Jack sat frozen on the toilet, staring at the floating map. His mind raced, but his body remained still, overwhelmed.
Then, the voice returned.
"The game will now commence."
On the map, the gold dot continued moving—slowly drifting farther and farther away.
"That has to be the King…" Jack muttered, eyes locked on it.
A new pop-up appeared in front of him:
"Game Dice of Fortune: The King will roll a six-sided die. Each side triggers a different event. One event per roll."
"The King will now roll."
The screen vanished.
Jack stood up quickly, finishing his business and washing his hands. He stared at himself in the mirror, trying to steady his breathing.
"I can't just sit here and do nothing. This is real. I'm not hallucinating," he said, turning to his dog, Coco, who stared back silently, tail still.
The lights in the house flickered. On. Off. On again.
Another pop-up blinked into view:
"The King has rolled: 1."
"Lucky roll for residents."
The voice wasn't smug or emotional. It was cold, mechanical—just stating facts.
"Event: Shadow Beasts and Holy Knights."
More text followed:
"Two options will now appear for each resident: an armored box, or a holy sword."
"The King will choose whether to send Shadow Beasts or Holy Knights."
"If Shadow Beasts are sent, residents who chose the holy sword will be able to defend themselves. Those who chose the armored box… will not survive."
"If Holy Knights are sent, residents who chose the armored box will be protected. Those with the sword… eliminated."
Jack felt sweat run down his cheek. His heart pounded harder as he read the final line:
"This event will last one hour. After that, the King will roll again. You have eight hours to defeat the King. Good luck."
The pop-ups vanished, leaving only the map hovering in the air. Jack stared at it.
The gold dot—the King—was still close. Still in New York City.
He shuddered.
"If that guy had spawned somewhere in western New York… I'd be screwed," he whispered.
But he wasn't. He was close. And if he moved now, he had a chance.