The jungle was already wrong.
Too quiet.
Too close.
Vikram Das stood shoulder-to-shoulder with two strangers, the system forcing them into a team of three.
Ravi — early twenties, athletic, gripping a machete with sweaty hands.
Mahesh — mid-thirties, office type, breathing too fast, eyes darting everywhere.
None of them spoke.
The humidity pressed into Vikram's lungs like wet cloth.
[TEAM FORMATION COMPLETE]
[FLOOR 2: JUNGLE CLEAR]
[OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE ALL HOSTILES]
Five goblins.
Somewhere.
Vikram tightened his grip on the steel crowbar.
"Stick together," he said quietly. "Don't rush."
Ravi scoffed. "They're just goblins."
That was the last full sentence Ravi ever spoke.
The bushes exploded.
Not one—five goblins, bursting out together, moving low and fast. Pack AI.
Ravi screamed and swung wildly.
A goblin ducked under the blade and drove its claws into his stomach.
Blood sprayed.
Mahesh froze.
Actually froze.
The second goblin slammed into Mahesh's chest, knocking him flat. The third one didn't attack—
it circled.
Vikram's heart tried to punch its way out of his ribs.
"MOVE!" Vikram shouted.
Mahesh didn't.
The goblin pounced.
Neck.
Twist.
Snap.
Two teammates.
Dead.
Not a single goblin killed.
A red system message burned into Vikram's vision.
[TEAM STATUS: FAILED]
[SOLO SURVIVAL MODE: ENABLED]
Vikram ran.
He didn't think.
Didn't plan.
He ran like a man late for death.
Branches tore at his face. Roots sent him stumbling. He crashed through undergrowth, lungs burning, panic clawing up his throat.
"Too fast… too many…" he gasped.
A goblin screech echoed behind him.
Then another.
They were hunting.
Vikram tripped, slammed into the dirt, rolled—
and stopped.
He pressed himself into the mud, behind a fallen tree thick with moss.
Hands over mouth.
Heart hammering.
One goblin passed so close he could smell it—rot and iron.
Vikram didn't breathe.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
The sounds faded.
Vikram stayed there for a full minute after silence returned.
Then he shook.
Hard.
"I can't fight five," he whispered. "I can't."
His eyes focused.
"One," he corrected. "I can fight one."
He moved slowly after that.
No running.
No heroics.
He watched.
He waited.
A lone goblin peeled off from the pack, sniffing near a stream.
Vikram climbed a tree with trembling limbs, crowbar strapped to his wrist with torn cloth.
The goblin passed underneath.
Vikram dropped.
The crowbar came down with everything he had.
CRACK.
Skull split.
The goblin didn't even scream.
Vikram stood there, shaking, staring at the body.
"One," he whispered.
He didn't feel strong.
He felt sick.
The second goblin died to a trap Vikram made with vines and a sharpened branch.
Messy. Slow. Screaming.
The third took him by surprise—slashed his back—but Vikram smashed its knee, then its throat.
By the fourth, Vikram was crying while he swung.
By the fifth, he didn't feel anything at all.
Blood covered him—some his, mostly not.
The jungle went quiet.
[SYSTEM MESSAGE]
[ALL HOSTILES TERMINATED]
[FLOOR 2 CLEARED]
Vikram collapsed to his knees.
Then the reward window appeared.
[CONTRIBUTION ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
Ravi — 0% (Deceased)
Mahesh — 0% (Deceased)
Vikram Das — 100%
[MVP STATUS CONFIRMED]
[REWARDS GRANTED:]
[+225 XP]
[+50 PLAYER POINTS]
[SKILL BOOK (COMMON): STEALTH MOVEMENT]
Vikram laughed.
Then gagged.
Then laughed again.
"I won," he said in a rough voice.
The screen flickered.
Then turned gold.
[HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED]
〈WIPE OUT ALL GOBLIN ALONE〉
Clear Floor 2 after total team wipe.
[REWARD UPGRADE AVAILABLE]
[PREVIOUS REWARD: SKILL BOOK (COMMON)]
[UPDATED REWARD: SKILL BOOK (UNCOMMON)]
▶ Stealth Movement (Uncommon)
Effect: Noise reduction + Presence suppression while moving
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO ACCEPT THE UPDATED REWARD?]
▶ YES / NO
Vikram's vision blurred.
His finger hovered over the option.
Hands still shaking.
▶ YES
The screen pulsed.
[REWARD ACCEPTED]
The golden panel shattered into fragments of light that poured into his body.
Pain followed.
Not sharp—deep.
Like his bones were learning new angles.
[SKILL ACQUIRED]
Stealth Movement (Uncommon)
Type: Passive
Effect:
• Footstep noise reduced drastically
• Presence suppression against hostile detection
• Bonus effect when moving alone
A second line appeared.
[CONDITION MET: SOLO STATUS]
[HIDDEN EFFECT UNLOCKED]
〈Predator's Silence〉 — While unobserved, movement creates near-zero sound for 3 seconds
Vikram sucked in a breath.
The jungle didn't react.
No birds fled.
No insects scattered.
He took a step.
Nothing.
Another.
Still nothing.
Vikram froze.
Then whispered, almost afraid—
"…they can't hear me."
For the first time since entering the floor,
he stood up straight.
Not brave.
Not strong.
Just alive.
And harder to find.
Far above, unseen eyes lingered.
Not impressed by strength.
But by a man who learned how to disappear—and come back alive.
A new window forced itself open.
[CONSTELLATION INTERFERENCE DETECTED]
Vikram's throat went dry.
[CONSTELLATION: THE VEILED STALKER]
Alignment: Neutral
Domain: Hunt · Fear · Survival
A single line appeared, slow and deliberate.
You hid when others died.
You learned instead of screaming.
That is the mark of prey that survives long enough to become a hunter.
[SPONSORSHIP OFFER EXTENDED]
Benefits Preview:
• Bonus Stealth-type skill growth
• Emergency concealment once per floor
• Reduced detection by hostile elites
Penalty:
• Refusing a hunt request lowers favor permanently
Vikram swallowed.
He remembered Ravi's scream.
Mahesh freezing in place.
"I don't want glory," he whispered.
"I just don't want to die."
The constellation answered immediately.
Then accept me.
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO FORM A CONTRACT?]
▶ ACCEPT / REJECT
The button pulsed.
Watching.
Waiting.