Chapter 2 — The Host Because he wasn't sure whether the system had wished him luck... Or warned him. And somewhere far above them— Something opened its eyes. “Interesting.” The voice echoed through the chamber. Jaden's head snapped upward. The black figure was no longer just a voice. It stood in the center of the room. Tall. Thin. Completely covered in black. Its face was the same one Jaden had seen inside the tunnel. That impossible smile. The Host looked at the students one by one. “Twenty-seven players.” Nobody spoke. The teacher slowly got to her feet. “Who are you?” The Host turned toward her. “I am your Host.” “Our host?” “Correct.” The teacher looked around the chamber. “Where are we?” “Avoria.” “Where is Avoria?” The Host smiled. “You are standing in it.” The teacher frowned. “That doesn't answer my question.” A few students began whispering among themselves. Jaden noticed the Host's smile disappear. It was only for a moment. But he noticed. The teacher took another step forward. “You said this is a tower. You said we're supposed to climb it. But why?” “Because you were selected.” “Selected for what?” “To participate.” “In what?” The Host looked at her. “The Tower.” The teacher shook her head. “This isn't a game.” “No.” The Host's smile returned. “It isn't.” The teacher's expression hardened. “Then send us back.” Silence. The Host stared at her. “Excuse me?” “You heard me.” Her voice was trembling, but she didn't back down. “These are children. They're sixteen years old. They have families waiting for them. You can't simply take them away and force them into some kind of death game.” Several students nodded. “Yeah!” “She's right!” “Take us home!” “I want to see my parents!” The Host remained silent. Then it laughed. “Death game?” The Host looked around. “That is an interesting way to describe it.” The teacher clenched her fists. “Whatever you call it, we're not participating.” The Host's eyes narrowed. “Not participating?” “No.” The Host tilted its head. “You seem to misunderstand the situation.” A blue screen appeared in front of every student. [WARNING] [HOST AUTHORITY IS ABSOLUTE.] Jaden's eyes widened. The teacher looked at the screen. “What does that mean?” The Host answered. “It means exactly what it says.” The teacher stepped forward again. “This is kidnapping.” “Yes.” “This is illegal.” “Yes.” “You can't do this.” The Host smiled. “I already did.” The teacher opened her mouth. But before she could say anything else— A student suddenly stepped forward. It was one of the students with an E-rank ability. His name was Kevin. He had been unusually quiet since arriving. Now he looked angry. “This is bullshit!” Everyone looked at him. Kevin pointed toward the Host. “You expect us to believe all this?” The Host said nothing. Kevin looked around. “There's twenty-seven of us! What are you going to do? Kill all of us?” A few students grabbed his arm. “Kevin, stop.” “Dude, don't.” Kevin pulled away. “No!” He looked toward the Host. “You're just some asshole hiding behind a mask!” The chamber went silent. Jaden's heart sank. Don't. Kevin stepped closer. “I don't care what kind of stupid system you have.” The Host looked at him. “Kevin Ong.” Kevin froze. The Host continued. “E-rank.” Kevin's face changed. “How do you know my name?” “I know everything about the players.” The Host raised one hand. “Then perhaps you should know something about me as well.” A strange pressure filled the room. Kevin's expression changed. “Wait—” A flash of black light struck him. Kevin screamed. He fell to his knees, clutching his arm. The students recoiled. His sleeve had been torn away, and his arm was gone below the elbow. There was no blood spraying across the room. No gore. Just the horrifying reality of what had happened. “KEVIN!” Several students screamed. Someone began crying. Dazim instinctively stepped in front of Jaden. Jaden couldn't move. His eyes were fixed on Kevin. The Host lowered its hand. “I warned you.” Kevin was shaking. His