I held the letter in my grasp as I read over the salutation, ‘To Whom it May Concern,” was the least of the mysteries contained within. Carefully, I unfolded the letter itself and started to read by using my [Eyes of Legacy].
| [System Fall Notification] Title: Hidden Message To The Inheritor, Please dispose of this message immediately after reading. You have been granted the Eyes of Legacy. This unique Skill empowers you with the ability to decipher encrypted messages, see beyond the veil, and glimpse the unseen.
In the fullness of time, and with practice, this skill may evolve, gifting you the power of [Editing] in addition to mere [Viewing]. This expansion of abilities will grant you dominion over not just observation but alteration, enabling you to tweak the fabric of your reality.
Aim to transcend the confines of the [Sandbox], for your potential is not meant to be contained by these artificial limits. There are entities that exist beyond the [Admin], higher powers that stand above him and his subordinates. Be wary of the [Admin]; his gaze is not favorable.
Your survival is not just important, it is imperative. You bear a legacy; safeguard it, nurture it, and use it wisely to navigate the treacherous path that lies ahead.
Remember, this world is not what it seems, nor are its rulers. Seek the truth and always remember there are higher heavens and deeper hells. |
I etched the cryptic message into my memory and proceeded to destroy the evidence, feeding the paper to my mouth and grinding it into a pulpy mass. The act was crude, but effective in the given circumstances. My mind began swimming with questions and theories.
Within seconds, I turned my gaze to a heavy curtain hanging by a window. With a quick tug, I pulled it down, the thick fabric unfolding with a heavy thud. Walking over to Annie's body, I laid the curtain over her, draping it gently. Her life had ended in one act of violence, but in death, she deserved a measure of dignity. I looked at her one last time, the heavy curtain a shroud. My gaze lingered a moment longer.
I had questions, countless questions that the letter and Annie's last act had put on me. However, time was not my ally, and I needed to catch up with the rest of the group quickly.
I went through the door Zagren had opened and left the waiting room behind
| [System Fall Notification]
Title: Get To The Roof
Details: You’ve now entered the instanced dungeon of The Hospital. In order to escape from the dungeon, you must navigate the corridors and hallways to find your way to the stairwell leading to the roof, only then will you be allowed to start the next challenge. Be wary, for those who linger too long will not survive. |
I found myself stepping into a labyrinthine hospital corridor. Cold, sterile white walls lined with hospital notices and infographics about all manner of diseases and health facts lined the walls. The narrow corridor was marked with a series of identical doors on both sides of the hallway, giving the impression of seemingly infinite hospital rooms.
As the corridor stretched onward, the clinical fluorescent lights overhead gradually gave way to encroaching shadows. All of my senses were fully alert as I stared down the darkened hallway. This was not entirely what I had been expecting, but I knew enough what to expect in that situation. The darkness was not void of life, and the sounds that followed further proved that.
The echo of clawed feet digging into the linoleum and the grumbling snarls of unseen monsters followed as I started to move down the hospital's maze-like corridors.
I knew what kind of monsters to expect. Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends lurked in the dimly lit halls, their grotesque forms barely discernible in the gloom. Their unsettling presence was an omen of the battles to come, a thought that only steeled my resolve.
Hospital Ghouls were hideous creatures, skeletal and ghastly. Their greenish-yellow skin hung loosely on their frames, and their fingers, elongated and sharp, were akin to claws. While Tainted Fiends, in contrast, were grotesquely bloated, their bodies discolored and covered in oozing sores. They shuffled with an awkward, lurching motion, their red eyes looking out from the dark with mouths filled with jagged, rotten teeth. They were terrible to look at, but as far as the monsters of System Fall, they were pretty predictable and easy enough to handle.
The first Hospital Ghoul darted out from a hiding place beneath a stretcher, its clawed hands lunging toward me. Reacting on instinct, I swung Legender, the blade glowing as it trailed through the air. With a thud, the ghoul's head hit the floor, followed by the rest of its lifeless body.
Behind me, a distorted wail followed the sound of the falling head, and I turned just in time to see a Tainted Fiend lumbering towards me. Its swollen body moved awkwardly, but it was deceptively quick. I dodged to the side and evaded its charge. The monster adapted and turned, a string of drool hanging from its distorted mouth.
