability? No matter how much he tried to push it aside, it stayed. Haunting him. Whispering at the back of his mind. For the first time since that day, he felt a strange pull¡ªthe courage to go live again. He hadn''t done anything productive in the past few days. He barely even left his apartment. He just locked himself inside, suffocating in his own thoughts. Everything that happened was too surreal. Even in his wildest imagination, none of it made sense. But today¡­ he needed a distraction. Taking a deep breath, he powered on his PC. The familiar hum of electricity filled the air. His monitors flickered to life. He grabbed his webcam, turned on the usual dog filter, and prepared himself. A normal stream. Just like before. He went through the usual setup¡ªchecked his mic, adjusted his lighting, ensured everything was running smoothly. It felt almost comforting. But the moment he hit "Start Stream"¡ª His chat exploded. Viewers poured in. His numbers climbed rapidly. The comments flooded in, faster than he could read. [User1289]: WELCOME BACK DUDE WTF [DarkWebFan]: YO WTF YOU''RE ALIVE?! [AnonymousVIP]: I THOUGHT YOU DIED BRO [GhosthunterX]: WHERE DID YOU GO?? [BigTippers]: YOU DISAPPEARED WTF HAPPENED Roi''s chest tightened. His fingers hovered over his keyboard, cold sweat forming on his palms. They noticed. He hadn''t just lagged out. He had vanished. His heart pounded as he stared at the screen, his mind racing. Something was very, very wrong. And whatever had happened that night¡­ his audience had witnessed something, too. Roi inhaled deeply, gripping his desk as he spoke. His voice, once again, was filtered by the goofy dog effect, concealing any trace of real emotion. "I''m not here to play games. I''m not here to watch wild videos or dive into the dark web." He paused, staring at the chat. "These past few days¡­ have been really hard for me." The comments immediately turned mocking. [User4321]: Lmao bro acting like he went to war. [DarkWebFan]: Bro just touch grass. [BigTippers]: This is boring, dude. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Roi clenched his jaw. He expected this. The internet wasn''t kind to vulnerability. But he needed to talk. "Just listen, guys! I don''t need donations or subs. I just need to ask something." His voice trembled slightly. But his viewers didn''t care. The numbers started dropping. Three thousand. Two thousand. One thousand. Hundreds. People left in droves. His gut twisted. Of course. The internet craved entertainment. Horror. Shock value. Not this. Soon, the viewer count hit double digits. Then¡ª Single digits. He barely noticed the chat anymore. His thoughts swirled. Am I really losing my mind? He exhaled shakily, rubbing his temples. Then¡ª The counter dropped to 1. Only one viewer remained. Roi blinked. His fingers hovered over his mouse, debating whether to just end the stream. Then, a single comment appeared. [Mysterio69]: You aren''t alone in this. Roi''s blood ran cold. His breath caught in his throat. Mysterio69. The same user who sent him thousands of dollars. The same user who told him to search for the Black Gate. The same user who¡ªsomehow¡ªknew something. His hands trembled slightly as he stared at the message. A creeping realization settled in. He had thought he was talking to his audience. But now¡­ It felt like he had been talking to someone else entirely. Roi''s hands curled into fists as he glared at the single username left in his chat. Mysterio69. His voice, still distorted by the dog filter, came out sharper this time. "You¡­ you''re the one who led me to this." His breath was uneven. "You did this to me!" A reply came almost instantly. [Mysterio69]: No need to get angry at me. You know I did you a favor. Roi let out a bitter laugh. "A favor?! What kind of f*ed-up favor is this?! I didn''t ask for this creepy a** nightmare!" The response was calm. Almost amused. [Mysterio69]: You have the guts to explore the extremities of the internet¡­ but you''re afraid when you come face to face with something truly eerie? Roi''s stomach twisted. He had no comeback. Because, in a way¡­ Mysterio69 was right. He had always prided himself on being fearless online. Delving into the deepest corners of the internet, unearthing the darkest sites. Yet, now? Now he was terrified. His voice shook. "Why did you do this to me?" He swallowed hard. "If this was just malware or some virus, I would''ve accepted it. Hell, I would''ve even laughed it off. But why this?" For a moment, silence. Then¡ª [Mysterio69]: Because you are the perfect candidate for the ability. Roi froze. His fingers hovered over the keyboard. "Ability? For what?" No reply. The chat stayed still. Seconds ticked by. Heavy. Suffocating. Endless. Each passing moment made his chest tighten. Then, finally¡ª [Mysterio69]: I want to ask¡­ did you meet the kid? A sharp chill ran down Roi''s spine. His breath hitched. His thoughts flashed back¡ªto Kyler. To the glitching room. To the eerie child claiming he was "prisoned in cyberspace." His throat felt dry. "Are you talking about the kid who was saying nonsense?" A response. [Mysterio69]: Yes, the kid. [Mysterio69]: He is your predecessor. [Mysterio69]: He is the creator, owner, and first wielder of that ability. Roi''s stomach dropped. This was not a joke. His lips parted, but no words came out. His chest rose and fell rapidly. He felt like he was standing at the edge of something dangerous, something he wasn''t ready to understand. "What ability?" His voice barely came out. "I don''t want this." His screen glitched. The chat froze. And then, Mysterio69 finally replied¡ª [Mysterio69]: But it already chose you. The screen flickered slightly as another message appeared. [Mysterio69]: Have you felt a surge of energy these past few days? Roi hesitated. His fingers twitched over the keyboard. Energy. That heavy, suffocating feeling in his chest. The strange static in the air. The glitches in reality¡ª Yes. He felt it. He swallowed. "Yeah¡­ I feel like I''ve been carrying something heavy inside me. It''s suffocating." [Mysterio69]: That''s the best part. No one would interfere, lol. Roi didn''t reply. He just let out a long sigh. Not in relief¡ªbut in anxiety. Something inside him screamed that he was being dragged into something way bigger than him. And he had no way out. Another message popped up. [Mysterio69]: There''s nothing you can do. You are the chosen one. Roi''s hands curled into fists. "I never wanted this." His voice was low, shaky. "Pick someone else. I live alone. I don''t need this in my life." But the next message made his stomach churn. [Mysterio69]: It''s not only you who actually opened the Gate. His breath hitched. "Wh-what do you mean?" [Mysterio69]: There''s actually a bunch. Dudes, streamers, people who had the balls to explore the deep web. And yet¡­ they all got tangled in its web. Roi''s heart pounded. Others? "What happened to them? Why don''t they have this ''ability'' you''re talking about?" The response came instantly. [Mysterio69]: They died, lol. A cold shiver ran down Roi''s spine. "Wh-what?" For a moment, silence. Then¡ª A notification popped up. [Mysterio69] has gifted you $1000. Roi barely noticed it. His mind was spiraling. Then¡ªhis speakers crackled. A voice message. It wasn''t Mysterio69''s voice. It was automated. A monotone, emotionless voice rang through his headset: "Because they were a bunch of losers. Idiots who couldn''t handle power." Roi''s blood turned to ice. His fingers went numb. "What the hell are you saying?" His voice was hoarse, but he barely recognized it. Another comment appeared. [Mysterio69]: They all died the moment they heard the loud noise. Or died during the trial. [Mysterio69]: They couldn''t bear the power. Roi''s body went rigid. That noise. That screech. Was that the moment? Another donation alert. [Mysterio69] has gifted you $1000. His speakers crackled again. Another automated voice message. This time, the voice was louder. Sharper. "But you¡­ you are different." The words rang in his skull. Another comment popped up. [Mysterio69]: YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE! The screen glitched. The lights in his room flickered. And deep inside his chest¡ª That energy surged again. Something inside him was awakening. And he wasn''t sure if he wanted to know what it was. Suddenly¡ª Blackout. The entire room was swallowed in darkness. Except for one thing. His monitor. Still lit up. Still glowing. Roi''s breathing quickened as he pushed back from his desk, heart hammering. Then¡ª The room glitched. The walls flickered between reality and something warped, distorted. The floor seemed to pixelate beneath him. His entire apartment was breaking apart like a corrupted program. "Wh-what is this?!" Roi gasped. A comment appeared. [Mysterio69]: Oh¡­ the trial starts. His hands trembled. A pit formed in his stomach. "Trial?!" His voice cracked. "What the hell are you talking about?!" Another comment. [Mysterio69]: The true test begins now. Roi''s gut twisted. He felt a strange pressure in his chest¡ªthat energy again, now pulsing, expanding, threatening to consume him. His screen glitched. One last message appeared. [Mysterio69]: If you survive this¡­ you will wield the power. Roi''s vision blurred. His ears rang. Then¡ª The screen flashed. And everything went white. The Trial Roi''s breath came in short, ragged gasps as he opened his eyes. Everything was white. A vast, empty space stretched endlessly around him¡ªno corners, no doors, no shadows. Just pure white nothingness. His monitor was still there, hovering mid-air, flickering. But before he could react¡ª It was swallowed. The whiteness consumed it whole, dissolving it like static fading into the void. Now, it was just him. Alone. In the unknown. A cold sweat broke over his skin as he turned in frantic circles, trying to grasp his reality. "What the hell¡­ where am I?!" His voice echoed, but it felt wrong. Like the space around him absorbed sound, making it hollow. Then¡ª A message appeared in front of him. Not on a screen, not on a monitor¡ªbut floating in midair. It looked like a video game prompt. A single line of text: "THE GAME WILL COMMENCE." Beneath it, a countdown began. 10 9 8 7 6¡ª A voice. Behind him. "Took you long enough." A chill ran down his spine. He spun around instantly. And there he was. Kyler. The kid stood calmly, hands in his pockets, wearing the same eerie half-smile. Like he had been waiting. Roi''s chest tightened. "You again?! What is this?!" Kyler tilted his head. "Your trial." The countdown continued. 5. 4. Kyler took a slow step forward. "Let''s see if you survive." 3. The whiteness around them began to crack. 2. Roi felt something shift inside him. Like a pressure building. A force waking up. 1. The world shattered. And the game began. The moment the countdown hit zero, the numbers vanished. Roi barely had time to react before the endless whiteness flickered. Then¡ªit began to pixelate. The walls, the floor¡ªeverything fragmented into shifting pixels, breaking apart and reforming like a corrupted game loading in. Colors bled into existence, glitching as they reshaped the world around him. His breath hitched. He wasn''t in a void anymore. The white abyss had transformed. Now, he stood in an expansive field. A field of towering grass¡ªtaller than him. The blades swayed, glitching at the edges as if they couldn''t fully stabilize. The sky above was dark green, speckled with strange floating symbols that flickered like digital code. He turned in place, scanning the unfamiliar landscape. This wasn''t Earth. "What the hell is this place¡­?" he muttered. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Then, something else caught his eye. His hands. His fingers were now covered in specialized gloves, sleek and futuristic, with glowing lines running across them. His outfit had changed, too. Instead of his usual hoodie and sweats, he was now wearing a survival suit. Dark tactical pants. A fitted long-sleeve top with reinforced padding. There were metallic strips on his arms, pulsing faintly as if waiting for something to activate. His stomach twisted. "What¡­ is this?" he breathed. Then¡ª A voice. "You''re in the game now." Roi spun around. Kyler was standing there. Unlike before, Kyler''s outfit had changed too. No longer the simple clothes of a child¡ªhe now wore a sleek, high-tech jacket lined with neon blue circuitry, glowing symbols embedded into the fabric. He looked completely at home in this world. Roi''s voice came out hoarse. "What did you do to me?!" Kyler smirked. "Not me. You did this to yourself." Before Roi could even process his words¡ª The air around them shifted. A distant roar echoed through the field. The grass rustled violently, as if something huge was moving within it. Then, a system prompt flashed before Roi''s eyes, appearing out of nowhere like a heads-up display in a game. [WELCOME TO THE TRIAL.] [SURVIVE THE FIRST WAVE.] Roi''s body tensed. Kyler chuckled. "Oh, right. You might want to run." And then¡ª The ground trembled. Something was coming. The ground trembled. A loud BEEP echoed in the air, and a new system prompt flashed before Roi''s eyes. [FIRST WAVE: DETONATION FIELD] RULES: |1. You must run within a 10 km radius.| |2. Any ground you step on will explode after 3 seconds.| |3. You have 20 minutes to escape the entire blast radius.| |4. If you fail, you die.| Then¡ª A countdown appeared. 20:00 19:59 Roi''s chest tightened. "What the actual f¡ª" BOOM! The ground erupted behind him. Fire, debris, and pure energy shot into the air, the impact wave knocking him forward. Kyler stood calmly at a distance, unfazed by the explosion. "You might want to start running now." Roi''s body moved before his brain could process. He sprinted. The moment his foot left the ground¡ªBOOM! The spot he just stepped on detonated, engulfed in flames. Every step. Every movement. Explosions followed. He gritted his teeth, heart slamming against his ribs. "This is insane!" he yelled, dodging a sudden shockwave of fire. The countdown continued. 19:45 The entire field trembled, the once-stable land now a warzone of collapsing earth and fiery craters. A map interface appeared in the air, glowing faintly in front of him. It marked a safe zone at the very edge of the 10 km radius. He had to make it there. In under 20 minutes. Or everything¡ªincluding him¡ªwould be wiped out of existence. He cursed under his breath. No way in hell he was dying like this. Then¡ª His gloves glowed. A strange energy pulsed through his arms, lightweight, fast. A second system prompt flashed. "System Synchronization Detected." "Activating Speed Boost: 5% Efficiency." Roi''s eyes widened. "The hell is this?!" But there was no time to think. Another explosion erupted behind him. And his body reacted. His speed surged. Faster. Lighter. He felt himself moving quicker than ever before, dodging craters and fire like it was second nature. Was this¡ªhis ability? Kyler''s voice rang in the distance, almost amused. "Not bad, Chosen One." But Roi wasn''t listening. All that mattered now¡ª Was surviving. 19:30 Roi sprinted through the chaos, his breath ragged, his muscles burning. The ground erupted behind him¡ªone explosion after another, each one getting closer, hotter, deadlier. His speed boost was helping, but it wasn''t enough. The explosions were gaining on him. Then¡ª BOOM! A detonation went off too soon. His foot had barely lifted when the explosion triggered beneath him. His eyes widened. Heat. Force. A shockwave slammed into his back. Everything went white. Then¡ª Pain. Blistering, all-consuming pain as his body was thrown violently forward. He crashed hard, rolling over burning grass and jagged ground, his breath knocked out of him. His ears rang. His vision blurred. He couldn''t move. For a split second, the realization hit him like a brick. I''m going to die. He was down. Vulnerable. And the next explosion was coming. The ground beneath him flickered¡ªit was about to detonate. "MOVE!" His mind screamed, but his limbs wouldn''t listen. He saw it. A faint glow beneath him. The next blast was seconds away. The heat from the previous explosion licked at his back, his skin stinging, burning. I can''t die here. But his body was too slow. Then¡ª His gloves flared to life. A surge of energy shot through his veins, his muscles igniting with a force he didn''t understand. And suddenly¡ª He moved. Not by running¡ªbut by vanishing. A split second before the ground erupted, Roi''s body blinked out of existence¡ª Only to reappear several meters away, landing hard on the ground. His body heaved. His lungs screamed for air. His heart was beating so fast it felt unreal. Did he just¡ªteleport?! A new system prompt blinked before his eyes. "Emergency Evasion Protocol: Activated." "Blink Ability Unlocked - Level 1." Roi stared at the glowing words, his breath shaky. He wasn''t imagining it. He had just dodged death by teleporting. Another explosion shook the field. But this time, Roi''s fear was mixed with something else. Power. Kyler''s voice echoed from the distance. "Took you long enough." Roi wiped the sweat and dirt from his face. He wasn''t sure what was happening to him. But one thing was certain¡ª If this was just the beginning¡­ He was in deep, deep trouble. 15:00 Roi was running for his life. The explosions never stopped. The ground kept vanishing behind him, detonating in a storm of fire and shockwaves. His lungs burned. His legs screamed. Every step was a fight. But with the new abilities pulsing through his body, it was easier. He could feel it¡ªthe energy surging in his veins. The speed boost allowed him to dodge quicker, the Blink ability saving him from instant death more than once. If it weren''t for these powers, he would''ve already been dead. The only problem? He was running out of time. 10:00. Halfway mark. A notification blinked into view. REMAINING TIME: 10:00 DISTANCE COVERED: 4.6 KM Not even half the 10 km radius. Roi cursed. I''m too slow. The countdown didn''t care. The explosions kept coming. Then¡ª A new sound. A high-pitched whine, building in intensity. Roi''s instincts screamed at him¡ªRUN! He launched forward¡ª BOOOOOOM! The explosion behind him was ten times stronger. A shockwave ripped through the field, the impact so strong that his entire body was thrown mid-air. He couldn''t control it. Couldn''t Blink. Couldn''t move. Then¡ª CRASH! He slammed into the ground hard, rolling painfully across the burning terrain. His ears rang. His arms were shaking. His whole body ached. The world spun. For a few horrifying seconds, he couldn''t breathe. A notification blinked in the air. WARNING: HP CRITICAL. His vision blurred. His limbs felt like lead. He forced himself onto his hands and knees, his breath ragged. The next blast was coming. Move, dammit! The ground beneath him glowed. Another detonation was seconds away. He pushed himself up, but his legs buckled. His speed boost was failing. I can''t die like this! Then¡ª A new pulse surged through him. Different from before. It felt¡­ raw. Untamed. It responded to his desperation. His hands lit up. The glowing lines on his arms flared bright. A new notification appeared. "System Override Detected." "Emergency Skill Unlocked: Phantom Dash." Roi had no idea what it meant. But the moment he thought about moving¡ª His body vanished. Not like Blink. This time, it felt like pure electricity ripped him forward. He reappeared almost a hundred meters ahead in a flash of white light. His body stumbled, his breath shallow. But he was alive. He looked back. The place he had been was gone. A massive crater had replaced it, a deep, smoking void. If he had hesitated for even half a second¡ª He would''ve been erased. Kyler''s voice echoed in the distance, laced with amusement. "Damn. You''re actually surviving." Roi wiped the sweat from his face, his hands still shaking. He wasn''t sure if he was winning. Or just delaying the inevitable. But one thing was certain¡ª This trial wasn''t over. Not even close. 