A system window appeared above the sky like a second sun, casting digital light over the earth's broken skin.
> [SYSTEM NOTICE]
[Investigation of Trial One has concluded.
No significant deviation or systemic error detected.
Proceeding to next phase.]
The announcement was followed by silence—quiet enough to hear the wind stirring ash and sand.
Theron stepped out of his room, rubbing his neck. Across from him, Shinua emerged too, pale-eyed and alert. Around them, others gathered instinctively, all drawn to the shared dread that came with each new message.
That was when he arrived.
Dressed in a ceremonial black robe laced with glowing runes, Edife stood atop the podium in the center of the common area. With calm, almost disarming confidence, he gestured toward the crowd.
"First," he said, "congratulations on surviving the Trial of Observation. Few do, on their first attempt."
Nobody cheered.
"The system," he continued, "is a divine game crafted by the gods. And you, dear players, are the pieces."
Someone in the crowd shouted, "So we're just entertainment?! Are we going to keep fighting other worlds forever?!"
Edife smiled. "No. After the tenth trial, inter-world conflicts end."
A hush. Then horror spread like fire across the group. A tenth trial. That meant nine more layers of hell. Children began to sob. Adults stared blankly. Hope—thin and brittle—snapped.
Theron narrowed his eyes.
"If this is just a game," he said, voice cutting through the murmurs, "why did the Earth's god protect us from Lavrick?"
Edife blinked. Then, a smile—just for him. "Perhaps you should not poke into matters that don't concern mortals. Lest you attract the wrath of gods."
In that moment, Theron felt it. A pressure so heavy it crushed against his spine like a collapsing building. His knees almost gave out.
He turned slowly and found it: a presence seated among the shadows at the edge of the crowd. A lower god. The God of Lust. Their gaze alone felt like fire through his bones.
But before he could break, something broke through him instead.
> [Whispers of Salvation - Skill Activated]
Incoming divine effect: nullified.
The pressure vanished like mist. The air lightened. Theron's body shivered in shock.
Edife noticed. His eyes flickered to the shattered divine pressure. Then to Theron.
"…Curious," he muttered. "Your interface isn't like the one meant for this stage. Systems aren't supposed to awaken independently…"
His hand waved once. Theron's interface shimmered and rearranged itself, now synchronized with the rest of the population. But Edife let it go. Another glitch, perhaps. This world had many.
He raised his voice again. "Now, to the next trial."
A massive golden window materialized above them all.
> [Main Trial: Survival and Leadership]
[Objective: Choose 15 leaders to form official factions.]
[Population: 143,739 remaining.]
[Time Limit: 30 days.]
[Special Condition: The Common Area will be exposed to monster attacks.]
[Reason: Divine Event – Creator's Army engaged elsewhere.]
[Player PvP: Enabled.]
[Reward: Advancement to Trial 3.]
[Penalty: ??????]
"And as a reward for the first trial," Edife added, "every player receives 10,000 coins. Use them wisely."
Then, without further fanfare, he vanished.
---
The days that followed were filled with desperation. People formed alliances, armed themselves, and trained. Monsters hadn't attacked yet, but paranoia did.
Theron trained obsessively, spending hours each day until his muscles burned and his breath came ragged. Shinua trained too—her control over projectiles had evolved into something resembling elegance.
One evening, while browsing the population counter, Theron froze.
[143,734]
Five lives gone.
He sprinted toward the southern village. When he arrived, the corpses of five young people lay piled beneath a wooden shed, blood still fresh. A boy stood over them, blade in hand, smiling.
"Why?" Theron asked, calm but dangerous.
The boy grinned. "To become a leader, you have to eliminate threats. Survival of the fittest."
Theron smiled back—but his smile was dead.
"I'm gonna split your throat."
Before he moved, a man in dusty military garb stepped between them. "Enough. Killing him won't fix anything."
Theron stared.
The man continued, "If you kill someone—even a murderer—you lose your humanity."
Theron replied flatly, "It doesn't matter if I'm dead."
"Death isn't the measure of humanity," the man countered. "Sacrificing it doesn't make you stronger."
Theron tilted his head. "You talk like a hero."
Then, softer: "you must have saved people when I ran away, When I left others to die for Shinua and me?"
The man hesitated.
That was all it took.
Theron stepped forward and slit the boy's throat in one smooth motion. Blood spattered the ground. He walked past the soldier without a word.
Shinua whispered, "That's Paul McCain… he was a hero on the frontlines during the first trial. Saved hundreds."
Her words faded as Theron heard it.
Arya's voice.
> "Take Shinua and leave. Now."
His eyes sharpened. Without a second thought, he grabbed Shinua's arm and ran. The system didn't warn them. Arya did.
> "Go left. Now roll."
Theron obeyed instantly, barely dodging a descending spear of light from above.
> "Stop. Drop. Run again."
Shinua stared as Theron moved like he was possessed, practicing dodges and counters mid-run. She assumed he was training—but this wasn't training. It was installation.
Finally, Arya's voice quieted.
> "That's all I can give. For now"
He paused, breathing heavily.
But then another voice—female, warm, unnatural—floated toward him.
> "Why are you leaving so soon, darling? The fun's only begun."
A figure emerged, cloaked in dusk. Her aura was oppressive, overwhelming, yet maternal—like being suffocated in silk.
She smiled.
---
> [Main Trial: Survival and Leadership]
[Objective: Find 15 Faction Leaders and survive with them.]
[Penalty for Failure: ??????]
[Status: Ongoing.]