Alan slowly opened his eyes as he lay on the cracked ice where he had fallen. His vision was blurred, and the ruined arena around him looked distant and distorted. Pieces of shattered ice and steam from melted frost drifted through the air.
With great effort, he lifted his gaze toward the floating screen that had been glowing above him for some time while he was unconscious.
DING!
[ You are the Verdict ]
[ You have successfully defeated the Emperor Fox ]
[ You have successfully defeated the Shadow Beast ]
[ 100 EXP Equally Shared To Survivors ]
[ 120 EXP Equally Shared To Survivors ]
[ Leveled Up ]
[ Leveled Up ]
<< MENU >>
[ Player Name: Alan Smith ]
[ Age: 18 ]
[ Weapon: Dual-Blades ]
[ EXP: 300 ]
[ Rank: C ]
[ Level: 60 ]
[ LP: 100 ]
[ Mode: Professional ]
[ Signature Move Unlocked ]
[ New Costume Unlocked ]
Michael Lee was left speechless. For a moment, he had truly believed Alan was going to die—but somehow, Alan had rewritten his own fate.
"There was no possible way he should've won that," Michael muttered in disbelief. "Is he… the patch?"
His assistant covered her mouth in shock, her eyes still fixed on the screen.
"This is impossible," she whispered.
Alan suddenly regained full consciousness. He looked down at his right hand and legs in shock, realizing they had completely returned. His Life Points had also been fully restored.
DING!
[ Note: Life Points and Body Parts have been fully restored ]
[ Scars, however, cannot be fixed ]
Alan slowly lifted his gaze to the screen in front of him. His face was pale and emotionless, his eyes dark—so dark they reflected no light at all.
The trauma of the battle still echoed inside his mind. Every moment of the fight with the Shadow Beast replayed again and again, like a film he could not stop watching… or perhaps one he refused to forget.
His broken teeth had been restored, and the skin that had been burned and peeled away by the Shadow Beast's flaming sword had regenerated. The earlier damage to his body was gone.
However, the scars remained. The fresh marks on his hand and the long cut across his forehead from the beast's blade were still there. His left pinky finger was also missing—it had not regenerated.
Ice clung to his body as he shivered violently, the freezing cold seeping deep into his skin. His muscles felt stiff, and he could barely move from where he lay on the frozen floor.
Then the translucent screen appeared again.
DING!
[ Dual-Blade Skill: Time Loop Updated ]
[ Total Time Looped: 7 Seconds ]
[ You Are Permitted To Ascend To The Grid Arena ]
The icy arena suddenly vanished, leaving Alan suspended in a silent void for a few seconds. In the next instant, the darkness stretched into streaks of light, pulling him forward until he landed on a vast, elevator-like platform glowing in radiant blue.
He slowly lifted his head, scanning his surroundings. Speaking felt difficult, his body still recovering from the ordeal.
DING!
[ You have Arrived at the Grid Arena ]
The Grid Arena was a massive, open space that shimmered in soft blue light. It was completely empty—no walls, no decorations—just a vast expanse designed to hold the players and prepare them for ascent to the First Floor of the game.
Tuna was already standing in the Grid Arena alongside the surviving players from the Third Phase. As she looked around, memories of everyone she had betrayed to survive surfaced in her mind—especially Alan, whom she had left behind at the crossroads during the Second Phase.
Guilt struck her deeply. Her thoughts became scattered, and she could barely think clearly. Tears slipped from the corner of her right eye as she whispered softly, "I'm sorry… I did it to survive."
As she continued to stand there in silence, a loud AI voice echoed above the Grid Arena:
<< PENALTY PHASE PLAYERS MAY NOW ASCEND TO THE GRID ARENA >>
She looked around slowly. "Penalty Phase?" she whispered.
At that moment, several sliding doors opened across the Grid Arena, revealing players from the Penalty Phase as they stepped inside.
The survivors did not look victorious. Some muttered to themselves in shock, others stood silently with blank expressions, traumatized and unable to speak a single word. Their faces were pale, their movements stiff, as though something inside them had been broken.
What did they face in there? she wondered. They don't even seem like themselves…
Observing them carefully, she concluded that fear had clothed them completely.
Then, a door beside her slowly opened. She narrowed her eyes, expecting to see shock, fear, or exhaustion on the next player's face.
But to her surprise, it was Alan.
He sat calmly with his legs crossed, his blade resting across them, both hands placed loosely on his lap. His new outfit—a bright orange jacket over a plain black shirt and black trousers—was still dusted with frost from the icy arena.
His expression was emotionless, his eyes dim and lifeless as cold mist drifted from his lips with every breath.
"What a bloody experience," he said softly, his pale gaze fixed on the floor of the Grid Arena.
"Alan?" she said in shock, pushing past the other players as she hurried toward him.
Alan stepped fully away from the door entrance, rising to his feet slowly. He adjusted his blade and walked further into the Grid Arena. His eyes soon met Tuna's as she moved quickly in his direction.
"Hey," Alan greeted her casually, lifting a hand in a small wave. His expression remained completely unreadable, as though he were looking at empty space.
He showed no reaction—no anger, no resentment—despite the fact that she had betrayed him in the Second Phase.