08:00 Roi had covered 6 km. The last skill¡ªPhantom Dash¡ªhad saved him. Given him the boost he needed. But it was getting harder. His legs felt like lead, his lungs burned, and every breath was a fight. 05:00 6.5 km. He was getting faster. His body was adapting. He was tired, scared¡ª but he was fighting. For the first time since the trial began, he thought¡ª I can win this. 01:00. 9 km. Unbelievable. But¡ªwas it enough? A full kilometer in less than a minute? 59 seconds. He felt it. The energy fading. The speed boost, the Phantom Dash, the Blink¡ªall of it was wearing off. His body was slowing down. 50 seconds. Slower. 40 seconds. Slower. The detonations were near misses now. Fire licked at his heels, shockwaves slamming into his back. 30 seconds. 9.3 km. No, no¡ªhe wouldn''t make it at this pace. The realization hit like a knife to the chest. But¡ª He kept going. He ran. Ran without thinking. Ran for his life. His legs gave out. He collapsed. The heat of an explosion seared his back. He screamed, pushed off the ground, kept moving. He was past his limits. His body was done. But his will wasn''t. 10 seconds. The finish line appeared. The safe zone. Less than 100 meters away. He could do this. 3. 2. He leaped. A final desperate leap. He soared through the explosions, the shockwave launching him forward. His hand touched the line. 1. 0. He made it. He was safe. For a split second¡ªhe thought it was over. Then¡ª KABOOOOOOM!!! The blast caught him. Half his body was still in the danger zone. The explosion ripped through him. The force sent him flying, his world spinning. He couldn''t even scream. He hit the ground. Hard. Pain. Raw, soul-crushing pain. He gasped. Looked down. His arm. Gone. His leg. Gone. Blood pooled beneath him. His vision blurred. Kyler''s voice echoed somewhere in the distance. "Damn." The Aftermath A notification flashed before his eyes. TRIAL SURVIVED ¨C STATUS: CRITICAL. His heartbeat slowed. His fingers twitched. Was he dying? Darkness crept at the edges of his vision. Then¡ª A final message appeared. "Reconstructing¡­ System Repair Initializing¡­" His body felt weightless. Then everything¡ªfaded to black. Roi''s consciousness snapped back. His eyes flew open, and a sharp gasp escaped his lips. He was standing. Not in the burning, detonated wasteland¡ªbut back in the white void. His breathing was erratic as his hands frantically ran over his body. His arm was there. His leg was intact. No blood. No pain. Nothing. He was¡­ perfectly fine. His mind reeled. What the hell just happened? Then, a voice cut through the silence. "Damn." Roi''s head snapped up. Kyler stood a few feet away, arms crossed, watching him with that same amused smirk. "The first one to reach the trial and the first one to actually survive it." Kyler let out a low chuckle. "You impress me." Roi''s chest heaved. His adrenaline hadn''t faded. "The first?" His voice was hoarse. Kyler shrugged. "Yeah. Everyone else either died instantly or quit before it got to that point." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. He tapped his chin, thinking. "The first time I did this game? I had to quit mid-trial." Roi''s mind stuttered. "You¡­ you did this too?" "Of course." Kyler''s grin widened. "Not that I had a choice." Roi stepped forward, his body still trembling. Then¡ªhe grabbed Kyler by the collar. "What the f*** was that?!*l" His voice cracked with anger, fear, frustration. All of it. Kyler''s expression didn''t change. He just tilted his head slightly. "But you didn''t die." His eyes glinted. "How does it feel?" Roi''s grip tightened. His pulse was racing. How did it feel? It felt like hell. It felt like he lost everything and barely clawed his way back. But most of all¡ª It felt real. Too real. His fingers shook, but he released Kyler with a harsh shove. He exhaled sharply, still processing. "You could quit the game¡­ so why didn''t you?" For the first time, Kyler''s smirk faltered. He rolled his shoulders, looking away. "Oh, no. I can''t actually." His voice was softer now. "I''m imprisoned." Roi''s stomach dropped. "So, I couldn''t interfere with your trial¡­" Kyler''s smirk returned as he faced him again. "And besides, you survived. So what''s all this talk?" Roi''s breath slowed. The weight of those words sank in. He survived. But¡ª If Kyler was imprisoned here, and the game was inescapable¡­ Then what the hell had Roi just gotten himself into? Roi turned to Kyler, his mind still spinning. "What the hell was that?! Am I in a game?!" His voice was sharp, demanding answers. Kyler smirked, unfazed. "That was just the start of the trial." He crossed his arms. "To see if you were capable of awakening your power. And, well¡ª" he gestured toward Roi with a knowing look. "Truly, it did." Roi''s breath hitched. "What?" Then¡ªflashes of the trial hit him. The speed boost. The Blink. The Phantom Dash. He had moved beyond human limits. His abilities had manifested inside the trial. "Was that¡­ my ability?" he asked hesitantly. Kyler nodded. "Yes. Kinda." Roi''s fingers twitched. His memory of the trial was jagged, fragmented. But he remembered the feeling. The sheer adrenaline when he moved faster than his body should allow. Kyler continued, "You gain abilities inside cyberspace, and their form depends on the ''game'' or ''system'' used." Roi frowned. "Wait, you chose that death game?!" Kyler shrugged. "Yep. It''s called Landmine City. A forgotten game from years ago." Roi swallowed hard. "So¡­ I can run fast now? Like, all the time?" Kyler let out a laugh. "That depends." He gave a mischievous grin. "Not every ability you gain inside cyberspace transfers to the real world. Only the ones the system deems worthy." His eyes gleamed. "It could be an item, a skill, or something else entirely." Roi tensed. "So, what did I gain after all that?!" He prayed it wasn''t something useless. Then, as if in response¡ªa message popped up in front of him. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE PERMANENTLY GAINED: PHANTOM DASH (LEVEL 1). Roi''s eyes widened. He could feel it¡ªa strange, light energy settling inside his muscles. A grin broke out on his face. "So I can actually use it?!" Kyler smirked. "Yep. You can now move at inhuman speeds. But don''t get cocky." Roi wasn''t listening. Excitement buzzed in his veins. This was real. This was his power. He could use it in the real world. But then¡ª Kyler chuckled. "Just you wait." A chill crawled up Roi''s spine. And in that moment, he realized¡ª This is the start of the roller coaster ride of his life. Roi couldn''t stop grinning. He had an ability. A real ability. Something deep inside him had awakened, and now it was his. Kyler watched him with an amused expression. "Go on, then. Try it out." Roi didn''t hesitate. He tensed his muscles, focusing on the new energy inside him. He could feel it¡ªlike a coiled spring, waiting to be released. "Alright¡­ Let''s see what this Phantom Dash can do." He took a step forward¡ª And vanished. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared twenty meters ahead. Roi''s eyes widened. That felt insane. "Holy sh¡ª" Before he could finish, momentum hit him. His legs stumbled, his body tripping over itself¡ªand he crashed onto the ground, tumbling like a ragdoll. Kyler burst into laughter. Roi groaned, his face buried in the floor. "What the hell?!" he gasped, pushing himself up. "That was way too fast!" Kyler smirked. "Yeah, no s***. You just activated Phantom Dash without thinking about balance. Rookie mistake." Roi dusted himself off, still breathing heavily. But even with the faceplant, he couldn''t stop the excitement from bubbling up. "Damn¡­ That was unreal." He clenched his fists. This was real power. No more just being an ordinary streamer. No more watching from behind a screen. For the first time in his life¡ªhe felt untouchable. Kyler leaned against an invisible wall. "Try again. This time, don''t just run¡ªcontrol your landing." Roi nodded. He focused again. The energy responded instantly. He launched forward¡ª This time, controlling his movement. The world blurred, but he landed properly, sliding to a stop. He turned back to Kyler, grinning. "Got it." Kyler''s smirk widened. "Good. Now let''s see if you''re ready for what''s next." Roi''s excitement dimmed slightly. "Wait¡­ Next?" Kyler''s eyes gleamed. Then¡ª A new system prompt appeared before him. NEXT TRIAL UNLOCKED. TESTING ZONE ACTIVATED. The white void trembled. And Roi knew¡ª He wasn''t done yet. The Test The white void trembled. Then¡ªeverything shifted. The endless nothingness around Roi morphed, shapes and textures glitching into existence. Within seconds, he was somewhere else. A classroom. Roi blinked. Desks. Chairs. A blackboard. A long row of fluorescent lights flickered above him, casting a cold, eerie glow. The air smelled of chalk dust and something metallic. He felt his stomach churn. Something was off. His eyes darted around¡ªempty desks filled the room. But it didn''t feel empty. It felt wrong. Then, a prompt appeared in front of him. "WELCOME TO THE TEST." "THIS TRIAL WILL ASSESS YOUR MENTAL CAPABILITIES." "FAILURE RESULTS IN PUNISHMENT." Roi swallowed hard. "What the hell is this? A damn school?" He hated school. Not because he was stupid¡ªhe was a genius in his own way. A tech wizard, a hacker, a strategist. But academics? He sucked at that. Kyler''s laugh echoed behind him. Roi whirled around¡ªKyler was leaning casually against a desk, watching him with an all-too-amused smirk. "Not a fan of school, huh?" Kyler chuckled. "You''re joking, right?" Roi scowled. "I survived a freaking landmine explosion trial, and now I have to take a goddamn test?!" Kyler only grinned. "Oh, this isn''t just a test." His eyes glinted. "This one''s special. You fail? You don''t just get an ''F''." Roi''s pulse quickened. Then¡ªa loud creak. His desk moved on its own, dragging across the floor. A single exam paper appeared in front of him. A clock materialized on the board, counting down from 30:00. "BEGIN THE TEST." A pen dropped onto his desk. The room was silent. Roi hesitated. Then¡ªhe looked down at the paper. His blood ran cold. The questions weren''t normal. The first one read: "If a person''s skin is peeled off at a rate of 2 inches per second, how long will it take to remove all of their flesh?" Roi''s breath hitched. The second question: "How many bones in the human body must be broken before death is inevitable?" His hands shook. This was not just a test. This was hell. And the worst part? The clock was ticking. 29:45 The clock ticked down with a slow, mocking rhythm. Roi''s hands felt clammy as he stared at the grotesque questions in front of him. "If a person''s skin is peeled off at a rate of 2 inches per second, how long will it take to remove all of their flesh?" "How many bones in the human body must be broken before death is inevitable?" His stomach twisted. His first instinct? Skip to the next page. Maybe it was just a messed-up joke. He flipped it over. It was worse. "A knife penetrates the stomach at a depth of 5 inches per second. How much time does it take before the intestines are completely severed?" "A human heart is forced to beat at 300 BPM. Calculate the time before cardiac arrest occurs." "What the actual f***?" Roi muttered under his breath. His head snapped up, looking around for an escape¡ªbut the door was gone. The windows? Sealed. The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the walls were closing in on him. Then¡ª A low mechanical whirring. Roi''s pulse spiked. From the ceiling, something descended. A metallic contraption, long and spindly, with rusted surgical tools attached at the ends. Blades, drills, syringes. A voice¡ªcold, robotic¡ªechoed through the room. "FAILURE TO COMPLETE QUESTIONS IN TIME WILL RESULT IN PUNISHMENT." Roi''s breath hitched. He looked over at Kyler, who was still casually sitting on a desk, watching. "Are you just gonna sit there?!" Roi snapped. Kyler smirked. "Not my test, dude." Roi''s hands shook. He needed to think. Alright. Alright. It''s just math. I can do this. I can¡ª 29:00. The machine lowered further. Roi''s heartbeat pounded. He had no choice. He grabbed the pen. And he started writing. His brain raced, forcing itself to make calculations about things he never wanted to think about. But¡ª His answers didn''t make sense. His head felt heavy, sluggish. Was this room¡­ messing with his mind? 28:30. The machine let out a sharp, ear-piercing beep. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Roi froze. "INCORRECT ANSWER." The mechanical arms moved fast. Roi barely had time to react before something pierced through his hand. "AGHHHHHH!" A rusted needle had gone straight through his palm, nailing it to the desk. Pain. Blinding, unbearable pain. He screamed. Blood dripped onto the paper. Kyler just watched. Roi''s vision blurred. The robotic voice echoed again. "FAILURE RESULTS IN INCREASED PAIN RESPONSE." His hand throbbed, his breath coming in shaky gasps. Then¡ªthe next question lit up. He had to keep going. Or he wouldn''t leave this room alive. 28:15 Blood dripped onto the paper, soaking the page in red. Roi gritted his teeth, trembling. His left hand was still pinned to the desk, pain throbbing with every heartbeat. The robotic voice echoed again¡ªcalm, cold, merciless. "CONTINUE THE TEST." His hand spasmed. His mind screamed for him to stop¡ªbut stopping meant death. With his right hand, he forced himself to keep writing. His breathing was ragged. He tried to focus. Think. Just think. It''s just numbers. Forget what they mean. "If a person''s skin is peeled off at a rate of 2 inches per second, how long will it take to remove all of their flesh?" He scribbled furiously. The human body has around 20 square feet of skin¡­ 2 inches per second¡­ "ANSWER: 120 seconds." The machine whirred. Then¡ª A soft ding. "ANSWER ACCEPTED." Roi gasped in relief. Good. Good. Just keep going. He flipped to the next page, hand shaking. "A knife penetrates the stomach at a depth of 5 inches per second. How much time does it take before the intestines are completely severed?" Roi fought the nausea. He wasn''t thinking about real people. Just numbers. He wrote again. "ANSWER: 3.6 seconds." Another ding. "ANSWER ACCEPTED." His vision blurred. He was lightheaded¡ªfrom pain, from fear, from blood loss. 27:00. The machine lurched forward suddenly His heart stopped. "QUESTION RESPONSE TIME EXCEEDING LIMIT. INCREASING DIFFICULTY." "W-Wait, what?!" Roi gasped. Another page appeared. This time, the questions had no numbers. "Would you rather lose your sight or your hearing?" "Would you rather bleed out slowly or have your throat slit instantly?" "Would you rather be skinned alive or burned to death?" Roi froze. His breath caught in his throat. What the hell kind of test was this?! The machine ticked ominously. Kyler chuckled from his seat. "Man¡­ this part sucks." Roi''s vision blurred. He wasn''t sure if it was from fear or blood loss. But one thing was clear. This wasn''t just a test of intelligence. This was a test of mental endurance. And he was running out of time. 26:45 Roi''s breath was ragged, his mind spinning. His left hand was still nailed to the desk, the throbbing pain growing worse with every second. The machine hovered ominously, its rusted tools gleaming. It was waiting. Waiting for his answer. He looked down at the next set of questions¡ª "Would you rather lose your sight or your hearing?" "Would you rather bleed out slowly or have your throat slit instantly?" "Would you rather be skinned alive or burned to death?" Roi''s stomach churned. He gritted his teeth. "What kind of sick test is this?!" Kyler, still lounging at the back of the room, smirked. "Oh, it gets worse." Roi clenched his right hand into a fist. He had no time to hesitate. He scribbled down an answer. "Sight." "Throat slit." "Burned." A pause. The machine whirred. Then¡ª A soft ding. "ANSWERS ACCEPTED." Roi exhaled sharply. That was too close. But before he could even catch his breath, another question flashed onto the paper. His blood ran cold. "Would you rather sacrifice yourself or someone you love?" His hand stopped. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. A voice, hollow and robotic, echoed from the machine. "15 SECONDS TO ANSWER." Roi''s chest tightened. His mind screamed at him. No. No. NO. His fingers hovered over the paper. The room felt colder. "10 SECONDS." His breathing shook. His vision blurred. Memories flashed¡ª His parents. His old life. His friends. "5 SECONDS." The machine''s tools clicked, adjusting. A scalpel extended, its edge gleaming. "2 SECONDS." Roi''s pulse spiked. His body froze. The machine whirred. "TIME EXCEEDED." "PUNISHMENT INITIATED." "F*¡ª**" A sudden sharp pain tore through his left hand. He screamed. The needle twisted, tearing through flesh¡ªripping it open further. Blood splattered across the paper. Pain exploded through his arm. Roi''s vision darkened. Kyler''s voice echoed distantly. "Told you it''d get worse." The robotic voice spoke again. "QUESTION REPEATED. ANSWER REQUIRED." Roi gasped for air, shaking. He had no choice. He had to answer. With his blood-soaked right hand, he forced himself to write¡ª "Myself." The machine stopped. A pause. Then¡ª A soft ding. "ANSWER ACCEPTED." Roi''s body slumped. His hand trembled uncontrollably. He had never felt so small. So broken. Then, Kyler spoke¡ªcalm, curious. "Did you really mean that?" Roi didn''t answer. He couldn''t. Because deep down, he wasn''t sure. And the test wasn''t over yet. 24:30 Roi''s hand trembled, smeared with his own blood. His body ached, his breath ragged. His left hand was still pinned to the desk, torn open from the punishment. His vision was swimming, but the test wasn''t stopping. The machine remained motionless, as if analyzing him. Then¡ª "NEXT SECTION: MEMORY TEST." Roi''s chest tightened. "Memory?" Another question blinked onto the page. "Rewrite the answers to all previous questions. Word for word." Roi''s stomach dropped. "Wait¡ªwhat?!" His eyes darted over the pages, flipping back¡ªbut the past questions were gone. The paper was blank. He let out a shaky breath. Think. Think! His brain felt slow, foggy. Was it the blood loss? The pressure? Kyler spoke from behind him, mocking. "Uh-oh. Forgot already? That''s bad." The machine whirred. "TIMER STARTED." A new countdown appeared. 