System Log 1: 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 into existence 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 soon... very soon.]

[To begin, you must clear each floor. There are 10 floors. Only then can you leave this place.]

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. The floors will get progressively harder.]

[Do you want me to explain the rules?]

[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. Every skill has different effects. You can also level up your class and skill as you progress—but only if you pick the right one.]

The right one?

[Let's 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. Are you ready to move on?]

"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 : Laughable >>

<< Intelligence : Room Temperature IQ >>

<< Speed : Slowpoke >>

<< MP : Pathetic >>

<< HP : 1-tap >>

<< Luck : Dogshit >>

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

I examined my stats and slowly frowned. "The f*ck 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 be fine... probably.]

"Probably?!" 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.