Survive Inside Of The Game

The room was silent except for the soft hum of the computer fan. Shidō Kagenori sat alone in the darkness, the glow of the monitor reflecting faintly in his violet eyes. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy, yet his fingers moved across the keyboard with sharp precision. Every keystroke was deliberate. Every movement efficient. On the screen, a towering structure loomed—a virtual tower stretching endlessly into the sky. Floors stacked upon floors. Enemies waiting behind sealed gates. It was a game designed for endurance, patience, and cruelty. Perfect. Shidō had always preferred games like this. No meaningless heroism. No foolish morality systems that punished players for efficiency. Only survival. Only results. The boss on his screen lunged. Shidō dodged without hesitation, his character slipping past the attack by a fraction of a second. A clean counter followed. The boss’s health bar dropped sharply. “Tch.” Too slow. Even through a screen, Shidō felt irritation. He despised inefficiency—especially his own. Just as he prepared the final strike, the ground beneath him trembled. At first, it was subtle. A low vibration that rattled the desk ever so slightly. Shidō paused, his fingers hovering above the keys. An earthquake? The shaking intensified. The shelves along the wall creaked. A cup slid off the table and shattered on the floor. The ceiling light flickered violently before going out entirely. The screen went black. The sudden silence was unsettling. No hum. No light. No power. “So it’s a blackout,” Shidō muttered, his voice calm despite the chaos. Then his computer sparked. Blue-white lightning crawled across the dark monitor like veins spreading through glass. The screen flickered back to life, but the game was gone. Instead, distorted text filled the display. SYSTEM ERROR The letters glitched violently, stretching and warping as if something was trying to force its way through. Shidō stood up. That was when the lightning exploded outward. Pain struck him like a hammer. The light swallowed everything. Darkness. Endless, suffocating darkness. Shidō felt no ground beneath his feet. No sense of direction. His body felt weightless, as if suspended in nothingness. For a moment—just a moment—his consciousness wavered. Then his eyes snapped open. Cold stone greeted him. Shidō inhaled sharply and rolled to his feet in one smooth motion, instincts taking over before confusion could settle in. His body was intact. No burns. No wounds. He quickly scanned his surroundings. A vast circular chamber stretched around him, its walls carved from black stone that absorbed light rather than reflected it. The ceiling was impossibly high, disappearing into shadows. Torches lined the walls, their flames flickering with an unnatural blue glow. Ahead of him stood a massive door. It towered at least ten meters tall, forged from dark metal etched with unfamiliar symbols. The surface pulsed faintly, as if alive. Shidō narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t a hospital,” he said quietly. Nor was it a dream. The air was too cold. Too sharp. The faint metallic scent of blood lingered in the chamber. A soft chime echoed. A translucent blue screen materialized before him. It floated in midair, perfectly aligned with his vision. Shidō didn’t flinch. He stared at it, expression unreadable. [ SYSTEM INITIALIZED ] Text began to appear line by line. Name: Shidō Kagenori Status: Alive Location: Tower – Floor 1 Clear Condition: Defeat the Floor Boss A faint crease appeared between his brows. “…System?” More text appeared. Death Condition: Permanent Escape Condition: Clear all floors Total Floors: 101 Shidō exhaled slowly. He had played enough games to recognize the pattern instantly. “Trapped,” he murmured. “Inside a game.” The screen shifted again. [ STATUS WINDOW ] Level: 1 Class: Assassin (Locked) HP: 100 / 100 MP: 50 / 50 Strength: 12 Agility: 20 Defense: 8 Perception: 18 Intelligence: 15 Skills: Silent Step (Passive) Precision Strike (Locked) Shidō studied the numbers carefully. Agility and perception were high. As expected. This system had evaluated him based on something—perhaps his gameplay style, or perhaps something deeper. “…Interesting.” Most people, in this situation, would panic. Scream. Cry. Bang on the walls. Beg for help. Shidō did none of that. Instead, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “A death game,” he said softly. “And I’m the player.” The blue screen flickered one final time. [ WARNING ] Boss Door Detected Proceed When Ready The screen vanished. Silence returned to the chamber. Shidō turned his gaze back to the massive door. So this was Floor 1. He flexed his fingers. No weapons. No armor. No items. The system hadn’t even given him a tutorial. “Cruel,” he remarked. But cruelty was familiar. Shidō approached the door, each step soundless against the stone floor. As he drew closer, faint growls echoed from beyond the metal barrier. Multiple enemies. Not a single boss, then. He placed his hand against the cold surface of the door. “Let’s establish one thing,” he whispered, eyes gleaming with cold amusement. “I don’t survive by chance.” The door began to open. With a deep, grinding sound, the metal parted, revealing a long corridor drenched in shadow. The torches along the walls flickered as something moved within the darkness. Red eyes appeared. Then another. And another. Low, guttural growls filled the air as creatures emerged—wolf-like beasts with elongated limbs and jagged fangs. Shadows clung to their bodies, distorting their shapes. Shadow Wolves. Shidō counted quickly. Four. Too many for a frontal assault. He stepped back slowly, positioning himself just outside the doorway. The wolves hesitated, their instincts warning them of something wrong. Shidō crouched. “Come,” he whispered. One wolf lunged. Shidō moved. His body twisted aside at the last possible moment, the beast’s claws slicing through empty air. He grabbed its neck mid-leap and slammed it into the stone wall with brutal precision. The impact snapped its spine. The body fell limp. Before the others could react, Shidō rolled backward, putting distance between himself and the remaining wolves. He used the corridor’s narrow width to his advantage. One at a time. Another wolf charged. Shidō ducked beneath its jaws, driving his elbow upward into its throat. The creature choked, collapsing in a heap. The third hesitated. That hesitation cost it everything. Shidō grabbed a fallen stone fragment from the floor and hurled it with lethal accuracy. The shard pierced the wolf’s eye, dropping it instantly. Only one remained. It snarled, backing away. Shidō straightened, blood splattered across his hands. “Run,” he said calmly. The wolf turned and fled into the shadows. A chime echoed. [ ENEMY DEFEATED ] EXP GAINED The system acknowledged him. Shidō exhaled slowly. “So the tower rewards efficiency,” he said. “Good.” He stepped into the corridor fully now, eyes scanning the environment. The shadows receded slightly, revealing another door at the far end—larger than the first. This one radiated pressure. Boss door. Shidō wiped the blood from his hands onto his clothes without hesitation. No disgust. No hesitation. Only focus. As he approached, the blue screen reappeared. [ FLOOR 1 BOSS ] Gate Guardian – Iron Fang A faint grin crossed his face. “Let’s see what kind of welcome you prepared.” The door opened. Steel chains rattled as something massive stirred within. A towering armored beast stepped forward, its body encased in iron plates fused to flesh. Its jaws opened, revealing serrated metal teeth. Iron Fang roared. The sound shook the chamber. Shidō stood his ground. His purple eyes reflected the monster’s shape, calm and calculating. “No weapons,” he murmured. “No armor.” He tilted his head slightly. “Good.” The guardian charged. Shidō moved—not backward, but forward. Straight toward death. The tower had made a mistake. It hadn’t trapped a hero. It had trapped an assassin. And Shidō Kagenori had no intention of dying on the first floor.