The portal spit them out into another white room, and honestly this time, Alice was getting tired of these white rooms. This one felt different though. Smaller. Like the walls were closing in or something. The light was doing this weird pulsing thing that kind of made her head hurt.
"Welcome, players, to Level 6."
There was that voice again. The system. Alice still couldn't tell if it was a computer or a person or what, but it always gave her chills.
"Congratulations on passing Level 5. As a reward for your progress, you will each receive a level increase and additional currency."
A screen popped up right in front of Alice's face before she could even react.
ALICE HAMMINGTON:
Level 3 to Level 4
Strength, speed, and sword durability increased
+100 Spades
Current Balance: 600 Spades
The second the screen vanished, Alice felt it. Like someone had just injected pure energy straight into her veins. Her whole body felt lighter, faster, stronger. She looked down at her hands and they were shaking slightly, but not from fear. From power.
"Whoa," she breathed out.
"Yo, I feel way stronger," CJ said. He was staring at his hands too, and that green aura was flickering around his fingers like little sparks of electricity. "Like way, way stronger."
Miriam had these small blue flames dancing between her fingers. She looked mesmerized. "My fire feels different. Hotter maybe? I don't know how to explain it."
David was checking his Desert Eagle, testing the weight. "This thing feels like nothing now. I bet I could run circles around those stone warriors if we fought them again."
Ace cracked his knuckles and that cocky smile spread across his face. The one Alice was starting to recognize. "Level 3. About damn time. I was getting bored being weak."
Alice saw everyone's new balances flash up:
CJ: 600 Spades
David: 500 Spades
Ace: 500 Spades
Miriam: 350 Spades
"Please note," the system continued, cutting through their excitement like a knife, "you will not return to Neutral City until after Level 6 is completed."
David's head snapped up. "Wait what? So we just gotta keep going?"
"Additionally, as you progress higher in the game, you may encounter other players. Be cautious. Not all players are allies."
That made everyone stop.
"Hold on," Alice said. "Other players? How many are out there?"
"That information is restricted."
"Of course it is," Ace muttered under his breath.
"Good luck, players. Level 6 begins now."
And just like that, the white room started dissolving. Alice felt that pulling sensation in her gut and then
They hit stone. Hard.
"Ow, shit," Alice groaned, pushing herself up. Her elbow hurt where she'd landed on it. "Can we please get one teleport that doesn't involve us eating dirt?"
"For real," David said, rubbing his shoulder. "That hurt."
Alice looked around and her heart sank a little. They were in a dungeon. An actual underground dungeon. The walls were old stone, cracked and covered in moss. It smelled damp down here, like mold and dirt. The torches on the walls were barely giving off any light. Just these weak little flames that made the shadows dance.
"This is Level 6?" Ace was looking around with his arms crossed. "Looks like somebody's basement."
"Don't," Miriam warned, gripping her spear tight. "Sahira's place looked simple too, remember?"
"Yeah but Sahira didn't even fight us for real," Ace shot back. "She just played mind games. I want something I can actually punch this time."
"Careful what you wish for," CJ said quietly.
They started walking. The dungeon wasn't complicated or anything. Just one long boring hallway leading to a big room at the end. No traps. No monsters jumping out. Just... walking.
Alice didn't like it. It felt too easy.
When they got to the chamber at the end, she understood why.
There was a guy sitting on a throne. A big one made of black stone. He was tall, probably like six and a half feet, with really pale skin and these weird silver eyes that seemed to glow in the torchlight. His armor was black too, so black it looked like it was sucking in all the light around it. He had a staff with a spade symbol on top, and it was pulsing. Like a heartbeat.
He just sat there. Staring at them. Not moving. Not saying anything.
Then his mouth curved into this smile that made Alice's skin crawl.
"So," he said. His voice was smooth. Too smooth. "You're the ones who beat Sahira."
Alice put her hand on her sword. "Yeah. And you are?"
The smile got wider but his eyes stayed cold. Dead. "I'm the 6 of Spades. No fancy name or anything. Just a number. And honestly?" He leaned back in his throne like he was bored already. "I'm pretty disappointed."
"Disappointed?" David repeated.
"Yeah. Sahira sent word that some players actually passed her little test. I was expecting something impressive, you know? But looking at you..." He waved his hand dismissively. "All I see are bugs. Weak ones. This isn't even gonna be fun."
Alice felt her jaw tighten. Who did this guy think he was?
But Ace reacted first first.
