The Lock

The blurb may be revised.

This should be a serious sci-fi story, reflecting on systems, the philosophy of technology, and media ecology.

The author is gritting their teeth and reading up on the subject!

Original blurb below

You are dead.

After death, you are locked in a holographic void. A door stands before you, secured with a lock.

A mechanical voice tells you that beyond the door lies a new world where technology has advanced at breakneck speed. Only by passing the trials and becoming a [Truly Civilized Human] will you have a chance to be reborn. Otherwise, you will be eliminated as [Impurities].

Congratulations, you have qualified for the trials. Open your textbook and choose a level:

"The Little Match Girl": Drive away anyone who tries to help the girl make it through the winter, and make sure she lights every match on Christmas Eve.

"The Trial": Do everything you can to have Josef K. sentenced to death, even though he has committed no crime.

"Beneath the Wheel": Protect Hans, a top student, and make sure he studies at all costs.

"Hell Screen": True art must be painted in blood. Kill Yoshihide's beloved daughter.

Solmer falls silent as she opens the textbook.

What on earth is this? "Civilized humans"? Are you sure?

In the first few trials, Solmer serves as an outsider, much like Meursault.

Only when she nearly gets branded as [Impurities] does she sense the chilling truth.

She realizes that each trial is a lock, locking away thought, compassion, rebellion, and absurdity

Until people finally become "civilized humans" without a trace of impurity.

They serve the vast machine called the "New World," turning without end.

[A Reader's Guide]

1. Most of the rules for each level come straight from the original works. The heroine will definitely rebel. Promoting truth, goodness, and beauty starts with her! Please, I hope the blurb gets approved.

2. The heroine is named Solmer, in tribute to Meursault, the protagonist of "The Stranger."

3. I ate the romance plot. Just follow the story. I hope it gives everyone something to think about.

Theme: Can you see the strings attached to you like a puppet?