[System Update]
Exploration Protocol Activated
Bonus Time Granted: +15 Minutes
Total Remaining Time: 00:40:00
You may now explore your surroundings freely.
The glowing text hovered in the air, steady and silent, like a divine command waiting to be obeyed.
Forty minutes. That was how long I had left—though for what, I had no clue.
"Forty minutes to what… die again?" I muttered under my breath.
Then something subtle changed.
The moment that system message appeared—Bonus Time Granted: +15 Minutes—the pain dulled ever so slightly. It wasn't much, but I felt it. My knees didn't ache as sharply, and my breath came a bit easier.
I blinked, flexing my fingers, testing my body.
It wasn't an illusion. It was real.
"So the timer's not just for show," I whispered. "The longer I have… the better I feel."
The realisation sank deep, cold and heavy. That meant if the time hit zero—
I clenched my fists. I didn't want to finish that thought.
I started walking, ignoring the throbbing pain that still lingered. Each step kicked up fine grey dust. The world was barren, empty—just endless plains of silence. No wind, no birds, nothing alive. Just me and the ticking in the corner of my vision.
After a while, a faint shimmer appeared before me again—thin lines of light forming words.
[System Functions Unlocked]
– Status
– Quests
– Inventory
– Timer
You may access functions through thought.
"Through thought…" I murmured.
The moment I focused on the word Status, a blue window unfolded in the air.
Name: Arun
Age: 96 (Body) / 22 (Soul)
Vitality: 1
Strength: 2
Perception: 9
Remaining Time: 00:39:28
I exhaled slowly.
Ninety-six years old. Whoever I'd replaced hadn't been far from death.
Another prompt appeared right after.
[New Quest Unlocked]
Basic Survival I: Find water and drink it.
Reward: +10 Minutes
I stared at it, lips cracked, throat aching.
Water.
That's what I needed, wasn't it?
My tongue felt like sandpaper already.
"So… completing quests extends my time."
I stared at the prompt for a short moment.
"Alright," I murmured. "Find water. Simple enough."
Except there was nothing here.
No rivers. No trees. No sound of flowing water.
I kept walking. My knees burned, and my throat tightened with every breath. Sweat refused to come. Even the air felt dry.
Then I remembered I saw a broken well at one of the ends of the house yard.
I hurried to it, heart pounding.
The inside was nothing but shadow. I peered over the edge, hoping for a glint, a reflection—anything.
Nothing. Just emptiness.
The bottom was dry.
A hollow sound escaped my throat—something between a laugh and a sigh. "A well with no water. Of course."
I leaned against the crumbling stone, catching my breath, the timer ticking in the corner of my vision.
00:36:47
Time slipping away.
Throat burning.
Hope fading.
But even then, I couldn't shake the feeling—this world wasn't done testing me yet.
The well stood silent before me, a hollow mouth in the earth.
No sound. No shimmer of water. Just cracked stone and stale air.
A cruel promise to a man already running out of time.
00:36:12
00:36:11
00:36:10
Every second blinked in the corner of my vision like a dying heartbeat.
I leaned forward, peering inside. The walls were rough, made of uneven stones stacked generations ago. They looked climbable, though risky. My body ached just from standing—but if I wanted to survive, I needed water.
"Guess I'm going down," I muttered, my voice dry and hoarse.
I gripped the stone rim and began my descent, each movement sending sharp jolts through my shoulders and knees. My arms shook, my breath hitched, and the muscles in my back screamed.
But I didn't stop.
Slowly—painfully—I climbed down into the darkness.
The air grew cooler near the bottom, heavy with dust and silence. When my feet finally touched the ground, I let out a shaky exhale and slumped against the wall to catch my breath.
The bottom was dry. Cracked mud, faint roots, and the smell of old earth. No sign of moisture.
Still, I knelt and pressed my fingers into the dirt, hoping to feel even the faintest trace of dampness. Nothing. It crumbled into powder between my fingers.
My throat burned. "Completely dry…"
That's when my eyes caught something half-buried near the wall—a broken wooden handle attached to a rusted pickaxe head. The metal was dull, chipped, but it was something.
I dragged it closer and lifted it with both hands. It was heavier than it looked. I took a weak swing. The pickaxe bounced off the ground, barely leaving a scratch.
The next swing sent pain shooting through my shoulders. The third almost made me drop it entirely.
I fell back, gasping, my arms trembling uncontrollably.
"This body…" I hissed through gritted teeth. "It's useless."
The timer blinked again.
00:35:43
That's when a thought clicked.
The system. It had quests… status… maybe something more.
I focused hard on the word store.
A soft chime answered.
[System Store – Basic Tier]
Axe Mastery (Beginner) — 5 LPStrength Boost (Temporary) — 10 LPManual Digging Efficiency — 15 LPUnknown Locked Skills — ???
I stared at the glowing text. Five LP. Five minutes of my life.
The same time that decided whether I lived or died.
"So… I trade life for skill."
A cruel rule. But fair, in its own twisted way.
I took a deep breath, feeling the dryness crack my lips, then whispered, "Buy Axe Mastery."
[Purchase Confirmed: Axe Mastery (Beginner)]
-5 Minutes deducted
[Remaining Time: 00:30:41]
Warmth surged through my arms. The pickaxe suddenly felt lighter—balanced. My grip adjusted naturally, as though my body remembered what my mind didn't.
I raised it again and swung.
Clang!
The sound echoed across the stone walls. The blow hit deeper this time, sending cracks through the dry earth.
A second swing. Then a third.
Dust scattered, and the vibrations ran through my bones, but I didn't stop.
Sweat rolled down my temple, mixing with dirt.
Every hit felt easier, sharper. Real.
Then a chime sounded again.
[Quest Progress Updated]
Basic Survival I: Find and drink water before time expires.
Reward on Completion: +10 Minutes
Chain Quest Available:
Basic Survival II – Revive the Well
Objective: Dig deep enough for continuous water flow.
Reward on Completion: +12 Hours
I froze. My chest tightened—not from fear this time, but from something else.
Hope.
Ten minutes for surviving.
Twelve hours… for rebuilding life.
I looked down at the dirt, gripping the pickaxe tighter.
Maybe the old man who owned this land had failed to reach water.
Maybe I could finish what he couldn't.
Either way, I didn't have the luxury to stop.
The timer ticked on.
And for the first time, I wasn't just fighting to stay alive—
I was fighting to live.