"You wanna say that again?" His voice came out low and dangerous.
The 6 of Spades tilted his head like Ace was some kind of amusing pet. "Aww, did I hurt your feelings? That's cute. You really think beating some sand worms and passing a psych eval makes you strong? Please. You're nothing. All of you. You're gonna die down here and I'm not even gonna remember your faces tomorrow."
"Shut up," Ace snapped.
"Ace wait " Miriam started.
Too late.
Ace slammed his hand down and a huge spike of stone shot up from the ground, heading straight for the 6 of Spades.
Fast. Deadly.
The 6 of Spades didn't even blink.
He lifted one finger.
The spike just.. stopped. Froze in mid-air.
Then it exploded into dust.
"Gravity," he said, like he was explaining basic math to a kindergartner. "I control it. All of it. And right now you're standing in my playground."
He closed his fist.
Suddenly Alice felt like someone dropped a car on her shoulders. The weight was insane. Her knees buckled and she went down hard, slamming into the stone floor. She tried to push herself up but couldn't. Couldn't even move.
CJ was struggling too, his aura hands flickering weakly. David dropped to one knee with a gasp. Miriam was bent over her spear, using it to keep from collapsing completely.
"Feel that?" The 6 of Spades stood up slowly, casually. "That's double gravity. And I'm being gentle."
He flicked his wrist.
The pressure doubled again.
Alice's face got smashed into the stone. She couldn't breathe. Her sword clattered away from her hand. The weight was crushing her chest, squeezing all the air out of her lungs.
Oh god she was gonna die.
"Pathetic," the 6 of Spades said. He was walking toward them now, taking his time. "This is what Sahira was worried about? This is what the Queen told me to watch out for? You can't even stand up."
Somehow Ace was still on his feet. Barely. His whole body was shaking, his legs about to give out, but he was standing.
"I said..." Ace forced the words through gritted teeth. "Shut... the hell... up!"
He slammed his hand down again, throwing up a wall of stone between them.
The 6 of Spades sighed. Like Ace was wasting his time.
He raised his hand and the wall just crumbled. Turned to dust.
"You're stubborn, I'll give you that," he said. "But stubborn and stupid look pretty similar from where I'm standing."
He pointed at Ace.
Everything changed.
The gravity around Ace multiplied and Alice saw his eyes go wide. Saw the exact moment he realized he'd made a mistake. His knees gave out and he went down face-first into the stone with this awful cracking sound.
"Ace!" Alice tried to scream but it came out as barely a whisper.
The 6 of Spades walked over to where Ace was lying. Ace was trying to breathe but couldn't. His face was pressed so hard into the ground that blood was starting to pool around his head.
"You wanted a real fight, right?" The 6 of Spades said mockingly. "Well congratulations. You got one."
He raised his hand higher.
The gravity got worse.
Ace screamed. It was the worst sound Alice had ever heard in her life. Pure agony. His body was being crushed into the floor, his bones cracking under the pressure. Blood everywhere now.
"Stop!" CJ was crying, trying to push himself up with his aura hands but he couldn't.
"Please!" Miriam's voice cracked. There were tears running down her face.
The 6 of Spades looked down at Ace with these cold, empty eyes.
Like he was stepping on an ant.
"Goodbye," he said.
He clenched his fist.
The sound would haunt Alice forever. That wet, horrible crunching sound as Ace's body just... gave up. Collapsed in on itself.
Then nothing.
Ace's eyes stared at nothing. Blood spread across the stone in a growing pool.
He was dead.
ACE - 4/5 LIVES REMAINING
Alice screamed. She didn't even know she was screaming until her throat hurt. David looked like he was going to throw up. CJ's aura hands just disappeared. Miriam's flames went out.
Then there was light.
Ace's body dissolved into these glowing particles and then he was just... there again. A few feet away. Alive.
But he wasn't okay.
He was on his hands and knees, gasping like he'd been drowning. His whole body was shaking so bad Alice could hear his teeth chattering. His eyes were huge, pupils blown wide, staring at the spot where he'd just died.
Where his blood was still on the ground.
"Ace..." Alice whispered.
He didn't answer. Just scrambled backward away from the 6 of Spades, breathing in these short panicked gasps. He looked terrified. More scared than Alice had ever seen anyone look.
The 6 of Spades actually laughed. "Oh right, you have extra lives. I forgot. Well let's see how many you're willing to waste."
He raised both hands.
The gravity in the whole room doubled again.