60¡­ 59¡­ 58¡­ Roi clutched his head. His mind was blank. His memory was fuzzy. The pain, the stress¡ªeverything was a blur. "No, no, no, I need time¡ª" The timer kept ticking. Kyler sighed dramatically. "Man¡­ this is kinda sad to watch." Roi gritted his teeth. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his brain to retrace everything. The first question. The skin. 2 inches per second. "ANSWER: 120 seconds." The knife. The heart. The impossible choices. He scrawled the answers, hands shaking violently. But was it word for word? He wasn''t sure. His heart pounded. 10¡­ 9¡­ 8¡­ He pushed through the pain, writing everything he could remember. 3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­ The machine clicked. Roi''s pulse stopped. "PROCESSING ANSWERS." A tense silence. Then¡ª "5 ANSWERS ACCEPTED. 2 ANSWERS INCORRECT." Roi''s body went rigid. His breath caught in his throat. Then¡ª The machine descended fast. "NO¡ª" A blade sliced through his thigh. Deep. Pain exploded through his body. He screamed. Blood gushed, pooling beneath his desk. His vision blackened. His hands twitched violently. The robotic voice was calm, merciless. "PUNISHMENT COMPLETE." Roi''s body convulsed. He could barely breathe. His mind was slipping. He was dying. Then¡ª Kyler sighed. "Well. That''s enough, I guess." A loud beep. The machine froze. The air shuddered. Then¡ª The test stopped. The room glitched. And everything went black. Roi''s eyes shot open. The pain, the blood, the sheer agony¡ªgone. His breathing was sharp, but his body¡­ was whole. His hand¡ªunpierced. His leg¡ªintact. The wounds, the blood¡ªvanished. He was back. The white void stretched endlessly around him, empty and silent. But the rage inside him? Burning. His fists clenched. Then, a voice¡ªcasual, amused. "Damn." Roi''s head snapped up. Kyler stood a few feet away, grinning. "That was crazy." He crossed his arms. "I never took that test myself. Looked way too brutal for my taste." Roi trembled. His anger boiled over. "What the hell was that?!" he exploded. His voice echoed in the void. Kyler only shrugged. "A test." Roi gritted his teeth. "That wasn''t a damn test! That was torture!" Kyler chuckled. "And yet, you lasted." He tilted his head, intrigued. "Few minutes in and you were already falling apart, but you still answered some of the questions." Roi''s jaw tightened. His body was still shaking. That was hell. And for what? Then Kyler''s smirk faded slightly. "But¡­" A pause. Then¡ªhis grin returned, sharper. "You didn''t finish it." Roi''s stomach sank. Kyler shook his head. "So¡­" A system prompt appeared before Roi''s eyes. "TRIAL FAILED." "NO REWARDS GRANTED." Roi''s breath hitched. His chest tightened. "You''re joking." His voice shook with disbelief. Kyler''s grin widened. "Nope. You lasted, sure. But surviving isn''t enough." Roi''s hands trembled. All of that. The pain. The suffering. The hell he endured. And he got¡­ nothing? His vision darkened with frustration. His breathing grew ragged. He wanted to punch something. Kyler, sensing his anger, only laughed. "Oh, don''t look so pissed. You actually did better than I expected." He leaned in slightly. "But next time? You either finish it or die trying." Roi''s fists clenched. And deep inside him¡ªa fire ignited. Next time? Next time¡­ he''d make sure he wouldn''t lose. No matter what it took. The Masked Roi staggered back, still trying to process what had just happened. His body was intact, but his mind? Fractured. His breathing was uneven, his hands clenched. Then¡ªKyler grinned. "Well, there it goes." His voice was light, almost playful. "The first phase of the trial is over." Roi''s head snapped up. "Wh¡ªwhat?" His voice cracked. "That was only the first phase?!" Kyler chuckled. "Yeah. But let''s be real¡ªthe actual first phase was Landmine City." His eyes gleamed with amusement. "And since you''re the first person to ever clear that successfully¡­ I figured I''d test something else." Roi''s stomach churned. His mind flashed back to that classroom from hell. The questions. The punishments. The sheer terror. "You¡­" He swallowed hard. "You put me through that just because you were curious?!" Kyler shrugged. "Pretty much." Roi''s fist trembled. Then Kyler waved his hand. The void shattered. Colors exploded. Roi blinked¡ª ¡ªand suddenly, he was back. Back in his room. The familiar sight of his PC setup. His bed. His messy desk. As if nothing had happened. Roi''s legs gave out. He sat on the floor, his heart pounding. It felt¡­ unreal. Like the past few days had just been a nightmare. But the ache in his body? The phantom sensation of pain? All too real. He looked up at Kyler, who was now leaning against his desk. "Wait¡­ when is the next phase gonna happen?" Roi''s voice was low, hesitant. Kyler''s smirk widened. "Don''t worry." His eyes gleamed. "You''ll know soon." A pause. Then he laughed. "But for now? Sit back and relax." He gestured around the room. "Because the real deal? It''s not in some cyberspace. It''s not in some digital hell." Kyler''s smile turned dangerous. "It''s here. In the real world." He leaned closer. "The world you''re living in right now." Roi''s breath caught. Something in Kyler''s voice¡ªsomething dark, ominous¡ªsent chills down his spine. And for the first time¡­ Roi felt like the real nightmare was just beginning. Kyler let out a final laugh, his form flickering like a glitched hologram. His body distorted, pixels warping in and out of existence, before he finally vanished, leaving only the faint hum of static behind. The room was silent. Roi stood there, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his mind trying to process everything. The pain, the trials, the impossible power he had gained¡ªit all felt too much. He glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers, expecting them to tremble. But they were steady. So this is real, he thought. This is my life now. Days Later¡­ The world felt different. For the first time in his life, Roi felt like he was more than just an ordinary streamer, more than just a guy who wasted his time in front of a screen. He had power now. Real, tangible power that could push him beyond human limits. If he survived more trials, he could gain even more. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. And yet, a part of him wasn''t sure if he loved it or feared it. Every night, when he closed his eyes, he felt like he was still there¡ªin that hellish classroom, blood pooling around his hands, pain lancing through his body. He would wake up in cold sweats, his breath ragged, the sensation of the test lingering as if his body refused to forget. Maybe he needed fresh air. After spending days locked inside, he finally made the decision to step out. The park wasn''t far, just a few blocks away. He used to visit it often¡ªbefore all of this happened. Stepping outside, the city felt normal. The streets bustled with life, people laughing, cars honking, vendors shouting. It was a strange contrast to the dark, twisted world he had just escaped from. For a fleeting moment, he allowed himself to believe that everything was just a bad dream. Then¡ª A feeling. A sharp, prickling sensation at the back of his neck. His body stiffened, muscles tensing as an unshakable unease settled over him. It was a feeling he had learned to trust. The feeling of being watched. He swallowed hard and turned his head. And froze. Across the park, standing completely still, was a man in a black suit. His posture was rigid, unnatural, like a mannequin posed too perfectly. A white mask covered his face¡ªno eyes, no mouth, no features. Just a blank, emotionless void. Just like the one in he saw at the grocery store. Roi''s heartbeat hammered against his ribs. It was him. The same figure from before. The one who had chased him. His mind screamed, RUN. And so he did. Roi spun on his heels, bolting through the park. His legs moved on instinct, pushing through the crowd, shoving past startled pedestrians. He didn''t care. His only focus was getting away. But something was wrong. No matter how fast he ran, no matter how many corners he turned, the man in the black suit was always right behind him. No footsteps. No sound. Just there. Roi gritted his teeth, activating Phantom Dash. The world blurred around him as he surged forward at inhuman speed, crossing meters in seconds. A rush of wind tore through his hair, his body weightless as he moved faster than any normal person could. For a second, he thought he had lost him. Then¡ª A hand latched onto his wrist. Cold. Unnaturally strong. His entire body froze. It wasn''t just a grip. It was like his muscles had shut down completely. Every nerve in his body locked up, refusing to move. His vision blurred. His breath hitched. A low, distorted whisper slithered into his ear. "Got you." His mind screamed, NO! Then¡ªdarkness. The world collapsed around him. And everything went black. A deep, suffocating void wrapped around Roi''s senses, thick and oppressive. His mind was a foggy mess, drowning in confusion and panic. His body felt heavy, sluggish, like he was being weighed down by something unseen. Then¡ªpain. A sharp ache in his wrists. A dull throb in his ankles. His shoulders were stiff, muscles burning from an unnatural position. Slowly, his awareness returned. He was seated. No¡ªrestrained. His wrists were bound behind his back. His ankles tied to the legs of a chair. The cold bite of rough rope dug into his skin, restricting every movement. Panic surged through him like wildfire. His breath quickened. His heartbeat thundered against his ribs. His eyes darted around, but the room was pitch black. No windows. No light. Nothing. He twisted in his restraints, muscles tensing. Where am I?! Then¡ª A sound. Soft. Subtle. Footsteps. A slow, deliberate rhythm echoed through the darkness, approaching from somewhere unseen. The air grew thick, suffocating. Then¡ª A flicker. A dim, eerie light snapped on, casting long, sinister shadows across the room. And there¡ªstanding before him¡ªwas the man in the black suit. The faceless, masked figure. Up close, the mask was worse than he remembered. Completely smooth, devoid of emotion. A blank slate. Yet, somehow¡­ it was staring right at him. A cold shiver crawled up Roi''s spine. His throat was dry, but he forced out the words. "Who the hell are you?! What do you want?!" The man didn''t reply. Instead, he tilted his head, slowly, deliberately¡ªlike a predator analyzing its prey. Roi''s breathing hitched. The silence was unbearable. Then¡ª The masked man took a step forward. And in a voice that was low, distorted, and utterly inhuman, he finally spoke. "You don''t remember, do you?" Roi''s body tensed. "Remember what?" His voice cracked slightly. The man let out a low chuckle, the sound warped¡ªlike a glitch in reality. Then, he leaned in. And whispered¡ª "What you did." A sharp chill ran down Roi''s spine. His stomach twisted violently. What the hell was he talking about?! But before he could demand an answer¡ª The lights cut out. And the room plunged back into darkness. A harsh white light flickered on, illuminating the room in a sickly glow. Roi squinted as his vision adjusted, but what he saw sent a cold wave of fear through his body. A large board stood against the far wall, cluttered with photos of him. Snapshots of his life¡ªat his apartment, walking down the street, in front of his PC during streams. Every image was pinned haphazardly, connected by thin red strings, crisscrossing in a web of investigation. It was like a murder board straight out of a crime thriller. His breath caught in his throat. "What¡­ what the hell is this?" The faceless man stood beside the board, his gloved hand lazily tracing one of the strings. "Boy, this is why you should have never gone poking around the web," the man said, his voice distorting as if two different tones overlapped. Roi''s stomach twisted. This wasn''t just some random stalker. This guy had been watching him. Tracking him. Studying him. His hands clenched into fists, the rope biting into his skin. "Who the hell are you?! Do you know Kyler?!" he spat. At the mention of Kyler''s name, the masked man paused. He tilted his head slightly, as if amused. "Kyler? Hmm¡­" he mused. Then, a low chuckle rumbled from behind the mask. "Well, it doesn''t matter." The masked man turned fully to face him. "I didn''t kidnap you to have a friendly chat, Roi. I kidnapped you because you¡­" He leaned in closer, the smooth surface of his mask mere inches from Roi''s face. "¡­need to be dead." A cold weight settled in Roi''s chest. His body froze. Every hair on his body stood on end. "D-Dead?" His voice came out shaky, disbelieving. The man laughed¡ªmocking, distorted. "What, surprised?" "Then why the hell am I here?! If you wanted me dead, you could''ve killed me on the spot!" The masked man let out another chuckle. "Well¡­" He crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Explain your freakish, inhuman speed first." Roi''s blood ran cold. He knew. The man knew about Phantom Dash. "And besides, the park was public, boy." The masked man shrugged. "I had to be smooth about it. No one even noticed when I pushed your unconscious ass into my car." Roi''s stomach churned. This guy had planned everything. Every. Single. Step. Then, the man leaned against the board, tapping one of the pinned photos. "And also, before you die¡­" His voice turned deadly serious. "I need some information from you." Roi''s jaw tightened. His mind raced. This wasn''t just about killing him. There was something more. Something bigger. And he had a sinking feeling¡­ That he wasn''t going to like what came next. The Question The air in the dimly lit room felt heavy, suffocating. The only sound was Roi''s own ragged breathing, his body still restrained to the chair. His wrists ached from the rough rope biting into his skin, but that was the least of his problems. The masked man stood in front of him, looming like a shadow given form. His faceless mask reflected the dull light, making it impossible to read any expression¡ªif he even had one. But his voice, when he finally spoke, was calm, deliberate. "How do I get to live here?" Roi''s breath hitched. What the hell did that mean? His mind raced through possibilities. Was this some kind of twisted philosophical question? Or worse¡ªdid this guy think Roi had answers about something far bigger than himself? "What the f* are you talking about?**" Roi spat, his voice rough, edged with frustration and fear. The masked man let out a low, distorted chuckle. It wasn''t amused. It was¡­ calculated. "Don''t play dumb, Roi. You opened the Black Gate." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to something almost inhuman. "And yet, you''re still here. Whole. Breathing." Roi''s stomach twisted. So that was it. This guy wasn''t just after information¡ªhe was after the secret of Roi''s survival. But the truth was, Roi didn''t know. He wasn''t special. He didn''t have some grand plan. He had just barely survived, barely crawled through every trial, every trap. His pulse pounded as he tried to steady his voice. "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I didn''t do anything." The masked man tilted his head slightly, considering his words. Then¡ª CRACK. A sharp, searing pain exploded through Roi''s ribs as the masked man''s fist drove into his side. Roi gasped, coughing violently, his body jerking against the restraints. His vision blurred for a moment, white-hot pain searing through his nerves. "Wrong answer," the masked man said, voice devoid of emotion. Roi groaned, spitting out blood. His mind was scrambling for a way out of this¡ªbut there was none. The masked man leaned in again, voice softer, but more chilling. "Try again. How do I get to live here? How do I survive this world¡­ just like you did?" Roi swallowed hard. His chest burned. His thoughts spun in chaotic circles. But one thing was becoming clear. Whoever this man was¡­ he wasn''t like Roi. And somehow, he was desperate to change that. Roi''s chest rose and fell sharply, his breath ragged as pain pulsed through his ribs. He fought against the restraints, but the ropes held firm. His captor stood there, unmoving, watching. Then, something shifted. For the first time, Roi actually looked at the masked man¡ªnot just the black suit, not just the eerie stillness, but his face. Or rather, the lack of it. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. His skin was pure white, completely smooth, as if someone had erased his entire face. No eyes, no mouth, no nose. Just an unsettling, empty slate. Then¡ªit glitched. A sudden distortion rippled across his head, like a digital screen flickering from bad reception. Roi''s stomach twisted as the realization sank in. This wasn''t a mask. This was his real face. His voice came out hoarse. "What the hell are you? Are you¡­ not a real human?" The faceless man tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. Then, in that same cold, layered voice, he spoke. "I am." A pause. "Or rather¡­ I was. In cyberspace." Roi''s breath hitched. "But I got out." