The screen labeled [Participant #4492 - ELIMINATED] flickered once, then turned a static grey.
Arthur stood in the center of the Spectator Suite, his hands clasped behind his back, his face devoid of expression.
Arthur waved his hand, dismissing Vikram's screen. He didn't have time to mourn. Around him, the wall of monitors was flashing like a strobe light.
[Participant #99,201 - ELIMINATED] [Participant #12,400 - SURVIVED] [Participant #55,001 - ELIMINATED]
The screams had mostly stopped. The fights were short. With the 240-second preparation timer and the aggressive Starving Goblin, most encounters ended in less than 6 minutes.
It was a slaughterhouse. But it was a calculated one.
Arthur checked the global counter at the top of the room.
[TOTAL PARTICIPANTS: 22,100,000] [SURVIVORS: 9,171,500] [SURVIVAL RATE: 41.5%]
"41.5%," Arthur exhaled. "I did it. I stayed within the 30-50%
window."
He felt a wave of relief wash over him, followed immediately by a heavy, sinking feeling in his gut.He had just overseen the cries of nearly thirteen million people in ten minutes, who believed they were going to die.
"System," Arthur said, his voice raspy. "Close the Tutorial. Transport everyone back to the world ."
[COMMAND ACKNOWLEDGED.]
[TUTORIAL PHASE 1: COMPLETE.]
[CALCULATING REWARDS... SKIPPED.]
[INITIATING MASS TRANSPORT SEQUENCE.]
One by one, the survivor count on the monitors ticked down, not because they were dying, but because they were leaving.
[REMAINING SURVIVOR: 5,000,000...] [REMAINING SURVIVOR: 2,400,000...] [REMAINING SURVIV0R: 0.]
The silence that followed was deafening. Just seconds ago, the room had been filled with the audio feeds of millions of people fighting for their lives—grunts of exertion, steel hitting bone.
The monitors went black.
Arthur finally dropped his hand. For the first time since the Tutorial began, there was nothing left to manage. No timers. No deaths. No excuses.
Then a new window opened.
[ADMIN CLEARANCE GRANTED.]
[FLOOR 1 CREATION AUTHORIZED.]
[DESIGN INTERFACE: UNLOCKED.]
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"So this is where it really starts."
Far away from the Spectator Suite, the world was anything but quiet.
People collapsed to their knees as the Tutorial ended.
Phones rang endlessly. Governments issued emergency alerts
And above every city, every village, every battlefield—
A translucent message burned into the sky.
[FAILURE IS NOT FINAL.]
[THE FALLEN MAY RETURN.]
[RE-ENTRY LOCKOUT ACTIVE.]
[FIRST FAILURE: 24 HOURS.]
[SECOND FAILURE: 7 DAYS.]
A new line etched itself beneath the others.
[FLOOR 1 ACTIVATION: 72 HOURS.]
[ENTRY CONDITION: VOLUNTARY.]
[ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS: TUTORIAL CLEARED]
[Current Tower Status: DORMANT] [If Floor 1 is not cleared within 30 Days:] [PENALTY: DUNGEON BREAK.] [CONSEQUENCE: The Monsters of Floor 1 will be transported to Earth.]
The message was simple. If you go into the Tower, you fight the monsters there. If you refuse to enter the Tower, the monsters come to your home.
Those who passed the Tutorial found their bodies restored.
Wounds vanished. Broken bones knit together. Even exhaustion faded.
Those who failed the Tutorial returned too.
They woke up gasping, bodies intact but souls shaken.
No wounds. No blood. Just the memory of dying burned into their minds.
They weren't relieved.
They were terrified.
Because the sky had promised them one thing
They would be sent back again.