The login screen blinked.
A small flicker - almost like the game itself had glitched for a second. Just for a heartbeat, the edges of the screen shimmered, and the system's hum deepened into a growl before returning to normal.
| [ASCENDANT: The Infinite Loop] - Press your palm to begin.
Benjamin looked at the glowing blue symbol floating in the centre of the Full Dive capsule. His body was suspended in a gel-lined pod, muscles relaxed, breathing slow and steady. But in his mind? His thoughts raced. His heartbeat quickened.
He had played plenty of Full Dive games before. Sword fights, space exploration, spell-slinging fantasy worlds - he'd seen it all. But this one?
This one felt alive.
The whispers on the underground forums were different this time. People claimed this wasn't just another high-end simulation with flashy spells and fancy particle effects. No, this one reset itself. People said if you died, the game didn't restart your character - it restarted you. Like a loop. Only you remembered what came before, and the world itself... changed.
Some said it was a bug. Others believed it was an experimental feature. A few whispered that the game wasn't controlled by the developers anymore.
He swallowed, heart skipping a beat.
Was it true? Was it dangerous?
He had to know.
With a shaky breath, he pressed his palm against the glowing glyph. It pulsed with light - once, twice - then broke apart into glowing mist. At that moment, a jolt of raw sensation surged through his nervous system. Cold lighting rushed across every nerve. His mind blurred, as if ripped from his body.
Then- Darkness...
…
| LOADING ASCENDANT SYSTEM...
| ...
| WELCOME, USER: [Ghost.Scribe]
| World Seed: [ERROR: Unstable Entropic Anchor Found]
| Neural Sync Level: [94.1%]
| System Link: [Stable]
| Ascension Path: [UNKNOWN]
| Would you like to begin?
"...Yeah," he whispered, "Let's go."
...
The world didn't load like other games. No welcome screen, no calming voiceover, no prompt to customise your character, no tutorial.
Just cold, raw immersion.
Benjamin opened his eyes to a void of silence. There were no crowds. No beginner's village. Not even background music.
He was alone.
He lay naked on a circular marble platform carved with strange constellations. The surface below was glowing faintly, a dull pulse of blue light like veins carrying magic through the stone. The air was cold and dry. Above him, the sky was pitch-black and heavy, dotted with stars that barely moved.
| Level: [1]
| Class: [Not Chosen]
| Skill: [None Known]
| Title: [None Assigned]
| Loop Counter: [0]
That last line made his stomach tighten.
'Loop Counter? What kind of game tracked that from the beginning?'
Before he could explore further, a figure emerged from the mist that had begun to creep in from the edges of the platform.
Tall. Faceless. Cloaked in robes of black mist, floating just above the floor.
It didn't speak - not in the way normal NPCs did. No voice passed its lips. Instead, its words pressed directly into Benjamin's mind like cold fingers.
| "You again..."
His body stiffened. "What do you mean 'again'? This is my first login."
| "You never listen. You always die here."
| "This time... try harder."
Before Benjamin could question it, the figure faded away, dissolving into the mist like smoke.
A new system message appeared before his eyes:
| [System Notice] - Trial of Flame Begins
| Objective: [Survive]
| Warning: Death resets progress. Memories are carried over.
| Estimated Time Until Death: [4 minutes, 13 seconds]
"...Wait, what?!"
The world didn't wait for him.
He heard a low growl.
Two shapes emerged from the darkness. Wolves - except their bodies were made of fire and cinders. Their paws scorched the ground. Their eyes were pits of burning coal. As they stepped into the light of the platform, the air shimmered with heat.
Benjamin scrambled backwards. He looked around frantically, found a broken piece of a marble pillar, and grabbed it like a club.
The wolves attacked.
One lunged at him. He swung the pillar - too late... The creature crashed into him. The weight of its flaming body sent him flying. He hit the ground, hard.
The second wolf came in low. Its claws tore through his thigh, hot pain surging up through his leg.
He screamed.
The marble glowed red with his blood. His vision flickered, and the edges began to pixelate, breaking into static.
| HP: [0/100]
| YOU HAVE DIED.
| ...
| SYSTEM REWIND ACTIVATED
| Loop Count Increased: [1]
| Memory Fragment: [RETAINED]
| Pain Calibration: [SUCCESSFUL]
| …
| RESETTING WORLD SEED...
- Loop One -
He gasped as the world rebuilt itself around him.
Same floor. Same sky.
Only now... there was a dark red stain on the marble.
His blood. Already there.
The faceless figure reappeared. It floated in the same spot. Said the same thing.
| "This time... try harder."
And this time, Benjamin listened.
He didn't waste time staring. He didn't hesitate. He sprinted to the statue fragment he had seen moments before and found a larger, sharper piece of stone. Then he baited the wolves, luring them near the broken structure.
One wolf leapt.
He ducked. Kicked out its leg, rolled, then shoved the statue fragment over with everything he had.
*CRUNCH*
One wolf, crushed beneath the weight of a thousand pounds of stone.
The other growled, watching him cautiously now.
Benjamin didn't let it decide what to do next. He hurled his stone weapon with all his strength and ran.
| Partial Victory Achieved...
| Skill Gained: [Improvised Weapon Mastery I]
| Memory Fragment: [RETAINED]
Later that night, Benjamin lay under the twisting roots of a glowing tree. Its soft light comforted him, and for a moment, he let his heart slow. Let his body relax.
But then- Another message.
| "Ghost.Scribe. You shouldn't be here yet."
| "Your death has been scheduled."
| Next Loop in: [7 minutes, 39 seconds]
Benjamin stared at the glowing text.
He exhaled, cracked his knuckles, and smiled.
"Bring it on."