The first thing Raine felt was the pressure. Heavy, like the air had teeth. His body ached. His mouth tasted like blood and metal. He sat up slowly, breath shallow, eyes squinting into the strange blue light that wrapped the world in a dull haze.
He wasn't alone.
The room was massive. A round hall that stretched so far up it disappeared into shadow. At the center stood a stone block, ancient and cracked, covered in carvings. The kind of thing that looked like it should be in a museum or a warning.
Other people were here. Dozens of them. Most were young—teenagers, maybe early twenties. Scared, confused, whispering like they were afraid the room might hear them.
Raine ignored them. He pushed to his feet. Gravity felt thicker than normal, like the world was daring him to collapse. He didn't.
He walked toward the stone block. Words were carved deep across its surface:
FLOOR 0 — TUTORIAL
Objective: Survive for 1 hour.
Reward: Awakening
He stared for a few seconds, then glanced at the black double doors at the far edge of the hall. Solid. Unmoving. Beyond them, a darkness thick like oil.
The crowd behind him buzzed with noise:
"What is this?"
"Some VR thing?"
"I was just walking home, man."
"Did they say an hour? Like real time?"
Raine rolled his wrist on instinct. A shimmer of dark text blinked into view on his palm:
Name: Raine [Sealed]
Rank: I ( ●●○ )
Strength: 17
Mana: 100 [Sealed Mana Heart]
Intelligence: 14
Defense: 16
Agility: 15
The numbers meant nothing yet. But the word "sealed" glared at him.
He blinked. Two dots. Everyone else seemed to have one.
"Wait... is that... two dots?"
"No way, dude. So it's like, stronger or whatever. Everyone else got that dot one thing."
"Only the dots and name show... we can't see anything else. But that mark's clear. He's not normal."
"That means his base stats must be high. Look at the way he moves. Built like a damn weapon."
"You don't get a face like that without putting someone down."
"That tattoo pattern. That's Blood Reign. The old gang. The one that burned half of Sector East."
Raine exhaled slowly.
He flexed his fingers. No fireball. No spark. No magic. But something stirred under the skin. A warmth. The mana was real. Even sealed, it moved. Like a sleeping beast waiting to wake.
He sighed. Of course it wouldn't be easy.
Nearby, some lanky kid bragged about stats. Raine walked over.
"Hey. You know what the Mana Heart thing is?"
The kid looked up. Saw Raine's face. Froze.
"S-sorry," the kid stammered. "Didn't mean anything. I-I don't know, man!" He backed away like Raine was holding a knife.
Others nearby glanced at him. Whispered.
"That's him."
"No way."
"Old school gangs. Eastside."
"Red Eyes Raine."
He heard every word. Didn't care. He'd carried worse reputations before.
Then, from the edge of the crowd, someone called out: "Still ugly as hell."
Raine smiled. Turned.
"No way," he breathed.
Daren. Older. Taller. Same wild grin.
They moved at the same time. Two fists. Two blocks. A twist. A stumble.
Then laughter. Loud. Real. The kind that hit the ribs and stayed there.
Daren clutched his chest. "Still got those weak punches."
"Still got that big mouth."
They bumped fists. A moment of silence passed.
Then Daren shouted across the room: "Blood Reign Forever!"
Raine groaned. "You still remember that stupid name?"
"Hell yeah I do! We were kings back then."
"We were idiots."
Daren laughed. "Same thing."
In the background, a few people stared. Whispered again.
"That confirms it. Blood Reign boys. You don't mess with them."
From a shadowed pillar, Skye watched everything. Arms folded. Eyes sharp. Dangerous, she thought. The kind that laughs while bleeding.
From another corner, Wren observed in silence. He noticed the bulges under their shirts. Guns. Not illusions. Gangsters, he thought. Armed even here. That's a problem.
Back by the doors, Raine leaned close.
"Think it opens when the time starts?"
"Or when it decides we're ready," Daren said.
Raine cracked his neck. "Been ready."
Then the world shifted.
A pull. A twist. Like gravity had changed direction.
Raine landed hard. Dirt. Leaves. Trees.
He was alone. The Tower had split them.
All around him: forest. Deep green. Too quiet.
Something moved in the brush.
Raine spun. Dropped into a stance. Hands up. Eyes sharp.
It stepped out. Crawled, really. Long limbs. Wrong joints. Bone and muscle moving like it had never been human. A stretched mouth. No eyes.
It hissed.
Raine didn't wait.
He ran forward.
The creature swung. He ducked. Countered.
His fist slammed into its gut. It shrieked.
He kicked its leg. Hard.
Again. Again.
It grabbed at him—missed. He shoved an elbow into its side. It crumpled. Twitched.
He didn't stop.
Another kick. Another. His boot pounded its chest. Once. Twice. He roared and kept hitting.
It screamed.
He grabbed its neck and slammed it into a tree.
Breathing hard now. Chest rising and falling.
The creature slumped. Dead.
A glow pulsed in his palm.
COINS: 0 → +2
He grinned. Laughed. It was real. All of it.
His hand went to the small of his back. Fingers brushed cold steel. His gun. Still there.
Not magic. Not a dream.
Just him. Muscle, instinct, and steel.
He stood in that quiet forest, blood still warm, heart still racing.
"Alright, Tower," he muttered. "Let's see how deep you go."
Then he moved forward.
Toward whatever waited next.