The trees spaced out, pine giants replaced by a muddy trail beaten down from too many boots. Asap Ashton limped along, gasping now and then, mind still foggy about where - how - he ended up here. The left sleeve of his hoodie hung ripped, gooey tree juice smeared into the thread, while each gust sneaked under his collar like something sharp and alive.
He didn't remember anything.
No past.
Just a blank - then the flickering "loading screen" seared it into his sight.
His numbers hung barely there - thin as breath on a windowpane
LEVEL 1
CLASS: NONE
The words trailed behind him, almost like a spell.
Ahead, the trees opened up - there was a gap with a bent wooden sign dangling from two poles:
WELCOME TO LEVELHAVEN - CITY OF PROGRESS
Asap lifted an eyebrow.
"Progress, huh…"
He stepped in.
THE CITY OF FALSE HOPE
The valley seemed nice at first - banners fluttering in the wind, old stone houses decorated with bright cloths, shop owners yelling offers yet sounding hopeful.
Yet when Asap stepped inside, the falsehood showed right away.
People ran around like crazy - wild-eyed, holding on tight to wooden tags or torn bags. Shiny suits caught the light, stamped with bold letters: A through D. Meanwhile, folks in worn-out gray stuff dragged their feet behind them.
The sluggish folks… the exhausted bunch…
They didn't get any note whatsoever.
Just dirt.
Just exhaustion.
A sign drifting by that says:
F-CLASS – LABOR UNIT
No level.
No XP.
No gold.
Nothing.
The upper folks stared right through them, as if they were invisible.
Not a glance.
Not a nod.
No sign of recognition at all.
Asap moved farther into town - yet the stink of decay beneath the bright looks grew hard to miss.
This wasn't a place made for equalizing - instead, it grew from imbalance, shaped by chance rather than design.
It was made up from fake worth.
On illusions.
On control.
The bottom tier - the F-Class - just didn't count as real humans in others' eyes.
They were tools.
THE SYSTEM THAT SMILES WHILE IT BLEEDS YOU
Cheerful tunes hummed in the distance, lively yet phony. Yet wherever Asap turned, lies seeped through every corner.
A small stand sparkled in the sunlight. Meanwhile, an A-Class agent held up a clipboard, smiling wide.
"Daily tasks! Complete three and earn EXP! Move up the ranks! Easy progress if you just try!"
A line popped up right away - one filled with mostly C and D-Level staff.
Yet while Asap looked at the board behind them…
Each job gave no coins at all.
Zero.
The EXP reward flashed in bold letters - yet once folks finished jobs, the progress bars stayed frozen.
Asap muttered, "This is rigged."
F-Class got left out completely - no spot in line at all. Instead, they just did the work without pay: moving boxes, dragging buckets, cleaning roads. Meanwhile, those standing in line thought doing the exact same stuff actually counted for something.
A trick within a lie.
TOPGUN TREY - THE TWISTED SMILE
A shout burst out from the people.
A guy was up on a balcony - lean, fit, jacket waving like he owned the moment. His pin gleamed yellow, catching the light
S-CLASS
The peak of it all.
He smiled just a little, his gaze sharp, always looking for notice.
"TOPGUN TREY!!!"
"Trey! Sign my crest!"
"Trey, look here!"
He flung his arms out, drinking up the praise.
Soon enough, Asap noticed the spot Trey was staring at.
Beneath the balcony, some tired F-Class folks crouched down, scraping at the path with stiff brushes that barely worked. Their palms split open. Shirts torn apart.
Trey shifted closer, a grin tugging at his lips.
"Check 'em out…" he muttered, laughing with clear disdain. Yet they just stood there - weak, tiny creatures
Nobody around reacted.
Nobody noticed it at all.
After that, Trey cracked up, loud and harsh, while jabbing a finger toward an old guy from F-Class who had dropped to the ground.
"Hey! Don't fall asleep down there! You'll drop the town's prestige! Hahaha!"
The audience just shouted on, even though he hadn't really spoken at all.
Asap sensed a sudden pull inside his stomach.
Trey wasn't just arrogant.
He wasn't thoughtless.
He was twisted.
Rotten.
A guy who liked getting hurt.
A world that cheered him on instead.
Once Trey spotted Asap watching, their gazes met.
A spark of curiosity - or perhaps danger - flashed through Trey's eyes.
