Chapter 1: Welcome to the Abyss
The first thing Reiyan Asura noticed was the cold—a numbing, invasive chill that clawed its way into his bones. He opened his eyes to an endless white void, empty yet suffocating. There was no ground beneath him, no sky above, only an infinite nothingness that seemed to mock his existence.
He tried to move, but thick black chains bound his arms and legs, biting into his skin. Panic surged as he struggled, the chains rattling faintly but refusing to give. The harder he pulled, the more they tightened, like a predator playing with its prey.
"Where… am I?" he gasped, his voice echoing into the void.
A deep, thunderous voice answered, reverberating through the emptiness. It wasn't human; it was something colder, older, and utterly devoid of empathy.
"Welcome to the God Game."
Reiyan froze. The chains stopped rattling as his breath hitched.
"You have been chosen to participate in a contest of survival. The rules are simple: eliminate your opponents, and you will be rewarded with your greatest desire. Fail, and you will cease to exist—not just in life, but in memory."
His stomach twisted. "Eliminate? Opponents? I didn't agree to this!"
The voice ignored him. "Your protests are meaningless. You are here because you were deemed expendable. There is no escape, no mercy."
The chains around him dissolved into smoke, leaving his body cold and aching. But before he could react, the ground beneath him disappeared. He fell into the void, his scream swallowed by the endless dark.
---
Reiyan landed hard on damp soil, pain jolting through his body. The cold white void was gone, replaced by a suffocating forest. The air smelled of decay, thick and heavy, as if the place itself were rotting.
The trees towered overhead, their gnarled branches twisting into grotesque shapes that blocked out the sky. Darkness blanketed the forest, broken only by faint, unnatural glows flickering deep within the shadows.
Reiyan pushed himself up, trembling. "What the hell is this place?"
Before he could gather his thoughts, a flicker of red light appeared in front of him. Words materialized in midair, written in glowing crimson text:
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Welcome, Player.
You are one of 10,000 participants in the God Game.
Objective: Survive. Eliminate your enemies.
Failure is not permitted.
Time until the first purge: 24 hours.
---
Reiyan's breathing quickened as he stared at the words. Eliminate your enemies. Failure isn't permitted. The weight of the rules sank in like a knife twisting in his chest. He didn't even know where he was or who his enemies were.
Another message appeared:
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Player Status:
Name: Reiyan Asura
Level: 1
Skills: None
Equipment: None
---
"No skills. No equipment," Reiyan muttered bitterly. "Perfect. I'm dead already."
A sudden rustling sound broke the oppressive silence. His head snapped toward the noise, his pulse pounding.
A figure stepped out of the shadows—a girl, no older than him, with short black hair tied back and cold, calculating eyes. She carried a makeshift spear, its shaft wrapped with crude leather bindings, and her clothes were stained with mud and blood.
She stopped a few paces away, her gaze fixed on him like a predator sizing up prey. "Another rookie," she said, her tone dripping with disdain.
Reiyan raised his hands. "Wait, I'm not your enemy!"
She didn't lower her weapon. "That's what they all say. Then they stab you in the back the moment you turn around."
"I don't even have a weapon!" he protested, stepping back cautiously.
Her lips curled into a mocking smirk. "That just makes you easier to kill."
Reiyan's heart sank. He could see it in her eyes—she wasn't bluffing. She had killed before.
Before she could act, a deep, guttural growl echoed through the forest. The girl's smirk vanished, replaced by a sharp, focused glare. She turned toward the sound, gripping her spear tightly.
Two glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness. A massive wolf-like creature stepped into view, its matted black fur bristling. Its jaws dripped with thick saliva that hissed as it hit the ground, burning the soil.
The notification flashed before both of them:
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Warning: Beast Encounter Detected.
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"Shit," the girl hissed. She shifted into a low stance, her spear aimed at the creature. "Stay out of my way, rookie."
Reiyan barely heard her. His legs felt like lead, and his mind screamed at him to run, but his body wouldn't obey. The beast snarled, its eyes glowing brighter as it locked onto him.
The girl lunged first, thrusting her spear at the creature's flank. It moved faster than anything that size should have been able to, sidestepping her attack with ease. Its massive claws lashed out, catching her across the side.
She flew backward, slamming into a tree. Blood splattered the ground as she crumpled, clutching her ribs. "Damn it…"
The wolf turned back to Reiyan, baring its fangs. Its eyes were cold and calculating, as if it knew he was the weaker target.
Reiyan stumbled backward, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. He had no weapon, no plan, no chance. The beast lunged, jaws snapping.
Something inside him snapped.
Time seemed to slow as adrenaline flooded his veins. His fear burned away, replaced by raw, desperate rage. He wouldn't die here—not like this. His hand shot out, grabbing a jagged rock from the ground.
With a scream, he swung the rock as hard as he could.
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End of Chapter 1