We stood before it—cracked marble pillars towering into the sky, chains thicker than trucks writhing like snakes, and a single open gate at the center. Inside, pitch black.
> [Welcome to the First Floor – The Devourer's Trial]
Objective: Survive.
Rules: Only seven may pass.
Timer: 72 Hours.
Someone whispered, "This is a joke, right?"
But no one laughed.
---
We were 33.
And the Tower only wanted 7.
It didn't say how we had to survive. It didn't say how many had to die.
But we all knew what it meant.
It was a culling.
---
Inside, the Tower wasn't a room.
It was a forest.
Dead, ashen trees twisted upward like bone fingers. The air tasted metallic. We walked in silence, every step a gamble.
Jiwoon K walked beside me, hands in his hoodie pocket, humming.
"Want a tip?" he asked.
"…No."
"Too bad. Here it is." He smiled. "The Devourer isn't a monster."
I frowned. "Then what is it?"
Jiwoon turned, eyes cold.
"It's us."
---
> [Main Mechanic: Hunger Gauge Activated]
You will grow hungrier with every hour.
Hunger increases aggression, paranoia, and strength.
Feeding slows the process.
Killing resets it.
---
That was when I noticed it.
My fingers were trembling. My mouth was dry. And every sound—twigs snapping, footsteps, whispering—made my heart pound.
Someone behind us screamed.
We ran.
---
We found a body.
Torn apart. Unnatural. But not by claws.
By hands.
One of the students—Lee Junhyuk, the soccer captain—was crouched beside it, covered in blood, breathing like a cornered animal.
"He attacked first!" he yelled. "He attacked!"
His eyes were glowing faint red.
> [Hunger Level 4 – Berserk Imminent]
Trait: Carnage Spark (Unstable)
---
"Junhyuk," I said gently, "you need to stop."
He looked at me—and lunged.
---
He was strong.
Too strong.
But I'd read the novel.
I knew the weakness.
I sidestepped and slammed my palm into his stomach, channeling the only Skill I'd unlocked so far.
> [Skill Activated: Story Suppression – Forceful Paragraph Break]
Interrupts and resets an enemy's momentum for 5 seconds.
Junhyuk staggered.
Arien jumped from the bushes—her blade slicing across his thigh. He screamed.
Jiwoon tackled him from behind.
Together, we tied him up.
---
But no one cheered.
Everyone else had seen what happened.
One spark.
One drop of hunger.
And Junhyuk changed.
---
Night fell.
We made a small campfire, far from the blood.
Jiwoon and I sat at the edge, watching the darkness shift.
"People are going to die," he said flatly. "Lots."
"Yeah."
"Still planning to change the ending?"
I didn't answer.
But I thought of Min Sera. Of her smile. Of how her hands had wrapped around that boy's throat like they were born for it.
And I said:
"I'll burn the whole Tower before I let this story win."
---
> [System Message: Flag Triggered]
The Tower has acknowledged your intent.
Trait Evolved: Hidden Reader → Rewritten Protagonist
Passive Skill Unlocked: Narrative Reversal (Lv.1)
Once per floor, cancel a death—at the cost of something precious.
---
Something moved in the trees.
Not a beast.
Not a person.
It was the Devourer.
I saw it just for a second—a mass of hands, mirrors, and voices screaming over each other.
Not hunting us.
Reflecting us.
Feeding on us.
The Tower wasn't testing who could survive.
It was testing who would stay human.
---
We didn't sleep that night. No one did.
Every crack in the branches sounded like footsteps. Every breeze brought whispers.
And then—
> [Hunger Gauge: Lv.2 – Mild Aggression Detected]
Suppression protocols weakening. Instincts rising.
---
By morning, three more were dead.
Not from monsters.
From people.
---
No one wanted to say it aloud, but we all knew.
We weren't a group anymore.
We were prey.
To each other.
And the Tower loved it.
---
Someone screamed.
Not in pain.
In rage.
---
A boy named Tae Minho dragged a body into the clearing—Do Yewon, the quiet girl who always sat near the back of the class.
Her throat was slashed.
"She was plotting something!" Minho screamed. "I found her trying to sneak away with food! She would've killed us in our sleep!"
He looked around, shaking, desperate for support.
But no one spoke.
No one moved.
Even Jiwoon just stood there, watching.
"You all want to survive, right?" Minho snarled. "Then we pick seven. We vote. Or we hunt."
That was his proposal:
Kill 26 now, and live.
---
I stepped forward.
He grinned.
"You agree?" he asked.
"No," I said.
Then I punched him in the face.
---
> [Hidden Trait Activated: Rewritten Protagonist – Moral Anchor]
When the story threatens to collapse into chaos, your actions may stabilize a scene.
Warning: This puts you at the center of narrative backlash.
---
Minho hit the dirt, groaning, but I didn't let him up.
"We're not voting on who lives," I said. "If the Tower wants us to kill each other, it'll have to work harder."
I looked around. "We're not beasts."
But the others?
They weren't nodding.
They were measuring me.
My strength.
My hunger level.
---
Later that night, I found Jiwoon at the edge of the camp, whittling a stick.
"You really think that speech did something?" he asked.
"No."
"Good. Because Minho's not giving up. He's recruiting."
He glanced at me.
"He's making a faction. 'Survivors First.' And guess what? They outnumber us 3 to 1."
---
I said nothing for a while.
Then: "How many chapters did your version have?"
"Five hundred and twelve."
"…Mine had four hundred."
Jiwoon smiled darkly. "Guess we're in the director's cut."
---
> [Devourer's Whisper Detected]
"Seven lights… Twenty-six shadows…"
"Let the feast begin."
---
The fog thickened.
Screams echoed through the trees again.
Not just of fear.
But war.
Because tonight—factions would clash.
The game had begun.
---
To be continued..