Itâs unknown how many years the hotel has been abandoned. Only white candles, broken mirrors, and ubiquitous spider webs hang from the walls. Both sides of the hallway are lined with old wallpaper, and all of the hotel room doors are tightly closed. The only elevator to the other floors cannot be opened, and all of its buttons are broken.
In the dim candlelight, a middle-aged man waving around a wooden stick came around the corner. He did his best to run on the dark red carpet in the hallway, and his face looked cruel because of his clenched teeth.
Behind the middle-aged man was a young girl in sportswear, a chubby boy in a school uniform, a curvy girl in fashionable clothes, and a young man in glasses carrying a hiking backpack.
Running through the hallway of the hotel looked strange, but the five people were not running so much as they were fleeing. In addition to the clenched teeth, most of their faces had unabashed fear, as if something terrible was chasing after them from behind.
At the end of the group was a strange young man; the expression on his face was calm, but his lips were tight and sweat dripped along the edge of his face. This young man who was carrying an oversized hiking backpack often had to hold the pair of glasses that easily fell off of his face while fleeing slowly alongside the wall. Although he tried hard to cover it up, he still gave people the feeling that running away was strenuous. Fortunately, he hasnât been left behind.
âQuick! Thereâs light up ahead!â The middle-aged man turned left along the corridor and saw that there was an open door directly in front of him where he could see a bright and warm light shining in the dark hallway.
As soon as they saw the light, the middle-aged man and the young girl in sportswear both had their eyes light up, and they accelerated their running speed in unison.
âIn front of us is a temporary shelter!â The girl in sportswear shouted in surprise, âWhen we get there, we can temporarily settle downâŚâ
âWhat?!â
Before the girl had finished speaking, she saw the curvy beauty behind her suddenly fall to the ground, crying for help: âHelp me, my feet are so painful, it hurts!â
âAre these newcomers all dragging oil bottles?â The middle-aged man holding a wooden stick glanced at the candlelight on the wall and paused to take a breath. He looked behind him in disgust at the fat student with soft legs, the curvy girl running in high heels, and the young man who looked normal but still ran at the back. The young man looked pretty good. why is he so slow?
âOkay, letâs go quickly!â The girl in sportswear lifted the woman with the injured foot. âThat thing must not be far behind us. Nonsense has to wait until the shelter!â
The girl in sportswear also glanced at the young man at the back. He was a young man who looked particularly fair and handsome. He wore a pair of round glasses with chains. His appearance and temperament were good enough to make young girls feel excited.
I donât know if I was scared because I came to the nightmare world for the first time. The youthâs face was so pale that it was as white as cold jade in the dim candlelight.
âDa- Da- Ta-â
âRun!â When the horrifying footsteps came again, the girl bit her lip and helped the curvy girl walk towards the lit room.
She saw the middle-aged man with the stick and the fat boy both rush to the door of the room, looking at the hallway behind them in horror.
The girl couldnât help but glance back.
She couldnât see the âthingâ making the footsteps, but she could see that the candlelight in the corridor was extinguishing a little, and the corridor behind them had become entrenched in pure darkness.
âThank you.â When the girl was having trouble moving forward, she saw the handsome guy who was walking a little roughly come over to support the other side of the curvy girl. Although his expressionless face looked cold, at the critical moment it was still warm enough to help each other.
In front of them was a temporary shelter for the nightmare world. As long as they get there, they would be safe!
âBoom!â
The moment the two girls and the young man rushed into the lit room, the middle-aged man who had long been waiting on the inside of the door slammed it shut, âclickingâ and completely locking it.
This temporary shelter called a ârefugeâ by the middle-aged man and the girl in sportswear was very similar to a normal hotel room with a double bed, except for its bright lights. The room was not large, and the wallpaper and furniture were also grey and old.
The middle-aged man pulled open the heavy curtains of the refuge, but he saw a white wall with nothing on it instead of a window.
âEvery refuge will have a safety period of at least 30 minutes.â The girl in sportswear asked the curvy girl to sit on the dusty bed, and then began panting against the wall. âIf you have anything you want to ask, you can ask us now.â
The girl secretly glanced at the young man who had just helped her, and found that he was standing smoothly by the wall, holding his glasses and wiping the sweat off his cheeks and then looking around. Girls rarely see boys with silver chains on their glasses frames in their lives, and the temperament was outstanding, his figure was long⌠It would be nice if they hadnât met in the terrible nightmare world.
