An arrow sliced through the air, smacking into the stone wall in the alley. Metal shards scattered everywhere, but the arrows didn't stop—they kept raining down, each one aimed with deadly accuracy.
Alex moved fast, diving and rolling on the ground, just barely dodging the attacks. His whole body was sore, bruises covering him, sweat pouring down his face. Adrenaline pumped hard, but even with his speed, the exhaustion was written all over him. His breaths came out ragged, his chest rising and falling like he was running out of steam.
"These traps... it's like they know exactly where I'm gonna be," he muttered to himself.
The ground was rough, full of holes, and the crumbling walls around him didn't offer much protection. Each step felt like he was walking deeper into danger. His right knee throbbed—a reminder from a fall earlier—but he couldn't let that slow him down.
"No time to stop. If I stop, it's over," he told himself, determined.
He jumped forward, dodging another volley of arrows, and quickly sidestepped one aimed at his head. Leaning against the wall for a second, his body burned from the effort, but he couldn't stay still. He had to keep going.
"Where's the exit?" he muttered, scanning the alley.
Finally, he spotted a narrow gap at the end. He glanced back, seeing the arrows still chasing him. He took off, sprinting toward the opening, hoping the traps wouldn't follow him through.
But as soon as he crossed the threshold, everything shifted.
The arrows stopped. The walls around him started to disappear, melting away like an illusion. The alley vanished, replaced by a bizarre landscape of lights and symbols floating in the air.
"What the hell…?" Alex whispered, completely thrown off.
A robotic voice echoed from all directions: "You have completed the first trial of part one of the test. The second trial will begin now."
Alex felt a wave of frustration. He hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath. "That was just round one?" he thought. "What's next?"
It wasn't just about speed and strength anymore. Something about this whole setup felt off, like they were testing more than just his physical abilities. He had a feeling this was going to get a lot more complicated.
As the last bits of the alley faded away, Alex felt like he was falling into nothing. No sound, no gravity, just a weird emptiness that messed with his senses. And then, out of nowhere, the world around him shifted again, dropping him into a bustling, modern city. Cynaris.
"What the…?" Alex stood there, stunned, as the noise and smell of the city hit him all at once—fresh air, coffee, food.
It was Cynaris, a city he knew all too well from his past. The skyscrapers, the streets, the shops... it was all familiar. But something felt off. Too clean, too perfect.
"This can't be real. I was just in a test... so is this part of it?" Alex thought, his steps slow, unsure.
The ground felt real under his feet, but everything else felt wrong. The people—walking around, laughing, shopping—they didn't even notice him. It was like he was invisible, a ghost in a place that didn't quite belong to him anymore.
"Is this some kind of mind game? They're testing if I can tell what's real and what's not... but where's the danger?"
As he wandered through the streets, trying to make sense of it all, something caught his attention. A bright sign flickered at the end of the road, with the number "77" glowing over a cyber café. It seemed out of place.
Alex stared at it, feeling a weird chill. "77? I've never seen this café before. This isn't right."
He looked through the window. People were inside, glued to their screens. The light from the monitors washed over their faces, but something felt wrong. They moved sluggishly, like they weren't fully alive. The whole scene was off.
"Is this part of the test? Is this place important?" Alex wondered, his guard up.
Just then, he felt a bump against his leg. A little boy had run into him, dropping his ice cream. For a second, the ground beneath Alex felt strange, like it wasn't solid anymore.
The boy started crying, loud enough to turn heads. Alex felt the stares of everyone around him, like they were judging his every move.
"Sorry, kid, I wasn't paying attention," Alex said, trying to calm him down. "I'll get you another one. Please don't cry."
But the kid's wailing didn't stop, and the people's eyes stayed on Alex, making him feel like he was being watched. This didn't feel like a simple accident—it felt like part of the test. They were seeing how he'd react.
"Is this all part of the game?" Alex thought, feeling the pressure rise.
Each step he took now felt like he was being watched from every angle. The city around him seemed fake, like a virtual reality trying too hard to seem real. And Alex couldn't shake the feeling that every little detail, from the crying kid to the number "77," was part of something bigger, something he hadn't figured out yet.
As they neared the cart, Alex noticed the boy gradually calming down, as if the ice cream he had been smiling at brought him some peace. But just then, as if something hidden had been watching from the shadows, the boy suddenly sprinted toward a narrow alley across the street. There was no clear reason for this sudden behavior; the kid just bolted, like something echoing from the alley had called him to run.
Alex (clearly astonished): "What? Wait!"
He hesitated for a moment, feeling a mix of worry and curiosity. He could chase after the boy, but his instincts screamed at him to stay put. The kid's swift movement made him feel like this was anything but normal. The alley the child ran toward was dark and narrow, cloaked in mystery, as if there was something only the boy could see. The sounds inside were muffled, and the shadows seemed to move unnaturally, heightening Alex's sense that something sinister was behind this.
Alex (to himself, wondering): "Do I go after him? Or is this just some damn trap?"
He paused a moment longer, the various smells of the alley swirling around him—the stench of garbage mixed with the artificial fragrances from nearby cafés. Should he follow the boy or continue exploring the city? Everything screamed that this was a trap he shouldn't fall into.
