He felt ensnared.

Accompanied by robots that babbled nonsensical bullshit, then being here, in a place which gave a bizarre vibe to him. Plus a partial amnesia out of nowhere. No matter how much he tried to rationalize all this shit together, the answer was always beyond his reach.

After looking in all directions carefully, and connecting it with what he had just experienced today, he came to a simple conclusion: he couldn't leave this peculiar place by himself. There were no visible doors, windows, or even another human to ask where to go.

He was alone.

If he wandered around without a clue and accidentally crossed the no-go area, his life could be in danger. The worst outcome, he would get killed before he discovered why he got kidnapped in the first place.

With that idea planted in his head, Rei put his trust in his new companion. The only speaking existence he could ask for now. It was a doubtful, half-baked choice, but no other option was available to him.

“Okay then,” he squatted and touched the robot’s head. “Just lead me where it is. I will follow you.”

A nice bell sounded from its speaker like a positive answer. Then it nodded twice to him.

“Good. Follow me, Rei.”

The small robot ran with its small wheels and led him into the elevator. Rei didn't even notice that there was an elevator before him. No difference between the wall and the elevator doors, not the surface or even their colors. It was like the wall suddenly transformed into one.

He was confused, but still followed it anyway.

Right after the door closed, the small robot pressed number 0 on the panel. The elevator moved after a few jolts. He didn't know if he was going to the top or dive into the bottom of this place, he could see nothing beside his reflection on the surface of the elevator wall.

He just kept his mouth shut while folding his hands. He thought it was a good idea. However, the silence filled only by the sound of the elevator engine made him a bit anxious.

“So, what happened to that girl?” Rei asked to break the silence.

“The dead girl? No need to worry, a different division from the negative floor will take care of it. You should focus on your way.”

What a cold response. I shouldn't expect a heartwarming response from this cold object.

Also, what does it mean by different divisions?

“I see,” Rei said, then he decided to forget unnecessary details about it. “I hope you give her a proper burial, at least.”

…

No response, huh?

The lift was shaking. He was forced to hold on to the wall.

“What happened?”

"Technical problems. No need to worry."

Rei gulped his saliva down. He tried to believe it. He tried.

When the shock finally stopped, the door opened and a blinding light immediately flooded his eyes. The silence he had felt before turned into a busy atmosphere. As soon as he took his first step on this new floor, the vision widened and his eyes caught what he wanted to see for a while.

Another human. Not one, two, or three. They were quite numerous. And each of them was assisted by a robot like his. A strong relief immediately exploded and depleted his anxiety. Sure, not all of it. At least, Rei felt more at ease now.

There were so many questions lingering in his head. But …

“What happened here?” was the first question leaked from his mouth.

“Nothing. You have no business with them. We should go to the shop as soon as possible.” It answered Rei's question with an apathetic voice.

“You really have no heart.”

“Silly question. Of course I don’t. I am a robot after all.”

The robot didn't slow down. It simply jumped into the path, forcing him to increase his walking speed.

Unfortunately, Rei bumped into another human. A girl. He immediately lowered his head and apologized. But he didn’t hear a word from her. Not even a single sound was caught by his ears.

At first, he thought she was so furious and prepared her way to slap him or something. Yet, she didn't raise her hand or make a grumpy expression on her face. She froze, stood still, and stared beyond him. Like Rei wasn't even there to begin with.

He tried to ask for help with the people around him, but no one responded to his call. And again, he got the same treatment. Like the still air, they treated him like nothing.

An uneasy feeling crawling inside, vibrating discomfort throughout the body. He immediately rubbed his chest.

It’s okay, he murmured. I shouldn’t be bothered by it. I mean, the answer should be laid in the trial, right? But, what the hell is this place? A secret lab or something?

Rei chose to escape. He ignored all those questions which made him dread and decided to leave the girl alone. He turned his head around and back to follow the robot.

And soon enough, they arrived.

Rei was staring for a minute and realized something was off. Not as disturbing as before, but still bothering him in a weird way.

What kind of shop that didn’t show anything or goods except a robot as the shopkeeper and a change room-like there? It was just a big empty space! Rei didn't even know what kind of shop it was. Did the owner just put a random robot and expect someone to buy something in here?

While he validated his thoughts, the small robot extended a cable from its own body into the panel in front of it. A few seconds later, the shopkeeper's engine lit up and showed a smile emoticon in its monitor face.

“Welcome, Rei,” The shopkeeper said. “Your registration ID is valid. You can pick any starter deck in the examination room there. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine.”

