The evening rays hit the walls of the concrete houses, painting them in their colour.
Narayan stood outside the main gate of his house, breathing a bit heavily as sweat dropped down his chin.
'It took me two days and still…'
He clenched his chest for a second, then released it.
He stared at the gate for a few seconds, squinting his eyes, then slowly dragged his feet up the stairs.
But instead of knocking, he sat on the top stair and gazed at his own feet. He could hear the faint voices of his siblings inside, but he stopped himself.
He didn't want to meet them in such a state.
"Huff… Those two were really kind. I think I should visit them sometime and show my gratitude."
He remembered how the old lady insisted he eat more, and how the couple treated him like their own son.
"How could someone leave his own parents and such kind parents at tha—"
He clutched his head as his vision blurred and a wave of familiar pain surged through it.
"Ughh… That pill…" he groaned.
The pain continued for several minutes, easing for some time in between.
He relaxed his hands and looked at the sky, breathing through his mouth.
"I should go inside now."
He stood up slowly and cleaned his clothes, then turned toward the gate and touched it before teleporting inside.
He appeared on the opposite side of the gate, then began walking. His feet lost balance slightly, but he tried to keep it normal.
He heard his siblings' voices coming from the roof.
"Is everyone up there?"
He slowly walked toward the living room and peeked inside.
His father sat on a chair, his face pale. His mother sat a little away from him, talking about something.
'How much have I made them suffer…'
Narayan stood there for a while, listening to his parents talk about him and his return.
'Why? Why am I such an idiot?'
He took a slow breath while plastering a smile on his face—
a smile that felt more exhausting than anything else.
He gathered some confidence and decided to go in.
"Mo—"
'bing!'
The glowing blue status window appeared again.
[ The tutorial has ended.
The trial to decide humanity's future will now begin. ]
Narayan didn't have time to read it or even look at it.
His parents looked at him.
His mother's face fell into tears, while a small smile crept onto his father's face as he leaned back against the chair, relieved.
"Naray—"
Everything became white—only white, spreading in all directions, even beneath him.
Narayan didn't say anything. He couldn't.
His mind felt as if it had stopped functioning.
Another status window appeared.
[ The trial will soon commence.
Please prepare yourself.
More…
Warning: The number of completions will decide the future of humanity. ]
The sound of the status window snapped Narayan's mind back to the place.
"Why… why now?"
Narayan covered his face with his palms.
'Why can't I have some good time? Why do I always—'
He felt something beneath his feet, as if the ground was shifting.
He removed his hands.
Terrain formed under his feet—soil, then grass, then trees, followed by hills and small houses in the distance.
He had been in his house moments ago, but now he was once again in a forest.
But none of that interested him.
He faintly slapped his cheeks and exhaled slowly through his mouth.
"I have to get back as fast as I can."
He looked around just before the status window appeared again.
[ Trial: Don't Break
Clear Condition: Survive and try to change the ending if you can.
Failure: Losing yourself
Reward: New skill
Penalty for failure: Unique Skill level decreases by one rank ]
As he read, his body began to change. His ears and hair grew longer, and a new pair of clothes replaced his.
Another status window appeared.
[ Status Window ]
[ Name: Rynel Astrayne
Race: Elf
Protector: None
Nature's Gift: Will Forge (A-rank)
Talents: Swordsmanship (B-rank), Archery (B-rank)
Rank: Nature's sword
Honours: Hero Among Heroes,
The Saviour of Estera...
Malediction: None
Click to see stats….]
"What is this…?" Narayan gazed at the status window relentlessly.
---
Mayank stood on the roof of his house as the evening wind lightly brushed against his face.
He kept glaring at his phone as his fingers moved up and down.
"He hasn't replied till now…"
He stared at his old chats with Narayan.
He scrolled to the bottom, looking at the messages he had sent over the span of two days, all of which were still unseen.
He scrolled a bit more, then opened the class group, looked at it for a few seconds, and turned his phone off.
But just as he lifted his face to look at the sun, a system notification appeared.
[ The tutorial has ended.
The trial to decide humanity's future will now begin. ]
"Huh? Trial? Why now?"
He turned back toward the stairs.
But just as he reached them, he was transported to the same white dimension.
[ The trial will soon commence.
Please prepare yourself.
More…
Warning: The number of completions will decide the future of humanity. ]
Mayank stared at the status window before clicking More…
[ The trial will soon commence.
Please prepare yourself.
All humans will be teleported to a separate dimension for the trials.
Every trial is different, and every human receives a different trial.
The trial will solely depend on the participant's fate.
Until all trials end, time will be stopped in the real world.
Death in trials will not affect the real body, so please try your best.
Warning: The number of completions will decide the future of humanity. ]
Mayank read everything carefully.
"Interesting… now this feels like something real. But will there be any reward?"
Only silence answered him, but soon after, the realm began to change.
The white realm slowly turned into land.
Then a medieval city appeared, followed by people walking through the streets.
Mayank stood outside a two-story building. The sign read—
'Red Dragon Inn'
The surroundings sparked his interest, yet his gaze returned to the status window.
[ Trial: Save the Hero
Clear Condition: Save your best friend and the future hero of the world.
Failure: Death of the hero
Reward: One skill rank increase
Penalty for failure: Loss of a limb ]
'Saving your best friend…'
The image of Narayan's corpse flashed through his mind for a second.
"No, no… what am I thinking?"
He looked around himself.
Night approached quietly as the lamps burned brighter. Mayank could faintly see the dark walls in the distance fortifying the city. The street was filled with other inns and small shops.
He turned back toward the inn door when another status window appeared.
[ Status Window ]
[ Name: Edrik Stoneborne
Race: Half Human / Half Orc
God: The Stone Lifter
Unique Ability: Dual Instinct (A-rank)
Abilities: Heavy Swordsmanship (C-rank), Throw (B-rank)…
Epithet: The Titan of War,
Brute Sword…
Tribulation: Rejected by Blood
Click to see stats….]
"This is interes—"
He was cut off when a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
"What are you doing? Let's go inside."
A sweet, calm voice came from behind.
When he turned around, he saw a man—someone he had never seen, yet recognized, as if he had known him for years.
A man in his early twenties.
The unfortunate hero of the world.
"Let's go inside. They'll be waiting for us," the man said with a calm expression.
Mayank didn't understand, yet he nodded—as if his body understood for him.
To be continued...