Now, let me ask you, dear reader: what would you do in his place? Would you chase after that suspicious little brat to give him a stupid piece of ice cream?! Or would you be smart and keep moving, knowing this whole place is a FREAKIN' SIMULATION?!
Well, frankly, it doesn't matter what you'd do because, eventually…
As he stood there, hesitating, a new sound shattered the peaceful atmosphere. A blaring emergency alarm echoed across the city, filling the air with its deafening, panic-inducing tone. A robotic voice came through the loudspeakers, emotionless and cold:
Robot Voice: "Attention! A wave of dungeon monsters is approaching the city. Please take shelter in the nearest safe location. Repeat: wave of dungeon monsters approaching, please take shelter in the nearest safe location."
In an instant, the city changed. The casual hum of the streets turned into chaos. People who had been calmly shopping just moments ago exploded into motion. Screams filled the air, and panic spread like wildfire.
Parents grabbed their kids, pedestrians ran wildly, trying to find shelter. Alex looked around, his heart racing. Watching the crowd, the same thought echoed in his head: "Is this part of the test?"
Alex (to himself, anxious): "Dungeon monsters? Is this all still the test?"
As he observed people fleeing in every direction, he decided to follow the crowd towards a nearby shelter. The shelters were opening their doors, quickly filling up as alarms continued to wail. Alex knew his actions were probably being evaluated, and he scanned the scene carefully. "Maybe this is the second trial... testing how I handle chaos," he thought.
He ran with the crowd, absorbing every detail: people falling, some helping others up, children crying, and the sheer intensity of the noise. Despite the turmoil, Alex remained calm. He knew staying level-headed was the only way to survive this test, no matter how chaotic it got.
Alex (internally calm): "I need to stay cool... can't act recklessly. This has to be part of the challenge."
Approaching the shelter, its metal doors opened automatically, letting people in. But Alex felt something strange. The city itself seemed to be shifting, as if this chaos wasn't just a test, but something deeper—something he didn't yet understand.
At the entrance, he was stopped by a guard, a tall man with a strict face, dressed in military gear, his eyes filled with seriousness.
Guard (in an official tone, firmly): "Show your ID. All identities must be verified before entry."
For a second, Alex felt like time froze. He stood there, confused. An ID? He didn't have one here. In his mind, this virtual reality was far removed from the mundane details like documents. His heart started pounding as he frantically searched for a way out.
"An ID? How the hell am I supposed to have that here?" Alex thought, his fists clenching.His brain raced: Was this some kind of test for adaptability? Or was it another hurdle in this messed-up simulation?
Instinctively, he reached into his pocket, only to feel something solid.It surprised him—he wasn't expecting anything to be there.He pulled it out, and what he saw completely threw him off: an ID card. He stared at it for a second, reading his name: "Alex Müller". But he wasn't just some random student. The details were shocking: "Dungeon Monster Hunter, Level Three"?!
His eyebrows shot up. He wasn't even close to being a Level Three Hunter in real life. "What the hell?" His thoughts spun. "Is this all part of the test?"
He tried to make sense of it: "This must be linked to the virtual world. Maybe it's part of the scenario." Despite the confusion, Alex forced himself to stay calm and play along.
He handed the card to the guard, his face neutral but his mind racing.The guard examined the card closely, his expression unreadable at first, then a slight smile tugged at his lips.
"Level Three, huh?" the guard said, his tone casual but with a hint of respect. "Well, you won't need to hide. We could use someone with your skills on the guard team. Things are about to get real messy."
The shock hit Alex like a ton of bricks.
He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't a real Hunter. But there was no time to argue. He needed to figure this out. Fast.
"But... I'm just a student at Hunter University. There's gotta be some mistake," he tried to explain, his voice uncertain, hoping the guard would let it slide.
But the guard didn't even flinch. His eyes hardened, and his tone left no room for debate:"The system doesn't make mistakes. If the card says you're Level Three, then you're qualified. We need every Hunter we can get."
There was no way out. Despite the storm in his mind, Alex had to adapt. No point in fighting it now. He had to roll with it and see where this led.
"Maybe this is all part of the test... no turning back now," he thought, trying to calm himself.
The guard led Alex to a small group of Hunters, all geared up and ready. A large map of the city hung on the wall, surrounded by security teams.The team leader, serious and composed, barked orders, outlining how they'd split up to defend the city.
"Reports say a wave of monsters is coming from the north," the leader said. "We need to secure the main entrances and guide survivors to safety. We don't know how bad it'll be, but we need to be ready for anything."
Each word added more pressure. This wasn't just a game anymore. The fear and tension were real."Can I handle this?" Alex wondered, but there was no time for doubt.
The leader pointed at Alex, giving him his assignment: "Müller, take the southern entrance. Don't let anything through."
Alex felt the weight of responsibility hit him hard. No room for mistakes. He nodded, trying to appear confident, though inside, his heart was racing. He had no choice but to go along with whatever twisted test this was.
"If this is a test, I'm gonna pass it… one way or another."