As the man walked toward the city center, the streets became more crowded. People moved in a constant rush, their voices mixing into a dull hum. Some chatted in groups, others hurried past him, focused on their destinations. The sun was out, warming the sidewalks, but Lex barely noticed. His mind was elsewhere.
"Hey, isn't that him? Lex?" A voice cut through the noise. Lex didn't bother looking up.
A group of young men approached, one of them, tall and broad-shouldered, had a smug grin plastered on his face. He leaned toward the others, nodding in Lex's direction. "Yeah, it's him. The infamous Lex, the pissy monkey"
"What a joke," another chimed in, a shorter guy with a mean smirk. "He looks even more pathetic today."
Lex kept his eyes forward. He had long forgotten how or why he got this strange surname, perhaps during his years of college? He couldn't really remember but couldn't care less either. It won't matter anyway.
Instead, he was more focused on what was coming. He had lived this scene countless times.
"Hey, Lex!" The tall guy's voice dripped with mockery. "Why don't you go home and cry to your mommy? Oh wait... you can't. She's dead, right? Not too long ago, wasn't it?"
Lex paused for a moment, the words echoing in his head. The laughter, the taunts—it had lost its sting long ago. His mother had died months before because he couldn't afford the surgery to save her. And they say that money can't buy happiness? Well, the lack of it can certainly make one despair.
The Lex in his first life was furious, fought, and got pretty hurt, but he was also satisfied since he had half-won. But this fight also killed him. Because of this fight, his wounds prevented him from surviving the first encounter with the game.
However, now? He did not care. They say time heals all wounds, and that is true. He was so close with his mother before, but now, she was only a distant memory. He could barely remember her face.
The group exploded into laughter, "That's messed up, dude," the shortest one said, punching the tall guy playfully on the shoulder, though his grin showed he didn't really care.
"Let's see if he begs," another said, pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a crumpled bill and tossed it onto the ground in front of Lex. "C'mon, Lex, take it. You need it, don't you?"
The others followed suit, dropping a few coins and crumpled bills at his feet. They stood back, arms crossed, watching him like he was some animal in a cage.
Lex didn't react at first. He glanced down at the scattered money, not out of shame or anger, but calculation. He'd come here at this exact moment for this reason. He knew they'd be here, knew they'd mock him, and knew they'd throw money just to feel powerful.
Without a word, Lex bent down and picked up the bills and coins. His pride had eroded over lifetimes of humiliation, repeated over and over again. He no longer cared. The loop had drained him of that.
The guys stood there, momentarily dumbfounded. They were expecting a reaction—anger, shame, anything. But Lex just calmly pocketed the money and straightened up, his expression blank. They laughed again, but it felt half-hearted this time.
"Uh...See? Told you he's pathetic," one muttered as they walked away, losing interest.
Lex didn't even watch them leave. He turned in the direction of the nearest restaurant and made his way there. The coins jingled in his pocket, their weight barely registering as he pushed through the door of a dingy little diner on the corner.
Inside, the smell of grease and stale coffee hung in the air. Lex slid into a booth and flagged down a waitress, ordering as much food as the money could cover. He didn't care what it was—he just needed to eat. To fill the gnawing emptiness in his stomach before the Game started.
The food arrived, and he ate in silence, methodically. Bite after bite, swallowing without tasting, chewing without thought. He didn't care about the stares of the people around him or the whisper of the waitress as she judged his appetite.
He'd done this so many times he'd lost count. He knew exactly how much money he needed, what time he needed to be here, and where to go next. Everything was planned. Every loop was the same.
As Lex shoveled the last bites of food into his mouth, he glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. "Two minutes and thirty-three seconds late," he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I should hurry."
With quick, practiced movements, he left a notes and few coins on the table—enough to cover the meal—and slid out of the booth. His body moved automatically, like a machine set to a strict schedule. He had been through this day too many times to mess it up now.
Stepping back out onto the sunlit street, he squinted against the harsh glare. He barely registered the warmth of the sun on his skin, his thoughts already on his next task. Without missing a beat, he cut through the crowd, moving calmly toward the nearest clothing store.
The door chimed as he entered, the cool blast of air conditioning hitting him like a wave. The store was nearly empty, with a few customers browsing lazily. Lex didn't waste time. He moved directly to the back, where the more expensive and higher quality clothing was displayed. His fingers skimmed over the fabric until he found what he was looking for, a comfortable and durable outfit.
