Alan pulled his blade through the battle-axe wielder's heart, slicing upward and splitting his chest in two. The man's face turned pale as his body gave out. Tears slid down his cheeks as he collapsed.
BAM!
The lifeless body of the battle-axe wielder crashed heavily onto the ground. Moments later, it began to glow before bursting into shimmering particles that drifted into the sky—just like the others before him.
The Emperor Fox staggered backward, its glowing eyes flickering violently.
A deep crack spread across the exposed core in its chest. The creature let out one final distorted screech before its body shattered into fragments of fading light.
DING!
[ You are the Verdict ]
[ You have successfully defeated the Emperor Fox ]
The notification echoed in the ears of both Alan and the dagger wielder.
[ 100 EXP Equally Shared To Survivors ]
[ Leveled Up ]
[ Leveled Up ]
Alan immediately opened his profile to check the progress he had made. The battlefield had grown quiet, with only the faint warmth of the blue flames lingering in the air.
<< MENU >>
[ Player Name: Alan Smith ]
[ Age: 18 ]
[ Weapon: Dual-Blade ]
[ EXP: 80 ]
[ Rank: E ]
[ Level: 25 ]
[ LP: 100 ]
[ Mode: Amateur ]
Alan chuckled softly at how much his progress had increased. At least now he was aware of where he stood. However, something disturbed him more than anything else—his Life Points. Minutes ago, it had been at 1, yet now it had recovered.
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the dagger wielder shouted at him.
"You monster! How could you? How could you stay so calm after killing your comrade? You're a psychopath!" she concluded, her eyes fixed on Alan with burning hatred.
Alan understood her frustration. After all, it wasn't normal to kill someone and then calmly check your progress as if nothing had happened.
"If you were in a game where a monster was about to kill either you or someone else, who would you choose to survive?" he asked calmly.
His question caught her off guard.
"I… I would choose myself," she replied hesitantly.
"There you have it. If it wasn't him, it would have been me. I do feel bad for eliminating him, but that was the only way out. Besides, he was the one who killed the other lady."
She clenched her dagger tightly.
"I hate that you're right… but you're right." she said, finally calming down. "So what now?"
"Beats me," Alan replied.
He had expected at least a change in the environment—maybe a doorway opening to the next round—but nothing happened. Everything remained exactly the same.
That was when Michael pushed the button.
The ground suddenly began to freeze as ice rapidly spread across the floor, forcing Alan to step back. In moments, the entire battle arena—walls included—was covered in thick layers of ice.
"What's happening?" the lady asked, shivering from the biting cold beneath her feet.
The blue flames flickered briefly before being completely extinguished. In their place, a radiant blue light began to glow from beneath the frozen floor, shining like crystals reflecting the horizon. It was beautiful—yet clearly not meant for admiration, but for battle.
Alan's instincts immediately screamed in warning. He tightened his grip on his swords, as if he already knew what was coming next—and in truth, he did.
"This is the second round!" Alan shouted. "Stay on guard—something's coming!"
A sharp sound suddenly blared like an alarm, loud enough to echo across the walls of the battlefield.
<< PENALTY PHASE: ROUND 2 >>
<< INSTRUCTIONS >>
[ 1. The penalty consists of two rounds. ]
[ 2. All players must survive both rounds to reach the First Floor. ]
[ 3. For every beast defeated, experience points will be shared equally among the players. ]
[ 4. BETRAYAL IS ALLOWED. ]
The mechanical voice of the speaking AI echoed through Alan's ears.
By now, the ground had completely frozen over, the cold far too intense for them to stand comfortably. The lady trembled violently as the ice crept against her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her shoulders for warmth while frosty mist escaped from her lips with every breath.
"This is so cold… what are we up against? Aquarius?" she asked.
A beast emerged from a massive double door carved with ancient designs. Each of its hands held a flaming sword, and its eyes burned with a deep crimson glow. It exhaled a chilling breath before slamming one of its blades into the frozen ground, the intense heat instantly melting the ice beneath it.
Alan and the dagger wielder froze at the sight of the creature—stunned not only by its terrifying appearance but also by the blazing blades it carried.
"What… what is that thing?" she stammered, her heart pounding under the weight of the beast's intimidating presence.
