Elijah Merrows knelt on the cold stone, trying to regulate his ragged breathing as the swirling symbols vanished from his vision. His heart thundered, and sweat dripped into his eyes. Around him, the bodies of monstrous hounds and a handful of fallen coworkers lay in a stark tableau of carnage.
The swirling starfield beneath the courtyard floor began to fade, revealing a return to a smooth, obsidian-like surface. A hush settled over the survivors—though that hush was punctured by scattered sobs, low moans of pain, and the shallow gasps of the injured.
Gideon Pierce, favoring his blood-streaked thigh, surveyed the group. He took a few hobbling steps before planting his foot and steadying himself. “We need to figure out if there’s more of those creatures coming.” His voice was tense but oddly composed, as though he were already shifting into a crisis-management mindset.
Sandra Lewis looked over from where she was crouched beside a wounded coworker—a programmer named Rohan, who’d been slashed across the chest. “Nora,” Sandra called softly, “did you say you got something about healing magic?”
Nora Reyes trembled, hugging her arms to her chest. “N-not exactly. It’s more like ‘Wind Manifestation.’ I can do a kind of barrier or push things, but it won’t heal him.”
Meanwhile, a timid voice emerged from the rear. “I have a skill… Recovery Sigil.” The young woman stepped forward, biting her lip. Her nametag—still pinned to a torn blouse—read Lauren. “I—I’m not sure how it works, but I can try.”
Elijah found himself strangely calm, adrenaline still coursing but mind laser-focused. “Lauren, give it a shot. See if it can at least stop the bleeding.” He remembered how she’d timidly raised her hand at the end of the fight. Right now, she might be their best hope for saving lives.
Lauren set her palms over Rohan’s wound. A faint green glow pulsed through her fingertips, swirling into a pattern of geometric lines. Her face went taut with concentration. For a moment, nothing happened—then Rohan coughed, exhaling in a ragged breath, and the bleeding visibly slowed.
Sandra let out a relieved sigh and gently helped hold Rohan steady. “That’s it. Keep going.”
Across the courtyard, Gideon crouched next to the remains of one of the monstrous hounds. Elijah watched him, half horrified, half curious, as Gideon used the butt of his pistol to nudge at its tough hide. The bullet casings near the body told the story of the lethal dance that had ended the creature’s life.
“What are you looking for?” Elijah asked as he approached, still clutching the spectral bow in one hand. Its form flickered whenever he lost focus, like it might vanish at any moment.
Gideon frowned at the dead monster. “Weak points. Maybe something we can salvage.” He glanced up. “Might need resources—claws, hide. Sounds grotesque, I know, but if we’re stuck wherever the hell this is, we might need every edge we can get. Armor, weapons… anything.”
Elijah gave a slight nod, scanning the ring of survivors around them. “We should probably do a head count.” His throat felt tight; the image of coworkers lying motionless on the ground gnawed at him. “And see if everyone else got those messages about their classes and skills.”
Gideon exhaled and stood, wincing at his thigh. “Right. Let’s gather them up.”
They returned to the center. Despite the surreal transformation of the coliseum, the crowd seemed no closer to an explanation. When Gideon cleared his throat, the chatter subsided. People instinctively turned toward him and Sandra, as though they were the twin pillars of leadership here—Gideon with his direct, authoritative presence, Sandra with her calm practicality.
“All right,” Gideon said, his voice carrying over the uneasy group. “If you’re not injured, check on someone who is.” He gestured to the far side. “Lauren is doing what she can with that healing skill. If you have anything similar, speak up.”
A tall man with thick-rimmed glasses raised a hand. “Um, I’m Harold. I just got… I think it’s called ‘Purification Light’? No idea if it heals wounds, but I can try.”
Sandra nodded. “You do that. Anyone else? Let’s see all of your skill windows or descriptions, if possible. We need to figure out who can do what.”
Slowly, about twenty or so individuals stepped forward—either with some kind of healing or support skills, or at least something that might help treat the wounded. The rest milled about, looking lost. Some were visibly in shock, trembling or hugging themselves. Nora drifted from group to group, trying to offer comfort.
Elijah caught Vince Anders’s eye. The younger man was hunched over, staring at something invisible that probably only he could see—his System interface. “Vince,” Elijah said softly, “you holding up?”
