As the twisted monsters began to fall from the sky, their distorted bodies cutting through the air like shadows of nightmares, a wave of terror swept through the crowd standing below.
People stumbled backward. Some collapsed to their knees.
"We're going to die…!"
Screams erupted from every direction as the creatures descended closer and closer, their claws stretched forward, their grotesque forms reflecting in hundreds of terrified eyes.
But just before they could touch the ground-They stopped. Suspended in mid-air as if time itself had tightened its grip around them.
A transparent, glass-like barrier shimmered into existence around the monsters, sealing them once more inside the massive floating box.
A dry, distorted laugh echoed across the trembling city.
"Khekhekhe…"
The Lagger Head floated above them, its glitching face twitching as if struggling to hold a stable expression.
"Oh… you really got scared," it said, amusement dripping from its voice. "Don't worry. I'll let you rest… for a few minutes."
Still hovering in the sky, it drifted slightly forward, its presence pressing down on the crowd like an invisible weight.
Then after taking few steps forward in the air, it stopped. Its gaze lowered toward the humans below.
"So… why don't we first give the penalty from the last quest we gave you?"
Before anyone could react. It snapped the fingers of its left hand.
In the next instant-
Heads exploded. Across the crowd.
One after another.
A wet, horrifying sound filled the air as bodies dropped lifelessly to the ground, collapsing where they stood.
For a split second, silence hung heavy.
Then in the next second…
Screams erupted from all around the world.
Serenya immediately moved, pulling Isaya close and placing her hands over his eyes, shielding him from the sight of the headless bodies scattered across the street.
Soryn stood frozen. His pupils trembled.
People… dying… right in front of him.
The Lagger Head laughed again, the sound now soaked in mockery.
"Oh… it looks like only 57,000 people died across the world who failed their task."
It tilted its head slightly.
"Such a shame."
The Lagger head looked in the air. Slowly, a thin, jagged crack appeared in front of it-a portal, pulsating faintly with a sickly green glow. The Lagger Head stepped into it, pausing just long enough to glance backward.
Behind it, dozens of other laggers shuffled uneasily. Their glitches stuttered in the air, their distorted forms trembling as if afraid of their leader.
The Lagger Head's gaze sharpened, and it pointed toward one of the smaller laggers, a fragile-looking figure, barely the size of a ten-year-old child.
"Alpha," it said, with a cold voice.
"You will be in charge of Titan City. The rest… return to your own areas."
The portal flickered, swallowing the Lagger Head entirely.
As all other laggers vanished too, the cracks dissolved one by one, leaving only the eerie, unbroken expanse of the purple sky above.
Only Alpha left alone standing in the air. Slowly, it started to descend. Its voice, cold and distorted, cut through the chaos.
"Listen closely, low lives," Alpha said, hovering a few meters above the ground. "I am your in-charge from now on. From this moment forward… your survival is your responsibility."
It paused, letting the silence stretch like a blade across the city. Then Alpha's voice returned, sharper this time, slicing through the trembling murmurs.
"If you wish to survive, you must serve the Watchers. They observe you from here, from across the multiverse, and even beyond. They will summon you, demand you, and take what they desire. Entertain them, obey them, earn for them… whatever they wish, you will comply. That is the only path."
A small girl, trembling with defiance and terror, raised her hand. "Do… do we really have to join a Watcher?" Her voice quivered, barely audible over the wind.
Alpha's gaze snapped toward her. A mocking, high-pitched laugh echoed across the streets, wrapping around broken buildings and shattered faces.
"You can refuse," it hissed, voice dripping with venom. "But know this, if you do, you will not survive. There is no place in this world for weaklings, low lives. Survival is not a right… it is a reward earned only through obedience and usefulness."
The humans trembled, some collapsing to the ground, others gripping one another as if sheer human contact could protect them from what was to come.
"I think… that is enough talking," Alpha said, its voice lowering to a threatening whisper that somehow carried to every corner of the city.
"In five minutes… the next quest will begin."
With that, it vanished, leaving the humans alone beneath the blood-purple sky.
A window blinked open right in front of Soryn, shimmering with faint blue light.
***************************************
Quest: Survive the Monsters
Duration: 1 day
Area: Titan City
Reward: Watchers can start accepting you as their player.New ability unlock.
*******************************************
Soryn's eyes narrowed as he read the words. The danger was escalating more and more. He instinctively touched his chin, as he continued to think.
His gaze flicked back toward Serenya and Isaya. Both of them looked tense, their expressions tight with worry.
He moved closer, crouching slightly to meet their eyes. "Don't worry," he said, forcing a calm tone, though his own heart thumped like a drum. "We'll survive this. I promise."
Then he looked at Isaya and asked. "What ability you got? Isaya."
"I… I have wind abilities." Isaya replied.
Soryn's lips curved into a small smile, and he patted the boy lightly on the head. "Good. That will be useful."
Before he could say anything more, a glowing box materialized right in front of them.
[Quest 1 Reward: Basic Gear]
Soryn stepped forward and opened it carefully. Inside lay a sleek sword, two sharp daggers, and a finely crafted bow. As he picked up the sword, a small message appeared in front of him:
[The weapons will adapt to the user, allowing use without any prior knowledge or experience.]
"Oh… that's convenient," Soryn muttered, a note of approval in his voice. He handed the bow to Isaya. "You take this. Stay behind us and cover us with it," he instructed.
Isaya's eyes lit up slightly, a small, determined smile tugging at his lips. He clutched the bow tightly. Serenya took the sword and gripped it firmly.
In moments, all three of them were ready - Soryn gripped both daggers, Serenya at his side, and Isaya positioned behind them.
Serenya's eyes scanned the street, as her eyes landed on a small, half-ruined building. "Let's take cover under that," she said, pointing toward it. "It'll give us some protection if the monsters drop right on top of us."
Soryn nodded. "Good idea." He said. And all three of them rushed toward the building.
They slid behind the low walls, crouching as they tried to make sense of the looming threat
Whatever happens… I need to protect them. I can't let them die. he thought, his mind already racing through different strategies. So that they could survive.
A few seconds later, another message blinked into existence:
[2nd Quest Started]
[All Watchers are watching. Try your best to survive.]
In an instant, the sky seemed to shatter. The monsters, once suspended midair, plummeted down, crashing into the streets with earth-shaking force. Chaos erupted.
Humans fought desperately, some wielding newly acquired weapons, others attempting to defend themselves barehanded.
A snake-like monster, its scales glinting with unnatural hues.
It slithered toward Soryn, hissing as its fangs dripped with venom.
The moment he saw it coming. He dove forward and as he reached near its head he leapt over his head. At the same time, Isaya loosed two arrows which struck in its two eyes.
Serenya and Soryn followed immediately as their blades cut the monster into half.
"Oh… that was easy," Soryn muttered.
But before he could rest a little. Both Isaya and Serenya screamed.
"Soryn!"
"Mister! Behind you"
He turned just in time to see a monstrous bear-shaped creature, its body a patchwork of jagged stone and sinew, looming over him.
Its massive paws slammed down, one tearing into his chest while the other connected with his face. The force sent him sprawling to the ground, wind knocked from his lungs, his vision darkening at the edges.
Is this… the end? he thought. He felt the world dimming around him as his eyes began to close.