"You new?" Trey called down. "You look lost. Must be F-Class."
He burst out laughing after telling that joke himself.
Not one person reacted at all.
THE TRUTH OF F-CLASS
Over by the quiet end of the market, Asap showed up - F-Class drifted around like shadows. The skinny guy piling boxes glanced over, tense.
"You shouldn't talk to us," he whispered. "People might think you belong here. It lowers your reputation."
Asap frowned.
"Why work for free?"
The guy offered a worn-out, hollow grin.
"This isn't work. It's our 'Contribution Requirement.' If we're not useful… they exile us."
Asap swallowed. "Exile from the town?"
"…Exile from the world," the man whispered.
The wind got chilly near Asap.
"Can you rank up?"
Silence.
A heavy one.
"No one ever has," the man said finally. "But the system tells us we can. So we try."
This wasn't progress.
It had been set up on purpose.
TREY RETURNS - AND HE'S WORSE UP CLOSE
Someone was coming up from behind.
Topgun Trey just grinned, like everything out there played by his rules.
"You've got a rebellious shine in your eyes," Trey said lightly. "Dangerous look for a newbie."
Asap stayed silent.
"You talked to them," Trey continued, voice playful but edged with steel. "I saw you. Not many people do that."
Asap locked eyes with him.
"What's wrong with talking to them?"
Trey shrugged casually.
"Nothing—unless you care about your safety, reputation, your… place."
He waved slow toward the F-Class crew, shrinking back when his shadow hit them.
"They're happy," Trey said. "They contribute. We guide. The world works."
"That ain't joy," Asap murmured under his breath.
"That's control."
Trey blinked once.
Then smiled wider.
"Oooh. A thinker."
He slapped Asap's shoulder, maybe a bit rough.
"You'll learn how things really work. Everyone does."
He strolled away, whistling as if everything around moved in rhythm with him.
Asap exhaled.
Trey didn't play the fool.
Trey wasn't eccentric.
Trey wasn't misunderstood.
He was dangerous.
Nobody else spotted it either.
THE SYSTEM STRIKES
When Asap left the work area, a gentle bell rang.
A message flashed in front of his eyes:
ALERT: Strange access found.
THOUGHT PATTERNS: NONCOMPLIANT.
RISK LEVEL: RISING.
Another message followed:
CLASS ASSIGNMENT LOCKED.
Then:
WELCOME TO F-CLASS.
The world near him faded slowly.
Colors muted.
Warmth drained.
He stood there - no one glanced his way anymore.
He couldn't be seen at that moment.
Wiped out of their lives.
Right where the setup had aimed to place him.
But unlike everyone else in F-Class…
Asap had no plans to follow orders.
He'd noticed the splits.
The system realized that.
The world near Asap faded just as the alert flashed across his sight.
WELCOME TO F-CLASS.
The tag floated over his head, much like a verdict.
Colors faded.
Sounds warped.
Voices nearby faded - like he'd moved into another room where no one cared to talk. Sound thinned out - cut off by some invisible wall between him and everyone else. It felt like silence crept in - not suddenly, but slow, like fog rolling down empty streets.
A weird heat spread through his head.
Pick up a box.
You ought to be doing your job instead.
Help clean.
Help. Help. Help.
The ideas didn't belong to him.
It was as if a voice crept into his mind - gentle, low, guiding.
Asap clutched his temple, fingers digging in hard.
"No… no, that's not me—"
Yet his hand shifted without thinking.
He bent down.
Fingers curled round a box it wasn't their task to handle.
"What—stop—STOP—"
His arms just wouldn't move.
His breath grew slow, falling into an empty beat.
The container now seemed kind of heavy.
Vital.
As though everything'd fall apart unless he shifted it.
A grin pulled one side up - lifeless, hollow.
He fought it.
He pushed back against it with everything he had.
Yet he moved ahead, box held tight.
Around him, F-Class crew dragged themselves forward, moving the same way - pick up, carry, scrub - their faces blank, their gaze empty.
Asap's heartbeat punched through his ribs.
This isn't me.
Fight it.
Fight it—
Yet the quiet voice pushed once more:
Hold on. Get moving. Pitch in now - start doing something real. Just help out.
His knees weakened.
His vision blurred.
AND THEN TREY ARRIVED
A loud clapped snapped through the air.