"H-Hey," she stammered. "What happened to you? You look so different from the last time I saw you."
Alan didn't respond. He simply stared at her with an unreadable expression—one that seemed to say, you already know what to do.
Understanding the message, she sighed and looked away, avoiding his eyes. Nervously pinching her fingers together, she began, "I-I'm sorry… I never meant to push you off the cliff—"
"It's alright," Alan interrupted calmly as he walked past her without stopping. "I've done far worse things than you ever did."
All the surviving players remained in the Grid Arena for several minutes. Some tried to lift their spirits, while others engaged in quiet conversations. For the first time since the Death Game began, a sense of calm filled the space, and warm exchanges could be heard among the players.
Tuna stood beside Alan, studying his cold, emotionless expression, trying to understand what had changed about him and where he had been before. Just as she was about to speak, a loud voice suddenly echoed through the arena, its tone vibrating against the walls.
The sound made Alan's body tense instantly, as though he had sensed imminent danger.
It was Michael Lee's voice.
<< WELCOME ONCE AGAIN, SURVIVING PLAYERS FROM THE PHASES. I AM HERE TO CONGRATULATE THOSE WHO HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR. THIS MEANS YOU ARE NOW QUALIFIED FOR ASCENSION TO THE FIRST FLOOR >>
Alan's grip tightened around his sword, his expression remaining completely blank—no anger, no fear, no visible emotion. Tuna glanced at his hand, beginning to understand what he might have endured. This was what remained of Alan now. Somewhere along the way, he had lost the ability to express his emotions on his face.
<< I WOULD LIKE TO LIFT A BURDEN FROM YOUR HANDS. OPEN YOUR MENU AND YOU WILL SEE A BUTTON LABELED "DISPATCH." IT WILL TEMPORARILY RELEASE YOUR WEAPON. YOU WILL ASCEND TO THE FIRST FLOOR IN FIVE MINUTES. >>
Alan immediately opened his menu and selected the "Dispatch" option, releasing his blade from his hands.
Michael continued:
<< WHILE WE WAIT FOR ASCENSION, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY IMPRESSMENT WITH WHAT I HAVE OBSERVED FROM THE FIRST THROUGH THE THIRD PHASES, INCLUDING THE PENALTY PHASE. SOME PLAYERS HAVE SHOWN NATURAL TALENT IN TECHNIQUE AND PRECISION MOVEMENT. OTHERS HAVE DEMONSTRATED EXCEPTIONAL STRENGTH. A FEW HAVE PROVEN TO BE GENIUSES, USING ANALYTICAL SKILLS TO MANEUVER AND SECURE VICTORY. OUT OF OVER ONE MILLION PLAYERS, APPROXIMATELY SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND REMAIN. >>
"Seven hundred thousand?" someone muttered in disbelief. "Give me a break."
<< NOW, LET US RETURN TO THE STRUCTURE OF THE FLOORS AND THEIR STAGES. THE GAME CONSISTS OF FLOORS ONE THROUGH ONE HUNDRED, AND EACH FLOOR CONTAINS FOUR STAGES. PLAYERS MUST COMPLETE ALL FOUR STAGES TO REACH THE MAIN GATE—THE BOSS GATE. THERE IS ALSO A GUILD REGISTRATION SYSTEM. >>
<< SOME OF YOU MAY CREATE OR JOIN A GUILD. DOING SO WILL REDUCE THE WORKLOAD I AM ABOUT TO INTRODUCE: THE DAILY QUEST. >>
"Daily quest…" Alan whispered. "He said it's a quest… so it must reset once a day." His expression remained calm, though his thoughts were sharp. It might be difficult.
<< THE DAILY QUEST CAN BE EASILY COMPLETED AS A GUILD. PLAYERS CAN WORK TOGETHER TO COMPLETE EACH OTHER'S DAILY TASKS AS A TEAM. >>
<< NOTE THAT EACH BLADE YOU WIELD CONTAINS A UNIQUE SKILL AND COMBO SYSTEM. SEE YOU ALL ON THE FIRST FLOOR. ENJOY THE GAME. >>
"Enjoy the game? Is that all you have to say?" someone shouted angrily, eyes blazing with fury as they slammed their hand against the wall. Murmurs spread throughout the Grid Arena, growing louder as frustration filled the space.
After five minutes, a door slowly opened ahead of them. A brilliant light poured out, spreading across the entire arena and washing everything in brightness.
DING!
An alert appeared on every surviving player's screen:
[ Step out and Ascend to the First Floor ]
One by one, they began walking toward the doorway, forming a long line.
Tuna hesitated. She wasn't ready to face whatever awaited on the other side. But at that moment, Alan gently took her hand and guided her forward.
"Let's keep going," he said, his expression still unreadable—his smile calm, yet strangely out of place.
"I know… but I'm scared," she admitted at last, revealing the vulnerability she had always tried to hide.
"Don't worry. We'll see this through. That's a promise," Alan replied, continuing to lead her ahead.
As she looked at his hand holding hers, she noticed the scar across it. Remembering that they had previously exchanged profiles, she quickly opened his stats to check.
The moment she saw them, her eyes widened in disbelief. Her mouth remained slightly open.
When did he…?
Rank C?
His stats were far higher than hers.