Darkness.
'What happened to me? Where am I?' Aarav felt himself drifting in darkness, questions echoing in his head.
'I think I was walking around with my friends. We were all having fun… but then… what happened?'
He tried to piece it together.
'There's someone behind this. But why can't I remember? How can everything just disappear in an instant?'
Suddenly, Aarav jolted awake. The dream shattered. He found himself lying in ruins — buildings, houses, whole cities — all destroyed. He was half-buried in debris when he heard voices, people muttering.
"Ah!"
"Am I dreaming again? What happened here? Who are these people?"
"Wait."
"Why do they all look like foreigners?'
He froze.
"What the f*ck is going on here?"
Then, out of nowhere, a voice echoed through the air, grabbing everyone's attention.
"So, hello, my dear survivors. You are the last humans left on Earth. Each of you is the final representative of your country. You're probably confused — what's happening, why it's happening?
It's simple. You're here to entertain me. You all will play my game. There are 100 levels. Clear them if you want to live."
'Oh crap! What did he just say?' Aarav thought. 'Wait — am I stuck in an anime? Am I the protagonist or something?'
Someone shouted from the crowd.
"F*ck your game! Stop messing with us! I don't have time for this crap! If this is a prank, I'll sue you for—"
Aarav's eyes flicked to the man.
'Oh no, no, no… bad move.' He gulped. 'This is exactly like the final boss cliché. That means––'
Then —
Thunder cracked from the clouds. In an instant, a bolt struck the man. His body burst apart, leaving nothing behind.
'I knew that was gonna happen,' Aarav thought grimly.
The voice spoke again, calm and cruel.
"Consider that a warning. This is not what you think. I can kill you whenever I want.
But there's a way to survive — clear each level. There are four phases, each with twenty-five levels. Don't expect them to be the same — each phase is harder, different, deadlier.
Lose, and you die. Win, and you live — for now. So choose: die doing something… or die by my hands."
Panic exploded around him. Everyone started to murmur.
"What the hell is this?!"
"I want to go home!"
"Why am I here?!"
Aarav's eyes widened.
'Calm down. I have to calm down first. Panicking won't help. But still… I can't digest this. This is worse than some random isekai!'
A blue screen flickered in front of every survivor's eyes, glowing faintly. Aarav squinted at his.
'So there's a system too?'
A new line flashed in bold:
[ START YOUR GAME ]
[ CLICK OK TO CONFIRM ]
Aarav clenched his fists.
"Just shut up. I know."
As he looked at his screen, a notification popped up.
[ PHASE 1 ]
[ TIME REMAINING: 30 DAYS ]
"Whoa!" He ran his hand through his hair.
"Thirty days. Thirty days for what? To clear twenty-five levels? Or…?"
'Are you really serious?'
'Well... I wonder what happens if the timer runs out.' A chill ran down his spine.
Then he saw people start to get teleported around him.
"I think I should start too…" he muttered.
[ LEVEL 1 ]
[ CLICK OK TO CONFIRM ]
Then —
He started teleporting. Everything around him began to change until he found himself in a new place.
[ LEVEL 1 ]
[ MAZE ESCAPE ]
[ FIND AN EXIT TO CLEAR THE LEVEL. ]
[ REWARD WILL BE GIVEN AFTER CLEARING THE LEVEL. ]
"Maze escape…"
Aarav looked around on all sides with curiosity. The sky was still painted blue with a rising sun. The place gave off an eerie vibe of danger. Massive walls surrounded him — each easily a hundred feet tall.
As he glanced around, he saw a man walking towards him — tall, muscular, easily over six feet.
"Hey, buddy!" the man shouted.
He came closer, hands in his pockets.
"Do you know what's happening here? I really can't believe this with my own eyes."
"As you can see, I really don't know that much. In fact, I'm confused too," Aarav replied.
The man sighed.
"It's a relief. At least you can understand my language."
"Well. I think English is common. But… I think this system is helping us understand each other clearly," Aarav said.
"Maybe you're right." He paused, then asked again, "But man… I really can't believe this is happening in real life."
The man pulled his hands from his pockets and offered one to Aarav.
"Anyway… I'm Ross. Nice to meet you, kid."
"I'm Aarav. Nice to meet you, too."
They both looked up at the towering walls.
Ross said, "So, what do you think? How should we clear this level? It ain't easy, in my opinion."
"Yeah. It shouldn't be. But if we team up… there might be a chance."
"…but can I check your stats?" Aarav asked.
"But… how do I show it?" Ross looked confused.
"Oh! Uh… try tapping your chest, just here on the right."
He thumped his chest —
A blue screen appeared in front of him.
[ CHARACTER PROFILE ]
NAME: AARAV RAO
AGE: 20
LEVEL: 1
STRENGTH: 24
SPEED: 22
AGILITY: 27
STAMINA: 26
INTELLIGENCE: 29
UNIQUE TRAIT: NONE
"Like that," Ross said.
[ CHARACTER PROFILE ]
NAME: ROSS GRIFFIN
AGE: 34
LEVEL: 1
STRENGTH: 42
SPEED: 23
AGILITY: 21
STAMINA: 38
INTELLIGENCE: 24
UNIQUE TRAIT: NONE
"Wow. You're really strong," Aarav said with a small smile.
'No doubt about it… he's way stronger than me, too…'
Then, a message popped up.
Ding!
[ A PLAYER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED. ]
"Oh sh*t! What does that mean?!" Aarav panicked a little.
"It's too soon. I think… we just arrived here," Ross said calmly.
"Mr. Ross…" Aarav said.
"Hmm… what is it?" Ross asked, curious.
Aarav took a long breath before speaking.
"…Let's do this," he said, eyes determined.
"Yeah. Let's do this."
A moment later, they both stood staring at the sky.
Aarav said, "Mr. Ross, can you see that sun? I think it might be a clue to get out of here." He paused —
"Now I get it." Ross's body filled with excitement. "But why are you looking so upset?"
"Well, I'm not sure… but it could be a trick too," Aarav said. "Though I can't confirm it. Is this real or fake?"
'My anime instincts can't help me here.'
"I think… it's better than doing nothing." Ross stepped forward.
Aarav followed Ross, walking beside him as they moved down a narrow path, searching for the exit.
[ A PLAYER HAS CLEARED LEVEL 1 ]
[ A PLAYER HAS CLEARED LEVEL 1 ]
[ A PLAYER HAS CLEARED LEVEL 1 ]
'Amazing. Who are these people?' Aarav thought.
They kept walking deeper into the maze. Aarav turned a corner — and just as he stepped forward.
A stone launched like a bullet in mid-air straight at his head. Time slowed.
'Oh no! This is bad! Now what the f*ck can I do?!'
Then —
He tilted his head back —
The stone slammed into the wall beside him.
CRASH!
He froze in place.
'I think… I just saw hell for a second.'
"Hey! Hey! Are you okay?" Ross shouted.
"I'm fine," Aarav said, forcing a smile.
The sun started to dip lower, hiding behind the walls. The sky turned a deep orange.
[ MONSTERS WILL START SPAWNING AT NIGHT. ]
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! …Mr. Ross! Hurry up! Run with all you've got!"
"We can't survive that. Don't stop until we find an exit — Run!" Aarav shouted.
They both broke into a sprint, racing deeper into the maze as the shadows crept in behind them.
***