Topgun Trey walked into the work area, jacket waving out back even though no wind was blowing.
The F-Class staff paused - no fear driving them…
…but since the setup kept them from responding in any way.
Trey cocked his head, grinning big - just like a kid staring at busy ants.
"Well, well. My favorite section."
His eyes shone like they wanted something real bad.
Outta nowhere, he came up behind a woman training at F-Class while she loaded boxes. Since she'd been working nonstop, her hands trembled - skin torn, red, stinging.
Trey moved in near her ear.
You let a box fall before,.
She blinked slowly. "I— I'm sorry, sir—"
He grinned.
She yanked her wrist -
- then yanked it sideways till it snapped.
She fell down screaming, holding her broken arm tight.
The other F-Class folks kept their eyes away.
Couldn't look.
They kept sweeping.
Lifting.
Cleaning.
Silent.
Obedient.
Trey moved away, a quiet laugh escaping him, eyes fixed on what he'd done.
"Work faster," he said cheerfully. "Or I'll start breaking legs next."
A$AP's gut sank - cold as ice.
"Stop!" he shouted.
Nobody turned.
Trey did.
The S-Class hero smiled wide, teeth showing - like he'd already won.
"Ohhhh…" he purred. "Look at you. F-Class already kicking in, huh?"
Asap moved back, letting go of the box.
His legs shook like jelly.
The murmurs pounded once more:
Pick it up. Grab it quick. Get it right away.
His hands jerked.
Muscles spasmed.
His mind screamed.
"This isn't me—!"
Trey's expression shifted - gleeful yet harsh, like a grin edged with spite.
"Fight it then," he whispered. "Entertain me."
THE SHIFT INTO HORROR
The world flickered.
Shadows distorted.
Faces twisted into grin-like masks.
The whole work area throbbed with a nasty, steady beat - sort of like a pulse that didn't belong to him.
Asap sensed he was slipping -
Losing—
Breaking—
His mind started buzzing like a broken wire.
Pick up the box.
Move.
Clean.
Work.
Work.
WORK.
He twitched, moving fast
Yet a part of him broke loose.
A surge.
A spark.
A sudden burst of red light shot up from his chest.
Asap's eyes shot open when everything around him shook hard.
His energy burst from his body like an explosion - sharp, red, fierce. It ripped through the air - not smooth but rough - with heat that stung.
The whispers screamed.
Trey moved away, his look changing - not from fun to something quick and intense.
"Oh? You've got some teeth after all."
Asap growled, jaw tight -
—and broke free.
His limbs unlocked.
His mind cleared.
Flames raced through his skin, hot and wild.
The box burst apart into sharp pieces.
Each F-Class worker froze on the spot, tremors spreading through their hovering labels.
Trey grinned again - wider this time, shadow creeping into it.
"Well. Guess the warm-up's over."
THE CHASE BEGINS
Trey clicked his fingers.
Behind him, a pair pulled up - his own muscle, clad in tight black gear, eyes hidden by bright blue shields - as they rushed ahead.
"You're done, kid," one growled.
"Directive wants your head intact," the other said. "But your legs? Optional."
Asap didn't wait.
He sprinted.
The work area twisted near him - walls pulled tight, houses blinked fast, the setup shifting quick just to catch him.
Trey chuckled from behind.
"Run! Run! Make this fun!"
Asap leaped across a booth.
Barrels toppled.
Staff just walked past without glancing.
The thugs rushed toward him, their weapons buzzing with power.
Trey moved slow, sure - then his wings burst open with a sharp screech.
The sky grew dark since he showed up.
Asap swung fast into a side street.
A surge of power hit the wall just beside his face.
The ground split.
Roofs distorted.
Lights blinked with caution marks.
Trey's words bounced around, like the wind helped them travel far.
"You can't hide, F-Class!"
"You can't fight the system!"
Asap's glow got sharper.
He sprinted—
A thug lunged toward him -
Asap slipped beneath him -
Red glow cut through the wind when he lifted -
A thug tumbled off a roof, sealing the way out -
Asap shot forward, red energy exploding out - slamming them both into the ground hard.
Trey clapped once.
"Not bad," he said. "But you're not getting out of my town."
He stretched out his wings far -
- then jumped right after Asap, grinning like a hunter.
This wasn't about racing after someone.
It felt like chasing something wild.