The invitation came at 2:14 a.m.
Jack had been sitting on the fire escape outside his apartment, staring at the quiet city below.
The night air was cool. His hoodie flapped gently in the breeze. Below, the streetlights buzzed faintly, washing the pavement in muted amber.
He wasn't thinking about anything in particular.
Just listening to the sounds of safety, of silence. Of a world that had no idea how close it had come to collapsing.
Then the System pinged.
[New Domain Unlocked: House of Red – Tier I Entry Eligible]
[Access Requirements: Bronze III Rank Confirmed]
[Status: Invite Accepted Automatically Upon First Victory at Bronze III Level]
[Transport Options: Physical Location or Shadow Gate Protocol]
Jack's eyes narrowed.
He'd heard of it once, weeks ago. A passing phrase from a man with a silver scar and eyes too calm to be trusted: "Win big or vanish quietly."
Morgan Vale.
The name drifted into Jack's thoughts like a foghorn in a dream.
Jack stood. He cracked his knuckles absently and descended the fire escape, the System's invitation pulsing softly like a heartbeat in the corner of his vision.
[Would You Like to Enter the House of Red?]
[Yes / No]
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
***
Reality bent.
Not like the Shadow Wagers, those were quiet slips into a dreamspace. This was different. The world folded inward, edges blurring, sounds muffling. Jack felt his stomach drop as if gravity had been rewritten.
Then light coming.
Red light.
It poured from beneath his feet, soaked the air, painted everything in velvet and blood.
He landed in a circular chamber lined with dark, padded walls. One exit and without a single window. No noise except for a faint hum, like the engine room of a sinking ship.
A woman stood at the doorway, her suit the exact color of fresh roses.
"Jack Bernard," she said without looking up. Her voice was smooth, emotionless. "Welcome to Tier I."
He stepped forward. The System filled in the blanks.
[Player Identity Verified – Bronze III]
[House Status: Initiate]
[Chips: 3]
[Wager Cap: 1 Trait or Equivalent]
[Observer Privileges Active Until First Challenge Issued]
The woman slid a black card across the desk. Its surface shimmered faintly with System energy.
"This is your Deck," she said. "It holds your wagers, win history, active traits, and wager permissions. Lose all your chips, and you're removed from House access permanently. You get one reset every rank. After that… well. Don't lose."
Jack took the card. It was heavier than it looked. He felt the weight of it settle in his palm like a trigger.
"Who do I challenge?"
"You don't," she said. "Not yet. First wager is always initiated by them."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Them?"
"The House chooses," she replied. "And it's already watching."
Jack turn toward the main hall of 'The House of Red'. It was a strange blend of casino and cathedral. Vaulted ceilings. Velvet wallpaper. Card tables beneath red crystal chandeliers. Every surface glowed faintly like the building itself was alive.
Jack walked past a table where two men sat motionless, eyes locked on a single red die in a glass case. A third player whispered something inaudible, and one of the men collapsed forward.
[Match Resolved: Memory Tax – 3 Years]
[Victor: WhisperID-619]
[Loser: Memory Erasure In Progress]
Jack felt his stomach twist. The System didn't even try to hide it.
He kept moving.
In a viewing lounge, dozens of other players sat watching holograms of ongoing matches.
Some wore business suits. Others looked like street fighters. A few had strange glows in their eyes, it was a clear evidence of higher-level traits Jack couldn't yet comprehend.
The moment he stepped in, the room quieted.
[New Player Entered: Bronze III – Jack Bernard]
[Observation Status: Public – 17 Players Viewing]
[Silent Bet Pool Opened: First Match Odds: 2:1 Loss / 6:1 Win / 20:1 Kill Victory]
Jack ignored the looks.
He moved to the back corner and sat, calmly crossing his legs. He kept his breathing even.
The System pinged again.
[Match Request Incoming]
[Opponent: Player Alias "Echo"]
[Wager Format: Card Pull Duel – Limited Trait Deck (3 Draws)]
[Stakes: Echo – Trait: "Sense Bleed" (F+) | Jack – Trait: Calm Speech (E)]
[Win Condition: Total Card Score or Forfeit]
[Begin?]
Jack frowned.
"Sense Bleed?"
[Passive Trait – Enhances detection of lies, emotional state, or hesitation during interaction. Effective at close range. Countered by Calm Speech.]
A soft smile touched his lips.
He accepted.
***
The duel chamber was a low-lit room with no walls, only a void around them. Jack and Echo sat at opposite ends of a triangular glass table.
His opponent was a woman in her twenties, short black hair, blank expression. Her fingers tapped against the table in a slow, even rhythm.
A red dealer appeared. It glitchy, holographic, and shuffled a deck of cards that shimmered with text instead of suits.
[Draw Phase Initiated – 3 Cards Each]
Jack received:
[Pressure Read: C+] [False Tell: B] [Insight Denial: D]
[Card Synergy: Moderate – Bluff Power Increased]
Echo's cards were hidden.
The game began.
Echo raised first. "Reveal one card," she said.
Jack flipped [Pressure Read].
She narrowed her eyes. "False confidence."
Jack didn't respond.
Her second card came: [Emotion Trace: B]
The System updated probabilities.
[Opponent Intent: Read-based Play – Cautious Aggression Detected]
Jack waited. Then activated [False Tell]. He made his pupils dilate, his breath hitch, just enough to throw her off.
Echo blinked.
"Reveal final card," she said.
Jack turned [Insight Denial].
Echo hesitated.
Then flipped [Pulse Scan: C], [Gut Whisper: D]
[Final Score: Jack – 12 | Echo – 10]
[Match Resolved: Victory – Jack Bernard]
[New Trait Acquired: Sense Bleed (F+)]
[XP Gained: +50]
[Chips Remaining: 3/3]
Echo nodded once. "You're better than your file suggests."
Jack stood. "You just played the wrong hand."
She smirked and faded into the hallway crowd.
As Jack left the chamber, the viewing room buzzed. The odds board updated.
[Odds Updated: Jack Bernard – Kill Potential 12:1 → 7:1]
He didn't feel elated.
Just focused.
The House had seen him now. And it wanted more.
[Chapter End – First House Victory Logged. Tier I Integration: Active. New Threat Awareness: Pending...]