Huh?

“Go inside, Rei.” Before he even asked, the small robot seemed able to realize his worry on the face. He sighed and went into the room without raising further questions.

After he took a step inside, the door immediately closed. An iron ring was floating from the top and slowly going down like it was scanning his entire body. When it finally reached the ground, he heard a “scanning completed” sound. And then, a screen appeared in front of his face. It showed his name and his naked body.

“What the–okay… I meant this place had a funny robot. I shouldn't be surprised if they or should I say, the administrator of this bland futuristic building, was able to snap my naked picture.”

Just to make sure, I have no Onlyfans account.

Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!

[Put your hand into the box]

A command displayed in a floating blue-glittering hologram window. Suddenly, a transparent silver box emerged from the wall and showed an empty space inside. He peeked in, stuck his finger inside.

Too late. The box caught him easily like a stupid donkey.

Of course, he tried his best to get his hand out of it and nothing happened. Perhaps, he needed some tool to remove it permanently. Or guns.

“Great. Now I'm stuck in this room.” Before his rambling ended, a new dialog showed up.

[Welcome, Rei.]

[In 10 seconds, The Re:Construct Operation will be conducted.]

[Please make yourself as comfortable as possible.]

“Re:Construct Operation? What the hell is that!” He suddenly panicked, tried to open the door with his feet, but it didn't budge. He kicked it again, harder enough to ring out his ears. “Hei! Open the–”

A sudden pain cut his words immediately after his trapped wrist was suddenly crushed. The next second, dozens of tiny needles penetrated his right hand, causing such excruciating pain that forced him to stop breathing.

[The Injector(s) is on standby.]

[The next phase will be conducted in 5 seconds.]

Rei didn't read the dialog when it was shown to his face. He lacked even the opportunity to consider it. The intense pain took all his attention. At the same time, he suppressed his screams, a natural action of one who didn’t want to appear weak. Perhaps, it was the least he could do.

As the countdown ended, the microneedle's tip sent a high voltage throughout the body before he had a chance to speak. The electric current shocked his nervous system, made him unable to feel anything other than numbness and eventually lost control over his body. He kept dancing haphazardly ignoring his own will.

In no time, he went unconscious.

Something odd took place … he woke up. Being electrocuted by the high current, it should be impossible for him to regain consciousness. Moreover, he could see what happened clearly like an out-of-body experience. From above, his body was imprisoned in the room, like he was playing a third-person role-playing game.

In his sense, Rei was airborne. Not in his physical body.

He tried to scream, but nothing came out of his mouth. Even though he was floating in the air, he couldn’t move freely either.

He stuck up there as a spectator for a spectacular show.

Below him, his whole body began to disintegrate. The skin was torn, the muscles peeled off, the bones cracked, and every bit of blood spread into billions of bluish squares. As he watched his body dissolve into non-existence, the fear forced him to release a muted scream with all his might.

Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!

[Orbital System successfully implanted]

10% ... 46% ... 95% ...

[Sol Sphere established]

[The construction of the circular network inside the Sol Sphere has been completed]

[All nodes have been deployed following the guidelines]

15% ... 55% ... 98% ...

[Orbit has been established]

[Duelist Class has been granted]

Inside the room, there was nothing but atoms and a peculiar blueprint floating in the air. Eight machine arms came out of the wall and began to reconstruct them. Molecules were rearranged following that invisible blueprint as a guidance, reconnecting chemical bonds, creating flesh material, forming tissue, muscles and bones in sequence, and then coating them all with skin.

It happened too fast to be documented.

78% ... 98% ...

Reconstruction failed.

(1) Issue detected.

Error 102: Existence already exists.

Elimination step initiated.

1% ... 23% … 44% ... 78% ...

Process cancelled.

Report: [New resolution established]

Resume the reconstruction process….

(1) Issue detected.

Error 01b: Existence will be rejected.

Error ignored.

Reconstruction continued.

87% … 98% ... 100%

Reconstruction process completed.

Initiate biological activity.

Cell divides.

Organs are functioning.

Biological Activity detected.

[Welcome, Duelist Rei.]

[Apologies for the long wait.]

[Now, please choose your starter deck.]

His scream erupted as he managed to access his voice back. The darkness he felt slowly disappeared, followed by the engine noise that filled the atmosphere.

He gasped for air so bad. He missed the sound too.

He touched his own body, all parts without skipping any. His hand, his feet, his hair, and even his own heart beat. Nothing had been stolen from him. Nothing was damaged either.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened to his body except for the sweat drenching him so badly. It should be impossible for someone to sweat this much for no actual reason. It didn’t make sense. People with common sense knew it was WEIRD.

