Chapter 04: The Elevator [GTG]

Haah. 

At first, I was actually excited about my plan to catch the person trying to kill me. It seemed foolproof—there's no way the assailant could just waltz into my dormitory on a whim... Shit, I hope I didn't just jinx it.

Once I stepped outside, it felt like I was a village boy stepping into a metropolis for the first time. The facility was massive, sprawling like a small city with seemingly endless grounds. I felt lost, and that was definitely not a good sign. 

But luck was on my side. I stumbled across a huge board displaying a simplified school map. It was easy to read, so I quickly memorized the layout and set off. 

I arrived at the building that was supposed to be mine, but as I stood there, I grew more and more baffled. The place was gigantic—so much so that it felt ridiculous to think it was meant to house students. It was basically a skyscraper made entirely of glass.

There were two towers: one for the high-ranked students and one for the "rest." The difference in treatment was painfully obvious. The high-ranked students had entire rooms to themselves, free access to the augmented reality lab, more points, and a ton of perks. No one wanted to lose their rank, and now I understood why. 

I entered the building reserved for us "weaklings," navigating through the sea of people. It was overwhelming—how could there be this much foot traffic? After what felt like forever, I finally made my way to one of the many elevators. I pressed the silver-painted button, and with a satisfying ping, the doors slid open. 

Inside, the elevator was empty, as if some deity had heard my unspoken plea for solitude. The doors closed behind me, and holographic buttons appeared in mid-air, accompanied by a strange voice. 

[Please select a destination.]

I held my tongue, resisting the urge to comment, and tapped the button for floor 498, where my room was located. I had no idea who my roommates would be—bullies, maniacs, or maybe just as lost as I was. At this point, I didn't care. I just wanted to survive until tomorrow. 

The elevator began its smooth ascent, which I found oddly calming. 

Alright, let's lay out what I know so far:

- I'm in a game.

- I have no memories, yet I know this world like the back of my hand.

- I have a mission… and apparently, I need to survive to figure out what it is.

That's about it for now. But hold on—what is that noise?

I glanced up at the ceiling. There was an unsettling sound, like something scraping against metal. My heart rate spiked. The noise didn't stop; it grew louder.

"What the hell is that?" I muttered, anxiety creeping in.

ZIZIZIZIZ!

A new sound joined in, like someone was sawing through the elevator cables. Panic hit me hard. The elevator stopped. Something was terribly wrong.

My mind raced through possible scenarios. Who could be behind this? Was this a trap, or had I just walked into something by chance? 

Then it hit me. 

It was the assailant. 

Desperation kicked in. I needed to get out—now. My eyes darted to the ceiling. Maybe I could force open a hatch? I jumped, trying to land a solid hit on it, but it didn't budge. Next, I turned to the doors.

BANG!

I slammed against them, trying to force them open, but they wouldn't move. I kept ramming into the doors, even after I felt my shoulder pop out of place. 

"Dammit!" I cursed, clutching my injured shoulder.

The sawing sound didn't stop; if anything, it grew more intense. This was it—my chance to confront whoever was trying to kill me. But I was stuck. I couldn't even see them.

Then, the noise stopped. Everything went still.

The next thing I knew, the elevator was plummeting. 

"No," was all I managed to whisper as gravity failed me.

BOOOOOOM!

… 

I gasped awake, déjà vu hitting me like a ton of bricks. 

[Mission in progress... 

Objective: Death looms around the corner. Survive until tomorrow [00:17:34:32]. 

Reward: An affinity. 

Failure: Death. 

Respawn: 3/5] 

Dammit. It happened again. 

But why couldn't I ever see the face of my attacker? And how did they always know my next move? None of this made sense. I should've avoided any confrontation, so why did it feel like I was being watched this entire time?

I glanced around, trying to see if anyone was watching me. Everyone seemed engrossed in the teacher's lecture.

Wait. The teacher. 

If I could stay in the teacher's office during lunch, I might actually make it through to the augmented reality class… and maybe avoid another death.