He climbed out of the ruined chamber, boots crunching over crystallized debris.Above him, the tower rose endlessly; below, darkness churned like static.
There was no map. No markers. No path forward.Only a faint pulse, like a heartbeat—echoing through the air.
Something was calling.
He followed it through a corridor of shattered glass and flickering screens. Some showed strange data:
[Error – Candidate 44: Terminated][Candidate 51: Location Unknown][Candidate 88: Active – Surveillance Compromised]
Someone else was here.
A sudden noise—crash!
He ducked into cover.A figure in a dark cloak slid down a nearby stairwell, sparks flying behind them. They moved fast, precise—grappling hook in one hand, glowing blade in the other.
Then they spoke, voice sharp:
"System thinks you're alone, huh? That's adorable."
[Unknown Candidate Detected][Warning: Unauthorized Interaction Imminent]
He stepped out slowly. "You're… not from this place either."
The stranger turned. Under the hood: short, silver hair, and sharp green eyes.
"Name's Kael. Candidate 09. Hacker class."
He blinked. "Hacker class?"
Kael grinned. "Yeah. I don't fight the system. I break it."
Kael pulled out a hexagonal tablet—it buzzed and glitched like a living organism. On it, lines of red code writhed like snakes.
"I tracked your signature. You triggered a Class-A anomaly when you touched the Beta Unit."
"…You saw that?"
"Whole sector did. You lit up the map like a bonfire in a graveyard."
Kael paused, then looked serious. "That wasn't a gift. It was a warning."
Suddenly, the walls around them shimmered.
A dozen glowing drones materialized—System Enforcers. Floating spheres with long, razor arms and scanning eyes.
[Protocol Violation Detected.][Commencing Termination.]
"Damn, we tripped the trace." Kael spun up his codeblade. "Hope you can do more than freeze time."
He activated his hacking skill—a ripple burst from his device.
[Kael used: Code Spoof – System Vision Disrupted for 5 seconds]
He froze time.
3 seconds.
He dashed behind one Enforcer, slashing its core.
2 seconds.
Another spear of ice flew, nailing the second drone to the ceiling.
1 second.
Kael was already leaping into a third, blade-first.
Time resumed.
A chain of explosions lit the hall—sparks, ice, and glitchfire.
[You defeated: System Enforcer x4][+200 EXP][Kael's System Access Level: Elevated]
When it ended, Kael gave him a slow nod. "Not bad for a test monkey."
"You're not surprised I can freeze time?"
"I saw your ID. Candidate 88. You're the favorite."
"Favorite of who?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "The one watching all of us. The one who built this prison."
"…The masked man?"
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked.
"You wanna survive this game?" he called back. "Don't play by the rules. Rewrite them."
And just like that, Kael vanished into the next floor—leaving Candidate 88 standing in silence, surrounded by broken drones and unanswered questions.