Dark start

It was a dreadful day.

Karl, a 15-year-old student, was in the middle of his logic test when everything changed.

A giant tremor shook the room. Desks rattled, lights flickered, and before he could comprehend what was happening, the floor gave way. He fell—plummeting into a black abyss, the world above swallowed by shadows.

He fell for what felt like eternity, disoriented and helpless, consumed by the deafening silence of the void. Just as he thought he might lose himself entirely, the falling stopped.

Karl awoke with a violent gasp, chest heaving as he scrambled to his feet. But his surroundings were anything but familiar.

He was inside a vast, floating structure—a skyscraper that stretched impossibly high into an alien sky. Above him, violet and black hues twisted and bled into each other, an endless, fractured expanse with no sun, no moon, just a perpetual twilight.

Shaking off the lingering haze, Karl stumbled toward an open balcony. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat.

The world beyond the building was wrong. Reality itself looked torn apart, like shards of broken glass barely holding together. Strange floating islands drifted in the distance, and the stars blinked in and out of existence.

He descended the stairs, each step echoing through the hollow corridors. No voices. No signs of life. The place was completely deserted.

Desperation clawed at his chest as he reached the main exit, only to be stopped by an invisible force.

A blue barrier shimmered into existence, vibrating with an eerie hum.

Then, a sharp, metallic voice pierced the silence.

ERROR.

Karl staggered back, heart pounding. He pressed his hands against the barrier, pounding on it, but it didn't budge. The structure around him felt fragile, as if the entire world could shatter at any moment.

He was trapped. Alone. In a world fractured beyond recognition.

Karl soon calmed down, because struggling won't help anything

he counted the resources and the numbers on floors on of the building, 8kg x 28floors

"Ah, I hate Math, it has always been my worst subject, I need a calculator!"

He saw an open laptop beside him, he opened up 'Python'

"Wait a minuet! I can make a calculator out of this"

After typing the code for a few minuets, the calculation was done

"Ah-hah, The resources here is enough for me to live for over a few month, but will it get rotten?"

So he take out the food that can be packed for a long time, and placed them aside into a closet, then take the food that can be rotten in a few days out in a pile, which he is going to eat in the first place

Suddenly, a sound went into his mind in front of him.

"Hello, player #20120806. Congratulations on surviving the first test: The Fall of Darkness."

"You have obtained Legendary rarity land: The Collapsed Skyscraper."

"Your first land is quite nice, so we've decided to give you some rewards:"

— 1x Handgun

— 3x Random Spins

— 1x Food Pack (Solo)

The items slammed onto the floor out of nowhere, nearly crushing him. Karl coughed, dragging himself up to inspect them.

A food pack that looked like it could last a month.

An epic rarity blade, gleaming with a sharp edge that looked like it could cut through anything.

And lastly... a rainbow plate. For some reason.

Despite his exhaustion, he scoured the skyscraper for another living soul. Nothing. He pulled out his phone, desperately trying to call for help, but there was no signal—no way to connect with the outside world.

Then, he started hearing things.

At first, it was the dripping of water. But soon, the sounds multiplied. Electricity crackling. Ice breaking. Pens scratching on paper. People are screaming. Buildings are collapsing The chaos built up until he thought his head might explode, only for the blue screen to pop up again.

"The first game will start in 4 hours. Be ready."

"You can buy things to prepare at the regional shop."

"A boat has been provided for void travel."

A brown canoe spawned on the skyscraper's roof, complete with two paddles.

Despite his fatigue, Karl paddled through the endless void toward the shop, his arms burning with exhaustion. But when he finally arrived, he saw other living people. He didn't know them, but their presence made him feel safer.

He stood in line for 20 minutes, waiting his turn. The shopkeeper was a sleek, white robot with blue stripes on its face, its voice buzzing like static electricity.

"Hello, what would you like to buy?"

Karl, overwhelmed by the options, eventually chose a Mind Potion. But as he reached for the item, he realized something.

He had no money.

The robot's eyes flickered.

"You have no money. Penalty."

Karl's heart stopped. A searing pain ripped through his chest. He collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from his mouth and eyes.

Panicked, he crawled back to his canoe, trying to escape. No one helped him. The other players watched, indifferent. They didn't want to waste resources on a stranger.

As Karl's vision blurred and the darkness swallowed him again, his final thought echoed in his mind.

Why did no one else get a penalty except me?

He didn't know the answer.

Who are you?

Bot #20120806

What?

I am something you guys called "AI" but more powerful, we are controlled by stronger civilizations in this universe

Why do we have the same number?

Everytime a player joins, one of us will be created, i am like a system to you

So you are the AI of a stronger civilization in this universe?

Yes

Then, Karl woke up, as if the conversation was a dream