The sky shattered like glass.
Lucien Vale opened his eyes mid-fall, the wind howling past his ears. Around him, dozens of people plummeted through the air—men, women, young and old—all screaming in panic as gravity dragged them into an endless abyss below.
No warnings. No explanations.
Only the void.
Then—impact.
The ground didn't kill him. It embraced him like a corpse would.
Lucien landed on cold stone slick with filth, his body half-submerged in murky liquid that stank of blood and decay. He rolled to his side, coughing, gasping for air. Pain bloomed through his limbs, but nothing was broken. His vision cleared slowly.
All around him, chaos reigned.
People writhed in agony. Some screamed, some cried, others lay broken, their bodies twisted grotesquely from the fall. A girl in crimson armor twitched beside a crumbled pillar—both legs snapped like twigs. No one helped her.
Neither did Lucien.
First reactions reveal true nature, he thought, his face unreadable.
Then the voice came.
[Welcome to the Black Tower.][Current Floor: B100 – The Pit of the Forgotten.][Objective: Survive for 7 days or eliminate the Floor Boss: Glutton Serpent.][Your personal system is initializing...]
A translucent interface blinked into existence before his eyes:
Name: Lucien ValeLevel: 1Race: HumanClass: NoneSkills: NoneTitles: None
You are weak. You are unremarkable. You are surrounded by monsters. Try not to die.
Lucien smiled faintly.
At least someone's being honest.
Panic spread like wildfire. A muscular man shouted curses, kicking a corpse. A teenage boy curled into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. A few survivors huddled together, whispering about forming a team. Some wandered off into the dark, drawn by flickering lights or strange noises in the distance.
Lucien didn't join them.
Instead, he crouched beside a still-warm corpse and searched it methodically. In one pocket, he found a rusted dagger, a cracked flask, and a small glowing orb.
[Item Acquired: Lesser Soul Fragment – Consume to gain +2 EXP.]
Even the dead have value.
He pocketed the items silently. No one noticed.
Then he stood up, brushed off the grime, adjusted his posture, and put on a different face—a face they would trust.
"Everyone, listen!" he called out, projecting calm authority. "Panicking won't help us. We need to regroup and assess our situation. Together."
A few people turned toward him.
"I may not know exactly where we are, but I've studied environments like this. I'm a survival analyst—well-versed in hostile systems. If we follow structure, we can increase our odds of survival."
Lie #1: Establish credibility. Make them listen. Make them need you.
A girl in torn robes stepped forward. "You… you seem to know what's going on. You've done this before?"
Lucien nodded gently. "Not exactly this. But enough to know that order beats fear."
A scoffing grunt interrupted him. The burly man who had been kicking corpses stomped closer.
"Structure? Systems? We're being hunted by monsters, not filing tax reports."
Lucien met his gaze coldly. "Which is why loud idiots die first."
Silence.
The girl nodded slowly. "He's right. We need a plan."
Others began gathering around him. Lucien spoke with calm clarity, assigning simple tasks: check injuries, gather debris, rotate watch shifts. He gave them purpose. They listened.
No one asked how he survived the fall without a scratch.
No one noticed the dagger hidden in his sleeve.
Night descended.
Here, the dark was alive.
It pulsed with silent malice, seeping into their bones. Somewhere in the distance, something massive slithered across the ground. Wet. Heavy. Patient.
Lucien spoke in hushed tones. "No fire. No shouting. Move as little as possible. If it smells fear or hears us, we're already dead."
They obeyed.
One by one, the group lay down in clusters, trying to sleep. Only Lucien remained alert, eyes open, mind calculating.
Three hours passed.
The youngest of them—a boy no older than sixteen—was on first watch, gripping a chipped sword. He was trembling so hard the blade shook in his hands.
Lucien approached quietly.
"You're exhausted," he whispered. "I'll take your shift. Get some rest."
"You sure?" the boy asked.
"We're all in this together."
The boy gave a grateful nod and laid down. Within minutes, he was asleep.
Lucien stood over him for a moment. Then, he drew his dagger.
One clean stroke across the throat.
No scream. No struggle.
[You have killed a player.][Skill Gained: Silent Execution (Lv.1) – Back attacks against unaware targets deal +50% damage.][Trait Gained: Deceiver – Successful lies grant EXP. Betrayals unlock unique evolutionary paths.][Level Up: 1 → 2]
Lucien wiped the blade clean, then smeared blood around the boy's mouth.
He ran back to the group and shouted, "It got him! It's here! Hide, now!"
Panic erupted.
Someone screamed. Another tripped and slammed into the stone floor. Two survivors scrambled into the shadows, tripping over one another. A girl swung her sword blindly, slashing a companion by mistake. Blood. Shouting. Chaos.
Lucien melted into the darkness, unseen.
He watched them fall apart.
One dead by my hand. Two more in chaos. One unconscious. One bleeding out.
Me? Level 2. One skill. One trait.
Not bad for day one.
Let them scream. Let them run.
Let them follow the leader who seems calm, kind, and competent.
And one by one… let them fall.