“I… yeah. I mean…” He looked up, eyes haunted. “I got a skill called ‘Arc Surge.’ Used it once near the end of the fight, but it fizzled. Didn’t do anything. My class is apparently ‘Sparkslinger’? I didn’t even choose it—I just pressed something.” He swallowed thickly. “Everyone’s so calm. But we just… we just lost Dave, and Carmen, and those new interns…”
Elijah placed a hand on Vince’s shoulder. “I know. It’s going to hit all of us eventually. But we need each other right now.” He didn’t know what else to say, so he squeezed Vince’s shoulder once and moved on, the emptiness in his chest growing.
Meanwhile, Gideon and Sandra formed a loose circle with around fifteen of the less-injured survivors. “We have to figure out if this place is stable or if we’re about to be jumped by more… hellhounds,” Sandra said. “Does anyone see an exit or a door?”
Elijah glanced around. The smooth, high walls of the coliseum were unbroken except for one enormous stone gate carved with strange runes. Above it hung a shimmering icon—some symbol reminiscent of a lock or crest. “That gate seems like the only way out,” he noted.
A few nods. “We could try it,” Gideon mused. “But the moment we open it, who knows what else is on the other side.”
At that, the same metallic, echoing voice from earlier resonated through the courtyard:
“Tutorial Stage One: Adaptive Coliseum. Time until Next Assessment: 03:59:46.”
A hush fell. The survivors exchanged anxious looks.
“Next assessment,” Elijah said under his breath, recalling how the last ‘assessment’ had introduced the lethal hounds. “We might not want to just sit here for four hours waiting to get ambushed again.”
Gideon’s jaw tightened. “Agreed.”
“We should gather up anything usable,” Sandra said. “And see if that gate opens from this side.”
“Let’s do it carefully,” Gideon added. “If it’s locked, we regroup. If it’s not locked, we proceed with caution. We move as a unit.”
A small group volunteered to help with the gate. Elijah went along, bow in hand, though he still felt a pang of guilt for leaving the wounded behind. But he had little healing power beyond moral support. Meanwhile, Nora, Vince, and a handful of others were scouring the coliseum floor for anything that might serve as supplies.
Crossing the courtyard, Elijah was struck by how alien the environment felt. The air itself seemed faintly charged, as if the tutorial was a living construct watching them. He touched the swirling runes on the massive gate’s surface. Cool stone under his fingertips. Up close, he realized the gate stood at least three stories tall, an architectural marvel.
“Anyone see a handle?” muttered Oscar, a wiry custodian whose wide eyes flicked over the engraved design.
Gideon reached to push at the gate’s seam. Muscles in his broad arms strained, but the gate didn’t budge. Sandra tried pressing on a rune. Nothing happened.
Then a flicker of text appeared in Elijah’s vision:
You are attempting to exit Stage One. Requirements not met.
Collective Party Level average must be ≥ 2 OR Puzzle Sequence completed.
He turned to the others. “It’s giving me a message. Says we can’t leave unless the average party level is two or we complete some puzzle sequence.” He hesitated. “That means the door’s effectively locked for now.”
“Puzzle sequence?” Sandra repeated. “Anyone see a puzzle around here?”
They all looked back. The coliseum floor was mostly featureless aside from the swirling star patterns that had reappeared in faint ribbons. The only distinct shapes were the runic carvings on the walls. Gideon nodded grimly. “So it’s either figure out a puzzle or level up. And leveling probably means fighting more beasts.”
Elijah exhaled softly. “We can’t handle any big fight until we’ve regrouped and stabilized the wounded.” He glanced at Gideon’s leg. The man was still limping.
From behind them, a small commotion rippled as Nora rushed over, beckoning. “Hey, guys. We found something weird.”
She led them to one of the coliseum’s arcs, where a series of etched symbols glowed faintly in the stone floor. It formed a rough circle about ten feet across. Inside lay a shallow depression like a platform.
Nora frowned. “I tried stepping on it. These symbols lit up for a second. Vince tried it too, and it started showing random shapes above the floor, almost like holograms. Then it just vanished.”
Elijah recalled the text from his interface: Puzzle Sequence completed. This had puzzle written all over it. “Maybe this is the puzzle we need to solve to unlock the gate.”
Gideon pressed his lips together, clearly not enthusiastic. But he stepped forward, carefully placing one foot on the platform. The etched lines brightened, forming swirling patterns that rose into the air. Suddenly, the shapes coalesced into a translucent ring, floating just above Gideon’s head.
A second ring of similar glyphs appeared around Elijah’s body, even though he wasn’t inside the circle. Then more rings flickered to life around Sandra, Nora, and several others in proximity. The words Synchronized Link Attempt shimmered in everyone’s field of vision.
