Ren continued his steady climb up the winding path toward the main gate of the Twilight Citadel. He passed other Gamers. Some exhausted, returning with packs full of salvaged data-junk, and others fresh, marching out to hunt.
He kept his head down, enjoying the anonymity the poncho afforded him. He was nearing the final switchback when a figure detached itself from the shadows of the immense gatehouse.
"Well, look what the glitch dragged in!"
The voice was high, energetic, and completely incongruous with the imposing setting. Ren stopped, annoyed at being singled out. Standing directly in his path was a young man... absurdly young, in fact.
He looked no older than seventeen, maybe even sixteen, with bright, overly styled hair and a jacket that was neon blue against the dark stone of the castle. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.
This was no ordinary Gamer. The uniform he wore, while recognizable as the same base suit, was overlaid with gear that hummed with a subtle, unmistakable legendary aura and had a golden star right at the center of the chest.
His boots barely seemed to touch the ground, and a light, crackling energy, a visible manifestation of an Awakened Ability, danced around his fingertips.
This was the District Owner.
"Welcome to the Twilight Citadel, friend!" the young man chirped, his smile wide and genuine.
"You must be Ren. The system flagged you about ten minutes ago. Good to see a new face who isn't immediately trying to start a turf war."
He stuck out a gloved hand.
"I'm Vesper. And yes, before you ask, I'm the one who runs this place."
Ren shook the hand, feeling a surprising surge of static energy. A District Owner that young? And with an active ability? This kid was seriously powerful, which meant he'd long surpassed the thousand Corrupted NPC kill count required to Awaken a core ability. Ren felt a familiar pang of apathy.
'I really need to check my status,' he thought for the tenth time that day.
No matter how he tried to ignore it. He was meant to kill NPCs. That's a common law of the Game Arena.
"Just here to clear my Dailies, Vesper," Ren said, keeping his voice neutral. "I was heading for my assigned area of the District. Apparently, that's my first mission. And, also communal lodging."
"Nonsense! Communal lodging is for the grunts, and you look like you at least shower semi-regularly," Vesper said, waving a dismissive hand. The gesture trailed shimmering blue energy, a subtle display of his power.
"Besides, I've got a personal assignment for you.. high priority, high pay, no fighting required, just pure, clean system work. I heard you had an hidden ability right? Government told me you have an Hunter Career. An Hunter entering the Game Arena is very rare. They're busy with the NPCs finding their way into Earth they forgot they're tons of them here and here you are. A good little Gamer. But be rest assured, the job is not dangerous. It would even be the easiest money you've ever made."
'What part of Hunter and NPCs is not dangerous?' Ren rolled his eyes knowing he was about to be fooled.
Vesper paused, his bright blue eyes sparkling with an unnerving intensity.
"And you said you're heading for your 'assigned area'? You mean The Haunt, right? The System designated a room for you, not an area. That is your first 'mission'.. to find your space and log in."
The young District Owner turned, gesturing toward a large, ornate archway tucked between two massive towers.
"Come on. Follow me. I was just about to head down there myself."
Ren shivered, the legendary, scary Haunt he had heard about. The desolate area which had never been touched. He was going to be staying there as a Gamer from now on.
Vesper led Ren through the gatehouse, past bored-looking guards wearing the District's insignia, and into the courtyard. Vesper moved with a disconcerting speed, practically floating across the uneven stones. He entered an inner structure – a tower whose interior had been extensively renovated – and led Ren down a winding, dimly lit spiral staircase.
The stairs opened abruptly into a vast, circular chamber that defied the castle's exterior. This was The Haunt.
What Ren saw was the exact opposite of the rumors at school.
It wasn't a dungeon, ghost arena or a barracks. It was a chaotic, sprawling living space built inside a massive, hollowed-out cistern or possibly an old server farm. The room was enormous, the ceiling lost in shadow and crisscrossed with thick, glowing data cables like digital vines.
Along the walls, Gamers had set up small, semi-private camps: tents made of salvaged data-fabric, portable holographic screens displaying strategy maps, and cooking stations utilizing scavenged Arena thermal units.
The air hummed with dozens of overlapping conversations, the smell of burnt synthetic cooking oil, and the sharp ozone scent of powerful equipment.
It was loud, crowded, and felt more alive than any other part of the ruins Ren had seen. It was the heart of the District... a controlled space where the rules of the Game Arena still held.
'Guess you can't trust school rumors.'
Yes, you can't. The Game Arena, once eerie and desolate, now looked strangely renovated.. at least in the Districts. Those were the places humanity had reclaimed.
The ancient magic that once powered the Arena had been buried under layers of human technology. What used to be floating runes, glowing wards, and ethereal circuits of mana were now replaced with cables, holographic displays, and system panels.
Most or all of these "modern" devices weren't part of the Arena's original design at all. They were man-made navigation tools, grafted into the Game's old code to make it livable for people again. It was a patchwork of sorcery and software.
"This is it!" Vesper announced, spreading his arms wide. "The best place to trade, rest, and pick up the gossip. I've already secured you a small corner, just past the supply depot. It's got a decent wall socket.. a high-power one, too. You'll appreciate that."
Vesper pointed toward a section on the far side of the room. "I'll meet you there in ten minutes to discuss the assignment. Don't touch the shimmering soup near the east wall.. that's just my latest attempt at bio-fuel."
With a final, bright grin, Vesper bounded off into the crowd, his neon jacket a beacon in the gloom.
Ren watched him go, then sighed, adjusting the hood of his poncho. He pushed through the throng, navigating a maze of makeshift stalls and sleeping bodies.
He finally located his designated spot: a small, roughly rectangular space partitioned by two flimsy, salvaged data-screens and backed against the cold stone of the inner wall. It wasn't much, but the wall socket Vesper mentioned was real, glowing a steady blue indicating a stable power source.
All he had to do here was wait for daily missions from the system or assigned from the District Owner. Nevertheless, the Game Arena was more of a resting place than a place to get stronger for Ren, unless, NPCs find their ways to the districts.
He dropped his pack onto the floor. The familiar scent of dust and metallic circuitry was comforting. Finally alone, Ren felt the urge he'd been ignoring all day rise to the surface.
It was time to deal with the inevitable.
He didn't care about rank, but he cared about potential. The law of the Arena was simple: You kill Corrupted NPCs, you get stronger.
He took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and spoke the command quietly into the noisy air.
"Status."