That night, Alan moved cautiously toward his door, unlocking it with his password. Before stepping out into the yard where the mysterious man stood, he summoned his Dual-Blades. He cracked the door open just enough, making sure no sound would give him away or alert anyone to follow.
The mysterious man walked slowly around Alan's house, his dual hammer swinging with each step. Alan silently approached, his blade coming to rest beside the man's neck. The stranger stiffened, a chill running down his spine.
"Drop your weapons, now!" Alan commanded, his voice cold and firm. "Or I'll cut you down."
The man dropped his hammer to the ground and placed his hands behind his head, slowly turning to face Alan.
"What are you doing here?" Alan demanded, his voice sharp. "How did you disable my safe zone?"
The old man let out a long sigh, meeting Alan's gaze with a serious expression. "I thought no one would be leaving, so I wanted to get a closer look. As for my hammer, one of its abilities is to disable anything at will, while the other allows me to assemble things together."
"Why take a closer look? Do you know this building from somewhere?" Alan asked, his suspicion growing as the man stepped into the light of the moon.
"You... You're that old geezer who took my friend Tuna into your guild," Alan said, his voice suddenly sharp with recognition.
"Yes, that's who I am. And it seems like you have a lot of questions, "the old man said with a grin. "Call me Ray—'old geezer' is kind of generic."
Alan led Ray further into the house. The old man looked around slowly, his eyes scanning every corner as if he were reliving memories long buried.
After a moment, Alan pulled out a chair and arranged the table.
"Have a seat," he said quietly.
They both sat down at Alan's table, facing each other. "You said you wanted to take a good look at this building, right?" Alan asked, his tone cautious.
"Yeah, I remembered saying that," Ray replied, leaning back. "I was just passing by when I saw it. It reminded me of my old friend Gabriel's house from Earth, 20 years ago. He passed away a long time ago."
"From Earth?" Alan thought to himself. How did he know about this house? And who's Gabriel?
"If you don't mind me asking, who's Gabriel?" Alan inquired, resting his hand on the table, his gaze fixed on Ray.
The old man sighed deeply. "Gabriel was a genius. You could say he was the god of Heaven's Arena—the best player in what's now known as the death game.
Back then, I came in 12th place, and I was so jealous of him. He was a real icon, not just because of his strength, but because of his psychopathic tendencies. People called him 'King.'
King? Alan's thoughts raced. I've heard that name before... My mum mentioned it in a conversation with her colleague... Don't tell me...
"Sorry, sir," Alan asked, his curiosity peeking despite his calm demeanor. "What's Gabriel's full name?"
The old man paused for a moment, as if the name brought back heavy memories. "Gabriel K. Smith," he replied. "It's hard to believe that guy ever had a child. If he did, I imagine the kid would end up just like him... poor boy."
That's my father's name… Alan thought, carefully keeping his expression neutral so Ray wouldn't notice.
My dad played Heaven's Arena twenty years ago?
His mind raced. Mum never talks about him… I didn't even know any of this.
Fragments of memory surfaced—the Penalty Phase, the voice he had heard in his head multiple times. Even now, he still couldn't clearly remember his father's face.
Alan glanced at the old man, who was still talking, lost in his own memories.
And I don't even know if he holds a grudge against my father… or if he might take it out on me.
His thoughts tightened.
What connection does my dad have to this game…?
And why am I at the center of it all?
"Gabriel Smith," the old man continued, "was actually a very cheerful person…"
His expression suddenly turned serious.
"But what made him terrifying… was what he became when he got angry." He slowly rolled up his sleeve and held out his arm.
Alan's eyes widened.
A long scar stretched from the man's shoulder all the way down to his middle finger.
"This," the old man said quietly," is what Gabriel did to me after a battle in Heaven's Arena."
He lowered his arm slightly, his gaze distant.
"He was a real psychopath… that's the kind of man he was."
Alan's eyes trembled as he stared at the scar. A memory surfaced—faint, but enough. He remembered similar scars on his father's body, across his hands and legs.
He fell into deep thought.
Ray suddenly stood up. "I'm heading out, kid," he said quietly. "Feels like… some memories are better left forgotten."