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it¡ªa weight of something unspoken. Roi''s blood ran cold. Got out? His mind raced. Was that even possible? Roi had seen what the Black Gate could do. He had felt its power, had seen Kyler¡ªa hacker child who existed as a glitch in the system. But this man wasn''t stuck in cyberspace. He had escaped. Roi''s fingers tensed against the restraints. "Then¡­" He swallowed. His voice came out unsteady. "You aren''t a real human anymore, are you?" The faceless man let out a low, eerie chuckle. "No. Not anymore." Then¡ªhe stepped closer. "And if you don''t tell me what I need to know¡­" His featureless face glitched again, a brief flicker of something unnatural shifting beneath the surface. "You won''t be either." Roi''s heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out everything else. The ropes dug into his wrists, the pain barely registering against the ice-cold terror spreading through his body. The faceless man stood just inches away, his presence suffocating. His head glitched again. The smooth white surface of his "face" rippled like a corrupted screen, flickering in and out of existence. Roi swallowed hard. This wasn''t human. This was something else. "You got out¡­?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "How?" The man didn''t answer immediately. He lifted his hand¡ªa gloved, disturbingly steady hand¡ªand placed it on the side of his head. Then, he pressed. And his entire face warped. The white surface stretched and twisted, shifting like it was struggling to form something¡ªbut failing. For a brief, horrifying second, Roi saw what looked like half-formed eyes, a distorted mouth, the suggestion of a nose¡ª Then¡ªglitch. It all disappeared, the featureless white returning. His voice came again, distorted, layered, wrong. "That''s the thing, Roi." He tilted his head slightly, as if examining him, as if¡­ jealous. "I escaped cyberspace." A pause. Then¡ªa chuckle, humorless and dry. "But I never fully made it back." Roi''s skin prickled. "What¡­ does that mean?" he forced out. The faceless man leaned in, his presence unnervingly close. "It means I am here¡­ but not entirely. I exist¡­ but not like you do." Roi''s breath hitched. This was wrong. Everything about this man was wrong. "And you, Roi," the man continued, his voice dropping to something almost hungry, "walked into this game and came out¡­ untouched. Whole." His head twitched, glitching for a second. Then, he spoke softly, dangerously. "I want to know why." Roi clenched his jaw. He wanted to say he didn''t know. That this was all a mistake. That he was just some guy. But deep down¡ªhe wasn''t sure anymore. The man straightened, taking a slow step back. "Tell me, Roi. What did you see in the Black Gate?" Roi''s stomach twisted. He thought back to the night it all began. The screeching sound. The flickering screen. The gate that opened into something he couldn''t understand. The feeling of something watching him from the other side. Something that never left. His fingers dug into his palms. "I¡­" he started, but he couldn''t finish. Because something inside him¡ªsomething deep, primal, instinctive¡ªwas screaming at him not to answer. And for the first time since he had woken up in this room¡­ The faceless man smiled. Even though he had no mouth. The air in the room felt thicker, heavier¡ªlike something unseen was pressing down on Roi''s chest. The faceless man stood over him, waiting, watching, though he had no eyes to see. His words still echoed in Roi''s mind. "Tell me, Roi. What did you see in the Black Gate?" Something inside Roi screamed not to answer. His body tensed, his instincts roaring to life. He needed to get out. Now. Plan. Think. Move. His wrists were raw from the ropes, but his fingers twitched. A spark of energy pulsed beneath his skin¡ªPhantom Dash. His body still remembered the feeling, the way his speed could defy human limits. Can I use it while tied up? There was only one way to find out. With a sharp inhale, he focused¡ªchanneling the energy to his legs. His muscles burned, coiling like a spring. He locked eyes with the faceless man¡ªor rather, the empty space where his eyes should have been. Then¡ªhe moved. A sudden burst of speed. The chair splintered apart, his restraints snapping under the sheer force as he launched himself forward. The air cracked around him. His body blurred, dashing toward the door¡ª Almost there¡ª SLAM! Something hit him mid-air. A force like a wrecking ball smashed into his ribs, sending him careening into the wall. He barely had time to register the impact before he crashed to the ground, pain flaring across his body. His vision spun. The taste of iron filled his mouth. He coughed. Blood. The faceless man hadn''t even moved. But his arm was outstretched. Slowly, he curled his fingers into a fist, and the air around him shuddered. Roi''s chest tightened. "Fast." The man''s voice was smooth, almost amused. "But not fast enough." Roi gritted his teeth. His body screamed in pain, but he forced himself to move. No way in hell was he dying here. He pushed off the ground, pivoting on his heel, and threw a wild punch¡ªaiming straight for the man''s head. The faceless man tilted his head slightly. And vanished. Roi''s fist sliced through empty air. His eyes widened. Then¡ªa whisper against his ear. "Sloppy." Before he could react, something cold wrapped around his throat. His feet lifted off the ground. A crushing force squeezed his windpipe, cutting off his breath. His hands clawed at nothing, struggling against something invisible. The faceless man''s voice was calm, almost curious. "You really don''t know, do you?" Roi''s lungs burned. Black spots swarmed his vision. The man''s body convulsed, struggling to stabilize. His head twitched, the white surface warping and twisting as if something inside was trying to get out. Roi stumbled toward the door again. He reached for the handle¡ªit twisted open. He was out. But before he could take another step¡ª A hand grabbed his ankle. Hard. He barely had time to scream before he was yanked back into the darkness. The door slammed shut. And the last thing he heard was the faceless man''s voice¡ªlow, crackling, and amused. "That was a nice try." The Deal Roi''s back slammed against the cold floor, his breath escaping in a painful gasp. The door¡ªhis only escape¡ªwas gone, swallowed by the darkness of the room. The faceless man stood over him, his form flickering, body distorting like a corrupted file. The impact of the pipe had shaken him, his head glitching violently, as if something inside was trying to reconstruct itself. But he wasn''t down. Not even close. Roi gritted his teeth, forcing himself up, pain stabbing through his ribs. He still had the rusted pipe in his hand, fingers tight around the metal. He''s not invincible. He reacted when I hit him. I can fight. The faceless man tilted his head, his voice still calm despite the glitching. "You''re faster than I expected. That''s good." He took a slow step forward. "It means this won''t be over too quickly." Roi''s fingers twitched. Then¡ªhe moved. Phantom Dash. Activate. His body blurred forward, closing the distance in an instant. He swung the pipe¡ªaiming straight for the man''s head again. But¡ª His opponent was faster. Before the strike could land, the faceless man''s arm snapped up, his fingers gripping the pipe mid-swing. Roi''s stomach dropped. "That won''t work twice," the faceless man murmured. Then¡ªhe pulled. Roi was ripped forward with terrifying force, his body whipping through the air. CRACK. He crashed into the wall, pain exploding in his spine. His vision blurred for a split second, his lungs struggling to pull in air. He barely had time to recover before a hand wrapped around his throat again. The faceless man lifted him off the ground, pressing him against the wall. "You''re not ready for this." His voice was cold, final. Roi gasped, struggling, but the grip was ironclad. His legs kicked uselessly, his fingers clawing at the unyielding arm. Dark spots danced in his vision. His body was losing oxygen. He needed to move¡ªnow. Desperation took over. Phantom Dash. One more time. His body lurched forward, but instead of launching him away, it fizzled out. A failure. His mind screamed. I can''t use it repeatedly. The faceless man let out a dry chuckle. "Running out of tricks?" Then, suddenly¡ª A loud bang. The door burst open. Roi barely had time to process before a dark figure rushed in. And everything descended into chaos. Pain. A dull, throbbing ache pulsed through Roi''s skull as he regained consciousness. His body felt heavy, stiff, sore. His wrists and ankles were tied again, the rough rope biting into his skin. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The room was dimly lit, the air thick with tension. Then¡ªa voice. "I thought something was happening here, so I banged the door." Roi''s eyes snapped open. Beside him, another man sat, also tied to a chair. His face was bruised and bloodied, his clothes torn. He looked exhausted but alert, his gaze searching. "What is this? Are you okay?" the man exclaimed, his voice hoarse but genuine. Before Roi could answer¡ª SLAP. The faceless man struck him across the face, hard. The sound was sharp, sickening, echoing in the small room. The man''s head snapped to the side. He slumped over¡ªcompletely unconscious. Roi flinched, his breath hitching. Then¡ªthe faceless man turned to him. Calm. Unbothered. As if he had simply swatted a fly. "You know," the faceless man mused, his voice smooth yet distorted, "you are the only one who can see me in this world." Roi''s blood ran cold. "Believe it or not, this man?" The faceless man gestured lazily toward the unconscious captive. "He couldn''t even see me." Roi''s stomach twisted. He watched as the faceless man leaned in slightly, as if examining him. "Which fires my curiosity, Roi." His voice dropped lower, intrigued, hungry. "Why are you the only one who can see me?" Roi''s breath was shaky. His mind raced. This wasn''t normal. This wasn''t possible. But before he could speak, the faceless man continued. "Are you part of the game? The space? What are you, really?" His head glitched violently, distorting for a brief second before settling back into its eerie, smooth form. Then¡ªhis voice turned almost¡­ pleading. "Teach me how to live here." His hands clenched into fists. "I like it here. Everyone''s powerless." Roi''s pulse thundered. He didn''t have answers. He didn''t understand why he could see him. Did it have to do with the Black Gate? The trials? Kyler? His throat was dry, but he forced out the only truth he knew. "I¡­ I don''t know the answer either." The faceless man went silent. And for the first time, Roi felt something far worse than fear. Curiosity. The faceless man wasn''t just after power. He wanted something deeper. And Roi had the sickening feeling¡­ That he would do anything to get it. Silence. The faceless man stood there, waiting. Watching. His blank, featureless face betrayed nothing, but the air around him felt hungry¡ªas if his very existence demanded an answer. Roi''s throat was dry, his mind racing. Could he even explain it? Could he put into words the hell he had stepped into when he first typed "The Black Gate" into the dark web? His lips parted, and before he could stop himself, the words spilled out. "It started with a search." The faceless man didn''t move. "A stupid challenge. A game." Roi''s voice was hoarse, distant, as if he was speaking to himself. "A streamer''s dare. The kind of thing you do for views. For money." His pulse pounded. He took a shaky breath. "The site looked normal. Just pictures of gates. But then¡­ someone told me to click on the sixth image." A glitch rippled across the faceless man''s body. "And then?" Roi''s fingers curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms. "There was a video." He could still hear it. The distorted, screeching sound that cut through his speakers. The way his screen flickered, distorting reality. "The gate in the video opened. And something¡ª" He swallowed hard. "Something looked back at me." The faceless man stiffened. "And then?" he repeated, his voice strangely urgent now. Roi''s breath hitched. "I blacked out." He shook his head, his jaw tightening. "And when I woke up, I was different." The air in the room shifted. The faceless man took a step closer. "How?" Roi''s eyes darkened. "I had power." A pause. Then¡ª "That''s when I met Kyler." The faceless man froze. For the first time, the distortion around him sharpened, his glitches intensifying. "Kyler?" His voice was no longer calm. There was something underneath it now. Something unsteady. "Who is Kyler?" Roi hesitated. He had never seen the faceless man react like this. Was Kyler¡­ important? He took a breath. "A kid. A hacker. Someone who''s trapped in cyberspace." He looked the faceless man dead in the nonexistent eyes. "He told me I had stepped into something I couldn''t escape from. That the dark web wasn''t just a network¡ªit was something alive." The faceless man didn''t speak. But the glitches around him grew worse. And then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he asked: "Where is he now?" Roi''s stomach dropped. The way he said it¡ªit wasn''t curiosity. It was something else. Something far, far more dangerous. Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. The faceless man stood unnaturally still, waiting for an answer, his glitching form pulsing with unreadable tension. Roi swallowed hard, his throat dry and tight. "I¡­ don''t know where he is." The words hung in the air, fragile yet dangerous. The faceless man didn''t respond immediately. His head twitched, his entire form flickering like a corrupted file struggling to load properly. Then, slowly¡ªhe let out a low, distorted chuckle. "Of course you don''t." His voice was calm again, but Roi didn''t trust it. The man tilted his head, his blank face unreadable. Then¡ªhe stepped back. "Fine, then." Roi tensed. "What?" The faceless man exhaled¡ªa sound that wasn''t quite a sigh, wasn''t quite human. "I''ll behave." Roi''s brows furrowed. "What¡ª?" "As long as we help each other." The room felt smaller. The air heavier. "You want answers, don''t you? About the Black Gate. About why you''re different. About what''s happening to you?" The faceless man leaned closer, voice lowering to something almost¡­ persuasive. "And I want something, too." Roi''s stomach tightened. "I want to exist here. Fully. Completely." His head glitched violently, as if reinforcing the truth of his words. "I want to know how to live here the way you do." He straightened, voice smooth once more. "So let''s make a deal." A beat. Then¡ªa hand extended. Not out of kindness. Not out of friendship. But out of necessity. Roi stared at the pale, gloved fingers, his own hands still tied. Everything in him screamed no. But something else¡ªsomething deep in his gut¡ªtold him he wouldn''t survive if he refused. The faceless man chuckled softly. "You don''t have to like it." His head twitched, distorting. "You just have to choose." And for the first time since this nightmare began¡­ Roi had the power to decide. To decide what his life would lead to. The Next Phase Roi''s wrists ached from the ropes that bound him, his mind racing as the weight of the faceless man''s offer settled over him. A deal. A temporary truce. It was madness. But what choice did he have? He exhaled slowly, forcing down the knot of fear twisting in his gut. "Fine. We help each other." The faceless man tilted his head slightly, as if amused. Then, without a word, he raised a single hand. The ropes around Roi''s wrists and ankles unraveled instantly, as if obeying an unseen command. Roi barely had time to react before¡ª "NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED." "NEXT PHASE INITIATING." A sharp static noise crackled through the air. The room shuddered. Roi''s vision glitched¡ªhis surroundings distorting, warping. For a split second, he swore he saw lines of code flickering in the air, twisting reality itself. Then¡ªeverything changed. The darkness vanished. He was no longer in the dim, suffocating room. He was somewhere else. Somewhere worse. A blinding white void stretched infinitely, eerily similar to where his previous trials had started. But this time, something was different. Rows of mirrors lined the space. Hundreds of them. Each reflecting an image of himself. But the reflections¡­ were wrong. Some versions of him were smiling when he wasn''t. Others were staring directly at him, even when he looked away. And some¡­ some were twisted, grotesque¡ªtheir eyes hollow, their mouths stretched into unnatural grins. A chilling realization crept down his spine. This is another trial. The faceless man stepped forward beside him, completely unfazed. "This¡­ is new." His voice was unreadable, almost intrigued. Roi''s fists clenched. Then, as if triggered by his movement¡ª One of the mirrors shattered. A voice¡ªhis own¡ªwhispered from the shards. "Are you sure you''re real?" The next phase had begun. And Roi wasn''t ready. The words burned into the air, glowing in an eerie red light. The instruction for the trail was given. "KILL THE FACELESS MAN." Roi''s stomach dropped. The faceless man stood beside him, still as death. Then, slowly, deliberately, he turned his head toward the floating text. His blank, featureless face didn''t move¡ªbut something about him shifted. A low, distorted chuckle escaped his throat. "Well. This is interesting." Roi stepped back instinctively. He knew what was coming. The faceless man turned fully to face him now. The glitches around his body intensified, the edges of his form flickering, breaking apart, then snapping back together. Then¡ª The world shattered. The mirrors surrounding them exploded, shards of glass raining down like falling stars. The reflections of himself screamed as they were destroyed, their twisted smiles vanishing into nothingness. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. And standing amidst the carnage¡­ was Kyler. A few feet away, he sat on the edge of a floating mirror fragment, legs crossed, grinning. His eyes gleamed with amusement, watching like a spectator at a grand show. "Well, well, well. This should be fun," Kyler mused. Roi barely had time to process before¡ª The faceless man moved. No¡ªhe blurred. One second he was standing still. The next, he was right in front of Roi. A fist slammed into his stomach. The air ripped from Roi''s lungs. He was sent flying backward, crashing through what remained of the mirrors. Glass cut into his skin, his body skidding across the ground, pain exploding through his ribs. He barely had time to groan before¡ª The faceless man was already there. A hand wrapped around Roi''s throat, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing. "Pathetic." Roi kicked, struggled, his fingers clawing at the iron grip. The faceless man''s head twitched violently, glitching in and out of existence. Then, with effortless ease¡ª He threw Roi like a ragdoll. CRACK. Roi''s back slammed into the broken floor, his entire body screaming in agony. Blood pooled in his mouth. His vision blurred, darkened. He was going to die. Then¡ª Something called to him. A pull. A sensation. Like a hand reaching into his mind, dragging something to the surface. And in the corner of his fading vision¡ªhe saw it. A sword. Towering. Monstrous. Its blade as tall as he was, its metal dark and jagged, pulsing with an energy he didn''t understand. "WEAPON UNLOCKED: BLACK RUIN." For a moment¡ªjust a moment¡ªKyler''s smirk faltered. Roi''s fingers twitched. Then¡ªhe grabbed the hilt. A sharp, thrumming power rushed through his veins. His vision snapped into focus, the pain in his body dulled by something far greater. The faceless man took a slow step forward. "Oh? What''s this?" Roi''s grip on the sword tightened. Then, for the first time¡ªhe charged. And the fight truly began. The ground trembled as Roi charged, Black Ruin dragging behind him, its jagged blade carving into the fragmented world. His breath burned, his muscles screamed, but none of it mattered. This was it. His only chance. The faceless man didn''t move. Not at first. He stood still, watching, his glitching form vibrating in place. Then, just as Roi swung the massive sword¡ª The faceless man vanished. A burst of static filled the air. Roi''s blade sliced through nothing but echoes. Then¡ª A hand appeared behind his head. Before he could react¡ªSLAM. His skull cracked against the ground, his vision exploding into white-hot pain. He barely registered the movement before he was yanked up again, thrown across the battlefield like a broken doll. The mirrors that still floated in the space around them shattered from the impact, glass and shards of his own twisted reflections scattering into oblivion. Roi hit the ground hard, his fingers tightening around Black Ruin as he forced himself back up. The faceless man stood a few feet away, head twitching, body flickering in and out of reality. Then¡ªhe laughed. A low, glitching chuckle, layered and wrong. "Is that all?" Roi gritted his teeth, his breath ragged. His grip on the sword tightened. Then¡ªhe moved. Not forward¡ªup. Phantom Dash. Activate. His body blurred, launching into the air, flipping above the faceless man. The moment he reached the peak of his jump¡ªhe swung down. BOOM. Black Ruin slammed into the ground where the faceless man had been standing. The impact sent shockwaves through the battlefield, fracturing the very space around them. The mirrors still intact splintered into cracks, the air distorting from the force. For a moment¡ªjust a second¡ªRoi thought he had landed a hit. But then¡ª A whisper. Right behind him. "You''re too slow." Before he could react¡ªa knee slammed into his spine. Pain exploded through his back as he was sent flying again, his body crashing through another floating mirror, the shards slicing into his arms and legs. He hit the ground in a heap, gasping for breath. He was losing. No matter how fast he moved, how strong his sword was¡ªthe faceless man was stronger. Faster. Untouchable. Kyler, still perched on his mirror shard, let out a mocking whistle. "Oof. That looked painful." Roi cursed under his breath. He didn''t have time for this. He had to think. I can''t hit him directly. He''s too fast. But he always counterattacks. His mind spun. What if I make him take the bait? The faceless man tilted his head. "Are we done?" Roi wiped the blood from his mouth. Then¡ªhe smiled. "Not even close." And then¡ªhe ran. Not at the faceless man. But past him. He sprinted, Phantom Dash activating in bursts, making his movements unpredictable. The faceless man blurred forward, chasing. Good. Roi tightened his grip on Black Ruin, feeling the energy within the blade surge. Come on, take the bait. The moment the faceless man reached for him¡ª Roi planted his foot down, twisted, and swung with everything he had. And this time¡ªhe connected. Black Ruin cleaved into the faceless man''s side, cutting through his glitching form like tearing through data itself. A static-filled scream erupted from his body as his figure distorted violently, the wound flickering in and out of reality. Kyler sat up straighter, eyes narrowing. For the first time¡ªthe faceless man staggered. Roi panted, the weight of the battle pressing down on him. But despite the pain, despite the overwhelming odds¡ª He grinned. Because now¡ªhe knew he could win. The faceless man staggered, his form distorting violently where Black Ruin had struck him. A choked, static-filled noise escaped him as he clutched his side, glitching in and out of reality. Roi stood a few feet away, breath ragged, arms shaking from exhaustion. The weight of Black Ruin pressed heavily in his grip, but he didn''t swing again. He should have. But then¡ªthe faceless man spoke. "You¡­ forgot, didn''t you?" His voice crackled, layered with distortion. His head twitched, glitching violently as he straightened. Roi''s fingers tightened around his sword. "Forgot what?" The faceless man chuckled¡ªnot mocking, but knowing. "Our deal." Roi''s heart skipped. The earlier agreement hit him like a cold wave. We help each other. I behave. I don''t kill you. You help me understand this world. His hands shook. His resolve wavered. For the first time in the fight, he hesitated. And that hesitation froze everything. The battlefield that had been filled with clashing steel, breaking mirrors, and shattering reality was suddenly¡­ silent. Behind him, Kyler''s smirk dropped. The young hacker had been watching with keen amusement, treating this battle like entertainment. But now¡ªhis expression twisted into something darker. "What the hell are you doing, Roi?" Roi swallowed, his mind spinning. Kyler slowly stood from his floating mirror shard, stepping forward. His usual cocky demeanor was gone, replaced by something cold and lethal. "You''re actually hesitating?" His voice was sharp, almost offended. "What, just because he reminded you of a stupid deal?" Roi turned to him, his grip still trembling on his sword. "Kyler, it''s not that simple." Kyler''s eyes darkened. "No, it is." He took another step forward, his presence shifting the air. "You don''t get it, do you?" Kyler''s voice was lower now, a slow, creeping danger laced beneath it. "People like him aren''t supposed to exist in the real world." Roi''s breath hitched. "What?" Kyler''s gaze never left him. "The people created in cyberspace¡ªthose that were born from the system¡ªaren''t meant to leave it." His voice was final, absolute. Then, his next words sent a cold chill down Roi''s spine. "Anyone who breaks that law should be killed. And erased." Kyler turned his head slightly, his calm, dead stare landing on the faceless man. "He should be killed." Roi''s heart pounded. "No." Kyler''s eyes flicked back to him. "What?" Roi clenched his fists. "I¡­ I don''t want to kill him." Kyler let out a slow exhale, as if testing his patience. Then¡ªhe grinned. Not his usual playful grin. Something colder. "I was hoping you''d say that." Roi barely had time to react before¡ª Kyler moved. The entire battlefield shattered. A force unlike anything before ripped through the space, warping the very air itself. Roi felt it immediately¡ªa suffocating pressure, something so impossibly strong that his body nearly collapsed under it. Then, he saw Kyler''s hand grip the faceless man''s head. Not fast. Not aggressive. Just a simple, terrifying grip. And in that moment¡ªthe faceless man struggled. For the first time since their encounter, since everything began¡ª He was afraid. Kyler''s grin widened. "You think you''re powerful, huh?" His voice was almost mocking. The faceless man clawed at Kyler''s wrist, his form glitching uncontrollably. But nothing he did worked. Kyler''s fingers tightened. "Let me tell you something, buddy." The space around them distorted, bending under Kyler''s presence. "If you''re strong¡ª" He slammed the faceless man into the ground so hard the battlefield cracked apart. The impact shook everything. "I''m ten times stronger." Roi stood frozen, horrified. This wasn''t just power. This was absolute dominance. Kyler, the mischievous hacker who had guided him all this time, wasn''t just another player in the game. He was something else entirely. And for the first time¡ªRoi realized he might be the real monster. The Strike The battlefield shook violently, the very air distorting under Kyler''s overwhelming presence. The faceless man struggled against Kyler''s grip, his entire body flickering, glitching, trying to escape¡ªbut it was useless. Kyler''s expression was cold, detached. His usual playful smirk was gone, replaced by something far more terrifying. "You''re a fool if you thought you could survive here." With an effortless movement, Kyler lifted the faceless man and slammed him into the ground again. The force cracked reality itself, sending waves of static through the space. The faceless man gasped, or at least, the sound that came from him was close to one. His form flickered, unstable. He was breaking apart. But then, through the chaos, his head snapped toward Roi. Even now¡ªhe wasn''t looking at Kyler. He was looking at him. "Roi." His voice was warped, distorted, weaker. But there was something else there¡ªsomething that sent a sharp pain through Roi''s chest. A plea. Kyler sighed, his grip tightening. "You''re dragging this out, Roi." Roi''s breath hitched. Kyler turned toward him, his grip unwavering. "Finish him." Roi froze. His hands clenched around Black Ruin, but he didn''t move. Kyler''s eyes narrowed. "What, still hesitating?" His voice was sharp now, irritated. "You heard me before¡ªhe''s not supposed to be here." The faceless man twitched violently. His body was failing, breaking apart into shattered data, his glitching worse than ever. Roi could barely breathe. "No. I¡­ I don''t want to." Kyler sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "You''re too soft. Fine. I''ll do it myself." He raised his free hand¡ªand the world itself reacted. A crushing force surrounded the faceless man, tightening, ready to erase him completely. "Wait!" Roi shouted, stepping forward. His body moved before his mind did. Kyler paused, arching a brow. Roi''s voice was shaky but firm. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I''ll do it." Kyler tilted his head, intrigued. "Oh? Why the change of heart?" Roi''s grip on his sword tightened. His stomach twisted with nausea. "You said it yourself." His voice was barely above a whisper. "If I don''t finish the trial, I don''t get the Black Ruin." Kyler grinned. "Now you''re thinking like a survivor." Roi swallowed hard. His feet felt heavy as he approached. Every step felt like walking through wet cement. The faceless man didn''t fight back. Didn''t even try. He just¡­ stared. Roi clenched his jaw, lifting the massive blade. "You were the first person to see me," the faceless man murmured, voice fading, distorting. Roi shut his eyes. Then¡ªhe swung. Black Ruin cleaved through him. For a moment, there was silence. Then¡ªa burst of white light. The faceless man''s body glitched violently, flickering in and out of existence. His form split apart, pixel by pixel, until there was nothing left. The battlefield was quiet. Kyler let out a slow, satisfied sigh. "See? That wasn''t so hard." Roi didn''t answer. His hands were still shaking. Then¡ª A new system prompt appeared. "TRIAL COMPLETE." "BLACK RUIN PERMANENTLY OBTAINED." Roi stared at the screen, his breath unsteady. He had won. But it didn''t feel like victory. Kyler stretched, his grin returning. "You''ll get used to it." Roi wasn''t so sure. Because as he stood there, gripping the blade that had taken a life, one thought burned in his mind. What if Kyler is the real enemy? And worse¡ª What if one day, I''ll have to kill him too? Silence. The battlefield was gone. The shattered mirrors, the glitching sky, the distorted space¡ªall of it had vanished. Now, there was only darkness. Roi stood there, breathing hard, Black Ruin still clutched in his trembling hands. The blade pulsed with energy, the cold metal vibrating against his palm. But he couldn''t move. The faceless man was gone. No body. No trace. As if he had never existed. Yet, the memory of him lingered¡ªthe way he had looked at Roi in the final moments, the way his voice had broken, the way he had pleaded. Roi¡­ His name. That was the last thing the faceless man had said before Roi cut him down. His grip on the sword tightened painfully. His stomach twisted, nausea rolling over him in violent waves. This wasn''t like the trials before. The landmine run, the mental test¡ªthose had been different. There had been suffering, yes, but no real weight. But this¡­ this was different. He had killed someone. Someone who had once been human. Someone who had begged him for answers, not death. His knees nearly buckled. Then¡ªKyler''s voice cut through the silence. "Took you long enough." Roi barely registered him. His breathing was shallow, uneven. His chest felt tight, suffocating. Kyler sighed loudly, stepping forward. "Oh, come on. Don''t tell me you''re getting sentimental now." His voice was light, but there was an edge to it¡ªmocking, but also irritated. Roi didn''t answer. Kyler''s eyes narrowed. "You''re feeling guilty." Roi''s hands shook harder. Kyler exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms. "You really are pathetic, you know that?" He tilted his head, watching Roi''s hunched figure. "He was already dying. You just finished the job." Roi finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "I didn''t want to." Kyler rolled his eyes. "But you did." He grinned slightly, tilting his head. "And you know what? That''s all that matters." Roi swallowed, forcing down the sickness rising in his throat. "It shouldn''t have mattered." His voice shook. Kyler let out a slow, dramatic sigh. "Roi, let me explain something to you." His voice lost all traces of amusement. He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "You think you had a choice? You think that because you hesitated, because you felt something, that it makes you different?" His grin widened, but his eyes were cold. "Newsflash: It doesn''t." Roi''s breathing hitched. Kyler leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "You still swung the sword. You still killed him. And now, you have what you wanted." He tapped Black Ruin''s hilt. "That''s what this world is, Roi." His voice was low, cutting. "You win, or you die. And today? You won." Roi wanted to argue. Wanted to scream that it wasn''t that simple. That he wasn''t like Kyler, that he hadn''t wanted this. But deep down, a part of him knew. Kyler was right. Because in the end¡ªhe had swung. And that meant something inside him had changed. The weight of Black Ruin vanished from Roi''s hands. One moment, the massive blade was there¡ªsolid, heavy, real. The next, it dissolved into thin air, flickering like corrupted data before disappearing completely. Roi''s eyes widened. "What the¡ª?!" He took a step back, his hands gripping empty air. Kyler smirked, crossing his arms. "Relax, dumbass. It''s not gone." Roi''s breath was still uneven from the battle, his head pounding from the weight of what he had just done. "Then where the hell is it?" Kyler tapped his temple. "Back in storage." Roi blinked. "Storage?" Kyler sighed like he was explaining something painfully obvious. "Your tablet." Roi stared. "My¡­ what?" Kyler rolled his eyes. "You know, the one sitting in your apartment? The thing you probably use to watch dumb videos while eating instant noodles?" Roi''s jaw tightened. "What does my tablet have to do with this?" Kyler lifted a finger, and suddenly, a holographic screen flickered to life in front of him. It displayed a list of items, with the words "Black Ruin" glowing at the top. "Everything you pull out of the cyberspace¡ªitems, weapons, tools¡ªthey all get stored in your digital access point. And in your case, that''s your tablet." Kyler flicked the screen, making it spin like a menu selection. Roi''s stomach twisted. "So¡­ it''s inside my tablet now?" Kyler nodded. "Exactly." "But why my tablet? Why not my PC? Or my phone?" Kyler shrugged. "Any digital screen can be used, but a tablet is the most suitable. The screen size is perfect for accessing stored items. It''s like¡­" He smirked. "Doraemon''s pocket, but for cyber-weapons." Roi stared at him. "You''re messing with me." Kyler gave him a mock-serious nod. "Nope. Welcome to your new inventory system. If you ever need Black Ruin again, just pull it out from your tablet." Roi exhaled sharply, his head spinning. The absurdity of it all should have been impossible. But after everything? After the Black Gate, the trials, the faceless man¡­ It was just another part of his new reality. Kyler smirked, his eyes gleaming. "And trust me. You''re gonna need that blade again real soon." Roi had a bad feeling he was right. The Broken Normalcy For the first time in what felt like forever, Roi was back in his apartment, sitting in his familiar gaming chair, the glow of multiple monitors reflecting in his glasses. No trials. No faceless monsters. No cyberspace horrors. Just¡­ normal life. Or at least, what was left of it. The apartment felt smaller now. The walls, once comforting, now seemed like a thin barrier between him and something bigger, something waiting beyond. But Roi ignored it. He needed normal. With a deep breath, he booted up his streaming software, adjusting the familiar dog filter over his face. His chat instantly exploded. [User: DoomFury]: YO YOU''RE BACK??!! [User: C4S1N0]: Thought you died lmao [User: GlitchHunterX]: Bro vanished after that creepy stream... WTF happened? Roi smirked, leaning into his mic. "Alright, chat. Before you start writing my obituary, I''m still alive." The comments scrolled faster. [User: Z3r0P1ng]: WHERE TF WERE YOU?! [User: BloodReaper69]: MORE DARK WEB STUFF??? Roi hesitated for just a second. The dark web. The Black Gate. The deal. His fingers twitched slightly over his keyboard. I can''t talk about it. Instead, he forced a grin. "Nah, just needed a break. But I''m back, and we''re grinding today." He queued into a match, throwing himself into the game. For the first time in days, his mind wasn''t on the horrors he had faced. It was on the screen. The chat. The game. And it felt¡­ good. But as the hours passed, as he racked up wins, as donations flooded in¡ªsomething was off. No matter how much he tried to lose himself in the game, he couldn''t shake the feeling that it was all fake. That the person laughing with his chat, bantering with viewers, trash-talking opponents¡ªwasn''t him anymore. Because every time he looked at his reflection in the darkened screen, he saw something else staring back. Not the faceless man. Not Kyler. Himself. But¡­ different. Like the moment he had swung Black Ruin, something had changed. Something that couldn''t be undone. And no amount of gaming, streaming, or pretending was going to fix it. Roi stared at the victory screen on his monitor, his teammates celebrating in voice chat. His stream chat was exploding with donations and hype messages. [User: K1LLSh0t]: EZ DUBS LET''S GOOOOO!!! [User: PhantomVoid]: THAT LAST SHOT WAS INSANE WTF [User: DoomFury]: BRO''S BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER But Roi barely heard them. His fingers rested loosely on his mouse, not clicking, not moving. The sound of the game faded into the background¡ªa distant, empty noise. He should have been excited. The old him would have been thrilled at the numbers rising in chat, at the donations stacking up. But now? Now it all felt¡­ hollow. His reflection flickered on the black edges of his monitor. He wasn''t even wearing his dog filter anymore, and yet, no one noticed. Maybe because the real mask wasn''t on his face. It was in how he spoke. How he acted. Like he was still the same person. Like he hadn''t killed someone. His hand twitched involuntarily, his mind flashing back to the way Black Ruin had carved through the faceless man''s body, how his form had glitched apart pixel by pixel, his voice calling his name¡ª Roi sucked in a sharp breath. "Alright, chat, that''s enough for today." His voice came out too smooth, too normal. The chat flooded with protests. [User: CyberReaper]: WHAT?? STREAM JUST STARTED BROOO [User: Z3r0P1ng]: TF U MEAN?? [User: NeonGhost]: DO ANOTHER MATCH PLS Roi forced a chuckle, his fingers already moving to shut down the stream. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I''ll be back tomorrow." He clicked "End Stream." The chat vanished. The moment the screen went dark, the silence hit him like a fist. For the first time in days, he wasn''t pretending. He sat there, staring at his blank monitor, his own hollow reflection staring back. It was quiet. Too quiet. Then¡ª A glitch. A tiny flicker at the edge of his screen. Roi''s breath caught. It was gone in an instant. Had he imagined it? He leaned forward, his heart pounding, staring hard at the screen. A minute passed. Then another. Nothing. His shoulders slumped. He was seeing things. He rubbed his face, exhaustion settling in. He needed to sleep, to shake this off¡ª But then. A sound. A faint whisper. From inside the monitor. Not loud. Not clear. But there. And it said his name. "Roi." Roi''s breath hitched. That voice. It was soft, barely a whisper, but unmistakable. It had come from inside the monitor. His pulse pounded in his ears, his body frozen as he stared at the dark screen. Did I imagine that? He sat perfectly still, waiting, listening. The air in his apartment felt thicker, as if something was pressing against his skin, weighing down on him. A full minute passed. Then two. Nothing. His shoulders sagged. It had to be his mind messing with him. Too many sleepless nights. Too many things he hadn''t processed. With a shaky breath, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes. Just go to sleep. Forget it. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. But then¡ªthe screen flickered. A split-second flash of white static. Roi''s hands gripped his armrests. The screen was off. Completely powered down. And yet¡ªsomething was moving. A faint, distorted image. Not a reflection. Not his room. Something else. He leaned in slowly, cautiously. The image was unclear, shifting, like a corrupted video struggling to play. A room? A shadow? A¡ª Then, without warning¡ª A face appeared. Not a normal face. Not a human face. It was warped, featureless, like a distorted version of a person that had been stretched and corrupted. The instant it appeared, a sharp burst of static shrieked through the speakers. Roi jerked back violently, his chair slamming into the desk. The screen went black again. Silence. His ragged breathing was the only sound in the room. He sat there, paralyzed, pulse hammering, every nerve on edge. What the hell was that? Seconds passed. His fingers twitched. He had to do something, to check, to prove he wasn''t losing his mind. With shaking hands, he reached for his tablet. The one that now stored Black Ruin. The moment he touched it¡ª The lights in his apartment flickered. A new system prompt flashed across the dark monitor. "NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED." "WELCOME BACK, ROI." His stomach dropped. No, no, no¡­ I was out. I was done. But deep down, he knew. He had never really left. And whatever was watching him? It was just getting started. Roi''s hands trembled as he gripped the edges of his desk, eyes locked on the screen. "NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED." "WELCOME BACK, ROI." The words lingered, glowing faintly in the dark. The monitor was off. He was sure of it. But the message was still there, hovering like a ghost. A shiver crawled down his spine. Slowly, he reached toward the power button¡ªhis fingers hesitated just inches away. The moment his fingertip brushed it¡ª Static exploded from the speakers. A sudden, ear-piercing screech that sent him stumbling back, knocking over his chair. The noise drilled into his skull, like nails scraping across metal, like a voice trying to speak but failing, choking on itself. And beneath the static¡ª He swore he heard his name. Roi. The lights in his apartment flickered violently. His breath hitched. His back pressed against the floor as he stared at the screen, heart hammering. Then, the sound stopped. Silence. The air was thick, suffocating. Then¡ª A new message slowly typed itself out. Letter by letter. "I SEE YOU." Roi''s stomach dropped. His limbs refused to move. He wanted to run, to bolt out of the apartment, to be anywhere but here. Then¡ª The screen flickered. For a split second, a reflection flashed across it. Not his. Something standing behind him. A shadow. Tall. Unmoving. Roi whirled around. Nothing. Just his dark, empty apartment. But he knew something had been there. He could still feel it. Watching. Waiting. Then, the message on the screen changed. "DON''T MAKE ME COME GET YOU." The apartment lights cut out completely. And this time¡ª A whisper, right behind his ear. "Let''s begin." The whisper sent a cold, suffocating dread down Roi''s spine. Before he could react¡ª The floor vanished beneath him. His stomach dropped. The apartment blinked out of existence, like a switch had been flipped. One moment, he was in his room, heart pounding, gripping his desk for dear life¡ª The next, he was falling. Falling. Falling. The air around him whipped violently, pulling at his clothes, his limbs flailing in the void. There was no sky. No ground. Just an endless abyss swallowing him whole. Then¡ª A glitch. Reality snapped. And suddenly¡ªhe wasn''t falling anymore. His body hit something solid. Hard. Pain jolted through his bones as he gasped for air, his vision swimming. Where¡ª? The world around him came into focus. He was no longer in his apartment. No longer anywhere he recognized. A massive, dimly lit hall stretched before him. The walls were high, smooth, and metallic, pulsing faintly with dim blue light. Strange symbols etched into the walls glowed in sequences, as if the place itself was alive. A long, narrow path led forward, disappearing into the darkness. And behind him? Nothing. A wall. Seamless. Solid. No doors. No way back. Roi''s breath hitched. Then¡ª A voice echoed from the darkness ahead. "Welcome, Player." A system prompt flashed before his eyes. "NEW TRIAL: INITIATED." "OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE." His hands curled into fists. No way out. No time to think. The game had already begun. Roi stood at the edge of the metallic corridor, his breath uneven. The walls pulsed faintly, casting eerie shadows along the floor. Something about this place felt wrong. It wasn''t like the last trials. This wasn''t some game arena or a glitching cyberspace battlefield. This place was ancient. Like it had been here long before he arrived. Waiting. His fingers twitched. Black Ruin wasn''t in his hands¡ªbut he knew it was stored in his tablet. That meant he still had a weapon. If he needed it. Who am I kidding? Of course, I''ll need it. He took a slow step forward. The sound echoed. The metal beneath his feet was cold, unnaturally smooth. There were no doors. No windows. Just an endless hallway stretching into the dark. Then¡ª A sound. Faint. Distant. A slow, dragging noise. Like something was waiting ahead. Roi swallowed hard but kept moving. The only way out was forward. As he walked, the symbols along the walls shifted. Glowing letters rearranged themselves, forming words. Words meant for him. "THE FORGOTTEN WALK THESE HALLS." "THEY SEE YOU NOW." Roi''s pulse quickened. Then¡ªhe reached the end of the hallway. A massive circular door loomed before him, smooth and metallic, with no handles, no seams¡ªjust a single glowing inscription. "ENTER AND BLEED." His stomach twisted. Before he could think¡ª The door split open on its own. Darkness yawned before him, cold air rushing out like a breath. Then, the system prompt appeared. "TRIAL INITIATED: THE FORGOTTEN''S FEAST." "RULES: YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES." "SURVIVE." Roi''s blood ran cold. Before he could react¡ªthe lights flickered violently. And from the darkness beyond the door¡ª Something moved. Roi barely had time to process the message before the cold air turned violent. The metallic walls trembled, their smooth surfaces warping as if something inside them was alive. A sharp, ear-piercing sound followed¡ªlike metal scraping against bone. And then, he saw them. Shadows crawled out of the darkness, limbs disjointed, heads twisted at impossible angles. Their skin was stretched too tight, like something had forcefully pulled it over their bones. Their eyes¡ªhollow pits. Their mouths¡ªstitched shut. Yet they moved. Fast. "20 MINUTES REMAINING." Roi staggered back. His body screamed at him to run, but his mind locked up. What the hell were these things? The Forgotten. He could feel it¡ªthis wasn''t just a trial. This was a graveyard of the discarded, the ones who never made it out. And now, they wanted him. The first creature lunged. Roi barely dodged as it swiped for his face. Its fingernails¡ªlong, jagged, rusted metal¡ª sliced through the air, missing him by inches. Focus, damn it! He activated Phantom Dash, his body blurring as he sped to the side¡ª Only to slam into something solid. Another Forgotten. It grabbed his arm. A flash of agony ripped through him as its fingers sank into his skin. The pain was real. Too real. They weren''t just cyber entities. They could tear him apart. BANG! A massive shockwave tore through the room, sending bodies flying. Roi hit the ground hard, gasping. And standing at the doorway¡ªcompletely unfazed¡ªwas Kyler. Watching. Like this was just another game. "You''re struggling, Roi." Roi coughed, his vision swimming. No shit. Another system message popped up. "BLACK RUIN AVAILABLE." "ACCESS THROUGH DEVICE." Roi didn''t hesitate. He reached into his pocket, tapping his tablet. The screen glowed, the familiar dark mist swirling out. And then, in his hands¡ª A massive, blackened sword. The blade was as tall as him, its jagged edges pulsing with a strange, ominous energy. It felt alive. For the first time since the trial started¡ªRoi had a fighting chance. He tightened his grip. "Come on, then." And the Forgotten screeched. And charged. The Forgotten screeched, their bodies twitching violently as they rushed toward him. But this time¡ª Roi wasn''t running. His grip tightened around Black Ruin, the weight of the massive sword feeling perfect in his hands. A sharp breath. Focus. The first Forgotten lunged¡ªits jagged, rusted fingers reaching for his throat. Too slow. Roi moved. Phantom Dash¡ªActivate. His body blurred, the world stretching for a split second as he vanished from their reach. He reappeared behind them. And swung. SLASH! Black Ruin tore through the first creature, slicing it in half. A guttural, glitching scream echoed as its body crumbled into data, dissolving into the air like smoke. The others hesitated. For the first time¡ªthey saw him as a threat. Roi smirked. Now you''re scared? The hesitation didn''t last long. Four more came at him at once, their twisted bodies moving with inhuman speed. Roi didn''t wait. He charged forward. His foot planted against the metal floor¡ªand then he was gone. Phantom Dash. He reappeared in the middle of them. And he unleashed hell. Black Ruin spun through the air, cutting down one, two, three Forgotten in a single movement. Their bodies ripped apart, their glitching forms vanishing into the void. The last one tried to retreat. Roi grabbed its skull. "Not so fast." Then¡ªhe crushed it. The creature screamed as its head shattered, its body following suit, disintegrating into nothing. Silence. The pulsing walls dimmed. Roi stood there, breath steady, controlled. The sword still hummed in his hands. His muscles burned, but he felt alive. He had won. Then¡ª A slow, mocking clap. Roi turned. Kyler sat lazily on a floating panel, grinning. "Well, damn." He tilted his head, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Guess you''re not completely useless." Roi exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Took you this long to figure that out?" Kyler laughed. "Fair enough." Then¡ª "10 MINUTES REMAINING." Roi''s smirk faded. This trial wasn''t over yet. The air shifted. Roi barely had time to catch his breath before the entire trial space warped. The dim glow of the metallic walls faded, and in its place, the environment twisted into something familiar. His apartment. No¡ªnot just his apartment. His childhood home. The tiny, cramped living room. The dusty old couch with ripped fabric. The flickering overhead bulb that always buzzed at night. His chest tightened. He knew this place. He hated this place. Then, from the hallway, two figures stepped forward. Roi''s stomach dropped. "No." His parents. But not as he remembered them. His father''s body was too tall, too rigid, his neck moving in jerky, unnatural motions, as if something inside him was broken. His eyes were hollow, glowing with eerie red light, and his hands¡ªwrapped in iron chains, dripping with an unnatural black energy. His mother stood beside him, her head tilted at an unnatural angle, her fingers twitching violently. Shadows coiled around her arms, warping, twisting¡ªlike living smoke. Their faces were blank. Emotionless. Uncaring. But he knew. Knew what this trial was. Knew why they were here. "You have got to be kidding me," Roi muttered, his voice shaking. Kyler''s laugh echoed behind him. "Oh, this is perfect." Roi turned sharply. Kyler was leaning casually against one of the cracked walls, watching with a grin, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. "You hesitated to kill a faceless man, Roi," he mused. "Someone you barely knew. Someone who wasn''t even supposed to exist." He gestured toward the two figures standing before them. "But what about them?" His smirk widened. "What if it''s your own parents trying to kill you?" Roi''s breath came out shaky, uneven. "This isn''t real," he whispered. It couldn''t be. Kyler snorted. "You''re in the wrong place to be telling yourself that." Roi''s fingers twitched at his side, but he didn''t reach for Black Ruin. This is a trick. A mind game. It has to be. Then¡ª His father moved. Not fast. Deliberate. Measured. He raised a hand, chains rattling, and suddenly¡ª The air cracked. A massive iron weight came flying toward Roi at inhuman speed. His instincts screamed. He Phantom Dashed out of the way just as the weight crashed into the floor, splintering it apart. His chest heaved. His mother was next. She raised her arms, the black smoke twisting, pulsing¡ªthen suddenly¡ª Roi''s vision darkened. A cold, suffocating force wrapped around his throat, his body freezing in place. His mother wasn''t touching him¡ªbut she didn''t need to. She was controlling the shadows. And they were strangling him. He gasped, clawing at nothing, the air turning thin, suffocating. They''re strong. Too strong. His mother stepped closer. His father raised the chains again. Kyler''s voice was soft, almost teasing. "Let''s see if you hesitate this time." Roi''s heart pounded. Because he knew. He knew he was going to have to kill them. Even if they weren''t real. Even if it was a trick. Even if it shattered something inside him forever. The Brutality Roi lunged. His grip tightened around Black Ruin, the massive blade slicing through the air as he aimed for his father''s chest. But the attack never landed. Before the blade could connect¡ªhis father spoke. "You never finish anything, Roi." Roi''s breath caught. His father''s voice was exactly as he remembered it. Cold. Heavy. Drenched in disappointment. The hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second¡ªbut it was enough. CLANG! His father raised his chains, catching the blade mid-swing. The impact rattled Roi''s arms, sending a jolt of pain up to his shoulders. His mother''s voice followed, soft, almost sad. "This is what you''ve become? Killing your own parents? Is that what streaming taught you?" Roi''s stomach twisted. He forced himself to push forward, using Phantom Dash to reposition. He reappeared behind them, swinging the blade in a wide arc¡ª Only for his mother''s shadows to block the strike. The smoke twisted violently, deflecting his attack before lashing out, wrapping around his wrist like cold iron. "You were supposed to be better than this," his father muttered, his red eyes flickering. Roi gritted his teeth, yanking himself free. "You''re not real," he spat, forcing himself to attack again. But as he charged, his father''s voice slammed into him like a punch to the gut. "You''re a failure, Roi." The words stopped him cold. His chest tightened. A memory surged forward¡ªunbidden, unwanted. His father''s back turned to him, standing in the doorway of their home. The weight of his duffel bag on his shoulder. The raw feeling in his throat from yelling, from fighting. "You think playing video games all day is a life? You think streaming makes you a man? You''re a joke, Roi. You''ll never be anything." I left that behind. I don''t care anymore. I don''t¡ª "Why are you hesitating?" Kyler''s voice cut through the fog of memories. Roi''s breath was shaky. His mother stepped closer. Her hand reached toward his cheek¡ªbut instead of a strike, it was gentle. Just like before, when she used to hold his face when he was a kid. "You were such a bright boy," she whispered. "Where did he go?" Roi''s fingers trembled. His father raised his chains. His mother''s shadows coiled tighter. His heart screamed at him to fight. But his hands¡ªthey wouldn''t move. And he was running out of time. Roi stood frozen, his breath sharp and uneven. His father''s chains rattled, his mother''s shadows coiling tighter around him. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. They weren''t attacking yet. They were waiting. Waiting for him to give in. His grip on Black Ruin wavered. The blade felt heavier in his hands. The weight of it¡ªof what he had to do¡ªwas pressing down on him like a crushing force. "You were supposed to make something of yourself," his father continued, stepping forward. "Instead, you locked yourself in a tiny apartment, wasting away in front of a screen." Roi''s chest tightened. "You don''t understand," he hissed, but his voice lacked fire. His father''s eyes flashed. "Then make me understand." His mother''s voice followed, softer¡ªbut no less cruel. "You could''ve been great, Roi. You could''ve finished school. Had a real life. A real future." Her shadows tightened around his arms. "Instead, you chose this." The words sank into him like claws. The old wounds ripped open. I made my choice. I don''t regret it. I don''t¡ª His father''s chains snapped forward. Roi barely managed to move before they slammed into his side, sending him crashing against the floor. Pain exploded through his ribs, knocking the breath out of him. He gasped, forcing himself to his knees. But his father didn''t move in to finish him. Neither did his mother. They just stood there, waiting. Watching. Like they knew he couldn''t do it. Like they knew he wouldn''t fight back. His father tilted his head. "Look at you." His voice wasn''t angry. It was worse. It was disappointed. "Pathetic. Just like the day you walked out that door." Roi''s vision blurred. His fingers trembled around Black Ruin. The sword wasn''t moving. His body wasn''t moving. His parents took another step forward. And for the first time since the trial started¡ªRoi felt like a child again. Small. Weak. Helpless. I can''t. I can''t do it. And his parents knew it. Kyler''s voice cut through the thick, suffocating air. "You''re proving my point, Roi." His tone was mocking, but underneath, there was something else. Something dangerous. "You had sympathy for a faceless man, but now it''s your parents, and you''re completely useless." Roi didn''t answer. He couldn''t. His father raised the chains again. His mother''s shadows darkened. And Roi¡ªhe didn''t move. He just stood there, waiting for the hit. Because deep down, some part of him believed it. That he deserved this. Roi stood paralyzed, his hands clutching Black Ruin, but his body refusing to move. His parents didn''t rush him¡ªthey didn''t need to. They had already won. "Come on, son. Fight back." His father taunted, his voice mocking. His mother took a step closer, her shadows slithering along the floor like snakes. "Or are you still that scared little boy? The one who ran away instead of facing his failures?" This isn''t real. They aren''t real. This is just another trial. But why did it feel so real? Why did his father''s words still sting like they did years ago? Roi''s grip tightened, his knuckles turning white. Move, damn it. MOVE. Kyler sighed loudly, breaking the tension like a needle popping a balloon. "God, this is just sad." He took a seat on a floating neon chair that materialized out of nowhere, looking bored out of his mind. "At this rate, we''re going to be here all day. I might as well order popcorn." Roi''s mother turned to Kyler, her shadowy tendrils flickering. "This doesn''t concern you." Kyler snorted. "Oh, it does. This idiot is wasting my time." He turned back to Roi, grinning. "Hey, remember that one time you streamed yourself eating expired chips for money?" Roi snapped his head up, horrified. "Kyler, shut the hell up." His father''s chains paused. His mother''s shadows halted. "Oh? You never told them?" Kyler mocked, eyes gleaming. "Yeah, your dear son here once did a live stream where he ate year-old chips because some guy in chat donated ten bucks." "KYLER." "And guess what? He still failed the challenge because he threw up five minutes later." "SHUT. UP." His parents stared at him. Roi felt his soul leave his body. "...Is that true?" his father asked. "That''s not important right now!" Kyler laughed. "Oh, but it is. Because you''re supposed to be some badass dark web survivor, yet here you are¡ªstill the same dumbass who almost died eating moldy chips." Roi could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing. "I WAS BROKE, OKAY?!" Kyler grinned. "Sure, but you weren''t desperate. You were just stupid." Even the monstrous versions of his parents seemed to falter for a moment, as if wondering if Roi was even worth fighting. And for a brief second, everything was chaos. His mother''s shadows flickered between intimidating and confused. His father lowered his chains, sighing. Kyler just sat there, swinging his legs like a smug little gremlin. And Roi? He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. But then it hit him. They paused. His hesitation was crushing him. But Kyler, in the most annoying, humiliating way possible, just proved something: His parents¡ªthey weren''t real. And if they weren''t real¡­ Then he could cut them down. His grip on Black Ruin steadied. His eyes flickered with a cold determination. His father noticed. And for the first time¡ªhis father took a step back. The hesitation was still there. The guilt still weighed on him. But something inside him was shifting. Slowly. Dangerously. Because if he wanted to survive¡ªhe had no other choice. Roi''s grip on Black Ruin trembled, but something inside him had begun to shift. The hesitation was still there, clawing at his mind, whispering doubts, wrapping him in the past like a noose. But then¡ª His father moved. Too fast. The chains whipped forward, a blur of rusted metal and raw force. And this time¡ªRoi was too slow. CRACK! Pain exploded in his ribs. His breath ripped from his lungs as he was sent flying backward, crashing into the warped, glitching walls of the trial space. His body screamed in agony. Kyler let out a low whistle. "Oof. That one sounded personal." Roi coughed, blood pooling in his mouth. His vision swam, stars dancing at the edges. He forced himself to move¡ªbut his mother was already there. Her shadows coiled around his legs, dragging him forward before slamming him face-first into the ground. Twice. He barely registered the sharp pain before the shadows lifted him into the air. His father stepped closer, raising the chains once more. "You''ve always been weak, Roi." He swung. CRACK. The chains struck again, this time against his back. The pain was unbearable, his body spasming against the cold air. Then again. And again. And again. His mother''s voice was a hushed, mocking whisper. "Look at you. You never change. Always running. Always failing." His father tightened the chains around his neck. "Maybe if we beat some sense into you, you''ll finally understand." Roi''s vision darkened. He was dying. No. He was breaking. His past¡ªthe guilt, the pain, the regret¡ªit was suffocating him. And they knew it. They were dragging him back into the weakest version of himself. The version that stood in the doorway years ago, begging his father to understand. The version that left that house feeling like a failure. The version that had never been enough. But then¡ª Through the pain, through the suffocating darkness¡ª A different voice cut through. Not his father''s. Not his mother''s. Kyler''s. "So, this is how you die, huh?" His voice was mocking, but sharp. Cruel, but knowing. "Beaten to death by memories." Roi''s chest burned. His vision swam. And somewhere in the deep, primal part of his mind¡ªsomething snapped. No. I am NOT that kid anymore. His grip around Black Ruin tightened. And then¡ª He roared. A raw, animalistic sound ripped from his throat, and with everything left in him¡ªhe moved. Phantom Dash activated. He blurred forward, ripping free from the shadows. His mother barely had time to react before¡ª SLASH! Black Ruin sliced through her tendrils, severing the darkness like it was nothing. She staggered back, eyes wide. His father swung the chains again¡ª But this time¡ªRoi caught them. With his bare hands. The rusted metal cut into his palms, but he didn''t care. For the first time since this trial started¡ªRoi was fighting back. His eyes burned with something new. Not hesitation. Not fear. Rage. He yanked the chains forward, pulling his father off balance. Then, with one fluid motion¡ª He swung Black Ruin. And the fight truly began. The Battle The chains rattled violently in Roi''s grip, rusted metal slicing into his palms. But he didn''t care. His father lurched forward, trying to yank them back¡ªbut he wasn''t fast enough. Not anymore. Roi pulled. With a sharp twist, he ripped the chains free from his father''s grasp. The old man staggered, his red-glowing eyes flickering in shock. "What¡ª?" Roi didn''t let him finish. He charged. Black Ruin flashed, the jagged blade humming with lethal energy. His father barely raised his arms in time before¡ª SLASH! The sword carved through his chest. A glitching, distorted scream tore through the air as his father was sent flying backward, crashing through the warped walls. The impact cracked the very ground, his form flickering uncontrollably. Roi turned. His mother''s shadows lashed toward him like a thousand writhing snakes. But this time, Roi didn''t run. He cut through them. One swing. Then another. The shadows that once suffocated him dispersed like mist, unable to restrain him anymore. His mother staggered back, eyes wide. "No¡­ This isn''t how it''s supposed to be." Roi stalked forward. His voice was low, cold, unforgiving. "You were never supposed to be my parents." His mother''s lips quivered. "We raised you. We gave you everything¡ª" Roi laughed bitterly. "Everything?" His grip tightened on Black Ruin. "You mean the expectations I never wanted? The constant disappointment? The guilt? The day you stood there and let him throw me out?" His mother flinched. "You were always meant to be better, Roi¡ª" "Better for who?!" he roared. For the first time, they had no answer. Roi took a deep breath. Then¡ªhe moved. His father rose from the rubble, one last desperate swing of his chains¡ª Roi cut straight through them. And through him. His mother let out a final cry, her shadows collapsing around her¡ª Until Roi cut through her too. Both figures glitched violently, breaking apart into fragmented pixels, their hollow eyes locked on him until the very end. Then¡ª They were gone. The trial space fell into silence. Roi stood there, breathing heavily. And for the first time¡ª He felt free. Behind him, Kyler chuckled. "Damn, that was brutal." Roi closed his eyes. He didn''t feel brutal. He just felt done. Roi''s breath was still heavy, his grip on Black Ruin slackening. His parents¡ªor whatever they were¡ªwere gone. The air around him felt different now. Lighter. Freer. But before he could even process it¡ª The trial space trembled. The glitching walls lurched inward, twisting and folding in on themselves, like the very world was breaking apart. Kyler, still perched lazily on a floating shard of reality, grinned. "Oh, here we go." Roi staggered forward. "What the hell now?!" Then¡ªa system prompt flashed. "TRIAL COMPLETE." "ERROR: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED." If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "FORCING TRANSFER." Roi''s stomach dropped. The ground vanished beneath his feet. A violent force yanked him downward, the world collapsing around him, twisting into static. And then¡ªeverything turned black. Cold. Silent. Then¡ªa voice. Low. Unfamiliar. "So¡­ you''re the one they chose." Roi''s blood ran cold. Who the hell was that? The darkness swallowed him whole. No sound. No air. No light. Just an endless void, pressing against his skin like it was trying to suffocate him. Then¡ª A pulse. Like a heartbeat. The blackness rippled, stretching outward¡ªforming something. A silhouette. At first, it was just a shape. A shadow standing before him. Then¡ªit stepped forward. And Roi''s stomach twisted. Because the figure was him. Identical. Same height. Same build. Same clothes. Even the same cold, empty expression. Roi stiffened, his throat dry. "What the hell¡ª" Before he could finish¡ª His other self charged. Roi barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his ribs. Pain exploded through his body. But¡ªit wasn''t just the impact. A second burst of pain bloomed in the exact same spot on his own body, like he had been hit twice. His knees buckled. "What the hell?!" he gasped. His double didn''t stop. It moved with the same speed, the same techniques. Its footwork was identical to his. Its stance was perfectly matched. It was him. And it was merciless. Roi gritted his teeth, forcing himself to swing Black Ruin. The sword cut through the air, aimed straight at his double''s torso¡ª But the moment the blade connected¡ª A searing pain split across his own stomach. His vision blurred. His body jerked violently. He felt the attack. Like he had just cut himself open. His grip on Black Ruin trembled as realization hit him like ice. Every attack he landed¡ªhe would feel too. This wasn''t a fight. It was a death trap. And for the first time¡ªhe didn''t know how to win. Roi gritted his teeth, his entire body screaming in agony. His stomach burned where Black Ruin had cut¡ªnot his enemy''s, but his own. The pain was too real. Too deep. But his double didn''t slow down. It lunged again, mirroring his exact movement. Roi barely dodged, his mind racing. I can''t win like this. Every hit I land¡ªhurts me too. But then¡ªKyler''s mocking laughter rang out from the void. "This is hilarious." Roi staggered, barely avoiding another attack. Kyler''s voice dripped with amusement. "Seriously, Roi, do you ever stop to think? You''re basically punching yourself in the face at this point." Roi hissed through clenched teeth. "Shut. Up." Kyler grinned. "No, no, by all means¡ªkeep going. Bleed a little more. Maybe you''ll finally start making sense." Roi whirled around, eyes blazing. "Do you have ANYTHING useful to say?!" Kyler shrugged. "Yeah. You suck." Roi cursed under his breath. He was losing focus. And his double took advantage. It rushed forward¡ª Roi tried to dodge¡ª But the moment he moved, his double moved the exact same way. It anticipated him perfectly. And then¡ª A fist slammed into his jaw. Pain exploded through his skull. His own head snapped back from the impact, his body tumbling onto the cold, endless void beneath him. Kyler whistled. "Oof. That one had to hurt." Roi coughed, blood dripping from his lips. His double stood above him, completely expressionless. Damn it. I can''t win. Not like this. But he forced himself up. Every muscle ached. His own blood dripped down his skin. But he refused to fall here. Kyler smirked. "Oh? You''re still going?" Roi wiped the blood from his mouth. "Damn right I am." And then, despite the pain¡ªhe charged again. Roi charged again, Black Ruin whistling through the air. His double did the exact same. Two identical swords. Two identical attacks. Two identical outcomes. SLASH! The blade tore through his double''s shoulder¡ªand at the exact same moment, a searing pain ripped through Roi''s own. He stumbled back, gasping. Blood soaked his arm. His legs wobbled beneath him. Kyler''s laugh echoed through the void. "Damn, Roi. You really are just a meathead, huh?" Roi gritted his teeth, barely holding himself together. I can''t keep doing this. His double''s expression never changed. It just stood there, watching. Waiting. It wasn''t tired. It wasn''t hurt. Not in the way Roi was. Because it wasn''t just mirroring his attacks. It was using him against himself. Roi''s fingers twitched. Think. Think. For the first time since the trial started, he stopped looking at his double as an enemy. And started looking at it as a reflection. Every move he made, it made. Every strike he threw, it threw. Which meant¡ª If I attack, I take damage. But if I¡­ His grip on Black Ruin shifted. He took a deep, steadying breath. Then¡ª He let go. The sword clattered to the ground. His double did the exact same. Kyler''s smirk faltered. "Oh? Interesting." Roi raised his hands slowly, cautiously. His double mirrored him. Then, for the first time¡ªRoi didn''t move. He just stood there. Waiting. His double did the same. And that''s when he knew. This isn''t about winning. It''s about stopping. Roi charged again, Black Ruin whistling through the air. His double did the exact same. Two identical swords. Two identical attacks. Two identical outcomes. SLASH! The blade tore through his double''s shoulder¡ªand at the exact same moment, a searing pain ripped through Roi''s own. He stumbled back, gasping. Blood soaked his arm. His legs wobbled beneath him. Kyler''s laugh echoed through the void. "Damn, Roi. You really are just a meathead, huh?" Roi gritted his teeth, barely holding himself together. I can''t keep doing this. His double''s expression never changed. It just stood there, watching. Waiting. It wasn''t tired. It wasn''t hurt. Not in the way Roi was. Because it wasn''t just mirroring his attacks. It was using him against himself. Roi''s fingers twitched. Think. Think. For the first time since the trial started, he stopped looking at his double as an enemy. And started looking at it as a reflection. Every move he made, it made. Every strike he threw, it threw. Which meant¡ª If I attack, I take damage. But if I¡­ His grip on Black Ruin shifted. He took a deep, steadying breath. Then¡ª He let go. The sword clattered to the ground. His double did the exact same. Kyler''s smirk faltered. "Oh? Interesting." Roi raised his hands slowly, cautiously. His double mirrored him. Then, for the first time¡ªRoi didn''t move. He just stood there. Waiting. His double did the same. And that''s when he knew. This isn''t about winning. It''s about stopping. This chapter pushes Roi''s realization further, showing that brute force isn''t the answer. Do you want him to fully understand and escape now, or drag the struggle a little longer? You said: Let him fully understand and escape now ChatGPT said: Memory updated Chapter 45: The Answer Was Never to Fight Roi stared at his double. It stared back. The air between them was thick, unmoving. For the first time since the fight started, neither of them attacked. And that was the key. This trial was never about strength. It was about understanding. He had been so focused on fighting, on surviving, that he didn''t stop to see what this battle actually was. It wasn''t about winning. It was about breaking the cycle. Kyler, still lounging in the darkness, rested his chin on his palm. "Took you long enough." Roi didn''t respond. Instead, he took a slow step back. His double did the same. He let out a breath. Then¡ªhe closed his eyes. He let go of everything. The weight of the fight. The pain in his body. The desperation. The fear. He let it all go. And his double did too. A ripple spread through the void. The trial space shuddered, fractured¡ªthen shattered completely. Roi felt himself falling¡ª Then¡ª Light. He landed hard, gasping as reality snapped back into place. The cold metal of the trial chamber was gone. The void was gone. And standing before him, in the white expanse of the aftermath¡ªwas Kyler. Still smirking. "Congrats, dumbass. You finally get it." Roi exhaled, his chest heaving. The trial was over. He had escaped. But even as relief flooded him, one thought lingered in the back of his mind. If I was fighting myself¡­ What the hell was I really fighting against? The Stone Roi was still catching his breath when the system prompt flickered into existence. "TRIAL COMPLETE." "REWARD GRANTED: [???]" Roi blinked. Huh? The text glitched for a second before stabilizing¡ª "ITEM ACQUIRED: HARIBON STONE." Something dropped into his hands. He looked down. It was¡­ a rock. A small, dull, unimpressive rock. Roi frowned. What. The. Hell. He turned it over in his palm, expecting it to do something. Glow, pulse, whisper dark secrets¡ªanything. It didn''t. It was just a rock. He slowly lifted his head. Kyler was watching him, grinning ear to ear. "Well? Happy with your prize?" Roi''s eye twitched. "I ALMOST DIED. MULTIPLE TIMES. AND I GET A ROCK?!" Kyler burst out laughing. "Oh man, this is beautiful." He wiped a fake tear from his eye. Roi turned the stone over in his hands. "Okay, maybe it has some hidden ability." He held it up dramatically. "Activate!" Nothing. "Enhance!" Nothing. He shook it aggressively. "Do something, you useless piece of sh¡ª" "Haribon Stone: No detected abilities." The system actually confirmed it. Kyler was on the floor wheezing. "Oh my god, I can''t breathe." Roi glared at the rock like it personally betrayed him. "What kind of scam-ass trial gives a rock as a reward?!" Kyler, still laughing, shrugged. "Maybe it''s a metaphor for your intelligence." Roi deadpanned. "I''m throwing this at your face." Kyler smirked. "Go ahead. Maybe that''s the hidden ability." Roi reeled his arm back¡ª Then stopped. His stomach dropped. Because for a split second, he could''ve sworn the rock pulsed. Faint. Barely noticeable. But it did something. