The Unmaker: Level 1 to Godhood

The scene shifted to a dimly lit control room, its walls lined with rows of monitors displaying live feeds of the applicants in the virtual reality environment. Staff members sat at their stations, their eyes glued to the screens as they monitored the stability of the artificial environment and the progress of each applicant.

At the center of the room stood the evaluator, her arms crossed as she watched the feeds with a critical eye. Her expression was unreadable, but her sharp gaze missed nothing. She pointed at one of the monitors, zooming in on a particular applicant. "This one's interesting," she said to no one in particular.

A figure emerged from the shadows, his form morphing from a pool of darkness into a tall, well-dressed man in a sleek suit. His presence was commanding, yet he moved with an eerie silence that made the staff members glance nervously in his direction.

"Any interesting rookies?" the man asked, his voice smooth and calm, yet carrying an undertone of authority.

The evaluator didn't flinch, her eyes still fixed on the monitors. "There are three promising candidates so far," she replied, her tone matter-of-fact. She pointed at one of the screens, zooming in further. "This one nearly broke the record on the Reflexes Test, scoring 463. His class is Shinobi, an assassin type. He also scored 120 on the Quickness Test."

The man stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the screen. The applicant in question was a tall, cold-faced young man with an air of quiet intensity. "Isn't he the eldest son of Senator Gino Panguil?" the man asked, his tone laced with mild amusement.

The evaluator smirked. "Yes, he is. His father tried to give me a bribe, of course. I intended to mock him by accepting the money and failing his son if he wasn't up to par with the standards. But I guess we don't need that now."

The man raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "You know that violates the rules of the Bureau, didn't you?"

The evaluator laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "It was a 'gift' from him. Either way, I'm practical. It's free money. I don't bow down to just anyone."

The man chuckled, his lips curling into a faint smile. "Including me?"

The evaluator turned to face him, her gaze steady and unflinching. "Including you, Executive Marlo."

Marlo's smile widened, though there was no warmth in it. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I'm just here to watch from the shadows." He paused, his eyes drifting to another monitor. His expression shifted, a flicker of interest crossing his face. "Though I must say, I've smelled something rather… deeply familiar."

The evaluator followed his gaze, her eyes landing on a monitor displaying Rob. He was currently navigating the virtual environment, his movements cautious but determined. "That one?" she asked, her tone neutral. "He's… average. Scored 81 on the Reflexes Test and 5 on the Quickness Test. Nothing special."

Marlo's smirk deepened as he watched Rob. "Average, you say? Hmm. I suppose time will tell." He turned back to the evaluator, his expression unreadable once more. "Keep an eye on him for me, will you?"

The evaluator raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Marlo didn't wait for a response. He stepped back, his form dissolving into shadows as he sank into the ground and disappeared, leaving the room in silence.

The evaluator stared at the spot where he had stood, her expression thoughtful. After a moment, she turned back to the monitors, her gaze lingering on Rob's feed. "Interesting," she muttered under her breath. "Very interesting."

Rob's consciousness snapped back into existence, and the first thing he felt was the searing heat of the sun beating down on his skin. He blinked, his vision adjusting to the blinding light, and groaned as he realized where he was. The sandy dunes. Of course.

The heat was unbearable. The sand beneath his feet burned like hot coals, and the sun's rays felt like a furnace pressing down on him. "Ahhh… fuck," he muttered, hopping from foot to foot in a futile attempt to escape the scorching ground. "I have the worst start ever."

He scanned the horizon, squinting against the glare. The dunes stretched endlessly in every direction, their golden waves shimmering under the relentless sun. But then, in the distance, he spotted something—a canyon rock formation, its jagged edges casting a sliver of shade. Finally, some relief.

Rob didn't waste any time. He started running toward the canyon, his bare feet sinking into the hot sand with every step. The heat was excruciating, but he pushed through, his focus solely on reaching the shade. Just a little farther…

As he ran, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw another applicant—a woman, also naked—sprinting across the dunes. She looked panicked, her eyes wide with fear as she glanced over her shoulder. Rob followed her gaze and froze.

The sand behind her was bulging, shifting unnaturally as if something massive was moving just beneath the surface. His heart skipped a beat as he realized what it was. Oh no…

Before he could shout a warning, the sand erupted. A colossal worm burst from the ground, its gaping maw lined with rows of jagged teeth. The woman screamed, but it was too late. The worm lunged, swallowing her whole in one swift motion. The sand settled, leaving no trace of her behind.

Rob's eyes widened in horror. "No thank you," he muttered, turning on his heel and running in the opposite direction. His heart pounded as he sprinted across the dunes, his mind racing. What kind of nightmare is this?!

But the dunes had other plans. As Rob ran, he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet. He glanced back and saw another bulge in the sand, this one much closer. His stomach dropped. Not again—

Before he could react, the sand exploded. Another massive worm emerged, its mouth wide open as it lunged toward him. Rob barely had time to process what was happening. The last thing he saw was the worm's jagged teeth, glistening in the sunlight, before everything went black.

