The door slammed shut behind them.
Rio and the others collapsed onto the cracked soil, gasping for air. Terror still clung to their lungs—the image of people being hunted, not just killed, still burned into their minds.
The place they'd entered looked like a garden… or what used to be one. Everything was dry, lifeless. The flowers were wilted, the trees brittle, and the air reeked of iron and rot.
All except for one tree.
It stood in the middle of the garden, tall and crooked, its blackened bark twisted like veins. But what drew their eyes were the fruits it bore—dozens of them, glowing faintly in hues of green, red, yellow, and blue.
Rio stepped forward, eyes fixed, and picked up something near his feet—a dagger, still gripped by a cold, severed hand.
"There it is… the Fruit of Dead," he muttered. "The reward for this mission."
His voice carried just enough to snap the others back to attention. They rushed toward the tree, eyes wild. One by one, they picked the fruits and devoured them. As they did, glowing effects surrounded them—stats increasing, power surging.
Rio stood still.
He watched silently as the last of the fruits vanished into eager mouths. Then—
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION UPDATED]
PLAYERS HAVE GOTTEN THEIR REWARD
TELEPORTING ALL PLAYERS TO REALITY
Light consumed them.
All of them disappeared.
All but Rio.
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION UPDATED]
PLAYER HAS FAILED TO COMPLETE THE MISSION
PLAYER WILL BE GRANTED A PENALTY
"Heh. It's coming any second now."
> [ERROR]
PLAYER HAS COMPLETED THE MISSION BUT FAILED TO GET THE REWARD
PLAYER IS GIVEN A CHOICE:
RETURN TO REALITY — OR — GET A NEW MISSION
"If I didn't know about this… I would've chosen to go back."
He smiled. "Haha… I choose a new mission."
> [NEW MISSION]
MISSION: FIND THE HEART OF THE UNDEAD TREE
REWARD: RUNE OF SELF-HEALING
FAILURE: DEATH
TIME LIMIT: 10:00
"The hidden missions aren't as easy as people think," Rio muttered, gripping the dagger. "They come with unique rewards—each one."
Then the tree moved.
It groaned, then howled, a guttural cry that shook the ground. Its roots tore free from the soil, branches twisting into claws.
A strike came at him.
Rio rolled sideways, barely dodging. He sprinted toward the tree's base.
"4... 3... 2... 1... jump!"
He leapt as the ground behind him collapsed—something had lunged from beneath. Mid-air, he raised the dagger and slashed the creature's maw.
As soon as he landed, he bolted toward the hole left behind when the tree uprooted.
"Just like I thought. The mission says find the heart, not fight it. It must be down there."
In the dark hollow below, a black sphere glowed faintly—the heart.
Rio jumped down and went to stab it—
—but a root shot up and grabbed his leg.
The undead tree roared, pulling him back.
Without hesitation, Rio raised the dagger and severed his own leg.
He screamed—but he didn't stop.
With one leg, he hurled himself toward the heart and drove the blade straight into its center.
The tree let out a shriek.
Its bark cracked, hardened into stone…
…and then crumbled into dust.
> [YOU HAVE SLAIN THE UNDEAD TREE]
+500 GOLD COINS
UNBELIEVABLE ACHIEVEMENT: YOU HAVE SLAIN A BEING FAR STRONGER THAN YOU AT LEVEL 1
+2000 BONUS GOLD COINS
"F–Fuck… it hurts so much," Rio groaned, gasping. "I keep forgetting this isn't a game… I can't forget next time. Every outcome needs to be calculated."
> [MISSION COMPLETED]
TIME TAKEN: 1:15
REWARD: RUNE OF SELF-HEALING
UNBELIEVABLE ACHIEVEMENT: REWARD UPGRADED
REWARD: RUNE OF REGENERATION
RUNE IS BEING ENGRAVED INTO THE PLAYER'S BONES
"Aghh—damn, it's hurting—!"
Rio clenched his jaw and picked up the black heart.
He ate it.
As he chewed, the runes blazed under his skin, engraving themselves into his very bones. His severed leg regenerated, and his body surged with newfound strength.
> [PLAYER HAS EATEN THE UNDEAD HEART]
PHYSICAL STATUS IS RAPIDLY INCREASING
A moment later, Rio stood—whole again.
"Status window."
…Nothing.
"Huh. Guess it's still disabled until the round begins."
He stretched, then nodded to the air.
"Take me back."
> [PLAYER IS BEING TELEPORTED TO REALITY]
---
Light swallowed him.
Rio reappeared in the graveyard, the place where it all started. He glanced around—no one else remained.
"I guess they already went home. I wonder how they'll feel once they realize the Fruit of Dead limits their potential."
He looked up at the sky.
> [7:45 HOURS REMAINING FOR ROUND 1]
"So… time moves differently in there."
He limped off, barefoot, but smiling.
In the hours that followed, he bought clothes. Ate every kind of food he'd dreamed of. The world still felt real—but distant.
Then, it came:
> [SYSTEM NOTIFICATION UPDATED]
ROUND ONE WILL BEGIN IN 10 SECONDS
PLAYERS, PLEASE GET READY
"It's beginning."
Rio exhaled slowly.
"The first round of TCOE—The Constellation of the End."
> [10... 9... 8... 4... 3... 2... 1...]
PLAYERS ARE BEING TRANSFERRED TO THE TOWER
MAY FORTUNE BE WITH YOU
All across the world, every human disappeared in an instant.
Rio closed his eyes as the countdown hit zero.
When he opened them… he was back.
The white room.
But this time—it was empty. No desk. No voice.
Just silence.
And the first true round of TCOE had begun.
---