When Fade turned the door handle, even the air outside had changed. The previous calm and familiar street scene had given way to a chaotic landscape. Houses were destroyed, roads were cracked, and steam was rising from some places. Worst of all, the air was still dark and smoky after the meteorite, as if the sky had completely disappeared. The air Fade breathed in was filled with dust and the smell of burning. He coughed to clear his throat, but it only made his lungs hurt more.
His grandfather was gone. There was no sound around him. Just a hum… But within that hum, a whisper… Fade wasn't sure he heard it. Maybe it was just ringing in his head. Indefinite, indescribable, like a call…
Just then, a transparent, glowing window appeared at eye level. It was like the status window in a video game.
Character: Fade
Level: 1
Health: 100/100
Stamina: 100/100
Mana: 50/50
Status: UNKNOWN
"UNKNOWN?" Fade was confused. The text flickered for a moment, filled with complex symbols, and then disappeared. Fade collapsed to the ground. The vague sound ringing in his head was still there, as if it wanted to tell him something. But there were no words, only a feeling, a vibration.
Fade gathered himself and stood up. His grandfather... He had to find him. He saw a shadow and immediately ran after it. Among the shadows, he found an old, rusty sword. The window reappeared:
Item Acquired: Old Rusty Sword
Quality: Poor
Attack Power: +2
Durability: 20/20
At that moment, the whisper became clearer for an instant. It was as if a voice echoed in Fade's mind:
"It's good that you took it. Now you're on your own."
Fade turned around, but there was no one there. The voice disappeared. That voice remained a mystery in Fade's mind, deep in his heart.
Suddenly, a message appeared in front of him like a bulletin board:
The countdown has begun. In 1 minute, you will be transferred to the guide...
00:59 ... 00:58 ... 00:57...
Fade's mind was confused. There seemed to be no chance of cancellation. He could only watch the countdown.
00:03... 00:02... 00:01... 00:00
His body dissolved pixel by pixel into the air. He felt no pain. His consciousness faded.
When he woke up, he was in the middle of a massive colosseum. There were 15-20 thousand people around him. Everyone was screaming, crying, and going mad with fear. Then, a creature with black wings, horns, and a stylish suit descended from the sky. When Fade saw it, he felt a vibration, an echo in his mind. That vague voice whispered again for a moment, but he couldn't understand what it said.
The creature began to speak in a deep, resonant voice:
"Welcome, all of you. My name is Diablo. I am your guide. I know you don't understand anything right now, but it was the same in other universes."
Fade's mind was confused for a moment: Other universes?
"You lucky ones will be trained under my guidance. Some of you have opened the stat window without meaning to. If you haven't, just think about it in your mind."
While everyone else tried, Fade saw no need to open it; he already knew. Diablo laughed derisively:
"Easy, isn't it? Even an ant could do it, hahaha. Your stat window shows your abilities, stats, and affinities. If you don't see anything, don't worry. Only your special abilities are visible here. Should it even list crawling, which you learned as a baby?"
A doubt crossed Fade's mind. Diablo had never mentioned Those whispers and the UNKNOWN status… Maybe it was something specific to Fade. Fade decided to keep it to himself for now.
A man shouted: "You're the one who brought us here! You're talking nonsense! Stat window? Guide? Come down here, let's talk face to face!"
Diablo closed his wings and landed on the ground. He stood in front of the man. He was a slender young man, about 5'9" tall. Diablo struck him with a flick of his finger. The man's head exploded, and his body fell to the ground.
"This is the fate of those who defy me! Next time, it won't be such a simple and painless death!"
As Diablo's voice echoed, Fade briefly felt that mysterious sound again in the depths of his mind. It seemed to come not from Diablo, but from somewhere else entirely. But as always, it was unclear.
Fade saw how the people around him were terrified after Diablo's terrifying blow, and how some of them began to vomit in horror. This image reminded him of something: if he wanted to survive here, he had to remain silent and not draw attention to himself.
Diablo lifted the dead body into the air, disintegrating it into pixels. The whisper resurfaced within Fade, but this time it was slightly clearer.
"Power... power is necessary... stay silent, watch, learn..."
Fade couldn't tell if the voice was coming from his head or somewhere else. But each time it spoke, it drew him in further.
Diablo began speaking again, his voice booming so loudly it filled the colosseum:
"Most who come here are filled with fear. But those who overcome this fear gain power. In this world, the weak are merely crushed. Do not forget this!"
Suddenly, a new panel opened in the air. It was large and bright enough for everyone to see.
Colosseum Rules:
1. Disobeying the guide is strictly prohibited.
2. Acting alone is dangerous. You must form groups.
3. You cannot leave the colosseum without improving your stats and abilities.
4. You cannot proceed to the next stage without completing the tasks.
When Diablo touched the panel with his finger, the rules were engraved into the inner walls of the Colosseum. The inscriptions continued to glow.
"The rules are simple. To survive, either act together or wait for death alone," Diablo said with a mocking smile.
Fade looked around at the people around him. Most were looking at each other. Some had already begun to form small groups. Others were still crying in the corner.
Fade was about to make a decision. Should he stay alone or join a group? But before he could decide, the voice was heard again.
"Don't trust them... just watch and wait... act when the time comes..."
Fade shuddered slightly upon hearing the voice. It seemed to be constantly giving him instructions, but he didn't know its source.
At that moment, Diablo spread his massive wings and rose once more. The air felt more threatening than before.
"Now I will send you to your first training. There will be a small test before the missions begin. If you fail... you won't want to think about the consequences."
Fade's heart sank. A test? A mission? What kind of test?
Diablo raised his hand, and a ring of light appeared before everyone. A shiver ran through Fade. The ring of light trembled slightly before him, as if it were trying to tell him something special, but the words remained incomprehensible.
Diablo said, "Step through the ring. And remember, this is only the beginning."
Fade took a deep breath. The voice whispered to him again.
"Go... but be careful... don't forget the power within..."
Fade took a step forward. He approached the ring of light. He closed his eyes and tried to suppress the strange voice inside him. But no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, the voice continued to whisper to him.
He opened his eyes and stepped through the ring of light.
Fade felt a cold sensation enveloping his body as he passed through the ring of light with his eyes tightly closed. For a moment, it felt as though the ground beneath his feet had vanished. When he opened his eyes, he briefly thought he was in another dimension.
But when he looked around, he realized everyone was still in the same place, the massive colosseum. As he passed through the ring of light, he had noticed something—as if a lock inside him had loosened slightly. Though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, there was a stir within him.
Diablo's voice rose again, this time more resolute and harsh:
"The test is about to begin. Everyone, focus your attention. The rules of the colosseum are no longer written for you; they will be the realities you must face. Be prepared!"
Fade looked around. A slow tension was building among the people. Some had formed groups, while others still stood alone. Fade had not joined anyone yet.
For a moment, he thought he heard the echo of a voice from afar, but this time it was very faint. The voice was not a clear whisper like he had heard before, but more like an echo fading away in the wind. Just one word…
"Wait..."
At that moment, Fade couldn't even be sure if the voice was real. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.
He took a deep breath and made a promise to himself:
"No matter what happens, I will survive. For my grandfather... for myself... and to understand what this strange voice is..."
Diablo issued a final warning with his deep voice, filling the entire colosseum:
"The test is about to begin! Everyone take your positions!"
Fade began to act on instinct. His body involuntarily went into a ready position, his eyes focused on the empty space before him. His heart was racing. This might be the first real test that would determine whether he would survive or not.