The final message flashed in his mind as his consciousness faded: Oh fuck.

Rob's consciousness snapped back into existence, and he immediately knew he was in trouble. The cold, crushing pressure of the ocean surrounded him, the darkness of the deep sea swallowing him whole. He gasped instinctively, only to choke on the water flooding his lungs. Panic set in as he flailed, trying to swim toward the faint glimmer of light above.

"Oh, come on!" Rob shouted, bubbles escaping his mouth. "Who thought spawning in the ocean was a good idea?!"

But before he could make any progress, a shadow loomed in the depths. Rob's eyes widened as a gigantic sea snake creature emerged from the darkness, its mouth lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth. He barely had time to scream before the creature lunged, swallowing him whole.

As his vision faded, Rob's final thought was, Well, at least I didn't have to see my own death this time.

The next respawn was no better. Rob found himself in the forest biome, the dense canopy overhead providing some relief from the scorching sun. He wandered cautiously, his senses on high alert. Hours passed, and night fell. Desperate for warmth, he managed to start a fire by rubbing sticks together, his hands raw and blistered from the effort.

"Finally," Rob muttered, warming his hands over the flickering flames. "A little victory. Take that, virtual reality!"

But the fire attracted more than just warmth. A pack of wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing in the firelight. Rob barely had time to react before they pounced, their claws and teeth tearing into him.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Rob shouted as the wolves surrounded him. "I just wanted to stay warm! Is that too much to ask?!"

His final thought as his vision faded was, Of course. Fire attracts predators. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

The forest biome greeted him again, but this time, Rob didn't even have the chance to make a fire. As he wandered, he noticed a strange metallic taste in his mouth. He frowned, confused. "Why do I taste metal?" he muttered.

Before he could figure it out, his body began to ache. His skin felt like it was burning from the inside, and his vision blurred. He looked down and saw his hands disintegrating, the flesh peeling away to reveal bone. The pain was excruciating, and he realized too late that he had wandered into an anomalous radiation field.

"Oh, great," Rob groaned as his body dissolved. "I'm literally melting. This is not how I imagined my day going."

The sandy dunes claimed him again, but this time, it wasn't the worms that got him. A massive sandstorm rolled in, its winds howling like a vengeful spirit. Rob tried to shield himself, but the storm was relentless. The sand stung his skin like thousands of tiny knives, and the poisonous fumes filled his lungs.

"Really?!" Rob shouted into the storm, his voice barely audible over the wind. "First worms, now this? What's next? A sand tsunami?!"

He collapsed, choking and gasping for air, as the storm swallowed him whole. His final thought was, At least it's not the worms again.

The arctic biome was no kinder. Rob spawned in the middle of a frozen wasteland, the icy wind cutting through him like a blade. He was naked, his body already numb from the cold. He tried to move, to find shelter, but his limbs refused to cooperate.

"Oh, fantastic," Rob muttered through chattering teeth. "Naked in the Arctic. Who designed this hellscape?!"

Within minutes, he collapsed, his body succumbing to the freezing temperatures. His final thought was, At least it's quick.

Five more respawns later, Rob finally caught a break. He spawned in the forest biome again, but this time, he was determined to survive. He moved cautiously, his senses sharpened by his previous deaths. He avoided the radiation fields, steering clear of any areas where the air tasted metallic. He foraged for food, eating whatever plants and berries he could find, though they did little to ease his hunger.

As he wandered, he stumbled upon another applicant—a scrawny guy in a leaf loincloth, shivering under a tree. The guy looked up, his eyes wide with fear. "Hey, man," he said, his voice trembling. "You got any food?"

Rob shook his head. "Sorry, buddy. I'm surviving on grass and sheer willpower right now."

The guy groaned, clutching his stomach. "I haven't eaten in days. I'm so hungry, I'd even eat one of those wolves."

Rob chuckled. "Careful what you wish for. Those wolves don't mess around."

Before they could continue their conversation, a low growl echoed through the trees. Both men froze, their eyes darting toward the sound. A pack of wolves emerged from the shadows, their eyes glowing in the dim light.

"Oh, come on!" the scrawny guy shouted, scrambling to his feet. "Can't I catch a break?!"

Rob didn't stick around to find out what happened next. He bolted in the opposite direction, the wolves hot on his heels. As he ran, he couldn't help but laugh. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever done!"

For the first time, Rob felt a glimmer of hope. He had survived an entire day in the forest, something he hadn't managed to do before. He knew the dangers were still out there, but he was learning. Slowly but surely, he was adapting.

As he sat by the stream, chewing on a handful of grass, Rob couldn't help but laugh. "I'm eating grass in a virtual forest, and I'm actually happy about it," he muttered to himself. "What has my life come to?"

But despite the absurdity of it all, Rob felt a sense of accomplishment. He had survived. And for now, that was enough.