Nearby

Zhan came closer to the dead body of the orc that had tried to kill him just moments before. His legs felt shaky and weak as he walked across the grass that was still wet with blood. The smell of death hung in the air around the monster's body, making his nose wrinkle up in disgust.

"Wha..."

He didn't understand what he was seeing when he looked down at the orc's thick neck. The cut was so clean and straight that it looked like someone had used the sharpest sword in the world to slice through it. There were no jagged edges or torn flesh, just a perfect line where the head had been separated from the body.

—What does... StringMaster do..?

He asked himself, getting down on his knees to look at the wound more closely. The orc's head was cleanly cut off without Zhan doing anything that he could remember, and there was no blood spurting out like he thought there would be. It was like the monster had been killed by some invisible blade that was sharper than anything he had ever seen.

After a few seconds of staring at the dead orc, the whole body started to turn to dust right before his eyes. It began with the fingers and toes, the green skin cracking and crumbling away like old paper. The process moved slowly up the arms and legs, turning solid flesh and bone into gray powder that blew away in the gentle breeze.

"W-what the..?"

He took a big step back, his heart racing as he watched something that should have been impossible. The orc's massive body continued to fall apart, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but a pile of fine dust on the ground. Even the torn cloth around its waist and the huge bloody axe turned to powder and disappeared into the air.

Within less than a minute, the orc had completely turned to dust that scattered across the grass. All that remained of the monster that had nearly killed him was a small mound of gray ash that looked like it might blow away at any moment. The whole thing felt like magic, which he supposed it probably was in this strange new world.

In the middle of the pile of gray dust, there was a small glowing purple crystal that caught the sunlight. It was about the size of a marble and seemed to pulse with its own inner light, like a tiny star that had fallen from the sky. The purple glow was beautiful and mysterious, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Zhan went closer to the strange crystal, being careful not to step on the pile of dust that used to be the orc. The crystal seemed to be calling to him somehow, like it wanted him to pick it up and take it with him. He had seen things like this in video games before, where monsters dropped valuable items when they died.

[Magic Crystal, C-rank]

A message suddenly appeared in front of him, written in bright purple letters that floated in the air. The words were clear and easy to read, like text on a computer screen, but they seemed to be made of light instead of pixels. He reached out to touch the floating words, but his hand passed right through them like they were made of smoke.

"Oh. Then I should pick it up?"

He asked out loud, even though there was nobody around to answer him. His voice sounded small and uncertain in the quiet field where the fight had taken place. But he decided to take the crystal anyway, since it seemed like the kind of thing that might be useful later on.

He got down on his hands and knees and carefully picked up the glowing purple crystal. It was warm to the touch and felt smooth like polished glass, but it seemed to pulse with energy that made his fingers tingle. The light came from deep inside the crystal, with no visible source, like it was powered by magic itself.

"Now what?"

He stood up and looked around the empty field, holding the crystal in his palm while he tried to figure out what to do next. The sun was still shining and the birds were singing, but everything felt different now that he knew this world was real and dangerous. He looked up at the bright blue sky, hoping it might give him some kind of sign or direction about where to go.

Yeah, obviously, the sky didn't have any answers for him, and he felt a little stupid for expecting it to. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts and figure out his next move. The crystal felt warm and comforting in his hand, like a good luck charm that might help keep him safe.

He blinked once, just a normal blink that shouldn't have changed anything about where he was standing. But when he opened his eyes again, everything around him was completely different, like he had been transported to another world in the space of a heartbeat. Instead of the peaceful grass field, he was now surrounded by tall stone buildings that looked like they came from medieval times.

The buildings were made of gray stone blocks that had been carefully fitted together, with narrow windows and heavy wooden doors. Some of the structures were two or three stories tall, with steep roofs covered in dark tiles that looked old and weathered. The streets were paved with rough cobblestones that had been worn smooth by countless feet walking over them for many years.

