THE FIRST DOOR
739 Words
The golden key glowed in Patrick's hand.
A warm energy flowed through his fingers.
The message remained floating before his eyes.
The First Door is opening.
Patrick swallowed.
"What does that mean?"
Elena shook her head.
"I don't know."
That answer surprised him.
"You don't know?"
"I'm Rank 47, not all-knowing."
She stared at the key.
"The legends only mention the Keys."
"Nobody knows what lies beyond the Doors."
The key suddenly vibrated.
A beam of golden light shot into the sky.
Every participant in the marketplace stopped moving.
People looked upward.
Shock spread across countless faces.
Notifications exploded across the Golden Zone.
---
WORLD EVENT ACTIVATED
The First Key Has Been Found
The First Door Is Opening
---
The marketplace erupted into chaos.
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
"The legends are real?"
Patrick's heart sank.
Apparently the entire world now knew.
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
A second notification appeared.
---
Current Possessor of The First Key
Patrick Han
---
Silence.
Then every eye in the marketplace turned toward him.
Patrick wanted to disappear.
Immediately.
A man screamed.
"He's right there!"
Another participant pointed.
"The key holder!"
Within seconds the crowd became a sea of excited faces.
Greedy faces.
Dangerous faces.
Elena cursed.
"We're leaving."
She grabbed Patrick's arm.
Too late.
A portal opened nearby.
Then another.
And another.
Powerful participants began arriving from every direction.
Patrick's Observation skill activated automatically.
---
Danger Rating
High
High
Extreme
High
Fatal
---
His stomach twisted.
The Fatal rating belonged to a tall woman wearing crimson armor.
She stepped through a portal and immediately looked at him.
Directly at him.
As if she had known exactly where to find him.
Elena's face paled.
"Oh no."
Patrick frowned.
"What?"
"That's Scarlet."
The name alone sounded dangerous.
"Who is she?"
Elena swallowed.
"Rank 12."
Patrick nearly choked.
A top-ranked participant.
Here.
Because of him.
Scarlet smiled.
The smile contained no warmth.
Only interest.
The kind a predator might show prey.
"Patrick Han."
Her voice was calm.
"Give me the key."
Patrick laughed nervously.
"No."
Scarlet continued smiling.
"That wasn't a request."
The pressure surrounding her increased.
Nearby participants quickly backed away.
Nobody wanted to become collateral damage.
Patrick's pulse raced.
He was completely outmatched.
And he knew it.
Fortunately, Elena stepped forward.
Scarlet's eyes narrowed.
"You."
Elena crossed her arms.
"Find your own key."
The two women stared at each other.
The tension became suffocating.
Patrick quietly considered running away.
A sensible strategy.
Unfortunately, the key had other plans.
The artifact suddenly left his hand.
"What?!"
The golden key floated into the air.
Everyone froze.
The key rotated slowly.
Then a giant symbol appeared above the city.
The same symbol Patrick had seen in his visions.
Golden light exploded across the sky.
Reality trembled.
The ground shook.
And in the distance—
A massive door appeared.
It towered above the Golden Zone.
Larger than mountains.
Larger than cities.
Covered in ancient symbols.
Everyone stared.
Nobody spoke.
The First Door had appeared.
A notification echoed across the world.
---
THE FIRST DOOR HAS OPENED
Eligible Participants: 100
Selection Process Beginning
---
Names immediately began appearing.
One after another.
Powerful participants.
High-ranking participants.
Elite participants.
Scarlet's name appeared.
Several top-ranked individuals appeared.
Then—
Patrick's name appeared at the top.
---
Participant #1
Patrick Han
---
The giant door slowly opened.
Darkness waited beyond it.
Not normal darkness.
Something deeper.
Older.
More ancient.
Patrick felt his Golden Instinct activate violently.
Danger.
Opportunity.
Power.
All at once.
The feeling was overwhelming.
Then a final notification appeared.
---
First Door Trial
Participants Selected: 100
Objective: Enter The Door
Survive
Reward: Unknown
Failure: Death
Entry Begins In 60 Seconds
---
The countdown started.
59
58
57
Patrick stared at the giant doorway.
Every instinct told him to stay away.
Yet something inside him felt drawn toward it.
Like he belonged there.
Like he had been there before.
Scarlet suddenly spoke.
"If you survive, I'll take the key afterward."
Patrick forced a smile.
"If I survive."
The crimson-armored woman smiled back.
"Exactly."
The countdown continued.
20
19
18
The giant door opened wider.
A strange whisper echoed from within.
Only Patrick seemed able to hear it.
A familiar voice.
A voice from forgotten memories.
"Come home."
Patrick's blood ran cold.
The countdown reached zero.
The world flashed white.
And all one hundred selected participants vanished.
Who was the mysterious voice calling Patrick "home," and what awaits the 100 chosen participants beyond the First Door?
- Writer
