They said it was just a game.
But no one ever logged out.
Rain clawed at the cracked windows of Saint Brogan's Orphanage, turning the outside world into a swirl of ghosts and shadows. The sound was soft but constant—like the sky was weeping for everyone who'd long forgotten how.
Seventeen-year-old Justin Reyners sat on the edge of a rusting bunk bed in the corner of the dorm, shrouded in a second-hand hoodie two sizes too big. Its sleeves were frayed. The name tag was missing. It smelled faintly of mildew and old floor polish. He didn't care.
A battered tablet flickered in his hands, the glow pale and cold against the darkness. He sat still, almost statuesque, while the others in the room laughed, roughhoused, or ignored him altogether.
They always did.
Justin didn't speak unless he had to. He didn't look for trouble—but trouble liked finding him. To most, he was the weird one who played old RPGs instead of talking trash or chasing girls. No one ever asked how he was. No one ever noticed when he skipped meals.
He was a ghost in a system built to forget people like him.
But tonight, the world was about to remember his name.
The tablet blinked.
"System Update Complete. ASCENSION PROTOCOL is now available worldwide."
Justin's eyes widened.
He knew what this was.
He'd been tracking it for months. The forums called it the "game that wasn't a game"—the world's first full neural-dive RPG. No headset. No gloves. No expensive hardware. Just a download, a yes, and a journey.
A leap into the unknown.
No one knew who made it. No publishers. No trademarks. No developers.
Some called it a government experiment. Others said it was a hoax. Conspiracy channels went wild.
But then… the trailer dropped.
Live. Untraceable. Broadcast to every single device on Earth—smartphones, TVs, satellites, watches.
"This is Ascension Protocol. 10,000 floors. One winner. One key. Download now… or be forgotten."
That line hit Justin like a gut punch every time he replayed it.
"One winner."
"Be forgotten."
He glanced around the dorm room one last time. Faint snores. Cheap blankets. Dim lights.
If he died in here, nobody would know until the mattress started to smell.
He pressed his thumb against the download prompt.
"Do you accept the consequences of your choice?"
Justin hesitated.
For just a second.
In the real world, he had no stats. No future. No legacy.
But maybe... in this one, he could rewrite the code.
He tapped "Yes."
The screen went black.
And then—
The world broke.
Pain.
That was the first thing he felt. Not like a muscle cramp or a stomach ache. This was different.
His brain felt like it was being rewired from the inside out.
He collapsed to his knees with a strangled gasp, palms scraping against something cool and smooth. Stone? Steel?
No. It pulsed under his fingers. Like it was alive.
When he finally opened his eyes, he saw light. Endless, blinding light—white and infinite—like someone had taken a sky and scrubbed it clean.
And rising from that emptiness…
A single, towering spire.
Obsidian-black. Featureless. Stretching into forever.
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
[WELCOME TO: ASCENSION PROTOCOL]
[PLAYER IDENTIFIED: JUSTIN REYNERS]
[CODENAME: THE LETHAL ASSASSIN]
[SYSTEM NAME: HAKUDA]
[LEVEL 1 — FLOOR 1 — STATUS: ALIVE]
A chime rang in his head. Not in his ears—inside his skull, like his thoughts had been hijacked.
Then came the voice. Calm. Genderless. Sharp.
"Welcome, Justin Reyners. You have entered Ascension Protocol. There is no logout. No pause. No surrender. Death in this world means death in your original body."
"Climb the tower. Survive all 10,000 floors. Earn the key. Escape. Claim the reward: $9.6 billion. Fail… and be erased."
His breath caught.
Wait. What?
Death means death?
He turned his head—and realized he wasn't alone.
All around him, players began to appear. Boys. Girls. Adults. Teenagers. Some in pajamas. Some in business suits. Some dressed for war. A kaleidoscope of confusion and panic.
One kid near him—a boy with a backpack still strapped to his shoulders—let out a panicked scream. "I—I didn't sign up for this!"
Then he vanished.
Gone. Not logged out. Just erased.
[PLAYER FAILED SYSTEM SYNC. STATUS: TERMINATED.]
Justin's chest tightened.
His hands trembled. Just slightly. Not out of fear—yet—but from something heavier.
Reality.
This wasn't some bugged-out beta.
This wasn't a marketing stunt.
He had just thrown himself headfirst into a digital death trap with no exit.
And yet—
He didn't regret it.
He clenched his fists. Stood tall.
He'd survived worse things than a game.
"System," he said softly. "Show me my stats."
A translucent blue panel materialized in front of him.
HAKUDA SYSTEM INTERFACE
Codename: The Lethal Assassin
Level: 1
XP: 0 / 100
Class: Shadow-Based Assassin
HP: 100 / 100
Stamina: 100
Weapon Slots: Locked
Skills: None
Titles: None
Current Floor: 1
Death Penalty: Permanent
Another screen slid in.
"Welcome, Player. I am Hakuda, your combat protocol AI. I will guide your evolution. Your path will be steep. Ruthless. But you chose this. Now… survive. Begin?"
Justin exhaled.
His knees still ached. His hoodie felt like it weighed fifty pounds.
But he nodded.
The stone beneath him cracked.
A pulse of crimson light shot out in a circle.
The floor shook.
And from the very center… something began to crawl out.
A monster.
No—something worse.
It didn't look like a simple game asset. This thing was breathing, snarling, wet. Muscles twitched beneath patchy skin. Black spines jutted from its back. Its eyes gleamed with hunger and rage.
[FLOOR 1 MONSTER — "FLESH HOWLER"]
[LEVEL: 5]
[DANGER RATING: MEDIUM]
[REWARD: 50 XP, Bronze Dagger, 20 Coins]
Justin stumbled backward. His hands were empty. No sword. No armor. No tutorial.
Just instinct.
And the thing was already charging.
His thoughts screamed.
I have no weapon!
I can't do this!
I'll die—
But then—
Something deep inside shifted.
A thought.
A whisper.
"I don't want to be nothing anymore."
"I don't want to be forgotten."
The howler leapt.
Justin dropped low. His fingers found a jagged shard of stone—small, heavy.
The beast soared past him, snarling.
He twisted, drove the shard up—straight into its eye.
Warm blood splashed across his face.
The howler shrieked. Convulsed. Its claws scraped stone.
Then… silence.
The body slumped.
The system chimed.
[ENEMY DEFEATED]
[+50 XP]
[+Bronze Dagger (Auto-Equipped)]
[+20 Coins]
[LEVEL UP! → LEVEL 2]
Justin fell onto his back, panting. The dagger that appeared in his hand glowed faintly—real in a way he'd never felt from a game before.
Hakuda spoke again, voice tinged with something like amusement.
"Nice kill, Lethal Assassin. Let's begin."
Justin laughed.
Just once.
It wasn't joy. It wasn't fear.
It was something wild. Something alive.
For the first time in seventeen years, he felt it stir—power.
He wiped the blood from his cheek. Stood up. His legs were shaky, but his spine was straight.
Before him, the tower loomed—black, infinite, waiting.
10,000 floors. One survivor. A world of monsters.
This wasn't a game anymore.
It was a crucible.
And for once… he wasn't planning to run.
"Come on, then," he whispered to the world. "Let's see who breaks first."
(To be continued...)