**"Don't Read *Beyond Chapter 99*"**

**Chapter 1: The Warning**

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**Rei stared at his screen**, the glow from his laptop the only light in his cramped, messy bedroom. He was halfway through **Chapter 98** of *Flesh and Shadow*, a horror-fantasy manga that had blown up online. Everyone had been talking about it for months, raving about how it "pushed boundaries" and "wasn't for the faint of heart." For Rei, a guy who prided himself on his resilience to jump-scares and plot twists, it was the perfect late-night binge.He scrolled through the comments, looking for the usual debates over favorite characters, wild fan theories, and spoilers. But near the top, one comment stopped him in his tracks:> **Kiyo-Keeper:** "If you value your sanity, stop reading now. Do NOT continue past Chapter 99."Rei rolled his eyes. There was always one of these types in every fandom. Overprotective, oversensitive, and convinced that their opinion was some kind of sacred truth. As he scrolled down, he noticed other comments replying to Kiyo-Keeper:> **ZombieFan24:** "Chill out, dude. If it gets freaky, that's what we're here for.">> **EmpressInk:** "lol I bet Kiyo just couldn't handle the gore. I'm in."Rei chuckled and clicked to read on. *These people need to toughen up,* he thought as he entered **Chapter 99**.---### **Unsettling Content**At first, the chapter seemed typical—dark alleys, heavy rain, shadowed figures with hollow eyes. The protagonist, a young woman named Mika, was being hunted by something lurking just outside the frame. But there was a new tension in the panels, an almost claustrophobic feeling, as if the shadows were pressing in on Rei himself. He couldn't help but lean in, feeling his pulse quicken.Mika turned a corner, and a disturbing figure emerged—a warped, nightmarish creature that seemed to drip from the shadows, with too many eyes and an eerie, hollow grin. It leaned in close to Mika, whispering in broken, twisted letters: *"You knew what this was... and still, you came."*Rei felt a chill. The creature's words seemed to echo, not just in the panel, but in his room. The chapter ended on a cliffhanger, with Mika frozen in terror. Rei sat back, rubbing his arms to shake off the unsettling feeling. That's when he saw it: **another notification from Kiyo-Keeper**, right at the end of the chapter.> **Kiyo-Keeper:** "Turn back. Or you'll regret it.""What kind of troll leaves comments mid-chapter?" Rei muttered. Annoyed, he clicked to load **Chapter 100**.--- **The New Notification**Just as the chapter began to load, his laptop screen flickered, and a pop-up window appeared.**"Welcome to your first assignment."**Rei stared, confused. He tried clicking the close button, but the window wouldn't go away.*"Convince 100 readers to stop reading *Flesh and Shadow*. If you fail, you will face consequences."*Rei snorted. *Is this some prank ad?* He refreshed the page, trying to shake it off, but the pop-up appeared again, only now with a timer counting down from 48 hours. *It's a dumb site bug,* he thought, slamming his laptop shut.The image of the creature lingered in his mind, though. He tried to shake it, but the feeling of its many eyes seemed to follow him, like it was still watching.---**First Consequence**That night, Rei couldn't sleep. His room felt colder, darker, like the shadows themselves were gathering around him. He kept thinking about Kiyo-Keeper's warnings, the pop-up message, the countdown timer, and the eerie chapter he had read.Around 3 a.m., he felt his phone buzz. Blinking groggily, he checked it, and his blood ran cold:> **Kiyo-Keeper:** "You ignored the warning. Now face the consequence."Suddenly, the room around him twisted. Shadows crawled up his walls, stretching into grotesque shapes. His bed felt like it was sinking, pulling him down. As he scrambled to sit up, he realized he was no longer in his bedroom.He was in the manga panel.Rei looked around, terrified, seeing the dark alley from the chapter, the rain drizzling down in heavy, oppressive sheets. His breath came in ragged gasps, and he could feel the weight of the alley's dread pressing on him. The creature appeared, its eyes locking onto him, that same hollow grin spreading as it whispered, *"You should have listened..."*Rei screamed, snapping back into his room in a cold sweat. The shadows around him stilled, and his phone was back to normal. But his heart was still racing, and his hands shook as he clutched his phone, realizing the threat was real. He fumbled for his laptop and reopened the site, staring at the pop-up message.The timer was still counting down, now at **44 hours**.Rei shuddered, glancing at the comment section with new dread. *Maybe if I warn people... maybe I'll be free.* Swallowing his pride, he began typing, a nervous sweat breaking out on his forehead:> **ReiTheRealist:** "Guys, whatever you do, do NOT read past Chapter 99. Trust me. It's... not worth it."His comment posted, hovering near the top. Now, he waited, hoping someone would listen.But the replies poured in almost instantly.> **ZombieFan24:** "Not this again. Are you serious? Lol, come on.">> **EmpressInk:** "Another one bites the dust. 😂"Rei's heart sank. He had only just started, and no one was taking him seriously. The pop-up message blinked at him again, its text sharper, almost mocking.*"43 hours until your next consequence."*---And so begins Rei's desperate journey as he realizes he's trapped, facing the wrath of the cursed story he'd been so quick to dismiss. Now, with every comment he leaves, every attempt to stop others, he knows that his own fate hangs in the balance.