The last match ended in defeat.
Leon Cross didn't rage. He didn't punch his desk or scream at the screen. He just sat there — slouched in his worn-out gaming chair, eyes locked on the flickering red "Defeat" banner like it was mocking him.
His fingers twitched on the keyboard, muscle memory trying to replay the final fight. It wouldn't change the outcome.
It never did.
He leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
This was it.
The last ranked game before his sponsors pulled out. His final stream with more bots than real viewers. No rematch. No second wind. Just silence.
No one watching.
No one waiting.
He was twenty-one. Used to think that was still young. Now it just felt late. Too late to fix anything. Too late to go back to school. Too late to be great again.
There was a time when he'd been something. A rising name in the gaming world.
ShadowPulse, they called him.
The kid with cracked reflexes. A natural. The type who didn't miss shots. Who *knew* where enemies were before they showed up on screen.
He'd solo squads, land viral clips, and trash talk like a pro.
He had sponsors, fans, collabs, a Discord server with ten thousand members.
Then he burned out. Stopped winning. Slipped in the rankings.
Everyone left. Quietly.
Now he lived in a shoebox apartment that smelled like sweat, instant noodles, and hopelessness.
His fridge barely worked.
His bank account screamed.
His computer was a Frankenstein of secondhand parts taped together with leftover ambition.
Outside, the city buzzed in the distant night — the hum of transformers, a few honking vehicles, sirens far off.
The city never fully slept, but inside Leon's room, everything felt dead.
He rubbed his face and looked around.
Posters of games that didn't matter anymore. Empty bottles. Bills shoved under the monitor.
No plan.
No future.
He whispered to no one, "Maybe it's time."
Time to sell the rig.
Time to find a boring job.
Time to stop pretending this was going anywhere.
And then—
everything blinked.
A literal flicker — like reality skipped a frame.
The lights dimmed.
The monitor glitched.
His mouse shut off. His phone screen died mid-scroll. His fan stopped spinning. Even the LED strip along the desk fizzled out like a candle in a storm.
Only one light stayed on — the ceiling bulb. That old, stubborn, analog bulb.
Leon stood up slowly.
"This… isn't a power cut."
His fridge was still buzzing faintly, but everything digital — everything smart — was dead.
He reached for his phone. Nothing. Total black.
Then it started.
The air above his desk shimmered.
Like a heatwave. A ripple. It twisted, warped, and opened like a digital wound.
A floating rectangle appeared — transparent at first, then glitching into focus like a hologram struggling to render.
Leon backed up.
The screen stabilized, and a message appeared:
[SYSTEM ERROR: WORLD FAILURE]
[REALITY DISQUALIFIED]
[ALL SENTIENT PARTICIPANTS: PLEASE MAKE A SELECTION]
Then came the options.
[OPTION 1:]
REBIRTH PROGRAM – PLEDGE FOR POWER
Relinquish your status as a Civilian. Accept your Role and be reborn with potential.
[OPTION 2:]
MANDATORY SAFETY LABOR – 40 YEARS
Reject Pledge. Serve as a Stabilizer. Contribute to Infrastructure for World Restoration.
---
Below the text, a timer appeared.
[59… 58… 57…]
Leon stared.
His breath caught.
Was this a prank? A virus? An ad? Some kind of weird immersive scam?
He rushed to the window and flung the curtain aside.
His eyes went wide.
Across the city, floating screens hovered above rooftops, in apartment windows, over buses and roads.
Everyone had one.
Some people were screaming in panic.
Some were frozen.
Some already disappearing in flashes of white light.
Whatever this was… it wasn't just him.
The world had changed.
And it wanted a choice.
He turned back to his screen.
[REBIRTH PROGRAM – PLEDGE FOR POWER]
A second chance?
His mind raced.
He remembered losing his rank.
The DMs drying up.
The silence on his stream.
Watching the chat go still.
He had nothing now. No college degree. No job. No real friends. No money. No purpose.
What was he even holding onto?
The timer ticked.
[34… 33… 32…]
No hesitation.
Leon raised his hand and touched the screen.
[PLEDGE FOR POWER]
It pulsed white.
His body locked up. His vision exploded
into static.
And then—
He was falling.
Not fast. Not slow. Just falling through empty space with no air, no ground, and no sound.
His body floated like it didn't weigh anything. Up and down didn't exist anymore.
Around him, glowing shards floated in the air. Some showed strange images: a city on fire, a giant tree made of metal, a cartoon version of Earth.
They looked like broken glass hanging in the sky. Unreal. Impossible.
Then, suddenly, the falling stopped.
His feet touched ground — hard, cold ground.
Leon staggered forward and caught himself on shaky legs.
He looked around.