How could his body have been overhauled and yet he was still alive? Not a single chicken would still be alive after becoming nugget! Even for a second!

Yet, here he was. Imagining himself as a nugget because of an inexplicable new experience. The more he thought about it, the more he looked like a heavy drunken man complaining about his underwear not being washed for a year.

Dumbass. I probably hallucinated. He tried to convince himself.

The moment the creaking sound was heard, the silver box unlocked its grip and let his hand regain its freedom. He pulled it and stared, inspecting it front and back. He didn’t find any wounds despite the excruciating pain he had earlier. Instead, he found a foreign object. Iron … or perhaps, steel?

He tried to get rid of it, tugging, prying with his fingers, even smashing it against the wall. No scratch, it didn't even budge. He tried slamming it harder, and made no progress.

Strange.

The shape was exactly like your everyday bland bracelet made of silver metal. However, it couldn't be detached from his wrist. As if this accessory was fused to his hand from the beginning or like an additional bone extending from his carpal bone.

But that was also weird because his skin had no pain either.

He opened and closed his right hand, then stroked the bracelet with his other hand. His vein briefly lit up light blue, but the gleam quickly vanished.

“What the hell happened to my hand?”

[Do you need more time to select your starter deck?]

A new hologram window caught his eyes. But, he ignored it and rushed to get out.

“Hei! You said I will be okay but look at this thing!” Rei's index finger pointed at the silver bracelet he wore. He walked with a head full of anger and disappointment.

“You have nothing to worry about, Rei,” the robot replied. “Nothing has changed except that you are able to use it now. The Orbital System.”

Rei dazed off for a bit. “System what? What does that mean?”

“Please pay attention to your environment slowly.”

His anger was still there, but the confusion was too great which caused his attention to be easily diverted.

He looked at his surroundings. Steadily and carefully. Nothing had changed, he was still in front of the empty store. Yet, his vision felt strange for no reason, not to mention the glitches which appeared randomly. He rubbed his eyes and kept seeing the glitch. He rubbed it again and followed by a soft smack on his head, yet the same thing was shown.

“Stop joking … What are you doing to my eyes?”

“Nothing. I do nothing to your eyes. Anyway, the glitches will eventually be done for another minute,” the small robot added.

Like the iron dwarf said, the glitches vanished. His vision was … somehow adjusted. Zooming in and out and finally got the correct distance of his casual view.

Why do I feel like wearing a contact lens?

He shook his head. Followed by a small massage on his temple.

He really needed a logical or at least, a plausible explanation for the shit he was going through right now. Or he would lose his mind and end up in therapy for his whole life.

Another long exhale he took will do nothing to his case. But, yeah, he was able to calm himself down with that. Even for a second, that was a good help.

“So, what is your starter deck, Rei?” Out of the blue, the iron dwarf asked.

“Starter deck?”

“Humans are forgetful creatures, but you are the worst example.”

I know I am the worst person who forgets his own family and friends. But, it wasn't my fault. Something fishy happened to me and no one really offered an explanation.

“Okay. Where can I find the starter deck again?”

“...Wait, you didn’t choose your starter deck there?”

Rei shook his head slowly. “...Yeah? Is that a problem?”

The robot sighed, even though it had no lungs to do it.

“I see. Since you came out of the examination room without selecting anything, your starter deck was randomly selected by the system. That’s too bad.” The robot spun around and then stopped before him. “Anyway, you can check your starter deck by touching the creature symbol on your bracelet. It will open the User Interface of the Orbital System.”

Rei looked at the bracelet once again. He found the lizard–no, a dragon head symbol in the upper part of it. He hesitated, but nothing would change if he backed down.

A sudden hologram window appeared out of nowhere. He made sure that he was already outside of the examination room. So why did this hologram screen appear now?

“What is this? A mini projector?” he concluded.

“Boring answer.” The robot snapped its iron fingers. “It is proof that you are a resident of the Inner Plane since today. It grants you access to the mighty system in this realm. Anyway, you should look at your deck. After you are done, we need to go to the Trial Chamber.”

A resident of the Inner Plane? A mighty System? What the hell is that?

Damn!

Ignoring his confused mind, Rei examined the menu in the hologram window. The first thing he looked at was his photo and some private information such as name, birth date, age, and etc.

