The Cosmic Game
Copyright© 2026 by Adroit
Chapter 7: The Players
The entrance to the Ancient Arkon Ruins closed behind Leo with a slow grinding sound.
Stone scraped against stone.
Dust drifted through the air.
Leo turned around.
“ ... That’s never a good sign.”
Zip peeked over his shoulder.
“Maybe it locks the dungeon?”
Leo nodded slowly.
“Yeah. Like a raid instance.”
Guide-Bot hovered beside him, its sensors glowing brighter in the darkness.
“Dungeon environment confirmed.”
The chamber around them was enormous.
Ancient pillars stretched up into darkness. Strange alien symbols glowed faintly across the stone walls.
The air felt old.
Very old.
A notification appeared in front of Leo.
NEW DUNGEON DISCOVERED
Ancient Arkon Ruins – Outer Hall
XP +150
Leo smiled.
“Nice.”
But before he could move deeper into the ruins—
A voice echoed behind him.
“Hey.”
Leo spun around instantly.
His hand moved to the hilt of the Crystal Venom Blade.
Standing near the entrance were three humans.
Actual humans.
Teenagers about his age.
They were wearing armor and weapons that clearly came from the game.
One had a glowing plasma rifle.
Another carried a huge mechanical hammer.
The third girl had twin energy daggers.
For a moment nobody spoke.
Then the girl said:
“You’re new.”
Leo slowly lowered his sword.
“ ... Yeah.”
The boy with the hammer stepped forward.
“Name?”
“Leo.”
The boy nodded.
“I’m Marcus.”
He pointed to the others.
“That’s Jin.”
The boy with the rifle gave a small wave.
“And that’s Ava.”
The girl with the daggers crossed her arms.
“So you just got here?”
Leo shrugged.
“A few hours ago.”
All three players stared at him.
“ ... A few hours?” Marcus said.
Leo nodded.
Marcus laughed in disbelief.
“You beat the Zerath dungeon already?”
Leo blinked.
“The cave with the scorpion boss?”
Jin looked shocked.
“You defeated the Crystal Scorpion Queen already?”
Leo scratched his head.
“Yeah.”
The three players exchanged looks.
Ava whistled softly.
“Either you’re lucky ... or you’re good.”
Leo shrugged again.
“Mostly lucky.”
Zip jumped onto a nearby rock.
“I helped!”
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“ ... Is that an alien?”
Leo nodded.
“His name is Zip.”
Zip waved.
“Hello humans!”
Marcus laughed.
“Okay, that’s new.”
Guide-Bot floated closer to the other players.
“Human players confirmed.”
Leo looked around the chamber.
“So ... how many people are trapped in this game?”
Marcus sighed.
“Hundreds.”
Leo’s stomach dropped.
“ ... Hundreds?”
Jin nodded.
“Maybe more.”
Ava kicked a small rock across the floor.
“People keep arriving.”
Leo tried to process that.
Hundreds of real people trapped inside a giant video game.
“How long have you been here?” he asked.
Marcus thought for a moment.
“Three weeks.”
Leo blinked.
“Three weeks?!”
Jin shrugged.
“Time works weird here.”
Ava added quietly:
“Some players never make it that long.”
Leo frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Marcus looked directly at him.
“There’s PvP.”
The PvP System
A new system notification appeared.
GAME FEATURE UNLOCKED
Player vs Player Combat Enabled
Leo stared at it.
“You mean players can fight each other?”
Marcus nodded.
“And steal loot.”
Jin added:
“And XP.”
Leo frowned.
“That’s messed up.”
Ava leaned against a pillar.
“Welcome to Cosmic Quest.”
Marcus pointed deeper into the ruins.
“That’s actually why we’re here.”
Leo tilted his head.
“For the dungeon?”
Marcus shook his head.
“For protection.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
“Protection from what?”
Before Marcus could answer—
A loud explosion echoed somewhere deeper in the ruins.
BOOM.
The ground shook slightly.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Jin immediately raised his rifle.
