> July 31, 2024 - Headquarters of the United Nations, New York, US
“Yo, what’s up, everyone? Time to check out The Cage, the second trial in The Tower,” he began. The video transitioned to a pristine, featureless white room, identical to The White Room, but with a small addition in the center: a metal cage.
“Alright, peep this,” the streamer continued, zooming in on the cage. Inside was a small, white humanoid creature, eerily devoid of eyes, ears, or a nose, and boasting a mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth. “Man, doesn’t that look like it’s straight out of a horror flick? Reminds me of some of the more intense stuff we’ve seen on the channel.”
He paused the video to add commentary. “This little creep is what participants have to deal with. But guess what? There’s something else in there, but I’m not gonna spoil it just yet.”
The video resumed, showing a small, ominous red button on the wall. “Okay, check it—this button doesn’t take a genius to figure out. But here’s the twist: the cage has no door. How does it open? Let’s find out.”
The streamer played a clip of a participant pressing the button, and the cage disappeared in an instant. “Whoa! Did you see that? Bam! And the cage is gone. Wild, right?”
He then showed footage of the creature slowly advancing toward the participant. “So, some peeps had a knife, while others just left it on the floor. Watch this next part—it’s extremely graphic and not for the weak of stomach. But hey, if you’ve been following me for a while, you probably got what it takes,” he chuckled.
The video displayed disturbing scenes of the creature attacking and eating people alive. The footage went blank momentarily after each attack, with the streamer making grim comments. “Yeah, that’s some next-level nightmare fuel. But let’s be real here, this creature is weak as fuck. The only humans who died were either paralyzed by fear, dumb, or both.”
The video then shifted to show participants who managed to fight back. “Check this out. This guy here grabbed the knife and went straight for the creature’s head. One clean slice and it was game over for the creep.” The screen showed a participant swiftly decapitating the creature with a single, well-aimed strike.
Another clip played. “And here’s someone who got creative. This dude didn’t even have a knife—he used his belt! Wrapped it around the creature’s neck and just squeezed until it stopped moving. Efficient and brutal.”
The streamer showed another clip of a participant who remained calm and composed. “This guy is interesting. He didn’t rush. He waited for the creature to get close, then used its own momentum against it. A quick shove, and it fell, then he stomped on its head until it was done for. Sometimes patience and timing are all you need.”
The video displayed several more successful encounters, highlighting the various strategies and techniques used to defeat the creature. Each participant who managed to overcome their fear and act decisively found a way to kill the monster with relative ease.
“And here’s the clutch part—look at that reward!” The screen displayed an orb appearing exactly where the white creature had been, materializing after it dissipated without a trace.
“Well, these orbs—we have no idea what they are, but they sure are creepy as hell,” he said, showing the orb being absorbed as some people touched it, the orb sucking through their skin into their bodies without leaving a trace.
“Now, while the effect of the orb is hard to tell from the videos shown, look at this one.” He then showed a young man with a prosthetic leg and messy black hair absorbing the orb just as he passed out after being bitten in the arm. “Now look at this,” he fast-forwarded the video and then suddenly paused it. It showed the prosthetic leg disappearing and being replaced by a normal leg. “Wild! If this wasn’t crazy enough already, look at this.” He rewound the video and then played it again, showing that the transition was perfectly smooth and instantaneous. “I mean, it’s just like that. Boom! Got your leg back! Anyway, I have other clips too.” He then showed a girl whose arm was missing, recovering it after absorbing the orb, along with a few similar cases.
“Well, that’s not the only prize.” He then zoomed in on a barrel and fruits in the middle of the room. “After all that madness, you get some much-needed snacks and hydration.”
Finally, the video showed a staircase appearing, leading to the next level. “And that’s it, you have access to the next room. Test completed. If you enjoyed this breakdown, make sure to hit that subscribe button and smash the like for more content on The Tower trials!”
The video ended, and the screen went blank. Viktor, smiling, turned to Dr. Lee, the biologist. “Dr. Lee, I’d like your professional opinion on these creatures. What do you make of them?”
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The room had turned silent after the video ended, and the sudden question made Dr. Samantha Lee startle slightly. She composed herself quickly, adjusting her glasses as she gathered her thoughts.
“These creatures are fascinating, albeit horrifying,” Dr. Lee began. “From the footage, they exhibit characteristics of both predatory and scavenger behavior. Their lack of sensory organs like eyes, ears, and nose suggests they rely on other means to detect their prey, possibly through vibrations or chemical detection similar to that of some deep-sea creatures that can sense their environment without traditional sensory organs.”
