Prologue

Many years ago, out of nowhere, four mysterious overlords of darkness emerged. Each had their own perspective on humanity, but they shared a singular belief – all humans must suffer. Every soul must come to understand the true meaning of darkness. Those who thought their lives were already filled with pain were yet to experience true agony, terror, and fear.

Darkness and gloom enveloped the world. The overlords began to ravage the earth, annihilating humans. However, they soon grew bored of doing the dirty work themselves and started creating monsters, which struck terror into every single human.

Many nations were obliterated. More than half of Earth's population was wiped out. These overlords wielded such immense power that they reshaped the continents, merging them into one unified landmass.

Nevertheless, humans refused to surrender. They cast aside all former disputes and hostilities, uniting into one singular nation – the Empire of Terra.

But the onslaught of monsters grew while human numbers dwindled. Bullets and flames seemed futile against the encroaching darkness.

Just when the majority had resigned to the end and lost all hope, in humanity's darkest hour, a beacon shone through. A fifteen-year-old boy's spiritual core awakened. This core empowered him to defeat a monster intent on taking his mother's life.

From that day on, the awakening of the core became a symbol of hope for many. Almost everyone who reached the age of fifteen began to manifest this core, and these chosen ones came to be known as the "Awakened."

They later united to form a singular army - the Legionnaires of Light. For the first time in the history of the battle between humanity and the Realm of Darkness, humans began to triumph, pushing back the monstrous tide.

However, not everyone was guaranteed to awaken their core. Those left without were known as "Hollows."

While the Awakened fiercely combated the monsters at the Empire's frontlines, the Hollows lived peacefully within the Empire, patiently waiting and placing their faith in the Awakened, humanity's last hope…

***

The university campus buzzed with life, students rushing to classes, discussing the latest news, and chatting about nothing in particular.

"Really? He said that?"

"Wow! Which salon?"

"So cute."

"Do you really like it?"

In one of the classrooms, a fairly large crowd had gathered, about thirty people, almost all of whom were girls. In the group, there was only one boy – Leo.

A tanned, muscular blond with a confident and haughty expression, red eyes, and a tiger-like gaze. He sat in the center of the room, casually embracing two beautiful girls.

Scarlet – a girl with long red hair and golden snake-like eyes. She had a mature figure and a noticeable bust. She clung to Leo, flirtatiously playing with him. If Leo had the aura of a tiger, she was more like a snake – equally cunning and seductive.

Leila – a girl with short blue hair, a bob haircut, and blue eyes, showing Leo a video of cute seals on her phone. Leo smiled faintly, looking at her phone, but his smile widened as his gaze slid over Leila's body. Although Leila did not have as prominent a figure as Scarlet, her body also had its charm. She had small breasts, a petite feminine body, and a slender frame. Unlike Scarlet and Leo, Leila gave more of the impression of prey rather than a predator; she resembled a rabbit more. Her eyes were as cute and innocent as her demeanor.

The eyes of many people in the group were drawn to Chloe – a blond girl with long hair and large blue eyes who seemed very embarrassed and insecure under such a wave of stares directed at her. Leo's eyes also paused on her a couple of times, which greatly annoyed and irritated Scarlet. Well, that was not surprising.

After all, Chloe was definitely the most attractive girl in this group. She could easily be placed on the cover of some fashion magazine, and no one in their group would be surprised. Among all the girls, she had the most mature and appetizing body, which the girl very carefully tried to hide under a thick black blouse and gray old worn-out pants. Although the girl's appearance was definitely at the highest level, Chloe herself looked very insecure and awkward.

"Chloe, you can't just sit here and wait for a prince on a white horse to come to you!" laughed Stella, a girl with purple long hair and golden snake-like eyes. "I need to introduce you to a guy I know. I'm sure you'll like him. He even starred in a popular movie, by the way."

"Really?" Chloe was surprised. Stella, with a proud expression on her face, raised her head high and nodded.

"Chloe, when will you learn that this girl is the last one you should trust? Even if he did act in some popular movie, he obviously played the role of a corpse or a tree or maybe he was in some ad for diarrhea pills or something?"

Stella frowned, while Melissa gave a friendly smile.

"But otherwise, I support this fibber. Waiting for the ideal one by your standards to come to you or be found is quite a hopeless option."

Melissa, a girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail, athletic build, and slightly tanned bronze skin, intervened. She had predatory eyes, green like an eagle's, which seemed to penetrate the very depths of the soul. Alongside those intense eyes, she wore earrings that were actual piercings. She gave Chloe a warm smile, while Stella frowned.