Vince, standing behind Nora, let out a low whistle. “I feel… something. Like a pulse or—”
The swirling symbols suddenly rearranged themselves, snapping into geometric alignments. And then, just as abruptly, they blinked out. Gideon grimaced and stepped off. “Didn’t do anything but flash at us.”
Sandra stared at her own interface window. “Could it be that we need a certain combination of classes or a certain number of us on there at once?”
“It might also be tied to a level requirement,” Elijah hypothesized. “Or maybe we each have to do something while on the platform.”
A tight silence followed. They were all amateurs in this bizarre labyrinth. Gathering puzzle clues felt like a needle-in-a-haystack scenario.
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“I suggest we refocus on survival for the moment,” Gideon said at length. “We should set up a perimeter, see if we can harvest anything from those beasts, confirm who’s alive, and bury the dead.” He swallowed hard, that last part hitting him heavily. “If we can’t solve the puzzle right away, we might need to get stronger. Or at least heal up and figure out how to combine our skills effectively.”
No one argued. Despite the flicker of frustration, the logic was sound. They had about four hours until the next wave of horrors descended, if the timer was accurate. And maybe they could earn experience points by defeating smaller foes if that next wave was less lethal.
They returned to the main group, where Lauren’s Recovery Sigil had stabilized Rohan, though he was still weak and groggy. Several other injured survivors had been treated by Harold’s Purification Light. It wasn’t miraculous, but it stopped infections and seemed to hasten natural healing.
Elijah scanned the huddled employees. Counting heads, he arrived at 93 survivors. The coliseum had started with closer to a hundred. That cold, brutal difference weighed on them all.
He approached Sandra, who cradled her own bruised arm. “You doing okay?”
She managed a tired smile. “I’ll manage. Just need a few minutes. Any luck with the gate?”
Elijah shook his head. “We found a puzzle platform. Doesn’t seem solvable yet. The door is locked behind a level requirement or that puzzle. Gideon wants us to regroup, gather resources, and prepare for the next wave of monsters.”
Sandra looked over at Gideon, who was overseeing a few volunteers near the carcasses of the hounds. He offered them a curt nod. “We’re short on time, so we better split tasks quickly,” Sandra said.
They formed a makeshift command center at the coliseum’s center. A half-ring of uninjured or lightly injured staff gathered:
* Gideon and a few strong volunteers to attempt salvaging the creatures for hide, claws, or anything valuable.
* Nora, Vince, and a small group to scout the arena walls for hidden compartments or runes that might relate to the puzzle.
* Harold, Lauren, and other healers to set up a triage area for any new injuries or infections.
* Sandra, Elijah, and several others to plan defensive positions and watch for any new portals that might open.
Elijah quickly realized how desperately they were improvising. Office employees and security personnel thrust into a survival scenario—no real chain of command, no gear beyond conjured weapons or half-baked spells. But it was all they had.
The next hour passed in tense, hurried activity. Elijah patrolled the coliseum perimeter, bow in hand, while Gideon worked with his salvage team. The monstrous hounds’ hides were thick and tough; prying them apart required serious muscle. Their claws, on the other hand, snapped free with relative ease. One coworker speculated the claws might be shaped into crude daggers. Another tried to peel off a layer of hide to use as a shield.
Meanwhile, Nora and Vince found more cryptic etchings along the curved walls—nothing obviously puzzle-like, just more swirling designs. Vince was hunched over them like they were code he could debug.
Elijah circled around to check on them. “Any breakthroughs?”
Vince shook his head, frustration etched on his face. “They don’t respond to a manual touch or random skill usage. I tried channeling my ‘Arc Surge’ into one, but no effect.”
Nora offered a small shrug. “We might be missing a key. Or maybe the puzzle platform is the actual key, and these are just set dressing.”
Elijah gave a curt nod. “Okay. Keep an eye out. We have about three hours until the next wave…”
Just then, a clang from Gideon’s direction drew Elijah’s attention. Gideon, hooking a large claw from the beast’s paw, held it aloft. “Almost looks like obsidian,” Gideon remarked. “But it’s light. And it’s got a wicked edge.”
He turned to Elijah with a grim sort of satisfaction. “Might be we can rig a few of these into actual weapons. No point letting them rot.”
Elijah felt a small spark of hope. “Better than our bare hands, for sure.”
By the time they’d collected claws, hide strips, and even some rough bone fragments, the group was sweaty, dirty, and exhausted. The courtyard stank of metallic blood and the pungent odor of the beasts. But at least they had a potential array of tools—crude, but possibly life-saving.
