The stench of burning flesh and scorched timber filled the air. Corpses littered the once-pristine streets of Asteria, the small kingdom's capital now reduced to rubble and ash. The Crimson Empire's banners, once flying proudly above the conquered city, now smoldered alongside the bodies of their fallen soldiers.
Silver stood atop the castle's highest remaining tower. Below him, the survivors of Asteria's resistance celebrated their impossible victory against the Empire that had subjugated half the known world.
"You actually did it," Princess Elara said, approaching him with reverence in her eyes. Blood and soot stained her once-immaculate royal garments. "The Crimson Empire has never been defeated... until today."
Silver turned to face her, his blade still dripping with the blood of the Imperial Commander.
"Your people fought bravely," he replied. "I merely evened the odds."
"You slew the Emperor 's right hand," Elara countered. "You led our forces through the war. You brought hope to our morale when we had none."
Around them, the 98th floor of Babel Unbound continued its victory sounds. In the aftermath, NPC citizens emerged from their hiding places to join the celebration.
Silver accessed his character menu to check his quest completion status. The "Liberation of Asteria" quest showed 100% completion, with bonus objectives for "Minimal Civilian Casualties" and "Imperial Commander Defeated in Single Combat" also achieved.
The experience points and rare items he'd gained would be useful, but what truly mattered was what came next: access to the mysterious 99th floor. No player had ever reached it before.
"Princess," he said. "Your kingdom is free, but my journey must continue."
Elara's eyes widened. "You're going to attempt the Ascending Gate? No one has ever returned from there."
"That's why I must go." Silver offered her a smile.
The princess reached for his hand. "Then take this," she said, placing an ornate key in his palm. "The Key of Asteria. It has been in my family for generations, said to unlock the truth within the tower."
Silver accepted the key, watching it dissolve into light as it entered his inventory. The system notification appeared in his vision:
[Legendary Item Acquired: Key of Asteria]
[Floor 99 Access: Granted]
"Farewell, Hero of Asteria," Elara said, tears in her eyes begun to fall as she cried.
Silver nodded and turned away. Behind the character was Silas Silverine. The first player with access to the 99th floor.
Silver made his way through the ruined city toward the Ascending Gate that had appeared at the northern edge of the map. The massive stone archway pulsed with ethereal light, the number "99" hovering above it in ancient runes.
Silver stepped through the gate without giving it a second thought.
The expected loading screen never came. Instead, blinding white light enveloped him, and then... nothing.
Pure, empty whiteness stretched in all directions. No terrain, no NPCs, no quest markers or environmental objects. Just an endless void of white.
"What the hell?" Silas muttered. He thought it must be a glitch. He tried accessing the game menu, then the bug report feature, but nothing appeared in his vision.
After several frustrated attempts to interact with anything in the glitched environment, Silas sighed and issued the voice command to log out.
"Logout."
The white void dissolved, Silas opened his eyes in his bedroom. The neural interface of his VR headset disengaged with a soft hum, and he carefully removed the device from his head and put it back on it's holder.
As he got up, Silas walked past the mess of his Studio apartment. Pure Chaos. Unwashed dishes in the sink. Clothes looked like they were thrown across furniture instead of propelry folded. Empty energy drink cans and microwave burrito wrappers across his kitchen counter.
Silas groaned as he sat up, his body stiff from lying in the same position for too long. At twenty-eight, he was already feeling the effects of his hermit lifestyle, despite the lean, muscular physique of his in-game avatar.
"Must be server maintenance," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Didn't see any announcements though."
He checked the time: 2:37 AM. He'd been playing continuously for 60 hours straight. Only stopping for bathroom breaks and to microwave the occasional burrito. The Battle for Asteria had taken nearly twenty hours alone, the game's advanced AI, constantly changed events ad they unfolded. This made each attempt to beat the 98th floor harder.
Silas stretched and grimaced at his own smell. Even he had limits.
"Shower first." he decided.
