Kael's breath steadied as he leaned against the cold stone wall of the chamber, eyes flicking over the remaining survivors. A grim reality had set in: from the original 1,000 players who had entered this twisted game, only 273 remained. The numbers were dwindling, and the stakes had never been higher.
The chamber was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that only came before a storm. A handful of players whispered among themselves, their voices barely audible. No one screamed anymore—not like in Level 1. The raw panic had faded, replaced by a quiet, suffocating fear. Survival wasn't loud. It was calculated, steady, and relentless.
The occasional clink of weapons being adjusted was the only real sound in the chamber, a reminder that they weren't just here to survive. They were preparing for war.
Kael took a slow breath and scanned the room. Some players stood frozen, their faces pale, eyes wide with shock. The weight of the moment was written all over them. Others, however, had already steeled themselves.
Across the room, the red-haired rogue, Emily, was mid-argument with a boy in white robes. Her expression was sharp, her posture tense. Even in the face of horror, frustration burned in her green eyes.
"Are you out of your damn mind?!" Emily hissed, hands on her hips as she glared at the boy beside her.
"I thought it would be helpful…" Ethan stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. His white healer robes seemed almost too clean—a stark contrast to the blood-streaked armor of the others.
"Helpful?!" Emily scoffed. "You picked the Healer class! You can't even fight! What if you get killed?!"
Ethan swallowed hard. "Yeah, but people need healing, Emily. What if you get hurt?"
Emily raked a hand through her red hair in frustration. "Just—just stay near me. If you die, I'll kill you myself," she muttered under her breath.
Kael smirked slightly. Even in the middle of a nightmare, siblings would still be siblings.
His gaze drifted toward the Warrior from earlier—a tall, broad-shouldered man who had fought fiercely in Level 1. But now, something about him seemed off. His grip on his sword was steady, but Kael noticed a subtle tremor in his fingers. Fear. He had fought well before, but whatever was coming next had shaken him.
Kael turned his attention elsewhere.
A Tamer crouched near the back of the room, his whip coiled in his grip.
Nearby, a young Mage whispered incantations under her breath, her fingers tracing invisible patterns in the air. Kael could feel the magic radiating off her like static electricity—unleashed potential, waiting for the right moment.
At the center of the chamber stood a man with hollow eyes, blood staining the sleeves of his robe. His body was slumped, gaze vacant, as if he had already given up. Kael recognized that look. He had seen it before in Level 1—right before people died.
But the moment of stillness ended.
The chamber's walls began to glow—soft blue runes flickering to life along the stone surface. The air grew heavy, thick with energy.
Then, the glow changed.
Red.
A deep, blood-red hue swallowed the room, casting long, twisted shadows against the walls. The floor trembled beneath their feet as an eerie, guttural hum filled the air.
Kael's system interface flickered.
[Level 2: Initiating…]
The message was cold. Uncaring. The system didn't care who lived or died—it was just an observer in this horror show.
Then came the groans.
At first, it was faint—like a whisper through the dark.
Then another. And another.
Until the sound became deafening.
From the void beyond the chamber's entrance, figures began to emerge.
The fallen players of Level 1 had returned.
Kael's stomach twisted. Their bodies were twisted, broken—grotesque shadows of their former selves. Rotting flesh clung to exposed bones, their once-bright uniforms reduced to tattered rags.
And worst of all…
They still remembered.
A woman gasped as a zombie in Healer robes lurched toward her. "Michael?" she whimpered, stepping back in horror.
A man's face went pale as a young girl—dressed in bloodied white robes—staggered forward. "S-Samantha…?" His voice cracked.
Then, chaos.
Some players froze, their minds unable to process the horror in front of them. Others backed away, their hands shaking.
But the Warrior—trembling hands or not—was the first to act.
"LISTEN UP!" he roared. "They're not your friends anymore! They're just monsters now! If you don't fight, you die! STAY TOGETHER!"
His voice cut through the panic like a blade.
Kael gritted his teeth. There was no time to hesitate.
Emily spun her daggers between her fingers, a wicked grin on her face. "Finally," she muttered.
Ethan, however, clutched his staff nervously. "I-I'll support from the back…"
The Warrior stepped forward, blade raised. "Form a perimeter! Ten minutes, and we're through this!"
Kael's heart pounded. He had 50 MP. Each Mana Bolt cost 5 MP. That meant he had ten shots—if he made them count.
The first zombie lunged.
Kael's hand snapped up.
BOOM!
A burst of blue light tore through the undead's skull.
[+20 XP]
Another rushed forward.
BOOM!
Another kill.
[XP: 40/100]
Kael's confidence built.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
His shots landed perfectly. Each kill brought him closer to leveling up.
Then—
[Level Up! You are now Level 2.]
+10 HP
+5 MP
+2 Free Stat Points
His mana replenished. Six more shots.
But the XP requirement had increased.
[Next Level: 200 XP]
He needed 10 more kills.
He fired again.
BOOM! (+20 XP)
BOOM! (+20 XP)
BOOM! (+20 XP)
A zombie rogue darted toward a Mage.
BOOM! (+20 XP)
Kael turned—another Healer zombie lurched toward Ethan.
BOOM! (+20 XP)
One more shot left.
A former Warrior charged—sword in hand.
Kael fired.
BOOM!
[XP: 120/200]
But then—his MP hit zero.
And three zombies were already on him.
Kael's fingers grasped something cold.
A fallen sword.
The dead Warrior's blade.
He didn't hesitate.
The first zombie lunged.
Kael swung.
SCHK!
The blade tore through its neck, sending black blood spraying.
Another charged.
Kael braced himself.
The fight had just begun.
And there were still five minutes left.