He walked toward the door, and Alan followed him.
"See you in the morning."
"You too, sir," Alan replied with a small smile—one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Rest well."
After Ray left, Alan shut the door immediately. He leaned back against it and slowly slid down until he was crouched on the floor.
"Whew…" he exhaled. "Good thing I didn't mention anything about my connection to him… I'd be dead meat."
After calming himself, he made his way to bed and lay down, staring up at the ceiling once again.
My dad… the god of Heaven's Arena…
His eyes narrowed slightly.
I need to know more about him.
------------------
The next morning, Alan was still fast asleep when a sharp sound broke through the quiet.
Ring. Ring.
His eyes slowly opened as a translucent screen appeared in front of him, displaying a notification.
[ 📞 Incoming Call: Tuna Lane ]
[ Answer ] [ Reject ]
"The system has this too…?" Alan muttered, sitting up lazily on his bed.
He tapped Answer—
—and was immediately met with Tuna's loud scream.
< Alan, where the hell are you? All the players are gathering at the entrance of the First Stage Gate! >
"Wait—what?" Alan's eyes snapped fully open. He quickly checked the time.
7:14 AM.
Michael had clearly said everyone must be at the gate by 8 AM.
"I'll be on my way now—thanks!" Alan replied quickly before ending the call.
Without wasting another second, he jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready.
"Don't be late," Tuna said before ending the call.
"Damn… damn! What was I even thinking?" Alan muttered, panic rising in his chest. If I don't get there before 8 a.m., I'm dead.
A clock suddenly appeared in front of him.
[ 44 minutes left ]
"Shit!" he cursed, quickly getting dressed before rushing out toward the First Stage Gate.
By the time he left his house, the timer had already dropped.
[ 28 minutes left ]
He ran without stopping.
When he finally arrived at the gate, the countdown was nearly over—
[ 9 seconds left ]
Alan bent forward, panting heavily after the long sprint. The system's timer had been against him the entire way.
He slowly raised his head and looked around.
Players were already gathered, standing in organized formations according to their respective guilds. Some, however, remained alone—solo players who chose not to align with anyone.
His eyes quickly found Tuna.
She was dressed in a flowing blue gown, almost regal in appearance, standing alongside her guild members who wore matching blue outfits combined with armor and protective gear. They weren't the only ones—other guilds were also dressed in coordinated uniforms, each group distinct from the others.
"You're just getting here, aren't you?" Tuna snapped the moment she spotted him.
"Yeah, I know I'm late. Thanks for the heads up," Alan said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "It's no big deal."
"No big deal?" Tuna snapped, irritation flashing across her face. "Nineteen players are already dead for being late."
She opened her menu, and Alan glanced at the screen.
[ 19 Players Dead for Inpunctuality ]
Thanks to her… I would've been dead if she hadn't woken me up, Alan thought.
Just then, a mechanized voice echoed across the area:
<< ALL PLAYERS SHOULD ASSEMBLE >>
<< THERE ARE FOUR STAGES ON THE FIRST FLOOR. PLAYERS MUST CLEAR THESE STAGES BEFORE FACING THE STAGE BOSS. BY THE END OF THE FOUR STAGES, EACH PLAYER IS REQUIRED TO KILL AT LEAST 15 MONSTERS >>
A screen then appeared in front of every player, displaying bold text:
<< DAILY QUEST >>
[ Obtain 20 Crystals and 4 Gemstones ]
A countdown followed immediately.
5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0…
[ Let the Battle Begin ⚔️ ]
As the massive gate in front of them slowly began to open, Alan's mind filled with calculations.
Twenty crystals and four gemstones per player… he thought. That might be manageable for guild members working together. But for solo players like me, it's dangerous.
And I'm sure the beasts inside will be far stronger than the Shadow Beast or the Emperor Fox.
The gate opened fully, and the players began to move forward in an organized flow. Alan noticed something immediately—some of them were shaking. A few had clearly relived the trauma from the earlier phases, their fear written across their faces.
Alan studied them carefully.
Then a thought formed in his mind.
"I have an idea…" he whispered to himself.
A small smile appeared on his face.
This is my ace.