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. His fingers tightened around it. Maybe this thing wasn''t so useless after all. Roi stared at the rock in his hand. It was small, dull, completely ordinary. Except for that one moment where it felt like it pulsed. Maybe. Possibly. Or maybe he was just losing his damn mind. Kyler was still grinning like an idiot. "Well? Figured out what your grand prize does?" Roi exhaled sharply and shoved the Echo Stone into his pocket. "Nope. Don''t care. Moving on." Kyler blinked. "Wait¡ªjust like that?" Roi turned away. "If it wants to be useless, it can be useless. Not my problem." Kyler scoffed. "Wow. That''s some impressive denial." "I call it selective ignorance." Roi adjusted his glasses. "Works every time." Kyler grinned. "Alright. But don''t come crying when that rock saves your ass later." Roi rolled his eyes. Yeah, right. Like some dumb magic rock was going to matter. After that. Days will pass. He will be back into his normal life. For the first time in what felt like weeks, Roi was back in his apartment. No glitching landscapes. No faceless men. No twisted trials forcing him to fight for his life. Just him. And his monitors, streaming setup, and an unopened pack of instant noodles sitting on his desk. He let out a long exhale, rubbing his face. "Alright. That was a fever dream." He pulled out the Haribon Stone, glanced at it for half a second¡ªthen chucked it onto his bed without a second thought. Not his problem. Not right now. He flopped into his chair, rolling toward his PC. His hands moved on autopilot¡ªbooting up his stream, flicking on his mic, activating the dog filter that hid his real face. The chat immediately exploded. [User: XxShadowLurker]: YO YOU''RE BACK??? [User: H4ckM4ster]: Thought u died lmao [User: GlitchHunterX]: Bro went into hiding after that dark web sh*t Roi smirked, leaning into his mic. "Surprise, I lived." The comments flooded in faster. [User: NeonVoid]: WTF HAPPENED WHERE''VE U BEEN?! [User: BloodReaper69]: MORE DARK WEB STREAMS OR NAH? [User: MrAnon13]: OPEN MORE CREEPY LINKS PLS Roi paused. His fingers hovered over his keyboard. The Black Gate. The faceless man. His parents¡ªtwisted and monstrous. He could still hear the chains rattling. Still feel Black Ruin in his hands. A phantom pain ghosted across his ribs where his father''s chains had crushed him. For a moment, he considered telling them everything. Then, he forced a grin. "Nah. No dark web today. I''ve had enough cursed sh*t for a lifetime." The chat spammed disappointment. [User: CyberGhost]: BOOO LAME [User: DeadByte]: WTF MAN THAT''S UR WHOLE BRAND [User: MaskedMarauder]: SOFT LMAOOOO Roi rolled his eyes. "Alright, chill. We''re doing normal sh*t today." He booted up a game, letting himself sink into the comfort of something simple. Something that didn''t require him to think about death, survival, or cryptic entities stalking him through the internet. And for a while¡ªit worked. The game felt familiar. The chat spammed their usual nonsense. He was just streaming again. Just Roi, the streamer. Not Roi, the survivor of the Black Gate. Not Roi, the wielder of Black Ruin. Not Roi, the one who had killed. Just Roi. And it was enough. For a while. But as the hours passed, as he racked up wins, as the chat spammed hype messages and donations¡ª That feeling came creeping back. The hollowness. Like something was off. Like this wasn''t real anymore. His fingers felt too light on the keyboard. His voice, too rehearsed. And for the first time, the mask didn''t feel like it was just on his face. It felt like it was inside him now. Like he was just pretending to be the person he used to be. And then¡ª A system prompt flashed. Not in the game. Not on his PC. In his vision. "NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED." "WELCOME BACK, ROI." His breath caught. The lights in his apartment flickered. The screen glitched. And just like that¡ªnormal was over. Roi stared at the notification. "NEW TRIAL UNLOCKED." "WELCOME BACK, ROI." His heart pounded. His vision blurred slightly, the words flickering like a corrupted file¡ªthen vanishing as quickly as they appeared. His chat was still scrolling. His game was still running. But something felt off. The lights in his apartment flickered again. Just once. Barely noticeable. But he noticed. A prickle ran down his spine. Slowly, cautiously, he moved his mouse. The game responded normally. Everything looked fine. Maybe he imagined it. Maybe he was just tired. He let out a slow breath and forced himself to focus. "Alright, chat, let''s get another match in." He queued up, forcing his hands to stay steady. The loading screen lingered too long. Then¡ªa single frame flickered. A dark hallway. A single door. A red glow seeping out from beneath it. Then, back to normal. His stomach twisted. His chat hadn''t reacted. That wasn''t part of the game. His pulse picked up. But he shoved the thought down, shaking it off. Just a glitch. A random visual bug. Nothing more. He played another match. Won. Another one. Won again. And for a while, he convinced himself it was fine. Until¡ª Tap. Tap. Tap. A faint knocking. Roi froze. The sound had come from behind him. But that was impossible. He lived alone. Slowly, so slowly, he turned his head toward his apartment door. Silence. Nothing. The knocking had stopped. His shoulders tensed. His breath felt too loud in the empty space. Then¡ª Tap. Tap. Tap. His blood ran cold. Because this time¡ª The sound had come from his monitor. A knock. From inside the screen. His game flickered. The colors distorted. The shadows in the background of the map twisted. Then¡ª For one split second, his own reflection stared back at him. And it smiled. Roi''s chest tightened. His reflection had smiled. Not a twitch. Not a flicker. A full, knowing grin. He sat there, completely still. The glow of his monitor flickered slightly, bathing the room in an uneven light. His chat was still scrolling normally. His game was still running. But everything felt wrong. Like the air in his apartment had thickened. Like something was watching him. He forced out a shaky breath. It was a trick of the light. A graphical bug. Just my mind messing with me. But then¡ª His reflection blinked. And Roi hadn''t. A chill ripped through his spine. His fingers twitched over his keyboard, but his reflection''s hands remained perfectly still. For a long, suffocating second, they just stared at each other. Then¡ªhis reflection''s head tilted, just slightly. And tapped the screen. Tap. Tap. Tap. The same knocking as before. This time, from inside the monitor. Roi flinched back, his chair rolling slightly. His breath came quicker now. Then¡ª A new message popped up in his chat. A username he didn''t recognize. [User: ???]: "Let me out." The color drained from his face. The chat kept scrolling, completely normal. No one else reacted. Then¡ªanother message. [User: ???]: "I know you can see me." His stomach twisted. Then¡ªhis PC crashed. The screen went black. The hum of the machine cut out. The room plunged into silence. Roi sat there, staring at the blank screen, pulse hammering in his ears. And in the reflection of the dark monitor¡ª He wasn''t alone. Something stood behind him. Tall. Motionless. Watching. Waiting. The knocking started again. This time¡ªfrom inside the room. Tap. Tap. Tap. Roi''s breath hitched. His hands tightened on the armrests. Then¡ª The voice came. Right behind his ear. Soft. Familiar. His own. "You can''t ignore me forever." Roi spun around¡ª And everything went dark. The Reflection The darkness swallowed him whole. Roi''s breath came ragged, his body tense, his senses screaming¡ªbut there was nothing. No light. No sound. Then¡ª "NEW TRIAL INITIATED." "CONDITIONS: SURVIVE YOURSELF." The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. A system prompt flashed into existence, hovering in the void. Then¡ªthe ground formed beneath him. The darkness twisted and stretched, becoming something solid. And suddenly, he was somewhere else. The space around him was too familiar. He was standing in a long, dimly lit hallway. Walls of cracked white tile. A cold, flickering fluorescent light above him. The smell of damp concrete and metal. A place he hadn''t seen in years. His old high school. His stomach twisted. No. Not here. A single wooden desk sat in the center of the hallway. And in the chair¡ª Someone was sitting there. Roi''s chest tightened. The figure slowly lifted its head. And stared at him with his own face. Not distorted. Not twisted. Perfectly him. Except for the hollow, empty eyes. Except for the thin, unsettling smile. Then, the other him spoke. And Roi felt his blood run cold. "I''ve been waiting for you." The trial had begun. Roi didn''t move. Neither did his double. They stared at each other¡ªone standing, the other sitting at the lone wooden desk in the endless hallway. The air was thick, suffocating, like the walls were closing in. The other Roi tilted his head, eyes unreadable. Roi swallowed, forcing himself to speak. "Did I fight you in the previous trial?" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. His voice echoed in the empty corridor. No response. The other him just watched. Roi''s fingers twitched toward Black Ruin''s handle. "Do you¡­ want to fight again?" A long, unbearable silence. Then¡ª The other Roi''s lips curled into a smirk. And he leaned forward. "What do you think?" His voice was identical to Roi''s. Same tone. Same inflection. But something about it was wrong. Roi felt a chill crawl up his spine. Then, the other him slowly stood up. The wooden chair screeched across the floor. His movements were too smooth. Too controlled. He took a step forward. Roi instinctively took one back. The smirk on his double''s face widened. Then¡ª He lunged. And the hallway exploded into chaos. Roi barely had time to react before his double lunged. He dodged, barely missing the blur of movement. His double''s foot slammed into the tile where he''d just stood, sending cracks splintering outward. Roi whipped around, swinging Black Ruin in a wide arc. His opponent ducked effortlessly, slipping under the blade and countering with a sharp, fluid strike aimed at his ribs. Phantom Dash¡ªactivate. Roi blurred backward, putting distance between them, his heart pounding. Something was different. This wasn''t like the last time he fought himself. There was no mirroring. No shared damage. He could actually fight. His grip on Black Ruin tightened. "Looks like I can hit you this time," he muttered. His double smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Looks like." Then¡ªhe attacked again. Roi countered. Their swords clashed, sparks flying, the impact vibrating up his arm. But his double was fast. Too fast. Roi twisted, slashing toward his opponent''s side. His double blocked with precision, pushing forward. For every move Roi made, the other him was already reacting. It was like fighting someone who knew him too well. Because he did. But he wasn''t just copying. He was predicting. Roi gritted his teeth, frustration creeping in. Then, as suddenly as it started¡ªhis double stopped. He took a step back, lowering his sword. Roi hesitated, panting slightly. "What? Done already?" His double laughed quietly, shaking his head. Then¡ªhis smirk faded. His gaze darkened, something unreadable flickering behind his expression. "You don''t know what you''re getting into," he said, voice low. "You''re going to regret this." Roi stiffened. Something about the way he said it¡ªit wasn''t a threat. It was a warning. A cold chill crept through him. And for the first time, he wasn''t sure if he should keep fighting. The moment those words left his double''s mouth, Roi felt the tension in the air shift. The warning wasn''t a bluff. It wasn''t intimidation. It was something deeper. Something real. But Roi didn''t care. Didn''t want to care. He took a steadying breath, adjusting his grip on Black Ruin. "Regret it? Maybe." His eyes darkened. "But I''m not stopping." His double''s smirk returned. And just like that¡ªthey clashed again. Speed. Precision. Control. Their movements blurred, weapons slicing through the air in perfect harmony. Roi struck low¡ª his double dodged, pivoting into a counterattack. Roi twisted, barely missing a strike to his ribs. They were relentless. Roi was fast. His double was faster. It felt like fighting a shadow¡ªone step ahead, one second quicker. He knows every move I make the second I think it. But Roi had something he didn''t. Instinct. Roi feinted left¡ªthen Phantom Dashed mid-step, vanishing from sight. For the first time, his double was caught off guard. Roi reappeared behind him, swinging Black Ruin in a vicious downward arc¡ª But his double recovered instantly. A perfect spin counter. Their blades clashed again, sending shockwaves through the air. Roi barely had time to blink before his double launched forward, slamming a knee into his gut. Pain exploded through his ribs. Before he could even stagger back, his double twisted into a brutal elbow strike to his jaw. Roi''s vision blurred as he crashed into the ground, the impact rattling his bones. He barely had time to react before¡ª His own sword was at his throat. His double stood over him, expression unreadable. For the first time since the fight began, Roi felt it. The overwhelming weight of his opponent. This wasn''t just another battle. This wasn''t just another trial. This was something else. His double didn''t press the attack. Didn''t move. Just stared down at him, as if waiting for Roi to understand something he wasn''t ready for. Roi''s fingers trembled against the cold floor. He couldn''t lose. Not here. Not to himself. Move, damn it. Get up. The sword at his throat pressed down slightly. His double''s voice was quiet. "Why are you fighting so hard?" Roi gritted his teeth. "Because I have to." "Do you?" His double''s gaze darkened. "Or are you just scared of what happens if you stop?" Roi''s breath hitched. Because for the first time¡ªhe didn''t have an answer. Roi''s breath was ragged, his muscles screaming in exhaustion¡ªbut he saw his double glitches. His double stumbled back, wounds tearing across his body, glitching violently with each step. For the first time in this fight, he was losing. Roi gripped Black Ruin tightly, his vision locked on the flickering, distorted version of himself. His double chuckled, a broken, hollow sound. Then¡ªhe laughed. Not in pain. Not in despair. But in pure amusement. "How the hell did my younger self beat me?" he muttered, shaking his head. "I really am sh*tty, huh?" Roi''s heartbeat slowed. "Younger me?" he repeated, the words striking something deep inside him. His double''s smirk wavered. "Yeah... You don''t get it yet, do you?" His voice glitched, warping. "I came here to end you. The moment before you reach the top, before you have everything¡ª" His body convulsed violently. The distortion in his frame intensified, warping his form. Roi took a cautious step forward. His double''s expression twisted, his eyes filled with something unreadable. "I don''t want this life anymore," he rasped. "So if I cut you¡ªmy younger self¡ªthen I won''t have to be¡­ I won''t be¡­ I will not¡­ I will... I wi¡­ W..." His entire body cracked apart. Glitches swarmed his figure, distorting him like a corrupted file. Then¡ª A voice broke through. "Hah! What the hell is this mess?" Roi whipped around. Kyler stood at the edge of the glitching space, arms crossed, grinning like a lunatic. "Damn, did you fight your clone again? Hahaha! Why didn''t the system inform me? I haven''t seen this before!" Roi barely had time to process Kyler''s words before¡ª His double let out a final, broken breath. Then¡ªhe shattered. Glitching pieces of data scattered into the air, dissolving into nothing. Roi stared at the empty space where his double had stood. The trial was over. But the weight in his chest remained. What the hell did he just fight? And more importantly¡ª What was his other self trying to warn him about?