บท 10: Aspect Awakening

For five days, Lex waited. He barely moved, sitting in the stale, dim room with wrappers from cheap meals scattered across the floor.

His eyes were glued to the screens in front of him, watching the world outside fall apart through the city cameras. Aside from the occasional crackle of static or distant rumble above, the underground bar was mostly silent.

When the bunny-like monsters had arrived, the world flipped upside down.

At first, there was just confusion. People didn't know what was happening. Then panic hit hard. Lex had silently watched as crowds poured into the streets, running, screaming, trampling over each other in their despair to escape.

People turned on each other like animals. Cars were flipped, storefronts smashed, and fire spread to whole buildings unchecked. What had started as fear quickly turned into chaos. There was no order, no sense. Just survival... or the illusion of it.

The military had rolled in fast. Lex saw tanks rumbling down streets and helicopters or drones flying above, but none of it mattered.

Their guns, their bombs, their tech—all useless. Bullets bounced off the creatures like they were nothing. Missiles exploded without leaving a mark. The creatures were untouchable, walking straight through any defense like it wasn't even there.

Armored vehicles, the pride of any military force, were crushed like toys under the creatures' strong legs. The monsters moved fast, their massive claws and teeth doing more damage than any weapon ever could. The cities were swarming with them. They weren't just strong—they were everywhere.

Although some people successfully killed a few of those creatures using weapons bought from game merchants, it was futile as killing them wouldn't even give a reward. The first attack wave wasn't only about survival—it was a hard, brutal way to weed out the weak.

This was only the start of the tutorial, a brutal introduction to the Game's rules. People needed to learn how little human strength and pride meant.

Lex rubbed his forehead. "2 minutes left before the end of the first attack wave," he muttered to himself, reaching down to grab another pack of food, lazily tearing it open before greedily eating it.

The first wave was simple: hide and survive for five days. The second wave would be only slightly different, but that was for later.

[5...4...3...2...1...]

[Congratulations! You completed a quest!]

[QUEST: SURVIVE THE FIRST ATTACK WAVE FOR 5 DAYS. COMPLETED.]

[You have received 25 coins from GAME]

Lex had seen this message so many times it barely registered. He seemed more interested in shoving more delicious smoked beef jerky into his mouth and wasn't even interested in the additional coins in his balance.

As he chewed, his eyes were fixed on the monitor before him. Through his screen, he could see something strange. The furred monsters that had been rampaging around the city for the past five days were writhing in pain, crashing into cars and walls, their screeches sharp and disorienting.

It was as if they were going insane.

Lex watched as the creatures tore at their own flesh, ripping their skin and muscle apart. Their blood splattered the ground, their bodies convulsing violently.

Without warning, their heads exploded—one by one. Blood, bone, and chunks of fur splattered the streets. The screens filled with a bloodbath. Then, their body slowly dissolved into a faint light, and they disappeared.

It was as if they never existed. The Game created those beasts for this sole purpose, and once they fulfilled their role, they were erased ruthlessly.

Lex raised an eyebrow, unphased by the sight. "I puked for at least an hour the first time I saw their body exploding," he muttered, chewing the last of his jerky as if nothing had happened.

[Congratulations! You survived the first attack wave.]

[The Aspect Awakening will now begin. Good luck, players!]

[The Game is now creating a stage...]

[Sub Stage 0' has been created.]

As he chewed, everything around him disappeared in a flash of white light. The underground bar, the city cameras, the room filled with wrappers—all gone. In a heartbeat, he was no longer in the quiet, musty bar.

When the light faded, Lex found himself standing in the middle of a vast, open plain. The ground beneath his feet was a mix of green grass and patches of dry, cracked earth.

Green hills stretched in every direction, with a few scattered trees sprinkling the landscape. Above, the sky was endless blue, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh air.

Around him, people appeared out of nowhere, blinking in confusion. Some froze, wide-eyed, while others immediately started to panic. Lex could hear their muttered questions turning into frantic shouts.

"Wh- Where are we?"

"What the hell just happened?!"

"Who are you all?!"

As Lex was about to walk away from the crowd, a man next to Lex suddenly grabbed his arm, eyes wide and his face drained of color. "Food... Please. You smell food..." he said with a desperate tone. It seemed like he didn't eat for at least 3 days.

Lex's eyes turned to the man, his expression cold and unreadable. There was no emotion behind his gaze—just icy detachment. He couldn't see "a person" standing next to him. Instead, all he saw was an obstacle.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lex's fist shot forward. A quick, clean punch, knuckles landing hard against the man's face with a dull thud. There was no extravagant or wasted movement. Just pure, practiced efficiency. "Don't touch me."

The man staggered backward, his hands clutching his nose, blood trickling between his fingers. His eyes were wide, more from shock than pain. He barely had time to react, too stunned to process the sudden attack.