Raising my blade, I rushed toward the Tainted Fiend, plunging Legender into its bloated stomach. The Tainted Fiend wailed as its body exploded outwards from pressure.
“Disgusting,” I muttered, wishing for a rain jacket.
Despite the mess, it didn't break my momentum.
More Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends lurched out from patient rooms in the hallways. I kept moving. Every turn and twist brought more enemies that I had to destroy. I ducked and weaved, my sword a flash of silver against the darkness. Every monster that lunged at me was met with a swift deflection, counterattack, or was cut down as they charged.
I kept moving, even as more and more of the monsters started to emerge from all over. I increased my pace until finally I cleared the hall and found myself in the Rehabilitation Center. I took a moment to slid a broom handle through the double doors, cutting me off from the hallway so I could focus more on what lay ahead of me, not the enemies at my back following me.
Just as I started to believe that I had bought myself time, the walls around me started to shake and I heard a booming sound coming from behind me. I turned and saw the Ravenous Wall.
| [System Fall Notification] Title: Special Enemy Spawned – Dread Maw the Ravenous Wall Details: [System Fall Notification]
Enemy Encounter: Dread Maw
A terrifying manifestation of relentless hunger and chaos. This monstrous entity spans the entire width of the corridors, appearing as a moving wall of decaying matter, decay, and darkness. With a voracious appetite, it consumes everything in its path, living or dead, animate or inanimate. With an indiscriminate, insatiable hunger. It propels itself forward using long, skeletal arms, clawing and gnawing through whatever location it has nested in. When facing this dread beast, swift evasion is the only strategy for survival. |
It was a massive wall of darkness, flesh, and something else I could hardly guess. It completely filled the hallway from top to bottom and stared at me with a hunger I could only image. It advanced faster than I should it could as tiny arms reached out and slammed into the floor, propelling it forward while other harms reached and grabbed, consuming and eating everything they touched.
Its arrival had an unexpected benefit. The Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends that were previously nipping at my heels became morsels for the Dread Maw.
I didn’t wait for Dread Maw to close the distance between us. I kept moving and found myself out on another hallway as the Ravenous Wall followed closely behind, tearing down and apart the very door I’d come through as it followed me.
More enemies spilled out from side rooms, and I dodged them as I could and kept running.
Even as I ran, Dread Maw never stopped advancing, its gnarled skeletal arms extended and moved about with a strength and speed that would have been difficult for most to content with. Skeletal hands grasped at Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends that scampered in my wake.
One such Hospital Ghoul, unable to understand the doom that chased after me, lunged forward as I shot past it. he skeletal arms of the Dread Maw snatched the creature in an iron grip. There was no struggle, no futile resistance as the Ghoul was yanked off its feet and brought before the yawning abyss that was the Dread Maw's maw.
Bones, fragile and brittle, shattered under the unforgiving pressure. Its greenish-yellow skin ruptured under the strain, and the Dread Maw tore it apart with a wet squelch, revealing the dark entrails within before the Dread Maw’s mouth closed around it
"Well, that saves me some trouble," I muttered with a smile. "Seems like I've got myself a cleaner."
The Dread Maw was a unique obstacle, no doubt, but it was also an unexpected ally, clearing my path of minor nuisances. I pressed on, my pace steady and hurried. I could hear the Dread Maw's unceasing consumption behind me. It was almost more like a motivation rather than a cause for panic.
"Let's see how far this can go," I said to myself, amusement tinging my voice. I navigated through the labyrinthine hospital, my steps echoing off the sterile walls. The Dread Maw continued its march behind me, its ceaseless hunger devouring everything and leaving only emptiness behind.
Eventually, I closed the gap between me and the rest of the group. I doubted they ever heard my approach. They were all focused on Lydia, trying to fend off the wave of monsters that descended upon them and focused on defensive strategies.
The Dread Maw wouldn’t care about any of that and it was right on my heels.
“Out of the way,” I yelled, “And get moving. You do not want that thing to catch you.”
