The package arrived on a Tuesday.
Damion’s hands trembled as he lifted the unmarked box from his doorstep. No shipping label, no return address - just a wax seal pressed with the image of a spider, threads of purple silk woven through the dark wax.
He should have been more suspicious. Should have questioned how Purple Thread, a company that had appeared seemingly overnight and revolutionized the VR gaming industry, had found him. Should have wondered why they’d chosen a struggling art student for their closed beta test.
Instead, he found himself breaking the seal and lifting out a chrome headset unlike anything he’d ever seen. No wires, no external sensors, just smooth, cool metal that seemed to hum with potential. Beneath it lay a letter, the same purple spider embossed at the top:
You have been chosen to beta test our upcoming full-dive VR game: The Fall. Our world is about to change, and we need You to protect it.
The NDA was surprisingly simple, a single page with one line highlighted in crimson: Do not share any information without express permission from Purple Thread. Consequences will be severe.
Damion hesitated only a moment before signing. What was the worst that could happen?
The setup was equally straightforward - take a photo for identity verification, lie back, close your eyes. No complicated calibration, no system requirements. Just put on the headset and...
Retinal display and facial markers match upload.
A feminine voice announced inside his mind.
Logging into the world of The Fall.
Mana? The word triggered something in Damion’s memory; late nights reading manga, anime with glowing magic circles and supernatural powers. But this felt different. More real.
Your city lies in ruins. Mana has infused the world, all life has been mutated, and Humans have found themselves on the bottom of the food chain.
Images flooded his mind; familiar streets transformed into a nightmare landscape, creatures that defied description stalking through broken buildings. It should have felt like a game… like fiction.
“Choose your class from Warrior, Cleric, Mage, or Rogue. You will gain experience through combat and completed tasks. Every five levels grants a new skill choice. At level 10, you may choose an advancement class.” He read aloud.
Simple. Straightforward. Like any other game.
So why did his hands shake as he made his choice? Why did the air feel charged with possibility and danger?
After making his selection of Rogue and choosing the dagger as his starter weapon, a notification popped.
Welcome Damion Creed… to The Fall of Humanity.
As the world dissolved around him, one thought pierced through his excitement; That this was something new!
The first step into The Fall was like nothing Damion had ever experienced in a game before.
His apartment…his actual apartment, materialized around him in perfect detail. The stack of unpaid bills on his coffee table. The half-finished illustration for his portfolio. Even the coffee stain on his carpet from three days ago.
“How did they...” he whispered, running his fingers along his bookshelf. Each spine felt real, with texture he could feel.
Welcome to The Fall. Please review your class selection and abilities.
A translucent menu appeared before him, displaying his chosen Rogue class and available starting abilities. The list floated in midair:
Rogue Class Abilities (Select 1):
Backstab: +25% damage when attacking from behind
Danger Sense: Provides warning of imminent threats
Pickpocket: Increase chance of finding valuable items
Lesser Stealth: Brief invisibility after remaining still for 5 seconds
Damion considered his options. In most games, he’d go for damage output first, but something about this world made him reconsider. Something told him survival would matter more than kill counts.
“Danger Sense,” he said aloud, tapping the floating option.
Ability Selected: Danger Sense Passive ability now active
Note: Additional abilities can be unlocked through leveling and completing specific tasks
A deep rumble shook the building. Outside his window, the sky had turned an unnatural crimson, fractures spreading like broken glass across the heavens. Damion approached the window cautiously, every instinct telling him to stay away from whatever was happening outside.
The street below was chaos. People ran screaming as strange creatures emerged from shimmering portals that tore through reality itself. Creatures that shouldn’t exist; that couldn’t exist. A massive bear with bone spikes protruding from its misshapen shoulders. Something that looked like an insect the size of a car. And most terrifying of all, hunched green-skinned goblins with yellowed tusks and eyes that glowed with feral hunger, brandishing crude weapons as they dragged screaming civilians into alleyways.
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Objective: Survive the initial wave. Find shelter and supplies.
The text flashed across his vision, startling him. This was still a game, he reminded himself. Just a very, very good one. Possibly the most realistic thing he’d ever experienced.
A notification chirped in his mind:
Detection skill activated. Danger approaching from the east stairwell.
East stairwell? That was... Damion turned, facing his apartment door just as something heavy slammed against it from outside. The wood splintered around the hinges with a sickening crack that sent his pulse racing.
His hands moved instinctively to the kitchen counter, grabbing a knife. It felt right in his grip, balanced in a way his actual kitchen knives never were. Unlike most hardcore survival games with their complicated control schemes and steep learning curves, everything here felt intuitive, responsive, like an extension of his own body.
“System?” he ventured, his mouth suddenly dry.
Basic tutorial activated. Enemies can be defeated through targeted strikes. Aim for vulnerable areas. Your Rogue class grants +10% critical hit chance on surprise attacks.
The door burst open with explosive force. A goblin stood hunched in his doorway; its skin a mottled green covered in warts and scars, jagged yellow tusks jutting from its lower jaw. The stench hit Damion like a physical blow, rotting meat and unwashed bodies. Viscera clung to its crude leather armor, fresh blood dripping from curved, rusted claws.
Lesser Goblin. Level 1. Threat: Low
“Low?” Damion retched at the smell, his heart hammering against his ribs.
