**Chapter 1: The First Loop**
The late afternoon light filtered through the dusty windows of Classroom A1 at Riverwood College, casting long, lazy golden beams across rows of scratched wooden desks. The air carried the familiar mix of chalk dust, cheap coffee from the hallway vending machine, and the faint metallic tang of old radiators. Students buzzed with that end-of-day energy—some leaned back in their chairs chatting about the latest superhero movie, others whispered about the brutal upcoming midterms, while a few just stared blankly at their phones, counting down the minutes until freedom.
Not everyone shared the carefree mood.
Luther Knox slumped forward at his desk near the back, his messy black hair spilling over his arms as he buried his face against the cool wood. He was short for his age, skinny in that way that made hoodies hang loose on his frame, and today the simple black-and-white one he wore felt like the only armor he needed against the world. *Another day of pretending to listen,* he thought, the usual fog of exhaustion pressing down on him. *Just get through this and meet Jane. Shopping, snacks, maybe complain about life for a couple hours. Normal stuff.*
He cracked one eye open and fished his phone from his pocket. The screen lit up with a couple of missed messages. Jane confirming their plans. Good. He tapped open the messaging app, but before he could reply, the phone buzzed sharply three times in quick succession.
Notifications. But not from any app he remembered installing.
A strange new icon filled the screen: a majestic golden eye, winged like some ancient herald, with sharp horns curling upward. It looked expensive. Professional. *Weird as hell,* Luther thought, frowning. *I definitely didn't download some fantasy game. Must be a virus or one of those weird ads that hijacks your home screen.*
Curiosity won. He tapped it.
Golden text materialized across the screen, glowing with an almost hypnotic quality against a dark void background.
**"Hello, young god. You have been selected out of the many that exist on Earth to take part in the God Games."**
Luther blinked, reading faster. *Okay, someone really went all out on the production value here.*
The message continued: a tournament to crown the next God King. Old gods dead, corrupted, or forgotten. Participants would fight, scheme, rise, or fall. Bloodlines awakened. Bodies reforged. Divine power granted.
**"Your goal is to either help the new king rise… or become the king yourself. As per the ancient agreements, your bloodline ability and godly body have been forged. Are you ready to become divine? Yes/No?"**
A soft chuckle escaped him. "Damn. This is actually kind of cool," he muttered under his breath, glancing around to make sure no one was watching him talk to his phone like a lunatic. *Why not? Beats staring at the clock for the last ten minutes of class.* His thumb hovered, then pressed **Yes**.
A sharp sting bloomed across the back of his right hand, like a brand pressed into skin. He hissed, jerking his hand up. There, etched in glowing gold that slowly faded to a metallic tattoo, was the same winged, horned eye. It pulsed once, warm against his veins.
"What the—?"
His phone screen shifted again, displaying a clean menu interface:
- **Stats**
- **Daily Quests**
- **Quests**
- **Events**
- **Points**
- **Money Conversion**
Heart beating a little faster now, Luther tapped **Stats**.
**Luther Knox**
**Lesser God**
**Body Rank: 1**
**Skills:**
**King of Time** – *Effect: Time Reversal*
The classroom noise faded into the background. Luther stared, mouth dry. *This… isn't a normal game. The tattoo. The wording. This feels way too real.*
Before he could spiral further, his phone buzzed violently.
**"Battle commencing with Unknown God. You may decline by spending 1 God Point."**
He had zero points. Zero anything.
The notification flashed red. **"Battle auto-initiated."**
Luther's stomach twisted. He stood up too quickly, chair scraping loudly against the floor. A few heads turned, but he ignored them, heart hammering as he walked toward the door. *This is stupid. It's just a prank app. Some AR thing. Calm down.*
At the doorway stood a boy he vaguely recognized—thin, glasses-wearing, the kind of quiet kid who got shoved around between classes. The boy looked up with wide, nervous eyes.
"Um… Luther? Are you… Chronos?"
The name from the stats tab. Luther hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Yeah, that's—"
The boy's fist punched straight through Luther's chest.
Pain exploded like nothing he had ever known. White-hot, tearing, wet. Luther staggered, eyes bulging as he looked down at the arm buried wrist-deep in his ribs. Blood—*his* blood—spurted hot and thick across the boy's sleeve and the tiled floor. The coppery smell flooded the air instantly.
The boy's meek expression melted into something feral, eyes shining with manic glee. "Oh good. Because I am Ares. And I plan on becoming the King of the Gods."
With a sickening wet rip, the boy yanked his arm free and slashed downward with impossible strength. Luther's world became agony as his torso tore open. Intestines spilled in a steaming tangle across the floor, his legs gave out, and the top half of his body collapsed backward with a heavy, meaty thud. Blood sprayed in pulsing arcs, painting the nearby desks and walls. The pain was everywhere—burning, shredding, suffocating. He tried to scream but only managed a wet gurgle as blood filled his throat and lungs.
*Jane… I never answered her… This can't be real… I was just… stupid… stupid stupid stupid—*
His vision tunneled, colors draining away. The last thing he saw was Ares's grinning, blood-splattered face leaning over him, whispering something about glory.
Then darkness.
---
Luther gasped awake.
The classroom noise rushed back in all at once. Students laughing. Chairs creaking. The warm afternoon light still slanting through the windows exactly as before. His body was whole. No blood. No torn flesh. Just the phantom echo of unimaginable pain pulsing through his nerves like a nightmare that hadn't fully let go.
His phone vibrated on the desk.
**"You have used Skill: King of Time. 1/4 uses remaining. Skill usage will reset at midnight. Be careful."**
Luther sat frozen, breathing hard, sweat soaking the back of his hoodie. His right hand trembled as he stared at the golden tattoo that was definitely still there.
*It was real. The pain. The smell. The way my guts felt like they were being pulled out.*
He swallowed hard, fighting the urge to vomit. The trauma clung to him like a second skin—every ripped nerve, every failing heartbeat still burned in his memory. His hands shook as he gripped the edge of his desk, knuckles white.
*Okay. Okay. This isn't a game. This is… something else. And that psycho is out there right now.*
Luther slowly lifted his head, eyes scanning the room with new, sharp paranoia. The buzzing conversations continued around him, completely unaware of the horror that had just been undone.
He had four chances. Three left.
And he wasn't going to waste them being stupid again.... hey guys i wanted to make a death game novel so here it is