[TIME UNTIL FLOOR 1 OPENS: 00:00:10]
[TIME UNTIL FLOOR 1 OPENS: 00:00:05]
Across the world, every who participated froze.
[TIME UNTIL FLOOR 1 OPENS: 00:00:00]
The air twisted.
People vanished from streets, homes, hospitals—pulled sideways into reality.
A stone corridor stretched ahead of them, dim and silent.
And for the first time, the Tower truly opened.
Cold stone under their feet.
A straight corridor.
No monsters.
No sound.
Players hesitated.
Above it all, a calm blue window hovered:
[QUEST: SURVIVE THE SILENT HALL]
[WARNING: THERE ARE TRAPS]
[REWARD : 100 XP ,10 Player Points]
A new line appeared beneath the rewards.
[LEVEL UP]
[CURRENT LEVEL: 2]
[ATTRIBUTE POINTS AVAILABLE: 2]
Arjun blinked once.
"…Already?"
Those who watched the floor, counted clicks, followed patterns—moved forward.
And somewhere in the dark, Arthur watched.
Silent.
Measuring.
"This," he murmured,
"is where players are born."
Arjun stood at the entrance of the corridor.
He didn't rush.
No monsters. No noise.
That itself was the threat.
[WARNING: THERE ARE TRAPS]
Arjun adjusted his glasses and stepped back instead of forward.
"Empty path," he said quietly
Arjun lowered his gaze to the stone beneath his feet.
No cracks. No markings.
Too perfect.
He crouched slowly and ran his fingers along the floor.
Smooth—but not worn.
"This corridor hasn't been walked," he murmured.
Arjun's fingers paused mid-stroke.
Stone this smooth meant intention.
He rose slowly, eyes tracking the walls instead of the floor.
Arrow slits—almost invisible.
He stepped forward once.
Nothing happened.
He waited.
Counted his breath.
Arjun shifted his weight, then stepped again—lighter.
Click.
The sound came from the wall.
He dropped flat instantly.
Arrows screamed overhead.
Arjun stayed down, heart steady.
"So it triggers on pressure," he whispered.
Arjun swallowed and stepped forward again.
Click.
he tries to dodge but he was unable to dodge
Pain exploded across his shoulder.
He cried out as an arrow tore through flesh, spinning him sideways.
Arjun hit the ground hard, breath knocked from his lungs.
Blood soaked into the stone beneath him.
He didn't scream .
He forced himself to breathe.
"Not instant," he gasped.
He pushed himself up, favoring the injured arm.
Another step.
Another step.
Another step.
Another step.
Another step.
Another step.
He did not trigger any traps at least for now
Then—
Click.
Arjun reacted late.
He twisted hard to the side.
The arrow only grazed him.
Arjun froze mid-breath.
His eyes dropped to the floor.
One tile—just one—was different.
Not cracked.
Not raised.
Darker.
Barely.
Like stone that had been touched too often.
He stepped back carefully.
The arrow slot stayed silent.
Arjun leaned closer, squinting through pain.
The dark tiles weren't random.
They appeared every few steps.
He tested it—
stepped beside the darker stone.
Nothing triggered.
Arjun tore his gaze away from the floor and looked at his shoulder.
Blood was still flowing.
Slow—but steady.
"That'll kill me before the traps do," he muttered.
He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and ripped it with his teeth
Fabric tore with a dull sound.
He wrapped it tight around his shoulder, pulling until it tightens.
The bleeding slowed.
Not stopped.
"Enough," he said.
Arjun returned his focus to the tiles.
Dark stone—warning.
Light stone—safe.
He moved sideways instead of forward.
One careful step at a time.
Avoid.
Pause.
Avoid.
Pause.
The corridor stopped feeling endless.
It became readable.
Pain followed him.
But death stayed behind.
The stone corridor ended
A blue gate shimmered ahead.
Arjun stepped through—and collapsed.
Light swallowed him.
The pain vanished.
His shoulder burned once, sharply—
then went numb.
Blood dried.
Skin knitted.
Arjun gasped and sat up.
No wound.
No scar.
Only torn cloth remained.
A window opened above him.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[FLOOR 1 CLEARED]
[SURVIVAL CONFIRMED]
[REWARDS GRANTED:]
[+100 XP]
[+10 PLAYER POINTS]
Arjun closed his eyes.
And smiled—just a little.
Arjun didn't spend the points immediately.
Power taken in haste made sloppy decisions.
He sat down in the white space, back straight, eyes closed.
Replayed the corridor. Every step. Every mistake.
"Information first," he said.
Arjun opened the status window again.
"Can attribute points be assigned later?" he asked calmly.
[SYSTEM RESPONSE: YES — UNUSED POINTS WILL BE STORED]
He nodded once.
"Then I'll decide on Floor 2."
Arjun stood alone in the white space beyond the gate.
His breath slowed.
The corridor was gone.
The pain was gone.
Only memory remained.
He flexed his fingers.
They were steady.
"This wasn't luck," he said quietly.
A new window hovered into view.
[PREPARE FOR NEXT FLOOR]
A timer began to count down.
[TIME UNTIL FLOOR 2 OPENS: 24:00:00]
[TIME UNTIL FLOOR 2 OPENS: 23:59:59]
Arjun looked at it once—
then away.
People would panic.
He would not.
He adjusted his glasses again.
"Next time," he murmured,
"I won't pay in blood."
Somewhere far above the corridor, beyond floors and systems—
A star flickered.
A presence turned its gaze downward.
[CONSTELLATION NOTICE]
[A higher entity has taken interest in Participant: ARJUN PRAJAPATI]
Meera Sharma stood near the exit gate, fists clenched.
"You've lost your mind," her mother cried. "That thing is death."
"I already cleared Floor 1," Meera said, voice steady.
Her brother laughed nervously. "You got lucky."
Meera looked back at the glowing Tower window.
"Luck doesn't clear traps."
Meera turned away from them.
"I bled in there," she said. "I learned."
Her father's voice cracked. "And next time?"
She met his eyes. "Next time, I survive again."
The system window pulsed softly beside her.
[FLOOR 2 OPENS IN: 23:12:41]
Meera tightened her grip.
"I'm not stepping back now."
Her mother reached for her arm. Meera didn't pull away—but she didn't sit either.
"I already cleared Floor 1," she said, calm. "That means the Tower wants me."
Her brother laughed, nervous. "Or it almost killed you."
Meera glanced at the faint scar on her palm, then at the window only she could see.
"Almost," she replied. "Isn't good enough anymore, for me."
Meera's voice softened, but it didn't shake.
"All my life I did what was needed," she said. "For family. For safety."
She looked up, eyes steady.
"This is the first thing that's mine."
"I won't let this chance go."
Meera clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them.
"I don't want to just survive," she said. "I want to build something that's mine."
Her family fell silent.
"I've already cleared Floor 1," Meera added quietly. "I'm not turning back now."
Meera lifted her chin, eyes steady.
"For once," she said, voice firm, "I'm choosing myself."
The blue window flickered beside her.
[PREPARE FOR NEXT FLOOR]
And despite the fear in the room, Meera stepped forward anyway.