Chapter 3

Drake walked through the door and found himself transported to a place that resembled hell more closely than the room he had just left. Skeletons were scattered across what appeared to be a crimson desert. His throat felt parched, and breathing was a struggle. He feared he might die at any moment, but Drake was already dead. Could he really die a second time?

Drake understood that he needed to find a way out of this nightmarish realm, but he was uncertain about how to achieve that. He noticed he was barefoot, and the scorching-hot floor offered no respite, despite the absence of a visible sun. Why was the sand crimson? Drake was overwhelmed with questions, but he knew he had to overcome this obstacle; otherwise, his journey might come to an abrupt end.

"This is the lowest level, where 27% of players have met their demise, their blood absorbed by its unforgiving terrain," a mysterious voice intoned.

Drake was informed, and the relief on his face was evident the moment he realized he still had access to whoever this was. She was clearly absent, yet somehow present at the same time.

"I thought you had abandoned me for a second there, buddy," Drake admitted, relieved that she had stuck around. However, he had no clue about what he was supposed to do.

Drake recognized that he might be in trouble if things went awry, and he was determined to make progress. The longer he remained here, the higher the chances of his demise, and he had no intention of finding out what would happen to him if he died.

"How do I get out of here?" Drake asked outright. He had no plans to figure it out himself when he had a cheat code right here.

"Would you like to begin the roll for a random power?" he was asked, and he facepalmed himself as he couldn't believe he had forgotten about this.

"Do you know I freaking forgot about that?" Drake blurted out before giving her confirmation that he did indeed want to begin the roll.

"You must be new as well," a voice said behind Drake, causing him to instinctively jump forward in defense.

He turned to find a striking woman with one side of her head shaved, captivated by her beauty. The tattoos on her body only added to her allure, and Drake couldn't help but imagine acting a scene alongside her if he were still alive.

Although, he knew now wasn't the time for such thoughts but being an adult movie actor, these were things that were a constant in his mind.

"Yeah, do you know how to escape this place, or are you just as clueless as me?" Drake asked. But soon, he heard another voice coming from the opposite side.

"There is no way to escape this floor, not without defeating the guardian, in other words, the boss of the floor," the voice informed Drake. It was a different individual, and he turned his head in that direction to identify the speaker. To his surprise, he saw someone who bore a resemblance to the lady, except his hair was styled in an undercut with both sides shaven.

He was drop dead gorgeous and Drake was confident enough in his masculinity to admit that.

"Damn, is everyone in hell this hot?" Drake thought, smiling at the clever pun he had just made.

"How do we get to the boss?" Drake asked, noting their peculiar attire.

They were either from a different time period or inhabited a remote region as he couldn't help but note their distinctive Caribbean appearance.

"That's the issue," the man remarked, pointing into the distance, though Drake couldn't see anything but more sand.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Drake inquired. However, he recalled that the system had informed him that everyone had been blessed with a power. This revelation indicated that the individuals before him possessed abilities and were not as helpless as he had initially assumed.

[Roll complete!][Power selection in process...]

[Processing... 20%]

[Processing... 50%]

[Processing... 75%]

[Processing... 100%]

[Processing complete!]

Drake grew eager, waiting to see what this new world had given him to survive with.

[Congratulations, you have been granted the power of mind control!]

Drake's face twisted into an eerie smile, well aware of the potent capabilities that mind control offered. He might not even need to engage in combat; he could simply command everyone to yield as he leisurely ascended to the top.

It appeared that this challenge would be a walk in the park, or at least that's what Drake believed. He anticipated surmounting this obstacle with ease and minimal difficulty.

"I can tell from that grin on your face that you've just acquired your powers," the man observed, causing the smile on Drake's face to instantly disappear.

"Here's a piece of advice: don't disclose your power to anyone," the lady cautioned him.

"You both seem quite knowledgeable... I thought you were newcomers?" Drake inquired.

"New? Well, we've been trapped on this floor for over ten years. In the grand scheme of eternity, that's nothing..." the man joked, but Drake didn't find it amusing.

"There is a passage just up ahead that leads to a hidden floor underground. There, you'll face a series of tasks, but exercise caution. Other players will be there too, all competing for the same thing. If your power is perceived as a threat or stronger than theirs, they will consider you an enemy," the lady explained.

Drake appreciated the assistance from these two, but he couldn't help but wonder why they were being so generous. They had no apparent reason to share the information they had just provided. Nonetheless, he couldn't deny the immense usefulness of the information.

Not that he needed it as he could have easily asked the woman that had done the roll for his power, Drake began to refer to her as his guide.

With newfound knowledge in hand, he felt prepared to tackle the upcoming challenges and, hopefully, conquer the first floor.