“Too late.”
Marcus cursed under his breath.
“They found us.”
Leo gripped his sword.
“Who?”
Ava looked toward the dark hallway.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“PvP hunters.”
The Red Phantom
Footsteps echoed through the ruins.
Slow.
Calm.
Confident.
A shadow moved at the end of the corridor.
Then another.
Four figures stepped into the chamber.
Each one wore dark armor.
Weapons glowed with high-level energy.
But the one in front stood out immediately.
His armor was black and crimson.
A long red cloak hung behind him.
His helmet had no visible face—just a glowing red visor.
Guide-Bot’s sensors flashed.
“Warning: hostile player detected.”
Marcus muttered:
“ ... It’s him.”
Leo whispered:
“Who?”
Marcus answered quietly.
“The Red Phantom.”
The name alone made the other players tense.
The armored figure stepped forward.
His voice echoed through a voice modulator.
“Well ... well.”
“So many players in one place.”
His team spread out behind him.
Jin aimed his rifle.
“Back off, Phantom.”
The Red Phantom laughed softly.
“You know the rules.”
A holographic message appeared.
PvP ZONE ACTIVE
Player Combat Allowed
The Phantom continued.
“Everything you have...”
“Becomes mine.”
Leo felt a chill run down his spine.
“Seriously?”
Marcus looked at him.
“He’s a hunter.”
Ava added quietly:
“He’s taken down over thirty players.”
Leo blinked.
“Thirty?!”
The Phantom tilted his head slightly.
“And now...”
His visor turned toward Leo.
“A new player.”
He slowly drew a glowing red sword.
“I love new players.”
Leo raised the Crystal Venom Blade.
“Well...”
He stepped forward.
“I don’t.”
Forming a Team
Marcus quickly moved beside Leo.
“You sure about this?”
Leo nodded.
“Yeah.”
Jin loaded his rifle.
“Then we fight.”
Ava spun her daggers.
“Finally.”
Zip jumped behind a pillar.
“I will cheer from safety!”
Guide-Bot floated above the battlefield.
“Combat probability: uncertain.”
The Phantom raised his sword.
“So dramatic.”
His teammates activated their weapons.
Energy crackled across the chamber.
Marcus spoke quietly to Leo.
“Listen.”
“We work together.”
Leo nodded.
“Team fight.”
Marcus smiled slightly.
“Exactly.”
A system notification appeared.
TEAM CREATED
Team Leader: Marcus
Members:
• Leo
• Ava
• Jin
Leo grinned.
“Nice.”
The Phantom lifted his blade.
“Enough talking.”
He pointed it at them.
“Attack.”
His team rushed forward.
Energy blasts exploded across the ruins.
Marcus swung his hammer, smashing the ground and sending shockwaves toward the enemies.
Jin fired rapid plasma shots.
Ava dashed forward with blinding speed.
Leo activated Energy Dash.
WHOOSH.
He teleported behind one of the enemy players and slashed with the Venom Blade.
Purple poison energy burst from the wound.
The enemy’s health bar dropped instantly.
CRITICAL HIT
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Weapons clashed.
Energy blasts lit up the ancient ruins.
But through the middle of it all—
The Red Phantom walked slowly toward Leo.
Calm.
Unhurried.
Confident.
He raised his crimson sword.
“So you’re the new one.”
Leo pointed his blade.
“Yeah.”
The Phantom’s visor glowed brighter.
“Let’s see how long you last.”
Their swords collided.
CLANG.
A shockwave exploded through the chamber.
Leo slid backward across the stone floor.
His eyes widened.
“ ... Okay.”
He tightened his grip on the blade.
“He’s strong.”
Behind him, Marcus shouted:
“Welcome to PvP!”
The Red Phantom stepped forward again.
And the real battle for survival had begun.
The clash between Leo’s blade and the Red Phantom’s sword sent a shockwave through the ruins.
Stone dust fell from the ceiling.
Leo slid backward several feet before stopping himself with a quick step.
“ ... Okay,” he muttered.
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