A scream from the apartment's neighbor was the first thing I heard, followed by car horns honking. However, those didn't bother me compared the unpleasant experience I had before.

‘Why is the machine turned off?’

I tried pushing the capsule's lid open, but it took more strength than usual.

As I got up, something unfamiliar touched my neck. 

‘Red hair?’

I quickly ran to the bathroom. 

In the mirror, there was a redhead young woman standing in daze. 

I had become Ingrid.

Before my brain could comprehend, a transparent game window popped up right in front of me. Inside, there was a message with a timer counting down.

Sending players to hell in 1:29.

The last event that was happening in the game came to my mind. 

Suddenly, the eyes in the mirror glowed a golden light, and numbers rose in my view. 

Congratulations for achieving the highest score in the test environment without dying. 

Player <Ingrid> will be rewarded with a skill inheritance.

Player has learned a skill <Eyes of Probabilities> (A)

Many streamers and rankers had around 500th to 600th, but it surprised me that I was the one who achieved the highest score on the first run.

‘Damn…’

If it was a dream, it would be one of my worst nightmares. A touch, a smell—every sense of my body was telling me this was the reality.

I took a deep breath before heading to the balcony. 

Everything that was going to happen was inevitable. It was better to calm my mind to prepare for the worst.

The view outside was rather chaotic. 

Most people were trying to get back to their home to see their loved ones, while some went crazy like my neighbor.

My younger sister might have sent me a text, so I checked my phone.

But there was no signal. 

‘She’ll be fine.’

After our parents died, Amelia was the one who cheered me up. If it wasn't for her, it would take me years to get through.

It wasn't like I was heartless or being too optimistic. Worrying about something beyond control would only hinder my survival.

I looked up to ignore the chaos in the street and the countdown message before starting humming my favorite song to tune out my neighbor’s scream.

Unless the situation was dire, I would spend time admiring the appearance that I spent hours meticulously creating. 

The breeze in my hair was surprisingly refreshing.

‘Savoring the last minute on earth, huh?’

The words I recalled strangely put me at ease.

Even thought I was perfectly healthy, I felt like I was a patient who knew they were going to die soon, letting go of worries and focus on good things.

Who knew that it would turn 180 degrees on a nice and sunny morning.

My mind started to wander.

‘If I get transported to hell, will I be wearing this?’

Despite the shorts being elastic, it barely holds at the hips.

In the distance, an asteroid became visible. Chicxulub, which killed the dinosaurs, was incomparable to this one. It was large enough to shatter the earth, killing living beings in an instant.

I kept looking at the impending doom until the last second.

_____

Clap!

“Greetings, new players.”

Like waking up from an after party blackout, everyone was puzzled because they didn't know what happened, where they were, or how they got here.

About a hundred people of all ages were standing in a void.

There were other races, like dwarf and elf, among the group as well, but it seemed like no one else had noticed that yet.

From above our head, an incubus in a suit flew down to the level where everyone could see.

“Welcome to hell. You're given a mission to reach the lowest depth of hell, the abyss,” said the demon with a polite but nonchalant tone.

Although everything from monologues to the environment were the same as the game, the difference was that in the game the player was the only one in this space.

“Send us back!”

Before the incubus continued, someone who couldn’t read the situation cut in, a Ken who would always complain first.

I could see numbers on that guy's head. 

That man would die soon.

In a blink of an eye, his head burst like a popped balloon splashing blood everywhere before a lifeless body fell down on the ground.

He was killed to make an example, to implant fear and obedience to the players.

“Silence.”

The incubus let out a domineering aura, an intense pressure that froze everyone before people went into turmoil.

Without interruption, he continued.

“The one who reaches the abyss will be given a power capable of making any wish come true. Before we proceed, try saying ‘status’ out loud or in your thoughts.”

After seeing someone die, people had no choice but to comply.

‘Status.’

In Abyss Diver, character stats were randomized based on the physique. So I was curious about my status as well.

The initial stats wouldn't matter much since a player could increase their stats from battle or training in a safe zone.

<Ingrid>

Strength: 3

Dexterity : 5

Constitution: 4

Mind: 7

Aura: 0

Mana: 0

Skills: Eyes of Probabilities (A)

Boons: Grace (S)

Banes: -

What startled me wasn't how low my stats were, but something that appeared on the boons.