"Maybe you should look around? What do you think about Grey?" Chloe shook her head, her face reddened with embarrassment.

"Um...no... I'm sorry, but he's not my type. I'm looking for someone special..."

"Like Leo?" Stella winked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. Melissa glanced at Stella. She knew that Stella's joke concealed her dissatisfaction with her twin sister, Scarlet, who was dating Leo.

"Don't mind Stella, Chloe. She's just joking as usual," Melissa reassured Chloe, giving Stella a stern look.

In the corner of the classroom sat Edison, a girl with short black hair and intelligent violet eyes. Her gaze was fixed on her textbook, and she seemed completely absorbed in her studies, as if the others simply didn't exist. Unlike Chloe, it was hard to call Edison a beauty, barely pretty even. Though her intelligent face certainly added some charm.

"How I envy Edison," Chloe sighed, looking at her. "She's so smart and focused. I wish I were like her."

"Each of us has something special. She's special in her own way, you're special in yours. Don't think about it...," Melissa smiled, patting her friend.

All fell silent when the teacher entered the classroom – a strict and stern woman who immediately began the lesson.

She had zigzagged thick eyebrows that emphasized her severity, blood-red eyes, and short hair of the same shade with sharp tips. The woman was no more than twenty-five, and she looked quite young. Under her strict suit, it was hard to tell what her physique was like, but her bust, like Chloe's, was noticeable, though slightly smaller than the blonde's.

"Test," the woman announced, and the classroom immediately fell into tense silence. All the students instantly took their seats. The expressions on many faces became sour and drooping.

The woman immediately began to distribute sheets that read: "Architectural Design Principles."

"Thirty minutes," she said strictly.

Receiving the test, each student immediately set to work. After all, everyone knew that their teacher, Miss Kane, though she looked young, had no softness in her. If the woman said they had thirty minutes for the test, then that's what it was. If someone got distracted even for a minute, the chance of them completing the test would be zero.

The classroom door swung open, and Daniel entered. All eyes turned to him—the test had been going on for more than fifteen minutes. His dark black hair was in disarray, blue eyes expressing embarrassment and awkwardness. Daniel was breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath. He stared blankly at the teacher.

"Late again, Mr. Grey?" the teacher, Miss Kane, asked sternly, fixing her gaze on Daniel.

"I apologize, Miss Kane. I just... overslept," Daniel replied, sitting next to Edison.

Melissa glanced at Daniel. A faint amusement at the situation could be detected on her face.

Melissa turned to her friend Stella and whispered,

"Don't you think Grey's cute?"

"Who? Oh, him. He's probably the last man I'd choose to sleep with at this institute," Stella snorted displeasedly. Chloe was slightly taken aback by Stella's words. Melissa rolled her eyes.

Scarlet, on the other hand, grimaced, looking at the tardy Daniel with contempt, as if he were beneath her.

"Look at this loser. He can't even get to class on time. How can he compare with you?" Scarlet seductively whispered to Leo.

Daniel felt uncomfortable, especially when his eyes met Melissa's, who caught his gaze and smiled friendly at him. He quickly looked away.

He was nearly twenty minutes late because he had overslept; the test had long since begun. He quickly pulled out his smartphone to copy answers.

Leo, seated regally in the center of the classroom flanked by his girlfriends, looked down smugly at Daniel, catching him in the act of hurriedly copying answers from his phone.

But Daniel didn't notice that; instead, his attention was drawn to a message from an unknown number.

"Dear Daniel Grey! Congratulations! You and four lucky winners have been selected to play in a new erotic survival game! By clicking the link, you can awaken your spiritual core to the rank of 'Contender'! Don't forget about the incredible beauties with whom you can satisfy all your carnal desires every day! Just follow the link: ***"

Professor Kane noticed Daniel was distracted from the test and sternly said:

"Mr. Grey, we are having a test. Now is not the time for browsing social media or whatever you are doing. Turn off the phone immediately!"

Kane sharply addressed Daniel in a harsh and stern tone.

Daniel flinched and accidentally clicked on the mysterious link sent to him by the unknown number. Suddenly, the world around him froze, and the phone's screen was filled with bright light. He felt something pulling him into the device, and the next moment he found himself in a completely different world.

***

Daniel dropped to his knees, looking around. He was on the shore of an unfamiliar island. Before him lay the endless expanse of the ocean, and behind him loomed a dense tropical grove.

There was not a soul around. The island seemed deserted and abandoned, like a forgotten world from a computer game.

