[Welcome to the Endgame Lobby.]
By the time the elevator carried them out of the Scenario, the doors opened onto an enormous futuristic lobby.
Hundreds upon hundreds of Players filled the vast space. Some sat braced against walls, bleeding from open wounds, while others were carried by their companions. Many looked completely exhausted, their clothes torn and soaked in blood.
Yet, strangely enough, a few looked completely at home.
Jun had finally regained consciousness during the elevator ride. He stumbled out beside He Zhihan and Dali, blinking rapidly as he stared at the endless crowd.
"I’m... alive?" He looked down at his hands as though he couldn’t quite believe they were still attached to his body.
Around them, translucent System panels floated before various Players.
"Yes!" A young man nearby suddenly shouted, pumping his fist. "I unlocked a Skill!"
Several seasoned players turned toward him.
One rough-looking man with a heavily bandaged shoulder stared at him like he’d just announced something suicidal.
"Look at this idiot," the man grunted.
The young man’s smile faded. "What?"
"I almost had my arm torn off in there, kid. Count yourself lucky."
"That’s nothing," another bruised Player chimed in. "I lost three fingers in my Scenario."
"Wait, you still have them?"
"They grew back when we moved back here." She laughed.
"What kind of scenario were you even in?"
Jun slowly turned in a circle, his eyes growing wider by the second. "What the hell..."
Meanwhile, He Zhihan kept one hand pressed against his throbbing lower back while the other dragged through his blood-matted hair, tossing it back from his eyes.
His dark gaze was entirely on the translucent panel hovering before him.
[PLAYER PROFILE UPDATED.]
[Name: He Zhihan]
[Player ID: 00001076]
[Civilization: Earth]
[Status: Newbie Player]
[Rank: D]
[Title: The Nightmare Breaker]
[Scenario Completion: 1]
[Historical Survival Rate: 100%]
[Current Points: 10,130]
°•
[ATTRIBUTES]
[Strength: D+]
[Agility: D]
[Endurance: D+]
[Mental Stability: ERROR]
[Psychological Classification: Sociopathic]
[Threat Assessment: ERROR]
[SKILLS: None]
[TRAITS]
• Pain Resistance
• Fear Suppression
• [Additional Traits: Classified]
°•
[SPECIAL STATUS]
[Dark Essence: Detected]
[Authority: Lockdown]
[Lockdown Status: Dormant]
[Lockdown Abilities: Sealed]
•°
[WITNESS: None]
[ENDGAME BROADCAST STATUS]
[Viewer Interest: Rising]
[Witness Attention: Detected]
[Witness Requests: 12]
He Zhihan’s eyebrows slowly rose as he scanned the detailed breakdown. "That’s a lot of information,"
Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and casually tapped the reject button.
[I strongly advise Player He Zhihan not to reject the Witnesses. Divine Gifts, artifacts, and Blessings bestowed by Witnesses will become increasingly important as you progress through the Infinite Endgame.]
He Zhihan frowned at the notification. "I don’t want them. Just explain what I’m looking at."
[The Infinite Endgame utilizes the following official Player ranks: F → E → D → C → B → A → S → SS → SSS]
[Player Rank determines a Player’s overall combat capability, survival record, and developmental potential.]
[Player He Zhihan has currently been assigned Rank D.]
He Zhihan bit down on his lower lip.
[Player attributes will develop alongside your Rank. Strength, Agility, Endurance, and other attributes will increase through Scenario participation, special rewards, Skills, equipment, and other methods of enhancement.]
[Players must actively participate in Scenarios to advance their Rank.]
He Zhihan’s eyes narrowed. "How do I obtain Skills? I remember the doctor climbing walls."
[Skills can be purchased using Points. Available purchases include abilities, weapons, equipment, healing services, information, consumables, and various other resources.]
[Points also function as currency within the Endgame City.]
He Zhihan stared. "The Endgame City?"
[The Endgame City serves as the primary settlement and trading center for registered Players. It will become accessible after Player He Zhihan successfully clears Scenario Two.]
[Players may purchase equipment, exchange information, accept missions, form teams, access facilities, and conduct various forms of activity within the city.]
He Zhihan nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds fun."
His entire body ached, and the wound on his head was still bleeding slowly.
[Full-body restoration: 100 Points.]
He frowned. "What if I want to heal only my back?"
[Back restoration: 50 Points.]
He Zhihan looked scandalized. "That’s robbery."
[The System does not negotiate prices.]
He clicked his tongue. "Fine. Full restoration."
[100 Points deducted.]
[Healing initiated.]
A strange warmth immediately spread throughout his body. The pain in his spine vanished first, followed by the deep bruising, the cuts, and the swelling. Even the throbbing wound on his head disappeared as damaged tissue rapidly restored itself.
He Zhihan rolled his shoulders experimentally. His expression finally relaxed. "Ah... Worth it."
"Look!" someone suddenly shouted from across the lobby.
Every head turned.
The enormous screens mounted throughout the Endgame Lobby flickered to life. Scenes from countless different Nightmare Scenarios played simultaneously across the massive displays.
Players running through dark corridors, someone being dragged beneath a hospital bed, a woman screaming as something tore through a wall, a man disappearing beneath a swarm of black insects.
Suddenly, every screen cut to a single footage of He Zhihan using a heavy metal grate to savagely bash the Teacher’s head, a wildly unhinged grin stretched across his face.
The camera zoomed in on his blood-splattered expression. Shocked murmurs rippled instantly through the crowd.
"Who is that?"
"Is he wearing a prison uniform?"
"Was he actually trying to kill the Nightmare?"
"Wait... look at his profile!"
"He’s a newbie?"
"It seems someone has pissed off the Witnesses," Dali sang, stepping up next to He Zhihan, who stood watching the screens with a mildly curious expression, hands resting in his pockets.
He quietly lamented the loss of his gum. He’d spat it out with a mouthful of blood back in the classroom.
Without looking at her, he asked, "Is that how it works? Whoever pisses off the Witnesses gets broadcasted?"
Dali scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really don’t understand anything, do you? No one dares to piss off the Witnesses. They are the creators, the gods. You’re the first person who’s ever been publicly put on blast like this since I’ve been here and I’ve been here a long time." She paused, focusing on his profile displayed in towering letters on the main screen.
[PLAYER PROFILE]
Name: He Zhihan
Player ID: 00001076
Status: Newbie Player
Rank: D
Title: The Nightmare Breaker
Scenario Completion: 1
"He Zhihan... so you really are a newbie."
He Zhihan’s eyes narrowed as the whispering around them grew louder, the Players closest to them already staring at him.
"Petty bastards," he drawled, his voice carrying a cold, sharp edge. "Can’t take rejection, huh?"