The creature’s eyes locked onto his, filled with an intelligence and malice that no ordinary game could capture. It screeched a sound that sent primal fear shooting down his spine and lunged for his throat.
He dodged swiftly to the side faster than he should have been able to and slashed with the knife as it passed. The blade bit into the creature’s side with shocking resistance, like cutting through gristle. Dark ichor sprayed from the wound, hissing and bubbling where it splattered on his floor.
Critical hit!
Damage: 15
Enemy health: 35/50
The goblin howled a sound between rage and pain, spinning back toward him with surprising speed. Its claws digging gouges in his wooden floor as it pivoted. Damion feinted left, then ducked right as the creature slashed at him with filthy claws that reeked of decay. He drove the knife upward, under its ribs, feeling a sickening resistance before the blade sank home. Warm ichor gushed over his hand, burning slightly where it touched his skin.
Critical hit! Damage: 25 Enemy health: 10/50
The goblin staggered, yellow eyes wide with shock, but still reached for him with desperate hunger. Damion twisted the knife with both hands and pulled it across, opening the creature from sternum to hip. Its insides spilled out in a steaming heap, the stench making him gag. The goblin collapsed, twitching, before dissolving into motes of sickly green light.
Experience gained: 25
Item received: Goblin Fang (Crafting Material)
New skill available: Basic Trap Detection
Damion stared at his hands at the knife now coated in quickly evaporating goblin blood. He emptied his stomach in the corner, retching until nothing but bile came up. His heart raced, adrenaline surging through his system. This wasn’t like any game he’d ever played; not even the most hardcore survival simulators with their permadeath modes and brutal difficulty curves. The fear and pain when the goblin’s claws had grazed his arm had all been real. Even now, he could smell the creature’s foul odor lingering in his apartment.
More rumbling shook the building. Through his broken door, he could hear more screeches. Another pack was coming. His Danger Sense ability tingled at the base of his skull.
Multiple threats approaching. Stealth recommended.
This time, instead of panic, he felt something else…focus.
Moving silently, he positioned himself beside the doorframe, knife ready. As the first goblin stepped through, scanning the room with beady eyes, he remained perfectly still. The creature turned away and Damion struck, driving the blade into the base of its skull with surgical precision.
Critical hit! Backstab bonus activated! Enemy defeated! Experience gained: 35
The goblin collapsed without a sound.
Two more entered, and Damion retreated into the shadows of his kitchen. Using his apartment’s layout to his advantage, he eliminated them one by one, each kill smoother than the last.
Level up! You are now Level 2 New ability point available Store feature unlocked
A new notification appeared, more detailed than the others:
Trophy Collection System: Some merchants will exchange monster trophies for currency and items. Goblin ears are currently in demand (25 System Points each).
Requires a knife to harvest.
“You want me to... cut off their ears?” Damion whispered, looking at the dissolving corpses with revulsion.
Harvesting trophies is optional but highly recommended for economic advancement.
Swallowing his disgust, Damion knelt beside his most recent kill. The goblin hadn’t fully dissolved yet. With trembling hands he sliced off one pointed ear, nearly gagging as the appendage fell into his inventory pouch with a wet sound.
Trophy acquired: Goblin Ear (25 SP)
First trophy achievement unlocked: +10% trophy value for remainder of session
“Holy shit,” he whispered, wiping his mouth. “This is the most incredible game I’ve ever played.”
His hands still shaking, he gathered supplies into his backpack: canned food, bottled water, the knife, and his new gruesome trophies. He checked his inventory one last time:
Inventory:
Kitchen Knife (Weapon: 5-10 damage)
Goblin Fang x1 (Crafting Material)
Goblin Ear x3 (Trophy: 25 credits each)
Basic First Aid Kit (Restores 25 HP)
Canned Food x4 (Restores 10 HP each)
Water Bottle x2 (Restores 5 Stamina each)
Credits: 0
Taking a deep breath, he headed for the fire escape, avoiding the main stairwell where more goblin screeches echoed. Despite the terror, despite the gore that had seemed so real, he felt a growing excitement. This wasn’t just another game; this was the future of gaming itself.
And around the world, other beta testers were experiencing their own first steps into The Fall. From Tokyo to London, Sao Paulo to Sydney, carefully selected players were discovering the incredible immersion, the visceral reality of a world turned against them. Each beta tester, chosen through a mysterious selection process none of them fully understood, was learning to survive in this new virtual apocalypse.
Global Beta Test: Day 1
Active Testers: 10,000
First Day Survival Rate: 62%
The message flashed briefly across his vision. Damion felt a surge of pride knowing he was part of an elite global group, handpicked to help refine what would surely revolutionize gaming forever. Some would thrive in this new virtual reality. Others would break under its relentless pressure.
The game had begun. And it would separate the merely skilled from those truly capable of surviving when everything fell apart.
And somewhere, in a room filled with screens displaying beta testers from around the world, a man in a perfectly tailored suit stood surrounded by shadowy figures. They watched intently as humanity took its first unconscious steps toward preparation for what was coming. The man adjusted his glasses, a slight smile playing across his lips as the data poured in.
“It’s working,” one of the figures whispered.
The man nodded. “Better than we expected. Soon, they’ll be ready.”