He was standing on a black stone platform floating in mid-air. Glowing purple cracks ran through it like veins. The surface gave off a soft pulse, like a slow heartbeat.
All around him was empty space. Below him were more floating platforms, big and small, spinning gently in a dark, endless void.
A glowing message appeared in the air in front of him, not on a screen but written into reality:
[WELCOME TO SHATTERREALM]
[Tutorial Zone]
[Difficulty: NIGHTMARE]
Leon blinked. He read it again.
Then again.
"…Nightmare?"
He felt his stomach drop.
"This is a tutorial, and it's already on nightmare? What kind of messed up game is this?"
He wasn't ready. No health bar. No gear. No sword. Not even shoes. Just a hoodie, torn sweatpants, and bare feet.
His mouth felt dry. His heart beat faster.
He wanted to go back, but there was no way out. No logout button. No escape key.
Before he could think more, another message appeared.
[FIRST QUEST: SURVIVE]
[Timer: 02:00]
[Objective: Do not die before time runs out]
The timer started right away.
[2:59… 2:58…]
Leon stood still, trying not to panic.
No weapons. No clues. Just survive? That was it?
Then he heard something.
It started low. A scraping noise — like metal claws dragging across stone. Then a wet hiss, like something breathing through broken lungs.
Leon turned slowly toward the sound.
Something was crawling out of a crack in the edge of the platform.
The stone broke open as it emerged. Pieces crumbled and dropped into the void below.
The creature pulled itself out of the crack, segment by segment. It was long, like a centipede, but way bigger — at least the size of a car. Its body was covered in black armor plates with glowing red veins. Sharp fins stuck out from its sides and clicked together like scissors.
It didn't have normal eyes.
Instead, it had dozens of weird, glowing orbs scattered across its head. But they didn't focus. They blinked in random directions. Some didn't blink at all. Some moved in opposite ways.
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"It's blind," he whispered.
That explained why it didn't charge at him right away. It wasn't watching him. It was *listening*.
The creature opened its mouth. Sharp mandibles clicked, and green liquid dripped onto the stone. It hit the ground with a hiss and started to smoke.
[SPLICED ABOMINATION: RAZORBAT CENTIPEDE]
[Status: Hungry]
Leon froze.
He didn't breathe. He didn't move.
The centipede twitched, turning toward the center of the platform. It hadn't seen him yet. But it was listening.
Then the wind shifted. Leon's hoodie flapped. The sound was small — but the monster twitched hard in his direction.
He backed up slowly.
One foot hit a loose rock.
The pebble rolled and tapped the stone.
The creature's body tensed. Then it charged.
Leon dove to the side, heart pounding. The centipede slammed into the ground he'd just been on.
CRACK.
The platform split from the impact. The crack spread out like lightning. One of the edges bent downward slightly.
Leon scrambled to his feet, shoulder burning.
He looked down. Blood was dripping from his upper arm. One of the fins had nicked him during the dive.
It didn't look deep.
But then the pain changed. A slow, spreading burn crawled through his shoulder and chest.
His skin started to tingle. His breath hitched.
He was poisoned.
"Perfect," Leon muttered.
The timer ticked:
[1:21… 1:20…]
The monster hissed again and turned its head side to side, searching for the next sound.
Leon stayed low. He breathed through his nose, slowly, trying not to make a noise.
Then his eyes shifted to the crack in the platform.
The stone near the edge was loose. Shaky. If something heavy hit it again…
He got an idea.
He crawled toward a broken slab — a big piece of stone near the edge. He pressed his hand against it. It wobbled under pressure.
Still loose.
Leon picked up a fist-sized rock nearby. His fingers trembled, but he focused.
He tossed the rock across the platform — to the far side.
CLACK.
The sound echoed.
The centipede snapped toward it immediately and lunged in that direction, body slicing across the floor.
Leon ran to the weak edge. He waved his arms.
"HEY! OVER HERE!"
The monster turned again, confused by the sudden new noise.
Leon backed up, baiting it.
The creature charged straight at him, full speed.
At the last moment, Leon dove away.
The centipede slammed into the cracked section of the platform—
CRACK-CRUNCH!
The stone gave out.
The entire corner broke off, crumbling beneath the monster's weight.
The centipede's front half slipped. Its legs clawed at the air, but it was too late.
The whole beast tumbled off the edge, screeching as it fell into the black void below.
Gone.
Leon collapsed onto the ground, chest heaving. His arm felt like fire. His skin was damp. His breath came fast and ragged.
The timer ticked down:
[0:03… 0:02… 0:01…]
Then—
[Quest: Survive before times runs out successful]
[Rewards Acquired: ]
> Venomcore
> Fractured Hide