[*Ding!*]
["Solo" Chat Group Task Available]
[World Transfer: Attack on Titan – Year 845, Shiganshina District]
[Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆]
[Time Limit: 20 Minutes]
[Objective: Survive the breach of Wall Maria by the Colossal Titan. Stay alive. Reach the evacuation zone before time expires.]
[Reward: Enhanced Reflexes + Memory Flash Drive (Single Use - Uploads one skill, e.g., parkour, basic combat, navigation, into muscle memory)]
[Warning: Death is permanent. No resets. If you're eaten, crushed, or otherwise killed, you're gone.]
Steven froze, breath catching. "What the hell?" he muttered, voice barely a whisper. His eyes flicked around Maria's living room—too quiet, too normal, with its scuffed couch and stray mugs. This was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent's place. Had to be wired—mics, cameras, something. No way he was ranting to thin air like some wannabe mastermind.
He hunched forward, elbows digging into his knees, staring at the screen. Attack on Titan, 845, Shiganshina. Wall Maria's fall—the Colossal Titan's grand entrance, turning the town into a Titan buffet. He could still see it: buildings collapsing, screams tearing through the air, Titans leering like they'd hit the jackpot. Twenty minutes to survive that with just a pocketknife, a burner phone, $1,300 that wouldn't buy him out of this, and a pistol he'd probably drop in a panic. No do-overs. Die, and it's lights out. For good.
"System," he hissed, keeping it low, "how's this supposed to go down?"
[*Ding!*]
[Query: World Transfer Mechanics]
[Upon task acceptance, you'll be transported to Shiganshina District, Year 845, at the moment of the breach. Duration: 20 minutes or until completion. Success or failure returns you to New York, 2012, with no time lapse here. Injuries carry over, unless fatal. Fatal means permanent death.]
"Permanent death," he breathed, barely audible. "Fancy way to say screwed." He scrubbed his face, fingers dragging over stubble. "One star's 'easy,' huh? Titans aren't easy."
[*Ding!*]
[Difficulty Clarification: ★☆☆☆☆ denotes beginner-level task, no advanced skills required. Focus is survival and evasion, not fighting. Your stats (Social Manipulation 11%, Opportunistic Scavenging 15%) and inventory (pistol, magazine, pocketknife, burner phone, $1,300) yield a 62% success chance.]
Sixty-two percent. He wasn't a marathon champ, but he could move. Blend in, dodge, run like hell—maybe that'd be enough.
The reward, though—Enhanced Reflexes and a Memory Flash Drive? That was the real hook. Better reflexes could keep him from becoming Titan chow. A skill upload—parkour, combat, navigation—could make him more than just some guy fumbling through chaos.
He stared at the blinking [Accept / Decline] prompt.
"Titans? No thanks… but that reward's insane," he muttered, finger hovering.
"Alright, system. Shiganshina, wall breach—what's the setup?"
[*Ding!*]
[Timeline Analysis: Shiganshina District, Year 845]
[Setting: Wall Maria's southern tip, a dense town of tight streets, stone houses, and a central canal. Breach occurs at the outer gate via the Colossal Titan. Titans (3-15 meters) flood in, targeting humans. Civilians rush to the inner gate for evacuation boats. Hazards: falling debris, chaotic crowds, dust clouds cutting visibility. Evacuation zone: 1.2 miles from breach, reachable in 15 minutes at a steady clip, if unobstructed.]
[Advice: Stick to alleys, climb rooftops if feasible. Stay low, avoid Titan sightlines. Do not fight.]
Fifteen minutes for 1.2 miles—doable, unless he got pinned or crushed.
He glanced at his backpack. The pistol wouldn't drop a Titan—only heavy artillery could—but a loud shot might spook one, buy him a heartbeat. The knife? Good for cutting twine, maybe. Phone and cash were useless unless Titans liked selfies or bribes. His real weapons were his legs and his wits.
"Sixty-two percent," he said again, like it'd sound better the second time. It didn't. He thought of Maria, out there doing spy things. If she caught him debating a Titan death run, she'd probably cuff him to a radiator for his own safety.
His finger twitched over [Accept]. "Twenty minutes," he whispered. "In, out, grab the goods, come back sharper. Or… not at all." His gut twisted, but he pushed it down. He'd conned his way through New York with nothing—no ID, no cash, just quick talk and luck. Vanessa's sandwich deal, Maria's couch, $1,300 from stolen keys—he wasn't useless. He could handle this.
"Screw it." He tapped [Accept].
[*Ding!*]
[Task Accepted. Initiating World Transfer…]
The screen flared, a low hum buzzing the air. "Wait, right now?" he yelped, scrambling up. "I thought there'd be a timer or—"
His vision warped. Then, with a lurch, the world snapped into focus.
He stood on a gritty street, the air thick with sweat, fresh bread, and a faint iron tang. Stone buildings crowded tight, their sloped roofs jagged against the sky. People pushed past—vendors barking about apples, kids weaving through legs, a cart driver yelling about cod. Looming over it all, stealing half the horizon, was Wall Maria—scarred, massive, unyielding.
Steven's breath caught. "No way," he whispered. Shiganshina. He was here.
[Task Initiated: Survive the Breach]
[Time Remaining: 20:00]
[Evacuation Zone: 1.2 miles north, follow the canal.]
A shadow swallowed the street. A bone-rattling *boom* shook the ground, screams exploding around him. He looked up. The Colossal Titan's skinless face glared over the wall, steam coiling off its frame like a fever dream. Its foot was already swinging toward the gate.
"Oh, shit," Steven gasped, legs wobbling. The wall shattered, debris and dust roaring outward like a storm. The street quaked, toppling carts and people. A woman beside him wailed, her basket of pears spilling into the dirt.
[Time Remaining: 19:47]
He ran, backpack thudding against his back. An alley yawned ahead, dark and cramped. He dove in, heart slamming, as a Titan stalked into view—a gangly 10-meter thing, its grin wide and dead-eyed. It snatched a man from the crowd, his scream choking off in a crunch.
Steven's stomach lurched, but he kept moving, ducking under a beam as the alley curved. The canal glinted through gaps in the buildings. Follow it. Get to the boats. Twenty minutes. He could make it.