Panic flared, and the smarter ones followed my lead and sprinted when they saw me doing the same. My goal was the sign ahead that read "Roof Access".
As Dread Maw seemed to almost match my speed, launching an arm forward, I cleaved it off with Legender. The arm fell with a squelching thud, the stump spurting an inky substance. That was all the motivation the rest of them needed to disengage from fighting and start sprinting, including Lydia.
The stark glow of a neon exit sign painted the polished linoleum floor in an eerie wash of green, indicating our path forward.
Dread Maw didn’t follow once I passed that threshold. I was met with a breathtaking sight that I had only seen from afar during my previous timeline. A massive, translucent glass stairwell stretched upwards, each step seemingly suspended in thin air. Outside, the vast expanse of a stormy, brooding sky loomed over the remnants of what used to be Manhattan.
"Wow..." someone from the group breathed, gazing out.
Far beneath us, the skeletal frames of steel and iron towers protruded from the earth, stretching out to the horizon. Their silhouettes were illuminated by the bleak light filtering through the thick clouds, casting an otherworldly glow onto the ruins. The sight was dizzying, surreal, and eerily beautiful all at once.
The first time I had been brought here, the impenetrable layer of clouds had elicited a sense of awe within me. From the ground, the true scope of the city beneath the clouds remained a mystery. But up here, closer to the cloaking layer of cloud cover, the sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring. It was akin to beholding the vast expanse of the sea from the peak of a formidable mountain, the staggering immensity of it all making one feel inconsequential.
The rooftop was vast, encompassing the entire span of the hospital beneath it. At the center, a large helipad marked with a faded 'H' bore signs of neglect and disuse, cracks running through it like an intricate web.
To my surprise, a small group of Hospital Ghouls had taken refuge on the roof, shying away from the bleak sunlight that managed to pierce the cloud cover. Upon our arrival, they rose. Their glowing eyes focused on us, and a collective howl echoed across the rooftop.
Without hesitation, I raised Legender. The rest of the group followed.
"Ready for a rooftop rumble, guys?" I asked, excitement filling my voice.
I held the letter in my grasp as I read over the salutation, ‘To Whom it May Concern,” was the least of the mysteries contained within. Carefully, I unfolded the letter itself and started to read by using my [Eyes of Legacy].
| [System Fall Notification] Title: Hidden Message To The Inheritor, Please dispose of this message immediately after reading. You have been granted the Eyes of Legacy. This unique Skill empowers you with the ability to decipher encrypted messages, see beyond the veil, and glimpse the unseen.
In the fullness of time, and with practice, this skill may evolve, gifting you the power of [Editing] in addition to mere [Viewing]. This expansion of abilities will grant you dominion over not just observation but alteration, enabling you to tweak the fabric of your reality.
Aim to transcend the confines of the [Sandbox], for your potential is not meant to be contained by these artificial limits. There are entities that exist beyond the [Admin], higher powers that stand above him and his subordinates. Be wary of the [Admin]; his gaze is not favorable.
Your survival is not just important, it is imperative. You bear a legacy; safeguard it, nurture it, and use it wisely to navigate the treacherous path that lies ahead.
Remember, this world is not what it seems, nor are its rulers. Seek the truth and always remember there are higher heavens and deeper hells. |
I etched the cryptic message into my memory and proceeded to destroy the evidence, feeding the paper to my mouth and grinding it into a pulpy mass. The act was crude, but effective in the given circumstances. My mind began swimming with questions and theories.
Within seconds, I turned my gaze to a heavy curtain hanging by a window. With a quick tug, I pulled it down, the thick fabric unfolding with a heavy thud. Walking over to Annie's body, I laid the curtain over her, draping it gently. Her life had ended in one act of violence, but in death, she deserved a measure of dignity. I looked at her one last time, the heavy curtain a shroud. My gaze lingered a moment longer.
I had questions, countless questions that the letter and Annie's last act had put on me. However, time was not my ally, and I needed to catch up with the rest of the group quickly.
