I Gained An Ability While Surfing On The Dark Web

The air in the dimly lit room felt heavy, suffocating. The only sound was Roi's own ragged breathing, his body still restrained to the chair. His wrists ached from the rough rope biting into his skin, but that was the least of his problems.

The masked man stood in front of him, looming like a shadow given form. His faceless mask reflected the dull light, making it impossible to read any expression—if he even had one. But his voice, when he finally spoke, was calm, deliberate.

"How do I get to live here?"

Roi's breath hitched. What the hell did that mean?

His mind raced through possibilities. Was this some kind of twisted philosophical question? Or worse—did this guy think Roi had answers about something far bigger than himself?

"What the f* are you talking about?**" Roi spat, his voice rough, edged with frustration and fear.

The masked man let out a low, distorted chuckle. It wasn't amused. It was… calculated.

"Don't play dumb, Roi. You opened the Black Gate." He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to something almost inhuman. "And yet, you're still here. Whole. Breathing."

Roi's stomach twisted.

So that was it. This guy wasn't just after information—he was after the secret of Roi's survival.

But the truth was, Roi didn't know. He wasn't special. He didn't have some grand plan. He had just barely survived, barely crawled through every trial, every trap.

His pulse pounded as he tried to steady his voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything."

The masked man tilted his head slightly, considering his words. Then—

CRACK.

A sharp, searing pain exploded through Roi's ribs as the masked man's fist drove into his side.

Roi gasped, coughing violently, his body jerking against the restraints. His vision blurred for a moment, white-hot pain searing through his nerves.

"Wrong answer," the masked man said, voice devoid of emotion.

Roi groaned, spitting out blood. His mind was scrambling for a way out of this—but there was none.

The masked man leaned in again, voice softer, but more chilling.

"Try again. How do I get to live here? How do I survive this world… just like you did?"

Roi swallowed hard. His chest burned. His thoughts spun in chaotic circles.

But one thing was becoming clear.

Whoever this man was… he wasn't like Roi.

And somehow, he was desperate to change that.

Roi's chest rose and fell sharply, his breath ragged as pain pulsed through his ribs. He fought against the restraints, but the ropes held firm. His captor stood there, unmoving, watching.

Then, something shifted.

For the first time, Roi actually looked at the masked man—not just the black suit, not just the eerie stillness, but his face.

Or rather, the lack of it.

His skin was pure white, completely smooth, as if someone had erased his entire face. No eyes, no mouth, no nose. Just an unsettling, empty slate.

Then—it glitched.

A sudden distortion rippled across his head, like a digital screen flickering from bad reception. Roi's stomach twisted as the realization sank in.

This wasn't a mask.

This was his real face.

His voice came out hoarse. "What the hell are you? Are you… not a real human?"

The faceless man tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. Then, in that same cold, layered voice, he spoke.

"I am."

A pause.

"Or rather… I was. In cyberspace."

Roi's breath hitched.

"But I got out."

His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it—a weight of something unspoken.

Roi's blood ran cold. Got out?

His mind raced. Was that even possible?

Roi had seen what the Black Gate could do. He had felt its power, had seen Kyler—a hacker child who existed as a glitch in the system.

But this man wasn't stuck in cyberspace.

He had escaped.

Roi's fingers tensed against the restraints.

"Then…" He swallowed. His voice came out unsteady.

"You aren't a real human anymore, are you?"

The faceless man let out a low, eerie chuckle.

"No. Not anymore."

Then—he stepped closer.

"And if you don't tell me what I need to know…"

His featureless face glitched again, a brief flicker of something unnatural shifting beneath the surface.

"You won't be either."

Roi's heartbeat pounded in his ears, drowning out everything else. The ropes dug into his wrists, the pain barely registering against the ice-cold terror spreading through his body.

The faceless man stood just inches away, his presence suffocating. His head glitched again. The smooth white surface of his "face" rippled like a corrupted screen, flickering in and out of existence.

Roi swallowed hard. This wasn't human. This was something else.

"You got out…?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "How?"

The man didn't answer immediately. He lifted his hand—a gloved, disturbingly steady hand—and placed it on the side of his head.

Then, he pressed.

And his entire face warped.