"Why does it have a flaming… sword in an icy… background? Are the creators… stupid?" she muttered, struggling to finish her sentence as the biting cold made it difficult for her to speak.
Probably not, Alan replied in his mind. In fact, Micheal Lee was a genius at this point. He had designed the environment entirely against the players' favor and created a beast immune to the freezing surroundings, armed with flaming swords. The message was clear—if anyone wanted warmth, they would have to get close enough to be buried by its blade.
[ Note: Life Points have been fully restored. ]
That explains it, Alan thought. He had been wondering how his life points had suddenly increased. But would it be enough to defeat the monster standing before him? Even with his time-loop ability, he wasn't certain it could guarantee his survival.
Just staring at the terrifying creature made him want to scream. The beast looked like a towering shadow draped in animal skin. It had no face—only an empty, dark void where one should have been.
[ Shadow Beast ]
[ Level: 57 ]
[ Rank: C ]
[ Mode: Professional ]
[ Total EXP: 120 ]
The massive door slammed shut behind them, sealing the arena and leaving Alan alone with the beast. Without fully turning, he called out to the woman beside him.
"Hey, stay clo—"
His words caught in his throat as he finally looked at her.
The dagger wielder was frozen solid, her body encased in ice. She was already dead. Her head had been severed and crudely placed upside down on her neck, blood slowly dripping from her lips.
Alan's eyes widened in horror at the sight.
What…? She's dead? But how… how did—
A blade suddenly sliced toward his neck.
He barely managed to dodge it by a split second.
That was when he saw the creature responsible.
Standing a short distance away, watching him with cold intent, was another Emperor Fox.
And now the situation was even worse.
He wasn't just facing the Shadow Beast anymore.
The Emperor Fox had returned as well.
His body trembled violently as sweat covered him from head to toe, even in the freezing cold. He panted heavily, clouds of mist escaping from his mouth with every breath. His heart pounded wildly in his chest as fear gripped him.
"No… no," he muttered. "This is… too much."
His mother's words drifted into his mind like faint smoke: "Only a game creator can bend the world to their will."
At that moment, Alan finally understood. As long as Micheal remained in control, there was nothing he could do to change the fate of the game.
And now the situation was even worse.
He wasn't just facing the Shadow Beast anymore.
The beast swung its flaming blade, slicing through the icy ground as it charged toward Alan. He barely managed to raise his sword in time to block the attack. The sheer force behind the strike sent him flying across the arena, his back crashing violently against the frozen wall.
Alan's vision went dark for a moment as he collapsed onto the ground. A sickening crack followed—his right shoulder had shattered from the impact.
[ LP: 76 ]
"Ahhh!" he screamed, feeling completely helpless against the two monsters standing before him. His vision blurred as pain flooded his body.
Struggling to stay conscious through the panic, he began to crawl across the frozen floor, desperately trying to escape. But it was already too late. A flaming blade suddenly came down on his right shoulder—so fast he didn't even see it coming.
In an instant, his arm was severed.
His sword fell to the ground along with his hand, clattering against the ice. The searing flames burning through the wound sent waves of unbearable pain through his body.
Alan cried out loudly, his voice echoing across the arena as blood slowly trickled from the corner of his lips.
[ LP: 35 ]
How… how am I supposed to win this? Alan thought as fear crept through his entire body. Am I really going to die… here?
With trembling effort, he stretched his remaining left hand toward the severed arm lying across the icy floor while dragging himself away from the beasts. They didn't rush him—they took their time, as if savoring his suffering.
No… no, I can't die. Not now.
He looked up and shouted, "It doesn't have to be like this!"
His movements were slow and weak, blood dripping steadily from the stump of his severed arm. Before he could even gather another thought, a sharp blade pierced straight through his chest. The Emperor Fox's sickle tore through his body, ripping him apart like fragile cloth.
[ LP: 0 ]
Micheal Lee sat with his legs crossed, calmly enjoying the sight of Alan's suffering on the screen. His assistant, however, could barely bear to watch. The brutality of Alan's torture was far more than she could handle.
"Show me what you've got, Mr. Saint," Micheal laughed.
"Are you planning on killing him off?" his assistant asked curiously, turning her face away from the screen. "Then just kill him already. I can't bear to watch this."
Micheal laughed softly.
"Not yet," he replied." He still needs to feel… misery."