At the arcade, the five boys had split into pairs as they played a PvP game, at the moment, it was Kim Min-Jun and Park Ji-Hoon who were fully focused on their match, facing each other in a heated round of Tekken 6. On the other side, Lee Tae-Yang and Choi Woo-Jin were also engaged in their own match, while Jung Hae-Ryong stood nearby, watching from the sidelines as he waited for one of them to lose so he could take their place.
Kim Min-Jun had chosen King as his character, while Park Ji-Hoon selected Ganryu. Despite the match already starting, neither of them made any reckless moves. Instead, they carefully circled each other, waiting for the slightest opening to land a grab and unleash a devastating combo. The tension between them grew as neither side was willing to act first.
"Come on, attack already! What, are you scared?" Park Ji-Hoon shouted from across the machine.
Kim Min-Jun didn't even look up as he replied calmly his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Yeah, I'm scared. That's why you should go first."
Meanwhile, not far from them, Lee Tae-Yang and Choi Woo-Jin were having a much more chaotic match. Their fingers moved rapidly across the controls as they pressed buttons continuously, their characters responding just as aggressively. Lee Tae-Yang had chosen Yoshimitsu, while Choi Woo-Jin picked Eddy Gordo, both characters known for their offensive playstyles. The match quickly turned into a flurry of attacks, dodges, and counterattacks as the two went head-to-head.
The first and second rounds were taken by Lee Tae-Yang, putting him just one win away from victory. However, Choi Woo-Jin managed to recover, winning the next two rounds and tying the score. The final round became the deciding match, and after a tense exchange, Lee Tae-Yang ultimately secured the win.
Seeing the victory message on his screen, Lee Tae-Yang let out a breath of relief. Choi Woo-Jin's sudden two consecutive wins had made him nervous.
Choi Woo-Jin, on the other hand, leaned back in his seat, running a hand through his green hair as he spoke in frustration.
"Damn it… I almost had that comeback."
He stood up slowly, stepping aside as Jung Hae-Ryong rubbed his hands together in anticipation, ready to take his turn. As Choi Woo-Jin walked toward Lee Tae-Yang, seemingly about to explain where he went wrong, something suddenly appeared in front of him. A blue, rectangular screen a it hovered directly before his eyes. Startled, he froze, a bead of sweat forming as confusion filled his mind.
"The hell is this…?"
It wasn't just him. The same blue screen appeared before Lee Tae-Yang, Jung Hae-Ryong, Kim Min-Jun, and Park Ji-Hoon. Each of them stared at it in shock, their expressions mirroring the same confusion. Around them, every person inside the arcade had also been met with the same phenomenon, whispers quickly spreading as people reacted in disbelief at what they were seeing.
Beyond the arcade, every person inside the mall saw it as well. And beyond that, every single person across South Korea from drivers to office workers, to other workers, to day to day family and friends. They stopped at what they're doing and stared at the blue screen, with some car crash happening here and there. And even further than that, across the entire world, every human being was met with the same blue screen appearing before their eyes. Before the five boys could even question each other, something else appeared.
It was a figure. It looked like a woman at first glance, with straight white hair reaching down to the neck and dressed in a black butler's attire. However, what stood out the most were its yellow reptilian eyes, a clear sign that what they were seeing was not human. The being waved energetically. Its presence seemed directed specifically toward them, or rather, toward everyone in South Korea.
It was acting as the host for their region, while in other countries, different entities appeared. Some took the form of massive void creatures with glowing purple eyes, others resembled geckos, strange reptilian flowers, and countless other unnatural beings, each representing their respective regions to manage.
Back in South Korea, the white-haired figure began speaking. Its voice was thin and energetic, almost like that of a cheerful young girl, yet there was something deeply unsettling about it.
"Welcome, people of South Korea!"
The words appeared alongside its voice on the blue system panel, as if it were some kind of live broadcast.
"My name is 842B, and I will be your country's host on this joyous day, marking the beginning of the GGGRRREEEAATTT GAAAMMEEE we call the GRRRAAAANNNDDD CCOONNVEEERRRGEEENNCCEE!"
Its grin widened unnaturally.
"Where ALL mortal beings, like you, who meet our requirements are chosen to FIGHT… to the DEATH… for supremacy!"
Inside the arcade, the five boys stood frozen as they watched the scene unfold, their minds struggling to comprehend what was happening. Before they could even process it further, a loud voice suddenly broke through the tension.
"IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE?! DON'T FUCK WITH US!"
A middle-aged man, standing beside his young son, shouted angrily, his voice echoing throughout the arcade. The outburst snapped many people out of their daze. Murmurs quickly spread as others began voicing their own thoughts.
"What kind of joke is this?"
"Is this some kind of experiment?"
"If it is, it's not funny…"
Some spoke with anger, while others spoke with nervous laughter, trying to rationalize what they were seeing. A few even suggested that it might be some kind of new technology projecting images directly in front of them. Denial spread rapidly. Even the five boys, though they tried not to show it, felt a growing unease. They instinctively gathered closer together, their voices quieter now.
"Can you guys see this too?" Kim Min-Jun asked.
"Yeah…" the others replied, their voices slightly trembling.
Park Ji-Hoon swallowed before asking,
"Is this shit… actually real?"
Before anyone could respond, a sound echoed through the air. It was laughter. It was soft at first, almost playful, but there was something wrong with it. It felt as though it pierced through the screen itself, reaching directly into their minds and to their despair. The sound grew louder, stretching across every corner of South Korea, echoing through cities, streets, and buildings alike.
"Kikikikikikikikik…"
The laughter became more intense, more overwhelming, until it felt impossible to ignore.
"KIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKIKI..."
