ATONEMENT: How to escape from a bloody survival game?

The Red Shoes Chapter 1: Player number 262388

Atonement

The Opening - The Red Shoe

Chapter 1: Player number 262388

In the snowy white space, people were frantically running forward, with panic screams everywhere. In the horror of despair, a shadow flashed from above and hit the cold hard ground. Within a few minutes, red colors were splattered everywhere on the white background. The snow was covered with blood. 

The hot, thick liquid shot straight into Theo's face. His pupils shrank, revealing the tattered body of the man in front of him. The torn upper half was lying on the snow, and the other half was chewed by something from behind him. 

The chaotic screams grew louder and louder, but Theo could only hear the buzzing in his ears. Still sitting on the ground, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He struggled to keep his body from shaking so hard, not knowing whether it was from the cold or the terrifying shock.

Damn, this game is deadly! All fourteen lives were played to death, brutally dying.

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The city of Eden, summer in the year of the celestial pole

Today’s weather was hot, frustrating, and uncomfortable. The harsh sunlight dyed a long street, a scowl appeared on the faces of the people walking on the street.

Theo was swaying with the movement of bus number 13, he looked at the old watch on his right hand and then absently looked at the flow of people through the window. A young man with handsome features and slightly pale skin gives a feeling of weakness. Since he’s been a first-year Eden College student, he is usually burying his head in the books.

It's just right now, he had a very urgent thing to do. That he had to hurry to the central supermarket to catch the only beef sale of this month. 

Bowing his head again, the time hand seemed to slow down, moving slowly. His left hand unconsciously clutched a poster showing the sale event [1 kg of beef only 1.89 USD], which was half of the normal price. A bargain for a poor student like him.

The good news was Theo only had one class this morning. He took advantage of the after-school time to jump on the bus to get to the discount. There are only 10 minutes left before the sale starts. It’s already 1:50 PM, if he was not there in time, all the meat would be sold out.

Theo was constantly fidgeting in his chair, looking at his watch and then out the window to check his location. It took 5 minutes from the bus stop to the supermarket, he could run there as fast as he would. In his hand were a poster and 4 dollars in his pocket. That was enough for 2 kg of meat, he can eat beef comfortably for 1 month. Thanks to roommate Timothy contributing money, they were able to buy a small freezer to freeze fresh food. Of course, Timothy also stood up to pay for the electricity because Theo was too poor.

As soon as Theo checked the time again, the bus signaled to enter the parking lot. Theo quickly walked out with a few other people. Suddenly, the man who was answering the phone behind him pushed him aside. Theo's head hit the door, and he fell to the ground, stunned. But the pain didn't come as intended, Theo opened his eyes incredulously.

He saw darkness.

Theo suddenly felt strange, just now he was at the bus stop… What the hell happened?

Isn't the weather in Eden now summer? It's still light, what's with this pitch-black space?

The darkness was eerily quiet, not even the sound of traffic or the presence of people. Facing the strange situation, Theo quickly stood up, chose a direction, and ran.

Theo had been running for a long time, but he could not see any sight, not even a single person, and no wind. The strangeness scared Theo, he stopped and sat down because he used too much effort to move.

“What the hell is this place?”

[Welcome sin player number 262388 to Atonement]

Just as Theo finished his whisper, a vague mechanical sound made him jump.

"Who's that?"

[Atone system please support]

[Player number 262388, I am the information handler]

[Welcome to the game]

The sound of the machines calmed Theo, at least he could understand the words just now. So, this game is called Atonement. Firstly, he needed to find out the reason why he was here.

“What did I come here for?”

[Player number 262388, you are the chosen sinner. You need to pass the level to wash away your sins. The system is dividing ranks and titles, please wait a moment]

Theo frowned, he had never broken the law. Himself just poor.

Less than a minute later, a brass pin in the shape of a gray grasshopper fell from above. Theo picked up the badge to look at.

[Congratulations to player number 262388 on getting the Gluttony title - Bronze rank]

Theo put his badge in his pocket out of habit, he still had a lot of doubts.

“How do we get out of here?”

[Questions cannot share information. Do you have any other questions?]

“The method of leaving the game?”

[Questions cannot share information. Do you have any other questions?]

The repetition of the system made Theo feel uncomfortable, he didn't believe there was no way out. However, according to the system, all questions about leaving are unanswered. He should find it in the game, it’s more useful.

 “What do I need to do next?”

[Opening round is about to start, invite player number 262388 to choose ID name]

A blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him with the touchpad. Theo was silent, thinking of his parents. After a few minutes of thinking, he successfully entered the ID.

[Welcome Dermot player to login]

[Opening Version: The Red shoe. Permission to Begin]

[Loading…]

The space around Theo shook, and a flash of light in front of him swallowed him. The game has begun…