Sandra helped distribute these among those who lacked any offensive skill or conjurable weapon. “Maybe we can even attach the claws to a pole or rod—like a spear,” she suggested, eyeing a length of broken stone that could serve as a makeshift staff.
The thought of turning a chunk of staff lounge furniture (or what used to be a desk leg, possibly) into a medieval spear would have been laughable yesterday. Now, it felt like a necessity.
As the second hour ticked away, Lauren managed to get a few people back on their feet with her Recovery Sigil. Morale rose slightly when Rohan—who’d been in dire condition—stood up with assistance, thanking her profusely.
Harold also discovered that his Purification Light could kill off minor infections or poison if they were fresh, which might save lives later. Another woman named Brittany realized she had a skill called Fortifying Song, though singing in front of everyone made her blush fiercely. Despite her embarrassment, those who heard the tune felt a gentle surge of stamina.
Elijah couldn’t help feeling a flicker of admiration—and relief. They had synergy: healing, buffing, new weapons. If they could keep it together, maybe they’d survive. At least the next wave.
But a heaviness still pressed on him. He hadn’t forgotten the systematic brutality of that first fight. It had ripped away the veneer of normality in a heartbeat.
He found a moment’s quiet near the puzzle platform, watching the swirling lines in the floor. The ephemeral bow, still flickering at his side, was a constant reminder of his new reality. He didn’t even know how many arrows he could conjure, or if leveling up might unlock new abilities. The System’s logic was a mystery.
Nora approached, hair matted with sweat. “Hey. You look lost in thought.”
Elijah exhaled slowly. “Yeah. Just… trying to get a handle on all this.” He paused. “Did you, uh, open your status screen? I’m still at level zero—apparently kills or ‘contributions’ net experience. I guess I didn’t get that last hit on more than one hound.”
Nora nodded. “The one I hit with wind bolts was already half-dead from bullets. The kill credit must’ve gone elsewhere. I’m level zero too. Vince says he’s close to leveling, though, so maybe we’re sharing experience in unpredictable ways.”
Elijah forced a faint smile. “We’ll figure it out.”
She gestured at his bow. “You were… pretty impressive. I had no idea you could shoot like that.”
Elijah shook his head, fighting the swirl of guilt and pride. “Never used a bow in my life.” The ghostly weapon in his hand was more the System’s doing than his own skill. But if it helped them survive, he’d learn quickly.
Time marched on. Around the three-hour mark—less than an hour until the next scheduled ‘Assessment’—Elijah and Sandra called everyone to gather in the center again. Gideon, leaning on a makeshift crutch, joined them, bruised but determined.
“All right,” Sandra announced, voice ringing across the courtyard. “We can’t solve the puzzle yet, so we’re focusing on fighting whatever might come next. We have some healing and a few new weapons. If we can survive, we might push to level up enough to exit. If anyone cracks the puzzle in time, fantastic. Otherwise, get ready.”
The tension was palpable. People murmured anxiously, stealing glances at the place where the red portal had first appeared.
Elijah raised his voice, hoping it wouldn’t shake. “Stick together in teams, watch each other’s backs. If you have a ranged skill, link up with someone who can keep you safe if anything lunges.”
Nora, Vince, and a few others who discovered ranged magic nodded. Gideon and the stronger melee fighters spread out in a protective formation around them.
A faint hum filled the air, exactly as it had before the initial hellhounds emerged. A hush fell over the group. Lauren and Harold clutched each other, ready to cast their healing lights. Brittany quietly began humming a note from her Fortifying Song.
The hum crescendoed. Overhead, the swirling sky flickered with arcs of lightning, and multiple red portals blossomed around the coliseum’s perimeter.
No one needed an order. They braced, hearts pounding, weapons raised.
But the shapes emerging weren’t monstrous hounds. Instead, a half-dozen humanoid silhouettes stepped through each portal. Eighteen or so total. They stood on two feet, each brandishing some battered weapon—spears, swords, axes. They had furred, canine-like heads and digitigrade legs.
Someone gasped. “Wolf-people?”
One of the creatures pointed a jagged spear toward the humans, barking something in a language that resonated oddly in Elijah’s ears. Then, that metallic voice from the System:
“Second Combat Assessment: Gnoll Raiders.”
The pack of gnolls snarled in unison, forming a line as they advanced.
“Hold positions!” Gideon barked, supporting himself on that improvised crutch. “Don’t let them isolate you!”