Alice felt her ribs compressing. She couldn't breathe at all now. Her vision was going dark and fuzzy around the edges.
This was it. They were all gonna die here.
"Alice!" CJ's voice cut through the fog. He was using everything he had left to make his aura hands form a tiny barrier above her. The pressure on her back lessened just enough for her to suck in a breath..
But CJ looked awful. His face was bright red and there was blood dripping from his nose. "Miriam! David! Do something!"
David's hand was shaking as he pulled a grenade from his pocket. He pulled the pin with his teeth and rolled it toward the 6 of Spades.
The 6 of Spades glanced at it.
Raised his hand.
The grenade floated up.
Then he crushed it. Just crumpled it up like a paper ball before it could even explode.
"Cute," he said.
Miriam managed to lift her head and blue flames burst from her hands but the second they left her fingertips the gravity pulled them straight down. They sputtered out on the ground.
"Is this really all you've got, seriously?" The 6 of Spades was actually laughing now. "This is embarrassing."
Alice's brain was working overtime. They couldn't beat him like this. The gravity was too much. They needed something different. Something he wouldn't see coming.
"CJ," she gasped. "Grab him."
"I can barely hold you up!" CJ yelled back. Sweat was pouring down his face.
"Just for one second!"
CJ looked at her like she'd lost her mind. Then he nodded. "This better work!"
He let go of the barrier above Alice and focused everything on the 6 of Spades instead. Green aura hands shot forward and grabbed him by the arms and legs.
The 6 of Spades raised an eyebrow. "Hm."
He increased the gravity around himself and CJ's aura hands started cracking. Breaking apart. But CJ held on. Blood was coming from his nose and ears now.
"Alice, now!" he screamed.
Alice forced herself up. Her legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each but she moved anyway. Grabbed her sword. Aimed her grappler hook at the ceiling right above the 6 of Spades.
The hook caught.
She pulled herself up and swung through the air.
Force equals mass times acceleration.
She came down on him from above with everything she had.
Her sword cut deep into his shoulder.
The 6 of Spades's eyes actually went wide. Like he couldn't believe it.
He stumbled backward and his control slipped.
The gravity disappeared.
Everyone gasped. David scrambled up and fired his Desert Eagle three times. The 6 of Spades tried to slow the bullets but he was hurt now. They punched through his armor.
He staggered.
Miriam's hands erupted in blue flames and she threw everything she had at him. The fireball lit up the whole chamber.
Direct hit.
The 6 of Spades screamed as the fire ate through his armor.
CJ made two giant aura hands and brought them down like hammers. The impact shook the whole room.
The 6 of Spades tried to raise his hand one more time but he was too weak. Too hurt.
Alice walked up to him. Her sword was still in her hand.
He glared up at her with blood dripping from his mouth. "Lucky... shot..."
"Maybe," Alice said. "But you're still dead."
She raised her sword.
Brought it down.
The 6 of Spades broke apart into glowing particles and faded away.
Silence.
Alice's legs gave out and she dropped to her knees. Every part of her body hurt. CJ collapsed next to her, his aura hands gone, gasping for air. David just sat down hard on the ground, still holding his gun with both hands. Miriam leaned on her spear like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
And Ace.
Ace was in the corner with his knees pulled up to his chest, staring at the bloodstain on the floor.
His blood.
Alice made herself stand up and walk over to him. She knelt down.
"Ace. You okay?"
He didn't say anything. His hands were still shaking.
"Hey," Alice said softer. "We won. It's over."
Ace finally looked at her and what she saw in his eyes made her stomach drop.
Terror. Pure terror.
"I died," he whispered. His voice cracked. "I actually died, Alice. I felt all of it. The crushing. The pain. Everything going dark. I died."
Alice put her hand on his shoulder. "But you came back. You're here."
"For now," Ace said. His voice was so quiet she almost didn't hear him. "But what if next time I don't? What if next time that's it?"
Alice wanted to tell him that wouldn't happen. That they'd all make it. But the words wouldn't come because she didn't know if they were true.
So she just stayed there next to him with her hand on his shoulder and didn't say anything.
"Congratulations, players. You have defeated the 6 of Spades. Please proceed to the system room for your rewards."
A portal opened. White light spilling out.
One by one they got up and walked toward it.
Alice looked back at Ace. He was walking slower than usual. His shoulders hunched. That cocky confidence completely gone.
This game was breaking them down piece by piece.
And Alice wasn't sure how many pieces they had left to lose.