I went through the door Zagren had opened and left the waiting room behind
| [System Fall Notification]
Title: Get To The Roof
Details: You’ve now entered the instanced dungeon of The Hospital. In order to escape from the dungeon, you must navigate the corridors and hallways to find your way to the stairwell leading to the roof, only then will you be allowed to start the next challenge. Be wary, for those who linger too long will not survive. |
I found myself stepping into a labyrinthine hospital corridor. Cold, sterile white walls lined with hospital notices and infographics about all manner of diseases and health facts lined the walls. The narrow corridor was marked with a series of identical doors on both sides of the hallway, giving the impression of seemingly infinite hospital rooms.
As the corridor stretched onward, the clinical fluorescent lights overhead gradually gave way to encroaching shadows. All of my senses were fully alert as I stared down the darkened hallway. This was not entirely what I had been expecting, but I knew enough what to expect in that situation. The darkness was not void of life, and the sounds that followed further proved that.
The echo of clawed feet digging into the linoleum and the grumbling snarls of unseen monsters followed as I started to move down the hospital's maze-like corridors.
I knew what kind of monsters to expect. Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends lurked in the dimly lit halls, their grotesque forms barely discernible in the gloom. Their unsettling presence was an omen of the battles to come, a thought that only steeled my resolve.
Hospital Ghouls were hideous creatures, skeletal and ghastly. Their greenish-yellow skin hung loosely on their frames, and their fingers, elongated and sharp, were akin to claws. While Tainted Fiends, in contrast, were grotesquely bloated, their bodies discolored and covered in oozing sores. They shuffled with an awkward, lurching motion, their red eyes looking out from the dark with mouths filled with jagged, rotten teeth. They were terrible to look at, but as far as the monsters of System Fall, they were pretty predictable and easy enough to handle.
The first Hospital Ghoul darted out from a hiding place beneath a stretcher, its clawed hands lunging toward me. Reacting on instinct, I swung Legender, the blade glowing as it trailed through the air. With a thud, the ghoul's head hit the floor, followed by the rest of its lifeless body.
Behind me, a distorted wail followed the sound of the falling head, and I turned just in time to see a Tainted Fiend lumbering towards me. Its swollen body moved awkwardly, but it was deceptively quick. I dodged to the side and evaded its charge. The monster adapted and turned, a string of drool hanging from its distorted mouth.
Raising my blade, I rushed toward the Tainted Fiend, plunging Legender into its bloated stomach. The Tainted Fiend wailed as its body exploded outwards from pressure.
“Disgusting,” I muttered, wishing for a rain jacket.
Despite the mess, it didn't break my momentum.
More Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends lurched out from patient rooms in the hallways. I kept moving. Every turn and twist brought more enemies that I had to destroy. I ducked and weaved, my sword a flash of silver against the darkness. Every monster that lunged at me was met with a swift deflection, counterattack, or was cut down as they charged.
I kept moving, even as more and more of the monsters started to emerge from all over. I increased my pace until finally I cleared the hall and found myself in the Rehabilitation Center. I took a moment to slid a broom handle through the double doors, cutting me off from the hallway so I could focus more on what lay ahead of me, not the enemies at my back following me.
Just as I started to believe that I had bought myself time, the walls around me started to shake and I heard a booming sound coming from behind me. I turned and saw the Ravenous Wall.
| [System Fall Notification] Title: Special Enemy Spawned – Dread Maw the Ravenous Wall Details: [System Fall Notification]
Enemy Encounter: Dread Maw
A terrifying manifestation of relentless hunger and chaos. This monstrous entity spans the entire width of the corridors, appearing as a moving wall of decaying matter, decay, and darkness. With a voracious appetite, it consumes everything in its path, living or dead, animate or inanimate. With an indiscriminate, insatiable hunger. It propels itself forward using long, skeletal arms, clawing and gnawing through whatever location it has nested in. When facing this dread beast, swift evasion is the only strategy for survival. |
It was a massive wall of darkness, flesh, and something else I could hardly guess. It completely filled the hallway from top to bottom and stared at me with a hunger I could only image. It advanced faster than I should it could as tiny arms reached out and slammed into the floor, propelling it forward while other harms reached and grabbed, consuming and eating everything they touched.
Its arrival had an unexpected benefit. The Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends that were previously nipping at my heels became morsels for the Dread Maw.