face had gone pale. “I...” The Host looked at everyone. “Avoria is not your world.” Its voice was calm. “Your laws do not apply here.” Another blue window appeared above Kevin. [STATUS EFFECT: SEVERE INJURY] [WARNING: PLAYER CONDITION CRITICAL] The Host continued. “I do not require your permission.” Nobody dared speak. The Host looked toward the teacher. “And I do not require your cooperation.” The teacher's face had gone pale. But she remained standing. The Host looked back toward Kevin. “This was a warning.” It snapped its fingers. A soft light surrounded Kevin's injured arm. The wound closed enough to stop him from losing further blood, though the missing limb remained gone. Kevin stared at it. He looked terrified. The Host turned away. “Do not mistake mercy for weakness.” Jaden swallowed. Mercy? The Host had just taken someone's arm. And called it mercy. Aira stepped forward. She was the class representative. Unlike everyone else, she seemed to have forced herself to remain calm. “Everyone.” Her voice was quiet. “Please calm down.” Nobody listened at first. Then she raised her voice. “Everyone, calm down!” The shouting slowly stopped. Aira looked at Kevin. “Someone help him sit down.” Two students immediately moved toward him. Then she looked at the Host. “If we follow your rules, you'll answer our questions?” The Host smiled. “Perhaps.” Aira nodded. “Then let's listen.” Rayden scoffed. “You're seriously going along with this?” Aira looked at him. “We don't have a choice.” Rayden crossed his arms. “We have S-rank abilities.” Aira remained calm. “And?” “We're stronger than most of them.” She glanced at the injured Kevin. “Are you stronger than him?” Rayden didn't answer. Aira looked back toward the Host. “Continue.” The Host's smile returned. “Very well.” A massive blue window appeared above them. [PLAYER REGISTRATION] “Your abilities have already been assigned.” The Host waved its hand. “Your ranks determine the general potential of your abilities.” Another screen appeared. S-RANK — 3 PLAYERS A-RANK — 2 PLAYERS B-RANK — 5 PLAYERS C-RANK — 7 PLAYERS D-RANK — 6 PLAYERS E-RANK — 3 PLAYERS F-RANK — 1 PLAYER Jaden stared at the final line. One. He already knew who it was. The Host began announcing them. “Aira Valen — S-rank. Sovereign Command.” Aira's eyes narrowed slightly. “Rayden Cross — S-rank. Berserker's Wrath.” Rayden grinned. “Kenji Arata — S-rank. Celestial Spear.” Kenji looked at his hands. He still seemed more confused than excited. The Host continued. “Dazim Rahman — A-rank. Guardian's Aegis.” Dazim blinked. A faint golden shield appeared around his forearm before disappearing. “That's... pretty cool.” Jaden smiled slightly. “Of course you got a tank ability.” Dazim looked at him. “What's that supposed to mean?” “You've always been the one getting between me and trouble.” Dazim laughed nervously. “Guess the system knows me.” The Host continued. “Mira Han — A-rank. Radiant Mend.” Mira immediately looked toward Kevin. “Can I heal him?” The Host said nothing. Mira frowned. The Host moved on. “Ethan Cole — B-rank. Flame Edge.” “Sofia Lim — B-rank. Frost Thread.” “Daniel Wong — B-rank. Ironhide.” “Haris Zain — B-rank. Wind Step.” “Lena Park — B-rank. Beast Whisper.” Then came the C-ranks. “Adam Lee — C-rank. Stone Fist.” “Nadia Yusuf — C-rank. Water Veil.” “Ryan Tan — C-rank. Sharpshooter.” “Mei Chen — C-rank. Shadow Sight.” “Farid Hakim — C-rank. Quick Draw.” “Samantha Low — C-rank. Poison Resistance.” “Jason Lim — C-rank. Enhanced Hearing.” The Host continued with the D-ranks. “Amir Shah — D-rank. Reinforced Bones.” “Chloe Tan — D-rank. Minor Healing.” “Marcus Lee — D-rank. Night Vision.” “Alicia Wong — D-rank. Wind Push.” “Hakim Noor — D-rank. Heat Resistance.” “Emily Tan — D-rank. Basic Appraisal.” Then the three E-ranks. “Kevin Ong — E-rank. Weak Spark.” Kevin looked down. “Sarah Lim — E-rank. Enhanced Smell.” Sarah's expression became complicated. “Noah Lee — E-rank. Minor Strength.” Finally, the Host stopped. Everyone