Every eye was drawn back to the blue screen. The figure was laughing. Its body trembled slightly as it held its laughter, clearly amused by the reactions of humanity. Then, slowly, it leaned forward, bringing its face closer and closer until only its yellow reptilian eyes filled the screen and then the laughter stopped. With a calm, almost gentle voice, it spoke.
"Yes… this is your reality now."
A brief pause followed.
"And there is nothing you mortals can do about it."
After that silence was the only thing present. It wasn't just inside the arcade, nor just inside the mall but across every corner of South Korea, silence took hold.
And then suddenly, panic took over, with some people believing it to be the end of the world, while others still denied the authenticity of what they were seeing, unable to accept that it was real, their minds refusing to process the overwhelming change that had happened in an instant. However, the final thing that made the people of Earth truly believe that they were now inside a game was when a red barrier started appearing everywhere all at once.
The red barrier did not just appear at the borders of each country, but also within them, forming across streets and preventing people from entering buildings or leaving designated areas, effectively dividing entire cities into separate zones. And also where the inside of the buildings were split apart, such as an office building where each floor was sealed off by the barrier, trapping people in their current location with no way to move elsewhere, forcing coworkers to be separated.
This phenomenon happened across the entire world, from Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Russia, France, Australia, New Zealand, America, England, Germany, just everything. Reaching every single place without exception, and this included the arcade where the five boys were currently in.
Inside the arcade, the moment the people saw the red barrier surrounding them, they immediately rushed toward the exit in a surge of desperation, only to be stopped by the red barrier as if an invisible force blocked their path, similar to two poles of the same magnet repelling each other, preventing any contact from being made no matter how hard they tried. The middle-aged father and several other men attempted to break through the barrier, hitting and pushing against it with force, their fists striking repeatedly as frustration and fear built up inside them, but it did not budge in the slightest, not even trembling under their efforts.
"Move, fucking move! Let me through!"
"What the hell is this?! Why can't I touch it?!"
"This shit has to be fake, right?! Someone turn this shit off!"
Before they could continue, the childlike voice of 842B pierced through the chaos as he spoke, his tone energetic.
"Since you all seem so eager to begin…"
"I suppose I should start explaining the first phase. You'd better pay attention, or you might miss some very important details, or don't, and die confused."
Some people in the arcade ignored the voice entirely and continued trying to find a way out, slamming chairs and even machines against the barrier in desperation, while others had already begun to accept the situation, their expressions turning pale as they forced themselves to look toward the blue screen and listen carefully, including the five boys, whose expressions had turned serious as they realized this was no longer something they could dismiss as fake.
842B began explaining"The first phase is what we call the Nurturing Phase."
Its voice was calm, almost cheerful.
"This is where you will be nurtured to adapt and grow within your new environment. You will fight monsters, participate in trials, and compete with one another over the next six months."
A brief pause followed.
"For the first month, things will remain simple. You will undergo introductory trials and learn how to use the system, aaannnndddd…"
842B voice trailed off, obviously building suspense as everyone waited for him to explain things further. But instead of continuing, 842B suddenly smiled.
"…And that's all."
As confusion spread across South Korea, 842B continued normally.
"Now that the briefing is over… let's begin the trial."
He snapped his fingers and added one more thing.
"Oh, and one more thing. Your first trial may vary depending on your location… or it may be completely random. So please, do have fun…"
842B smiled and said.
"And try not to die, for the enjoyment of the Great Ones."
As his voice faded, the blue screen slowly disappeared, not only in the arcade but across the entire world, leaving behind an eerie silence that lasted only for a moment.
Inside the arcade, the people who had been panicking earlier froze, unsure of what to do now that escape seemed impossible, until suddenly, at the center of the room, glowing blue words appeared in midair for everyone to see, accompanied by a countdown that started from twenty ticking down below.
"What is that…?"
"Twenty seconds? Twenty seconds for what?!"
"Wait… no, no, no…"
Alongside it were additional words displaying the details of the first trial.
___
(Title - Survive the Persistent Horde of 100 Zombies for 30 Minutes)
(Goal - Survive for 30 Minutes)
(Star Difficulty - 0/20)
(Difficulty - 10/50)
(Description: Survive for 30 minutes against a persistent horde of 100 zombies. The zombies can sprint, jump, possess the strength of an male human adult, and can kill and infect you. The maximum limit of persistant zombies will increase if somebody is infected, and any zombie that is killed will revive after 20 seconds. You may use the items provided in your inventory to fight them.)
___
As everyone finished reading the description, the countdown reached zero and changed into "Trial Starts Now," which was immediately replaced by a timer counting down from thirty minutes, and for a brief second, nothing happened, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
"…Zombies…? You've got to be kidding me…"
At that exact moment, one of the arcade machines suddenly jolted violently as if it were having a seizure, its entire frame shaking as loud metallic sounds echoed through the room, drawing everyone's attention toward it. It was the zombie shooter game, and from its screen, multiple rotting hands covered in blood began pushing outward, slowly forcing their way into reality as if breaking through an invisible barrier between worlds, their fingers twitching unnaturally as they clawed their way out.
"No… no way…"
One by one, the bodies of the zombies followed, dragging themselves out of the machine, their limbs stiff and jerky as their decayed flesh stretched and tore with each movement, until they fully stepped into the arcade, their hollow eyes scanning the room as a foul, suffocating stench spread through the air, making several people gag as they stumbled backward in horror.
"T-Those things are real…"
"RUN!"
And then, one of them suddenly let out a high-pitched screech.
The moment that sound echoed, panic erupted once again inside the arcade as people began screaming, desperately slamming against the red barrier while others begged for help, their voices breaking as fear completely overtook them.
"OPEN THIS! PLEASE, FUCKING SOMEBODY OPEN THIS!"
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
"THIS CAN'T BE REAL!"