CHAPTER 1: I Didn't Sign Up for This
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"GRAAHH!!"
Duck! he mentally barked at himself, sliding under a low branch just as something big, sharp, and way too shiny slammed into the tree he'd just passed.
The entire trunk split, bark exploding like splinters.
Kael tumbled through dirt and roots, rolled, and came up gasping. "Okay—nope—definitely not a squirrel."
The forest was wrong.
Every color was too bright, every shadow too deep. Steam hissed from glowing moss, and the air smelled like wet metal.
He didn't have time to think about it—because the beast was already crashing through the trees behind him.
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"WHY DO THEY ALWAYS CHOOSE RANDOM DROPS?!" he shouted, sprinting across uneven ground. "You'd think a magical academy could afford maps!"
A roar answered.
"Right, right, my bad. Less talk, more running."
Branches tore at his clothes as he darted through the underbrush. He could feel the thing gaining—each thundering step making the ground quake. It sounded like metal on bone. No, it sounded hungry.
He risked a glance back.
Bad idea.
The creature burst into view—eight-legged, plated in silver hide that shimmered with faint runes. Its eyes were molten gold, and its mouth—if that could even be called a mouth—was a layered grinder of teeth and sparks.
> Level: ??
He leapt over a fallen log just as a claw tore it apart. Shards rained down like knives.
He had no weapon. No training. Just the "luck" of being one of the First Trial Candidates dropped on this godforsaken island.
They said this was the "pre-main exam." A survival test.
Last ten hours alive, and you pass.
Kael was pretty sure he'd last ten minutes if this kept up.
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He ducked behind a rock, panting. "Okay, brain, think. You're the smart one, right? Figure out how to not die."
The beast prowled past, low and sniffing. Its breath was a metallic rasp.
Kael pressed himself into the dirt, counting his heartbeat. In... out... stay quiet...
A glimmer caught his eye—something glowing half-buried in the soil a few feet away.
A cracked sphere. Pulsing faintly.
That looks expensive… and probably cursed.
He reached anyway.
The instant his fingers brushed the surface, the world blinked.
"What the—" Kael's pupils split, his breath sharpening into a low growl. His heartbeat synced with the beast's steps. Every sound became vivid. Every movement, predictable.
"Oh," he whispered, lips curving. "That's new."
The beast turned, sniffing. But before it could move—Kael was already gone.
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He moved before he thought—rolling under its claws, driving the broken branch straight into the joint of its leg. The creature screamed, thrashing.
Kael didn't stop.
He jumped, grabbed the beast's shoulder, and slammed his hand against its hide. Splinters flared through his arm.
Kael's grin turned sharp, almost feral.
The beast lunged.
Kael didn't dodge.
He matched its movement—like a reflection—and drove the branch into its exposed throat.
The roar choked into a metallic whine. The creature spasmed… then went still.
Silence.
Stooping down kael tried to flip it over, trying to extract and ts core,
Even though this was a trial,no one said you'd I couldn't keep your loots,
Immediately o he came in contact with it something weird happened
> [Error: Host identity mismatch detected.]
[Initializing Mirror Sequence…]
A chill ran through his arm—like liquid glass flooding his veins.
> [Truth registered: rage rush]
[Borrowed Lie active — Predatory Urge.]
[Truth description : movement speed x10 for 10 sec]
[Synchronization duration:2 hours]
His instincts sharpened instantly,and so did a blood lust he never knew he had
. He gasped, retching, tasting blood. "Okay—never again—nope—well, maybe later, that was kind of awesome—"
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"Kael Ardent," a voice crackled from nowhere.
He froze. "Uh. Who said that?"
> [Identity confirmed.]
[System Sync: 0.4%]
[Welcome, User_0.0]
[Designation: astral mirror— Dormant Host.]
.
"Cool," Kael muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "So now I'm talking to myself. Great start."
The voice spoke again, fragmented like glass under pressure.
> [You wear another's Truth.]
[But every Truth has a Lie.]
[How long before it wears you?]
Kael ,stood looking into thing air,utterly spooked
He stood, stretching aching muscles. Around him, the forest was still again. For the first time since landing, he could breathe.
Then—crack.
Something moved in the shadows.
Kael's grin faded. "Oh, come on.
The ground shook.
Kael turned slowly. Through the trees, two molten eyes opened—each as tall as a tower bell. The air warped. Compared to this the beast he killed looked like a baby.
Kael swallowed. "Alright," he muttered. "Round two. But just to clarify…"
He raised his empty hands and shouted,
"—I STILL DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS!"
The roar that answered made the forest bow.
He turned and fled faster than he was breathing,escaping before the creatures even sensced his existence.