Elijah’s hand tightened on his bowstring, conjuring an arrow of pale light. He took aim at the lead gnoll, the one with the spear, letting his breath settle. His heart drummed faster, but the memory of the first fight steadied him. We can do this.
The spear-wielding gnoll let out a guttural war cry, and the pack charged.
Elijah exhaled and loosed his arrow. It flashed across the courtyard and nailed the spear-gnoll in the shoulder. With a yelp, the creature stumbled, but only for a beat before it pressed on, savage determination lighting its eyes.
Shots of swirling wind from Nora whipped the air. Vince, shaking with adrenaline, summoned a bolt of electricity that lashed at two gnolls, making them stagger. The melee line—led by Gideon, hobbling but resolute—met the brunt of the assault with half-formed claws lashed to rods and battered pieces of hide as shields.
Sandra sidestepped a gnoll’s overhead swing and slammed a metal pipe into its ribs. Another staffer followed up with a desperate slash, hooking the gnoll’s hamstring. It yelped, collapsing.
Elijah drew another arrow, scanning for an opening. At the corner of his eye, he saw a gnoll leap over an improvised barricade, heading for the smaller cluster of unarmed staff. No you don’t. He loosed a shot that caught it in the back. The beast stumbled, shrieking, then Gideon lunged to finish it off with a savage stab from a hound claw-knife.
Blood spattered the stone. The gnolls fought with cunning, trying to flank or corner the humans. But the group had learned from the first encounter. They stayed in rough formation, watching for each other.
A gnoll with a rusted axe cornered Brittany, who was too terrified to keep singing. She raised her hands, frantic. Elijah tried to pivot, but a second gnoll blocked his line of fire. Before he could blink, a figure darted in—Nora, whirling with a blade she’d taken from salvage. She slashed the gnoll’s arm, wind swirling around her like a shield. It stumbled, giving Brittany time to scramble away.
The fight raged. Ranged bolts and arrows flickered overhead. Gnolls hissed and snarled. The humans shouted warnings, forging a chaotic dance that echoed off the coliseum walls.
Elijah found a narrow opening again, loosing shot after shot at the wounded gnolls. His chest ached, breath ragged, but each arrow that found a target bolstered his determination. The System’s influence seemed to guide him, letting him move with an agility that felt impossible mere hours ago.
One gnoll broke from the pack and charged Elijah directly, murder in its eyes. He fired an arrow that grazed its torso, but it powered through. He leapt back, heart hammering. The gnoll swung a crude sword. Elijah ducked low, nearly dropping his bow.
“Over here!” came a shout. Vince, hands crackling with electricity, flung a bolt at the gnoll. The creature’s muscles spasmed, giving Elijah the chance to notch an arrow and fire point-blank into its chest. The gnoll sank to its knees, eyes glazing over, then slumped.
After what felt like an eternity, the final gnoll fell beneath Gideon’s improvised spear. The courtyard rang with heavy breathing and the moans of the wounded. But compared to the first battle, they’d held formation—and it had made all the difference.
Elijah staggered, adrenaline still roaring through him. He saw Sandra pressing a hand against a bleeding cut on her side but standing tall. Gideon nearly collapsed, caught by a coworker before hitting the ground.
The few gnolls who still had life in them coughed and growled on the floor. One tried to crawl away, dragging a snapped spear. Gideon, teeth gritted, ended its struggle with a decisive thrust.
Then, in that exhausted hush, a chiming tone resounded through each survivor’s mind:
“Second Assessment Complete. 93 Initiates remain. Collective Experience Distributed.”
“Level Up!”
Elijah’s eyes widened as a surge of warmth rushed through his body. A transparent window appeared before him:
Name: Elijah Merrows
Race: [Human – Level 0 → 1]
Class: Strider (Basic)
Health: 65/70
Mana: 20/20
Stamina: 35/50
Level Up!
Attribute Points Gained: 5
Current Free Points: 10
Achievement Unlocked: [First of Many]
Reward: Minor increase in base stats, +1 skill slot
A faint radiance glowed around his limbs. He heard exclamations from the others, presumably seeing their own level-up notifications. A few even whooped in relief.
Gasping for breath, Elijah shared a weary grin with Vince, who managed a shaky thumbs-up. Maybe they’d inched closer to the average level needed to unlock the gate.
And in the corner of the courtyard, the puzzle platform shimmered faintly again, as though reacting to their growth. The next steps of the tutorial loomed, but for the first time, a spark of real hope blazed in the battered hearts of those who still stood.
Because they had survived again—and grown stronger in the process.