[Name: Rei]

[Birth Date: 4/17]

[Age: 21]

[Class: Duelist Level 0]

[Sub-class: Neutral]

[Sphere Owned: 1]

[DP Owned: 0]

[Orbit Dollar Owned: 0]

Class Duelist? Subclass Neutral? Orbit Dollar? What kind of information is this? A game character status or something?

Rei knew one or two things about mmorpg even though he hadn't played it a lot. He wasn’t clueless about current popular games concepts or something. It was just kinda weird when he saw it without using his computer.

His eyes raked from top to bottom, somehow, he found an incorrect piece of information from what had been displayed. It was his age.

Rei was 18 years old. He was a third year high school student. It was kind of impossible for him to forget about it. Look at what he wore today–it was his school attire. An indisputable proof.

From that one mistake (or maybe bugged) and other game-like information he had, Rei made two different speculations about his current situation.

The first speculation, he played a virtual game with advanced technology which made him unable to feel his real body, and somehow he eventually forgot about it.

The second one, he played an augmented reality game that used an advanced technology with the whole building as the projector of the game, and whatever he saw and touched was not a real thing. Just a projection.

But here was the problem laid if those were true.

Why were his memories missing? With current technology earth had, it was quite impossible to actually erase some part of people's memories or to block them from accessing their own memories. Rei knew one or two things about sci-fi movies with this kind of technology, but it was too wild to bring them to reality. The consequences were too high and no one was sane enough to develop a game with such a feature.

At the same time, he had a doubt.

What made him doubt was the perceived realistic element. It was too real. Not only the texture of the human body, when he pinched himself, the pain was exactly the same as a pinch in the real world. No lag at all. The same was true for the dizziness he experienced.

Rei sighed and pressed his temple for a while. He understood that he needed more information to get a better grip of his ass situation. Any speculation he made would eventually mislead him because of the absence of evidence.

After being done with reviewing his own status, he returned to his current objective. Finding the deck.

From all the menus that appeared, Rei touched “Deck & Library” icons. A new window opened and appeared in front of the previous one. It was split into two sections. One section was for Deck and the other was Library.

In the Deck section, Rei saw his starter deck name, “Nighty Starter”. He touched the deck icon and it showed 20 cards neatly arranged. In the middle of it, there were three highlighted cards. When he focused on those three, a label “key” appeared on each card. But, Rei didn't care about the label or any other thing. His eyes were drawn to the three chicks wearing sexy outfits and radiating some weird energy.

“These cards are dangerous for kids' brains. I wonder about the other starter deck cards.”

“Are you done reviewing your deck, Rei?” The small robot asked suddenly, interrupting his concentration.

“Not yet. I need more information for my research.”

“Research?”

“In a good way. To play the game … understanding my deck?”

“Okay. I will wait for five minutes and we are set to go.”

Rei just nodded.

He didn't lie about it. He really paid attention to the “key” cards. Outfit aside, He remembered their name. Nighty Queen Nutcracker, Nighty Queen Majesty, and Nighty First Lady. Not only they had beautiful art with a super realistic style, their effects were quite something for a card game unit.

After wasting three minutes, he used the rest of time to remember all other cards in his starter deck. If he really would play a card game, then it was a useful thing to do. Of course, he couldn’t memorize everything perfectly.

“Let’s go, Rei.”

By tapping the bracelet's dragon head icon, he closed all of the hologram screens. Together, they entered the hallway next to the store. Rei watched each step he took while observing everything.

“Rei, prepare yourself,” the robot said. “You will fight against someone today.”

“Oh. What kind of fight?”

“A standard trading card game with an interesting upgrade.”

Rei scratched his head, “Oh … Hey, can I just surrender and go home? I mean, this is just a game, right?”

A buzzing static sound filled the air. “Nigg-Error! Your choice to give up the trial is not supported for your own sake.”

He sighed. “I see.”

Wait … did this guy want to say the N-word earlier?

“If you have no desire to see your family again, then that's your call, Rei.” The robot showed a smile on its monitor. “Your death is not my responsibility.”

“You sound like a criminal, you know that?”

“Silly response. On this floor, criminal or not, that’s not important. You just have to win. The basic rule of survival.”

Rei pondered his brain. But no matter how, he couldn't understand a bit of it.

Am I really in a virtual or augmented game? Or maybe I was brainwashed by a dangerous organization to make me believe all that shit?

When Rei put his sight to the front, he saw a large silver gate closing his path. He fixed his vision on them and somehow a new screen appeared.

[Floor 0 ROOT]

[Trial Chamber]

“Well, here my fate will be decided.”