Empty.
This was Lexon's first sensation upon waking up.
He shook his slightly fuzzy head. As his mind gradually cleared, Lexon began to survey his surroundings.
He was in a vast, square space paved with white tiles. In the center of this space, a white sphere levitated in mid-air.
At the edges of the space were twenty exquisitely crafted wooden doors.
Lying beside him were four other people: a pretty female student in a school uniform, a man in a suit and glasses, a bloated middle-aged fat man, and a delicate-looking woman in casual clothes.
The four of them were still unconscious, showing no signs of waking.
'I don't know any of them.'
This was Lexon's second thought.
"Creak."
It was the sound of a wooden door opening.
Lexon turned his gaze toward the door that was slowly swinging open.
'What's going to come out? Is it a person?'
His gaze was cold, his face devoid of any nervousness or fear.
A normal person who suddenly appeared in a strange place should be nervous, but Lexon was different; he was exceptionally calm inside.
He didn't have to wait long. The door opened slowly, and what emerged was not some deformed, bizarre creature, but a seductive woman in a black, form-fitting skirt and bright red high heels.
Her long black hair cascaded down to her waist, and her smoky makeup gave her an air of worldly experience, yet the half-rimmed glasses on her nose added a touch of intellect.
She held a cigarette between her vibrant red lips, her eyes sweeping over the people near the sphere of light.
When she saw the awake Lexon,she seemed a little surprised. She raised an eyebrow, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said slowly, "Hmm? You're awake already? Not bad for a newcomer. And... you're not bad looking, either."
Lexon was of average appearance, with harmonious features, messy black hair, a cold temperament, and delicate skin. His arresting eyes added a great deal to his charm, earning him the description of "handsome."
Listening to her teasing words, Lexon slowly sat up and asked the woman, who was gradually approaching, "What is this place? And who are you?"
"Let's wait for them to wake up before I explain. Otherwise, I'll just have to repeat myself." Before he knew it, the woman was already right beside him.
As she drew near, the hair on Lexon's body stood on end, and goosebumps covered his skin. Every one of his senses trembled inexplicably.
It wasn't because of the woman's beauty, but for another reason.
Lexon's face remained calm, but his heart was in turmoil.
He knew the reason very well.
'This woman in front of me is strong.'
'Stronger than me. In a fight to the death, she could kill me.'
Lexon was no ordinary person.
An orphan, he had suddenly discovered a so-called sign-in system in his mind on his eighteenth birthday.
As long as he came into contact with a person or object eligible for a sign-in, he could obtain something related to it.
Things like skills or items.
The only limitation was that he could only sign in once per day.
Lexon was now over twenty years old.
Two years of signing in in the real world had earned him many things.
He had obtained [Basic Boxing] from touching a boxer, [Basic Fighting Techniques] from touching a soldier, [Anime/Manga Knowledge] from a comic book store, and [Intuition] from a master swordsman.
Signing in for the same skill multiple times could upgrade it through stacking. Thus, skills like [Basic Boxing], [Basic Fighting Techniques], and [Anime/Manga Knowledge] had long been upgraded to proficient. But [Intuition] was an exception; it was a skill that could not be upgraded through repeated sign-ins.
The function of [Intuition] was simple and clear: to perceive the things around him.
And it was his [Intuition] at work that allowed him to sense the woman's strength.
'If we fought to the death, I would be killed.'
This was the thought that arose in Lexon's mind, a direct feeling brought to him by his [Intuition].
'However, if it's not a fight to the death, I could escape after being seriously injured. But the current environment is unknown. If a conflict arises, I can only flee into one of those rooms, but the situation inside them is unclear, and I don't even know if the doors can be opened. Therefore, I shouldn't and cannot start a conflict with her.'
This was the judgment Lexon made based on rational analysis.
Sensing that the unconscious people around them wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, the woman seemed to be in the mood for a little chat.
She flicked the ash from her cigarette and asked Lexon, "Soldier? Assassin?"
"An ordinary person," Lexon answered flatly.
"Pfft."
Hearing this, the woman couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you kidding me? Normally, all the newbies wake up at the same time, but you're awake early while they show no signs of stirring. On top of that, you're not the least bit panicked. And you're telling me you're an 'ordinary person'? You pulling my leg, kiddo?"
Lexon frowned slightly. He didn't particularly like being called that by a stranger.
However, the teasing tone was obvious, so he didn't let it bother him too much.
"Instead of joking around with me, why don't you explain the current situation?"
"You're no fun at all, kiddo." The woman shook her head.
"If you find it troublesome to explain again later, I can just explain it to them for you," Lexon proposed as a compromise. He was indeed quite curious about his current circumstances.
The woman wagged a finger at him. "That won't do, kiddo. If I let you do the explaining, then I'd be losing out, wouldn't I?"
'Losing out?'
A thought flashed through Lexon's mind. 'Judging by her tone, she seems to have been in this place for quite a while. Does she gain something by explaining things to us newbies?'
'Whatever. She'll explain when the others wake up.'
Half an hour passed, and the unconscious people finally began to show signs of waking. During this time, Lexon waited quietly where he was. Despite his confusion and curiosity about this place, he did not act rashly.
'I haven't used my sign-in chance for today yet. But touching the ground gives no prompt from the system, which means this space itself isn't something I can sign in with. That woman is a possible target, but I need to make contact. It's not a good idea to just go up and touch her right now, so I'll have to put that aside for now.'
The first to wake was the woman in casual clothes. She was groggy at first, but after seeing the two people in front of her watching her intently and the unconscious people beside her, she came to her senses and said with a trembling voice, "What... what are you going to do?"
"A kidnapping?!" The female student who woke up next also cried out in fear.
"Is this a kidnapping? Please don't hurt me. You can state your demands," said the man in the suit and glasses, who woke up rather calmly.
The last one to wake up, the pot-bellied fat man, showed no signs of panic at all. When he saw the sexy woman, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a treasure, making no effort to hide the lust within them. He yelled, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, this woman is gorgeous! Compared to her, the ones back at the shop were absolute trash!"
Taking in the reactions of all the newcomers, a slight smile played on the sexy woman's lips. She said to Lexon, "These newbies don't seem nearly as tough as you, kiddo."
Lexon remained silent.
The sexy woman clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
Then, she produced a handgun from somewhere and casually fired a shot in the fat man's direction.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"
The fat man let out a series of blood-curdling screams.
The bullet, carrying immense kinetic energy, spun as it tore through his thigh, destroying muscle tissue and causing a dark red flower of blood to bloom.
"I really hate that kind of naked stare," the woman said, her words muffled by the cigarette in her mouth. The gun was still spinning in her hand.
Her expression was so relaxed it was as if she hadn't been the one to fire the shot.
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
The female student had clearly never witnessed such a scene before. Terrified screams escaped her lips continuously. The woman in casual clothes also covered her mouth, staring at the sexy woman in horror. The slightly calm face of the man in the suit and glasses turned pale because of the sexy woman's action, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Lexon was also a little surprised, his eyes showing a hint of astonishment as he looked at the sexy woman.
'Her handgun... where did she pull it from?'