Day 3

Day 2: Floor One – Begi

The town of Begi stretched out like a page from a storybook. Cobblestone roads twisted through rows of quaint timber homes, where NPC villagers went about their programmed routines—sweeping porches, selling fruit, tending animals. Despite being digital, it felt… alive.

On a grassy hill just outside town, Michael sat, the Fractured Relic Blade resting against his back. The blade shimmered faintly, pulsing with residual code from the boss he'd defeated earlier. Below him, the setting sun bathed Begi in gold and rose.

He exhaled. "It's beautiful."

His eyes drifted upward, watching soft clouds drifting lazily across the sky.

"I'm gonna clear all 100 floors… right beside Micha."

"Yeah. We will."

Michael turned, surprised to see Micha climbing the hill behind him, grinning.

"Figured I'd find you here," Micha said, plopping down beside him. "You always get soft over sunsets."

Michael chuckled. "You know me too well."

They sat quietly, letting the breeze wash over them.

"I know this place is basically a death sentence," Micha murmured, "but… doesn't it feel peaceful? Like, more than the real world?"

Michael nodded. "Back home, everything's covered in glass and metal. Skyscrapers block the sky. Feels like the only stars left are billboards."

"Yeah. It's crazy."

Micha stood, brushing off his pants. "But we can't sit here staring at sunsets forever. We gotta get stronger."

Michael rose too, smiling. "Yeah. With this blade, I'll be slicing through everything in our way."

"Must be nice," Micha teased. "But nah—daggers fit me better."

Michael grinned. "Daggers are lame."

Micha playfully punched his shoulder. "Shut up."

They both laughed.

"Let's hit a dungeon," Micha said. "Just the two of us."

"Yeah. Sounds good."

⸻

Later – Village Center: Dungeon Kiosk

The town square buzzed with activity. Players flooded in from Floor Zero, eager to get quests, buy gear, or join guilds.

"Wow," Micha said, scanning the growing crowd. "Floor One's already getting packed."

Michael nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

They approached the dungeon kiosk, but most available quests were already taken or swarmed with groups.

"Nothing here looks worth it," Micha muttered. "We need something with solid EXP and decent loot."

Just then, a voice rang out.

"Oh my god—it's you!"

A pale-skinned player with brown hair and square glasses rushed over. A heavy greatsword hung on his back, almost too large for his wiry frame.

"You cleared the Floor Zero boss!"

Michael blinked. "Uh… yeah. That was me."

The stranger extended a hand, eyes wide. "Name's Cole. I'm a swordsman too. You're kind of famous already—people call you the Green Swordsman."

Michael frowned. "The… Green Swordsman?"

"Yeah! Because your clothes are green, your eyes are green, and your sword is green or something. You beat the boss before Dreadnaught Rex did. That's insane!"

Michael scratched the back of his neck. "I'm just Michael."

Micha crossed his arms. "Looks like you've got fans now."

"Shut up," Michael muttered, cheeks pink.

Cole stepped closer, beaming. "Can I see the sword?"

Michael unsheathed the green Fractured Relic Blade and brought it down in a vertical slash. The edge shimmered with fractured light.

Cole's glasses nearly fogged up. "That's so cool."

"I'm Micha," Micha said. "Michael's Day One."

"Nice to meet you both. I love meeting companions of floor clearers." Cole turned toward the kiosk. "Are you guys looking for a dungeon?"

"Yeah, but we can't find one worth the time. Low EXP or garbage loot," Micha replied.

Cole perked up. "Actually, I know of one opening tomorrow. It's off the kiosk radar for now, but it gives a good haul—iron, Tier C loot drops, and solid EXP."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "Why isn't it on the kiosk?"

"It's location-based," Cole said. "You go to the dungeon site, and an NPC there gives the quest. Probably just a Floor One thing."

Michael hesitated. In every MMO he'd played before, quests were assigned at central hubs—not at dungeon entrances. But he stayed quiet.

"You sure about that?" Micha asked.

"Definitely." Cole smiled. "Needs at least three players, though, or the NPC won't activate."

Michael and Micha exchanged a look.

"Flash might join, but he could be busy," Micha said.

"I can tag along if you want," Cole offered.

Micha grinned. "Sure."

They exchanged friend requests. A ping sounded as Cole joined their party list.

"I'll get some rest. Meet you guys tomorrow?" Cole asked.

"Sounds good," Michael said.

Cole waved as he headed off into the crowd.

⸻

Day 3 – Morning

Outside Begi, the sun had just cleared the horizon. Michael, Micha, and Cole stood side by side.

Michael stretched his arms. "This is gonna be a piece of cake."

Micha nodded. "Let's hit the kiosk and get it started."

"Actually…" Cole spoke up. "Like I said yesterday, it doesn't show up at the kiosk. We have to go there."

"You sure?" Micha asked again.

"Positive," Cole replied confidently.

Michael stayed quiet, but the itch of doubt remained. The setup was strange. Still, he decided to trust his gut—at least for now.

"Alright then," Micha said. "Lead the way."

Cole smiled and started walking.

Michael followed, eyes sharp, hand never straying far from his blade.

⸻

After Two Hours of Walking

The path wound along a narrow ridge, wind brushing the cliffside with a low, whistling drone. Michael scanned the horizon. In front of them, the "dungeon" loomed—except it wasn't a dungeon at all.

It was a jagged cave, its entrance gaping like a wound carved into the mountain's side. No iron-plated gate. No system kiosk. No checkpoint portal. Just stone, shadow, and silence.

Michael slowed. "This… doesn't look right."

Micha stepped beside him, tightening his grip on his twin daggers. "Yeah. This ain't it. No dungeon interface. No mission window."

Michael turned toward Cole.

