The First Floor

Ugh… My head hurts.

I opened my eyes, blinking against the dim light of a strange, unfamiliar room. Where am I? I couldn't remember.

What caught my attention immediately was a large door in front of me, labeled simply: Floor 1.

I stood up, noticing a brown cloak draped over me. When did I put this on? The memory didn't come.

A blue prompt appeared before me.

[Welcome, Sho.]

Sho... Is that my name? My brow furrowed.

[You are probably confused, but don't worry. You will remember.]

"Remember? Where the hell am I?"

[You will know... very soon.]

[To begin, you must clear 10 floors. That's all.]

I was still confused, but a part of me wanted to know more. "Floors?"

[Yes. Each floor is a trial. Slay the enemies, and move on.]

[Want me to explain the rules? It won't change much.]

[Yes or No]

I hesitated, my mind racing. I had no memory of how I ended up here—or why. Maybe the rules would give me some answers...

"One question. How many enemies do I need to kill on each floor?"

But my question went unanswered. Instead, a new prompt appeared in blue:

[Complete the Tutorial]

[Rules: Choose your class. Each class has a weapon. Once chosen, you will be able to roll for a random skill. There are seven types of skills, but rarities vary. You can also level up your class and skill as you progress—but only if you pick the right one.]

The right one?

[Shall we begin?]

[Choose a class: Rogue, Fighter, Healer]

I stared at the options, contemplating. Healer? That sounded safe, but…

I was about to select it when the prompt glitched.

[Choose a class: Rogue, Fighter, Knight]

What was that? Is something wrong with my eyes? No, it couldn't be. Why did "Healer" vanish? Maybe I imagined it... or so I thought.

I shrugged it off and chose Fighter. Leather gauntlets materialized in my hands with a soft shimmer.

A new prompt flashed, prompting me to roll for a skill. I pressed the button—expecting something small, a simple power-up.

But the screen glitched again. A dark purple hue filled the space, and a new skill appeared with haste.

[Skill acquired: Vitiate]

Skill Type: Debuff

Subclass: Decay

Ability: Weaken or corrupt anything you attack.

Passive Effect: Any form of attack you receive becomes corrupted.

Rarity: C

I stared at the text in shock. Vitiate? What kind of skill was this?

Before I could process it, the screen flickered once more and then returned to blue.

[Skill acquired: Restless Failure]

Skill Type: Consequential

Subclass: Resonance

Ability: Every time you die, enemies will remember you.

Passive Effect: N/A

Rarity: E

"Enemies will remember me? What the hell does that mean?" I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

[You have selected: Class: Fighter. Skill: Restless Failure. As expected.]

"Wait... I received two skills."

[You only have one skill. Check your inventory.]

A prompt appeared before me, showing multiple slots. One slot displayed my equipped gauntlets, while another revealed a sphere containing my stats.

<< Class : Fighter >>

<< Weapon : Gauntlets >>

<< Strength : Pathetic >>

<< Intelligence : Stupid >>

<< Speed : Slower than regret >>

<< MP : Not even a spark >>

<< HP : Fragile >>

<< Luck : None >>

<< Skills acquired: 1, "Restless Failure" >>

I examined my stats and slowly frowned. "The fuck is this?!"

[Are you ready to proceed?]

[Yes or No]

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Yeah... whatever."

I hit "Yes," and the door creaked open, blinding me with light.

[Good luck. You'll need it.]

"Need it?" Nerves made my heart race, but I shook it off and took a deep breath before exhaling. I had so many questions and needed answers. If I had forgotten who I was, then getting through this was the only way. Clenching my fist, I stepped through the doors onto the first floor… and what I saw froze me in place. And the fear I felt then? It was only the beginning.