She paused, looking around the room to gauge the reactions of her colleagues. “Their physical structure is humanoid but with significant deviations that imply a form of rapid, possibly forced, evolution or genetic manipulation. The presence of only a mouth full of sharp teeth indicates a purely carnivorous diet, and the aggression we observed suggests they are designed—or have adapted—to kill quickly and efficiently.”
Viktor nodded, encouraging her to continue. “And what about their apparent weakness? They seem easy to defeat once you overcome the initial fear.”
Dr. Lee leaned forward. “That’s another intriguing aspect. Their physical resilience appears low, meaning they can be killed through traditional means—beheading, exsanguination, or significant trauma to the head. This could indicate that their primary defense mechanism, at least against the human participants, is psychological, relying on inducing fear and panic in their victims. Once a participant overcomes that fear and acts decisively, the creature’s physical vulnerabilities are exposed.”
Elena interjected, “Before we proceed further, let’s be clear that we cannot send anyone inside The Tower at this point, so analyzing the weakness of these creatures is rather pointless.” She threw a knowing look at Viktor, who slightly frowned. “Our goal is to assess and understand the situation thoroughly. With that in mind, I’d like to ask Dr. Jensen, a renowned psychologist, to provide an assessment report of those who exited The Tower after being defeated by the creature in the second floor.”
Dr. Jensen, a middle-aged man with a calm demeanor, stepped forward. “Thank you, Madam Secretary-General. We’ve conducted extensive interviews and psychological evaluations with the individuals who were well … 'killed' by those creatures in The Tower. Many of them exhibit symptoms of severe trauma, including PTSD, acute stress disorder, and anxiety.”
He continued, “The fear induced by the creature is profound and has lasting effects. However, we’ve also found that those who managed to act decisively, even if they were ultimately unsuccessful, have shown better psychological resilience. Their ability to confront the creature, despite the fear, seems to mitigate some of the long-term psychological damage.”
“Are we seriously going to have the same assessment after every floor?” Viktor suddenly interrupted. “I mean, the symptoms are obvious and are going to be the same every time. So just focus on giving PTSD treatment to every returnee and let’s move on to the next trial.” He then paused as if remembering something. “Well, now that I mention the next trial, I believe we will need some advice from… Dr. Johnson, was it? Well, your esteemed input, sir, on what the returnees from that floor said, as well, The Quiet Room has little to tell,” he grinned.
image [https://i.imgur.com/EPU265m.png]
‘Ugh.’
Everything around felt blurry at first until his eyes slowly adjusted to the light. But more than the sight, it was the overwhelming sensation of disgust that hit him first. A repugnant smell assaulted his senses, making his stomach churn violently. He gagged, the stench so overpowering that it felt like it was burning his nostrils.
He looked down and saw that he was covered completely in black ooze, the thick, slimy substance clinging to his skin and clothes. The smell was unbearable, a mix of decay and something indescribably foul. His body, already weakened and predisposed to nausea, couldn't handle it.
He vomited, the bile rising uncontrollably in his throat. It was gray. He vomited a lot, his body convulsing with each heave. The vomit splattered onto the ground, mixing with the black ooze, adding to the grotesque scene. He retched until there was nothing left in his stomach, his body trembling with the effort.
After everything was released, he started looking around. He noted the stairs, the barrel, and... nothing else. It was the same white room as always.
“Ahhh!”
A piercing pain assaulted his head. It was incredibly sharp, one of the most intense he had ever suffered. But it disappeared as fast as it came. It left him breathing heavily, but he calmed down after a bit.
After giving it some thought, he decided not to worry about it. Compared to everything else, a headache was one of the most normal things that had happened to him recently.
He looked down and noticed his pants were a mess and smelled incredibly bad too. After giving it some thought, he took his boots off and threw his pants off—
He looked to the side and noticed the pants had hit the opposite wall with a resounding impact.
"What...?" He had thrown them hard, yes, but...
He looked at his fist and remembered the effect of the orbs.
‘Yes, how could I forget?’ He shook his head and calmly walked until he reached the barrel. All he was wearing were his underpants. He first drank heavily until his thirst was quenched. Then he took his underpants off and washed himself with the water. He washed his underpants too, and after giving them a squeeze to dry them, he put them back on. If not for decency, he just wanted to keep them on as a form of comfort, and even for combat, it was practical not to have ‘that’ swinging around.
There was not much remaining in the barrel, but that would do. He carried it up, went back for the sword and repeated the process. Step by step, he climbed the stairs.
After he reached the top and the light came, he put the barrel down and frowned. The room was the same white room but… incredibly narrow. Standing in front of him was a wall and two buttons.