Millions of people were suddenly summoned into an empty, rectangle-shaped white room. There was nothing inside except for white walls and the people within them, the air feeling still and unnaturally silent.
Each rectangular prism held people from Earth.
Inside were 100 people with panicked looks, all suddenly transported into this room without warning. Everyone had different expressions and shocked faces—some wide-eyed and frozen, others trembling, some already shouting in confusion as their voices echoed faintly against the smooth white walls.
A black cat with horns suddenly emerged from the space within all the white rooms. Where it came from was unknown, as it simply appeared out of nowhere, its small dark figure standing out sharply against the endless white.
"CONGRATULATIONS, PLAYERS! YOU ARE CHOSEN TO BE THE SAVIORS OF YOUR WORLD!!!"
It spoke. Its voice was that of a transcendent being, vast and ancient, yet strangely enough, everyone could understand it clearly as if it were whispering directly into their minds.
"I AM THE LAST OF THE ANCIENT GODS THAT HAVE BEEN PROTECTING THE EARTH AGAINST INVASION FROM OTHER REALMS. BUT MY TIME IS NOW LIMITED AFTER I SUFFERED AN INCURABLE WOUND AND CAN NO LONGER HELP YOU, MY CREATIONS. SO I DESIGNED THIS ROOM TO HELP YOU, MY CREATIONS, FIGHT FOR YOUR WORLD. THIS ROOM IS DESIGNED FROM MY REMAINING POWER, AND THE PEOPLE CHOSEN HERE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO SURPASS EVEN ME, YOUR CREATOR."
It spoke with a gentle tone instead of an oppressive one, its glowing eyes dim yet calm, watching over the trembling crowd.
"I WON'T LIE. EACH ROOM CAN ONLY SEND BACK ONE HERO TO EARTH. THAT IS THE LIMIT OF MY REMAINING POWER. THIS ROOM IS A TEST AND YOUR ONLY CHOICE TO MOVE FORWARD. PROVE THAT YOU ARE DESERVING TO INHERIT MY POWER BY EMERGING VICTORIOUS IN THIS BATTLE AGAINST EACH OTHER."
Its voice carried a trace of pity and regret, subtle but unmistakable, like a fading light before darkness.
"FORGIVE ME FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO GRANT EVERYONE HERE THE RIGHT TO COME HOME SAFELY AFTER DRAGGING YOU HERE. BUT THE SITUATION IS DIRE. ONCE I'M GONE, ALL MY CREATIONS WILL VANISH AND BE KILLED BY THE INVADING GODS. LOATHE ME, MY CREATIONS."
The black cat glitched, its form flickering like a broken image, fragments of darkness distorting around its small body.
"EMERGE VICTORIOUS AND PROTECT YOUR WORLD!"
Finally, it vanished, leaving behind only silence—and the heavy weight of its words hanging in the endless white room.
The people started looking at each other, their earlier confusion slowly shifting into unease.
"What is that thing talking about? Ancient God my ass! Isn't that just a floating cat? My dreams are getting wild these days!"
"What nonsense? Am I still sleeping?"
"Only one of us can go back to Earth?"
"Does it mean... we need to kill each other?"
The discussion erupted, voices overlapping, some rising in panic while others laughed nervously—until a sharp ringing sound suddenly caught everyone's attention.
DING!!!
The sound was loud and mechanical, echoing unnaturally across the white walls.
SYSTEM SYNCHRONISATION COMPLETE!
CONGRATULATIONS! ALL "HUMANS" HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY AWAKENED!
The glowing words appeared in midair, floating above them in bright, cold light.
SYSTEM QUEST!
QUEST: PROVE YOUR WORTH!
DETAILS: Emerge victorious and be the only one alive! Every person inside the room who remains standing at the very end will receive the aid of the System! The quest will automatically end when only one person is left in every room.
CURRENT HEAD COUNT: 100
REWARDS:
SYSTEM
The class and skills you'll acquire will depend on your performance.
The final line lingered in the air, pulsing faintly, as the meaning of the words slowly sank into everyone's mind.
"This is ridiculous! Dragging us here and telling us to kill each other?!"
Others slapped themselves hard to wake up, their palms stinging—but this was not a dream. Nothing about this felt like a dream at all. The cold floor beneath their feet, the echo of their breathing, the suffocating brightness of the white walls—everything felt painfully real.
After processing it for a very long time, standing there in disbelief and denial, they finally accepted that this wasn't a dream at all.
Everyone suddenly looked at each other.
Survival instinct kicked in as no one wanted to give up their life at all. Their gazes, once confused and helpless, slowly turned sharp and cautious.
They have families, friends, lovers, and even wealth to come back to. How could they just offer their life to a lucky person? What could they even do? Put their names in a box and let the lucky one come back after they all commit suicide? Who would do such a thing?
Staying here isn't an option either. There's no water or food provided here. Just them. A sealed white prison with no exit in sight.
The silence crept in for a while as everyone started to observe each other carefully, measuring strength, height, build, possible threats.
This is inevitable. The true instinct of humans. The fear of death.
Everyone wants to live and survive. No one wants to compromise, although no one voiced it out loud. They all understood what the others were thinking.
Emerge victorious and be one of the chosen saviors—or die here pitifully.
They can't choose both.