Silence hung in the air as everyone stared at the open metal door leading to a narrow staircase. Above it, red letters glowed: FLOOR 1.
"Move," barked one of the armed, masked guards, breaking the tense stillness.
Hajime felt his legs tremble as he fell in line with the others. The faces around him were pale, their eyes wide with fear. He noticed Seiji walking ahead, his expression unreadable, while Jinzo scanned the room like he was looking for something—an exit, maybe. Minami and Hanako followed close behind, their steps hesitant but steady.
The climb was heavy, the sound of footsteps echoing off the cold walls. When they reached the top, the group spilled into a massive chamber. The floor was covered in glowing red grids, and the walls were black and featureless. Overhead, monitors displayed a countdown: 30:00.
"Attention," X's voice boomed from unseen speakers. "Welcome to Floor 1. Your first game is simple: Don't fall."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Before anyone could ask what that meant, the red grids beneath their feet began to shift. Entire sections of the floor vanished into dark, gaping voids.
Panic erupted. People screamed as they scrambled for stable tiles. Hajime's heart pounded as he threw himself onto a nearby square just as the one beneath him disappeared.
"Stay calm!" shouted Jinzo, his voice sharp and commanding. "Watch the tiles—they're disappearing in a pattern!"
Hajime glanced at him, then back at the floor. Jinzo was right—there was a rhythm to the disappearing tiles.
Hanako stumbled on a shifting tile, her arms flailing. Hajime instinctively reached out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her onto a safe square.
"Thanks," she gasped, her voice trembling.
"Just don't freeze up," Hajime said, his eyes darting to the timer. Twenty minutes left.
Across the room, Seiji helped a man leap to a safe tile, but others weren't so lucky. Screams echoed as people misjudged their jumps and plunged into the void.
"Over here!" Minami yelled, pointing to a series of tiles forming a diagonal path. Hajime followed her lead, jumping just as the square behind him vanished.
The minutes ticked away. The pattern of disappearing tiles sped up, forcing everyone to move faster. Hajime's muscles ached, and his breaths came in sharp gasps, but he refused to stop.
With only a minute left on the timer, Hajime landed on a stable tile near the edge of the room. The others followed—Seiji, Jinzo, Minami, Hanako—all panting but alive. Around them, only a fraction of the original group remained.
The buzzer sounded, and the monitors flickered to life. X's masked face appeared once more. "Congratulations," he said. "You've survived Floor 1. Those who failed have been eliminated."
A heavy silence filled the room. A door opened at the far end, its glowing sign reading: FLOOR 2.
Without a word, Hajime looked at the others. They exchanged grim nods and stepped through the door together. Nine more floors stood between them and survival.