The Infinite Trial

Chaos erupted as people fought. Would the same thing happen in the ranking game?

Suddenly, Karl sensed a presence. A teen, seemingly his age, stood behind him.

Before Karl could draw his handgun, the teen dropped his weapon.

"Chill out," the teen said.

"Who are you?" Karl asked.

"Oh, I apologize. I'm Xyreth. I want to team up with you—I haven't seen anyone else my age here."

A blast shot toward them.

Karl dodged it, but Xyreth wasn't as lucky—he got hit.

"You okay?" Karl asked.

Before Xyreth could respond, another blast came flying toward them.

Karl turned to the side. A man in a hoodie stood there, eyes locked onto them.

"Xyreth, we need to team up against him. Wait—you're still out cold?"

The hooded man dashed toward them, swinging a massive, gleaming sword.

Karl barely dodged in time. Instinct kicked in, and he threw a punch straight into the attacker's stomach.

"Tch, you're strong," the man muttered. "Agility boost."

"What rank are you?" Karl asked.

"A-rank Pawn," the man replied before suddenly dashing toward Karl.

He grabbed Karl by the neck.

"Explosion," he whispered.

Karl's head exploded—

—or so it seemed.

"Got you," Karl's voice echoed from behind.

He had teleported.

"I'm stronger than you expected," Karl said. "Pixel Strike."

The hooded man's body turned blurry. His stomach twisted unnaturally.

A voice echoed from nowhere—Glitch's voice.

"With two of my powers, you've already reached E-rank Challenger. But if you want to unlock more… you must lose something that makes you human."

Xyreth groaned and slowly woke up.

Karl watched as the hooded man staggered, gripping his stomach where Pixel Strike had landed. His body wasn't glitching—he was just struggling to stay on his feet.

"You... damn brat," the man spat, blood dripping from his mouth. "I won't go down that easily."

He lunged again, sword raised.

Karl sidestepped, barely avoiding the slash. The air whistled as the blade cut through empty space.

I'm faster than him. Stronger, too.

Karl felt a strange clarity settle in. His movements were sharper, more instinctive. He wasn't just reacting—he was predicting.

The man swung again, but Karl was already moving. He ducked, pivoted, and struck. His fist collided with the man's ribs, sending him stumbling backward.

"You little—!"

A gunshot rang out.

Karl snapped his head to the side—Xyreth was up, holding a smoking pistol.

The bullet had struck the hooded man's leg. He grunted in pain, but before Karl or Xyreth could capitalize, the man slammed his hand to the ground.

"Agility boost."

His body blurred. Then—he was gone.

Karl turned frantically, scanning the battlefield.

Where did he—

A gust of wind roared past him.

Too late.

The next thing Karl felt was a foot slamming into his side, launching him across the ground.

His body skidded to a stop. He groaned, pushing himself up just in time to see the hooded man standing over Xyreth.

The man grabbed Xyreth by the collar, hoisting him up.

"You should've stayed down, kid," he growled, raising his sword.

Karl's mind raced. He could feel Glitch watching, waiting.

Lose something that makes me human...

A choice.

If he wanted more power, he had to give something up.

But was he ready for that?

A voice interrupted his thoughts.

He looked in that direction—it was Alya.

"How did you find me?"

Before Karl could ask anything else, a massive explosion shook the ground.

"It's annoying, right?" Alya said.

She stopped time, freezing everyone except Karl and Xyreth.

"Who is she, your girlfriend?" Xyreth asked.

"Hey, I hear you, but this dumb guy isn't," Alya answered with a smirk.

"How did you find me?" Karl's curiosity got the better of him.

"That's why I'm here," Alya said, her tone serious. "I'm here to invite you to an organization called The Envoys. It's an organization made up of people like you and me, with supernatural access. There are almost 300 members, and the leaders—'The Three Elders'—are the envoys of some of the strongest entities. I represent Reality, and there are two others who represent Hope and Truth. I'm here to offer you an invitation."

Karl's mind raced, but Alya kept going.

"As for how I found you, I used my network in the organization and tracked your game's label."

Karl hesitated. Joining could mean facing danger—and possibly death.

"Sometimes, the hardest thing to do is nothing. But that doesn't mean it's not the right choice," Alya said, her words cutting through his doubts.

"I'm in," Karl said, his eyes determined.

He glanced at Xyreth, still sitting on the floor, frustrated.

Half an hour later, the second game ended.

"Congratulations, you beat the second game. Here are your rewards:

x 200 credits

x 2 light arm armor"

The arena fell silent. Karl stood, his resolve firm. Alya approached, her silver hair glowing in the dim light.

"You've made your choice," she said. "Now, you must survive."

Karl nodded. "I'm ready."

Alya gave a brief smile. "The Envoys will test you. Fail, and you're lost. Succeed, and you rewrite reality."

The digital walls of the arena faded, and Karl felt no fear—only the weight of what lay ahead. The Infinite Trial was far from over. He was ready.