Echoes at the End of Time
GZZZTTT!
In the next instant—accompanied by a sensation I couldn't even describe—I found myself inside a cave, lying flat on a huge slab of rock.
Drip.
Drop.
Drip.
Drop.
The eerie soundscape around me confirmed one thing: the game had officially begun.
"Sighs," I muttered, painfully pushing myself upright.
Crap.
It felt like my entire body had been bludgeoned with a sledgehammer. My joints screamed in agony.
"Haaah... haaah..." I panted, my hand reaching instinctively for the grimy wall beside me.
"Fucking hell... how the hell am I supposed to move like this?" I gritted my teeth.
What in the absolute fuck happened?
Just moments ago, I was fine. Now I could barely move.
[Dear User]
An interface appeared before me, and my brows furrowed. Shit's about to hit the fan.
[Welcome to the first phase of the trial.]
"Phase?" I muttered. That had a weird ring to it.
Wasn't this supposed to be the original trials? Or were these... pre-trials?
But that bastard only mentioned "trials."
[The first three stages of the trials are initiation stages. It's at this point that the worthless among you are cast out of the Game. Most gods only sponsor players after this first phase, as sponsoring before or during it is deemed a waste of resources. The first trial of the initiation stage is a free-for-all in the Realm of Chaos—Haznabaal.]
Grrrr!
I looked up.
Something felt like it was crawling on my scalp.
Just the cave ceiling above.
Still, I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't afford to dismiss every hint. This could be something I didn't want to face.
I turned away from where I thought the sound had come from and began tracing the wall, carefully planting each footstep.
The interface followed my movement as I limped forward.
[In this world, you will be given a status screen that displays only your Light and your current Section's population. By "Section," we refer to the group you've been assigned. The total number of players in the Game is a billion—an illogical number—split into multiple groups and zones. You are in Group 8, among others who, like you, have a sponsor. Each group holds one million players. The first trials will end when only 500,000 remain in your group.]
"A billion?" I frowned.
A billion souls? And yet barely anyone makes it to the seventh trial?
Fuck.
The Game's as rigged as the life I lived through the devices of fate.
Maybe the reward is something so unbelievable that it drives people to keep pushing forward. But from the beginning, they were all nothing more than entertainment for the gods. They laugh, they bet, they don't care who survives. Even they know the Game is rigged.
You can't win.
Because just like that bastard, this is their world. With a flick of a finger, they can stack the odds.
So it's never been a game.
It's a slaughterhouse.
You either die trying... or try dying.
If that makes any sense.
Sighs.
[First Trial: The Wails of the Woeful]
Objective: Survive until the population count drops to half.
Note: Everything in this world has a Light count. Light keeps the Woeful at bay. Once your Light reaches 0—or goes negative—the Woeful will drag your soul to the Realm of the Damned: the Nether Realm.
Wow. A direct ticket to hell. They might as well have just murdered me from the start.
[Everything within this realm possesses Light—and everything seeks to obtain more.]
Interesting. That emphasis on everything.
That means not only players—
But animals? Plants? Objects?
With that thought, I glanced at the wall I'd been using to support myself. Looked normal enough.
[You can kill players to obtain their Light. Their souls will then be damned. You may also take Light from creatures in this realm. The Light they carry depends on their tier. Higher-tier creatures possess higher Light, but even a mid-tier one might prove deadly for most players. There will be a day-night cycle. By all means, avoid the rays of the Illuminum—they condemn all, even the Woeful.]
I looked up.
Still a cave.
Seems like I got lucky spawning inside it. If the sun kills everything, then respawning under its light would've been a death sentence.
No… I doubt the system is that careless. Every player probably started in a shaded or protected zone.
Then that only means—
GZZZZZZ!
Damn it.
That sound again.
I looked behind.
Pitch black. The tunnel curved deeper into the darkness.
Front and back—useless. I couldn't see a damn thing.
I was trapped.
Still, I trudged forward.
I had to reach safer ground. Only then could I sit down and think clearly about what to do next.
For now, I was just meat waiting to be carved.
[Say 'Status' to view current stats.]
But I kept silent. The interface faded like the others.
"Ugh," I groaned.
Still walking.
GZZZZZZ!
Up ahead now.
I stopped.
Frowned.
Looked around.
Glowing stones.
I hadn't noticed them before.
Scattered at random across the walls—blue, faintly glowing.
I looked at one within reach. Close enough.
So, I reached for it.
"ARGH!"
The moment I touched it, a bolt of energy surged through my arms. I nearly collapsed, but clenched my jaw and held on with both hands, pulling like my life depended on it.
Because it did.
The pain didn't stop. No, it only grew.
Worse.
My hands went numb. It was like being electrocuted. My mind dulled.
But I kept pulling.
I should've stopped.
I didn't.
Because I felt it—
It was coming loose.
"COME ON, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
I gathered every ounce of strength I had, yanking with all my might until it felt like my soul itself was being tugged out.
Was I dying?
Fuck.
"ARGHHHHHHHHH!"
With a thunderous roar—stupid as it was—I ripped the damn thing out and collapsed to the ground.
"Haah… haahh… haaah…"
Panting. Flat on the ground. My hand clutched my chest, trying to steady my breath.
I raised the glowing stone to my eyes.
But then—
[WARNING! WARNING!! WARNING!!!]
Critical Light Consumption!
Light: 400 / 1000
OH FUCK!