There were people everywhere, filling the streets with the sound of talking and laughing and shouting. Men and women dressed in simple clothes walked back and forth, carrying baskets and bags like they were going about their normal daily business. Children ran between the adults, playing games and chasing each other through the crowded streets.

He found himself standing in the middle of a large plaza with a beautiful stone fountain in the center. The fountain was carved with intricate designs of fish and birds, and clear water bubbled up from the top before falling back down into the circular pool below. The sound of the flowing water was peaceful and soothing, a nice contrast to the noise of the busy crowd around him.

—Where am I—

His confused thoughts were suddenly cut off when he heard someone scream at the top of their lungs. The voice was filled with terror and panic, loud enough to be heard over all the other noise in the plaza. People stopped what they were doing and turned to look at whoever was making such an awful sound.

"W-WE'RE DEAD... GOD HAS COME TO KILL US ALL!"

An old man with gray hair and wrinkled skin fell to his knees on the hard cobblestones, his hands pressed together in prayer. His eyes were wide with fear and his whole body was shaking like he had seen something terrible. He looked like he had completely lost his mind, mumbling prayers and crying at the same time.

The man's clothes were simple and patched, showing that he was probably poor and had been working hard his whole life. His face was weathered and lined with age, but now it was twisted with absolute terror as he rocked back and forth on his knees.

"FUCKING SHUT UP, OLD MAN!"

A loud cracking sound echoed through the plaza when a young guy with messy black hair kicked the praying man right in the face. The old man's head snapped back from the force of the blow, and blood started to trickle from his broken nose. The crowd gasped and stepped back, shocked by the sudden violence.

The young man who had done the kicking was wearing black shorts and a wrinkled white t-shirt that looked like he had slept in it. His hair was uncombed and stuck up in all directions, and his face had a mean expression that made him look like he enjoyed hurting people. He stood over the injured old man like a bully who had just found his favorite victim.

"YOU FUCKING INSECTS ARE OVERREACTING."

He said in a loud voice, looking around at all the frightened faces in the crowd with obvious disgust. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and he seemed ready to hit anyone else who might dare to speak up. The way he talked made it clear that he thought he was better than everyone else around him.

—Acting like a big shot...

Zhan thought to himself, putting his hand on his forehead as he watched the scene unfold. The young man was clearly trying to act tough and intimidating, but it just made him look like a cruel person who liked to pick on those weaker than himself. Zhan had seen bullies like this before, and they always made him feel sick to his stomach.

[Hello again everyone!]

The same voice that had spoken to him earlier suddenly sounded out of nowhere, clear and loud like it was coming from invisible speakers all around the plaza. Everyone in the crowd looked up at the sky, searching for the source of the mysterious voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

"I-it's him... The servant of God..."

The old man with the bloody nose groaned through his pain, his voice weak and shaky. Even though he had been kicked in the face, he still seemed more afraid of the voice than he was of the violent young man standing over him. His eyes rolled back in his head like he might faint from pure terror.

"I TOLD YOU, SHUT UP!"

The delinquent stepped down hard on the old man's face with his dirty shoe, pressing the injured man's head against the rough cobblestones. He leaned down close to the old man's ear and whispered something that nobody else could hear, but his expression made it clear that it was probably a threat of more violence to come.

[I have gathered all of you today to explain what you insects are going to do here!]

The voice continued speaking, completely ignoring the violence happening below. The word "insects" was said with such contempt and disgust that it made everyone in the crowd flinch, like they had been slapped across the face. It was clear that whoever was speaking thought of them as less than human, just bugs to be stepped on.

—Insects...

Zhan repeated the word in his thoughts, feeling angry and insulted by the way the voice talked about them. He didn't know who was speaking or what they wanted, but he already hated them for treating people like they were worthless creatures that deserved no respect.

[In the Tower of Absolution, there are 999 floors looming above you!]