His heart was pounding, and his hands were trembling with excitement. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that this was not a dream or a hallucination. This was reality, and he was here on this uncharted island, far from the rest of the world.

In response to his shock, a system message popped up before Daniel.

"Dear Daniel Grey! We thank you for agreeing to participate in our survival erotic game! At this moment, you are the only one among the five players who accepted the invitation. To start the game, you must wait until the remaining four accept the invitation. Only when all five participants are ready can the game begin. For now, participant Daniel Grey can familiarize himself with the location and his status window. To summon the status window, you must say, 'Status.' To find out the readiness of the players in the game, you must say, 'Ready.' Good luck with your game!"

"Status?" Daniel said, looking bewildered.

A status window immediately popped up before him.

Status Window.

Name: Daniel Grey.

Age: 19

Level: 1

Class: Undefined.

Health: 100.

Energy: 100.

Strength: 9.

Build: 9.

Agility: 11.

Reflex: 12.

Intelligence: 10.

Accuracy: 10.

Mastery: 16.

Wisdom: 11.

Willpower: 9.

Luck: 12.

Skills:

Active: ___

Passive: [Cheater.]

Condition: [Mask.]

Fetish: [CBT.]

Hunger sense: blocked.

Thirst sense: blocked.

Lust sense: blocked.

Cold sense: blocked.

Heat sense: blocked.

Bleeding: blocked.

Danny blinked in confusion. He tried to grab his head, but his hand suddenly went through it as if it were a phantom. He shuddered in horror, staring at his transparent fingers. He was neither sitting nor standing but hovering in the air above the ground.

"What the hell?" he gasped, eyes darting around the alien landscape. Gone were the familiar sights of the lecture hall, the test paper, the pens and pencils. Now, a wild, untamed island surrounded him. "Is anyone here? Is this some twisted test to awaken the Hollow's power?"

His thoughts raced, each more improbable than the last. Had his father orchestrated this bizarre situation? Had he stumbled, hit his head, and now lay dreaming? Was this the work of extraterrestrial tormentors, or a ploy by someone from the Realm of Darkness to blackmail his father?

His heart pounded, uncertainty growing with every breath. The eerie silence of the island closed in around him, offering no answers, only more questions. All Daniel could hear was the howling of the wind and the roar of the sea.

"Hey! If this really is about my father, you can even stop trying! He doesn't care about me! In exchange for me, he can offer you a bag of potatoes at most... You hear me? I'm useless to you! I'm useless, hear?!"

Daniel glanced at his status and saw the word "fetish."

"What is cbt?"

In response to his question, another system message immediately popped up.

Fetish description:

[CBT – Cock And Ball Torture. Fans of this fetish enjoy being kicked, hit, or stepped on in their genitals. The harder, the more pleasure they receive.]

Daniel's eyes widened.

"What the... What nonsense?! Who wrote this, huh? I'd rather have sex with a tree than enjoy this! How can anyone enjoy this? Someone, explain! Update my data, hey! I don't like this and never have! My fetish is butts! Butts, hear? Not kicking my member!"

Daniel reluctantly glanced at the line with the words "sense of desire."

A description immediately opened before him.

Description of "sense of desire":

[Sense of desire – lust. You want to satisfy your bodily needs. The stronger the sense of desire, the weaker you become, and the more pain is inflicted on your consciousness. If the sense of desire reaches its peak, a mental breakdown will occur. The player will lose sanity, and his mental abilities will drop to the minimum.]

"Is this for real?" Daniel muttered, glancing around. Behind him stretched a tropical forest. "Did I just doze off during the test? Nah, Miss Kane would've totally woken me up. So then what the heck is going on? Ready," Daniel whispered, and a square panel suddenly appeared in front of him with the following written on it.

Readiness: [1/5].

"What the hell? What if no one else accepts this damn invitation? Will I be left here alone, like a cursed ghost?"

Daniel caught a glimpse of the word "Condition" in his status, but it seemed unimportant. His thoughts were occupied with the question of where he was and how he got there.

Tensing slightly, he realized he could control his flight. With both delight and bewilderment, he moved forward, racing through the palms, shrubs, and trees of the tropical forest. The island seemed to have no end; it was much larger than Daniel had initially imagined. If at first, he thought its size was comparable to the campus of his university, he now understood that the island was even larger than his hometown.

But there was nothing on the island — no traces of animals, no water sources, no people. Only greenery, caves, empty and silent, hills, and in the very center — a mountain with a volcanic crater at the bottom.

This strange scene made Daniel feel even more lonely and lost in this unknown world.