Yet, before anyone could even process what just happened, a message appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

[QUEST: ESCAPE THE SUB-STAGE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!]

[REWARD: AN ASPECT.]

The crowd's murmurs instantly grew louder, spreading like wildfire. Some looked around nervously, while others were frozen in place, unsure whether to run, hide or fight.

A woman nearby let out a shaky laugh. "Too late? What do they mean by 'too late'?"

Then another message popped up, this time in glaring red:

[NOTE: ALL ACTIONS IN THE SUB-STAGE WILL BE RECORDED. A FITTING ASPECT WILL BE GIVEN AT YOUR ESCAPE BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE AND ACTIONS.]

Lex didn't bother with her or anyone else. He turned his back on the crowd, his face blank as he walked toward the edge of the plain. The forest overlooked in the distance, and without a second thought, he headed straight for it, leaving the panicked people behind.

He knew exactly what he had to do.

Lex's shoes crunched on the grass as he continued toward the distant forest, the panicked voices behind him slowly disappearing as he walked.

Once he was out of everyone sight, he reached into his pocket and took out a thin piece of paper. It was something he had kept since the beginning of the tutorial.

This seemingly innocent little piece of paper was in fact a very precious item.

"One-time-use Dungeon entry scroll. It allows the user to access Dungeon 0-1." he thought as he walked toward the forest."Normally, something like this would cost over 10,000 coins, but with the tutorial discount, I only had to spend about 500 coins,"

The Game had its way of tempting players during the tutorial, offering ridiculous discounts on everything, from blessings to rare items. It was a lure, giving people a taste of power and what they could get if they had enough money.

Something like a dungeon entry scroll was scarce and a very sought-after item. As the name suggested, it could be used to enter a dungeon.

In the Game, each floor is divided into what is referred to as a "dungeon." These were treacherous zones designed by the Game itself and acted as the ultimate test at the end of tutorials

Dungeon 0-1 was no exception—it served as the final "gate" between Floor 0 and 1.

Typically, no one would have access to Dungeon 0-1 this early. The gates to the dungeon would only appear after the end of the second attack wave.

"But all rules can be ignored with enough money. By purchasing a dungeon entry scroll, someone can enter a dungeon way earlier. Even if it wasn't opened yet."

Once Dungeon 0-1 officially opened, the dungeon would become a warzone, with all players from Earth flooding in. It would be a chaotic battleground, everyone fighting for coins, items, or blessings.

If the game didn't block their access because of the tutorial, players from Floor 1 would also try to raid it. With their experience and strength, they'd have easily dominated, leaving the weaker Earth players with nothing.

As for the reason everyone wanted to raid the dungeon... It was simple.

Rewards.

As dangerous as it was, the dungeon between floors was filled with incredible rewards. Way better than anyone can imagine.

Lex had seen it happen countless times. Well-equipped groups of players sweeping through the dungeon, leaving nothing but scraps for those who came later. This time, though, Lex intended to be the one inside first.

That was also why Lex wasn't interested in the hidden blessings or "Easter eggs" on Earth. Sure, they were valuable and could make someone stronger, but they were mostly useless to him. Blessings, after all, were passive abilities—enhancing things that the person already possessed. And that was only if you managed to meet the often brutal requirements to activate them.

Before, Lex used to hunt down Easter eggs with his companions. They were the ones who really benefited from those hidden treasures. But now, things were different. He didn't have anyone to share the spoils with, nor did he care to strengthen others.

As for the reason, Lex didn't immediately rush into the dungeon and delayed his raid until the aspect awakening... It was simple: timing. If he had entered the dungeon earlier, the Game would have forcefully teleported him to Sub-Floor 0 for the mandatory aspect awakening.

It had happened to him once before in a previous loop, and he paid the price. He was abruptly pulled from the dungeon mid-raid and wasted 500 coins.

Lex did not even bother checking if he was truly alone. He already knew he was.

He unrolled the scroll. The paper pulsed, recognizing its user. With no hesitation, he whispered, "Activate."

The scroll disintegrated in his hand, the energy swirling around him as the world shifted. The forest, the grass, the sky—they all vanished in an instant. When the light faded, Lex found himself standing inside the cold, stone walls of Dungeon 0-1, the flickering light of torches casting long shadows.

He smirked slightly to himself, feeling the cold air of the dungeon brush against his skin.

[Welcome to Dungeon 0-1!]

[Congratulations! You completed a quest!]

[QUEST: ESCAPE THE SUB-STAGE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! COMPLETED]

[Calculating the most fitting Aspect for the player... Error. You already have an Aspect.]

Lex couldn't help but smirk as the message flashed in front of his eyes. Of course, the system wouldn't be able to assign him a new Aspect—he already had two.

"Nice try," he muttered under his breath, watching as the red window blinked a few more times before fading away. The Game was bound by its own rules, and Lex knew how to exploit them better than anyone.

[Calculating compensations...]