Cole stood still. His expression shifted—warmth drained from his features, replaced by a cold, unreadable stare.

"I'm sure," he said, voice like a blade on glass. "And the name's not Cole. It's Ivan."

A dull chime echoed.

New Threat Identified:

Ivan – Reaper Squad Assassin guild | Lv. 19

Hostile Intent Detected

The cave behind them shimmered as four figures stepped out, emerging from behind stone outcroppings like shadows peeling off the wall. Their names blazed in crimson-red above their heads. Reaper Squad. All between levels 18 and 20.

Micha spun, daggers raised. "Who the hell are you people?"

Ivan smirked, drawing a curved black blade from his back. "Let's keep this simple. I was sent to kill you… and take that sword of yours, Michael. The Fractured Relic Blade? My boss, Vayne, wants it. So we're taking it."

Michael's fingers instinctively gripped his sword. "You set us up."

"Don't take it personal," Ivan said, stepping forward as the others fanned out. "This is what the Reaper Squad does."

⸻

Combat

Without warning, the first attacker lunged—a Nullmage. He raised his hand, casting a black glyph that cracked the ground beneath Micha's feet.

Null Pulse Detonation – 15 DMG

Micha – HP: 55/70

Micha hissed and rolled aside, flames licking his boots. He retaliated, flipping into the air and slashing the mage's shoulder with a spinning arc.

Backstab! – 20 DMG

Critical Hit!

A second enemy—a bruiser wielding twin axes—rushed Michael.

Michael activated his skill with a flare of white light. "Air Slash!"

Air Slash – 29 DMG

The attack staggered the bruiser, but he didn't fall. He answered with a shoulder charge.

Shoulder Bash – 25 DMG

Michael – HP: 51/76

Michael groaned and tumbled across the grass. Micha was fending off two attackers now, flipping and dancing around them with high agility, but every trade cost him.

"Michael, focus up!" Micha shouted between clashes.

They fought back-to-back. Sparks flew. Code scattered. HP bars drained with every slash.

Michael killed one enemy with a heavy downward slash.

Player: Kori killed – Reaper Scout

But it wasn't enough.

Ivan hadn't moved. He simply watched.

"Finish them," he said.

The last two Reaper members surged forward. Micha grunted—blood-red pixels scattering from a wound in his side.

Micha – HP: 25/70

He was slowing.

Michael blocked another swing with the flat of his blade—only to be blasted back by a Null Shock burst.

Michael – HP: 30/76

They were losing.

Ivan finally moved, stepping forward with blade raised. He dashed with inhuman speed—"Phantom Pierce" skill engaged.

He aimed straight for Michael.

Michael couldn't move fast enough.

Time slowed.

A blur stepped in front of him.

Micha.

The blade plunged into Micha's gut. Blood and code burst out in a sickening hiss.

Micha – HP: 0/70

Player: Micha killed

You have lost a Party Member

Michael's world fell silent.

Micha looked up at him, smiling through the pain.

"I'm sorry… Michael… guess this is where I stop. I'm sorry it had to end this way."

Then Micha collapsed—body shattering into a thousand red-glowing fragments. Deleted.

Michael dropped to his knees, mouth open in a silent scream.

"NO!"

"NO!" He repeated.

"Ahhhh!" Michael shouted, pupils rolling back.

"Micha!" He yelled, tears rolling down like lightning.

He collapsed, face blank.

His HUD glitched. Static surged across his vision. His pulse redlined.

Ivan raised his blade to strike the final blow—

And everything went white.

SYSTEM ALERT — ORIGIN PROTOCOL DETECTED

[UNLOCKING…]

ACCESS GRANTED: ORIGIN PROTOCOL: ZERO

ALL CLASS BARRIERS REMOVED.

SKILL ACQUISITION MODE: ENABLED.

AWAKENING IN PROGRESS…

The light around Michael shifted—first flickering like a dying ember, then exploding outward in a silent shockwave.

His body twitched.

Then rose.

His eyes opened. They glowed a blinding green-white.

His voice, calm and cold, cut through the static:

"…I wasn't supposed to feel this much pain."

Ivan took an instinctive step back.

Michael's sword reshaped in real time, fractal code spiraling down the blade into a sleeker, deadlier form. It pulsed—no longer fractured, but whole. The edge shimmered like it was made of raw data and wrath.

Michael blinked once. The world slowed to a crawl.

He moved—faster than Ivan could react.

A single step brought him face to face with the first Reaper. The man tried to scream—too late.

Michael's blade arced clean through his neck.

CRITICAL HIT — 402 DMG

Player: Ren slain.

Before the others could react, Michael vanished in a blink.

[Null Step] — Teleport Activated.

He appeared behind the next attacker.

A fist of glowing light crushed the mage's spine.

[Pulse Fist – Tier B] — 230 DMG

Player: Sera slain.

They died not knowing how.

Blood, screams, data shrapnel—it all blurred together.

Ivan stood frozen, slack-jawed, watching his team fall like insects.

The last Reaper tried to run—Michael raised his hand.

A beam of plasma shot through the air.

[Pulse Sniper: Execution Line] — DIRECT HIT.

Player: Doro slain.

Silence.

Only Ivan remained.

Michael turned, steps slow and deliberate.

Ivan stumbled backward. "W-Wait… What the hell are you?"

Michael didn't answer at first.

He walked forward, dragging his blade across the dirt. Sparks followed. His eyes never blinked.

Ivan's voice broke. "You were just a player! You were—he was—just some dagger punk!"

Michael finally spoke with neon glowing eyes with non stopping tearing rolling down his cheek.

"…I was."

The glow in his eyes flared.

"But now…"

He raised the blade.

"I will kill you, tase hellfire."

Ivan screamed.

The screen flashed white.