Hunters are born to hunt.
Labyrinths are worlds where only survival matters.
A hunter must always be prepared to become prey, because there is no telling when the roles might be reversed.
They are always one step away from death, yet they continue to fight no matter how many enemies stand before them or how strong they are.
Some fight to protect their families. Some fight to uphold their ideals. Some fight to survive. Some fight for wealth.
But a few fight to DOMINATE.
The steel kettle whistled from overheating. Luke approached the stove and switched it off. He poured the hot water into the mug resting beside the cabinet, steam rising from the coffee.
Sunlight streamed into the living room, cutting through the floating dust motes. Luke settled onto the sofa as he reflected on the events of the past few days.
His father had recently died, leaving him alone with his two sisters in a rented house. Worse still, the landlord had given him thirty days to pay the overdue bills his father had left behind.
"Tch."
"If only he wasn’t such a drunkard..." Luke muttered bitterly. "He would’ve seen the truck!"
Both of his sisters were currently at school. One, Selene, was only five years old and his biological sister. The other, Clara, was adopted and was deaf.
At first, Luke had instinctively kept his distance from Clara. However, after discovering that she had reached the fabled Level 500 in the worldwide game Mythos, his attitude towards her had gradually changed. After all, he had struggled just to reach Level 13.
He had also quit school. Though he had once been one of the top and most beloved students, none of that mattered after his father’s death.
Luke stood up from the couch, tied his glistening white hair into a bun, grabbed his bag, and stepped out of the apartment.
He arrived at the bus stop, taking in the sight of speeding vehicles, squealing tires, towering skyscrapers, street performers entertaining crowds, and vendors shouting over one another.
Luke exhaled and prepared to cross the road.
However...
The streetlights were the first to go out.
Luke didn’t notice. His attention remained fixed on the road.
CRASH!!
A helicopter suddenly tore through a skyscraper above, sending debris raining onto the pavement below. Pedestrians scattered in panic.
Various eyes turned toward the source of the explosion.
"What’s going on?!"
An old woman who looked to be eighty clutched her walking stick tightly.
"Was it an engine failure?" a young man wearing glasses asked.
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd.
"Someone call the police before the whole building burns!"
Before Luke could ignore the commotion, digital billboards and public screens across the street flickered. The image of a handsome man with a calm demeanor appeared.
Luke recognized him immediately.
Arthur Spark.
The billionaire CEO behind the worldwide game Mythos.
Behind him, officials moved frantically while supervisors shouted orders.
Arthur Spark’s expression was a chilling mixture of clinical coldness and absolute control.
"If you can hear this, Project XZ Mythos has gone out of control. The planet’s core is now unstable, and we were unable to contain it. The game’s reality is merging with our own.
"In anticipation of our failure, we prepared underground bunkers for selected members of society. If officials find you, you’ll be relocated to safety. Those who do not fall under our priorities must rely on their instincts to survive.
"The world map is changing rapidly. Once your zone stabilizes, you will be respawned by the game’s system.
"Until then, survive.
"And may God help us all."
Luke’s eyes twitched.
"What the hell is Project XZ Mythos?"
"And why do we need to survive?"
He could’ve sworn he saw Arthur Spark smirk.
The crowd erupted into chaos. Some immediately made calls, trying to find out the requirements for evacuation. Others dropped to their knees in prayer.
Luke, however, focused on only one thing.
"My sisters..."
Were they safe?
Before an answer could form, the ground ahead exploded.
Massive pillars etched with strange patterns erupted from beneath the earth.
Everyone caught in their path died instantly.
What remained of their bodies made Luke’s face pale.
Screams filled the streets.
Buildings didn’t collapse.
They simply ceased to exist.
People vanished with them.
Clothes dissolved into particles. Asphalt softened into liquid clay before hardening into cobblestone. Smartphones, car keys, and storefronts blinked out of existence.
Across the world, the oceans shifted unnaturally, altering the shape of continents.
Above the city, the clouds vanished.
The sun dimmed.
The blue sky turned crimson, split apart by a massive scar stretching across the heavens.
Meanwhile, Luke rushed inside the nearest cloth store, wearing multiple outfits at once. No matter what happened, he wasn’t about to search for his sisters while naked.
The ceiling hissed.
’Shit.’
Luke knew that was his cue.
He didn’t run.
He dove.
He smashed through the display glass and crashed onto the cobblestone street outside.
A second later, the building vanished, taking everyone who had tried to run with it.
"Selene..."
The image of his little sister’s smile flashed through his mind.
His eyes found a drainage culvert that hadn’t yet been affected in the middle of the walkway. Luke ripped open the cover and jumped inside.
The stench nearly made him gag, but he ignored it, creating a mental map of the elementary school, Luke sprinted through the tunnels of the sewer with terrifying speed.
Forty minutes later, he arrived beneath the school.
He leapt up the steel ladder and smashed open the cover with several punches.
Chaos greeted him.
Officials were loading survivors into long black buses. Those who tried forcing themselves inside were immediately taken down by tranquilizer darts.
Luke searched the crowd.
He found children.
Lots of them, were outside, some in a few buses.
But not Selene.
He approached an officer clad in black. Before he could speak, the officer retorted.
"As you can see, kid, this bus is for CHILDREN. Not teenagers. CHILDREN."
"I know," Luke replied. "I just want to confirm whether my sister is safe?"
The officer narrowed his eyes.
"Check the bus, two minutes. We’re leaving in five."
"If she isn’t there..."
He paused.
"Then she’s probably under the debris."
Luke froze.
"The what?"
Some children...
Were trapped beneath the rubble.