The Admin Room brightened as Arthur summoned the data.
Not one panel.
Many.
He didn’t rush.
He never did.
“Show me the leaderbord,” he said.
The system complied.
[LEADERBOARD — FLOOR 4]
[HIGHEST PERFORMANCE — XP BASED]
│ RANK │ NICKNAME │ XP EARNED │
│ #1 │ NULL_08 │ 23,320 XP │
│ #2 │ ARJUN │ 9,800 XP │
│ #3 │ HANUMAN │ 8,310 XP │
│ #4 │ CHADD │ 7,980 XP │
│ #5 │ SUNG JIN-WOO │ 7,620 XP │
NULL_08 was still ahead.
Faster.
Sharper.
Almost inhuman.
He closed the leaderboard.
Another interface replaced it.
[FLOOR 5 — CREATION MODE]
The room dimmed as if it understood.
Arthur dragged the first rule in.
? Permanent Death: ENABLED
No hesitation.
? Revival Systems: DISABLED
? Exit Restrictions: STRICT
? Psychological Pressure: EXTREME
A warning blinked.
The warning wasn’t red.
It was amber—administrative, procedural.
Annoying.
A side panel forced itself open.
[ANOMALY REPORT — FLOOR 4]
TYPE: BEHAVIORAL DEVIATION
STATUS: ONGOING
PLAYER: ID #7743813
CURRENT ROLE: FACTION OFFICER
ORIGIN NATION: ASSIGNED
INTELLIGENCE OUTPUT: ZERO
Arthur read once.
Then again.
“This one,” Arthur said calmly, “forgot why he was sent.”
The report expanded.
SUMMARY:
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
? Player successfully integrated into NPC faction
? Achieved mid-level command authority
? Ceased all intelligence transmission
? Refuses extraction
? Displays full ideological alignment with NPC nation
Arthur exhaled slowly through his nose.
He opened the live feed.
The player stood on a battlement, issuing orders.
Confident.
Respected.
Useful—to the wrong side.
Arthur closed the feed.
“No,” he said.
“This isn’t treason.”
Arthur pulled up the Floor 3 framework.
It had tested chaos.
Fear.
Moral strain.
But it hadn’t enforced obligation.
“That’s on me,” Arthur admitted.
The system waited.
Arthur typed a new directive.
[FLOOR 3 — RETROACTIVE PATCH]
NEW RULE:
ORIGIN ANCHOR PROTOCOL
? All embedded players retain a binding objective to their assigned nation
? Prolonged intelligence suppression will trigger corrective events
? Loyalty divergence beyond threshold = FORCED RESOLUTION
Arthur selected the player’s ID.
“Now,” he said softly, “we clarify.”
A final option appeared.
CORRECTIVE EVENT TYPE:
? Extraction
? Termination
? Revelation
Arthur confirmed the selection.
The system processed the directive with quiet efficiency.
A single, clean window appeared—
visible only to Player ID #7743813.
[SYSTEM NOTICE — ORIGIN ANCHOR PROTOCOL]
Status: ACTIVE
You are currently operating under an assigned infiltration objective.
Intelligence Contribution: INSUFFICIENT
Mission Compliance: BELOW REQUIRED THRESHOLD
Notice:
Failure to fulfill your assigned objective will result in:
? Mission failure designation
? Immediate extraction at system discretion
? Permanent ban from Tower entry
? Revocation of all Tower-related benefits
? Loss of accumulated titles, privileges, and sponsor eligibility
This is not a punishment.
This is a condition of participation.
Compliance Window:
? Resume intelligence transmission
? Or request extraction
Non-response will be treated as refusal.
The window closed without sound.
Arthur watched the feed return.
The player stood still on the battlement now.
Orders forgotten mid-breath.
No fear.
No panic.
Just calculation.
Arthur folded his hands behind his back.
“Good,” he said quietly.
“Now you remember the rules.”
The anomaly tag shifted.
[STATUS: AWAITING COMPLIANCE]
The problem was contained.
And the Tower moved on.
Arthur turned to the central console.
Another layer unfolded.
Not player data.
Observers.
The air in the Admin Room subtly shifted.
[CONSTELLATION NETWORK — ACTIVE]
[OBSERVATION DEPTH: FLOOR 1–4]
[INTERFERENCE LIMIT: WITHIN ALLOWED THRESHOLD]
Arthur’s eyes moved across the names.
Ancient.
Abstract.
Inhuman.
Some glowed brighter than others.
“Status report,” Arthur said.
The system obliged.
[CONSTELLATION ACTIVITY SUMMARY]
? Total Active Constellations: 170
? Sponsorships Approved: 87
? Pending Interventions: 49
? Silent Observers: 34
? Flagged for Overreach: 0
Arthur’s fingers paused.
“Open sponsorship matrix.”
A web of light filled the room.
Players at the center.
Threads extending upward—each thread a Constellation’s interest.
[SPONSORSHIP DETAILS]
Arthur focused on the highest-ranked thread.
PLAYER: HANUMAN
SPONSOR: ? THE WAR-LAUGHING FLAME ?
INTEREST: Brute survival, spectacle
INTERVENTIONS USED: MINOR
COMMENT: “Release him into slaughter.”
PLAYER: NULL_08
SPONSOR: ? ??? ??? ?
INTEREST: ??????????????
INTERVENTIONS USED: ?????
COMMENT: ???
PLAYER: MIRA
SPONSOR: ? THE SILENT CHORUS ?
INTEREST: Emotional fracture points
INTERVENTIONS USED: NONE
COMMENT: “She will break beautifully.”
PLAYER: ARJUN
SPONSOR (PENDING): ? THE UNBROKEN LANTERN ?
INTEREST: Observational (Non-Intervention)
INTERVENTIONS USED: MINOR
COMMENT:“Light is not loud ,It endures.”
PLAYER: VIKRAM
Sponsor: ? THE VEILED STALKER ?
INTEREST: Hunt · Fear · Survival
INTERVENTIONS USED: MINOR
COMMENT:"you shall survive"
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