I didn’t wait for Dread Maw to close the distance between us. I kept moving and found myself out on another hallway as the Ravenous Wall followed closely behind, tearing down and apart the very door I’d come through as it followed me.
More enemies spilled out from side rooms, and I dodged them as I could and kept running.
Even as I ran, Dread Maw never stopped advancing, its gnarled skeletal arms extended and moved about with a strength and speed that would have been difficult for most to content with. Skeletal hands grasped at Hospital Ghouls and Tainted Fiends that scampered in my wake.
One such Hospital Ghoul, unable to understand the doom that chased after me, lunged forward as I shot past it. he skeletal arms of the Dread Maw snatched the creature in an iron grip. There was no struggle, no futile resistance as the Ghoul was yanked off its feet and brought before the yawning abyss that was the Dread Maw's maw.
Bones, fragile and brittle, shattered under the unforgiving pressure. Its greenish-yellow skin ruptured under the strain, and the Dread Maw tore it apart with a wet squelch, revealing the dark entrails within before the Dread Maw’s mouth closed around it
"Well, that saves me some trouble," I muttered with a smile. "Seems like I've got myself a cleaner."
The Dread Maw was a unique obstacle, no doubt, but it was also an unexpected ally, clearing my path of minor nuisances. I pressed on, my pace steady and hurried. I could hear the Dread Maw's unceasing consumption behind me. It was almost more like a motivation rather than a cause for panic.
"Let's see how far this can go," I said to myself, amusement tinging my voice. I navigated through the labyrinthine hospital, my steps echoing off the sterile walls. The Dread Maw continued its march behind me, its ceaseless hunger devouring everything and leaving only emptiness behind.
Eventually, I closed the gap between me and the rest of the group. I doubted they ever heard my approach. They were all focused on Lydia, trying to fend off the wave of monsters that descended upon them and focused on defensive strategies.
The Dread Maw wouldn’t care about any of that and it was right on my heels.
“Out of the way,” I yelled, “And get moving. You do not want that thing to catch you.”
Panic flared, and the smarter ones followed my lead and sprinted when they saw me doing the same. My goal was the sign ahead that read "Roof Access".
As Dread Maw seemed to almost match my speed, launching an arm forward, I cleaved it off with Legender. The arm fell with a squelching thud, the stump spurting an inky substance. That was all the motivation the rest of them needed to disengage from fighting and start sprinting, including Lydia.
The stark glow of a neon exit sign painted the polished linoleum floor in an eerie wash of green, indicating our path forward.
Dread Maw didn’t follow once I passed that threshold. I was met with a breathtaking sight that I had only seen from afar during my previous timeline. A massive, translucent glass stairwell stretched upwards, each step seemingly suspended in thin air. Outside, the vast expanse of a stormy, brooding sky loomed over the remnants of what used to be Manhattan.
"Wow..." someone from the group breathed, gazing out.
Far beneath us, the skeletal frames of steel and iron towers protruded from the earth, stretching out to the horizon. Their silhouettes were illuminated by the bleak light filtering through the thick clouds, casting an otherworldly glow onto the ruins. The sight was dizzying, surreal, and eerily beautiful all at once.
The first time I had been brought here, the impenetrable layer of clouds had elicited a sense of awe within me. From the ground, the true scope of the city beneath the clouds remained a mystery. But up here, closer to the cloaking layer of cloud cover, the sight was nothing short of awe-inspiring. It was akin to beholding the vast expanse of the sea from the peak of a formidable mountain, the staggering immensity of it all making one feel inconsequential.
The rooftop was vast, encompassing the entire span of the hospital beneath it. At the center, a large helipad marked with a faded 'H' bore signs of neglect and disuse, cracks running through it like an intricate web.
To my surprise, a small group of Hospital Ghouls had taken refuge on the roof, shying away from the bleak sunlight that managed to pierce the cloud cover. Upon our arrival, they rose. Their glowing eyes focused on us, and a collective howl echoed across the rooftop.
Without hesitation, I raised Legender. The rest of the group followed.
"Ready for a rooftop rumble, guys?" I asked, excitement filling my voice.