In the dressing room, he slipped off his worn-out clothes and pulled on the new ones. The fabric was smooth and tailored perfectly to his frame, fitting him like a second skin. He glanced at himself in the mirror, adjusting the collar and smoothing down the lapels. For a moment, he almost looked like someone who had their life together—someone important.
But it was all just a mask.
He straightened his clothes and left the dressing room, heading directly for the door. As his hand touched the handle, the cashier, a young woman with wide, startled eyes, rushed over.
"Excuse me, sir," she called, her voice unsure but insistent. "You forgot to pay—"
Her sentence was cut short by the sudden change in the air. As if on cue, the sky began to darken, thick clouds rolling in from the horizon, swallowing the sun whole. The sky transformed into a brooding, ominous twilight.
A sense of unease spread through the crowd outside. People stopped in their tracks, looking up at the sky, murmuring nervously to each other.
"What the hell?" someone whispered, pointing upward.
Lex stood at the door, unfazed, his hand still on the handle. He didn't need to turn around to know the cashier was frozen, staring at the sky like everyone else. The dark clouds swirled, casting long shadows over the city, and the wind picked up, sharp and cold.
Using the fact that the cashier was stunned by the strange weather, he pushed the door open and stepped outside without paying, leaving the astonished cashier behind.
The sky had turned a murky gray. Without wasting even a single second, he headed toward the nearest convenience store.
The streets were filled with people, their faces anxious and confused as they looked at the sky. The sky was dark and ominous, the clouds swirling and churning like a giant vortex. The wind was picking up, whipping the trees and buildings into a frenzy.
As he turned a corner, a loud crash shattered the air. Lex's eyes were drawn to the scene. A car crumpled against a lamppost, steam billowing from its engine. The street was a mess of broken glass, twisted metal, and panicked voices.
He stopped, his gaze fixed on the wreck. A crowd had gathered, their faces marked by shock. Some people were trying to help the injured, who were trapped and bleeding, their cries weak and desperate.
Lex stood still, his hands in his pockets, watching. He could have gone over and used his abilities to stop the accident before it happened. It would have been easy. But he didn't move.
...Instead, a cold, almost entertained smile spread across his face as he looked at the scene.
He still had some trouble admitting this, but... He was enjoying the view. The suffering of others. The screams and cries of those who were dying.
He wanted to deny it but couldn't. He knew it was twisted, but somehow, he felt it was justice—justice for all the times he had saved them, justice for all the times they had forgotten him.
He watched emergency responders arrive, rushing to help the injured. Lex observed them with a detached interest, his smile never fading. The struggle to save lives seemed pointless to him now.
Finally, he turned away and walked toward the supermarket, the distant cries fading behind him. For the first time, his desires outweighed the needs of others. As he moved on, a cruel smile remained on his lips.
"Justice always feels good."
As he approached the convenience store, the wind picked up, tugging at his clothes. He could hear the faint rumble of thunder in the distance, but Lex paid no mind.
The automatic doors slid open, and he stepped inside. The air smelled of processed food and harsh cleaning chemicals, and the flickering fluorescent lights cast a dull glow over the aisles.
People hurried about, their faces tight with worry. Lex ignored them and moved with precision, grabbing the supplies he needed without sparing the shelves a glance. In exactly three minutes, his bag was full of everything he would need.
Just as he was about to leave, the world was plunged into darkness. All lights suddenly snapped off, leaving the store in an eerie silence before panic set in.
"What the hell is going on?!" someone yelled, their voice slicing through the tense air.
"Is it a power outage?" a woman whimpered.
"I don't like this... We should get out of here," someone else muttered, their voice shaking.
The store buzzed with fear, people's voices rising as they fumbled in the dark, but Lex remained calm, slipping through the crowd with surgical precision. He was almost at the door when the ground trembled beneath his feet.
No, It wasn't just the store—the world itself seemed to shudder.
And then it happened.
A sleek red digital interface appeared in front of every person. Lex did not even glanced at the screen to know what it said.
[WELCOME TO THE GAME]
The cold, robotic message flashed in front of everyone.
[Earth has been successfully assimilated. From this moment on, your world is now Floor 0.]
A chill spread through the room as a diagram appeared—a tower with floors numbered from zero and descending endlessly into the abyss below. The diagram zoomed out, revealing countless floors below Floor 0, each more ominous than the last.
[The Game is simple: Collect coins. Purchase anything. Power, Eternal life, even happiness. Everything has a price.]
[You are free to ascend or descend floors, but the path below remains sealed until the Tutorial is completed.]
A pause. The room was dead silent now. We could almost taste the fear in the air.
[The Tutorial begins now.]
[Once again. Welcome to the Game, Players. Good luck.]