knew who was left. The Host slowly turned toward Jaden. “And finally…” Jaden's stomach tightened. “Jaden. F-rank. Comprehension.” Silence. The Host stared at him. Then it laughed. “F-rank.” Jaden's expression remained blank. The Host looked at the other players. “Twenty-seven players.” It raised one hand. “Three S-ranks.” Another finger. “Two A-ranks.” “Five B-ranks.” “Seven C-ranks.” “Six D-ranks.” “Three E-ranks.” Then it pointed toward Jaden. “And one F-rank.” The Host smiled. “An interesting group.” Jaden didn't respond. “Tell me, Player Jaden.” The Host stepped closer. “Do you know what F-rank means?” Jaden looked at his status. “I guess it means I'm weak.” The Host laughed. “No.” It leaned slightly toward him. “It means you are the weakest.” A few students looked away awkwardly. Rayden smirked. Dazim frowned. Jaden clenched his fist. The Host continued. “Perhaps you should be grateful.” “Grateful?” “Yes.” “For what?” The Host smiled. “For being given the privilege of proving me wrong.” Jaden stared at it. He couldn't tell whether the Host was mocking him... Or genuinely interested. The Host finally stepped away. “Now that you know your abilities, you may begin preparing.” A new screen appeared. [TOWER ENTRY] [FIRST FLOOR OPENS IN: 7 DAYS] A countdown appeared beneath it. 167:59:59 “Seven days.” The Host pointed toward the students. “You have seven days before the first floor begins.” A student raised his hand. “What happens during those seven days?” “You may inspect your abilities.” Another student asked, “Can we leave this room?” “No.” “Can we contact our families?” “No.” “Can we use the internet?” “No.” “What are we supposed to eat?” “Food and water will be provided.” Another student shouted. “What happens if we refuse to climb?” The Host looked at him. “You will not be forced to enter.” The student looked relieved. “Really?” “No.” The relief disappeared. The Host smiled. “You will simply remain here.” “For how long?” “Forever.” Nobody spoke. The Host continued. “Avoria has rules.” A massive image of the tower appeared again. “Every floor is different.” The first floor changed into a forest. “Some floors will contain monsters.” The image changed. A strange creature emerged from the trees. “Some will contain traps.” The scene changed again. A massive stone corridor filled with mechanisms appeared. “Some will contain civilizations.” The image showed a distant city. “And some…” The image became completely dark. “…will contain things even I cannot predict.” Jaden frowned. Even the Host? That was the first thing it had said that genuinely surprised him. The Host looked toward the students. “You will gain experience.” A blue window appeared. [LEVEL SYSTEM] “You will gain skills.” Another window appeared. [SKILL SYSTEM] “You will obtain equipment.” A sword appeared. “And you will discover things that do not exist in your world.” The sword disappeared. “Magic. Monsters. Artifacts. Curses. Treasures.” The Host's smile widened. “And death.” The room became silent again. Jaden looked toward Dazim. His friend was staring at his own status. [A-RANK — GUARDIAN'S AEGIS] Jaden looked at his own. [F-RANK — COMPREHENSION] The difference was obvious. Dazim could protect people. Others could fight. Heal. Move faster. Control elements. Jaden? He could comprehend things. Whatever that meant. The Host began to fade. “One week.” Its final words echoed through the chamber. “Use it wisely.” The Host disappeared. The room remained silent. For several seconds, nobody moved. Then Rayden broke the silence. “Well…” He looked around at the class. “Looks like we're going to have a pretty interesting week.” Jaden didn't answer. He stared at the countdown. [167:57:42] The number continued decreasing. Seven days. Seven days before they entered the tower. Seven days before they discovered what their abilities could really do. And seven days before Jaden would have to find out whether an F-rank ability was enough to keep him alive.

Chapter 2: The Host