It had been a week since it all happened.
Since Micha's scream was silenced.
Since Michael's heart froze over.
He'd stopped asking why they were trapped here.
Now he only wondered why he survived…
…and why the system chose him.
Michael sat alone on a grassy hill just outside the outer wall of Ashgate Town, the starting hub near Core Tower. The sun hung low in the game's artificial sky, washing the town in a warm gold. Down below, a group of players stood in a loose circle, voices low but urgent.
"So this is the plan. We go tonight," one of them said, gripping a rusty glaive.
Michael watched quietly. Each player had formed a guild, a party, a clique. But he hadn't. He didn't even try.
With a halfhearted motion, he pulled up his main menu — a holographic blue ring rotating in the air in front of him. His inventory flickered open. From the list, he tapped on a simple item.
[Bread Spawned]
A stale loaf blinked into existence in his hand. He took a bite.
It tasted like sawdust.
As he chewed, his eyes drifted.
Micha's laugh.
His smile.
The way he always got lost in menus.
Tears welled without warning.
They fell quietly down his cheeks.
"Hey… are you okay?"
Michael jerked slightly, caught off guard. He looked up.
A girl stood over him. She looked about his age. Blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, tan skin, and the bluest eyes Michael had ever seen in this world, she was also a pulse caster.
"I'm fine," he muttered, brushing his cheek.
"You sure?" she asked gently. "You've got tears coming down your face."
He stayed silent, the wind picking up between them.
"Sorry," she said, backing off a step. "Didn't mean to intrude. I'm Asura."
A pause.
"Michael."
"I've seen you sitting up here a lot," she said, glancing at the hilltop. "Watching us plan to take on the first floor. You know… you could come down and join. We need all the help we can get. We're going after it tonight."
"No." His voice was cold, final. "I'm solo."
Asura blinked. "Seriously? That's not smart. You know what happens to solo players, right? There are rogue groups—murder squads. They hunt solo players for fun."
She crossed her arms, then added:
"One of the worst is called the Reaper Squad."
Michael's eyes widened.
He stood up slowly, clenched fists shaking.
"What did you say?"
"The Reaper Squad?" she repeated. "They're sick bastards. Masks, black armor. They take pleasure in—"
Michael's face darkened. His vision tunneled.
Micha's final moment.
Jumping in front of him.
The sword piercing through.
"Are you okay?" Asura asked, stepping forward.
Michael didn't answer.
The wind blew harder now.
Michael didn't answer. His eyes stayed locked on the horizon, but his knuckles had gone white. The name Reaper Squad echoed in his mind like a war drum.
"Are you okay?" Asura asked again, softer now.
Michael's jaw twitched, his voice low and dangerous.
"Nothing. Just got a shit ton of business with them."
He stood up fully now, eyes fixed on Asura.
"You know anything? Where they might be hiding?"
Asura narrowed her eyes. "Why the hell would I tell you that? So you can go charge in and get yourself killed?"
Michael took a step closer, his expression blank but his voice sharp.
"Just tell me."
Asura folded her arms and stood her ground. "Hell no."
A silence dropped between them.
The tension thickened.
Michael's fists clenched at his sides, and for a second Asura thought he might snap — but instead, he exhaled hard and turned away, face grim.
"Figures."
Asura studied his face carefully.
"What did they do to you?"
Michael stayed quiet for a long moment. The wind rustled the grass around them.
"…Rather not say."
"I could help you—"
"I'm good." He cut her off, flat and cold.
Asura's face twisted in frustration.
"Alright, suicidal maniac." She turned sharply, walking back toward the group near town. "Have fun dying alone."
Michael didn't stop her. He just watched her go.
Then he smiled.
It wasn't warm.
It wasn't sane.
"Good," he muttered. "The less in my way… the more I get to show them."
A low chuckle escaped him — something darker than before. It echoed into the empty night.
The stars blinked above as darkness fell over the land. The once-bustling town dimmed behind him, torches flickering in the distance.
Out here, Michael stood alone — silhouetted against the towering mass of obsidian stone and crimson ley-runes. Core Tower. Floor One.
Black energy flickered around his boots as he floated gently down from the sky, his Nullmage pulse magic fading into quiet embers.
Behind him, ghostly feathers shimmered and vanished — traces of the forbidden Phoenix Feather spell, still glowing faintly at his back.
I can use everything now… Sword, Pulse, Null, Mage. All of it…
Why?
Why me?
He didn't care anymore.
Answers wouldn't bring Micha back.
Power will.
Michael looked up at the tower as it loomed over him like a god's tomb.
A jagged rune split open across its face as he approached, reading:
[WARNING: Core Challenge – No Party Detected. Difficulty Scaling: Solo – Lethal Tier]
"Hmm…" he muttered, a crooked grin forming. "Looks way bigger up close."
He stepped forward.
"Let's see what I can really do."
And the doors to the Core Tower groaned open in the dark, inviting the Ghost to step inside.
As Michael stepped into the yawning dark of the Core Tower, the entrance sealed behind him with a deep, echoing slam. The light from the outside world vanished — replaced by a flickering red glow from the runes embedded in the walls.
[You have entered the First Core]
[Party: Solo] — Adjusting challenge to Lethal Tier]
[Nullmage Signature Detected: Protocol ZERO – Access Override Confirmed]
Initializing Adaptive Sequence…
The hallway ahead twisted unnaturally, and black mist began crawling along the edges.