The voice announced this information like it was something exciting and wonderful, but the words filled everyone with dread instead of hope. Nine hundred and ninety-nine floors sounded like an impossible number, a challenge that would take a lifetime to complete. Zhan looked up at the sky, which suddenly seemed fake and artificial, like a painted ceiling instead of the real thing.

[Yes, this sky is fake.]

The voice confirmed what he had just been thinking, as if it could read his mind and wanted to crush any hope he might have had. The blue sky and white clouds that had looked so real and beautiful were nothing but an illusion, a lie designed to make their prison seem less horrible than it really was.

[You shall explore the boss dungeon, locate, and complete it. With this, you can progress to each floor!]

This sounded like the rules of a video game, but Zhan knew that the consequences of failure would be much more serious than just getting a "game over" screen. If they failed to complete the dungeons, they would probably die for real, with no chance to respawn or try again. The thought made his stomach twist with fear and anxiety.

[Each enemy gets stronger. But you guys also get stronger!]

The voice tried to make this sound like good news, but everyone could hear the cruel amusement in its tone. It was like a cat playing with mice before eating them, giving them just enough hope to make their eventual destruction more entertaining to watch.

[ENTERTAIN THE LORD.]

These final words were spoken with such authority and finality that they seemed to echo through the plaza long after the voice had stopped talking. The silence that followed was heavy and oppressive, filled with the weight of their hopeless situation. Everyone stood frozen in place, trying to process what they had just heard.

The voice had stopped speaking, and the entire plaza went completely silent except for the gentle sound of water flowing in the fountain. Even the children had stopped playing and were clinging to their parents, sensing that something terrible was happening even if they didn't understand what it meant.

"N-no. I-I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS, PLEASE LET ME OUT!"

A young girl with brown hair suddenly screamed and fell backward onto the hard cobblestones, her arms and legs flailing wildly. Her face was pale with terror and tears were streaming down her cheeks as she begged for mercy from whoever was listening. She looked like she was about the same age as Zhan, probably a student who had been living a normal life just minutes before.

"Hahaha ha. I'll live.. I know it..."

A boy who looked even younger curled up into a tight ball on the ground, his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his head. He was laughing, but it was the kind of crazy laughter that people make when they're about to lose their minds completely. His eyes stared at nothing, and he rocked back and forth like a baby trying to comfort himself.

Everyone in the plaza was in complete chaos, with people screaming and crying and running around in circles. Some were praying, some were fighting, and some were just standing there in shock, unable to move or speak. The peaceful plaza had turned into a scene of pure panic and despair in just a few minutes.

Zhan was the only one who remained calm, standing in the middle of all the chaos with a serious expression on his face. While everyone else was losing their minds, he was already thinking about what he needed to do to survive. He had always been good at staying calm under pressure, probably from all the difficult video games he had played over the years.

"Andromeda... Please be alive..."

He whispered her name while looking around at all the terrified faces in the crowd, hoping to see his friend somewhere among the strangers. Andromeda was the most important person in his life, and the thought of her being trapped in this nightmare too made his heart ache with worry. But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find her familiar face anywhere.

He didn't have enough time to search through everyone properly, since the situation was getting more dangerous by the minute. People were starting to push and shove each other as panic spread through the crowd, and he knew that someone was going to get seriously hurt if this continued much longer.

He opened his map by thinking about it, and a translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes showing the area around him. It looked just like the mini-maps in video games, with his location marked by a small blue dot and various points of interest scattered around the landscape. The map showed that there was another settlement not too far from where he was standing.

There was another city nearby this village, and according to the map it was called Ylza. The name was written in elegant script next to a symbol that looked like a castle or fortress, suggesting that it might be bigger and more important than the place where he was now. It was probably a day's walk away, maybe less if he hurried and didn't stop to rest.

—If I want to fucking survive, then I should go there immediately.

He thought to himself, already making plans to leave this chaotic place behind. The tutorial part of whatever sick game they were trapped in was obviously over, and now the real challenge was about to begin. This was hell now, and he needed to start acting like his life depended on every decision he made, because it probably did.