He barely made it to the bathroom, throwing his clothes along the way. The small bathroom was as neglected as the rest of his apartment, with mildew forming in the corners of the shower stall.
As hot water cascaded over him, Silas mentally replayed his victory over the Crimson Empire. He'd spent weeks preparing for that battle, studying the Empire's tactics. Crafting the perfect equipment loadout, even recruiting a few trusted players to help before they inevitably fell behind his relentless pace.
The rush of becoming the first player to clear the 98th floor was intoxicating. In the real world, Silas was a nobody. A freelance programmer with few friends and fewer ambitions beyond his next login. But in Babel Unbound, he was Silver, conqueror of impossible challenges, the player whose strategies were studied and emulated by thousands on web forums.
The thought of being the first to explore the 99th floor made his heart race. What secrets waited there? What challenges? What rewards?
The excitement combined with exhaustion made his head swim. The hot water, the steam, the lack of sleep. It suddenly hit him. The shower walls seemed to tilt around him.
"Shit," he mumbled as his vision darkened at the edges.
Silas reached for the wall to steady himself, but his hand slipped on the wet tile. He felt himself falling, powerless to stop it. His head connected with the hard edge of the shower wall, a sharp pain lancing through his skull before everything went black.
...
...
...
When he finally regained his sense, Silas found himself standing in an endless white void.
"The glitch again?" he wondered aloud. But something was different. He could feel no neural interface, no subtle reminder that he was experiencing a simulation.
He looked down at himself, expecting to see his real body, but instead saw the perfectly rendered form of Silver. He was muscular, imposing, clad in the legendary armor he'd spent months acquiring in-game. His silver hair, slicked back.
"What the hell is going on?" His voice echoed strangely in the emptiness.
"Hello, Silas Silverine. Or would you prefer I call you Silver?"
The voice was feminine, melodic, and seemed to come from everywhere at once. Silas spun around, searching for its source.
She appeared before him without warning. Silas was caught off guard with how beautiful she was. Her purple hair cascaded down her back. She had an hourglass figure and a bust so generous it would have been comical in the real world. Pearlescent wings extended from her shoulders, casting a soft glow in the white void. Her face could have belonged to a supermodel, with flawless skin. Anyone would think she would have been the prefect wife.
"I am Seraphine," she announced. "An Angel who works on behalf of the gods."
Silas stared, momentarily speechless. The rendering was perfect. Far beyond anything he'd seen in Babel Unbound before. The way her hair moved, the subtle expressions on her face, Eben the way her wings fluttered as she just stood there.
"Is this some kind of special event?" he finally asked. "A reward for reaching floor 99?"
Seraphine smiled, her perfect lips curving upward. "In a manner of speaking, yes. You've set records, Silas Silverine. The most hours played. The first to ever conquer the 98th floor and reach the 99th. Your dedication has not gone unnoticed."
Silas felt a surge of pride. He'd sacrificed everything for those achievements. The few friends he had no longer talked to him. Became a free lance coder so he could olay whenever he wanted to. To have it acknowledged felt surprisingly good.
"The gods have decided you deserve a gift," Seraphine continued, extending her hand with a graceful flourish.
An azure screen materialized before him, glowing softly in the whiteness. It displayed a simple notification:
[Seraphine wishes to grant you a special gift]
[YES] [NO]
Excitement coursed through Silas. A unique reward! Perhaps a legendary weapon? Or a character class available to no other player? The possibilities made his heart race.
Without hesitation, his hand shot forward, pressing [YES].
The screen flashed bright blue, then dissolved into particles of light that swirled around his fingertips before vanishing.
"Excellent," Seraphine said, her smile widening. "Thank you for signing the contract."
Silas blinked. "Contract? What contract?"
"The one you just agreed to," she replied casually. "Didn't you read the fine print?"
"There wasn't any fine print," Silas protested, a sense of unease growing in his stomach. This didn't feel like normal gameplay anymore.
Seraphine laughed, the sound like crystal bells. "There's always fine print, Silas. Always."