---
"Huh—hah—"
I huffed, stumbling through the forest, each breath coming out like a wheeze. The trees blurred past, roots snagging at my boots, twigs cracking underfoot. My legs felt like molten lead. My body screamed with every step.
Every inch of me hurt—my ribs, my arms, my face. Hell, even my hair hurt. I was totally exhausted, bruised, and battered like a training dummy gone wrong. My muscles burned so badly it felt like my blood had been replaced with fire.
All I wanted—all I wanted—was to stop, lie down, and never move again.
But I knew better.
I wasn't safe. Not even one percent.
The forest wasn't quiet—never quiet. Leaves rustled somewhere behind me, a faint reminder that this island had no mercy for anyone dropped into it. I limped forward, sweat and dirt streaking down my skin. My clothes were torn, sticky with half-dried blood, mine and otherwise.
I didn't know how long I'd been running. Hours maybe. Days even. Time had melted into one long heartbeat of fear and adrenaline.
"Next time Mom says 'it'll be good for your growth,' remind me to run the other way," I muttered, voice raspy.
A faint hum blinked in the corner of my vision.
> [System Active]
[Energy: 30£ / 150£]
[Warning: Host in critical exhaustion state.]
"You don't say," I coughed, clutching my side. "You think?"
I tripped over a fallen branch and caught myself on a trunk, panting hard. My pulse felt like thunder in my skull. Every breath came with the taste of iron.
You might be wondering how I got used to this floating window that calls itself my "system."
The truth is—I haven't.
Or maybe I never had the privilege to.
Compared to everything else that's happened today, the glowing text box from nowhere is the least of my problems.
I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth and limped on, the dim forest light flickering between the trees. My thoughts were blurry now, half delirious, half focused purely on one thing: survival.
That's when I saw it.
Something moved at the edge of my vision.
At first, I thought it was another trick of my tired brain—a shadow between shadows. But when I squinted, my stomach dropped.
A figure emerged from between the trees.
It wasn't a beast. Not in the normal sense. It was a mass—a swathing, writhing heap of flesh, like melted wax given life. Its surface shimmered in pulsing shades of red and grey, constantly shifting as though it couldn't decide what shape it wanted to take.
For a heartbeat, I froze. My body refused to move.
Then my survival instincts kicked in, and I turned fully toward it.
"Okay, what the hell is—"
The thing opened its mouth.
If you could call it a mouth.
A gaping maw tore open across the upper half of its body, revealing rows of teeth like jagged shards of glass. Two massive, dagger-like fangs jutted downward from the top, glistening wetly. A thick, double-tipped tongue slithered out, splitting and curling in opposite directions.
"—oh, come on!" I yelled, stumbling backward.
My brain barely processed what I was seeing before instinct took over. Every alarm bell in my head screamed run.
I kicked off the ground.
Muscles tearing, lungs collapsing—I didn't care. I just ran.
"Rage Rush—" I rasped, slamming my fist into my chest as if that'd help.
> [Skill Activation: Rage Rush]
[Warning: Essence below critical threshold.]
"Activate the damn skill!" I shouted, voice cracking. "God dammit, does my fate at the moment look like it can get any worse!?"
The system flickered.
> [Rage Rush — Activated!]
(-30£)
(0£ left)
The effect hit instantly.
A hot surge ripped through my veins. My vision stretched, colours distorting into violent shades of light. My heart thundered like a war drum. Every sound became painfully sharp—the crackle of branches, the rasp of my breath, the sickening slurp of that monster dragging itself closer.
And then dizziness hit me.
It was like being drunk and electrocuted at the same time. My body felt lighter and heavier all at once.
I staggered, grabbed a tree for balance, then forced my legs to move again.
"Keep… running…"
I burst forward, zig-zagging between trees, smashing through brush and vines. Every muscle screamed. My legs felt like they were about to tear off, but I couldn't stop.
Not with that thing behind me.
I didn't dare look back, but I could hear it—wet, dragging sounds like meat slapping against stone. The forest floor trembled with each pull of its weight.
> [Essence: 0£]
[Overload Risk: 98%]
[Warning: System strain at critical threshold.]
The warning pulsed red across my vision. I ignored it.
I didn't even care where I was running anymore. I just wanted to live.
I slammed into a tree shoulder-first, stumbled, nearly fell. Pain shot down my arm. Another branch smacked me across the face, drawing blood.
"God—dammit—!" I cursed, gasping. "If I live through this, I swear I'm suing whoever designed this exam!"
The forest around me blurred into streaks of green and brown. My body moved on autopilot, fueled purely by panic. My breath came in ragged, uneven bursts.
I bumped into another tree. Then another. My shoulder screamed in protest.
But stopping wasn't an option.
Something was behind me. I could feel its heat, smell the coppery stench of its breath.
I wanted to scream, but all that came out was a strangled wheeze.
"Don't—stop—just—run—"
Everything was grey now. My vision dimmed, washed out like an old photo. I couldn't even feel my legs anymore.
Still, I forced them to move. One step, then another, then another.
I didn't need a mirror to know I was a total mess—scratched, bruised, pale, and probably seconds from dropping dead.
Branches tore at my clothes as I stumbled forward, half-blind.
> [System Warning: Neural strain critical.]
[Energy: 0£]
[Skill duration expiring—]
My foot caught on a root. I fell hard, rolling through the dirt. My vision spun, nausea hitting like a wave.
"Come on…" I groaned, clawing at the ground, trying to push myself up.
Behind me, I could still hear the creature moving—slowly, like it was watching, waiting for me to give out.
"Just… a little…"
Another flicker crossed my sight.
> [Skill Timeout Imminent]
[Rage Rush duration ending—]
My heart dropped. "No, no, not yet—just a bit longer!"
I pushed harder, stumbling back to my feet.
The forest swayed. My head felt like it was filled with smoke. Every nerve screamed.
"Move… MOVE!" I shouted, shoving myself forward.
My body didn't obey.
The next thing I knew, my vision snapped black and white. The edges of the world twisted inward, collapsing into static.
> [TRUTH Lost Due To — — —]
I never got to see what the rest said.
My body went limp before the system could finish the sentence.
And everything went dark.