âWhere is this?!â The lazy girl sitting on the bed seemed to cry. Not only were her eyes red, but her originally delicate eye makeup was also ruined. âHow come weâre here?â
âThis is the nightmare world.â The middle-aged man standing on the other side of the room said with an ugly face. âWeâre all experienced players who were selected to come into this nightmare world, and that girl over there is a veteran who has experienced several nightmares. You guys are newcomers to the nightmare world.â
âBut our purpose is the same,â the girl in sportswear added, â Only when we work together to complete the tasks of each nightmare world can we return to the original world.â
âThe task of the nightmare world is engraved on the inside of your left arm. Every word is bloody, but only you can see it when you look at it.â The middle-aged man glanced at the newcomer who was still shaking, and raised his left arm with his sleeves rolled up. âThe task this time is very simple. Itâs to survive in this nightmare world for twelve hours. The countdown is engraved on your right arm.â
The girl with the injured foot sitting on the bed and the fat boy standing beside her gasped subconsciously as they raised their arms like the middle-aged man. They screamed, obviously frightened by the bloody lettering on their left and right arms.
The young man in glasses who stood by the wall at the beginning did not change his expression after raising his arm. He just put it down silently and continued looking around, as if the layout and objects in this room were better than the âNightmare Worldâ itself.
âAfter completing the task, we will get the corresponding nightmare points, which are very useful,â the girl added aside.
âBut⌠can I use it to exchange for other props?â The fat boy on the other side of the room began to stammer nervously, twitching his fingers and trembling while he looked at the two seniors.
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âThe nightmare world is different from the novels youâve read.â The middle-aged man frowned. âNightmare points have many effects. You can use them to strengthen your body each time a task is completed. If you get any treasures in the nightmare world, you will also need to spend nightmare points to take it out.â
âThe most important thing is that if you die in the nightmare worldâŚâ The girl glanced at the newcomers this time, âYou can continue to live if you spend enough nightmare points.â
âIf there arenât enough nightmare pointsâŚâ The fat boyâs face turned blue.
âThen youâre dead,â said the middle-aged man decisively. âItâs like the kid who walked at the end and refused to run.â
The girl with the injured foot and the fat boyâs faces changed again, as if they could still hear the scream of the man who was swallowed by the darkness. When they first came to the nightmare world, someone was âeatenâ by the darkness in the corridor. This caused them to desperately run behind the middle-aged man.
âThe number of survivors in each nightmare world affects everyoneâs nightmare points, so you can rest assured that as long as you stay close and donât do stupid things, Uncle and I will help you as much as possible.â Compared to the middle-aged man, the 17-year old girl was kinder. âMy name is Qi Xiaomin, and Iâve experienced two nightmare worlds.â
âZheng Ming has experienced three nightmare worldsâ The middle-aged man named Zheng Ming said with a breathy tone, seeming proud of his record.
âWhat about you? Whatâs your name?â Qi Xiaomin looked directly at the young man in glasses with special temperament.
âSu⌠Zimo.â The young man again adjusted the glasses that were always sliding down the bridge of his nose. Although his voice was nice, it was a bit dry and rough, as if he hadnât spoken for a long time. âWhat does this refuge mean?â
âNightmare world with small amounts of people or newcomers will set up shelters to reduce the difficulty.â Qi Xiaomin pointed to the chandelier on the ceiling of the hotel room. âThe warm light is the most obvious feature of these shelters, and it will become especially conspicuous in the dark surroundings.â
âAs long as you enter the shelter, you can get at least 30 minutes of safety. We can use this time to make clearance plans and to get rest time. ButâŚâ Qi Xiaomin frowned and her tone suddenly became serious. âAfter the safe period passes, everyone must leave the refuge as soon as possible, otherwise the area will become the most horrible and dangerous place in the nightmare world!â
âThirty minutes from now, we⌠are we going to leave from here?â The fat boy in the school uniform seemed to be the most timid of them all. Even inside the refuge, he was still hiding in the corner and trembling.
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âMore accurately, 25 minutes from now.â The middle-aged man Zheng Ming raised his right arm and looked at it. âA 12 hour countdown is engraved on the inside of your right arm. Using this to calculate time is better than the watch youâre wearing. Itâs more accurate.â
âLetâs hurry up and take a break. Novice tasks will not be too hard to participate in. You donât have to worry too much.â Compared to the impatient Zheng Ming, Qi Xiaomin has been playing the role of comforting and helping everyone.
When everyone began to take a break in their heads, the entire refuge fell silent. Su Zimo, who had been standing against the wall, adjusted his glasses, stared at the bathroom door for a few seconds, then walked in.
There is some dust in the bathroom, but because the lighting inside is warm and bright, it doesnât scare people inside the nightmare world.
Su Zimo wiped the dust off the mirror in the bathroom with a towel hanging next to it, then looked motionlessly at himself in the mirror.
A pale face, thin body, lack of expression, and overly delicate chained glassesâŚ
âItâs not a dream.â Su Zimo whispered softly to himself, then abruptly stiffened the corners of his lips. If a person chosen by the nightmare world is called a trainer, then what is he⌠the one chosen by heaven?
He was a little self-deprecating.
TL Notes:
If this novel looks familiar to anyone, donât worry! Iâm just moving it here from my wordpress, itâs not stolen đ âDucky!