The white surface stretched and twisted, shifting like it was struggling to form something—but failing. For a brief, horrifying second, Roi saw what looked like half-formed eyes, a distorted mouth, the suggestion of a nose—

Then—glitch.

It all disappeared, the featureless white returning.

His voice came again, distorted, layered, wrong.

"That's the thing, Roi."

He tilted his head slightly, as if examining him, as if… jealous.

"I escaped cyberspace." A pause. Then—a chuckle, humorless and dry. "But I never fully made it back."

Roi's skin prickled.

"What… does that mean?" he forced out.

The faceless man leaned in, his presence unnervingly close.

"It means I am here… but not entirely. I exist… but not like you do."

Roi's breath hitched.

This was wrong.

Everything about this man was wrong.

"And you, Roi," the man continued, his voice dropping to something almost hungry, "walked into this game and came out… untouched. Whole."

His head twitched, glitching for a second.

Then, he spoke softly, dangerously.

"I want to know why."

Roi clenched his jaw. He wanted to say he didn't know. That this was all a mistake. That he was just some guy.

But deep down—he wasn't sure anymore.

The man straightened, taking a slow step back.

"Tell me, Roi. What did you see in the Black Gate?"

Roi's stomach twisted.

He thought back to the night it all began. The screeching sound. The flickering screen. The gate that opened into something he couldn't understand.

The feeling of something watching him from the other side.

Something that never left.

His fingers dug into his palms.

"I…" he started, but he couldn't finish.

Because something inside him—something deep, primal, instinctive—was screaming at him not to answer.

And for the first time since he had woken up in this room…

The faceless man smiled.

Even though he had no mouth.

The air in the room felt thicker, heavier—like something unseen was pressing down on Roi's chest. The faceless man stood over him, waiting, watching, though he had no eyes to see. His words still echoed in Roi's mind.

"Tell me, Roi. What did you see in the Black Gate?"

Something inside Roi screamed not to answer.

His body tensed, his instincts roaring to life. He needed to get out.

Now.

Plan. Think. Move.

His wrists were raw from the ropes, but his fingers twitched. A spark of energy pulsed beneath his skin—Phantom Dash. His body still remembered the feeling, the way his speed could defy human limits.

Can I use it while tied up?

There was only one way to find out.

With a sharp inhale, he focused—channeling the energy to his legs. His muscles burned, coiling like a spring. He locked eyes with the faceless man—or rather, the empty space where his eyes should have been.

Then—he moved.

A sudden burst of speed.

The chair splintered apart, his restraints snapping under the sheer force as he launched himself forward.

The air cracked around him. His body blurred, dashing toward the door—

Almost there—

SLAM!

Something hit him mid-air.

A force like a wrecking ball smashed into his ribs, sending him careening into the wall. He barely had time to register the impact before he crashed to the ground, pain flaring across his body.

His vision spun. The taste of iron filled his mouth.

He coughed. Blood.

The faceless man hadn't even moved.

But his arm was outstretched.

Slowly, he curled his fingers into a fist, and the air around him shuddered.

Roi's chest tightened.

"Fast." The man's voice was smooth, almost amused. "But not fast enough."

Roi gritted his teeth. His body screamed in pain, but he forced himself to move. No way in hell was he dying here.

He pushed off the ground, pivoting on his heel, and threw a wild punch—aiming straight for the man's head.

The faceless man tilted his head slightly.

And vanished.

Roi's fist sliced through empty air.

His eyes widened.

Then—a whisper against his ear.

"Sloppy."

Before he could react, something cold wrapped around his throat.

His feet lifted off the ground.

A crushing force squeezed his windpipe, cutting off his breath. His hands clawed at nothing, struggling against something invisible.

The faceless man's voice was calm, almost curious.

"You really don't know, do you?"

Roi's lungs burned. Black spots swarmed his vision.

The man's body convulsed, struggling to stabilize. His head twitched, the white surface warping and twisting as if something inside was trying to get out.

Roi stumbled toward the door again.

He reached for the handle—it twisted open.

He was out.

But before he could take another step—

A hand grabbed his ankle.

Hard.

He barely had time to scream before he was yanked back into the darkness.

The door slammed shut.

And the last thing he heard was the faceless man's voice—low, crackling, and amused.

"That was a nice try."