"Do not fuck it up…"
"Fuck anything but this…"
A teenager muttered under his breath as he sat in the middle of a massive auditorium with fingers clenched tightly against his thighs.
Messy brown hair fell over his eyes, and beneath it, a faint red glow flickered whenever his emotions slipped. He looked no older than eighteen.
His name was Logan.
Rows upon rows of students surrounded him, all wearing the same dark uniform stitched with a familiar insignia across the chest.
It read: General Public School [1].
From every direction came nervous murmurs, restless shuffling, and hushed conversations that never fully stopped. No one could sit still, and no one blamed them, because today was the day everything changed.
Today, they would attempt to summon a [Nightmare] and earn the right to step into the Vast Expanse.
Three hundred years ago, the world had nearly ended.
Earth had been forcibly connected to a game-like realm, and massive rifts tore open across the planet without warning. From them poured endless monsters, creatures later known as Nightmares, and in less than a year, humanity was driven to the brink of extinction.
Cities fell one after another, nations collapsed overnight, and survival itself became a daily gamble.
Then, when all hope seemed lost, salvation came from the most unexpected source.
Some of the Nightmares offered humanity a choice. It was a contract.
Those who accepted became something new, something that stood between mankind and annihilation. They were called Walkers, humans who bonded with Nightmares and awakened supernatural powers.
With their help, humanity fought back and reclaimed parts of the planet, not all of it, but enough to endure. Researchers later estimated that only about 30% of Earth's landmass had been reclaimed, yet even that was considered a miracle.
Being a Walker was not just about survival though. It was an opportunity.
Walkers were granted access to the Vast Expanse, the homeworld of the Nightmares themselves, a layered and brutal world where evolution never truly stopped.
A place more commonly known for Endless Evolution In A Game-Like World.
Now, every human prayed for the same thing upon turning eighteen: to form a contract, to survive, to grow stronger, and to step into the First Expanse, the lowest of the Five Layers.
"I hope you are all ready!" a booming voice echoed across the auditorium.
A tall man with broad shoulders stood on the stage at the front, his presence alone enough to slowly quiet the hall. His sharp gaze swept across the students as the noise faded into uneasy silence.
"Today is the day most of you will form a contract with a Nightmare and begin a new journey!" he shouted. "As for those who fail, do not despair. You may still serve humanity as evolution researchers and uncover new evolution paths."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Now… we begin."
Thousands gulped in nervousness. The selection had begun.
"Jack Smut, please come onto the stage!"
At those words, a boy from the front row stood up, his movements stiff as he walked toward the stage. Every step echoed far louder than it should have in the silent auditorium.
At the center of the platform stood an ocean-blue crystalline sphere, smooth and flawless, radiating a faint, cold glow. Jack stopped beside it, staring at the orb.
That sphere was humanity's bridge to the Nightmares. The choosing medium. A single touch was all it took to open a conversation with beings from another world.
Jack slowly placed his hand against the crystal and shut his eyes.
Five seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Ten seconds.
A few students shifted uneasily.
Thirty seconds crawled by, the silence growing heavier with each heartbeat. Whispers began to stir, and just as it seemed like Jack would fail to form a contract, the orb suddenly flared with light.
It was not blinding, but it was bright. Bright enough to draw sharp breaths from the crowd.
That alone meant one thing.
It was a powerful Nightmare!
As the light gradually receded, a figure stood beside Jack. A monkey-like creature, lean and agile, its body covered in dark web patterns that glimmered faintly under the stage lights. Thin strands of silk dripped lazily from its fingers and tail as its sharp eyes scanned the hall.
For a moment, the entire auditorium froze.
"Isn't that… a Spider Monkey?"
"Holy shit! That's a high-potential Nightmare!"
"It can evolve into Phantom Weblord if raised right!"
Murmurs of admiration rippled through the hall with students whispering with envy and awe.
Jack stood there frozen, disbelief etched across his face, while the Nightmare rested calmly at his side. He deserved the praise. Spider Monkey was known as a rare species with terrifying growth potential if guided properly.
The examiner nodded once, clearly satisfied.
"Successful contract."
Jack's legs nearly gave out as he walked down the stage.
The next name was then called.
And that student failed.
Then another stepped forward and failed again.
And another.
One by one, disappointment spread across the hall as nearly ten students in a row were rejected by the orb. Each failure tightened the knot in Logan's chest as he watched silently.
Only when the next successful summoning occurred did the tension finally ease.
A jagged shadow took form beside a trembling girl, resolving into a horned wolf with obsidian fur.
Then another student summoned a floating mass of pale eyes and tendrils.
The names of Nightmares echoed across the hall one after another, each one carrying its own weight.
Ashfang Wolf
Gravehorn Boar
Nightclaw Panther
Silkwing Bat
Rift Stalker Hound
Bonecrest Lizard
After what felt like an eternity, it was finally Logan's turn.
"Logan Dix, please come onto the stage."