The walls shifted. The floor pulsed with heartbeat-like rhythm.
"It's reacting to me… like it knows me."
The air felt thick with memory. With regret.
Michael's reflection appeared faintly along the smooth obsidian walls — but in some, he saw Micha instead.
Standing.
Bleeding.
Smiling.
And then—falling.
Michael gritted his teeth.
"This place is feeding off my pain."
A voice echoed through the air — not mechanical, but almost human, like an echo of a dream.
"To pass, Player… you must bleed. You must remember. You must not look away."
Michael stood at the base of the Core Tower, his glaive slung on his back, the faint glow of forbidden code dancing across his eyes.
"Three layers. Goblins. Skeletons. Boss. Shouldn't be too hard."
He cracked his neck and stepped forward.
The doors groaned open.
[Core Floor 1: Challenge Initiated – Solo Mode: High Threat Scaling Active]
Layer 1 – Goblin Nest
Dim torchlight lit the rocky corridor.
Dozens of snarling goblins rushed from the dark — bone daggers, chipped axes, screeching cries echoing off the stone walls.
Michael didn't flinch.
He extended one hand, Nullmage glyphs forming in the air.
"Null Pulse: Zone Collapse."
A wave of black energy exploded from his feet, turning the first row of goblins to ash.
He moved like water — switching styles mid-fight:
• Swordsman Mode: His glaive spun wide arcs, slicing through five at once.
• Combat Mode: Elbowed one in the throat, shattered another's skull with a knee.
• Pulse Caster: Finger guns fired clean, red shots — instant headshots.
Blood sprayed. Limbs flew.
He didn't stop moving.
"Too easy."
Within minutes, the corridor was silent. Goblin bodies disintegrated into pixels.
He walked over them like dust.
Layer 2 – Crypt Chamber
Stone shifted underfoot as Michael entered a vast, broken crypt.
This time, skeletons rose from the ground, mixed with goblin. Some held old shields. Others had corrupted spells embedded in their bones.
"More toys."
Michael raised a hand — Phoenix Feathers ignited around him, giving him glowing wings of spectral flame.
He charged in.
• Nullmage Chains locked a group in place.
• He warped across the arena in Pulse-Dash Blinks, cutting through undead like a shadow.
• Glaive Spin Slash shattered skeletons into dust with perfect aim.
• He summoned a pulse turret mid-air and let it rain down plasma shots.
"I can do everything…" he whispered.
He was smiling now — but it wasn't joy. It was control.
"This system. It doesn't just boost me. It is me."
Layer 3 – Goblin Warlord's Den
The final gate opened with a ground-shaking rumble.
A massive armored goblin stomped forward — nearly 12 feet tall, wielding a black iron club that glowed with cursed energy. Bone armor, glowing eyes. Behind it, three elite guards.
[Boss Identified: Urg'Noth the Bonecrusher – Elite Goblin Warlord]
[Warning: Solo Entry Detected – Boss Buffs Enhanced]
Michael just rolled his shoulder.
"Good."
The boss roared and charged — but Michael vanished in a blink of Nullmage static, reappearing above its head.
"Override Slash."
His Nullfang turned into a lance of dark matter — and he dropped from the sky like a bullet, crashing into the warlord's skull with a shockwave that cracked the floor.
The elite guards leapt — but Michael activated Pulse Time, slowing everything.
Slice. Headshot. Crush.
Three dead in a second.
The Warlord stumbled, tried to roar.
Michael extended his hand again.
"Phoenix Rupture."
A colossal firebird spiraled from his body, made of red and gold code. It slammed into the boss, burning it from the inside out as it screamed in glitching agony.
Silence.
Ash.
[Core Floor One – Cleared]
[Core Shard Obtained – Tower Map Unlocked]
The flames from the Phoenix Rupture faded, leaving only glowing ash and a crater where the Goblin Warlord's body had been.
Michael exhaled through his nose, standing tall in the smoking ruin of the third chamber.
Then — a faint ding echoed in his ears.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE – FLOOR CLEARED]
Congratulations, Solo Player: Michael (Unregistered Origin)
[Core Tower: Floor One – COMPLETE]
— Enemies Defeated: 76
— Boss Killed: Urg'Noth the Bonecrusher
— Completion Time: 11 minutes, 34 seconds
— Solo Multiplier Bonus: +250% EXP
[REWARDS]
• 12,000 EXP
• 3,500 Gold
• ★ Goblin Slayer Title (Hidden: Not visible to other players)
• ★ Epic Item: [Glaive of Bonefire] – A hybrid glaive infused with fire and necrotic damage.
• ★ Forbidden Core Fragment (??? – Bound to Origin Protocol)
[Map Access Granted: Floor 2 Unlocked]
[Coordinates: Reaper Squad Hideout – Weak Signal Detected] (Trackable? Y/N)
*[Would you like to remain anonymous for this clear?]
➤ Yes ✅
➤ No
Michael smirked, reading the last line.
"Obviously."
He pressed Yes — and the system shimmered his name out of any visible rankings.
No one would know who did it.
But everyone would know someone did.
He turned toward the exit, his new glaive glowing faintly on his back, and walked into the darkness.